ashenblossom's crumble ❧ warriors fic

prologue

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⠀⠀⠀Moonlight spilled into a small clearing. The wind whistled softly as it weaved in and out between the trees. It was between the territories of FleetClan and RillClan. The river that marked the border rippled softly as a figure emerged from beneath the surface.
⠀⠀⠀The bushes rustled on the other side, and a tom with brackish colored fur came through the brambles. His narrow muzzle lifted up as he rose his chin. A smile was pinned to his face.
⠀⠀⠀"Oh, sweetheart!" the other cat purred. Her fur was drenched in water, but it only made her beautiful coat glisten. Her chest rose up and down rapidly, and she pressed her muzzle to his cheek.
⠀⠀⠀"You're cold, and wet," the tom teased, brushing her side with his tail. She was shivering. The tom sat down, brushing the back of her head with a paw.
⠀⠀⠀"I love you," he murmured. The she-cat purred in amusement and pressed her paws to his chest, pushing him away.
⠀⠀⠀"That was cheesy, and sudden," she scoffed. The tom sniffled. He then shoved her playfully and stood up, leaping into the river and splashing her.
⠀⠀⠀"How's that for cheesy?" he purred. The she-cat laughed and jumped back into the river, splashing him back. The tom blinked, but then leapt at her, wrestling with her in the freezing river.  They laughed, and pressed their muzzles against each others'.

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⠀⠀⠀"Where am I?" The brown tom gazed around the unfamiliar setting. He raised his muzzle, catching a whiff of the aroma that wafted through the forest. He lifted a paw and stared down at the starry grounds.
⠀⠀⠀This was definitely not FleetClan. FleetClan was in open moor, not to mention didn't gleam with starlight.
⠀⠀⠀"You're in StarClan, feather-brain," a sarcastic voice scoffed. The tom flicked an ear and narrowed his eyes. He swished his tail back and forth and pressed his belly to the grass.
⠀⠀⠀"Who's there? Why have you come to speak with me?" he murmured. His pulse quickened. Was StarClan going to tell him to quit his meetings?
⠀⠀⠀The tom's fur fluffed up and he scowled as an apprentice pushed past the bushes. "No! I won't stop seeing her!" he spat. The apprentice rolled his eyes.
⠀⠀⠀"Ah know, it's great to see a StarClan warrior," he snorted. His gaze then hardened. "Mah name is Bumblepaw. Ah have a message for you, mate."
⠀⠀⠀The brown warrior's muscles relaxed, yet he didn't take his cold stare off of Bumblepaw. "Why me? I'm no medicine cat, and I'm not leader," he noted. Bumblepaw raised a catbrow and rolled his eyes.
⠀⠀⠀"No, really? Ah couldn't tell," Bumblepaw muttered sarcastically. "Ya have a choice to make, mate. Ya can either continue these tedious meetin's that the other StarClanners won't shut up about, or stop seein'... her and live ya life in peace."
⠀⠀⠀Suspicion flickered in the brown tom's eyes. "What do you mean? Wh- No, it doesn't matter! Because I won't stop!" he snapped. Bumblepaw shrugged and turned around to leave.
⠀⠀⠀"Welp, ah tried. Sloth can't get mad at me this time," Bumblepaw huffed. The silver apprentice glared at the warrior from over his shoulder.
⠀⠀⠀"Ya just made a grave mistake, mate. Your decision will be the fall of your clan," Bumblepaw hissed. He lashed his tail and disappeared into the shadows.

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