Chapter 5

BrambleFur?

BrambleFur padded up to CloverHeart. "CloverHeart, can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, sure what's buggin' you?"

BrambleFur suppressed a sigh; "DuskHeart"

CloverHeart sat down, "What about her?"

BrambleFur tried to say something else but he instantly blurt it out, "I love her! I can't get over it!"

CloverHeart, shocked, replied, "You Do? I knew you had some type of connection but…"

BrambleFur sighed, "I know…"

CloverHeart rested her tail on his shoulder, "The best you can do is talk to her, and remember, listen to her, she's a lot older than you and I, besides, FeatherHeart & CrowStorm are about as old as we are, you could always mate with them if DuskHeart doesn't work out or mate with someone else."

BrambleFur pushed her tail off him, "You're right, I'll talk to her on a hunting patrol, alone."

CloverHeart nodded, "Good idea."

DuskHeart padded out of MudStar's den with Ceecret. "So, whatcha wanna do?"

Ceecret sighed, "Rest, I'm tired even though I had such a long nap."

DuskHeart smiled, "ok, I suggest in the shaded area over there, when I wanna take a nap, I go there. It helps me."

"Thanks!" Ceecret bounded to the shaded area.

"DuskHeart!"

DuskHeart spun around & saw BrambleFur running towards her. "Hi BrambleFur! What do you need?"

BrambleFur caught his breath. "I wanted to know if you wanted to come on a hunting patrol, just you & I."

DuskHeart sounded delighted. "Sure!" They bounded out of the camp entrance.

CloverHeart padded up to MudStar's den. "MudStar! I really need to talk to you!"

"CloverHeart? Come…in…"

She rushed only stopping less than a paw-length from his nose. She scrabbled backward, "sorry…"

"CloverHeart, it's alright. What do you need?"

"You're my father, you would probably understand. It's about BrambleFur."

MudStar looked puzzled.

"He…he...he can't get over her! He loves her too much! I promised not to tell anyone but I had to tell you!"

"Who?"

"BrambleFur he…he…he loves DuskHeart! He won't stop talking about her…he just told me he's going to talk to her on a hunting patrol…alone! He won't get over her! He says he'll do anything. Please!"

MudStar bristled a little, "anything? Would he hurt her? Would he threaten her or another clan-mate?"

Yowling came from outside the camp. Everyone woke or ran out of their dens, bristling. MudStar ran out of the entrance. CloverHeart stood there, scared.

As MudStar raced out he heard another yowl…and heard DuskHeart yelp & scream, though it was softer than the yowling. He saw DuskHeart in the rushing water on the top of the falls & BrambleFur standing there. He raced up to BrambleFur, "what happened?"

"She-I-It was an accident!"

"MudStar! Help!"

"Don't worry DuskHeart!"

"What I am falling down a riv—" DuskHeart's head went under as the water came faster.

MudStar was running to the falls and just grabbed DuskHeart's forepaw when it slipped out of his paw, she fell down the falls into the water below. MudStar was sure she hit her head on the rocks when he didn't see her come up. "BrambleFur! What have you done?"

"Nothing! We were just racing each other for a squirrel when it scrabbled up a tree, I stopped, though she raced up the tree, only to find the branch she pounced on wasn't strong enough, and she fell into the falls."

MudStar scrabbled down the rocks with BrambleFur just behind. Soon enough, he scanned, no sign of DuskHeart, BrambleFur sighed.

MudStar gave him one depressing look, "BrambleFur, you're my son; I shouldn't have accused you of hurting her." MudStar then started climbing up the rocks, "if anything, she's…dead." MudStar walked up to the top and sat by a tree, where MudStar & DuskHeart first caught their first prey as apprentices.

BrambleFur didn't give up, he searched the whole area. He walked behind the falls & found a cave. He cautiously walked in. He saw a black lump on the side of the cave and gently padded up to it, to find DuskHeart lying there, twitching and breathing. He quickly pulled her on his back, and half-ran, half-walked out of there. "MudStar!"

MudStar peered over the edge; he saw what BrambleFur had and ran down the rock ledges. He purred loudly and helped BrambleFur bring her up the rocks and into camp. They laid her next to MudStar's den.

CloverHeart ran up to DuskHeart, "is she okay?"

MudStar just replied, "I hope so, go get one of the two medicine cats, or both if necessary."

CloverHeart ran off. BrambleFur looked at his father, "what do we do?" "Wait…" he looked at DuskHeart and back at BrambleFur, "go and get some rest, you need it." BrambleFur sighed as he padded away. Will I get to ask her if she loves me? Ever? MudStar curled up next to DuskHeart and whispered in her ear, "please, be alive." SandFur ran up to him, "what's wron—oh. RussetPatch! Get we some yarrow, it'll make her cough up the water." RussetPatch nodded, and ran off. "MudStar, flip her over, I'm going to press on her chest, you need to lick her fur in the wrong direction, understand?" "Yes." He helped her flip DuskHeart over and started rapidly licking his sister. At the same time, he thought; wait, should I tell BrambleFur that he & DuskHeart are kin? He doesn't even know she's my sister…

"MudStar, that's good." He stopped licking her, "oh…"

DuskHeart started coughing and she burst out a lot of the water, SandFur ran to the medicine den real quick & came back.

"What was that for?" "To tell RussetPatch there's no need for yarrow 'till she told me there was no more. I need to get some, but later." Suddenly, DuskHeart gradually opened her eyes. "What happen-ouch." "What's wrong?" "My head hurts a lot, SandFur, probably from when I hit the wall."

"Wall?" MudStar asked curiously. "Yeah, when I fell, I hit a cave wall & went unconscious."

Two sunrises later, DuskHeart woke up and padded out of MudStar's den. He didn't want to move her or make her feel crowded, never mind the pain, after her fall. She agreed to sleep in his den 'till she felt better. She padded to the fresh-kill pile and grabbed a rabbit and a mouse. CloudFoot was outside of his den. "Hungry?" She dropped the prey. "No, just bringing food to MudStar & one to you guys." CloudFoot had amusement in his eyes. "I thought apprentices fed the elders." DuskHeart picked up the fresh-kill and dropped a rabbit at his paws. She put the mouse beside her and touched muzzles with him. "They are not up yet, are they? And you guys surprisingly wake up early, so I thought I'd bring prey, get it off their backs so they can have more battle training & hunting practice." He let out a purr. She picked up the mouse, dropped it at MudStar's nose and walked out of the den.

She decided to wake BrambleFur up; he was sleeping at the entrance to the Warrior den. He woke up startled, He sounded tired, "wh-what's goin-oh, it's you DuskHeart." He got up, padded out of the den and stretched. "What do you need?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go hunting again. You said you had a question, but you never got the chance to ask." BrambleFur looked at her, "Sure but did MudStar & SandFur say you could?" She sighed in amusement, "Do I have to take orders from them when my clan comes first? Come on, let's go" She batted him on the head with her forepaw and walked out of the entrance with BrambleFur on her tail. CloudFoot purred in amusement.

BrambleFur sat down next to the apprentice, battle clearing.

DuskHeart turned around. "Oh? You stopped? Umm…okay." She sat down next to him.

"Umm, DuskHeart…" "Yes." "You remember how you loved RavenFeather?" "Yes, though, I think he began to love me, then lost it in power I never realized he wanted." "Oh…" He sighed, how do I say this?

"BrambleFur?"

"Oh, sorry…umm DuskHeart, would you get mad at me in any way?" "If it was a reasonable time to, other than that, I'm pretty reasonable." "Only cause, I want to ask you are big question that I'm scared to ask." "Go on ahead." "DuskHeart, I know I'm young & all, a lot younger than you but do you like me?" "Of course I do! Anyone would like such a great friend like you!" "No I meant like, umm, love me…"

DuskHeart's eyes widened, "BrambleFur…" she calmed down & rested her tail on his shoulder. "I like you as a friend, but I don't love you. I know it's hard to hear. I had a mate before RavenFeather, RainStorm. He used to only be my friend, and I was sad. I got over it though. Soon enough, before I even realized it, he asked me to be his mate. I never thought that day would come. My main point is, don't give up hope. There's someone in DuskClan who probably likes you, if you only give them a chance, or even yourself."

"DuskHeart, it's not like that. There's no one in DuskClan who's like you! You're brave, strong, loyal, and proud. You always stand your ground and push your way through any situation!"

"Thank you, but I don't love you…-" "I know you don't! Please! Is there something you can do to make me feel happy?" "Sorry, no."

She got up and started to walk away to hunt when BrambleFur pounced on her, claws unsheathed. He glared at her, with anger blazing in his eyes. She struggled free, but BrambleFur kept on clawing her and biting her. DuskHeart was still too weak to fight thanks to her fall down the waterfall. She tried to wail and yowl but BrambleFur stuffed his paw in the mouth and batted her & clawed and bit her till she was lying there bloody, just like how DuskHeart had found Ceecret with him. He sheathed his claws and started walking backwards, scared at what he had done…he went to the falls to wash up, and walked back. He couldn't believe what he did, he ran to the falls, jumped down the rocks and ran in the opposite direction of the clans, not knowing where he was—or what he was doing.