Poppyfoot lead the patrol toward the WindClan border, the white RiverClan warrior scenting the air, keeping out a sharp gaze for any enemies. The white tom spotted a WindClan patrol and his amber eyes narrowed. Kinking his tail, the tom led the way to the border and dipped his head to Grayfoot, the WindClan deputy. Grayfoot nodded and rumbled, "Warn Minnowstar that a fox has been going around the lake, so far it crossed into ShadowClan, ThunderClan, and my Clan."
"We will," Silver-rose spoke eagerly, being a newer warrior; she wanted to speak to the deputy. Poppyfoot nodded in agreement, his amber orbed gaze catching the beautiful yellow eyes of a brown tortoiseshell RiverClan she-cat. She smiled softly and flicked an ear in greeting, before turning and following Grayfoot and the patrol away.
Poppyfoot shook his head and kinked his tail, leading his patrol the other way." Silver-rose," he meowed, "Want to deliver the message to Minnowstar?"
Silver-rose grinned widely and nodded eagerly as Blueflame, Silver-rose's sister, glared at her in envy. Chuckling, Poppyfoot padded back to camp, tail raised high and thoughts lost about that brown tortoiseshell she-cat.
Minnowstar yowled, "The cats that will be going to the gathering are: Poppyfoot, Blueflame, Silver-rose, Troutsplash, Featherwhisker, Mosspaw, Fishpaw, Rainpaw, Cloudyeyes, Dew-whisker, and Crookedtail!"
The small, lean blue she-cat bounded over to the entrance and Poppyfoot watched as the deputy, Troutsplash, and the medicine cat, Featherwhisker, padded right behind her, the two elders, the apprentices, and warriors following. The white tom heaved himself to his paws and raced after them, smiling and eyes twinkling with excitement.
The white tom bounded across the tree bridge, seeing WindClan was early and waiting. Spying the pretty brown tortoiseshell, he padded over casually. "Hello," he meowed, dipping his head. "Has the fox shown up again?"
The tortoiseshell she-cat shook her head. "No, thank StarClan. It came close to camp." She puffed out her chest pride fully. "Of course, I along with my Clanmates took care of it."
Poppyfoot smirked and nodded, watching ThunderClan stream in. "Name's Poppyfoot, by the way."
The brown tortoiseshell smiled. "Hazel-leaf."
Soon, ShadowClan joined and Minnowstar yowled for everyone's attention. Poppyfoot and Hazel-leaf glanced up with other cats and the gathering began.
The ShadowClan leader, Wildstar, took stand and rumbled, "Prey has been running well this newleaf. Maplefrost has had a healthy litter of kits, Cherrykit, Flintkit, and Marshkit. Firebird had moved into the elders' den, and Sparrow-wing is our newest member." The large white-and-ginger she-cat sat down as the Clans chanted their names.
The chanting immediately died down as Tawnystar of ThunderClan stepped forward. "Prey is also running well for ThunderClan. Softfeather has moved into the nursery expecting kits, Lightningstripe, Frostedleaf, Tigerthorn, and Cavepool are here with us tonight as new warriors." The three legged she-cat sat down and wrapped her tail around her only front paw as the Clans chanted their names.
The WindClan leader, Kitestar, stood up and rumbled, "Prey is also running well and WindClan has been blessed with three apprentices; Pebblepaw, Gorsepaw, and Lichenpaw." He flicked his tail and sat down, nodding to Minnowstar.
Poppyfoot's leader stood and called, "Prey is also running well and RiverClan has two new warriors and one new apprentice. Please welcome Blueflame, Silver-rose, and Mosspaw!"
Poppyfoot chanted their names loudly along with his Clanmates and other cats, smiling at Hazel-leaf.
Minnowstar backed down and the cats mingled about, sharing news and swapping gossip like pieces of prey. Turning to Hazel-leaf, he meowed, "I should get going, and I see my brother calling. Goodbye, Hazel-leaf."
He dipped his head and heard her whisper, "Meet me at the border tomorrow night."
Giving a subtle nod, the white tom turned and bounded over to his brother, Hailstorm; unknowing that it was the start of something that would go spiraling out of control.
Poppyfoot had been seeing Hazel-leaf for moons, and he was finally gaining a small crush on her. But he wasn't interested in having a mate, no sir, and only viewed Hazel-leaf as a close friend.
Unfortunately for the white RiverClan warrior, the brown tortoiseshell WindClan warrior viewed him more as a friend and loved him dearly.
As the white tom padded toward Hazel-leaf, purring softly; both hidden by the cloak of night herself; bumped heads with the she-cat. "How are you," Poppyfoot questioned, settling down by the beautiful she-cat.
Hazel-leaf smiled at the tom she loved and murmured, "I'm faring well. How are you?"
"I'm doing well."
The two sat in peaceful silence before the brown tortoiseshell whispered, "Poppyfoot…. I have something to tell you…" He glanced at her through worried amber eyes and she took a deep breath. "I-I-I'm pregnant. They're yours."
Poppyfoot stared at her in shock, her yellow eyes probing his, filled with worry. The white tom felt the ground spin out from under him and the world seemed to sway. Forcing a purr, he nuzzled her and murmured, "That's great, Hazel-leaf. That's wonderful." The she-cat purred and nuzzled him back, pleased to know he was delighted.
Absent from her knowledge was the fact that Poppyfoot was not exultant and was not thrilled. Yes, he loved kits and loved her, but she was supposed to only be a friend, not a mate! He pressed against her, staying wide awake as the she-cat fell to slumber's sweet spell, fretting inwardly. I never wanted a mate! Let alone a forbidden one and kits! How will this work out?
After another meeting, Hazel-leaf informed him she couldn't leave since Goldenrain has ordered to keep her in the nursery. The news relieved the tom greatly but he still pretended to be down.
After that meeting, the tom was doing a lone night patrol of the WindClan border and froze when he heard his name being called. Bristling, the white warrior prowled over to some bushes, surprised to Hazel-leaf curled in a ball, her head raised and blinking at him. "What's wrong?" He whispered and licked her muzzle.
Hazel-leaf smiled and moved her tail, revealing a tiny white-and-brown bundle. His amber orbs widened and his heart melted as he stared down at his son. "What is his name?" Poppyfoot whispered.
"Falconkit," Hazel-leaf purred, rubbing heads with her mate. "His name is Falconkit."
As the white RiverClan warrior gazed at his son, he couldn't help but muse: Sometimes, the most beautiful things come out of something that spun out of control.
Total Words: 1,066 words
Spiraling ex Control means Spiraling out of Control in Latin.