Warriors: Shadows of Blood (COMPLETE)

Chapter 24

Bloodfur awoke that night to fur brushing past him. He picked up Bloomfire's scent and stiffened. I don't want her anywhere near me! When she passed, he opened his eyes, not lifting his chin from his paws. He kept as still as possible.

He saw that Bloomfire had left the warriors den, headed for the dirtplace. He watched her disappear into the bushes, suppressing a growl as anger surged through him. He slowly rose to his paws and crept out of the den, keeping his pawsteps as quiet as possible. He glanced around briefly. No other cats were awake except for the guards by the thorn tunnel. But they were on the outside of the camp. They wouldn't see him.

He crouched outside the dirtplace, his eyes fixed on the entrance. He slowly unsheathed his claws, waiting for the orange and white she-cat to emerge. I'll make it fast... Then she'll be dead... she'll pay for her lies... And so will Flameheart... He didn't even think of the consequences. The hatred inside him overpowered any sense of reason. Maybe I can catch her inside... He started forward.

"Bloodfur?"

He nearly jumped out of his fur at the quiet meow behind him. He spun, claws unsheathed and fur bristling, ready to attack whoever had caught him stalking Bloomfire.

Mistybreeze stood, blinking away sleep as she studied him. "What are you doing?"

He hesitated, his pelt prickling with unease. Did she suspect he was going to kill Bloomfire? Would she tell the clan? "I-I..." His mind spun. "I was... waiting to go to the dirtplace."

"Oh." She looked closely at him, and Bloodfur swallowed nervously. She'll never believe that! She hesitated. "Well, when you're done, would you like to go for a walk in the forest?"

He was surprised at her request. "Uh, sure." He glanced back at the dirtplace, suddenly urgent to get out of camp before Bloomfire saw him. "Let's go."

Mistybreeze frowned. "I thought you had to go..."

"Uh-no, not anymore," Bloodfur stammered. "You scared it right out of me." He quickly swiped his hind claws across the ground behind him.

She rolled her eyes. "Toms." She headed for the thorn tunnel, and Bloodfur followed, casting a quick glance over his shoulder at the dirtplace.

***

It was quiet for a while. The pine trees stood tall under the moonlight, and the scents of the forest clung to the air. Bloodfur padded alongside the silver she-cat through the trees. No cat spoke. He wondered why Mistybreeze wanted to walk with him. He suspected it had something to do with their plot with Deserve. After what felt like moons, Mistybreeze spoke. "Do you really want to kill your parents?" She didn't look at him.

Bloodfur glanced at her, twitching his tail in irritation. "My parents are dead."

"I mean Flameheart and Bloomfire."

"They aren't my parents," He growled.

Mistybreeze twitched her ear. "Aren't they? They raised you."

He didn't respond, beginning to wish he hadn't agreed to go out for a walk with her. I didn't come here to be pestered about Flameheart and Bloomfire! I hate talking about them! I wish they didn't exist!

"My father never paid much attention to me and Coldpebble," Mistybreeze meowed quietly as they walked. "And Diamondrain only spoke to us a few times after we were made apprentices. You're so lucky to have had Flameheart and Bloomfire as parents. They stuck with you the whole way. My-"

"Can we talk about something else?" Bloodfur was unable to hold back a growl. "Like, maybe how to get rid of the other medicine cats?"

Mistybreeze didn't speak for a moment. "Dewstorm is my uncle," She commented.

Good for you. Bloodfur couldn't help but feel angry with her for bringing him out here just to bother him about his foster parents. He decided not to tell her that he had no intentions of killing Dewstorm, one of the few cats who had treated him well.

When he didn't respond, Mistybreeze looked away, seeming uncomfortable. Bloodfur began to feel awkward. Fox dung... I can't ruin my friendship with her again! He glanced around, spotting a pine tree ideal for climbing. The trunk was thick and rugged, providing plenty of places for a cat to place their paws. "I'll race you to the top of that tree," He suggested uncertainly.

Mistybreeze blinked at him, looking surprised. "What? Why?"

"For fun." He flicked her shoulder with his tail before sprinting at the tree, leaping at it and digging his claws into the bark. He prayed Mistybreeze was following and he wasn't making a fool of himself. But he heard her jump up behind him, and the two cats clawed their way up the tree. He pulled himself onto a branch, blinking in surprise when the silver she-cat flashed past him. "You're slow," She purred, pausing on a branch above him.

"Oh, yeah?" Bloodfur leaped up onto the next branch, and Mistybreeze spun, jumping to another branch. He couldn't believe how quickly she moved, and without hesitation. Bloodfur was constantly watching where he put his paws and judging whether a branch was too far to jump. By the time he got to the top, Mistybreeze was sitting comfortably on a branch.

"You took your time." Her blue eyes gleamed at him.

Bloodfur snorted, wanting to nudge her for that, but he didn't out of worry she'd fall. "Yeah, well, I was being careful," He chuckled. "You must be part squirrel."

The silver she-cat let out a purr of amusement. "Then you must be part turtle."

He gaped at her, his tail curling in amusement. "Take that back!"

"Never!" She purred. The two of them sat up there for a while, joking and laughing together. They teased each other about climbing and talked about funny things that had happened in the past. "Remember the time Swiftstalker ran headfirst into a tree?"

Bloodfur broke out laughing. "No! When was that?"

"When he was an apprentice," Mistybreeze chuckled. "He was chasing after a frog with that crazy speed he has. He was going so fast, he couldn't dodge the tree on time."

"I wish I'd seen that!" He laughed. A purr rumbled in is throat, and he realized that in this moment, he felt happier than he'd felt in moons. He'd almost forgotten what it felt like. He did have fun sometimes with Revengeheart and the others, but this was different. It felt better.

When their laughter died down, Mistybreeze's expression turned serious. "I'm sorry I brought up Flameheart and Bloomfire. I was just trying to help."

"I know. It's okay." He hesitated. "Nothing will help though. I'd rather talk like they don't exist. They lied to me."

"But they did it for you," She commented quietly. When Bloodfur didn't respond, she shifted closer to him and rubbed her head against his shoulder. He was startled for a moment, then relaxed, letting out a purr.

"We should do this again sometime," He hesitantly suggested.

"That would be nice," Mistybreeze responded, and Bloodfur purred loudly. Maybe this is the first real friend I'll have...