The Night Hides Our Sins [Batheart . Robinwing]

[:c a i:]

Robinwing shivered, though the night air was warm. She stared down at the wood of the bridge just one pawstep in front of her, taking in a deep breath of sweet greenleaf air. One more step and there would be no going back. One more step, and she would be breaking Clan rules and without a doubt meeting another Clan's warrior in secret. It would be nothing to do with accidence, nor with chance. It would be a meeting she had arranged, she had suggested. Did she dare take that step? She had told no one of her intention this night, not even her dearest friends, Gingertail and Littlestream. It was not too late to turn back and forget this madness. She could forget Batheart and go back to pursuing a mate in her own Clan like all cats were supposed to.

She put one small paw upon the wood of the bridge anyway. She had no intention of backing out now, not when the very air seemed to whisper encouragement to her through a soft breeze pushing her forwards onto the bridge. Perhaps she was mad. Perhaps she would be struck down by StarClan itself before the morning was up for her folly. But she could not turn away. Her heart was beating rapidly, and she glanced overhead. The moon was almost at its highest, still full and white and glowing. Batheart should be here any minute.

Unless he wasn't coming. Robinwing lashed her tail anxiously, unable to keep herself from hoping desperately that he would come. She had told herself not to expect him to be there; to prepare herself for disappointment. After all, what she asked of him was fundamentally wrong if the Warrior Code was to be abided by. She had offered him two options two nights ago: one, that he ceased all relations with her and pursued other, easier she-cats, or two, that he came to her tonight and in doing so would promise to court her, and only her, as a...

As a mate. As soon as she put the thought into words inside her head a tingle of anticipation, excitement and terror streamed through her.

Please let him come.

She didn't know who the plea was directed to. Certainly not StarClan, for they would never grant a wish to a cat who was dabbling in the realms of the forbidden. She stared up at the starry sky and felt guilt, for all her ancestors were bearing witness to her crime, knowing that in her heart she longed for Batheart's dark fur to appear. She was ashamed to think that she would choose a tom she scarcely knew over virtuous warriorhood. But she could not deny her heart.

And so she stayed upon the bridge, a lonely figure waiting in unsure but determined resolve.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Unfamiliar scents were all around the tom, clogging his nose and clinging to his fur as he slipped ever deeper into enemy territory. Batheart was slightly surprised at himself for agreeing to infiltrate RiverClan land to see Robinwing, just as he was surprised at her for asking him to. Although the night breeze was warm and gentle, the rustle of the reeds soothing to his ears, the tom was very aware that his actions meant disloyalty to his Clan, and could possibly mean very bad things for both of them if they were found out. He didn't think that RiverClan sent patrols out after dark, but each dark-furred paw was placed carefully just the same. It wouldn't pay to get careless.

Right now, Batheart was following the river, trusting its steady course to lead him to the bridge at which they were supposed to meet. The ShadowClan tom had never delved this deeply into RiverClan territory before, and had no precise knowledge of where the location in question was, other than the assumption that it would be on the river. So on he stalked, hunting for the silhouette of only one cat, his mouth open and straining for even a trace of her unique scent. In fact, over the entire course of the two days between the Gathering and this night, his mind had been filled with her, for he could think of nothing else.

Was it just the thrill of a new interest? Perhaps he was simply riding on a temporary high, drunk off of a love that would soon fade to attraction too pale to be worth the risk that he was taking. If that was it, what he was doing was even more stupid and foolhardy than it originally seemed. But out of all the she-cats that he had flirted with, exchanged nuzzles and licks and even mated with, somehow he had never felt the way he did now about Robinwing. He couldn't imagine a feeling like this ever fading, and was determined to see where it led him, even if it meant going behind his whole Clan's back to do it.

There, in the distance. Batheart saw the hard-edged shape of the Twoleg structure in the distance, and lifted his head to catch a glimpse of Robinwing waiting for him on the bridge. At the sight of her pointed ears outlined against the sky, he quickened his pace, steaking noiselessly through the grasses and reeds like a shadow and finally emerging on the wooden planks that crossed the river. The sight of her seated on the boards, moonlight shining enigmatically on her striped brown fur, made his heart beat erratically in his chest. Yes, he wanted to be here. No matter the danger, no matter the cost, he couldn't give this up now. Sliding from the shade into the silvery light of the moon, the ShadowClan tom padded over to stand before Robinwing, close enough to touch. "Robinwing, I am here," he said slowly. "Now, what will you do with me?"

[:c a i:]

A slight noise of a cat's approach nearly made Robinwing jump out of her fur, until she realised that the figure slowly approaching her through the dark of the night was in fact the one which she had been so anxiously waiting to see. She couldn't stop a brilliant smile spreading across her face as Batheart's dark furred shape emerged from the gloom, coming to stand in front of her with the silver of the moon lighting him up.

"You came..."

[/color] Robinwing breathed, reaching her nose out to touch it to his cheek, pressing against soft fur she found there. Now she knew. She knew he wasn't playing her, wasn't just seeing how far he could take a rival she-cat in order to boast of another conquest later. A cat did not come across borders and travel all this way for a cat they did not care about. And that meant only one thing: that Batheart did indeed care about her.

Which was an almighty relief to Robinwing, because she had found that in the past couple of days since the Gathering her thoughts had been frustratingly and unavoidably occupied by Batheart, despite all her best efforts to suppress it and divert herself with other, more productive means of spending her time. But every time she undertook an extra patrol or offered to catch prey, she found herself daydreaming instead, which certainly wasn't like her. She did not moon over toms like a lovesick apprentice. Except, it seemed, if that tom was Batheart. She wasn't sure whether she ought to like him more or less because he had managed to infiltrate almost every waking thought she had, but all that mattered to her now was that he was here with her.

"Now? Now I can reward you, since you've proved yourself to me by coming here, even though I asked a lot of you."[/color] She had made him sneak away from his Clan in the dead of night and come onto enemy territory - territory with which his own Clan did not even share a border - to meet with a she-cat who had thus far resisted his every flirtation and romantic manoeuvre. For all he knew she could've been setting him up for a terrible trap, and yet he had still come. It was, she supposed, only fair to give him something in return.

"And what reward would you have, Batheart?" [/size][/blockquote]

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Batheart couldn't help but feel pleased when Robinwing's face lit up in a smile when she saw him. Warmth spread through him, welling up from his chest and filling him to the brim, and he returned the she-cat's greeting gladly, enjoying the feel of his muzzle pressing into her soft fur. It was the first time that she had ever willingly allowed contact between them, even if it was slight, and he felt privileged to have earned what was so obviously special to her.

And it should be, he decided. It should be special to her, because she was a special cat, and that mysterious, secretive way she had about her was what made her so. There was obviously much about her that he did not know, and he very much wished for the chance to discover it. The fact that the blood of a foreign Clan ran through her veins did not matter to him, no more than did her diet or the habitat in which she lived.

Despite all of these things, she somehow found it in her to be happy to see him, because of what they were when they were together, and not because of who they where when they were apart. For this reason, he could do no different. Robinwing was unmistakably RiverClan, but it didn't change a thing about the cat who attracted and tempted him.

The moonlight decorating the night landscape made the night feel alive with promise. Batheart had never felt like there he had as much reason to be alive as he did right now. It made up his mind for him, unconsciously, but nevertheless absolutely. "So my willingness to break the warrior code has proven my integrity in your eyes?" he murmured teasingly. "You afford me unearned virtue, but I will do my best to live up to it. All I want in return is the pleasure of your company, and anything else you would give to me, and me alone."

ooc: FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF- That was a piece of crap. I am so sorry. ;o;

[:c a i:]

"Well. For a cat who clearly enjoys seducing innocent young she-cats, you are demonstrating remarkable honour" Robinwing teased, raising an eyebrow. "Here we are in the dead of night, away from our Clans... offering you any prize you desire, and now you become quite the chivalrous tom. I am surprised! And you're well on the way to corrupting my innocence, Batheart." Robinwing's voice dropped to a husky purr which, she had to admit, did not get used very often. She supposed any of her friends would be astonished to see her being quite so flirtatious, but somehow, the dusky ShadowClan tom brought this side out of her. She smiled slightly as she walked a slow circle around him, close enough for her fur to brush against his. Time for the seducer to become the seduced...

Not that she was particularly skilled in the art of seduction. Up until now there hadn't exactly been much opportunity for such skills to be practised. In fact, she could actually be called a... complete and utter novice. She felt a slight tingle of apprehension at her recklessness, wondering for the umpteenth time whether this was really a wise idea. Whatever the answer, it would appear that she was quickly approaching the very last opportunity to back out. Beyond approaching, really. Waving as it went past, more like. But still, she persevered, staring up at Batheart with half-closed eyes as she contemplated her next move.

It wasn't as if she was doing this without reason.

She'd thought so long and hard about what she was doing. She knew what she wanted, and she had to admit, the little matter of the competition with her friends was perhaps the factor tipping events in Batheart's favour. Obviously she was fiercely and frustratingly attracted to the tom, but if she had not been anxiously seeking a mate, then she would probably never have been quite so forward with him.

Not that that was necessarily a bad thing. After all, look where it had got them. They were together, and enjoying one another's company. And he seemed quite genuinely serious about her - she'd set him her little test to see if he was proper mate material; he'd passed it very successfully. So... what did she do now? Offer herself up to him on a plate? Hadn't she already done that? What was he thinking right now?

Hmm. Maybe this seduction business was a bit harder than she'd thought.

Oh well. Better just keep powering through.

[/blockquote]

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Robwing was nothing if not a beautiful and confoundingly tempting she-cat. Here he was, playing along with her little game of sneakery and meeting her in her own territory at a time when most RiverClan cats would be well abed, and the younger warrior was determined not to keep things simple. There was much about her that was mysterious, but of all the things that Batheart thought he could safely say about her, it was that she wasn't one to have had a lot of partners in the past. He wondered if she was aware of the complications that could arise from a coupling between them, or understood just how maddening she was to him when she brushed past him with just the lightest of touches.

She had said that he enjoyed the practice of seduction... but that wasn't quite right. He didn't wake up at the beginning of every day with the intention of making trouble for some cat, or looking for hearts to bruise. His partners always understood that what was between them was just a bit of fun, a few hours of heat in the dark. He'd never left a cat wanting there to be more between them, or wishing for something that had never been.

But it wasn't all about him, now, was it? He knew what he was about, but it took two to play this game, and for the first time Batheart felt himself being drawn in, and having no idea where he was headed. He'd spoken before of the pleasure of her company; now he dipped his head down, quietly, to rest his jaw for a moment on Robinwing's forehead. "Do you know what you're doing?" he murmured. "I'm liable to take more than you're ready to offer." What was he even saying? Sure he was the one who was getting cold feet at the moment, because Robinwing seemed in an all-fired hurry to have her virginity claimed.

But while his words were saying "wait," the rest of him was far from. Batheart's mouth seemed to roam about of its own accord, nuzzling behind the soft fur of Robinwing's ear and then grazing its teeth lightly over the tip. The feel of another cat yielding under his attentions was not one that was new to him, but somehow with her, it was. "I don't know what you're doing to me, Robinwing," he admitted with a small laugh, "but I never want you to stop." He sighed a little, pressed closer so that she was cradled against him.

Perhaps he was foolish and naive to let his heart be stolen by a young, innocent cat of RiverClan. But he was never getting it back, so there wasn't much point in regretting it, now was there?

ooc: A fade-to-black may be in order. :'D

[:c a i:]

"Stop? Who said anything about stopping?"

[/color] Robinwing murmured only half-coherently as her speech capabilities were suddenly quite reduced by Batheart doing something quite impressive to her ear. "As for knowing what I'm doing... I don't, but I'm sure we'll figure it out..."[/color]

[[~ ♥ ♥ ♥ ~]]

Later, Robinwing lay quite comfortably against Batheart, oddly aware of her own heartbeat still accelerated from earlier. She sighed, rolling over to study his features in the dark and idly fiddled with his thick fur with one paw. What would her friends think, if they knew where she was right now? She had a feeling she wouldn't be able to keep from telling Gingertail the next morning. It would be unavoidable if her friend had noticed her disappearance for the whole night anyway. In any case, she had to say, she felt a pleasantly warm thrill when she thought about telling her best friends about her dark, handsome tom from ShadowClan, even if it was strictly forbidden. Perhaps that's what made it all the more exciting to her, being young and in love. Either way, she knew she was going to keep seeking out Batheart until the end of days.

What would my mother say? The idle thought popped into Robinwing's head before she could banish it and she frowned faintly. What would she say? Rosefeather had always been a flighty cat herself, so Robinwing had a feeling that she wouldn't even have disapproved of her illicit cross-Clan relationship. She'd probably had a few herself in her time. Robinwing shook her head to banish the errant train of thought and pressed herself closer against Batheart, looking up at the face she'd come to love so well.

She had to tell him. After what they'd shared together, she couldn't not tell him that she had had an ulterior motive all along. She felt guilty, not having let him know that she was looking for him to be the father of her kits before they'd been together, but she realised that it was now even harder to say it. She'd made it clear that she wanted him to be serious about her by asking him to come here tonight, but she hadn't exactly told him that she wanted him to be a father. Hadn't said I am hoping to be pregnant after tonight. She cringed inwardly, at a loss as to how to start this particular conversation. She looked at him with slightly troubled eyes.

"Batheart..." she began reservedly, drawing back slightly. "I..." I what? I made a pact with my four friends when I was an apprentice that we'd all get pregnant and that's what this was about? Except it wasn't about that. At least, not just about that. It was far more to her than just a means to an end, and she had to make him understand that before she explained herself. If she had the courage to do it at all.

"I love you."[/color] she finally said softly, her ears going warm at the declaration. She watched him, afraid for some sign of immediate rebuttal, or a perturbed expression that told her he didn't feel the same way. When there was none, she continued hesitantly. "Do... How do you feel about me?"[/color] She sat worriedly, a flurry of questions flooding through her mind now that the afterglow was wearing off and reality was seeping back through. What if he really was only here for a fun night? Just another notch to add to his nest-moss? What if he didn't want kits at all? What would she do if that was the case and he ran a mile when she told him she wanted to be pregnant after tonight? Raise his kits without him?

I couldn't bear to lose him.

And so the words went unsaid. [/blockquote][/size]