[ Mkay. I warned you guys. He's trying to be mature. :3 and I bet you weren't expecting this. >:] muahahaa. Eventually he'll come face-to-face with his feelings and confront her, I bet. But I do love his denial phases. ^-^ 'I like her. I don't like her. I love her. I don't like her!' He's such a child. But yeah. I hope this is a fun twist. It'll affect how I'll type him up for the Gathering. Which will be fun and depressing at the same time. <3 Now. ENJOY. -insert evil laughter. ]


Tigerpaw was the eldest of several siblings, those being alive and nearby only being Crookedpaw and Dawnpaw to his knowledge. As if it was in his blood as the big brother, he had wanted to originally protect them all. The guilt that came along with the 'job' only made him hurt more inside. He had deceived Minnowpaw the most – he hadn't been there to save her life. Knowing that made him hurt inside the most. It tore at him and depressed him, making him uncertain. As Gracepaw and Rainpaw seemed to vanish he only worried more and more. Had he failed them, too? He knew that Dropletkit didn't have many, if any, siblings left either. Although he wasn't sure if she was the eldest or not, there was something about the she-cat that his heart was telling him: 'Protect her.' He had failed with his own kin, but he wasn't ready to lose her not, too.

Maybe that was why Tigerpaw kept returning to WindClan rather frequently compared to other cats. He didn't care about WindClan. They could all fall over dead as far as he was concerned. But the safety of Dropletkit had always been on his mind. She wasn't like Minnowpaw or any of his other sisters, but there was something about her that he liked. Liking? There couldn't be any good to come from that. Memories flashed before his eyes of the scampering kitten when he had first met her. She had acted so strong, but she seemed so weak now. It wasn't just the lack of food or danger, it was something else. She had always seemed to hold onto a strand of hope. Although Tigerpaw always seemed to act positive, on the inside he was always thinking and hurting from the past. He could never truly grab onto that strand. Her courage for her Clan and her loyalty to it – he had admired it all. But there was something else besides admiration when he looked at the she-cat.

How long had it been? How many times had he seen her face and heard her voice until it made his heart beat? How long had it been since he had felt like this, after Minnowpaw's death, his sisters' leave, and his strange – almost – abandonment in the Clan? How long had it been since he had begun to love her? The very thought scared him. He swore to him it was nothing more than loyalty to their home and the forest, but his denial wouldn't last for long. He knew the penalties for loving someone out of your own Clan. He knew it was wrong, and he knew the pain and agony Dropletkit would go through as she grew up. He didn't want that for her. Tigerpaw wanted to protect her from that. As selfish as it was, he knew one way to save her from that.

He stopped for a moment in his tracks, eyes widening. Tigerpaw tilted his head back, forest-green eyes filled with a mixed emotion, staring at her. What had she just said? But he had to ignore it. It wasn't a manner of being loyal to his Clan anymore; he had to protect her. He shifted his head back, forward.

“. . .”

No sound came from his lips. The only way that he could help her now was to not say anything at all. He wanted to run back over to her and brush his head against her neck, but he knew that was impossible. Even if he was mousebrained, he knew this was the only way to get her out of his head and vice versa. The only way was to leave her alone. It would hurt for a while, but pushing others away was the only way he knew of right now. If he pushed her away long enough she'd eventually forget and move on. She had to do that. It hurt Tigerpaw to think about it, but he was determined to try his best and protect her. Slowly, his paw steps moved forward as he headed back for ThunderClan. 'There's no way . . . I don't like her,' he thought to himself, lying. And so, the blue tabby tomcat was back into denial. Such strange ways of thinking.