Alright, together we will be ((Apple))

[*~Blazeheart~*]

His paws crunched the earth, feeling the dry grass underneath him tickle his pads. He breathed in the refreshing morning breeze, purring slightly as the smell of new-leaf reached his nose.
His gaze travelled the camp, eager to spot the familiar face of his leader. But to him, Haggarstar was much more than just his leader.
His russet fur was smoothed down and sleek, having a silver hue among the red that made it look even more glossy.
His well-muscles flowed smoothly under his pelt as he crossed towards the fresh-kill pile. Only two rabbits and a shrew remained, and though his stomach was quite empty, he decided to wait until the pile was full again.

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Haggarstar prowled in the camp with two full-grown rabbits in her powerful jaws. Being the second biggest cat in her clan, every DawnClan could select her out of the crowd anytime. Yellow eyes glowed eeriely. Haggarstar dropped the fresh kills on the fresh kill pile and looked up. Her eyes found a warrior. His russet fur looked glossy, as always. This was not just a warrior.
A loud purr rumbled out of her throat. "Zehyrwind."

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Zephyrwind's ear perked up as he heard the familiar sound of his mate. His green eyes gazed up at Haggarstar's yellow ones.
"Hey there,"the tom purred, not at all daunted by the she-cat's large stature. To him, she was the most beautiful she-cat.
He leaned over and touched Haggarstar gently on the cheek with his nose.

"Great! You brought breakfast!"the russet tom meowed enthusiastically, reaching for one of the prey Haggarstar caught.

[@pple]

"Not even a simple, good morning?" Haggarstar's eyes lit with amusement. She watched the russet-colored tom taking a prey from the pile. She gave him a small smile while other warriors walked by, rolling their eyes at their quirky relationship. Sighing, she sat back. After a few minutes, she stood to her full height and walked back into her den.

Her den was located on a mini cliff. Jagged rocks welcomed her as she made her way up. Jumping from the rock to other, she reached the top. The grass field was in the sight. Wind began to blow. They came to her side, caressing her long, wavy black pelt. Her chin held high as she overlooked her clan with pride from her den. Her den was a small opening to the cave. Padding over to the opening mouth of the cave, she quickly slipped inside. Darkness swallowed her a whole.

Something was definitely up.

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[*~Blazeheart~*]

Zephyrwind ate up the prey with swift bites and gulps, demolishing the entire mouse in but a few seconds. His hungry belly was finally satiated and his red tongue swiped his maw, licking away traces of flesh and blood from his whiskers. His ears perked up to see Haggarstar walk away to her den, this struck him quite peculiar.
Normally, Haggarstar would strike a conversation with him or other warriors, but it seemed something was on her mind.

The russet tom got to his paws and quickly padded after her, sighting her black body melt into the shadows of her den. The tom easily bounded onto the rocks, tracing Haggarstar's footsteps as he made his way to the top. His head stuck into the entrance, his pupils dilating in order to take in the little light the den had. When his eyes finally adjusted to the gloom, he spotted Haggarstar's form a little way ahead.
"Something wrong?"Zephyrwind meowed, concern flashing in his green eyes.

[@pple]

Haggarstar sat down like a tiger. Her statue was proud, yet elegant all in one setting. Yellow eyes cast an eerie glow in the dim light. It always did when something was on her mind. Remaining quiet, her tail only made a tapping noise on the stone ground. Moving her head an inch or less, the light caught the scar on her left cheek. Behind the long black fur, a white, polished line was there. It was not created by another creature, but another cat. To this day, no one knew how and where she got the scar.

Haggarstar moved her head again, the mysterious scar veiling by the darkness once again. She only sighed softly, "Nothing's wrong."

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[*~Blazeheart~*]

"Really? Cause you seem a bit...occupied,"Zephyrwind meowed, allowing himself to enter the cool den, his own pelt turning black under the darkness. The only color on his face was his green eyes that seemed to glow like a forest light in the gloom. His footsteps made faint thudding sounds upon the ground as he padded over before stopping a few mouse-lengths away from Haggarstar, gazing at her with patient eyes.
He noticed the scar along her face, a slightly silver gleam under the black fur. The russet tom never questioned where she had gotten that scar and she was never obliged to share, though it remains a curiosity to him.
Zephyrwind was quite struck by how much he didn't know about Haggarstar.

[@pple]

Haggarstar asked him, "Am I?"

Shaking her head, she sighed, "I have been thinking a lot lately." It was true. She was thinking about her beloved sister she once had. A beautiful silver tabby appeared in her mind's eye. The silver tabby she-cat's eyes were bright emerald green. A smirk grew on her lips as the image faded away. She found herself staring directly at the warrior in front of her.

The silver tabby was her sister, Lilydawn. The she-cat who disappeared many moons ago haunted her dreams. She was the cat who made that polished, clean cut on Haggarstar's cheek. Before she got the scar, Haggarstar was considered ugly. Haggarstar ignored the thought, looking away from Zephyrwind. "Why do you want to be my mate?" She asked this out-of-the-blue.

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[*~Blazeheart~*]

Zephyrwind allowed himself to sit down, a place where most cats sat whenever they paid Haggarstar a visit. The sand underneath was soft and smooth, almost like a cushion as the tom settled himself down, wrapping his tail neatly over his paw and watching Haggarstar with his brilliant green eyes. One of his ears flickered slightly as he heard her response. True, it seemed Haggarstar's mind was always bothered by something, and the warrior assumed this is that burden that came with being a leader.
Her next words struck him as surprising and Zephyrwind broke out into a mrrow of amusement.
"Why do you suddenly ask this?"he purred in a teasing tone.
"Well, you're a strong, beautiful she-cat, one that I have always admired. I can never take my mind off you,"he responded, cheeks glowing slightly red as he said this, hoping it didn't sound wierd.

[@pple]

As she heard the answer he gave her, she frowned. Yes, that tiny frown came on her lips. She knew very well that she is not exactly a pretty she-cat. She is a big cat with unusually long legs. She could be easily labeled as a jaguar, but she is not. Before she got the scar, no toms would look at her. With the scar, it gave her a beauty. Shaking her head again, she told him, "Thank you."

She turned away, but then looked up at him. "Do you ever wonder why I got this scar?"

[*~Blazeheart~*]

The russet tom's tail twitched, slightly nervous as he saw the frown upon her face. Had he said something wrong, something that displeased her? He didn't know. He opened his mouth to add something, but Haggarstar began speaking, and he quickly swallowed his words.
Zephyrwind flicked his ear up in surprise to hear her ask such a question.
"I think every cat in the Clan is,"the good-natured tom purred, eyes twinkling in amusement. But he did understand it was a serious question and he nodded slowly, almost in a thoughtful way.

[@pple]

"Of course, every cat does," Haggarstar murmured, mostly to herself. There was a lot things on her mind right now. Two rabbits she caught this morning did not help her to relax at all. Being a leader was not easy. It took a lot of strength, courage, faith, and loyalty in her clanmates. She got used to being a leader for many seasons then. Fifty two moons of her life, she still wondered if her sister forgave her for what she did.

Haggarstar wondered if any cats know that she only have seven more lives to live. She lost her first life to the sickness, greencough. Her second life was short-lived...she got beaten by a band of rogues. Now on her third life, she is growing anxious. What would happen when she dies and join StarClan?

Burnedsoul is a wonderful deputy, but Haggarstar did not think her deputy is ready to lead the clan. Many DawnClan warriors are thirsty for a battle. Haggarstar is the only one who prevents battles and wars. Sighing, she glanced at her mate, thinking about him and her quirky relationship.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Zephyrwind's whisker's twitched slightly, watching his mate carefully with his eyes. He could almost see into the mind of Haggarstar, how her thoughts were clouded with uncertainty and plagued with many questions and problems within the Clan. The warrior really admired how she could handle all that is happening and still keep her fur on.

"Why don't we go for a walk?"Zephyrwind suggested, standing up and padding a few steps over to Haggarstar, resting his tail on her shoulder.
"It'll ease your mind up,"he added.

[@pple]

For a minute, Haggarstar let emotions running wild and out in the open. She gave that privelege to her mate, Zephyrwind, only. No one else than the medicine cat that always come to her side and treat her some herbs daily to keep her headaches away.

As his tail rest on her shoulder, a wide smile broke through on her lips. She looked up at him, a playful sparkle showed up in her yellow eye. That is one of the reasons why she really loved him. He always know how to help her feel better. He is great. "Yeah," she muttered as she stood up to her full height. She was used to being taller than him. She could see that he did not care about the size. He truly loved her. And that was all to it. She loved that about him.

She walked out of her den, her eyes quickly adjusting to the bright sunlight. Her clan below was busy sharing tongues. Many were away on hunting patrols. That was great. Her clan was doing really well. Wind began to blow in her direction, making her wavy pelt moving with elegance. She stood there, proudly overlooking her clan, her tail twitching with happiness. She waited for her mate to come up to her side. She waited for the familiar press of his warm fur against hers.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Zephyrwind returned Haggarstar's smile with one of his own, glad to see that she was loosening up. She looked more like the strong spirited cat he admires and loves. The russet tom trotted behind her, nearly bumping into her tail when she stopped at the edge of the cliff.
"Hey! Don't give me a faceful of your tail-fur,"the tom meowed, though there was a teasing tone in his voice. Zephyrwind stood beside his mate, allowing his pelt to touch hers and his tail tip lingered on her tail-tip, taking in the view that she is seeing.

"Sure looks peaceful huh..."the tom murmured, watching the calm scene of cats sharing tongues and feeling the breeze caress his fur.

[@pple]

Haggarstar laughed at the tail incident. "No problem," she meowed happily. She grinned at the words he said. "Yes, it is peaceful." Then she looked up at him, happy that his tail was over hers. "That's what I want for my clan. This. Peace." She glanced at her clan below once again as she stood up and jumped on the top of her den. An open field was ahead of her as she winked at Zephyrwind, "Want to race?"

[*~Blazeheart~*]

A mischevious grin spread across his face and he lept after Haggarstar, landing next to her.
His green eyes had a challenging gleam in his eyes as she made the offer to race.
"Heh, alright. And just cause you're my mate, I won't go easy on you. Watch me beat the Dawnclan leader in a race,"the tom bragged. Without furtherado, the russet tom suddenly became a red blur as he leaped onto the moorland, bounding through the center of camp. In his haste, he had to leap over a pair of Dawnclan cats sharing tongues, who scolded his fleeing figure that was already out of camp before he could hear their curses.
The wind outside was much stronger, tugging at his fur as he sped through, feeling the exhileration of running that he always loved. Though his eyes were peeled forward to watch his route, his ears were swiveled back, expecting to hear the pawsteps of Haggarstar behind him.

[@pple]

Her mate tend to brag too much. Haggarstar roared in laughter, "In your dreams!" She watched him running across the camp and into the moorland as she grinned deviously. Of course, she is leading DawnClan. It means she know her own secret routes to different places. With a powerful leap, she jumped into the open field behind her den. Crawling through a pair of short unnamed bushes, she sprinted across the field with wind chasing behind her. She loved this.
Running in the wind. It is like StarClan. Only way better. If she can't run, she will go crazy. This is really wonderful. This feeling of being free and powerful at the same time. Panting effortlessly, she came to another field, a russet shape coming at full speed toward her.
With a mrrroww of laughter, she grinned at him when he looked behind him, "Looking for someone, huh?"

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Zephyrwind nearly tripped and fell when he heard the familiar purr of laughter ahead of him. His head whipped around, spotting the familiar stature of the black-furred she-cat. Startled, the tom came to a screeching halt, crashing straight into Haggarstar. The impact sent the tom tumbling forward and landing face-first into the ground. Luckily, the ground was covered with heather that broke his fall.
"Hey! How did-when did you?"the tom protested, trying to flip back onto his paws.

[@pple]

Haggarstar fell backwards, but she regained her balance. She laughed as the tom crashed on the ground filled with clumps of heather. Heather scent smell so wonderful. There were lavender too, along with heather plants. "The leader has her own secrets," she purred loudly as she helped him getting to his paws. The words had an eerie ring to it, which spoke of a double meaning behind the words. The scar.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

"Well, I'll beat you next time,"Zephyrwind muttered, pouting a bit. However, this tom was an easy-going cat and his frown was quickly replaced with a grin.
"We should do this more often,"the russet tom purred, giving Haggarstar a hearty nudge agains the shoulders, bumping playfully against her.
"Ah, you should let me off some patrols you know,"he joked, gazing up at the pretty blue sky, watching the wisps of clouds swim through the forget-me-not blue.
"Then I could spend more time with you. Or practice my running so I can beat you, haha,"he added.

[@pple]

"Keep dreaming," Haggarstar laughed. "You can practice as much as you can, but you would never beat me." This gave her an excuse to bristle, showing off her muscles under the whole black shaggy pelt. "I can't take you off some patrols then everyone will beg me," she teased whole-heartedly.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Zephyrwind let out a mrrow that sounded like half-laughter, half whining as he cuffed Haggarstar's flank with his paw, as if pouting about it.
"Well, I'm special,"he bragged, grinning teasingly.
"Cause I got the best she-cat in the world standing next to me. Starclan's gotta reward me for that right?"he joked, reaching over and nuzzling her affectionately along the cheek wit his muzzle.

[@pple]

"Oh, hush," Haggarstar giggled madly like a newly formed apprentice. She purred loudly, rumbling from her throat. She was truly happy. Right here, with him. He was amazing, really. He knew how to make her happy. It was home. She nuzzled back with affection. Out of her mind's eye, a rabbit shot by. With a soft purr, she jumped in action.

Running toward the rabbit, her paws outstretched as she caught it. It all happened in less than five seconds. Panting effortlessly, she carried the rabbit back to Zehyrwind and purred, "We are getting fat." Roaring in laughter, she smiled goofily.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Zephyrwind started as he also spied the flash of brown at the corner of his eyes. Instinctively, his muscles bunched up and he prepared to leap after it, but the black-furred she-cat beat him to it. Her movements were as swift as a snake, darting towards the rabbit and catching it with a swift, graceful blow.
"Nice catch!"the russet tom called, his tone quite impressed.
"Well, rabbits good to eat, so who cares if we get fat. We are runners so we'll burn it off later,"Zephyrwind purred back. His paw scraped the earth making a small hole in the ground and nodding to Haggarstar to let her deposit the rabbit into it.

[@pple]

"Oh, really," Haggarstar whispered as she pushed the rabbit into the hole Zephyrwind created. She looked up in the horizon, breathing in the fresh air. "Ahh," she meowed, feeling the breeze. The scar on her cheek shone a little in the sunlight, her yellow eyes darkening. She sighed as she looked at her warrior.

"I need to tell you about how I got the scar."

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Zephyrwind quickly scraped dirt back over the hole, covering it nicely with layer of soft sand and heather until it looked as if the rabbit was never there. However, the smell of the prey lingered around the area, enough of an indication that the rabbit is here so they could find it later.
The tom perked his ear up in surprise as he heard Haggarstar's next word, the amused light in his eyes slowly dimming and replaced with a more somber expression.
"You don't have to...I mean, if it's difficult or complicated,"the tom murmured, sitting down and looking at his mate with concern. As much as it'll satiate his curiosity, he didn't want Haggarstar to be forced to tell and go through a difficult situation.

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With a tiny smile, Haggarstar gave him an affectionate lick on his cheek, purring softly, "I want to tell someone. I have kept this secret for so long..."

For a while, Haggarstar was afraid of telling someone, but Zephyrwind was her mate for a while and she felt she could trust him. So she began, "Remember my sister? Lilydawn?" Her head bowed as she rememebered the dappled coat of gray tabby and bright emerald green eyes.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Zephyrwind took a while to remember who Lilydawn was. An imgae of a gray tabby she-cat with striking green eyes popped into his mind.
"Oh yea..."he mewed quietly. It really struck him how the two sisters didn't exactly look alike, and he wasn't just saying this because Haggarstar was much prettier in his eyes.

It pained the russet tom to see his mate look so upset as she began to tell him of the reason behind the silver scar on her cheek.

[@pple]

Haggarstar chuckled lightly at some distant memory. Her sister was the total opposite of her. Lilydawn was bold and very strong. She usually knew what to do in any situation. Haggarstar was jealous of her, of the way she was. The black cat sighed softly, frowning at the terrible memory of her sister's disappearance.

She was the reason to her sister's mysterious disappearance. She was responible for her sister's death. It had been so long since she shared her secret.

It was very hard. Really, it was, because she struggled for a long time to get used to keeping her secret hidden and kept her pain down. Now, it was out and free. Unleashed in its beautiful fury, she cried. She looked at the russet tom and sobbed, "It was me. It was all my fault."

Weeping freely, she longed so long for someone to hear her feelings. Emotions clashed together. Somehow, it hurt and felt good at the same time. Repulsive and wonderfully amazing at the same time, she wept for the gray tabby that died by her paws. She told him, "I killed her. She was the one who made the scar on my cheek."

"Ever since that dark day, I always think about her every single day. As time passed and I became a deputy, I feel terrible. When I became a leader, it was harder to sustain the pain inside me. It is killing me." She continued.

Then in a soft whisper, Haggarstar told him, "I hope you don't hate me." With another sob, she kept looking at him in the eye, deseperately hoping that he did not hate her for what she did. She really hoped he would not walk away from her and tell everyone what she had done. That was her greatest fear. Please, don't let him.

However, Haggarstar trusted him big time to tell him her secret. She wanted to tell him so badly and she finally did. What would he say? What would he think? She was suddenly afraid.