Okay, so. I have an outline, everything planned out, and I write the next chapter as soon as I complete the previous one. No concrete schedule as of now. I upload when finished.

Maybe not the greatest idea, considering I'd like to reply to reviews. Well, oh well, I can add them later, since I don't write a chapter overnight.

Guest: Thank you for being my first reviewer! I'm… not sure what your question is supposed to ask? This fic starts before Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost start training in canon (around an entire book earlier), if that helps.

Also, I'm gonna have to leave spaces to remind myself to add line breaks, that'll be a pain.

Also also, to be super duper clear, this is an AU.

Brambleclaw was nervous.

Did he make the right decision, accepting his father's offer? His father, who murdered innocent cats? Who took over ShadowClan, then RiverClan, then let BloodClan into the forest? One of the most vicious and cruel cats in the history of the clans?

And what of his sister? What of the threats said last night, when she declined? What would Tigerstar do to her?

There's nothing I can do now…, he thought to himself. No point in worrying. Besides, I'll at least learn some good fighting moves, which will help me defend my clan. And, though hopefully not, my sister.

Slowly making his way through the dark forest, he eventually found his way to the clearing they had met at yesterday. Hawkfrost had already gotten there, as had Tigerstar, who acknowledged his arrival with a nod.

"We will start with evolutions of simple techniques." His attention grabbed, Brambleclaw turned towards his father as soon as he started talking. "I first want to emphasize the importance of not holding back when you fight enemies. Do not give them any advantage, any benefit, lest you lose. Do not hesitate to do what you have to do."

He moved to the side, allowing other cats to come to the forefront. "You must have faith in every move you do. Watch me, and how I am entirely confident in every step I take."

One cat lunged out of the group, at Tigerstar. He moved to the side, easily avoiding the first swipe. Unsheathing his claws, he took advantage of having access to his enemy's side, raking it. The cat shrieked in pain, but continued, lunging at Tigerstar's shoulder. Tigerstar did the same, as they violently continued to scratch each other. Eventually, Tigerstar came out on top, pinning the cat to the ground and scratching their ears.

"You should have noticed that I did not hesitate. When he lunged at me, I immediately dodged. When he left himself open, I immediately attacked. This is the kind of mentality you must have in battle. No attack, no chance."

Brambleclaw agreed on principle, but looking at how much blood was spilled in that short fight, he was unsure of whether he really wanted to implement these moves his father used. A quick glance to the side showed that Hawkfrost disagreed with him.

"Now, I want to see where you stand. You will both fight against one of my warriors, and I will then tell you what you must improve on."

Brambleclaw readied himself. In front of him was a gray she-cat; slightly smaller than him, but with a very murderous look in her eyes. He knew that she wasn't going to hold back. Would he be forced to kill her, as Tigerstar so clearly wanted him to?

"Warriors, ready? Begin!"

The cat in front of him lunged. Brambleclaw quickly dodged, diving underneath her and scratching her belly. Ending up behind her, he also took a swipe at her tail before she could turn around. As she did, he scratched at her ears. Unfortunately for him, she took the extra momentum turning gave her to forcefully hit him in the head, momentarily stunning him. Fighting through the pain, the she-cat took her chance, clawing Brambleclaw's back multiple times. He tried his best to shake her off, but was unsuccessful for what seemed like an eternity. Finally though, he was able to, shaking her to the ground with a thud. Noticing she was stunned, he dove on top of her, subduing her with a pin to the ground and starting to scratch, firstly at the stomach, and moving up to the neck. He looked to the side, to see that Hawkfrost was well on his way to doing the same with his battle partner.

He then looked at Tigerstar. His father intently looked at him, seemingly trying to will him, to psychically get him to do the killing blow.

But Brambleclaw hesitated. Then, he decided not to.

"I see," Tigerstar began, seeing that the fighting had subsided, "while you both have very good technical ability, the willpower and lack of hesitation is not at a high level. Typical, as the clans never harness it, or teach it for that matter. One must not be hesitant to, if needed," Tigerstar paused, walking over to Hawkfrost's training partner, leaning down, and giving a quick bite to the neck, "strike the killing blow. Something that is learned with experience and time, and an asset which is essential to gaining power in the forest."

"Brambleclaw especially-" he froze upon hearing his name, "needs work in that aspect."

"Now that we have finished our training for the night, I would like to speak to both of you."

Brambleclaw perked up. Finally…

"Gaining more power is not solely about fighting to the maximum of your power and potential. You must also have a sharp mind – able to maneuver in a way that works to benefit you, and you alone," Tigerstar mewed, as he padded around his two sons.

"Specifically, there is an opportunity in WindClan's power gap. As you both know, Tallstar has died, and both Onewhisker and Mudclaw have claimed the leadership. Hawkfrost, you are to suggest the idea of supporting Mudclaw to your clanmates, and perhaps Leopardstar as well. I believe he will be sympathetic to you, and can offer you many things if he becomes leader, while Onewhisker never would. Were this to succeed, Leopardstar may very well promote you to deputy in place of Mistyfoot, who is sure to support Onewhisker, like the half-clan cat she is."

"While I agree," started Brambleclaw, freezing momentarily once both pairs of eyes landed on him, "Tallstar did appoint Onewhisker deputy, and Firestar will support him."

"If so, then Hawkfrost can also get support from ShadowClan cats. And Brambleclaw, you must learn an important lesson. If you are ever to become leader, you must never let anything stand in the way of your ambition. Not even the truth," Tigerstar finished, before walking away, out of sight, ending the dream.

As the dream ended, Brambleclaw felt more uneasy than he had before. Have I made a terrible mistake, coming here?

Oh boy.

So, I'm not sure if the chapters I'm writing are long enough… and I am terrible at fight scenes. So I'd really like input on how to do these things better. Seriously how do I make these longer I have no idea how? I added a battle scene (two in fact) and a dialogue, and that's only ~1200 words. WHAT DO I DO?

Thanks for reading!