Wow, not one single review in the previous chapter. Guess I'm losing my touch as a writer XD

Anyway, here's the next part, enjoy.

Chapter 10

"Sandstorm?" Thornclaw whispered. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"

The ginger she-cat looked up from grooming Firestar's pelt. They were beside the high ledge, getting ready to turn in for the night after the Gathering. But Thornclaw felt wide away and paranoid to think about sleeping in a den full of warriors. He needed help, and he needed it now!

Firestar also turned his head. "Is something wrong, Thornclaw?"

Thornclaw shook his head. "No... well, yes," he admitted. "But it's something I think only Sandstorm can help me with."

The Thunderclan leader nodded, evidently waiting. And Sandstorm had her hears pricked.

Thornclaw fidgeted a bit. "Er... alone, if that's alright?"

Sandstorm blinked, curious now about the golden tom's sudden submissiveness. "Sure." She stood, stretched, told her mate she'd be right back, and padded away. Thornclaw followed quietly behind, marshaling his thoughts.

They came to a small space behind the nursery, where no other cats could hear or see them. Sandstorm sat comfortably and waited. Thornclaw also sat, still a bit nervous about the answer he may receive. "So. What seems to be the problem?"

"I-," Thornclaw cleared his throat. "I need your advice on... she-cats," he murmured quietly.

"Pardon?" Sandstorm frowned and pricked her ears forward.

"I said I need help with she-cats," Thornclaw mewed a little louder.

Sandstorm studied Thornclaw with surprise and amusement for a moment. Normally a cat would go to Ferncloud and Daisy on this manner. "Well... sure. What do you need help with?"

Thornclaw shrugged. "I'm not completely sure. See, it was only Cinderheart and Hazeltail that were trying to push me into being their, uh, mate-" a knowing look came to Sandstorm's face, one Thornclaw found irritating "-but I don't think they're the only ones."

Sandstorm blinked, but waited patiently.

"I... I think she-cats from other clans are falling for me too."

That took Sandstorm by surprise. Her jaw was open and he shoulders sagged. But she was able to compose herself enough to mew quietly, "Why do you think that?"

"It.. because of how they stare at me." Thornclaw cursed the soft voice that issued from his throat. "Whenever I look up, Cinderheart looks at me with wanting in her eyes. Hazeltail tries to pick fights with me, but I could tell that's only so she could find an excuse to be closer to me without showing affection-I think she knows I'd just walk away from her if she tried to act friendly.

"Then there's the gathering..." Thornclaw poured his whole misery out before Sandstorm, explaining how the she-cats all looked at him not out of hate or spite, but wanting and desire. How he had tried to find a logical reason behind this and wondered what he did or didn't do to have made this possible. And his suspicions that Russetfur might actually know because of the way she was observing Thornclaw like there was a mystery to unravel.

"... I think Starclan's punishing me for some reason," Thornclaw concluded, head down.

Sandstorm looked off into space for a moment to digest what Thornclaw had just said.

The silence stretched on and Thornclaw's mentality was thinning by each passing second.

Finally she smiled and looked back at him. "I think you're over-exaggerating.

It now took a few seconds for Thornclaw to digest what she just said.

"... What?" He thought he didn't heart correctly even though he did.

Sandstorm waved a paw before her. "Think about it," she urged-that's exactly what I've been doing the whole time, Thornclaw thought-"you had no idea of a she-cat with a crush on you until Cinderheart and Hazeltail made the first move on you. Right?"

"Right..." Thornclaw murmured. Not that he understood.

"But at the same time, you never knew she-cats had liked you even in the past, right?"

"Right... wait. What?"

Sandstorm rolled her eyes and sighed. "Sorreltail."

"What about her?"

"You big goof. She had a crush on you while she was still a young warrior."

"What?" Thornclaw's eyes widened. When did this happen? He didn't remember the tortoise-shell she-cat flirting with him before.

Sandstorm nodded her head eagerly. "You should have seen her. She would look at you and talk about how amazing you are at hunting, but you never picked up on the fact that she was flirting with you. So... she moved on."

Evidently that meant Thornclaw was too dense to have noticed a she-cat hinting her affections for him. Though he thought it would have been much simpler if she had just outright said it out loud.

"I never noticed," was all he could think to say.

Sandstorm tapped her hind-leg on the ground impatiently. "What I'm getting at is this: Cinderheart and Hazeltail were probably the first she-cats to actually tell you they liked you, or showed enough psychical movements to hint it."

"So what you're saying is..." Thornclaw mewed, frowning.

"That you're just paranoid."

They stared at each other for a few moments.

"Explain."

Sandstorm rolled her eyes. She placed the tip of her tail below her chin thoughtfully. "First, let me ask you this: How did you feel after you found out Cinderheart and Hazeltail wanted you as a mate?"

Thornclaw shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know. Alert. Mutinous. Doubtful. A bit wary..."

Sandstorm nodded triumphantly. "Exactly."

Thornclaw opened his jaws to speak, but she raised her paw for silence. "Ever since you found out she-cats could like you, you've become so paranoid"-too true--"and alert that any she-cat that just looks at you funny you'd think they were going to try to flirt with you-not that I can't see why, with such a handsome tom like yourself." She batted her eyes.

Thornclaw quickly backed away, horror etched in his face. Don't tell me Sandstorm...

But the she-cat was laughing. "I'm just kidding! Great Starclan you're so stressed you can't even take a joke."

Thornclaw sat back down; he had stood in shock. "Not funny," he muttered.

"To me it was." Sandstorm swallowed the giggle that threatened to come out and controlled herself. "But you see my point?"

Thornclaw blinked. Now that Sandstorm said it, it made sense. He had suspected that it was just his imagination and nothing more. Could this really be it? The thought made his heart feel lighter.

"But... they way they all stare at me..."

Sandstorm shrugged. "Maybe some of them do like you. What I'm trying to explain is that you've become too alert that you may not be able to tell the difference from a friendly look and a... desirable one."

"And they were all single..."

"You sure about that?"

Thornclaw frowned. He didn't know what he was sure of anymore.

"So that means that she-cats are not falling for me. It's just... me being crazy!" he squeaked in relief. He coughed embarrassingly from his tone.

Sandstorm chuckled. "Feel better now?"

Thornclaw nodded vigorously. "Yes! Thank you so much, Sandstorm!" He felt as if he could run happily from here to the lake without a care in the world!-if he wasn't so tired from the travel back from the gathering.

"My pleasure," she smiled. "And if it's any consolation to you, Jayfeather might be able to help."

Thornclaw did a double-take. "Huh?" Jayfeather, help him? With she-cat trouble?

"Not the way you might be thinking," Sandstorm mewed hastily. "He might have herbs that could help calm you down. Maybe take away your anxiety."

Thornclaw nodded slowly. "Yeah. I could be sick."

"Well, if that's all you needed..."

Thornclaw dipped his head. "It is. Thank you so much. And..." he hesitated, embarrassed.

Sandstorm understood. She laughed lightly. "Your secret's safe with me."

The golden tom sighed in relief. The she-cat licked him between the ears in reassurance, then padded away.

Thornclaw stayed where he was for a few moments. The pressure eased up on his chest considerably. He was just being overly-cautious. Sure, Cinderheart and Hazeltail wanted him, but that didn't mean EVERY single she-cat was out to get his virginity... none of them did him in while he was asleep, right?

But the tom pushed the thought to the back of his head. He padded out of the nursery, eyes twinkling. Not even Daisy's goodnight glare could diminish the happiness. Thornclaw looked at the medicine cat's den. Jayfeather would probably be asleep by now. He could probably visit him early tomorrow for some herbs.

With a sigh of content, Thornclaw made his way to the Warriors Den and slept peacefully beside Cloudtail and Brightheart.

A few weeks later, a tree fell onto Thunderclan camp and Thornclaw felt all the happiness disappear like a claw to his heart.

A bit short, this being only a conversation between Thornclaw and Sandstorm. But it wouldn't go well if I added anything else to this chapter.

I've been off'ing with Thornclaw's character. But I always figured he would be a bit paranoid about many things in life. He is mostly the one to believe the other clans are up to something and calls for a fight. Why not the same be with she-cats?