Heartstar's rise : Book Three

Ch. 35

               "Yes, Heartstorm?" Reedstar asked. 

               "It's about Bumblepaw. And Lionbreeze," Heartstorm started. Reedstar beckoned him under the shade of a tree. He turned serious.

                "Lionbreeze, from ShadowClan?" asked Reedstar, concerned. 

                "Yes, the very one," nodded Heartstorm. "He saw my son yesterday and he threatened him." 

                 "How?" questioned Reedstar. 

                 "I'm not finished," Heartstorm snapped then quickly apologised, "sorry, I mean, let me finish." Reedstar nodded for him to continue. 

                 "He told Bumblepaw he looked exactly like me. Then he said bad things were to come to him and RiverClan," Heartstorm finished. 

                 "Mmmm," Reedstar said, frowning deeply then sighed. "Look, I know you might think that is bad but isn't Lionbreeze a medicine cat? He warns other cats. He was just warning about something bad happening... I wonder what it is... maybe it is the battle ThunderClan and RiverClan will fight against ShadowClan...."

                 "So it's final? We will join ThunderClan and fight?" 

                 "We are not joining ThunderClan, merely making an alliance. And yes, it is final." 

                "Right but... look I know Lionbreeze. Knew. But that's beside the point, I know that he's not the kind of medicine cat to kindly warn another Clan. He was threatening us. And Bumblepaw." 

                "Heartstorm... maybe you didn't really know him. Apparently he's the one that told on you? Maybe that's why you don't really like him." 

                "No! Reedstar! I assure you! It's not because of that. We used to be best friends-"

                "Yes and when he betrayed you, you hated him. I can't take what a medicine cat said to us as a threat." Heartstorm wanted to yowl and yell at Reedstar to trust him, to see the facts. 

                "But Reedstar-"

                 "Heartstorm... I've got things to attend to. I know you're worried about your son. But he is a medicine cat apprentice. He will not be involved in any fighting. I will make sure no harm comes to him."

               "Thank you Reedstar..., but wait! Lionbreeze also said "you look exactly like Heartstorm". That is totally a threat." 

              "That is an observation," Reedstar said, looking at Heartstorm with raised eyebrows. "And it us a true observation." 

               "Please Reedstar, please believe me," begged Heartstorm. 

               "Heartstorm... I know you're worried about your kits. I'd be worried about Deerflame as well. But there is nothing to fear. Bumblepaw is no harm's way," Reedstar assured Heartstorm. "I assure you that. If he is, I will protect him. The Clan will protect him. RiverClan protects its own." Heartstorm sighed and dipped his head. He nodded solemnly. 

              "Ok. Thanks," he murmured. Reedstar smiled assuringly then padded off to his deputy. Heartstorm trotted to Silverdrop who was talking to Eelfrost some way away. She looked in his direction and flicked her tail. 

               "How did it go?" she asked. Eelfrost pricked his ears curiously. 

              "What did you tell Reedstar?" he asked. 

              "It didn't go well," sighed Heartstorm. Silverdrop looked sadly at him and ran her tail on his back softly. 

               "What didn't go well?" asked Eelfrost. 

              "I don't- I don't want to talk about it," Heartstorm brushed Silverdrop off and padded away. "Just, leave me alone please. I need to be alone for a while." Silverdrop understood this and nodded without any questions. She needed to be alone to as well sometimes. Eelfrost watched, a confused frown on his face as he thought about all the possibilities of what could have happened. Heartstorm ducked out of camp. He needed some time to breath in fresh air and walk alone with his thoughts. He padded through the forest calmly, admiring the beauty of RiverClan. Then he thought about Bumblepaw. His thoughts flickered to Silverdrop's dream. The dreams that she had everynight. About Bumblepaw..., fighting Blizzardkit. Something occurred to Heartstorm. Blizzardkit would be an apprentice soon probably. He didn't understand. He didn't know if Silverdrop's dreams were true. He didn't know how Blizzardkit could possibly kill Bumblepaw. But he would do anything so that there would never be a chance for that to come true. He thought about the upcoming battle with ThunderClan. He knew that Bumblepaw would not be in the fighting. But he would be there, healing other cats, side by side with Frogleap. Then there was Brightpaw. She would definitely be enthusiastic. She'd jump right into battle. She had barely had more than a moon of training, but already, Eelfrost was telling Heartstorm how good she was at fighting. He hoped that that didn't mean that she had to go into battle. He wanted her to stay at camp, safe, with her brother. He knew that she would be against it. She was a strong minded apprentice. He took a deep breath to clear his mind. His head seemed clouded and it gave him a throbbing headache. Suddenly, there was a crunch. Heartstorm spun around. Deerflame appeared from behind a tree. 

             "What's up?" she asked, looking concerned. 

             "N-nothing," Heartstorm repeated quickly, slightly surprised he hadn't heard her. 

             "Don't say that. You're so distracted. You didn't even hear me and I literally stomped behind you," Deerflame pointed out. She trotted to Heartstorm's side. He wanted to tell her to go away. That he wanted to be alone. That he didn't want to talk. But he realised maybe talking wasn't so bad. Deerflame was his best friend. 

              "It's just... ShadowClan," Heartstorm told her. Deerflame's eyes turned worried. 

               "Yeah...," muttered Deerflame. "ShadowClan...." 

               "I don't want Brightpaw or Bumblepaw to get hurt," Heartstorm said. "I don't want them to go to battle." Deerflame nodded understandingly. She urged him to continue. "I don't want Silverdrop to get hurt. I don't want to fight ShadowClan. I hate them. I really do. I mean, I get it that they chased me out. But they didn't have to be like this. It was over. When they chased me out it was over. They should just get on. Live their life." 

               "Yeah, but they're angry," Deerflame said. "They're angry that one of their best apprentices, their best warriors left and has now joined RiverClan. Their rival. Their enemy." 

             "What did they think I was going to do?" exclaimed Heartstorm. 

             "They didn't think. They thought they'd punish you and that they would never see you again. But you joined their rival instead. And you're happy now. They definitely did not want that," Deerflame continued. Heartstorm wasn't exactly feeling more encouraged but that but he liked that Deerflame was being realistic. 

               "Yeah, they're just revengeful mousebrained dung," spat Heartstorm. 

              "Don't underestimate them," Deerflame said, laughing. 

               "I won't. Cinderstar used to tell me that," Heartstorm told Deerflame. "And she's right." 

              "Wonder if she's in StarClan or the Dark Forest," muttered Deerflame under his breath. 

               "I don't think the Dark Forest would want her. And she isn't good enough for StarClan," Heartstorm shrugged. He didn't care. Cinderstar was the past. He'd try not to dwell on that. Wherever Cinderstar was, he was sure she was going to harm his kits. That's what mattered most.