PROMPT ONE | leaders who are mates
Word count | 1738
WarriorzLove

"Prey has been going low in HeatherClan." A cream mollie stood atop Great Boulder. Three other leaders sat behind her waiting for her to finish before closing the gathering. "After the last gathering, my cats had found discarded prey along the border. EbonyClan's scent covered the prey."

"My cats would never steal from your supply Clearstar." A dark tom behind her mewed. EbonyClan's leader stood up as the gathered clans whispered among themselves. "I assure you if you did find prey along the border than it was not on my order."

She turned. "I hate to end the gathering on a bad note but, Sagestar I cannot allow cats to starve. You have two nights to bring me the cats that were hunting in my territory," she flicked her thick tail hitting Sagestar across the muzzle. "Or you just lied to all the clans."

With the stir, StarClan sent in clouds to cover the full moon. It was done, they were not going to allow HeatherClan and EbonyClan to bicker now that Clearstar's worries were voiced. The other leaders, Lilystar and Batstar, rounded their cats and left quickly. Clearstar called for her deputy to gather her clanmates so she could talk with Sagestar alone.

"In front of the clans?" He let out a harsh whisper. "If we needed prey I would have asked you for some hunting land for a few sunrises. But never would I take it without asking."

"I know it was bold of me to do that," she sat down beside him, digging her paw into the loose dirt beneath her. "My clan demanded I do something about this," she looked up to see his amber eyes following over her form, where he soon met her gaze willingly when she looked up. "I can't allow my feelings for you to cloud my responsibilities."

"Clearstar," he took a breath moving closer to her. "I didn't voice my concerns hoping to talk with you after the gathering but seeing as we're alone now..."

"No, Sagestar. We were young and back then no code mattered but now-"

"Wait, you didn't let me finish." He smiled. "Prey has also been found along the border, with HeatherClan scent on it. And now that you have admitted to the low amounts of prey I'm sure my cats will want action or something to prove our own honour along with justice to whoever in your clan who's killing our prey."

He looked so old in these kinds of talks, she realized with a shudder. The way his brows furrowed and his shoulders hunched when they confided in each other about their problems, even more so with them being leaders. She loved him, she always had and she knew he felt the same way, but his pride held him back.

"Does this mean in two sunrises we'll be meeting again?"

He nodded, his thin tail wrapping itself around his paws. "If that's what you want I'll bring you the cats responsible for taking your prey."

Clearstar looked down. She unsheathed her claws and scratched the earth beneath her, her clean and tidy white paws were now brown with the earth. Sagestar moved ever so close and touched his nose to her cheek, matching his breath to her own as the silence engulfed them.

"I miss this." She mewed allowing herself to forget her clan and all the troubles that came with being a leader. She looked up. "I miss being at your side at night. And knowing that I could be at your side if I really wanted to."

As Sagestar opened his mouth the sound of pawsteps stopped him. He forced himself into his paws and moved away from Clearstar, to a spot a few mouse lengths away from where he began to pace. "Sagestar, the clan is waiting."

A gray tom walked in, Sagestar's deputy no doubt by the way he addressed the older tom. Sagestar stopped his pacing to walk over to his deputy, with a few words they walked out leaving Clearstar to her thoughts.

— — —

"It's been two sunrises what do you mean you don't know who was killing my prey?" The cream mollie walked along the border speaking with Sagestar. Though late the two had met up to discuss their predicament, beside her Clearstar had her young apprentice who held his head in shame at his actions.

"Thistlepaw was the cat who was stealing some of your prey and I sincerely apologize for my apprentice's lack of understanding the border." Clearstar shook out her pelt sitting down. The young tom sat beside her waiting to be released and sent back to camp.

"No one has stepped forward and every attempt I've had at catching my clanmates has failed." Sagestar looked to Thistlepaw. "It was brave of you to step up and do the right thing young one. Go back to your camp and rest, Clearstar and I will discuss further plans on what to do with you."

Thistlepaw left when Clearstar gave him a nod, quickly running off back to camp. When he was gone she looked over at Sagestar before he crossed the border to sit next to her, her light fur brushing against his side. "I could repay you for the prey you've lost from Thistlepaw-"

"It's quite alright Clearstar, your apprentice was just doing what was best for his clan." A new voice joined them. Out from the EbonyClan bushes came a small ginger she-cat. Her green eyes ablaze sat the two leaders.

"Applefall, what are you doing here?" Sagestar stood up moving away from Clearstar. He looked over his cat and from their short meetings, Clearstar recalled the cat as one of the two medicine cats in EbonyClan.

"It's against the code is it not? Cats can't have loving relationships beyond the border. If it weren't for you two HeatherClan wouldn't be starving and EbonyClan wouldn't have such a weak leader." She smiled walking down over to them. Without a warning, she kept forward driving her claws into Sagestar's throat. Pulling back she looked to Clearstar's horrified face.

"StarClan no!" She shouted pushing away the deranged medicine cat who was now washing her paws in the nearby stream. "What is wrong with you? A medicine cat heals not harms."

Sagestar's breath grew quicker as he pulled in less air into his lungs. Applefall walked back over. A small smirk across her lips. "Jaysong is a brave warrior who deserved to be leader sooner. You're a strong leader with a slight boulder in the way, so you're welcome for taking care of the problem." She shook her head as she leaned down into Sagestar's fur, breathing in his fading scent. "I'm sure he told you of his life count. So what is he at now Clearstar?"

Tears brimmed her grey eyes as Sagestar uttered his last breath to tell her one thing. "I love you, and the kits."

"None." She choked out, the tears streaming down her face as she remembered the night she came to him about their kits. The two young cats that her sister had raised for her in order to keep her sane, with any luck at least. She turned back to Applefall. "You took the last one he had."

"Correct again." She sat down licking a paw and drawing it over her ear. "Now where are the half-clan kits?"

"I'd rather die and help aid your cause in eradicating the clans of young innocent cats." She spat standing over the body of her mate, the cat she knew she was never meant to continue her life with but did despite the code. "I thought it was a lie, The Union."

"The only lie is believing that you would go to StarClan after all your sins against the code. I hope you're prepared for an eternal life in the dark forest young Clearflight."

Applefall darted away into EbonyClan territory leaving Clearstar shocked at the use of her old name. Turning the cream she-cat tucked her tail as she touched her nose to Sagestar's forehead muttering a blessing under her breath before heading back to camp.

— — —

Clearstar found herself confiding in her sister. The brown and cream mollie would listen to her sister's problems through the day, but when she would bring up Sagestar her sister would quiet her. No cat needed to hear of her sister's problems with the leader of another clan. But when word got around of his death and that Jaysong would take his place, well, you can't say she would pity her sister predicament.

"She came from nowhere, how can I protect my kits if cats like her are around. Fernshadow, what kind of leader am I for putting myself in this situation."

"Some would say you are selfish." Clearstar glared at Fernshadow. "I said some, but I know you. I know all the trouble you went through to keep your head straight and you're kits on a path where they could be successful but not favoured." She moved to sit beside Clearstar and touch her brown tipped tail to her sister's flank, a small comfort was all she could offer besides her words.

"But, you're not wrong in calling me selfish. When I received my lives one was from Rowanflame, she gave me a life and called it the freedom of choice." She shook her head. "I didn't understand it then but I guess now it would reflect what my life has become."

"The choice to keep meeting with Sagestar was your own. The choice to give up your kits was your own, and the choice to keep strong when your mate is dead and your kits think of me as their mother was yours to make." Fernshadow smiled. "But all of those came with a price."

"My happiness?"

"No, the freedom to feel them as your own choice. I feel as though you believe that being a leader is now a burden that you and you alone should have. But I'm here for you sister. Always, even when you broke the code for your own happiness."

Fernshadow touched her nose to Clearstar's cheek before standing up. Clearstar stopped her. "Thank you, for listening."

"No, thank you for being who you are and allowing me to mentor you Clearstar."

"If you ever leave the nursery I'm giving you an apprentice,"

Fernshadow looked over her shoulder, and with a laugh replied, "I'm wise but I'm not hunter!"

— — —

Notes | so this took me forever to write and I'm so happy that up finished this. After the whole competition I might publish the original draft but for now, that will just remain unpublished. Also, the word count only includes everything above the three lines; I made sure to write down the last number before doing this. Anyways hope you liked this little short that takes places in two of my own four clans.