[Fawn]

33 Moons. Tom. Narcoleptic.
~~~~~

Hazeheart always made sure he hunted after he saw her. The smell of fresh kill and crisp mountain air always helped clear away her scent from his fur—but it couldn’t do anything for the light in his eyes. For the past few moons, Hazeheart had begun spending more and more time out on his own, agreeing to meet Littlestep in the mountains where Clan borders could not keep them apart.

Though his tortoiseshell pelt gave him difficulty, the experience was worth it, and the meager, necessary skills he’d developed after a brief stint in the mountains still rang true after all this time. Besides… If Smokefur’s stores of goatweed didn’t last through leafbare, then he was going to be one more useless mouth to feed, constantly falling asleep and being nothing more than a trip-hazard.

Guilt prickled the young warrior like thorns in his pelt, but he buried the vole he caught behind a few mountain rocks, hoping no predators would steal it while he met the kind, compassionate TreeClan she-cat who had enchanted him for two moons straight.

”Littlestep?” He mewed, jaws parting to scent her arrival; her tabby pelt helped her blend in with the landscape to the point where he had trouble seeing her. NightClan cats were adept at hunting at night, not so well at locating brown cats on brown stone. It was nearing dawn; he knew Littlestep had to rise very early to meet him, and he always felt a twinge of apology if he caught her yawning. Dawn for a NightClan cat meant that his day’s chores were over.

And once he brought back his prey, he could go to bed with thoughts of Littlestep in his head and the reassurance that, though he was dangerously close to breaking the Code, he was still able to provide for his Clan.

For once in Hazeheart’s life, he was grateful Darkblaze and Brightmoon seemed so busy lately. For once his brother’s hovering had become a nuisance, a fallen log on the path to see Littlestep; Hazheart’s mottled face showed regret over these feelings, but he could no more help them than he could stop himself from caring about her.

He’s just trying to keep an eye on me. Hazeheart didn’t want to share this secret with anyone, not even his siblings (fearing what they might say), but he had to be rational about this. NightClan cat though he was, sneaking around and hiding from his friends, his family, was not how he wanted to live his life. When he returned, perhaps he would… tell Darkblaze he wanted to talk to him.

For now, Hazeheart concentrated on finding Littlestep, and settled into the shadow of a large boulder, pelt fluffed up against the cool air, his tortoiseshell pelt disguised from any immediate onlookers.

~~~

Word Count: 466 Words
Tags: Phoenix
Notes:

[Phoenix]

it just takes some time, little girl, you're in the middle of the ride

Daybreak brought with it a brief tranquility for the few moments after the night creatures returned home but before the earliest risers had begun to stir in their nests. Littlestep was always the first one awake, and she had mastered the art of slipping quietly out of the den, out of the camp, and into the forest without waking anyone. Any other season, as the days had grown shorter and the mornings colder, the comfort of her warm nest in the warm den would have held her captive until the sun had melted away the thin layer of frost on the ground – but not anymore. Now she woke without a second thought, the prospect of meeting Hazeheart warming her so thoroughly that she barely felt the cold.

They had taken to meeting in the mountains, where there were no borders between them, no one to tell them that what they were doing was wrong. Littlestep was not dumb. She knew that they were both dangerously close to breaking the Code, that they were toeing the line and were just a mouse-length away from crossing it. As someone who had always tried to live by the rules, she was not without her reservations and guilt, but to give up Hazeheart, the sweetest and kindest tom who had managed to enchant her so thoroughly, felt like giving up a part of herself. Through whispered conversations and warm looks, they had grown close these past few moons, and for the first time in her life, she thought that perhaps she had found him.

And like a seed, once that idea had been planted, it grew and flourished.

”Hazeheart!” Her heart fluttered as she finally found him, picking out his familiar tortoiseshell pelt against the rocky backdrop of the mountainside. On agile paws, she navigated the terrain, racing forward until she was there, and only right there, right in front of him, did she slow to a stop. Green eyes assessed him and found with relief that he looked well, with only the exhaustion that came after a long day of hunting lurking in the corners of his eyes. ”It’s been too long.” Moving forward, she pressed her nose to his fur, a warm purr rumbling from deep in her chest. ”How are you?”

---
For the feels

everything will be just fine everything will be alright

littlestep | treeclan | warrior | Fawn

the middle | background image

[Fawn]

33 Moons. Tom. Narcoleptic.
~~~~~

Hazeheart leaped to his paws, a warm purr surging through him as Littlestep pressed her nose against his fur. He returned the gesture affectionately, at once feeling lightheaded and firmly rooted to the ground, so powerful were the emotions cycling through him.
"I am well. Darkblaze is starting to ask what I've been up too lately... I told him I was hunting rabbits in the mountains," he mewed, chuckling sheepishly. "He probably thinks I'm frogbrained for trying, but that's better than..." Better than spoiling the wonderful thing they had.

As if he had saved up all his conversation for his meeting with her, the tortoiseshell tom spoke readily, free of the burden of borders when they were here in unclaimed territory together. "Anyway, how's everything in TreeClan? Leaf-fall preparations started yet?" He wanted to hear more of her life in TreeClan, of what went on after they said goodbye and went back to their separate homes.

More than anything, he wished he had the courage to leave NightClan and be with her in TreeClan. He wouldn't ask her to give up her home to be in his; she wouldn't be well recieved; he knew their Clans had a long history of animosity and old grudges, but at least TreeClan seemed as though they would... consider him if he pleaded his case hard enough.

~~~

Word Count: 202 Words
Tags: Phoenix
Notes:

[Phoenix]

it just takes some time, little girl, you're in the middle of the ride

If only time could stop or a moment could last forever, she would freeze this moment as she stood there, with his warm presence right there beside her and the feeling of him pressed up against her, of having him simply be there. Before she had met him, her nest had never seemed quite as empty as it did now. ”I’m glad you’re well,” She purred quietly, a small smile on her lips and a light in her eye. ”He just cares about you.” But as much as Littlestep would love to promise that Hazeheart’s brother would understand, she couldn’t. She had never met Darkblaze, and though he sounded like the best brother anyone could ask for – far better than her own, at least – she had no way of knowing how he would react to their secret meetings. And, if StarClan would keep smiling on them, they would never have to find out.

Better to have something and keep it a secret than to let everyone know and lose it. StarClan knew she would hang onto this, onto Hazeheart, with every bit of strength and determination she had.

”We’re good,” She answered agreeably. ”I’m good. There’ve been a lot more hunting patrols sent out recently, but I’m sure that’s the same with you guys as well. We’ve also started insulating the dens for Leaf-bare.” Just the other day, she had gotten some fresh moss for Silentsong and patched up some small holes that had been in the nursery so she could stay warm while sleeping there. Another purr rumbled out from her chest as she thought of her old friend and the excitement in her eyes as she lay in the empty den with Zephyrfang a constant presence by her side. They were going to have kits and start a family of their own, and as thrilled as she was for the happy couple, she could not ignore the jealousy that ate away at her heart.

With her green eyes alight with excitement, Littlestep leaned forward as though they were still kits sharing a harmless but no less important secret. ”We’ll have kits soon in the nursery, see?” She whispered, tail flicking. ”So it’s doubly important to make sure we have fresh kill on the pile.”

---
For the feels

everything will be just fine everything will be alright

littlestep | treeclan | warrior | Fawn

the middle | background image

[Fawn]

33 Moons. Tom. Narcoleptic.
~~~~~

"That's great news!" Hazeheart mewed, genuinely happy to hear it. "I'm glad that both of our Clans seem to be prospering. We have two kits in the nursery as well, Gloomkit and Newtkit." The way her green eyes sparkled, as warm as sunshine shining through summer leaves, had him trying to catch his breath, his own gaze softening with pleasure.

Picturing a nursery full of kits made his heart ache, for reasons he recognized immediately. Hazeheart had never been an ambitious fellow, wanting only to be even half as good a warrior as the rest of his Clanmates, but this... meeting her, feeling the way she pulled at his heartstrings, he suddenly wanted something so badly, he didn't know if he could put it into words.
Is this what love feels like?

It was wonderful. It was terrifying.

And he wasn't being honest with her. If he wanted her to keep smiling at him, if he wanted to maintain all of the honesty and goodness between them, then he was going to have to tell her the truth. With an embarrassed smile, Hazeheart shuffled on his paws, awkward as a turtle with it's shell on backwards.
"Can I tell you something, Littlestep? I, uh... have a condition. I've been born with it." Hazeheart gulped, heart hammering; the sudden spike in anxiety was already making him sleepy. "If I get overly excited, or frightened, then sometimes I'll fall asleep instantly." It sounded pretty comical, but it was incredibly inconvenient. Hazeheart's skin flushed red with embarrassment. "So you can imagine why my warrior ceremony took so long to get here. Things are better now though, Smokefur gives me this plant called goatweed, and it helps me stay awake even if things get a little exciting." It wasn't perfect, but it had improved his life so much.

With a light cough to clear his throat, the tortoiseshell tom glanced at her, afraid she would laugh at him or just stare at confusion. He knew he was an odd cat. He hadn't minded so much before now, but her opinion meant the world to him. "I, uh, know that has nothing to do with kits... I just wanted to be honest with you, that's all."

~~~

Word Count: 371 Words
Tags: Phoenix
Notes: <3

[Phoenix]

it just takes some time, little girl, you're in the middle of the ride

Her smile grew in warmth as he mentioned the new life in NightClan’s nursery, and her eyes shone with genuine happiness for their two clans. ”I guess we’ll both have to keep hunting as much as possible then,” She spoke playfully, ending her words with a quiet purr. When there were many mouths to feed and hunting was top priority for the clan, it was that much easier to sneak out under the guise of productivity to spend these stolen moments with Hazeheart. Of course, she always made sure to bring back enough prey to forestall any potentially awkward questions, for as long as she was feeding the clan, no one would ask anything.

And she really did want to keep seeing him as long as she could.

He was fun to be around, and he always managed to raise her spirits. Despite the longing that always lingered in the air after they parted (what she would give to have them be in the same clan, to have their friendship be accepted by everyone) she always left him with a small smile on her lips and a spring in her step. With Hazeheart, she could forget about her worries and simply relax and enjoy his company. Theirs was a friendship she treasured.

When he said that he wanted to tell her something, her heart stuttered with concern. He looked nervous, and that made her nervous. And then he spoke, words falling out over each other as he explained his condition. Clearly this knowledge and his understandable reluctance to share it had been eating at him for a while, and her heart went out to him. How low must his clan’s opinion of him be that he felt so ashamed of something he couldn’t help? If anything, it made his accomplishments that much more impressive. But he hadn’t told her because he wanted her pity, and she knew instinctively that the way in which she reacted to his words would define the rest of their relationship.

Littlestep looked at him, saw the insecurity in his eyes. ”Thank you for telling me,” She spoke quietly, green eyes searching for his own fleeting gaze. ”That takes a lot of courage.” There she paused again, considering her next words with care. But she needn’t have worried, for they rolled off the tip of her tongue as if they had been waiting her entire life to be spoken. ”But, you know, this doesn’t change anything. I still want to talk to you and spend time with you. I like seeing you, Hazeheart, and it would take more than this to change that.” You’re more than your condition. You’re kind and thoughtful and good, and I think I might love you.

---
For the feels

everything will be just fine everything will be alright

littlestep | treeclan | warrior | Fawn

the middle | background image

[Fawn]

Hazeheart

33 Moons. Warrior. NightClan.

”But, you know, this doesn’t change anything. I still want to talk to you and spend time with you. I like seeing you, Hazeheart, and it would take more than this to change that.”

I love you. By StarClan, it felt like the only response to give to someone who was able to overlook his condition so easily. He had never met a cat like her, and it tore at his heart to know that if it weren't for the blood ties between himself, Darkblaze and Brightmoon, there was a chance that his littermates wouldn't have been so accepting of him.

If he'd been born an only kit... Would Sunpulse be his only friend? Sunpulse and Smokefur, who was friends with all that needed them? He didn't want to be pitied, or whispered about, or seen as less than his Clanmates. And Littlestep didn't see him that way at all. His chest ached with the swell of emotions threatening to overpower him, and his voice was a hoarse, shaky reply, but he smiled with utter relief.
"You are the nicest cat I've ever met, Littlestep. I thank StarClan every day that you exist and we get to know each other." Hazeheart rubbed a paw over his eyes, a little embarrassed. "You don't pity me. Thank you, you don't know what that means..."

At that moment, if she'd asked him to walk back to TreeClan with her, he would've. It felt like a betrayal of his siblings, of the friends he had here - but he couldn't let her go! Lionstar would never let a NightClan cat with a condition join him; Hazeheart knew it in his bones that it would never be so.

Yet she made him feel so much... The rest of his days and nights felt like a dream, and only when they were together was he ever fully awake. He didn't want to let go of that feeling.

Don't Give Up. Great Things Take Time.

321 Words // Phoenix // Notes

[Phoenix]

Littlestep

His next words made her face feel as if her fur had caught on fire, but it was the way they made her heart burst into song that had her offering him a small smile. No one had ever said something like that to her, not in the way he had nor with a voice full of so much emotion. A quiet purr rumbled through her chest again – though, really, it was likely hardly noticeable at this point, since she had practically been nonstop purring since she had first set eyes on him today – and on an impulse, she moved forward and pressed her nose to his fur again. ”Oh Hazeheart,” She murmured, breathing in his familiar scent and enjoying the simple fact that he was there. Surely he must know that she thanked StarClan every day for the very same thing – for the fox that had chased her across the border, left a patchwork of scars across her, but most importantly, had led her straight to him. Beady black eyes and snapping jaws may still haunt her dreams on bad nights and her tabby pelt might be forever marred by the encounter, but she wouldn’t have it any other way if it meant that she had to give him up.

”I am the luckiest cat in the world because I got to meet you,” She purred quietly. ”I thought I was happy before the fox, but without it, I never would have met you – and now, I can’t imagine it any other way.” Although they had only known each other for a short while, their relationship of stolen moments and singing hearts was already something she cherished. If something happened and they could no longer see each other, she didn’t know what she would do, how she would combat the emptiness his absence would leave in her heart. It was bad enough that they couldn’t return to the same camp and sleep side by side in the same den; the thought of leaving him forever sent an icicle through her pleasant haze, so she warmed it with the fondness in her heart, letting it melt and slip away as if it had never been there in the first place.

They might be dangerously close to breaking the Code, but everything would be okay. It would all work out in the end.

---
Fawn

please don't be in love with someone else

enchanted | background image

[BlooRey DVD]

32 Moons Tom NightClan

The limp body of a mouse swung from his jaws, dangled by the tail as the ginger tom trotted his way through NightClan territory. His goal was to deliver this to his growing stash of prey, hiding it all together so he might recollect it before returning to camp. Relatively carefree, the NightClan warrior had been enjoying a day hunting by himself when movement caught his amber gaze. A familiar tortoiseshell pelt flickered through the undergrowth, causing his ears to prick with intrigue. A pawful of moons back, Sunpulse would have been surprised to see the tom heading off by himself.

In more recent moons... It was still odd and inexplicable to Sunpulse, but it was no longer surprising. Now, normally Sunpulse was not one to pry. He didn't want to stick his nose in places where it didn't belong... But it is said curiosity killed the cat. Without so much as a second thought (or a spare moment to deposit the mouse in his jaws), he followed Hazeheart albeit at a distance due to his hesitation. Tracking by scent proved to be much more difficult with fresh-kill dangling in front of his nose, and as NightClan territory gave way to mountainous terrain, Sunpulse was sure he'd been knocked off course.

That is, of course, until Hazeheart's voice broke through the stony silence. Silently cursing his ginger pelt, he ducked behind a set of rocks, his mind working to filter through cats with a name similar to that he'd heard his best friend utter. There was no one in NightClan with something remotely like that, and the more Sunpulse thought about it, the more his heart sunk. Of course this was something beyond NightClan. Why else would a cat travel so far from their border? And then he remembered the fox attack, and the TreeClan she-cat they'd saved.

Positioned awkwardly and swimming in his own thoughts, Sunpulse lost track of passing moments. ...And also lost feeling in his left hind leg. While trying to shift and relieve pressure on the numb limb, his grip slipped on the mouse's tail. One distracted paw swipe was all it took to send the mouse thudding across the stones, well clear of his hiding spot, where it rolled slightly before coming to a stop. Figuring his cover was blown judging by the startled whispers coming from nearby, Sunpulse rose and took a single step forward to reveal himself.

He didn't look up straight away, his gaze studying his paws as though they were the most fascinating thing to him right then. In reality, he was simply trying to sort through his conflicting emotions. The warrior in him screamed this wasn't right. But the friend in him... The friend in him turned a blind eye and studied the scenery rather than think Hazeheart was doing anything wrong. "My... Apologies, Hazeheart, if I... Gave you a start." He mewed distractedly, his gaze slowly dragging itself from where it had been pinned. There was no anger in his eyes, no accusation, no betrayal.

There was only confusion. Confusion and fear.
--
Word Count: 513 words
Tags: Phoenix Fawn
Notes: >.> Poor boy.

I got that sunshine in my pocket, I got that good soul in my feet
I feel that hot blood in my body when it drops

[Fawn]

Hazeheart

Age. Warrior. NightClan.

”I thought I was happy before the fox, but without it, I never would have met you – and now, I can’t imagine it any other way.”

Hazeheart drank in the warmth of her fur against his, and the sweetness of her scent - so unlike anything or anyone in NightClan - his heart shivering with joy. She's everything I didn't know I was missing.

"Littlestep," he breathed, smiling and purring so hard he didn't hear the approach of a NightClan tom close by. "I think I... I think I lov-" Hazeheart broke off abruptly at the sound of an object skidding across the rocks nearby, the fur along his spine lifting a little as he watched a fuzzy brown shape roll a bit before stopping. Is that a mouse?

Without thought, Hazeheart had stood in front of Littlestep, determined to be the tortoiseshell-furred wall between her and any potential threat. Before he could investigate the strange occurrence properly, however, Hazeheart stared, feeling a crescendo of horror as he recognized Sunpulse.

"S-Sunpulse!" He stammered, his heart pounding so hard he felt drowsy. No! Not right now! The confusion and fear in his best friend's eyes was reflected right back at Sunpulse, and Hazeheart took a few shaky steps forward, struggling to find something to say. It's not what it looks like, he wanted to yowl. We're just friends! But he knew that wasn't the truth.

With an apologetic glance at Littlestep, Hazeheart shuffled his paws, feeling exposed, as if all of his fur had fallen out and even the birds in the trees could see the words written on the inside of his heart. "I love her, Sunpulse," he whispered, looking beseechingly at the ginger tom, hoping to StarClan he would understand. "Say what you like, but... but I won't stop seeing her." Hazeheart, throat running dry, glanced back at Littlestep, feeling his heart ache. "If you still want to see me, that is."

The secret's out. StarClan, give me the strength to endure what comes next. He did not beg forgiveness, or pray that their ancestors would smile favorably upon two cats who were breaking the Code. Did this ever go well? No, thought Hazeheart miserably. But I don't know what I'd do if I had to give up our friendship.

Don't Give Up. Great Things Take Time.

378 Words // Phoenix BlooRey DVD // Notes