The pair was Birchpaw and Applepaw!! Congrats to everyone who guessed right ) and thank you to everyone who reviewed!
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My eyes flicker towards her. Silently, pawstep by pawstep placed deliberately upon the frozen mud, I crawl towards the ShadowClan she-cat. Playfully, I spring out of the bush directly behind her and leap on her back, claws sheathed. She mrrows in surprise and mischievously bats at me with one delicate forepaw. Applepaw manages to twist me around, gently places one paw on my neck, and declares, "I think I win!" But she has forgotten the one move ThunderClan is known for. I heave upwards and throw her off. Suddenly I feel fearful, as I have flung her far into the clearing beyond the tree where we met.
We are on the Island, where our Clans gather for, well, a Gathering. But this night is graced by a three-quarters-moon, not a full moon. Applepaw and I met here alone. I race into the undergrowth where it is broken, presumably from her landing. She's taking a long time to come back. I scuffle about in the undergrowth, searching for a trace of that brown fur. All of the sudden she launches herself onto me, and I yelp in surprise. She overpowers me, and anyways I am tired of play-fighting. I need to talk to her instead of pretending to be in battle. "Applepaw, can we quit?" She clambers charitably off of me, flicking her tail over my nose with a smile. Surprisingly I am overpowered with a weird bolt of playful emotion. I throw myself onto her turned back and flip her over. Pinning her paws to the ground, I softly press her pelt into the ground. I touch my nose to hers and she purrs. I think about how hard Ashfur had me training today and suddenly I don't care. I'm with Applepaw, and we are the only two cats in the world. I love her, and I say so.
"Birchpaw, you know this is wrong."
"But… but I thought… Well, I don't know… I thought you wanted to see me." I say, feeling hurt. Somehow… oh, why didn't I see this coming?
"I do. I love you, Birchpaw. But how can we stay together, when everything we know goes against this?" She looks as though every word against our relationship is dragged out of her, while when she speaks of love her eyes fill with it and sparkle at me.
"I don't have the answer to that either, but can't we enjoy the time we have together?" I really want to stay together. Maybe she will come to ThunderClan or something; I'm not sure about that though. I wouldn't want to leave my Clan, even though our leader can be a goody-two-paws.
"Mouse-brain. Of course we can. I'm just being uptight. Sorry, Birchpaw." She murmurs.
I reply quickly, "Don't be sorry. Others might say no cat is perfect, but they don't know you like I do. You would have died for me on the Great Journey, and I would do the same for you now." A hint of sorrow creeps into my voice as I remember others that did die on the Great Journey, and I shudder as I remember Marshpaw's near-freezing. Applepaw presses against me, and twines her tail with mine. I purr, and she pushes her muzzle into my neck. I soothingly sweep my long tail over her shoulder, and I step back rapidly as she growls at me. "You're just like Oakpaw! All you do is play with me. Playing, playing, never really loving me, although you say you do. What is with toms? I should beat you up for this! You just want me to be a traitor, don't you?"
Like whoa, mood flash!
She leaps on top of me and this time her claws are unsheathed. Out of the blue, I catch a whiff of a strange scent.
Tigerstar? As though I've read Applepaw's mind, I understand what she's growing through. And her former leader, Tigerstar, must have come down from the Place-of-No-Stars to reinforce her mistrust of me. But how can I convince her?
She thinks I just want to make her fall for me, and then laugh. Which would destroy her Clan loyalty, and make her something Tigerstar despises. A traitor! And she believes what he must have whispered in her mind or something.
The scent of Tigerstar grows stronger, and I hear what must be his voice, a deep, unsettling rasp in my ear as though the dead tabby were standing next to me, whispering instructions into my ears.
"Kill her. She's just an apprentice. Why would you love a cat like this? She's only standing in your path to greatness, Birchpaw. Your father may have rejected me when I left ThunderClan, but I know true potential when I see it." Tigerstar ordered, malice in every pitch of his voice. And then someone flashes behind me.
Applepaw.
She must have climbed off of me while I was listening to Tigerstar. Another whirl of creamy brown fur flickers across my line of vision, and hurls its muscular body over my small frame. Her capable claws rake through my short pelt and her thorn-sharp teeth mesh into my ear. Anger flows through me, but it is directed not at Applepaw. Tigerstar did this. "I won't fight you, Applepaw."
"You're just scared!" The voice issues out from her mouth, but it is Tigerstar's rasp, and his scent floods my mouth instead of Applepaw's. Her pretty emerald eyes burn amber.
"Tigerstar's controlling you!" I shriek, forgetting the need to keep silent. "Applepaw, you told me you love me! This isn't you!!" The hatred in her eyes grows fiercer, and one last thing rolls from her jaws. I hate what Tigerstar has done to Applepaw. "Tell Dustpelt I will haunt every last one of his kits until he rues the day he denied me." A tremor runs through my and Applepaw's bodies at the same time, and I want to collapse just when she does. All the strength seems to be gone from her, and I tenderly lick her eyelids. "I knew it couldn't be you. You pledged to love me," I whisper softly into her pointed ear.
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Her eyelashes are fluttering. I blink, and her emerald orbs are staring into what feels like my very soul, the core of my being, to the place where my love for her comes from. I nose her gently, and she stirs again. Applepaw stands up and says, "Birchpaw, I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Actually, now that she mentions it, my scratches begin to sting, but I say, "No, I'm fine."
"Good, because-" strength seems to pour into her bones "- we need to finish that play-fight." She coyly blinks at me, and I feel my heart twist. This she-cat has a serious hold over me.
"Fine, I'll start," I answer. I soar through the air and land right on my target – Applepaw's back. I smirk and lightly batter her back with half-kicks and pretend to claw at her sides. Without warning, I tense up and use my legs to roll her over. I balance on top of her, smiling, and ask that question again, still without words. Everything in me feels as though it is boiling. Oh, chemicals certainly react. I am so far in love. Like, whoa. This feeling is like a passion; she is my infatuation. This time, she utters a different reply to my unasked question.
"Up to you."
I flash a grateful look at her, full of affection for Applepaw, and say, "Hold on a moment." I dash up to the tree-bridge. Not a cat was near, nor did I see any prey. I return to her, and am glad no one is near, for no one can know.
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Review? Pleasey? Thank you! )
Yay for weirdo cliffys.