All You Need To Know [closed]

Ferretnose shoved past the brambles, eyes trained on the inside of camp. The moonhigh battle was long over by the time ThunderClan padded back to camp, and she had not yet received herbs for the gash in her ear nor the long cut across her right cheek. There were deaths, of course. None of the deceased were from ThunderClan, but their opponents got it into their head that it was Beartooth's fault. So that was his fate? To deal with a murder accusation all over again? Ferretnose was not privy to the exact details of what had happened in her friend's youth, but she felt like it wasn't hers to know. She knew enough: it happened, it was a misunderstanding, and Oakstar trusted him. That was all that mattered to her. She was not so dense that she couldn't see through a cat's faults to the true content of their character... and by the Dark Forest itself, Ferretnose loved him, and not a single vile creature would change her mind. She burst through the bushes, peering around camp and finding Harefoot's brown coat. She silently added him to the list of cats she loved, thanking the stars for those lovely sage eyes. Her heart rose to a glorious thumping as she ran right past Beartooth.

She meowed triumphantly and launched herself at Harefoot, slamming her head into his flank and practically crawling over him. "Can you believe," she purred, ferociously licking the tom's cheek, "That they attacked us... and had the nerve... to do this to my face?" She paused in her tirade to laugh in spite of herself, pointing out the sticky blood that clung to her white and brown fur just under her right eye. It stung, but it was nothing compared to the slit in her ear from the ShadowClan deputy's claws. "Harefoot, I told ShadowClan's deputy to run home to his mother! I pummeled the poor sucker! And we won, and... Gah! Beartooth, come here! Tell him what we did together!" she shouted, waving over the other tom as she scrambled back down off of Harefoot.

Harefoot paced in camp as the night wore on, worry plastered on his face and taking root deep in his belly. Shouldn't they be back by now? Hadn't it been long enough to have a peaceful conversation? What if they were lost, or hurt, or dead? Oh, Stars, what if Oakstar died? What if Ferretnose died?! Or Beartooth?!? 'Oh, StarClan, oh, oh, no, please, let them come back soon, StarClan, please, please, don't let them be dead! Who'll lead the clan? What will I do without them? What if-' The sounds of life beyond camp caught his attention, big ears flicking to catch the returning patrol's footsteps. A big smile split open his mouth, but the wafting scent of blood smothered it right away. So there was a fight. Concern flooded him, but before he could take even a single step towards the entrance, Ferretnose had pushed through it and found him in a heartbeat.

Meeting the ground was unexpected but not unwelcome, and he giggled rather childishly as she covered him in purrs and licks. His expression switched erratically between pride, awe, and tender concern as she described her injuries and the verbal lashing she gave the enemy deputy and the fact that they'd won in the end. Harefoot grinned as he sat up on his elbows, tail flicking with excitement and chest flooding with relief that nothing catastrophic had happened. He met Beartooth's gaze, and feeling just as relieved as when he first saw the she-cat, Harefoot purred a mighty purr and stood to his paws. "I knew something had happened! Oh, I prayed so hard for you! I bet that lousy ShadowClan won't try anything again, huh?" He laughed, rubbing his face against Ferretnose's undamaged cheek. He moved to give Beartooth a respectfully restrained lick on the shoulder, still purring loudly and probably waking sleeping apprentices with their loud celebration.

Beartooth held his tongue the entire way back to camp. This was deeper than his usual stoic silence. The events of the battle had taken him back to when he was a much younger cat, and he stood before Thunderclan with the accusation of his own brother's death. He had fought of a youthful inability to process the mourning of his adoptive littermate and stood judgement for the very same thing. That itself had been one of the many things to tear apart his simple mind. It was just like that all over again, except, thankfully, he had no clue who the cat was that had fallen on the battlefield. The guilt the writhed in him seemed to take the form of Pricklebush's voice. He, himself, had not bred self-hated. It was his now late adopted kin that had budded such a feeling in the bulky tabby and let it fester and rot for all these moons. Who it was had nothing to do with the torment of his mind. All of what troubled him were those monstrous claws and the opinions of a dead cat.

He was thankful for Ferretnose's presence. Her warmth at his side kept him padding back to the camp. While it was solemn, at least the tom was moving. The second they shouldered their way into camp, however, she broke away from his side to greet Harefoot with a purr. Beartooth hadn't noticed when the pair of them became so close but supposed it wasn't too shocking since they had all shared a nest now for quite some time. Even in his strange state of being post battle, there was a brief twitch of a fanged smile as he watched the pair interact. Harefoot had been his best friend for as long as he could remember. And his bond with Ferretnose had grown swiftly over the recent moons. He had decided he liked her. And her returned affections suited him well. In the wake of his fractured relationship with Ridgelight, the tom hadn't thought much about seeking such a relationship. But it appeared that love had found him once more.

His ears heated up at the thought, and he glanced between the pair before heading over. For as little as he thought, it was strange to conjure up such a sentiment at a time like this. After a moment, he heard Ferretnose talking. The stroke of Harefoot's tongue on his shoulder brought him back. He simply nodded along with the she-cat, allowing himself to say something, even if it was slightly strained, "She fought well." Although the other tom had been restrained in his actions, the tabby sought out the companionship and pressed his coat up against the other warrior's as he settled down. Ferretnose would likely retell the events, in an enthusiastic and excited manner. That personality reminded him of Ridgelight in some ways. But the dark-nature of the other she-cat could not even begin to this other tabby. He shook his head to abolish thoughts of Houndheart's mother. No, he simply had to relish in the moment. Regardless of what had occurred and what torrent raged in his head, Ferretnose and Houndheart were here.

Ferretnose giggled at Beartooth's blunt and oddly heartfelt comment. She admired how he didn't have to speak to express how he was feeling. She could see right through all his small talk. Unfortunately, it came with the price of knowing his pain. That ShadowClanner's words had deeply wounded him. There would be trouble stirring within him for a while over such an accusation. Slowly, cautiously, she wrapped her short-furred tail around his, a graveness in her eyes.

"There were causalities," she explained to Harefoot, "On both sides. Two SkyClan she-cats and one ShadowClan tom. Well, the poor cat's brother was absolutely convinced that it was Beartooth's fault. But everybody saw him walk away! We were at war... what else were we supposed to do?" Ferretnose solemnly nuzzled the top of her head under the taller tom's chin. She did not speak, but instead shared a few looks with Harefoot. "Pretty unfair if you ask me. Don't you think, dear?" Whoops. Ferretnose locked her jaw tightly. Well, that sure was a new one for her.

Harefoot laughed, taken by how Beartooth could be so dull after the glorious battle that Ferretnose had painted for him. At least the she-cat had enough energy for the two of them. Someone around here had to be lively enough to get them through leafbare. Harefoot and Ferretnose perched comfortably on either side of the bulky deputy. He grew serious at the news of casualties, and though it was improper, he was secretly indifferent because they had not been from ThunderClan. The news only became worse when the she-cat revealed that ShadowClan was trying to pin the death on Beartooth.

"How ridiculous!" Harefoot interjected rather loudly, suddenly on fire in the name of his friend's probable innocence. "The nerve! They should just stop fighting so much and go home. Then they wouldn't have to worry about such things. Beartooth shouldn't be everyone's first choice of blame." He huffed before realizing he had become loud.

A strange energy prickled at Harefoot's paws and blossomed in his chest. They were here, alive: the two cats he cared for the most. Like those three cats, they could have just as easily not been here. Emboldened by Ferretnose's sudden and unexpected term of endearment, Beartooth's close, unrestricted contact, and perhaps the pure adrenaline caused by the fear of their safety, Harefoot blurted out something he immediately regretted:

"Ugh, I just love you!"

There was no recovering. He'd been looking Ferretnose in the face when he'd yowled it, a look of shock covering his face after it had slipped out. Loudly. He couldn't pretend he said something else. In a panic, and unsure how Beartooth would react to his sudden profession of love for Ferretnose, Harefoot pulled away from the bigger tom and stuttered to him in a wild yowl as well. "A-and you! Both of you, I love... I love both of you!" His cheeks and ears burned, his green eyes were open wide, his tail lashed stressfully behind him. Oh, StarClan, he'd just pushed away his friends and said weird things and they'd leave him alone forever because he was such a weirdo! Harefoot buried his face in his paws. This wasn't how it was supposed to go - actually, this wasn't supposed to happen at all. Oh, he was just a dimwit with a wild heart he couldn't tame.

As she nuzzled underneath his chin, the bulky warrior felt the worries melt away. Both cats praised him, pushing away the accusations of murder that were etched into his mind. To dismiss it felt so strange and wrong. But he was appreciative of their efforts. In his usual manner, the bulky tom opted to say nothing. His teeth dug into his lower jaw for only a mere moment before a low sigh escaped the sides of his maw. Beartooth sought to allow himself one simple moment of happiness. Such cheerfulness right after a battle seemed out of place, but that was one of the things he appreciated about Ferretnose, and about Harefoot. Both always seemed to possess the skills that he lacked to experience joy. It felt that just by being near the two of them, the sweeping cold in his chest might be staved off again. Ridgelight appeared in his mind, as if a plaguing ghost. No matter how many moons had passed, her features were still imprinted in his mind.

The pain normally associated with the thought drifted away. What had happened in the past did not matter now. There were things that could not simply be undone by willing it so. And yet, the way his mind conjured up such a saddening time also brought a clarity he could not have found otherwise - in a similar way to Ridgelight, which had bore Houndheart, he loved these two cats before them. There was no restrictions or conditions to the sensation. It did not seem that he was particularly more attached to one or the other. Harefoot had been his long-time companion; Ferretnose a younger she-cat whose charming personality had caused him to become enamored with her presence. There wasn't a one or the other type thing, no, it simply felt right that they were all here together. His eyes closed and he allowed himself to feel the heat of the tom next to him, and the she-cat underneath his chin. Both helped to still the tightening in his chest.

When Harefoot began his proclamation of love, pulling away, was when the deputy's eyes snapped open. He looked at the warrior and blinked once. It appeared there were similar feelings shared there, but to hear it so bold and blatant aloud was a bit stunning to the tom. His head lifted to glance down at Ferretnose, then back to Harefoot, "...the feeling is mutual." Beartooth rumbled in his usual tone. To hear it, as shocking as it may have been, didn't surprise the normally daft tom. Already, the trio had shared a nest for several moons. To him, this had been something already there and just never declared so boldly. Perhaps that was what both of the warriors needed to know for sure, a true affirmation of his feelings for them, "Harefoot, Ferretnose, I love you both."

Ferretnose's ears perked up in abject surprise as Harefoot yelled out a long and (quite uncharacteristically) loud proclamation of love. The more he talked, the larger her smile bloomed with the bashfulness of a childhood crush. What a beautiful thing to watch, as Harefoot's body lit up like a great brush fire. On such a chilly night, it was a lovely thing to feel such warmth. She nearly answered him before hearing Beartooth's rumbling, gravelly voice just above her head. Well, the great lump speaks! she thought impishly. Ferretnose couldn't contain the stirring in her stomach, like one hundred bumblebees filling her core and lifting her to her paws. She lifted her paw to Harefoot's scruff, guiding him to sit ever closer to her and Beartooth, so all of them could share in a loving embrace.

It was a wholeness she had never felt, to love and be loved in return. She sealed the moment in her memory, so that in all of the death and war that may come, she could always remember the warmness of three cats breathing in perfect rhythm. Ferretnose locked the memory away in her heart, of her and her two mates, her two gorgeous toms. Beartooth was Harefoot's, Harefoot was hers, and she was Beartooth's. And for once, she didn't care who saw her beaming. "Thank you for not making me say it first," she teased, "I've been tongue-tied for at least three moons now."