confession

~~~

IT SUCKED THAT VIOLETPAW HAD TO witness the year's first snowfall through the opening of SkyClan's prisoner den.

It was past moonhigh when it happened. The white she-cat couldn't sleep, her stomach churning with anxiety about escaping. Ravenpaw, on the other hand, had drifted off hours ago, and his soft snores were filling the den.

It was comforting, in a way, listening to them. It brought back the familiarity of home. 

Violetpaw was staring out into the freezing night, listening as even their guard outside, Treefrost, fell asleep, and contemplating the chances of them making it out right now when she spotted the first white flurry falling from the sky. Then, more and more, quicker and quicker, until the Treefrost was awoken by the freezing flakes.

Violetpaw listened as the SkyClan warrior hissed and complained to himself about the cold, and how he should be sleeping in his warm nest right now.

She grinned to herself. Snow had always been her favorite, since it meant that her unusually pale white fur could finally blend in somewhere, but she's never loved it more than in that moment.

She sighed happily to herself, and that quiet noise was all that was needed to wake Ravenpaw up. He may have been snoring, but clearly he wasn't sleeping very deeply. It was impossible to imagine how one could let themselves completely drift off in this environment.

"Hmm?" His voice was deep and groggy. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah," Violetpaw murmured, gazing outside again at the falling flakes. "It's snowing."

The sight of them seemed to bring some serene calmness to Violetpaw. It was messing with her mind, for when she heard Ravenpaw moving to crouch beside her so that he could see the snow as well, a small smile danced onto her face.

"I don't see what your obsession is with snow," the black tom grumbled. "It's cold, and there's no prey, and-"

"It's pretty," Violetpaw interrupted simply. "It turns the forest into a new world. And there is prey, you just have to be patient enough to look for it."

Surprisingly, talking about home and prey and hunting wasn't dampening the mood as she thought it would. Ravenpaw was the last cat Violetpaw would choose to be stuck with, but he was from home. That, and talking about ThunderClan, was some comfort.

"Yeah, but if it's greenleaf, you don't have to be patient," Ravenpaw pointed out. 

"Hunting during leafbare is a true test of skill." Violetpaw sniffed. "Last week, Eaglepaw caught two whole mice! They both scrambled out of a bush, and he slapped them down with one paw each. His timing, coordination, and strength is insane."

She suddenly realized that she'd just rambled about Eaglepaw to a cat that wasn't even her friend. The white she-cat's pelt heated with embarrassment, and she glanced over at Ravenpaw, her mouth opening to try and explain that it wasn't in that way. However, Ravenpaw was already looking back at her with an odd look in his eyes.

"So," he puffed out a breath, "you like Eaglepaw, huh?"

It was awkward, and Violetpaw had never even voiced this aloud to Sweetpaw and Brightpaw. But really, what was the point? Might as well let someone know before she died, even if it was Ravenpaw. "Yeah."

The black tom nodded, slowly, and a miniscule, teasing smile twitched on and off his face. "Okay," he mewed at last. Then, "I think he knows."

"What?" Violetpaw meowed, her stomach sinking in horror. "No he doesn't!"

"Everyone knows, Violetpaw," Ravenpaw replied, rolling his eyes. "You aren't exactly discreet about it."

"Sure I am!" the white she-cat protested, flicking her ears indignantly. "It's a secret."

"Yeah, a Clan secret," Ravenpaw quipped back. "Though, I'm sure if you and Eaglepaw had attended a Gathering together, that secret would get out. But maybe it can be a secret within all five Clans then, and only rogues, loners, and kittypets don't know. However, if-"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Violetpaw interrupted, frowning. "Why are you being mean? It's not as if the entire Clan doesn't know what's going on between you and Brightpaw."

Ravenpaw made a weird face. It was somewhere between wildly confused and a smile. "What? What are you talking about?"

"You and Brightpaw," Violetpaw repeated. "You two are growing very close."

The black tom raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize you've been watching me this closely."

"I think I'd notice it when my friend doesn't sit with me anymore during mealtimes," Violetpaw retorted. "I haven't been watching you, I've been watching Brightpaw."

"Huh." Ravenpaw took in this information with a tilt of his head. 

Violetpaw waited for him to say more, but he didn't. Finally, impatient, she flicked her tail at his ears. "Well?"

"Well what?"

The white she-cat huffed. He was doing this on purpose. "Well, do you like Brightpaw?"

"Do I like Brightpaw?" Ravenpaw repeated the words to himself, slowly. "You know, I think that's an answer I'll keep to myself."

"What?" Violetpaw protested. "That's not fair, I told you about Eaglepaw."

"Hey, it wasn't a trade kind of thing," Ravenpaw mewed simply. "Plus, I really didn't need you to admit it, I'd already figured it out by myself."

"Come on," Violetpaw implored. When the black tom remained quiet still, she bumped him with her shoulder. "Why won't you tell me?"

"Why would I tell you?" Ravenpaw challenged, without missing a beat. His yellow eyes beamed deeply into her green ones. "We're not friends."

Those words made Violetpaw frown. Sure, she knew that, and in no way did she want to be his friend, but she was really hoping he'd ignore that fact in favor of the conversation. Seeing her face fall downward, though, Ravenpaw rolled his eyes.

"Fine, here. I like someone, but I won't tell you who it is."

Violetpaw's eyes lit up. "It's Brightpaw, isn't it? She's the only cat I ever see you talking to."

"Yeah, she's my friend. I could like Brightpaw. But I could like Sweetpaw. It could be a far away admirer thing, like you are with Eaglepaw, except I don't act like I've got fluff for brain when I'm around her."

"Oh, shut up," Violetpaw grumbled, slapping the black tom with her tail.

But Ravenpaw was relentless. "Dapplepaw, maybe. Or, it could be Eaglepaw. I could be your competition. He's got, er, nicely shaped ears."

"Nicely shaped ears?" Despite her initial annoyance, a smile cracked onto the white she-cat's face. "That's the nicest thing you can think to say about him?"

"Well I certainly don't fawn over him like you do," Ravenpaw mewed. 

Violetpaw just scoffed with a grin, glancing away. "Come on, you're being ridiculous."

The two fall quiet for a short, comfortable moment until Ravenpaw speaks again. "I bet he enjoys it, you know."

"Hmm?" The white she-cat looked back over to her Clanmate.

"Eaglepaw," Ravenpaw clarified. "If it makes you feel any better, I bet he enjoys it. Attention from a pretty she-cat must do wonders for his ego. And hey, you know, you two are just like your parents."

Violetpaw blinked. "You've heard that story?"

"Sure, the elders love telling it. About how Swanfrost was wildly in love with Frostsky but he never noticed until they became warriors - you know, I'd bet that'll become a nursery tale in the future. You and Eaglepaw can be the sequel story."

Violetpaw scoffed. "Okay, well, Dad loves Mom now, maybe even more than she liked him. He always tells her that she's the best thing that's ever happened to him."

Ravenpaw flicked his tail, never breaking their eye contact. "And you think you'll get that with Eaglepaw?"

Violetpaw shrugged, suddenly becoming a little uncomfortable with the conversation. She felt vulnerable talking about this, admitting that it could be more than a little crush. So, she swiveled her head to look at the snow. "It worked out for Mom."

The black tom nodded, slowly. "Okay."

Silence blanketed them again, until Ravenpaw broke it with a quiet voice.

"Fine," he sighed. For a moment, Violetpaw was wondering what he was talking about, until he continued begrudgingly. "I'll do the plan."

The white she-cat's head snapped to him, her eyes lighting up. "Really?"

"Yes. But," he mewed, sharply as he watched Violetpaw nearly jump to her paws in excitement, "I'm going to come back as a ghost and tell you 'I told you so' if I die."

Violetpaw just grinned at him cheerfully. "You have a pretty good chance of dying either way," she chirped, watching as Ravenpaw rolled his eyes.

And that night, with the snow and the somehow light atmosphere in SkyClan's prisoner den, things were starting to look up.

~~~

when they're taken prisoner by an enemy clan, could be brutally killed, and decide to gossip about their crushes