Leafpool felt a hollow hole yawn inside of her. Surely she couldn't love Crowfeather too?
Was it possible to have two soulmates? Was it possible to be in love with two toms at once?
At first, she'd only seen Crowfeather as a nuisance, but was too soft of heart to reject him after that time at the clifftop. But with her nightly meetings, she'd been surprised at how intelligent, kind, and caring he was. Her feelings for him had deepened from friendship to love.
But Hawkfrost... she loved him, too!
Lost in her thoughts down by the stream, she heard another cat approaching. Her head snapped up.
Those icy blue eyes... that familiar tabby fur... Hawkfrost! She poised herself to flee, her back legs already churning up dirt.
"Leafpool." His voice was strangely calm. "Stay." She stared at him, bewildered. Did he want to kill her for trespassing on RiverClan territory? But she wasn't even on his territory, she wasn't even across the stream --
"Follow me." His voice was strangely soft. Against her will, Leafpool's body moved forward, her paws starting to pad toward him, across the stream. For an instant she floundered, but instinct took over and she swam through easily.
She leaped on the opposite bank and began to run after him.