[justify]The smallest scuffing sound could be heard among the silence of a freshly snowed-over pine forest, just a mere noise in the dead of night. In the eyes of any beholder the creature the noise belonged to was nothing but a nuisance, an annoying little thing to awaken another from its peaceful slumber. How dreadfully annoying. Someone on this lonely planet must have thought of the noise as beneficial? Only to one, in the noisy person's case. The one who would desperately be searching for them on this saddeningly lonely and silent night.
"Sweaterpaw! Sweaterpaw?" The voice came in a harsh whisper, laced with annoyance at 'Sweaterpaw's' sudden disappearance. Silence. Then a twig snapped. "Sweaterpaw, I know you're here." The voice came again, tired and annoyed. The slight crunching of snow could be heard as the form hidden in the trees stomped across the snow, coming briefly into view. The creature, a darkened shape of a feline, stood staring into the branches of a tall tree, where just barely white fur could be seen. "Sweaterpaw!" This time the voice, definitely male, was filled with worry. The feline above must have heard the urgent tone and felt the male try to scrabble up the same tree because they replied, "...I'm here." An airy sigh passed through the male as he scrambled messily up to the branch the other feline resided on, panting as he reached them. "Go away, Northernpaw." The cat, who's white, pale ginger and black fur was speckled with sparkling snow, spoke in a commanding and saddened tone. The dark cat, apparently Northernpaw, wore a concerned expression as he neared the younger and smaller female, reaching out to place a darkened paw on her back.
"I told you to just.. go away!" Her voice was slightly raised in a wail, which was met with a series of annoyed squeaks and growls from sheltering wildlife under the ceiling of trees below. Sweaterpaw shivered against the stinging cold, and for a moment, Northernpaw wanted to embrace her, let her snuggle into his long, warm fur, send all of her chills and fears back to the hell they came from. He breathed out, watching as his breath fumed in the cold air. "You look like a kitten in winter snow for the first time." Sweaterpaw mused, but her voice was still cold and depressed. Northernpaw looked up to meet the tired olive-hued eyes of his favorite girl, which caused his cheeks to simmer in heat at their closeness. "I.. I did that to cheer you up." A small, airy laugh escaped Sweaterpaw, which caused Northernpaw's heart to flutter and a smile to try and break his calm. "Of course you did, Norry." Norry. His childhood nickname. He expected she would know it, they had grown up side by side, but he'd never expected someone like her to say it. Ever. It caused his heart to pound in his chest in a slightly off-put way. He burned so much he felt if he had closed his eyes he and Sweaterpaw would be on a beach on a very very hot summer day. "Are you okay? You seem flustered." He blinked furiously and shook his fur, embarrassment flooding from every part of his body. "It's cold." He stated, scrunching up his nose. "And your point is?" Sweaterpaw's tone was tiredly mocking. The femme didn't give him a chance to finish before she went on and said, "Do you like me, Norry?"
He didn't want to reply. Not in a million years would he ever tell her that he did because he knew she didn't feel what he did. She never felt her heart hammer against her rib cage whenever someone said his name. She never dreamed every night of just being able to cuddle him, hold him close and tell him he'd be okay, that Hotcocoa and Peppermintpaw and Warmpaw and Saturdaynights and Christmaspaw were in much better places and were watching him. That all of his family who had passed were still there, but he knew she wouldn't. Besides, Hotcocoa, Peppermintpaw, Warmpaw, Saturdaynights, and Christmaspaw were relatives of Sweaterpaw's. He'd never lost anyone special, but he feared for as long as he'd known the calico point he would. But despite his caution and his fear his heart pounded in his chest, a steady beat that said yes.
Yes.
Yes.
"Yes." He held his breath as he awaited her laugh, but she was silent. "I'm sorry." After a moment of silence she spoke. "What?"
"I'm sorry." He felt his heart crashing into his paws as he waited for her to tell him she didn't feel the same. "I thought it would be easy, but it's so hard." Sweaterpaw whispered softly. When she looked toward him, her eyes were wet with tears brimming near the corners, and a very sad smile was on her beautiful round face. His breath caught in his throat as tears of his own stung his eyes. The very sight of her sad smile, the way her invisible eyebrows furrowed, pushing the tears in her olive-dipped eyes closer to spilling out on her cheeks made every part of him ache. "Wh-what?" His voice was hoarse and laced with disbelief. What was hard? She wasn't leaving. She could never. They needed each other too unbelievably much. She wasn't leaving! Was she?
"Goodbye." It was at that very moment that Northernpaw leapt for her, hoping to keep her in his embrace, tell her to never, ever say goodbye. But his paws hit solid branch. When he peered over the edge of the branch all he saw in the falling snow was the small form of Sweaterpaw, disappearing into the trees. His heart shattered into a thousand pieces as he realized...
She was gone.
★★★★
so, a little backstory on sweaterpaw of skaiaclan, i guess. i plan to add a couple more short stories shining some light on her dark past, but i started with this one. i'm actually planning to make this into a little pmv thing as well, to maybe the song 'daisy' (stereo dive foundation) or 'addicted to you' (avicii // avicii remix)
hope you liked it, critique on my writing is welcome <33[/justify]
