Author's Note: Hey guys, and welcome back to the long awaited fifth chapter of A Greenleaf Breeze.

Yeah I know, I should be locked up for how long this chapter took, and to be honest, the only excuse I have is Writer's Block. I literally just couldn't force myself to sit down and write, but now I've got this chapter out, I'm hoping the next update will be slightly quicker.

Always, here are my replies to your awesome reviews!-

Burning Bright Flames- Thanks very much for your awesome review! I really appreciate it. Also, thanks for pointing it out, but in England we're taught at school to write speech like this 'Thanks!' Leafpool said. Really sorry if it's annoying, but that's just how I write. :)

Sorrelshine of ShadowClan- Thanks very much! I'm really glad you like the story. XD

RussianBlue279- Thanks very much for another awesome review! Indeed, I have read the new Warriors book, and I had pretty mixed opinions on it. Personally, I thought Sparkpaw was literally just a complete reworking of Squirrelflight, but I did enjoy reading about Alderpaw. I also thought the plot was pretty weak, and didn't stand up to fulfil the novel. It felt kinda rushed to me as well, like the Erins just hadn't bothered to be honest. I did like the added depth they gave Sandstorm though, and it was nice to see she finally got a send off. :)

So this chapter is concentrating more on character development than anything else. It's important in the make up of the story though, as next chapter something pretty important going to happen. But in the mean time, hope you enjoy Chapter Five!

Please RR! :P

A Greenleaf Breeze

Chapter Five:

Leafpool gently pulled the marigold stem out of the ground, before dropping it on the pile behind her. She was out in the forest, collecting herbs. The ShadowClan border was nearby, and their scent, although disguised by the undergrowth around her, was evident on the wind. It reminded her of frogs and pine trees, all things typical of their neighbours. The medicine cat sniffed. Recently, she'd forgotten there was any other Clan around the lake at all.

It had been two sunrises since the first night she'd spent with Ashfur. The time had passed in a daze, almost like nothing had happened at all. During the day she'd done the normal things; waking up, going out with Jaypaw for training, but at night, her life had been consumed by Ashfur. They met at the same place every night, by the old rotting tree. Yesterday, they'd discovered it's trunk was hollow, and so slept inside together. Ashfur had even made nest for them.

Lafpool sighed quietly. The thought of their relationship was bittersweet. One part of her was conflicted by desire and loyalty to the warrior code, whereas the other part wanted to shout it's happiness all the way to StarClan. It was true after all. She hadn't felt this good in months. Whenever she was with Ashfur, all of her worries and regret were washed away in a whirlwind of strange emotion, but she also felt intimidated by him. The look in his eyes was always so intense and passionate, certainly not the expression of a cat she'd hardly spoken to. At least, not before two sunrises ago.

Now that the she-cat really considered, the amount she actually knew about Ashfur was scarily limited. Who's his best friend? What's his favourite type of freshkill? Surely these were things she should know about a tom she was breaking the warrior code to meet. In fact, the only contact she'd ever had with him before was purely down to the fact he had been in love with her sister.

Leafpool didn't like to that about that. It made her feel uncomfortable. If Squirrelflight ever found out about their forbidden relationship, what would she say? What made it all the more ridiculous was that Leafpool knew she didn't love him. When she had been with Crowfeather, that was love. Her feelings towards Ashfur were confusing, but nowhere near as strong. After all, it had been him who started their affair.

She reached forward for another marigold leaf, only to realise the whole plant had already been picked bare. The she-cat counted the pile behind her, just to make sure she'd collected enough. Once she was satisfied, Leafpool scooped the herbs up into her mouth and started to pad back to camp.

Unexpectedly, the noise of many paws crunching on the forest floor echoed into her ears. A ThunderClan patrol was coming. Leafpool breathed in deeply, trying to distinguish some of the cats, and the scent of her sister made her eyes brighten up. Squirrelflight! she thought.

The patrol came padding through the bushes, chatting loudly. It struck her they probably hadn't been concentrating too much on marking the ShadowClan border, more so on enjoying the beautiful weather. The hottest days of Greenleaf appeared to have past now, and even though the sun still shone fiercely, the heat had certainly decreased. There were only four cats on the patrol: Berrynose, Sorreltail, Squirrelflight and Whitewing. When the medicine cat's eyes met her sister's the usual looks of affection were passed between though, although oddly, she found most of her attention being caught by Whitewing. The she-cat was listening to a story Berrynose was telling her, one that probably revolved around the arrogant warrior easily catching an enormous piece of prey. The reason she was more interested in Whitewing was because of her feud between her and Ashfur. He hadn't really mentioned it to her, but the gossip she'd picked up from the rest of the Clan was that Firestar had given him seven days to apologise to Whitewing for what he said to her on patrol. It seemed like a big fuss over nothing to Leafpool, but the Clan ate up rifts in friendships like this. There wasn't much else going on, after all.

'Leafpool!' Squirrelflight exclaimed, jumping forward until their muzzles touched. 'What are you doing out here?'

'Collecting herbs,' Leafpool replied, gesturing towards the marigold. 'The weather's so good, everything seems to be growing ridiculously fast.'

The ginger she-cat sniffed. 'I wish being a warrior was as entertaining as being a medicine cat then. There hasn't been a good fight in moons.'

Leafpool's ears perked up. 'Aren't you enjoying the peace?'

'Of course I am,' Squirrelflight said quickly. 'It's just that it sure is boring when there's nothing to do.'

'Um, Squirrelflight?' Berrynose echoed loudly, sounding impatient. 'You are leading a patrol, remember?'

Her sister blinked at him apologetically. 'Sorry,' she replied.

Squirrelfllight led Berrynose and the rest of the patrol back towards the bushes, but before they left, she called over her shoulder. 'Are you finished here? If you are, why not tag along with us back to camp?'

Leafpool smiled, and then nodded. 'Sure!'

The medicine cat fell into step at the back of the patrol as they headed off, herbs clamped in her jaws. At the front, Berrynose had his chest puffed out, apparently discussing something with Squirrelflight. Sorreltail and Whitewing gossiped with hushed voices behind them. None of them offered to help carry the marigold, despite the fact it was clearly asking too much of Leafpool to do it on her own. Because of this, she found herself trailing behind, struggling to keep up with the pace of her Clan-mates.

The she-cat was about to call out for some help herself, when finally, Whitewing appeared to notice. The warrior quickly broke off her conversation with Sorreltail and dropped back, waiting for her to catch up. Leafpool thanked her, before allowing Whitewing to take some of the herbs off her paws.

The two cats padded side by side in silence. Apart from the chatter of the rest of the patrol up ahead, it was like not a sound could be heard in the whole forest. Leafpool glanced at the she-cat, feeling the need to ask her something. The odd feeling of interest tugged at her side.

'So,' she said, breaking the quiet. 'How's life at the moment for you?'

The question seemed awkward and stiff, but Whitewing accepted the invitation to talk gladly.

'Yeah everything's fine,' the she-cat replied. 'What Squirrelflight said sums it up really. It's not exactly thrilling, but the peace is good for the Clan. I'd rather be doing nothing that fighting a war.' Leafpool considered asking her about Ashfur, as that was what she really wanted to know about, but it struck her it might seem a little blunt. After a moment's pause, she opened her mouth to speak, but Whitewing beat her to it. 'You sound like you're enjoying yourself though,' she said brightly. 'Is Jaypaw's training going well?'

The medicine cat's ears twitched. 'Mostly,' she murmured. 'At least, I think so. You know how grumpy Jaypaw is.'

Whitewing nudged her sympathetically. 'I don't blame him for being like that, with his disability and all. The fact he couldn't be a warrior must've really hit him hard.'

Leafpool sighed. 'I guess…'

'Plus, there's extra pressure on him to do well because of how much Lionpaw is improving right now,' she adde reassuringly. 'Yesterday, he came back to camp with two whole rabbits!'

The look of admiration in the warrior's eyes made Leafpool's heart feel warm. Usually, she tried to avoid thinking about her secret litter of kits completely (although having Jaypaw's presence in her den every day made it quite difficult), but whenever someone talked about Lionpaw or Hollypaw in this way, she couldn't ignore the warm feelings it provoked in her chest. 'Really?' she asked, trying to contain her pleasure.

'Yes,' Whitewing said, letting out a long sigh. 'Ashfur must be teaching him well.'

Instantly, Leafpool raised her head a little more. Unintentionally, she'd managed to get the conversation to swing in Ashfur's direction. Making sure to look as disinterested as possible, she opened her mouth to speak. 'Oh yeah, what's all this I heard about you and him falling out?' she queried.

Whitewing glanced at her paws, embarrassed. 'It's nothing really-' she hesitated. 'We just had a bit of a disagreement over something. It's definitely not worth as many cats getting involved as they have.'

'Firestar didn't seem to think so,' Leafpool pressed, leaning in closer. 'Did you mention something he didn't like? What was it?'

Suddenly, a voice from up ahead rang out. 'Are you talking about Ashfur?' Sorreltail called back at them. She must've overhead them.

'Oh no,' Whitewing said quickly. 'Leafpool was just asking me about… uh…' she trailed off.

The medicine cat tilted her to one side. She wondered why Whitewing was trying to avoid questions about Ashfur. Surely if he'd insulted her badly enough for her leader to get involved, she'd want to tell cats about it. True, the white she-cat had never seemed like the cat who'd want attention, but it still seemed bizarre to Leafpool. Was the subject they'd "disagreed" over so sensitive she didn't want anyone else to know?

But now that Sorreltail had realised what they were talking about, there was no way Whitewing could stop the incoming flurry of interest. She shouted out to Squirrelfight and Berrynose, telling them what was going on, and they stopped for the other patrol members to catch up with them. Soon, Whitewing was being barraged with questions about Ashfur, everything from simply "Why was he so rude to you?" to "Did you try to hurt him?". From the looks of it, no one knew what was going on. Leafpool was astounded they cared so much about something that didn't concern them in the slightest. Obviously, she had her reasons for being intrigued, but for this to be a hot topic, the Clan had to be really bored.

Finally, Whitewing seemed to lose her patience. 'Look, all you need to know is that Firestar's sorted it out. Ashfur's going to apologise in seven sunrises, and then this whole will blow over. That's it.'

Unfortunately, Sorreltail didn't seem to hear her. 'I think Ashfur's just being a mousebrain,' she said. 'I've never really liked him. He always hangs around on his own, looking grumpy.'

Squirelflight nodded, her expression grave, but Berrynose jumped to the tom's defence. 'That's unfair. He's perfectly fine most of the time.'

'Not really,' Sorreltail countered. 'In fact, I don't think he's been normal since-'

'That doesn't matter,' Squirrelflight interrupted. 'All that matters is that he's being a foxheart at the moment. If you ask me, Firestar should give him a stern punishment even if he doesn't apologise in seven sunrises.'

An unexpected wave of anger washed over Leafpool, cold and unfriendly. She didn't like the way her sister was talking about Ashfur. Even if she wasn't sure what her relationship with him was truly about, she knew that she wouldn't step back and let someone insult him, even if it was Squirrelflight.

'You can't say that,' Leafpool argued, her eyes narrowed slightly. 'You don't even know what he and Whitewing disagreed about.'

For a moment, all Squirrelflight did was look surprised. She clearly hadn't thought Leafpool would openly oppose something she said, but then, her expression turned steely. 'Neither do you,' she retorted. 'And to be honest, I think I know what Ashfur's really like a lot better than you do.'

'That doesn't give you the right to judge him though!'

'I'll judge anyone who I want to, sis.'

Leafpool opened her mouth to snap something back, but before she could, Whitewing cut in. 'Stop squabbling!' she exclaimed desperately. 'This doesn't even concern you!'

The two sisters glared at each other, eyes full of annoyance. It felt wrong to see that kind of emotion in Squirrelflight's eyes. She was used to seeing only affection in their green depths, not this sort of disapproval. The medicine cat was the first to look away, uncomfortable.

The other members of the patrol glanced at each awkwardly, also a little shocked to see the siblings so close fighting. Berrynose was the first to step forward.

'Well, patrol leader,' he said, with a hint of sarcasm. 'I guess we must be heading back to camp?'

Squirrelflight stared at him venomously for a moment, before nodding. 'Yes, we must Berrynose.'

The ginger she-cat turned around, her pelt bristling. Berrynose eyed Leafpool warily, before padding after their patrol leader, along with Whitewing and Sorreltail. Once again, the medicine cat found herself trailing behind them.

This was the second time she'd had an argument with Squirrelflight over Ashfur in a moon. In fact, it might've been the second time she'd had an argument with Squirrelflight in her life.

The flavours of the sparrow felt delicious inside Ashfur's mouth. He was sat with a couple of other warriors, Brackenfur and Birchfall, underneath the shadow of the leader's den. They were sharing tongues in the sun, whereas Ashfur was simply relaxing. It had been awhile since he'd been able to enjoy something as trivial as this, as his mind was usually plagued by thoughts of revenge and heartbreak. Not so for the past two sunrises.

Slowly, his eyelids fluttered open to reveal the stone walls of the camp, bathed in sunlight. He'd been half asleep for awhile. There hadn't been any patrols to go on, and Lionpaw hadn't decided to bother him with training, so he had a free afternoon. And during the time he'd been there, he'd spent most of the time thinking about the night to come. Leafpool wasn't in camp; she'd left to collect herbs earlier.

The tom wondered whether Leafpool thought about him as much as he thought about her. Whether there always seemed to be a picture of his body in her mind, whether the sound of his voice always seemed to be echoing in her ears. It was an odd sensation, but relieving too. Ashfur would much rather be thinking about Leafpool than her sister. In the two nights he'd spent with the medicine cat, he'd found himself imagining Squirrelflight was there numerous times. Something about the light brown tabby's posture, something about the twinkle in her eyes… the similarities were undeniable.

Ashfur shoved the thoughts away. He didn't want the tranquility of the moment to be ruined, although it seemed that Brackenfur did. The ginger tom was nudging him, trying to get his attention. Reluctantly, Ashfur sat up, pushing his half-eaten sparrow aside. 'Yes?'

Brackenfur grinned. 'Sorry. You were lying so still me and Birchfall thought you were asleep.'

As the two warriors laughed, Ashfur rolled his eyes. 'Ha ha ha. Very funny,' he said sarcastically, his tail twitching.

'Relax Ashfur!' Birchfall replied playfully. 'We were just joking.'

The three warriors chatted for awhile, or rather, Birchfall and Brackenfur chatted while Ashfur watched. He wasn't interested in their nonsensical gossip, although he didn't complain about it. All the while, the dark grey tom sensed eyes trailed on his back. Some of his Clan-mates were looking at him. He knew perfectly well why- it was another topic he was trying not to think about.

Eventually, Birchall seemed to get bored of their conversation, turning to face Ashfur. There was undisguised curiosity in his eyes. 'So, Ashfur, why did Firestar invite you to his den?'

He felt like snapping at the young warrior. What does it matter to you? he thought frustratedly. Too many cats had asked him that exact question recently. 'It's about the Whitewing thing,' Ashfur said bluntly. 'I've been given seven days to apologise or else I get some sort of punishment.'

Birchfall nodded, and didn't carry on asking questions, but Brackenfur didn't seem to pick up on the fact he didn't want to talk about it. 'You haven't apologised yet thought, have you?' he pointed out.

Ashfur wanted to protest, but he knew it was true. He hadn't apologised to Whitewing yet, even though he knew he would have to soon. He just didn't want to swallow his pride at the moment, and besides, he had much more pressing things to think about. Much more important things to think about.

As if on queue, the familiar scents of two cats wafted into his nose. He twisted his head to see Squirreflight entering the camp with the other members of a border patrol she'd been on, and behind, her sister. Ashfur's attention was taken up almost immediately by Leafpool. Their eyes met fleetingly, before the she-cat looked away. It made him smile a little.

He was looking forward to meeting her when night came.

So what did you think of this chapter? Please drop a review and tell me what you think!