Moonlit Stream (mating)

[Yoko]

(Thread contains mating, understand? Don't want to read about sexy Cat sex, don't read. )

The night sky, navy blue as his little brother's eyes, was alight with the moon's graceful glow and all a flutter with nocturnal sounds. Although he had crossed the border, the sensual smell of wet earth and healthy ferns were familiar already. The scuttling of small plump rodents and fluttering of strong owl wings gave the ThunderClan tom no startle. He strode across the land with long graceful strides. His youth and strength appeared enhanced here, on a hot greenleaf night in enemy territory. More dangerous than the vivacious body was the confidence that emboldened him to come so deep, so near the heart of RiverClan territory. He had no arrogance surrounding him, no feeling of divine right to step on this ground, only confidence that he could bear whatever consequences for this meeting. And that he could not bear breaking off a meeting with Littlestream. Not when their souls were so strongly linked. He had no bonds like this in ThunderClan and knew he never would. This sort of bond was not formed in the mind...not conciously made...but linked almost instantaneously by the heart or soul, with no regard for the mind at all.

He reached the hollow. It wasn't easy to find. It was nothing like the TunderClan Hollow. Rather than a distinctly sandy area, the RiverClan (Training) Hollow was a shallow dip in the ground, grassy and shining a little with moonlight. He glided in his pawsteps falling quiet on the soft grass. His bright blue eyes skimmed over the shadowy trees beyond. He resisted the urge to whisper her name, having faith that she would come.

Littlestream?

[spike]

Nobody had noticed her, hopefully. She prayed they didn’t. StarClan would look poorly down on her tonight and she feared what would happen if her Clan found out. It was one thing to be scorned by the ancestors, another ot be so openly scorned by those that were raised around you. She sighed and frowned, wondering how she had let herself fall this far into the rabbit hole, no pun intended. He had dragged her- though not unwillingly- from what she had been raised on. From the start of it all, she had found herself drawn to him in a friendly way. Meetings became more frequent, affection was born as she grew to like his brother too. Ravenkit was adorable and she, naturally, loved kits. ’Would any of my kits turn out as Ravenkit?’

[/color] This thought twisted in her brain, causing her to mentally shake herself of it.

She knew there was the deal still up in the air between her and her friends. Kits. It was such a hard thing to think about. How could she ever bring herself to ponder it? She was so done with looking, so done with searching and hoping there was one good tom left in her Clan. They were all taken or not for her. It was a terrible thing. She wanted to be loved, not used. Still, at this point, she knew if she was to ever be in the nursery with her friends, she’d have to find somebody, anybody. As much as it disappointed her to know she’d probably end up carrying the kits of a tom that didn’t love her as much as she wanted, she would at least have her friends and her kits. Just thinking about kits, to reside in the nursery, made her stomach twist up lovingly. She loved kits so much. But why did she have to feel so picky?

No, this wasn’t the night to think about it. As her paws grazed over small pieces of reed and grass, following the path she had long memorized before. Here was where her one truest friend was going to be, the one she knew she loved in a way no other could. But not that she’d ever think into their new found deep friendship. Sneaking out of camp… that had to be normal, right? Sure, nobody approved of it, but it wasn’t like they were doing anything wrong! They were just… talking, meeting up to discuss their lives. The gathering was never enough for the truly good friends. And they never saw each other on patrols. This was all they had.

Perhaps she was trying to convince herself of something that was not true, hiding behind what she knew she wanted.

She slid into the hollow, spotting the warrior that she had suspected to be here. Her Rabbitheart.

”Rabbitheart! I missed you!” Like an overjoyed youngster, she ran to him, brushing up against the ThunderClan warrior despite better judgment. She took in his scent, sighing happily when the warm breath of trees and forest wafted into her mind. How she loved the way it smelled, the way he was. She trusted him beyond all others, obvious with the admiration that twinkled in her sharp blue eyes. Indeed, she had truly missed him through and through. ”I can’t believe you made it out here! You’re so brave, I swear by StarClan you are. You had no trouble getting here, did you? You found a good path to not get caught?” It was no surprise she was so talkative. She found that she never ran out of things to say to Rabbitheart.

She bumped her muzzle against his quickly before sitting, tail twisting to sit politely on her paws, watching him intently. The way her blue eyes shined and the smile crossed her maw, she seemed perfectly content staying here forever, never going back to her home just so she could have the night for Rabbitheart alone. Anybody could see that with one good glance.[/size][/blockquote]

[Yoko]

There she was! He recognized the first whisker that rounded the corner. His eyes, wide and blue as the sky, danced with joy. Before he could take a single step to her, she was there, pressed against him warmly. He purred lowly, listening to her talk quickly and knowing by now how not to interrupt her. Why would he ever want to stop hearing that sweet voice?

"I missed you too," he murmured. Then slowly pulled away and spoke up with a grin, "There was no trouble at all. I didn't see so much as a mouse on my way here. It didn't take much bravery, not even a thunderstorm tonight could have made me break my promise to see you."

His gaze trailed over her form, a smooth melting of gray and white made bright in the glow of the moon. By StarClan she was beautiful! But unable to find adequate words he just smiled warmly at her before looking around. This was her home. He was standing on land she had been raised on. The scents here were similar but so very different. So much richer, and full of water needed for life. He was glad for her, to live somewhere so beautiful.

"So you trained here as an apprentice?" he ran a paw over the springy green grass. "I have to say, it's much better than sand between the toes."

[spike]

The female tilted her head, glancing down at the grass beneath her paws. She had grown so used to it; she hadn’t stopped to think what it might be like to have something else below. Littlestream tried to imagine sand, what it would be like to slide across it when knocked by a good opponent. Imagining that all of the sand was in your fur was not a pleasant thought. But then again, others must’ve thought the same when it came to mud and water as RiverClan was often coated in. Today, luckily, her pelt was clean (specially done for him) and she felt at her greatest. Here she was with her best friend, heart pounding rapidly in her chest. Why did it only do that when she saw him? Littlestream could never understand the things he caused.

The way his sunny tan pelt shined, bright blue eyes glowing in this moonlight, she could’ve gone crazy with just that. But his smile. While she-cats would’ve all thought the looks were important, she thought nothing else but of that smile on his face. Oh, how it made her feel all fluttery inside. No tom was more handsome except when he smiled. Though he was a good apprenticeship worth of moons younger than her, she always felt safer because he came off as such a wonderful warrior. Powerful. But happy. Not overshadowed by… well, everything. She grinned slightly and reached out, paw brushing his and across the grass blade that stood up despite years of trampling. ”Well, training was so long ago it feels like sometimes. Growing up makes it feel like apprentice days were ages ago. I can hardly remember being called Littlepaw.”

She looked up at him, searching his face for something before gazing back down at the contrasting pale tan paw to the white and gray. Littlestream found herself finding little to say though. Who needed words? Being near him was good enough sometimes. For some reason though, she couldn’t help but think of the deal she made with her friends when she was with him. Why? Littlestream knew better than that, for one. Plus, she had no idea why he brought that up in her mind. She hated thinking about it, knowing all the others had all found mates, though no specifics were given. She was the only one left.

Single.

Alone.

She didn’t want to be alone. But… would she end up alone? Forever?

[/size][/justify]

[Yoko]

Shrouded in warm air and tickled by the cool breeze, it seemed that the night agreed with their meeting tonight. The golden warrior rolled over on the grass and back onto his paws. He then smiled thoughtfully. Of course she would not dwell on her days as an apprentice. No one ever really did, not even newly made warriors. It seemed that there was a sort of purity loss with the drop of the -paw. But that loss was a water droplet in a river compared to the gain of Littlestream's friendship. Could he imagine how hard it would have been? Doing chores first thing in the morning after nights of meeting like this?

He was drawn out of his musing by her silence. It was so unlike her. And her expression surprised him. Had he brought up a bad memory? Did she feel ignored? He moved to her side.

"Is something wrong? If it's about our meeting here we could always head back to the river."

For the first time, he thought it was foolish of him to come so deep into RiverClan territory. He had intruded on her home. After all, it had been his suggestion. Maybe she was too kind to turn him down. That didn't seem quite right...Well perhaps she was rethinking their friendship. Technically his being here was a violation of warrior code. Did that mean he was no better than a rogue? She's not that judgemental...

How strange it was...to worry over things. ThunderClan had been so peaceful lately that he was too in tune with little details and small heart-aches. Littlestream had shown him nothing but kindness and politeness. If his being here had overstepped any boundaries she would have told him. And in fact, it might have nothing at all to do with him. This thought almost made him chuckle. How self-centered of me... But he had an entirely serious expression about him, with concerned blue eyes, waiting for an answer.

(Think of this post as the rambling of youth in love ^_^)

[spike]

Rabbitheart was such a sweet cat that she felt embarrassed by her mental distractions that had caused him to show concern. How could she have asked for anybody better, even for a friend? Though she’d never say, he even beat out her fellow she-cats, the ones she had made this dreaded pact with. It was such an odd circle it seemed once one thought about it. The she-cat gave a slightly somber chuckle, brushing her muzzle against his comfortingly. ”Oh, Rabbitheart. If it had been that, you coming here never would’ve even started. No, it’s something else, unrelated to you.” She looked down, face falling again when she was darkly reminded of the truth she did not want to admit.

”The truth is, I have some friends here and in WindClan. We… we made this deal, you see. We all grew up together, always kept in touch. I guess you can say we were best friends even.” Oh, mousedung, they’d be so angry with her for telling him- a tom- about their loyal little plan. ”We all wanted to get pregnant at the same time and the others have managed to find good mates but...” Her expression flickered with distraught. She didn’t need to finish it to state the obvious. She was the only one that hadn’t. She took in a slightly shaky breath, trying to calm her worries. It wasn't as if she had proved they had all found mates. Most of them talked about a tom though none were specified. In her worried condition, she could only think they had which put her in a more stressed position than before. ”It’s just sad to think they’ll all be loved by their mates, carrying kits together, an experience we all wanted, and I would perhaps be left out. These RiverClan toms are not for me. I’ve looked them over too many times to know that.”

They all rolled through her head again, just to double check. But each one she mentally denied for he was either a father already or she disliked who he was. No, those toms would never satisfy her. They’d never love her and Littlestream was, perhaps, the oddest little romantic at heart. The tabby-white casually flicked her tail over her own muzzle before losing the grin, sliding on a smile though it seemed a little less joyful than her average. ”Luck may not be in my path, I guess. Not that it matters. I’ll be happy either way. I’ve got good friends, a good Clan, I’m well-fed.”

And yet the lingering concern hung in her eyes though she tried her hardest to cover it up. This was no time to ruin the moment. She would never want to ruin her time with Rabbitheart, not when they were short-lived as they were. Rare too considering his Clan loyalty. It was days like these where she was reminded just how good of a tom he was and how she wished he could be a fine little RiverClan boy. Sometimes she did honestly wish that.

[/size][/justify]

[Yoko]

Da-da...Dada..Dadadada

Their muzzles brushed and Rabbitheart had to strain his ears to hear her words. It's hard to focus when your heart sounds like a sparrow is beating about inside it. It wasn't his fault she explained. But as the fuzzy warmth in his head faded he pulled away a little so he could look at her, curious to know but not badly enough to force an answer. She looked uncomfortable, embarrassed even. She was pretty this way, but he paid attention to what she was saying.

It was fascinating...He didn't know what to make of it at first...She wants to have kits at the same time as all her friends...? It did not seem like something to get upset over, so he tried to put himself in her position. Kitting is a big experience in a she-cat's life. Not all of them go through it, but when they do, from what he had heard, it was a very big deal. Surely, it would only be a better experience to go through it with friends...And it must be hard to have all your friends having kits and not being able to have them yourself...It would be so sad...No, there was nothing at all wrong with wanting to go through that with friends.

"That's a nice idea," he said suddenly with a warm smile. "I don't know many she-cats. But I imagine having kits would be a frightening thing to do alone. And you could help each other out, when you feel low or afraid...It's not a silly idea at all."

She doesn't have to miss out... His heart was oddly racing again. What was this? He was usually so calm. It felt nice, but he was trying to think. Would it be too bold to suggest...? They were so close already...How long had he thought about her this way? Not long at all, a few moments ago he had thought of her only as a friend. Mates had kits. ThunderClan didn't have many mates. In fact, ThunderClan didn't have many she-cats...Maybe that's why he hadn't thought much about mates or kits or anything like that. Maybe that's why he didn't know how he felt for Littlestream...

But that wasn't true...He did know. He looked away, staring off into the bushes, as if he expected someone to rush forward and stop him. Littlestream and her friend's pact was not breaking the Warrior Code...How he felt...what he wanted to ask...was. But the Golden Warrior had never been one to lie to himself. He had always followed his heart with great confidence. Why should that misguide him now? He turned back to her.

"That's a shame...A cat as beautiful and kind as you being alone in your Clan. I don't have much hope of finding love in my Clan either...there are so few she-cats and all. But we found each other," he breathed and nuzzled her cheek. "If you need me, I'm here. If you really want kits, well, I'd be honored to have them with you. But not just because I can't have them in my own Clan, Littlestream. I really care about you."

The end of that didn't sit well with him. They had only been seeing each other for two moons, and he was worried that she might not believe him, but he felt strong enough to say it outright.

"I love you."

[spike]

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[atrb=background,http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr67/Goldenwolf35953/Littlestream2-2.jpg] She felt bad about telling him because she knew it was the big secret among her and her she-cat friends. They were doing this as a group, their thing that their mates were highly unrelated with. But the fears and worries were so heavy, telling Rabbitheart made her feel better. The tan warrior of ThunderClan was such a brave tom, jumping the border for her and letting her express her concerns over what was possibly nothing. She felt terrible to make him worry as well. Littlestream wanted nothing more than to make sure he stayed happy, that was that. He made her so happy that seeing anything less than his happy-go-lucky smile tore her heart out. The RiverClan warrior gazed up at him, blue eyes glittering like his own as she saw how much he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Her tail tip flicked across the ground, brushing ever so slightly against his paw, likely unnoticed by him in his moment of lost attention. Not that she’d mention it. It brought a little warmth to her heart to be close to her precious Golden Warrior. Maybe she was breaking the warrior code alone just by feeling like that. She had always been in denial about her own emotions and the fun-loving she-cat was very good about hiding that. Still, when he finally seemed alert once more, she could only smile softly at him. Littlestream loved just looking up at him, at this younger warrior that had managed to capture something in her that others could not. Littlestream was so soothed when he spoke again, happily reaching her muzzle to meet his cheek in turn when he brushed over hers and then turned to nuzzle her. ’He’s so warm… so soft…’ Her thoughts swept unconsciously over her as she heard his words to follow. ”I love you.”

[/color]

Her whole body stiffened quickly, eyes wide as she looked up at him, like the world had gone still in that single moment. Love? No, he was lying. He was just pulling her tender strings, letting these few words slip so carelessly. But then she heard it.

Thump… thump…thump…

Her own heart. Littlestream’s eyes grew damp with tears that she didn’t want to shed. To be loved was such a powerful thing, but to know what they were doing was so wrong… How could she let her beloved Golden Warrior fall to that? Selfishly, she thought it over again and knew she couldn’t let him go either. This whole thinking process couldn’t have lasted long before she suddenly leapt up, paws going around his neck and resting on his shoulders, a somewhat mock hug that pressed her warm chest to his. Littlestream licked his muzzle once, purring loudly though the fears were evident.

”Oh, Rabbitheart, I love you too,”[/color] she whispered under a shaking voice. ”You don’t know how much this means to me. I don’t know how I could go without my friends on this, the kit thing, but you’re so bold as to do it despite what we might face. I’ll never understand why you'd want kits with me, but thank you.”[/color] She backed up a pace and slid off of him, bumping her muzzle under his, trying to forget the thoughts rushing through her head. She couldn’t fear this, she loved him. He loved her. They had to stand tall when everybody else said they should back down. To do this for love, that was their cause.

Littlestream avoided his eyes for a moment, lost in her own thoughts before she realized that they had to come to terms still with the terrible parts of this reality. ”What will I tell my clanmates?”[/color] she sighed. ”If the kits look like you… if they ask who the father is. Or being away from you for that long. Once I’m with kits, I won’t be leaving the camp much. Or even after I have them. I don’t know, Rabbitheart. I want this so badly now that it’s been mentioned, and yet…”[/color] She pressed her right eye to his chest, attempting to hide the small tear that wanted to fall. ”Can we do this?[/color]

Oh how she loved him. But it was so true. They were just two warriors. Could they handle all that would come with this decision?

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Word Count;; 718 words
Character Used;; Littlestream
Purpose of Thread;; Admitting feelings to Rabbitheart! (PLOT)
Tagged;; Yoko
Notes;; Gosh I love these two so much![/blockquote][/justify][/size][/color][/td][/tr][tr][td][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[Yoko]

(Yoko is sorry Spike. She reread the thread and cried cause she took so long to respond to a beautiful and very long post T_T )

She seemed frightened for a moment. Perhaps he shouldn't have said it? He was only being honest, but perhaps it was too forward of him for courtesy to allow. He kneaded his forpaws in the dirt, unaware of the small movement becuase his mind, eyes, and heart were all fixed on Littlestream who seemed to be combating something in her mind. Did she doubt him? Would he blame her if she did? No. With every passing moment it seemed more absurd that a ThunderClan tom would love a RiverClan she-cat this much, but it became more true every moment as well. He was frozen in place, unable to leave her side until he was certain she was alright. Her teary eyes grounded him in place.

Her response surprised him. Wrapped in a warm embrace and surrounded by her loving purrs, he wasn't sure if he was even touching the ground anymore. It meant a lot to her. It meant a lot for the both of them. Why they loved each other? Well, he loved many things about her, but those didn't seem adequate in explaining this sort of passion. The strength of the feeling was incredible, and he had never felt this for any cat in his Clan. How could StarClan forbid something this pure and powerful? Surely if every cat found something this special there would be no battles or rivalries any longer.

Her worries struck his ears like blows. The fear in her voice only made him press tighter, and he liked her forehead with strong comforting strokes before laying his head on top of hers, her face buried in his chest. This was not something to be taken lightly. But Rabbitheart had seen battle before, and now he a she-cat to fight for it would only make him all the fiercer to defend her. It wasn't quite the same as the leap he made in battle to earn his warrior name. This felt more dangerous, and he was braver because she was there.

"As a queen you would have the right to refuse to tell. And I can't imagine anyone accusing you of breaking the warrior code," his light blue eyes were downcast. It hurt to think of their love as something their clanmates would see as disloyal. "And if the challenge should ever come, we'll face it together. And don't worry about being with kits, Littlestream. You'll have your friends to get you through it. I wish I could be there...I'd want to take care of you myself...But you trust your Clanmates don't you? They'll make sure you have everything you need. And my heart will always be with yours. Always." He looked down at her very seriously.

It felt strange, all this worrying. Only a few moons ago, life was simple. Life was easy. Life revolved around his father and brother. Hi mother had died giving birth to Ravenkit. His breath caught in his throat. What if he lost her the way he had lost him mom. He pressed his muzzle to hers and closed his eyes tightly.

StarClan would never be so cruel. NEVER. Erase that wretched thought now.

And his brow unffurrowed, and the golden warrior licked his love's muzzle three times, with all the love he could muster. Had they been here too long yet? He wasn't sure. In the high passion of the evening, time seemed to have slipped away. They were somewhere else now, another realm in which love and Clan loyalty didn't seem to collide.

[spike]

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[atrb=background,http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr67/Goldenwolf35953/Littlestream2-2.jpg] What was it about his words that calmed her so well? Littlestream found herself thinking less and less about those worries and more about now, about his warm body and his gentle voice. Why did StarClan make the clans so strict in their ways? Love… so it was true that love conquered all. She didn’t want to cry from the joy in her heart, biting back the stinging she knew were resulting from the oncoming tidal wave. No, no, she would keep strong. Even if he was shaking her heart to the core, tugging at every heartstring she had. ”Rabbitheart,” she murmured. ”I know it seems somewhat rushed, the way things fell tonight. But I do want to be your mate. The RiverClan toms aren’t for me. They don’t understand me like you do.”

[/color] Why did the words stall in her throat when she wanted to say them so badly? Littlestream felt guilt stricken that she was going to do this when her friends were probably off choosing amazing WindClan and RiverClan mates, from their respective clans of course. And here she was basically breaking not just that promise but the code and the promise she made to honor the warrior code when she became a warrior. It couldn’t get worse. It just couldn’t get worse.

But Rabbitheart wasn’t worse. He was better. She knew he was the right step, to make her happier, to make her a better cat. Her golden warrior, her mate. That sounded exactly as it should’ve been, so why was she struggling to let it happen? She closed her eyes tight, the silence all that could speak about the truth of how much they were in the wrong. ”And my heart will always be with yours. Always.”[/color] Those words wouldn’t leave her either. Even if they were forced to fake their true feelings, to walk on opposites of the river forever, if his heart was always hers, she could handle that.

’To love him, even if only for a short while, will make up for the rest of my life without Rabbitheart. That I am certain of.’[/color]

The small she-cat stepped back, looking up at him with new found courage and certainty. The glow in her blue eyes was powerful with intense feelings of love and honor. She would have nobody else, and hopefully it would be the same for him. ”Rabbitheart,”[/color] she mewed, ”I know we’re breaking many things here, but I want you to be my mate and… I want you to father my kits. This… sounds mousebrained.”[/color] A dry laugh escaped her as she shook her head, gathering her thoughts back on a straight line. ”There’s nobody I’ve ever trusted or loved like you. We don’t have much time, you know. With battles, with disease and predators, and even thinking just about how much night is left and how long we can stay here just talking; we just don’t have time. I don’t want to waste that precious time thinking what-if. I… I want you and only you.”[/color]

Littlestream smiled brightly, all worries and fussing gone as she knew only one thing existed. Love. Love, true and honest to the core. ”Let’s make tonight the night, make it last. Please. Mates forever, Rabbitheart. Will you?”[/color] When love was this strong, even if its strength would waver after this night, it wasn’t worth letting go. Cherishing the moment. That was what Littlestream was going to do forever more.

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Word Count;; 575 words
Character Used;; Littlestream
Notes;; Sorry about the wait![/blockquote]
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[Yoko]

His heart swelled so that he thought it might burst. She wanted him, and no other tom! And he could quite honestly say that he had never wanted anyone else, and now he knew he never would. She was so beautiful, so full of life and love. He was sure that he understood her meaning. They might not have another time to be the close. They might not even have tonight! He pressed his muzzle to her neck, lapping her fur gently. He had never done this before, so he simply did what felt natural.

"Littlestream," he told her softly. "I'd be honored to father your kits. No amount of broken rules could change that. You are the most beautiful, honest, and kind she-cat I have ever known. And that is the stars' honest truth."

He pressed closer to her, fur meshing. A purr rose from deep in his chest. He could not be happier, nor could he be more nervous. Vaguely he wondered if she had done this before. His cheeks grew hot, as embarrassed as if he had asked. The distraction faded as he found a comfortable position with her, careful not to grip her sides too tightly. His movements were soft, loving, and gentle. But soon he wanted more of her. He loved her too much to keep holding back this way. He hoped she would understand that. The rising passion in his motions, the force of his thrusts, the rush of blood in his ears. It was more strenuous than the only battle he had ever fought. It felt better than anything ever had. If he could only find the words for what he felt about her right now! Being one with her, holding her close, his love for her grew fiercer with each passing moment in the depth of the night. Had any cat tried to take her from him now, they would find not the smiling care-free tom but a wild cat ready to fight to the death for his love. Deep purrs of satisfaction rolled from his throat, but he choked most of them back. They were meeting in secret, despite the boldness of their love.

((Sorry its not very long, I guess Rabbitheart wasn't feeling very talkative, if you catch my drift ))