Shadestorm's pov
"What are you doing here?" Shadestorm was shocked by her sudden appearance.
"I followed you." Tawnypelt said, like it was no big deal.
Shadestorm half expected Tawnypelt to mock her, but the other she-cat just mewed;
"You don't look okay."
She didn't reply, just looked to the ground. She really wasn't okay.
But Tawnypelt didn't need a reply. She crouched beside her, whispered comforting words to Shadestorm while she cried.
And then, at that moment Shadestorm realised she had gained a true friend.
...
Blackstar's pov
Blackstar padded out of his den at sunhigh. He saw Russetfur organizing the hunting patrols, and joined her.
"Oakfur will lead the other patrol. Take Rowanclaw and Talonpaw with you. Smokepaw can come too. Hunt near the farthest border. Shadestorm will lead the other patrol. She can take Dawncloud, Tawnypelt and..."
Russetfur seemed to hesitate. Her sharp gaze sought out the cats in front of her.
"I'll go with them." Blackstar found himself saying before he had thought it through.
"Good. You can go towards highstones. "
The cats left the camp with Shadestorm in the lead. When they reached their destination, and began to separate to hunt, Blackstar found himself deep in his own thoughts.
He thought about how the monsters were starting to destroy the forest. It really worried him, although he wouldn't admit it to anyone.
Suddenly a squirrel darted from a tree right in front of him. I need to focus! He scolded himself.
...
Soon he had caught a mouse and a frog. When he was heading back to camp, Shadestorm emerged from the bushes.
She was carrying the same squirrel he had lost, her vibrant green eyes shining. She dropped it to the ground. "Shall we walk together?" She looked unusually shy.
"Sure."
They padded towards the camp together, their pelts brushing from time to time. Blackstar noticed how the afternoon sun seemed to dance on her sleek coat, almost hiding the stripes she was named after.
Shadestorm. The name really suits her.
Her fur was mainly gray, but it had lighter stripes on it. She had lighter paws, and her tail was a swirl of different shades. Her eyes were a vibrant green colour. It reminded him of greenleaf, when the forest was flourishing and the birds sang their songs.
Wait, why am I thinking about her eyes?
...
Shadestorm's pov
Shadestorm glanced over at Blackstar as they were walking back to camp. He seemed to be wrapped up in his own thoughts.
She had never particularily paid attention to him before this moment. She had always admired his skills and his courage, of course, but he had never stood out to her. Just another warrior in the crowd, who just happened to be their leader. And maybe a little good looking. Not special.
Until now.
The gray she-cat glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. He was walking with confident strides, head held high. He's always been a little too proud for his own good. But I quess thats normal for a Shadowclan cat. But as she glanced at his eyes, she saw that he was looking at her, too. Their gazes locked for just a heartbeat, and both smirked.
"Race ya back to camp!" She said as clearly as she could around her prey. For a moment he looked a bit startled but she took off first and soon they were running alongside eachother, spraying the forest floor with a fresh shower of pine needles.
Joy almost pierced her heart, and she quickened her pace.
Soon they arrived at the camp entrance, their flanks heaving from the effort of racing through the forest.
Neither cat had won the race, but at that moment, Shadestorm didnt care. And she had a feeling neither did he.
"She-cats first." The Shadowclan leader said before stepping aside a little bit. His eyes were gleaming with slight amusement. Maybe even embarrasment from not winning the race. She really couldnt tell.
It was always hard to say what he was really thinking.
"Thanks I guess." She mumbled before pushing through the entrance and starting towards the fresh-kill pile. Some cats were resting in the clearing, lazily sharing tongues or eating beneath the afternoon sun. It was rare for Shadowclan territory to be so sunny.
Shadestorm set the squirrel on the fresh-kill pile and started towards a sunny spot at the edge of the Shadowclan camp.
She laid down on the soft grass and drew her paw over her ear. And soon Blackstar joined her.
They didnt speak, just laid there in the fading sunlight for a moment. Shadestorm caught Tallpoppy's eye.
The brown she-cat's belly had grown, and it would only be half a moon until the birth. She couldnt wait to see her little siblings for the first time.
The queen glanced at her daughter with amusement in her eyes.
Her pelt grew hot with embarrasment. What is she staring at? Is my pelt dirty or something?
But then she saw her mothers gaze had landed on her and the tom laying next to her. Great. Now Tallpoppy probably thinks we're together or something. Sometimes she is impossible. Shadestorm sighed audibly. The elders den will never be quiet if she joins them someday.
But to her own suprise, the thought didn't seem so bad. Not pleasant, but not unthinkable either.
...
She was startled out of her thoughts by Blackstar.
"You have a leaf on your back."
He swept his tail along her back, and Shadestorm felt her heart beginning to beat faster.
She looked over at the Shadowclan leader, who now looked uncharacteriously nervous. Shadestorm broke the tension by meowing;
"Thanks."
Why am I so nervous around him?
Their eyes locked for a moment. Shadestorm felt like there was something both of them wanted to say. Her breath caught in her throat.
The trance was broken by Tawnypelt, who appeared beside them.
"Flintfang's border patrol came back! Shadestorm, you have to see the rat they brought!"
Just now Tawnypelt seemed the realise it. "Oh, sorry. Am I interrupting something?"
The moment was ruined.
"Kinda. I want to see the rat, though!" Replied Shadestorm.
She got up, a little disappointed.
Shadestorm hardly paid any attention to the huge rat all of her clanmates were admiring. The encounter with Blackstar was playing in her mind, over and over again.
She wondered what she would have said to him if Tawnypelt hadn't interrupted. To her dismay, she wasn't sure about it.
Shadestorm shook her head. Everything is so complicated right now.
