Here's the second entry!

—

Primrosepaw froze mid-step as her tail made a slight rustle on the browned foliage of the forest floor. This was her second time following the two toms in their secret ventures, and nerves made her as tense as a queen in a fox den. Granted, her first attempt at spying had been foiled by apprentice duties, which left her following a stale scent trail, only to arrive just in time to hear the two cats' goodbyes.

This time, she had been trailing them from the start.

Occasionally, the wind would blow snatches of their conversation her way, and she listened eagerly.

". . .if they find out," she was just fortunate enough to hear Lionleap finish.

"None of them would. . ." The rest of Whiskerheart's sentence was lost as Primrosepaw's attention was briefly diverted to a chirping sparrow. Bad, the apprentice scolded herself. She could have missed a vital piece of information.

The two toms halted in a patch of sunlight, Lionleap's fur glowing handsomely. The two settled down together, and Primrosepaw settled down as well, albeit less comfortably behind a rotting tree stump. She curled her lip in disgust as the stench of decaying wood entered her nose.

"I'm tired of having to hide it, Whiskerheart!" Lionleap burst out, making the apprentice flinch in surprise. Foxdung! She cursed internally: her attention had lapsed again. "Why can't we just go-"

Whiskerheart interrupted with a snort. "We are Clan cats. It would be against the warrior code to abandon the Clan for the life of a loner."

"You know how I feel-" Lionleap began, and Primrosepaw froze with anticipation.

To her disappointment, Whiskerheart cut him off. "Your feelings are no excuse to abandon our Clanmates. I still say the truth is the best option."

Lionleap pulled back as if struck. "Do you honestly think they'd accept even the age gap?" The apprentice felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Their age gap had been the one thing keeping her from pursuing Lionleap. Her fur burned just thinking about the massive crush she had on him ever since her first patrol as an apprentice. "Not to mention, y'know. . ." Lionleap continued, trailing off vaguely at the end. What does that mean?

Whiskerheart stretched to give the younger warrior a friendly lick. "I promise you, Lionleap, we'll be okay."

The two toms sat in silence for a while, enjoying the sun, and Primrosepaw fought back a sigh of impatience. It was becoming uncomfortable, crouching behind the stump. Finally, she decided that she couldn't be missing from camp any longer. She turned and began to creep across the undergrowth, paying closer attention to her tail this time so that it wouldn't rustle the branches.

Snap!

Primrosepaw flattened her ears in dismay as a stick broke under her paws. She heard the alarmed rustling of the two cats and fled, running through the trees faster than she had dreamed possible. She ran all the way back to camp, stopping just short of the entrance. Her heart was pounding so loudly in her ears that she wouldn't have been able to hear pawsteps had they been right next to her. All she could do was hope the pair had given up on following her.

With dismay, she realized her pelt was covered in leaves, dirt, and even a few thorns. She plopped down and quickly ran her tongue through her fur, noting thankfully the stench from the rotting tree.

At least they won't be able to recognize my scent. . .

When she finally entered camp, her mentor was, of course, furious that she had gone off without permission. "What if you had run into a fox? Or a badger? Going off on your own is very, very, dangerous, even for a grown warrior!" Sorrelfur lectured.

I wasn't on my own; she thought sullenly. At least, not technically.

But a simple, "Sorry, Sorrelfur," was all she said.

"As for your punishment," her mentor continued, "the elders' den needs to be completely cleaned out and re-bedded. This is to be done tomorrow, understand? Until then, you're not to leave camp."

"The entire elders' den?" Primrosepaw exclaimed incredulously. "That place is huge! And the elders are always so cranky! They never appreciate anything, they-"

"That is enough!" Sorrelfur cut her off. "The elders have served their Clan for many moons, and you will respect them! Understood?"

Primrosepaw let out a long sigh. "Understood."

Stupid me, with my stupid crush on stupid Lionleap.

As if summoned by her thought, Lionleap appeared in the camp entrance, along with Whiskerheart. Primrosepaw felt a cold fear fall into her stomach as Whiskerheart's gaze fell steadily upon her. Did he know about her spying?

Lionleap headed off to the freshkill pile, while Whiskerheart began heading towards her. She briefly considered making a run for it, but what good would that do?

"Sorrelfur, may I borrow your apprentice for a moment?" he asked.

Sorrelfur looked mildly taken aback, and Primrosepaw was briefly hopeful that he might say no. "My apprentice? What for?"

Whiskerheart's gaze burned into her fur as he answered, and she squirmed uncomfortably. "I witnessed her make a marvelous attempt at catching a thrush, and I was wondering if I could give her a few pointers."

Confusion settled into the apprentice's gut. Why was he lying for her?

"Well, she's currently forbidden to leave camp until the elders' den is clean, but I suppose you can talk her through the motions. If you'll excuse me, I need to go inform Acornstar of her return."

Whiskerheart waited until Sorrelfur was out of sight before rounding on Primrosepaw. "Please, I-" she began, but Whiskerheart cut her off.

"Listen, 'paw. I don't know what you heard or didn't hear, but you'll keep quiet about it to the Clan."

The apprentice bristled at his hostile tone, but forced her fur to lay flat. He was a lot larger than her, after all.

"I didn't hear anything," she hissed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Whiskerheart snorted. "Whatever. But you had better not say anything you heard from Lionleap or I." He began to walk away but stopped and spun around. "And don't ever follow us again."

-

Half a moon cycle later, Primrosepaw once again crept across the forest floor in pursuit of the two toms. Ever since her encounter with Whiskerheart, the two had begun to leave and enter the camp at separate times, but that didn't fool Primrosepaw. She had also begun to talk to Lionleap more. She got on every patrol with him that she could, and although he was friendly, he didn't seem particularly interested in her.

Does he like me back or not?

Somehow, Lionleap and Whiskerheart seemed to be out longer and longer every time they left the camp, and Primrosepaw was determined to get to the bottom of it. However, the scent trail she was following was getting dangerously close to the edge of ThunderClan territory. Surely they don't leave the territory every day.

But off the territory was exactly where their minutes-old scent trail led. With an anxious glance behind her shoulder and as little thought as possible to how much trouble she would be in, Primrosepaw continued across the border into unfamiliar land.

Fortunately for her, she didn't have to go far before she heard voices.

"Lionleap, we can't do this! I won't leave our Clan!"

"You don't understand! I can't tell them," Lionleap replied with an ardent sob. "I can't!"

"There's no other option!" Whiskerheart replied angrily.

"We could-"

"You call this an option?" Whiskerheart interrupted, gesturing around with his tail. "I'd rather die than betray my Clan, and so should you!"

What on earth did I walk into? Primrosepaw wondered.

"It'll happen anyway! They'll send us away, I know it! Or kill us! We don't have any clue what they'll do, and I can't take that risk!" Lionleap pleaded. The two toms stared at each other in silence before Whiskerheart sighed.

"You're adamant on this? You give it an attempt?"

Lionleap shook his head and Whiskerheart was silent for a long moment.

"Fine. Fine, Lionleap. But only because I love you. And only because I want to be with you. Forever."

Primrosepaw couldn't control herself. "What?" She burst out of hiding and the two toms reacted defensively, dropping into a crouch, their fur bristling from the shock.

"Primrosepaw-!" Whiskerheart stepped forwards angrily, but she beat him to it.

"No!" she hissed, rage boiling inside her. All along, it had been Whiskerheart keeping Lionleap from loving her. Whiskerheart keeping them from being together. "You and him!" she snarled. "Two toms! It's despicable!"

"Primrosepaw-" Lionleap tried to step forwards, but Whiskerheart pushed the tom back, perhaps wisely, for the next moment, Primrosepaw was hurling herself at him.

Whiskerheart yowled as her claws dug into his flesh, and she fought with a blind anger, tears starting to blur her vision.

How could I have been so stupid?

"Stop!" Lionleap yowled, forcing himself between them. Whiskerheart's pelt was torn and bloody, and the apprentice's paws were soaked in a thick liquid that closely resembled blood.

"Primrosepaw, I'm sorry," Lionleap began, and the young she-cat snorted with as much anger as possible to put into a snort.

"Sorry," she mocked. "I'll make you sorry!" She turned and fled back to camp, anger and hurt coursing through her veins. They will pay.

She could hear the two toms crashing after her, but she was a lot smaller than they, affording her easier passage through the bushes and brambles of the forest.

She burst into the camp and several cats gasped in shock.

"Your paws-" Sorrelfur began, but she shoved past them and to the front of the camp.

"Listen up!" She yowled, as Whiskerheart and Lionleap came crashing through the entrance. "Lionleap and Whiskerheart are mates!" she screeched, above the clamoring of the Clan.

A hush fell over as her words settled in and Acornstar appeared.

"What's all this?" the leader asked sternly.

"Whiskerheart and Lionleap are mates!" Primrosepaw burst out once again. By now, all eyes were on a bristling Whiskerheart and a horrified Lionleap. Acornstar, too, shifted her eyes to the two toms.

"Is this true?" She asked levelly.

"It can't be!" a cat yowled out.

"Yeah!"

"That's not what nature intended!"

"Disgusting!"

The cats' voices rose to a rough clamour, making their words indistinguishable. While Whiskerheart swelled with anger, Lionleap shrank back in fear.

"Shut up!" Whiskerheart finally yowled, when Acornstar was silent.

"We're just like you all! You know us! We're the same cats we've always been!"

"It's wrong!" a cat called out.

"Silence!" Acornstar commanded, before the Clan could fall into chaos. "I will handle this. And I expect everyone here to respect that."

Primrosepaw watched the two toms follow Acornstar out of camp, and she began to feel a twinge in her stomach.

Why did I do that?

Now she'd have zero chance with Lionleap whatsoever. As the warriors began bickering with each other, Primrosepaw wandered over to wait by the camp's entrance for the cats' return.

When at long last she heard pawsteps approach the entrance, Acornstar entered alone.

"Where are they?" Primrosepaw burst out.

Acornstar turned with an expression that gave away nothing. "It doesn't matter now. They won't be returning."

And it was true: the two toms were never seen again by any Clan cat. But whether they had simply followed Lionleap's plan and became loners, or if something more sinister had occurred, no one ever knew.