#kestralflight had better think hard on it

[warrior-cats-rewritten]

I hope Whistlepaw gets a nice name

[starclan-academy-verse-blog]

Starclan Academy: Prom Arc- Promstalgia

Summary- Flametail goes to prom

Flametail walked into the school parking lot where an open canopy draped over, keeping teenagers inside and the cold April air out. It was clear topped to allow them to dance under the stars and full moon. He had one goal in mind as he dragged his best friend, Kestralflight, behind him. He might only be a junior but he was going to make this the best night ever for as many people he could.

Sometimes the movies aren't always right when they say prom is the "end all be all" of high school. Some people will always be disappointed going far into the hype of the dance. Some want prom hierarchy and will spend all year campaigning for it while others will regret not going. That's life, but it wasn't going to be on Falmetail's watch.

He'd spent all day dressing himself and Kestralflight up. Spent the whole day convincing the shy boy to go. He made Kestralflight dress in a simple black suit with a simple black tie, while Flametail chose the most obnoxious blue he could so it clashed horribly with his red hair.

The first thing he had done, other than marvel at the sight of so many beautiful people dancing in glamourous dresses and neat suites under bright lights, was drop Kestralflight off with Jayfeather and Willowshine. The easy going duo would help the blond relax a bit. The four of them had always seemed to have a secret understanding between them. Something akin to friendship although they didn't hangout enough for that to be. Flametail didn't like to think about it, content just to know he had three people who would have his back no matter what.

He looked around for a way to start his fun when he noticed his brother. The jock was dancing with his date Dovewing, her bright green dress fading to silver in the middle where it was tight around her waist. He long silvery hair was tied up in a simple bun. Flametail used his smaller body to squeeze between the two and used his shoulders to push Tigerheart back and steal his spot.

His brother shouted after them but Flametail had already danced away with Dovewing. Taking a last look over her shaking shoulder he caught sight of his brother awkwardly fixing his emerald tie in the middle of the dance floor. Flametail had fun as he dramatically danced with Dovewing, her laughter the only music he could hear as they danced. After their dance ended, or more like their gossip circle, Flametail tried to find his brother, but neither of them were able to find him. He saw Dovewing suddenly turn around from the corner of his eye. The red head followed suit only to see Bumblestripe. The gray haired boy had his hand outstretched as he offered it to Dovewing. The hand shook as the other came up to loosen his silver tie. Dovewing gladly took his hand, waving off Flametail as they whisked off into the crowd.

Flametail stood back and watched the couple dance for a few minutes. Icecloud was standing in the middle of the floor, stark white dress standing out as the lights twinkled off her jewelry. Her boyfriend was standing stiff backed and she looked like she was pushing him away slightly. He'd have to rescue her later. He saw Tawnypelt sway her hips at Blackfoot, trying not to laugh at his glare, as Rowanclaw and Russetfur seemed to be jumping around to the music. While Tawnypelt and Russetfur might be seniors, they must have gotten their friends in. He smiled at them when Rowanclaw saw him, his bright pink suit standing out, especially next to Russetfur's uniform.

Flametail made his way towards the food and refreshments, chatting with everybody there as he went. He waved at his sister's date Crowfrost where he sat by himself. He started a conversation with an irritable Rosepetal after her brother and Foxleap were dragged away from the punch bowl by an even more irritable Lionheart.

"Hey Flametail, don't you have a date?" Mudclaw's scratchy voice yelled out from behind him. Flametail turned to find the dark haired boy smirking coolly, his arm around a scowling Mapleshade.

Flametail just grinned at the bully, trying not to allow his mind to flash back to the year before. "Nope, I'm everyone's date tonight."

To prove his point, Flametail held out his hand to the girl next to him. It happened to be Nightcloud. She glared at Mudclaw before taking the offered hand smugly. Nightcloud might be cold and harsh, but she wasn't one to tolerate other people's issues. It was different dancing with the cheerleader than his friends. She was usually distant and it showed in her steps. Precise and exact with the bare minimum of touch between them. But as he looked over her shoulder awkwardly he caught a small smile from the senior.

"Thanks for doing that." Flametail said nervously as their dance came to an end. He stepped away from her, not allowing his touch to linger and bringing a hand up to rub his head.

"He's a pig." Nightcloud jerked her head towards where Mudclaw had been. She started off towards her friends, the other cheerleaders, and he chose to follow her. As the night waned on he danced with each girl, and each one differently. Icecloud he took in long sweeping steps allowing her to get lost in the twirls. Cherryfall he jumped around with dancing to some pop song she appeared to love and getting lost in the crowd. He even took lead with Owlclaw, the male cheerleader, ignoring both the nasty and cheerful whistles thrown at them.

He saved the best for last though, as Crookedstar came on stage to announce the prom's queen and king. Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight were smiling brightly at each other as their dumb plastic crowns were placed on their heads. Next Lionblaze and Cinderheart were named prince and princess. The crowd started to cheer and clap for the couples as they started their obligatory ruler's dance.

Flametail stepped in front of Heathertail's line of sight. Her big blue eyes were wet as she watched Lionblaze, a mix of nostalgia and regret in them. When she looked down at Flametail she gladly moved with the red-head on to the dance floor. He made sure to tell her jokes about anything and everything to keep the smile on her face as he kept her back towards the now kissing couple. Even when the dance was over and there was not more spotlight on the new hierarchy he could still see the sadness in her eyes. She looked about to break as he led her to Breezepelt and Ivypool, her long since best friends. She layed her blond head on Breezepelt's shoulder and allowed herself to breathe again. He looked towards Ivypool and she just waved him off before reaching for a napkin to wipe Heathertail's running mascara away.

Finally, Flametail walked back towards his best friend who had collected even more people since Flametail had last seen him. Kestralflight might act like he was anti-social but the minute you got him talking it was hard to get him to shut up. While most of those standing around them were Jayfeather's group, a few were people he didn't talk to often. These included Smokey, Floss, and Speckle. The first two were getting their cuddle on as they listened to Kestralflight talk. Speckle was a little further from the group, hunched over slightly hiding the slightly rounded belly she had developed over the last few months. When she caught him looking, he gave her the kindest smile he could muster up but she quickly looked away from him.

He stayed and talked with them, letting the music wash over him. The rest of the night quickly became a blur. The thing about prom though was that it wasn't the best night he had ever had. It was fun and great, but he'd definitely had worse, like the night Tigerheart and Dawnfur got into a huge fight that lead to his sister storming out for the weekend, and it wasn't the best, like the night he finally convinced Kestralflight to have dinner with him.

He hardly even remembered the night itself, at least not the details. There were things that would stick with him over the years when he recalled the night, like his best friend's smile as he dragged him out of the canopy or Heathertail's sweet smile when she hugged him. Even better was the look on Briarlight's face when he asked her to dance the last song of the night, ignoring the glare he felt on his back from Jayfeather. As the years went by it was a night to look back on with fondness but not something he would allow to define his life.