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The forest was peaceful in the golden light of leaf-fall.
Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight padded side by side beneath the trees, their pelts brushing the long grass that bordered the path. The lake shimmered through the trunks, and every now and then a breeze stirred the leaves overhead.
For once, neither of them was arguing.
"Do you remember Crowpaw's face when Midnight first started talking?" Squirrelflight asked suddenly, amusement sparkling in her eyes. "I thought he'd swallowed a thorn."
Brambleclaw let out a rumbling purr.
"He looked ready to leap out of his own fur."
"And Stormfur acted as though talking badgers were completely normal."
"Stormfur acts as though everything is normal."
Squirrelflight laughed.
The sound warmed Brambleclaw more than the sunlight.
For a while they walked in comfortable silence, remembering the journey to the sun-drown-place, the mountains, the endless moorland, and all the dangers that now felt strangely distant.
"So much has changed," Squirrelflight murmured.
Brambleclaw nodded.
"It has."
His voice grew quieter.
"Hawkfrost changed everything."
The words seemed to settle heavily between them.
For a few heartbeats neither cat spoke.
Brambleclaw stared ahead.
"I know what he was trying to do," he meowed at last. "I know he would have killed Firestar. I know Tigerstar was using him."
He dug his claws briefly into the earth.
"And I would never have helped them. Not for power. Not for anything."
Squirrelflight looked up at him.
"I know."
Brambleclaw flicked his tail.
"But he was still my brother."
His gaze drifted toward the lake.
"Sometimes I wish things had been different."
The admission sounded strange coming from him.
Vulnerable.
Squirrelflight opened her mouth.
The familiar words rose instantly.
*It wasn't your fault.*
*You did the right thing.*
But for once she stopped herself.
Because that wasn't what he needed.
The silence stretched.
Then she said softly,
"I'm sorry."
Brambleclaw blinked.
"What?"
Squirrelflight looked away.
"I'm sorry."
For a moment he simply stared.
In all the moons he had known her, Squirrelflight apologizing was rarer than a greenleaf snowfall.
She gave a small, embarrassed snort.
"Don't look so shocked."
"I am shocked."
That earned a brief laugh from her.
Then her expression grew serious.
"I mean it."
She drew in a breath.
"When everything was happening with Hawkfrost... I kept thinking about how wrong you were."
Brambleclaw's ears twitched.
"And I never stopped to think about how you felt."
Squirrelflight's gaze remained fixed on the path.
"You spent your whole life trying to prove you weren't like Tigerstar. Then suddenly you found a cat who understood exactly what that felt like."
Her tail swept the ground.
"You needed someone to trust."
Brambleclaw said nothing.
"You needed support," she continued quietly. "And instead I kept pushing you. Accusing you. Making you choose."
She hesitated.
"And maybe part of me liked seeing you jealous."
Brambleclaw's eyes widened slightly.
"I wondered."
Squirrelflight laughed nervously.
"There. I said it."
The forest seemed very still.
Then Brambleclaw dipped his head.
"Thank you."
She blinked.
"That's all?"
"What else should I say?"
"I don't know. Maybe tell me I'm impossible."
"You are impossible."
She cuffed his shoulder with her tail.
Brambleclaw purred.
Then his expression softened.
"I should apologize too."
Now it was Squirrelflight's turn to stare.
He continued before she could interrupt.
"I made you feel like your concerns didn't matter."
Squirrelflight nodded.
His gaze darkened.
"I thought I knew better."
"You usually think that."
"Very funny."
A flicker of amusement touched his eyes.
"You saw something I refused to see."
Squirrelflight raised her eyebrow. His mustache twitched.
"You were annoying."
"I knew it."
"But you were trying to protect me."
Squirrelflight looked down.
"And I didn't listen."
For a moment neither spoke.
Then, she looked at him with half an eye.
"I still don't entirely understand why you trusted him."
"And I still don't entirely understand why you wouldn't trust me."
Then Brambleclaw shook his head.
"Hawkfrost really believed he could rule all four Clans."
"Mouse-brained."
"Completely."
"And dangerous."
"Very."
She rolled her eyes.
"I still think you should've listened to me."
"I know."
"And I still think you handled it badly."
"I know."
Squirrelflight's whiskers twitched.
"So what are you saying?"
Brambleclaw glanced at her.
"I'm saying I found better company."
Their eyes met.
Neither looked away.
Not immediately.
Something warm seemed to pass between them.
Something neither cat quite knew how to name.
Suddenly Squirrelflight sprang forward.
"Brambleclaw!"
"What?"
"Look!"
She raced through the ferns.
With a startled grunt, Brambleclaw followed.
The ground rose sharply until they reached a rocky ledge overlooking the lake.
Squirrelflight skidded to a halt.
The sun was setting.
Fire blazed across the horizon, turning the water molten gold.
The lake reflected every color of the sky.
Amber.
Scarlet.
Deep glowing orange.
For a heartbeat Brambleclaw was reminded of another sunset long ago.
The endless water.
The crashing waves.
The place where the sun seemed to sink into the earth itself.
"The sun-drown-place," Squirrelflight whispered.
Brambleclaw sat beside her.
"It does look like it."
The wind lifted her fur.
Her green eyes reflected the burning sky.
"It's beautiful," she meowed.
"I think it's the most beautiful place in the world."
Brambleclaw looked at her.
Not the lake.
Not the sunset.
Her.
For a moment he forgot to answer.
Then he forced himself to look away before she noticed.
"Maybe."
Squirrelflight didn't seem to hear the uncertainty in his voice.
She was staring at the horizon.
"It's strange."
"What is?"
"Everything."
She gestured with her tail.
"The journey. The mountains. The Tribe. The lake."
A purr slipped into her voice.
"The Clans actually moved."
"I know."
"If someone had told me that when I was an apprentice, I'd have laughed in their face."
Brambleclaw huffed amusement.
"So would I."
"So many things changed."
The sun slipped lower.
"But some things stayed the same."
Brambleclaw glanced at her.
"What things?"
Squirrelflight thought for a moment.
Then she smiled.
"Us."
Brambleclaw's heart lurched.
The world suddenly seemed very quiet.
The breeze.
The lake.
The distant calls of birds.
All of it faded.
Because he realized something.
This was it.
No arguments.
No Hawkfrost.
No Tigerstar.
No shadows from the past.
Just the two of them.
And the sunset.
There would never be a better moment.
He drew a slow breath.
There was something he had wanted to tell her for a long time.
And now, at last, he was ready.
The sun was almost touching the horizon now.
Golden light spilled across the lake and painted the stone beneath their paws with fire.
Brambleclaw took a breath.
Then another.
StarClan, why was this harder than facing Hawkfrost?
"Squirrelflight..."
She glanced toward him.
"Hm?"
Brambleclaw looked back over the lake.
"When I think about everything that's happened..."
His tail twitched nervously.
"The journey to the sun-drown-place. Midnight. The mountains. The Tribe."
Squirrelflight listened quietly.
"Finding this lake. Moving the Clans."
His voice grew softer.
"Hawkfrost."
The name hung in the air for a moment.
"Through all of it, there was always someone beside me."
As he spoke, his eyes drifted toward her.
Squirrelflight's whiskers twitched.
"Really?" she asked innocently. "I thought that was Stormfur."
Brambleclaw groaned.
"Not Stormfur."
"Tawnypelt, then?"
"No."
"Crowfeather?"
"Definitely not Crowfeather."
Squirrelflight's eyes sparkled with amusement.
Brambleclaw shook his head.
"It was someone who kept following me long before the journey."
"I don't remember anyone following you."
"You do."
"I don't."
"You do."
Squirrelflight pretended to think.
Then her eyes widened dramatically.
"Oh! A squirrel-brained apprentice who wouldn't stop sticking her nose into everyone else's business?"
Brambleclaw snorted.
"That's the one."
"I wasn't that annoying."
"You were."
"I was not."
"You absolutely were."
Squirrelflight swatted his shoulder with her tail.
"You were worse."
"I was a model warrior."
"You were unbearable."
Brambleclaw laughed.
The sound surprised both of them.
Then his expression softened.
"Maybe."
Squirrelflight settled down beside him again.
"But somewhere along the way," Brambleclaw continued, "that apprentice became a warrior."
The teasing faded from her face.
"A warrior who was brave."
His eyes met hers.
"Resourceful."
Squirrelflight looked away.
"Stubborn."
"That's more like it."
"And thoughtful."
Now she looked back.
The warmth in his gaze made her chest tighten.
"When you meet a cat like that," he meowed quietly, "you start seeing them differently."
Neither cat spoke.
The wind stirred the grass around them.
At last Squirrelflight tilted her head.
"You know," she said, "you're trying very hard to sound important."
Brambleclaw blinked.
"What?"
"You sound like Firestar giving a Clan meeting."
"I do not."
"You do."
She sat up straighter and deepened her voice.
"'A brave and resourceful warrior who has served her Clan with honor.'"
Brambleclaw stared at her.
Squirrelflight burst out laughing.
For a moment he looked completely lost.
Then he found himself laughing too.
Mouse-brain.
Leave it to Squirrelflight to interrupt the most important moment of his life.
Yet somehow, he loved her for it.
The realization made his heart pound even harder.
When the laughter faded, he stepped closer.
Slowly.
Carefully.
His tail brushed hers.
Squirrelflight froze.
The touch sent warmth through both of them.
Brambleclaw swallowed.
"What I'm trying to say..."
His voice suddenly felt far too small.
"...is that somewhere along the way, I stopped wanting to do everything alone."
The teasing disappeared completely from Squirrelflight's face.
"And..."
Brambleclaw's heart hammered.
"I thought maybe..."
He forced himself to continue.
"I thought maybe I'd like to spend my life with someone."
Squirrelflight already knew.
Every word confirmed it.
Her paws felt unsteady.
Her heart was racing so fast she wondered if Brambleclaw could hear it.
Yet she stayed silent.
Waiting.
Letting him finish.
Brambleclaw took another breath.
StarClan help him.
"Squirrelflight..."
He looked directly into her eyes.
"Would you..."
His courage suddenly vanished.
What if she said no?
What if he'd misunderstood everything?
What if—
"Would you stay with me?"
Squirrelflight blinked.
Brambleclaw stared helplessly at her.
"Stay with you?" she repeated.
"Yes."
"That's your question?"
Brambleclaw opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Squirrelflight waited.
The silence stretched.
Finally she groaned and tipped her head back toward the darkening sky.
"Oh, StarClan."
Brambleclaw flinched.
"Squirrelflight, I was trying to—"
"Is it really that difficult?"
"What is?"
"To say it."
Brambleclaw suddenly found the entire forest extremely interesting.
"Squirrelflight—"
Before he could finish, she launched herself at him.
"Brambleclaw!"
The impact knocked him flat onto the stone.
"Oof!"
For a heartbeat he could only stare.
Squirrelflight was standing over him, eyes shining with laughter and affection.
"Yes."
Brambleclaw blinked.
"Yes?"
"Yes, mouse-brain."
His mouth opened.
Closed.
Opened again.
"I haven't asked yet."
"You were going to."
"I was!"
"You weren't."
"I was about to."
"You would've finished by leaf-bare."
Brambleclaw let out an offended snort.
"I would not."
"You absolutely would."
She leaned closer.
"And since you're apparently incapable of saying it..."
Her voice softened.
"Yes. I'll be your mate."
For the first time all evening, Squirrelflight looked vulnerable.
"I want to be with you."
Her eyes never left his.
"Even if you are a stupid piece of fur."
Something inside Brambleclaw melted.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this happy.
Or if he ever had.
They stayed there for a long moment, staring at one another.
Neither willing to look away.
Finally Brambleclaw managed,
"I was going to say the last word."
Squirrelflight snorted.
"Of course you were."
"I was."
"Sure."
"I was!"
She purred.
"I believe you."
The expression on her face made it obvious she did not.
Brambleclaw rolled his eyes.
Then his gaze softened.
The teasing faded.
The lake below them was turning silver as dusk settled over the territory.
"Squirrelflight."
"Hm?"
"I love you."
For perhaps the first time in her life, Squirrelflight had absolutely nothing to say.
No clever remark.
No joke.
No comeback.
Just silence.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Then she pressed herself against him.
Burying her face in his fur.
As if words suddenly weren't enough.
After a while she muttered,
"You're brave enough when you want to be."
Brambleclaw purred.
The vibration rumbled through both of them.
For several peaceful moments neither moved.
The forest grew darker.
The stars began appearing overhead.
Eventually Squirrelflight sighed.
"We should stay here."
"We should go back."
She groaned dramatically.
"There it is."
"What?"
"The deputy talking."
Brambleclaw flicked his tail.
"The Clan doesn't know where we are."
"They know exactly where we are."
"They do not."
"They absolutely do."
Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes.
Squirrelflight's whiskers twitched mischievously.
"Even if we didn't come back until sunrise."
Brambleclaw nearly choked.
"Squirrelflight!"
She winked.
His ears grew hot beneath his fur.
Squirrelflight purred triumphantly.
"There he is."
After another moment she finally stood.
"Fine. We can go back."
Brambleclaw rose beside her.
"I still don't know if we'll always understand each other."
She laughed briefly. Together they started down the slope toward camp.
For a while they walked in comfortable silence.
Then Brambleclaw spoke.
"You know..."
Squirrelflight glanced at him.
"What?"
"Maybe we should travel again someday."
She stared at him.
"Have you forgotten every journey we've ever been on?"
"It doesn't have to involve saving the Clans."
"It usually does."
"Not this time."
Squirrelflight narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
Brambleclaw's whiskers twitched.
"Just the two of us."
This time it was Squirrelflight's turn to look flustered.
She quickly turned away.
"Oh?"
"Just the two of us."
"Interesting."
"Very."
She shot him a sideways glance.
"And where did your deputy sense go?"
Brambleclaw purred.
"I seem to have misplaced it."
Squirrelflight laughed.
"We'll probably still argue."
"Obviously."
Together they disappeared beneath the trees, shoulder brushing shoulder, their voices mingling with the sounds of the forest.
For the first time in a long while, neither of them was looking toward the past.
Only toward whatever came next.