Pebblefall could tell he wasn't in his nest the moment he opened his eyes. He sat up, unsurprised to find himself in the misty place again. It was becoming more familiar to him, and he wasn't sure whether that was a positive or negative thing.

He blinked briefly, and suddenly, Ravenpaw was sitting in front of him. The black tom's eyes glistened with an unreadable emotion. "I did warn you."

Pebblefall remained silent, not to spite the tom, but because he was confused. He still didn't understand what the warning had been for.

Ravenpaw let out a soft growl. "But you ignored me, and continued your relationship with Sandwhisker." The tom flicked his ears angrily. "And look where that got you. Poolripple knows about it now."

Confusion danced around Pebblefall in dizzying circles. "Relationship?" he echoed. "What do you mean by that?"

Ravenpaw paused for a heartbeat before replying, almost looking startled. "You. . . don't know?"

"Know what?" Pebblefall flicked his tail again, getting slightly irritated. "Why are you always so cryptic?"

Ravenpaw curled his tail around his paws neatly, silent for a few long moments. He seemed to be considering something.

Pebblefall tried his best not to fidget, his annoyance building. If Ravenpaw had just been straightforward in the beginning, then maybe, just maybe, none of what he had been trying to warn him about would have happened.

"You care for him."

Ravenpaw's mew made Pebblefall jump slightly. "Him who?"

"Sandwhisker," Ravenpaw said bluntly. "You care for him a lot." His amber eyes began to blaze with a mildly terrifying intensity.

Pebblefall's ears twitched. "Well, of course I do. He's my friend."

He squirmed slightly under Ravenpaw's serious amber gaze. What is he trying to say this time? he thought, lowering his gaze as his fur began to heat in embarrassment.

Finally, Ravenpaw murmured, "Is he your friend. . . or just your friend?"

Ravenpaw's mew was barely a whisper in his ear as he opened his eyes again, this time back in the warriors' den. It was moonhigh, and the bright light of the half-moon shone through the mouth of the den, illuminating Sandwhisker's silky brown fur.

Pebblefall stared at his friend, scrutinising every detail of him. Ravenpaw's last words echoed in his head as he rested his chin on his paws, mulling over his thoughts about Sandwhisker. "Is he your friend. . . or just your friend?"

"Just my friend?" Pebblefall mumbled, confusion swirling in his mind, but he pushed it away to make space for his thoughts.

Enjoying being around Sandwhisker? Why, everyone would enjoy being around their friend.

Liking his scent? Well. . . surely friends wouldn't hate each other's scents?

Enjoying being touched by Sandwhisker? Well, that had to be a purely friendly feeling, right? Surely no one would want to be friends with a cat they couldn't bear to touch. . .

Wait. . . but all those times Sandwhisker had brushed his flank with his tail, and those feelings. . .

Pebblefall continued to sort through his thoughts of Sandwhisker, sorting them into 'friendly' and 'other'. By the time he was done, he had realised one very important thing.

All those 'other' feelings he had for Sandwhisker. . . all of them were romantic in some aspect.

Pebblefall shuddered violently at the realisation. Was he in love with Sandwhisker? But - but Sandwhisker was a tom! He couldn't like a tom! It just. . . wasn't possible?

Still shaken, Pebblefall got to his feet and quickly made his way to the medicine cats' den. He carefully avoided the sleeping Mistrose, heading directly for Poolripple.

He was nosing the medicine cat to wake her up before he fully knew what he was doing. For a heartbeat, he hesitated, reconsidering what he was about to be dragged into, but it was too late. Poolripple's eyes snapped open and instantly focused on him.

"Pebblefall?" she croaked, the confusion in her voice evident. "What do you need?"

Pebblefall hesitated again, drawing in a deep breath. "C - can I talk to you for a moment, Poolripple?" he whispered, his emotions whirling around inside of him.

"Of course." Poolripple got up, stretching her legs. "Let's go on a walk so we don't wake up Mistrose while we talk."

Pebblefall nodded, distracted by his thoughts. He still wasn't quite certain of whether he wanted to do this or not, but. . .

He followed Poolripple as she headed for the camp entrance. The guard at the entrance, Minnowstreak, regarded them with curious but expectant hazel eyes as they padded out of camp.

"I think I missed a patch of goldenrod and couldn't sleep," Poolripple meowed, discretely drawing her tail across Pebblefall's lips. He remained silent as she continued, "On my way to the dirtplace, I ran into Pebblefall, so I asked him to accompany me to find that patch of goldenrod."

Minnowstreak nodded, satisfied, and Poolripple continued further into the territory, Pebblefall following her. His heart pounded in his chest as he saw the slightly puzzled expression on Minnowstreak's face. Does she suspect anything?

Poolripple led him to a quiet clearing in the middle of the territory. She sat down, waiting for him to begin.

Pebblefall opened his mouth, then shut it, unsure of how to start. As Poolripple's green gaze grew harder and more impatient, he looked down at his paws, shuffling them around awkwardly.

Finally, Poolripple snapped, "Pebblefall, don't tell me you woke me at moon-high just to sit through silence. I need my sleep. What do you want?"

"Why do you want me to be your apprentice?" he blurted. Fear made his throat tighten, and he took a few deep breaths to fight the tightness off.

When Poolripple didn't say anything, he hastily added, "Do I really have to be your apprentice? You're - you're not that old, and I've been a warrior my entire life. Why me? Why not someone else? One of Lilyspot's kits, even?"

Poolripple's eyes narrowed at his words, and she cocked her head before replying, "You're different from the other cats. In a way that most won't suspect."

Pebblefall could hear the blood rushing in his ears as she continued, "Aside from that, StarClan told me that you would likely become my apprentice. Who am I to go against StarClan's orders?" Poolripple narrowed her eyes even further, until they were only two green slits. "Are you reconsidering my offer?"

Pebblefall opened his mouth, again uncertain of how to proceed. "I - I need some time to think," he stammered, and without thinking, he fled from the clearing, the emotions in his head clamouring louder than ever. He couldn't love Sandwhisker. He couldn't. And did he want to be a medicine cat? Surely not! But under the current circumstances. . .

He wobbled back into camp alone, which earned him a suspicious glance from Minnowstreak, but he was too weary to care. He heard Poolripple enter camp shortly after him, but he did not acknowledge her. He merely went back to his nest and collapsed in it.

Was becoming a medicine cat truly the best solution to this? He didn't want to. He'd always been a warrior, though that could change. But his - his -

Pebblefall shook his head violently. He didn't want to think about it. But he had to.

Should he become a medicine cat? He didn't know. Everything was so confusing at the moment.

What did he want?

~~~~~

Pebblefall awoke to a paw jabbing him in the flank. He peeled open his eyes, absolutely exhausted. He had spent the entire night thinking about Poolripple's suggestion, and had only fallen asleep a few moments ago out of sheer exhaustion. Ugh.

"Hey, get up, sleepy-head!" the achingly familiar voice of Sandwhisker said. "Sunrise is long gone! Get up get up get up!"

Pebblefall staggered to his feet before Sandwhisker could head butt him. "I'm up, I'm up," he muttered, his ears flattening.

Almost immediately, Sandwhisker was sniffing at him worriedly. "Are you alright? You seem very tired," he stated, concern lacing through his words.

"Yes, I'm fine," Pebblefall lied, and he pushed past Sandwhisker, struggling to keep his eyes open as he plodded out of the warriors' den. Noting that Mudspot was assigning patrols, he walked over and signed up for one that Sandwhisker wasn't in.

Sunhigh came and went. As Pebblefall listlessly chewed on a piece of trout, he realised that this was the longest he had ever gone without speaking to Sandwhisker.

Better start getting used to that, I guess. . .

As if thinking about him summoned him, Pebblefall looked up to see Sandwhisker walking towards him. He ducked his head, forlornly chewing on the trout as his friend - crush? - settled down beside him, dropping a bass.

"Hey," Sandwhisker began, sounding unsure. Pebblefall couldn't remember a time Sandwhisker had ever sounded unsure except for now. "Are - are you reconsidering Poolripple's offer?"

Pebblefall visibly froze at his question, but snapped, "I - I just need some time to think about it. Leave me alone."

He could feel Sandwhisker's eyes burning into his back as he walked quickly out of camp. His fur burned just as hard. He didn't want to risk talking to Sandwhisker and having. . . that happen.

He also caught his Clanmates whispering about him as he passed them. Sunsplash's murmured comment was oddly clear. "Pebblefall doesn't look very well."

Quailwing's puzzled look wasn't lost on him either. "He looks like he's about to collapse."

"Maybe he's dealing with something," suggested Sunsplash. "Like Sandwhisker. Normally the two are inseparable, but look at them today."

Flattening his ears, he sped up to leave the two gossiping toms behind. In a nervous haze, he headed for a random river, telling himself that he was going to fish.

At said river, he found himself drawn to the plants growing by the rushing water instead of the prey in it. He poked absently at a small yellow flower he noticed. Are you a herb? Or are you just a pretty flower?

Turning away from the plants, he halfheartedly began to fish. It wasn't long before he slapped a fish out of the water.

Before he could deliver the killing bite, however, his eyes were caught by a familiar plant growing on the opposite side of the river. Though as familiar as the plant looked, he couldn't remember its name.

There was a small splash, and Pebblefall looked down to find the fish he had caught somersaulting back into the water. Fish-dung.

He spent the rest of the day trekking around the river, inspecting the different plants growing on the riverbanks. Every now and then, he caught a fish to make it seem less dubious, but the fish he had caught didn't seem to do anything to dissipate his Clanmates' suspicion and worry when he returned at sundown.

Lilyspot approached him just as he was setting the fish on the fresh-kill pile. "Pebblefall? You don't look very well," the soft-spoken queen mewed, her voice apprehensive. "Maybe you should pay a visit to Poolripple."

Pebblefall forced his hackles to lie flat at the mention of the medicine cat. "No thanks, I'm really fine," he quickly mumbled, and he headed away from the fresh-kill pile after hastily dropping his prey.

Cats essentially repeated Lilyspot's words to him no matter where he went. Giving up, he headed for the warriors' den to get some sleep early.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sandwhisker start towards him. Flinching slightly, he walked faster.

He was circling his nest when Sandwhisker caught up to him. Drawing his tail along his flank tenderly, Sandwhisker whispered, "I'll support you, no matter what you choose to do. Because you're my friend."

Pebblefall couldn't help but shudder as Sandwhisker ran his tail along his flank, causing that. . . other feeling to bloom wildly inside of him. Flustered, he snapped, "Leave me alone. Stop sticking your nose in my business."

He curled up in his nest, firmly covering his eyes with his paws, just so he wouldn't be tempted to open his eyes to look at Sandwhisker's hurt expression. Guilt surged inside of him as he heard Sandwhisker leave the den.

I'm sorry. . . but - but I think I have to.

Written by Aquarius, edited by Annco :3