Title: Linking the Far Past with the Far Future

Description: In which murders are committed, lives are stolen, Clans are allying themselves with dark forces for the means of survival, and betrayals are becoming a regular occurrence. Growing up being abandoned by her mother, Bluecrest must lock away her hatred and sorrow for the good of RiverClan. But when cats begin turning against her, she loses faith in what she once thought was love.

Comment Notes: Thanks for continuing to enjoy this fic~ It motivates me to update~

Author's Notes: Warriors belong to the Hunters and the Hunters only. Angst and shocking discoveries~ Wouldn't want to spoil it, so read on~


Chapter 8

The Pain of Heartbreak


"Mintkit, until the day you fulfill your apprentice duties and become a true RiverClan warrior, you shall be Mintpaw. Bluecrest, you are ready for an apprentice, you will oversee Mintpaw's mentoring. You have been through a lot, and remained loyal through it all, and I hope you can pass on your unwavering faith to Mintpaw."

Sunstar's declaration rang through the camp, clambering above the quite drumming of the mini waterfall framing the medicine cat's den. Mintpaw slid daintily down the winding path of the leader's cove and touched her nose gently to her mentor's.

Bluecrest smiled as euphoria flooded her senses, and she led her apprentice to sit beside her sister, Graypaw in the group of apprentices and mentors. Mintpaw ran to sit beside her sister, and they touched noses and twined tails before settling down to see the rest of the ceremony.

From the entrance of the nursery, Bluecrest could see their mother, Brightleaf, gazing at her kits proudly, and she felt a pang of sadness ricochet through her.

Mintpaw's milky-white pelt shone in the sunlight, her charcoal and gray-blue flecks dappling her smooth, downy coat. Graypaw's pelt on the other hand was ruffled and messy, reflecting the apprentice's personality perfectly. The older sister leaned down and licked down a stray tuft of gray fur on her shoulder, but it sprang back up despite her efforts. Graypaw's wind-blown gray pelt looked like a dappled sea, the dark gray dapples standing out against her pale pearly fur.

Seeing them this close together made Bluecrest long for the closeness she and Runeswipe used to share, before she remembered that it was all over now.

"Looks familiar, doesn't it?" the deep mew reverberated in her ear, making the fawn-silver warrior jump. Her slightly tan Bengal-dappled fur bristled before she realized who it was. "Stormrift, you scared the wits out of me!"

The stormy-gray warrior chuckled, a deep, warm sound. His eyes were friendly, but Bluecrest couldn't push down the misgiving creeping up her spine.

"Hello, Bluecrest. An apprentice at last, hmm?" he mewed, amused. Bluecrest rolled her eyes in an attempt at annoyance.

"Oh, shut up." She muttered, grinning. Stormrift laughed, ruffling her fringe with his tail. Bluecrest yelped in protest and scrambled away from him, smoothing down her fur with a paw. A mock frown formed on her face and she resisted the urge to stick her tongue out childishly.

"Boast while you can, Stormrift. Mintpaw will be a warrior in no time, just you see!" she challenged. Before she had finished her sentence, Sunstar raised his tail for silence.

"I have another pleasant duty to perform. Solarpaw and Swanpaw have completed their apprentice training and are ready to receive their warrior names.

"Solarpaw, from now on you shall be known as Solarburst. Appleswift has trained you well, and you have proven your loyalty countless times over. We welcome you as a full RiverClan warrior."

The brown-furred tom padded up to his leader and licked his shoulder obligingly before stepping back and joining the warriors. He held his head high, chin tilted smugly skyward. Icy blue eyes flashed and he unsheathed his large claws, digging them into the soft earthy dirt.

Stormrift glanced at Bluecrest meaningfully, a smug grin plastered on his maw. Bluecrest rolled her eyes, ignoring him. She knew what came next.

"Swanpaw, from now on you shall be known as Swandance. You have worked diligently as Stormrift's apprentice, and are now ready to become a full RiverClan warrior. He has taught you everything he knows, and I hope you will use those skills wisely and compassionately."

Swandance's green eyes glimmered with pride as she stepped forward to lick Sunstar's shoulder. Her cream and gold tabby stripes rippled ever so slightly in the cool breeze, and she held herself with a new confidence.

The newest warrior bounced happily over to stand by her brother as the two received their ceremonial chants. Bluecrest watched on, impressed.

"She's quite different from her apprentice days." the fawn-silver Bengal murmured to Stormrift. The older gray tom chuckled, letting out an mrrow of amusement.

"Quite." he agreed, grinning. "I suppose being a warrior can do wonders on a cat."


Dark, looming trees framed the long, winding trail as a fawn-silver shape darted agilely through the trees.

"This place again!" she muttered, eyes narrowed and calculating. "What could StarClan possibly mean to show me in a dank place such as this?"

A sudden yowl made her skid to a stop, her paw pads stinging as they rubbed against the sharp debris littering the ground. She breathed sharply and raced as fast as she could in the direction of the unearthly sound.

Her paws barely cleared the bushes when she jerked to a stop, almost too late. In front of her was the same clearing she had seen previously when she had thrown herself in the lake. The same gnarled trees surrounded the space and poking through the earth at the front of the clearing was an old, twisted tree stump.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the three cats perched on it. An old, rusty tom, a young, muscular black tabby, and a large defined she-cat. It was the last of the three who was talking, her strange lilting voice carrying effortlessly across the clearing.

"The time has come, our allied forces have arrived. We shall destroy the Clans and rule the new era in darkness and malice! That is our greatest goal!"

Bluecrest slapped her tail over her mouth to stop her own gasp of shock and outrage as the crowd of cats yowled their agreement. The young black tom stepped forwards and off of the stump, his head held high and an air of arrogance radiating off him in waves.

"Now, I shall assign the troops to their specific station. As for those water-loving nymphs, I want all RiverClan warriors to step forward! The rest of you step back and align yourselves."

At least a dozen cats stepped forwards, and as she scanned through them, she felt her heart chill. There, standing amongst the shadowy members, were at least three of her Clan mates. Her heart caught in her chest as she picked out each individual.

Tawnystripe's tortoiseshell coat gleamed glossily in the gloom as he flexed his muscles, teeth bared and eyes flashing.

Solarburst's brown tabby-and-white pelt quivered as he stepped up alongside Tawnystripe. He looked slightly scared and nervous to be surrounded by the shadowy warriors, if his bristling spine was any indication.

But it was the last cat that chilled Bluecrest to the bone and made her heart freeze in her chest. Her eyes widened in disbelief as her eyes raked along the shimmering blue-gray pelt and the narrowed, cold green eyes. Stormrift.

"No! Why would he be here?!" she hissed, eyes betraying her fury at the betrayal. "I trusted them! I trusted all of them!"

A low chuckle sent shivers down her spine. "They're all here because they chose to. They're here because your beloved StarClan has wronged them."

Bluecrest whipped around, eyes large as she saw the figure looming out of the dank fog. It was the large she-cat, her eyes a slit of malice. Without a word, she swished her long tail over and pointed to the clearing. Bluecrest followed the gesture and felt the gasp slip out without her consent.

There, in the center of the RiverClan warriors, a dark, semi-transparent figure had emerged, her green eyes hauntingly familiar. Bluecrest sucked in a breath sharply as she made out the tan-and-white tabby stripes and the blood-stains flecking her jaws and chest.

"No!" Bluecrest breathed, horrified. "No, she can't be there! She can't be! Why?!" Her eyes were round and distraught. "Not my mother!"

Whitedove's brilliant emerald eyes darted in her direction, and Bluecrest immediately shrunk down as low as she could, even though she wanted to charge into that clearing and yowl her fury and grief to the sky.

The large she-cat cut into her reverie with a snort. "Yes, your mother." She corrected spitefully. "The delicious hatred growing inside her can only be described as delectable. It will consume her until she knows nothing but insanity."

Bluecrest suppressed her whimper, instead opting to snarl at the shadowy figure. "Who are you?" she demanded fiercely, eyes sharp as flint. The she-cat laughed, a high, cruel sound.

"I am Bloodstain, the black tom directing back there is Nightmare, and the old ginger one is Razorblade. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance." The last words were snarled mockingly, and Bluecrest shivered.

"What cruel names." she murmured, eyes narrowed. Bloodstain laughed again, smirking.

"Yes, and they're just the way we like them." The ginger-and-white tabby boomed, eyes glinting maliciously. "They've got a nice ring to them, if you know what I mean."

Bluecrest trembled, ears unbelieving. She spun around and raced as fast as she could away from the clearing, away from Bloodstain and her cruel words, away from it all. She tripped over something she couldn't see, and she scrambled shakily to her paws.

There, in the secluded area of the Dark Forest, she let loose and wailed, a long heartbroken sound full of misery, pain, and suffering. In that place where she was sure she was alone, she let out all her emotions to the nonexistent sky.