Chapter 13

Hello, my precious readers...neheheh...XD Soooo, here we are with the new chapter of this story! I hope you like itttt! And Chibi Ookami Tora, thank you for helping me ^^ Now, onward with the story!

After saying an awkward good-bye to Coyotepaw, Bubblepaw set off to find her siblings.

"Dreamfur, do you know where Mistypaw and Nightpaw are?" she asked when she couldn't find them.

He looked at her and meowed, "They went on a hunting patrol. They should be back soon. Hey, where've you been all day, Bubblepaw? I haven't seen you."

"Well, bye!" Bubblepaw mewed before dashing off towards the nursery. I can't let anyone know that I've been to WindClan…I'd get major punishments...

She felt someone's eyes boring into her back, and turned to see who it was. Turtlestorm was watching her intently. She remembered the last time she had talked with the special warrior; Sapphirestar had interrupted her. Bubblepaw smiled as she recalled her leader saying that she wouldn't know the prophecy for a long time, and yet she found out the next day.

Bubblepaw dipped her head. "Turtlestorm," she greeted.

"I hope you know you face grave danger," Turtlestorm replied, looking Bubblepaw in the eye.

Bubblepaw gulped before answering. "I know. You mean about the prophecy, right?" Bubblepaw returned the she-cat's stare.

The warrior nodded. "I will forget that I know about your excursion."

Bubblepaw flicked her tail. "So…does that mean you knew the prophecy all along?"

"Of course." Turtlestorm sat and curled her tail around her paws.

"But you didn't tell me."

"Of course not. Sapphirestar would've had my head. That's why no other cat told, either."

Bubblepaw blinked, processing the information. "So…everyone knew about me?"

"That is correct," the warrior told her. "All of the older warriors that were there at the time of your finding knew about it, but were forbidden to talk about it."

"So…everyone knew, but no one ever told me? They all knew, but never even hinted…?" Bubblepaw meowed quietly, trembling with anger and sadness.

"Weren't you listening?" Turtlestorm mewed, irritated. "We were forbidden to talk about it. All of us."

"But still!" The apprentice dug her claws into the soft earth beneath her.

"Still, nothing. We don't even know the whole prophecy. I don't. Sapphirestar doesn't. Coyotepaw doesn't. Cheetahspots doesn't. Your parents don't. Got it? You don't even know the whole thing."

Bubblepaw sighed and the anger left her. "I suppose…"

"Bubblepaw!" Mistypaw called out as she trotted up towards her sister. "Dreamfur said you were looking for us. What for?"

Bubblepaw dipped her head to Turtlestorm before leaving with Mistypaw. "Where's Nightpaw?"

"He wanted to go pig out, since he caught a little more prey than usual." Mistypaw giggled. "But that doesn't mean he can eat more prey than usual!"

"Nightpaw, could you please come over here?" Bubblepaw asked politely.

He dropped his squirrel. "Uhh…" He stood up and walked over to the two apprentices.

"I'd like to tell you something," she began.

Nightpaw interrupted her. "Yeah, that's great, but why are you being so formal with us?"

Mistypaw nodded in agreement. "It's true; it's like we're suddenly complete strangers to you!"

Bubblepaw hung her head. "I'm sorry for being so polite…"

The three cats all blinked together, realizing how silly that sounded. They all mrrowed in amusement loudly, causing a few other cats to stare at them in confusion.

"So what'd you wanna tell us?" Nightpaw asked.

Bubblepaw hesitated. "…I'm going to make up with Goldenclaw and Lionfoot."

Nightpaw gasped, and Mistypaw squealed in happiness. "That's so great, Bubblepaw! I'm so happy!" Mistypaw purred loudly.

"Uh, yeah, we hear you, Mistypaw," Nightpaw grumbled.

Ignoring her brother, Mistypaw asked, "What made you change your mind?"

I can't tell them about the prophecy. "Uhh…I just realized that, who cares where I actually come from? Goldenclaw and Lionfoot raised me in RiverClan, alongside you two. My real family have been here all along, I was just too mouse-brained to realize it, and I'm sorry."

"Hey, hey, we already passed that stage," Nightpaw meowed. "Now go tell it to…mother and father."

Bubblepaw's eyes lit up as she nodded. "Right!"

"Bubblepaw…?" Goldenclaw asked, dumbfounded at her daughter's sudden appearance.

"Why are you talking to us…I thought you hated us?" Lionfoot definitely didn't beat around the bush.

"I…I'm sorry, and I forgive you!" Bubblepaw bowed her head.

Moisture clouded Goldenclaw's vision. "Bubblepaw, I'm so happy…!" She dashed up to Bubblepaw and pressed her face against her flank. They both purred happily.

Lionfoot stepped up and swiped his tongue over Bubblepaw's ear. "Thank you," he meowed quietly.

"No," the she-cat told him. "Thank you."

After the evening patrol, Bubblepaw decided to visit the nursery.

"Oh, Bubblepaw!" Vixenfur exclaimed happily. "I'm so happy to see you! Come look, my kits have grown so much!"

Bubblepaw looked over each of them, and they had grown-quite a lot, actually. "Oh wow, they were so tiny last time I saw them, and that wasn't very long ago! But I'm surprised they aren't always outside, bouncing around. I mean, they're Dreamfur's kits, for StarClan's sake…"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Dreamfur growled into her ear.

"That you're really, uh, bouncy?" Bubblepaw replied, trying to hold in a little fit of giggles.

"That's what I thought," Dreamfur meowed.

Vixenfur laughed. "You two haven't changed at all, huh? And it's been quite a while since Bubblepaw was named an apprentice…"

Bubblepaw blinked. "Really? I don't think it's been that long…"

"Oh yes, it has." Vixenfur meowed. "Actually, you guys should be warriors soon…maybe after the next Gathering?"

Bubblepaw's eyes widened. "Whoa, really?" she exclaimed. "But…I went into, uh, dormancy for a moon. Won't that hold me back?"

Vixenfur thought about it, but Flowertail, the other queen, answered. "I don't think so. I mean, who could blame you after the truth was unloaded on you like that?"

Bubblepaw's spirit lifted. She would be a warrior soon!

"Mommy, she's really pretty," one of Flowertail's kits mewed.

"She is, isn't she, Ribbonkit?" the queen responded.

Ribbonkit stared at Bubblepaw for a moment.

Dreamfur chuckled. "I think he has a crush on you, Bubblepaw."

"What? No, I-"

Suddenly, Ribbonkit burst out, "I think you should be my mate!"

"Eh!"

Flowertail burst out laughing. "Oh, Ribbonkit, you're too much." She looked at Bubblepaw. "However, he does tend to stick with his first decision…"

Bubblepaw's mouth hung open. "So now…I've got a kit chasing after me when I'm about to be a warrior!"

"Actually, around the time you become a warrior, they'll become apprentices, if not the exact same time," Vixenfur explained.

"A kit's still better than that trash from WindClan," Dreamfur murmured into Bubblepaw's ear.

Bubblepaw rounded on Dreamfur. "Don't put Coyotepaw down like that! He's very special to me! You should be grateful to him!" She stalked out of the den angrily, Dreamfur hot on her tail.

"Yeah? Well, I'm not!" he yelled. "It makes me very mad that he's special to you! In fact, I wish you'd have nothing to do with him! He's just some loser from another Clan and that could never work out!"

"Well too bad! Nothing you say can change what I do, Dreamfur, or how I feel!" Bubblepaw retaliated.

"How you feel? And what is that? Are you in love with him, or something? Well, Bubblepaw? Answer me!" he hissed.

"And what if I am, huh? What are you gonna do? Why do you care so much what I do, anyway?" Bubblepaw stabbed.

"Because!" The deputy was seething rage and hatred towards Coyotepaw. "I don't want my deputy having an affair with a tom from another Clan!"

Bubblepaw's skin coloured. She was embarrassed and surprised. "Y-your deputy…?" she stammered.

Dreamfur looked her dead in the eye. "Yes. All along, I've planned it that I would name you deputy when I became leader. But that means you should have a fairly clean slate if you want to help me run RiverClan. Now would you throw away that opportunity just for some cheeky tom in WindClan?"

Bubblepaw clenched her teeth angrily. "That isn't fair, Dreamfur. That's cheating, and you know it!" she yowled before dashing away.

Moisture was streaming down her face from her eyes. So I'm supposed to give up someone I love so much to be deputy, and be enabled to fulfill the prophecy, or dump my love in a pile of mouse bile and take on all those responsibilities without the most comforting shoulder to lean on? That isn't fair! It's just not!

"So…who is this tom that's so special to you, Bubblepaw?" A tiny voice mewed.

The she-cat looked up, surprised. "Ribbonkit!" she gasped.

"Tell me who he is, and I'll beat him up!" Ribbonkit meowed defiantly. "After all, you're my mate!"

Bubblepaw blinked, then mrrowed in laughter. "You're funny, Ribbonkit."

His eyes widened with excitement. "Really? So that means you've accepted me, and we'll be mates and have four kits, two she-cats and two toms? And name them Flowerkit, Petalkit, Wheatkit and Falconkit?"

"Uhh, what?"

"Yay!"

Bubblepaw sighed. What a kit…

I hope you liked it! X3 The next chapter will probably have a time-lapse, either starting after the warrior ceremony or starting right away with the time-lapse then having a flashback of the ceremony. Probably the first, but I dunno. Thank you for reading, and hopefully reviewing! :3