2She found herself thinking of him. A hesitant thought that grew bolder with every pass. It wasn't like she meant to. It simply happened.
It all started with checking the medicine stores and absently thinking 'I should head over to the WindClan border and restock'. Thoughts of WindClan led to thoughts of WindClan cats. Then thoughts of him.
It wasn't long before all it took was the glimpse of a feather or rustle of the wind. By that time, Leafpool knew she was in trouble. However, denial came easy when she focused on her work. So, that was what she did.
She sorted and listened and learned until her head ached. She moved and fetched and cleaned until her limbs burned. Every night she was exhausted. Yet, this strenuous schedule seemed to work. To help.
Sure, she tended to feel a little dead on her feet, but that never hindered her. It just meant that no errant thoughts found their way to the forefront of her mind. That she was safe from anything that could be deemed 'inappropriate'.
It was a relief to not jump guiltily whenever someone rounded a corner or called her name. It was relaxing knowing that even if they could read her thoughts, nothing unsettling would be found. For a time, it was peaceful.
But then, that night came and everything changed. Her life had flashed before her eyes as he had relived the worst moment of his entire life. Terror had licked at the tips of her ears down to the end of her tail. Leafpool didn't want to die. She wasn't ready for Starclan.
And he hadn't wanted to lose her, but he had. He'd seen his dearest star flicker and die just moments after she had burned brightest. Seeing this Thunderclan she-cat (who was so different yet so similar to her) only a few moments from death... It shook him to his core. Crowfeather couldn't lose another. Not this time. Not even if he hated himself for loving them both. He just couldn't lose her.
So, to the surprise of both cats, he saved her.
In that moment, she was everything to him. Probably because, after Feathertail, there had been nothing. Nothing, and now her.
"I must be the last cat you would want to save." It was impossible to hide the pained glimmer in her eyes that mirrored his own.
How could she think that? Did she not feel the electricity that coated the air between them? The fire that scorched his fur every time she glanced his way?
"Is that what you think?" Crowfeather murmured. "Don't you know how I feel about you? And how much I hate myself for feeling that way for another cat so soon after Feathertail's death? I loved her, I really did! How can I love you too?"
The she-cat's eyes widened in shock and something akin to hope. "Me? But-"
"You walk in my dreams, Leafpool." He confessed. It was embarrassing. It was close to mortifying, actually. She was from another clan and, not to mention, a medicine cat.
What if she rejected him?
Once, that thought might have weakened his resolve, but not now. Not when he'd been so close to losing her. Not when he had a chance to keep her.
Crowfeather heard her whispered denials, but her emotions were wide open for all to see. She loved him too. And that scared her.
To be honest, it scared him too.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Warrior Cats series!
X This is a scene from The New Prophecy: Starlight in Chapter 22. I didn't change the dialogue, just added a ton of romanticism.