She woke with an ache in her chest-something she'd never felt before. Twigfall directly linked it to the absence of Nighthawk.
With a groan, she rose and padded out into the late morning sunshine and looked around the camp.
Molepelt was bringing Gingerfern fresh moss, and Sootheart was sharing tongues with Rosepetal outside the nursery. Bluesong whispered something into Snowbird's ear and nodded toward Bumblestripe cooing over his new kits playing in the dust. Dustpelt grumbled as he tried to make his way past them to the medicine den.
"Hey Twigfall!" Sedgekit pounced on the warrior's tail and batted at it with sheathed paws. It was very odd that a kit as young as her knew to keep her claws sheathed.
"Hey Sedgekit," she purred. The little kit was adorable.
"Why don't you have any kits?" Twigfall turned and looked at the kit harshly.
"Because I don't want any!" Sedgekit flinched but didn't back down. "I'm sorry," Twigfall mewed. "I just don't feel that strongly toward any tom."
"In ThunderClan," she thought.
"Oh. Well when you do I want to be the first to know!" Sedgekit rubbed the side of her face on Twigfall's leg and bounded away to where her father Bumblestripe was looking for her anxiously.
Twigfall left camp and crept through the undergrowth. When she came close enough to the border with ShadowClan that she could see the trees on the other side, she began to romp through the bracken loudly.
She was disappointed when Nighthawk didn't come out of hiding. Maybe he wasn't there at all.
Disgruntled, she thought she might hunt here for a while and see if he came along.
"Wait, I scared away all the prey…" She wasn't ready to leave though, so she hid in the undergrowth and waited for a long time…
But he never came. She never saw the green eyes, the black pelt, or his soft breathing that rustled in the bushes.
Then she heard it. The soft thudding of pawsteps. Twigfall huddled even farther into the undergrowth. If it was a patrol, her hiding here might be suspicious.
It didn't sound like a patrol, though. Twigfall heard the crunch of dried out leaves and pine needles underpaw. A black tail flicked out into the sunshine and then disappeared back into the darkness.
Hope fluttered in Twigfall's chest. Was it him? Green eyes blinked at her from the border. It was him!
She stood up and waved her tail at him. His eyes brightened and the black cat rose. He beckoned for her to join him on the other side of the border. For a moment she hesitated, but then decided that it was worth the risk. Sunhigh patrol wouldn't be out for a while and the dawn patrol had just gotten back into camp.
"I missed you," she purred into Nighthawk's warm neck fur.
"I missed you too…" There was some sort of uneasiness in his tone that made Twigfall look up into his eyes.
"Is something wrong?" The dark tom stared into her eyes as if he could never look away.
"Well, I just have this sickening feeling whenever we meet here." He shuffled his paws. "It doesn't feel right." Twigfall gasped.
"So, you don't like me anymore?" His eyes widened in shock and fright.
"No! Of course I do! I love you!" The ThunderClan warrior purred.
"You do? You love me?" Nighthawk's gaze softened and he touched his nose to hers.
"Absolutely."
"I love you too," Twigfall whispered. Her new mate licked her muzzle affectionately.
"But we can't be together. Not like this." He looked around. "I'm always afraid we're going to get caught. And if we do," he looked into Twigfall's warm hazel eyes, "I'll be watched very closely and won't get to see you again."
"Don't worry; we won't get caught." Twigfall nuzzled Nighthawk to reassure him that they really wouldn't get caught.
"Well I've been thinking…" The muscular black tom touched the small warrior's flank with his tail.
"And…?" Twigfall pressed closer to Nighthawk.
"I want you to join ShadowClan so we can be together." Twigfall gasped so loudly she was surprised the cats back at the ThunderClan camp didn't hear her.
"What!" Nighthawk stepped back.
"Or I could join ThunderClan…? I understand that they mean a lot to you-you were born there. I wasn't born in ShadowClan, so I wouldn't mind leaving them for you." His eyes pleaded with the young she-cat. He really did love her.
"I can't ask you to leave your Clan for me…"
"No, you aren't asking me to. I'm offering." Sorrow and hope edged his mew as he pleaded with his love.
"I still can't let you do that…" Twigfall looked away as she thought about what she could do. She didn't want to give him up, but she couldn't let him leave his Clan.
"Oh please, Twigfall? I love you so much, but I just can't go on hiding my love for you. I just can't." Nighthawk pressed closer and hugged her tightly. Then Twigfall spoke up in a small voice.
"I'll leave ThunderClan."