"Hey, Pine, could I talk to you for a minute?"

Spruce glared from his spot beside her. The two lay at the edge of the clearing in the midday sun, relaxing after a long morning of patrol and a quick meal. The male stood, his lip curling at my intrusion. "Whatever," he muttered, and he trotted off.

I met Pine's eye roll as I sat at her side, scanning the area to make sure we were alone. Cloud was busy talking to Dusk, while the pups circled her with nipping jaws and playful yips. Her paw would lift occasionally to gently roll one over, and her nose would meet their belly with a giggling fit of laughter. The joy perked the edges of my lips, while something similar to the squirming pups wriggled in my stomach.

"You still denying it?"

The voice snapped my attention back to her smug grin. A nervous chuckle filled my throat, and I swallowed the rising acid. "There's uh... something I need your help with."

Pine's eyes widened, and the smile grew even bigger. Her breathing hitched, but she forced out the quick string of words. "What is it?"

"You can't tell anyone else." I scrunched my muzzle, trying to convince her that my plans weren't as exciting as she thought. She was too clever to be thrown off trail, anyway. Some of that knowledge was exactly what I needed.

My brain never functioned properly in the presence of Cloud, so I thought it best to go ahead and make a plan.

With pleading eyes, I appealed to her kindness. "No one," I said. "Especially not her."

~★~

As we tread through the forest, the boughs of evergreen swaying gently in the breeze, Cloud let out another impatient huff. "Come on, Drizzle. Tell me what this is."

Nudging her forward, her guide as she trekked blindly between the trees, I hummed innocently at her question. "Just keep your eyes closed. You should be able to tell where we're going anyway."

Her eyes twitched in defiance, contemplating peeking anyway. With a swift "uh-uh" from myself, she opted to listen, and instead lifted her nose to the sky.

Her chest expanded with a deep breath that filled her lungs with forest air. We were almost there, and the scent of fresh water was strong. I led Cloud a little ways farther, her eyes still shut tightly, until we passed where the trees ended and the sand underfoot began.

"We're here," I started to say, nudging her muzzle with a wet nose before turning toward the clearing. "You can open—" My jaw dropped at the sight.

The riverside where Cloud and I had first met looked much different than the last time we were here. Freshly picked flowers littered the shore, splotches of bright color against the tan. The sweet scent filled my nose and swirled sickeningly around in the air. In the middle, there were two medium, pale-furred hares. Their necks were stained red with the blood of a recent death.

Cloud inhaled sharply. It was too late to urge her to turn around and pretend this had never happened. That she'd never seen it—or experienced the utter shock and embarrassment I now felt.

"Cloud, I didn't..." Her dumbfounded expression stared back. I had to make her understand. I never meant for this to happen. "I promise I can explain."

A tiny squeak escaped her muzzle, before droplets of water formed in the corners of her eyes. She shut them again, but the tears were already streaming down the sides of her face.

"Are you okay?" They weren't good tears. Her muzzle twisted with unsettlement. She shook her head, breathing slowly.

I stepped closer, trying to lick away some of the tears. She tore her head away and backed up. Her eyes opened to show glinting, silvery, irises filled with pain. Then she ran. Turning on her paws, she bounded through the trees, leaving me alone in the piercing silence.

Taking a couple quick steps in the same direction, I called her name. Then I stopped. Going after her would be fruitless. I'd never catch her—only end up on my face while trying.

Her fleeting footsteps echoed in my ears, following my blank stare into the empty forest where she had gone. A rustling noise came from behind me, and two dark forms stepped out of the foliage of the forest on the farthest side of the bank. One black-furred face was covered with wide-eyed regret, and the other with a nose shriveled in embarrassment.

I snarled. "What is this?" I yelled, gaze boring into Pine. "I didn't ask you to do"—I spun around in a wild gesture, the words caught behind gritted teeth—"Why Pine? Why?"

This whole clearing full of flowers and scat, I didn't want it. Never asked for it. Pine took it upon herself to bring it this far. The pup dipped her head in a show of shame, and she opened her muzzle to speak.

But I wasn't finished. My glower floated to Spruce, who knew now was not the time to open his stupid mouth. "Why are you even here?" I growled, muscles rippling with pent up anger. "You weren't supposed to talk to anyone about this, Pine. Definitely not him." I spat the final word, and the cold air met my bared teeth.

Why did I think it was a good idea to say anything to the meddling pup? I thought I could trust her with one small secret. Of course she had to mess it up, and even worse, go and tell her hard-headed brother.

Spruce stepped forward defensively, putting himself between myself and the object of my fury. "Calm down, Drizzle. What's wrong with you?"

"Me?" I practically howled the word. It was me? Taking a couple deep breaths, I scanned his face. I let Pine's apologetic expression sink in, and more so, her look of pain at my harsh words. The fire in my belly fizzled out like coals in the rain. It faded to embers of pathetic regret.

This was all me. The way Cloud reacted wasn't their fault. It was mine.

I'd only wanted to talk to her about how I felt, not invite her to whatever this—confession... thing was. I just wanted to bring her somewhere important to the both of us, and tell her that I felt she was more than a friend. Even if she didn't, that I was okay with it. If that wouldn't have ruined our friendship, this certainly did.

Cloud didn't feel anything for me, that much was obvious. She had to hate me now.

"I'm sorry," Pine muttered, still behind her brother.

I shook my head. "No, Pine." Letting out a sigh, I forced my drooping muzzle to meet her gaze. "I didn't have any right to act like that. I should be––"

"I don't understand why you're still here." Her brother's terse words cut through my apology. He eyed me up and down with a fierce gaze. "You should be going after her."

The words hit me like stones. "What?"

Spruce blinked a few times, his scowl unchanging. He was serious.

I shook my head again. "Why? Everything is ruined."

The pup rolled his eyes. "As painful as that was to watch," he groaned, "you can't leave things like this. You still have something to tell her, Drizzle."

I licked my chops. "Why do you care? She said it herself, she doesn't feel the same." My tail sank, and all the burning anger I felt before seeped from my body in a silent whine. "Remember, Spruce? She can do better than this mutt."

Spruce's tail dropped. "Stars, you heard all that?" He clenched his teeth. "Look, Drizzle. I didn't mean it––"

"No." I turned my back to him. "You did. And you had every right. Cloud deserves better than me." With a vague tip of my head, I looked down at my paw-less foreleg.

His muzzle hit my shoulder, forcing me sideways. "Don't even start that," he barked. "Maybe I did mean it... but I was wrong." It pained him to say it, but the words held a genuine softness that I'd ever heard before, not when talking about me.

"I've seen the way you are with Cloud, the way you light up her smile. You love her, Drizzle, that I know, even if she doesn't." With an aimless paw at the ground, he cleared his throat. "Her words aren't worth a rat's rump anyway. The wolf wouldn't admit I was right to save her life." He snorted, but his voice stayed serious. "She'll use every excuse in the woods to believe that she doesn't like you back. But she does. Trust us."

Pine lifted her muzzle to her brother, pale eyes locking. I was still a little stunned by the sudden sincerity. He knew his sisters well. And both of the pups were more like Mist than they needed to be.

Even if he was right, I didn't think there'd be anyway to salvage this ordeal. Nor was that the only thing in my way. "I don't know where she's going."

"I do." Pine stepped past her brother. "There's one place she always goes when she doesn't know what else to do. Thankfully, that's your job."

A/N

Things are certainly getting interesting for our pair of oblivious lovers... but perhaps neither is all that oblivious now? Thoughts on what will happen next? Are you excited for the next chapter? I certainly am ;D

Thank you so much to the people who have read this far! I've had a recent surge of readers lately, ones keeping up with every chapter coming out, and it truly warms my heart. I just want to thank you all for the continued support, because this book has already reached 2k! That's a heck of a milestone for me, considering the former draft of this book was lucky to ever reach that in its extensive time on my profile.

I'm definitely interested in what each and one of you have to say! Even if you're just here to enjoy the story, feel free to tell me which parts you especially like, or if there's some you don't like so much. All feedback will certainly be taken into consideration as I polish this story in the future.