Heartbroken

Willowtail's heart belongs with Thornwhisker. His beautiful gray pelt. His kind blue sparkling eyes. His wonderful sense of humor. Jealousy. Rage. Sadness. Nightheart is Thornwhisker's mate. She is equal to him in every way. Beautiful. Nice. Sweet. Friendly. Respected by all of RiverClan. Willowtail is plain. Unattractive pale gray pelt. Dull yellow eyes. Ignored by most of the Clan.

Now, it's time to visit Willowtail in RiverClan and see how she copes with her fate.

Willowtail shuffled her paws nervously as Thornwhisker walked by, the sunlight dazzling his pelt. The water from swimming made his pelt shine like a star. Willowtail's heart burned with jealousy when she saw Thornwhisker and Nightheart purr at the sight of each other.

'I have to do something, something to make him notice me,' Willowtail thought half-heartedly. She had already tried by catching the most prey for the Clan, volunteering to help Shadowleaf collect herbs, going on endless patrols, but he had never completely noticed her.

"Willowtail? Are you all right?" Shadefur, Willowtail's best friend, asked. She rested her jet-black tail on her friend's shoulder. "You seem a bit distant. Is it because of Thornwhisker?" Shadefur lowered her voice.

"I'm fine," Willowtail mewed before turning away from her friend. "Just tired, that's all."

"You sure?" Shadefur mewed. "We can go hunting with Thornwhisker, Heatherpelt, and Fishclaw if you want. Thornwhisker asked me to find a suitable hunting patrol." Willowtail's eyes lit up as Shadefur mentioned Thornwhisker's name.

"Sure!" Willowtail mewed in delight as Shadefur purred in amusement.

"Come on, then," Shadefur mewed and padded to the entrance of camp, where Thornwhisker was waiting. "I'll go and get Heatherpelt and Fishclaw, you two wait here for now."

Willowtail's heart pounded hard in her chest as she sat next to her one and only true love. Their pelts touched just a little. Willowtail couldn't help but stare at his shining pelt and his blue eyes until Thornwhisker turned away in slight embarrassment.

Willowtail felt angry at herself. The one time she got to be with Thornwhisker was ruined. She unsheathed and sheathed her claws in impatience as she waited for her best friend to get back.

"I'm back!" Shadefur announced, Fishclaw and Heatherpelt right behind her.

"All right, let's go," Thornwhisker mewed and led the cats out of the camp and by the river. Willowtail flexed her claws. Maybe Thornwhisker won't be embarrassed by her if she caught loads of fish.

Willowtail had tried this before but at that time, Thornwhisker wasn't right beside her. Willowtail kept her gaze on the water until she swung out a paw, catching a big fish. Thornwhisker didn't move a muscle, his river-blue eyes were fixed on a fish much, much bigger than Willowtail's.

Shadefur padded over to her friend, a trout in her mouth. She cast a worried glance at her friend before setting her fish down beside her.

"Willowtail, come on, there's more fish here," Shadefur mewed. Willowtail let out a sigh before moving away from Thornwhisker, the fish clamped in her jaws.

"Willowtail, you have to understand. Thornwhisker isn't showing much interest in you," Shadefur mewed softly as the two she-cats crouched beside the river.

"I know. But I really, really love him. He's the one cat that I love more than my family," Willowtail replied quietly.

"I understand. But maybe he isn't really meant for you," Shadefur told her best friend softly. "Maybe it may just be a crush, nothing more."

"You don't understand, Shadefur. I love him, I really do. Maybe even more than Nightheart," Willowtail's yellow eyes were sad but determined. "He's bound to notice me sometime."

"Fine. Willowtail, ask him to go on a walk with you. Then tell him your true feelings," Shadefur mewed. "That's how I confessed to Darkclaw." Shadefur's beautiful green eyes seemed to shine as she thought of her love.

"All right. I'll do it at moonhigh," Willowtail nodded in confirmation. She was going to do it, finally do it. She was going to confess her love.

Willowtail padded back to camp, her jaws filled with fish. As she settled down to eat, her mind began to become filled of what Thornwhisker would say back to her.

By the time most of the warriors had gone to their dens, Willowtail awkwardly padded to Thornwhisker.

"Thornwhisker, can I ask you something?" Willowtail asked in a shaky voice. Nightheart tilted her head in question and then turned her gaze to meet her mate's.

"Sure," Thornwhisker mewed, giving his mate's ear a lick before following Willowtail out of the camp. Willowtail felt jealousy burn again as she stopped by the river. "Is anything wrong?"

"I...I just wanted...to...tell you that...that...I really like you," Willowtail's pelt burned with embarrassment.

"Well...Willowtail, you know that Nightheart is my mate," Thornwhisker mewed. Willowtail peeked at his blue eyes, now cold. "I think of you as a Clanmate, but nothing else. You are a nice she-cat, yes, but Nightheart is already my mate. And I love her more than anything."

Willowtail's yellow eyes flashed with pain, rejection, and sadness before she gave a small wail of despair and ran back into the camp.

The next few sunrises, Willowtail felt so sad that she would not eat or go on patrols. She would just sleep, trying to block out the misery and embarrassment. In time, Willowtail grew more and more weak.

In a few weeks, Willowtail started living in the medicine den, looking like an elder. She was thin, and her bones showed through her pelt. She was in the paws of StarClan and would be leaving any time soon.

"Willowtail, please!" Shadefur begged, pushing the fish right beside Willowtail's mouth but her friend just turned away from her, too weak to push the fresh-kill away.

"No..." Willowtail rasped before coughing again.

"You've got to eat! I can't let StarClan take away my best friend!" Shadefur wailed.

"You...have Darkclaw...Soon...you'll forget...me. Life...will...be as it...was," Willowtail rasped.

"No!" Shadefur shrieked.

"Good...luck...Shadefur. Please...tell...Thornwhisker that...I'll still love...him...no matter...what," Willowtail rasped before taking her final breath. Willowtail was gone. Gone from RiverClan, now forever residing in StarClan.

In time, Darkclaw and Shadefur's kits were born. Of the three kits, there was one she-kit. That one she-kit had her parents' dark pelt, but once she opened her eyes, Shadefur realized another resemblance. This kit had Willowtail's yellow eyes, her exact eyes.

The she-kit was named Willowkit in memory of the she-cat that had killed herself because of being rejected. Willowkit was more successful in life, much more successful than Willowtail herself. Her warrior name was Willowshade, and, quite ironically, she became mates with one of Nightheart and Thornwhisker's kits, Stormpelt.

The two had beautiful kits, and, every other generation, one would name a she-kit Willowkit in memory of a cat that died from being heart-broken.

This tale has been handed down for many, many generations. It still stands to prove that reincarnation is possible, even when a cat has been sent to StarClan.

Thank you for reading :) New chapters will be posted soon, maybe not everyday but only if I can. Please review!

~Silverfrost of IceClan