Oakheart's Promise - A Warriors AU

Chapter 30

Oakheart weaved through the reeds, moving towards the river that had thawed as leaf-bare ended. His destination was on the opposite shore. He peered at the sky. It was still dark and filled with the glittering stars of silverpelt.

As the reddish tom stepped over a fallen branch, he saw the river ahead of him. He had arrived. Walking closer to the shore, he placed a paw in the running water. It's not moving too fast. I can cross.

Leaping forward, Oakheart dived into the river. The water was cool, racing around his pelt. It attempted to pull him downstream, but he was able to resist the current and pull himself onto the shore. His paws were covered in sticky mud. I don't want to leave pawprints. He lowered his front paws into the water, letting the flow wash the mud away.

Raising his head, the brown tom saw Sunningrocks ahead of him. Finally. He scrambled onto the first stone, hauling himself upward. Panting, he laid down and glanced around at the other rocks. ThunderClan and RiverClan scent mingled, making it difficult to tell if the cat he was waiting for was there yet.

But before Oakheart could further search the stones, he spotted a dark figure moving between boulders. He hopped down, landing in front of the cat and nodding his head in greeting.

"Oakheart," Bluefur smiled, her pelt dark from the shadows of looming trees. "I'm glad you came. It's been so long."

"Yes," Oakheart nodded. "I know." Since Oakheart had comforted Bluefur at Sunningrocks several moons ago, they had been meeting up in secret. Because they were from different Clans, it was risky to talk to each other. However, the two believed it was worth the risk to be friends with each other. Recently, disease had swept through ThunderClan, stopping Bluefur from coming to the scheduled meetings.

Oakheart asked, "Is your Clan doing any better? Is the sickness gone?"

Bluefur backed up, sadness flashing in her eyes. "No," she admitted, "but at least Whitekit has gotten better."

At Oakheart and Bluefur's last meeting, Bluefur revealed that her sister, Snowfur, had died on the thunderpath, leaving her kit for the blue-gray warrior to take care of. Whitekit had been sick with greencough, but he recovered.

"That's good news," Oakheart replied optimistically. "If a kit can get over greencough, any warrior could."

Sighing, Bluefur added, "The deputy is sick, too. There's no doubt that he'll succumb to the cough. It's only a matter of when."

"You want to be the next deputy, right?" Oakheart inquired.

Bluefur sat, curling her tail around herself. She answered, "Yes, I do. But Whitekit's father, Thistleclaw, also wants to be deputy. He's going to destroy ThunderClan if he does, I know it."

"If that's the case," Oakheart mused, "then it's good that you're a much better choice than that fish-brain."

Laughing, Bluefur replied, "I'm glad you think so." With that, she rolled onto her back, relaxing on the stones. Oakheart laid down beside her, edging closer to the she-cat.

"What is it like in ThunderClan?" Oakheart asked. He wanted to know all about Bluefur's Clan. If he understood what she experienced every day, he could better comfort her when she was upset.

Raising a paw, Bluefur pointed and made the shape of a circle in the air. "That's what the camp looks like," she began. She then gestured towards the stars, pointing at a cluster of them that formed a lopsided oval. "The dens are laid out like that. The biggest star is where the leader's den would be."

Oakheart's eyes sparkled as Bluefur whimsically continued, "The Highrock is where Sunstar calls meetings, and there's a spare den under a log near the edge of the camp."

"What about the cats?" Oakheart glanced at her, his paws twitching with enthusiasm.

"There's my father, Stormtail," Bluefur lowered her raised paw. She sighed. "He doesn't talk to me much." Her tail twitched as she continued. "There are my friends, Rosetail and Thrushpelt. They're both great hunters and agree with me about Thistleclaw."

Suddenly, Bluefur's expression grew sad. "Then there are the Clanmates I've lost. Snowfur, Moonflower, Sweetpaw..." her voice trailed off.

Oakheart could tell Bluefur was upset. He needed to help her. We're really similar. What do I want to hear when I'm sad? "There was nothing you could have done to stop those losses," he began, watching as the gray she-cat rolled onto her side to face him. "But every warrior experiences loss. Being able to recover from that makes you stronger."

Her face brightening, Bluefur nodded. "I'll see them all in StarClan one day anyways."

"Life isn't long out here," Oakheart reminded her, "and it's a waste to spend so much time dwelling on the past."

Bluefur pulled herself closer to Oakheart, placing a paw on his shoulder. "How is it that you always know what to say?" She teased, gazing into his bright amber eyes.

As Oakheart looked back at her, the glare of the sun blocked his vision. Squinting, he stood to his paws. Bluefur followed, watching the sun rise over the horizon.

"I should be going back to camp," Oakheart decided, disappointed.

"Meet me here in a quarter-moon," Bluefur stated before turning and hopping off of the boulder. She glanced over her shoulder one final time and disappearing into the forest.

As Bluefur vanished into the undergrowth, Oakheart called out to her. "I will!"