Nightfeather (ThunderClan)

Appearance
Nightfeather is a sleek black she-cat with a white patch on her chest and a white tail-tip. Her paws and belly are white as well. She has bright green eyes. She has a gray nose and a entirely black face.

Personality
Nightfeather is shy and sweet, nervous when talking and petrified that some cat would discover her secret. There are only two cats that truly know her, and of those only one knows her secret. Those two cats know she is sweet, kind, and funny, not at all what she seems.

History
Nightpaw excitedly ran behind the warriors. It was her fifth Gathering, and all five apprentices had been allowed to go. Birchstar usually only allowed three. Nightpaw sped up, wanting to reach the gathering soon. Lightpaw, her sister, raced along beside her. Bramblepaw, one of Foxtail's kits, was on her other side. She slowed as the Clan padded into the clearing. RiverClan and WindClan were already there, the elders talking near the ferns while the apprentices held a heated debate over mice and voles. Nightpaw trotted over to them, sitting down beside Troutpaw. She joined in the conversation, sliding to the side to make room for the other ThunderClan apprentices. She found her gaze sliding to Bramblepaw, her face heating up when he caught her staring at him. He twitched his whiskers, amused, but sat slightly closer to her. Birchstar yowled to start the Gathering, ShadowClan having arrived, and Nightpaw turned to face him. Throughout the Gathering, she stifled mrrows of amusement at Bramblepaw's jokes and felt a wave of pleasure whenever she made him laugh.

Nightfeather stood proudly. She had just become a warrior. As Birchstar named her littermates, now Lightfoot and Hawkfeather, Bramblefur greeted her by yowling her new name. Birchstar leapt down and the meeting was dismissed. Willowpaw, a apprentice since four moons ago, eagerly bounded over to her. Willowpaw was Nightfeather's best friend, a friendship formed during the pair's apprenticeship. Bramblefur touched noses with Nightfeather before they turned to the apprentice.

"I'm sure you'll be a warrior soon," Nightfeather said to Willowpaw.

"I sure hope so!" Willowpaw responded. "I don't want to sleep in the apprentice den without you!" She looked towards the den. "It's lonely," she added.

"I know. Your ceremony will be soon, then you can have a nest on my other side! Bramblefur on one side and you on the other!" Bramblefur twined his tail around hers. Willowpaw seemed satisfied by this and padded off. Nightfeather watched her go, surprised when she realized she wished it was Willowpaw instead of Bramblefur beside her. ''What? No, I like Bramblefur. I just miss Willowpaw. After all, she is my best friend.''

Nightfeather padded through the trees, Willowstream at her side. Willowstream's ceremony had been earlier that day and the trio decided to go hunting together for Willowstream's first time as a warrior. Bramblefur was on her other side, and she touched noses with him, breathing in his forest scent. She caught Willowstream watching her and both she-cats looked away, whiskers twitching with embarrassment. Willowstream turned and padded on, Bramblefur and Nightfeather following her. ''What was that? I feel strangely guilty...'' She shook the feeling off,

Nightfeather was laying in the sun. Recently, her daydreams had turned to Willowstream rather than Bramblefur. She was jolted by her memories by Bramblefur prodding her for their nightly walk. They had walked to the lake to watch the sunset for the last moon, sitting together and watching the sun glitter off the water. For the last few days, she had caught herself wishing it was Willowstream instead. It had gotten to the point where she thought that she preferred Willowstream to Bramblefur. "Um... I don't feel well," she lied, unable to look Bramblefur in the eye.

"Oh. Okay. Hope you feel better soon." Bramblefur's disappointed eyes bored into her. Nightfeather waited for him to pad into the warrior den. As soon as his tail disappeared into the den, she got to her paws and padded over to where Willowstream was finishing a mouse.

"Willowstream?" Nightfeather wondered why this was so hard. "Umm.. Do you want to watch the sunset with me?" She forced herself to look at Willowstream, instead of running away like she wanted to. ''Am I insane? She'll never say yes.''

"Yes," Willowstream said, looking nervous. She ate the last bite of her mouse and stood up. She let Nightfeather take the lead and the pair padded out of camp towards the lake. Nightfeather found herself silent, quieter than she normally was with Willowstream. The other she-cat seemed quiet as well, a nervous aura around her. They reached the lake and Willowstream padded to the edge. The sun was setting over the moor, setting the lake on fire. Nightfeather found her tongue and spoke.

"Beautiful, isn't it," she said. Willowstream looked like she wanted to say something, but she bit her tongue and stayed silent. A moment later, she lost the fight and murmured quietly.

"It's not the only beautiful thing here." She seemed to immediately regret saying it and she blushed furiously. Nightfeather stood there for a moment, stunned into silence. She padded over to Willowstream. But Bramblefur! her mind protested. Willowstream! her heart yowled back. Nightfeather sat beside Willowstream and turned towards her. She froze when she realized her tail was overlapping Willowstream's. She was brave, now it's my turn. She wound her tail around Willowstream's, her heart beating swiftly. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding when Willowstream leaned into her. She was used to being with Willowstream, but not like this. The pair watched the sunset in silence, tails twined together.

Nightfeather woke to the sound of waves lapping on the shore. She realized she was on the edge of the lake, laying beside Willowstream. "Willowstream!" she nudged the she-cat.

"Whass goin oon?" Willowstream slurred, still half-asleep.

"We fell asleep!" Nightfeather said, hauling her to her paws. This can't happen again. She started walking back to the camp, a now-alert Willowstream beside her. When Willowstream's side brushed her's, a tingle shot through her. ''No, this can't happen. Bramblefur loves me.'' Nightfeather scented a patrol and froze. She darted to the side and pulled Willowstream into a patch of ferns. "Patrol!" she hissed. The cats, including Bramblefur, padded by, calling for Nightfeather and Willowstream. Nightfeather stayed hidden, Willowstream behind her in the shadows.

"They noticed we were missing," Willowstream muttered into her ear. Exactly why this can't happen! Nightfeather thought. Whatever last night was, it can't happen again. Willowstream cautiously padded out of the ferns and scented the air.

"If we come back with prey, they might think we were hunting," she explained. "You go that way, I go this way." She motioned with her tail. Nightfeather padded off obediently, glad to have a moment to collect her thoughts, away from Willowstream. What was last night? The memory was fuzzy, the time flying in a burst of happiness. She decided not to concentrate on it.

She swiftly caught a mouse and a sparrow, trotting back to meet Willowstream. Willowstream had a rabbit dangling from her jaws. ''Good. Bramblefur won't expect anything.'' The pair headed back towards camp, prey in their jaws. The cats there had questions, quieted by the prey and vague answers.

Nightfeather was padding through the forest with Bramblefur. Strangely, her heart didn't pound like it used to when she was with him. The dizzy feeling was gone. Then he looked at her, flashing a smile her way. How could I ever have doubted our love?

That was answered when she went back to the camp. Willowstream was sitting in the sun, talking to Lightfoot, and Nightfeather's heart jumped.

WIP!

Relationships
Willowstream: Nightfeather loves Willowstream and doesn't regret a heartbeat of it. She would leave the Clans over and over to be with her.

Bramblefur: Nightfeather wishes she could have explained to Bramblefur, but in her heart she knows he would never understand. She did love him though, if only for a short while.

Hope: Nightfeather loves the little kit and thinks her name is incredibly appropriate. Even though her and Willowstream aren't in the Clans anymore, she believes finding the kit was a gift from StarClan.

Trivia

 * The name Nightfeather comes from one of my early OCs in a crossover fanfiction, Starflight as a cat. The character was redone for this.
 * Nightfeather is my first LGBTQ+ character
 * Nightfeather is my entry in the LGBT contest
 * Not even Nightfeather's littermates know she is bisexual
 * Nightfeather always loved Willowstream, she just didn't know it
 * Nightfeather became a medicine cat to avoid the awkward situations with mates, specifically Bramblefur, only to leave later and become a rogue with Willowstream
 * Nightfeather is bi
 * Bramblefur doesn't know what happened to Nightfeather or Willowstream.
 * Nightfeather's love for Bramblefur was a crush, not actual love. Her love for Willowstream is real.