and at last i see the light [solo]

As happy as she was to see SkyClan's camp, evening a few days after their return found her soft pawsteps leading the way to her favorite place outside it. Oh, every corner of their territory was beautiful in its own way, but even the Great Ridge's spectacular view of distant lands couldn't compete with the soft glow of moonlight reflected on the water. She settled at its edge, stretching out one paw to brush its cold surface and watching as the ripples outward seemed to play with the light.

It was a good place to spend time alone, when she wanted to think. Now that they were home, now that they were healing, now that the stress of her sister's safety was no longer on her shoulders, she could sit peacefully with her thoughts.

Left unattended, they tended to drift in a certain direction; one she'd been avoiding during their time at the lake, intentional or otherwise.

Foxtrot.

Her dearest friend.

Namely, her thoughts drifted to what he had said so long ago, when she awkwardly attempted to express her appreciation.


She'd brushed it off at the time, as nothing more than love for a friend, and as soon as he returned the sentiment, she'd set the matter of her feelings aside in her thoughts. But avoidance wouldn't work forever, seemingly, as it felt like he was always on her mind. While neither of them had gotten sick during their time at the lake, she spent most of her time hunting or at Stoneheart's side; it had helped to have other things to focus on.

But they were home now, back where they belonged, and she couldn't ignore the thoughts that lingered as constant echoes in her mind.

She did love him as a friend, of that she was sure. But she also felt something else, and she wasn't sure what to call it; it wasn't like her love for Stoneheart, exactly.

The depth, the intensity of the emotion; that was the same. The devotion. But there was another layer underneath that, the one that made her face flush. The way that when they found themselves alone together, she often wanted to cherish the moment; that she felt as if she would be content to stay there, mid-conversation, for the rest of time.

How it felt as if she were taking unsteady steps on unstable branches, and yet the anticipation of what she would find with every passing moment seemed to outweigh the worry that things would go wrong.

The depth, the intensity of the emotion; that was the same. The devotion. But there was another layer underneath that, the one that made her face flush. The way that when they found themselves alone together, she often wanted to cherish the moment; that she felt as if she would be content to stay there, mid-conversation, for the rest of time.

How it felt as if she were taking unsteady steps on unstable branches, and yet the anticipation of what she would find with every passing moment seemed to outweigh the worry that things would go wrong.


And as she sat by the water, making ripples on its surface and contemplating how she wanted to share this sacred view with him, she realized something that she had known all along.

She looked up to the sky, to the moon and stars whose reflections had been keeping her company, and found that they seemed to shine a little brighter than before now that she'd come to this realization. Or maybe she hadn't seen until now just how bright and beautiful they could be, just as she hadn't seen her feelings for what they were.

She'd always thought the world was filled with beautiful things, but in that moment it felt as if she were seeing it all in a new light.

She allowed herself to remain lost in thought for some time, wondering at how she'd missed signs of her own feelings that felt so painfully obvious now. But she'd never had many close friends, so maybe it made sense that she wouldn't realize it at first.

The last revelation she came to, though, was one that she wasn't entirely sure what to do with.