IT'S ALL A GAME

"The way he looks at me just makes my heart melt," Applepaw went on, sighing and gazing off into the distance, as though she were seeing her love's face in the orangey-pink dusk sky.

"You remember what happened to Sunpaw and Minnowpaw, right?" Stonepaw asked nervously, gnawing on his vole.

"I know, Stonepaw," the tortoiseshell she-cat growled. "Their deaths had nothing to do with Sootpaw! Would you give it a rest already? Or…are you jealous?"

"Puh-lease, Applepaw, I'm your brother," Stonepaw muttered. "Why would I be jealous of him? It's not like I can really fall in love with you."

"Maybe you feel like he's hogging me!" Applepaw scoffed. Stonepaw batted her on the ear with a sheathed paw. "I do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do-"

"'Do not' what?"

A voice broke off the siblings' debating. Applepaw gasped, and breathed, "Hi, Sootpaw…"

Stonepaw rolled his eyes.

The smoky black tom turned to the tortoiseshell apprentice. "Applepaw, would you like to go hunting with me?"

Applepaw nearly stopped breathing. "O-of course!" She bounced to her paws and followed him out of the camp.

"I find that it's more productive to hunt over by the gorge," Sootpaw meowed. Applepaw nodded and quickly agreed, "Yeah, me too. I always catch the most there."

"I smell mouse." Sootpaw tasted the air and crept towards the gorge. A bush near the edge rustled, and Applepaw could just see the brown fur of the mouse. Sootpaw pounced and swiftly took the mouse's life.

"Great catch!" Applepaw chirped as Sootpaw scraped the earth over his prey.

"Hey, Applepaw, come here." Sootpaw padded over to the edge of the gorge and gazed up. The clouds were glazed with pink and the stars were just beginning to sprinkle the sky. Applepaw sat down beside him and rested her head on his strong shoulder. Sootpaw purred and licked her ear.

"Dusk sure is beautiful over the gorge," Applepaw commented. Sootpaw flicked his tail to the rushing waters below. "Look at the river! If you look really hard, you can see the reflection in it."

Applepaw squinted her eyes at the water. After a few heartbeats she meowed, "I don't see them."

Sootpaw grinned, his amber eyes glittering. "Keep looking. Hey, remember Minnowpaw and Sunpaw?"

Applepaw, startled that he'd ask this question, nodded slowly. "Yeah…they were my best friends."

"They loved me."

"I know…you loved them too, right?"

Sootpaw didn't answer. "Do you love me, Applepaw?"

She drew in a deep breath and meowed, "Yes. Do you love me, like you loved Sunpaw and Minnowpaw?"

"I never did, Applepaw."

Applepaw glanced up at him, her eyes glazed with confusion. "What?"

"And I don't love you."

"You…you don't?" Applepaw stared at the river again, and Sootpaw could see tears drip from her face.

"No. It's all a game, Applepaw. A game of pretending to love, and then killing." Sootpaw rose up on his hind legs and shoved Applepaw with his forepaws. The tortoiseshell she-cat teetered, lost her balance, and plunged into the gorge. Sootpaw grinned and sat back down, licking his lips. "It's all a game."

Ooo. O.O Creepy and twisted! Sootpaw has got some serious issues, yo. At least this was accurate, unlike the past few chapters I've been writing. I'm trying to update a lot today to make up for what I'll be missing next week. Hope you liked!

xx-Starfall-xx