A new story! Hurray! Okay, this is a little different. I'm co-writing this with a friend of mine (who does not wish to be named) So she'll be writing every even chapter. (ie. then next chapter.)

He didn't know when it started.

They'd always been friends. They were in the nursery together. Best friends. Inseparable. Even when she became the medicine cat apprentice and they could only spend brief blissful moments together, they were closer than the horizon.

So maybe looking in, this whole situation made sense. But it certainly didn't the way he looked at it.

He was the deputy for StarClan's sake! He couldn't be falling in love with the medicine cat.

But he was, and he was defiantly falling hard.

"Stoneclaw?" The grey deputy turned in surprise to see the very cat he was thinking of staring at him, her gentle blue eyes wide. "Are you okay? You've been really quiet."

"I'm fine, Rainsong," He assured his friend. "Just thinking."

"You should stop doing that," She teased lightly, flicking her light grey tail. "You'll hurt yourself."

He tried to scowl but it came out as a smile. "What're you thinking about?" She asked.

"Nothing," He replied, a little too quickly.

Rainsong's gave him a look that told him she didn't believe him for a second. "Nothing important." He corrected.

She rolled her eyes. "You always say that."

"It's always true." That was a lie. Not a little white lie, but a huge lie. She was important. More important, to him at least, then any other cat.

She shook her head and got to her paws. "Whatever you say, Mister Deputy. I'll see you later. I have to get back to camp. I want to see how Robinpaw's cough is."

Stoneclaw nodded his understanding and watched his friend go, forcing himself to remain silent, though he longed to stand and race after her. To be with her. To simply tell him he loved her.

He quickly shook his head. No, he couldn't do any of those things. He would never be able to. Besides, she wouldn't feel the same way, and their friendship would be ruined. No, he couldn't risk it. He just had to live with what he had.

With a sigh he forced himself to his paws and began padding silently through the forest, looking for prey. By the time he'd caught two squirrels and a scrawny mouse the sun was leaning closer to the horizon and the air was growing cool. Leafbare was defiantly approaching.

Shivering slightly under his thick stone grey pelt, Stoneclaw picked up his prey and padded back to camp.

He bit back another sigh at the sight of the fresh-kill pile and set down his own prey. The only other prey left was a skinny vole that might feed an elder.

Making a mental note to go hunting again later, Stoneclaw padded to the warriors den and flopped down into his nest.

This was not going to be a pleasant leafbare.

Review please! :)