thorns :: bluerose

II

bluefur stared on as a flood overtook her. she was immediately knocked off of her paws, the waves winding through her fur.
she slashed at the waves with outstretched paws, however her body seemed to clip through them. bluefur
began to panic as her lungs begged for air, water bubbling at her lips. she felt herself being pulled downwards,
into a dark abyss where she would be lost from the world forever.

"bluefur! wake up!"

bluefur awoke in a cold sweat, each and every hair on her body pricked upwards. she glanced upwards at snowfur, who was looming over her. "you were clawing at your nest, and got moss all over thistleclaw." thistleclaw let out a grunt, but bluefur didn't seem to hear him. it was still dark outside the den, and she could hear faint murmurs of the dawn patrol. snowfur snorted, claws sliding out. "i know you don't like thistleclaw." she said crossly, whisking her tail.
"but don't litter his pelt. why did you choose this nest anyway, if you hate my mate so much?" bluefur's eyes clouded with grogginess. "because i wanted to be next to you!" she hissed, the surrounding warriors beginning to wake up.
"bluefur?" rosetail mewed from a dark corner of the den, blinking away her tiredness. "what's going on?" bluefur glared at snowfur, staggering to her paws. she silenced rosetail with a twitch of her tail, padding past her sister and into the clearing.
she arched her back, stretching her stiff muscles from her nightmare. ever since goosefeather shared her prophecy with her, her dreams have been haunted with his words. bluefur shook away the thought, making her way toward the group of cats.
sunfall noticed her, eyes rounded. "you're up early," he mewed. "would you like to join the dawn patrol?"
dappletail, thrushpelt, patchpelt, and adderfang were chatting, dappletail waving her tail in greeting. "yes, i'd like that."
bluefur angled her ears towards the birds chirping overhead, the sounds of wings fluttering was prominent. sunfall grinned.
"alright, off you go then." as bluefur turned to depart, sunfall quickly stopped her. "wait, bluefur." he halted in front of her.
"i'm really proud of you for participating in clan criteria again, after all that's happened." bluefur shrunk beneath her pelt. was she really that much of a burden? but sunfall interrupted her thoughts. "you are a strong cat, bluefur. i have high hopes for you." bluefur smiled. "thanks, sunfall." she pelted after the patrol, who had stopped short to wait for her. they trailed into the forest, the stars dwindling overhead.

bluefur tasted the air, thunderclan scent markers overwhelming her. she sensed a presence nearby, ears pricking.
"hey, it's just me." the voice came from behind her. thrushpelt stood before her, his brown pelt basking in dawn's light.
"the others are busy chatting," he mewed, gaze softening. "want to take a walk with me?" bluefur shuddered against the cool breeze. she had nothing better to do, and she was quite bored. "sure," she sniffed, flicking her tail. "where to?"
"i was thinking sunningrocks," thrushpelt shuffled his paws self-consciously. "only if you want, though." bluefur's fur began to rise, fearing that oakheart might be waiting for them. "how about the sandy hollow instead? we might even catch a bite there." thrushpelt blinked at her. "okay," he mewed solemnly. "lead the way."
the two padded along the soft lush grass, the soft soil pressing against bluefur's pads. thrushpelt was uncomfortably close, their pelts barely brushing. sand pricked at her paws as they ventured into the dip, settling down on a pair of smooth rocks. "bluefur," thrushpelt shot a glance at her, his face smeared with red. "i want to tell you something, something i've been meaning to get off of my chest for a while." bluefur's heart lurched. she already knew where this was going.
everyone and their kits knew thrushpelt had a huge crush on bluefur, and so did she. however, she saw him only as a friend. "i like you, bluefur, and i have for a while." he chuckled nervously. "but i think you know that already."
bluefur's paws prickled with embarrassment. why me? thrushpelt gazed longingly at her, eyes sparkling.
"will you be my mate?"
bluefur scrambled to her paws, tail fluffing out. "i'm sorry thrushpelt. i only see you as a friend, rather than a mate. i do hope you find a cat who is willing to spend their life with you, and i'm sorry that it couldn't have been me."
thrushpelt stared at her, mist clouding his gaze. his shoulders drooped has he got to his paws. "okay," he murmured.
bluefur touched her tail tip to his shoulder. she could feel that he was trembling, sorrow draining her mind.
"we should head back." thrushpelt's mew was barely a whisper. bluefur only nodded shakily, the two heading back to camp.

the sun was beginning to ascend into the now-orange sky, speckling the camp with a golden glow. bluefur spotted rosetail eating a vole while chatting with the medicine cat apprentice, featherwhisker. she pawed over to the gray she-cat, picking a starling from the pile for herself. "hey!" bluefur approached the two, and rosetail glanced up at her.
"bluefur! since when do you wake up before me?" she purred, her voice tinted with amusement. bluefur grunted.
"snowfur woke me up." rosetail's ears pricked. "oh yeah! what was that about?" bluefur took a seat next to rosetail,
nodding her head in greeting to featherwhisker. "i got moss in thistleclaw's fur." she snorted, lashing her tail in annoyance.
rosetail broke into a laugh, her voice muffled from the prey she was eating. "she seriously got mad at you for that? great starclan, that is hilarious." bluefur scoffed. "snowfur's been acting weird lately, and i don't like it a bit." rosetail's gaze swept along the clearing. "have you tried talking to her about it?" bluefur stared at her paws. "i haven't gotten to. she's always too busy talking with thistleclaw." rosetail chewed her vole. "i'm sorry, i wish i could help. but just remember, littermate bonds are strong, and i'm sure you two will overcome it." bluefur sighed. "i hope,"
rosetail glanced at her. "you seem down, what's up?" bluefur gazed at her. "the sky?"
"no! i mean what's wrong?" rosetail giggled. "ugh. i had to reject thrushpelt. i feel bad for him." rosetail stiffened.
"whaaat? awh, poor guy. he really loved you."
bluefur's fur pricked. "i just didn't view him that way. and he needs to accept it, because i don't love him." rosetail pressed against her, fiddling with a patch of lichen. "don't say that, give him time. he needs to heal." bluefur snorted.
she remembered her deal with oakheart, and how he seemed rather interested in her. what am i thinking? he's riverclan!
bluefur shook out her pelt, scanning the camp. do i really want to love a cat i can't have?