Challenge: Confused Love

Challenge #4 for SolarClan! Another coming up soon! I worked real hard on this one, so hope you enjoy! :)

Ravenclaw

Firecloud sunk deeper into Ravenclaw's fur, his long black fur tickling her nose. Firecloud leaned against the black tom, purring loudly. Ravenclaw did not react, and instead looked straight ahead, that familiar stern gaze piercing the dark ThunderClan territory. Firecloud gushed silently. He is so dreamy…Ravenclaw flicked his tail over her shoulder affectionately, bringing Firecloud out of her day-dreaming with a jolt. She looked up at the tom, yearning for him to at least glance at her. He had changed since last Gathering, only showing brief moments of affection for Firecloud, and most of the time as grumpy as a badger. Firecloud prodded him gently, green eyes gazing up at him with adoration.

Ravenclaw turned to her, smiling slightly, but his eyes still as hard as ever. Firecloud tilted her head to the side, purring loudly. Ravenclaw rested his head on her head for a heartbeat.

"Firecloud, we're on duty," he murmured as Firecloud drew her tongue over his ear. "Not now. We need to concentrate. You never know when something might happen." He ended lamely.

"Ravenclaw, it is a Gathering period," Firecloud rolled her eyes. "There's not going to be any attack!"

"You never know…" Ravenclaw protested. "Listen Firecloud, I love you and all…but later, OK?"

Firecloud turned away from the flustered tom. "Mates always have time for each other."

"We are not mates!" Ravenclaw meowed. Firecloud shot him an injured look. "At least, not yet."

Firecloud licked her chest fur huffily, ignoring the tom's meows. Ravenclaw sighed loudly, before standing up, stretching luxuriously.

"I'm going out for a walk," he meowed nonchalantly. "I have been sitting for too long." Firecloud glared at him. "Brackenflame!" A brown tabby tom's head popped out from the warrior's den. "Could you take over for now?"

Brackenflame nodded sleepily, and lumbered over to Ravenclaw. He smiled at Firecloud. He had been her mentor after all, when she was Firepaw. Firecloud remembered her apprentice days as if it had happened yesterday. She remembered all the praise that she had received after performing a move, or executing a perfect hunter's crouch. She remembered the yowls of happiness as she was made a warrior. She certainly had been an outstanding apprentice.

"You will make a great warrior one day," Brackenflame had meowed to her after every successful training session.

Brackenflame flopped down beside's her, eyelids drooping. The poor tom had hardly fallen asleep before Ravenclaw called for his help. Firecloud couldn't help but feel suspicious of the tom. Hadn't he been all "I will not leave this post" just moments ago? Why did he suddenly want to stretch his legs and go for a walk? Firecloud narrowed her eyes at Ravenclaw's silhouette.

"Take over for me for a while," she whispered to Brackenflame before bounding after Ravenclaw. Brackenflame had hardly any time to protest before she had disappeared into the forest. Brackanflame settled into a more comfortable position, and braced himself for a long night.

Firecloud snuck after Ravenclaw, following his distinct scent. His black pelt was just visible, illuminated by moonlight shining through the leaves that formed a canopy that arched over the forest. Now and then, Firecloud could hear the brief scuffling of a mouse, or the chirp of a thrush, but Ravenclaw did not even raise a paw to catch it. Firecloud struggled not to drop into the hunters crouch. Ravenclaw trudged through the forest defiantly, ignoring every single sign of prey. His steady padding switched to brick trotting, then great big bounds as they reached the ShadowClan border. Ravenclaw stopped just behind the border line and started sniffing around the bushes that had grown along the border line. Firecloud smiled. Good old Ravenclaw, she assured herself. Just doing a late night border patrol. Firecloud heard a soft scuffle, then the excited meow of another cat. Or not. Ravenclaw's tail shot up, and heartbeats later, a tortoiseshell she-cat leapt out from the shadows. Firecloud stiffened as the strange cat licked Ravenclaw's ear affectionately.

She carried no Clan scent, and from where Firecloud was, she could smell a sharp, artificial scent coming off the she-cat. Firecloud stifled a gasp when she spotted the weird white vine that kittypets wore looped around the she-cat's throat. Her neck was pressed painfully against the too-tight collar, but Firecloud felt no sympathy for the kittypet. Ravenclaw was her mate, not that kittypets! Ravenclaw was too good for that scum. Firecloud could barely control herself as Ravenclaw pressed against the she-cat, purring loud enough Firecloud swore StarClan could hear.

"What are you doing here, Ravenclaw?" Firecloud leapt out of the bushes, trying to control her anger. "And you is that?" Firecloud glared icily at the she-cat, but to her surprise, the tortoiseshell did not even flinch. Maybe this kittypet was tougher than she thought.

"Firecloud!" Ravenclaw gasped. "Um…this is…"

"Yes?" Firecloud pressed, desperation growing in her voice. "Who is she?"

"Hazel." Ravenclaw looked up at Firecloud sadly. "She's Hazel."

"And why are you with Hazel?" Firecloud asked in a sugary-sweet voice.

Ravenclaw did not reply, but instead fixed Firecloud with another one of his intense stares. Don't pretend, you already know, he told her with his wide eyes.

"I don't want to know," Firecloud's voice lowered into a hiss. "I don't want to accept the fact that you love another cat, a kittypet, no less! How low can you go? You know kittypets are no good pieces of crowfood!"

Ravenclaw stepped closer to Hazel, hostility blazing in his eyes. "You insult Hazel, you insult me."

Firecloud shook her head, mouth open in a silent scream. "I thought you loved me!" She cried, eyes on Ravenclaw. "You said we were going to be mates!"

"I never promised."

Firecloud keeled over, mouth still stretched open. Her heart beat against her chest, the wave of emotions she was experiencing trying to drown her.

"How…could…you…" she croaked. "I…loved…you…"

"I loved you too, Firecloud," Ravenclaw whispered, suddenly sounding regretful. "But not anymore. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry?" Firecloud screeched. "That's all you say? Sorry? Sorry won't do anything, Ravenclaw!"

"Firecloud, please!" Ravenclaw pleaded. "It was not love!"

"Then what was it?" Firecloud demanded. "Hate?"

"Foolish love." Ravenclaw replied. "I thought I loved you, but I didn't. I kept convincing myself that my heart was wrong, that I did love you, but I was wrong."

"Why didn't you tell me, Ravenclaw?" Firecloud begged. "You shouldn't have hidden the truth."

"I did what I thought was best, Firecloud," Ravenclaw meowed.

"Well, it wasn't!" Firecloud's voice rose to a shriek. "What was best was you loving me!"

"Ravenclaw loves me," Hazel cut in. Her voice was soft and gentle, and Firecloud hated it. She loathed the entire package. "Not you." There was an edge to her tone, as if she was tired of the bickering.

Shut up and go away, Firecloud interpreted from Hazel's words. You aren't good enough, like me. Firecloud's tears started to fall. She faced Ravenclaw, legs trembling violently, her entire body threatening to collapse.

"Am I not good enough? Am I not pretty enough? Am I not brave enough? Am I not skilled enough? Tell me Ravenclaw, what can I do to make you love me again?" Firecloud begged.

"There is nothing you can do, Firecloud," Ravenclaw meowed. "I have chosen already."

Hazel grinned triumphantly at Firecloud. Her legs collapsed from beneath her. Firecloud buried her face in the ground, hardly even registering the apologetic lick on the ear from Ravenclaw before she heard the two lovers bound away. Firecloud lay there in that position for a long time, oblivious to her surroundings, and caught up in reality. It is all a dream…it's all a dream.

Firecloud longed to wake up in her nest, curled up with Ravenclaw, his breath on her neck. She longed to feel the relief of knowing it was just a nightmare.

But it wasn't.

Firecloud never did wake up from her so-called dream. She lived in a dream world since then, a dream world where Ravenclaw still loved her. When she returned to camp that night, Brackenflame had no idea what had happened to her. She was no longer the powerful warrior she had been. Everyone was confused what had happened to her, and what had happened to Ravenclaw. Eventually, they linked his disappearance with her depressions.

Her heart had been broken, the medicine cat had decided, and it wasn't going to be so easily mended.

Hope you enjoyed this one-shot! R&R! :D

-Cloud(y)