\\The Queen & The Soldier//

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Oakstar ’ ’

The moonlight glittered off of a female cat’s pelt, bouncing around the setting, stretching long shadows out into the night. Taking no interest in the darkness that befell her, the she-cat trudged onward, through the chilled air that nipped at her pelt. Leaf-Fall was such a bother, all the prey was plentiful, but the weather was a horror. Shaking those absentminded thoughts from her head, the Riverclan leader focused on the task at hand; the love of her life. In other words, Hawkice. There had always been a soft spot in between them, and yet no one but they knew it. They were in a spell of affection, and to have that with a female leader was to be breaking the Warrior Code. Oakstar shuddered at the thought, and then felt new ground underneath her paws.

She diverted her gaze to her paws, and saw before her the many paws prints on the smooth ground of the cats that had come before her and had paced the ground many times. Soon, the glittering waters of Moonpool would be lay out before her eyes, and take her breath away, as it had done many times before. The small hill came up, and Oakstar stepped gingerly up the incline, and saw what she had come for. The waters were even more spectacular tonight, and the moon as bright as the shining stars. Every detail was reflected in the still liquid, and it made Oakstar want to preserve the sacred place forever.

Oakstar descended down the hill, and chose her favorite spot to speak with Starclan; a rock that jutted out into the water, like a small peninsula in a vast ocean. She assumed the ‘sphinx’ position and a question struck her mind just as her nose touched the water, sending it to Starclan,
Starclan! Tell me that there is some way for me to love him! I don’t want to play mind games anymore!

||Word Count;; 325||
||Comments;; I need someone to play Starclan! The Title comes from a song, and it is like Oakstar is the Queen and Hawkice is the soldier! How cute.||

[Fernear!]

Many moons have passed since StarClan last spoke to a cat of the forest. The Clans had left many traditions behind them as time wore on their pelts, would kits know of the Warrior code? Would they know of StarClan? The many cats that loped through the starry forest carried this question on their shoulders every coming sun. On this wonderful Leaf-fall night a cat of StarClan could feel the pain of a cat who's path lead past the barrier of the Warrior code. He had felt the same way many uncountable moons ago. The clans had been young, so faithful and surprisingly peaceful. It was long before a she-cat would tell of a fiery prophecy and after the clans were had initiated. He had grasped faith in StarClan and the Warrior code throughout his life, though had taken a soft heart for the leader at the time. The two loved each other until the she-cat refused to become his mate; her faith in the Warrior code was stronger than the the faith in herself. The tom had been watching this young RiverClan leader ever since she was a kit, not once had he spoken to her. As the brown leader lay before the Moonpool he sat by her body as she faded from reality to dream.

The tom had watched Hawkice too, he was nothing like himself. The tom had gained a completely different personality over the course of the cats' love for each other, the starry tom on the other hand had always claimed a calm and passive personality. In the dream the two cats were alone, Oakstar's pelt appeared to be one with her surroundings while the StarClan cat glowed like Silverpelt on a clear night. He smiled and looked at the leader before him. He dipped his head in greeting and took a look at his surroundings.

The pine trees adorned the land while their fallen needles flew with the wind. A crescent moon hid behind the giants showing that what was to be seen had not yet to be seen by the old trees. Distant chatter from nestling squirrels could be heard overhead while a few cats were heard many horse lengths away. The tom sat there for many moments before he spoke of a phrase that was said to make the she-cat think.

"A silent wind can now be heard, a hidden sign can now be seen and a forbidden feeling is felt in this moonlit forest. You come because you love him."

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Oakstar ' ‘
The she-cat also dipped her head in greeting to the cat that roamed the stars of Silverpelt. Awestruck at his presence, she remained solemn, waiting for any type of sign that could answer her pleads. Smoothly and slowly, the sights around her faded, and the cold stone she had been perched on before dissolved into a sea of downy green grass. The scent of pine trees, usually only found in the Shadowclan territory, floated to her nose carried by a breeze, confirming her that she was no longer at Moonpool, but in the sacred meeting ground where Starclan and the four clans interacted.
“A silent wind can now be heard, a hidden sign can now be seen and a forbidden feeling is felt in this moonlit forest.”
The first thought that crossed her mind was bewilderment. How could a silent wind be heard? What could be a sign? The only thing that seemed clear to her was the forbidden feeling of her love and herself breaking the warrior code. The brown leader closed her eyes and dipped her head, and then opened her mouth to speak. She knew better than to contradict the words of a Starclan cat.
“I do love him. But I come to you in search of the truth and the right thing to do.”
Her heart wanted to just yowl, Give me a straight answer! But she still kept her vigil without breaking the silence, and fixed her icy eyes on this cat whose pelt glowed like the moon on a clear night. The she-cat blinked slowly, and then looked around her, scenting the air by briefly opening her mouth so that all of the scents wavered in. The night melted into a swirl of many aromas, which were comparable countless clouds in the air.

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||Word Count;; 303||
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[Fernear!]

The tom smiled, she had come for truth and the path for the right choice. As a cat of StarClan truth always seemed to become something on many cat's minds. He could feel Oakstar's radiating passion to get the answer, her love was true. If the tom was to show the truth, time would become of the essence for both cats. Picking up his old limbs he began to walk though stopped just as his back turned to the leader, he swished his tail and looked back to signal her to follow. Walking always made things lighter on the tom's shoulders.

Overhead a pair of bright feathered larks tussled while off to the right, a solitary badger dug her starry den. Though these animals weren't of StarClan, they could still find a peaceful refuge in dreams. Assuming the leader was following him, he moved on. Many eyes of StarClan were upon the two at the moment while others were on the Medicine Cat meeting. Something all its own should be told to a cat so it shall be known, but that is another story and another dream for a different cat. Here, this walk was for Oakstar and her love.

"The truth can be told but the truth must also be thought about. Why do you love Hawkice?"

This tom would have spoken in complete riddles but to keep his presence loose and not completely unquestioned would be best. The tom began to emit a radiant shine, a glow that was much brighter than his previous one. Day was coming in Oakstar's dream. Though time had passed quickly, things still had to be known and guidance had yet to be given. As the tom neared a puddle he looked at himself; all scarred and solemn. He missed his love. Though she had not taken him as her mate he had and would always love her. She walked somewhere in StarClan's forest though he had never seen her. How lucky they are, he thought. Oakstar wanted to have him as her mate as did Hawkice. The situation was becoming something all its own, something that could change many things.

Oakstar knows the consequences of having a mate and wanting kits while being leader. She would have to back down. This would be unknown to the tom, sure he had heard tales about it happening once and he never believed the stories to be true. The leader could give up the kits, though she would be un-fit to lead a clan during the pregnancy while endangering the kits in the process. The tom sat down once again not very far from where he was last. He would have to think of saying the truth no matter how hard or soft it may be to the she-cat.

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Oakstar met his gaze with icy pained eyes, knowing that fate had caught them at last. It was impossible for her and Hawkice to ever find a way to, click. She rose to follow the starry cat, her eyes glittering with curiosity as well as the knowledge that her request would be turned away from the clans. She could feel the ground beneath her paws as if she were awake, and every dream she had she marveled at the ancestors ability to recreate the land. Or had she somehow been transported to the stars? Most likely they were in between stars and sky, where ancestors had the ability to reconnect with lost and loved ones who still roamed the earth.

Then he asked her a question she had expected for quite a long time. Why do you love Hawkice? The question seemed so simple, but the answer was so tangled and hard to communicate. She took a deep breath and said,
“I love him because he is troubled, because we are both troubled. He understands my pain like no other cat does. Not having a family, no one can understand the difference between not having one, and then meeting the one you love, and not having one, and dying alone forever. I love him because he doesn’t see me as a leader, but as a friend.”

She finished and tucked her paws neatly under her, knowing that this was the best way she could explain herself to him. There was no way she could explain love, and knew no cat that could explain love. But the sickly feeling of mist that could not be cleared still filled her up like rainwater in a bowl. Her mind was still filled with hope that had once tasted sweet, but now changed to a horrible bitterness.

[Fernear!]

As the she-cat sat down once again, the starry tom sighed and followed her movements. He did not sit down but stood beside the confused yet confident she-cat instead. As she explained her reasoning for her love towards Hawkice the warrior began to weave his answer.

As her voice wrapped around his thoughts he began to connect to Oakstar’s love even more than he had. He felt his dead heart beating in his chest, his ghostly memories fly through his mind and yet he could not find the she-cat he loved throughout all of StarClan’s forest. For all his life he was certain that she’d made the journey to StarClan’s forest, and to be truthful, she did.

By the end of Oakstar’s answer the warrior was sitting down with his head hung over the ground. He sighed, for he knew what he was to say to the leader.

“The silent winds are your feelings, the hidden sign has now been seen more clearly and the forbidden feeling is your love. But love cannot be forgotten nor should it stay concealed from those your trust and love in return. You cannot hold back your love for Hawkice as my love had; if you truly love him you should keep the fire glowing like the morning sun. Kits may be on your mind, but I must let you decide whether or not to have them.”

Elegant stripes of early morning sunlight danced across the forest floor while the StarClan warrior’s speech came to an end. He had begun to fade. He had become illuminated in the new light; his aura had made him appear as if he really were a cat in the centre of a star.

“Follow what you believe in, Oakstar. Follow what you know and feel.”

He smiled and dipped his head before disappearing completely. He had returned to the clan of cats past. Assuming that Oakstar had a safe trip at the Moonpool, he moved on yet he still held onto what he had said. Maybe he was wrong? Had he said enough? Enough to let her decide perhaps, he thought hopefully. The morning sun captured the land once again. Only faint stars were still shining in the forest.

---

Jumping ahead a few suns, the warrior Oakstar had spoken with was to be present at one of StarClan’s conferences, if you must. Many RiverClan cats arrived in groups while the tom we know padded behind with his head low. A voice raised high above the commotion of the bright cats. The voice would begin to become more and more familiar to the tom, and yet he would never believe what would happen during this gathering. The cats were in a circular group, a group of twenty cats or so. The tom was on the outside of the eastern side along with some battle scarred warriors, a medicine cat and three apprentices. The leader in the middle of the group began like so:

“Greetings, members of StarClan! I’m sure you’ve all been well. The prey has been running well, as always and our descendants below us seem to be doing well for the most part. But I must say, I’ve seen the current RiverClan leader, Oakstar, falling in love with one of her warriors! What have you all to say about it?!”

No one stirred, except the tom who spoke to Oakstar just a few suns ago.

“What are we to do about this? Who knows, she may break the Warrior code for this icy tom! I say we talk to her or one of us at—“

She was cut off by our faithful tom. He had taken too much of this, he could not let that she-cat batter the one he has been watching any longer. As he walked into the middle of the group he could feel all deep eyes gazing at him wondrously. And as he picked up his gaze at the femme before him, his confidence shrunk as well as grew. She was the cat whom he had loved, and loves to this day. How could she try to deny love? It is simple; if the love is true it will never be beaten. He picked his head up high and continued to speak of what he believed was true in this matter.

“I’ve already spoken to her. And of anyone, you should know how it feels to be torn in two by love and the code, Bitternstar. I’m sure you couldn’t have washed the memory out by now. We felt the same way, we were in the same place as Oakstar and Hawkice are. Can you not remember?”

“Mapleheart! What are you saying? I never loved you, I could never love anyone. The code was where I faithfully stood!”

“Liar! You loved me as strongly if not more strongly than I had and still do. You chose to follow the Warrior code, which I respect, and left me with a broken heart. We could’ve just been mates, I didn’t need kits I just wanted your love. You cannot deny how you felt nor how Hawkice will feel if Oakstar chooses to follow the Warrior code. He will end up like me. Left to wonder what may have happened if she had chosen differently. Maybe you should let that swim around your mind for a while before you say anything to that she-cat.”

And at that he pushed through the crowd and left. Bitternstar was left with her ears lying of her head and her head low, hovering over what she lived and thought. She had indeed loved Mapleheart, she loved him with such passion and trust and yet she could not bring herself to believe it. She looked around and found herself alone. The members of StarClan had left, silently feeding on what Mapleheart had said. During the days of life for Bitternstar and Mapleheart, their love was as obvious as the seasons are. No one could say anything to stop them, only Bitternstar’s extreme faith in the Warrior code held them back and in the end brought them to this conversation during the gathering. Mapleheart still loves Bitternstar, and though he is a cat faithful to the Warrior code, his love for the confused leader will never fade. She sighed, for she felt she had lost part of herself. Maybe Oakstar is making the decision I didn’t. Maybe she will decide as I did. The Warrior code was such a valiant tree in my life, maybe it is in hers to…

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The words before had swam around in her head like mist, but now the mist had subsided, leaving his decision clear in her mind. Starclan hadn't forbidden her, but she knew that the warrior code still must be followed. Her decision had been made, she would follow her heart with Hawkice, there was no stepping back now. Her paws no longer felt the ground, they were walking on air. The leader hadn't felt this lightheaded since her apprenticing ceremony, the one she thought she would never have. The leader rose to her paws and dipped her head to the starry warrior, and turned to leave. Hesitating, she turned back around to him and whispered,
"Thank you... May you walk in Starclan's light forever..."
Then she turned her back on her ancestor, and padded away. A brilliant light blinded the leader for a moment, and she let up a yowl in pain, and then her dream was no more...
---
Oakstar's eyes snapped open, and she drew her muzzle away from the Moonpool, glancing around. An orange ball of light was rising over the horizon, day-break was here. The leader was almost sad to see her dream fade, but she had received the guidance that had brought her to the starry pool of wonder. The she-cat rose to her paws on the slick surface of stone, and took a step back, letting the entire dream run through her mind again. Then she remembered the strange words her ancestor had said to her about Hawkice.
"You cannot hold back your love for Hawkice as my love had..."
Was he trying to tell her something? Had this happened in Riverclan before? Maybe he was trying to prevent something from happening that had happened many moons before she had come to Riverclan. The she-cat began her journey back up the ridge and into Thunderclan territory, the words echoing inside her head like rain. She would be Hawkice's mate, but the kits, she feared, might never come...