Interlude – Young Love

Beneath the blue sky of his imagination, Lionkit leaps for the owl - an explosion of dirt following him - and his teeth sink into warm feathers. It tastes rich and heavy - sticky blood he can almost feel across his pelt like wounds of pride from fending back a Shadowclan patrol.

He wakes up, strongest and fastest in the nursery, and sees his sister reciting the Warrior Code.

"Defend your Clan, even with your life. You may have friendships with cats from other Clans, but your loyalty must remain to your Clan, as one day you may meet them in battle." It's early sunup, far too early for any of them to get up or do anything, but Hollykit continues undaunted, "Do not hunt or trespass on another Clans' territory…." She doesn't stop; even after Lionpaw's ears are rendered bleeding, she doesn't stop.

The queens purr and smile when he collapses on them after watching him win another play-fight, but it's Hollykit that they watch after - because she's the one who asks for more stories, she's the one who recites the Warrior Code while everyone is watching, she's the one who never ever stops.

Lionkit wants to be a great warrior. Hollykit wants to be a perfect warrior.

The fox is the perfect opportunity for them to prove themselves.

"They might find the camp!" Ferncloud gasps, and with it, course energy bubbles through Lionkit's coat. If they guard the camp from the foxes, they'll be made apprentices early.

"We've got to guard the camp," Lionkit mews, "in case the fox cubs get in."

"The fox cubs won't make it this far, beebrain," mews Jaykit. "A hundred warriors must be littered all over the camp's perimeter. Firestar and Brambleclaw want us out of the way while the warriors do all the work." Jaykit's comment takes the wind out of his chest.

There will be another opportunity, one of these sunrises.

"We'll be heroes one sunrise," Hollykit vows and Lionkit can hear the conviction in her voice. She doesn't care that all of Thunderclan is guarding them - she wants to be the one protecting them!

Hollykit is right, and in a bolt of lightning, he knows he can't listen to Jaypaw. "We'll be heroes today!" Lionkit declares. "We'll deal with the fox cubs ourselves."

Hollykit starts trying to convince him out of it, quoting the Warrior Code, but Lionkit knows where her mind really is. He barely needs to convince Jaypaw - despite his dour comments, they all want this. He's Lionkit! Strongest and fastest of the nursery! He's never lost a fight and won't lose now against some fox cubs.

This is his moment.

He ends up giving up the hunt.

Firestar slaps down his brave front, and Lionpaw realizes he hates this. Mud is stuck in his gut, and his heart beats jittery like a mouse. Hollykit looks exhausted, dead on her paws, but Lionkit knows he must feel worse.

"I'll tell Jaykit you said hi!" Lionkit meows with fake excitement. Hollykit slinks into the nursery to get some rest, and it's with a sigh of relief that Lionkit goes, "blrheghgh." Hot air escapes his mouth, and Lionkit feels his whole body finally relax.

"What a pain in the tail sunrise," Lionkit mumbles under his breath before collecting his thoughts. "Right, Jaykit. Better make sure he's okay."

Lionkit scrambles around the camp edge, crossing familiar stone, until he's face to face with the distinctive bramble covering that marks the medicine den. His nose already scrunching up from the smell.

The medicine den smells awful!

"Is anyone in?" Lionkit meows, poking his head into the dimly lit space. "I've brought cheer." Despite his best efforts, he curls his whiskers when entering Leafpool's den.

Almost simultaneously, he hears Jaykit groan, obviously due to Lionkit's incredible presence and Leafpool's melodious: "Please feel free to come in, Lionkit. Your brother just woke up."

Lionkit plasters on one of his best smiles and bounces into the den. Jaykit is lying on one of the center tablets in the middle of the room, eyes groggy and grumpy as usual. Leafpool frets over him, some herb gently hanging in her mouth.

"Starclan! Leave me alone! I'm fine. Let me talk to Lionkit. He obviously wants something," Jaykit meows. He gently lashes out with his forepaws to push Leafpool's head away.

Leafpool sighs, letting Jaypaw push her away, "Very well. I'll be in the back preparing your next dose if you need anything or feel any sudden pain." She glances up finally towards Lionkit. "Welcome in, Lionkit."

"Hi!" Lionkit meows. "Hope you don't mind me coming in to visit. Hollykit is sleeping due to exhaustion, and someone needs to make sure Jaykit is okay. Our apprentice ceremony can't be completed without him."

There's a frown across Leafpool's snout for a split second, but then she gently shakes her head. "Jaykit got off pretty lucky with his fall. He's bruised all over but will be fully healed within a sunrise or two. I'll leave the talking sense part to you." Leafpool flicks her tail, and then she's politely moving into the back to make room for their discussion.

Talking sense?

Lionkit looks down at his brother, who gives off a faint glare. "So… are you okay?"

"Do I look okay, bee-brain?" Jaykit mumbles. He shifts slightly on the stone tablet, and Lionkit can see him wince. "Leafpool's been feeding me stinging nettle to help with the bruising along with some other herbs, but she's not a miracle worker. Most of all, she's convinced I'm supposed to be a medicine cat because of my blindness. Not like today helped convince the Clan I should be a warrior."

"I can't imagine you as a medicine cat," Lionkit meows, sitting beside his brother and resting his head on him. Jaykit isn't a good cat for that position. His brother can't even stop calling him a bee-brain.

"Exactly," Jaypaw meows, kicking Lionpaw in the flank. "Mouse-brain! Do you have any concept of personal space? Stop trying to aggravate my wounds!"

"Sorry!" Lionkit meows, quickly lifting his head off his brother. "I'm just so tired after today. You should've seen Hollykit, though. After Firestar stopped laying into us, she looked as useful as a dead fox. She says hi, by the way! I don't think our apprentice ceremony will get delayed, though. So that worked out. I don't pity you, stuck in here with all those smelly herbs and—"

"Lionkit, please shut up," Jaykit hisses, a second kick landing on Lionkit's face.

Lionkit catches his brother's kick, deciding to lick Jaykit's paws instead. Jaykit flicks his tail in disgust, and Lionkit gives off a slight chuckle as he grooms Jaykit.

"Sorry, I just really didn't like today. After dealing with the fox cubs, I thought we would be these amazing warriors, but we just got chased around the forest and almost died. I thought being a warrior would be easier than this," Lionkit meows while enduring Jaypaw's assault. "Firestar and Mom made it sound so easy. Winning practice spars was easy."

Jaykit snorts.

"You're right," Lionkit mutters, glancing at his brother's raised brows. "I've got this. I'm the best." Before Lionkit can continue, there's a polite cough. Leafpool is politely waiting for Lionpaw to finish and step aside. "Sorry!" Lionpaw meows, stepping aside as Leafpool gives a light purr of thanks. Her mouth is stuffed with herbs, and Jaypaw's eyes pop when she approaches him.

Jaykit snorts, "I'm not eating that—"

Leafpool shoves it down his throat while he's complaining. Leafpool gives no visible cue of her feelings, but Lionkit is sure she's smiling underneath the serene facade. "Chew, Jaykit," she meows and then turns to Lionkit.

"I overheard your discussion with Jaykit. A warrior's life is never easy, Lionkit. Sometimes, we have to make the hard choice and give it our all anyway," Leafpool meows, still micromanaging Jaykit with one of her forepaws.

Jaykit rolls his eyes at the sappy comment, but Lionkit listens to Leafpool. He can see where she's coming from, but he's got this handled.

"Thanks, but I'm good, Leafpool. I'll coast through this apprenticeship without hunting foxes and become one of Thunderclan's best warriors. I don't need to be as crazy as Hollykit," Lionkit pushes his chest out while he meows this, ignoring Leafpool's frown and tilting head.

Jaykit swallows his herbs and then meows sarcastically, "As if you weren't the one who started the fox hunt thing."

Leafpool chuckles, and Lionkit winces, his ears pulling back.

Yeah, in retrospect, it's not his greatest idea.

Lionkit gives up his courage.

Then he learns that Hollykit can mind-control other cats, that there's a prophecy about the three of them, and that they'll have the power of the stars.

He doesn't realize how this changes things yet.

Hollypaw doubles down on her training with Brackenfur. She makes waves with the other warriors by being the only apprentice to badger her mentor for additional training on fighting and hunting. She goes to bed exhausted, wakes up exhausted, somehow trains some more, and still has enough time to follow the latest gossip.

Lionpaw takes solitude that he's still better than her in sparring.

He turns Ashfur's belly up in a practice spar, then does it repeatedly while exposing the holes in his mentor's defense and offense. Lionpaw takes the fights less seriously to avoid embarrassing his mentor - it doesn't work. Ashfur pushes harder, beating into LIonpaw with devastating blows – it doesn't work. In response, Ashfur takes him out hunting, and Lionpaw brings back four shrews, two finches, and a weasel.

The elders purr and cheer over him and Ashfur seethes.

"Hollypaw, targeting your opponent's scruff, tail, legs, or ears can be valuable. A tight grip with your jaw can be deliberating for the enemy while still allowing your claws to be free to fight," Brackenfur meows. "Try it again this time. Just remember to bite gently. We're practicing."

Hollypaw nods, purring her reply, before leaping at Brackenfur. Hollypaw is fast, darting in and out of the fight, but Brackenfur is faster. Hollypaw lashes out with her left forepaw to try and snag Brackenfur, but he's already out of the way, letting his backward momentum carry him out of the fight. Hollypaw's overreach disbalances her, and Brackenfur uses the opportunity to barrel over her and flatten her before locking his grip around her throat in a mock death blow.

"Better. You're still overreaching on your blows," Brackenfur meows. "If you try to take more conservative attacks, you won't end up falling over yourself mid-battle. You can—"

"You're doing it wrong," Lionpaw meows atop his log. Both sets of eyes turn to him, and Lionpaw wilts, realizing what he said. "I mean…"

Hollypaw only tilts her head to prompt him to continue, and Brackenfur meows, "By all means, Lionpaw, maybe another set of eyes saw something we missed."

"Uh," Lionpaw meows awkwardly before taking a gulp of air. "I mean, if Hollypaw tightened her core movement by solidifying her base, she could've held against your barrel attack by giving herself a lower profile. Then, as you flipped over her or whatever, she could've gone for a killer blow."

"I mean," he quickly switches track, watching Hollypaw visibly wilt, "Brackenfur could've also caught Hollypaw with his forelimb as he barreled over, scoring more blows alongside her soft side and tossing her over with him even if she had a lower center. I suppose that's one reason not to go with a lower profile, but Brackenfur wasn't going to do that anyway. He was too focused on upper Hollypaw and—"

"That's enough," Brackenfur meows, a smile on his face. "I suppose we all have things to learn still."

"Yeah," Lionpaw meows, biting his lip to prevent himself from continuing to point out flaws in their technique. Brackenfur never protected his tail enough.

"Should we continue?" Hollypaw meows to Brackenfur, grinning lightly at him. "My brother wants us to practice all these crazy battle moves."

"I actually have a better idea," Brackenfur replies. "How do you feel about practicing with us, Lionpaw?"

"I don't know if you can handle my full power," Lionpaw jokes but leaps to the dusty training arena as Hollypaw snorts.

"Excellent," Brackenfur meows, having no idea what he's about to witness. "Hollypaw and you will do a practice spar. Let me see if you can put your words into practice, Lionpaw."

Lionpaw kicks up dirt as he moves into position. Three rabbit-lengths is standard for a spar as he hurries into place, Hollypaw already waiting on him on the other side of the training area.

"I guess we shouldn't waste any time?" Lionpaw meows.

"A true warrior does not need to draw blood to win her battles," Hollypaw meows back, then tilts her head in a challenging gesture, "but I still want to see what Ashfur has been teaching you."

Hollypaw is the first act, darting forward into a striking lunge. Lionpaw sidesteps, measuring the distance between them and then catching Hollypaw's flank mid-air. He spins.

Hollypaw eats dirt. Lionpaw's paws lance down in casual victory before Hollypaw attempts to roll out of the descending blow. Lionpaw lets her escape, and suddenly, the fight has been reset with Hollypaw a rabbit-length away. She looks fine.

"I was able to take down Honeypaw with that move," Hollypaw meows, brushing dirt off her pelt while lightly breathing.

"It's pretty predictable," Lionpaw meows, trying to not offend her. "Everyone rolls under the leap and hold or tries to retreat, but I don't understand why warriors simply grab their opponents out of the air while they're vulnerable."

"Because grabbing your opponent out of the air is hard and usually puts the defender at more risk," Brackenfur meows from the side, whiskers raising at Lionpaw's suggestions. As if Lionpaw should give up an excellent battle move because other cats are too slow.

"Sorry," Lionpaw instead meows. Hollypaw ends the discussion, deciding to renew the fight.

This time, she's more cautious. She keeps herself centered in front of him and bounces from paw to paw, blows lancing out from side to side. She wants to whittle him down like a stick.

Lionpaw is not remotely tired.

Her attacks miss. Lionpaw's used the same strategy against Hazelpaw and Mousepaw, both crumbling under his assault, but Hollypaw's assault is far too slow. She leans, and Lionpaw leans out of range. Her muscles tense, and he sees the endpoint where her claws will reach. The fur around her neck shifts and Lionpaw counterattacks with his own bite perfectly.

It's so easy.

After four opportunities to trip Hollypaw, he yawns. Hollypaw growls, and feeling bad for messing with her, he trips her next on her next blow. She tries to roll out of the incoming blow, but she's no match for Lionpaw belly flopping onto her and smothering her flank with wet kisses and licks.

"Get off me, dungface!" meows Hollypaw as she tries to kick him off, but her heart isn't in the insult. "Get off!" she shrieks, and in the ensuing chaos, their fight devolves into a wrestling match with the ground. Hollypaw kicks dirt into his face, a dirty move, and Lionpaw is hacking and coughing as Hollypaw's low chuckles ring throughout their space.

Brackenfur hoists Lionpaw off the ground and back onto his paws.

"If you two are done now—" he's smiling, Lionkit knows it, "—I want to test Lionpaw myself. Hollypaw, you did good. It seems Lionpaw can back up his words." The golden brown tabby shakes his fur, "I want to see where he can improve his technique myself."

"A mock spar?" Hollypaw meows.

"Yeah," Brackenfur replies. "Ashfur has taught him well, but I'm sure I can find something for him to improve on."

Glancing at Brackenfur and back to Lionpaw, Hollypaw flicks one of her ears and tilts her head towards Lionpaw, silently communicating something.

"What?" Lionpaw asks.

Hollypaw just rolls her eyes. "Bee-brain," she whispers.

"Cleanpaw!" Lionpaw retorts. He'll show her!

Hollypaw opens her mouth to retort, but Brackenfur's cough interrupts them. "Are you two still kits?" he asks. Hollypaw's ears pull back bashfully and she composes herself.

A total cleanpaw.

Lionpaw moves back into position on Brackenfur's prompting, and the two face off across the arena.

"I don't expect you to win, Lionpaw. I don't want you to feel bad when you lose," Brackenfur says. "I know you're talented, but you're also young. It's another thing entirely to fight an experienced warrior."

Lionpaw decides not to mention all the times he's embarrassed Ashfur already.

Once done with this, he can return to camp and share tongues. Proving himself to Brackenfur isn't what he planned to do this sunrise, and he's sure the other apprentices back at camp have some exciting gossip. He could maybe even bother Jaypaw—

Brackenfur moves, and only some instinctive sixth sense saves Lionpaw from being flattened. He allows himself to be funneled backward into whatever trap Brackenfur has planned. Lionpaw is sure he cand handle it. They trade blows, Brackenfur bringing a sheathed paw down on his head, and in retaliation, Lionpaw sweeps Brackenfur off his paws.

Brackenfur catches himself in the fall, the momentum carrying him, jaws reaching out to crunch down on Lionpaw's forepaw. It misses, of course, nipping at Lionpaw's fur, but it leaves Lionpaw trapped in a corner of the arena. Brackenfur springs his trap, and instinct once again saves Lionpaw. He double-taps the ground, two heavy blows, and dirt hits Brackenfur in the eyes.

Lionpaw blinks the laziness out of his mind; at this point, Brackenfur leaps, attempting his own leap and hold. Lionpaw's body moves before his mind, stance lowering, and his teeth lance out during his dodge, grabbing onto Brackenfur. Lionpaw jerks, swinging Brackenfur. There's a moment of weightlessness and then a devasting head-first collision of Brackenfur's head against cedar roots. Lionpaw shifts his grip into a mock killing bite, and it's all over.

Silence takes over the arena, with a smug and proud Hollypaw watching nearby.

Brackenfur pulls himself off the ground shakily, and there's a smidgen of blood on his head from the impact. Paws reach up to brush off the liquid, and he blinks when he realizes it's his own blood. He glances at Lionpaw with respect.

Okay, so maybe Lionpaw has somehow underestimated his own skills.

Lionpaw bites his lip. He's in so much trouble.

Then Brackenfur starts laughing. Lionpaw catches Brackenfur mumbling, "Firestar's grandkits indeed." He pauses. "That," he meows this time louder, "was incredibly impressive for a new apprentice."

The temptation to have another mock spar strikes him - but he catches Hollypaw out of the corner of his eye, bouncing impatiently. She has a special destiny and powers and is the one who actually needs the practice. She needs Brackenfur more than he needs Ashfur. He really shouldn't ask Brackenfur for more.

"I would like to go again," Hollypaw meows, already stretching her legs for another round with Brackenfur.

There she goes.

He doesn't realize yet, but he's giving up his ambition.

"I'm not very well-liked here in Thunderclan," Stormfur meows, taking a break from sinking his teeth into the squirrel.

"Oh," Lionpaw meows. "Well, that's just everyone having fleas for brains. If you're loyal, you're loyal, right?"

It's sunhigh, and the two of them have found a spot under some shade within the stone hollow. It's a hot sunrise, and Lionpaw is the one to approach Stormfur when he has questions about all the recent drama. They're both hungry.

"It's not so simple," Stormfur mews. "Brook and I have been bounced around for a while now. We were banished from our home up in the mountains and later from Riverclan. Along with being half-clan, it's a bad combination."

"Your father's Greystripe through! A living legend," Lionpaw meows. "That's got to count for something."

Stormfur takes a moment to rip into his food, and Lionpaw has to wait for him to chew. Lionpaw takes the time to enjoy the shade, almost instinctively starting to tap the ground relentlessly with pent-up energy.

"Greystripe was presumed dead a couple moon's ago and then brought back a kittypet as his second mate, who refused to change her name in Clan tradition like my own mate," the senior warrior meows after thinking about it. "Brook and I don't have anywhere else to go if Thunderclan doesn't work out."

Lionpaw bats his own face in response to Stormfur's comment. He doesn't care how silly it makes him look. "What a bunch of crowfood," he snorts, curling his whiskers.

Stormfur shakes his head. "You'll understand one of these seasons."

"I hope I never have to understand why someone would doubt my loyalty," Lionpaw meows. "Thunderclan is home. That's never going to change."

Lionpaw's vole remains almost untouched, but he quickly goes about correcting that. He'd rather have a squirrel like Stormfur, but a vole will do with his ravenous hunger. He's prying bone off the tender bits when Stormfur continues their discussion.

"What about you, young Lionpaw? How is warrior training suiting you?"

"It's good. I thought I would've had to try harder, but I'm sort of a battle prodigy, apparently," Lionpaw meows, bragging a little. He tossed Brackenfur across the ground last sunrise! His own mentor, Ashfur, struggles against him! "Ashfur can be pretty intense. I get the impression he doesn't like me for some reason, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"Hmm," Stormfur mews. "Ashfur has always been prickly. You said you thought you would need to try harder? I didn't take the mighty Lionpaw to be a slacker."

"I mean, have you seen me fight?" Lionpaw meows, a smirk on his face. "I'm pretty good. I… try not to brag about it, but the whole sparring thing? It comes really easy to me. I'm already better than Ashfur and Brackenfur - I can put my effort into other things."

"How do you know how far you can go if you've never tried?" Stormfur meows, tail lashing back and forth. "You always wanted to be a warrior a lot as a kit."

Lionpaw thinks about Hollypaw, who never stops, who's on the territory hunting right now with Brackenfur while he's chilling in the shade back at camp over vole.

"I don't know," Lionpaw meows. "I guess I kinda grew out of it."

Lionpaw fails to understand. He gives up his honesty.

And then, one moonhigh, he realizes he really, really loves Heatherpaw. During his sunrises, she is all he can think of. During his moonrises, his sleep is plagued by her. The prophecy, whatever it means, Ashfur's hatred, Jaypaw's grumpiness, and whatever the deal is with Hollypaw can take a backseat. This is love! And every good story has a romance. Look at Graystripe.

"My deputy is a rabbit-brain!" Heatherpaw meows, a smirk upon her snout.

"I am not!" Lionpaw exclaims. "What would you do without your trusty deputy!"

"Prove it then!" Heatherpaw meows back, tail lashing, hackles raised for battle.

"For Darkclan!" Lionpaw screeches before sending the both of them into a tumble across the cavern's floor. Heatherpaw latches onto his face with one of her forepaws, but Lionpaw holds on tighter, intent on smushing her into mouse-paste. Heatherpaw kicks into his stomach, pushing, but Lionpaw shoves his face deeper into her neck and snorts hot air.

Heatherpaw is torn halfway between indignation and laughter when she belts, "Get off you oaf! Pain in a tail—" Lionpaw nibbles a portion of her neck. "Haha, hehe. Stop!" she laughs.

"Never!" Lionpaw meows, already tasting victory. "How's this for the Darkclan depu—" Heatherpaw lances out at his belly, and Lionpaw feels the air escape from his lungs. Heatherpaw smirks a face of victory, and then Lionpaw is sent tumbling across the floor in a heap.

"Ugh," Lionpaw groans, thankful that Heatherpaw went easy on him and didn't use her claws.

"You fell for the laughter! A mediocre performance from my deputy," Heatherpaw meows, tail raised high. "Another demonstration is in order."

Lionpaw rolls into a deep bow. Forelegs stretching down and out, hind up into the sky.

"Really?" Heatherpaw snorts, eyes glancing down at Lionpaw's ridiculous pose. "Is that a thing now?" She doesn't understand the seriousness of the situation.

"I live to serve Heatherstar."

Heatherpaw rolls her eyes. "I want my deputy to prove that he can protect his leader. Darkclan needs strong warriors."

Lionpaw, of course, knows what she's talking about. The looming shadows of the cavern are hiding spots for a hundred different threats. Who knows what perils lie in the shadows?

Lionpaw twirls. Baring his teeth, he scans the darkness. No rogue will reach Heatherstar!

Heatherpaw whacks him on the back of his head with a heavy forepaw.

"Ouch!" Lionpaw mews. "What was that for?"

"You are a hare-brain!" Heatherpaw meows. "Are you sure you don't have Windclan blood in you? Heatherstar demands that you spar with her instead of jumping at shadows!"

"I will do my best, Heatherstar!" Lionpaw meows.

Heatherpaw fights, unlike any other apprentice he's ever fought. She attacks him at weird angles, avoiding grapples and darting in and out of the fight like an angry bee. She stings him across the face several times before Lionpaw realizes he should probably go on the offensive.

"Darkclan forever!" Lionpaw cheers as he barrels into her.

The two go into a controlled tumble, and Heatherpaw screeches, "Attacking your leader is treason!"

Oh. I should probably stop then.

Lionpaw takes a fat blow to the head due to his poor decision and faceplants on the floor – like a badger blow and badger stumble. Heatherpaw goes for the finishing blow, yowling, "There's no such thing as mercy in combat!" Once again, only Lionpaw's invisible sixth sense saves him. Still delirious, Lionpaw turns, rolling across the ground to catch Heatherpaw mid-attack. Hot energy burns through him, and Heatherpaw is flung across the cavern floor. Lionpaw is too busy feeling himself burst with intangible energy to help, and, thank Starclan, she catches herself in her fall.

Heatherpaw laughs, pulling herself to her paws, "Do all Thunderclan apprentices fight like that?"

"I think so?" Lionpaw meows. He hasn't thought about it before. "I guess we do a lot of grapples in Thunderclan. Do all Windclan warriors fight like you?"

Heatherpaw helps pull him off the ground. "Yeah," she meows. "We're trained to move a lot while fighting. We're faster than you bee-brains."

"Oh," Lionpaw meows. "That's really cool. I just assumed all the clans fought the same."

"I assumed you had brains," Heatherpaw meows, "but I guess I was wrong about that, too."

"Hey!" Lionpaw meows. "You can't say that to your deputy."

"I can say whatever I want," Heatherpaw meows, sticking her tongue out at him. "You want to know why? Cause I'm the leader; you must agree with everything I say."

"I do not!" Lionpaw meows.

"You do, too!" Heatherpaw replies.

"I do not!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Nope!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Nope!"

"Nuh—" Heatherpaw shoves her paw down his mouth, and Lionpaw chokes on his reply.

"That's what I thought!" Heatherpaw meows in victory, tail held proudly high.

Lionpaw shoulder-checks her and then gives her his old-fashioned belly flop. The two of them once again roll across the ground in a mock fight, paws lance out to bludgeon their opponent, fur gets nibbled on, and it's on no one's mind if chunks of fur get spit out and find themselves leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.

When Lionpaw tumbles into the stone wall, they detach in a laughing and giggling fit, staring high at the stalactites. Heatherpaw pins him to the cavern wall, her body keeping him trapped with their bellies facing the sky. If it's awkward, neither of them mention it.

"We should form Darkclan one day," Heatherpaw meows. "Imagine it. Of course, I would be its first leader, but you could be my deputy. The five great clans of the lake! There's got to be other cats that would join us."

"Sounds like a lot of work," Lionpaw meows. "I don't know."

"You're such a dormouse. How did I get stuck with you?"

"Outstanding looks? Incredible courage?" Lionpaw meows back. He twists himself to face Heatherpaw to try and help groom her but only manages to get his legs stuck on her belly.

"Stop rolling! You're making it worse," Heatherpaw hisses. "Am I the one with outstanding looks or you?" she finishes, glancing over.

"Both?" Lionpaw mews. He didn't specify now that he thinks about it.

"Hare-brain," Heatherpaw meows and then kicks him to tell him to shut up.

For a heartbeat, Lionpaw listens to droplets of water fall from stalactites, the whispering sound of the air, and the warmth of Heatherpaw's coat. But neither of them are built for silence; Heatherpaw breaks the moment first.

"You have anyone back at Thunderclan?"

"Oh. I have two siblings, Hollypaw and Jaypaw. They're both pretty cool. Hollypaw is a warrior apprentice, and she's pretty intense. Always trying to do the right thing, loves the Warrior's Code. Jaypaw's like the total opposite. He's a medicine cat apprentice but always grumpy and sees the worst in everything." Lionpaw pauses and then, after a heartbeat, adds, "Hollypaw is a little bit controlling, and Jaypaw is always so angry, but they're just… really, really great."

"I was asking if you had anyone special," Heatherpaw meows sharply. "I didn't want all your family drama. I have enough of that at home."

"Oh, no. I don't," Lionpaw meows. "Do you?"

"No." Heatherpaw curls her whiskers in anger. "Everyone in Windclan has rabbit-dung for brains. All of the other apprentices suck. You'd think being Onestar's only daughter would help, but Breezepaw and Kestrelpaw are both brats, and Harepaw is just… megh. Hate them."

Heatherpaw's tail lashes in anger.

"I guess we could start Darkclan one sunrise," Lionpaw meows. "That way, we can choose who gets to join us and don't have to deal with all the drama back home."

"You'd make an amazing deputy," Heatherpaw meows. "All big and strong – an amazing fighter."

"You'd make an amazing leader," Lionpaw meows back, a big dopey smile across his face.

Heatherpaw snorts. "You're just saying that 'cause you're a huge sap. My compliment has meaning because I don't hand them out!"

"Nuh-uh," Lionpaw mews. "You're all assertive and sharp. Those are good qualities in a leader—" Heatherpaw raised one of her eyebrows, "—and when someone breaks the rules, you'd be like all 'Ragr! Repent or be banished forever!' You would shred the enemies of Darkclan into mouse-dust." Heatherpaw smiles, and Lionpaw knows it's working. "You'd also be super nice to all of our clanmates. A much better leader than Breezepaw could ever be—"

"Alright. Alright. Enough," Heatherpaw meows, laughter bubbling up her throat. "This is why I picked you as a friend."

Lionpaw hopes he'll be more than a friend one sunrise.

There's an echoing crash. Distantly in the tunnels, rocks shift, and the echoing boom reverberates until Lionpaw's and Heatherpaw's ears twist to catch the noise.

"How far do you think the tunnels go?" Lionpaw whispers.

"No idea," Heatherpaw mews back. "Windclan has never obviously used the tunnels in Thunderclan territory. Those rocks sounded far away." She peers into the darkness with him, the sound far beyond the moonlit cavern.

"Let's go explore," Lionpaw meows. "We never go anywhere but this main entrance. Don't you want to see what's deeper?" Heatherpaw's face pulls back in doubt, and Lionpaw smirks, "What? Is the great leader of Darkclan scared?"

"Fine!" Heatherpaw meows. "We'll explore the tunnels."

"Yay!"

With a large heave, they pull themselves from their comfy resting spot, cold stone under slightly sweaty paws, and Heatherpaw is first to begin the descent into the darkness. The tunnel seemingly smoothing out within their vision as the moonlight disappears.

The temperature drops. Lionpaw shivers from the cold only when he's behind Heatherpaw. As deputy, he can't be seen as weak - not from some cold.

The tunnel branches out. The wide tunnel splits into multiple paths; Lionpaw counts six alone in this one location, each filled with potential, but what catches his attention is the hole that goes down.

"Look," he whispers, "it heads down!"

Heatherpaw's blue eyes blink, and then she's also looking downwards. The hole, a fox-length in width, borrows straight into the earth. Lionpaw can make out thin-step-like structures carved from rock and rainwater that they could use as stepping stones.

"Let's go," Lionpaw mews, unfazed.

"Are you crazy!" Heatherpaw meows, hackles raised, early caution returning to her. "Who knows how deep it goes. We could get lost."

"It'll be an adventure," Lionpaw meows. "I'll protect you if anything bad happens. Like some dirty badger or something."

"You're crazier than a fox," Heatherpaw meows, but she's the one to take the first step. Her first step is tender and cautious, but then she snorts, muttering something under her breath, and begins a rapid descent that forces Lionpaw to keep up.

Their descent is crazier than hedgehogs flying. Lionpaw can only assume rainwater has carved the steps, but it's awkwardly formed in patches of stone that are both rough and smooth at the same time. On his descent, he almost slips, and he's confident they will have to climb on their return journey to get back up.

Heatherpaw makes a final short leap and disappears from his view. His eyes aren't bad - it's as if the darkness swallows her up. "Are you good?" Lionpaw meows just behind her.

There's a moment of delay before: "Yeah. The stone down here is wet."

"There's water this deep?" Lionpaw meows questionably.

"No," Heatherpaw meows, still invisible to him. "The stone is just moist and sticky under the paw. It's fine. Come down already. This place already gives me the creeps."

Lionpaw leaps. His feet hit the slimy stone, and Lionpaw gives off a short "ufh." He twists and turns to find Heatherpaw and, for a moment, panics when he feels nothing but stale air. Finally, his whiskers brush against warm fur. A bastion of warmth in what seems to be pure darkness.

"Hey," he whispers, and Heatherpaw purrs back.

"Hey," she replies, looking around. "Let's see what's around."

The stone tunnel opens up around them, and with a bit of awe, Lionpaw realizes they've entered a massive underground cavern. The difference from above is immediately apparent. The air is much colder, unpleasantly so, and thicker as well. The sheer darkness is overwhelming, and Lionpaw realizes his vision has been cut down to a mere mouse-length or two. Heatherpaw hugs his right side, flank to flank, and Lionpaw welcomes it. They'll lose each other down here if they wander off.

They wander, sticking together, flank to flank, at all times. It brings their pace to a crawl. In the darkness, Heatherpaw's heartbeat pulses through her coat and into his coat. Lionpaw hopes that she can feel his heartbeat as well. Finally, they find the path where the cave stretches out and around, funneling off into another tunnel with featureless stone, worn smooth through time.

"Do you think it goes deeper?" Lionpaw whispers, glancing into the tunnel ahead of them. He's unable to make anything out despite his best efforts.

"It can't, right?" Heatherpaw mews. "Any lower, and we're beneath the lake. That's not possible."

Lionpaw licks his lips and tastes the stale, thick air. It weighs on him like stones. No cat or creature has been down here for seasons. His paws feel slimy and gummy on the cold stone, slapping down on ancient rock, and the cavern's silence bears down with uncomfortable pressure.

Heatherpaw's right. How far can it really go down?

"The end of the tunnel? Then we'll head back up." Lionpaw meows. Heatherpaw looks freaked out, and Lionpaw doesn't want to be here anymore than she does now.

Heatherpaw nods, and then the two of them melt into the darkness. The spacious cavern gives way to a tight tunnel. It curves downwards and around, and once again, Lionpaw wonders if these caves were carved by vast amounts of rainwater. It's the only explanation that makes sense.

He only hopes that it doesn't ever rain while they're here.

It's twenty fox-lengths down where he begins to feel it. The air thickens noticeably, and the shadows grow darker. Static buzzes through his paws, and every step feels like wading through water. Having adapted to the darkness, his vision is still but swallowed up.

Lionpaw pushes against his side and feels Heatherpaw push back in turn.

"Stop," Lionpaw mews. They jerk to a halt. The tunnel drops into a cliff. The smooth tunnel from before gives away shattered boulders that form tumbling stepping stones.

There's a whispered "Wooww" from Heatherpaw in shock that the tunnels go even deeper, but Lionpaw is too distracted by the pounding in his ears telling him that he really shouldn't try his luck attempting another descent. Something is wrong.

"Should we go deeper?" Heatherpaw meows. "These might be the rocks tumbling that we heard earlier."

"I… no," Lionpaw meows. "Can't you feel it? There's something down there. It feels dangerous."

"You've got bees in your brain," Heatherpaw whispers. Confusion and agitation mix together in her speech. "Nothing has been down here in seasons. It's just rock."

Lionpaw's tail twitches in mirth. "Do you really want to go down if it's 'just rock'?" he parrots back.

"If the great deputy of Darkclan wants to be mouse-heart, I suppose I can make an exception," Heatherpaw meows with some cheek, but Lionpaw can tell her heart isn't in it. "But you'll be working double when we return to camp."

"Sure thing, boss," Lionpaw meows, eager to drag Heatherpaw by her ear back upwards. Their return to the enormous cavern is relieving, and Lionpaw can feel the sticky darkness recede. The ascent back to the upper tunnels has them climbing the nigh-vertical slope they descended earlier, but now the soft moonlight of the original tunnel system is a warm relief.

"Breezepaw is going to absolutely hate my guts for hanging out with you," Heatherpaw meows, the two returning to the original cavern they played in earlier.

"Is he going to be a problem?"Lionpaw meows. He wasn't aware that Heatherpaw was telling her clanmates about him.

Heatherpaw raises an eyebrow. "No. He'll deal with it. He'll have to." She shoulder-checks him and purrs. Lionpaw has to catch himself, but after a moment, he purrs back. Heatherpaw's energy returns to her with their ascent. "You're not like the other apprentices I've met," Heatherpaw mews again after a moment. "This right here is more important than any stupid Clan loyalty."

"You think so?" he mews back.

"I know so," Heatherpaw meows, tail held high in pride. "We just explored a cave system older than the Clans! You think I'll let you go so easily after that?"

Lionpaw feels energy course through his legs, little prickles that almost feel like hot breath tracing his fur. "I mean—"

"Promise me!" Heatherpaw meows with sudden intensity. Her eyes locking onto his own. "Promise me on Starclan that we'll meet each other here for the rest of our lives until we're Clan elders." Heatherpaw's blue eyes bore into Lionpaws, and he feels his heartbeat in his ears. Can he make that kind of commitment?

"I promise on Starclan," Lionpaw meows, voice steady. "We'll do this forever."

"Yes!" Heatherpaw cheers, knocking him over, and they tumble across the stone floor again. Their earlier spar never settled.

Lionpaw's thoughts are awhirl with thoughts.

Lionpaw realizes he can't tell Hollypaw and Jaypaw about this. Hollypaw wouldn't understand, and Jaypaw would just be jealous.

Heatherpaw must remain his own little secret.

Hunger wakes Lionpaw in the middle of the moonrise. Crisp cold air brushes his messy pelt, and when peeking out, he sees a claw-moon in the sky. His nest of moss feels cold.

Hollypaw kicks him in the side.

"Somecat's excit—" Lionpaw mews but is caught off guard when he notices his sister still asleep. Hollypaw kicks in her sleep, whiskers curling in agitation, and she whimpers with her head buried in her moss. Her next wince, as if in pain, is enough to visibly ripple across her entire coat.

"Hey!" Lionpaw meows a little louder. He shakes her, feeling her fur slip through his

paws, and then lightly returns her earlier kick. Hollypaw doesn't stir, and then Lionpaw smacks her in the forehead to wake her from the nightmare.

"Mous— Lionpaw!" Hollypaw jolts, eyes popping wide, and she glares at him. "What are

you doing?" she complains.

"Waking you up from your nightmare," Lionpaw meows, watching Hollypaw wince from the memory. His sister narrows her eyes and glances around the apprentices' den, noticing everyone is still asleep.

"Thank you," she mews after a heartbeat, "…but it's the middle of moonrise and we're

both awake now."

"Well…" Lionpaw meows thoughtfully, feeling the grumble of his belly. "How about we go hunting? Catch some prey for everyone next sunrise?" Hollypaw turns to look at him as if he's crazier than a fox, but he taps her on the shoulder regardless

"It'll be fun!" he adds.

Hollypaw licks her teeth and then nods. "We catch something and then come right back," she meows, and Lionpaw nods. It's time to get their minds away from the nest.

He takes the lead, pulling Hollypaw through the darkened stone hollow, and wisely decides to take the back entrance by dirt place instead of trying to argue with whoever's on vigil. The bramble thicket isn't quite as comfortable as when they were kits, but they still manage to sneak through.

Lionpaw ignores his paws and looks upwards towards the silverpelt. There are a lot of stars out on this moonrise. It's gorgeous, and it reminds him of Heatherpaw.

The path they take curves around the forest, heading towards the lake and the Windclan border. Absent-mindedly paying attention to his route, Lionpaw asks, "So, any plans for the next moonrise?"

Hollypaw, one step behind him on his left, raises an eye and then lifts her whiskers teasingly, "Is that the best icebreaker you can come up with?" There's a rustle of wings somewhere to their left, and she jerks sideways only to see the crow leap off and into the sky. While she's distracted, Lionpaw slides through the fern bush he knows is coming and chuckles to himself when Hollypaw doesn't have as much luck with the terrain.

"Laugh it up," Hollypaw jokes while struggling on the other side of the fern bush. "I'm not the one who looks like a badger stepped on them." She steps beside him again just in time to see Lionpaw checking out his messy pelt. He is a messy sleeper, admittingly.

"This way," he mutters upon seeing her, ignoring that his pelt desperately needs grooming. "There's a path this way." The familiar trail towards Heatherpaw's cave curves this way, close enough to the Windclan border to faintly smell Thunderclan marks.

Hollypaw narrows her eyes. "How do you know this area so well?" she inquires. Lionpaw glances back to see her frown at him.

Oh, I…" Lionpaw pauses, finally realizing he's taking his sister toward Heatherpaw's and his secret cave. "Ashfur showed me that there's good hunting over here?" Even he can hear the question at the end of his statement and gulps when Hollypaw's eyes narrow further.

"Right," she meows, "good hunting." Thank Starclan, she shakes the thoughts off. "Let's just catch something so I can try to get some sleep," she mutters, glancing around in the darkness.

Lionpaw mentally breathes a sigh of relief and then glances about the underbrush. Local hazels and oaks block his vision of any prey, so instead, he puts his ears to the ground and listens for voles. He didn't think they would reach this part of the trip.

Hollypaw wanders off when he isn't paying attention and returns with a rat. Lionpaw's thoughts are too much of a mess to catch anything, especially in the now creepy moonlight, and by the time he sees a rat of his own, Hollypaw tags a water vole by the local stream.

"Hey," he whispers, approaching his sister in focus, "should we head back?" He's had enough of this trip, but Hollypaw has her eyes on something in the sky and ignores him.

Hollypaw whips her tail into his mouth, flicking her ears towards an aspen tree. She leans into a crouch, trying to hide in the undergrowth, and he copies her, not sure what he's hiding from initially. An owl hoots from its perch on one of the lower branches, and Lionpaw realizes that Hollypaw wants to catch it.

It's a crazy thought. Hollypaw would have to climb the tree silently enough to not alert the owl, jump on its back to not get killed, and successfully bite its neck in the dark. "There's no way we can catch that," he whispers, lightly moving forward beside Hollypaw. "I'm the better hunter, and there's no way I could catch that owl."

"From the back," Hollypaw whispers, lowering her head and pondering. "Ascend the back of the tree. The owl is focused on our side." Green eyes glance upwards and around. The owl glances in their direction, and they duck even deeper into the dirt. Lionpaw has no idea how the owl hasn't spotted them yet.

"Silently?" Lionpaw mouths with disbelief, but the moment the owl tucks its head into its feathers to clean them, Hollypaw silently moves forward, maintaining a low hunter's crouch. Her belly brushes the forest floor, disturbing a leaf, and she adjusts her height with a smidgen of visible panic.

Lionpaw, for his part, just huddles into the earth, ready to watch this disaster.

Hollypaw makes it to the base of the aspen with the owl unaware, twisting around the underbrush in the dim moonlight. Claws sink into the tree's trunk, but she doesn't move. Hollypaw thinks while glancing at the owl - Lionblaze, for his part again, sucks in the tense air for her and wonders how Hollypaw isn't cracking. The owl's head rotates unnaturally, Lionpaw's teeth rattle, and the owl looks down at him. Lionpaw braces for a fight.

Hollypaw launches herself upward, somehow in her ascent of the tree, avoiding making any noise, and by the time the owl opens its wings to launch itself at Lionpaw, she's behind it. Lionpaw jumps to the right on instinct, but he doesn't need to as there's a screech and scattering feathers when Hollypaw, tree-high, latches onto the owl's back. The owl tries to take to the air, tossing Hollypaw to the side, but his sister catches herself on the thin branches. They snap under her weight, but it gives enough resistance to help her follow the owl upwards until she bites down on its neck as it squawks.

Hollypaw and the owl tumble in the cold air. Lionpaw yowls in alarm, but Hollypaw uses the owl as a brace for the fall. The sickening crack comes from the owl's bones and organs smashing on dirt and exposed roots, not from Hollypaw.

Lionpaw strains his ears, ready for the forest to come to life, but only continues to hear crickets and the heavy breathing of Hollypaw before she shakes it off. Lionpaw bolts towards his sister, yipping uncontrollably, "Wow, that was cool! Where did you learn to do that?" He licks her ears, and Hollypaw, in return, bats his head while shaking needles out of her legs.

"It's in the paws," Hollypaw meows, glancing around the darkness and then back down to her massive catch. She closes her eyes and nods in a short prayer, "Thank you, Starclan, for this prey. May it feed our elders and kits well." She leans down in a bow and then gets back up while Lionpaw watches.

"In the paws?" It can't just be in the paws.

"You've been slacking in your training, obviously," Hollypaw teases, keeping her secrets and picking up her catch.

At that moment, Lionpaw's belly growls loud enough for both of them to hear, getting an ear flick out of Hollypaw, and his thoughts return to Hollypaw's big catch that everyone will fawn over in the sunrise - it shouldn't hurt to take a few bites from his more meager catch.

He bounces where he buried his rat, scooping out dirt and then unveiling his prize. The sound of Hollypaw dragging her owl behind him breaks the tension of the moonrise, and then he begins to strip into the flesh of his prey. He'll take two bites just to hold him over until dawn.

"Stop eating the prey for the dawn patrol," Hollypaw snaps, causing Lionpaw to jump. "Have some shame!" The owl, the water vole, and her own rat sit by her paws. "I'm ready to head back, and you're eating," she says.

Lionpaw, realizing he's been caught, tilts his ears bashfully. "Just a bite? We can share?" he mews but knows it's useless. Count on his rule-following sister to catch him.

Hollypaw bats it out of his mouth, wrestling the rat from his jaws. "Elders, queens, sick or injured, or kits must be fed before apprentices and warriors," Hollypaw snoots with her head tilted upwards. She recites the Warrior Code perfectly.

"Just a bite?" Lionpaw begs. She takes it as if he's asking if she wants a bite - an insult to her pride, and she smacks him in the whiskers. Lionpaw drops the rat, mocking a pained hiss. "Fine. I won't eat the rat. It'll go bad by the sunrise, though."

"It will not."

"You don't know that."

"Lionpaw, the rat will not go bad by dawn."

"It might have worms. We should check."

"You're going to be eating real worms in a heartbeat."

Lionpaw sticks his tongue out in a gag, and Hollypaw snorts. Lionpaw leans down, wiggling his body like an earthworm, and then tries to imitate the sound of mud with his mouth. There's a pause before Hollypaw's ears pull back, and she releases another barely audible snort before growling.

"Hah! Got you!" Lionpaw meows in victory.

"You did not," Hollypaw hisses, but her facade breaks for just a heartbeat.

There is a rustle in the distance as some unknown animal crawls through the underbrush, and then a crow croaks. They both blink and return to being in the middle of the territory at moonrise. Their paws are surrounded by caught prey.

"Should we head back?" Lionpaw meows more optimistically this time.

Hollypaw blinks and looks at him. "Once I clean you up," she meows, then leans in to groom him. She licks around his scruff, brushing errant fur, and Lionpaw complains.

"What are you, Squrrelflight?" he mews.

"You're a mess. How did I miss this before?" Hollypaw replies. She bites down on a knot of fur that Lionpaw had tried to untangle last sunrise, shaking him about and causing him to chuff. He'd given up, but Hollypaw never ever gives up. Or stops.

"What happened to being ready to go back?" he hisses and taps the ground in submission when Hollypaw finally detangles the old knot. They're in the middle of the dark woods!

"You got me warmed up for this whole late-moonrise hunting trip. It'll be good for the elders at dawn," Hollypaw meows between cleaning his back, laughing at his expressions and suffering. "It's not my fault you're a mess."

"But now?" Lionpaw tries again.

"Now," Hollypaw finishes, and with that, Lionpaw visibly deflates. Hollypaw gives him a genuine laugh, not her fake pity snorting from earlier, and Lionpaw knows that his sleep is doomed.

"Now, Hollypaw, before you embarrass Thunderclan and me any further," Squirrelflight meows.

Hollypaw is in trouble, caught sneaking into Riverclan to do… something. Riverclan needs help, Hollypaw wants to do something, and Lionpaw is firmly with everyone else; he doesn't care. He cares about Heatherpaw, spending time with his sister, and figuring out how to get Tigerstar to stop visiting him in his sleep. It's annoying and silly, and— he cares about Heatherpaw.

"You snuck out to Riverclan, sunrises after badgering me about—" he meows before stopping short. Lionpaw swallows the ball of anger. The memory is still fresh in his mind. All of them.

"I'm sorry," Hollypaw meows, tail low. "I messed up. Riverclan needs help, and no one will listen to me, and now Squirrelflight, our own mother, hates me. Jaypaw is mad at me for our argument days ago, and you're mad at me for our own argument and—"

"Just…" Lionpaw meows. He didn't know Hollypaw felt this way. "Why? Isn't this enough? Just the three of us, growing up, becoming warriors. You can do big things one day when we're older."

"The prophecy states—" Hollypaw mews.

"We don't even know what the prophecy means, not even Jaypaw, and he's not getting answers from Starclan. So just… let's not get in trouble for a while, okay?" Lionpaw meows. He just wants to rest with his loved ones.

He hates the prophecy. He'll never say it to his sister's face; it would break her heart, but he says it to himself. He hates it. It's tearing his family apart. It's all Hollypaw can think about. If the prophecy didn't exist, Hollypaw wouldn't hate him for visiting Heatherpaw. He wouldn't need to be perfect. He doesn't want to think less of his siblings. He doesn't want Hollypaw to think less of him.

"You always said I was going to do big things when we were younger," Hollypaw meows.

Always trying to be better. Always trying to make her mark. Always trying to bring good to the lake. Why did you have to be the best of us?

"Yeah, I guess it always felt distant, you know. Not you sneaking off to Riverclan during our apprenticeship. Then.. things happened," he meows, hiding his true thoughts. The fox hunt still feels like the last sunrise. "I thought we would've had more time."

"Time?"

"Yeah, together," Lionpaw replies.

"Okay," she whispers, finally on his side. "I'll try not to get into trouble for the next moon." Hollypaw curls up next to him, her heartbeat pulsing against his fur in a gesture of trust.

Heatherpaw—

"Oh," Lionpaw meows. "Well, that's just everyone having fleas for brains. If you're loyal, you're loyal, right?"

Stormfur shakes his head. "You'll understand one of these seasons."

The realization rips through him like a badger blow. He snorts, pulling Hollypaw into a hug, and hides that he almost collapses into the ground.

He can't have both.

At moonhigh, they find each other. Closer to the depths than to the stars. They play and make dreams. It's the only time and place where Lionpaw can be himself. He is in love.

In the end, Lionpaw gives up Heatherpaw as well.