"Dawnhope, can I talk to you?"

Dawnhope turned around and dropped the mouse she was carrying. "Sure," she agreed, then added hesitantly, "It... Isn't about Lavendertide, is it?"

"No!" he said, perhaps too hastily. "I just..."

"Hold it right there, I'm famished so let's eat." She took a bite of the mouse and offered it to her half-starved mate. He took one look at her and refused it.

"What?" she asked, annoyed. Yes, she was hungry, ravenous, in fact, but that didn't mean that he needed it less than her.

"No, just... You sure you don't want it?"

Dawnhope purred. "Of course I want it, I'm only offering you one bite."

A small smile split his features and he took a tiny nibble of the mouse before shoving it back to her. "Okay, so... Was it... Bothering you that I was really distant?" Swiftwind asked reluctantly.

"Well, kind of," Dawnhope answered, unsure of where this was going. "You sure you want to talk about this kind of drama now? I'm pretty sure Mr Grumpyfarts is lurking nearby, probably going to hurry us."

"Don't think he will," Swiftwind said.

"Okay, fine, if this is so important to you." She had a secret she kind of needed to share with him, too, but maybe not immediately. It was probably a bad time. Part of her was wondering if Blackstorm had set Swiftwind up to this.

"Right. So... Were you angry or sad or... Something else?"

Dawnhope gave him a side-eye. "Don't tell me you stopped me from having a nice meal to discuss my feelings."

"But... They're important," Swiftwind protested.

"Yeah, important, sure, but, like, not this important? As in, we should be focusing on carrying on with the journey?"

"Yeah, but... We need to get over this, so..."

"If I told you I'm fine, you'd stop asking?" Dawnhope asked impatiently.

"Uh..."

"Look," Dawnhope leaned over to lick his ear, "it's perfectly fine and everything is okay, alright? I'm not mad or anything, I know she was important to you." She hoped her voice didn't crack when she mentioned that Lavendertide was important to him, because it probably had. Okay, it kind of bothered her that he cared so much that Lavendertide died. But he wasn't used to it. Not like her.

Her own sister had died in the fighting matches, died as the Reigning Champion, so of course she wasn't bothered by another death. But Swiftwind? Death wasn't a regular thing for him. Perhaps that was why Lavendertide's death, given she was a rather unimportant, bratty she-cat, was hitting him so hard.

"There's the look," Swiftwind meowed quietly. Okay, her voice hadn't cracked, but she was giving him a look? A lot of confusion going on there.

"What look?" she asked, trying her best to sound like she didn't care at all and utterly failing.

"You know. The look. When you're actually feeling another emotion but you're pretending you're not." He peered worriedly at her face.

"And you're probably starving. Want another bite of mouse?"

He shook his head. "Not until you tell me what's going on with you."

"Blackmail," she grumbled. "It's just one question, apart from the fact that you think you could have saved her, why does Lavendertide's death bother you so much? Did you love her or something? Something super cheesy and romantic going on between you?"

Instead of answering her question, he asked, "What's cheese?"

"Something beside the point. Answer the question."

"Nothing romantic," he defended himself. "I loved her as a sister, remember? I don't know, she made things very awkward between us, but I think we could have been mates in another lifetime, if she hadn't shoved everything forward."

"And if I didn't exist," Dawnhope drawled.

"Not like that! I'd much rather have you than her," Swiftwind said earnestly.

"Are you being honest, or are you just saying that?" Dawnhope asked. She wondered if she was being petty by not believing him, but someone had to do it. Besides, he was probably just saying it. She had to clarify.

"I mean it!" he insisted.

She narrowed her eyes at him, not trusting him. Not wanting to believe. She didn't want to be tricked again. Ivory had opened her eyes to how devious and treacherous the real world was. She'd never seen anything outside of the Outsiders, but now she had. Her eyes met Swiftwind's, demanding a better answer.

"I wish you could have both been alive," he admitted. That she believed. "But... If it came down to a choice, I would choose you. Time and time again. I love you, Dawnhope. I... I hope we have a life together. I didn't mean to upset you."

Dawnhope stared for a moment, then looked away. "I want to have a life with you, too," she whispered softly. "Oh, and... Swiftwind? I've been meaning to tell you... Blackstorm knows this as well... I'm expecting kits."

Swiftwind's eyes shot open so wide that they were almost protruding out of his head. "So soon?" he asked, sounding shocked and delighted at the same time.

Dawnhope nodded. "I know it's a bad time, but it's fine. I'm only a quarter moon along. I don't really know how Blackstorm noticed it, but we have enough time to get back before I give birth." I hope, she added silently. She really hoped so. But she had no idea how long it would take them to hike up the mountain. Moons, maybe. And moons the second way, and moons to get back to DawnClan. She might even have to raise her kits on the move.

But watching the loving eyes of her mate, Dawnhope knew it would be worth it.

"I love you," Dawnhope whispered as she pressed against Swiftwind. "Don't... Scare me like that again. I thought you didn't love me anymore."

"I will always love you, no matter what," Swiftwind promised.

That night, Dawnhope fell into a blissful sleep beside him.

The morning was full of surprises. They caught too much prey, so they were carrying a mouse and a rabbit for hours before someone got hungry, the person being Dawnhope, but no one questioned it. It was probably better that the prey was so bountiful.

Blackstorm hadn't mentioned that Dawnhope was talking freely to Swiftwind again. Dawnhope hadn't asked him if he'd put her mate up to it, but if he had, she was grateful. Swiftwind was kind, caring and compassionate, but he wasn't the sharpest, and it would've taken him ages to notice her feelings on his own. But he seemed determined to change that, and he looked out for her constantly, telling her to rest when she was tired, or to eat when she was hungry. If anything, she was getting a little irritated with the overprotective Swiftwind, but he wasn't as bad as some mates.

After all, Dawnhope had seen what Maroon was like with Arietta. She frowned, realizing Arietta's kits would have been born by now. They might even be six moons old, ready to start training. Their mother, of course, would immediately go back into the fights, regaining her title of Reigning Champion. Dawnhope wondered how Ivory was faring. Not that she cared anymore. Not when she had Swiftwind.

They met a friendly tom along the way who called the mountain his home, and he said that the top of the mountain was a few days' walk away. By then, it had been a half moon of climbing.

Fatigue and morning sickness were worming their way into Dawnhope's life, but it was manageable, and Blackstorm told her that it was actually very little for an expecting queen. She was grateful for that, and her enormous stamina reserves. If anything, her two companions got tired before her. It didn't stop Swiftwind from worrying, though.

"You're really okay?" he asked for the third time that day.

"I'm fine. Better than you. You look like your paws are falling off," Dawnhope teased.

"They are," Swiftwind mumbled. "I mean, think about it - we've been walking nonstop for the past three moons."

"Wow," Dawnhope said. That was longer than the time she'd spent in DawnClan. "That's... A long time."

Swiftwind nodded wistfully. "I miss DawnClan. It's ridiculous, but I even kind of miss Goldenstream. I wonder if she and Haywhisker are mates by now."

"I think it's more likely that Haywhisker finally got some common sense," Dawnhope responded lightly. "I mean, who in their right mind would mate with Goldenstream?"

"Well, none of the other she-cats are interested in Haywhisker," Blackstorm interjected. "If anything, Goldenstream is literally his only choice. Poor chap must be desperate for a mate."

"Why? He never struck me as the family type," Dawnhope said.

"You haven't known him for a long enough time to tell," Blackstorm replied smoothly.

"And you have?" Dawnhope countered.

Blackstorm met her eyes. "Yes, I have. Have you forgotten that I'm much, much older than you?"

"No, I haven't, Ancient Mr Grumpyfarts."

Blackstorm heaved a long sigh and continued on in silence. He didn't pay much attention to Swiftwind's worrying or Dawnhope's snarky remarks, which was kind of annoying given that Swiftwind was no fun to tease. He would just nod in acceptance. That was he kind of tom he was. Accepting, meek, basically the opposite of Dawnhope.

She'd used to be that meek. But not anymore. Not since Ivory had betrayed her. In the real world, they had to toughen up.

"It's day four," Swiftwind called. "Any moment now, we should reach the-"

Top.

Reach the top.

It was there. Right in sight.

But... It was a plain, grassy field.

No herb.

No. Herb.

"But... How?" Blackstorm whispered. "It has to be here. That was StarClan's prophecy! I'm going to kill Jayflight!"

"I'm killing Ivystar!" Dawnhope snarled. "I just wasted three moons of my life!"

"It wasn't wasted," Swiftwind corrected. "I mean... I got to be with you."

Dawnhope's eyes softened as they met his.

"OKAY, ENOUGH BEING LOVEY DUBBY BECAUSE WE HAVE SOMETHING TO DO HERE!" Blackstorm yelled.

"What?" Dawnhope snapped. "Do what? There's no herb! Isn't that the end of it?"

"You mean you don't even want to look around? Maybe check out the cave over there?"

"Oh." Dawnhope sighed. "I suppose so."

"You know, Jayflight said there would be many perils on our journey. So, why haven't we experienced any?" Swiftwind wondered aloud.

Dawnhope's eyes narrowed. "Maybe this is all a test. An illusion. Or maybe we have to complete tasks."

"Of course there's a test," someone snarled from behind them and a lanky dark brown tom skunk out from behind the tall grass. "I assume you want this?" A mangled pale purple flower dangled from his claws. "This," he said, "is clematis - and it's exactly what you need."

ᴀ/ɴ: ʙᴛᴡ ɢᴜʏꜱ, ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɴᴏ ɪᴅᴇᴀ ɪꜰ ᴄʟᴇᴍᴀᴛɪꜱ ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ ʜᴀꜱ ʜᴇᴀʟɪɴɢ ᴘʀᴏᴘᴇʀᴛɪᴇꜱ, ɪ ᴀᴍ ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴜᴘ