Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.


Hi, everyone! Welcome to Brightest Star!

There's not muuch to say beforehand, other than the fact that this will mostly stay in one POV but will sometimes stray to others when it needs to. Don't get too attached to the main character *wink*. Let's get going before I throw out some spoilers.

Here we go.


Chapter 1

Brightshadow flattened her ears, hackles rising, as another heart-wrenching shriek pierced the almost-still air. Even the birds had fallen silent, and there was almost no other noise besides silent pawsteps and hushed murmurs. It was impossible to block out such a noise; the scream was still ringing in Brightshadow's mind when it came again.

Brightshadow's blue eyes were always caught onto the scene of the helplessly thrashing, shrieking cat that lay bleeding in the center of the camp, but she always closed her eyes, as she did now, when it came to the final death. She only ever dared to look back when the final gurgling cry was released, and when a certain white she-cat stepped away, blood dripping from her paws.

This particular white she-cat. Snowstar, the leader of ShadowClan. Also Brightshadow's mother.

The clan had mixed opinions of Snowstar. Some, including her recently-named deputy Redfire, as well as Brightshadow herself, hated her and her methods. Well, Brightshadow wouldn't say she completely hated Snowstar, as the white she-cat was her mother, but as close as she could get. Snowstar killed any cat she suspected of thinking against her, or even violating the smallest of her principles.

It was a wonder that there were any cats left in the clan.

Others were her loyal supporters, and would do anything for her. Brightshadow partly believed that the main reason why so many cats actually believed in Snowstar was because of the white leader's manipulative methods.

Rumors, which Brightshadow felt were true, said that Redfire had only agreed to be her deputy in order to not be killed by Snowstar. It was a valid reason... but it was still a wonder that Snowstar hadn't killed Redfire yet. Many cats said that she was going to stage it, as though Redfire was killed by accident, but Brightshadow felt that Redfire was probably too smart for that.

It was probably because Redfire was too well-liked, handsome and popular, both inside and outside of ShadowClan.

Brightshadow was probably the only she-cat in the clan, besides her mother, who didn't fall for his handsome red fur and charming green eyes. Every other she-cat practically swooned every time Redfire flicked his tail.

Well, Brightshadow didn't particularly like having something so much in common with Snowstar, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Snowstar completely hated Redfire, and probably felt some sort of bitter jealousy toward him for being so popular. Not that she wasn't, but not in the same way. She didn't say it to the clan, but Brightshadow had a pretty good guess of her mother's opinions.

Yet, Snowstar had made Redfire her deputy. Probably to get closer to him, and lure him into a false sense of security, before she let him die in a "freak accident".

Brightshadow didn't care too much for toms, although there were quite a few toms who stopped to watch her pad by. They didn't swoon as certain cats did for Redfire, but they seemed to always be somehow momentarily attracted. It wasn't her mostly-ordinary silver fur that caught their attention; it was that extra shine in her eyes, and that glowing sheen that seemed to radiate off of her.

But nothing more than that.

In a sense, sometimes, Brightshadow actually admired her mother - well, not really... but it would be wonderful to have cats look up to her the same way they did to Snowstar. It would be wonderful to be so respected among her clanmates. It would be wonderful to be given the position of clan leader...

"Brightshadow."

A voice called from somewhere to the side of her, and Brightshadow nearly jumped out of her silver fur in shock. Slowly, she turned her head to the side to see whose tongue had uttered her name so coldly. Oh, who was she kidding? If anyone spoke to her like that, it was Snowstar.

Brightshadow dipped her head respectfully. "Yes, Snowstar?" Her mother had insisted that she call her "Snowstar", addressing her as her leader instead of her mother.

"I want you to bury Mosscloud's body." The white she-cat flicked her tail.

Brightshadow's eyes flickered over to where the dead she-cat lay, and quickly turned her gaze back to Snowstar, trying to hold the fresh-kill down her throat. Her throat was dry as she replied. "Alone?"

"The other warriors are busy."

And she doesn't deserve a proper burial, and you're the only lump willing to do it. Brightshadow could practically imagine those words following.

Brightshadow dipped her head to her mother before turning to the lump of cold fur that used to be a wise, fierce senior warrior. A cat who had been like a mother to her when Snowstar couldn't. And now, she was gone. She had said something to Brightshadow about how Snowstar should learn to lighten up on the killing of ShadowClan cats... and that was the last thing she had said. And now, she wouldn't breathe anymore.

The image was still vivid in Brightshadow's mind. She had been talking to Mosscloud, and then... it happened. One moment, she had been there, and the next, she was being dragged out by the throat into the center of camp.

Brightshadow had yowled and wailed for her mother to forgive Mosscloud, but the white leader had flattened her ears, almost as if in annoyance, and moved on. Mosscloud had shrieked and yowled to the skies, but no cat had dared to help her.

It was the same story every day.

Every. Day.

Brightshadow fastened her teeth firmly in Mosscloud's scruff, trying not to look at the drying blood that caked the gruesome wounds inflicted by her mother's claws. She stumbled from the sudden weight, but regained balance and padded across the clearing, slowly, dragging the dead she-cat across the grass.

Her load lightened suddenly, and Brightshadow turned her head in surprise, almost letting go of Mosscloud's scruff.

"Redfire?" she mewed, her mew muffled by Mosscloud's fur, coated with drying blood.

"No need to look so disappointed," Redfire retorted, his mew muffled, as well.

Brightshadow stopped, opening her jaws and letting Mosscloud's head fall to the grass. "I can manage," she stated, matter-of-factly.

"That's a lie, and you know it."

Brightshadow hissed in annoyance. "I. Don't. Need. Help."

"Yes, you do. As your deputy, I-"

"As Snowstar's daughter, I forbid you from trying to help me bury Mosscloud," Brightshadow retorted. Great StarClan, toms can be so dense. Snowstar would probably do something in order to prevent a proper burial for a so-called 'traitor'.

Redfire sighed. "Is my company that bad?"

"Yes."

It wasn't as though Brightshadow disliked Redfire, but she just didn't care too much about him... other than the fact that he was the deputy. She just wanted Redfire to leave so that Snowstar wouldn't come over and yowl at her for ages.

Brightshadow flicked her tail. "Look, I'm sorry. But Snowstar will be furious if she wastes a warrior - not to mention her deputy - on a cat she thinks was a traitor. I don't want to be responsible for anything that she does to you."

Redfire dipped his head in understanding before turning and padding away with a wave of his tail.

Brightshadow sighed, watching Redfire disappear into the warriors' den before turning back to Mosscloud's body and picking it up between her teeth, again. Breathing in deeply, she padded slowly and gradually dragged Mosscloud's body through the bushes.

Panting slightly, Brightshadow set Mosscloud's body down in one of the shallow dips in the ground. I'll miss you, Mosscloud. You were more of a mother to me than Snowstar will ever be. Sighing softly, Brightshadow settled down beside Mosscloud, touching her nose to Mosscloud's one last time.

And that was all.

That was all the burial that Snowstar would allow. Nothing more.

Brightshadow rose to her paws, bowing her head before padding away. She settled at the base of a pine tree at the edge of the clearing, and closed her eyes. She could probably recall most of the deaths like this since her birth.

There was Poppytail, her first mentor before she was killed; Leafpaw, the former medicine cat apprentice; Rowanstrike, an older tom; Cedarkit... Cedarkit.

She still remembered the day the one-moon-old kit died at Snowstar's claws...

"Wow! Is that the leader? Snowstar?" Ivykit asked, her voice becoming high-pitched for emphasis. Her green eyes were round as she watched the white she-cat pad out of her den and across the clearing.

"I think so. Sootcloud said that she was pure white, with the darkest blue eyes ever." That was Cedarkit, flicking his tail as he turned back to face his sister, who tore her gaze from Snowstar, as well.

"Apparently, Brightpaw's her kit, but I couldn't even tell!"

Cedarkit's eyes widened. "Also, I heard that Snowstar's kinda mean to some ShadowClan cats."

Oh, no, Brightpaw wanted to tell him. You should never have said that.

The words were barely out of the kit's mouth when he was snatched up, wailing in shock, as Snowstar's teeth sunk into his pale tabby fur. He seemed even smaller in Snowstar's jaws, as though he was nothing more than the size of a mouse.

Snowstar carried him like a piece of prey into the center of the clearing. Brightpaw had yowled in shock and stepped toward her mother, fur bristling. "Snowstar! That's just a kit! A one-moon-old kit, barely out of the nursery!"

And then, Brightpaw had felt pain explode on her face, and she had screeched in shock as she realized what had happened. Snowstar's claws had raked mercilessly across one cheek, causing blood to flow incessantly.

"Don't question me, apprentice!" Snowstar had hissed in Brightpaw's face before turning back to Cedarkit, who now lay wailing in the center of the clearing.

It was all over too soon.

Just a careless flick of her claws brought Cedarkit to his last breath, while the rest of the clan looked on, some horrified, some supportive. Cedarkit's mother, Dawntail, was shrieking, practically driven to insanity.

And Brightpaw was still moving backward away from Snowstar, as blood dripped from her cheek, and even the gentle touch of sunlight made the wound sting more than it should have...

Brightshadow gasped, blinking self-consciously as she realized her paw was pressed to the side of her face. The wound had given her an unforgettable scar, which still stung whenever she recalled what had happened.

She shot a glare in Snowstar's general direction, before jumping to her paws and stalking toward the warriors' den.

Her nest, though it hadn't changed from earlier on, felt as though it was made of thorns, all digging into her pelt, just like Snowstar's claws had. Brightshadow realized that she couldn't sleep now, not with the scar still stinging.

Looking around, she realized that cats were staring at her, and she noticed that her paw was touching the scar, once more. Hissing in annoyance, she brought her paw down, feeling her silver fur grow warm from her tail-tip to her face.

"Stop looking at me like that!" Brightshadow hissed to no one in particular, but she twitched her whiskers slightly as most cats dropped their gazes and went back to doing whatever it was that they were doing before.

Redfire was still staring at her, as though he hadn't heard her comment. "That goes for you, too," she growled, but Redfire ignored her.

"Were you remembering what happened that day, when you got that?" He pointed his tail toward her scar, and Brightshadow ducked her head self-consciously, hoping to hide it in the shadows of the warriors' den.

Brightshadow's fur bristled slightly, but she forced it flat. It wasn't his fault for asking. Somehow, this time... she felt like talking to Redfire, anyway. "Yes," she mewed, "I was." She ducked her head, again, preparing for Redfire to make some comment, something that most warriors might say.

Nothing came.

"Hey," an angry voice snapped, and Brightshadow turned, startled. "Could you two have your conversation somewhere outside? Some cats are trying to sleep."

"Sorry, Rainclaw," Brightshadow mewed hurriedly, padding briskly out of the warriors' den, trying not to trip over any cat's tail as she went. Her fur bristled unconsciously as she realized that Redfire had bounded up to her.

Sighing, Brightshadow turned. "What?"

"S-sorry," Redfire muttered. "I know I shouldn't have asked. It's probably a touchy subject. I guess... I was just curious." He dipped his head to her, then turned away and started making his way through the grass.

"Redfire," Brightshadow called after him, and the red tom stopped, pricking his ears to hear what she was going to say. It's fine, she wanted to say. It's not your fault for asking, I guess. But instead, what came out of her jaws was, "Do... do you remember how I got it?"

Redfire's head turned fully to face her from a few tail-lengths away, and his green eyes widened as if he couldn't believe she was asking that. But that expression was gone in a flash, and Brightshadow wondered if she had just imagined it. His eyes dropped to his paws. "I remember."

His claws sunk into the ground. "Snowstar gave that to you. I remember it vividly, and I couldn't risk Snowstar's wrath by trying to help you."

"I'm sorry," Brightshadow murmured, trying to hide the fact that the memory was coming back to her, and that her eyes were filling with tears. He had wanted to help me, but he couldn't. Isn't that how we all feel about each other, when Snowstar starts tearing us apart?

Redfire blinked. "What for? You didn't do anything wrong." Brightshadow offered no reply, though she recognized the hidden meaning behind Redfire's words. You didn't do anything wrong. The only person who did do something wrong was Snowstar.

"It must be hard," Brightshadow murmured softly. "You know... being deputy."

Redfire scoffed. "You have no idea." He lowered his voice. "Especially being Snowstar's deputy. I think Snowstar's just trying desperately to manipulate me, but she can't."

"You have to keep fighting like this," Brightshadow mewed. "You can't lose yourself."

Redfire purred. "Well... thanks, Brightshadow." Brightshadow softened as she heard the way her name rolled easily off of Redfire's tongue. "I'll see you later." Before he padded away, he turned back for a moment, and let out a teasing purr. "I think that this was just the start."

And before Brightshadow could ask anything more about what Redfire meant, he had padded away.


How did you like that first chapter? Was it good? Tell me in the reviews! Even if you don't want to answer that question, leave a review anyway!

Until the next chapter, stay tuned, my friends!

- Stormy