Tension crackled through the ThunderClan camp. Cats watched nosily as two of Thunderclan's warriors battled each other with words.
"I AM HER FATHER! SHE NEEDS TO BE WITH ME!"Bumblestripe yowled, hackles raised.
"I'm HER MOTHER!"Dovewing replied fiercely, she lashed her bushy tail.
"You broke up with me. Meaning that you threw away our entire relationship, including raising Tigerkit!"He shot back.His yellow eyes glinted with satisfaction as he saw Dovewing at a loss for words.
"Stay away from my kit."She warned coolly.
The said kit popped her head out of the nursery,her eyes wide with curiosity.
"Mama, Daddy, what's going on?" Little Tigerkit was only a tiny bit over a quarter moon old, so she probably didn't understand what was going on around her.
Dovewing sped over to the kit.
"Don't worry my little one, Mama was just having a talk with Bumblestripe."She spat the last word out like poison.
The two gray furred she-cats disappeared into the bramble Nursery.
Bumblestripe huffed and stalked through the bracken tunnel. Blossomfall and Briarlight both sighed, but didn't run after their brother. Mille just herded Briarlight back toward Jayfeather's den, completely ignoring the tortoiseshell she-cat next to her.
"You really shouldn't trouble yourself with this Dovewing and....uh...erm-"
"-Bumblestripe."Briarlight muttered through clenched teeth.
"Rumblestripe nonsense!"Mille finished.
Every other cat hesitated,then gossiped to one another for a few moments before returning to their warrior or apprentice duties.
The news of Dovewing's pregnancy a halfmoon ago had shocked every cat,especially since the couple had parted ways sometime after the Great Flood.Today the two had a heated debate about who would be the full caretaker of their daughter.
Ivypool couldn't bear seeing the ThunderClan warrior and her sister argue with one another like that. Instead of just standing around like a bunch of trees, she would help, but who should she help? The look of defeat in Bumblestripe's yellow eyes told Ivypool that he was likely to give up the young kit. I'll help Bumblestripe first.
Ivypool dashed after the dark striped tom. The cool green ferns tickled her pelt as she dived through them. She followed Bumblestripe's scent to a clearing past the ThunderClan border. A gnarly tree sat in the center, jasmine vines crawled up its sides and the brilliant white flowers glowed like small stars. Bumblestripe was a motionless hump on one of the tree's low hanging branches.
After a bound and one leap Ivypool was up on the branch beside him.
"Gah!" The branch swayed under their weight,"Oh, Ivypool! It's just you. Don't sneak up on me like that! I—I thought you were a fox!"
I purred and flicked his ear with my tail,"Because foxes are sliver and white and climb trees."
He rolled his eyes, a small smile crept across his face." Why did you follow me?"
"I just wanted to see were you had disappeared to," she answered rubbing her paw over the ancient bark.
Bumblestripe didn't speak. He stared out into the sky. The sun was steadily sinking into darkness and the clouds were a pinkish orange.
She turned around to glance at the ThunderClan trees behind us," How did you find this place?"
"I just happened to stumble across it one day," he murmured mysteriously.
Now it was Ivypool's turn to roll her eyes.
She stared down at the swishing grass below them and sighed,"I'm . . . I'm sorry."
The young tom shifted to look at her,"Sorry? What for?"
"For my sister. For everything!"
Bumblestripe shook his head,"No, no. It's not your fault. Your sister —"
"Weird? A little annoying? Kinda rude? All of the above?"
The tabby chortled,"I was going to say 'different' but those work too!"
Ivypool laughed," I truly love my sister , but sometimes she just . . ."
Bumblestripe brandished his tail ,"It's okay. I'm just not good enough for Dovewing, that's all."
"You're good enough for anyone,"The silver and white she-cat breathed without thinking.
Bumblestripe's eyes fixed on her. Ivypool couldn't believe she had let that slip out.
"Ivypool . . . do you really think that?"
"Of course I do. Sure, at first you were a flea brained furball like all the other toms, but when you got older I realized you were kind and thoughtful. When Briarlight got hurt, you felt horrible about it , but you didn't let it interfere with your warrior duties. You stayed strong."
The gray tom's eyes were as big as moons,"Ivypool—"
"Enough of this soppy stuff! Let's fight!" Ivypool tackled Bumblestripe and sent them plummeting to the ground.
They wrestled in the tall grass until Bumblestripe pinned Ivypool down."Ivypool,"He gasped, out of breath,"why didn't you say anything?"
Ivypool didn't meet his gaze, she was too embarrassed,"I knew you loved Dovewing."
"I don't love her,"He meowed quietly,"I love you."
Ivypool looked up at him,"I love you too, I always loved you."
They stayed their, purring and flushing at one another for the longest time. The moon was already in the sky, bringing with it thousands of stars. The wind picked up , and the jasmine petals were whisked into the the air. The two love birds made their nest I between the roots of the tree.
They curled around each other, sharing their warmth.
This is the greatest day of my life.
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Three moons in the future
Dovewing got ownership of Tigerkit in the end, but the void in Bumblestripe's life was quickly filled two moons later. Three rambunctious kits were born to Ivypool and the black-striped tom. Icekit, Petalkit, and Featherkit never cease to amaze the two new parents with their unconditional love and curiosity. Oh yeah, Dovewing dies a horrible death and Bumblestripe gets Tigerpaw as an apprentice.
