So, after a long hiatus I'm bringing this story back. I thought about it for a while and realized an AU story doesn't need to be accurate, because it's AU. I also had 3 votes for this to come back from my readers, so here it is. Any pointers or stuff I got wrong or forgot please tell me.
Just a pointer, History Rewritten: Brokenstar's chapters are significantly shorter than Dawnstar's Legacy's chapters are. When this was first written, that wasn't the intent. I did plan for both stories to be pretty long, like novel level long. The way I write these chapters and the cutoff point makes sure it's shorter.
Just like Dawnstar's Legacy, this story updates randomly, occasionally there will be long dry spells between chapters.
Wolfheart belongs to Wolfy Winter and Dream. Sorry for not including your character in one of my stories sooner. She will be in Dawnstar's Legacy though. Not in the next update, but she'll be there.
1 separating line goes here 1
Brokenpaw followed Yellowfang out of the ShadowClan camp. The marshy ground felt cool and soft beneath his paws, so it felt good to trot a bit behind the medicine cat. Yellowfang continued on towards a heavily bushed area with thicker plant life. Brokenpaw almost made a face in surprise.
ShadowClan has little undergrowth. I guess this is where Yellowfang collects all her herbs.
Brokenpaw pawed a one of the bushes. Bright, blood red berries dangled from the branches. The little tabby sniffed at a berry curiously.
Juniper? No, I'd remember juniper berries.
A memory passed by Brokenpaw's eyes, but he suppressed it.
No! Not now. Especially not while I'm with Yellowfang.
Brokenpaw slowly opened his eyes to see that Yellowfang was picking little blue colored berries off a nearby bush. Brokenpaw padded up to where she stood, hoping to at least offer to help her. The grey medicine cat looked over at Brokenpaw.
"These are called juniper berries. They are good for bellyaches-…"
"And breathing?" Brokenpaw quickly shut his mouth. He didn't mean to blurt out something Dawnstar had known. Yellowfang eyed the dark tabby suspiciously.
"How did you know that," Yellowfang meowed, a hint of pride for her son in her voice.
"Uhh, I-I heard Runningpaw say what they were for when I saw him last." Brokenpaw replied, saying whatever happened to blurt out of his mouth. His eye widened, desperately hoping Yellowfang didn't think anything suspicious of him. Brokenpaw almost visible flinched when he was the ShadowClan medicine cat raise an eyebrow at him.
"Oh did he now?" Yellowfang purred smoothly, her eyes narrowing into little orange slits, "I have to talk to him about being on task instead of talking with his friends."
Brokenpaw breathed a sigh of relief as Yellowfang turned to pick up the juniper berries. Brokenpaw watched as Yellowfang carefully placed each berry on a leaf and folded it up.
"We'll be getting back a little early, if you don't mind." Yellowfang said, her mew muffled by the leaf wrapped berries. Brokenpaw nodded at her.
"I think I'm going to stay out and practice hunting by myself a little." He mewed. Yellowfang shrugged.
"Alright. But I'm coming back to find you if you aren't back by sunset. Night training starts then and I won't be happy if Raggedstar comes and asks me where you've been." The grey she cat's eyes hardened for a moment, then softened by humor sparkling in them. Brokenpaw smiled.
"I'll be back, promise."
1 separating line goes here 1
Brokenpaw bounded across the moist forest floor, taking in all the sights and scents of the territory. It was still early enough to stay and explore. But the real reason Brokenpaw had wanted to stay out alone was to remember the memory that passed him when he saw the red berries. The dark tabby apprentice trotted out deeper into ShadowClan's territory, letting his paws take him farther and farther.
Soon, Brokenpaw caught the sight of a burnt tree stump. The tabby tom sat down next to it and laid himself down. Then he closed his eyes and willed the memories to return
1 separating line goes here 1
"What are these berries called, Blackwing?"
Brokenpaw jerked his head up with a start. A voice had forced itself into his head, giving the young cat a shock. Brokenpaw opened his eyes to see himself standing in a lightly wooded piece of territory with streams running through the land like wriggling snakes. A few bushes dotted the ground every few paw steps. Then, Brokenpaw heard the voice again.
"I found these berries, Blackwing. What are they for?" A silvery grey she cat pushed her way through a bush with a branch of blood, red berries in her jaws. From the opposite direction, a black pelted she cat padded out of the trees. Her blue gaze was calm and collected as she eyed the berries in her companion's mouth. Then the black she cat frowned a little.
"Those are death berries, Dawnpaw," the black cat said, "Don't swallow one. They could kill you instantly. Even if I had the right herbs I might not be able to save you."
With the last few words, Brokenpaw could detect the black cat's voice choke up a bit, but not enough to be noticed by the grey cat, Dawnpaw.
Dawnpaw stared back at black cat apologetically. Her dark amber eyes betrayed a faint, guilty glimmer.
"I'll put these back then. Sorry, Blackwing." She mewed as she tossed the branch into a nearby bush. Blackwing nodded at her companion.
"Don't forget them." She said firmly. The black she cat stepped back towards Dawnpaw and through the brush from where they came. Dawnpaw followed.
"I won't." Dawnpaw meowed as she stepped towards the spot where Brokenpaw was crouching. In horror, the little tabby apprentice cringed as he saw a white tipped paw about to stamp down on his chest. Brokenpaw braced himself for pain and humiliation. His muscles tensed as she shut his eyes in desperation.
But not pain of a paw stepping on him never came. Brokenpaw opened his eyes with surprise. He looked behind him to see the two she cats walking on as if nothing ever happened.
They went through me!?
"They can't see or hear you, you know. You don't exist for them."
W-what?
"What about these, Blackwing?"
Dawnpaw trotted up to Blackwing with a few purple-blue berries in her mouth. Blackwing smiled back at her and breathed a small sigh of relief that only Brokenpaw could notice.
"Those are juniper. They're safe to eat, even if you accidently eat one."
Brokenpaw stood up in front of the two she cats, but they didn't seem to notice him at all. The tabby tom reached out a paw to touch the fur of Blackwing, but found that his paw passed right through her body!
Utterly shocked, he yowled at the two cats, but Dawnpaw and Blackwing kept conversing. It was obvious that they hadn't heard Brokenpaw at all.
Then, the two cats stood up and stalked through the brush from when they came. Brokenpaw stood up, not knowing what to think of the memory.
So those red berries from earlier are death berries; they kill cats.
Once again startled, Brokenpaw lifted up at paw as the world around him began to fade into a deep whiteness.
