Disclaimer: Dun own Warriors.
Notes: Okay...again, no votes, but I want to get this chapter up before I go on a 15-day vacation.
Heatherpaw won because she's cool like that.
Dapplekit is a kit, okay? She was born after the Gathering.
"Why the ThunderClan one?" Heatherpaw spat bitterly.
"Why the mean tone?" asked Breezewing curiously. "It'll be fun, I promise you!"
"Well...okay, sure, but tell Tornear first."
Breezewing glared at her, but went to tell Tornear. Heatherpaw saw the deputy wink at her. She shifted paws uncomfortably. What was Breezewing up to? Did Breezewing want something with her? Or was he just wanting to hunt?
XXX
As Breezewing and Heatherpaw got closer and closer to the ThunderClan border, Heatherpaw got more worried and more worried. What if Lionpaw turned up? Worse--what if cute friend (Mousefrost) turned up? Breezewing would tell Onestar! Or worse--Crowfeather! ...Nah, Crowfeather wouldn't be worse...or worse, Nightcloud!
Heatherpaw took a deep breath, faced Breezewing, and mewed, "Breezewing, why didn't we take another warrior hunting? What if ThunderClan attack?"
"They won't! I took us here 'cause I know it's safe," Breezewing growled. "Now, let's hunt." Chasing after a rabbit, he caught it in no time and brought it back to her. "Share?"
"Why do you want it to be safe? We should've taken another warrior with us." Heatherpaw paused, then frowned. "Why didn't Tornear warn us to?...Why should I share? Let's bring the rabbit back to camp like the code says we should."
Breezewing bit his lip. "Ummm...he did, but oh, well. Hey, c'mon, Heatherpaw, we're not on hunting patrol!"
"Well...okay." Heatherpaw bit into the rabbit. "Why did you want to share with me anyway? You looked interested in Dapplekit."
"Because..." Breezewing trailed off. "No, I don't like Dapplekit! Look, I'm a warrior. She's a kit! Oh, Heatherpaw, please!"
"Please what?" Heatherpaw was padding across the border. No, not padding. Storming. "I'm going where I belong. Hareclaw and you and Onestar and Crowfeather and Tornear and Nightcloud and Whitetail and Dapplekit and Kestrelpaw and Weaselfur and the rest of WindClan don't understand. ThunderClan do. Firestar, Brambleclaw, Leafpool, Hollypaw, Jaypaw, Lionpaw, and Mousefrost; they understand."
Breezewing stiffened when Heatherpaw said, 'Leafpool'. Hareclaw and Kestrelpaw and Heatherpaw didn't know about Leafpool and Crowfeather. Nightcloud had told him about it, with help from Crowfeather himself. He narrowed his eyes at "Mousefrost", but decided she had just picked random warriors. He relaxed.
"Quit it, Breezewing. I'm leaving."
"No!" he snapped. "Don't!" His voice was a desperate yowl. "Please, if you're going to leave, then go back to camp! Don't go on another Clan's territory!"
"Why not?" she hissed at him, her fur bristled. Heatherpaw had always hated Breezewing, no matter how handsome he was. Don't think like that, Heatherpaw! He's not handsome!
Breezewing sighed, then explained in a loud meow what Heatherpaw did not want to hear.
"Why not??! Because I-I-I-" Breezewing exploded then. "Because I love you and I want you to be safe, that's why!" he yowled. Birds on top of ThunderClan trees flew away at the noise. Not too far away, a patrol consisting of Ashfur, Cloudtail, and Hollypaw pricked up their ears to hear what Breezewing had to say.
Breezewing looked down at his paws. Heatherpaw felt so embarrassed. Luckily, no one in WindClan heard except for Tornear, on guard duty for the camp, who already knew.
XXX
"Hey, Heatherpaw, wanna go hunting?"
"Not again," the tabby groaned as Hareclaw chirped away. The apprentice sighed.
"Y'know, Hareclaw, I went hunting this morning," she sighed, making up a random excuse.
"With Breezewing. Yeah, I know. You only brought back a few field mice, though, so I thought we should--"
"No," Heatherpaw meowed firmly. "Unless Nightcloud comes, no."
"She's on patrol," Hareclaw pointed out.
"Okay, then, Whitetail."
"Whitetail and Owlwhisker are with her."
Heatherpaw rolled her eyes. "Get Crowfeather, then!" she spat, her hackles raised impatiently.
"Crowfeather and Breezewing and Tornear are having a 'little talk'."
"Then let's guard the camp!" shouted Heatherpaw. "C'mon, don't stand there, guard duty calls! ONESTAR! MAY HARECLAW AND I GUARD THE CAMP?"
"Mmkr wr nrt," came the muffled response from the medicine cat's den where Barkface was making Onestar eat lots of herbs for his journey to visit the Moonpool. Willowpaw had told Barkface that StarClan wanted WindClan to visit them in a dream. Barkface was eating herbs, too.
"It's not that far," Heatherpaw heard Kestrelpaw point out.
Hareclaw and Heatherpaw went to guard the camp. Nothing exciting happened. Heatherpaw yawned. Her eye twitched. Anything to pass the time. Over the hours, Hareclaw got closer and closer to Heatherpaw. Heatherpaw tried to pull away, but Hareclaw didn't want her to. Heatherpaw gulped as she saw Breezewing watching intently. Uh-oh.
"Let's stop. Nothing's coming our way, right?" She began to pad away.
"Wait, Heatherpaw. Stop." Hareclaw beckoned her with his tail inside the apprentices' den. He followed her.
"Well?" he asked.
"Well what?"
"Why did you want to stop?" he snapped. "I thought we were friends, Heatherpaw. I thought we were...more than that."
"More?" mewed Heatherpaw unsteadily. Great, she thought. Just great. Two toms chasing after me now.
"Yes, more. Heatherpaw, I thought we liked each other."
"Yeah," began Heatherpaw. "We did. We still do. ...Friends can split up sometimes."
"Yes, well..." Hareclaw trailed off, looking sheepish. "I thought we were more than friends."
"Why are you trying to get us alone? Why are you so worried about me?" growled Heatherpaw before she could stop the words from escaping from her mouth.
"Because I..."
XXX
"I can't believe it," Heatherpaw grumbled. "I just can't believe it."
"Can't believe what?" asked the chipper Kestrelpaw. They were eating by the apprentices' boulder.
"Your brother and Crowfeather's son--Hareclaw and Breezewing--are both in love with me!" she replied.
"Go with Hareclaw. He's more your age and is much friendlier."
"That's not my problem," Heatherpaw meowed. "It's that I don't like either one! I like someone else!"
"Ah," purred Tornear, who was eating with them. "Lionpaw, is it?"
"No!" she exclaimed at once. "It's...um...well..."
"Is he from ThunderClan?"
"Um...yes. Promise you won't tell anyone?"
Tornear and Kestrelpaw nodded eagerly. "Good. ...Okay, it's...Mousefrost."
It is? she asked herself. She didn't really like Mousefrost, did she? No, she didn't! She liked Lionpaw. No! Lionpaw liked her! Mousefrost didn't like her, Mousefrost liked Minnowfish. Not her. "Fine. It's Lionpaw. You were right, Tornear." She shyly flicked her tail. "I only like him as a friend, though. I don't love him."
Tornear nodded. "Interesting. You have a forbidden like."