Chapter 20
Lionclaw looked to Honeywing and then back at the huge gray tom. He narrowed his eyes, but managed not to lash out at Rainstorm. He couldn't trust the large gray cat. However, Honeywing felt comfortable with him, so he tried not to claw his fur off. "We're going to the Moonpool tonight," he reminded Rainstorm.
Rainstorm nodded. "I remember," he mewed. "When shall we leave?" the gray cat asked.
Honeywing looked at Lionclaw and then said, "Let's meet here in an hour. Lionclaw and I will bring you something to eat," she meowed to him. "We'll get hungry on the trip if we don't eat. And we are not hunting on another Clan's territory," she meowed.
"I can catch my own prey," Rainstorm told her. "This piece of land beyond the two-leg nest belongs to no Clan right?" he asked.
"Right, so I guess that'll be alright," Honeywing meowed. "Come on, Lionclaw, let's get back to camp," she said and flicked her tail in farewell to Rainstorm.
Lionclaw nodded and bounded after his clan mate.
After they were deep in the forest, Honeywing stopped and turned to look at him. Her eyes were filled with frustration. "Why can't you act a little nicer to Rainstorm?" she asked him.
Lionclaw rolled his eyes. "Honeywing, I didn't snap at him, what more do you want?" he said. He saw her glare at him.
"You may not say it in words that you don't trust him, but your body language and eyes say a lot," she retorted hotly.
"I'm sorry," Lionclaw said reluctantly.
Honeywing looked at him, tilted her head and twitched her whiskers with amusement.
"What?" he asked.
Honeywing shook her head. "Nothing," she murmured. She turned and they bounded back to camp together. Honeywing thought of her dream. She had felt so in love in her dream, but it was so different in real life.
I guess it's a totally different feeling when the cat likes you back, Honeywing mentally told herself.
They ate quickly, but enough to last them for the whole night. If the Clan was wondering where they were they'd think of something.
"You ready?" Honeywing asked, coming into the warriors den.
Lionclaw looked away from Birchfall and to Honeywing.
"Ready for what?" Birchfall asked suspiciously.
"Oh, we were going to go patrolling down by the two-leg nest. We caught scent of a cat there yesterday. It was really close by," Honeywing said quickly.
"Oh, well then Thornclaw and I will go with you," Birchfall meowed.
"No!" she blurted out.
"Why not?" the brown tom asked.
Honeywing stammered for a second. "We were going to tag along with Leafpool and Jaypaw when they head towards there. And…." She trailed off and then hatched a brilliant idea in her head.
"Lionclaw and I wanted to go alone," she said in a flirtatious voice. She stepped closer to Lionclaw and gave him a look that said, Play along!
"So it's true, you two are together?" Birchfall mewed.
Lionclaw was about to say no, but Honeywing butted him in the shoulder before he could say no.
"Y-yeah, is it that obvious?" Honeywing asked. She saw Lionclaw glare at her and she gave him another pleading look to play along.
"It's kind of obvious because you two spend so much time together," Birchfall told them.
"Oh," Honeywing mewed shyly, looking down as though she were embarrassed.
"Well, I guess I should let you two go patrolling," Birchfall meowed teasingly. "Oh, but Lionclaw first," he meowed.
Lionclaw followed him outside.
"So you're really into Honeywing?" he asked.
Lionclaw gulped. "Y-yeah, she's great," he said.
"Lucky tom you are then," Birchfall purred, twitching his whiskers in amusement. "Honeywing is a great cat. Any tom would be lucky to have her. I hope you appreciate her," Birchfall meowed. "She would die for anyone of us and she deserves someone who will love her," Birchfall added.
Lionclaw felt very uncomfortable and thought about his words. He loved Honeywing as his clan mate and as his friend, but who he was in love with Heathertail… but it felt so wrong and he wished he could just get away from his feelings for her.
He thought about Honeywing and all that they had been through. He did appreciate her and he agreed about any tom being lucky to have her love, but… he didn't know if he could be that cat.
I couldn't be that cat. I've made so many mistakes and told so many lies. I would never want to hurt her. And besides, I love… Heathertail, Lionclaw thought to himself.
"Thanks, Birchfall," he meowed and bounded over to Honeywing who was watching them from inside the warriors den. He glared at her.
"What?" she asked.
"Forest. Now," he hissed. Before turning away, he saw her look down at her paws.
"What's wrong?" Honeywing asked him once they were out in the forest.
"Why did you come onto me like that? Why did you tell Birchfall that we were together?" he asked angrily.
"I saw it as the only way to get out alone without telling them about Rainstorm and the prophecy," she told him timidly. "I'm sorry," she added.
Lionclaw was pacing back and fourth. "But now they think together," he said.
She rolled her eyes and sighed. "When we come back, we can say that we're not together anymore. We'll say we had a fight and we saw each other in new ways," she told him. She saw him think and nodded after a couple seconds. "Okay?" she asked, stepping forward to get him to look up from his paws and at her.
He lifted his head and nodded, twitching his whiskers.
She shook her and laughed a little bit.
He playfully glared at her.
"You can sometimes still act as stupid as a young apprentice," she teased.
"Hey!" he hissed playfully and lunged at her. He pinned her down, but she wriggled from out of under him. She disappeared and he looked around him. He suddenly heard something behind him and he ducked and Honeywing fell onto the floor in front of him. He instantly pinned her down. "Ha!" he said.
He saw her eyes gleaming with amusement and something else that he recognized, but couldn't quite remember what it was.
They stayed there for a while just looking at each other, each of them thinking about the other. "Lionclaw, I," she began, but then shook her head. "Never mind," she said, getting up.
"What?" he said. "What were you going to say?" he asked.
After a few long seconds, Honeywing said, "Well, Lionclaw, I just…" he voice trailed off as she saw Rainstorm behind Lionclaw.
"Am I interrupting anything?" he asked.
"Actually-" Lionclaw said, about to tell him that he was, but was cut off by Honeywing.
"No, you aren't," she meowed.
Honeywing walked past Lionclaw. Their eyes met and she was afraid that he would see the longing in her eyes to tell him that she wanted him.