This was a relativly easy chapter to write, surprisingly. Ah, well, enjoy, review, and remember, for all those who read and don't review... i can see you...

She Who Sulks In The Shadows: Rain is an awesome OC -gloats- nah, i'm just kidding, i think she's a little to angst-y

Qzil: Isn't Creampaw the most adorable little kitty you've every seen -gloats- nah, just kidding, she's a little to... innocent...

SnuffSnuff: Thanks, -sighs- making names isn't exactly easy for me...

Tainted Lullaby: You got it! Yay!

Heartsong's Fanfictions: Thanks!

Sparkherb: Thanks for the two reviews! Yeah... I love Earthheart. He. Is. MINE.

Goldenfeather: Thank you!

Shandril Weilder of Spellfire: Hahaha, i can just imagine it now...

Oh, and the poll question (which was fully and utterly C) explination is at the bottom...

I moved away from where I had been sitting with Earthheart, towards where Bluestorm was calling the clan together. I glanced up towards the sky, seeing the moon slowly dipping towards the distant mountains. It would be morning soon, most likely before we even would get home the first rays of the new day would trickle over the opposite edge of the horizon. Bluestorm called again, and I turned away from the setting moon towards where she, Smokestar, and Diamondshine were heading towards the log bridge.

"Snakeheart!" someone called me from behind and I turned around to watch as big cat approached me. I didn't recognize him or the big dark ginger tom who padded along behind him, but I did recognize Bluefrost standing a little ways behind them. The tom was big, big, strong, and familiar. His fur was dark gray, and his shoulders broad. I soon recognized the glimmer of moonlight off of his fur and the distinctive green eyes that were so much like Bluefrost. This had to be Shadestar – the father of Bluefrost and the leader of RiverClan.

"Snakeheart, you're a member of ShadowClan, correct?" asked the big tom, "Where's your leader? Where is Smokestar?" I turned, jerking my head briefly and signaling for the leader to follow me. I lead them around the cats to where Smokestar and Diamondshine were waiting for Bluestorm to round up the rest of ShadowClan. He stood up as soon as he recognized me and the leader behind me, dipping his head slightly.

"Smokestar, Shadestar wants to talk to you." I growled, and narrowed my eyes when I met his. Smokestar didn't move but his eyes visibly flinched. I sniffed and turned away, catching sight of Shadestar giving Smokestar a coy look. I took my seat a few tail-lengths away, and Bluefrost and the big dark ginger tom came to sit by me.

"What does Shadestar wish with my leader?" I asked Bluefrost, who pointed her tail-tip to the ginger tom in response. The ginger tom growled, green eyes flashing in the moonlight.

"Were you not listening to the Gathering at all?" he demanded, and I sheepishly shrugged, Bluefrost sighed, shaking her head and flicked a tail irritably.

"Snakeheart, meet my fathers' deputy, Redfur. Redfur, this is my friend, Snakeheart."

"I wouldn't take friends outside of clans so quickly," growled Redfur, "Eventually you'll just be at each others' throats." Bluefrost sighed and looked down to her paws and Redfur pointed his nose to where the two leaders were now quietly talking.

"If you had been paying attention during the Gathering, Snakeheart, then you would have learned about the tension between RiverClan and WindClan. WindClan have been slowly marking their borders further and further into RiverClan territory, slowly taking over our territory. ThunderClan supports their moving into RiverClan territory, but ShadowClan is neutral. Shadestar wishes to tip the balance into an equal fight by recruiting Smokestar as an ally before ThunderClan or WindClan."

"I see," I murmured, "So that's why Broadstream and Duststorm were glaring are each other so much tonight."

"Broadstream was caught in a border scuffle, and Duststorm was there," Bluefrost murmured, her eyes not leaving her father, "Broadstream was at her throat when she attacked Creampaw." She stood up, "Redfur, my father is done speaking, we best be getting back to the rest of the Clan." The ginger tom nodded and stood as well just as Shadestar pulled away from Smokestar, looking rather smug.

"I guess he got Smokestars support," I murmured to myself, watching the three of them go. My gaze lingered on Bluefrost for a moment longer then the other two and I felt my heart throb again. If Earthheart was right, and if we did become stars when we died, stars that were equal to the beauty of our hearts, would my star glow as brightly as he said it would glow, even though I had broken the warrior code by falling in love with Bluefrost?

I was right, that we got back to the camp by the time dawn was breaking. Bluestorm said I could sleep though, and I gladly did, collapsing into my nest and curling my split tail around my body. My nest was cold but it was enough, enough let me drift into my sleeping to search for my uncle.

I found him almost as soon as I entered the dream world. He was padding up the river, eyes fixed distantly ahead of him. But he turned when I called his name, and smiled softly, yellow eyes glittering in the light that filtered through the canopy.

"Snakeheart, I was wondering when you would be getting back," he said warmly, so warmly that it felt as if I were being bathed in sunlight, "How are you?"

"How are you?" I countered, tilting my head to one side, "Blackstripe, why don't you escape from Rain? She hardly seems to be without because she's always sneaking around our territory. It would be easy to figure out where you were and tell me where you were in the next dream."

"No, Snakeheart," Blackstripe cast his eyes down for a moment and I felt a stab of pain run me through, was this really my uncle I was visiting in a dream? I had never known him to be like this. To be sad, or to have the smallest glimmer of defeat in his eyes, or to look as weak as a newborn kit.

"You're perfectly healthy though!" I cried, feeling whatever had run me through twist painfully in my chest, "Look at you, I've never seen you in better condition, it's like you have never been sick a day in your life."

"It's a dream," murmured Blackstripe numbly, "In a dream your condition depends on how close you are to the dream. And because I'm in such a condition it means I'm closer to the dream then even you. Probably right now my body is mangled beyond belief, and the only reason I can meet you here every time you sleep is because I'm sleeping consistently in my body's desperate attempt to regain health."

"Then why didn't Rain kill you?" I demanded, "Why didn't she just tear out your throat when you were bleeding, or why doesn't she do it now?"

"You already know that answer, Snakeheart," hissed Blackstripe, "Even though I myself do not know why, I can see in your eyes that there's something that you're refusing to accept, the fact you learned today. So tell me, why didn't Rain kill me?"

I dug my dream-claws into the soil of the dream world, feeling fear pulse through me. It was true – I couldn't accept the fact that Rain couldn't kill another cat. It seemed logically untrue. She had basically killed Frostfoot right in front of me, and seemed to be as sadistic as they could get, consistently taunting me, consistently haggling me, teasing me, drawing me deeper and deeper into her playpen of confusion and death.

"Earthheart…" I started to say, and then I bit my tongue, could I really say what he said, and honestly believe his words? I took a deep breath and tried again, I relayed the entire story Earthheart had told me, trying to remember every detail perfectly, from the black-and-white tom to the name of the warrior and how Rain looked when she was being dragged off to the marshes.

"It seems to be true," murmured Blackstripe, "After all, I'm still alive, aren't I? And when we were battling she had the opportunity to kill me. She didn't take it, and instead knocked me out. And the big black-and-white tom… he sounds like one of the cats who has been hanging around for a while now, a big white tom with black patches along his spine, cold, cruel eyes and sharp tongue, goes by the name of Spike. He seems too proud for his own good."

"That's enough," a third, female voice cut the air between us, and we both turned to see Rain stalking up from the forest, dark eyes sour and brimming with hate, "Blackstripe, get out of here before I kill you in your dreams." Blackstripe sniffed and Rain growled, unsheathing her claws. It was at time that she swayed suddenly, and one of her paws slipped on the pebbly riverbank. I lunged in to help her but she had already caught herself, fur along her spine bristling in fury.

"Get out of here," she snarled again, and Blackstripe finally stood, strolling away into the dream and eventually vanishing. When he finally did Rain spun back to me, blue eyes blazing lividly.

"Do not come here any more," she hissed warningly, "Or I'll take another one you love – the one with blue fur and green eyes." My eyes opened wide – Bluefrost! Rain smirked, "That's right, Snakeheart, I know about your little affair with her, and I know what you did on the border that night. Stay away from Blackstripe, in dreams and in reality." She winced then, cutting herself off and letting out a ragged breath. I watched in quiet shock as her paws slipped out from under her again and she collapsed onto the pebbly riverbank.

"Rain…" I whispered, "Can you not… sleep?" Rain let out a small growl, in half embarrassment and in half anger at letting herself slip; she turned away and pushed to her paws again, noticeably holding one of her back paws above the ground, favoring it. I watched as she limped away into the bright forest and sighed, turning away and heading downstream, following my own dreams back to where I would soon awake in my nest, numb and cold.

Ah... poor Snakeheart... a little... less angsty in this chapter in my opinion, and a little bit more on Rain and Blackstripe for your appitites.

Anyways, about the poll question, it was actually a translated version of a question, modern english translated into modern Hawaiian pidgin, which i seem to find myself using more and more often in my real life. Anyways, the question translates as 'hey, you, do you have it?'. Or pretty much 'do you have (insert something here)' because 'da kine (dah kuh eye nuh)' is one of the most important words in pidgin, meaning, without 'da kine' there is no pidgin. 'da kine' can translate as a verb, adjective, adver, or noun such as...

'i no can go da kine'
roughly means
'i can't go there'

So, bacially, when you have a loooong noun such as, oh, i don't know, 'Mississippi' and you go there often, you can say 'oh, i go da kine' and whatnot. Or, put basically, 'it's the word you use when you DON'T use the word'... Another way to use it is with 'odda' meaning, that, when placed with 'da kine' it turns into 'do odda kine' meaning 'the other kind'. 'da kine' is derived from the english words 'the kind' but can be translated as 'thing' or 'whachamacaller'

Thank you for reading your pidgin lesson of the day!

POLL QUESTION

Have you ever solved a rubix cube?

I've been trying for ages but i just can't seem to get it...