{Moon, Fox} Found Out!

[Deleted]

Badgerstep hadn't been feeling his best, as of late. That was one of the reasons he'd wandered out of camp, not heading anywhere in particular. The tom felt like he was in a daze, like everything he did was in slow motion.

He stood atop the Moor Hill with glazed amber eyes- once so full of life. Nothing seemed to be right anymore. Before, life had been been better than running through StarClan's hunting grounds. Little moments he'd shared with Moonspirit had made it all worth while. So much happiness had come from being able to spend time together. But since the kits' births, things had begun to plummet.

It wasn't that he wasn't proud to be a father, nor that he didn't love his son and daughters. It was more like he loved them too much. The black and white warrior had spent a good amount of time watching his kits from a distance as they looked up to Smallheart and her mate as their parents. Their little smiles made his heart ache. It wasn't fair! They were his and Moonspirit's kits. They should have been able to grow up knowing that! The whole rule about medicine cats not being able to have a mate or kits... It was all unfair!

The warrior tom clamped his eyes shut and set his teeth firmly together. Everything would have been so much easier if that rule didn't have to exist.

[Deleted]

((Well, I'mma just have NightPaw here. Idk what to put for FoxStar, is that fine? o3o))

[Deleted]

(( Yeah, that's fine. (: ))

[Deleted]

((Alright, cool. NightPaw would still tattle-tale. She's the goody type. XD ))

The black she-cat was slowly padding behind BadgerStep. To be honest, she has a major crush on her mentor. At the time being, she was sort of... stalking him. She made sure to place her paws down on the ground slowly without a noise, letting the breeze blow her ears back.

She couldn't help but admire the breeze, because it seemed to blow in her face-- which meant that BadgerStep probably couldn't detect her. Not only that, BadgerStep's scent was wafting through her nose.

She smiled peacefully to herself, letting her green eyes close for a moment. She was wondering if BadgerStep even felt the same way. Then again, he barely spoke to her... It seemed as if he didn't even acknowledge her true being. With that thought, she couldn't help but grit her teeth while sinking her paws into the dirt below her. Was she noticed?

NightPaw frowned, and looked back at BadgerStep while her claws sunk right back into her paws. Her ears flicked, noticing that something seemed to be bothering him. She couldn't help but bounce up beside him and sit down, smiling wildly. He has to notice her now, right?

"BadgerStep, are you okay?" she mewed quietly while her voice suddenly went louder, "I gotta tell you something!"

After saying that, she let her black nose nudge his shoulder gently, loving the feel of his black and white fur upon her soft nose.

[/center]

[Deleted]

The warrior's eyes flashed open in alarm at the sudden voice beside him, and the nuzzle to his shoulder. Badgerstep was developing a bad habit of closing out the outside world, and then getting a start whenever someone spoke up. He recovered his wits in a heartbeat with a breath, but little she-cat's gesture seemed a little too informal for his tastes. The tom gave a small smile, then scooted just a little bit away from Nightpaw. Enough to be breathing room.

"Nightpaw, you nearly scared me right out of my fur!" Badgerstep chuckled a little, twitching his whiskers in wary amusement. "I'm fine. But really now, how long were you out here? I didn't even scent you coming. You did well to stay downwind." His amber eyes flickered between emotions as he spoke. His nerves were never right anymore. Always too jumpy.

The large tom then flicked his ears around at the louder part of her mew. "Something to tell me? Just what might that be?" the patched tom asked curiously, bending his neck down a little so that he was at her level more.

[Deleted]

The she-cat's mind was always filled with black and white. A black and white cat. A BadgerStep. Why? Why did she like him so? Was it even normal? She didn't know, and at this point... she didn't care.

Her left ear flicked a bit in well... joy. She was glad that she was rather praised in such manner. It made her even happier that the praise was from the tom she had a crush on. Oh... she felt so at bliss.

It wasn't hard to make this she-cat happy. Well, it was, depending on the situation. At this point of time, it wasn't hard at all.

NightPaw couldn't help but smile at him, and when he got father away from her, the smile turned into a slight frown. Now what? Should she tell him? Should she even mention the crush? He was backing away from her right now! That must not be a good sign, she thinks.

Then again, she should say it anyways... Just in case.

"W-Well..." that was when she started to stutter and lower her head; her thoughts were starting to erupt her mind and swallow the optimistic thoughts and filled it with thoughts that could make her a bit... pessimistic. Why was it so difficult? Why can't things just be so simple?

Her green eyes closed rather tightly, her claws sinking down in the ground. She suddenly shook her small triangular head side to side.

She rose her head up once more, letting her gaze go into BadgerStep's.

NightPaw sighed, and continued with what she was going to say, "Well,BadgerStep... I kinda... like you."

[/center]

[Deleted]

Badgerstep flicked an ear as she hesitated a bit. His eyes narrowed in slight confusion as well. She seemed so unsure. What could it possibly be? The tom couldn't think of what it could possibly be- only that it must have been something hard to say. But when his apprentice met his eyes and spoke those words, the warrior's ear's eyes widened, and he pulled his face back away from Nightpaw's.

All he could think was, What? Was she serious? This little she-cat, his apprentice, liked him? Badgerstep almost wanted to say that she was just kidding, or just telling him that she liked him as a mentor. But of course that wasn't it. The tom looked back at her, feeling unbelievably awkward. What was he supposed to say? Of course he wouldn't have even thought about liking Nightpaw. She was moons younger than him- his apprentice, for StarClan's sake! But even if she had been a grown warrior, what was he supposed to say? The tom only loved one she-cat.

The black and white tom bit his tongue, then attempted to respond. "Nightpaw... You don't really mean that, do you? After all, I'm your mentor. I'm flattered, really, but this just couldn't work. Don't you see?"

[Deleted]

The she-cat should of known. Why would a great warrior like him like her? She was just small, ugly, and just, UGH! She didn't know. She just should of known, and she did. She just didn't want to face the true facts. She just wasn't worth anyone's time. Ugh... What should she do now? She didn't even know how to answer that. She just wanted to run off and cry.

It was true that she was so much younger than Badgerstep, but.... it's happened in the past... right? It didn't matter. It shouldn't matter. Nothing should matter! Her whole world was starting to crack and fall. Why did this matter so much to her? Why does she feel like this?

Her right paw moved over to her chest, while the claws seemed to rather... 'cling' to her fur. She felt so hurt. She felt so... pained? T-This was so unlike her... What was becoming of her? Her world just seemed so... she didn't even know the word for it. Something just seemed to be troubling her even more now, and she didn't know why. Then again, she basically just got rejected... so...

NightPaw shook her head side to side, and just let out an angered hiss, "I should of known!"

Her right paw suddenly slammed against the ground, which gave it a slight twist that she barely even noticed. She was too... well, pissed and upset. She got on all four, her right forepaw hovering over the ground without her even knowing it.

"You think I didn't realize this? You think, I tried so hard to stop thinking about you?" her eyes suddenly blazed with fury, yet... they were soft... which was rather unusual, because, how could someone's optics be soft yet angry at the same time? it didn't matter how; they just were.

Her whole attitude and emotion was probably surprising BadgerStep rather a lot, due to... well, him not seeing her that much, and when he did, she was always so calm, "It's happened before in the past, so why couldn't it happen anyways in the present? How could it not work, what's wrong with me!?"

Her tail was now lashing back and forth, while her black ears started to pin against her head. NightPaw just couldn't handle truth. She couldn't handle it at all. She never had to face something that was so painful like this.

"Ugh, forget it!" she walked towards a tree, barely even using her right forepaw, and when she did, she let out a squeak of pain. When she soon arrived at the tree, she sat there, and let tears bubble out of her eyes.

[/center]

[Deleted]

The young she-cat's reaction did very much so alarm the tom. Her cries were so startlingly loud it was almost frightening. Had he put it that badly? No, he told himself. I have to say it as it is. Otherwise it'll never end. But seeing the dark apprentice breaking down in such a painful way was hard. It was like Nightpaw was struggling against some sort of fit. Maybe she was. But Badgerstep couldn't find the ability to do much else besides look down at her, pained.

As she slammed her paw against the ground, the tom almost flinched. She could very well hurt herself! By the way she was holding it above the ground, it seemed as if she already had done just that. The warrior wanted to reach out and stop her right there, but he remained where he was like a moonstruck rabbit. The whole matter was going a little over his head. They hadn't even spent that much time together for training sessions.. He'd kept himself too preoccupied with his own problems to think about his apprentice, in truth. It sounded bad even when he said it, but still, why would she even feel this way? It was absurd!

At her hurling questions, Badgerstep shook his head a little, in almost a pitying way. "Nightpaw... Things are a little more complicated than that. And even so, I..." It was no good. The tom just could place the words. He was still in a state of shock. So young, so young. "Nothing's wrong with you. But there's more to the matter than just that. There's-" The tom cut himself of as he looked into her face, twisted up with emotions that she shouldn't have even felt yet.

He wasn't able to say any more before Nightpaw hissed him away and turned toward the shade of one of the rare trees on WindClan territory just a little ways away. Badgerstep rose to his paws, about to go right after her, but winced as he saw the little she-cat put too much weight on the forepaw she'd just injured, and let out a shriek of pain. The warrior bit back his lip as she kept going, dragging the rest of her paws over to the tree. Great StarClan, let her see some sense.

Badgerstep sighed. How was he supposed to go about this? Nightpaw was flooding herself more and more. Was he even going to be able to get his reasoning through to her? The warrior twitched his whiskers unhappily before padding after his apprentice, slowly, until he stood near the spot she'd chosen. He then sat down, and just looked at her while he tried to find the words. "Nightpaw, please. You have to calm down and think clearly. I can see that its hard, but please try. Maybe things have happened differently in the past, but maybe it should stay there. You shouldn't be padding after grown warriors- you should be looking closer to the apprentice den." He lay his tail tip across her shoulders in a kind gesture. Hopefully she would realize there was nothing more to it that that.

"You're a very nice she-cat who would have no trouble catching a tom more her age. And besides..." Badgerstep had to use a good amount of his will power to keep his claws from slipping out with tension. "There's already another she-cat."

[Deleted]

(Should I enter with Moonspirit hiding somewhere or wait a bit?)

[Deleted]

(( OOC: Whatever you want at this point. ))

[Deleted]

NightPaw lashed out her paw, smacking BadgerStep across the face.

"Shut up! You don't know my pain!" she let tears run down her face, the tip of her tail twitching while she was doing so.

She didn't care what he was saying, but the last words that came out of his mouth made her ears prick.

"What? Another she-cat, but the only she-cat who you hang out with a lot is.... MoonSpi..." her eyes shot open wide, while her pelt started to prickle with unease, "You and the medicine cat! I'M TELLING!"

She growled, and jumped up, starting to dash off.

I'll make sure MoonSpirit leaves, because then... then... I'll have BadgerStep! When she's gone, I'll kill her!

[/center]

[Deleted]

Badgerstep was completely bewildered when the young she-cat's paw whipped across his face, and for a heartbeat he wasn't sure how to react. It angered him, no doubt, but he still didn't want to be angry at his own apprentice... Especially over this. But then he saw her ears prick up, and panic flooded his mind. No! As Nightpaw turned to run off, the black and white tom quickly bolted in front of the she-cat, cutting off her path back towards camp. "Nightpaw! I never said anything about Moonspirit. She's a good friend- and a medicine cat, besides!" If he allowed her to tell Foxstar, everything would be ruined. "That's ridiculous!"

[Deleted]

NightPaw skidded to a halt, and growled. Her ears pinned back against her head. She knew better. She placed 2 and 2 together.

"I'm not stupid! When you aren't training me, you are with her!" her claws sunk into the ground while she growled that, "Admit it!"

Her eyes were blazing with pure fury now. It held no other emotion. No emotion at all but Anger.

[/center]

[Deleted]

This wasn't working. Badgerstep's claws slipped deep into the earth, clinging him to the spot. "I can't admit it, because it's not true! I told you we are old friends. Moonspirit would never even consider taking a mate! She's most loyal to her job, not just any cat!" Possibilities raced through his mind. He knew his protests weren't going to work. The look in Nightpaw's eyes showed no sign of ever backing down. But what was he to do? Come out and confess? Never. "And you should have more respect for your mentor, in any case. Not to mention trust."