CHAPTER 2: MEMORIES

CHAPTER 2: MEMORIES

Hi, hi! I got votes for Tiger X Golden, and Tiger X Golden X Sasha, so I've decided on Tiger X Golden! By the way, that first chapter will become a story. I guess it's kinda like a preview…Only it's gonna be a long drawn out thing about them together, then the sequel will be about Heatherkit! So, it was meant to be unfinished. When I post it, the title will be What Lies in the Heart. Thank you for all the reviews! I'll gladly do more requests; some might end up as stories, too!

This chapter is called Memories. It starts out as them talking to each other, and yes, they are dead at the moment. Then, they go through a few memory lapses, so when something gets cut off, it's the end of the memory. I just thought to clarify that for everybody so it doesn't get confusing. Oh, and this chapter might be shorter than the last, but only by a page, maybe? Anyways, Enjoy!

Golden X Tiger

G

I remember back when we were apprentices. You were so unique, always mean to everybody and so unapproachable. I never thought we could be friends, but then we had battle training together. Do you remember it? You were so much stronger than I was, and you scratched up my leg pretty badly. I had to stay off of it for a half-moon because of you! But you stayed by me, and kept apologizing to me, and you hunted for me and helped me train until my leg healed. I think that's when it started- the time I began to fall in love with you.

T

Oh yes. How did that go again? Ah yes. It all started out……

"Go ahead, attack, and just don't hurt each other, ok?" Dappletail said kindly as she nudged Goldenpaw forward.

"Yes, just don't hurt each other. Who would ever want two apprentices to harm each other?" Thistleclaw meowed with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Tigerpaw stepped forward, determined to prove that he could win against anyone who challenged him. Even if his challenger was the ever so sweet Goldenpaw, he would still win against her in battle, but maybe he'd go a bit soft on her.

"Um, ok. I'll do my best." She sighed and stepped up; a determined look crossed her face.

"I'll do better than my best. I'll win this fight." Tigerpaw muttered to himself. The two apprentices circled around each other. Goldenpaw pounced at Tigerpaw, who dodged easily, then whipped around just in time to see Goldenpaw coming back at him with a swipe to the paws. He jumped back swiftly, and then leapt at Goldenpaw. He pinned her against the ground, but she wriggled free and leapt at him again. This time, as he ducked out of the way, she caught his head with her paw before landing. Goldenpaw then rolled under the stunned Tigerpaw and flipped him onto his back with a swift back kick. Now Goldenpaw had him pinned to the ground.

"I did it!" She said excitedly, and Dappletail purred in agreement.

"Very well, Goldenpaw. Now again!" Dappletail walked over to Thistleclaw and the two engaged into conversation about fighting techniques.

How could this be? Tigerpaw had never lost to anyone, nonetheless a she-cat. He'd be sure it wouldn't happen again.

Before Goldenpaw could release Tigerpaw, he head butted her off of him. She squeaked in surprise and somersaulted backwards into a tree. She got up in a rush, but was still a bit dizzy. Tigerpaw took this as a perfect chance. He ran toward her to topple her over again.

She saw him coming though, and reared up on her back legs. He quickly ran under her and attacked at her belly, with unsheathed claws. It was kind of instinct for him because he was so used to training with unsheathed claws that he hadn't even noticed that he had unsheathed them. Goldenpaw squealed and recoiled backwards. Tigerpaw lashed out at her left front leg to unbalance her. He knew it was her weaker leg. She lost her footing and tripped backwards, skidding the same leg, which was now bleeding from Tigerpaw's claws, over a large piece of glass barely visible in the sandy training place, making the wound deeper and it bleed more.

She hissed lightly at the pain in her leg, but didn't get up after that.

"Goldenpaw?" Tigerpaw asked, curious for why she hadn't gotten up.

"You can't give up that easily!" He walked over to her, his guard still up in case it was a trap. He nudged her shoulder lightly; then he noticed the sand turning red under her leg.

"Goldenpaw's bleeding!" Tigerpaw shrieked in alarm then noticed that his claws were unsheathed for the first time during there battle...

G

Ah, yes. I remember that very well… Yet, it wasn't your fault at all. Then what happens next, I remember even better…..

"Goldenpaw, Goldenpaw! Wake up! You have to eat eventually!" Goldenpaw felt a gentle nudge against her ribs, making her groan in annoyance. She opened one eye half way.

"What do you want?" She mumbled sleepily, and then felt the throbbing pain in her front leg as she attempted to sit up. She yelped and lay back down swiftly, shutting her eyes to try and block out the pain.

"You have to eat eventually, Goldenpaw. It's been three days, and you refuse to even move." Tigerpaw's concerned mew echoed in her head a few times before she realized what he was saying.

"I'm not hungry, though." She argued.

"I don't care! You need to eat!" He hissed back, pushing a vole toward her.

"You had better eat it, too. If you don't, it's just going to waste." Tigerpaw mumbled to her before stomping out of the medicine cat's den. Goldenpaw sighed and began to gnaw on the fresh prey, remembering the concern in Tigerpaw's voice.

"Was he that worried?" She asked herself as she finished the vole. With her three unhurt legs, she sat up and rested her front left leg against her side.

"I guess I can try to move, if he's that concerned." She stood up slowly and limped out of the den and into the intense sunlight. The sudden light of the sun made her wince at the brightness, but she kept going. Goldenpaw padded on three legs towards the clearing; she then looked around. The camp was empty, aside from a few warriors who sat idly near the warriors den. She turned around at stalked out of camp, but not before getting a few 'be careful, you're still injured' mews from warriors.

Goldenpaw made her way over the mossy ground, careful not to trip over anything, and towards sunning rocks. She just knew Tigerpaw would be there, sulking like he always did when he was angry. She did get there, but when she clambered up the rocks, she saw no one in the area. Goldenpaw sighed, and turned around. She took one paw step foreword before colliding noses with Tigerpaw, causing them both to step back a bit.

"And here I thought you would have sniffed me out already." Tigerpaw mumbled, rubbing his nose with his forepaw.

"Sorry. I guess that should have been the first thing I did." Goldenpaw wrinkled her nose a bit, then walked closer to Tigerpaw, licking his cheek gently.

"I…I ate the vole." she mewed quietly. Tigerpaw purred, brushing his tail against her flank.

"Good. Anyways, now that you're here and listening, meet me here at moonhigh. I wanna show you something I found the other night while hunting." He leapt gracefully off the rock, and turned to look at her, amber eyes gleaming.

"What? At moonhigh? What is it you wanna show me?" Goldenpaw carefully leapt down next to him, only she did so less gracefully and staggered a bit before steadying herself.

"Meet me here, and I'll show you. I guess it'll be a surprise!" Tigerpaw ran off into the forest, leaving Goldenpaw limping after him.

"Wait! Tigerpaw!" she yelled, following his scent, as he was no where in sight...

You were so mean to me, leaving me to run after you while I was injured. And you wouldn't even tell me what the surprise was.

T

The real question is, did you enjoy it? If I remember correctly, you seemed to love it…

Tigerpaw lay on the rocks of sunning rocks, bathing in the moonlight. He was getting impatient waiting for Goldenpaw, but he would have to, she would be slower than normal due to her injury. He rolled onto his stomach at the sound of rustling ferns, only to see Goldenpaw finally appearing.

"Took you long enough," Tigerpaw retorted, leaping off the rock and landing lightly on his paws.

"Sorry, I'm kinda injured." Goldenpaw replied in a sarcastic manor. Tigerpaw padded past her and back into the forest.

"Shall we go then? We don't have much time." Tigerpaw said before rushing off through the ferns.

"Wait up!" She yowled in a fierce whisper, following swiftly. Even as fast as she went, she always stayed a few tail lengths behind him. When he noticed, Tigerpaw slowed his pace to match hers.

"So where are we going?" Goldenpaw asked with bored curiosity.

"To the Great Sycamore." He answered, staring straight ahead.

"What? Don't we normally go there? Ugh, if you wanted to take me there, we could have gone during the day..."

"No, there's something...special I want to show you there." He said seriously.
They were both quiet then on. Goldenpaw sighed every now and then, but apart from that and the light rustling of ferns, they were surrounded by silence, until they arrived.

"Here we are." He said quietly, breaking the silence. Moonlight washed over the area that surrounded the Sycamore tree, making the grass and ferns take on an eerie whitish glow.

"Um, it pretty?" Goldenpaw questioned. It was pretty, but it was no different from any other clearing basked in moonlight.

"If you think that's pretty," Tigerpaw started, not noticing the question in Goldenpaw's voice, "watch this."

Tigerpaw crept slowly up to the ferns before jumping high into the air and landing with a light thud on the ground. Small glowing lights rushed out of the way of the apprentice so they wouldn't get squished. Goldenpaw stared in awe at the lights. She had never seen anything like it.

"Come on! It gets prettier when there's more!" Tigerpaw yelled, running threw the grass and ferns, causing more lights to pop out and float into the sky. Goldenpaw, bursting with joy and excitement, limped as fast as she could threw the tall grass, growling playfully as she went. The lights just kept leaving; everywhere they ran the lights where there, making a beautiful scene of a moonlit area and fireflies dancing under a sycamore tree.

The two apprentices tired out and plopped down next to each other, watching the last of the lights float away, lighting the darkness as they went.

"That was so…" Goldenpaw started.

"Breathtaking?" Tigerpaw finished. She only nodded.

"You know, I bet all this exercise will make your leg better." Tigerpaw murmured to break the silence.

"Yeah, it probably will." Goldenpaw swished her tail back and forth, only to have Tigerpaw catch it in his. They twined together knowingly.

"Thank you." Goldenpaw licked Tigerpaw's nose, making them both purr.

"Let's keep this a secret, just for you and I. We can see it every half moon, just like tonight, but only in Greenleaf. They don't come here during any other time." Tigerpaw whispered.

"Yes, let's keep it our secret only." Goldenpaw whispered back. They stared at the sky together, watching the stars until they realized it was almost dawn...

G

I truly loved that place. If only we could go back. It would be wonderful, wouldn't it? A place for you and I, just like here…

"Goldenflower, hurry up! Starclan is leaving, and they'll be wondering where you are!" Brindleface's fierce mew brought her and Tigerstar back to reality. Amber eyes met honey brown in that instant.

"I'm sorry. I'll see you next full moon?" Goldenflower wrapped herself around Tigerstar. He purred sadly.

"Yes, I will. See you then, love." He licked her cheek affectionately.

"Goldenflower!" Brindleface yowled again.

"Until then. I love you!" Goldenflower licked his nose before running off under the starless sky of the Dark Forest and into Starclan's starry moonlit sky. She heard the last of Tigerstar's words echo in her mind just as she entered Starclan.

"I love you, too…."

"There you are. They'll start wondering where you are if we don't hurry!" Brindleface muttered as Goldenflower caught up with her. They bounded back to join up with Starclan. They were leaving the place that they watched over gatherings from now, and it was the only chances she had to sneak away to see Tigerstar. She locked her emotions into her heart, and they would only come out again at the next full moon.

Until Goldenflower and Tigerstar's next meeting, her emotions were only memories.

So, did you like it? Tell me just how you thought of it in a review! It took me a bit to type it, but I finished it, finally. I honestly have no idea what color Goldenflower's eyes are, so don't flame me on that if you do know, please. It would be helpful if you'd tell me though. Anyways…..Hope you really enjoyed it, and don't forget to request other pairs as well. If I don't get any requests, I'll choose a crack pairing at random from my profile. If you can't think of any, choose from there! I won't mind, I promise. Review please!

Love and Hugs to my Loyal Reviewers,

Feathersong

PS: Spelling mistakes pointed out by -Hope- In the Name of Love have been fixed. Thanks a bunch. I know there are still a bit more errors in the fanfic, but everyone can deal, right? ;)