I settle down beside Leafpool with a vole. She acknowledges me with a flick of her tail while chewing a mouthful of mouse. I quickly eat my meal, and lick my lips looking up to see both Brambleclaw and Ashfur padding over from different directions. Seeing each other, they glare and quicken the pace hoping to be the first one over. I stand and sprint away, unable to stand it any longer. I sit in a clearing, unable to take it any longer. I know that I am a beautiful she-cat, (I am not vain or braggy) and many toms have made advances. Rainwhisker, Spiderleg… but I only want Brambleclaw. I love him, I just need to let Ashfur down easy before he thinks our relationship is serious. I pad down a trail to the camp and gaze at the clear sky watching birds fly by. I lay back and relax. I realize I would be hunting and sit up to clean my pelt and prepare to leave when something sits beside me. Ashfur. He starts to lick my fur and I sit rigid, very uncomfortable, and I lean away, but he still scoots closer, and I can feel his heartbeat. I sit through the whole thing, and it was torturing. I struggle to free myself with no luck. I look over his shoulder to see Brambleclaw glaring. I send him a look of desperation but he scowls and turns away. Finally Ashfur pulls away. He gazes into my eyes, grinning. I smile awkwardly and turn to leave.
"Squirrelflight, I-"
"Squirrelflight!" Leafpool calls from the other end of camp.
"Gotta go!" I race of across the clearing and into the medicine cat den. I sit beside Leafpool who is sorting sour smelling herbs.
"What did you need?" I sigh, angrily.
"It just looked like you needed an excuse." She looks down, focused on her work. I flick her ear with my tail.
"Thanks." Cinderpelt chuckles across the room.
"He sure likes you. A lot." She grins, padding over to join us. "I don't have any experience with love," she hesitates. "But he sure seems real friendly."
"You're telling me." I sigh.
"But what about Brambleclaw?" Leafpool asks.
"I want to be with him, but Ashfur always tries to be my mate! What can I do?"
"The struggle is real!" Cinderpelt starts cracking up and Leafpool smacks her with her tail.
"Honestly, who is the mentor in this relationship?" She groans.
"Not me!" Cinderpelt chuckles and tosses a wet ball of moss at Leafpool's face. She shakes her head, flinging water droplets everywhere. I laugh and get to my feet.
"Well, might as well do something useful today."
"Can you help me collect herbs?" Leafpool asks, hopefully.
"Sure. I'd like to see Ashfur try to share tongues with me around
you." We pad out of camp happily.
"So, the real reason I wanted to talk with you is… it's Crowfeather."
"You know you should stop seeing him. Nothing good will come out of it." I look at her beautiful green eyes and pray she's going to dump him.
" Well, the only way to see him is for me to join Windclan-"
"No! Not in a million years! You can bet on Starclan that I will make you stay!"
"You didn't let me finish! Or he joins Thunderclan and I become a warrior."
"But you love being a medicine cat!" I whine, upset.
" I know, and we're still working out the kinks."
"Okay." Brambleclaw walks by, sniffing the air.
"Hey Brambleclaw, want to help us find herbs?" I shout from the bush we were collecting berries from.
"You don't want any help!" He growls angrily.
"Whoa, who made dirt in his fresh-kill?" Leafpool whispers in my ear.
"I don't know." I look at my sister hopefully.
"Go ahead," she sighs. "It's not like we were getting anything done anyways." I lick her ear.
"Thanks!" I race off after Brambleclaw. I find him by the lake, watching the water ripple. I pad over.
"Hey," he says softly.
"Why are you so upset?" I ask him plopping down beside him.
" Because it seems like everywhere I turn it's Squirrelflight and Ashfur, sharing tongues, sharing prey, becoming mates!"
"Whoa! Who told you we were mates?"
"Ashfur did."
" Okay, I never agreed to this! He shared tongues with me! I tried to stop, but he wouldn't let me!"
"Right." Brambleclaw says disbelievingly.
"No! I only want you! I've only ever wanted you!"
"Okay. I forgive you. I love you more than anything else in the world! So, will you be my mate?"
"Yes! A thousand times yes!" He laughs and I fall into his paws, and he pulls me in for sharing tongues. We collapse on the ground, and lay under the sun as it warms our pelts. Little do we know, Ashfur saw the whole thing.