What's a Soulmate?

"Hey, Crowstrike. Do you know what a soulmate is?"

The aforementioned tomcat, a once lithe and limber creature of immense power and grace, peered out through his perpetually narrowed, incredibly dark blue eyes. With the warm sunshine still stinging the air with its bright rays, he squinted, craning his head around to the side where the tiny voice spoke from. He grunted in soreness, rolling back onto his stomach where he could properly face the insect who dared to intrude his sun-high nap. His ears perked upward in mild curiosity, scrutinizing the little bundle of kitten fluff in a healthy shade of tawny.

"And where," the grizzled cat, all of long appendages, rasped, "did you ever hear of that word?"

"The nursery," the tawny female announced triumphantly, her chest puffed up in her own form of pride. "Momma was talking to Chestnutfur about Tumblepaw. Something about him finding a soulmate."

Crowstrike grunted, his rigid posture now slack with mild annoyance. "Queens do love to gossip," he muttered to himself, shaking his head a little at the thought.

"What's gossip?" little Sparrowkit chirped.

"Something you don't need to know about," Crowstrike grumbled dismissively, waving it off with a paw. "You had another question. We'll do this one at a time."

"Oh yeah," Sparrowkit smiled gleefully. "What's a soulmate?"

A rugged purr warbled in the old tom's throat as he glanced up at the slow moving clouds. "Well..."

It's like a best friend but more...

It's the one person in the world who knows you better than anyone else...

"Stupid Sunpaw! You could have caught that!"

"Be quiet, Crowpaw! I'd love to see you do better!"

"I can and I will."

"Show me, dummy!"

"I don't have to prove myself to you!"

"Some friend you are!"

It's the one person in the world who knows you better than anyone else...

"Hey, Crowpaw, you alright?"

"Go away, Sunpaw. I'm fine."

"You're not fine. You stomped out of training with this massive scowl on your face. Hazelpaw's comment got to you?"

"No."

"Overstimulation then. You don't like crowds and loud voices."

"Hmm."

"Can I sit here with you? That is, if you're comfortable around me."

"Of course."

It's someone who makes you a better person...

Actually, they don't make you a better person, you do that yourself because they inspire you...

"Look, Sunpaw -"

"Don't 'look, Sunpaw' me! Now sit down and shut up!"

"You don't have to do this."

"Hush! I do. Now listen up! You, Crowpaw, are amazing! You can't listen to whatever Hazelpaw says because it's not true. You just have to stand up for yourself and believe in yourself! Hazelpaw thinks he can pick on you because you like to walk away and avoid confrontation. He sees it as weakness. You have to stand up to him and fight back. Yell at him, get angry, swipe that smug grin off his dumb muzzle! All you do is make angry faces and trot off in a depressive heap. Stand up to him! He'll back down and see how great you are!"

"That won't work. You yell at him enough and he doesn't back off."

"That's because it's me! He doesn't tease me because I fight back. How do you think he got that nick in his ear?"

"That was you?"

"Of course it was me! Who else? Now go back up the hill and tell Hazelpaw that you won't be teased anymore!"

"Yeah, alright..."

A soulmate is someone who you carry with you forever...

"Great StarClan, you're heavy."

"Rabbit-brained Crowpaw! I'm not heavy!"

"Are too! You weigh as much as a badger."

"Well, sor-ree that I twisted my paw and I can't climb back up the slope."

"It's your fault anyways, stupid! You were the one who claimed you could sprint down the hill faster than me. Your fault for tripping on that burrow hole."

"Hmmph. Whatever. Thank you for carrying me."

"Don't thank me. Just helping out a clanmate."

Its the one person who knew you and accepted you and believed in you before anyone else did...

or when no else would...

"You be quiet, Hazelpaw! Crowpaw is amazing! He's not useless and is completely valued by WindClan!"

"Says you. I think Crowpaw's just a snotty brat who has anger issues. How does WindClan value from that?"

"He's a great hunter!"

"He didn't catch anything yesterday. He missed a rabbit from what I heard."

"He's still amazing! Everyone has their off days. Crowpaw is my friend and I believe in him! He'll do better tomorrow!"

"Tch. Keep dreaming Sunpaw. Come along, Sharpkit."

And no matter what happens, you will always love them...

"The stars are cool looking tonight."

"Yeah."

"Aren't they pretty?"

"I guess so."

"Hey. Crowstrike?"

"Yes?"

"You know who else is pretty?"

"I don't know...who?"

"You!"

"Tch. You're delirious from the heat."

"Stupid! It's the middle of the night!"

"Nnnnyou'reprettytoo..."

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

"You said something. Say it!"

"I said, you're pretty too..."

"I don't care what everyone else says. You're really sweet."

nothing can ever change that.

"Wow..." tiny Sparrowkit stared up with bright blue eyes, completely awed.

"Does that answer your question?" Crowstrike rumbled, lounging on his side in a comfortable sprawl, basking in the light as he stared over at the kitten with a soft upturn of his lips - a velvety smile.

"Yeah, I think so," Sparrowkit grinned, a wiggle in her hips and tail.

"What's going on over here?"

Merely a question, not the usual accusation it normally would be with those choice of words.

Crowstrike and Sparrowkit turned their heads in time to look up at the breezy slope and see a big, long-haired tom of a bright orange hue limping down the slope to meet the duo nestled on the sunny patch of moor. The newcomer's eyes, a wise and faded amber, shone with amusement.

"Suncloud!" Sparrokit squeaked in recognition, racing up to meet the big tomcat head on. She bounced and leaped, slamming into the older feline's chest fur, forcing him to stumble back in surprise from the sudden impact.

"Oomph!" Suncloud grunted but was still smiling. "Careful, little Sparrow. I'm not as young as I used to be."

"Suncloud."

"Hey, Crowstrike," the sunny-furred elder smiled a grin akin to his namesake. "So what were the both of you talking about?"

Sparrowkit meowed excitedly. "Crowstrike was telling me about soulmates!"

Suncloud purred. "Soulmates, huh? Interesting. Is Crowstrike a good storyteller?"

The little female nodded furiously. "The best!" She began to hop around on her paws and start moving closer back to camp. "I'm gonna go tell Thrushkit and tell him what I learned today! See ya later Crowstrike and Suncloud!" And the pale kit scampered off up the slope, eager to go and relay the story to her brother back in the nursery.

Suncloud's smile suddenly fell, the elderly cat releasing a loud breath and slumping down up against the grizzled black cat in a moment of exhaustion.

Crowstrike frowned. "What are you doing out here? You know walking too much isn't good for your leg or your lungs."

"What?" Suncloud chuckled, accented with a bit of a wheeze as he cracked open one of his hazy amber eyes in order to stare up at Crowstrike. "Am I not allowed to spend some time in the sun with my soulmate?"

"Tch," Crowstrike snorted, but it was soft and he felt warmth form in his cheeks, subtly leaning over to rub his own cheek fur up against the crest of Suncloud's head. "Do whatever you want, stupid. But don't blame me when you fall and can't get back up."

"Nah, I won't blame you," Suncloud purred, wriggling in closer. "I'll just whine and beg until you help me stand up."

"And why would I do something like that?" the scruffy tom huffed.

"Because you love me," the orange elder crooned, craning his neck around in order to lick Crowstrike's shoulder.

Instead of denying it, Crowstrike cracked a soft smile and snuggled his partner.

"You're right. I do."

Challenge for TorrentClan

A/N:

damn, these two are sappy

I'm already suffering from the feels

- Thornlight