Welcome to my collection of shorts about what happened after the Dark Forest was destroyed. How do the warriors feel? Some of my OC's will also take part, but these are more or less characters from the Warriors novels, so I don't own them. Here is the first in the series.

A Night of Crickets and Memories

Crowfeather didn't mind the silence of the night. He stared at the stars with patience, thinking of those who have passed on. The chirping of crickets filled his ears with a soft melody, letting him zone out from the world, if just for moments. He wished he could show this moment with Leafpool, but he could never again. He was proud of his kits, all of them; Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, Breezepelt. He loved them all. Even those that had become stars like the ones in the night sky. A breeze whispered through the wind, and he shivered with its cold touch on his fur.

A breeze…..

Just like his hate-filled son. Breezepelt's mate had just kitted two days ago, a pair of beautiful kits. She'd named them Nightkit and Badgerkit. After Crowfeather's mate.
Where was she now? He wondered. His Nightcloud. He'd never truly had feelings for her. He'd only wanted to forget his grief. But he loved their kit, Breezepelt, like he loved his and Leafpool's kits or maybe even more. But Breezepelt was so cruel towards his father….

Cruel….

But maybe he had been cruel to him to start with. Cruel to his only true son. Cruel to his only true mate. But he did love them. He was just afraid to show it. He knew his relationship with Leafpool was over. They should never have been together, in the eyes of StarClan. Nightcloud was his only true mate. He understood, suddenly, how wrong he's been, in thinking Nightcloud was just a shield from grief. No, he had loved her. And deep inside his wounded heart, Crowfeather still did.

Wounded…

Wounds heal, however. Crowfeather knew that. He knew that he could always start again. Maybe even mend his broken relationship with Breezepelt. He remembered the pride he's felt, gazing at his grand-children. He loved them, no matter how wounded of a family they came from. He could heal this. He could. Now he was sure of it.

Heal….

Fur brushed his shoulder as a black shape sat down beside him. Her eyes were full of tears as she glanced at him sideways. Nighcloud, beautiful in the night she was named after. For the first time in moons, Crowfeather understood why he had taken her as his mate. She was beautiful. As she rose to pad away, he caught her with his tail.
"No. Wait, Nightcloud."
Her startled gaze was enough to confirm what Crowfeather already knew. She really loved him, and thought it was hopeless. He would prove her otherwise.
"The night is beautiful, is it not?" He whispered. She nodded tentatively, and a silent sob racked her body, and Crowfeather did not know whether it was sorrow or joy.

Joy….

"Just like you, Nightcloud." She gasped as he nuzzled her side gently.
"You never really loved me!" She cried softly into the night. The crickets stopped chirping, as if listening to her melancholy voice.
"I did. I do. Nightcloud, we have many wounds. But I can heal them, I promise."
"No. You never loved me." She rose to leave, but Crowfeather pulled her down beside him with a purr and entwined his tail around hers. "Hear me out, Nightcloud."
"You left us! Me and Breezepelt, our kit! And your grand-kits, I saw the disdain in your gaze. The games are over!" Nightcloud howled. Crowfeather hushed her but leaning in closer to her.
"I was never the mate I should have been. I am sorry. Really and truly. But I always loved you, Nightcloud." His heart fluttered as a confirmation of his words, and Crowfeather understood he was not lying. He needed her. And he needed her to know.
"I need you, Nightcloud." Slowly, her sobs died down as he leaned against her, breathing in her scent like there was no tomorrow. He had loved Leafpool at one time. But no more. It was time to move on from his younger days, and become a true warrior in the end.

Warrior…

So this is what it took. To become one again with his true love. As the stars twinkled on, the stones around Crowfeather's hear melted. He saw the world anew in the glow of the moon.
"Forever, Nightcloud. I promise now. I really do love you. Above all things, ThunderClan, memories, the stars above….."
And she answered back, moving into him slowly, tentatively. As if she expected to be rejected. But his heart knew, as he had always known somewhere deep down, that he would never reject her again. And the soft promise he made that day whispered away, as the crickets continued to chirp in the night.