Chapter 12

Hey guys! Yes, it's the long-awaited chapter! The one where we finally discover Bubblepaw's past! Read on, my friends, read on!

Bubblepaw's heart thudded loudly against her chest. Her ears twitched with nervousness. I can't believe I'm actually finding out my past…!

"This is going to sound very strange, but you must be open-minded. It is all true." Coyotepaw touched his tail to Bubblepaw's nose as Cheetahspots took in a deep breath. "You, Bubblepaw, apprentice of RiverClan…are Riverstar."

There was a sudden silence. Cheetahspots' hard gaze met her own as she processed what she had just heard.

"Um…excuse me?" Bubblepaw managed to choke out. "I'm…what? Who?"

Inkpaw sighed. The WindClan medicine cat shushed her with a sharp flick of her tail.

"You are Riverstar," Cheetahspots repeated, more slowly this time.

"I'm Riverstar's…descendant?" Bubblepaw tried to make sense of the she-cat's words.

"No, child," Cheetahspots meowed wearily. "Oh, let me make this more simple for you to understand. You are a…reincarnation of Riverstar."

Bubblepaw's eyes widened. "Are you lying to me?"

Cheetahspots shook her head and Inkpaw rolled her eyes.

"So…who are my parents?" she asked, her heart beating even more rapidly than before.

Cheetahspots' eyes bore into Bubblepaw's. "Lionfoot and Goldenclaw."

Bubblepaw bared her teeth and dug her claws into the soft earth beneath her. "They put you up to this, didn't they? They put all of you up to this, to make me believe I had a purpose, and that I was actually their daughter! Well I don't buy it!"

"If this was all fake, I wouldn't have bothered even coming," Inkpaw snapped, her fur standing on end. "I would give you up for a pile of cobwebs any day, so there's no way I'd waste my time telling you a fake past!"

"How can I believe what you say! What proof do you have that what you're saying is the truth?" Bubblepaw retorted.

Inkpaw growled and sheathed her claws. She waited until the RiverClan apprentice let her guard down, then smacked her across the cheek. "How dare you disgrace Cheetahspots," she growled. "There will be proof later on. Just shut up and listen for now, you stupid mouse-brain."

Bubblepaw was shocked that Inkpaw had hit her, even though her claws weren't out. She couldn't reply to that, so she just closed her mouth and nodded her head.

Cheetahspots sighed. "What will I do with that temper of yours, Inkpaw? Oh well. Did you bring it?"

"Yes, Cheetahspots," she responded, unraveling a small leaf that contained a strange herb. It was a mix of brown and orange, and gave off a strange scent.

"Eat this, and you will understand what I mean when I say you are Riverstar." Cheetahspots nudged the stuff towards them. "It was given to me by StarClan, for this specific purpose."

Bubblepaw hesitated, but ate the smelly herb. It tasted awful! It was like eating mouse bile that was mixed together with dirt. She soon found herself falling asleep.

"Bubblepaw." Coyotepaw's gentle voice woke Bubblepaw.

"What…happened?" she asked groggily, sitting up with a dizzy head.

"The herb Cheetahspots gave us knocked us out…into this world here." Coyotepaw gestured with his tail to his surroundings. It was pitch black. She could just see Cheetahspots and Inkpaw, and that was all.

"Where are we?" Bubblepaw was astonished.

"StarClan."

As Cheetahspots said this, a flash of light struck the area. When the light dimmed and Bubblepaw could see again, she gasped. They were in the forest, but certainly not where they had been when they fell asleep. They were inside a dark, hollow tree with an entranceway in front of them. The ground was soft and comfortable beneath them.

"Make yourself comfortable, because this may take a while." Cheetahspots nudged Bubblepaw's head towards the entranceway. "Look closely."

Suddenly, she didn't see what was outside the tree. She saw something else, like a memory. It was like this hole in the tree was a screen; one that showed things that had already happened.

Bubblepaw's vision went blurry, and she fell into another dream world, inside the dream world.

Bubblepaw looked around. They were back at RiverClan camp, but everything seemed so new. She remembered this place-it was from her dream, the one where she had met her tom counterpart!

Then it changed abruptly. She had no idea where they were now.

Cheetahspots and the others were there with her. But it was like none of the other cats saw them, even though they were clear as day to her.

"See him, over there?" Coyotepaw was looking at a litter of kits. There was one that was trying to get away from his mother.

"Yes," she meowed. "I think that was the tom I met in my dream. The one that looks exactly like me." She looked away from the mischievous kit to the apprentice den, where a beautiful she-cat lay eating a squirrel. "And she's the one that looks exactly like you."

Her eyes were fixed on the bubbly tom.

The scene suddenly changed again. They were now by a river. Two cats were arguing. Bubblepaw listened to their conversation.

"The sky has told me that your son will lead us all to great things!" one cat was meowing.

"Yes, but it will put him in danger," the other said, looking over his shoulder to where the litter of kittens and their mother lay. "I don't want to do that."

"That's what you're worried about?" The first cat laughed. "Your son will live a long and healthy life. There are four others like him, too. They all have great futures in their prophecies. They will find a home for us all, Waterfoot."

Waterfoot smiled at his son. After a long moment, he meowed, "…Okay, Stareye. Let him meet up with the other four and their servants."

Servants? Bubblepaw wondered.

Again, the scene changed.

They were now circled around a strange, glowing stone. There were ten young cats there, too. The colourful ones sat in the front, with identical beautiful companions behind them.

Bubblepaw spotted her tom look-alike, and moved closer to him.

"We are gathered here, around Moonstone," a big voice meowed. It was Stareye, the cat from before. "To acknowledge new leaders. To start our official history here. The cats in front, stand. You are our leaders. The cats in back, stand. You are our deputies and their loyal guardians. They are your masters." By 'they', Bubblepaw figured he was referring to the leaders in the front.

I think I'm starting to understand now…Bubblepaw thought. But only a little bit.

"Skypaw."

The pure white cat stood.

"You are now Skystar, leader of SkyClan."

Skystar bowed and sat back down.

"Thunderpaw."

A yellow-beige cat stood.

"You are now Thunderstar, leader of ThunderClan."

Thunderstar followed Skystar's actions.

"Windpaw."

A grey cat stood.

"You are now Windstar, leader of WindClan."

Windstar did the same as the two before.

"Shadowpaw."

A black cat stood.

"You are now Shadowstar, leader of ShadowClan."

Shadowstar bowed and sat.

"Riverpaw."

Bubblepaw's look alike stood.

"You are now Riverstar, leader of RiverClan."

Riverstar bowed and sat down with the other four leaders.

"You all have great responsibilities to fulfill. Make sure you never lose sight of your true goal in life, and always protect your Clan." All the cats bowed and the ten young cats left.

"Thunderstar, Windstar, Shadowstar and Skystar all have four duties to fulfill in their life. ShadowClan may turn to evil in time to come. Skystar's Clan will meet doom in the near future. And Riverstar…he has not four, but six duties to fulfill in his lifetime. I wonder if he will be able to accomplish them all…"

The scene changed and they were in the leader's den. Riverstar was clearly much older, but still rather young. He looked very ill, and Stareye was with him.

"I don't understand…there is still one task I am yet to perform?" Riverstar asked, bewildered. He coughed a few times. "But I have already done so much for my Clan! I love them! I cannot bear to leave them without finishing my full duty to them…!"

"Shh, Riverstar. You completed five out of six duties. The other four leaders only got four. And some of them still haven't completed all of them," Stareye explained in a soothing voice. "But it takes time for these things to happen. That's why you are unable to complete your sixth task…" Riverstar hung his head, ashamed. "…in this lifetime."

He looked up. "What?"

Stareye smiled. "You could not complete all six tasks. And so, StarClan will create another you when the time is right. This other you will meet up with their equivalent of Jadefur-" he nodded to the Coyotepaw look-alike standing outside the den "-and together they will fulfill the sixth task."

Riverstar smiled. "Okay. As long as I know the job will get done eventually…I can rest peacefully." The very first RiverClan leader slowly closed his eyes, never to awaken.

"Riverstar is dead," Jadefur announced, a mere second after it had happened. Stareye didn't even have time to open his mouth.

The scene disappeared, and they were once again in darkness.

Cheetahspots' voice startled Bubblepaw. "There have been many failures before you, child. But I am certain that you are the one." She smiled. "You even fell in love with Coyotepaw. Your unconfined attraction to each other only helps prove my point." Bubblepaw felt the heat rise to her face. She was about to protest, but the medicine cat continued. "You will complete Riverstar's-your-sixth task."

"So…where do I come from?" Bubblepaw asked.

"You were sent from StarClan. You have no real family. That is why I told you Lionfoot and Goldenclaw are your family-because they are. Otherwise, you are simply a reincarnation, and nothing more."

Bubblepaw's eyes filled with tears. Oh no, she thought. I've pushed away my only family, thinking I had some cat to run to, that was actually a blood relative. But I didn't. they're all I have. Oh, mother, father, I'm so sorry!

"You will lead your Clan through the dangers the forest faces."

"My Clan? I'm still just an apprentice!" Bubblepaw protested. Just how long would it take to fulfill this prophecy as old as time itself?

"That may be an obstacle, but sooner or later, you will be an experienced warrior. They will choose you for deputy, and you will eventually become leader. That is when the real danger will occur. You will only get pieces of it now. But always be ready for anything, young one."

She woke with a start. They were in the flowery place again, but it was only her and Coyotepaw.

"I'll escort you home, Bubblepaw," he offered.

Oh great. He's just as embarrassed as I am about the whole 'you even fell in love with Coyotepaw' thing Cheetahspots said. Oh, he must think I'm such an idiot!

And yet, Coyotepaw was thinking along the same lines.

So…that means she loves me back? But…should I tell her? Or will she think I'm only saying that because of what Cheetahspots said…? Oh, she must think I'm such an idiot! (Why?)

I know some people are gonna hate it. But they're just gonna hafta deal, and so am I. I made up my own Clan origins, and made Bubblepaw Riverstar's reincarnation. Please review and tell me what you think of it. The next chapter will be about Bubblepaw and her family making up, and I don't know if I'll do a time-skip or more about Coyotepaw and Bubblepaw. But anyways, please review! (And that means to actually REVIEW!)

Thank you for reading!