The Heart of a Lion
Chapter 7: Jayfeather's Thoughts
Lionblaze didn't share much of an interest in kits, but he found himself in the nursery that day anyway. He felt like he had a responsibility in there considering his own kits would be born soon.
Jayfeather was already in there, and the den smelled of herbs.
"Hey, Jayfeather. What are you doing here?" he called out.
His sensitive ears twitched. "Briarkit had a cough. I was just giving her a dose of tansy for it. I don't suppose you are here to play with kits, are you?"
"I thought maybe I would bring them some fresh-kill," Lionblaze improvised quickly.
"You are going to have to wait for that. They are sleeping right now," he meowed in that grumpy Jayfeather way that could dampen anyone's mood.
From inside the nursery, Millie hissed, "And they won't be if you two do not keep down. Do carry your conversation somewhere else."
Lionblaze slithered away from there guiltily when he noticed his brother was following him. "What?"
"You know better than to hide things from me. I can figure them out myself, you know."
"Hiding?" He pretended to have no idea what Jayfeather was talking about, and kept Heathertail as far from his mind as possible so he wouldn't detect anything. If there was one thing Jayfeather was good at, it was probing minds.
"Yes, you are confused, and quite frankly I might not be the only one noticing you have been a little awkward lately. Does this have to do with love?" he ventured.
Lionblaze's heart thudded nervously. It was impossible to lie to Jayfeather, and he would know if he did. The truth was no answer either though, right? "Might be," he answered. "I was just thinking something."
No one was around to overhear them so Lionblaze continued. "What if things would have gone differently with Heathertail and I?"
"You are asking me this? Why do you care? It is all over now," Jayfeather insisted. "She can rot in a hole for all I care."
Thanks. That really helps.
"But I understand you thinking. After all, some things are worth thinking about. At least you are actually thinking of something unlike me who daydreams about a wooden stick."
"Well, you are just weird in that way," Lionblaze meowed.
"Whatever. I have to get back to Leafpool."
He wanted Jayfeather to leave that whole time he was standing there, but he couldn't let his brother leave yet. "Wait. Don't you have anything to say to my thoughts? Aren't you going to say something abusive like I am a mouse-brain?"
He shrugged, and his blind blue eyes looked thoughtful. "I say that if things would have turned the other way, you would have made the biggest mistake in your life. Outer-Clan relationships don't work, and they only end badly. Anyway, later."
He had hoped for an answer that better suited what he wanted to hear. Maybe supportive words instead of that. But then again, he had to consider who he was talking to.
Outer-Clan relationships don't work.
What did he know anyway? Jayfeather was wrong. He had never even felt love, so how would he know what was right? Lionblaze loved Heathertail. That was more important than the warrior code, right?
