Moonstorm quietly sat up in her nest in the warriors den. She looked around, making sure that no other cat was awake. Seeing that only none of the other warriors were stirring in their nest she quickly made her way to the entrance of the den, finding her way around tails and paws. She slipped out into the cool night air and looked around the silent camp. Satisfied that the only cats she saw out besides her were Lionblaze and Bumblestripe, who were sitting in the bramble entrance of the camp keeping guard.
Moonstorm silently darted to the the thorn bushes that made the dirt-place tunnel and ran through it skillfully twisting her pelt different ways to avoid the thorns. She quickly ran between trees and bushes until she came to the clearing she was looking for, the border of Thunderclan and Shadowclan territory. She eagerly looked around for the black Shadowclan tom she was here to meet just like almost every other night since they had met at the gathering many moons could remember everything like it was yesterday and sat a moment in the shadow of the oak trees on the Thunderclan side of the territory remembering.
They had both been newly made warriors within the moon before the gathering. The only time the clans came together peacefully was every full moon as was the will of Starclan, their warrior ancestors that hunted in the stars among the sky. Firestar and Blackstar, the leaders of Thunderclan and Shadowclan had taken a moment to announce their new warriors who in their nervousness had sat near each other among the more seasoned warriors. Moonstorm looked at the tom sitting beside her whose pelt was as black as the night sky and eyes were as blue as ice yet as they looked into her leaf green ones she felt warm.
"I'm Moonstorm," she said softly so she wouldn't disturb Mistystar and Onestar,the leaders of Riverclan and Windclan, who were announcing their news.
"I'm Iceheart," the tom said smiling a little.
"You reek of Shadowclan," Moonstorm said, "and I've never seen you with the warriors before so you must be the new Shadowclan warrior."
"Yes and since you smell of Thunderclan and I've also never seen you with the warriors before you must be the new Thunderclan warrior."
"Yes," Moonstorm replied with a smile. This tom was so easy to get along with despite his Shadowclan scent and blood. She had always thought that all Shadowclan cats were horrible, cruel, sticks in the mud that thought they were superior to all other clans yet this tom was smiling and laughing as they continued to quietly talk with each other. Before long the clans were being dismissed and all the groups of cats sitting together were breaking apart and joining their clan leaders as they readied to make the journey back to their separate territories. Moonstorm had looked at Iceheart deciding that she didn't want to have to be enemies with him. "Iceheart," she said quickly before he could go join his clanmates, "would you like to meet me in the clearing between our territories tomorrow night?" Iceheart looked at her incredulously before answering with a smile and a nod of his head. Moonstorm had been so happy she had bounced all the way to the raven that was the Thunderclan camp. Ever since then she and Iceheart had been the best of friends despite belonging to different clans.
"Moonstorm," a voice called from some bushes closest to the Shadowclan border snapping Moonstorm back to the present. A black tom with ice blue eyes stepped out from behind the bushes and over onto the Thunderclan border. Moonstorm stood panicked for a brief moment afraid he had forgotten to mask his scent so their clans would not become suspicious of the mixing Thunderclan and Shadowclan scents. She took a quick sniff opening her mouth slightly to taste the smells of the forest, the night air, and fox dung. Satisfied that tomorrow when the clans patrolled the border they wouldn't find any mingling scents she walked out of the cover of the trees.
"Iceheart," Moonstorm said happily, going to touch noses with the black tom. "Was there any specific reason you wanted to meet tonight?" she asked knowing that it was unusual for him to ask her to meet on the night of a gathering. Not that she minded but it was a bit of a hassle to convince Firestar to not take her the gathering.
"Um yeah," Iceheart said shyly, "there's something I wanted to tell you."
"Well what is it?" Moonstorm asked curious.
"Well what I wanted to tell you was," he started pausing to take many deep breathes.
"Yes!?" Moonstorm interrupted when he took too long finishing.
"I'm in love with you," he suddenly blurted out looking away and ducking his head in embarrassment.
"Oh, um, that's nice," Moonstorm said awkwardly her heart beating wildly. Had he really just said that? Didn't he know that having friends from different clans was risky enough but to be in love with a cat from another clan was forbidden? Hadn't every cat from every clan see how bad that could affect a cat's life when Leafpool, the old Thunderclan medicine cat had not only forbiddingly fallen in love with Crowfeather, a warrior from Windclan, but had also taken him as a mate which was forbidden to all medicine cats? She had lost the chance to be medicine cat, her kits hated her and her sister, Squirrelflight, who tried to claim them as her own for Leafpool's sake, and Squirrelflight had lost her mate, Brambleclaw.
Iceheart's head snapped up at her comment. "What do you mean 'that's nice'?" he asked angrily.
"Well I just don't think I feel the same way about you," she said backing away a little scared because she had never seen him angry, "actually I never thought you felt anymore than a deep friendship like I did."
"Are you really that blind?" Iceheart demanded even more angry.
"What do you mean?" Moonstorm asked her own anger starting to boil over.
"I've always loved you," he said calming a little, "ever since I met you that day at the gathering." He looked at her with his piercing ice blue gaze. "You were so beautiful with the way your white fur shone in the moonlight and how it was like you could see past me and into my soul with your deep leaf green eyes," he said softly, "and how you chose to be my friend despite us being in different clans, you were so easy to talk to and I was so happy just being there with you. I knew I would never find another cat that could make me feel that way."
"Well I'm sorry for not having noticed your forbidden feelings," she snapped, "I do have a clan and an apprentice to worry about and your clan doesn't help much trying to steal our territory," she ranted on getting in his face as she did so. She was so confused and had so many emotions running around wildly inside of her that all she could think to show was anger. She wanted to cry, she wanted to laugh, she wanted to think it wouldn't make a difference for him to love her because everything would be okay but she knew it wouldn't.
Iceheart backed away and glared at the white Thunderclan she-cat. "Well I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you," he said as he turned to leave. Moonstorm panicked and knew she would have to do something or else this tom that had come to be her dearest friend would become walk out of her life forever.
"No, Iceheart, wait," Moonstorm begged the tom, "this doesn't mean we can't still be friends."
"Yes it does," he said without stopping. "I can't settle with just being friends with you, feeling as strongly as I do, so I'll just stop being your friend and go to being your enemy."
"Iceheart," Moonstorm begged quietly, tears beginning to well up in her eyes, "please don't leave. Please don't stop being my friend."
Iceheart turned slowly to look at her. His ice-blue eyes were filled with sadness and it only got worse when he saw her crying. "I'm sorry Moonstorm, I really am, but I just can't do that."
With that he turned and ran through the bushes back to Shadowclan territory leaving Moonstorm standing in the clearing confused and hurt. She turned to leave casting one last glance towards Shadowclan and ran home crying for all that was now lost to her.