A/N- Hi! This is Hollyleaf1122 speaking (obviously). Please note that his was written before Alone and is my first one-shot/fanfic ever. Also, this takes place in The Forgotten Warrior, after Brambleclaw speaks up for Hollyleaf when she confesses that she killed Hollyleaf. I haven't read that specific book in a while, so I probably didn't get Firestar's speech right. But anyways, enjoy. :)
Wait, what? Hollyleaf could not believe her ears. She was just about to confess about killing Ashfur, when Brambleclaw suddenly spoke up, claiming that he knew his adopted daughter killed the murderous gray tom.
"I was there." The dark tabby repeated after the gasps of shock died down. "I saw everything." He went on to explain that Ashfur pounced on Hollyleaf and attempted to kill her, but Hollyleaf ended up accidentally killing him. Every cat in the clearing immediately took sides.
"Enough!" yowled Firestar. All of the ThunderClan members grew silent. "What's done is done. Hollyleaf we understand it was an accident, but why didn't you speak up? We would have understood."
Hollyleaf looked down guiltily. "But," the orange tom began. "You punished yourself by leaving the Clan for so many moons. You will not be punished here." A few of the senior warriors nodded their heads in agreement. Then, the Clan broke up into little groups, sharing tongues and gossiping about the latest drama.
Later that evening, Hollyleaf sat alone by the lake. She was lost in her thought when a voice made her jump.
"Hi, Hollyleaf." The black she-cat looked up. "Great StarClan Brambleclaw, you scared me!" Hollyleaf said, giving her fur a few quick licks. "I'm sorry." he apologized.
Suddenly, Hollyleaf blurted out, "Why did you lie? If you were there, you knew I killed Ashfur. Why did you tell the Clan it was self defense?" Brambleclaw didn't look surprised at the questions. "Because you are my daughter." he said simply.
"But... But I'm not..." Hollyleaf murmured quietly.
"Yes you are." he insisted. Hollyleaf opened her jaws to argue, but was interrupted by Brambleclaw. "Just because we're not related by blood doesn't mean you aren't my daughter. I raised you, Hollyleaf." he meowed. She looked down at her paws.
"I guess I wasn't thinking about that when I... did what I did..." she finally said. "I was just... Afraid. Afraid of what he might've done to me. Or Jayfeather. Or Lionblaze. Even you." she continued.
"Well it's over now. The past is gone." Beckoning her to move closer to him, he put his paw in the water, creating a ripple. "Do you see how quickly that faded? Of course, Ashfur's murder isn't just going to disappear. You know you killed him, but you thought you were doing the right thing at the time. Your demons will always haunt you, but you have to push through and deal with them." he finished. Hollyleaf just stared into the water.
"So, are we good now?" Brambleclaw asked.
After a long pause, Hollyleaf finally mewed, "We always were."
Sorry the ending is so cheesy! I hope you enjoyed my story.