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Stormfur and Squirrelpaw

Stormfur sat alone on the rocky ledge, deep in thought. In the distance the sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the mountainside. From his vantage point he could see the Tribe's cave and the territory that they used for hunting. It would be dangerous for most cats to sit alone outside for long, but Stormfur's dark gray fur blended in with the rocks and helped to camouflage him from any possible predators.

The six of them had arrived at the Tribe just the day before. Stormfur, Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, Crowpaw, Feathertail and Tawnypelt were all on a journey to save the Clans. How... Well, they weren't exactly sure about that quite yet. But to be entirely truthful, Stormfur was beginning to lose faith. The whole thing was starting to seem kind of pointless to him. How can whatever we find at this sun-drown-place possibly be any use to us back in the forest?

The entire journey so far had been frustrating. They'd spent most of their time arguing with one another about practically everything. He would have gone crazy if it weren't for Squirrelpaw. He admired her for her spunk, though she was often scolded for blurting things out without thinking. She was as stubborn as a badger and had the same temperament! Stormfur didn't mind that though, Squirrelpaw was simply just a passionate cat!

He had to admit that he'd grown very fond of her as of late, but that was alright. There's nothing wrong with having friends in other Clans! He told himself, but he wasn't entirely sure that he was content just being friends with Squirrelpaw. Cats need to find mates in their own Clans. Your own father didn't take that advice and look how that ended!

Stormfur's father Graystripe; a ThunderClan warrior, had made the mistake of falling for a RiverClan she-cat. Their secret romance lasted a little while, until Stormfur's mother, Silverstream, became pregnant with Graystripe's kits. A few moons later Silverstream died while giving birth to Stormfur and Silverstream. Her kits were given to RiverClan, and Graystripe decided to live with them some time in the RiverClan camp, but then ended up returning to his own Clan. Both of his kits grew up without really knowing or getting to be around either of their parents. Stormfur was grateful that at his father was at least still alive, but it was still difficult for him because he rarely saw him.

The fact that he was half ThunderClan and half RiverClan didn't make life any easier. His Clanmates were never vocally mean about it, but he could feel their judgement, and was often excluded by them. As a result, he and Feathertail had grown up quite isolated from the others. Most of the time it he didn't let it bother him, but sometimes it did. Like right now. He hated admitting it, but he felt lonely. "Why can't I just be normal?" He asked out loud.

Of course it wasn't fair for him to complain about his life. He was actually quite fortunate! There were plenty of cats that would give anything for a life like his, and here he was muttering and grumbling about it. I suppose I really should be more thankful for the blessings that StarClan has given me. It's just not always so easy to see them.

The sky was beginning to darken, and the orange was melting into a purple. Stars began appearing overhead, and he stared up at them in clusters, captivated by them. He was fairly certain that these stars were the ancestors of the Tribe, and not the same stars that shone in the night sky back at home but they were still a marvelous sight.

Behind him Stormfur heard the sound of claws connecting with loose rocks, "Foxdung!" A voice whispered angrily. Somecat had been spying on him? His anger began building up. "Who's there?" He demanded.

He peered into the darkness, trying to see where the newcomer was but the sun was nearly entirely set now making it difficult to see. He was surprised to see Squirrelpaw step out of the shadows, obviously embarrassed to be caught eavesdropping on him. He felt his rage wash away.

She stared down at her paws, refusing to make eye contact with him. "Sorry Stormfur," she muttered. "I saw you leaving the cave and I was wondering what you were doing, so I followed you up here."

Stormfur flicked his tail dismissively, "It's fine. I'm impressed that you were able to stay up here with me this long without me noticing. Back in the forest I can usually here you stampeding around ThunderClan territory all the way across the river! "

"Hey!" Squirrelpaw complained, but her eyes lit up mischievously at his comment. He relaxed a little as she perked up, more like her usual self. She padded up next to him and took a seat. "Wow," she breathed. "This is quite the sight isn't it?" She gazed into the night sky, "And aren't the stars beautiful?" She echoed his earlier thoughts.

Stormfur nodded his agreement. "I bet they're the ancestors of the Tribe. It makes me wonder if StarClan is still watching over us."

"I'm sure they are," Squirrelpaw reassured him. "They're the ones who sent on this mousebrained quest, they better be watching over us!"

Stormfur chuckled, but didn't say anything more.

After an awkward moment of silence, Squirrelpaw spoke. "I heard what you said earlier, about wanting to be normal," she confessed.

He felt his fur grow hot with embarrassment. "Yeah, um..." He was at a loss for words.

"I totally understand that feeling," Squirrelpaw continued.

Stormfur blinked at her, "You do?"

Squirrelpaw snorted, "Are you kidding me? My father is the great and mighty Firestar," she declared in a mocking tone. "If it's not tough enough having to live up to that, he's also the most overprotective parent ever. He's always fretting over me like a queen fretting over her kits!"

Stormfur gave her an odd look. He couldn't really picture Firestar as being the overprotective type. Stormfur had heard plenty of stories of the misadventures that Firestar had been on when he was younger.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm not kidding!" Squirrelpaw protested. "Before we left for this journey he yelled at me just for talking to Brambleclaw! He can't stand me being around him, and I know why. It's because his father is Tigerstar. Isn't that awful?"

Stormfur wasn't exactly bothered by Firestar's attempt at keeping Brambleclaw away from Squirrelpaw. After all, Brambleclaw was his only competition for Squirrelpaw. He was tempted to tell her that her father was just looking out for her, but opted not to because he knew she wouldn't react very well to that. Instead he replied, "Wow, that's terrible!"

She rolled her eyes, "He can be a mousebrain at times! But I still love him."

"If it makes you feel any better, my life isn't exactly a walk in StarClan's hunting grounds either," Stormfur muttered.

"That's right, I'd forgotten about Graystripe and Silverstream," Squirrelpaw's green eyes grew sympathetically. "I can't imagine how difficult that must be for you and Feathertail."

"I don't think it's as difficult for Feathertail," Stormfur replied. "She's always been the quiet type. She's content following me around. But it's hard for me because I can always feel them watching me, judging me. I feel like I'm constantly trying to prove my worthiness of being a RiverClan warrior to my Clanmates. But they won't accept me, and I honestly doubt they ever will."

Squirrelpaw shrugged, "Who cares what they think of you!"

"That's what I keep trying to tell myself," Stormfur answered, "But it's not that simple. They're my Clanmates, they're supposed to be like family, but my own family won't even support me. It makes me feel worthless."

"Feathertail cares about you," Squirrelpaw pointed out. "If it weren't for you I doubt she'd be able to survive in RiverClan." Her eyes glowed warmly. Stormfur was captivated by them, they cut through the night like two solid beams of green light. Oh how he wished that he could simply lose himself in her eyes. "And if it counts for anything, I think you're a great warrior."

Stormfur looked away sheepishly. "Thanks." The moon was shining brightly now, and stars filled the entire sky. If the scene had been beautiful earlier, it was breathtaking now. "Part of me wonders why bad things have to happen. I mean, did either of us really do anything to deserve anything but a normal life? We're both loyal warriors, neither of us is perfect but we're good cats." He stared into the stars, as if he expected an answer from them. Of course there was none.

Squirrelpaw shrugged. "Honestly, I think that bad things need to happen to us."

What? The notion seemed bizarre to him, and he gave Squirrelpaw a quizzical look. "Do you have bees in your brain?" He asked, only half teasing.

Squirrelpaw batted a paw at him, claws sheathed and he ducked to the side. "No, I don't," she answered. "Look at it this way, if it weren't for the tough times the good times wouldn't be so magical."

Stormfur was surprised by her comment, "That's a pretty wise thing to say." And it was true wasn't it? Had he not been treated poorly by his Clanmates would this discussion with Squirrelpaw be nearly as special? No. In fact, it probably never would have happened. He was stunned by the revelation.

"See," Squirrelpaw's eyes sparkled. "I'm not just a sassy furball!"

"No, not at all." Stormfur chuckled. You're so much more than that.

Hopefully at least one of you reading this can take something away from it! Leave me a review and tell me what you thought! :)