Vanilla Twilight

It was so close to the full moon, the stars gleaming in the distance. Crickets humming their tune as the birds fell asleep; rabbits heading to their warren; frogs and lizards zooming through the marshes; and fish swimming across the glistening rivers.

Lavenderheart had rushed out of WindClan camp in the middle of the night, sneaking towards ShadowClan's territory of SkyClan. Heading to the heart of SkyClan territory, the gentle breezes seemed to whisper to her not to go over there. Though, she didn't listen. Blinking whenever she ran into large leaves, it didn't slow her down. The rustling wind blew harshly and coldly through the forest's trees, echoing a silence of darkness and light. Looking around, the blue and white she-cat tried to desperately find the camp she grew up in.

Sensing a struggle somewhere, the WindClan warrior quickly ran towards it, ears pricked. Digging through the leaves, she quickly found someone she thought was long gone. The long pelted, fluffy fur of a tiny pale gray tabby, the bushy tail and white left forepaw. It couldn't be! How had Drizzlekit survived? The she-cat was the same age as her, but still had the stature of a kit. No way had she survived. Then, Lavenderheart looked again, to only see that she was hallucinating.

Breaking down, she couldn't believe she fell for such a trick. Making a nest out of moss quickly, she settled herself there, after quickly finding Drizzlekit's body, untouched and unharmed, surprisingly. Laying beside it, Lavenderheart felt the stars seem to touch her and the night turn a light blue. Her eyes turning a bright violet, she felt Drizzlekit's warm breath tell her that she wasn't alone, someone near her was around and would never leave her alone.

Looking up to the stars, the she-cat wondered if her mother was up there or far off. "Mother, Larchcloud, Drizzlekit, Kestrelflight, Flamestar, everyone... I want to tell you that I'm now a warrior of WindClan - I made it through and have been accepted fully. Well sort of... One tom, he seems to get into trouble all the time, told me himself that he wouldn't find anywhere to trust me in his heart because of where I'm from. It seems most cats seem to have forgotten that I'm from SkyClan though, they're fine with who I am. I also found love... What do you during such a time? The one tom I love was the one who rescued me after you all left. Although he has a twisted foot, he's kind and gentle and very caring. He always seems to consider others' feelings, even if he's endangering himself... Is it right for me to fall in love so easily...?" Lavenderheart mewed softly, though it echoed throughout the forest, carried by the tunes of the wind.

Twistedfoot couched down in his spot from the shadows of the WindClan camp, listening to the steady hums of the wind in the peaceful night. He had fallen asleep because he had found himself unable...as if something was telling him to stay awake. He had been enjoying the silence of the night until he caught movement, causing him to sit up in surprise. Somebody was leaving the camp! And with a quick taste of the air, he jumped down from his spot on a rock and hurried from the den. Where was Lavanderheart going?

He trekked after the newly named warrior in silence, careful not to make any movement that would give away his presence. He was a bit surprised, and worried on why Lavanderheart was leaving the camp so late. She wasn't leaving WindClan...was she? His heart quicken as that thought crossed his mind. No, she couldn't be leaving, she cared to much for the Clan...for him to do so...right?

However, when he saw where they were going it did nothing to rest his mind. Why was she going back to what was SkyClan's territory so late at night? Most of all...Why was she heading toward ShadowClan's side of it? As soon as he reached the border, he froze. He couldn't cross it...it would be against the code! However, as he quickly started to lose sight of Lavanderheart he took a deep breath and raced in after her. Oh StarClan forgive me for this.

He let out a growl as he attempted to make his way though the overgrowth that was ShadowClan's new territory; his twisted paw catching on everything and anything that it could. After stumbling for the tenth time, he looked up for his heart to quicken. He had lost sight of Lavanderheart. He opened his mouth to call for her, but quickly fought it down. He wasn't even in his own territory anymore. Calling for Lavanderheart would only make things worst. Swallowing, he tasted the air and caught the sweet scent of Lavanderheart and started to follow it, not caring about the roots that were attempting to trip him anymore.

Finally, his ears perked when he heard a gentle voice. It was Lavanderheart's! He picked up the pace as he hurried to find her. Finally, he reached the overgrowth clearing that once was SkyClan's camp. His heart sunk when he saw how overgrown it had become as he attempted to picture it once being full of life. He stood at the entrance, turning his gaze to Lavanderheart. He frowned sightly as he took a few steps forward, listening to what she was saying. Of course, he had reached her at the end of it but he had heard enough.

His heart fluttered in his chest as he found himself speechless. She loved him? He had always hoped it was true; as he had fallen in love with her but he always figured it was just one-sided...After all, who could love a cat with a twisted foot such as himself? He paused as he glanced at his foot, before looking at Lavanderheart with a warm gaze. He took a step forward, out of the shadows as he smiled softly. "I think it is right."

Hearing Twistedfoot, Lavenderheart nearly jumped back in surprise. Growing hot with embarrassment, it was easily visible to see that she was blushing heavily. "Uhmm... Just forget I ever said anything!" the she-cat mewed, though her eyes showed that she was lying about that statement. Peering back at the corner of her eye, she saw Drizzlekit's spirit appear and nod before disappearing.

The harsh winds from before have died down into soft gentle breezes that seemed to sing in compassion as the leaves danced in the moonlight. All of nature seemed to join in at that one moment. "To have someone you love is a wonderful thing... It fills you with such warm feelings... I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Twistedfoot," Lavenderheart whispered softly, though her voice was carried by the winds, lightly echoing the forest.

Turning her gaze towards him, there was a faint star lighting on her forehead that disappeared in a heartbeat. "If only I could put how I'm feeling into words, I would feel much better. Why can't I just find the right words?" the blue and white WindClan warrior muttered, before she started padding around the territory.

Lavenderheart then felt the nice breeze, pausing and the stars above seemed to lean down and gently touch the ground. As the day started to get a bit darker, fireflies lit up the night. Closing her eyes, the she-cat let out a small sigh and took a leap to a large rock. She remembered when she had watched other ceremonies. Shaking her head, she looked back to Twistedfoot, as if she expected him to say something.

OOC: A little lazy and because I'm a bit busy. >w<

Twistedfoot let out a small laugh when Lavanderheart told him to forget everything, watching her with sparkling eyes. How could he forget those words? They were ones he had been wanting to hear for so long, even before Lavanderheart got her warrior name.

The soft smile that he wore on his face showed his joy as he watched her move around, so gracefully in the moonlight. He knew he would never be able to move like that...but just watching her made his heart leap. He limped after her, interest and questions fluttering in his chest. It seemed so odd, somebody so graceful being in love with somebody so...Ungraceful.

As she finally came to a stop, so did he. He paused as he glanced around the camp, staring at the fireflies that fluttered around them like little stars. When he turned back to face Lavanderheart and saw her staring at him, his pelt grew warm as he quickly started to shift from paw to paw, trying to find out what to say.

Part of him wanted to beg her to come back with him to the WindClan camp because they weren't allowed to be here...However, he shot it down quickly. He had never seen her so happy before and he didn't want it to end. "Sometimes...Sometimes words can't explain everything. They have limits on what they can tell us, and...and how we feel doesn't have limits...Like m-my love for you."

Odd. That is how he felt; never once thinking he would say those words. At least never to the love of his life...Never to Lavanderheart. However, as he walked to the bottom of the rock she was on, his eyes shone in the moonlight that flooded the camp. No...it didn't feel odd. It felt great, finally saying those words he had thought for so long. "Words have limits, almost everything has limits in this world...but not love. Love has to be the one thing that doesn't have limits. Words just can't explain what love is, can it?"

Sighing, Lavenderheart nodded, "Perhaps words have limits, and love doesn't. However, how do you know how to express how you feel to the one you care about most?" Looking back down from the rock, the she-cat looked around to see the faint outlines of the dens. Leaping down from Skyrock, the WindClan warrior headed towards one of the dens, passing through the vines that covered the entrance. The den was still hollow... This was the nursery, no doubt about it. The little claw scratches of kits were there. Feeling something soft under her paws, she saw that there was still a nest here - a feather one. Looking at it, she wondered why it was there. A few of the fireflies were inside, but it wasn't as much as what was outside. "Love is such an interesting thing..."

OOC: Slowly running out of things to say, so this is only one paragraph. Sorry! >~<;

Twistedfoot followed after Lavanderheart, his gaze flickering around the camp. It felt strange being in SkyClan's camp, even if it was overrun now but what was worrying him the most was that they were in ShadowClan's territory. However, as he looked back at Lavanderheart all the worry in his chest seemed to disappear. He was with her, so what was he going to be worried about? Twistedfoot paused as he looked at the den that his Clanmate had wandered into, and with the small markings he could faintly make out he realized that it was the nursery. He was a bit surprised to see that most of the dens were still together, figuring that something would have taken them apart somehow. His ears flickered as he leaned against Lavanderheart, letting out a small purr. "Isn't it?" After all, here I am standing in ShadowClan's territory pretty much without a worry in the world just because you are with me.

Nodding, Lavenderheart looked back at Twistedfoot, her gaze not meeting his, though she mewed sadly, "You don't... Want to be here, do you? It's enemy territory after all, I thought that I'd make it here to see the camp by myself without being caught... I know that you love me and all, but you're going to tell Raccoonstar what I did wrong, aren't you?" Her eyes had darkened, giving a blank expression. She should have figured that some cat would've caught her if she snuck out to be back at her former home so soon after her ceremony. It was a bit ridiculous that she thought she would have gone, uncaught. Sighing, the she-cat wondered if any ShadowClan warrior was near by, considering the fact that they hung around during night. Alarm suddenly shooting through her, the thought lingered on her mind, though the dens would hide any scent of her and Twistedfoot... Hopefully. The undergrowth wasn't simple to scent through, especially if you're a ShadowClan cat.

Silence came from Twistedfoot as he rolled that thought around his mind. It would of been right for him to do so, and it is what his father would want...He bit his lips, trying to weight which he thought was more important. "I-I'm not sure." He smiled weakly at Lavanderheart, trying to think of why he had just said that. "It may be enemy territory, but I am here also. If I wanted to tell on you, than I shouldn't have crossed that border. I should of just headed back to camp. I am as guilty as you are...But besides, so what if we get in trouble? At least we would be in trouble together."

"I guess you're right... We should get back home soon, I just remembered that ShadowClan is probably still up, though, I was hoping to spend the night in the nursery... It's up to you about what you want to do," Lavenderheart sighed, her eyes filled with longing to just stay at her former home a bit longer. Dawn was coming soon, and she was going to sneak back into camp with some prey, just so it doesn't seem like she was doing something wrong. It shouldn't be too hard to get rid of the slight ShadowClan and SkyClan scents that lingered about. The fireflies continued to twinkle like stars, until they finally faded away, blending with the light mist shrouding the camp.

Twistedfoot made his way next to Lavanderheart, smiling gently as he placed his nose on her shoulder. "I doubt there is going to be any ShadowClan cats wandering near the camp, so I am going to stay with you." With that, he laid down on the nursery floor, glancing around. Even being covered in undergrowth, the place had a safe, cozy feeling that one expected from a nursery. He looked at Lavanderheart, as if questioning if she was going to join him. "How about we leave as soon as the sun starts to rise. We should be able to make it back to camp before anybody wakes up if we do."

Nodding slowly, Lavenderheart's eyes shined when she heard that he was fine with staying here with her. "Are you really fine with that? I didn't think...you would be so willing to stay here with me..." the blue she-cat said, her tail waving gently before weaving into his. The comforts of the nursery made her feel as if she was back with Drizzlekit, Larchcloud, and Silentstar - when everything was so nice and peaceful. Did the tom really care for her that much that he was willing to break the warrior code for her?

A soft smile appeared on Twistedfoot's face as he looked at her. "Of course I'll stay with you, Lavanderheart. I knew what I was getting into the moment I crossed that border to see where you are going, and if this place makes you happy...Well, I am fine with staying here just for tonight. After all, this was once your home." The fact he knew he was breaking the Warrior Code willing, bugged the tom deeply but the fact that he had never seen Lavanderheart so happy as she was being in the ruins of the SkyClan camp, he almost didn't want to go back to the camp. He knew that this could very well be Lavanderheart's last time seeing the her old camp and he wanted to make it a good memory for her.

"Thank you... So much for everything Twistedfoot - I really mean it. You'd make a great father," Lavenderheart mewed softly, happy for her to be in her former home one last time to have it be the most important and influential part of her life that she wouldn't regret. It was wonderful to feel the next cool breeze and the moon's glistening shine as the stars above twinkled like fireflies at night. Everything seemed perfect overall. Leaning on the tom's shoulder, the blue she-cat wondered what her kits would be like when she had them. "Twistedfoot... If we had kits, what would you like to name them?" she asked out of the blue, as if she was curious as to what his answer would be. Was she being a bit too straightforward?

Twistedfoot quickly turned red and the whole 'You'd make a great father' thing. "I-I-I," he stuttered, blinking in surprise. However, as Lavanderheart talked about if they had kits, he paused, attempting to push his shock down. "N-Naming? Oh, I am not sure. I mean, I am sure they would be the most beautiful kits as they would be yours, but...Hm..." His mind raced. Naming was always on appearances, and that was the tricky part. What would their kits look like? "I guess if they were a nice blue-ish grey like you...Maybe Cloudkit? If they were white and grey like me thought...Hm...Badgerkit? I really have no idea." He shrugged at the last part, before looking at Lavanderheart with a small smile. "How about you? What would you name them?"

"Sorry... I shouldn't have brought that up... However, I had a cat in my roots who had black fur. I'm hoping to get one and name them Ravenkit, to help me remember my family and former home," Lavenderheart replied, flicking her ears. Feeling the tom grow hot with embarrassment, she let out a soft purr. Looking up at the sky, the blue she-cat sighed. It was getting closer to dawn, perhaps they should get ready to leave.