Mossdapple's Faith

Chapter 1

    The river swirled downstream, glitter dappling the sky-blue surface like frost under sunlight. Bluefur gazed into Oakheart's warm amber gaze, searching for what to say.

She took a deep breath. "I'm having your kits."

Oakheart's eyes grew wide. The ground whirled under her, as strong as the river, nearly knocking her off her paws.

"It'll be okay." He pressed against her, his pelt ice cold from the water. "Our kits will be amazing!"

Bluefur flinched. "We're from different Clans."

"That's an issue," Oakheart admitted. "But you can join RiverClan, or I can join ThunderClan. It's happened before."

"It has?" Bluefur demanded.

"Windflight from ThunderClan's father was in WindClan. Didn't you know that?"

Bluefur shook her head. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"So why does no one talk about it?" Bluefur muttered. Oakheart shrugged.

"Because they're too ashamed. WindClan for letting Windflight be raised in ThunderClan, and ThunderClan for taking in a half-Clan cat. They'd rather forget it."

"But if I joined ThunderClan, they'd be pure ThunderClan," Oakheart argued.

"You'd do that for me?" Bluefur's gaze grew misty.

"For you and our kits, absolutely."

"But you wanted to become leader one day. You could never do that in ThunderClan."

Oakheart's ear twitched. "I'm not the only cat in RiverClan who wants to be leader."

"But you could do it!" The forest whirled around her. "You can't leave your Clan." As desperately as she wanted him to, she couldn't let him give up his dream.

"Then why don't you come join RiverClan?"

Bluefur's muscles tensed. "I just can't."

"I promised I'd teach you to swim, if that's what you're worried about."

"It's not that." Bluefur's mind wandered to Thistleclaw, ambition in every claw strike, and Goosefeather's warning. Blood lies in his path. Fire lies in yours. "My Clan needs me."

"I need you, too. I need you more than I ever wanted to be leader."

"Don't you see? This is the only way it can be." It came out as a sob. Didn't he know that she felt the same way? She needed him with every fiber of her being. She wanted nothing more than to walk the rest of her days by his side, to watch their kits grow up together.

"I don't want to leave you," Bluefur cried. I can't leave you.

He gently touched his cheek to hers. "You don't need to. Bluefur, I'd do anything for you and our kits. I love you more than I ever thought possible." He exhaled slowly. "Please."

Bluefur paused, gazing into her mate's warm eyes and leaning into him. He was cold from the river, but she couldn't feel cold being close to him.

"Please stay with me," she finally whispered.

He purred gently and rasped his tongue over her ear. "I will come to you tomorrow at dawn. But I need to go now." He pulled away, emotion flooding his amber eyes. After swimming to the RiverClan side of the border, he turned back to her.

"I love you, Bluefur! I'll be there soon!"

Bluefur's head was spinning as she hauled herself back to the camp. How was she ever going to explain herself to her Clanmates? Her mind was filled with Oakheart. She thought of him by her side in the nursery as their kits played. The thought warmed her, then she turned ice cold at the thought of him padding into the clearing the following day, the scornful gazes of the warriors she had known her whole life following the cat who meant the most to her.