Oakheart's Promise - A Warriors AU

Chapter 21

Oakheart left the camp, the rest of the patrol following him. Willowbreeze, a recently named warrior, joined the group. Crookedjaw watched from the camp as they went. The sky was clear above them, but frost chilled their paws.

Together, Oakheart and the other warriors began to cross the stream in front of RiverClan's camp. As the small group made it to the other side, Willowbreeze asked, "How long will we be away from camp for?"

"We're just going to patrol the border," Oakheart replied. "We need to make sure ThunderClan hasn't come back to Sunningrocks." Thinking about the night of the last dreadful battle made the reddish warrior hang his head. That was the day he had lost Graypool, and he would never forget how helpless he had felt.

Willowbreeze nodded, and the group continued forward. They crossed through patches of reeds and passed single trees. Eventually, they found themselves at the river which separated their territory from ThunderClan's.

Oakheart peered across the river, watching the stones on the other side. He didn't see anything, but the rocks may have been shielding a cat from his vision. Turning to the rest of the patrol, he suggested, "You guys can go ahead. I'm going to check the rocks quickly."

Rippleclaw, a member of the patrol, nodded. He waved his tail, beckoning to the rest of the group. Together, they departed from the shore, continuing away into the reeds. Oakheart slowly entered the river, swimming through the cold water. Thin chunks of ice flowed past him. He emerged on the opposite shore, shaking out his freezing pelt.

Oakheart suddenly stopped moving. A wave of ThunderClan scent washed over him, and it was fresh. Is that Bluefur? The she-cat he had seen at his first gathering had recently earned her warrior name. Crouching down, the tom crept towards the first stone and leaped onto it. From there, he could see a blue-gray tail rising from the stones.

"Bluefur!" Oakheart snarled. The she-cat sprang up from the stone she was lying on, her fur bristling. The reddish-brown warrior was shocked to see that she looked sad, almost upset. He paused as he remembered looking at his own reflection in the river after Graypool's death. She looks the same way I did.

He felt as though he was frozen. He didn't know what to do or say. Cautiously, he stuttered out his first thought. "What happened? Are you alright?"

Bluefur averted her gaze, as if pondering whether to tell him or not. Then, she hesitantly answered, "I was just thinking about my mother."

Nodding, Oakheart couldn't meet her gaze. She had lost her mother, Moonflower, when she was an apprentice. All the Clans had heard about ThunderClan's failed attack on WindClan that resulted in her death. That was under Pinestar's leadership. Now, Sunstar was the leader of ThunderClan, and RiverClan silently hoped the golden tom wouldn't target them next.

"I understand how you feel," Oakheart slowly edged towards Bluefur. The blue-gray warrior didn't move. She only hung her head in silence.

Carefully moving forward, Bluefur simply said, "Thank you."

Just as Oakheart and Bluefur were beside each other, a voice called out from RiverClan's shore. It was Willowbreeze shouting, "Oakheart, are you coming?"

"Yes!" Oakheart yelled to the patrol. Turning to Bluefur, he whispered, "I hope I see you again." The she-cat nodded before pulling away and disappearing into the snowy forest behind her.

Oakheart leaped into the river, stunned by his own words. I want to see her again? She's from a different Clan! However, he didn't regret comforting Bluefur. I know what that's like.

Reaching the shore, Oakheart climbed out of the water. He passed Willowbreeze and joined the rest of the patrol. "How far did you get?" He asked.

Rippleclaw responded, "We made it to Fourtrees. Hailstar will send another patrol to the WindClan border. We can go home."

Oakheart led the patrol back to the camp. He pushed past the reeds at the entrance. The first thing he saw was a scene he could barely believe he was seeing.

Rainflower sat in the center of the camp with Crookedjaw. The tabby tom laughed with his mother and smiled at her. His jaw hung lower on one side, but Rainflower barely seemed to notice. They're finally getting along.

But as Oakheart passed them, Rainflower didn't even glance at him. She only focused on Crookedjaw as they talked. A scowl formed on the reddish-brown warrior's face. She may have realized what's best for Crookedjaw, but she still doesn't care about me.