Missing You

Chapter Two: The News

It was many moons later. Lionpaw (now Lionblaze) and I kept meeting each other, even after the adventure in the tunnels with the WindClan kits. Sedgekit tried to tell the others, but no one believed him. The Clan just shrugged it off. And I was glad of that.

It was nighttime again, and I was more than usually eager to meet with Lionblaze. I even groomed my fur before going to bed.

Breezepelt glared at me before heading to the warriors nests. "Why are you grooming, Heathertail? Got somewhere special to be tonight?" he sneered.

I returned his icy stare. "What does it matter to you, Breezepelt?" I retorted. "Can't I clean my fur without you sticking your nose into it?"

He looked taken aback. "Uh, no I just wondered-"

"Save your excuses, I don't want to hear them," I snapped, padding to my nest without looking back.

I lay down and risked a glance back at Breezepelt; he was talking with his mother, Nightcloud. I rolled my eyes. He's such a mama's boy. As soon as the thought entered my head, Nightcloud shot an evil glare at me. I matched it with a cool stare.

I then rested my head on my paws and closed my eyes, hoping that I would wake up before morning; I had been out all day, hunting for the Clan, since it was greenleaf. I soon felt Breezepelt press up against me. His presence made me uncomfortable, and I fell into an uneasy sleep, and I abruptly awoke what felt like moments later. I squinted up at the sky; clouds covered it, so I couldn't tell what time it was. Everyone around me was sleeping though; it must've been late.

I rose, as usual, and hurried out of the camp, heading for the WindClan tunnel entrance. I rushed inside, eager to meet Lionblaze. A small gust of air hit me in the face; his scent was carried on it. I padded into the main cave, glad to see him sitting there, staring up at the hole in the top of the cave. I stopped and sat down beside him, pressing up against him; he was warm.

He looked down from the hole to me, his amber eyes shining happily. "Heathertail."

The way he said my name made me shiver. But I had to tell him. I shuffled my paws. "Lionblaze-"

"I was worried you weren't going to show up," Lionblaze continued, with a bubbly voice.

"Lionblaze-" I tried again, but the words wouldn't come out.

Lionblaze looked at me, his gaze changing to one of concern. "What is it?"

I flattened my ears. "I-I'm having..."

He stared at me with his amber eyes, the ones that made my heart melt.

"...kits," I breathed.

His eyes widened almost immediately. "Great StarClan..." he whispered. He turned his gaze from me to the stone ground. "Great StarClan..." he repeated. He didn't have much else to say.

I leaned against him. "It'll be okay, though, right?" I asked, hoping that he would tell me everything would be alright, that nothing bad would happen.

He didn't respond. Just stared at the ground.

"Lionblaze?"

He turned to me, his eyes filled with worry. "I don't know..." he mumbled.

Lionblaze's Perspective

She pressed up against me. She was seeking comfort. But I couldn't give her any; I had none to give.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind us. I whirled around to see none other than my snooty half-brother himself; Breezepelt.

His face held a sneer I had never seen on anyone. "Ha, so this is what you do every night, Heathertail."

I growled and unsheathed my claws, scraping them against the stone. "Breezepelt..." I hissed, leaning towards him menacingly. "Leave Heathertail alone."

He rolled his eyes, the sneer still evident on his face. It made me uneasy. "Oh, give it a rest, Lionblaze," he yawned, flicking his tail as if he were bored. He padded towards us a little bit, and I hissed loudly.

"Lionblaze!" Heathertail gasped as I stepped in front of her. To protect her.

"What do you want with us Breezepelt?" I asked, forcing a little bit of venom out of my voice. But only a little.

He twitched his ears. "Oh, nothing," he mewed, his tail whisking on the stone. But his eyes said otherwise.

"Tell the truth." The venom was back.

Breezepelt rolled his eyes. "Don't be so pushy..." he mumbled. When I didn't snap back he continued. "I want you two to suffer the same humility Heathertail puts me through each and everyday, since we were apprentices." He glanced at her and curled his lip.

I sent him a glare I had never set on anyone. "Breezepelt..."

"Why would you do that?" Heathertail asked softly. I glanced back at her; her eyes were glazed with sorrow.

"Why wouldn't I?" he retorted. "Telling the Clans about this little kit problem should stir up some humility, don't you think? Imagine it..." His eyes sparkled dreamily. It made me sick. "...every single cat, in both of our Clans, feeling nothing but hatred towards each other. And the other Clans will think twice as bad! They'll think ThunderClan and WindClan can't keep the warrior code." He trembled with excitement, and I unsheathed my claws so far that it hurt.

Heathertail suddenly whispered behind me. "Or you could be the father."

I whirled around her face her, my eyes no doubt showing disbelief.

Even Breezepelt sounded surprised. "I-I could what?"

"You could be the father," Heathertail repeated, louder this time. The word father echoed around the cave and through the tunnels. Our tunnels.

Breezepelt sniffed, but I could tell he was suddenly interested in what Heathertail had to say. "Go on."

"We could pretend that this never happened," Heathertail began slowly, choosing her words carefully. "This event here in the tunnels. When I tell WindClan about the kits, you can claim to be the father...but," she added, catching Breezepelt off guard, "if you do claim to be the father, you are not allowed to say one thing to the others." Her eyes were hard and serious. "Not even a little hint."

I saw Breezepelt assume an expression of thinking before meowing, "Alright." It sounded semi-reluctant.

It was if someone had run claws across my face. "B-but Heathertail," I stuttered as she left with Breezepelt, their pelts brushing. "What about..." I trailed off, and she turned back to look at me.

"I'm sorry," she meowed sadly, her eyes reflecting that sadness. And together with Breezepelt, she melted into the shadows and was gone.

I'm sorry, echoed the cave. I'm sorry, I'm sorry...

And I couldn't help but curse the cave; "Liar."