My head feels as though it is full of stars. My paws feel as light as air! I believe that right now, for me to stay alive, it is not even necessary for me to breathe. I'm racing away from the Island, away from him, but still Birchpaw's amazing face stays firmly imprinted in what seems to be my one-track mind. Just as quickly, my mind snaps back into focus.
Hunt. I need to hunt. Blackstar or Russetfur or someone is sure to have noticed my absence by now. I reprimand myself.
A squirrel with a bright red bushy tail is perched in a birch tree right in front of me. The thing must've been quite dumb, because it practically leaps into my paws. But if the squirrel was dumb, I am nothing compared to it, for I was too busy thinking 'birch tree' to even grab at the squirrel. I am ashamed of myself. I sink my claws deep into the muddy ground and rub my face firmly against the tree, hoping for my actions to wake me up. They have no effect whatsoever on me. Angrily I tear deeper into the forest, only to stop soon, stunned beyond words.
The purely-white pelt of my greatest enemy, Snowpaw, stands accusingly in front of me.
foxdung!!
I squirm guilty under her knowing stare. I /know/ I still smell of Birchpaw.
Crap, crap, crap. (a/n sorry if that offends you)
"Soooo." Snowpaw says irritatingly. "/This/ is where you've been going all these nights."
StarClan. I refuse to look up into what I know would be her accusing blue eyes, sparkling in triumph at last. I growl under my breath.
"Oh no you did NOT just growl at me!" Snowpaw shrieks. She stalks up to me, forces her finely pointed muzzle under my tortoiseshell chin, and wrenches my head upwards, so that I must meet her eyes. I do so sulkily. Snowpaw isn't pleased…
She pushes me over, pins me to the ground, and shoves her face into my space. She growls with pure menace in her voice. "You are going to get Smokepaw to like me OR ELSE."
/Great…/ Smokepaw is a tom that is infatuated with me, if possible even more so than Birchpaw. But since I /have/ Birchpaw, I couldn't care less about Smokepaw. He is quite handsome, and a fine cat. Very respectable. But I feel absolutely nothing for him. And he doesn't like Snowpaw.
Oh StarClan. They might as well exile me now. I will at least try to keep my dignity, though. So aloud I mew, "I swear that I will do my best for you, Snowpaw." And with that disgusting little sentence out of my mouth, I whirl off to hunt. My life, just moments before so perfect, is going down in flames.