"Leafpool." His voice was gentle. He beckoned her to stand, then led her to the other side of the bush and pointed with his tail. "Look."
Her breath caught in her throat. It wasn't even leaf-bare yet, but one of the roses was frosted over. A single leaf, sprouting from the rose, was iced over too. It glittered in the sliver of moonlight that beamed through the trees. She was entranced by its shimmering surface, and hesitantly reached out a paw to touch it.
"StarClan has sent us a sign," he said tenderly, which sounded odd with his gruff voice. "Look at it - a single leaf is frosted over. Leaf and frost - they mean us, Leafpool and Hawkfrost! StarClan approves of us." Hawkfrost stated this gingerly. Leafpool wanted it to be true, she wanted it with all her heart, and yet she was still hesitant.
All of a sudden Hawkfrost looked up. The sky had turned a shade lighter than before; now it was no longer almost black, but indigo. He rose. "I need to leave. You should probably be getting back to." Leafpool could sense his reluctance.
There was still a lot of the night left, though. Why did he want to go? Whatever. It was his decision. She pressed herself into his pelt one more time and said, "I love you." His only reply was a gentle lick across her ears.
Leafpool fairly pranced over RiverClan territory, back to ThunderClan. The stream successfully washed away all the enemy Clan's scent, even though she was now soaking wet. Leafpool scowled. Hawkfrost laughed. She batted him playfully across his ears, and he nodded at her once before he left.
Leafpool watched his form fade into the distance. That was odd - he was heading towards ShadowClan territory. Curiosity piqued, and since she was wet anyway, Leafpool waded back into the stream to cross over and follow him.