Thin was ok with Cloud teaching Dark how to hunt on their territory except that meant he would be able to steal prey when his group no longer had hunting rights on their territory.
But, was she going to tell him not to?
No, of course not.
Now, what she would talk to him about was his love for Orange-heart.
Thin walked out of her hole to see Wave still sitting outside it, gaurding her.
"Hey, Wave," Thin said.
"Thin! You're up!" he meowed. Thin didn't mind that he called her Thin instead of Thin-moon. She just didn't like her nickname.
Unless Wave said it.
When Wave said it it was fine.
"Hey, Thin?" Wave asked as Thin turned to go. "I have a question?"
"What's the question?"
"Um," he said akwardly. "Would you um... Would you be my mate?" He looked down at his paws in embarrassment.
"Um..." Thin never thought Wave loved her. Well, they were friends but mates? It seemed a little far-fetched.
"It's- It's ok if you don't." Wave pinned his ears in sorrow.
"Um..." She was staring at her paws. She should've said no. She was supposed to say no. But someyhing deep down made Thin say, "Uh... I'll think about it."
I'LL THINK ABOUT IT? WHAT? she thought.
But somewhere, she thought yes. So, she'd decided to think.
"Ok," Wave said, slightly unpinning his ears. "Take your time." He quickly padded off.
Thin walled out the entrance to the thicket, out into the forest. She walked for a while and stopped by the pond. She thought about what Wave had asked. She thought they were just friends but he didn't want them to be. He loved her. She couldn't process that information well. She knew Wave was her best friend and also eight moon cycles older than her.
But she never would've guessed he loved her.
To be honest, she guessed she should've been able to tell with how Wave acted around her. But still...
Thin stared at her reflection gor a long time in the pond. She batted the water, sending ripples all throughout the water and breaking her reflection. Shd sighed. What would she tell Wave?
She stood up and walked for a bit until she reached the Pine. She smelled the scent of the Stream Group border in front of her and stopped. She looked up at the tree. The branches came out of the tree like arms. She felt the soft pine needles below her, sometimes poking her paws here and there.
Thin looked down at her paws. She should say no. She didn't know why but she should say no.
But she wanted to say yes.
Her mind whirled and her heart raced as she thought. She began pacing in circles aroung the Pine. She looked around and saw Fade and her co-leader just across the border. Thin meowed a greeting.
"Hey, Thin," Fade's co-leader, River, Thin recalled, said.
"It's Thin-moon now," she meowed kindly.
"Ah, sorry Thin-moon."
"It's fine," Thin said. "Anyways, I'll leave you guys to whatever you were doing."
"Thank you," Fade said impatiently.
The two cats walked away, leaving Thin back to her thoughts. Thin had no clud what to say to Wave. It was almost sunset when Thin decided to head back to the thicket. She walked back peacefully as she thought about what to say to Wave. Wave was her best friend but did she love him?
Thin didn't know.
Thin didn't know what to think of it all. She didn't know...
So what would she tell him?
She arrived back home and went straight to her hole. She fell asleep fairly quickly.
She dreamt of her parents.
"Hello, Thin-moon," Orangedream said.
"Hello," Thin dipped her head.
"Me and Orangedream have agreed that we may have something to show you to help your decision." Branchfall and Orangedream slowly faded away.
And Thin was Wave.
"Do you think she'll say yes?" Wave asked. He was talking to Chestnut.
"I can't guarantee that she will," Chestnut said. "But you did what you were supposed to. You told her your feelings."
"I just hope it doesn't come between our friendship."
"It won't. Thin-moon isn't that kind of cat."
"I hope your right..."
And Thin fell into a dreamless sleep, waking up when morning came.
Thin woke up. She knew what to say now. She knew how she felt.
And she was going to tell him.
She got up out of her hole and went to wait for Wave to wake up.