Hey peoples! Think i wouldn't update forever again? well, wrong! I had a free day today so i spent the entire time editing this chapter because it fed. Anyways, it took me a little while to figure out how to phrase this, and i think this is pretty good. I'm really excited about this story now, and about another one i recently planned out and working on, though I'm not completely sure how to start it out. Bleh, beginings were always horrible to me.
She Who Sulks In The Shadows: Now that would be just peachy, wouldn't it?
Goldenfeather: really? I didn't think it was my best chapter...
Tainted Lullaby: heheheh... sorry i vanished for a while, i had to get my prioreties strait, and besides, my writing was crap. yeah, i want to make this over 40,000, and more if possible. I think it would be a good test to see how logn i could streach this without haveing readers bored and giving up reading it.
Shandril Weilder of Spellfire: yeah, and besides, forbidden is sometimes to angsty (note to self, don't be a hipocrite, Flower. Oh wait, too late.)
Cloudfire: no, no, rant all you like, i love listening to people rant, don't know why, but I'm more of a listener then a talker.
Qzil: I love your name, did you know that?
Princess Alrya: It's nice to know no one died!
"Snakeheart…" a gentle paw poked me in the side, and I raised my head to look into Bluefrosts' soft, green eyes. She was standing over me from where I was curled in the dry leaves by the Thunderpath, and carefully poked my side again. With a small groan I rolled over, not realizing that she and I had slept together for the entire night.
"I'm going back to RiverClan," she murmured as I stood up, and I quickly pressed my pelt into hers and gave her a gentle lick behind the ear, "I'll see you at the next gathering I guess." She gave a small, hesitant purr of amusement, and pulled away from me, darting across the Thunderpath and into her own territory. I let out a small sigh. Bluefrost was wonderful, by far one of the nicest cats I knew. No, she was more then just nice, and was special.
I gave myself the best washing of my life before I returned to the ShadowClan camp, and by then, even with my full nights rest, I was dragging my paws in exhaustion.
I don't even know when I fell asleep, maybe sometime after I said goodbye to Bluefrost at the border after comforting her, or maybe after I returned to the camp and crawled sulkily back into my nest in the warriors den. Maybe I wasn't even sleeping, and maybe this was really a reality.
There was a river there; winding through a forest of pine, pine that stretched up tall and almost touched the sky. The banks were mossy, and had a soft layer of dried pine nettles, and large rocks dotted the bank and the middle of the river. I was standing on one of those rocks, feeling a wind brush my fur, chilled by the icy river, and felt a shiver run from my neck to my tail.
I padded up the river, feeling my claws dig into the brown dirt to hold steady, as if I were to loosen my grip or relax my claws I would slip into the water and slowly float away. Songbird called overhead gaily, some of them swooped down lower and spiraled in front of me with no fear. I laughed and ran after them sometimes, or watched as they swooped between trees and into pools of soft, golden light.
"Welcome, Snakeheart, I've been waiting for you."
That familiar, icy voice sent a shiver up my spine, and I turned around to see Rain sitting on the bank of the river ahead of me. She wasn't even looking at me and I was draw to her dark eyes, which made me feel at peace and at war at the same time. I quickly felt the fur along my spine bristle and I narrowed my eyes, digging my claws even harder into the ground.
"Rain," I dipped my head slightly in a sliver of respect. Whoever she killed and no matter how ruthless she was, she was a great warrior, whether she knew it or not.
But Rain didn't respond again, and instead stood up and padded to the river. She didn't pause when she got to the water, and waded strait into it, and I watched, watched as the water reached over her paws, reached up to her belly, reached up to her shoulders, up to her chin, up to her ears, and then she was gone, submerged into the river and her own train of thought. I hesitated, not sure what to do. Did the cat that had killed my uncle and scarred my friends' heart forever die?
But no, a moment later the tips of her ears emerged from the water, heading away from me, to the other side of the river, and eventually she emerged, and, despite being completely covered in water, her pelt wasn't wet. Without even the slightest bit of hesitation she continued walking, vanishing into the pine forest beyond the river. I relaxed my claws, Rain was ignoring me in our dream for now, that was a good thing I guessed, but I wasn't sure. I was never completely sure anymore.
"Snakeheart," a voice called me, and I felt my eyes widen and my pulse quicken. It couldn't be… could it? "Welcome, Snakeheart, I've been waiting for you." I turned around and felt my blood turn to ice.
In this life and perhaps the next I would recognize those warm yellow eyes anywhere, that black pelt with tabby stripes that were only a hair paler. His distinct white paws on his back feet, and that warm look he gave me – a look a pride that even my father couldn't compare to.
"Blackstripe," I whispered, feeling my eyes burn. Darkflowers mate sat behind me in his full glory, dark pelt glittering in the light that pooled between the trees. He raised his head high when he saw me look at him, and I let out a small cry, running over to him like a kit greeting his father who had just come back from a battle. My uncle smiled down at me, and I felt warmer then the sunlight on the stones of the river.
"Snakeheart, it's good to see you again," he meowed slowly. I nodded, to astonished to speak, the smile on Blackstripes' face faded, and it was replaced with a troubled look, "Snakeheart, I'm here to tell you about what will happen in your life." I opened my mouth to say something, but Blackstripe flicked his tail for me to be quiet.
"You are not part of any prophecy," he confirmed, "There will be no great evil you must face like in the elders stories of Firestar and Tigerstar or Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost." I was confused now, what was Blackstripe trying to tell me?
"It is only a small part to play," he continued to say slowly and carefully, "But in the future you will be remembered as one of the greatest warriors in ShadowClan, and a warrior with a small gift that you are experiencing right now." A small smile returned to his face.
"You have the gift of walking between dreams," he meowed, "Before you walked through the dreams of Rain, who you confronted about Frostfoots' death. Darkflower was there, she was who you thought was Frostfoot, but she thought you were nothing more then an image in her dream, and left you, much like what Rain did just now."
"What does it mean?" I asked, and Blackstripe tilted his head to one side slightly.
"Great things come from cats who posses gifts," he murmured absently, "But Snakeheart, you must not abuse this. You must be loyal to your clan." I felt a shiver run up my spine – a newfound chill. Blackstripe was talking about Bluefrost. With a small gulp I lowered my head.
"Yes, Blackstripe, I will be loyal to my clan." I could hardly believe I was saying these words.
"That's good," he meowed, and when I looked up he was looking down at me with his soft yellow eyes. I felt my heart swell in my chest, and smiled slightly.
"So… What's it like being in StarClan?" I dared to ask. Blackstripes' smile vanished, and he looked away, over my head.
"I wouldn't know," he meowed distantly, "I'm not amongst their ranks yet."
I opened my mouth in shock and Blackstripe looked back at me with his yellow eyes. I felt my pulse race.
"Snakeheart, your gift is limited to those who walk amongst the living." He looked up again, back to the sky and frowned, "I must leave now," he meowed, then turned away, "Perhaps I will meet you again in another dream, Snakeheart…"
He vanished into the pine forest like Rain, and I called after him. But there was something pulling me away, the wind whistled around me, blurring my vision of the golden pine forest and the deep river. I then realized what was happening – I was waking up.
I woke with a start in the warriors' den, Darkflower crouched over me, a concerned look spread over her dark face and her dark brown eyes etched with worry. She pulled away as I scrambled to my paws, and felt my head sway in nausea. I dug my claws into the ground with support hardly believing what was rushing through my head. Darkflower was saying something to me, but I couldn't hear her, blood was rushing in my ears, blocking out all other sounds except for my fast-beating heart and the thoughts reeling in my head.
I scrambled out of the den, pushing past Darkflower and Diamondshine, who was just poking her head into the nursery. She pulled back in shock, right into my path, and I let out a fierce hiss, only partially aware that I hissed at all. It was enough to startle her out of my way and let me rush past, bounding over to the Medicine Cat Den when Brownleaf was organizing his herbs.
"Brownleaf!" I called, and he spun around, surprise, I skidded to a halt in front of him and took a deep breath, "He's alive," I whispered barely, "Blackstripe is alive."
NoOoOoOoOwWw... be truthful...
were you expecting that? (btw, that is your poll question)
heheheh, bet you weren't. Bet you thought i really did kill him and Snakeheart had this mystic connection to StarClan now.
Well nope.
You know what's the most fun thing about life?
The unexpected