As a Christmas present to you, Winxie, I decided to give you a sneak peek to what's coming up in the future. I hope you like it!
"I thought I'd find you here." Lola jumped slightly, and turned to find Wavedawn standing behind her.
"Oh," she murmured softly. "Hi." The other she-cat sat down, and swished her tail back and forth thoughtfully.
"Still having trouble sleeping?" Wavedawn's gaze was filled with a variety of emotions. Was that concern? Worry? Lola was always terrible at reading emotions.
"Maybe." Lola looked up at the stars. Their endless swirling patterns never ceased to amaze her. "What's it to you?" she added as an afterthought.
"You're my friend." Wavedawn meowed calmly. "I have a right to be concerned for you."
Lola brought her gaze back to the WaterClanner. "I don't have friends."
"And why not?"
"You know perfectly well why."
Wavedawn blinked calmly. "You're on our side now, Lola. The others think I'm crazy for trusting you after… You know. But I can tell you aren't like Her."
Lola said nothing. She said nothing to say to this she-cat, this she-cat who she was hired to kill. She heard Wavedawn begin to pad away.
"How can you tell?" Lola meowed barely above a whisper.
Wavedawn stopped. "If you were like Her, you would have killed me already."
Nothing more was said for several long moments. Then, a sudden thought popped into Lola's head. "I've seen the way you look at her."
Now it was Wavedawn's turn for silence. "I don't know what you're talking about."
It was clear she'd touched a nerve. "Midnightglow, of course. I see the way you look at her."
"And how do I look at her?" Wavedawn hissed tersely.
Lola fought the urge to smile. "Like there's nobody else in the clearing." Wavedawn said nothing more. She simply stood up and padded away.
"She doesn't feel the same way?" Lola was surprised at the words that came out of her mouth.
"No." Wavedawn meowed sharply, her calmness from earlier completely dissolved.
"I'm sorry." Lola whispered softly, surprised that she meant it.
"It's fine." Wavedawn muttered. With that, she was gone.
Lola looked up at the stars again. Her thoughts were now filled with Wavedawn and Midnightglow. Classic unrequited love, wasn't it? Except that it wasn't. Two she-cats… Did the clans allow such a thing?
Lola knew perfectly well that it was strictly forbidden in the Origin. She remembered two toms who had been pushed into the Thunderpath after they had been discovered. She could still hear their screams sometimes. But what made this execution particularly haunting to her was how one of the toms had been her brother.
It was then and there that Lola decided that she would protect Wavedawn, with all she had. She would at least accept her offer of friendship, for now.
Lola still disliked the idea of friendships. Perhaps they could be allies. A she-cat could always use an ally.