Sunstream awoke when two screeches from different cats, rung in her ears. She looked out to see first Spottedtail, then Dappleshade, fill the sky. Sighing, she added two more marks to her count.
Are Tigerflame and I the only ones who haven't killed yet? she thought.
She sighed, standing at the entrance of the den, silently waiting, for nothing really. A series of loud cries, but no cat joined StarClan at that moment. She raced to the spot to see her close friend, Fernshadow, lying motionless on the ground.
She wasn't dead yet, but there was no way to help her. There had been a fatal blow to her neck, which couldn't be healed by the greatest of medicine cats.
"Goodbye, Fernshadow," she whispered, softly. She buried her nose in her friend's fur as she glowed above. Shakily, she stood up.
"Sunstream! There you are!" Tigerflame was looking for her. "Why did you run off again?" He paused abruptly when he saw the unshed tears glistening in her eyes. "Oh."
"Fernshadow," she rasped.
"Was she... your friend?" Tigerflame asked.
Sunstream sighed. "Yes. She was." She pressed against Tigerflame. "But you're closer to me than she ever was," she added. Tigerflame's eyes glowed with unspoken joy.
"Thank you," he mewed.
The two padded back to the den. "Tigerflame?" Sunstream asked, after a long pause.
"Yes?"
"I-I really like you, Tigerflame... sometimes I wonder if I like you more than a friend," Sunstream admitted.
Tigerflame nuzzled her gently. "I know you care as much as I do," he mewed. He paused. "I love you, Sunstream. I really do."
"I like you, maybe more than a friend," Sunstream repeated. "I just don't know." She pressed warmly against the amber-eyed tom.
Somewhere beyond, disturbing their small moment of peace, another yowl ripped through the sky. It was followed by a low moan of agony, deeper in the forest. Sunstream suppressed a wail of dismay as the shape of Rivertail filled the sky above.
Suddenly, she realized that she was the only living tribute left of ThunderClan. "Already?" she whispered, to herself.
"What?" Tigerflame stared at her intently.
"I just realized," she mewed. "I'm the only ThunderClan tribute left."
Tigerflame didn't respond with words. He twined his tail with hers. "You know, it doesn't matter if I love you. The warrior code is not the same for the tributes, remember? We tributes can have mates in other clans, but no one else."
Sunstream purred as he nuzzled her gently.
Far off, another screech sounded, and Grayfur's form was present in the sky. Sunstream padded back to the den with Tigerflame. Quickly remembering, she added five marks to the count.
"Six left."