Leafpool x Crowfeather AU: Forbidden Wishes

Prolouge

The mist scattered gracefully out of the way of the lithe silver tabby she-cat. Her soft ears pointed, she was walking with a sure step across the moor, stopping only once to catch a wandering mouse. The she-cat's sea blue gaze swept across the ongoing plains, searching thoughtfully, until finally, she spotted what had been the entire purpose of this journey: a small-ish dark gray shape at the bottom of a hill.

She came! What could be so important that I had to come to WindClan all the way from RiverClan?

Bounding down to meet the cat that was waiting for her, the wind pinning back her ears and forcing small tears to form in the corners of her eyes. The moors, with its scraggly grass and wild bursts of wildflowers, were beautiful, but ill-suited to what the young she-cat was used to. She had spent the majority of her kithood and her warrior service in the quiet forests of RiverClan, where babbling brooks and strong rivers ruled over the land. The pretty tabby had no problem getting her paws wet, and rather enjoyed fishing than chasing a rabbit over the endless grasslands.

And yet.

She could have gotten accustomed to this type of life, with the stars over her head and the breezes guiding her paws. If she hadn't left him behind, the silver she-cat could have very well made a life for herself here. However, that was in the past. Though grief tore at her heart, she wanted him, her past mate, to find someone else, and to be happy again. It was what he deserved.

"There you are! What took you so long?"

Jerked out of her thoughts, the elegant she-cat sat down and looked at the dark gray cat. With her rounded and slightly pushed in muzzle and rheumy amber eyes, this she-cat certainly looked special.

"Yellowfang. Nice to see you too," she purred, brushing her tail across the older she-cat's shoulder. Both cats were friends, although when they were alive, they rarely saw each other. They had become closer once they were both in StarClan, after they had passed.

"Yes, Feathertail. I'm happy to see that you are getting on well. How has Crookedstar been?"

"Oh, he's fine. He likes watching over Stormfur with my mother, and recently, Oakheart and Bluestar have been visiting us. But that's not important right now. Why have you called me over here? And why on the moors, out of all places? We could have met on the ThunderClan border, you know."

Yellowfang flicked her tail impatiently. "RiverClan and ThunderClan are at opposite ends of the lake. And anyways, there's something that you need to see, although I think you may already suspect it."
Feathertail nodded. She had a dim idea of what this could be about.

"Come with me. We are heading to the Moonpool."
The silver tabby she-cat fell in step beside the cranky older medicine cat. While Yellowfang could be grumpy at times, she was respected by all of StarClan, including Feathertail.

When the two finally reached the Moonpool, dusk was flitting across the sky, casting orange, pink, and purple slits across the sky. The sun was setting, giving way to the half-claw moon that was slowly rising. Feathertail loved stepping into the dimples made by her ancestors, loved feeling how her paws aligned perfectly with the ones that were set in stone.
Feathertail and the dark gray-furred she-cat crawled up to the water's edge, however before the tabby could lick the water, which now reflected the star-strewn night sky, Yellowfang used her tail to swirl the pool.

And suddenly...there he was. Crowfeather, the tom that she had loved so deeply when she was alive. She had been so proud when the proud tom had taken the "feather" suffix, a sign that he still cared about her.

But he has moved on, Feathertail. And if you're being honest with yourself, so have you.

On the surface of the Moonpool, an image was playing across the water. It was Crowfeather, standing over a cliff that ended abruptly. Another cat, a smaller, slender creature, was desperately hanging off, her claws sliding and gripping the stone. Crowfeather, his azure eyes spread wide in shock, watched the light brown tabby she-cat struggle. Suddenly, he lurched forward, hooking her paws with his and pulling her away from the cliff.

"That's Leafpool," Feathertail breathed softly, recognizing Firestar's daughter and Squirrelflight's sister. Yellowfang nodded, but gestured to Feathertail to keep listening.

"You walk in my dreams, Leafpool."
"No..." Leafpool breathed. "You can't love me. I'm a medicine cat."
"Leafpool! Are you there, Leafpool?" Two cats were running up the edge of the hollow, and a moment later Cloudtail and Brightheart thrust their way among the thorns.
Leafpool and Crowfeather scrambled to their paws. "I'm over here!" Leafpool called.

A pang hit Feathertail suddenly, however, it wasn't jealousy that filled her heart: it was rather a fierce joy that made her sink to her knees. I'm so happy that he found somebody.

The darker cat, however, looked rather miffed. She was bristling, her amber eyes dark with fury and something else...Is that sadness?

Yellowfang, out of all cats, would know how it felt to be with someone that you shouldn't, or couldn't, be with. Seeing this happen to one of the cats that she is constantly watching must be like having déjà vu!

"This cannot happen between them! Leafpool is a medicine cat, and even then, Crowfeather is WindClan. It is utterly forbidden; they are taking the Warrior Code and ripping it up! Not to mention trampling it thoroughly," the she-cat growled. Her gruff voice seemed to reverberate around the Moonpool.

"Even though you say that, dear friend, I can see that Crowfeather and Leafpool's fates are forever tied. We can send signs to Leafpool, but the best is to hope that they decide by themselves that they cannot be together."

"Yes, let them live in this delusion until they both get hurt," Yellowfang scoffed.

Oh Crowfeather, Feathertail thought, staring at his smoky, lean shape as he picked his way back to his Clanmates. I want you to be happy, but I really wished that you had chosen someone from inside your Clan.