Thunder
Short Story
Friendship
Wolf & Apple

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The wind howled outside, clawing at the branches of the apprentices' den. Flashes of light illuminated the interior, blinding a patched tom near the entrance. He nearly burst with a yowl when thunder rumbled in pursuit of lightning.

Giving himself a reassuring lick on the paw, he curled into a tighter ball, burying his muzzle into his tail. But he couldn't hide from the loud claps of thunder that startled him.

Tendrils of cold, wet wind swept into the den every now and then, freezing him down to the marrow in his bones. He shivered, refraining from a dry cough. He suffered in silence, every molecule in his body trembling with paralyzing fear.

Wolfpaw was afraid of thunderstorms.

The pounding rain and howling wind and screaming thunder drowned out the hushed, concerned whispers of a ginger tom nearby. Realizing Wolfpaw could not hear him above the raging storm, the tabby rose from his nest of soft moss and carefully crossed the den, navigating through the sea of tails and paws.

As he approached, Wolfpaw slouched further into his nest, unaware of his presence. The ginger tom's eyes softened with concern, he gently nudged Wolfpaw's shoulder with his nose.

Wolfpaw jumped, yellow-green eyes wide with shock and fear and embarrassment. His gaze snapped into focus on the apprentice's face and he whirled in his nest, facing the wall of entwined branches instead.

"Wolfpaw," Applepaw spoke softly, ear flicking with concern for his best friend. "Are you alright?"

When Wolfpaw didn't respond, Applepaw repeated his name several times before the patched apprentice finally turned reluctantly.

"Y-yeah, I'm great. Never b-better!" he tried for a reassuringly bright smile, instead it turned to a sharp flinch as thunder shook the den.

Applepaw glanced outside, tben toward Wolfpaw, slowly making the connection. A small smile curled his lips, "It's okay; it's just a storm."

"Who said I was afraid of storms?!" Wolfpaw stiffened, "Cause I'm not! I swe--"

Lightning flashed, thunder bellowed, Wolfpaw squeaked.

Applepaw sent him a meaningful look and Wolfpaw sighed, instead of admitting his phobia, he muttered, "I miss my littermates.."

The ginger apprentice tilted his head, sweeping his tail across his paws as he sat. His expression encouraged the patched tom to speak.

"Hela was.. I mean, she always protected us and stuff, but she was mean. But Thor... everytime a storm like this hit, he'd curl up next to me and stay there until it passed."

Wolfpaw's vision grew murky with reminiscence, his mind wandering to his loner days spent with his golden brother and dark sister. As much as he missed them, he wouldn't trade his current life for that one. His remembrance shattered when more thunder chased lightning outside, startling him.

It almost seemed as though the storm was mocking him and his fear, rumbling and flashing whenever he'd forget--even briefly--about the downpour.

Applepaw's body relaxed, his eyes glinting with concern and care. Slowly, hesitantly, he moved into Wolfpaw's nest beside him. The other apprentice didn't object, but surprise was written across his expression.

"Like this?" Applepaw gently laid his fluffy tail across Wolfpaw's back reassuringly.

Wolfpaw nodded, melting into his best friend. The thunder dulled to throbs in his head, lightning to sparks. Applepaw's thick fur radiated heat and he simply fell into it.

As Wolfpaw drifted into a peaceful slumber, he was reminded of his brother. Although Thor's golden pelt would not greet him in the morning, he couldn't have asked for a better tom to be his non-blood brother.

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Snakepaw stood next to Hopepaw, eyeing the toms with ridicule. She glanced toward the other she-cat, "Look, Hopepaw, your mate-to-be is homosexual. How do you feel?"

"Flabbergasted," Hopepaw joked, "I can't believe he'd do this!"

"Think we should wake them? I know where to get some red ants," Snakepaw's expression was of pure evil as she spoke.

But Hopepaw shook her head, "No. They're adorable, like kits. But you'll have to show me where those ants are, just in case Applepaw does end up with Wolfpaw."

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I love Apple and Wolf; their friendship is so cute. But I don't ship them--Hope x Apple for life!