| abstract | - This is a tale of love. I'm trying something new. When you see a bold blue word, put your mouse on it. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised! My name is Bloomtail. I am a golden-brown tabby she-cat. My eyes are green.I live in a place called ForestClan. It is where the earth meets the sky. It is where trees stretch high above your head for as far as you can see. It is where sunlight shines in slivers through the walls created by leaves. Our camp is a beautiful haven- the place where stone is flat and smooth. Trees make our dens, but they stretch around us in the circle. It is been said where it is the only place where a cat can truly see the stars. Yes, our camp is overpopulated. I couldn't tell you the name of every cat. Only the leader and the medicine cat can. They have to know.Our deputy is trying to learn, but his time is running out. He is growing old, and so is our leader, Redstar. He is called this because his pelt is as red as red clay. It is sleek and shiny. The cats that know me well could tell you that I am love with Redstar. I am not. I am simply... infatuated.I stare at him when he calls Clan meeting. When we have a chance to have a conversation he shies away from my intense gaze.I'm sure he remembers: he was my sister's mentor. She was his only apprentice. The day after she became a warrior, she died in battle. All of us have to eat, and Clan rules state that once you are old enough, you must hunt for yourself until you lose the ability. So I am hunting a mouse. My stomach growls and I wince. The mouse senses the danger and begins to move slowly away. I must leap now or-I hear my name called. Bloomtail.I stand as the mouse scampers away. What? I snap.Redstar pokes his head from the trees. I'm sorry, he says, were you hunting?My heart pounds. He has started the conversation. I stumble over my reply: Not anymore, it's fine. Can we talk? Redstar asks me. I'm... confused. And you seem to be trustworthy.I nod eagerly. Anything.Reedstar nods and bursts out: I hate being leader.I struggle to keep my jaw from dropping. I nod at him instead. Go on.He stares, but continues. It's too much stress. I want to leave. I know you will leave with me if you ask me to. His stare is astonishingly sharp and knowing. If I refuse, he will confront me. If I accept, I will leave all my friends. I make my decision easily. Yes. Redstar nods. Meet me back here at moonhigh.I nod and head back to camp, but my friends ambush me.Lilyfur, a red-and-white she-cat, and Flowerpelt, a brightly-colored tortoiseshell.We heard everything! Flowerpelt says excitedly, bouncing from paw to paw. You get to go away with him!Lilyfur just looks at me sadly. You're really going?Yes, I say. I have to. He wants me to. This is my chance!Lilyfur just shakes her head. You'll regret this one day, Bloomtail. With that, she bounds off to our right, disappearing into the trees.Flowerpelt watches. I'll help you get ready, she mews. This is so exciting! I meet Redstar back again at midnight. I have taken traveling herbs. I have said my goodbyes.Redstar waits for me. Hello, he mews.I nod at him. Where are we going?No clue, Redstar grunts as we start walking.This is when I begin to think that Lilyfur was right. We are quiet as we travel together. We slip through the woods like snakes do. I am having serious doubts about this now and we haven't even left the territory. I'll miss it here, I say to Redstar eventually.He doesn't respond to my statement, but says, I'm sorry, Bloomtail, but we have to change our names now.My heart stops. What? My Clan name is who I am!I'm sorry, Bloom, he says again. I'm so sorry. We travel for moons. We eventually reach a place that I have never seen before. I can tell Red wants to stay. But I keep going.What's wrong? he asks. We can stay here! It's safe! There's prey.There's Twolegs, I respond dryly, gesturing to their nests.They'll feed us, Red argues.No, I say angrily. You took me away from my Clan, Redstar! He widens his eyes at the use of his old name, but I keep going: We traveled for moons and moons and all I thought that whole time is that we would find a place! And you find this! What is this? It's not beautiful, I can tell you that. Red's eyes are wide. He says, I just wanted to show you the beauty of kittypet life. It's so much easier. Yes, our kits will get taken away from us, but that doesn't matter.Our kits? I whisper. My heart begins to pound. If only Flowerpelt and Lilyfur were here now! I want to prove Lilyfur wrong. I want Flowerpelt's enthusiasm. Red purrs. I know I chose the right cat to fall in love with.I shake my head in disbelief. This has to be a dream or a trick. But I play along and let Red lead me along the white walls. Cats stand on them, waving their tails at us. They are welcoming us here.Hello, Red says to each one of them. This is my mate, Bloom. Isn't she beautiful? The toms reply with words of congratulations, and the she-cats reply with compliments to the pair of us. We stop in front of a Twoleg and they rub our backs with their clawless paws. I purr. It feels so good to be loved and to be known.The Twoleg takes us in. We are kittypets now. Eventually we get jingles around our neck.I eventually meet all of the cats that live around me.Jackel, a black-and-white tom, and Avis, a brown tabby she-cat, live on one side. They and Reedy, the brown tom that lives on our other side, are happy to see us. They tell Red and I that the Twolegs that found us were looking for housecats all their lives, but with their new kits they never got around to it.The Twoleg kits are happy. I like the female- she pets me gently and feeds me and lets me play with a fake mouse. The male is more rough, so Red and I tend to avoid him. Red and I eventually do have kits: the Twolegs deem their names for us. Prince, a golden-brown tom, looks exactly like me. Dusty, a reddish she-cat, looks exactly like Red. Red and I discussed their Clan names: Prince would be Lionkit, and Dusty would be Dustkit. And then I wake up.I am in my nest in the nursery. Redstar stands above me, saying things like You worked so hard! and Our kits are simply beautiful. Don't you agree?I look down at them. A golden-brown tom, and a reddish she-cat. I look at my faithful mate. I have ideas for names, I say.The golden-brown tom is called Brackenkit and the reddish she-cat is Sunkit. It was a dream, but I don't particularily mind. I look at Redstar. Welcome our kits to the Clan, I tell him. And be glad we live here.My mate stares at me in confusion. Why do you say that?I shrug. No reason. I just really love it here. And I love you.
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