Warrior Cats x Reader

Mothwing x Reader ~ Blessings

Unbelievably late request for -maqic-. Like six years late. Please forgive me.

"I honestly don't get why you keep bringing this up."

Mothwing didn't turn to face you as she spoke, but she didn't need to; the roll of her eyes was evident in her tone. She had become quite blasé about your repeated, not-so-subtle attempts to change her mind. Even now, as she stood in the shallow water and plucked herbs from the stream bed, you couldn't help yourself from slipping little hints into the conversation. She wondered if that was the sole reason you had volunteered to accompany her.

Truthfully, you just liked to spend time with her, no matter what the topic of conversation or the weather conditions these treks involved. Yet the conversation always led back to this somehow. You did your best to be persuasive without pressing--which was difficult at times--but you'd been friends long enough that she knew your intentions were innocent. That didn't make them any more convincing, however.

"I don't know what you're talking about," you meowed airily, kneading your paws in the mud with a faint squelch. This finally earned you Mothwing's gaze, and you couldn't hide the way your whiskers twitched in amusement at the disgruntled look on her face. 

"Look, I appreciate your concern, I do," she meowed with genuine fondness. The sound made the butterflies in your stomach flitter to life, a feeling you never could quite quash. "But it's not a matter of whether I believe you, because I do. I know you have your reasons to believe in StarClan; it just shouldn't be a big deal that I don't."

"I know..." You shuffled your paws again guiltily, dropping your eyes to the muddy prints you'd made in front of you. But still, you couldn't understand. She was a medicine cat for StarClan's sake! Surely they could convince her themselves, but here you were again, taking matters into your own hands. "And I'm grateful that you've taken me into your confidence, but... I just don't understand."

"Do you have to?" she asked, tilting her head inquisitively. You met her eyes, almost forgetting about the question in favour of getting lost in their rich colour.

"I... suppose not, no," you conceded, dropping your gaze to your paws once more. But you just couldn't let it go. "Is my word--the word of your fellow medicine cats, even--not good enough for you?"

There was a beat of silence, and you worried you had said the wrong thing. You lifted your gaze to see a slightly saddened look on her face. That was it, now you'd done it, you thought. 

"You know that's not what I mean," she meowed at last, and it was sincere. That regretful tug at your heartstrings strengthened again. "It's not that I don't want to, I wish I could, but I can't just take your word for it. It's... more complicated than that. I'll believe it when I see it--personally."

With that, Mothwing turned back to collecting herbs, effectively ending the argument. Your gaze fell back to the ground. You sat in stubborn silence for a moment, pawing at the soft soil absent-mindedly. 

"I've seen you," you muttered under your breath, dissatisfied still. "That's proof enough for me."

The silence between you was suddenly oddly still, the trickle of the stream uninterrupted by Mothwing's movements now. You had the nagging feeling that she was staring at you, and a cold wave of dread washed over you; she hadn't heard you, had she?

"What did you say?"

Sure enough, you lifted your downcast eyes and were met with her own perplexed, wide-eyed gaze. That cold feeling quickly swung the other way, a hot rush of embarrassment replacing it. 

"Oh... did I say that out loud?" you joked awkwardly but failed miserably at diffusing the tension.

"You did," was all she said in response, giving a soft nod of her head.

"Well, here goes nothing," you mumbled to yourself again. Once more, you raked your claws through the mud nervously, watching the lines well up with water. "I know we don't always--well, often--see eye to eye, and you're the medicine cat and all, but I... I really enjoy spending time with you, and I've been so much happier ever since we met, and I think I'd be the luckiest cat alive if--"

You nearly choked on your tongue as Mothwing cut you off, having appeared directly in front of you while your eyes were focused on your paws. She lifted your gaze to meet hers with a paw beneath your chin, her fur wet with the cool, new-leaf stream water; you weren't sure whether it was the cause of the shiver down your spine or not. Now it was your turn to stare, wide-eyed and bewildered.

"And what does this have to do with anything?" she asked, almost teasingly. It did nothing to alleviate the nerves twisting your stomach, yet you didn't dare take a step back. Not when you were this close.

You swallowed the lump in your throat. "I mean... If you're not a blessing from StarClan, then I-I don't know what is."

Silence. Then Mothwing let out a mrrow of laughter. You breathed a sigh of relief, but butterflies still fluttered in your gut. Maybe you'd never get used to that. 

"You could have just led with that, you know," she teased. Her paw no longer held your chin, but she lifted it and flicked droplets of water from her fur onto your whiskers. The sensation caused you to shake.

"Oh, shut up," you grumbled, returning the playful gesture. 

"Ack!" She recoiled as you splattered her muzzle with mud, only making you purr with laughter this time. In her attempts to wipe it away, she merely smeared it across her golden fur; she looked no less beautiful in your eyes. A mischievous idea struck you. 

"Here, let me get that for you..." you offered patronisingly, sticking out your tongue and stepping closer to her. 

Your intent registered with her, and she took off toward the stream with you on her tail. You nearly ran into her when she abruptly rounded on you, splashing you with a swipe of her paw to keep you at bay. The chill of the water caused you to yelp softly; then you let out a huff of laughter as your eyes landed on her wiping the mud off her muzzle with a wet paw. 

"Come on, let's head back before you catch a chill," she meowed, still sounding amused and slightly breathless from her dash through the mud. 

"What, you're not worried about little old me, are you?" you teased. Mothwing only rolled her eyes in response. "Awe, you do care!"

"Of course, I do," she murmured, almost shyly. Still, she gave you a smack with her tail for good measure as she brushed past you to collect the pile of herbs on the bank. "I believe in you, don't I?"

With that, you purred happily and bounded after her. The two of you padded off to camp side-by-side, a giddy feeling warming you despite your wet fur and the cool breeze. You were content, even if just for a moment--even though you'd have to part when you eventually reached camp.