Chapter 25

"So Much For My Happy Ending."

4/10/17 - 4/11/17

The cold weather starts to get to Pineheart and Mistpool. The two sisters were pressed against each other for warmth, and Pineheart's long fur coat made it easy for a thin-pelt like Mistpool. She feels a tail lightly touching her shoulder, and sees Littlefalcon.

"Your vigil is over. I want you and Mistpool to go on separate patrols."

"Can we choose who?" Mistpool asks.

"I already did. Pineheart is going with Thrushwing, Nightpaw, Pricklefrost, Acornfall and Hawkfeather to check out ShadowClan. You can go with Goldflame, Whitefur, Petalpaw and Featherwing to check out WindClan."

Littlefalcon pads away. Mistpool groans. "Aw man! It's so not fair how you got Hawkfeather!"

Pineheart touches Mistpool's shoulder with her nose. "Maybe next time. I'll see you later, okay?"

Mistpool brightens up hearing her. "Okay! Try not to have too much fun!"

Mistpool turns around skips to the warriors den. Pineheart sees Hawkfeather talking to Littlefalcon and approaches him. Pineheart and Hawkfeather lock eyes, and the red-brown she-cat almost trips over her light brown paws.

"Hi, Pineheart." Hawkfeather purrs, friendly. "Littlefalcon told me, I'll go get Thrushwing and Nightpaw."

"Okay."

Pineheart watches Hawkfeather pad past her, and caught a glimpse of her father, Oakstorm, shaking his head and leaving the camp with Graystream. Pineheart flicks her tail.

Oakstorm doesn't approve of her padding after Hawkfeather so much. She sense that he knows something and isn't telling her. Other than that, Pineheart couldn't help it. She looks at Hawkfeather and feels her ears heat up and her heart races, she's felt this way ever since she was a kit.

So has Mistpool.

Pineheart was always pushed into Mistpool's shadow before she could have a word with Hawkfeather. She loves her sister to bits, but she becomes resentful when Mistpool takes Hawkfeather's attention from her.

Hawkfeather finds Thrushwing already waking Nightpaw up. The black she-cat pills herself out of the den with sleepy green eyes. Pricklefrost and Acornfall were waiting by the thorn barrier. Pineheart pads to the three cats.

"I can't feel my anything…" Nightpaw groans. Hawkfeather brushes his tail on Nightpaw's forehead and looks at Pineheart.

"Ready to go?" He asks her. Pineheart stares into his ice blue eyes, and nods.

Pineheart leads her patrol to the ShadowClan territory near the half-bridge. She becomes acutely aware of Hawkfeather being close to her tail, and tries to clear her head as she stops in front of the Twoleg path.

She sees the ShadowClan medicine cat, Kestrelwing, quietly talking to a light brown tom, who nods slowly to every word. Nightpaw makes a small mew of surprise that didn't go unnoticed by Pricklefrost and Acornfall.

Kestrelwing looks up and sees Pineheart. "Hello. How are you doing?"

"Just fine, thank you. Is that your new apprentice?" Pineheart asks him. The light brown tom looks up at her, and she sees a grey feather poking out from his left ear.

Kestrelwing nods. "Yes, this is-."

Acornfall rudely cuts him off. "Hey! You're Owlpaw, that cat Nightpaw was with! Why are you wasting your time on herbs?"

Owlpaw bristles his fur with offense, Kestrelwing places his paw on his shoulder.

"He used to be a warrior apprentice, but he decided to become my apprentice."

"Congratulations." Nightpaw says.

Pricklefrost and Acornfall glare at Nightpaw's back. Pineheart feels the tension in the patrol, she dips her head to Kestrelwing and Owlpaw.

"We should be going now. Congratulations, Kestrelwing."

Pineheart and her patrol returns to the forest when Acornfall shoulders Nightpaw.

"What was that? Why were you congratulating him?"

"That's what I would like to know as well." Pricklefrost adds.

Nightpaw glares at her sister. "Being a medicine cat is a big deal, we all know that."

"Owlpaw is a ShadowClan cat, and you seem to have forgotten that." Acornfall growls. "Not to mention he's a medicine now. I wonder…"

Nightpaw's green eyes widen with fury. Pineheart feels her fur prick.

"Acornfall, that's enough-."

"Don't you even go there!" Nightpaw hissed. "Owlpaw is my friend, nothing more! We've been through alot together and I refuse to be intimidated into denying it just because you don't like it!"

"It's disloyalty. A true ThunderClan would never do that." Pricklefrost growls. Nightpaw suddenly turns on the grey and white tom and snorts.

"I don't want to hear anything about disloyalty from you, especially!"

Pricklefrost recoils as if Nightpaw struck her. Hawkfeather even becomes angry. "How dare you accuse my sister of being disloyal to ThunderClan? She would never do that."

Pineheart can see she's losing control and steps in between the feuding four. "I want this to stop. I will report you to Darkstar if this continues."

Acornfall turns her anger on Pineheart. "Don't defend her! Just because she's your cousin-!"

"Excuse me, you're my cousin, too." Pineheart retorts. "Let's go back to camp and I don't want to hear another peep from anyone until we get back."

Pineheart sighs and picks out a chaffinch.

"Hey, Pineheart."

The reddish brown she-cat catches her breath and sees Hawkfeather in her peripheral vision. She looks at him,

"Thank you for standing up for Nightpaw. It just bothers me that everyone thinks that she abandoned us willingly, and I'm glad you're one of the sane ones."

Every cat knows that Littlefalcon became a father figure to Daisyleaf's kits, Thistlefang, Hawkfeather, Maplecloud and Duskshade, when he was a fresh young warrior. Hawkfeather and his littermates considered his kits their younger littermates, even if they aren't related by blood.

Pineheart nods, enjoying the closeness to Hawkfeather.

"Pineheart… Can I ask you something?"

"Y-Yes?" Pineheart anxiously shuffles her front paws. She makes herself calm down and listen to Hawkfeather's question.

"Could you ask Mistpool to meet with me?"

Pineheart feels her hopes plummet. "What for?"

"It's a surprise." Hawkfeather briefly touches muzzles with Pineheart.

"Your a great friend."

Pineheart tries to ignore the "friend" comment and did what she was told. She didn't miss her sister's pleased reaction. Mistpool and Hawkfeather's pelts were brushing together when they leave the camp.

"Tough to watch, huh?" Oakstorm asks, padding near. Pineheart rolls her eyes and goes back to eating the chaffinch.

"You know what Hawkfeather is going to do, right?"

Pineheart gives Oakstorm a side glare. "It might not even be that, Dad. Maybe they are just taking a stroll around the lake…"

Pineheart trails off when she realizes that she doesn't believe her own words, Oakstorm already doesn't.

"Pineheart." He says quietly. "I know that you have feelings for him, but you can't fixate on him and believe that he's the only tom you could have as a mate."

"Dad, don't…"

"I mean, why don't you spend time with Pricklefrost?"

"Dad, ew! He was a senior warrior when I was a kit!"

Oakstorm frowns. "Well, what about…?"

Pineheart looks up from her chaffinch and glares at her father. "I swear to StarClan if you say Volefang!"

"I was going to suggest Stormwhisker or Lionfang."

Pineheart rolls her eyes again. "They wouldn't want me. Look at me."

Oakstorm brushes his paw on her forehead.

"Pineheart, you're a beautiful young she-cat. I can't think of a tom who wouldn't want you as a mate - they'd have to be mouse brained not to! I'm just saying that you shouldn't think of Hawkfeather as the only tom…"

"Eeek! Pineheart!"

Mistpool races in a beeline toward Pineheart and Oakstorm, she looks at Pineheart with happiness in her blue eyes. "Hawkfeather just asked me to be his mate! I said yes!"

Pineheart feels the earth break from under her paws. Her front forelegs tremble.

"Congratulations."

Oakstorm could see the light drain from Pineheart's eyes.

"Isn't that great, Daddy?" Mistpool asks Oakstorm. He nods.

"Yes. Why don't you tell Graystream the good news?"

The pale grey she cat nods and races to find their mother. Pineheart sees Hawkfeather watching Mistpool with adoration. Adoration that will never be hers.

Oakstorm places his tail on his daughter's shoulder. "Pineheart…"

The reddish brown she-cat leaves her chaffinch unfinished and goes inside the warriors den. She curls up in the nest and feels the tears sting her eyes and fall down her muzzle.

So much for my happy ending.

It felt like two years, but I finally got Pineheart in this!... Only to get her rejected by her crush. Poor girl. Don't worry though, she'll find that special someone, but it won't be for a good long while. And did you see the jab Nightpaw sent to Pricklefrost?! Classic! ;)

To guest reviewer, Mistleaf: Your suggestions are good, I'll try to squeeze them in as filler chapters. Although, seeing how their Clan feels about them, The Prophesied Five probably won't get their warrior names until, like, mid October or early November in this story.

If you, Dapplecloud or Fawnwhisker have any suggestions for Beechpaw, Mosspaw, Swiftpaw, Dewpaw, Poolpaw and Spiderpaw's warrior names I'm open to hear it. I haven't even come up with them yet. ~ Kyubi