Briarstar, The Great Eagle, And Fire Water

Briarstar's journey had started out well, but on the fourth day on her own she began to feel as if she had left her clan for no reason and a pang of loneliness. Why did i leave my clan  she thought to herself as she padded in the direction of the strange thing she had seen in her dream. Passing over a small rise she caught sight of a black figure beneath a small pine. She crept back and cautiously approached the dark shape, as she neared the pine she recognized the figure as a tom, he seemed to be waiting for something. Creeping closer she caught a few words the strange tom was mumbling, 

    "She should be here...i sensed her dreams last night...." the cat sighed seemingly upset at the absence of whoever "she" was. Curiosity prickled at Briarstars pelt and she called out to the stranger to warn him of her presence "Pardon me." she mewed ahead. 

    The tom jumped at her call puffing up in surprise "oh my well hello there" he shook himself regaining his dignity "If I may, my name is Shadow Walker and i do believe you are Briarstar"

Briarstar stared at the cat how did he know her name!? 

    "Ah you see i can surprise you without sneaking around in bushes" The tom chuckled happy he had taken her off guard.

 Briarstars pelt burned with embarrassment, "well at least i called to you..." she stammered

    "Yes but you were meant to come down that.... you saw me over the rise there didn't you," Shadow walker took a deep sigh, " something to keep in mind hide until you see the cat" He mewed to himself.

    Briarstar shook herself " I am still confused... how do you know my name shadow walker" 

    "Well first off just call me Shade where i come from that is my speaking name. And to how i know your name... well that is more of a complex story, your mother gave it to me" 

    "My ... my mother, but she is in star clan... how did..." Briarstar tried to grasp what the cat was telling her.

    "Yes she is among the stars now but as i said it is a complex story and I am, much more concerned with the story that lay at our paws. Now we must seek the great eagle" Shades eyes shown with knowledge and excitement.

    Briarstar took in the cat speaking to her, he was quite handsome his pelt a jet black, shimmering in the green leaf sun. all but a sliver of white under his left eye. His eyes were mismatched one green one blue with streaks of gold in both. Everything about this tom was intriguing. "So are you to say that I am to travel with you... a strange cat who claims my mother in star clan gave you my name. Is that about right?"

    "yes that about sums it up a strange cat and a strange story, but you should trust me don't worry." He stated Simply 

    Shrugging her shoulders Briarstar decided to trust this stranger and go to speak with the great eagle as he claimed." Who is the great eagle?" Briarstar questioned as the pair began to walk towards their unknown destination. 

    "Ah that is something even i don not know" Shade chuckled. "Remember I just know your name because your mother gave it to me not bec...."

    

    "NO..." Briarstar cuts him off frustrated "You knew my dreams... i heard you say that!!" She caught her words as they fell out of her mouth, feeling even more embarrassed.

     

    He answered her calmly humor ringing in his voice "So not only were you sneaking you were also eavesdropping as well! Don't worry Briarstar answers will come" He padded ahead, "Come on now we have quite a ways to go and little time to get there"

    Heaving a deep sigh Briarstar caught up to shade and side by side she and shade raced away to start the story laying at their paws.

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Two nights had passed since Briarstar had met shade and and already Briarstar was mooning after the mysterious tom. He was very smart and Kind, He was a great hunter and was modest. Yet she wondered at his seemingly endless knowledge "Oh Please let it be i have not fallen for a Starclan cat"

Shade Watched Briarstar as she made her nest, she was quite a lovely she cat and he wondered at her kindness and trust in him since he was such a stranger to her. Not many a cat crossed his path and most that did were loners and rouges who would rather pick a fight with him than talk to the cat with the mismatched eyes. The dreams that he felt and followed had always been there and had always led him to Briarstar. The first time he had seen her was when he was just a moon old looking onto the rock pool near his mothers nest, she was covered in herbs and cobweb and he could sense her sadness. A tail and ear gone, a mother and sister lost. He knew so much of her, yet so little; He was embaressed att the fact that he did not know how to to make his feelings known to the beautiful she cat. Without meaning to he found himself walking towards Briarstar, "What are my paws doing" he thought to himself.

    "Hi- a Briarstar, would you like to take a stroll through the woods before we head to our nests?" The words tumble from his mouth as if another cat had controll of his tongue. He was relieved to see her look excited at his offer. "thank the stars"

    "sure shade, that sounds lovely" Briarstar responded Warmly

Shade led the way through the moonlit trees he and Briarstar mewing about all they could. Shade heard the waking dreams she had and the pair nested together under a flowering tree under a beautiful full moon believing in nothing but each other. 

    Briarstar woke to a warm pelt around her still sleeping peacefully, "Shade" she whispered flicking his nose with her tail, "It is time to get moving again." 

   

    "Okay" shade yawned arching his back in a huge streatch.

 

Happier than ever Briarstar stretched in the nest before following Shade over to a small pool for a quick drink. As she neared him she sensed something was wrong he had stopped dead in his tracks head arched staring into the pool of water. She called out to him but he didn't even twitch a whisker. She tried again "SHADE whats wrong!?!" she yowled at him if not for his breath on the water she would have thought he was stone. She wanted to run to him and jolt him out of the weird trance but something told her to stay back. just as she began to move toward Shade he quickly turns shaking his fur.

    "... Shall we go then...?" he asks clearing his throat a hint of sorrow flickers across his vision then vanishes in the same instant. 

    "What just happened Shade?" Briarstar asked concerned for her companion. 

    "Nothing .... well something .... but for me normal I guess... well I-I see things in water and i saw... That's where your mother came to me before and just its nothing to worry over. Lets get going now" She could sense something was wrong; he was hiding something, covering up something... something bad. For now she would let it go, but she would ask him more later.

TO BE CONTINUED