BUNNYSKIP

Bunnyskip had come here so much to meet Pagan that it felt like their secret spot, the place she could go to simply be herself with him. After having little luck convincing him to come back to Thunderclan with her to live their lives truthfully as not just clanmates, but as mates, she hadn't given up on him. Many cats would have turned tail and sought love elsewhere, but Bunnyskip couldn't turn her back on the way her head spun and her stomach flipped when she met him. Was this kind of feeling what had driven her mother seeking Kass and leaving their clan? Was this feeling what had sent Snarlingbadger on a rebound so quickly after her departure? She'd spent forever wondering, yet Bunnyskip couldn't forgive her parents for splitting apart their family just yet. Perhaps it's the familiarity of her forbidden lover that drove her seeking him out so consistently. She knew he'd come, he always did. It's like he could sense when she needed him.

It didn't help that tensions were beginning to rise in Thunderclan. After Firestar had asked for Hawkstar to share land for hunting, she could feel the pressure like a blanket across the camp. Her heart condition was beginning to bother her, the anxiety getting to her. She'd almost had an episode when Basilfang snapped at her for missing an easy mouse during a hunting patrol. Ever since Gravelpelt had finally returned too, she couldn't bear to see the tom sitting across the camp looking forlorn, seemingly wondering what had happened in Thunderclan during his absence. She'd even witnessed Lupinekit and Lynxkit fighting over a moss-ball. The tension in the camp, even among the nursery, was driving her crazy.

Bunnyskip sat beside the water, pressing her chin to her paws and swishing her tail around to cover her face. A deep sigh shook her shoulders, and she slowly dipped her front paw into the water, swilling it around beneath the surface and watching as the stars warped. She wondered if any cat had even noticed she was going out to visit Pagan. If any cat had realised she'd been seeing him for over a year now, or if they'd even realise if she left entirely.

Ever since her parents' split, she'd wondered if she had a place in Thunderclan at all. Her siblings and littermates were there, sure, but she knew they would cope without her. Bunnyskip couldn't help wanting to experience what it was like outside of the clans. She'd spent so long trying to convince Pagan to come and live with her, she was starting to realise that maybe she should be the one to make the sacrifice. She loved him with every bone in her body, she knew that deep down, her home was wherever he was.