Conflagration [A Warrior Cats AU]

Chapter Twelve

Bluefur raced after Hailstar into the gathering area and waited for everyone else to come down before padding off to talk to someone. She inhaled deeply and decided to approach Rosetail, her former best friend from ThunderClan. Anxiety wormed in her stomach as she padded over to the she-cat.

Rosetail looked up, surprise flashing in her eyes. "Bluefur," she greeted curtly.

Bluefur's ears flattened by the ice in her voice. "I- uh- hi, Rosetail," she stammered, looking at her paws. Rosetail didn't reply, only turning to talk to Swiftbreeze.

"How are you?" Bluefur blurted. "I've missed you."

Rosetail turned her head sharply, her eyes wide. "You have?" she asked, her voice softening. Then she shook her head. "Then you shouldn't have left," she hissed.

Bluefur looked away. "I'll go now," she mumbled, embarrassed.

Rosetail only nodded, turning once more to talk to Swiftbreeze. As Bluefur padded away sadly, she wondered what other ThunderClan cats' reactions would be. Maybe she could try talking to her nephew?

As she thought that, the young white tom's voice sounded nearby. He sounded boastful and proud about something. She walked over quietly, listening without making a sound.

"And then I slammed him into the ground!" Whitestorm exclaimed, showing his teeth. "That kittypet got such a fright, I know he'll never come back!"

Petaldust's eyes widened. "It sounds like you attacked a kit!" She hissed.

Whitestorm blinked, dropping back onto all fours. "Kits become cats. And cats can destroy us," he meowed simply.

Bluefur couldn't keep in her scoff. "But he wasn't a full grown cat then!" She protested. The second she said that she realised she made a mistake. 

Whitestorm turned and stared at her. "Bluefur," he meowed, dipping his head. "How's RiverClan? The fish are well, I assume?"

Bluefur's eyes widened in anger. "Pardon me?"

Whitestorm smiled, his tail resting neatly over his paws. "I said: the fish are well, I assume?"

Bluefur didn't move. "Is that supposed to mean something?" She meowed softly. 

"I guess you're asking me not to sugarcoat it," he sighed, shaking his head. "You've grown rather plump. Are you having another litter with Oakheart? Or maybe his brother now?"

Bluefur felt an urge to rake Whitestorm's arrogant face with her claws. What had Thistleclaw done to him?! But she just met his gaze calmly. "Crookedjaw is dead," she meowed flatly.

Bluefur was rewarded with a flash of surprise and genuine sympathy in Whitestorm's eyes. "I'm very sorry, Bluefur," he murmured, casting a quick glance in the direction of Tigerclaw and Thistleclaw. When Tigerclaw met his eye, he looked away.

Confused, Bluefur dipped her head. "Thank you, but we don't need sympathy. We're doing fine."

Whitestorm nodded. "Of course. I think Tigerclaw needs me now," he meowed suddenly, his tail beginning to lash and eyes beginning to widen. "Bye, Bluefur."

"Goodbye, Whitestorm," Bluefur replied, thoroughly confused on what just happened with Whitestorm. She shook her head and shrugged. It didn't matter. She turned to find another cat to talk to but was interrupted by Cedarstar, ShadowClan's leader.

"It's time to start the gathering!" Cedarstar yowled. Bluefur quickly scrambled near the front of the crowd, nearby the other deputies and the medicine cats. She turned her head and caught Spottedpaw's eye, who looked down at her paws. Furrowing her eyebrows, the blue-grey deputy turned to see Cedarstar reporting.

"We have not much to report," the leader meowed, with narrowed eyes. "Prey is running well and we have been thoroughly guarding our territory borders. That is all."

Heatherstar of WindClan flicked her tail. "We have a new Deputy, Talltail. Reedfeather left to join the elders."

"Talltail! Talltail!" The Clan cats chanted loudly. Bluefur looked at Talltail and gave him a smile. He seemed to be pretty popular with the Clans. Talltail returned the smile, to Bluefur's relief. It was a kind and warm smile and Bluefur thought maybe RiverClan and WindClan could become allies with them both as leaders.

After Heatherstar stepped back, Sunstar stepped forward. "ThunderClan is doing fine," he purred. "Spottedpaw, our medicine cat apprentice, is now Spottedleaf."

"Spottedleaf! Spottedleaf!" Bluefur joined in the chant, glancing once more at Spottedleaf. What is she hiding? The deputy wondered.

Now Hailstar began to speak. He chose his words carefully as he reported how RiverClan was doing. "In a battle with sunningrocks, Thrushpelt was killed-"

The Leader was cut off by yowls of surprise and anger. "But that's against the warrior code!" A warrior called. Bluefur silently agreed with the young warrior but didn't say anything out loud.

Hailstar continued, looking slightly awkward. "We miss him very much. Yesterday morning Crookedjaw was also murdered, but we don't know how."

"Sounds like RiverClan can't keep their cats under control!" A cat yowled boastfully. Bluefur hissed. Thistleclaw was glaring up at Hailstar with fiery eyes.

Hailstar looked like he wanted to spit a bunch of insults at the ThunderClan deputy, but he kept his mouth shut.

"Our new Deputy is Bluefur," he finally finished, sitting back down with a final glare at Thistleclaw.

Silence.

Bluefur shrunk down as Thistleclaw's gloating disappeared, to be replaced by cold, hard anger. He scanned the crowd for Bluefur, and when their gazes met he got to his paws. He stalked over, his sharp claws out.

"Do you not remember, Hailstar," Thistleclaw began, blinking innocently. "When Bluefur left her kin and place in ThunderClan to be in RiverClan, that traitor? Why is a cat who betrayed her birth Clan a Deputy now? What happened?!"

Yowls of anger and disapproval rang out, drowning out any confused meowing. Hailstar watched for a moment, then anger flared in his eyes once more.

"I don't think you've realised how many times Bluefur has defended RiverClan. Time and time again she could have died to protect this Clan, so you have no right to insult her like this!" The leader snarled.

Thistleclaw looked up at the sky. No clouds were covering the moon and the sky was clear. Panic fluttered briefly in his amber eyes, then he shrugged. "Good luck as deputy then, Bluefur," he meowed silkily. 

As if it were a signal, the clan started to cheer for Bluefur. It didn't feel good, with everything that happened before. Then she looked up at Hailstar, who bunched his muscles to leap off of the rock. "Let's go, RiverClan," he grunted, already leaving. 

Bluefur began to signal with her tail for the cats to leave. As they padded out of fourtrees, Bluefur began to worry. The Clans all knew she was a deputy. What would happen to her now?