Jaystrike's POV

Jaystrike knew something was wrong as soon as Blazeheart left the warrior's den.

She had still been giggling about the squirrel when her friend had emerged from the bushes, and was mentally preparing to make a witty comeback to the joke that Blazeheart would surely make, but as she padded over the dry earth and saw the expression on the she-cat's face, it was clear that this would be no time for jokes.

Jaystrike knew this expression all too well from moons past. Her friend's eyes were steel claws, and if you were not destroyed by that, the bright green would pierce into your soul until you felt like cowering in the farthest and safest place you could find. She had seen this many times before, but the most terrifying was when Jaystrike, Jaypaw then, had been attacked by a fox while hunting alone for the first time. Later, she had laughed over the odds of attracting the only fox in the entire clan territory, while hunting alone for the first time, but she was terrified to insanity as the fox had closed in on her, growling, its hot, rancid breath just inches away…

And then Blazeheart was there. She had already had her warrior name for a few moons, and had always been quite a bit older than Jaystrike, but they had been fast friends ever since Jaystrike was out of the nursery. Blazeheart, alone and about as vulnerable as the cowering Jaypaw, simply looked the beast in the eye, made her most terrifying face possible, and growled. Then, the most surprising thing happened: the fox lowered its head and began to whimper. Blazheart had picked up Jaypaw and carried her off as fast as one can run with another cat hanging from their jaws. Blazeheart saved Jaypaw that day, and ever since then, though she was made to swear never to talk about it, the young she-cat had been convinced that her friend had special powers, and that those powers had saved her very life.

But she was still afraid of that look.

"What have they said now?" she asked Blazeheart, knowing all about her friend's parents. Blazeheart had always come to Jaystrike to complain and yowl about it, as Jaystrike was the only cat she could trust not to side with her father, or blab across camp about Blazeheart's ungrateful attitude.

Blazeheart turned to Jaystrike, and the young cat actually cowered a little. "Please don't ask me," said Blazeheart softly. "I'll tell you later, when I'm less angry, but if you ask me now it will only make me feel worse for this. Where is Eaglewing?"

Jaystrike wondered if she should tell her. That's crazy, she thought, who can you trust if not your best friend? But she knew whatever was about to happen was not going to be good. "He's right outside camp, hunting. He said his wounds were fine, and said he'd go get prey for the cats too injured to move, but… what…"

The look in her friend's eyes silenced her. Blazeheart slowly touched Jaystrike's shoulder with her tail-tip, and in her eyes were remorse and guilt. But she whisked her tail away, her eyes were cold again, and she swiftly sped out of camp.

Jaystrike almost did it. She almost followed her. Whatever her friend was about to do, somehow, she had to talk her out of it. She took a slow pawstep, and-

"Don't."

Jaystrike, confused, looked around, and… saw Mountainclaw standing behind her. She didn't know much about him, except that he was Petalstorm's sister… and that Jaystrike had had a huge crush on him ever since her apprentice days. She suddenly felt very warm and looked at her paws. "Wh-what?" she asked, stuttering.

"Whatever she's going to do, she needs to deal with on her own," said Mountainclaw calmly. "I know her well enough to see that whatever she's about to do is important."

Jaystrike felt an uncontrollable stab of jealousy. How did she know Mountainclaw so well? She already had a mate! Jaystrike knew how irrational she was being, but the cat she had secretly admired for so long was speaking to her for the first time just to say he liked some other cat better! Jaystrike instantly felt ashamed, and tried to forget her entire train of thought.

"Well…" she said, at a sudden loss for words, "She… she's my best friend… and I want to help her-"

"I know," said Mountainclaw, understanding as always. "I see you two together all the time. You two seem to be very close."

Jaystrike's heart thumped. "You… you see us?" she said, suddenly wanting to disappear as soon as she'd said it.

Mountainclaw shifted his paws, and suddenly seemed very interested in a squirrel climbing a tree a few tail-lengths away. "Well… yes… one of you… in particular… listen, I need to go. Check on my mother, you know. She's alone with Petalstorm." Avoiding her astonished gaze, he padded off – very quickly – in the direction of the medicine cat den.

Jaystrike was frozen to the spot. She couldn't think, either. The world moved in slow motion, and as she watched Mountainclaw slowly recede into the den, one thought gave her enough strength to move: He likes me. He really, really does.

"Would you like to go hunting?" she suddenly asked, so unnecessarily loudly that half the clan must have heard her, and probably did. Jaystrike had no idea where the courage to say that had come from, in fact, she now wished she were still frozen to the spot, because maybe she would never have had a chance to embarrass herself so much.

Mountainclaw stiffened, and it was a few seconds before he turned around, and a few more seconds before he spoke. "I would lo… I would like that. I really would. Er… when?"

"Now," said Jaystrike. Seeing the shock on his face, she added, "Well… we should hunt for the wounded cats… I mean, Eagelewing can't do it all on his own… and…"

"Yes," said Mountainclaw suddenly. "Yes, we'll go now."

And so Jaystrike padded out into the forest to hunt, and all thoughts of Blazeheart left her mind until it was too late.