Hi! This is a one-shot for my new story, Different. Enjoy!
"She's perfect!" A voice purred. Moonlight filtered into the nursery, turning the queen's pelt a brilliant silver. Her green eyes gleamed with happiness as she gazed at her daughter.
"What should we call her, Snowlight?" A large brown tom was sitting beside her, licking his tiny daughter fondly.
"She is like a ray of sunshine," Snowlight murmured. "Sunkit." She gazed at her mate, affection brimming in her eyes. "Do you like it, Timberblaze?" Timberblaze nodded.
"I expect great things from her," he purred. "A perfect mate, perfect kits, an exceptional mentor."
LINE BREAK
"Sunpaw! Sunpaw!" FrostClan cheered, eyes shining as the sun broke from the gray clouds and shone upon her. Her pelt gleamed brighter than ever, a sliver of light that brought hope to all hearts. Sunpaw barely noticed their cheering, she was busy searching for her one love.
There! Her heart ached for him, but he was Rockflame and she was Sunpaw. In other words, he was busy mooning over Petalscar, a pretty long-furred cream she-cat with a long scar running down her shoulder. He wasn't even cheering, he was busy purring and flicking his tail along Petalscar's back.
"Well, Sunpaw, get some rest," her mentor, Rivershine, told her. "It's the Gathering tonight and I want you to come." Sunpaw straightened up, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Okay!" she exclaimed. Heart light with happiness, she skipped towards the apprentices' den, but slowed down as she saw Petalscar and Rockflame twine tails and head out. Jealousy burned like a flame in her heart. Rockflame's mine! She silently told Petalscar, eyes narrowing.
LINE BREAK
"Sunfeather! Sunfeather!" FrostClan cheered. The sleek golden she-cat felt her eyes search yet again for those beloved blue orbs. Her heart fell when she saw him, black pelt sleek, who was speaking to Petalscar yet again, his eyes shining with excitement.
Sunfeather broke away from her clustering Clanmates, feeling tears prick her eyes. Why can't he just love me like he does with Petalscar? She wailed inwardly. She could hear pawsteps, quick and worried, pounding towards her. The concerned, jade-green eyes of Snowlight brought her to the present.
"Sunfeather, dear," she meowed. "We know how much you love Rockflame, but you deserve much better than him if he can't love you." Sunfeather twisted away from her mother, eyes watering.
"I can't, mother!" she yowled. "I love him too much to leave him!" She ran off, hurt cracking the tender barrier that tried to keep her heart up.
By nightfall, the Clan tread carefully around Sunfeather, not knowing the cause of her heartbreak, yet sympathizing never the less. Sunfeather absently turned a rock over with one dainty paw.
I was always perfect. So why can't I get the one cat I love to love me back?
NEXT MOON
Sunfeather sighed and laid her head on Rockflame's shoulder. Her tail curled around her paws, as they watched the sun set. Petalscar was far, far away, in the nursery, with her mate, Stormfang. Sunfeather could still remember that day, the happiest day in her life, when Petalscar told Rockflame she wanted to be only friends.
"Rockflame," she purred. "I-I have something to tell you." She gazed earnestly into his wide blue eyes. Only this morning she had found out.
"Yes?" The black tom replied, tipping his head to one side in his cute, what is going on? way.
"I'm expecting kits," Sunfeather blurted out, her heart bursting with happiness. Rockflame's eyes filled with shock, then pride.
"That's so great!" he cried. "I'm going to be a father!" He twined his tail with hers, affection brimming in his eyes. Sunfeather felt her heart burst out with love for him.
ARE YOU GUYS GETTING ANNOYED BY LINE BREAKS?
"They're coming!" Fear edged Rockflame's cry. Sunfeather grunted, her golden pelt ruffled from sleep. Petalscar curled her tail over her kits.
"Why can't I see them, Petalscar?" Sunnykit cried. "Why, Petalscar? Why do you get to and I don't?"
"Hush!" Petalscar snapped softly. "It doesn't help!" She shot a sympathetic glance at Sunfeather. "Don't worry," she soothed. "This pain will help you protect your kits." Sunfeather gritted her teeth as rippled of fiery pain shot through her.
"The first one's coming!" Rockflame gasped. He barged into the nursery, eyes wide at the sight of his firstborn. "She's beautiful!"
"The second's coming!" The medicine cat, Rosespiral, reported. "It's awfully big for a kit." As the pain faded away, Sunfeather craned her neck to see her kits. She gasped in shock, her eyes widening at the sight of the second kit.
"It's…it's…" she croaked, edging away from the kit. Its pelt was brown with white markings, its fur so fluffy that a cat could spot it from tree-lengths away, and it was awfully plump. "That one's definitely Fernkit," she meowed coldly. "Just look at its coat!"
"And what about our perfect daughter?" she sighed, gazing dreamily at the second she-kit. It was slender and creamy white with silver swirls spiralling down from her head to her paws. Rockflame gazed uncertainly at his mate.
"I like the name…Moonkit." Sunfeather stretched up and licked her mate's cheek.
"A perfect name for the obviously prettier daughter," she purred. After Rockflame left the nursery, she gazed sadly down at Fernkit.
What am I supposed to do? Snowlight wanted a perfect family for me…and Fernkit's not perfect. Moonkit is. You can see it in her pelt, her paws, everything about her.
Snowlight demanded a perfect family from me…what am I going to do? Sunfeather gazed around, uncertainty touching the corners of her eyes.
There is only one solution. The golden she-cat looked down at her wriggling daughter, regret, shame, love and hate swimming in her emerald-green gaze. I cannot love her. She cannot be my daughter.
Dun dun dun! Do you hate Sunfeather for what she'd done? Do you feel sorry for poor little Fernkit? What about Rockflame? And Moonkit?
~Wish (and Amberflower)