Thunder yawned as he crawled out of the nest. Tall shadow was still sleeping; he decided not to wake her since she had brought him some prey last night. he owed her one.

he stumbled over his paws as he headed out of fourtrees, a cool wind ruffling his fur. as Thunder padded through the forest, he picked up the scent of Clear Sky and Star Flower. his heart lurched as he imagined the beautiful she-cat's emerald gaze and the last words she had said to him,

we were never meant to be together, Thunder.

"well, the prey oughtta lay down at your paws, the way your standing there." a sarcastic mew sounded from behind him. Thunder whipped around and looked into Tall Shadow's bright green eyes, his voice stuck in his throught as he realized they reminded him so much of Star Flower. "I-I was going to catch you some prey..." his voice drifted off. the she-cat's gaze sparkled with mischeif. "gotcha!" she exclaimed.

thunder rolled his eyes and laughed. "C'mon, we're supposed to be hunting."

by the time they got back to camp, the fresh-kill they had caught consisted of four mice, three squirrels and one rabbit. Gorse Fur's eyes lit up as he spotted their catch.

"where have you been?! you look as if you caught the entire forest's worth of prey!" the gray tom meowed.

Thunder explained how it had gotten too late and that they had had to stay over night at fourtrees. "we would've come back earlier, but the walk last night tired us out," he murmured.

Wind Runner padded up beside her mate. "well, we're pleased that you've brought back prey.." she mewed, eyeing the rabbit. the she-cat had grown plump since she had joined the clan, obviously enjoying the warmth and comfort of a group. but even though she sometimes ate more than other cats, no one could question her leadership abilities.

Tall Shadow saw Wind Runner's expression and clamped her mouth down on the Rabbit's neck. she hauled it over to a shady spot under a pine tree before sitting down beside it.

"wanna share?" she asked thunder. the tom laughed. "well, I suppose we should get rid of it before Wind Runner has a chance..."

the pretty black she-cat butted his head. "show some respect!" she exclaimed, but her eyes shown with amusement.

the two sat down, their fur brushing against eachother's.

Thunder dropped a squirrel at Gray Wing's paws. "did you catch this?" the gray tom asked, raising an eyebrow. Thunder shook his head.

"Tall Shadow then," he murmured. "I'm glad to see you spending time with another she-cat after..."

"star flower," the orange tom finished.

"listen," Gray Wing mewed, "if she couldn't see how much you really cared about her, then she wasn't worth it. you need to move on, find someone new." his head gestured outside. Tall Shadow seems to have caught your eye lately- and from what I can tell, the feeling is mutual."