Not Exactly to Code (Apprentice x Leader) [Bacon]

She pinned her ears and her hackles raised, she stood over her mate and growled as she turned to meet the presence head on.

Almost as suddenly as she finished speaking, there was a presence of someone-or something- looking over her shoulder at Birchwing's body.

She pinned her ears and whimpered, closing her eyes tightly, tears streaming down her face while she licked at his head, pressing close to him, "Take one of my lives if you have to... Please..." She whined.

"Eh." Birchwing sighed in his typical fashion, his head lying back on the cold earth and his eyes closing peacefully only a few heartbeats later, though in his last moments he was gazing lovingly up at his mate.

She pinned her ears and she whimpered, "You should have let me get hit! I still have lives" She mewed and whimpered to him.

Leaning upwards, flinching even at the small amount of effort that required, Birchwing huffed loudly and licked her cheek gently, just once.  "I'm not going anywhere, love…" he had to take a few more deep, heaving breaths.  "Doesn't matter if I have a body or not, I'll always be at your side."

The she-cat cried and she nuzzled her mate, licking at his head and she let out soft mewls, her ears pinned, "P-please Birchwing... Its starclan trying to ruin us... D-don't leave me..." She cried.

Birchwing trembled with the effort, but was able to wordlessly crane his neck and lick her paw once, the male seemingly on his deathbed, the scent of charred fur and flesh clinging to him.

She pinned her ears and she whined, gently grabbing his scruff and pulling him into a hiding spot, whimpering and she licked his still furred head, "B-Birchwing? A-are you... Okay?" She whined.

Birchwing's barely-recognizable form greeted Lavenderstar as she approached, one half of the male's fur singed off and some still burning, the tom panting heavily as he seemed injured beyond repair.

"Brichwing!" She yowled and paced looking for her mate, her ears pinned and she whimpered, her ears flicking and she tried following the sound of breathing.

While there was nothing to be seen in the immediate area of the lightning strike behind a few embers falling from the nearest tree, a bit of feeble breathing could be heard over the sound of the crackling fire.

She she-cat yowled in fear as she was shoved and at the loud sound, she rolled into the water in the ditch and she stood, her eyes wide and she ran back up, whimpering as she glanced around for her mate.

When Birchwing realized that her fur was standing up as well, he quickly realized what was about to happen and by some instinct kicked Lavenderstar in the side and into a ditch. Then, the sky lit up in a massive flash of light and a deafening crack split through the sky.

The she-cat sighed softly as she slept beside her mate.

Birchwing remained awake, his fur standing on end even though they were safe and out of the elements for now.

Lavenderstar sighed and laid down, curling her tail and laying her head on her paws to sleep and wait for the storm to pass.

Quietly sighing, Birchwing watched the sky, waiting impatiently for the storm to pass.

When she finished grooming herself, she pressed against her mate and began grooming him too, her ears drooped back lightly.

Panting quietly, Birchwing looked all around them, but there was no respite from the storm in sight, Lightning continuing to crack through the dark air every few heartbeats all around them.

She charged after him and she followed him into cover, panting and starting to lick herself to dry her fur.

Pinning his ears, Birchwing dashed for the cover of the nearest trees, feeling especially small and insignificant thanks to the pouring rain making his fur stick to his skin.

She jumped as she heard the sound and she whimpered softly, her ears pinned back.

By now, the storm had increased even more in intensity, lightning suddenly cracking through the sky behind them.

She pinned her ears and followed him, rubbing against him lightly when they were out.