Soft blue, yellow, and pink swam together in the sky, tiny clouds spread through the sky like pine needles on the forest floor. The camp was quiet, with only Sunstar sitting in front of the highrock, looking deep in thought.
Bluefur sat outside the nursery as she waited for Oakheart to arrive. Tiredness weighed at her paws. She looked down at her belly and self-consciously licked the soft fur.
"It's too cold to be just sitting there," Rosetail called, padding over to Bluefur's side. Her red tail looked like fire in the morning sunlight. "What got you up so early?"
Bluefur opened her mouth to respond, but a tawny pelt entering the camp captured her focus. Oakheart had arrived.
"Oakheart? What is he doing here?" The fur on Rosetail's neck began to rise and she unsheathed her claws. Hostile murmurs radiated from her Clanmates, who had begun to leave their dens.
"I would like to speak with Sunstar." Oakheart's mew rang through the clearing.
Sunstar flicked his tail, signaling for Oakheart to approach.
Oakheart sat in front of Sunstar and dipped his head. "I apologize for entering your camp unannounced," he began. "Please hear what I have to say."
Sunstar nodded curtly. Most of the Clan was awake now, standing and muttering outside their dens. Some growled, but none spoke directly.
"I have taken Bluefur as my mate and she is expecting kits. We have broken the warrior code by being together, but I can't bear to be separated from her while she raises our kits. I wish to join ThunderClan."
There was silence for a moment.
"Traitor!" Tigerclaw hissed furiously, facing Bluefur with his claws extended. "You do know him! How long has this been going on?"
Bluefur ignored him. Sunstar hissed for him to be quiet.
Sunstar spoke at last. "Why should we take you in? You broke the warrior code. How are we supposed to trust you?"
"I will prove myself. I know I will need to earn my place amongst my Clanmates, and I am willing to do whatever it takes." Oakheart kept his head high as he spoke. "I love Bluefur. I need more than I need anything to be with our kits."
Sunstar regarded him carefully, saying nothing.
"Kits need a mother and father." Windflight's mew was loud and clear. "It would be cruel to rob these kits of having both their parents because of their mistake."
"How could we ever trust a cat who's been our enemy for so long?" Thistleclaw growled.
"Thistleclaw has a point," Sunstar admitted.
Horror gripped Bluefur. The ground swayed beneath her paws. She felt like it would open up and swallow her any second. Fear for her mate shot through her like lightning. What would Oakheart do if ThunderClan rejected him? He'd have to be a loner. RiverClan would never take him back.
"I respect your decision, Sunstar, whatever it may be." Oakheart blinked slowly. "All I want is to be with Bluefur. Although we have broken the warrior code, I want to make things right now."
Sunstar held his gaze for what felt like a lifetime. Contemplation flickered in his eyes.
Please.
"Alright," he finally mewed. "But there will be conditions."
Relief washed over Bluefur, heavy as a wave, nearly knocking her down. She exhaled deeply, realizing how tense she had been.
"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Nearly every cat in ThunderClan was already surrounding the Highrock, listening.
"What in StarClan is so important it couldn't wait until the sun had risen?" Larksong grumbled, stretching in front of her den. Her gaze caught Oakheart and she froze. "What is he doing here?"
"ThunderClan will be welcoming a new warrior," he announced, his voice ringing through the clearing. "Oakheart from RiverClan has decided to join ThunderClan to be with Bluefur and their kits."
Silence. Bluefur turned to see her Clanmates. Rosetail gazed at Bluefur, her eyes round with concern.
"Have we abandoned the warrior code completely? What will StarClan think?" Fuzzypelt hissed from outside the elder's den.
"Oakheart will be given a chance to prove his loyalty!" Sunstar snapped. "For the next moon, he will not be allowed to leave camp without an escort. He will also be solely responsible for caring for Bluefur in the nursery. Neither Oakheart nor Bluefur will be allowed to attend Gatherings for the next six moons." He paused, looking around at his Clan. "Is that clear?"
Murmurs of approval rang throughout the Clan. Oakheart nodded and dipped his head. "Thank you, Sunstar. I won't let you down."
Sunstar stepped down from the Highrock. "Adderfang, Whitestorm, Stormtail, and Oakheart!" he called. "You will be the dawn patrol."
Bluefur and Oakheart stepped aside. Their Clanmates stared at them with mixed curiosity and hostility. She suddenly felt very small. Traitor. Tigerclaw's accusation rang in Bluefur's ears.
Bluefur pressed against her mate. He still smelled a little fishy, but the scent of the forest was washed over him. She was lost for words.
"He must like me if he's already chosen me for a patrol," Oakheart joked.
"I can't believe you're here," Bluefur whispered. "Are you going to be okay out there?" The terrain on this side of the river was different. Oakheart wouldn't be used to it.
"I'll be fine," he mewed, licking her ear. "I have to go." He turned to the rest of the patrol. "I'll be back soon!"
Bluefur spent the morning in the nursery eagerly awaiting Oakheart's return. Light filtered through the bracken dappled the moss-covered ground. She had slept intermittently, but couldn't stay asleep for long. Anxiety over Oakheart kept her awake, wondering how he was doing with their Clanmates. She groomed herself and kept an eye out for her mate, or anyone else to keep her company. White-eye and her kits, Mousekit and Runningkit, shared the nursery with her, but they had slept all morning. She sat outside of the nursery.
"You have some explaining to do!"
It was Rosetail. She was staring intently at her, her amber eyes burning.
"How long has this been going on with Oakheart? Why didn't you tell me?"
Bluefur had known this conversation was coming, but didn't know what to tell her friend. "It just was never the right time," she mumbled.
"I wouldn't have told anyone, you know," she said quietly, sitting by her side. "I'm just so shocked. And your kits- you told me they were Thrushpelt's!"
"I did not!" Bluefur meowed defensively, her neck fur bristling. "I never said they were his. I just said not to tell him. But you did anyway!"
Rosetail looked at her paws. "I thought you would have told him. I never thought they would be anyone else's!" She looked up at her. "I'm sorry."
Bluefur's pelt flattened. She shook her head to clear it. "It's fine. It's all out in the open now, anyways."
"How long have you been meeting with him?"
"Well..." Bluefur hesitated. She and Oakheart had met many seasons ago but only met up once at Fourtrees a moon prior. "It's been going on for a while."
"Did anyone know?"
"No."
Rosetail flicked her tail back and forth. "Are you happy?"
Bluefur blinked slowly at her. "Yes," she mewed.
Her friend nudged her. "You're so lucky. You got the most handsome tom in RiverClan, and he was willing to leave his Clan for you!"
Bluefur turned hot, remembering the words he had said to her that night at Fourtrees. "He said the only thing that could hurt him was being apart from me."
Rosetail looked up and sighed dramatically. "That's so romantic!" She looked back to Bluefur. "I wish someone mooned over me like that."
"You'll find someone." Bluefur tried to comfort her friend, guiltily thinking that she hadn't seen anyone expressing much interest in her.
"How's my beautiful mate?"
Bluefur's ears perked up as Oakheart approached them. He was carrying a thin sparrow. Rosetail cast a sly glance at Bluefur. "I guess I better go hunting."
Oakheart dropped the sparrow and headbutt Bluefur on the cheek as soon as Rosetail left. "That's your friend, right?"
Bluefur nodded. "That's Rosetail. One of my closest friends."
"I got you this," Oakheart mewed, nudging the sparrow closer to her with his paw.
Bluefur sighed, looking down at her belly. She had been hungry for days, and she worried for her kits if she didn't eat soon. White-eye woke up at the scent of prey. Her kits woke up too, shoving each other to get to the sparrow first. White-eye hissed and they looked at her with round eyes.
"Wait your turn!" She nodded to Bluefur. "You first."
Guilt pricked at Bluefur's pelt. White-eye was thin, and the whole Clan was starving. She leaned down and took a few bites, struggling to restrain herself from eating the whole thing. It was stringy and the taste of bark laid thick on her tongue.
Oakheart purred. "My first catch in ThunderClan," he meowed proudly. "I wanted you to be the first to have it."
She tore her head away from the sparrow and licked his ear. "I wish I could have gone with you. I'd have loved to see you leaping into a tree, nearly missing entirely."
"Hey!" He nudged her. "I caught that skillfully and gracefully."
Bluefur purred and pushed the sparrow to White-eye. Her kits took a few bites before she took it back to finish it off.
"How was the hunting patrol?" Bluefur asked nervously.
Oakheart sighed and looked away before looking back to answer. "We weren't able to find much prey, and Stormtail was giving me a hard time. Whitestorm was good though. He's a great cat. But don't worry about any of that." He laid down with her and they shared tongues. "All you need to worry about is keeping our kits safe and healthy."
Feeling more at peace than she had in moons, heaviness overwhelmed Bluefur as she realized how exhausted she was. Oakheart's warm tongue rasping over her ear was the last thing she felt as she fell into a deep sleep.