Series: Warriors By Erin Hunter
Title: The Reason
Rating: T
Genre: Romance/Hurt/Comfort
Description: Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw have been cold to each other since the reveal on the island. Squirrelflight has tried for many moons to get Brambleclaw to even glance at her. Now, some quality alone time may be just the thing she needs to fully explain herself.
"Ivypaw, you have an exceptional fighting ability and it has served us well throughout these past difficult moons. Cinderheart has mentored you well and I am proud to welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan." Firestar's calm voice rang out. The sun was setting and shining directly around the Highledge. It made Firestar truly worthy of his name and the white she-cat's pelt shine like snow.
"Ivypaw from this moment on you will be known as Ivypool, may you have many moons left of serving our clan."
"Ivypool, Ivypool, Ivypool!"
The clan chanted in excitement.
Brambleclaw watched as Whitewing, Birchfall, Icecloud and Blossomfall walked up to the sisters to congratulate them. The clan was excited but quickly dispersed to go off and return to their normal duties.
He'd just stood up, uncurling his tail from around his paws and was about to pad over to the girls to congratulate and remind them they still had to sit vigil.
"May you have many moons left of serving our clan." His ear twitched in the direction of a scoff. He wasn't surprised to find out who had spoken.
"Why do you think Firestar would say something like that?" The familiar light brown tabby pelt of Birchfall padding up to join the conversation caught his eye.
"Probably because he doesn't have many moons left himself." The brown tabby called Dustpelt snorted.
"Yeah I couldn't agree more, the tom couldn't even defend the territory we took back from Shadowclan. He retreated early because he felt it wouldn't end well." A slender but tall night black tom called Spiderleg snorted.
"Yes, what a coward." Berrynose muttered.
Brambleclaw could feel the tips of his claws unsheathe. Those four always seemed to have something negative to say about Firestar. The Dark Tabby tom decided to readjust his mission over to scolding those four arrogant furballs.
"Yes, he did back down, but need I remind you it was for your own clan mates sake! You four would lead us all into unnecessary war if any one of you got power!" Brambleclaw growled.
"Oh, really and how would Tigerstar's son justify his own association with Hawkfrost all those moons ago and the sister who ran away when life got too hard? Your entire family is nothing but a bunch of fox-hearted cowards." Dustpelt snorted.
At first the clan deputy stood back, shocked and not sure what to say to that comment. Sensing they were attracting a crowd he quickly put on his usually calm façade. "Yes, your right. I cannot justify the actions of my family, but keep in mind I'm me and not them. Also to judge a cat on their blood would be crazy. Our own leader is a kittypet yet he has saved the clans many times over. There would be no Windclan if not for him; also insulting him is insulting Bluestar's choice. Are you calling the great Thunderclan leader misguided?"
Dustpelt looked like he was struggling for words but hearing the murmurs of nearby cats he quickly found some. "I will not deny her greatness but nor can any cat deny how mad she went during her last moons of life." Dustpelt whipped around and stalked over to the warriors den where Ferncloud was waiting for him.
"The furball is just jealous that I'm clan deputy and he's not." Brambleclaw muttered quietly half-hoping no cat would hear him.
"Yes, and what do you have to show for that accomplishment? Your mate can't have kits, you have no friends and you are the bossiest cat in the clan. In fact I don't just dislike you; I pity you!" Spirderleg hissed and Brambleclaw flattened his ears, determined to not be the first cat to walk away from the argument. He wasn't but the way Spiderleg left made him look like the loser he felt he was.
Of course these things haunted him they always would so long as cats as old as Dustpelt remained alive. It was hard for him to admit but he did indeed have a darkness in him and sometimes he wondered if it would've been better to let Hawkfrost kill Firestar so he could lead with power not sense. It was still a struggle for him not to kill a cat in battle.
For Squirrelflight and Leafpool's little fiasco to be brought up was not just a jab at him but at jab at the she-cats and Firestar's family. Sighing heavily he padded over to the Thunderclan leader who had come down from the Highledge to see what all the commotion had been about. Firestar, Greystripe and a frail Sandstorm were watching him approach.
Greystripe nodded to him respectfully. "Firestar may I go on a patrol please?" He sounded tenser than he meant to and saw Firestar's face soften. "Of course Brambleclaw, be careful around the Shadowclan border." The tabby tom nodded.
Brambleclaw wasted no time in assembling a patrol of Brackenfur, Thornclaw, Lionblaze, Hazeltail and Squirrelflight - who joined without asking him.
The patrol was awkward all of the other cats were directing their stares on Brambleclaw instead of the borders. Everything seemed calm on the Shadowclan border and it was almost dark. "Brambleclaw, perhaps we should hunt before we return to camp, you can report to Firestar later since everything is peaceful." Thornclaw calmly suggested.
"Thornclaw this isn't a hunting patrol we-"
"Oh come on you bossy furball we're hunting for the clan not for the fun of it. Do you want to become an elder earlier than Dustpelt?" Squirrelflight playfully shoved him.
He gave her an odd look. She wasn't supposed to be talking to him. "Well no, but-"
"Then, why not?"
"Fine." Brambleclaw sighed giving up the argument. He had no idea why Squirrelflight was acting so weird all of a sudden but she wasn't doing anything he could pick on her for so he had no choice but to let it go. Lying she-cat, He thought bitterly.
The two went their separate ways to go hunt and he was happy for the peace and alone time. He was able to hunt two mice until he realized he was being followed.
He arched his back, flattened his ears and opened his mouth in a hiss. "I know you're there if you wish to fight then come on." No answer.
"Bring it, already!" The tom hissed.
"Calm down Brambleclaw I just want to talk to you."
It was Squirrelflight, her familiar ginger pelt and green eyes gazed at him. He didn't want to admit it but she was quite beautiful. For a brief moment he wished they could go back to the journey. Laughing and joking. The best of friends and sometime maybe mates. He thought this until she spoke.
"Brambleclaw, are you okay, I heard the fight today." His gaze hardened. "Yes, I am fine, why is it you ask?"
"Brambleclaw, I know you. It bothered you a lot and I want to be there for you. I know Tigerstar isn't someone or something you want to remember but you have to face the past. He is in you and because of that you are better warrior strength wise."
Brambleclaw listened as she approached. She got close enough that their pelts almost brushed. "He helps make you, you. The cat I love."
"Is there a point to this Squirrelflight?" Brambleclaw grumbled, expecting her to recoil but she stood without moving.
"Yes, there is actually. Brambleclaw we need to talk." She stated bluntly.
"Oh, so now you want to talk?" He spat in her face making her jump away slightly. "Brambleclaw, we have to talk about with happened with Leafpool and the kits."
"I'm afraid it's a little too late for that. You could have told me when this whole thing started, instead of finding out from Hollyleaf at the gathering!" Brambleclaw stood up and tried to walk back to collect his mice and head back to camp but Squirrelflight blocked his way.
"See, Brambleclaw, this is the stuff we need to talk about!" Squirrelflight yowled desperately.
"Squirrelflight, I have nothing to say to you, so please never talk to me again. I don't want to be friends and I will never be your mate again. With that the huge tom picked up his mice and decided to finish his hunt before meeting up with the rest of the patrol. He left a distraught Squirrelflight and their memories behind him.
(o.o.o.o.o.o.)
The patrol had gathered a large quarry and Brambleclaw even feigned happiness in front of Hazeltail when she tried to talk to him about the prey she'd caught.
He reported to Firestar that everything was fine and padded over to the warriors den. He had chosen a spot on the out edge of the den; unfortunately he was lying beside Squirrelflight whose back was wisely turned to him. He wanted to trust her but he couldn't.
(o.o.o.o.o.o.)
It had been a quarter moon since the incident and Brambleclaw was focusing more on patrolling and hunting than normal. He and Lionblaze had begun talking again and he found that even though some things were awkward, they still enjoyed each other company. He was proud to have some kind of friend.
It was evening and Firestar wanted one more hunting patrol to go out and hunt near the lake. Brambleclaw of course volunteered to lead it.
The patrol contained: Doveflight, Hazeltail, Thornclaw, Lionblaze, Mosewhisker, Toadstep and Squirrelflight.
Brambleclaw was quite proud of his catch and thought he'd been working hard enough for the past few days. It was not in his nature to "slack" or enjoy peaceful moments of relaxation time when there was work to be done but he felt he'd earned it.
He was padding along the lakes edge. Taking in the scents from the other clans. The sand felt warm beneath his pads and he stretched. Yawning and staring at the peaceful ripples in the lake. He felt completely relaxed.
His ear twitched at the sound of paw steps landing in the sand beside him. He turned his head to see Squirrelflight staring at him with sorrowful eyes. He wanted to run, turn his back and hiss at her but couldn't. There was something different about her this time so he sat and they stared at each other.
"Brambleclaw, I'd like to apologize for what happened a few days ago." She looked at him sadly and he found he couldn't meet her intense gaze. "It," he paused. "It is fine." He risked a glance at her and found her gaze never leaving him as she took a few paces forward. "Brambleclaw, please listen to me. Let me explain myself and then you can make your decision and I promise to leave you alone." For some reason he couldn't hiss or spit at her to go away. He could only comply.
He stood up from where he was sitting and walked over to her. He'd meet her halfway. They stared at each other in silence before he nodded indicating that she should speak.
"Brambleclaw, Leafpool came to me, she was so sad and knew she'd never be able to raise kits as a medicine cat, much less the kits of a Windclan warrior. At the same time I confessed to her that any time we'd mate I'd never seem to be able to get pregnant."
Brambleclaw stared at her. He never really thought about why he didn't have his own kits with her, just the lies she'd told him. "So we made a plan. She'd give birth to Crowfeather's kits and I'd be able to raise them as if they were my own. It was the perfect trade off. She'd be able to keep her medicine cat duties and I'd be able to be a mother. We agreed and the plan was created. We also agreed to keep this a secret from everyone. No one was ever supposed to know."
Brambleclaw stared at her in disbelief. That still doesn't fully explain why you didn't tell me! He wailed in his head like a sad kit. Their eyes were still locked as they faced each other. His sad gaze mirrored his. "You still didn't explain why you couldn't tell me. Crowfeather; I can understand but me, Squirrelflight I trusted you and I loved those kits like they were my own!" He snapped at her.
"I know you did and I love them as my own to this very day. Do you still love them?" She mewed quietly. "Of course. I love Jayfeather and Lionblaze like they're my own kits and I could never not love them." He sighed heavily. "Now tell me why you couldn't tell me." He ordered hardening his gaze.
"I was young and stupid," He resisted to urge to tell her she still was. "and I promised Leafpool."
"That's it?" He asked in disbelief. "You promised Leafpool?" He hissed in her face. "You spent all this time lying and causing pain over a promise!" His was exasperated, furious, hurt and confused.
"Yes, yes I did! Brambleclaw you and I both know that you'd keep a promise to Tawnypelt or Hawkfrost if he had turned out to be a good cat! Great Starclan, you might even have kept a promise to Mothwing if she approached you as kin and begged you to keep a secret!"
He swallowed hard, she had a point. "So you see Brambleclaw. That's why I couldn't tell you! I don't expect you to take me back, but I hope you know you're still the only cat for me. I love you Brambleclaw." With that she slowly turned around and began to pad away down the shore with her tail drooping.
He quickly thought it over in his head and decided he'd made his choice.
"Squirrelflight, wait!"
The she-cat stopped and turned around with sorrowful eyes. "Squirrelflight, I accept your apology and I'm ready to take you back." Her eyes shone with a glimmer of hope. "Really, Brambleclaw, really?" Her voice was soft and sweet. None of her usual confrontational attitude. "Yes." He purred.
Instantly the she-cat turned around and began to race back over to him. "Brambleclaw!"
"Squirrelflight!" He yowled and the two met each other touching noses and rubbing against each other.
"I love you Squirrelflight." The huge tabby purred. "I love you too Brambleclaw" They were pressed against each other. "Brambleclaw, you know what this means right?"
He pulled back from her so that he could stare into her eyes. They no longer looked hurt, but had returned to shining, with their usual fiery look. "What?" He purred. "We can mate just for the fun of it now, not having to worry about having kits each time we do it!"
Brambleclaw gave a loud mrrow of laughter. "Yes your right about that." He certainly was happy to have Squirrelflight back.
The two ended up walking across the shoreline, tails twined knowing that they'd always be with each other.
(o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o)
"Bramblekit, stop running around, you're disturbing everyone!" The tiny dark tabby froze in his tracks and turned around to face his mother. His brilliant green eyes shone up at her excitedly. "Sorry, mother."
"It's not me you should be apologizing to." A ginger she-cat purred. So much like his father, she thought I wonder if this is what Brambleclaw looked like as a kit.
"Oops, sorry Icecloud." The tiny tabby apologized.
"It's fine." The white she-cat purred. She was expecting the leaders' second litter of kits. "Hey Bramblekit are you excited about the ceremony?" I small dark ginger kit with a white paw and amber eyes came bounding up to the little tabby.
"You bet Hollykit!" Hollykit pounced on his unsuspecting brother knocking him down. "Oof!" Bramblekit cried out and the two began to roll around playfully on the ground.
"Kits are a paw-full aren't they?" Icecloud purred. "Oh, yes they are, but they're so much fun too." The ginger she cat nodded.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a clan meeting!" The familiar, deep voice rang out.
The Thunderclan leaders orange pelt shone in the sun. He was looking noble and confident. The ginger she-cat looked around her. Leafpool was quickly approaching the Highledge and was gazing up at the Thunderclan leader proudly. The ginger she-cat shook her head, knowing why she did this.
She turned her head to see the elders padding down from their den. Purdy and Sandstorm, being led down the ledges by Greystripe and Hollyleaf.
The clan was not as big as it once was but it was growing. There were so many deaths from the battle the clans would have to slowly rebuild themselves. Things were going very well for Thunderclan and peace had settled among all the clans. No one was fighting over borders.
The clan deputy: Dustpelt now sat at the base of the Highledge looking as proud as he ever could. She never thought that her former mentor would still be so strong in his old age.
"Clan mates, this is a special day. Squirrelflight's four kits are going to be apprenticed." The whole clan broke out into yowls of excitement. Bramblekit, Hollykit, Sunkit, and Nightkit settled down next to Squirrelflight.
"I wonder who the mentors are going to be. I hope they can handle my kits." Squirrelflight muttered. "Don't worry," Icecloud purred. "Lionstar knows what he's doing."
"Bramblekit come up here please."
Squirrelflight glanced at Leafpool who mouthed: And so it begins. Squirrelflight purred. And so it begins. Squirrelflight thought.
And so it begins…
(o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.)
I hope you can tell what happened in the most recent time skip. If you can't send me a PM and I'll explain. Also another note: this isn't what I really want to happen in the Warriors world (minus the Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw parts). I just kind of go along with the spoilers that I heard were supposedly going to happen.
Anyway, Enjoy,
Edit: Because of the absence of my time skips when I uploaded this to fanfiction I am deleteing the old story and reuploading it with (hopefully) the seperations for the time skips…
~Bleedingclaw