A Long Time Coming [Closed]

Coyotegrin had finally managed to pull herself out of her nest for a full day out this morning. After training Whisperpaw, hunting, and scouting out tunnel entrances, she finally made her way back to camp. There was something that had been weighing on her mind recently, on top of everything else. Originally, she thought she didn't really have any family. She thought she was alone. But those many days in the nest had brought her to a realization she never considered before. There wasn't nobody- There was Hawkheart. They had been best friends since they were apprentices, kits even. The feelings she had when she was with him were unlike she had with any other cat- anything close to, really. It was a warm feeling in her stomach, almost like a warm sunset ray that would start in her stomach and make its way throughout her veins until she was all consumed...

She loved him.

Now, this didn't frighten her. What scared her was Hawkheart's feelings. Coyotegrin knew he was at least fond of her. Every time there had been conflict, he was there protecting her. But was that just friendship? The young warrior wished she had her mother to confide in, ask her how she knew her father loved her. But she didn't. It was easily likely that Hawkheart would reject her now. If that was the case, it would be better to know now and move on. There wasn't many other chances, but she was sure another would come along. But she didn't want anyone else, she wanted him. Hawkheart.

Stopping a few tail-lengths away from the slope of WindClan's camp entrance, her green eyes scanned the clearing for his large, bulking form. There he was. Her heart fluttered just at the sight of him. With shaky paws, the tiny she-cat made up her way behind him. Clearing her throat, she stopped behind his tail.

"Hawkheart? Can I talk to you?" When he turned around, she motioned with her head to a quiet and out of the way seating spot in camp.

Hawkheart had been watching the camp with little interest. At some point he had been assigned to fix any of the walls in camp that were rough looking, probably because he was so tall, but the elements had been kind to them for quite some time now. There had been little to fix, and when the tom had gone looking for the only cat he found remotely interesting, she had been absent. She was important though, very capable warrior, very good at warrior duties and such. She was in high demand, and it wasn't quite right of him to keep her for himself, though he would very much love to do so.

Finally, her voice came from behind him, and he wacked her gently with his tail as he turned to look down at her. "Sure." He had always been a tom of few words, this hadn't changed while Coyotegrin had been gone. It wasn't likely to change anytime soon, though he couldn't help but feel his fur heat up when she was around. Maybe it was embarrassing, he wasn't sure what about anything was embarrassing, but maybe he was simply embarrassed? Unless he...

No... no certainly not...

Maybe...

At any rate, the tom followed Coyotegrin to a quieter corner of camp, a smirk forming on his lips. "What, didn't want the rest of the clan to hear a nefarious plot? Don't worry, I won't tell."

Coyotegrin laughed a nervous laugh, as her pelt burned up next to the tom. "Well, I have been trying to figure out how to start this whole tunnel situation. We haven't told anyone yet, because we want to figure some stuff out first, but Shrikestar made me Tunnel Captain. I have free reign on the tunnels to complete them as I see fit. It is why he didn't make me deputy." It was true, and the pressure was weighing heavy on her shoulders. The truth was, she hadn't even started going down there yet. It still terrified her, and she could almost see Daisypaw standing at every entrance, crushed and angry. But, this isn't what Coyotegrin came here to talk about. Not yet, anyway. She took a deep breath.

"Hawkheart, we've been... Close ever since we were kits. I, uh, over the moons, I..." Her nervousness was unusual to her demeanor, and yet, she only seemed to get like this around Hawkheart. Her heart raced with the thudding of the strongest of hails on the moor. "I have come to realize that I have feelings for you. Strong feelings, I've never felt with any cat before. My pelt burns around you, I want to bury my face in your fur... Every single time we have been in danger together, you protected me and saved me first at your expense... Hawkheart... I... I'm in love with you." The usual confident cat tried to maintain eye contact with the large warrior through her speech, but by the end, she was talking fast and nervous, until finally she avoided his gaze and looked away. She waited a few heartbeats before turning to peek at his face to try to judge his reaction to her statement.

"Well, that explains a lot I guess." Hawkheart started speaking for a moment, in response to hearing about the tunnels. "About why you've seemed more high-strung than usual, I mean. Not that that's a bad thing, just... strange. You'll do well though, you're small, you were made for the tunnels. Me? I'm a bit too large for that." He tried to lighten the mood a bit, smiling down at Coyotegrin. He wanted her to be true to her name.

Then she said she had feelings. For him. Hawkheart felt like his pelt was too heavy for him, for just a moment, any words he tried to squeeze out were... in all honesty a bit of a wheeze. For him? Was she certain? "Are you... no obviously you're being serious I just-, I just can't believe you like me too? I was so sure that I would just be here having unrequited emotions for the rest of my moons." Hawkheart leaned his head down, bumping it against Coyotegrin's forehead firmly. "I think I love you too. I'm not good at anything but fighting but I do know that you're smart and beautiful, and I love being around you. I just love you, everything about you." Hawkheart stayed bent down, forehead to forehead as long as Coyotegrin would remain there with him.

A soft bump hit her forehead, and she seemed to have found herself finally pressed up against Hawkheart. A soft purr erupted in her throat from his words, and the anxiety immediately melted away and was replaced with a wave of happiness. "Oh Hawkheart, I'm so happy. I was so nervous I was going to ruin everything." Coyotegrin leaned in more and nuzzled his cheek. "Does this mean we share a nest now? I wouldn't mind, you'll make a comfortable nest liner." With the anxiety if the situation gone, her usual humor returned. This was quite possibly the best day of her life so far. Everything made sense now, and everything clicked into place.