This chapter isn't going to be as long as the ones that I usually post. Mainly because I didn't want to ruin the sweet ending by adding something stupid at the end. The dream, however, is enough to make it all worth while anyways. Well, I hope so. Please let me know what you think. I would love your input! Oh, and the whole "Forevermore" deal, and with all the mushy romantic parts, I was recently listening to David Archuleta's song "Forevermore", so I was inspired.
Chapter 8.
Goldenflower took a deep breathe and took a leap forward, catching the mouse in her paws. The small creature barely had a chance to glance up at her before she went in for the kill. And then the settings changed and Goldenflower was left open pawed. "Hey!" She protested, her tail flicking angrily. She wasn't done with her mouse, thank you very much!
A young tom chuckled and approached the pale golden tabby. His black tail swayed in the moonlight as he came nearer. Goldenflower's maw dropped in surprise. "B-Blackpaw?" She mewed in shock. It had been moons since she had seen her brother who had joined Starclan. He seemed healthier and well-fit unlike the apprentice and brother she remembered. His fur glistened in the moon's rays and his amber eyes were pure and innocent, but wiser than Goldenflower would have ever dreamed her brother would convey. Not to mention stars swam across his paws like leaves in the cool leaf fall breeze.
"Hello sister." He purred and bowed his head. "Congratulations to you and Rosewing."
Goldenflower's heart ached. "You should have been with us." She choked as she got to her paws, gazing deeply at her brother. She missed him so much.
Blackpaw just shook his head. "It was my fate, but I'm not here about my fate. I'm here about yours." He had never seemed so serious before. All those times when they were kits, even during his brief apprenticeship, he had never been so serious. She supposed that it had to do with being in the "clouds for too long".
"What do you mean?" She asked curiously as she got to her paws and padded up to her brother.
"You must be careful, Goldenflower. The heart is the enemy and only fire can rest your fate. Take warning, Goldenflower. I can only do this once."
Her brother slowly began to fade and Goldenflower's original dream began to fall back into the picture, but Goldenflower wasn't done. "I'm not a medicine cat, Blackpaw! I don't know . . ." But she was too late. He was already gone. The she-cat sighed and sat down, twitching her tail angrily. "What that means."
Goldenflower woke with a start. After sitting vigil all night and until Dawn, Bluefur had finally announced that Goldenflower and Rosewing could go on to sleep in their new den. When they stumbled to the Warrior's den, they found that some cat had already built them their nests. Goldenflower purred, finding her nest almost immediately and taking a whiff of it. It had the smell of Tigerclaw.
It was about sundown now and Rosewing was still asleep. Goldenflower yawned and stretched her forelegs, before getting to her paws. It was her first real day as a Warrior. Well, sunhigh would be, but still. She slowly crept out of the den and headed to the clearing where cats were busy sharing tongues. When she had made her way across to the fresh-kill pile did some cat come up behind her to speak to her. "Hey."
It was Dappletail, her former mentor.
The young warrior purred and turned to greet Dappletail. "Hey." She mewed back, grabbing a mouse from the fresh-kill pile.
"Did you have a good sleep?" Dappletail asked as she picked up a herring from the pile.
Goldenflower shrugged. "It was fine." But she couldn't help shake a feeling that something was deadly wrong with that lie. The warning that her brother had given her had sent shivers up and down her spine. She needed to tell someone. She looked around desperately, when she saw Bluefur returning from a patrol with Tigerclaw at her heels. Her heart stuttered when she saw him, but something told her it was better to keep her dream from the both of them, so she pulled away. Perhaps she could tell Rosewing later. Yes, that was what she decided.
With that, she laid down beside Dappletail and began to eat her mouse at peace.
"Someone is finally awake." A voice purred from behind Goldenflower, causing her to jump.
When she looked behind her, there was Tigerclaw, looking as dashing as ever. "Oh. Hi." She murmured.
"I'll leave you two alone." Dappletail purred in amusement and picked up her herring, taking it to where Bluefur was now resting, with her own prey in her jaws.
Tigerclaw ignored Dappletail and sat down beside Goldenflower, wrapping his tail around his paws, and lifting one of his paws to bathe himself with. "Did you sleep well?" He asked.
Goldenflower's stomach dropped. She knew it was best not to tell him about what her brother said, but what harm would it do in telling him that she saw him? She licked her lips and biting into her mouse, before she finally spoke. "I saw Blackpaw."
Tigerclaw stopped in mid-lick, gazing at Goldenflower curiously. He flicked his tail as a sign to continue.
"It was nothing really. He just wanted to congratulate me on becoming a warrior." She sighed, pinning her ears back. "He should have been with me up there." It felt foreign on her tongue to repeat those words almost exact as she had in her dream, but it was true to her. He should have been up there, and if it weren't for that murderous traitor, he would be.
Tigerclaw purred and licked Goldenflower's ear. "He's proud of you, Goldenflower. What happened to Blackpaw was horrible, but he accepted his fate. You should accept yours too." The way he said that sent chills down her spine.
"What do you mean?" She managed to get out.
Tigerclaw rolled his eyes and licked her muzzle. It was then that she realized what he was doing, making her heart race. He was returning her feelings. He loved her too! Her heart seemed to explode her chest with happiness.
"You mean . . . ?" She started. The look in his eyes was enough for her though, so the nod wasn't needed. She had always loved him, and she knew from that moment on that she would love him forevermore.
/ I decided to write something romantic after her dream. And yes, you figure out what Blackpaw's warning was referring to, its not that complicated to figure it out. Goldenflower, however, will never figure it out until its too late. Poor girl. ;U; Anyways, please review! I would love it! Oh and the whole "had his head in the clouds for too long" was a reference to the Lion King if you didn't catch it!