The clearing grew dead silent as Hollyleaf looked around, a knowing, wild look in her eyes as she addressed all four Clans, "You think you know me," she began. "And my brothers, Lionblaze and Jayfeather of ThunderClan. You think you know us, but everything you have been told about us is a lie! We are not the kits of Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight."
Brambleclaw looked at Hollyleaf, his amber eyes as round as the full moon that floated above the island. What did she mean that she wasn't his and Squirrelflight's kit? He had been there since she and her brothers were in the nursery. He had raised them as his own. What Hollyleaf had just said began to sink in and the dark brown tabby tom shot to his paws from where he sat among the roots of the Great Oak with the other deputies, his eyes flaming. "Squirrelflight, why is she talking such nonsense?"
Squirrelflight stood up, the panic in her eyes faded and was replaced with another unreadable emotion. "I'm sorry, Brambleclaw, but it's true. I'm not their mother, and you are not their father."
Something sparked inside of Brambleclaw's head. Betrayal, rage, and hurt longed to be released from the ThunderClan deputy at his mate, but with some amazing self-control, he bit them back. "Then who is?" he managed to say after a moment of simply being able to stare at her.
Her sad green eyes turned to the cat that she had always told Brambleclaw was his daughter. "Tell them, Hollyleaf. I kept the secret for many seasons; I'm not going to reveal it now."
"Coward!" Hollyleaf shrieked. She looked around the clearing- every cat was looking at her, except for Brambleclaw who was still glaring at Squirrelflight. "I'm not afraid of the truth! Leafpool is our mother, and Crowfeather- yes, Crowfeather of WindClan- is our father."
Brambleclaw flattened his ears, unable to take the deafening yowls of shock and horror coming from the other cats at the announcement. His fur began to bristle and thought back to everything that he and Squirrelflight had went through together. Why couldn't she trust him? He thought he could trust her with anything, but apparently that feeling was not Hollyleaf said after that he did not hear. The next thing he saw was Leafpool pushing her way through the bushes to leave and the island falling silent and frozen. Brambleclaw took a shaky breath and was the first to move, padding forward until he stood face to face with Squirrelflight. "Why?" he questioned, hurt aching in his tone.
"I had to! She's my sister!" she replied desperately.
"And you couldn't trust me?" he shot back, his voice starting to falter. Several minutes of silence passed. When she did not reply, he turned his head away from her for a few moments before looking back at her. "You couldn't trust me. Don't you think I would have helped you, if you'd told me the truth? But it's too late now." He turned his back to her and shoulder a path through the crowd.
"Brambleclaw-" He heard her cry, but he ignored her and kept walking. Then he burst into a run, not stopping until he reached the Ancient Oak and crawled into the cranny beneath the roots. Once again, he thought of Squirrelflight and how proud he was when the kits were born.