Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors!
To all those people who reviewed: Thanks! Sorry for not updating in a long time. I've been busy. But tomorrow I'm leaving on a trip, and I won't be able to update until Sunday!! Sadness….
--
"We're being attacked!" Sandstorm yowled.
Brambleclaw immediately looked Squirrelflight in the eyes, and then turned tail and ran into the clearing. He could see Firestar leaping down from his den, with Thornclaw hot on his heels. Whiteleaf and Birchfall, the two newest warriors, hissed and resumed battle position as the enemy warriors poured into the Camp.
Brambleclaw leaped onto a gray warrior's back, and found that it was Mistyfoot, the deputy of RiverClan. A hiss erupted from his throat as the gray she-cat's blue eyes fumed with anger and turned on him, lashing her claws down his shoulder. He let out a yowl of pain and fell backwards as another cat attacked him from behind, their claws slicing his tail. As quickly as he'd fallen, he got up, hissing and yowling with anger. He turned on Mistyfoot, running his claws down her ears. Mistyfoot flattened herself to the ground, smarting with pain, and turned tail to run and fight someone else. The cat behind Brambleclaw ran their claws down Brambleclaw's tail again as he watched Mistyfoot run away. He yowled and turned around to see…
Hawkfrost.
"Hawkfrost!" Brambleclaw spat in his half-brother's face, his face livid with rage. "How could you?! Why are you attacking us?!"
Hawkfrost's blue eyes widened. "What, brother? What do you mean? We're only keeping you back from stealing our prey!" he mewed coyly, sitting down and licking a paw calmly, as if they weren't in the middle of a raging battle. "I don't see what you mean by 'attacking you'."
"You're a warrior! You should know!" Brambleclaw snarled, leaping forward to meet his brother. Their noises were less than a mouse-length away from each other. "You brought this on me and my Clan!"
With that, Brambleclaw jumped onto his half-brother, his claws unsheathed. He tore through his brother's shoulder, not caring that he was spilling his kin's blood. All he wanted was to prove his point. This cat had attacked his Clan- he would pay.
Hawkfrost cried out in pain and fell to the ground, his belly up. Brambleclaw stood above his brother, his amber eyes furious. When he saw that his brother was finished, he stopped and lifted his head into the air proudly.
Suddenly, their was a bolt of pain in his stomach. Hawkfrost had risen, and his claws were now sinking into his half-brother's stomach. "Oh, Brambleclaw," Hawkfrost said in a quiet, victorious voice, "never stop to gloat."
And everything went black.
--
Brambleclaw wearily raised his head, shaking it to clear the stars from his vision. He couldn't feel the pain in his stomach as much as before, but it was still definitely there. He let out a moan of pain and let his head flop to the ground again, his paws working on the soft grass beneath his paws.
Wait, he suddenly thought. Soft grass? The ThunderClan camp is stone, not grassy! Icy fear ripped through his mind, then tickled his spine.
He opened his eyes and lifted his head, again. He saw that instead of being in the ThunderClan camp, he was laying in the clearing of the Gathering Island. What's going on? he asked himself. His question was soon answered.
A starry, blue-gray cat walked into the clearing, her blue eyes sad as she approached him. "Brambleclaw," she mewed, sitting down by him. Brambleclaw instantly knew that this was Bluestar, the former leader of ThunderClan before Firestar.
"Bluestar!" he gasped, struggling to sit up. He winced when a pang of hurt bounced through his stomach, and he collapsed back to the grassy ground, breathing hard. Bluestar made a soothing noise that of a queen and licked him on the cheek.
"Calm yourself, Brambleclaw. I'm only here to talk to you. Don't rush yourself."
"Am I dead?" he asked quickly, still sitting on the ground and looking up at her. Her calm blue eyes soothed his ruffled fur and pangs in his belly.
Bluestar's eyes narrowed with grief. "That, I do not know, Brambleclaw. You are in Leafpool's den, hanging in between life and death. You are fighting like the whole of StarClan, and so is Leafpool, for you to live." She touched her tail-tip to his shoulder. "It is sad when one so young yet so experienced comes to join StarClan."
"What about Squirrelflight and the kits?" Brambleclaw asked, his heart racing, hoping that they were alright.
"They're fine. Squirrelflight is suffering… she's worried you're going to join us tonight," Bluestar meowed quietly, closing her eyes. "Your fate does not rest in StarClan's paws right now. It's up to you."
"Up to me?" Brambleclaw blinked his amber eyes, looking down at himself. Then he stopped and sighed. "Hawkfrost did this to me."
"I know, Brambleclaw," Bluestar meowed, still quiet. "He is a bad cat, much like his father. I trusted his- your- father for a while, and it did me no good. Never trust cats such as that."
Brambleclaw looked at his paws. "Then I made the same mistake as you, Bluestar," Brambleclaw sighed.
Bluestar looked down as well, and started to speak. But she was interrupted by a new voice.
"Bluestar. Brambleclaw." A large white tom walked in, his yellow eyes narrowed.
"Whitestorm!" Bluestar looked up, her blue eyes widening. "What brings you here tonight?"
"I saw the whole thing, Bluestar," Whitestorm mewed in a deep voice. "With Brambleclaw and his… brother." He spat the word. "I came to give this young cat my regards."
Brambleclaw perked up, trying to drag himself into a sitting position. "Whitestorm," he mewed, not knowing how to greet this experienced, wise cat.
Whitestorm dipped his head. "Brambleclaw, I was once too a deputy of Firestar's. I know the troubles. But if you are to live…" his voice trailed off, then regained its former deepness, "expect more trouble ahead."
With that, Whitestorm padded away, his thick white tail dragging behind him. Brambleclaw froze.
What could be more troubling that what I face already?
--
Thanks for reading! Sorry for it taking so long I'll write once I'm back from meh trip!
-Dewy-
