dig a deeper hole

~~~

LIANAPOND'S HEAD whipped over towards Duskmoon in pure shock. Thankfully, so did everyone, and so the surprise on her face (which would've pointed out Duskmoon's lie) was missed. 

And, thankfully, the tom - Nightfall - did step away, though not without a growl of disbelief. "Mate?"

Willowlark's mouth opened and closed. It took her a long time to piece together her thoughts. Finally: "Why didn't you tell me?" 

The brown tom only shook his head, shifting himself to stand beside Lianapond, his pelt brushing against hers. "She's from WinterClan. We already got her deputy's approval, but I haven't asked for Russetsky's yet, so I let her stay here while she waited." 

Approval? In the back of her mind, Lianapond vaguely recalled how cats from different Clans could only become mates with their deputy's approval. 

It also stood out to her how Duskmoon didn't seem to know the WinterClan deputy's name - SummerClan and WinterClan didn't share borders, and they must've had little to no contact with each other. 

This is why Willowlark jerks her head, surprised. "WinterClan? How in the Glade did you meet a she-cat from WinterClan?" 

Duskmoon's ears folded over his head. For a moment, Lianapond thought they were caught, but then he replied. "The Apprentice Rank. I was up against her in a fight."

The tortoiseshell squinted. "So what? It was love at first sight?" 

Duskmoon cleared his throat, and upon further examination, Lianapond noticed he looked almost embarrassed. "Pretty much." 

A brief silence fell over them as the three SummerClan cats processed his words. Finally, the white she-cat spoke, flicking her tail as she glanced up at the sky. "We should get them back to camp. It's late." 

"Let it be up to Russetsky to decide whether or not you're telling the truth," Nightfall mewed with a low growl, clearly still suspicious about the whole situation. 

As they started to move, Duskmoon giving Lianapond a nudge with his tail so she'd start walking as well, he huffed in Nightfall's direction. "Since when were you Russetsky's fan?" 

Nightfall glared at Duskmoon in return, but made no verbal comment. 

Their trek back to SummerClan's camp was longer than Lianapond would've expected, her paws aching by the end. Fear was freezing her veins, but more than that, a hot, simmering guilt was settling heavy in her stomach. 

She glanced up at Duskmoon, whose face remained fairly stoic despite the fact that they were about to present this lie to his deputy. And, this lie had several inconsistencies. 

If they met during the Apprentice Rank, how would they have stayed in touch? Clan cats weren't supposed to interact with other Clans, Lianapond remembered her father telling her. Not even the deputies. 

Thankfully, that would clear the loophole of Russetsky simply asking the WinterClan deputy if this whole situation was real. 

Another thought popped into Lianapond's mind: What happens after she leaves? How would Duskmoon explain that? 

She would have to step in there, she supposed. After she returned to power, she would have to offer Duskmoon immunity of some sort. 

SummerClan's camp was also bigger than Lianapond expected. She knew the Clans were bustling with cats, but she hadn't realized how much until she saw this with her own eyes. There seemed to be a cat everywhere she looked, a warrior or an elder or a kit running around. Every bush, rock, and tree stump they passed seemed to be a den. 

Finally, they stopped in front of a tall rock, with a crack that Lianapond assumed led into a cave. She shivered. Russetsky. 

"You tell her you're a royal, and it'll go one of two ways. One, she thinks you're a liar and trespasser, then hurts and kills you. Two, she believes you're actually a royal, then holds you as a prisoner as a bargaining chip, hurting and threatening to kill you."

Duskmoon's words echoed in Lianapond's head from the first time the silver tabby had brought up the idea about asking SummerClan's deputy for help. Russetsky sounded... terrifying. 

"I'll tell her," Nightfall huffed, slipping into the den. 

The white she-cat on the patrol meowed something about greeting her parents before padding away, leaving Willowlark and Duskmoon with Lianapond.

"Don't worry," the brown tom suddenly murmured into Lianapond's ear. The silver tabby flinched at first, not realizing he was so close. "Cross-Clan mating is rare, but not illegal."

Before Lianapond had a chance to respond, Nightfall had come out of the den. "Russetsky wants you," he meowed, directing his words to Duskmoon.

Duskmoon nodded, casting a quick, millisecond glance in Lianapond's direction before he disappeared into the deputy's den. Nightfall didn't stick around long after that, giving the silver tabby one last suspicious look before padding away himself. Now, there was only Willowlark, who seemed to stay only by a feeling of obligation. 

Silence lapsed between the two she-cats, before the tortoiseshell finally spoke. "I don't know if Duskmoon's ever mentioned me. I'm his sister, Willowlark." 

Lianapond's eyes widened with surprise. Her mind spun quickly, trying to find an answer that would be appropriate for Duskmoon's mate. "Oh, yes, he's told me about a sister. It's so nice to finally meet you."

Polite. That, at least, the silver tabby could do. 

Willowlark winced. "Sorry I scared you back in the den. I wasn't expecting anyone to be in there. I thought it was empty, so I-" She cut herself off. "Never mind that. Just sorry I scared you. Duskmoon's never mentioned anything or even hinted at-" 

"Willowlark!" A black tom (thankfully, not Nightfall) had approached, waving his white-tipped tail in greeting. He seemed more friendly than any of the other cats Lianapond had encountered thus far, but his green eyes were still guarded. "I heard you guys found a stray cat in the woods." His voice was playful.

"This is Whitespot," Willowlark introduced to Lianapond. "And Whitespot, this Duskmoon's mate from WinterClan." 

Surprisingly, Whitespot didn't look very surprised. He only gave a small, light smile Lianapond's way. "Funny, Duskmoon's never mentioned anything about a mate." 

"He didn't tell you either?" Willowlark mewed, though it was clear her head was somewhere else. Her eyes were scanning the camp, to where Nightfall and that white she-cat had gathered in the corner. "I'm needed somewhere. Whitespot, would you mind-?"

The black tom waved her off. "Sure, I'll stay with her."

Lianapond didn't know if the switch in guards was a good or bad thing. Whitespot seemed friendlier on the surface, but Willowlark was easier to read. But, she didn't have much of a choice, for Willowlark soon disappeared and Whitespot turned to face her with another light smile, though this one was starting to look fake. 

"Sorry, I don't think I caught your name. What was it again?"

"Oh-" Lianapond blinked, wondering if she should give her real name or a fake one. She settled for the latter, eyes flitting around the camp to see what she could come up with. "Ivy... branch." 

Whitespot seemed to accept it. "Ivybranch. And where did you come from?"

"WinterClan, I-"

Lianapond was cut off by Duskmoon exiting Russetsky's den. She tried to read his face to see if everything had gone okay, but just like Whitespot, he remained guarded. Though, he seemed fairly relaxed. As he registered the fact that a new cat was standing with Lianapond, he didn't seem upset or worried, and padded over with a quick nod in greeting Whitespot's way. 

"Duskmoon, hey," Whitespot meowed easily. "I was just getting to know Ivybranch." 

Duskmoon's face twisted with confusion. "Ivybranch? Who-?" 

He then realized, but it was too late. Whitespot's eyebrows raised. Lianapond's stomach dropped. But then a shrill voice echoed from the deputy's den before the black tom could say anything. "Duskmoon!"

Lianapond flinched. She assumed that was Russetsky. 

"Don't say anything, I'll talk to you later," Duskmoon whispered Whitespot's way, before addressing Lianapond. "Come on, Russetsky wants to talk to both of us." Spotting her fearful expression, he added, "Just follow my lead." 

The silver tabby slowly padded with Duskmoon over to the tall rock. The darkness of the cave inside only made her shiver, and the whole incident with Whitespot certainly doesn't help. "What if Whitespot-?"

"He won't tell on me," Duskmoon murmured. "Now, are you ready to meet Russetsky?"