I don't own Warriors.
"But weren't you out with him?" Ferncloud asked Darkshadow. "You must know something."
"Sorry," Darkshadow replied. "He said he wanted to do some hunting alone. I don't know where he is."
"You don't seem very worried," the queen persisted.
"Sparkfur can take care of himself," Darkshadow replied, shrugging. "Whatever happens, he'll be okay." Unless Secret kills him, he added mentally.
Ferncloud gave him a disproving look, but she padded away.
Darkshadow had hoped that he would be left alone about his brother's disappearance, but he was wrong. He had been questions thoroughly but Firestar, Dustpelt, and Leaffur as well.
Idly, he wondered how long this would go on.
"Ranger?"
"It's nice to see you again," Ranger said without moving. "I was beginning to think that you wouldn't come back."
"You know me better than that," Secret replied.
"Sparkfur," Ranger replied. "Of course."
"No," Secret said quickly. "He's a crush, that's all. I'll get over him. He's mortal. It won't work."
Ranger sighed. "You won't get over him, Secret. I know you're mind to well. You can't shield that from me. You care for him, and you don't like it. You're worried about him."
"Of course," Secret replied. "Am I not allowed to care for mortals?"
"You've changed," Ranger said. "You didn't use to be like this to me."
"Travels change things."
"No, it doesn't," Ranger replied quietly. "I've been all over the world, and the only way I've changed is from being a monster to being how I am now."
Secret didn't reply.
"You might not want to care, but you do," Ranger told her. "If you love Sparkfur, there's nothing you can do to change it. You can either pretend you don't or tell him you do. We can live forever, Secret. We live our lives over and over, and love is what makes them different."
"I don't want to love him!" Secret lashed out with her mind.
Ranger took the blow calmly. "What are you going to do about it?"
"I don't know!" Her mind whipped out again. "You aren't any help! I'm not like you, Ranger. I can't ever have the control you do! You're just so normal all the time! It's you've never wanted to hurt anyone. You've never wanted to kill them!"
"You don't know anything about me," Ranger said coldly, after a brief pause. "You're a child, and you're being foolish. You can't understand your own emotions, let alone mine."
Secret stumbled backwards as his own mind flew out at hers, attacking her savagely enough that she cried out in pain.
"I'm stronger than you think," he said icily. "I've been easy on you for you're entire training."
His mind lashed out at hers again. Secret screamed, her claws sinking into the ground.
"Stop!" she screamed.
"Get out, Jassa," Ranger growled. His mind attacked again, and a ghostly figure of a wolf fled from Secret's body.
"Ranger," Secret whispered. "She came, and I couldn't stop her—"
"It's alright," Ranger replied softly. "Jassa won't hurt you again, I swear it."
To everyone that's reading this, thank you so much. Also, I'm currently re-reading the entire story since it's been so long since I last wrote any chapters, and I can't believe I stopped. But I'll soon be finished re-reading, and then I'm going to try and update a lot more frequently.