Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors or any of the characters, no matter how much I wish I do.
I know some of the things that happen in this story may not be possible, but use your imagination. This book was written directly after Fading Echoes, so many warrior names are different than they end up in books.
UPDATED: 2/15/17. I will be updating all the chapters!
Jayfeather x Briarlight
It was a breezy morning, the sun shining bleakly through the clouds. Briarlight had been crushed moons ago. She had started to cough, and Jayfeather feared the worst.
Briarlight yawned, got up and stretched her legs. Her front legs, anyways. Jayfeather watched as she sighed, knowing that every day she did the same thing, and it always got her feeling like fox dung. She would have a peaceful night's sleep and a great dream of running through the forest only to awake and find her crippled self. Over the course of her stay in the medicine cat den, Jayfeather had gotten to know this about Briarlight.
"Jayfeather," She said after a yawn, her voice suddenly turning firm yet slightly shaky, "I can't do this anymore. I can't do this! Wake up every day thinking it's all great, that maybe my actual life is the thing that's a dream! But it's not. And every day I know I'm getting closer to dying. You may deny it, but I can't any longer."
After finishing her last mrrow, Briarlight broke into a fit of coughs, rasping to catch her breath. It was, until then of course, a perfectly normal morning. All the warriors were just waking and a slight breeze was running through camp. Sandstorm, Graystripe, and Brakenfur were together talking about the Sunhigh patrol. Ferncloud and Dustpelt were sitting outside the nursery sharing a sparrow. A morning patrol had already been sent out to hunt, the apprentices racing out through the entrance, sending a pang of longing through Briarlight.
Briarlight's voice rang out through the gorge and all the talking ceased as the final echo of her words settled into their minds. Jayfeather could feel the awkwardness beginning to grow as the silence continued, the feeling of tension rising.
"I don't deny it," Jayfeather said calmly, "Because we have no idea what will happen yet. You may get better. Your mother wants you to get better. So do-…"
Briarlight's fierce, and angry feelings stopped him before he could finish. She felt fury build up inside of her. Her Clan felt pity for her, and she couldn't take it anymore.
"You don't even believe it yourself! Look at you," She spat, "A blind cat, who can do nothing but lie to me in pity. You treat everyone else like they're your own dirt, you could at least treat me the same. Look at me! A cat that was crushed by a tree, broken, unlike you."
Jayfeather lashed out at Briarlight, not caring she was hurt, he pinned her to the ground snarling at her, "You know nothing! You at least got to be a warrior for some moons, instead of being sent to the medicine cat den. You chose to save Longtail, I didn't choose my fate! And I can't look at you, I can't even look at me. Mousebrain."
Briarlight stared at him for a bit, his words sinking in. She knew he was just being stubborn, yet the truth rang in his words. She sighed and pushed him off of her, or tried to. Jayfeather got off Briarlight, and walked away as she stared after him. A bleak thought crossed her mind.
What have I done?