Jayfeather x Briarlight - Impressed
A/N: I haven't read the Apprentice's Quest, so I'm going to ignore whatever happens in that book.
He heard her crawl over to grab the borage he asked her to grab. Even he, the cat who was grumpy and never impressed, was amazed by her determination. She always did the exercises, even though she hated them. She helped out wherever she could, even though it took all her strength just to crawl across to the nursery. She fought every day to help her Clan and stay alive, but still faced hatred from her sister and certain warriors who thought she was useless. She never let it bring her down though. Living up to the "light" in her name, she always tried to stay happy.
And, after the moons he had spent with her, her infectious attitude was finally starting to rub off. He wasn't so grumpy, and was able to smile at things more. He never admitted it, but he was grateful, because really that anger was really just a shell, a shell to hide his hurt. He became less grumpy because she made him happier. And it helped him forget everything he had been through.
Many seasons passed, and though he had not taken her as his apprentice, she had taken it upon herself to help out where she could. All those moons in the medicine den had taught her something, after all, and she didn't know what else to do. But her calling as the medicine cat helper was not the only thing she realized.
Jayfeather had become her mission, in the time she spent with him, a mission to make him happier. At first it seemed impossible. How could she make the most irritable cat in the Clan, any better? But she slowly succeeded. And she realized, through this, that he made her happier.
He realized this too. She was the perfect helper, who knew him well enough to not get in the way or ask if he needed help. At the same time, she knew when he really did need help but was just pushing others away. He felt something for her, and she him. They both thought it was just friendship, the close friendship that comes from being the only two people in the same den all of the time.
But, as Briarlight realized first, that spark was more. It was love. He felt it, but didn't want to break the code like his mother. She felt it, but thought it impossible that he would be with her or even feel the same way back.
Finally, Briarlight decided to talk to Jayfeather about it.
"Jayfeather, can I talk to you-in private?"
"Sure. Is something wrong?" Jayfeather asked, slightly concerned.
"No, nothing's wrong." Briarlight calmed him. "It's just-well-I don't know how to say this, but…"
"I don't have all day, so if you could hurry up, you know."
Briarlight was a little embarrassed. "It's just that, since I've had to stay in this den, I've grown close to you. And, at first I thought that we were just close friends, but as time passed, I grew closer and closer to you, emotionally. And, I know you're a medicine cat, but I think I love you. And I didn't say anything because I thought you would feel different. But I just felt that I needed to tell you."
Jayfeather was speechless. "I…Really?"
"Yes! I don't expect you to feel the same, but I had to say it. I had to know, because maybe you felt the same."
"That's just it. I do. But, we can't be mates! You and I both know that. But I don't want to be not with you. What are we supposed to do?" Jayfeather wondered.
"Maybe...maybe we can be mates. We can be together, but we won't have kits. I can't have kits, anyway."
"I love you, Briarlight. We can do this." Jayfeather said confidently.
"I love you too."
Jayfeather couldn't see her, couldn't tell how beautiful she was. But he was impressed by her.
She could see him. Yes, he was blind, but he did everything any other medicine cat did. And she was impressed by him.