I don't own warriors. This is the next chapter… and right now I'm deprived of anything else to put in this note. Just read the thing please and please review.
Sunstrike ran. She ran for more reasons than one. She didn't just run to catch the rabbit in front of her because the clan was short of food, or with concern for her friend, Swallowtail, who was going to be giving birth in freezing leaf-bare, she ran because she wished she could just run away from her life. Her life, which was based on lies and breaking the warrior code. Her life, which involved her being constantly dishonest and always feeling guilty. Her life, which was one big secret.
But the moments with Thornclaw… the few, lost, stolen moments were so perfect. She shook her head to clear the thoughts and raced after the rabbit, when she caught up with it she pounced and killed it with a swift bite to the neck. "Hey, great catch!" Leaftail mewed, appearing beside her. "Thanks." Is all Sunstrike could say with a dead rabbit in her mouth. She was meeting Thornclaw at sunset, or at least what was suppose to be sunset, as there was no longer any sun to disappear behind the eternal blanket of clouds that constantly filled the sky with their menacing shadows.
She lugged the rabbit back to camp, trying to ignore the pain in her shoulder where Breezepelt had knocked her over during battle training yesterday. She dumped the rabbit at the nursery entrance, where Swallowtail could find it easily, and then slipped out of camp unnoticed, She was just waiting for the day when some cat would find her out, but thankfully, everyone was more focussed on keeping the clan alive to notice her leave the camp.
She trotted to the moonpool, ignoring her shoulders screams of protest, and when she got there, Thornclaw was waiting for her. She usually would have flung herself at him, her eyes and face would usually light up, all of her worries would usually be lost in the few seconds of complete exhilaration she felt when she first saw him after a day, but for some reason all of her emotion and joy was held at bay as she calmly sat herself down across from him.
Thornclaw detected this unhappiness, this uncertainty as he lowered his gaze to match hers. Sunstrike wanted to start with a joke, something positive but the only words that she could manage were fateful and dark.
"I can't do this anymore Thornclaw."
He didn't argue, he didn't protest, he merely gave her a curt nod, a signal to carry on. Sunstrike sprung to her feet and began to pace, "I just can't carry on being so disloyal, so dishonest, I can't continue letting my clanmates down. I can't continue sneaking away every night, disobeying my morals and the warrior code, I can't continue doing this. I just can't." there were no more words. They just sat there looking at each other, lost in the gloomy silence. And then Thornclaw mewed. "I love you."
Sunstrike stared at Thornclaw for a second, and then she meowed back. "I love you too." And then she left, went, was gone forever, she headed back to camp, her heart heavy and her mind numb. But she knew it was for the best, it was the only way.
When she got back to camp, she squeezed into the nursery to be with Swallowtail. Her friend was huge now, her bloated stomach as round as a holly berry. Sunstrike's feelings were churning up inside her, the significant ones being regret, guilt and a deep, horrible sadness. But there was also a strange sense of relief, as she no longer had to face the degree of disloyalty and betrayal she had inflicted upon herself.
However, despite all of this, being with her life long friend always made her forget these feelings and fell better. "Did you get the rabbit?" Sunstrike asked "Yeah." Her friend replied then added cheerfully "It can't belong before they're born, and I can't wait!" despite the fact that Sunstrike felt miserable and felt that she had broken the valuable friendship with the only true friend she had ever had, she still managed to purr for her friend. "Neither can I." Swallowtail and Sunstrike talked for a few more moments before Antpelt emerged with Kestrelflight at his heels. Kestrelflight had a bundle of strong-smelling leaves in his mouth. Sunstrike felt that she was no longer needed and murmured a curt goodbye to Swallowtail, Antpelt and Kestrelflight before slipping out of the nursery and climbing into her warm, comfortable nest.
That night she tossed and turned, thinking about what she had done, Thornclaw had been her best friend, her lover, the one she could confide in, he had always been there for her, the only thing that came between them was the warrior code. I was stupid to end it. Sunstrike thought stupid, stupid, stupid.
But the damage was done, and could never be repaired.