Tigerstripe entered camp closely followed by Bluemist and Snowpaw at the head of the dawn patrol. Poppyrose was sitting with Sorrelheart and Lilydawn and went to join Tigerstripe when she saw him coming.
"Tigerstripe!" she bounded up to him. "How was the dawn patrol?"
"Good, I guess." Tigerstripe said. "How was everything back at camp?"
"Boring." replied Poppyrose pressing her flank to his. "There's never anything exciting going on here."
Tigerstripe gave her a comporting lick on the cheek. "How about we go hunting later? Just the two of us?"
Poppyrose sighed. "I guess so." she said as she returned the lick.
"OK." said Tigerstripe as he moved away towards the fresh-kill pile. He picked up a mouse and took it to a shady patch near the warriors' den to eat. Only then did Poppyrose's sister Mouserise emerge from the warriors' den.
"Hey there! Where've you been?" asked Mouserise cheerily.
"Dawn patrol." said Tigerstripe with his mouth full of mouse.
"I see." she said, lying down next to him, pressing her flank to his.
Tigerstripe licked up the remaining scraps of his meal. "What have do been doing?" asked the tom, giving Mouserise's head a lick.
Mouserise returned the lick. "Well, I got up late to start. Then I went hunting." spoke the she-cat. She gave him another lick. "Everything OK with the borders?"
"Yep." replied Tigerstripe. "Not anything out of the ordinary."
Mouserise sighed. "Good to hear." she said.
***
Tigerstripe was sharing tongues with Rainthistle at sunhigh, when Poppyrose came out of the warriors' den and walked over to them.
"Tigerstripe, can I talk to you for a minute, please?" she asked politely.
"Sure." said Tigerstripe, leaving Rainthistle to talk to Darkstripe.
"Have you told her yet?" whispered Poppyrose, pressing her flank to his.
"No." Tigerstripe shook his head.
Poppyrose turned to face him, her eyes burning into his fur. "What?" she snapped.
"I know! I will, OK?" pleaded Tigerstripe as Mouserise entered camp with some fresh-kill and put it on the fresh-kill pile.
"Now, Tigerstripe!" hissed Poppyrose slinking off to watch from a distance.
Tigerstripe walked towards Mouserise. "Hey, Mouserise!" he said, as if he was dreading his decision.
"Oh, hi Tigerstripe!" Mouserise bounded towards him. She gave him a lick on the cheek. He'd miss that.
"Mouserise, listen..." he began.
"I've had the worst day!" Mouserise claimed.
"Huh?"
"The worst day ever! Actually, these last moments have been the highlight!" said Mouserise. What scared Tigerstripe was that she didn't sound like she was joking.
She moved so she could press her flank to his, but he edged about from her, closing her eyes as if in regret.
"Wh-what's wrong?" asked Mouserise. Tigerstripe could smell her fear scent.
"I'm sorry, Mouserise." he found every word a struggle. "But..." he hesitated. "I don't love you." he couldn't look Mouserise in the eye.
"But...but..." he felt sorry for her. She had had no idea. "Could you at least try? Maybe in time..." she knew it was hopeless. Tigerstripe felt a pang of regret.
"I love..." he began, thinking he saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes. But he finished with her sister's name instead of her's. "Poppyrose." the hope in Mouserise's eyes turned to pure hatred. She flashed a look at her innocent looking sister.
"Why did it have to be her? Of all cats, why her?" there was no pain in her voice now. "Revenge!" hissed the she-cat. She then disappeared into the warriors' den.
Then Poppyrose came up to him and gave him a lick. "You did it!" she sounded proud and pleased her sister was out of the picture.
***
Days later, sitting with Oakfern, watching Tigerstripe and Poppyrose sharing tongues, she felt more comfortable than she had ever felt with Tigerstripe.
"Are you OK with that, Mouserise?" asked Oakfern.
"Yeah." she nodded. "I guess. I'm more angry than sad. And it's more because it's my sister." she admitted.
Oakfern gave her cheek a gentle lick, and she politely returned it.
Oakfern then moved a little closer to her. "I love you." he whispered.
Mouserise didn't know what to say. She couldn't say she loved him, because she didn't. But she felt she could love him some day. She gave him a lick and pressed her flank to his. They began to share tongues under the sunlight.
She couldn't help catching Tigerstripe in the corner of her eye with a rather jealous look in his eyes. She didn't need Tigerstripe now. She had Oakfern.
"Tigerstripe!" she bounded up to him. "How was the dawn patrol?"
"Good, I guess." Tigerstripe said. "How was everything back at camp?"
"Boring." replied Poppyrose pressing her flank to his. "There's never anything exciting going on here."
Tigerstripe gave her a comporting lick on the cheek. "How about we go hunting later? Just the two of us?"
Poppyrose sighed. "I guess so." she said as she returned the lick.
"OK." said Tigerstripe as he moved away towards the fresh-kill pile. He picked up a mouse and took it to a shady patch near the warriors' den to eat. Only then did Poppyrose's sister Mouserise emerge from the warriors' den.
"Hey there! Where've you been?" asked Mouserise cheerily.
"Dawn patrol." said Tigerstripe with his mouth full of mouse.
"I see." she said, lying down next to him, pressing her flank to his.
Tigerstripe licked up the remaining scraps of his meal. "What have do been doing?" asked the tom, giving Mouserise's head a lick.
Mouserise returned the lick. "Well, I got up late to start. Then I went hunting." spoke the she-cat. She gave him another lick. "Everything OK with the borders?"
"Yep." replied Tigerstripe. "Not anything out of the ordinary."
Mouserise sighed. "Good to hear." she said.
***
Tigerstripe was sharing tongues with Rainthistle at sunhigh, when Poppyrose came out of the warriors' den and walked over to them.
"Tigerstripe, can I talk to you for a minute, please?" she asked politely.
"Sure." said Tigerstripe, leaving Rainthistle to talk to Darkstripe.
"Have you told her yet?" whispered Poppyrose, pressing her flank to his.
"No." Tigerstripe shook his head.
Poppyrose turned to face him, her eyes burning into his fur. "What?" she snapped.
"I know! I will, OK?" pleaded Tigerstripe as Mouserise entered camp with some fresh-kill and put it on the fresh-kill pile.
"Now, Tigerstripe!" hissed Poppyrose slinking off to watch from a distance.
Tigerstripe walked towards Mouserise. "Hey, Mouserise!" he said, as if he was dreading his decision.
"Oh, hi Tigerstripe!" Mouserise bounded towards him. She gave him a lick on the cheek. He'd miss that.
"Mouserise, listen..." he began.
"I've had the worst day!" Mouserise claimed.
"Huh?"
"The worst day ever! Actually, these last moments have been the highlight!" said Mouserise. What scared Tigerstripe was that she didn't sound like she was joking.
She moved so she could press her flank to his, but he edged about from her, closing her eyes as if in regret.
"Wh-what's wrong?" asked Mouserise. Tigerstripe could smell her fear scent.
"I'm sorry, Mouserise." he found every word a struggle. "But..." he hesitated. "I don't love you." he couldn't look Mouserise in the eye.
"But...but..." he felt sorry for her. She had had no idea. "Could you at least try? Maybe in time..." she knew it was hopeless. Tigerstripe felt a pang of regret.
"I love..." he began, thinking he saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes. But he finished with her sister's name instead of her's. "Poppyrose." the hope in Mouserise's eyes turned to pure hatred. She flashed a look at her innocent looking sister.
"Why did it have to be her? Of all cats, why her?" there was no pain in her voice now. "Revenge!" hissed the she-cat. She then disappeared into the warriors' den.
Then Poppyrose came up to him and gave him a lick. "You did it!" she sounded proud and pleased her sister was out of the picture.
***
Days later, sitting with Oakfern, watching Tigerstripe and Poppyrose sharing tongues, she felt more comfortable than she had ever felt with Tigerstripe.
"Are you OK with that, Mouserise?" asked Oakfern.
"Yeah." she nodded. "I guess. I'm more angry than sad. And it's more because it's my sister." she admitted.
Oakfern gave her cheek a gentle lick, and she politely returned it.
Oakfern then moved a little closer to her. "I love you." he whispered.
Mouserise didn't know what to say. She couldn't say she loved him, because she didn't. But she felt she could love him some day. She gave him a lick and pressed her flank to his. They began to share tongues under the sunlight.
She couldn't help catching Tigerstripe in the corner of her eye with a rather jealous look in his eyes. She didn't need Tigerstripe now. She had Oakfern.
