The Thunderpath of Love (Closed)

Kestrelstorm had slept badly last night when he returned to camp. He even had decided to sleep in the warrior's den instead of his nest next to Sablestar's. For some reason he felt like it would be wrong, and he didn't really feel like explaining where he had been so late. When he woke up, he was slightly grumpy from exhaustion. The warrior slugged along the morning patrol, and groggily ate while keeping Falconkit entertained with his tail. Finally, finally it was sunhigh and he sent Falconkit to play with a group of the others by the nursery.

Slipping out of camp was easy enough. He was known for liking to hunt and walk alone, so leaving without a partner wasn't out of the usual for Kestrelstorm. Once he actually left camp, the situation was so real. He really was going to meet Tigerpaw. The tall tom began to walk faster as he worried. Would they get caught? Would she even show up?

His anxiety induced quickened pace had brought him to the edge of the Thunderpath earlier than sunhigh. Monsters were running by and flicking dirt and filthy onto his carefully groomed pelt. Laying back his ears' he explored.

Pushing his way through the bushes, he found a large tunnel. Overhead he could hear the Monsters, but it was dull and unworrysome. The floor was a rough, hard surface but there was plenty of room to walk around. The stentch of the path ahead clouded in the tunnel, but then again it would be useful for them to hide in. Kestrelstorm decided that this is where they should meet from now on.

Tigerpaw had feigned sleep all day. Compared to the hours of waiting and pretending to be asleep like her denmates, slipping back into camp was a breeze. When the shadows cast by the sun indicated that it was almost sunhigh, she graceful tiptoed around and over the other apprentices and went straight through the camp wall. She was far too eager to see Kestrelstorm to worry about the little scrapes from the thorns. Even the unnatural harshness of the sun wasn't going to get in her way, though she had to squint to keep the light out of her eyes. As soon as Tigerpaw was free she found herself racing through the marshy territory right back to where they were not too long before.

Tgierpaw's head whipped around when she reached the meeting place. He wasn't there, but it was already a little past sunhigh. The stench of the Thunderpath covered any scent that might have been lingering. She was suddenly very downcast at the thought that Kestrelstorm might have just played her, had her show up to a meeting that he wouldn't even attend. But Tigerpaw was detrmined not to give up just yet, and called out, "Kestrelstorm?" She hoped that, if he were here, he could hear her over the roaring monsters.

She was here! Really here! His heart raced when he heard his name faintly over the roar of the Thunderpath and the blockage of distance. With trembling paws, he invhed his way through the grass on the ShadowClan side. When he poked his head out, he could see her a few tail lengths away. "Tigerpaw! Over here!" he hissed just loud enough to be heard through the Monster's roar. Tigerpaw was just as pretty as she was yesterday, though her fur looked a little roughed up. However, Kestrelstorm did not mind one bit. In fact, it made her even more... surreal to him.

She could have sworn she jumped right out of her pelt when she heard his voice. After the initial shock and then embarrassment wore off, Tigerpaw was overcome with joy that he was really there. But of course he was, why wouldn't he have come? He was near some strange hole that she'd never seen before, and racing over to Kestrelstorm she found it to be some sort of tunnel that was uncomfortably close to the Thunderpath. "I'm so glad you came!" She meowed, unable to contain a purr and feeling a strong desire to rub against him. "What is this? Is it safe, or some kind of twoleg trap?" Tigerpaw of wary of twoleg objects and constructions. They always brought death and hardship with them, even if it was by accident. She wanted Kestrelstorm to be safe above everything else.

"I don't think so," Kestrelstorm replied, his pelt growing hot from her excitement towards him. After a few moments of silence, Kestrelstorm motioned for Tigerpaw to follow him. "There's a hole on both sides of the path, and it's nice and large and it seems safe." he babbled, settling down near the hole of WindClan. His long legs folded down and he settled down in the loaf-cat position. He usually didn't do this, but it felt nice. His intense orange eyes began to examine Tigerpaw closely. She really was so pretty...

Tigerpaw followed closely behind him, trusting him completely. If he'd wanted to kill her or do her harm, he wouldn't have let her live the night before. Besides, the very thought of him attacking her was unheard of; she was taken with him entirely. Tigerpaw just wanted to curl up next to him and just be there with Kestrelstorm, but she settled for laying down in from of him and stretching her hind legs out to the side comfortably. "Yeah, I like it here. I don't think my clan knows anything about, or I'd have been told it was here." She set her chin on her front paws and looked up at the WindClan warrior with bright green eyes and an animated smile. "So Kestrelstorm, what's new in WindClan?" She wasn't asking for clan secrets or anything, she was genuinely curious about what went on in the moorland clan. Their way of life was very strange to her.

Should Kestrelstorm tell her about Sablestar and his kits? This weighed on his mind as he decided on what to tell Tigerpaw about WindClan. He decided that starting with his apprentices would be a good start. "Well, my first apprentice Foxpaw should be getting his name soon. And my new apprentice, Palepaw is doing good too. It's a little much to have the two at once, but I'm surviving." he said with a purr. And then he paused. He really should tell her about his kits. "Andmykitsaredoingreallygood." The young warrior said rapidly, flattening his ears in hopes she wouldn't question him further. He loved his son (he felt no attachment to his daughter) but it was still new for him to say.

Oh. Oh. Well that reveal of information was quite a shock for Tigerpaw, though her face was blank as she processed it. If a cat had kits, it meant that he also had a mate, whom he likely loved. After all, who would have kits with someone they didn't love? "...I see. I'm glad to know your apprentices are getting on well." She said after an awkward pause. "And kits, even. They must be proud to have such a wonderful father." She meowed politely, her eyes wandering around their surroundings. Tigerpaw couldn't stop the disappointment from bubbling in her chest, but she had done her best to keep it out of her voice. She was even tempted to ask about the she-cat he'd had his kits with, but she didn't want to be too nosy or risk hurting herself.

Kestrelstorm could feel the hurt radiating off the young she-cat. "I don't love her." he said suddenly, surprising even himself. "And I never loved her. It felt like it was expected of me. I was Falconstar's last creation, and she was his last deputy. I... I needed to for Falconstar." he had never told anyone this. Not Foxpaw, not Ashwing, and certainly never Sablestar. He paused, unsure of what to say. His orange eyes begged her to understand, to forgive him. Why did he care so much though? But he knew the answer. Kestrelstorm was truly falling for Tigerpaw. Even with this little time together, it felt like it was meant to happen. Like a match made in StarClan.

She didn't understand why he needed to have kits for Falconstar, but she did understand that it was Sablestar that he was speaking about. Which was actually pretty intimidating, because Sablestar was a leader and Tigerpaw was just a held back apprentice. But Kestrelstorm said he didn't love her... And if he meant it, then it didn't matter to her that he had kits. Tigerpaw didn't know what to say, but he obviously cared what she thought. "I believe you. And... I don't want to sound like an awful person, Kestrelstorm, but I'm kind of glad to hear it." Was that a weird thing to say? Hopefully he wasn't appalled by this.

Kestrelstorm lowered his head in shame, shifting so his body was splayed to the side. "I'm glad I said it... I... I don't want the fact I have kits with Sablestar to make... to um... change anything between... what's happening." Oh what an awkward mess he was! Why couldn't he talk to her like he talked with every other cat? Usually the tom was cool, calm, and charming. But with Tigerpaw it was different. He, he felt something for the first time in his life. Something like this, that is. He shifted his paw closer to Tigerpaw, keeping his eyes downcasted. It was silent, and he could hear the thud of the Monster's paws above him.

Between what's happening, he had said, but what exactly was happening? It seemed the pair of them were both lost as to what was really going on between them. She was silent, too, and through the confusion she just sat there and enjoyed being near him. It was one comfort in these strange times. Everything had been so happy before she foolishly asked what was new with him. To remedy to tension, Tigerpaw changed the subject. "Well, in ShadowClan, everything is better than it used to be. The restrictions are strange but they have brought order where there was none. My brother has become a warrior. My sister and I are still waiting for our ceremonies, but they're expected any day now. My father is Leopardfang--you've probably figured that one out already--and he's taken over my training because my mentor went missing. Other than that, it's been pretty calm."

"Things did look oretty chaotic over there. One murderer after the other." He shook his head, inching closer without making it too obvious. Her pelt... it looked so soft and it was gleaming in the half light. "Who is your brother and why haven't you gotten your name yet?" Asked Kestrelstorm, genuinly curious. He had teased her the day previous, yes, but if her brother already got it, shouldn't she have had too? Usually siblings had their cerimonies at the same time in WindClan. He was genuinly curious about ShadowClan's way of life; they seemed so strange and different. Kestrelstorm laid his tri-colored face on his front paws, his eyes looking up at Tigerpaw's.

She was still a little bitter about the subject, but there was no sense in not telling him the truth. "My brother is Webtail. Viperpaw and I are both mentored by Leopardfang and he is busy all the time. He's the deputy, after all, and he has to make sure that Thrushstar is okay and that the clan is running smoothly. Sometimes there's no time for us. And besides, I'm obviously not living up to his expectations." Tigerpaw added with a huff. She hadn't noticed him getting any closer, but if she had she wouldn't have minded. She cast a glance at Kestrelstorm. He just seemed so genuine with her. And he was honest about everything. She didn't know of any toms like that in ShadowClan... Or if there were, none of them were handsome enough to notice. Not like Kestrelstorm, who was... well, he was off-limits. But she didn't really care right now. She had no limits, not with the way she felt right now. Was that what it was? No, it couldn't be...

"I could help you!" Kestrelstorm exclaimed suddenly, but stopped short as his pwlt grew hot. He toned down the excitement and nodded cooly. "We could scuffle and I could give you tips on how to improve. Then you won't need Leopardfang." he said with a nod, and then a purr. "With yesterday's incident, StarClan knows you need it!" he teased, his eyes glittering with humor. He purred and flicked his tail tip. He much rather train Tigerpaw than Palepaw for some reason. Palepaw was a good apprentice and all but well... they weren't Tigerpaw. "Before you know it, you'll be able to beat anybody in the clan and nobody would know how you improved so much." The young warrior encouraged, completely enthused with the idea. He could hear the rumors and gossip at the Gatherings already! Tigerpaw's really a force to recon with! They'd say, and Kestrelstorm would glance a sly look to overwhere Tigerpaw was sitting.