Feathertail awoke sleepily as someone prodded her sharply with one forepaw. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes she saw a dark shape standing over her and thought it was brother.

"Go away, Stormfur." She groaned, falling back down again into her nest of ferns and moss against the rock wall. She -had almost fallen asleep again when the cat called her again.

"No, Feathertail." The voice sounded faintly impatient. "It's me."

Feathertail shook her head and slowly got up and as her vision cleared she could just make out Crowpaw's faint black outline in the darkness.

"What is it?" she yawned as she began to groom scraps of moss out of her silky gray fur.

Crowpaw didn't answer and as the dawn light strengthened she saw he looked embarrassed. His ears were flat to his head and he scuffled his forepaws in the dust nervously.

"Do you want to come hunting with me?" he mumbled at last, not meeting her gaze.

Feathertail nodded cheerfully. "Ok I'll just wake Stormfur and the—"

"No!" Crowpaw hissed in sudden anger "I meant… just you and me." He continued awkwardly.

By now her pelt was bristling uncomfortably but she just murmured agreement and followed the apprentice away from her sleeping friends.

The two trekked on for a long while in silence, "Where should we hunt?" she panted finally.

Crowpaw twitched his ears towards a big thicket towards the edge of a field. "There." He meowed confidently. "There should be lots of prey hiding there."

Feathertail blinked. It would be a good spot, she thought, slightly admiring Crowpaw's thoughtfulness.

She bounded up to his side and for one heartbeat there pelts brushed together, sending tingling sensations up her spine. But for some reason she couldn't move away from him no matter how much she tried.

Almost as soon as they entered the thorn thicket Feathertail caught a fresh scent of mouse and spotted the furry brown creature scurrying in the grass. Instinctively she crouched down and padded stealthily towards it. As soon as she was within target range she pounced—killing it swiftly with one blow of her paw.

Picking up her prey she glanced around for Crowpaw. In an instant she spotted his dark gray fur flashing in the undergrowth as he chased after a squirrel. A moment later he appeared beside her, his prey dangling in his mouth.

He blinked in a friendly way at her and Feathertail could almost swear he was a totally different cat. He continued to gaze at her before he raised his muzzle to drink in the air's scent. Feathertail was going to ask him what he had smelled but he silenced her with a wave of his tail.

Following his gaze she spotted a young gray rabbit hopping about in the bushes. She saw him bunch up his muscles and then he shot off as quickly as a whirlwind.

The rabbit twitched its ears, thumped its hind legs hard on the ground before it raced off. After a brief hesitation Feathertail hurtled herself after Crowpaw.

Soon enough they were sprinting through the waving, golden field after the rabbit. Feathertail was so intent on catching it that she forgot to watch her step and stumbled as her one paw hit one of her hindpaws.

She found herself crashing into Crowpaw, who let out a startled yowl as the two of them rolled down a sloping hill.

They were brought to a stop as soon as they were on flat land. Feathertail could feel the golden grasses dangling off her ears as she sat up and didn't even want to know how dumb she looked.

Crowpaw was staring at her with eyes as big as the sun shining overhead and as the pair met each other's gaze they couldn't help but laugh.

Feathertail had always thought the WindClan apprentice didn't know how to laugh—after all he never did. But now she knew she was wrong.

He leapt at her when she was caught off guard and pinned her to the ground his mouth fixed in a furious smile. She rolled him off with her hindlegs and now he laid beside her, his limbs stretched out. Gently he stretched forward until he could touch noses with the silver she-cat. And Feathertail found herself staring in those dark blue eyes. Except this time it wasn't hostility that she found there—but love.

Anyone remember that part in Midnight where Crowpaw and Feathertail went hunting early in the morning. Well I've always wondered what went on that day because after that they always seemed a lot closer. Read and Review!