Burninglight [Closed]

Well, tonight was the night. Burningsun had been so incredibly nervous since the last Gathering. Seeing Cardinalpaw and Salmonburn together had kind of sealed the deal. Well, sealed it even further than what it was in her mind. She knew she loved Lightfang, and tonight, she was going to seal the deal. This time, she was a lot more sure of the answer that she was going to receive.

As she sat on top of the Halfstone, in the same spot where Sandblaze had hurt her, she knew that tonight just had to be different. Of course, her mind had wandered to that night where she was sure she would never love again. It had hurt, because Sandblaze was everything she knew. From the first night where he snuck out with her to the creek, to every training session, up until the day of his rejection. But in reality, Sandblaze's purpose in her life was to open her up and get her ready for this moment.

Lightfang. He had been in her life just as much as Sandblaze but she was blind to this. As she waited for the pale figure of the tom to appear, she quietly recollected the memories of him. The tree, urging him to climb. Training sessions, too. Confronting him when he returned with then Maplepaw. Him allowing her to move her nest closer when Sandblaze broke her heart. The trial. Thinking back, she couldn't be sure he had always loved her, but she was sure he did by that night. It was difficult- on one hand the memories of that day still haunted her. Blood in her mouth, paws, face, claws, everywhere. But on the other paw, the realization that she loved Lightfang. Oh, how she loved Lightfang.

The ginger warrior's heart ached - in the good way - as the minutes seem to draw on forever before moon high, when he would be joining her. In the days since the Trial, she had hardly left his side. The strength Lightfang has been showing her made her proud. It was no secret Lightfang preferred to let her lead, but when Burningsun was weak he had been taking her spot and providing her with the power she had lost that day. They slept, pelts brushing. She yearned to be closer, perhaps even share the same nest? It was reasonable. It could happen. It would happen.

Most importantly, tonight would determine Burningsun's next steps. If Lightfang rejected her tonight, the plan would start immediately. That night. However, if he accepted, she would post-pone the plan. Let them sync up as mates before bringing it up to him. All she wanted to do was keep Lightfang safe, and she would. She'd die doing it. But if Lightfang rejected her tonight, she would have to put herself first. Spottedleap was deputy, so she would never be safe for the forseeable future.

Please Lightfang. You're the only one I have.

Though Lightfang had until moonhigh to reach the Halfstone, he left camp some time before in the hopes of clearing his head. Why Burningsun wanted to meet him under such specific circumstances, he couldn’t have had less of an idea. She’d seemed on-edge lately… Of course, she had been since the trial, and especially since Spottedleap had been made deputy, but the Gathering had changed something else in her demeanor. There were too many possibilities, and once his mind got started on unraveling them, there was no use trying to quiet it.

His first assumption was that it related to SkyClan. His second, that it related to Cardinalpaw; Burningsun had been present for their reunion, and Lightfang hadn’t made any attempt to hide his relief at seeing his sister alive and safe under ShadowClan’s protection. A third, fleeting thought suggested the meeting might be about him. Then, fourth: what if he’d finally given himself away? He was too at ease around Burningsun, more than he’d ever been. His sudden eagerness to find sparrows at every hunt couldn’t have gone unnoticed. Their nests had been moving closer together for moons. The signs were all there. With how much time Burningsun had spent around him recently, it was inevitable that someone would find out. Someone other than his brothers and Firflower, anyway; he had a hunch at least one of them knew.

What Burningsun needed was someone to rely on, and whatever her reasons were, she’d chosen him. He wouldn’t jeopardize that trust for something so selfish. Knowing he needed to get his wayward heart under control was the first step; now it was time to put that knowledge into practice, for her sake and his own. Lightfang let out a sigh, audible only to whatever prey was out at this hour, and turned toward the Halfstone.

In what seemed like no time at all, he was there. Pale beams of moonlight shone through the thin trees, illuminating the shape atop the neatly halved boulder in such a way that the lightest patches of her fur seemed to glow. Burningsun. Momentarily disarmed, he blinked up at her; then he forced his eyes down to the rock. Lightfang still couldn’t climb half as well as a SkyClanner should (in truth, he hadn’t gone far past where he’d stopped during that day with Burningpaw), but the Halfstone was solid and broader than any branch, making its heights far less daunting. He sank down, then pounced. Once he’d found his balance on top of the Halfstone, he padded to sit beside Burningsun. By now, it was second nature to match her rather than trail behind. Another thing that had changed.

Against his better judgment, his heart rose. Lightfang made sure it had settled back into place before he spoke, serious as ever, turning to face her: ”You said you wanted to see me.” If his eyes were a little brighter, well, they usually were around her. The slight, occasional twitches of his tail as it rested across his forepaws gave away his nerves. "What do you need?"

Lightfang. There he was, suddenly standing below the rock in the moonlight. His pale, swirled pelt glimmered and she purred softly, holding back anything more as he joined her on the rock. Her breath caught in her chest as he came closer. This time, it felt different. Special. Just because this night was special. The moon was still swollen from the Gathering, only slightly faded, so she could see him clearly. And him her. As he finally spoke, her paws began to kneed the rock. "I need you." she wanted to scream out, but decided to go for a more tactful approach.

"Do you remember that day when I helped you climb the tree? Since then, we have been best friends." she paused, letting out a soft breath before continuing. "I thought I loved Sandblaze then, all the way up until he rejected me here on this rock. But, you still stayed by me." Another soft pause. "You stood by me in the Trial, and you've been here for me stronger than ever. I know it's been hard for you. And I thank you. But, that night by the creek, I realized something." Her multicolored gaze looked to the moon, recalliing that horrible and good night.

Burningsun continued. "When I went to my moonstone, I met the mother of Swallowpaw. Echoflame. She told me then 'They should shine like a bright light in the darkness, and be your never dying hope.' I always thought it was Sandblaze, but then I didn't know. But, it dawned on me that night, and after that. In my darkness, you were there. Shining and strong." Finally, she looked down and looked at him. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she seriously wanted to flee and run away. The fear of his rejection started to rise and she wanted to take back everything she had just said. "And, it was you Lightfang. Always you. It was you who I really loved all this time, and I love you now. I want to love you forever. L-Lightfang. Will you... be my mate?" Her voice cracked in uncharacteristic nervousness and she continued to shuffle and kneed her paws, turning to stare down at the rock as she awaited his response. It hurt, waiting this long, even though it had only been a few seconds.

Being the quiet sort had its advantages, unlikely as it seemed; Lightfang was familiar with the art of listening, and Burningsun held his attention better than anyone. As she began to speak, he didn’t look away. Of course he remembered that day. They’d been aware of each other before in the way all cats of one Clan were; then Burningsun had become the first to know about his fear of heights, and, to his surprise, the first to help him with it. He remembered, too, seeing how she’d looked at Sandblaze back then, thinking nothing of it, realizing what it meant only in the aftermath when Burningsun’s nest and Lightfang’s had just begun to drift together.

Then the second trial. The creek. Watching blood melt into the water. For everything that had broken that day, it seemed as if their bond was strengthened tenfold. Lightfang had done his best to carry both of them—and by Burningsun’s account, he had succeeded. At that, some of the nervousness in his chest loosened its grip; he nodded in acknowledgment, his relief there and gone in an instant. The ginger tabby beside him turned her two-toned eyes skyward. Sensing she had more to say, Lightfang remained silent. At first, he didn’t understand what Burningsun was saying. It was only natural she would assume it was Sandblaze the StarClanner, Echoflame, had been talking about. He, Swallowflight, and even Cardinalpaw shone brightly, each in their own way. Had he gotten the same message, Lightfang would have jumped to the same conclusion.

Burningsun’s gaze settled on his, oddly fearful. In a voice too clear to be misunderstood, she said, ”And it was you, Lightfang. Always you.”

The part of him that clung to doubt insisted he ask, are you sure? Burningsun’s brilliant glow wasn’t as unshakeable as he’d thought it in his youth. Uncertainty was a stranger to some and a nestmate to others, but every cat knew of it, and she was no exception. Yet there was no pity in her tone. No regret. Only nervousness and the honest warmth she so often held when she spoke to him. He had approached the Halfstone accepting that he would be forced to own up to his feelings or stifle them forever; now he was hearing them first from the mouth of the cat who had never in his wildest dreams loved him back.

Lightfang’s heart, firmly lodged in his throat, utterly failed to stop the words from forcing their way fast and trembling into the night air. ”I love you, too.” He’d had thoughts like that before, had shoved them down guiltily every time because they weren’t his to say, and now…he had nothing to fear. Early leaf-fall’s chill, the feeling of sitting on something that wasn’t quite ground; all of it had been forgotten. ”I love you,” he said again, fully conscious of it this time. It came out somewhat steadier, warmer, now that the shock had faded. Squeezing his eyes shut, the pale tabby pressed his nose against Burningsun’s shoulder. ”There’s no cat I’d rather stand beside. I’d—I’d be honored to be your mate.” His voice rumbled with the barest hints of a purr. Moons of things left unspoken hovered on the tip of his tongue—but Burningsun had said forever, and in this, as in all things, he trusted her. They had time.