The surface of the water rippled slightly in the breeze, the same breeze that steadily blew clouds over the moon. Bramblestar stood at the edge of the pool, staring down into the crystal blue depths. He fancied that he could see the bottom, but perhaps that was just his imagination. In any case, it wasn't very important, and he turned to the cats behind him, eying them, as always, with an equal mix of sadness and pride. They were the last remaining survivors from the Great Battle. He'd tried to save so many of his friends, those in his clan and not, but in the end, most had died anyway.

Both Onestar and his deputy, Ashfoot, had been killed in the part of the battle that had taken place in WindClan's former territory. However Bramblestar viewed the light brown tabby for the trouble he'd caused ThunderClan, Onestar had gone down like a true warrior, protecting the queens of his Clan with 'the ferocity of a mother protecting her kits,' as survivors put it. Both Blackstar and Mistystar had nearly been killed as well, each barely clinging to their respective last lives. Blackstar had a thick, ragged-looking scar running from below his right ear to the middle of his throat from where he'd been slashed open, bleeding out freely. It'd been touch and go for a while, but Jayfeather had somehow been able to save him, thankfully. Mistystar had suffered a similar injury. Her fur, however, thick as it was, had already begun to grow back and cover it, for which she was thankful; if there was any possibility that she wouldn't have to see it every time she saw her reflection, she wouldn't have to be reminded of the battle.

Few cats of any of the Clans had survived, and they now numbered just about thirty - ten less than ThunderClan's own ranks before everything that had happened. Bramblestar never in his wildest dreams had imagined that one day he'd be leading the remaining cats of the Clans, and he felt the weight of everything - taking care of them, figuring out how to work through all of the differences in how each cat had lived, making sure every cat stayed sane… It was almost too much for him to bear. It'd only been a moon, and already, it'd been the hardest one of his life. He felt blessed by StarClan to at least have Mistystar and Blackstar with him, though, as well as his sister, Tawnypelt. They tried their hardest to make everything a bit easier on him - he knew they did - and always seemed to be the voice of reason in any dispute. When he didn't know what to say, he didn't seem to have to worry; one of them stepped up to speak for him. It was why he'd named all three of them temporary deputy until he truly knew who to choose from this ragtag bunch.

As odd as it sounded, it wasn't a bad idea. He had them each cover a certain area; Blackstar organized hunting parties, and Mistystar made up the border patrols. They'd been living in RiverClan's old camp, patrolling the territory's borders and keeping it safe for a reason. RiverClan was the Clan with territory most like ThunderClan's, albeit with more water. It allowed the WindClan cats easy moor access if they wanted to go hunt rabbits there, like old times, and ShadowClan's cats could go visit their marshes if they so wished. It made the mix of cats happy, and because of that, Bramblestar was happy - as happy as he could be, anyway.

Tawnypelt took charge of the apprentices, making sure that they were all still trained with help from the other warriors, and with Bramblestar overseeing everything that went on during the day, sometimes he almost forgot to worry about the future, about choosing a permanent deputy, anything. Then again, was that not why he'd brought the entire Clan to the Moonpool? Because he was worried?

With a slight shake of his head, as if to clear his thoughts, the brown tabby began to speak.

"My warriors," He mewed gently, his claws sheathing and unsheathing with each breath, showcasing his unease, "Tonight, I will speak with our ancestors to see if they have any insight on what we must do. I know that… I know that some of you wish to leave, for even being here causes you great pain. I don't know if that is the right decision for all of us, though. Hopefully, StarClan will let me know. If… If you want to accompany me, if only to see your families, I will not stop you. If I ask something of them, though, you must let them answer. Is that clear?"

Around him, the cats nodded their consent, and some moved through the crowd to encircle the Moonpool. Among them, Tawnypelt and Jayfeather, who came to curl up on either side of him as he himself took his place. Bramblestar looked sadly upon his sister; he'd been lucky to not lose his kits - for he still thought of Lionblaze, Hollyleaf and Jayfeather as his - while she'd lost Tigerheart and Rowanclaw. They weren't even sure if Dawnpelt was going to live much longer; though young, the cream-furred she-cat's wounds had healed poorly, and despite Jayfeather's best attempts to keep her healthy, she was just the opposite. She always seemed to be sick, and even now, she sat a fair distance from her clanmates to keep from spreading whatever she had.

"Hey," Bramblestar meowed, touching her ear with the tip of his tail. She glanced at him morosely, and her eyes seemed to stare through him. How much she'd changed from the upbeat young she-cat from the journey to find the lake… It was terrifying. "I don't know what's going to happen, but I promise it'll be alright."

"Yeah, when mice fly." She muttered, but returned his attempt to comfort her with a light, nearly inaudible purr.

With a sigh, the brown tabby turned his head back to the water before him. Breathing in deeply, he leaned down to lap up a few cold, crystal clear drops before he could think much more about it. Within a few quick, silent heartbeats, he was asleep.

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Bramblestar awoke to the sound of voices murmuring close to where he rested. Opening his amber eyes, he suddenly let out a startled yowl. In his face was a slender, pale ginger tabby she-cat, her warm yellow eyes gleaming in amusement. He leaped to his paws, scowling down at the smaller cat.

"Mother, that's not very funny." He meowed, sounding rather cross. Her whiskers twitched in amusement, and she tossed her head to the side with more sass than needed.

"It was." Goldenflower snapped, though she licked his cheek affectionately. "I've missed you, my son."

"It's only been a moon since I was last here." Though his words were meant to sound a bit sarcastic, he nuzzled her, his heart hurting; he didn't want to leave her again.

"I know, but I want to be there for you, like your sister is." She murmured, running her tail down his side. "I'm so proud of you, though, Bramblestar. You've come so far, and proven so many cats wrong. They always thought you'd be the next Tigerstar, because you're his son, but… They couldn't be more wrong."

The brown tabby looked mischievous then, and crouched, wriggling his haunches. "Who knows? Maybe I am."

"Leap at me and I shred your ears." Goldenflower said, rolling her eyes with a faint chuckle. "How you made it to leader I have no clue."

They shared a moment of peaceful silence before he remembered just why he was here.

"Mother, you must know I'm here for a reason, not just to chat." Bramblestar meowed, sheathing and unsheathing his claws, his fur bristling with unease.

"Yes, I do. I just want our time together to go on forever. It's not every day that I get to see you." She stood, flicking her tail as a signal to follow her. The tom got to his feet, hurrying after her. Around him, his clanmates had awoken after also taking a drink from the Moonpool, and mrowws of surprise echoed through the clearing as they recognized family and friends among the starry cats that had come with Goldenflower to welcome them. So many of them were ones who'd died in the Great Battle, and after awhile, Bramblestar had to look away.

"Tell me," the pale ginger tabby murmured, pushing her way through the bracken at the edge of the clearing; she held it back so that he could pass through, and then continued on at his side. "What do you think is best for your cats? I know that you think that you should not be the one to decide what these cats should do but… You must let yourself have some say. You're the leader, and as such, you have the right to put in your thoughts as well! Do not hold back."

"I try not to! It's not as simple as that, though. I don't know what to do; I don't want to leave, but at the same time, I cannot think of living here another day. These cats don't want to stay here, either, because it hurts them. In every step they take, they remember those that fell in the battle, those that had their throats ripped out, those who were murdered because those evil, fox-hearted cats could not except the fact that what they were doing was wrong!

"I don't think that it's right to continuously make them go through that, so I think it is best to go, yes, but is that really the best thing to do? Tell me, mother!" Bramblestar's voice had risen, so much that he was almost yowling. However, he caught his mistake, noticing how she'd begun to wince at his words, and he lowered his voice to a near whisper. "Is it? I don't know anymore. I've tried to do the best I can, but I don't think that that is good enough."

His mind was a whirl of pain and confusion; he didn't want to leave the place where he'd watched over his Clan for seasons as Firestar's deputy, where he'd watched kits grow into apprentices and apprentices become warriors, where he'd watched his kits grow into two fine warriors and one fine medicine cat. As he'd said to Goldenflower, he didn't want to stay, either, because just like every other cat, he was always reminded in his nightmares of those that had died. It wasn't all about him, though, he knew; it was about what his Clan needed, what they wanted, not what he wanted and needed.

"You know the answer in your heart, my son, but we will help. We can tell you what we know."

Together, almost as though they were one entity, they leaped over a fallen tree and skirted a pile of large boulders where some of the older StarClan cats rested. They watched the pair fondly as they passed, waving their tails in greeting. Bramblestar nodded his head, not really knowing them but wanting to be kind all the same. He stuck close to his mother's side as she led him through the forest - or, more rather, as she led them through the forest, for he heard some of his clanmates following them through the brush. He didn't mind, really - in fact, he was glad that some of them had come. Their presence put him a bit more at ease, knowing that they cared about the future of the cats around them. Bramblestar had been worried that, being from different Clans, some of the them would clash, but surprisingly, with all that had happened, they'd all come together and managed to put aside their differences in order to survive. It served to make the tom prouder of how far they'd come.

They reached another clearing soon after where Goldenflower finally stopped, padding to it's center. She sat primly, her tail curled over her paws and her ears pricked, waiting. Bramblestar's cats spread out around them, with their StarClan friends and kin going to stand at the other side, across from them. They all regarded him with an equal amount of respect, it seemed, though some were curious; they must not have known much about his indecision.

Tawnypelt slipped over to his side, her eyes widening at the sight of their mother. They shared warm words and affectionate nuzzles, as Bramblestar and her had, and he relished his sister's happiness; it was rare, as of late, for obvious reasons. After that, they settled down, and Bramblestar studied the current setting; trees rose up on all sides, encircling them in a mixture of pine, oak, and birch. Everywhere he looked, starlight seemed to hang in the air like fog, curling around the trunks of the trees like beckoning tails. The sky was dark and cloudless, filled only with the strange mist, swirling and dancing with the breeze. It was oddly beautiful, and Bramblestar, so enraptured by it, nearly didn't notice that another group of cats had joined them.

His heart leaped into his throat as he recognized the two that were leading the group.

"Welcome back, young one." The first rumbled, her voice washing over him like a calm, reassuring wave. Her blue-gray fur appeared neatly groomed, as though she'd spent a lot of time preparing for this meeting. Her companion, a bright ginger tabby tom with eyes as green as leaves in Green-Leaf, nodded at him.

"I'm happy to see you." He purred.

"Bluestar, Firestar… I'm happy to see you, too." Though their words had held nothing true happiness at the sight of him, Bramblestar could detect hints of worry and fear within their eyes.

"You've come to discuss with us whether or not you should take your cats and leave the forest." This was stated, not asked, by Bluestar, whose tail flicked from side to side, a clear sign of her unease.

"Yes," He replied, hoping he didn't betray too much of his uncertainty. "I, like the rest of my cats, have a hard time remaining there, but to leave… I just don't know if it's right. I'm worried that the Clan will not survive, and that the history of the Clans will forever be forgotten."

Bluestar and Firestar looked at each other, sharing an identical look of concern. Bluestar was the one to speak, however.

"Bramblestar, if it's meant to be, it's meant to be. I cannot say it any simpler than that." She meowed, her whiskers twitching. "What I can say, though, is that I don't believe that the Clans' history is done just yet. Even if the Clan isn't really a Clan in the future, our blood will still run deep in the veins of our descendents, and stories will be passed on from mother to kit, and from that kit to it's own kits, when it has it's own litters. We cannot say whether or not your Clan will be disbanded in the future - we just don't know, yet - but, should it, there is always a chance that one cat will realize that the glory of it can be reborn!"

"What Bluestar says is the truth. I believe that if you try, friend, you will succeed. If you want to leave, go. Don't do something that will make you unhappy."

"So do you mean I should…?" The brown tabby tom's amber eyes shone with confusion. Bluestar hissed in exasperation.

"For StarClan's sake, yes! If it's what you believe to be right, go! You're acting like a stupid kit."

Firestar nodded along with her words. "Indecision is not a good thing. Trust your first instincts and go with them. Try not to have fear!"

Bramblestar flattened his ears against his skull, slightly embarrassed, and sighed. "Alright. I'll do it. StarClan… Is it going to be following us?"

A softer expression returned to Bluestar's face, something like eagerness and curiosity within it. "Yes. We're always going to be with you, Bramblestar. Do not forget us and what the Clans stood for and we will never be parted."

He took in the sight of his former clanmates, his friends, his mentor, and a cold, quiet resolve settled in his mind. He would not fail them. No matter what, he'd survive, and with him, his living clanmates. He'd make sure of it.