Author's Note: So...yeah. I meant to update faster, but this took a long time to write. The next chapter WILL be out by wednesday, though. I promise!


Disclaimer: I do not, and will never, own Warriors. All rights go to its owners, the Erin Hunters. The only things I own are my own characters and the plot line.


"I just know there's more to this than meets the eye," I was telling Sunspark between bites of mouse.

"I know you want to know what happened, but she must have left the Clan. Besides, Bramblestar is on his last life and he just caught greencough. Jayfeather is doing all he can, but he hasn't had catmint in moons, and nothing grows in leaf-fall. He's going to ask Willowshine tonight, but it's been a hard season. We can ask him if we can look, but he might say no," Sunspark warned. I sighed. Ivypool was more than my idol, she was the best warrior the Clan had.

"Can we go ask Dovewing?" I asked.

"That's a good idea, come on," she said. When we got to the nursery, all of the Queens were outside exchanging worried glances as the kits played.

"What's going on?" I asked. Robinwing looked up from her position on the ground. She was due any day now, and her stomach was enormous.

"Dovewing's kitting. Can't you hear–" she was cut off by a wail from within the nursery. Jayfeather's voice was soothing, and I'd never heard him like this in other kittings. It's because he and Dovewing were practically siblings.

"Come on, Dovewing. Just two more," he said.

"But that was just two," she moaned.

"I know. I know," he said. "I can't give you anymore herbs. You'll have to do the rest yourself," he said. A low moan came from the hollow and Jayfeather sighed.

"Good. One more," he said. "Good! Good, Dovewing. That's all of them," he said a few moments later. "Three she-kits and a tom. I'll leave you to be acquainted, but I'm sending Robinwing in," he said. Robinwing heaved herself to her paws and padded in as Jayfeather came out.

"Jayfeather!" Sunspark called.

"What?" he snapped. Same old Jayfeather.

"Can we ask Dovewing something?" she asked.

"No. She was asked about Ivypool already, and that was most likely the cause of the kitting, distress over her sister. Ivypool is in Twoleg place past the Horseplace, Now go," he said. He had always had a slight soft spot for Squirrelflight's kits, but he also kind of hated them. No cat ever said why.

"Wait!" I said. He sighed.

"What? I have to go to Bramblestar."

"We need to ask him for a journey."

"Fine. Go ask him," he said. Sunspark and I raced to the leader's den where Bramblestar was.

"Da?" Sunspark called in.

"Sunspark, Fireleaf, hello," he said.

"Um, Da, we'd like to go on a journey to Twoleg place to retrieve Ivypool. She's a valuable warrior, and times aren't so peaceful with ShadowClan. We want to bring her home."

"Very well. Daughter, this is goodbye. I won't be around when you get back," Bramblestar said. Sunstar's legs quivered and tears streamed down her eyes. She dropped down next to her father, who started coughing violently. I raced out of the den and ran to Jayfeather.

"Jayfeather!" I called. He poked his head out of his den. "Bramblestar is coughing and he won't stop! Sunspark is with him!" I called. Jayfeather ran out of his den and straight up the rocks to High Ledge surprisingly fast for a cat that was blind. He had a honeycomb and wet moss in his jaws, and he charged into Bramblestar's den.

He and Sunspark came out, heads lowered, a few moments later. I could still hear Bramblestar coughing inside, so he wasn't dead, but Jayfeather still had his herbs.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Sunspark just padded past me and into the warrior's den. "Jayfeather?"

"He has blackcough. He won't survive the day, Fireleaf. It's too dangerous to go in, if he coughed on you, you'd die too. He's done," Jayfeather said. "He had a good run, Bramblestar. He would have made Firestar proud, you know? He just catches sickness so easily...so easily. Only one life was lost that wasn't because of sickness. And that was because he threw himself off a cliff and saved Squirrelflight, but he fell. He died, but, of course, he came back. That was his first lost life. After that it was all sickness. But he did things even Firestar couldn't have. He made a standing alliance with WindClan. He made it for my mom, you know."

"Who is your mother?" I asked. Jayfeather gave me a wry smile.

"Nobody ever told you?" he asked. "Not even Lionblaze?" Jayfeather is, of course, referring to my adopted father.

I was found as a kit and taken in to the Clan. Cinderheart took care of me because she had just moved into the nursery, expecting her kits Hollypaw, Fallenpaw, and Leafpaw. It was two moons before her kitting, but an old leg injury was acting up with the extra weight of kits, so she moved in earlier than most. I was made an apprentice two moons before the three, at the same time as Sunspark, and Hollypaw, Fallenpaw, and Leafpaw went a moon without even speaking to me. Lionblaze felt bad for me, so he helped me with my training and helped me to make good friends with Sunspark. He told me all he knew about my past, that I was a blessing to the Clan from StarClan, and about his past. He never told me who his parents were, and I didn't ask.

"I never asked," I said. "And he didn't tell me, so it was none of my buisness."

"Would you like to know, Fireleaf?" he asked.

"Yes," I said. He nodded as if he had expected it.

"Come with me," he said. I followed him out of camp and to the Sky Oak. He climbed up it, much to my warnings. He lead me into a hidden hollow that was a tight fit. "This is a secret place, and I've never shown anyone. Sit. I'll tell you all about your adopted family," he said. I sat and he sighed sadly.

"Is it a sad story?" I asked.

"Yes. When Lionblaze and I were born, we had a sister, Hollyleaf. I was born blind, and I'll tell you why in a little bit. Well, we were Squirrelflight and Bramblestar's kits, the three of us. Squirrelflight wasn't a very good mother, not like she was with Sunspark. She was barely there, but Bramblestar was so it was okay. Well, anyway, Lionblaze was a warrior from the start. Hollyleaf was a medicine cat apprentice at first, and I was a warrior apprentice. I heard my calling to be a medicine cat and Hollyleaf heard her calling to be a warrior. So we switched.

"It was about that time I first used my powers, to enter other's dreams and thoughts. I started with just dreams and I didn't know. It was a little later that Lionblaze realized he couldn't be hurt. So, after we figured this out, Hollyleaf, Hollypaw then, hadn't found hers yet. We assured her that it would become clear in time. I found out about a prophecy about the three of us, 'There shall be three, kin of the fire's kin, who shall hold the power of the stars in their paws.' Naturally, that was us. Kin of Firestar's kin. But Hollyleaf never developed powers.

"There was a big fire in camp, and Ashfur trapped us in camp. Squirrelflight saved us because Ashfur held a grudge for choosing Bramblestar as a mate over him. He thought killing her kits was the way to do it. Squirrelflight told him that it wouldn't work, we weren't her kits. Only her adopted ones. We were heartbroken. We weren't Firestar's kin, the prophecy didn't apply to us, and we might not have Clan blood. Hollyleaf took this really hard. I think I was the only apprentice of us then. Well, anyway, Hollyleaf found out who our real mother was, Leafpool. Squirrelflight's sister. That still, of course, left the question of who our father was. And because, as a medicine cat, Leafpool wasn't supposed to have kits, her price was my blindness. And Leafpool being a medicine cat was heartbreaking for Hollyleaf. Lionblaze and I felt abandoned, but not full of rage, like her.

"She was sitting by the lake and Ashfur attacked her, convinced that this was the way to get to Squirrelflight. It also cleaned the Clan of 'dirty' blood. She fought back and killed him, accidentally. She ran away, and was trapped in the tunnels. She found a spirit, Fallen Leaves, the cat your adopted brothers were named for, and fell in love.

"Right, so anyway, while we thought Hollyleaf was dead, we found Dovewing. She was Cloudtail's taughter, kin of Firestar's kin since Cloudtail is his nephew.

"Eventually, Hollyleaf came back. Bramblestar saw her accidentally kill Ashfur and told the Clan, and we were okay with it. She died in the battle with the Dark Forest, and in her dying moments she forgave Leafpool and Squirrelflight, as Lionblaze and I had done.

"While we though Hollyleaf was dead, Cinderheart found out that she was really a reincarnation of Cinderpelt, and she was given another chance. Cinderpelt left her spirit before the battle, and Cinderheart and Lionlaze became mates. Leafpool died four moons after Bramblestar became, well, Bramblestar."

"Oh," I said, letting the information sink in. "Are Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves together in StarClan?" I asked. Jayfeather opened his mouth then closed it.

"Hollyleaf...well...I know she went. She was misguided, and it was an accident killing Ashfur. And, anyway, she died saving Ivypool, and she even forgave Leafpool and Squirrelflight. I know she went."

"So you don't know?"

"Well, no. Yellowfang, an old ThunderClan medicine cat, told me not to pry. Every time I think I see her pelt, Yellowfang shows up and tells me not to pry. I have not been able to return to the tunnels where I met Fallen Leaves because we closed the enterances. Rock, another spirit who once guided me, has not come to my callings. Nor have I been able to find Half-Moon, a, um, friend of mine," Jayfeather said. "But perhaps it isn't my place to find her. Perhaps it is yours."

"Me? But I'm not even a Clan cat. Hollyleaf has no connection to me."

"But perhaps she does," he said, smiling. "Fallen Leaves, though dead, was not a spirit the same way a cat like Yellowfang is. Perhaps Hollyleaf wasn't either. Fallen Leaves died prematurely, so perhaps the same was true for Hollyleaf. He had a physical being, so she might have. And medicine cats can tell when a cat has kits...or will. The kitting would have been delayed until she could reassume a physical being, which would have taken time since she should have gone straight to StarClan. She would have had to deny her spirit guide and remain inactive in her body until we buried it. Then she would have had to get out of the ground and, once more, deny her spirit guide. She would have remained inactive in the forest until her spirit guide left. She would go to StarClan herself, and thus avoid the main entrance to StarClan and go through Brightspirit's Gate. Once she was through, if she avoided Brightspirit, Shiningheart, and Braveheart, she could sneak back out the gate. Without a blessing, she can't be reborn.

"But she could assume physical shape as a spirit and go to find Fallen Leaves and have kits. I'm pretty sure the kits would be real since spirits can't have spirit kits. So, right, she would have put her kits, or kit, where her old Clan could find her and adopt her. ThunderClan would never condemn a kit to death and they would have accepted him or her as her own. With Firestar as our grandfather, her kit or kits could have been born with red fur. It does make sense. Come back to camp with me. Go to sleep. As soon as you begin to dream, I'll take you to StarClan," Jayfeather said. I sighed softly and closed my eyes. When I opened them I had made a decision.

"Okay, Jayfeather. Not because I think Hollyleaf might be my mother, but because you're the medicine cat and it's best to do as you say," I said.

"Good," he said, and scampered down the tree. I ran next to him, my stride matching his. We burst into the medicine den together and I laid down in a corner. Jayfeather was in the opposite one. I quickly drifted into sleep.

My dream began, and it was an odd one. A beautiful black cat came to me.

"Hello, Fireleaf," she said."Um, hello. Who are you?"

"Who I am does not matter. Remember this. I will be a guide of sorts to you. You must not get distracted, by anything. Ivypool is your concern now. I gave her a chance–I mean, I, um, helped her to stay alive, no, no..."

"Are you Hollyleaf?" I asked. She fit Jayfeather's rough description, she was black with green eyes. Her eyes lit up with fear and anger.

"I said who I am does not matter. What matters is that you find Ivypool. Do not get distracted. I know something that cures blackcough, and I will guide Jayfeather to it. It is rare and can only be used on leaders on their last life. I will make sure he gets it to Bramblestar in time. You and Sunspark must embark on your journey today or it will be too late," Guide said. I had decided to call her that.

"I will do as you say if you tell me who you are."

"Must you know?"

"Yes!"

"Jayfeather was correct. I am Hollyleaf, and I am your mother. Your father is Fallen Leaves. You have the oldest Clan blood flowing through your veins. But Jayfeather was wrong. I do have powers, I just didn't know until the battle with the Dark Forest. I am the embodiment of earth, fire, water, and air. I can control them. I burst into flame and killed Hawkfrost. Ivypool won't remember this, so don't ask her. But a fire that burns bright is not meant to last. But you, Fireleaf, are the brightest fire. I am helping to preserve you from those who would like to kill you. You have the Ancient knowledge, if only you dig deep enough to find it. You might control the elements, I don't know, but I don't think so. Your power is the Ancient knowledge. Even I do not know it, only that you possess it," she said.

A spirit appeared, she was gray with amber eyes and scratches all over her face."You do not have long. I am blocking Jayfeather from dream-walking, but it will only last for so long. He is powerful, that one," the cat said.

"Thank you, Yellowfang, but that is no longer necessary. My daughter knows who I am. You can let him come," she said. Yellowfang nodded and ran off. Jayfeather appeared in the corner of my vision, and I turned to look at him.

"You can see!" I said. He smiled and nodded.

"In my dreams, yes. And is this...is this..."

"Yes, brother," Hollyleaf said. His eyes brimmed with tears of joy, and he ran to her. She pressed him into her pelt and put her tail over him.

"Hollyleaf, why haven't I been able to see you?"

"It wasn't time, my brother. I needed my daughter to see me first."

"So I was right!" he said. She nodded.

"You were always the smartest, Jayfeather. Your knowledge surpasses all but one," she said.

"What? I'm not very smart," he said.

"Ah, but quite the contrary. You possess intuition, brother. You know how to fight, how to heal, and you know when to ask questions. There is only one other who has more knowledge, though she has yet to find out what it is she knows."

"Who?"

"That I can't tell you, Jayfeather, but she knows. Listen to me. Catmint has a flower."

"Yes. It has no medicinal value, though."

"That is where you are wrong. It can cure blackcough in leaders on their ninth life and prevent sickness for a lifetime," Hollyleaf said.

"But no flowers are in bloom," he said.

"A gift from StarClan, perhaps, will do you good. Check the tree with all those hollows on the border with WindClan, north of their forest section. There will be catmint. And an apprentice can help."

"I have no apprentice," he said.

"Wake up, and you will find that a certain tom has found his...real calling. He's felt it since he was a kit, and surely you must have noticed?"

"Leafpaw," he said. "But he's set his mind on being a warrior."

"No cat can ignore StarClan's wishes forever," Hollyleaf said. Jayfeather nodded, then faded. "He is awake. I must go find Fallen Leaves before he winds up lost again," Hollyleaf said, and dashed off. I closed my eys and focused on waking up.

I woke up and sprung out of the medicine den. Jayfeather was just stretching his legs when I burst out of his den and out of camp. I headed straight for the WindClan border, where the tree was. I knew which tree Hollyleaf was referring to; many squirrels lived there. I found it and scaled it, finding a very large catmint plant in full bloom. I dug up the entire plant and raced back into camp. I passed Lionblaze on the way in.

"Fireleaf! Where'd you find that?" he asked.

"No time!" I yelled at him. I burst into camp to see Jayfeather talking to Leafpaw in a hurried tone. He averted his eyes to me when he saw me burst in.

"Fireleaf! Oh, thank StarClan you went to get it. Hurry! Bramblestar's about to lose his grip on his last life!" he said. I ripped the flower off and threw the rest of the plant at Leafpaw.

"Plant that somewhere," I said, and raced to Bramblestar, Jayfeather on my heels. "Bramblestar!" I called. He moved his eyes to look at me. This was bad, he didn't have enough energy to even lift his head off his paws. "Give it to me," Jayfeather said. I gave him the flower which he chewed.

"Jayfeather! That's for Bramblestar!" I said. He ignored me and chewed it to a pulp. He spit it out along with all his spit.

"Shut it. I'm the medicine cat, and I know what I'm doing," he said.

He picked up the pulp in his paw and went to Bramblestar. He lifted the leader's head with a careful paw and let his jaw fall open. He pushed the pulp inside and closed Bramblestar's mouth.

"Swallow, Bramblestar. With all your strength," Jayfeather said. Fireleaf, you're stronger than me. Get his body up and I'll tilt his head back. It'll help the pulp go down," he said.

I did as he told me and watched the lump that was the catmint flower pulp go down his throat.

"Jayfeather, did it work?" I asked.

"I hope so. If your mother was right, he should heal and won't get sick again," he said. "But she could be wrong. We can only hope," Jayfeather said. I sat down next to him, and he buried his face in my fur and silently cried. I stroked his head with my nose and wrapped my tail around him. When he was finished, he looked up at me.

"Bramblestar is still my father."

"I don't even know who your real father is," I reminded him. "So of course he is."

"You know the black WindClan cat, Crowfeather? Leafpool ran away with him. She did love him. But she came back, left him. He's my father," he said. I nodded. Suddenly Bramblestar weakly stood up.

"What did you give me?" he asked. "It's working. I thought blackcough wasn't curable."

"Only for leaders on their ninth lives is it possible. It's the flower of catmint. Fireleaf's mother suggested it."

"Her...her mother?" he asked. "But...we found her in the forest. Who's her mother?"

"Her mother is Hollyleaf, Bramblestar. It'd take too long to tell you how. Hollyleaf is her mother, and Fallen Leaves her father. She possesses some kind of Ancient knowledge, and she somehow has to unlock it. Fallen Leaves knew, but he's lost it. Anyway, that doesn't matter. She needs to find Ivypool. Sunspark will be willing to go now that you're better," Jayfeather said.

"Good...good," Bramblestar said. He stood up, stretched, and began to groom his pelt. "Tell Sunstar that you both have my blessing. And go! I have a feeling that Ivypool's life may be in danger!"


Author's Note: Did you like it? Love it? Hate it? Was it so-so? Please review—all comments are welcome, even flames. Stay tuned and wait for wednesday!