who are you? who are you? tell me, and i'll answer. stardust followed in the wake of their pawsteps.

"do you like trees?" thrushpelt asked, offhandedly. "more than you'd know." thrushpelt walked, and oakheart followed. "i have a lot of questions," thrushpelt said, slowly. "and i have the answers," oakheart replied.

"and you're the cat bluestar didn't fall in love with," he said, with a gentleness thrushpelt wasn't expecting. "yes...that is me." the boldness surged again. "come. walk with me." thrushpelt flicked his tail. he knew a good spot up in the treetops that gave a good view of the camp.

thrushpelt found himself in the strange position of having to forward the conversation. "this is the cat bluestar fell in love with?" he ventured. oakheart looked up at him, and thrushpelt resisted the urge to look away (he wasn't usually this bold). "i'm teasing." the other tom smiled.

oakheart. the deputy. the charmer across the water, his enemy, the lover of the one who didn't love him back. his words were said to be as honey as his eyes, and they were now looking between his paws, dumbfounded at how to continue.

coughing awkwardly, and gaze skirting away from thrushpelt's, oakheart states, "i suppose we should get to know each other." something unnameable thrummed in thrushpelt's heart. "i suppose," he replied, his tone light, playful, yet encouraging.

mosskit skipped away to meet snowfur, who shared a look with thrushpelt, whose brows furrowed. 'what?' he mouthed, and snowfur shrugged, then smiled cheekily. she left with the kitten, leaving oakheart and thrushpelt alone in the ether.

even mosskit stops her fidgeting and looks up at oakheart. "so...that means i have two papas?" she asks. thrushpelt nods. she thought for a moment, then shrugged. "mmkay." her small pink mouth stretched into a yawn. "can i sleep now, papas? i'm tired." "of course," they said in unison.

the reddish-brown tom's heart thudded in his chest as he nodded. "i will not disappoint you, thrushpelt, thank you," he croaked out, throat dry of the usual honey of his words. oakheart managed a smile, and thrushpelt returned it. the two toms stood in silence. snowfur watched from afar.

"so...oakheart of riverclan. you have my permission." whatever breath oakheart was holding was released. "you have my permission to raise mosskit alongside me. you can be her father as much as i am, and have been."