Bluepaw was asleep, a dream swirling through her mind.
"Go back to sleep, Bluekit," a warm mew washed over her. "Rest my dear."
Hypnotised by the smooth mew she snuggled up against her mother and fell asleep.
Another memory flashed by.
"Cherryblossom," Bluekit mewed. "Where's my father?"
"Oh…" Cherryblossom sat up. "He isn't here right now. He'll come back."
But he never did.
She woke up. The dream had reminded her that she still didn't know who her father was. She slid out of the apprentice's den, quickly locating Cherryblossom.
"Cherryblossom!" she called. Her mother turned to look at her.
"Bluepaw!" A purr rumbled in her throat.
"Can I talk to you? It's important." Her tone said that she wasn't taking no for an answer.
"Of course. I don't mind." She blinked, waiting.
"Where is our father? I want to know. Stop lying to me." Bluepaw's mew came out as a hiss.
"Oh," Cherryblossom mewed. "Oh."
"That's not an answer!" she growled. "Stop stalling and come out with the truth!"
She sighed. "I suppose you do have a right to know. Follow me so we can talk in private. Be quiet, and please don't be mad."
"Hmpf!" she mewed, following her. Secretly she was ecstatic she was finally going to learn the truth but she kept silent.
The she-cat led the way through the forest, under the sunlight-dappled trees and glossy leaves of green-leaf. Bluepaw sniffed the warm air, taking in the scents. She could smell prey everywhere, but she resisted the temptation to hunt.
Cherryblossom moved stiffly and slowly, she could tell she was reluctant about finally telling her the truth about my father. One time she had pestered her a lot so she told me she wasn't ever going to know who my father was. She was wrong.
Eventually she stopped in a clearing filled with long spindly blades of light green grass. They bended and cracked under their paws as she followed Cherryblossom to the centre. She turned to face me.
"Well? Tell me!" Bluepaw demanded, fur bristling again.
"Calm down, Bluepaw," she sighed. "You got your wish. I'm going to tell you."
"Get on with it then!" She spat, angrily.
She glared. "Actually, I think you need to be more polite."
"What?" She snarled.
"You know what I mean. Hissing at me and ordering me around isn't nice. I don't like it," she lifted her chin. "I am still your mother."
"Yeah, my mother who's always hiding things from me!" Bluepaw yowled, not caring that she was supposed to keep her mew down. "I don't care if you don't like it! This is about me, not you, mouse-brain!"
A small hiss escaped her, but she took a deep breath. "Fine, you ungrateful fox-heart."
Bluepaw stumbled a bit, shocked. Her mother never spoke like that.
She lowered her head. "You win. I'm going to tell you."
"Okay," she mewed, angry that there was a slight tremor in her mew as she spoke. "Tell me."
"I, um, I don't know where to start." She mewed, averting her gaze.
She rolled her eyes. "Tell me my father's name!"
She nodded. "You're father's name…" she paused, seeming to have a dry throat. "His name. It's Snowstripe."
"Snowstripe?" she frowned. "Who's that?"
"He, he's a WindClan warrior!" she blurted out.
Bluepaw froze, eyes wide with horror. She was half-clan. Her father was a WindClan warrior, her mother a ThunderClan warrior. Half-clan. Half-clan. She repeated it over and over in her head, testing it, not saying anything to her mother. Her lying treacherous mother who was watching her with an anxious stare that really irritated her. Why should she care? She didn't care when she was breaking the warrior code and condemning her kit to be half-clan. She repeated it in her head again.
"Bluepaw?" Cherryblossom whispered. "What do you think? You're not angry, are you?"
She locked her gaze onto Cherryblossom. She felt hatred boiling in her blood, roaring in her heart and yowling in her bones. Cherryblossom, she hated her.
"No, Cherryblossom. I'm not angry that you broke the warrior code and condemned me to be half-clan then lied to me all my life, thinking you could get away with it. And, since I'm not angry, I want to wish you luck on your new life as a rogue. I only hope that such a wretched weak-willed cat like yourself will be able to handle it." She mewed sweetly, moulding her features into sarcastic pity.
"My… new life as a rogue?" her mew was still a whisper.
"Yes. I'm going to tell Sootstar about how you happily broke the warrior code without a care at the first chance you got!" She snarled.
"Bluepaw! Please! You're my only kit, I love you move than you could ever imagine. Please, don't tell Sootstar. I don't want to be a rogue!"
"What a shame. I guess you'll just have to get used to it." She bounded off before Cherryblossom could react.
The bird's singing seemed menacing and she was glad when it was cut off as she stamped through, rage powering her pawsteps. She wanted to be free of the trees that closed in on her, into the camp and Sootstar's den.
"Sootstar!" she called, racing in. "Sootstar!"
"Yes, Bluepaw? Is there a problem?" he asked.
"There's a big problem! We need to talk in your den!"
Cherryblossom was expecting kits again.
Bluestorm sat in the rain, not caring if she caught a cold. She still couldn't believe Sootstar hadn't exiled Cherryblossom. He told the clan, but that was it. In fact, he actually became mates with her in a few moons time. She gave up Snowstripe and everything was great. As if.
Bluestorm still felt that burning hatred each and every day when she saw Cherryblossom. She would never forgive her. She hoped that Sootstar gave her one of Cherryblossom's kits as an apprentice. She was going to ruin it's life, like Cherryblossom ruined her's.