Chapter 2, Aspenleaf

A white and grey she-cat slipped out of the warriors den. She glanced back at the large bush, her eyes wide and her ears perked. She felt terrible and guilty.

Her name was Leafcloud. She had deep amber eyes.

She leaped on top of the nursery and slipped through the thorn barrier.

She set her nose to the ground and set off on a run. She looked back occasionally, making sure that no one was following. What she was doing went against the warrior code horribly. She was seeing a tom from another Clan. They didn't love each other, they just liked each other.

But Leafcloud still had the same increasing suspicion. The cat she liked, Brownpaw, was very interested in her. Leafcloud barely liked him at all. She just went to see him because…well…

She approached the WindClan border, and paused, sniffing the air. She saw him emerge from the grass.

"Brownpaw!" she whispered. He looked up, and the moon caught his dark brown fur, and he looked ignited. Something stirred deep in Leafcloud's chest, then started hammering on her head. She shook her head, then walked over to him.

He was sitting on a large flat boulder, the place where they always met. Leafcloud leaped up beside him.

"Hello, Leafcloud," he mewed. This wasn't his normal greeting. Usually he touched his nose to hers, or purred forever.

"What's wrong?" Leafcloud whispered.

"Nothing," Brownpaw turned his head away stiffly. "I…well, Barkface is…dying."

Leafcloud stiffened. "I'm sorry. How far along are you in your apprenticeship?"

"I'll be a full medicine cat soon," he murmured. "But I can't just let him die. He has a sickness. But he can't move. So he can't tell me which herb to use."

"I see," Leafcloud meowed. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked.

"No," he mumbled. "There isn't." very abruptly he jumped off the rock and turned for his camp, the wind buffeting his fur.

Leafcloud opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything he disappeared over a rise. Leafcloud watched unhappily, then turned and bounded back to ThunderClan territory. She dashed into the camp and leaped into her bedding.

XXX

Shadowflight stepped out of the warriors den. She sat down by the fresh-kill pile, but didn't take anything.

"Aren't you hungry?" her friend, Skyfeather asked, padding over to her. "You haven't eaten for the past five days."

Shadowflight turned her head away. Skyfeather shrugged and padded over to Leafcloud.

Shadowflight was full aware that she couldn't eat. It was because she couldn't stop thinking about her friend, Nightwind.

She was dead. It was hard for her to accept. It just was hard.

XXX

Rockpool patrolled the ShadowClan border alone. He was bored. Ever since he had become a warrior, there had been nothing to do.

But there was something to do. He could confess his feelings to Shadowflight. But that was basically impossible. He always got embarrassed.

The sturdy legged tom leaped onto a tiny rock and lay on his side, licking his flank.

"Hey you!" someone shouted. Rockpool sprang to his feet.

"Show yourself!" he snarled. A calico she-cat slid out of the bracken on the ShadowClan side of the border.

She had wonderful sparkling amber eyes. Rockpool had to admit, she was incredibly beautiful. Swirls of color made spirals on her flanks, and she had a very clean white chest and paws. That was the only part that was white.

"My name is Aspenleaf. I am a ShadowClan warrior."

Her voice sounded like music.

Rockpool couldn't believe that a cat could be so pretty.

"Your very pretty," he mewed. Where were his words coming from?

"I know. That's what…" Aspenleaf trailed away.

"What?" Rockpool prompted.

"C-Cederstar assigned me a tom!" she cried, "As a mate! That's what she has been doing…I-I hate it. My sister Frostwind got this dope named Treepelt, and he's a total idiot! My tom is named Owlclaw and he's worse then Treepelt. He's a little bit bigger then you. All he does is flatter me all day, and follow me around. I just can't love him. Then we have to have kits. He's plenty nice, but I don't want him as a mate!"

Rockpool stopped. Here was this she-cat, who didn't even know his name, that was pouring out her unhappiness.

"Well," she said, sniffling, "actually I just came by because I needed to tell someone that I am so frustrated. Frostwind actually really loved Treepelt. You ought to see them! And the rest of the Clan got assigned their mates, and they like it fine. It's only me! I just hate having to go around with a tom I don't even want!"

Rockpool felt an odd stab of anger at Owlclaw. Why?

Suddenly he heard a voice from the pines on Aspenleaf's side of the border. A brown tom with pale yellow eyes and massive shoulders stepped into view. He saw Aspenleaf and ran to her side, twining his tail with hers.

So that was Owlclaw. Aspenleaf looked dejected.

Suddenly Owlclaw caught sight of Rockpool.

"Aspenleaf, back away slowly," he mewed in a gruff voice. "I'll protect you."

"I don't need-," Aspenleaf began, but broke off, hanging her head.

"Your not thinking you get this she-cat are you?" Owlclaw snarled at Rockpool.

Rockpool flicked his tail, still on his side of the border.

Owlclaw stalked up until he sat down right in front of Rockpool.

Suddenly Owlclaw crouched down and sailed foreword, Rockpool backed up, but he could already tell he was going to be crushed.

Suddenly someone thin and black sailed through the air, smacking Owlclaw to the ground.

Rockpool scrambled to his feet. Shadowflight had Owlclaw pinned on his side.

Rockpool trotted over to Shadowflight and gave her ear a lick. "Thanks," he muttered.

Then he saw Aspenleaf. Her eyes were misting, and she was staring at him in a disappointed way. As she turned around, head and tail drooping, Rockpool heard her mutter, "I guess he already has a she-cat."

Shadowflight backed away from Owlclaw, and sprinted into the trees on the ThunderClan side. Rockpool followed her.

Rockpool felt his fur tingle when her pelt brushed his, so he looked away and meowed, "That Owlclaw was an ugly lump."

Shadowflight looked away, quickening her pace. Rockpool wondered what was wrong.

"Well," she said in an angry voice, "Sometimes there are she-cats who think beyond your brain!" she gave him a look hot with fury and raced foreword.

"What did I say?" Rockpool asked himself, his mouth slightly open.

Uh-oh! More forbidden love! I love having Shadowflight and Rockpool fight. So, review. Well why not??