"Come on, Crowpaw, you made me lick old pine sap!" Marshpaw urged, prodding her brother in the ribs. Crowpaw didn't stop her, but he simply glared in response, as he had already refused three times. Were all girls so persistent? Having dealt with Cherrypaw and Frostpaw for the past three years of his apprenticeship, he was pretty sure that this was true; and having Hollypaw becoming an apprentice only a few months ago didn't help with that assumption.
"I said no, deal with it," Crowpaw deadpanned, turning back to his spear. He had to make a new one, since Mudpaw had accidentally broken it when he decided that it was a good idea to wrestle with Flamepaw so close to the weapon.
Marshpaw huffed, turning as if ready to go pester someone else, thus giving her brother a bit of hope. However, this hope died when the girl didn't walk away. Instead, Crowpaw watched suspiciously as she started circling him slowly.
"I get it now, Crowpaw," she said with a sly tone, a smirk on her lips. Geez, why had Scorchfire passed that on to the both of them?
"Get what?" Crowpaw questioned, looking back down to his spear as he continued sharpening the point.
Marshpaw stopped circling him and chuckled, "You're scared. You don't wanna kiss Hollypaw because you know that she'll kick you in your—"
"That doesn't work with me, you know," Crowpaw cut in, still not looking up. Sure, that trick worked magic on Ripplepaw, but Crowpaw never cared about taunts that he knew weren't true. He wasn't in the least bit scared of Hollypaw. In spite of her fierceness, the girl was still way more inexperienced than he was, and therefore nothing to worry about. But, of course, that made messing with her even more fun.
Marshpaw was watching him, he knew that well enough. She was quiet though, and Crowpaw almost forgot that she was there when she suddenly spoke again.
"Ohh," she said as if she were finally catching on to something, "Now I really get it."
"I'm sure you do."
"Of course I do," Marshpaw snickered, "You can't kiss her because you know that she already likes Mudpaw."
Hearing this, Crowpaw paused, "Are you serious? How can she like that weirdo?"
"I'm very serious. You know how she's always asking to watch his training sessions? And how she made her nest next to his? It's obvious when you think about it," Marshpaw replied, shrugging her shoulders, "I guess he's a lot more man than you are."
"A lot more…but he's nearly a whole year younger than us, why would he be a better soldier than me?" Crowpaw asked, mostly to himself. He didn't notice his sister smirk. If there was anything to know about Crowpaw, it was that he was quick to get jealous.
Marshpaw looked up and pointed towards the camp entrance, "Hey look, Crowpaw! Mudpaw's back with Pinestorm! They caught five fish, see? Hollypaw sure seems excited."
Crowpaw did look. As a matter of fact, he turned almost instantly when his sister mentioned Hollypaw. Of course, there the young apprentice was, bouncing around Mudpaw and telling him how 'amazing' he was. Figures, since fish was the girl's favorite food, never mind the kind. Seeing how just a little hunting trip could make Mudpaw look like StarClan to Hollypaw…that made an ugly feeling swell in Crowpaw's heart. It felt like a mixture of anger and abandonment, something that Crowpaw couldn't explain nor ignore.
When Hollypaw planted a kiss on Mudpaw's cheek, that feeling in Crowpaw's heart seemed to explode and he stood up, beginning to stalk towards the two. Marshpaw wore a smug look as she saw her brother become overwhelmed with jealousy, even to the point that he had abandoned his spear.
Hollypaw didn't notice him walking up to them, but Crowpaw was pleased to see Mudpaw pale upon seeing him. The younger boy could wait, though, and Crowpaw was only focused on Hollypaw. He grasped her shoulder, eliciting a surprised squeak as he forced her to look at him instead.
"Crowpaw, what are you—"
He didn't let her finish, planting a kiss on her lips. It was his first kiss, so it was close-mouthed and was honestly just him pressing their lips together until he could feel her teeth just behind them. His eyes were open, watching for her reaction. Hollypaw wore a shocked expression that quickly turned into anger as he saw the flames ignite in her icy-blue eyes, a red blush filling her cheeks. A heartbeat later, he found himself on the ground, having been pushed away.
"You pervert! Who do you think you are? You're a pervert! A pervert!" Hollypaw shouted, gaining more attention from their clanmates than they had already gotten. Patchpaw ran up, taking his sister's hand and leading her away with a few coaxing words. The girl continued to rave angrily as she walked.
Crowpaw couldn't care less about being pushed down. He had kissed her, successfully giving Mudpaw a lesson and getting Marshpaw off his back for the mean time. Most of all, he had gotten a blush out of Hollypaw. He stood up and brushed himself off, walking back to his unfinished spear, not caring for the few clanmates that were still watching him. He lifted his hand to touch his lips, remembering how soft Hollypaw's had been, in spite of how terrible the kiss was. He glanced to where she was now sitting with Patchpaw and Sandpaw, likely grumbling to them. A smirk curved his lips.
In that moment, he made his decision. Hollypaw was going to be his mate as soon as he turned sixteen and became a soldier. That was a good four years away, but he could wait. She was perfect, really, and he liked her spirit. Yes, she already belonged to him, didn't she? Looking at the darkening sky, Crowpaw figured that StarClan must have set up Marshpaw's dare in order for him to realize this. With this, he concluded that he was right. Hollypaw belonged to him, just like how he belonged to her.
It was that simple.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A/N: There's your prologue, lovelies! I hope that you are all ready for the real story to begin!
Fun-Fact:Mudpaw is named after his deceased father, Mudtooth. Sweetheart couldn't help but notice how much he looks like the head-male.
Later, my lovelies~!
- Tina
