Juniperpaw blinked eyes open, a long yawn escaping her mouth. She stretched her limbs, spreading her paws out before withdrawing them back to under her chest. Her amber gaze fell to the moss in her nest, which, for the most part, dried up and was too crinkly to be comfortable to sleep on. She pushed on her haunches, lifting herself up. Juniperpaw swatted at the moss that had clung to her thick pelt, her whiskers twitching in annoyance. The blue tabby dragged her gaze across the den, the pale light of dawn highlighting mossy outcroppings of other nests. The light outlined the sleeping bodies of her denmates, insisting that she must have woken up early.

Juniperpaw's fur bristled as she felt another cat's gaze grazing her fur. Her eyes flicked from side to side, her fur growing hot. Suddenly, relief flattened her pelt as she met eyes with Sparkpaw. She parted her jaws to speak with her friend, but her worried gaze tugged at the other sleeping cats. She flicked her tail toward the exit, and Sparkpaw nodded in understanding.

Juniperpaw was welcomed with a cold breeze ruffling her fur. It wasn't the kind of morning she'd have liked to wake up to, but it didn't really matter. She spotted Coyotestar, Thunderclan's Leader, slinking out of her den, along with a few older cats emerging from the Warrior's den. Juniperpaw's gaze then turned to meet with Sparkpaw's, who gave her a soft smile. Juniperpaw resisted the urge to bring Sparkpaw into a tight embrace, and began to pad toward Vinestep, the deputy. She turned her head to Sparkpaw. "You wanna be on dawn patrol? I'm going to ask Vinestep if I can be on it." Sparkpaw responded with a nod.

"Vinestep?" She mewed, softly.

The grey tabby exchanged glances with her. He erupted into laughter, although his laughing mostly came out as calloused rasps. The old tom collected himself, straightening his posture as he tucked his paws below his thin tail. "My apologies, er.." He stopped to think, pretending to try and recall her name, but a sly smile across his muzzle told her that he was trying to contain more laughter. "Is it.., JuniperpawwW-aHAhA!" He puffed out another laugh, trying to catch his breath. "Just messin' with ya, kiddo! Ol' Vinestep ain't ruining this rock of a memory! Whatcha need?"

Juniperpaw cringed slightly. Oh my Starclan, He must be older than the lake to still think that's funny. She recalled that even the elders had begun to get sick of that joke. "Er- well., I was just wondering if me and Sparkpaw could be on the dawn patrol?" She suggested, trying to imitate the aged cat's posture.

Vinestep nodded. "Worry not, youngin'. Your good ol' tom Vinestep's gotcha covered!" He cracked a grin.

Juniperpaw turned around, padding back toward Sparkpaw. "He said that he's got us covered. I'm guessing that that means we'll be on it," Juniperpaw chirped, her blue-grey tail waving in the air. "We'll probably be hunting near the gully, too!"

Sparkpaw's eyes widened, excitement enlarging her pupils. "I love the gully!" The golden she-cat whistled, unable to keep still.

Juniperpaw's ears pricked up, averting her attention toward a loud, rusty caterwaul. Juniperpaw immediately identified it as Vinestep's. "He's probably organising patrols now," the blue tabby exchanged a soft glance with Sparkpaw. Oh.., Starclan, Why is she so— Juniperpaw couldn't even find the words to describe her friend.

Friend.

Juniperpaw didn't know why, but that word made her unhappy. Especially when it came to Sparkpaw. But why?

Juniperpaw shook her thoughts away before they plagued her mind. She had noticed that Sparkpaw was already joining a crowd surrounding Vinestep as he organised patrols. Every once in a while, a cat would pad back into the Apprentice's or Warrior's den to fetch a sleeping clanmate, but that was all that disturbed the stirring crowd. Juniperpaw padded next to Sparkpaw, practically jumping out of her own fur as she felt Sparkpaw's pelt brush against her's.

Sparkpaw and Juniperpaw were placed on a patrol with Breezeshadow, Ripplefoot and Hollowdapple. Cinnamon streaked the sky, molten orange melting into the lighter horizon. Branches hung over the patrol's head, each branch entangled with webs of moss and vines. Large trees painted with colours of birch, alder and pine were dotted along the sides of the cat's pebble sprinkled paths. Whistles of birds soaring above sounded from the sky, as the rainbow of wings weaved through the thick trunked trees. The scent of mingled flowers sprouting in the path swept past the patrol, greeting them into the forest with hospitality.

Juniperpaw trotted next to Sparkpaw, breathing in her warm scent. Juniperpaw suddenly felt that the earth had disappeared beneath her feet. She felt like she was falling, but.., in a good way. A shallow breath escaped her muzzle. What was happening to her?! Sparkpaw's sweet scent seemed to be the only thing around her, the whistling of birds had faded into pure warmth. It was tantalising. Juniperpaw slowly leaned closer to Sparkpaw, her golden pelt seeming to blur. The sounds and scents around her drowned out, and all she was left with was Sparkpaw's scent and her own thoughts.

Suddenly, she snapped back into reality as Sparkpaw whipped around. Sparkpaw was only inches away from Juniperpaw's face, as her eyes widened. She saw Sparkpaw's fur bristle, and her fur heat up. Juniperpaw felt her ears burning, not realising how close she was getting to Sparkpaw. She was so glad that they were at the back of the patrol, so no other cat noticed this. Especially Hollowdapple, who would probably blab about it to everybody she could find. Juniperpaw felt a rush of realisation, her muzzle only inches away from Sparkpaw. She quickly pulled back, nervously.

"O-oh! Starclan.., Sparkpaw, I'm so sorry! I-i got lost in thought.., a—and.." Juniperpaw muttered, trying to collect herself. Her ears drooped. What if Sparkpaw got mad at her, and thought she was weird? After that.., there was no doubt that Sparkpaw made Juniper feel weird inside. She made her feel happy, she made her feel like there was no other cat or blade of grass around her, and it was only them. Her sweet scent, her silky voice, her sleek pelt.., Oh, it all just made her feel drowsy! She couldn't deny that she wanted to be more than friends with Sparkpaw.

Sparkpaw shook her head. "You're lying," She fixed her gaze on Juniperpaw, her tail flicking back and forth.

"P-pardon..?" Juniperpaw spoke shakily, her haunches trembling slightly.

"That was.., on purpose, wasn't it? Getting so close to me? Why would that be?" Her analytical gaze narrowed as she examined Juniperpaw.

Juniperpaw knew that she had been found out. "Well- I- I, uh.. you.. you're.." Juniperpaw felt a mix of emotions plaguing her mind, her paws frozen to the forest floor. "You- you.., uh..." The blue she-cat strung random words together, searching for a sentence. "You're different!" She blurted.

Sparkpaw raised a catbrow in confusion. "Excuse me..?"

"You're different! You- you make me feel weird, you make me feel so warm- and- and fuzzy.., like I'm back in the nursery. Your voice.., your scent, you- you in general are so soothing! You can calm me down just by looking at me! Oh, Starclan, don't even get me started on your eyes! I could just stare into them all day and I would never get bored of that cozy, fuzzy feeling inside- you make me- you make me feel..." She let out a small, shaky breath. Realisation hit her like a rock. How could she say this to Sparkpaw?! She probably thought she was weird, and... and stupid.. Juniperpaw felt tears spring into her eyes, a cold breeze rattling the leaves. It was silent.

This is getting awkward... Juniperpaw thought, a frown etching across her muzzle. Before she knew it, Sparkpaw leaned toward Juniperpaw, causing her fur to bristle with surprise. Sparkpaw licked the grey tabby's muzzle, before giving her a muzzle under the chin.

"You make me feel nice, too, Juniperpaw." Sparkpaw confessed, purring as she did.

Juniperpaw never thought that she would admit her Sparkpaw made her feel so abruptly, but.., she was glad that she did. "..Sparkpaw?"

"Yes, Juniperpaw?" The golden she-cat blinked.

"...We should catch up with the patrol."

Sparkpaw's eyes widened. "That's right! Oh, Starclan! Come on, Juniperpaw. Let's catch up." She tucked her tail behind Juniperpaw, and began following the scent of the patrol. She pressed her flank against Juniperpaw's, purring softly. Juniperpaw's fur heated up, as she nuzzled against Sparkpaw.

The patrol returned a lot later at night, busy from rich hunting. A blanket of ink had covered up the bright blue sky, the fluffy clouds melting to reveal the bright stars shining down on Thunderclan camp. The bright Moonlight highlighted the camp, brightening each rock, pelt and blade of grass. Juniperpaw was too tired to even eat, and drowsily headed into the apprentice's den. She stumbled over her own paws slightly, as she watched Sparkpaw pad into the den.

Juniperpaw bat at her own muzzle gently with a light blue-grey paw, trying to hide her warmth-filled eyes. She immediately straightened her posture as she felt Sparkpaw's pelt brush against hers. Sparkpaw had settled down next to her, leaning on Juniperpaw's side, "Juniperpaw, can I tell you something?" Sparkpaw whispered, her whiskers twitching.

"What is it?"

"I love you,"

"I know."

Juniperpaw wrapped her tail around Sparkpaw's exhausted body, bringing her denmate closer to her. The blue tabby she-cat smiled softly, her pelt warming up as Sparkpaw tucked her head under hers.

WORD COUNT: 1613
SHIP: Juniperspark
REQUESTED BY: Yours truly

I planned to have this a lot longer than it is now, but I sorta rushed it. I had much bigger plans for this oneshot, but eh. I might make another one of these gays later,