Jayfeather placed his stick on the ground and sat by it in the medicine den. Briarlight had gone out of a walk so he would not be seen with the stick. 

"I love you, stick," the medicine cat mewed. "Don't tell Half Moon that because she won't be too happy." The stick did not reply to Jayfeather because it couldn't talk. 

"Did you say something?" There was a long silence. "Stick, are you alive? Pleas talk to me!" The stick continued to lie about on the ground and Jayfeather began to worry. 

"Stick, I want you to talk to me! Please, I love you too much for you to ignore me!"  

"Jayfeather, why are you wailing?" Squirrelflight asked as she pokes her head in the den. "I can hear you from the other side of the hollow." 

"Oh, my pad stepped on this stick and-- go away, I'm busy. I don't nose into your conversations with yourself!" Jayfeather told the she-cat. "Stick, talk to me now or else I will snap you!" There was clearly no reply. 

"Okay, I'll snap you in half! No, no, no, no, I won't!" Jayfeather tapped his paw on the stick, his clear gaze staring down at it. "Why won't you talk to me? Was it Squirrelflight's ugliness? I know, tell me about it." 

"Jayfeather, are you seeing stick again?" Jayfeather jumped with fright and turned around. He could tell by the voice that the cat was Briarlight. 

"Um, no," he replied. He then let out a long sigh. "Yeah." 

"I'm going to have to get rid of this stick. It's not even a she-cat--" 

"Stick is a tom?" Jayfeather gasped. 

"No, the stick is a nothing." Briarlight began pushing the stick towards her with her forepaw. 

"My stick is a something and you don't know it! I love my stick and it belongs to me-- and me only!" Jayfeather put the stick back to him with his paw. "Now don't touch my stick or else I will make you sleep in the elder's den for a moon!" 

"I don't really so much so that won't do any difference," Briarlight sighed. 

"Well, you can go hunt for the Clan!"  

"I can't hunt because I'm a cripple, remember?" 

"Sleep outside the medicine den! I'm not having you sleeping in the medicine den where you can get rid of stick. And no, the warrior code does not say anything about a Jayfeather being with a stick. Yes, we are not a forbidden couple like Dovewing and Tigerheart." 

"You saw us?" Dovewing gasped as she appeared in the den. 

"No, a plant told me it saw you with Tigerheart," Jayfeather replied sarcastically. "I read your mind. Forgot I could read minds because I spend all my time with stick?" 

"Jayfeather, Spiderleg has a bellyache," Lionblaze said as he appeared in the medicine den. "You enter see to him or else we won't hear the end of it." 

"How many cats are going to barge into my den? All of you, go do your duties! As for Spiderleg's belly, tell it to stop eating all the fresh-kill because he's getting as fat as Greystripe. If he wants it to heal, tell him he can sleep with Daisy in the nursery for the rest of the season." 

"He won't be happy bout that. I don't think that can cure his belly--" 

"I am the medicine cat and I know best!" Jayfeather snapped. "Out of the medicine den before I get Tigerstar to scare you all in your dreams." 

"No, not that ugly warrior!" Lionblaze said and began to run out of the den. Briarlight began to crawl out of the den as Dovewing raced past her. 

"Sti-- where's my stick? Stick, come back! I didn't know you grew paws and ran away!" Jayfeather began to look around for the stick. 

"Jayfeather, you've had this worthless stick since you were an apprentice. I'm getting rid of it," Leafpool mewed as she picked the stick up.  

"No!" Jayfeather yowled and dived for Leafpool. "Get those filthy paws off my precious stick!" Leafpool, having fallen to the ground by surprise, dropped the stick. 

"It's just a stick with claw marks," Leafpool told the tom. "I don't get why you act like you're in love with it." 

"That stick over there is not just a stick. It means so much to me and you will never understand." 

"I think you need to rest. You're going to be crazier than Goosefeather ever was."  

"I am not crazy! Why can't any cat understand that?"  

"I'll ask Mothwing and Willowshine if any of their warriors make such a fuss over a stick," Leafpool mewed. "I just need to know if I'm just dreaming so that I can concentrate properly. Or maybe your ending name makes cats to craz-- Crowfeather! Oh, I hope he hasn't gone crazy now." 

"You go to WindClan and ask him. I'm sure Onestar won't let you talk to him as he'd think you'd run away and return with more kits. Breezepelt won't be happy either aga-- was he even ever happy?" Jayfeather asked. 

"I'm going now," Leafpool said. "Goodbye, Jayfeather, and look after the medicine den. I expect that stick to be broken when I get back, okay?"  

"Okay, you can count on me, Leafpool, as I am your kit and apprentice," Jayfeather promised as Leafpool began to leave the medicine den. The grey tabby's jay-feather blue eyes began to fix onto the stick and he let out a smile. 

"Did that scary she-cat hurt you? I know, she hurts everyone by looking at them. Even Lionblaze is scared to go near her and he's the bravest cat in the Clan. Not that brave, huh?" Jayfeather continued to stare at the silent stick, feeling sad it wasn't talking to him. 

"Oh, was it because I promised to get rid of you? Sorry, I had to do that otherwise Leafpool would be her forever, making you die and then I'll be so alone. That's never going to happen. When I go to StarClan, you will be coming with me so I won't haven to watch you be so alone." 

"Seriously, Jayfeather? You love the stick, don't you?" Jayfeather turned and could tell Leafpool was there.  

"I thought you left!" His mew was full of surprise and he began fall hot with embarrassment. "You were there the whole time, right?" Leafpool nodded, letting out a sigh. 

"Stop being so obsessed with a stick. It's like any other stick in the forest and isn't different. Now go put that away and go fetch some herbs from that herb patch of yours." Jayfeather frowned and began to walk past Leafpool. 

Leafpool let out another sigh and then stared at the stick. 

"What's so special about it that makes Jayfeather never leave?" she asked herself out loud in a murmur.