Time has a habit of passing, and in Caveclan that was no exception. The moons that had passed since they had joined their new Clan had been busy. They'd almost felt like apprentices again, learning the tunnel system and the territory.
Darkgaze let her tail fall over Astertail's flank, their bodies pressed close together in the small cavern that made up the warrior's den. Through her sleepy haze, Darkgaze could hear the light snores and breaths of her clanmates. She felt warm and content in the dark den.
Caveclan was lovely, she thought sleepily, even with its differences from Brushclan. In her half-asleep state, memories of the past few moons flashed through her head.
Hawkstripe, repentant, after their first Gathering, begging her forgiveness. The joy and gratitude shining brightly in his eyes when she'd accepted, how she'd told him they'd always be kin, even across borders. How he'd turned to Astertail and told her how good it was to meet her, how he'd never seen Darkgaze happier than when she'd met her. How they'd all parted with new and stronger bonds.
Sootfeather, Brushclan's quiet medicine cat, stopping her at the second Gathering she and Astertail had been to since joining Caveclan. She'd muttered that Starclan was content with their choice, and how she wished them well. How she'd watched them knowingly, though there should have been nothing more to know.
She remembered the first battle against Brushclan she'd been in a Caveclan. She remembered Shrewpelt leaping out of nowhere, claws outstretched and eyes gleaming with hatred, directed not at her, but at Astertail. She remembered watching as he had fought with deadly force, too much for a border skirmish, and how she'd abandoned her own enemy to throw herself at him, screaming murder as she vowed that if he ever set a paw on her mate again, she'd personally send him to his ancestors. She remembered, clearly, the bitter taste of his blood in her mouth as she stood over Astertail, watching Shrewpelt flee far away.
And she remembered, more happily, of how their new Clan slowly warmed to them, the quiet acceptance that grew to familiarity as their scents lost their old affiliations and became Caveclan.
Astertail's paw brushed over Darkgaze's belly in her sleep, reminding her of the life growing there. It wouldn't be too long before she'd have to move to the nursery, but there was still plenty of time until then. More than enough for the excitement to grow, for her to become more certain than ever that, for the first time, she knew she really did want kits.
Darkgaze felt Astertail sigh in her sleep, and, as she too drifted back down, she knew that she wouldn't trade the stars in the sky for anything else.
A/N: Whoops. Forgot to upload this for awhile.
The sequel to this is entitled Prophet, and while it's completely written, and has been for awhile, I don't know when I'll post it. I think it needs to be severely edited, and because of personal things I don't feel up to doing it alone. If anyone liked Blue and Heather and wants to help, I'd welcome that. But either way, I hope you enjoyed this story- There is more to come in the series, BLC stories in the subset Looking (Too Close; Too Far).