I Can Say It, But You Won't Believe Me {closed}

Ferretshine had dug a sizable hole just underneath a twoleg den, pulling weeds to the entrance. She watched the drizzling rain softly patter the ground. Crickets chirped outside her "den." The rain was not enough for them to take cover. Ferretshine continued scratching her claws into the side of the hole, making room for her friend. She didn't want Mudfoot to freeze. She looked out at the rain, waiting for his brown silhouette to appear. She didn't want to be alone tonight.

So far, everyone seemed calm, but Mudfoot knew that everyone was having mini panick attacks on the inside. It hadn't been long at all since they's arrived in the twoleg place, and his wounds still hurt like crazy, but he'd manage. The tom had been helping the young build their makeshift dens, though he was constantly distracted thinking about Ferretshine. Recently she'd asked him to meet her by her nest and he gladdly obliged, hoping this was his chance to say what he wanted to. Finding where her "den" was, he could already smell the she-cat, even over the crowfood stench, which he'd gotten used to by now. "Hello," he meowed softly, limping towards Ferretshine, his should still soar from the battle.

Ferretshine nodded softly, not saying a word. She pulled back the weeds and let him inside, where the rain couldn't get in. She squeezed herself inside. There was barely enough room for them to stretch out, but she didn't care. She rested her head on her paws, silent tears dripping from her eyes. She didn't mind crying around Mudfoot. He had seen her almost die, he could handle a few tears. Her heart was ripping and tearing and it felt like it was being squeezed all at once. She wrenched her eyes shut. "I can't keep this up, Mudfoot!" she cried. "I've been trying- I try to keep a smile- I stay ha-appy, I..." She felt her tears sting her scar. Had that opened up during the battle? She didn't care.

Mudfoot laid down next to Ferretshine in the cramped space that they were now calling "dens". Honestly, her little area was nicer than some other places he'd seen, and although it was still a bit uncomfortable, he kept his mouth shut. At least we have a place to sleep, the tom thought to himself, shifting his weight so the position he laid in was more bearable. For a few moments, he listened to the rain, which also drowned out the soft sound of the she-cat's tears, and Mudfoot had no idea that she was crying until she spoke.

At first, he was confused by what she said, but then it hit him. All this time, even after the bloodthirsty battle, Ferretshine had been the ray of sunshine that helped keep some clan members from faltering in the ways of the light. She'd been by his side since her apprenticeship and till now, even when he almost died to the paws of a viscous cat, she thought to help him instead of saving herself. For that, it gave him an even better reason to love her, and Mudfoot would be forever grateful.

With a soft smile upon his muzzle, he nudged her cheek. "Don't cry, you've been doing great," he meowed. Mudfoot was a brave and courageous soul, but sometimes when it came to comforting, he wasn't the best. I still need to try my hardest, he reminded himself. Lifting his head, he looked out through the weeds, not staring at anything in particular. "If you have the power to make someone happy, do it. Right now, the world needs more cats who have the strength to be a ray of sunshine, even in the darkest of hours."

Ferretshine's ears flattened and she squeezed her eyes shut. She wanted to block out the world and go to a new one, where Thrushstar was a jovial, kind leader and Eaglefeather was alive and laughing with her kits and Webtail hadn't dragged her siblings into the dark. She longed for her family, she longed for happiness, she longed for a steady, happy life. She dug her claws into the ground. "I'll d-destroy them!" she mumbled, shaking with rage and hurt. "The Dark Forest... they've taken everything I had away from me! They killed my mom! They stole away my littermates, Lightningpaw... He said awful things to me." She shook her head. "What's the point? I've lost everything, Mudfoot. There's nobody left that loves me. I have no one. I don't even have a clan anymore." Ferretshine's eyes got wet again, and she buried her head into Mudfoot's scruff. She didn't want him to see her like this, all broken and beaten. She didn't want anyone to see her as anything but happy, or they might lose hope themselves.

Destroy them, who was them? Mudfoot wondered, listening to Ferretshine. So far what he’d heard showed him that Ferretshine was actually sad, alone, and afraid, although she tried her best to stay happy. He honestly couldn’t really relate, for his only family was really Magpiewing, and he was still alive. He couldn’t imagine what it was like to have littermates who said awful things, though he didn’t really know what sorts of things Lightningpaw had said to the she-cat. The tom’s head perked up when Ferretshine started talking about not having anyone who truly loved her, and part of him was sad that she couldn’t see that the cat who loved her was sitting right here. "You may not have a "clan" anymore, and neither do I, but I know of a cat who loves you, in fact, he is sitting right next to you," Mudfoot chuckled with a soft smile, looking down the distraught she-cat.

Ferretshine's whimpering stopped for a second and her shaking slowed. All that could be heard in the den was her steadied breathing. She physically could not process the situation. Maybe she just heard him wrong? "W-well, I know you love me, we're clanmates, you were my mentor, you..." She looked up at him. "You... you meant it the other way, didn't you?" Her green eyes got wide with shock and a smile began to crack on her face, but just barely. "Mudfoot, you love me?"

He gave a nod, rubbing his muzzle against her's. "Of course I do, I always have," Mudfoot meowed with a smile. "Ever since you were an apprentice, you've always been a ray of sunshine in my life, I don't know what'd I'd do without you," he added softly, a smile across his face. The words he said were true, and he hoped that she felt the same way about him too. Looking back out to the rain, he gave a sigh. If only times western so horrible right now, then maybe we could enjoy each other's company more.

Ferretshine blinked, flattening her ears. To think, after all this years... Mudfoot was her rock at the worst of times, and even at the best he stood with her. She tucked her head under his chin, purring quietly. "I love you, Mudfoot." It felt as though nothing was wrong in the world, and even in their cramped den in twolegplace, exiled and completely alone, she wasn't afraid or upset or angry. In that moment, she knew nothing but his heartbeat.


OOC:

Parallel?:

"I love you too," he replied softly, letting her rest her head on his fur and embracing the moment. Even though the world outside her den seemed to be falling apart, he didn't care. Nothing else mattered right now except the warmth and comfort of Ferretshine. He didn't care what would happen to them in the future, right now he only wanted to be with her. Someone to share his feelings and problems with, someone to listen too, a mate that he could love and care for. Happiness and excitement bubbled through the tom as he laid there, listening to the rain and Ferretshine's steady breathing. Everything was perfect.

Mhm: