Nightsky & Blizzardwing: A Secret Love

## Part one- First Times

*How has this happened?* Nightsky lifted herself to her feet and walked towards Meeting Rock.

“Nightsky, will you be Runepaw’s mentor?” Emberstar’s gaze was challenging, as if she knew Nightsky’s secret.

“Yes, Emberstar.” Nightsky dipped her head to her leader, even as inside she was dying to yowl out, *She’s my daughter! I can’t mentor her!* As she bent her head to touch noses with Runepaw, she caught Blizzardwing watching them, a concerned expression on his face.

Runepaw, unaware of any tension, was bouncing on her feet. Her adopted parents, Sharptooth and Cloudheart, made their way over.

“We’re so happy for you!” Cloudheart purred, looking proudly at his daughter. “Nightsky is an amazing warrior.”

“You better not go easy on her.” Sharptooth’s gaze was hard as he turned to stare at his sister.

“Of course not.” Nightsky dipped her head. “Why don’t we go do a tour of the territory? If we go quickly, we should get back in time for you to make a nice nest in the apprentices den.”

They set off quickly, and Nightsky was proud to see that Runepaw could run at a good clip. At the fork, Nightsky led her apprentice towards the sound of the river.

“We won’t cross the river today,” Nightsky explained when her apprentice’s ears pricked. “There are larger paths throughout our territory that go through each section.”

The tall forest began to thin out, and the two cats finally reached the riverbank. Rocks stretched across it, forming a natural bridge.

“Across the stepping stones, you can see where the Riverswimmers normally hunt.” Nightsky pointed out the bushes and reeds that lined the other river bank with her tail. She began to follow a well worn trail downstream. A fork led them through the outskirts of the redwoods and into a large meadow.

“Why does this path wind so much?” complained Runepaw. Nightsky glanced over at her.

“No whining,” she ordered, then softened her tone. “It winds because of the tussocks. When we were trail breaking, we went around them.”

“I can’t believe you’ve been here almost as long as Emberstar and Cloudheart and Minnowtail and Feathersky and… What’s her name?”

“Sweetsplotch.” Nightsky answered. “I know there are a lot of us, but you really should know the Head of your Class.”

“I do normally know it!” Runepaw protested. “But still, what was it like exploring the territory?”

“I felt a lot like you.” Nightsky sighed.

*“Come on!” Blizzardwing purred. He raced along the riverbank,  slowing when he reached the where the meadow touched the river. “Emberstar said the territory ends here, and follows the edge of the meadow until we reach the river again.” He headed along the meadow, then cut in and bounded along the ridge of a small hill. Nightsky followed him*

*“Look!” She purred. “I can see the camp.” She gestured towards where the meadow, forests and marsh touched.  Tiny cats moved around, dragging brambles and branches around. She leaned into Blizzardwing, relishing the warmth as a cold breeze swept across the hill.*

*“Do you think the camp will be finished in time for leaf-bare?” she asked him. Blizzardwing twined his tail around hers.*

*“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” he murmured. Turning,  he bounded across the grass. His gray-blue pelt was almost invisible in the falling dusk, and Nightsky lost sight of him for a moment.*

*“Blizzardwing,” she whispered, not wanting to make a lot of noise. “Where are you?” Suddenly, he reappeared in front of her.*

*“I’ll never leave you,” he whispered. “Never.”*

“Come on.” Nightsky said suddenly. “We’re heading into the Shadowstalkers section- this is where we’ll do most of our training. The marshes and pine trees are very similar to Sweetsplotch’s original home, which is why she chose this as her Class’s part of the territory. You will have to know all of the territory, but this is the part you need to know the most.” Runepaw nodded, gazing in awe at the clumps of  pine trees.

“Why did she want marshes as well?” the apprentice asked.

“Because we hunt frogs and lizards.” Nightsky answered shortly, leading the way down a large path. Slowly, the marsh disappeared and an oak forest began to form.

“This is where the Treeclimbers hunt. They mostly do a lot of stalking, but they’ll also use trees to hunt. When we do border patrol you’ll go through the edge of it.” The two cats followed the trail for a while, then suddenly Runepaw let out a meow.

“I can smell the camp!” She raced ahead, then let out a surprised yowl. Sighing, Nightsky followed her. Runepaw was facing a patrol that was arguing in the entrance. Nightsky identified Sweetsplotch, Tawnysage and Emerpaw. They were arguing about where to hunt.

“We should go to the meadow border!” Tawnysage insisted. Sweetsplotch shook her head angrily.

“No! Too many cats have gone there this past moon. We should stick to the forest border, because there’ll be some woodland prey running over.”

Runepaw turned to Nightsky with a confused look. “Why don’t they just hunt in the oak forest or the redwoods?” At her words, Sweetsplotch sent Nightsky a disapproving glance.

“Why doesn’t she know that yet?” she hissed.

“Runepaw,” Nightsky skirted the patrol and led her apprentice into camp. “Each Class sticks to their own land unless told by the leader or invited by a warrior of that Class. Of course, you can train, do border patrol or fight on another section; that’s for the Clan, not for your Class. That is one of the first rules any apprentice learns.” She sat down by the ferns beside the apprentice’s den. “The sun is about to set, so why don’t you find some of the other apprentices and ask them to show you where the best moss is?” Runepaw bounced on her paws.

“I’ll get right on it. Who should I look for?” she asked, already searching the camp for another cat.

“Why not Firepaw or Leafpaw? They’re the oldest apprentices, so they should be free.” Nightsky raised her head and watched Runepaw get up. “Oh, and take a nap. We’re heading out at moonhigh for some night training.” Runepaw nodded, and took off. Nightsky could hear her talking to Leafpaw.

*“Where are we going to find other warriors?” Night asked Claw. Her brother was standing beside her, gazing at Ember and Lola working on the “warriors den”. Claw let out a faint growl.*

*“I’m not sure. Why did Ember and her friends even want us here, anyway? It’s too crowded.” Claw turned and walked out of camp. “Let’s just find that moss.” Night followed him along a small path, heading towards the river.*

*“But,” she ran to catch up with him, “there aren’t a lot of cats who would want to join a large group of cats.” Claw glanced over at her.*

*“What about queens with young litters? Or older cats? Grassfur and Goose will probably think about it, and if they do come, Bee and Prickle might join, if only to watch over them.” Night tipped her head, thinking about it.*

*“Maybe. But still-” she realized that Claw had bounded off to the riverbank and was slicing moss off of it. Night joined him, thinking. All of a sudden, from across the river, a yowl reached them.*

*Night lifted her head and spotted a small, grey-blue tom. He jumped across the river and stood a respectful distance. “My name is Blizzard,” he said. “And I want to join your Clan.”*

## Part two- Truth and Other Strange Realizations

Nightsky watched the moon rise above the treetops. She turned, and walked towards the apprentice’s den.

“Runepaw!” She called and began walking towards the entrance. A rattle behind her told her Runepaw was following.

“What did you mean by night training?” The black apprentice was almost invisible; the only part of her Nightsky could see was her purple eyes.

“As Shadowstalkers, we use darkness to our advantage. Night training is a vital part of any Shadowstalker’s training.” Nightsky ducked into a patch of shadows behind a tree, knowing Runepaw would lose sight of her.

“What do you want to do?” Runepaw asked, following her behind the tree. Nightsky’s pelt ruffled involuntarily, and she struggled to quickly flatten it.

“We’ll start with stalking in the dark. It’s much different from stalking in daylight because you can’t see as much. You have to keep your weight on your hind legs and feel forward with your front paws, all the while being quiet so you don’t scare the prey.” Nightsky crouched and closed her eyes, letting the forest scents wash over her.

“There’s a mouse under the bearberry bush, she whispered, then turned to Runepaw. “Show me your hunter’s crouch.” Runepaw obeyed, crouching down and tucking her hind paws underneath her.

“Bring your paws in,” Nightsky instructed. “Try not to lean.” She pushed one of Runepaw’s shoulders down, and inspected the young cat. “ Alright, now stalk towards the bush and when you think it’s right, pounce.”

Runepaw set off, and even though Nightsky was sure she’d fail, she was impressed by how quietly the apprentice moved. Runepaw stalked towards the bush, pausing now and then to scent to air. She stopped about two tail lengths away, then suddenly flew through the air.

Nightsky set off, and arrived beside Runepaw, sat down.

“Did you get it?” she asked.

“Sort of.” Runepaw held up the mouse tail hooked on one of her claws.

“What do you think you did wrong?” Nightsky looked at her apprentice.

“I pounced from too far away.” Runepaw answered confidently.

“Okay, there’s a frog by that puddle. Make sure you don’t go through water on the way.” Nightsky instructed, sitting to watch her progress. Runepaw crept through the trees and came out beside a network of streams and puddles. Using clumps of horsetail as cover, she stalked forward until Nightsky couldn’t see her because of the foliage. Suddenly, there was a loud rustle, a splash and a yowl. Nightsky raced forward and found Runepaw half submerged in the puddle.

“I got the frog,” she panted. Nightsky nodded.

“Good job.” She turned and began to head towards the main path. Behind her, she could hear Runepaw running to catch up.

“Where are we going now?” Her voice was muffled because of the frog.

“Back to camp.” Nightsky picked up the pace, hearing Runepaw scrabble to keep up. “You caught something- and we don’t want to disturb the hunting patrols.”

Runepaw’s voice was muffled as she mumbled, “Ok. Do I at least get to eat?” Nightsky glanced back at her then picked up the pace.

“No. A good warrior eats before a mission. You never know when, or if, it’s going to end.” Nightsky slowed as they reached the main entrance.

*“It’s been half a moon,” Blizzardwing whispered to Nightsky. “They won’t believe that we were gone that long, just on a scout mission.”*

*Nightsky brushed her tail comfortingly along his back. “At least we found some out-of-territory herb patches. Feathersky will be grateful for the groves we found.” Blizzardwing glanced at the bundle of barks and leaves between them.*

*“Are you sure that pine, birch and daisy are actually herbs?”  He glanced anxiously at the path.*

*“Of course-” Nightsky was interrupted by loud meows*

*“Blizzardwing! Nightsky! You’re back!” Emberstar hurried forward, and her patrol followed.*

*“It’s good to see you, Emberstar.” Nightsky greeted her leader. She nodded to Sandygrove, Minnowtail and Sharptooth.*

*“We were getting worried.” Minnowtail hurried forward and sniffed at Blizzardwing’s pelt. “You smell strange,” she commented.*

*“We went far.” Nightsky said before Blizzardwing could blurt something out. “Past a Twolegplace, but it’s far enough away and small enough that it won’t bother Feathersky.”*

*“Did someone say my name?” Feathersky emerged from the redwood path, then stopped and let out a delighted meow. “Nightsky! Blizzardwing! You’re back!” The group let out a collective purr as Feathersky ran over. “Did you find any herb patches?” She noticed the bundle at Nightsky’s feet, and without waiting for an answer, unrolled it.*

*“You found a birch grove,” she observed, pawing through the pile. “And lodgepoles, but we have lots of those in the Shadowstalker land. And daisy. That’s good, we don’t have a lot of it.” She nodded to the cats and, picking up the herbs, pushed her way into camp.*

*“What took you two so long? You didn’t settle down in a prey-rich grove, did you?” Sharptooth pushed past Minnowtail and Emberstar and looked the pair up and down.*

*Blizzardwing glanced nervously at Nightsky. “No, of course n-not.” his voice trembled, then strengthened. “We took a longer route back, looking for alternate herb patches. It took more time than we thought. The place where we found those isn’t that far, and the Twolegplace will probably have some herbs.” He glanced towards the entrance as if hoping to curl into a warm nest.*

*Emberstar purred and led her patrol towards the gorse tunnel. “Why don’t you two have some prey, then take a nap before the monthly meeting? I’m sure everyone will be excited to hear your story.” Nightsky and Blizzardwing meowed their thanks and headed into camp.*

After a moon or so, EmberClan began to wake to frost on the ground. Nightsky stretched and, looking around, realized she was the first one up. Most of the warriors were huddled together in the middle of the den. Sighing, she pushed her way out of the gorse and glanced around the clearing. The fresh-kill pile was almost empty. She picked her way across the clearing, nodding hello to Sandygrove, who was on guard.

“Runepaw,” she hissed, shaking the apprentices den. A moment later, Runepaw slipped out of the den, fully groomed and alert. Nightsky gave her a nod of approval and led the way out of camp.

“You know what you have to do.” Nightsky found a nice bush to crouch under. “I’ll be following you. You have to catch as much prey as you can, at least four pieces. Go.” Runepaw nodded and tasted the air, then stalked off towards a small clearing in the marshes. Nightsky followed her, being sure to keep out of site. She tasted the air, and noticed with satisfaction that Runepaw was tracing a faint scent of frog. Peering around a trunk, Nightsky watched Runepaw silently stalk towards a frog. She got as close as she could, then pounced and landed easily on the frog. She glanced around, and Nightsky quickly ducked back behind the tree.

She knew better than to use shadows to conceal herself, ever since she had realized that Runepaw could see almost through shadows. A faint squeal told Nightsky that Runepaw had caught something else, maybe a vole. Darting towards a bearberry bush, Nightsky squinted through the branches and watched Runepaw bury her frog and vole.

For the next tail-length of sun, Nightsky followed Runepaw around the pines, watching as she caught another frog, two mice and a sparrow. Finally, as Runepaw was about to bury her last mouse, Nightsky emerged from a patch of horsetails.

“Good job!” Nightsky congratulated her apprentice. “Let’s pick up your prey and head back to camp.” Runepaw purred happily, but stopped when Nightsky shot her a sharp glance. “Don’t purr yet, your mission isn’t over yet. You still have to find the prey and get it back to camp.”

“I won’t be able to carry it all,” Runepaw complained. Nightsky sighed.

“I’ll carry some.” She gestured for Runepaw to take the lead, and her apprentice bounded up the path. Following her, Nightsky sighed as she realized that Runepaw was very much like her. She had been difficult with her mother, but training with her brother, Sharptooth, had made her hard and fierce on the outside. Following Runepaw’s waving tail, Nightsky knew she had to teach Runepaw to be just like her.

“Here’s the last bit.” Runepaw gestured towards a pile of prey. Nightsky nodded, but paused before she picked it up.

“We’re doing battle training at sunhigh, so be ready.” Nightsky bounded towards camp, loaded with prey. She heard Runepaw race after her, and wondered just how far she was willing to go to make sure Runepaw survived.

## Part Three- Whatever Happens

*“We don’t have much time.” Nightsky whispered to her mate. Blizzardwing glanced at her in concern, then turned back to the forest.*

*Nervously pacing, he turned to face her for a moment. “What is it?” A twig snapped and he jumped. Nightsky cuffed him lightly over the ear and led him under a bush.*

*“I’m expecting.” She told him quietly, even though there was no one else who could hear her. Blizzardwing’s expression went from quiet concern for his mate to something bordering on panic.*

*“What are we going to do-”  his breath got fast and his eyes rolled a little. It wasn’t a question; Blizzardwing seemed to be too shocked to speak fully. Nightsky flashed him a searing glance.*

*“*We *aren’t going to do anything.” She dragged herself out from under the bush. “*I *will go off to explore territory for Emberstar, and* I *will pretend I found the litter all alone. That’s it. There is no* we *anymore.”*

*She stalked away but she heard Blizzardwing whisper, “Whatever happens, I’ll be here.”*

*She ignored him and as she emerged onto the main path, the skies opened and rain came pouring down on her. She looked up, searching for a sign that this was a blessing and not a curse. As she searched the sky, the sun broke through the clouds and a perfect rainbow arced across the sky.*

“Seakit, from this moment forward you will be known as Seapaw. Your mentor will be Sharpclaw, and we hope that you will follow in his pawsteps and become a great warrior. May StarClan light your path through apprenticeship.” She touched her nose to Seapaw’s head, and he nodded respectfully before turning and padding calmly to Sharptooth.

“Seapaw! Bristlepaw! Seapaw! Bristlepaw!” The Clan cheered for the new apprentices, and Runepaw, Leafpaw, Firepaw and Crystalpaw bounded over to congratulate the two young cats. Seapaw turned away and padded after Sharptooth, but Bristlepaw stayed, purring enthusiastically. Lightningwind pushed his way through the crowd.

“It’s good to see that you’re making friends.” Nightsky could barely hear his meow over the excited chatter of the apprentices. She weaved through the groups of cats, and called to the older apprentices.

“You three!  You need to clean out the elders den while I’m on patrol. I’ll be back by a mouse-length past sun-high, and it better be finished.” Runepaw, Leafpaw and Firepaw nodded dejectedly, but still chased each other towards the elder’s den.

Nightsky watched them for a moment, then turned and followed her patrol out of camp. Jackdawn and Petalrise were waiting for her, and they turned as she pushed passed the gorse tunnel.

“I was thinking we could head towards the far border.” Nightsky led the way down the path, her fellow shadowstalkers following her.

“That’s a good idea.” Petalrise commented, speeding up to trot beside Nightsky. She tilted her head and took a deep breath.

“No one’s hunted there for a while.” Jackdawn meowed his agreement from behind the two she-cats.

The hunt lasted until sunhigh, and Nightsky’s patrol came back loaded with prey. Runepaw was waiting by the half-empty pile, pawing dejectedly at a dusty mouse. The patrol dropped their prey and Runepaw padded over to Nightsky.

“Can we go hunting? This isn’t enough prey to last the Clan through the rest of the day, and tonight’s meal.” She sounded tired but determined. Nightsky tipped her head at her apprentice- no, her daughter.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said, letting a little kindness creep into her voice. “Go rest. The evening patrols will take care of it.” She nudged the young cat towards a shady patch of grass. Runepaw gave her a grateful look and curled up.

“Maybe just a minute,” she murmured quietly. Nightsky swept her tail over the apprentice’s shoulders and turned away.

*“You have to rest!” Blizzardwing raised his voice in an uncharacteristic show of anger. “Think about the kits!”*

*“Lower your voice.” Nightsky drew her tail over his mouth and pushed him behind a clump of bushes. “I’m fine,” she told him resolutely. “Once it begins to show I’ll make an excuse and go off for a moon until they’re born, then pretend I found them beyond the territory.”*

*“I still don’t get why we can’t keep them.” Blizzardwing mumbled as he sat down heavily. “We’d be great parents!”*

*“Haven’t you seen the way Sharptooth looks at Sweetsplotch and Sandygrove? He’ll treat me like nothing if he finds out about… about us.” She hesitated before going on. “And on top of that, he hates you. Just think how he’ll treat the kits. You can take them in, but he’ll still be unfair to them, and if I take them, he’ll never treat me the same, especially since no one will know who the father is.” She felt out of breath, even though she could normally go on for much longer.*

*“Fine,” Blizzardwing grumbled. “But I’ll always be there for them. No matter what. And no one, not even you, can stop me.”*

Nightsky stared up at the roof of the den. She was annoyingly aware of Blizzardwing, only a few nests away. Grumble softly, she turned over and tucked her head under her paw.

Still, she couldn’t sleep.

After several failed attempts to get comfortable, she pushed herself to her feet and wove through the nests, slipping out the entrance and into the shocking cold. The moon was a thick crescent above her head, and Starpelt was luminous with fallen spirits. Still, shadows gathered at the base of the wall.

She settled in the darkness, her pelt melding seamlessly with the gloom of the walls, and gaze up at the sky.

“StarClan, how did you let this happen?” she groaned to the sky. “Everything was supposed to be perfect, and now…”

She gazed upwards, not expecting an answer, and for a long time she stayed like that. Eventually she became aware of someone beside her. She looked over, and saw Feathersky, her gray pelt glowing in the faint light spilling over the horizon.

“How long have you been out here?” the medicine cat murmured as she sat beside her.

“Most of the night,” Nightsky admitted. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“Why not?” Feathersky glanced over, then tipped her head upwards.

Nightsky followed her gaze. “Stuff I thought was over has… made a reappearance.”

Feathersky didn’t push it. “Perhaps StarClan will guide you,” she suggested.

Nightsky didn’t answer, staring at the stars until they blurred together. Feathersky brushed her tail over Nightsky’s shoulder, and pointed it upwards. Following the path, she watched the sky. Suddenly, a shooting star flashed across the sky.

“What does it mean?” Nightsky whispered.

“It’s a sign from StarClan, just for you.” Feathersky answered, her eyes going misty. “It’ll work out. She’ll understand.” For a moment, they sat there, watching the sky grow lighter. Then Feathersky rose and dipped her head to Nightsky.

“Get some sleep,” she said. “Medicine cat’s orders.”

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Short Story by: Leafdust. Contact for concerns, comments, questions, etc.

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