A Secret Affection & A Deadly Secret & New Love

Lightningbolt glanced at the LightningClan leader, who was sunning herself on Overhang Rock with Stargaze and Leopardshadow. He felt his pelt burn with embarrassment; Tornadostar would never like him when she had other toms looking at her and sucking up to her. Her silver gaze rested on him for a moment and continue scanning the busy clearing. He signed and decided to take his apprentice out for a bit of battle training.
"Flickerpaw," he called. The pretty orange and white she-cat bounded over to him, boucing with excitement and her amber eyes shimmering with hope.
"Battle training?" she asked hopefully, keaning forward with her ears pricked. Lightningbolt nodded and purred in amusement. She was sure to become an excellent warrior when he was through with her. Her spunky attitude made training her battle techniques easy. He and her trotted to the entrance of the camp and almost collided with Tornadostar.
"I-I-I'm so s-sorry, Tornadostar!" he spluttered in embarrassment. You stupid mousebrain!!!! You screwed up your only chance!!!!! He was astonished when he heard her purr in amusement.
"It's fine, Lightningbolt! Stargaze and I were just taking Violetpaw out for some battle training, seeing Leopardshadow is still wounded from that fox," she explained. Her gaze traveled to the head warrior, who was moping by the medicine cat entrance. An idea formed in his mind.
"Hey! What a coincedence! I was taking Flickerpaw battle training, too!" Tornadostar looked at him expectantly as if saying I'm not the one asking! You are! "So.....you wanna battle train along with us?" he finished lamely.
"Sure!" exclaimed Tornadostar. Stargaze limped up just then, wincing in pain.
"Tornadostar, I have a bellyache. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can go!" She mewed miserably. Sympathy welled up in Lightningbolt; Stargaze was always there, for every cat in LightningClan. It was so unlike her to let a bellyache distract her from her Clan.....it must be a bad stomach ache.
"Violetpaw!!! Come on! We're battle training with Flickerpaw and Lightningbolt!" Tornadostar called to the pretty apprentice. She trotted up and they set off to the training hollow. Lightningbolt tried to keep his paw steps normal and tried not to flex his muscles too much, but he couldn't help it. He watched Tornadostar out of the corner of his eye, watching her pelt ripple powerfully in the sun. They reached the training hollow, the apprentices whispering ands casting looks at the leader and him.
"Okay.....what do you do if you sent cats in your territory?" asked Lightningbolt, fixing a bright amber gaze on his apprentice, hoping she'd get the message she had to answer this right.
"Tell Tornadostar, who I can tell you----" Lightningbolt slapped his tail into her mouth and gave a nervous mrrow of laughter. He could feel Tornadostar's silver gaze burning his pelt curiously.
"Correct! And today I'm going to show you how to rade off an intruder!" he mewed loudly. "Pretend I'm a LakeClan cat, sniffing on your side of the border. what are you going to do?" Lightningbolt teased his apprentice, pretending she couldn't take him on, while for the last few moons she had been ahead of the other apprentices in battle. The she-cat snarled menacingly and leaped. He thought fast and ducked, but she was ready. She whipped around, on her toes, and crashed down on top of him. Tornadostar watched with interest as his apprentice obliviated him. The play fight ended when Lightningbolt pretended to run away, whimpering.
"Excellent technique, Flickerpaw!" Tornadostar exclaimed. "Did Ligthningbolt teach you that tail yanking technique?" Flickerpaw nodded and Tornadostar through him a glance that seemed to say Good job!
The battle training lasted until sunhigh, the mock fights continuing until Violetpaw was almost as good as Flickerpaw. On the way back, he felt Tornadostar's gaze on him again, and it felt more then just admiration......but he figured he was imagining it and as he settled down that night, he couldn't help thinking his leader thought more of him then she had this morning....

~♥~

The camp was deserted again. Leopardshadow yowled for her Clan to show themselves, but not even a mouse stirred. This time a cat padded in, starry and transparent.

"It is coming! The time is near!" rasped the ancient cat. Leopardshadow knew this wasn't a StarClan, but who and where had it come from?

She woke with a start and looked around wildly. Her nest of moss was a mess and matted with blood. Her wound had reopened! Shinestream padded in and saw the bloody nest and fur.

"Leopardshadow! I told you not to sleep on your side!" she exclaimed angrily. She cleaned up the blood and had Changepaw change the bedding. Sadness reflected in her mis-colored eyes; Leopardshadow guessed she thought she was ugly, but she really was a beautiful white she-cat. Leopardshadow thought about her dream and fell asleep, but not before deciding she must keep this secret for now.....and that secret would turn deadly.

~♥~

Dazzleshine and Razorclaw were sharing tongues beneathe Overhang Rock when Dazzleshine decided to go hunting.

"Let's go hunting!" she purred. Razorclaw got up and purred, rubbing against her cheek.

"I'd love too!" he meowed, his green eyes pools of love. She looked away, astonished at the rush of emotion she felt from just looking at him....

"Okay! Let's go!" she mewed. They padded through the forest, pelts brushing. Before long they spotted a mouse and Dazzleshine dropped into a crouch and leaped gracefully on top of it, finishing it off with a swift delicate bite to the neck.

"Great catch!" Razorclaw meowed lovingly. He and Dazzleshine continued on the peaceful walk through the forest when Razorclaw stopped Dazzleshine with his tail and crept up on a squirrel nibbling on a nut. He pounced and killed it.

"Good catch," Dazzleshine mewed shyly, looking at her paws. They finished hunting together after distrubuting a squirrel, a sparrow, and a mouse to the fresh kill pile. As they set their prey down, razorclaw meowed something that startled Dazzleshine.

"I love you, Dazzleshine," he said with so much love and softness in his voice, Dazzleshine was stunned. Hoiw could this tom love her so much? She was just made a warrior!!!

"I love you too, Razorclaw," she blurted out and purred as she said it too fast.

"I know," Razorclaw said and they went to lay down together in the warriors' den.

(Dazzleshine, comment in the Warriors Den and Razorclaw, you too!)