Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. It belongs to Erin Hunter.
'Thoughts' Dreams Memories
Sandpaw followed after the group, her paws heavy and her paws dragging in the dirt. None of the others said anything to her as they journeyed onward. Ravenpaw was the only one who paid her any kind of attention, nuzzling her gently but staying quiet. They eventually reached WindClan's territory and while they knew it was empty, Bluestar still cautioned them, ShadowClan may be prowling close by.
Luckily there was no ShadowClan warriors prowling about and the group soon reached the other side of the territory with no problem. Ravenpaw had looked up as shadows started to fall over them, to see Highstones in the distance. He went back to nudge Sandoaw and the two apprentices stare at the distant stones in awe. Tigerclaw had looked back to see them and smirked before turning his attention on Bluestar.
The old molly was sniffing at the ground and had her ears angled towards some Twoleg dens nearby. The cats could hear Twoleg kits screaming and running about while more importantly, the sound of dogs reached their ears. As Bluestar moved them along, the group saw some dogs try to lunge at them but were stopped by ropes tied from their collars to a peg in the ground.
"Hmph, at least that's one thing we don't have to worry about." Tigerclaw muttered, giving the tied dogs a short growl.
As they travel onward, coming near a barn, they are stopped by a voice calling out to them. "Bluestar! It's been a while since I've seen you! What's the occasion?" The owner of the voice steps out from the shadow of the barn to reveal a hulking black and white tom. Despite his size, his legs were rather short, but he still looked rather strong.
Sandpaw looked over at him, seeing that his blue eyes, while friendly and open, darted to the rest of them. Perhaps he was not used to seeing so many cats? She then noticed that in his left eye, a strip of bright red covered the bottom half.
"You're a demon!" she found herself saying before she could stop herself. Bluestar looked at her with a unreadable expression but turned back to the tom, her ears now flat. The tom heard her and smiled at the pale apprentice, just a bit before sitting down and keeping his distance.
"That I am, young one. Good eye." the tom muttered with a smirk, though kept his eyes on Bluestar. Sandpaw noticed he looked just slightly above the leader's head so his gaze wouldn't make her fall into the haze.
Bluestar seemed to bristle slightly at his words and lowers her head. Sandpaw blinked, did Bluestar not know about him being a demon? She mostly got her answer when Bluestar spoke, her voice tight and barely hiding a growl. Of newly rising hatred or fear, Sandpaw couldn't say.
"Barley, we must be going now. I have to speak to our ancestors. There is no time to chat." she hissed out the word and Barley seemed to realize where this was going and got to his paws, dipping his head.
"It's alright, I just spotted you coming up and thought that if you were heading back later tonight that-"
"We don't have time!" Bluestar snapped, interrupting and shouldering past the bulky tom and bumping against him. "Let's go, you three!" As Ravenpaw and Tigerclaw moved to join Bluestar, Sandpaw lingered just long enough to dip her head to Barley. "I'm sorry."
XxXx
Highstones reared over them, Sandpaw and Ravenpaw craned their necks to see if they could see the top but the mountain was too large for them to even begin to see the top. Bluestar gets their attention with a a small growl but for once it doesn't seem like she was trying to be malicious. She was looking at the setting sun and narrowed her eyes.
"I will have to wait until the moon is nearly above us before I can go and speak to StarClan. If you want, go and hunt. I will remain here."
The two apprentices and Tgerclaw nodded and soon left her to try and hunt for something to fill their bellies. Sandpaw managed to hunt down a rabbit and Tigerclaw a large bird. Ravenpaw came to join them with two big mice in his jaws. Together, the three of them ate in silence, Ravenpaw stayed close to Sandpaw and the pale furred molly noticed the big tabby rather uncomfortable and his tail was twitching but before she could comment on it, Tigerclaw finished eating and stood up.
"If we have time to wait, then I'm going to scout about for a bit. Barley was trying to warn us of something, I'm going to see if there is anything out of the ordinary. Don't wait for me." After that he walked into the deepening shadows and soon vanished from sight.
Ravenpaw watched him go before sighing and finishing his meal as well. He then got to his paws and walked back to Bluestar. The silvery-gray molly said nothing as the skinny black tom settled a small distance from her and set his eyes on Mothermouth, the entrance to Highstones that would lead Bluestar down the mystical Moonstone to where she would communicate with StarClan.
The ThunderClan leader looked over to the two apprentices and noticed one of her party missing and narrowed her eyes. "Where is Tigerclaw?"
"He went to scout again, he wanted to make sure things were quiet for when we journeyed back." Ravenpaw answered, his head down and not meeting her gaze. Bluestar snorted and shook her head. "It can't be helped. He can defend himself. The time to speak with StarClan draws near. You two, guard the entrance, I'm going inside."
She then left the two younger cats to pick her way down the darkened tunnel. Ravenpaw and Sandpaw watched her go in even after her body was swallowed up by the darkness.
Bluestar stepped through the cold tunnel, into the dim light of the cavern where a great white crystal laid in the middle. The Moonstone. The ThunderClan molly looked up, there was a small break in the roof of the mountain, allowing fresh air and moonlight to flow into the cavern. The moon was getting into position, Bluestar walked over the glittering stone and laid down, just as she was pressing her nose to the stone, the light of the moon shined down, bathing her in light. Bluestar closed her eyes and fell into darkness.
XxXx
Bluestar opened her eyes to find herself in a warm, sunny forest. The air was filled with the scent of prey and she felt a peace around her that she hadn't felt in a few weeks. Closing her eyes to absorb it, she was taken slightly by surprise when another molly's scent came to her, one that she knew rather well.
"Mother!"
Bluestar turned to face her mother, a beautiful looking silvery-gray striped molly who greeted her daughter with a smile and a nod. Bluestar couldn't help but rush over to her, rubbing her face against the soft fur and purring softly.
"Moonflower! You must know what is going on in the Clan you love! Please, tell me what to do! My Clan is divided, there are more demons than I thought in my Clan. There's fighting, harsh words, flaring tempers. I don't know what to do."Bluestar lowered her head, showing a vulnerable side to Moonflower that she couldn't show to her Clan. She was their leader, she couldn't afford to show weakness.
Moonflower narrowed her eyes and blinked, looking up into the sunlit trees and sighing softly. "Bluestar, do you truly think that I am blind? You said it yourself, I can see what is becoming of my Clan. And what you have done to further worsen it."
Bluestar stiffened and jumped back, staring at her mother with wide eyes. "What are you-"
"You show favoritism to those cats who are non-demon, you allow half of your Clan to sleep out, exposed to the elements! They must sneak around to feed themselves and you do nothing when they are maligned and mistreated!"
Bluestar flattened her ears and turned her head away, her claws gripping the dirt before her. "What do you think I'm supposed to do? They lied to me, killed and ate warriors of other Clans! Are you telling me that I'm just suppose to look the other way?"
"I'm saying that your supposed to be there for them, ALL of them! You shouldn't have let it get this far!" Moonflower countered, a small hiss following her words.
"But they lied to me. How can I trust them?" Bluestar muttered, shaking her head.
"My dear, you cannot let rage and fear control you. Would you feel the same if you knew that these demons were closer to you than you know?" Moonflower asked, sitting down and wrapping her tail around her paws. Bluestar tilted her head, narrowing her eyes.
"What is that supposed to mean?" there was a growl of uncertainty in her voice. Moonflower only blinked and huffed, turning to stand.
"Bluestar, your Clan loves you and want to be by your side. The whole of it. Look past your fear and hate. Listen to your heart, not your head." She started moving away but Bluestar moved to block her path.
"Wait! Mother, please! ShadowClan, tell me what I should do about Brokenstar and his Clan. You don't seriously want your Clan to be wiped out by the likes of that monster, do you?"
Moonflower was silent for a moment before she looked her adult kit in the eyes, her face grim. "There will be a battle, ShadowClan will attack your camp tonight. There will be death. Despite what I said, there is one you cannot trust. He will bring destruction and ruin to your Clan. Fear the shadows, Bluesstar. They will rain down blood upon you."
With those words, Bluestar was thrust back into the waking world. She opened her eyes and raced out of the tunnel. Sandpaw and Ravenpaw looked over at her as their leader began racing across the field.
"Come now, apprentices! ThunderClan is in danger, we've no time to lose!"
XxXx
Tigerclaw moved through the marshy forest with a scowl on his face but he continued to move forward. His ears pricked as he thought he saw movement, he paused for a moment, trying to peer into the darkness when behind him the shadows flickered and the tabby felt claws prick at his neck.
"What are you doing here, ThunderClan scum?" Blackfoot's voice sounded close to Tigerclaw's ear and when the tabby tried to move, he felt fangs nick at his neck. The lare male instantly stilled himself.
"I can give you ThunderClan! Bluestar is away along with two of our apprentices! If you let me live, I will lead you there! Kill all the non-demon cats there and I can assure you we will follow you without question!"
Blackfoot narrowed his eyes then looked into the deeper part of the forest, his mind wrapping around his information. "How can you be sure about this?"
"We all hate Bluestar and the cats that follow her! Please, if they are wiped out, we will finally be at peace! I WILL lead you to the camp!" Tigerclaw tired to twist his neck to stare at Blackfoot but the larger tom kept him pinned. Eventually though, the tabby felt the weight leave him as Blackfoot started to walk away.
"Brokenstar will want to hear this." the white tom muttered, looking at Tigerclaw with narrowed eyes. As the tabby walked by his side, the deputy of ShadowClan kept his claws out, ready to defend if Tigerclaw double crossed him.
A/N: I am so, so sorry for the long wait, guys. Wi-fi loss, family drama and work has kept me away. But I hope you will still stay and enjoy this chapter. Hopefully the next won't take nearly as long.
