Disclaimer: Erin Hunter owns Warriors, not me.
A/N: This is a oneshot! I'm a huge fan of LionxCinder and I came up with this promise idea about a year ago. Also, I needed an apprentice, so I made Molekit be Thornclaw's. So here it is! Hope you like it!
Promise Me One Thing
He was surrounded by darkness. The night was pitch black; even if there was a moon in the Place of No Stars, it would not have been shining. There was a slight breeze, rustling the trees in a way that was spooky and made the fur on Lionblaze's spine prickle with unease.
Why am I here? he thought. They aren't still trying to recruit me, are they? Tigerstar should know better than to think he can do that. There must be another reason. His ears pricked when the sound of battle screeches reached them, and he set off through the undergrowth toward the sound.
Lionblaze's sturdy build made it more difficult for him to move silently, but he managed to keep going and the caterwauls got louder. Soon he could smell the cats. Lionblaze reached the edge of a large clearing and stopped, crouching under a thick holly bush.
He could see a huge crowd of cats, at least the same number as would come to a gathering. They seemed to be in pairs, doing one-on-one battle training. Each cat's eyes glistened with hard determination, and their pelts were riddled with scars. claws and fangs flashed as cats yowled and spat. A dark brown tabby tom with icy blue eyes suddenly leaped onto a fallen log at the far end of the clearing and yowled for attention. The crowd quieted immediately, looking up at the tabby, who Lionblaze recognized as Hawkfrost.
"We must attack soon!" Hawkfrost spoke with authority. "And when we do, we will crush Starclan and their petty clan cats like ants! I think that in a few days we can begin the war, once and for all!" The short speech ended in a sneer.
The rest of the cats turned to each other, wide-eyed with excitement and the thrill of revenge. Battle-lust glinted in their eyes.
Suddenly, Lionblaze felt a sharp jabbing in his ribs, and woke up in his nest in the warriors' den.
It was still early, and the sun had just begun to rise. Looking up at the silhouette of the cat who had woken him, he recognized the golden-brown pelt of Thornclaw.
"Wake up," the older warrior growled. "Dawn patrol." Thornclaw turned and left the den.
Lionblaze groaned and sat up, shaking some small scraps of moss and ferns from his golden fur. He stood and stretched, limbering up, before trotting outside into the morning brightness.
Thornclaw and Cinderheart sat by the clan entrance, waiting. Lionblaze's heart gave a flutter, and he smiled tentatively at Cinderheart, but she only nodded back and he looked away, disappointed. Thornclaw's apprentice, Molepaw, slipped out of the apprentice den and joined them. Thornclaw stood and flicked his tail, indicating that they should follow, before heading out through the thorn tunnel. Molepaw bounced out behind his mentor, followed by Cinderheart and Lionblaze.
The four cats trotted through the forest. Lionblaze glanced up and noticed two thrushes, male and female, chattering to each other in a mape tree above his head. One would call and the other would respond, exchanging twitters. Then, the male flew over to the female but she flitted away. He followed her around the branches above Lionblaze's head, but every time the male thrush got close, the female would jump away, and she finally landed on the ground.
Suddenly, there was a thump and Molepaw landed squarely on the female thrush, snapping her neck with a swift bite.
"Good catch, Molepaw!" Cinderheart congratulated the young cat with a smile.
"Yes, well done," Thornclaw had turned to see what was happening. He glanced over at Lionblaze, who had a dazed and surprised look on his face, and frowned. "Lionblaze, are you alright? You look a little off today. Are you feeling ok?"
Lionblaze nodded absently. Thornclaw shrugged skeptically, but they continued on toward the Windclan border.
Those thrushes are like me and Cinderheart, Lionblaze realized. The male chases after the she-bird but she keeps rejecting him. Then, something comes along and snaps her up, before he got to be with her.
The dream flashed back into his head. The Dark Forest was attacking within days!
I have to tell her! We might not have any time left...
That thought left him saddened and sober. If one of them was to die, it would more likely be her, since he could not be hurt in battle.
Lionblaze stopped and watched as the rest of the patrol went on ahead, an idea formulating in his head. Just then, Cinderheart glanced over her shoulder and saw his troubled look. She murmured something to Thornclaw and then bounded back while he and his apprentice went on.
"Hey, are you ok? You're unusually quiet and distant today..." Cinderheart trailed off uncertainly.
Lionblaze sat down, motioning for her to sit next to him. She sat, looking at him expectantly.
"Do you love me?"
"What?" Cinderheart looked surprised.
"I said, 'do you lo—"
"Yes I know what you said. I'm just, ah, surprised, I guess," Cinderheart interrupted him almost sharply.
"You didn't answer my question," Lionblaze pointed out calmly.
"Your question...? Oh," Cinderheart took a deep breath. "Yes Lionblaze. I don't show it much, I guess, but I do."
"Enough to be my mate?"
"Lionblaze this had better not be a way of trying to convince me to be your mate! You know my reasons, and though I may want it, your destiny has no room for a mate or kits. But yes, I love you with all my heart. More than enough to be your mate." she spoke the last part quietly, and the last few words came out with a choked sob.
Lionblaze nuzzled her gently.
"And I respect your decision, even if I don't agree with it," he meowed. "But there's something that you should know."
"Yes?"
"The Dark Forest is attacking within days."
Cinderheart's eyes widened, but she got over her shock quickly.
"How can we prepare?" she asked.
"I don't know," Lionblaze answered. "But there's something that you can do for me."
"What?"
"Promise me one thing."
She looked at him with a "just spit it out all ready" slightly exasperated look.
"Promise me that, if we both make it out of this alive, no matter how long it takes, even if we're both about to die, you'll be my mate."
Cinderheart took a deep breath dipped her head in assent.
"I promise."
A/N: The reason Cinderheart agreed was because (at least with my reasoning) Lionblaze's destiny would be fulfilled and he would be able to live sort of normally. If that makes sense. I figured I'd try to clarify that for you readers.