First Person - Nightcloud's POV

Ashfoot nodded to Onestar and padded over to us warriors waiting for her. ShadowClan scent had been found on the territory; father than two tail lengths away from the lake.

She was coming to assign us patrols to check it out. "Tornear, you come with me and Onestar to horseplace. Nightcloud, take a few others near ThunderClan and have a sniff around."

I nodded and watched the two elder cats meet up with the leader and leave. I knew I shouldn't take too many out of the camp; it would leave it vulnerable for attack. But if I didn't take enough and we met a ShadowClan patrol, it could be devastating.

I sensed something fishy, so I figured it was worth the risk. "Ok, I want Weaselfur, Crowfeather and…" Owlwhisker didn't seem to keen on patrolling again, as he'd just got back. Webfoot, however, seemed eager. "Webfoot."

I let Weaselfur take the lead and Webfoot padded at the rear. My pale yellow eyes drifted over to Crowfeather. His eyes were bright and his ears perked; he was the old Crowfeather today. I decided to take my chances. I stalked beside him and pressed close, brushing my pelt against his tenderly.

I purred a little, "Hi, Crowfeather."

He turned his head to look at me with those deep blue eyes, and I thought I could fall into them. My heartbeat sped up during the moment of silence. He seemed to be in a battle with himself. Awkwardly, he said, "Nightcloud… Did you want to ask me something?"

Despair began to crawl up my spine. He was acting strange, oblivious. I set my tail on his and smiled, my eyes shining happily. "No, I just wanted to say hello."

The sad look in his eyes deepened and he stopped walking, pulling away from me. Webfoot stopped and Weaselfur hesitated, turning slowly to watch. My ears went sideways. "Crowfeather, what's the matter? What did I do?"

He narrowed his eyes and it was clear this was uncomfortable for him. "Nightcloud, I know what you're doing. But, we're just friends. We can't be anything more than that."

My claws cut deeply into the ground to keep me balanced, as it now felt like my whole body was weak. My heart burst, shattered. I knew it; Crowfeather would never move on from Leafpool.

My tail drooped and I whimpered, "But Crowfeather..." The hurt in my eyes shined genuinely. "I love you."

Webfoot gasped and Weaselfur snickered. I whirled around to glare at the young ginger tom. Every one of my hairs prickled and my eyes flashed with rage. I snarled at Weaselfur and his laughter immediately ceased.

I demanded, "You think that's funny?"

My voice was high and distressed. I truly did love Crowfeather; he was brave, loyal, strong, and kind. When you broke past his barrier of aggression, he was compassionate and sweet. He was a great cat and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. Webfoot tried to comfort me. He rested his muzzle on my neck gently and purred, and for a moment I was lost in his affection, imagining it was Crowfeather.

His tongue covered my ears with soothing licks and he spoke quietly, whispered to me and only me. "Don't listen to him Nightcloud, he's a mouse brain."

I was grateful for Webfoot's friendship, but I didn't want a friend. I wanted love. I jerked away from him, poor Webfoot becoming the target of my shock and anger.

I hissed, "Leave me alone! Just go away, I don't want you!"

The pain I saw in his eyes was great and I couldn't stand it. I turned away from the three. Springing down the hill I pelted across the moor at my top speed, willing StarClan to keep me running and not to stumble. Soon my legs felt like lead and my heart on fire. I had to stop, so I settled down under a lone oak tree and caught my breath. I was not far out of WindClan territory.

Night fell quickly, and I could hear Onestar, Owlwhisker and Ashfoot calling my name in the distance. But none of them found my scent; a light drizzle had covered it. I would go back, just not right now. I ached in a place I could not sooth: my heart. I had set myself up to be hurt, and I knew it. That was the greatest pain of all. Crowfeather's heart had been broken twice; he couldn't handle it happening a third time. He had noticed me, he knew all along what I felt for him. He just didn't care.