A/N- Muahahahahahahahaha...I am the one who suggested a category for this book...but who knows if I'm the first fic? O well...I personally found this book a billion times better than anything else...[even Harry Potter and I'm kinda hoping that it gets to be a fairly big category here...[maybe 30 or so authors?. Not that it matters, I guess. I just thought it was kool because there's a million possibilities that you could write about it and fill in the holes...and seeing as half the book was ansgt and romance was a at a total absence...heh heh. PikaCheeka book! -...Padfootmew book too.

Summary: Just a short ditty about Bracken as she lay dying as she protected her 'son' Rannoch from being killed.

There is a part at the end where I had to take some lines from the book. I could have reworded the entire scenario, but it would have been skewing canon too much. Most of the words in quotation marks (the spoken bits) are copyright David Clement-Davies.

Fic on- Fire Bringer by David Clements-davies

Mother No More

By PikaCheeka

"I can't let them face Sgorr alone." Rannoch growled, kicking the ground with his cloven hoof. He was a brave stag, although his hatred for fighting greatly diminished that fact. He was much like his father in that matter, only battling when it was necessary, only when a life was at stake. Except Brechin let his pride get the best of him every so often, especially at Anlach.

Something behind him suddenly flickered, something off in the trees. I caught the glimpse of an antler. Most of the Outriders had already left with Thistle, I knew that much, and the rest were off with the herd. Who would be in this secluded area?

Rannoch paused at that moment, flicking his ears back. But the deer behind him remained frozen, and did not make a sound. I longed to cry out, to warn him of the danger behind him. But I couldn't.

It was as if time itself was frozen. I couldn't utter a sound, not even to save my changeling son before me. The son that had replaced the one I never had. Elion, his real mother, never knew just what she did for me when she handed him over to me.

She had saved his life from Sgorr, yes. But she had also given me something to live for. Not that it mattered. I knew suddenly that the deer behind him was evil, one of Sgorr's, and was bent on killing Rannoch.

And then the deer lunged, flying down the slope on his thin legs, his sharpened antlers glinting in the sun. He was one of Sgorrs. Only Sgorrs minions had such finely sharpened antlers, only his Sgorrla had the arrogance and supposed power to rub their antlers against stones, bringing them down to fine and deadly points.

Rannoch didn't move, he just glanced at me oddly for a moment, perhaps realizing the mortification in my eyes. But it was too late. For even if I cried out, he would swivel around in time to see what was happening. He didn't even have time to leap aside or lower his head.

There was only one thing left to do. And that was dive in front of the Sgorrla, take the wound for myself, and die for the stag that was not mine. Die for the stag of Elion and Brechin.

Without a further thought, I propelled myself forward, smashing into Rannoch and knocking him to the side as I did.

What I had done didn't even occur to me until after.

After the traitor's antlers dug into my side.

"Mother!" Rannoch cried in desperation as I fell, watching the blood leak forward in stunned silence. I had always known I would die to a Sgorrla or a Draila. Rannochs fate as well.

I barely noticed what was happening around me after that, everything was swimming, sinking into oblivion. I dimly realized the ground being torn up as Rannoch launched himself upon the Sgorrla and lock heads with him. The crashed together loudly. Rannoch was in his prime, his antlers immense and powerful, while the Sgorrla was younger and less experienced.

Although Rannochs refusal to fight the past two years had dulled his senses, and he was fighting on pure instinct alone.

With a sudden bellow the Sgorrla turned away, running for the trees, blood streaming from multiple wounds on him, at least one as fatal as my own.

"Mother!" Rannoch gasped.

Then it hit me. After all those years of raising him, he had never known the truth. He never knew that I was not his real mother, that Elion was his mother, and I was nothing. He did not know he was a changeling, did not know he was the one in the Prophecy.

And once I told him...

One I told him, I would be his mother...

Mother no more.

"Mother, mother, what happened?" he gasped.

"I don't know..." I gasped. "He came from the trees. He must have been sent to harm you." My brain worked furiously, trying to figure out how I could explain it all to him in a few short minutes. The few short minutes I had to live.

"To harm me, but who?" his eyes were wide with confusion and pain. But wasn't it obvious? Wasn't it obvious he was one of the most wanted deer? He had destroyed Herne's Herd, he had eluded Sgorr again and again, he had the oaken leaf on his brow...

"Sgorr, Sgorr sent him." I muttered, not wanting to tell him. I still did not want to tell him. I did not want him to know. And yet, he had to. He had to fulfill his destiny and save the Island Chain.

"Why now?"

"Rannoch, listen to me, There is little time and there is something I must tell you." I blinked several times, each time longer than the last. It was all coming clearer to me now as well. After all those years of raising him, I had almost forgotten he was not my son at all, but Elion's.

"What do you mean little time?" He still did not know I was dying. Or maybe he chose not to believe it.

"I am dying, Rannoch. I can feel it. That stag's antler has pierced my heart."

"No mother, I will heal you!" he cried desperately. He was in a panic, already searching for some plants that he could use. He was a healer indeed, but that was not what he was meant for.

"No, Rannoch, not even you can do that." That was true. For my heart was being torn in two as well. I did not want to tell him. He would rush off into a futile battle and die. I did not want him to die, not for me, not for his true parents, not for anyone. He was my fawn to me.

"But mother..." he muttered. I winced, not able to hear him call me 'mother' anymore. I was not his mother, not anymore. I couldn't even pretend anymore...

"I am not your mother, Rannoch." I snapped loudly, wishing I did not have to.

"Not my moth-" his eyes widened even farther in astonishment.

"No. You were changed, Rannoch, at birth." It all came flooding back in a tidal wave of memories. My own fawn had been a stillborn, and to avoid Drail, Elion and I had switched the two fawns. Leaving her with a dead one and I with a live one, neither of them our own. I could remember so clearly the intense look of pain and sadness in her eyes as she was led away.

"Then who?" He narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"Elion. Elion was your mother. The hind you said good-bye to all those years ago. She was one of Captain Brechin's hinds. But that night when Drail and Sgorr killed your father on the hill-"

"Killed my father?" He gasped. He had always know that his father was Brechin, but he had never known exactly how he died. I had hinted at wolves and a few other things, but never another deer.

"Yes, Rannoch, and destroyed the Outriders." I muttered. My own husband had died that day. Every single Outrider had fallen that night.

"Sgorr." Rannoch whispered, gritting his teeth hard, trying to disguise the tremble in his voice.

"Yes, Sgorr was coming to kill you. And when Blindweed saw that mark he was afraid for you. So we switched you with my fawn who died. Changed you around." I glanced up at Rannoch, trying to see any recognition of the event in his eyes. But there was none. Only the recognition of something else. A dawning fear and triumph rising in his eyes.

"Then it's true! I am a changeling!"

"Yes, Rannoch, you are a changeling."

"Then the Prophecy..."

"Oh Rannoch! I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. But I wanted to protect you! There's some danger in that Prophecy. Do you remember when you used to play as a young fawn and so hated to have the berries smeared across your head? For a long time, I thought it couldn't be true, but now...now..." I trailed off, catching a glimpse of the blood pooling out onto the ground. My blood. It wouldn't be long now.

Soon my blood would dry, and be the reddish brown of the dye I used to hide the truth about Rannoch. Hide the oaken leaf that told of his destiny.

"But Moth-, Bracken, you should have told me." He sighed, his face falling. I winced, knowing the truth in what he said. I should have told him sooner. It was too much for him to take in at once. That on top of my on dying. Not that I cared anymore. No. But he was disappointed.

In himself.

And in me.

"I know Rannoch! But I didn't want anything to harm you. For I loved you like a mother..." It was true, I did love him like he was my own fawn. I wanted it to be true so badly.

"I know, and the most wonderful mother..."

"Oh Rannoch!" I burst into tears finally, unable to take it anymore. I had been a horrible mother, I knew. I was over-protective and I snapped at him too much. I was always nervous and dazed. And now he was acting like I was the best thing in his world.

As he was the best in mine.

"So, Herne!" He suddenly bellowed, throwing his head up and stamping his feet. "You shall have your way! You don't want me to heal at all. You want me to fight!"

"Rannoch, what are you going to do?" I whispered, struggling to breath.

"Do? I am going to follow Thistle and Willow and the Outriders to the Low Lands. I am going to save Elion and the others, if I can. I am going to kill Sgorr and avenge my father." He narrowed his eyes. His voice had rose tremendously, or perhaps it was only my dying senses that told me he seemed to have rose up stronger and more imposing than ever before. The blood of his surrogate mother on his hooves and the blood of the spy on his head and antlers.

"But Rannoch. What you said about Sgorr and the Herla, it's true. There are too many of them, what can you do?"

"I don't know. Raise the herd and send word through the high lands. They will come if I call, I'm sure of it." He was already accepting the Prophecy. As id he had known it all along, and only needed the truth to reveal it to him. "Then, who knows? Die well with the Outriders if need be. Isn't that what it says? Sacrifice shall be his meaning? Well, if it comes to that. For what must be must be.

"Then you will follow then to your own death." I moaned. I knew it would come to this. I knew Rannoch was willing to die for his herd, for his father, for his 'mother'. I could tell he was doing part of it for me. Maybe all for me.

"Mother, don't worry about me. Lie still. First of all I must cure you." He looked down at me again, his eyes suddenly soft. I noticed he called me 'Mother' again. He couldn't believe, perhaps he never would.

"Good bye Rannoch." "Goodbye, I hope you can forgive me." I sighed and closed my eyes. My son, Rannoch, the prophesied one. Herne. I was losing all feeling. I was beyond pain.

Herne.

Herne was coming for me.

I sighed once more. "Goodbye..." but he never heard. I could sense him standing over me, his angry eyes flaming, his proud head raised. Raised to meet the coming day and the great battle before him. I shuddered, wanting to remember it forever.

Wanting to take that last scene into the great eternity.

Herne, Rannoch.

They rose to greet me.

Herne, Rannoch.

There was no longer a difference.