Sorry it's taken so long to update - I've been on holiday!

And guess what? I made Toadkit dark brown and his warrior name Toadfoot - and so have the Erins! How weird is that? Toadfoot'll be appearing in Outcast.

Birchclaw flattened down the fur on his shoulder while making sure he didn't irritate his wounds. It had been almost a moon since Smokefoot had been killed, and since Appleheart had joined ThunderClan, and his wounds were almost fully healed - mostly thanks to Leafpool and her herbs.

The tabby warrior glanced up as the soft rustling of the bushes guarding the camp entrance were deserved. Cloudtail padded in first, his white fur tangled with burrs as he triumphantly held three voles in his jaws. His new apprentice, Cinderpaw, kept pace with him, and Birchclaw felt a twinge of jealousy as he remembered that he had been injured and barely conscious when Sorreltail's kits were made apprentices. His jealousy was swept away, however, and his amber eyes softened as two she-cats entered the camp, both holding fresh-kill in their jaws.

Appleheart gave him a glance and a half smile before she placed her catch on the fresh-kill pile along with Whitecloud. The two cats had become good friends during Appleheart's stay, and Birchclaw was sure that they would miss each other when Appleheart returned home.

If Appleheart is allowed to return to ShadowClan, Birchclaw corrected himself, remembering how he'd almost hated Appleheart for giving up everything she had for him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He felt like his whole body was on fire, burning with pain. He was too tired to move, his eyelids firmly closed and unwilling to open.

"Birchclaw," a soft voice whispered in his ear.

A voice that sounded more beautiful than anything he'd ever heard… he'd do anything to hear that voice again.

Birchclaw slowly and painfully opened his eyes. A pale ginger - or was it brown? - shape swam before his eyes.

"Birchclaw," that beautiful voice said again, filled with delight this time. "You're finally awake!"

Birchclaw's memory came back with a large thud as the fuzzy image focused into a tabby she-cat with large, bright green eyes and creamy-coloured fur. She was staring at him intently, her eyes not moving from his face.

"Appleheart…" Birchclaw began to say, but his voice came out in a croak.

Appleheart hooked her claws into a pile of soggy moss lying at her feet and held it up to his mouth. "Drink," she advised.

Birchclaw let the water trickle down his parched throat. Any other time, he would have thought it stale, but at this moment it tasted as if StarClan themselves had collected it.

"Tha…thank you," Birchclaw rasped, his voice sounding rough and dry. "Appleheart… what are you doing here?"

"I made a deal with Firestar," his mate replied quietly as she leant forward and licked Birchclaw between the ears. He winced as her tongue scraped over a cut. "He's agreed to let me stay with you until your wounds are healed."

Birchclaw's eyes widened. "What?!"

"I couldn't just leave you!" Appleheart protested. "You're badly injured."

Birchclaw tried to get to his paws, but sheer exhaustion overwhelmed him and he fell back into his mossy bed with his back to her. He was fuming inside - Appleheart should have stayed with her Clan! He was just putting her in big trouble this way. Blackstar would probably rather see Appleheart dead than have her join his Clan again, and Birchclaw was pretty sure Firestar wouldn't let Appleheart stay with ThunderClan forever.

"You should have stayed with your Clan," he snarled under his breath, but by the gasp behind him, Appleheart had heard him.

"Birchclaw, I love you!" she almost cried. "I wouldn't have been able to live and not know if you were alright!"

Birchclaw turned his head around sharply, his joints screaming in protest. A retort jumped to his tongue before dying away. Appleheart was staring between her paws, her shoulders hunched up and her green eyes half-closed, her tail wrapped tightly around her.

Birchclaw closed his eyes, then opened them again. "I'm not saying it was the right thing to do," he meowed carefully. "But I am glad to have you here."

Appleheart glanced up, her eyes swimming with sadness. "Are you really, or are you just saying that?"

Birchclaw slowly lifted his tail and beckoned to her. Hesitantly, Appleheart padded towards him and lay down, resting her head against his shoulder. Birchclaw wrapped his tail around her flank and slowly licked her forehead.

"I mean it," he meowed warmly. "I love you more than life itself, Appleheart." He closed his eyes and rested his head on his forepaws. The last things he remembered before he drifted off to sleep again were the comforting warmth against his side, the gentle throb of Appleheart's purr, and her sweet, flowery scent.

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"Hey, Birchclaw," Appleheart meowed, bounding over to them. She twirled around him, and Birchclaw closed his eyes for a moment and drank in her scent.

"How was hunting?" Birchclaw asked, getting to his paws and intertwining his tail with hers.

Appleheart's green eyes glowed with warmth. "It was fun. Whitecloud taught me and Cinderpaw how to fish out of the stream."

Birchclaw nodded. Firestar had told his senior warriors that Appleheart was allowed to take part in all the duties of a full ThunderClan warrior - but only on the WindClan boundary, or within the area around the camp.

Appleheart pressed herself harder against Birchclaw's fur, and whispered "The next Gathering is in two days."

"I know," Birchclaw meowed back softly. "Do you think you're ready to go home?"

Appleheart hesitated. "I'd love to know how Marshpelt and Toadfoot are," she murmured, and Birchclaw felt guilty at causing his mate to leave her brothers, especially while Marshpelt came to terms with his recent blindness. "And if Tawnypelt's had her kits yet."

The pale she-cat glanced up, and her green eyes met his. "But other times, I like it here. Most of your Clan has been quite friendly to me."

Birchclaw gave her a lick on the cheek. "It'll turn out fine," he promised. "You can go back to your Clan… and if Blackstar lets me, I'll join yours."

Appleheart's eyes flashed wide. "What?"

"You heard me," Birchclaw meowed. "I've had a lot of time to think this last moon, and I've decided. Your Clan needs you a lot more than mine needs me."

"But, Birchclaw…" Appleheart was at a loss for words.

Birchclaw untwined their tails and gently tapped his across Appleheart's mouth. "I've decided," he repeated. "When Blackstar lets you back into ShadowClan, I'm going to ask him if he'll take me. I don't think even he will turn down a strong, young warrior."

"I don't know," Appleheart meowed slowly, shaking her head. "It just doesn't seem right." She rubbed her cheek against his. "I don't want you to be unhappy."

"Appleheart," Birchclaw said firmly, without any trace of uncertainty. "There is no possible way for me to be unhappy as long as you are always by my side."

Appleheart's eyes misted over, and she leant against him, letting out a sigh. "It's the same for me," she whispered, rasping her tongue over his ear. "It always has been. I just never knew it until I met you again."