Chapter 3
The tree collapsing blocked off her sight of the two she-cats, it fell exactly where Briarpaw was sat just heartbeats earlier. Blossompaw let out a short sigh of relief before darting towards the tree to see her sister and Dovepaw standing less than a tail length away from one of the trees outstretched branches.
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“I can’t tell you how thankful I am for you saving my sister today,” Blossompaw mewed once they had returned to the apprentices den, “For a split second I thought she was gone.”
”It’s just what a friend does, I already knew the tree was falling in, I had an advantage in a sense it wasn’t really bravery,” Dovepaw replied.
”Great Starclan! You really believe that! Everybody else would have just watched even if they could see the tree falling!”
"You really think that?" Dovepaw asked voice quivering. Blossompaw purred, "Of course I do!" Dovepaw did not reply but leaned onto Blossompaw letting out a purr. Blossompaw felt the usual butterflies stir in her stomach, but she shoved her feelings down and let a well deserved sleep overcome her.
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When Blossompaw awoke, Dovepaw's pelt still brushed lightly against hers as she slept calmly beside her. Then something hit Blossompaw, it had been her assessment yesterday and today she would see if she was to become a warrior. She knew even if she passed, she would be sad as the time she spent with Dovepaw on a daily basis would be much less.
Blossompaw felt as Dovepaw stirred beside her. Blossompaw looked to see Dovepaw starring up at her, eyes fraught with an emotion she did not recognise, "Morning Blossompaw! You'll become a warrior today, I'm sure of it!"
"But what if I don't? What if both of my siblings pass and I don't?" Blossompaw felt the words spilling out of her, she was always so vulnerable in front of Dovepaw. "Then you'll pass a quarter moon later! Besides in the meantime, me and Ivypaw are going nowhere, you'd have us to chat to."
"I guess you're right…" Blossompaw mewed. Dovepaw stood proudly, "When have I been wrong?" Dovepaw smirked. Blossompaw purred in response, "You're rarely right!" Blossompaw joked before playfully swiping at Dovepaw with her paw, however Dovepaw was ready, she ducked under the paw, causing Blossompaw to lose her balance. "Too easy!" Dovepaw declared triumphantly.
"I'm gonna rest some more, while I have the time." Mewed Blossompaw. Blossompaw crawled back into her nest and closed her eyes. Before she fell asleep though, she felt Dovepaw brush past her and lie next to her, before curling herself almost prospectively around Blossompaw. Blossompaw could feel her heart almost exploding at this. Dovepaw was most likely cold in the freezing leaf-bare months, that was why she had curled up against Blossompaw knew that she would give anything for it to have been for a different reason.
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When Blossompaw awoke she expected to be in the apprentices den still curled up against Dovepaw. But instead she was in a desolate wasteland, darker than she had ever seen and dotted with lifeless trees. A she-cat emerged from the line of treese, "Hello young Blossompaw!"
"Who are you? And how do you know my name!" Blossompaw's fur bristled as she readied to defend herself from the stranger. "Do not fear, I am only here to help you!"
In her head she willed herself to be back in the apprentices den, and as she did so the forest disapated and she felt Dovepaw's tail rubbing across her spine comfortingly. "It's just a dream," She heard Dovepaw murmur. When Dovepaw saw that Blossompaw had finally awoken, her tail shot up from Blossompaw's spine and into the air in happiness.
"You're awake! You've been shaking violently for the last 15 minutes!" Dovepaw mewed anxiousness seeping into her mew. "Sorry I just had a bad dream, that's all!"
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Blossomfall! Briarlight! Bumblestripe! Blossomfall! Briarlight! Bumblestripe!
Blossomfall raised her head proudly and looked onto the gathered cats, among them sat her mother Millie, her father Greystripe and the one she held closest to her heart, Dovepaw, all cheering her and her littermates new names.
After the ceremony had finished, Dovepaw rushed up to Blossomfall, "You won't stop talking to me now that you're a warrior, will you?"
"I wouldn't dream of it!"
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Blossomfall knew she should be happy, she was a warrior now after all. But she had never felt so alone, Bumblestripe had stopped talking to her after Blossomfall had remained friends with Dovepaw after his regection and Briarlight was still closed off due to the tree incident.
Blossomfall tucked her paws beneath herself neatly and let the relaxing feeling of sleep drain all her worries away.
When Blossomfall awoke, she was back in that place again. And the same she cat who had approached her the night before returned.
“Please just leave me alone!” Blossomfall begged the stranger, “Why do you haunt me?”
”To help you get stronger of course! Your silly little Thunderclan mentor probably only taught you half of the things you need to know.”
“Hazeltail was a great mentor!”
”I doubt a rogue could ever teach another cat anything but weakness!”
”No true Thunderclan cat would ever train in this horrid wasteland!”
”So you say, but… Ever notice something different with one of the people who were apprenticed with?”
”No, not really, why though?”
“You know your mate’s sister…”
”Dovepaw is not my mate!” Blossomfall interrupted.
“What you wouldn’t give for her to be though!”
Blossomfall tried to will herself out of the horrid forest she had been brought to. Slowly she felt herself leave and the chilling air that blew through that place disappeared. Before she knew it she had returned to her nest and the sun was just rising.
Better warn Dovepaw about the fact that Ivypaw is training in that strange forest, the nerve of that cat, trying to lure me in.
Blossomfall stretched her paws before hopping out of her nest and leaving the warriors den. Outside, cats were sharing tongues and eating prey that the earliest patrol must have caught. In the corner of her eye she spotted Dovepaw who seemed to be idly staring into the sky.
Padding over Blossomfall called out to Dovepaw, "Hey! Dovepaw!" Immediately Dovepaws head shot up registered Blossomfalls presence, "Hi Blossomfall! How's life as a warrior?" Dovepaw asked, "I can't wait to be a warrior too, it gets lonely, you know. Ivypaw's been closed off ever since I talked to her about the weirds claw marks she had seemingly gained overnight."
"That's what I wanted to talk about, last night in my dreams, a cat offered to train me. I declined of course but while trying to persuade me to train she told me that Ivypaw was already training there."
"And I suppose you’ve seen her do this! Ivypaw would never be so stupid to let some random person she never knew train her in her dreams!” Dovepaw spat acidly. Dovepaw’s sudden change in tone shocked Blossomfall to the point that she barely registered what Dovepaw had just said.
”I can’t believe we were ever friends!” Dovepaw’s words were like icy claws that surrounded her and chilled her to her heart.