Sweetpaw's short fur fluffed up as much as it could it the freezing night of mid leaf-bare. She stood underneath the leafless, towering trees of Fourtrees, shivering in the snow as she waited for Scorchpaw.
The ShadowClan apprentice had agreed to meet her here the night after the Gathering. She hoped he wasn't running late or that he couldn't make it at all. Or maybe he forgot. ...Maybe he didn't want to come after all. Maybe he doesn't like her as much as she thought he does. Maybe he hates her! Maybe he was just trying to humor her! Maybe-
The powerful scent of ShadowClan sudden hit her nose, and she recognized the cat immediately. Relief flooded through her shivering body, warming her temporarily.
"Scorchpaw, you made it!"The handsome dark tabby padded into the clearing from the other side of Fourtrees, his bright orange eyes gleaming with happiness.
"I told you I would. Great StarClan, it's cold!" His bushed out fur made him look like a black hedgehog.
Sweetpaw purred with amusement.
"Well, it is leaf-bare." Her dark amber gaze softened to affection as she met Scorchpaw in the center of the clearing, fondly butting her head into his shoulder.
"I missed you.""We saw each other last night, though," Scorchpaw purred, licking the RiverClan she-cat's ear once.
"I know, but it felt like forever."The two apprentices rested next to each other, snuggled up in the snow to keep each other warm. Sweetpaw purred steadily as Scorchpaw groomed along her ears and head, and the two intertwined tails.
"You... You know this is wrong, right?" Sweetpaw suddenly mewed softly, her eyes darkening with sadness as she looked at Scorchpaw.
The young tom pushed his muzzle into hers.
"The warrior code was made to be broken. We're not doing either Clan any harm. Besides... if this is what it feels like to be wrong, I never want to be right."Sweetpaw felt happiness and warmth flow throughout her body. So her fears and doubts were wrong; Scorchpaw
did want to be with her. And she wanted to be with him. Even if they were in separate Clans, she knew her love for him would never falter, and nothing would ever truly keep them apart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sweetpaw didn't remember falling asleep, but all of a sudden she opened her eyes to the first rays of dawn beginning to shimmer through the bare icy branches of the forest. She was curled up tightly next to Scorchpaw, his breathing slow as he slept. She took a few moments to breathe in his warm, familiar scent. Then she nuzzled his head with her muzzle.
"Just a little longer, Crowfur..." the ShadowClan apprentice mumbled tiredly, nuzzling his nose into Sweetpaw's chest.
Sweetpaw purred with amusement and flicked her tongue inside his ear, tickling him awake.
Scorchpaw yelped and shook his head, his ear flicking multiple times.
"Whassat?!..."It's almost dawn, Scorchpaw," Sweetpaw meowed gently, tilting her head up to the sky that gradually grew brighter and brighter.
"We have to head back to our Clans now."Scorchpaw sighed sadly, his gaze shifting downward. He nuzzled under Sweetpaw's chin.
"I don't want to leave you.""I don't want to, either, but we need to be back before we're missed. Don't worry, we can see each other again. How about... the night after the next Gathering?""I can't wait an entire moon to see you again!" Scorchpaw's mew was almost a desperate wail.
"What will I do without seeing you for that long?""I don't want to wait that long, either, but we can't let any cat get suspicious," the RiverClan she-cat pointed out gently. She licked the ShadowClan tom's cheek.
"But I promise we'll see each other again. Perhaps we both will earn our warrior names by then.""Well, maybe you will..." Scorchpaw sighed.
"No one in my Clan likes me...""You should start trying to be nicer and kinder then," Sweetpaw suggested.
"Show ShadowClan your kind and compassionate side, just like the one you show me.""Well, I can try," Scorchpaw huffed.
"I can't stand a certain apprentice, she's always getting in my business whenever I interact with the kits.""Try to ignore her, then. There's an apprentice tom in my own Clan who gets under my fur sometimes, but I try to ignore him. I know you can, too." Sweetpaw sighed as she rose to her paws.
"Well, we have to get going now. We'll see each other again soon, I promise.""Okay. Goodbye, Sweetpaw." Scorchpaw rose to his paws as well and nuzzled under Sweetpaw's chin with a brief purr. With one last slow blink of affection to her, he turned and bounded out of the clearing back towards ShadowClan territory.
Sweetpaw purred softly, which died down when the dark apprentice disappeared into the trees.
"Goodbye, Scorchpaw. I love you." Her mew was quiet, almost inaudible. After drinking in the last of the ShadowClan apprentice's lingering scent, she began heading back to RiverClan territory.
