Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. Erin Hunter does.
"Firepaw, run!" Bluestar yowled, jumping to her paws and shoving the ginger molly out of the way. Just in time to feel Stonefur's fangs pierce deep in her throat.
Time seemed to stop for a brief moment as Bluestar choked for air in her son's jaws. Stonefur stood completely still, his eyes wide as he looked down at his mother, her blood staining his pelt red. However that brief trance disappeared as he tasted the blood in his mouth and swallowed before biting even harder, getting a strangled cry out of Bluestar.
The pale gray tom shivered as he lowered his head, pinning Bluestar beneath him,only to start shredding her with his claws. Even Firepaw jumping on his back and biting savagely at his ear barely made him twitch. The flame colored apprentice huffed, trying to tug as hard as she could to get Stonefur off Bluestar. The tom was well named and heavy like a stone, he wouldn't budge, save for reaching out and with a heavy claw swipe sent Firepaw flying away from him.
Firepaw crashed into a bush, but tried to be quick on her paws. Yet as she did, Stonefur began to lean all his weight onto Bluestar, looking to suffocate her faster. The ThunderClan leader wheezed and tried to get away, but Stonefur's grip was too strong to break and the RiverClan warrior didn't look like he would let go for anything.
Firepaw yowled and charged at Stonefur, biting as hard as she could on the half-demon's neck. Even though she was a full blooded demon, Stonefur seemed to have a strength and tolerance of pain that Firepaw didn't know how to deal with. Once again, she was swatted away and Bluestar could only weakly call after you but was cut off by Stonefur shaking her harshly.
Still choking but trying to dreg up with little strength she had, Bluestar sent a prayer to her ancestors, hoping that she would be heard. "Please...give me strength...to...to right my wrongs!"
In her mind's eye, Bluestar saw her mother appear to her, curling around her and pressing her muzzle to her daughter's cheek. She heard Moonflowr speak, but couldn't understand the words, then she felt strength washing over her entire body and Bluestar sighed. The feeling was strong yet pleasant and flowed in like warm rain through her fur.
Taking a deep breath, Bluestar at first struggled to her paws before managing to carry Stonefur's weight as well as her own. She growled softly before rushing to the trees, climbing up the trunk with practiced ease. She noted movement below and yowled for Firepaw to stay where she was and hoped the apprentice would obey. Luckily, knowing that it would take her too long to climb, Firepaw did as told, but she watched intently. Ready to rush in, no matter how difficult it would be. Stonefur grunted in surprise while holding up for dear life, Bluestar was running up the tree so fast that soon she was near the topmost branches.
The RiverClan tom closed his eyes for a brief moment before maneuvering away from Blustar, while trying to keep his balance on the thin branch. The swaying and bobbing made Stonefur wince but he growled as he noticed Bluestar was completely calm.
"Oh, rot you, Bluestar! Don't use your cheap tricks! Fight me on equal ground!" Stonefur yowled at her but Bluestar only shook her head, looking away. Up here, the wind teased at their tails, and Stonefur hunkered down even more, letting out a low keening noise as his branch continued swaying hard in the breeze.
'He looks so much like a frightened kit. Just like he did when he first saw the world outside the den.' Bluestar thought when she heard him and turned to look at him. There she realized that she couldn't hurt her kit and slowly moved towards him. "I can help you get down. Just watch me."
Stonefur glared at her but upon looking down and feeling dizzy, he realized that he would never feel the ground or the river again without Bluestar's help. So with a soft snarl, he nodded and allowed Bluestar to quietly show him how to climb down the tree.
Once they were safely on the ground, Stonefur trotted away, still with fangs bared. Firepaw rushed up to Bluestar's side, ready in case the tom turned and attacked but Bluestar was already heading back the way to ThunderClan.
"Come, apprentice, let's go home. I'm very...tired. He won't...he won't hurt us anymore today." As the two mollies left, Stonefur stood watching from the shallows before sneering and diving in the water.
Yet...even as Stonefur swam home and told himself that he hated every moment of that encounter, there was a part of him, a tiny, tiny part of him that cried out for Bluestar and wished she would bring him with her.
XxXx
Bluestar told Firepaw to go back to Sandspirit and say nothing, while she went back to her nest and sighed. She almost didn't noticed Heartseeker sitting up and waiting for her. The light brown tabby's tail was thumping in the nest and Bluestar finally shifted her gaze to the younger female.
"What?" came the tired question, only for Bluestar to flatten her ears when Heartseeker said nothing.
"You're hurt...again."
Bluestar chuckled without humor and closed her eyes. "It's becoming a running theme. But I'm fine. Just had...a bit of trouble...with my...with a RiverClan cat."
She noticed Heartseeker flinching at that and tilted her head. The tabby kneaded the ground before dropping to her belly beside Bluestar. She stalled longer by grooming the fresh bites on the leader's neck.
"Heartseeker," Bluestar muttered, even as she lifted her chin and a tiny purr rumbled in her throat. Heartseeker inwardly liked the sound but stayed quiet for as long as she could. "Heartseeker."
"Tallstar killed two RiverClan cats while escorting us back to our border. After they were caught tresspasing and after one of them threatened to chase WindClan out again. It happened when Morningflower was attacked by two RiverClan toms. Tallstar...just snapped. There was wind and blood and..."
"Enough. I understand." Bluestar said shaking Heartseeker off, perhaps a little too sharply as Heartseeker grimaced. The leader murmured an apology. Even lower, she mumbled to herself, "So that's why..."
"RiverClan might want revenge on WindClan, and they might just come for us because we helped them. We need more warriors, more apprentices..." Bluestar trailed off as she looked at the light brown tabby beside her. She was strong, brave, and intellingant. Good qualities for a mentor to have. Two of Goldenflower's kits were ready to be apprentices, though their mother didn't spend much time in the nursery, preferring the life of a warrior.
"Heartseeker, have you ever taught a younger cat the basics of fighting or hunting?" Bluestar asked quietly as Heartseeker resumed grooming her, and her purr returned. Heartseeker smiled at that but was confused by her question.
"I thaught Firepaw a few hunting techniques and one or two claw swipes but nothing extensive. Why?"
Bluestar took a deep breath and let it out, turning to face Heartseeker fully. "I want you to mentor an apprentice."
Heartseeker stopped mid-lick and just stared at Bluestar. The leader stared back and watched as Heartseeker skidded away from her, her eyes wide as she processed what Bluestar just asked of her.
"Bluestar...I...I can't! You can't ask me to mentor one of your kits!"
"Why not? They are demons...or at least half-demons. Isn't that good enough for you?" Bluestar asked, getting up to face the younger tabby.
"No, that's not the point!" Heartseeker growled softly, her ears flat against her skull as her tail lashed. "I'm still here because of my sister! I never wanted to be part of this Clan like she is. I don't want to be a Clan cat!"
Bluestar gasped softly and tried to force down the hot, stabbing feeling in her chest. "Ah, right. Your...your sister. Right." she stuttered, shakily getting to her paws. "Of course, the only reason."
Heartseeker tilted her head and seemed to realize Bluestar's pain and moved to gently touch her muzzle to the lesder's cheek.
"I shouldn't have said that. I...I care about you, more and more as the days go by. But you're asking a lot. To teach a young cat, it means staying. It means dealing with your Clanmates. It means giving up a part of myself that I cherish."
"You make it sound bad, to be here...and you just said that you're here because of Firepaw." Bluestar muttered, closing her eyes as her body wanted to move closer but she stay stock still.
"I did...but...I'm starting to realize...that she doesn't need me as much. She has another, more important to her now. I know she will always love me and look for me, but there is someone greater in her heart now."
"And...I don't...like Clan life. Your Clanmates are still far from treating us right. There was the strife in WindClan. No, the Clans aren't where I'm supposed to be. Perhaps, I've stayed too long. Perhaps this was the push I needed to realize this."
At those words, Bluestar's eyes went wide and she pulled away from Heartseeker to stare at her in shock, the tabby taking this moment to smile and move away. Seeing her move, Bluestar could hear her mother's words in her ears once more.
"Listen to your heart, not your head, Bluestar. Perhaps then, you're find what you've been searching for."
Bluestar jerked forward before fully moving her body, clamping down on Heartseeker's tail to keep her from walking forward. "Please! Don't go! I can't...I can't be the reason for someone I care about to vanish from my life! Don't leave, Heartseeker! I can't..."
Heartseeker swiftly turned and pressed her muzzle to Bluestar's. When the leader quieted due to shock and surprise, the tabby licked her cheek and smiled at her. "I won't vanish. At least, not because of you, Blustar. You're not the same cat I met weeks ago, but that's not why I'm leaving. It's not you. Get that out of your head."
"Then why...?"
"Because I am a wanderer. Travelling wherever my whiskers and my ka leads me. Perhaps I shall go see the Grumbleroar Falls." Heartseeker stopped when she saw the confused look in Bluestar's eyes and turned away as even that started to fade.
"Anyway, you are not the same fela I met. You have grown and learned that we demons are not all evil. Share that understanding with the demons of your Clan. Let them in, Bluestar. It'll be alright. Allmother keep you, Bluestar. I will think of you often."
With that, Heartseeker left Bluestar's den. And even as she limped, she didn't complain. Bluestar followed her to the entrance of her den and watched as Firepaw sprinted out of Yellowfang's den to meet her sister. The siblings shared a few words before Firepaw let out a mournful cry and pressed her whole body against Heartseeker, the tabby curling around her too. They stayed like that for a long while until Heartseeker pulled away, heading for the camp entrance.
Once she did, Heartseeker looked back one last time to where Bluestar and Firepaw stood and smiled at them both before moving on, the darkness quickly swallowing her up and leaving the two mollies alone.
"Allmother keep you too, Heartseeker. And may StarClan light your path." Bluestar murmured to the wind before slowly turning and heading back into her now empty den.
A/N: Well, Heartseeker has left and Bluestar will not be coping well. What will that mean for ThunderClan? Will Bluestar listen to Heartseeker's final words and what of her encounter with Stonefur? Those are things that will have to wait for next time. Until then, as always, enjoy.