Author's Note: I'm entering this both into a new fanfic, and into Words From The Heart, trying to see which would get more attention... since the other one already has many chappies and has been dumped in a corner for a while... (blows away dust)

Disclaimer: Warriors and its characters no belong to me.

The WindClan Stranger

I heard someone told me I'm a paranoid cat. I went through a phase of being all paranoid and anxious about me being a paranoid cat while doing my best not to show it before finding out, hey, maybe I am a paranoid cat. But I had reasons.

For example, when you see your closest friends finding their special ones, how would you feel?

I don't believe in love outside the normal friendship and clanmate feelings. There's no she-cat who could make me feel /that/ way. Love is such a gossip. To me anyway. I hear so much about it, but I never felt it before.

When you hear about something, don't you want to feel it?

And that was why, that day, I found myself by the WindClan border again, waiting for that stranger.

I thought, could I actually find someone in WindClan? Could I end up like Bluestar or Graystripe? After thinking it through, I still thought that having an illegal affair with a WindClan cat is best compared to the other Clans. Definitely not ShadowClan, and of course, not RiverClan, what with our enmity and all.

I stared and stared, wasting my time away. She should appear now, right? Anytime now, she would appear from those moors and lock gazes with me. Then we'd share that common understanding that we both are special to one another. Who would it be?

Truth be told, I felt stupid. I've always believed I was born naive. I was worried about many things. I had felt responsible for Sorrelkit's plight because I didn't guard Darkstripe well. Despite Fireheart's constant saying that it wasn't my fault, I couldn't help it, see.

Sorrelkit was only a kit. Even so young, I saw the potential in her to become a great warrior. I saw the difference in her. If I was responsible for her death, I'd never forgive myself!

I sighed aloud. Why was I thinking about Sorreltail when I should be thinking of the cat I'm supposed to meet like, now? Where are my priorities?

I sighed once more, wistfully, and turned away. No point wallowing over things that wouldn't happen.

"Someone missing a secret lover?"

I jumped. Not only literally, but really jumped. There, before me, was the she-cat whose near-death I thought I caused.

"Sorreltail?! What are you doing here?"

I think I sounded too surprised because she frowned.

"This is ThunderClan territory. Of course I'd be here."

I ducked, too embarassed to say anything. But since I'm the older one here, the more experienced one, I regained my composure. "Yes, of course. Pardon me, then. I'm going to hunt."

I side-stepped, hurrying past her and stubbornly avoiding her gaze. I was such an idiot!

I hadn't walked a few steps when I heard her footsteps behind me. I closed my eyes, my fur burning in embarassment.

"Why were you staring like that?" Sorreltail questioned, trailing behind me.

I walked on, keeping my eyes fixed ahead of me. I figured that if I kept quiet, she would stop asking.

I found that I figured wrong.

"Do you really love someone from WindClan?"

I whirled around, shocked. Words couldn't explain how taken aback I was. "What?" I exploded.

She winced, flattening her tortoiseshell body against the ground. "I was just asking. Casually," she added. She didn't look casual to me. She looked very tense.

I forced myself to relax. I couldn't let her see I was nervous. I couldn't let her see that I was actually thinking of the possibility of having an affair with some unknown nameless WindClan cat.

"I'm sorry," I apologized instinctively.

Sorreltail straightened slightly, her eyes narrowed. She looked angry. And she deserved to be so. I was the one who had to go exploding.

At that time, I really felt like an idiot.

Dignity, Brackenfur! You're supposed to be a dignified tom! A senior tom! I dipped my head to lick my chest fur, all the while conscious of her hard glare.

"I thought you were a goody cat, Brackenfur..." Sorreltail retorted. "I thought you were the only one who stick to the rules."

Even she thought so! I felt so miserable. Was I destined to be a 'goody' cat all the while? "I did want to break the rules..." I mumbled, half to myself.

Surprisingly, she had acute hearing. Or maybe I was talking too loud.

Her eyes gleamed with amusement as she half-circled me. "Oh, but I like good cats who follow the rules..."

I flinched as I gazed at her. Was that a smirk? StarClan, was that a smirk I see on her face? Sorreltail, the playful cheery she-cat, just smirked? At me? The thought sent a rush of heat to my ears, which I flicked uncertainly.

"See you, Brackenfur," Sorreltail mewed calmly, flicking her tail at my cheek. It tingled.

As I watched her go, she turned back, suddenly looking more serious. "And... if you want to break the rules, I'm sure you can do better than to love another cat outside the Clan. We don't need anymore forbidden love."

"It's not that I want it anyway..." I protested. "I just want... to love."

I sounded so vulnerable! Brackenfur, you're the tom here! I was too busy scolding myself to realize that she had padded up to me.

"I understand," Sorreltail murmured. She pressed her muzzle against my shoulder. I relaxed visibly and stopped trembling—wait, I was trembling?! I was even more pathetic than I thought!

We talked. Me and Sorreltail, we talked. The last time I remembered we had chatted, was when she was an apprentice, with her shoulder injured. I told her it was fine, that she'd do fine. And she had given me that look that sent an uncomfortable shiver down my spine. Looking into her green (?) eyes now, I felt the same way. Only stronger than before.

I opened up. I told her how I felt. I never told a cat so many personal things before. She always nodded with understanding. I told her about many things, how scared I was when I thought she was going to die. It felt like I knew her the whole of my short life. Well, I did, but I didn't know know her. She felt like the best friend I could have. I felt completely myself before her... aside from the occasional prickle down my spine when she stared at me.

As we stood up, the sun was almost setting. Her tortoiseshell fur was bathed in warm golden light. It struck me then, that I have never seen such a beautiful cat.

Being the cat I am, I was transfixed.

My heart was reacting the wrong way.

"Brackenfur, you okay?" She waved a paw in front of me. She looked worried. Suddenly, I felt good inside.

Foolishly, I bowed my head. I was alright, actually. I just wanted to see that anxious look on her face once more. It made me feel warm.

I sighed the most dramatic sigh I could summon. "I'm okay," I meowed in the deepest, most heavy voice I could muster. It wasn't the best thing to do, apparantly, because Sorreltail stepped closer, examining me, and even sniffing to see if I'm ill. It took me everything to stay where I was and not run away. If I remembered clearly, I think I held my breath as well.

"Umm... shall we go back?" Sorreltail suggested after stepping back.

"Okay." I replied, still stunned. I fell into step beside her, and we were quiet. But it wasn't that kind of awkward silence when you didn't know what to say. It was a mutual and comfortable silence. The closeness made me feel warm.

I flashed a quick sideways glance at her. She was still there. She still looked beautiful. I'm not paralyzed by her or anything. Well, I /was/ at one point... where I had been gaping like... like whatever word that can describe a silly tom.

But I knew, I was struck by her. Why hadn't I noticed her since long time ago? A she-cat that could struck me. Why hadn't I been struck by her before?

I glanced away, the heat creeping up to my face as a memory surfaced. If I think further back, maybe she was special all the while. It just needed time for me to see it properly, before me. Since I do admit, I could be kind of blind, like the time with Darkstripe... and the one with... oh, I'm not going to go into the moments of misery once more.

Feeling eyes on me, I turned. Sorreltail was fixing me with an intense look. I found that I couldn't look away. Her eyes... it felt like she was looking through me.

Then she smiled.

And me, being the paranoid and timid cat I am, of course, reacted in a more violent way than other cats.

I couldn't remember how I tripped over that root, or how I fell flat on my face, or how I struggled to stand up, or whether I had licked one paw and passed it over my face self-consciously.

But when she smiled the second time, I knew I wouldn't need to visit the WindClan border again.

Author's Note: Okay? Terrible? Reasonable? Tell me your opinion.. I haven't written a fanfic in a long while... Review! Comment, criticize, if possible, praise :)