Secret to my Heart [Moonlily]

Crimsonflame was a little bothered since the last gathering.

Well, more than a little bothered. His sister was being tormented in her Clan, all the while he was stuck here, watching across the border. And now Moonlily knew about Thistlemask. She was his precious secret, being the last piece of his past that he held dear, and now Moonlily knew about her. Would she think now that he had split loyalties? Cats already distrusted him because of his heritage, and although Moonlily didn't seem like one of those cats, he also didn't know her. She was a wild card.

And he hated not knowing.

Inhaling, Crimsonflame padded over to her.

"Moonlily? I was hoping we could talk. Walk with me?"

Moonlily had kept herself out in the territory. Entering camp became a greater and greater struggle, all the progress that she had made seemingly faltered as her apprentice was harder to find during the days she were to train him. The fluffy molly found herself in a gentle curl, her paws tucked under her as she enjoyed the serenity of the season.

It had begun to chill, with leaf-fall just on the horizon. She was excited, if anything. It meant that she wouldn't be overburdened by the thickness of her pelt. A surprised prrt~? chimed from her as Crimsonflame approached her, a tiny bit of agitation seemed to surround him. She could only wonder why.

While she hadn't often spoke to Crimsonflame, he was a familiar face. It was why she had gravitated towards him at the gathering, and there was a silent curiosity as to who exactly he had been talking to. It had faltered, not exactly on her mind every day, as in the end, it didn't matter. To her, he was a loyal warrior, after all. "Of course, Crimsonflame. Is everything alright~?" As she rose to her paws, it was yet again a reminder as to just how of a large molly she was. Even as she tried to make herself look a bit smaller, it was of no use. Either way, Crimsonflame was a clanmate, and she wouldn't do anything to intentionally intimidate him.

"I wanted to talk about what you saw at the gathering..."

He walked beside Moonlily, taking a moment to think about what exactly he would say. "The cat you saw me talking to, the one you guessed was my sister, Thistlemask, she means a lot to me. And I was hoping that you could maybe keep her a secret? I don't usually like cats knowing about her. She's not like me. I'm willing to embrace the faults that come with my past, I don't care if the world knows I am the son of Dawnhawk, because I know I am not him. But she doesn't want to be a part of that life. She put all that behind her, became a new cat, and I want to protect her from getting dragged into all that again. To do that, cats can't know who her father is. They can't know we are kin. I will always be loyal to SkyClan, that doesn't change. But I also can't stop caring about her. So do you think we can keep this between us?"

He still remembered the fear in her eyes that any cat had found out where she came from. That helpless feeling he had. Surely he could try to protect her in any way he could, right? It wasn't like it was putting SkyClan in danger. Surely Moonlily wouldn't blame him for loving his own littermate?

Moonlily's ear flicked as Crimsonflame mentioned just what had been on his mind. She didn't really think much of it, but she kept her gaze tilted towards the tom to show her full attention. There was a slight look of surprise that came on her face at the admission. Crimsonflame had a sister... in Thunderclan? The more he spoke, the more she fully understood where he was coming from. In a way, she thought it was something her brother Nightbird would do for her if she ever entertained the temporary fantasies of leaving Skyclan. Her rather fluffy tail rippled as she took all the information in. Ultimately, it wasn't something that she was bothered by. "Of course, Crimsonflame. I had a feeling you two were just friends, nothing more, but I fully understand wanting to look out for your sister." She began. "I also know how loyal you are to Skyclan. I cannot promise you that knowing this information will make me sympathetic towards Thistlemask, but I promise, I'm not about to go blabbering to every Skyclan member that you have a sister in Thunderclan. She has her own life in Thunderclan, and I know you have yours here." Her tone was kind, gentle.

In her head, it holestly felt a little bit like that he was making a big deal out of nothing more than a few scraps. But, she could understand. She had a hard time even stepping paw into camp because of one small incident, so she was intimately aware of what it was like to have something that gnawed at your very soul. "If anyone ever asks me, Thistlemask is just simply another Thunderclan molly, one you just chat with time to time at gatherings. And, if you wouldn't mind, I might pop by sometimes too. It gets lonely, not really knowing where to go." She gave a bit of a hopeful smile. She didn't want to become privy to all of their secrets - that was obviously between them. She just simply wanted some friends to hang around. "It's not like I exactly remember what all goes on that the gatherings... heh. I tune out half the time. So... consider me an overly-fluffy bodyguard?"