Hi everyone, I'm back with another chapter for Into the forest. It's been completely crazy since I last was on thanks to having a couple of birthdays and then Christmas being so close together as well as my laptop playing up but I finally finished the chapter. I really hope you like it, so here it is and happy reading.
Disclaimer: I own nothing from Warrior cats but my OC's.
Chapter One.
In a distant cave as the wind howled and rain pelted down on the foggy forest, an old grey she-cat tinged with silver around her muzzle lay fast asleep in her den while she dreamed peacefully of her younger warrior days when suddenly, her soft and warm features scrunched up in worry and confusion. Her whiskers twitched, then her legs started to move around as if she was running through the forest when her body slightly stiffened and she awoke with a startled gasp before she quickly stood up from her mossy nest. Her body was shaking a little from the panic of her dream while her light blue eyes searched frantically through the darkness for whatever had disturbed her slumber as she slowly caught her breath to help calm down her racing heart.
However, she couldn't find what she was looking for in the shadows. So, the tired she-cat lay back down in her nest where she curled up and tried to relax so she could fall back to sleep but as she closed her eyes and sighed deeply; the thought of the strange dream kept her awake.
"That dream again." She murmured as she reopened her eyes and moved her chin to rest it on her paws before she started to recall the dream that she had been having for the last week or so, but it also made her wonder.
Could it have been a message from StarClan? As in her dream she had been a young warrior again, hunting for her Clan with her sister Snowfur.
However, as the two sisters ran through the forest, Snowfur suddenly disappeared while chasing a rabbit into a thick patch of tall grass among the undergrowth and she had not re-emerged for quite some time. So, the grey she-cat started calling out to her sister but no matter how many times she called for the snow white she-cat, there had been no reply.
Until a distant and very distressed set of meows answered her, though none sounds like Snowfur at all as it sounded like a group of kits and so the grey she-cat had ran towards the sound, desperately searching for the kits when she was suddenly engulfed by a very bright light which blinded her momentarily and then she finally heard Snowfur's voice whispering desperately to her before she had awoken.
"Bluestar, my dear sister. Please find them soon and raise the kits well as the future of the Clan depends on them." The snow white she-cat had whispered to her, but it was only a dream, wasn't it? However, if it hadn't been a dream but a message from StarClan, where were these kits and why did StarClan want her to raise them of all she-cats? There are few queens who were already in the nursery that could care for them while she thought that she was too old and she just couldn't for she didn't think she deserved to be a mother again, not after…. Losing her own kits.
No, she had failed Mistykit, Stonekit and Mosskit but it was to protect the Clan, she really did feel like she had no real choice. At least the first two were alive and well, living with their father Oakheart with no knowledge of her being their mother but little Mosskit had died in the snow and ice that day and she hadn't quite forgiven herself for what happened to the kit.
Bluestar sighed sadly and looked out at the rainy mist that covered her home for the last few sunrises but as she watched, she felt like someone was calling out to her from within the forest so deeply and strongly, she could feel it. Change was coming but what it had installed for her Clan she didn't quite know just yet.
Bluestar shook her head. All this thinking and now she was even more awake then she had been in the beginning so she gave up on trying to get any more sleep for now and stood up before walking out of her den where she sat down in the mouth of the cave and stared out onto the camp, listening to the breathing and stirring of the sleeping cats all around her.
Her home, a clearing in a sandy ravine that used to be a riverbed a long time ago, was surrounded by tall grass and thick brambles all around it with a gorse tunnel as the only entrance to camp which was at the moment being guarded by a magnificent golden tabby tom with thick fur like a lion's mane and a big white tom.
She was sitting there for a few moments, her eyes locked on the gorse tunnel when a small dark tortoise shell she-cat suddenly emerged from a dark corner, her paw-steps quick and soundless in the rain as she padded over to Bluestar before she sat down by the grey she-cat's side and Bluestar dipped her head in greeting.
"Bluestar," The tortoise shell greeted the older she-cat with worry clear in her warm amber eyes as she looked at her sad and confused leader. "Is everything alright?"
Bluestar sighed again and turned her head slightly to look at the dark tortoise shell. "I'm fine Spottedleaf. Just got a few things on my mind, that's all." Bluestar told the small she-cat before she continued, "And how about you, can't sleep?"
Spottedleaf shook her head. She had been up almost all night after getting a message from StarClan. However, Bluestar had already turned in and the young medicine cat didn't want to awaken her leader in the dead of night as the grey she-cat had been having trouble sleeping lately. So, after trying and failing to fall back to sleep, she had gotten up to check on her herbs to wait for the sun to rise. It was later on once she was finished taking notes on what she needed to gather from within the forest as she waited when she had seen Bluestar at the entrance of her den under Highrock and she could sense something was amiss with her leader and that's why she wandered over to check on Bluestar.
"No Bluestar. StarClan spoke to me tonight and I've been waiting to tell you about it."
Bluestar's ears pricked. "What did they tell you Spottedleaf?"
"Fire alone can save our Clan." Spottedleaf answered, causing Bluestar to slowly blink and tilt her head slightly to the side in confusion.
"Fire?" Bluestar echoed. "But fire is feared by all the Clans! How can it save us?"
"I do not know," Spottedleaf admitted while she shook her head again as she wasn't sure herself. "But this is the message StarClan had chosen to share with me."
Bluestar fixed her clear blue eyes on the medicine cat. "You have never been wrong before, Spottedleaf," she meowed. "If StarClan has spoken, then it must be so. Fire will save our Clan."
She then looked up at the night sky with a thoughtful expression. "However, I do wish we can figure it out soon as possible. We need all the help we can get with this leaf-bare being so hard on our Clan and with so few kits being born to become apprentices, it's beginning to worry me for our Clan's future."
Spottedleaf gently placed her tail reassuringly on Bluestar's shoulder.
"It will be alright Bluestar, we will figure out their message soon, just you wait and see." Spottedleaf tried to reassure her leader as Bluestar looked back at her and replied. "For the sake of the Clan, I really do hope so Spottedleaf."
She then yawned and shook her head to try and shake off the feeling of exhaustion she was starting to feel before the grey she-cat lay down and weary placed her chin on paws.
"Oh Bluestar," Spottedleaf meowed as she looked down at her leader in worry. "You look exhausted!"
"I feel it Spottedleaf." Bluestar mewed tiredly before she yawned again. "I do believe it may be because of all the stress brought by this hard leaf-bare and my dreams are keeping me up at night as well."
"Maybe you should tell me about these dreams Bluestar. I could help you with them and if you like, I can give you a few poopy seeds to help you get a good night sleep." Spottedleaf meowed to Bluestar but the grey she-cat shook her head and was about to decline the offer, the older she-cat froze when a ghostly white she-cat suddenly appeared across the clearing from them.
"Snowfur?" Bluestar whispered in shock while she quickly stood up and took a single hesitant paw step towards the spirit of her sister, her exhaustion temporary forgotten for now. However, she then stopped as Snowfur turned around and walked away towards the gorse tunnel before she disappeared as sudden as she came.
"Bluestar, did you see that cat as well?"
Bluestar then looked back at Spottedleaf who was looking very surprised at the place where her sister had been a few moments ago. "Yes, I saw her too Spottedleaf. It looks like Snowfur is now walking among us once again."
And there we have it. Sorry if you where hoping to see the kits in this chapter but I wanted to focus a little on Bluestar and her thoughts in this one. As you can see Bluestar is a little bit reluctant to take them on, thanks to a sad past involving her own kits but she will get through it, I promise you that. I also hope Bluestar and Spottedleaf wasn't too out of character for everyone. Now I'm going to plan out the next chapter but I also think I should think on what names would be good for Rusty's siblings as they might be returning very soon.
In the next Chapter, I will be revealing the identity of the missing apprentice so stay tuned for Chapter Two coming sometime before September. Bye for now.