Petalfall stared across the camp towards the camp entrance, neck fur bristling slightly. As soon as she saw Gingerstorm and Thunderbird pad into camp, she growled softly.
"I don't get how he can put up with her," she complained to her sister, Stormfeather. The silver-gray tabby rolled her eyes.
"You don't get how everybody puts up with anybody, Petalfall. What don't you hate with a passion?" Stormfeather chuckled. Petalfall glanced at her sister sourly. She took an angry bite of the mouse she'd caught earlier that day.
"You know I hate for perfectly good reasons. Half of this Clan is conceited, the other half is too shy and wimpy to tell them to shove off." The gray she-cat with white splotches stood up and turned towards where the warrior's den was nestled under a bramble thicket. Stormfeather caught up with her and shoved Petalfall playfully.
"So I assume you're none of the above?"
"None of what above?" Stormfeather cuffed Petalfall over the ears softly.
"You're neither conceited nor wimpy and shy?" Petalfall growled softly, only to have her retort cut off by Darkstar's call.
"Let all cats old enough to defeat a rogue join here beneath the Fallen Log for a Clan meeting!" The clan gathered underneath a dark, rotting tree log covered in fungus. Petalfall irritably sat down where she stood, just outside the warrior's den. A pelt brushed against hers, and she turned around to rebuke whoever had touched her, but the words died in her mouth.
"Hey Petalfall," Blazestorm purred, running his tail along her side in hello. Petalfall searched for something to say but for once she had no words. She decided a simple 'hi' would do. Blazestorm sat down beside her, and Petalfall inwardly groaned. With him next to her, she couldn't focus. The dark ginger tom was too perfect. Petalfall could hate any cat in the clan and find a reasonable reason to do so. And she did. But Blazestorm was nice, but could be mean. He had a heart, but put his clan first. He even changed bedding when the clan was short on apprentices. Blazestorm was flawless. And Petalfall couldn't hate him.
"Ripplestream, Snarlclaw, Grayfoot, Blackfur, Gingerstorm, Hailflower, Petalfall, Silverpaw, Otterpaw, and Blazestorm will attack WindClan. I will lead you. Let's go!" Darkstar leapt off the rotting log, leading a battle patrol towards the border. Petalfall brought up the rear, keeping as far away from Blazestorm as possible.
The patrol stampeded through the dense forest, pawsteps softened by the pine needles littering the floor. They were at the WindClan border within heartbeats. Darkstar trampled past the border without slowing down at all.
He's such a war-happy fool with no respect of the other clans, Petalfall thought. With one look, he'd fallen into the conceited half of the clan. Darkstar slowed near the shallow dip that was the WindClan camp. The patrol spread out across the rim of the dip.
"Attack!" Darkstar yowled. Petalfall leaped over the gorse bushes, straight into the middle of the camp. Motion exploded everywhere. Slim, dully-colored WindClan cats threw themselves on Petalfall's clanmates, fighting like their lives depended on it. Petalfall matched up with a black she-cat. She slashed at the she-cat's eyes, leaving a long cut across her cheek. She shoved Petalfall in the chest, quickly leaping on top of Petalfall and clawing at her open belly.
The gray and white cat brought her back legs under her opponent, pushing the weight of the she-cat off of herself. The black cat went flying. Just when she stood up, though, another weight crashed down on Petalfall's back, making her collapse. The air whooshed out of Petalfall. She felt claws in her flank, but could do nothing to protect herself. Petalfall wailed for help.
And then, the weight was gone. Petalfall stood up quickly, whirling around to see who her savior was. A dark ginger cat stood behind her, battling intensely with the black she-cat and a large, pale gray tom.
"Of course you would save me," Petalfall snarled, joining Blazestorm in his battle. She balanced on two paws alongside him, swiping at the gray tom's face.
"Why the sarcasm?" he panted. She rolled her eyes at him. The gray tom fell back, so she pounced on him and raked her claws down his flanks. He howled in pain, wriggling to try and get away from her thorn-sharp claws.
"Because," she started, only to be thrown into the air. She landed with a thud on the ground. Blazestorm rushed over to help her up. "You're too perfect. You're always nice to everybody, even me. And all I've ever done to you is snap." Blazestorm chuckled.
"I'm not nice to everybody. Ask your sister. No, I'm only nice to you because..." he trailed off, his gaze drifting to a point behind her. "Well, because I'm in love with you. Have been in love with you. Since we were kits in the nursery and you told me I smelled like a mouse with maggots." Petalfall gazed up into Blazestorm's bright green eyes, remembering.
"And you told me I had a good nose," she purred. "And you decided to tell me on a battlefield?"
"Well where else?" Blazestorm meowed. "If you could look past all that hate you hide yourself in, there's enough love to go around, Petalfall."
"I'm starting to think that may be true."