Chapter 6
The cold, frigid air filled the hollow of the Moonpool at the medicine cat's half-moon Gathering. Today was the day Shadowpaw was going to be given his new medicine cat name. He had heard from Asuna a few days ago that his cousin, Foxstripe, had just been granted his warrior name, and he was happy to hear it. I wonder if he's learned anything new. We're supposed to both save the Clans from StarClan's silence, after all. He thought. Relief filled him and the other medicine cats when they had noticed the Moonpool finally becoming free from its icy prison. Maybe today will finally be the day we speak to StarClan again.
"Shadowpaw, are you ready?" Puddleshine asked.
"I-I think so." He meowed nervously.
"Don't worry, it won't hurt or anything." His mentor joked. "Let's get started." Puddleshine guided him towards the Moonpool, while the other medicine cats fanned out around them. "I, Puddleshine of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. Shadowpaw has done well in training to become a medicine cat, and I know he'll serve his Clan for many moons to come. Shadowpaw…" Puddleshine's light blue gaze locked onto his apprentice's amber eyes. "Do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan, and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do!" The apprentice quickly exclaimed.
"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Shadowpaw, from this moment you will be known as Shadowsight. StarClan honors your insight, your courage, and your kindness, and we welcome you as a full medicine cat of ShadowClan."
"Shadowsight! Shadowsight!" The other medicine cats cheered the tom's new name.
"Congratulations!" Asuna told them tom when she broke away from the others. "I'm so happy for you, Shadowsight!"
"Thank you, Asuna." The tom dipped his head in appreciation. "Oh, we should share with StarClan now!" The medicine cats all made their way to the edge of the Moonpool and dipped their nose in, breaking the calm surface. Seconds passed, but no cat seemed to be speaking with StarClan. Jayfeather was the first to draw his nose away from the Moonpool, letting out a growl.
"Still nothing." Frecklewish looked over at Shadowsight.
"Did they speak with you?" The ShadowClan medicine cat shook his head. "Not even you…but why? The Moonpool's thawed out and everything!"
"Maybe it still has something to do with the code-breakers." Willowshine suggested.
"Possibly." Puddleshine let out a sigh. "I guess we'll try again at the next half-moon gathering. If anything comes up, let us all know." The other medicine cats nodded in agreement before they began to leave the Moonpool.
"Puddleshine, Shadowsight, do you mind if I speak with Alderheart and Jayfeather? I'll catch up with you both."
"Alright. Just be safe walking back, Asuna." The she-cat nodded before walking over to where Alderheart and Jayfeather were standing.
"How's everything in ThunderClan?" The she-cat asked.
"Okay, so far. The cat controlling my father seems to be lazy, though." Alderheart stated. "He barely leaves his den, and he even made Foxstripe set up patrols instead of my mother. He keeps her in the den with him all day, too."
"Right, but Foxstripe thinks this is perfect. He's obviously against this fake Bramblestar, so getting on his good side and knowing what he could be planning is good for us." Jayfeather meowed.
"I just hope he's careful. Being on his good side is one thing, but the moment Bramblestar realizes he's been deceiving him…who knows what could happen?" Asuna meowed. "Have Ren and Futaba figured out how to access his dream world?"
"I don't think they've attempted to, yet. If it works like Nightheart, then all we need is Bramblestar to be asleep." Alderheart meowed. "But we can't let Foxstripe use his Geass on him to put him to sleep, or we'll compromise everything."
"I thought Foxstripe's Geass inflicted nightmares specifically."
"He learned that he picks what happens to the cat he uses it on." Jayfeather explained. "He can use it to just put cats to sleep, or he can use it and give them nightmares." The tom turned his blind gaze towards the entrance to the Moonpool. "We should get going now. Will you be safe walking back to ShadowClan on your own?"
"I have warrior and medicine cat training, remember?" The she-cat meowed. "I'll be okay, though, don't worry."
"I'm just happy you were able to find another Clan to take you and the others in. It definitely eases our minds, that's for sure." Alderheart told her. "Just make sure to tell us if you find out anything new in ShadowClan, Asuna."
"I'll make sure to." The three cats made their way up the path leading to the entrance to the Moonpool, Asuna walking with them both until they reached the thorn tunnel leading into ThunderClan. Before she left after saying goodbye to the two, she heard pawsteps from the thorn tunnel and saw that it was Bramblestar.
"What are you doing here?" The possessed leader asked her.
"I was just on my way back to ShadowClan from the Moonpool Gathering. I wanted to catch up with Alderheart and Jayfeather."
"Oh, so you're staying with ShadowClan now?"
"Y-Yes, Bramblestar." The cream she-cat avoided his amber gaze.
"Has Tigerstar figured out how to deal with the code-breakers?" He asked.
"I don't have to tell you that." The she-cat retorted. "Excuse me, I have to get back to ShadowClan." A growl escaped the tom's mouth as he watched the she-cat leave. Asuna let out a sigh of relief as she made her way back to ShadowClan. How could some cat just possess Bramblestar? He sounds nothing like the leader I've gotten to know…so why can't the others in ThunderClan see it, too?
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Foxstripe worked together with Ren, Finleap, and Stormcloud to patch up any holes in the nursery. He had been assigning the dawn patrols, but Squirrelflight insisted that he let her organize any patrols after that.
"Hey, Foxstripe, can you help us over here?" Finleap called out to the tom. He and Ren were trying to collect brambles for the den, but they were struggling to pull one out. Then tom walked over to where they were, grabbing a piece of the bramble in his mouth. "Okay, pull!" The three pulled back, finally freeing the bramble and adding it to the pile. Finleap looked towards the top of Highledge and let out a sigh. "Everyone seems to be working around here except our leader."
"It's been that way for a while, hasn't it?" Ren meowed, although he knew the reason why. "We shouldn't let him hear us complain, though. There's no telling what he'll do."
"Molewhisker's right." Foxstripe agreed.
"You agree with him? Aren't you the one he let create patrols?" Stormcloud asked.
"Yeah, but I'm sure Bramblestar is just looking out for the Clan. He just wants to mend our connection with StarClan, that's all. It might mean we're given extra work, but the sooner StarClan speaks with us, the better."
"I guess you're right, but Bramblestar's just going at this all a weird way." Finleap stated. "In a way, he's making us better warriors, but I think he should be setting that example." From the leader's den, Squirrelflight walked out, making her way down Highledge to see how her Clanmates were doing.
"The camp looks amazing, everyone. I'd like two more hunting patrols, and another checking our border with SkyClan."
"Swiftfrost and I can go hunting." Nightheart volunteered.
"I can go as well, Squirrelflight." Ivypool added. "I'd be happy to check our border with SkyClan."
"What's going on?" Bramblestar asked as he descended from Highledge. "Squirrelflight, are you setting up patrols again? I thought we agreed that Foxstripe would do it."
"I know, but he's already busy helping the Clan, too."
"Then find another cat to set up patrols alongside him."
"But it's my responsibility as deputy!"
"Your responsibility is to support me, your leader, and your mate." He replied. "A well-run Clan can run itself."
"But we still should have to do some of the work." The deputy insisted. "The less work we do, the more work is left for them."
"They enjoy being warriors, don't they?" Squirrelflight's tail twitched irritably. "You better get used to it." The entrance to camp rattled, the hunting patrol Foxstripe assigned earlier returning. They dropped their prey down at the fresh-kill pile.
"Finally! I'm starving!" Cloudtail meowed, his eyes lighting up at the sight of fresh prey.
"You stay right here, Cloudtail. I'll go get you something." Nightheart told the elder. The violet-eyed she-cat began looking through the pile, wondering which piece of prey the elder would like best.
"Wait!" Bramblestar called out, causing the she-cat to look at him. "Nightheart, what are you doing?"
"Getting a piece of prey for Cloudtail." She explained.
"Not so fast. As of right now, elders must wait for their prey!" All around, cats began to look at one another. The leader's demand was clearly unexpected.
"That's not fair!" Blossomfall complained. "The warrior code states that all elders and queens are to be fed first! That's how we show our respect."
"Maybe that's the case for warriors…" Bramblestar moved Nightheart aside with his tail and picked out a thrush from the fresh-kill pile. "But it doesn't say anything about leaders."
"Are you saying that you should eat before the queens and elders?" Lionblaze asked.
"Not just me." Bramblestar looked over at Squirrelflight. "You too. You're my deputy, after all."
"B-Bramblestar, I—." Squirrelflight looked around at her Clanmates. She knew what Bramblestar was doing was wrong.
"Don't worry about them. What good is giving our prey to our weakest Clanmates?" He stated. "If we're under attack, will the elders be the first to defend us?" The Clan stayed silent. "Warriors will protect the elders, and then who are the cats that lead them?"
"You are, Bramblestar." Foxstripe answered.
"Exactly! Surely you all understand why this ruling is sensible, right?"
"But we've always shown respect to elders and queens." Lionblaze told him.
"There are other ways to do that." Bramblestar retorted. "Would you rather defy me and break the warrior code?"
"What you're proposing is breaking the warrior code, isn't it?" A growl resonated in the ThunderClan leader's throat.
"I'm your leader. I decide what the code is!" With that, the leader picked up the thrush and motioned for Squirrelflight to follow him. Nightheart picked up two mice from the fresh-kill pile and brought it over to Cloudtail.
"Leader or not, the warrior code we've been taught to follow prioritizes whatever code Bramblestar's making." She meowed. "This one is for you, Brightheart."
"Thank you, Nightheart." The ginger-and-white she-cat meowed. "You've always been so sweet ever since you were young. Your mother and father must be so proud of you." Cloudtail agreed with a nod.
"It's a shame that Bramblestar had Lelouch exiled with the others." The white tom meowed. "I just hope whatever's going on in our leader's head gets fixed soon."
"I hope so, too." Nightheart's violet gaze looked towards the leader's den. Whoever's controlling Bramblestar is starting to abuse his power. We need to stop him before the rules in ThunderClan get worse. "You both enjoy your fresh-kill, okay?"
"Thank you again, Nightheart, but for your sake, just bring us whatever's left after the warriors have eaten next time. We couldn't bear to watch you get in trouble." Brightheart meowed.
"I'll take whatever punishment Bramblestar will give to me. I have to stand up for what's right." She replied walking over to speak with her brother. "You're doing good acting like Bramblestar's actions are just, Foxstripe. I know it must be hard having to do so knowing what he's doing is wrong."
"Thanks, Nightheart, but I know that what I'm doing could help save Bramblestar sooner." He told her. "You and Futaba can go out on that hunting patrol if you'd like. Ren can go with you both, too." Nightheart nodded and made her way to the warriors' den to get Futaba.
"Hey Foxstripe." The tom saw it was Lionblaze. "Do you mind if I go out on one of the hunting patrols?"
"Not at all. You can go with…" Foxstripe looked around the camp. "Spotfur and Fernsong. Family hunting would be nice."
"Sounds good to me. Thanks, Foxstripe!"
"Oh, Lionblaze?" The golden tom turned around when the young warrior called him. "Try to be careful around Bramblestar. You know that he's being possessed by someone, after all. We just can't say anything still for the time being."
"I'll try my best." The tom let out a small chuckle. "You remind me of your father, you know that? He definitely would've said the same thing if he was in your paws right now." Foxstripe let out a smile. It always was an honor to be compared to someone as amazing as his father, and by a great warrior like Lionblaze, no less. I just hope we can be reunited with father soon. Bramblestar seems to be slowly starting his tirade in ThunderClan, and the last thing anyone needs is that escalating.
Rain began to slowly drizzle down as Foxstripe rested down inside the warriors' den. He had finished setting up patrols for the time being and was sheltering himself from the rain. He saw Lionblaze, Fernsong, and Spotfur return from their hunting patrol, the three placing their prey down on the fresh-kill pile. From the leader's den, Bramblestar leaped down and made his way towards the pile of prey. As he picked up the rabbit that Lionblaze had brought, his nose twitched.
"Where did you catch this rabbit?" He asked the three. Foxstripe left the warriors' den and walked over to them to see what was going on.
"On ThunderClan territory." Lionblaze meowed.
"Tell me the truth!" The leader retorted.
"I am!"
"No, you're not!" Bramblestar spat. "This rabbit smells like its been caught on WindClan territory!" Foxstripe looked over at the three. They were all avoiding the leader's gaze. "Was it? Answer me, Lionblaze!"
"If we did, it was an accident. The rain probably washed out their scent markers."
"So, you're telling me that WindClan just didn't mark their territory well? And what about your scent? It's probably lingering on the grass as we speak!"
"It's raining, Bramblestar. Our scent is probably gone just like their scent markers were."
"Bramblestar, can you really smell WindClan on that rabbit?" Foxstripe asked the leader.
"I saw them cross into WindClan territory." Foxstripe turned around and saw that it was Berrynose. "Bramblestar asked me to follow them."
"What?" Foxstripe looked at the tom in disbelief.
"It was just to make sure that our warriors are following the warrior code, that's all." Bramblestar told him. "And it's a good thing I did, too. As for you three…" He turned to face Lionblaze, Spotfur, and Fernsong. "For a quarter moon, no cat is to speak with Spotfur or Fernsong!" The leader announced. "As for you, Lionblaze…you are banished from ThunderClan for a quarter moon!"
"No!" Cinderheart ran forward. "Bramblestar, you can't do this! We're Clanmates! We need to protect each other! Please reconsider!" The leader shook his head.
"He's broken the warrior code and questioned my authority today. No cat of ThunderClan will try and undermine me, understand?" He turned to face Lionblaze. "You're a seasoned warrior. You should be fine out there." Foxstripe noticed the rage in the golden tom's eyes. Don't say anything. Please, don't say anything yet. Foxstripe hoped his thoughts somehow made it to Lionblaze. Now wasn't the time to accuse Bramblestar of being possessed.
"Yes, Bramblestar." He muttered over gritted teeth before turning towards the camp exit.
"Lionblaze, if your scent is caught on any Clan land, you will never return to ThunderClan. Understand?" The tom didn't reply and just continued walking, leaving camp.
"Maybe he'll go against Bramblestar's orders and join your father in SkyClan." Berrynose meowed. Foxstripe turned to face the older warrior, malice in his violet eyes.
"The next time you bring my father up, I'll kill you!" Fury coated his voice. The cream-colored tom got into a battle stance and let out a defiant growl. There's no way he'd beat me, anyway. Foxstripe thought before Bramblestar stood between the two.
"Leave him alone, Berrynose." The leader motioned the tom away with his tail before turning his amber gaze towards Foxstripe. "I know what I did to your father irritates you, Foxstripe, but you can't threaten your Clanmates like that."
"Sorry, Bramblestar." The tom apologized. "It won't happen again."
"Good. You need to set an example, after all." Bramblestar left the tom, Foxstripe looking up at the gray sky above him. His leadership is starting to change cats. It's more than obvious that Berrynose is starting to try and act in favor of Bramblestar…but when will the time finally be right to expose him?
"Foxstripe?" The tom broke away from his thoughts and turned to see that it was Honeyfur.
"Oh, hi, Honeyfur. Did you need something?"
"I was wondering if you'd like to go hunting." She offered. "You've been stuck in camp for the most part ever since Bramblestar pretty much gave you Squirrelflight's position as deputy."
"R-Right, but it's an honor that I've been given this task."
"Is that really how you feel, Foxstripe?" The she-cat asked. "I know for a fact you don't agree with how Bramblestar's been handling the camp, that's for sure."
"H-How do you know?"
"Your parents are Lelouch and Ivypool. No kit of theirs would side with Bramblestar, at least with the way he's been acting." Honeyfur said. "So…you've pretty much validated my thoughts. Why are you doing whatever he tells you?" Foxstripe didn't respond. I know that this is partly my quest to help save the Clans, but I don't know if I can keep telling more cats the truth. He looked over at the white she-cat. Honeyfur came to me, after all, and she seems to know I don't agree with Bramblestar. "Are you there?"
"S-Sorry, Honeyfur." The tom apologized. "I don't think Bramblestar will let me leave camp, though." The she-cat sighed.
"Just follow me." She led Foxstripe to a vacant area of the camp away from the leader's den and any other cats. "Secluded enough?" Honeyfur asked. "I didn't want to really hunt with you, Foxstripe. I mean, I'd like to if you want, don't get me wrong. I really just wanted to know why you're following Bramblestar's orders."
"So he can trust me." Foxstripe meowed. "You're right, I don't agree with what he's doing, but he's been entrusting me with a lot of responsibility around camp."
"All this so he can trust you? Why do you need his trust?" Foxstripe stayed silent for a moment. He still was unsure whether it was okay to tell Honeyfur what was really going on or not. She doesn't agree with what Bramblestar's doing. Is that enough to tell her everything? Foxstripe let out a breath.
"it's because…"
"Foxstripe!" The tom saw that it was Ren, the tom returning from a hunting patrol.
"Hey, Molewhisker." He greeted the tom. Ren looked over at Honeyfur.
"Sorry, were you both talking?" He asked.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it, Molewhisker." Honeyfur replied. "Hi to you too, by the way."
"R-Right, hey…"
"Honeyfur? You know, the cat you mentored?" The white she-cat meowed, annoyed that the tom seemed to forget her name. "I'll talk to you later, Foxstripe."
"Bye, Honeyfur." The tom meowed before he looked over at Ren. "Did you get any news from the others?" Ren shook his head.
"Nothing. I just wanted to meet up with you here, but I didn't mean to interrupt you and Honeyfur." The brown-and-cream tom apologized. "What were you both talking about?"
"She was wondering why I'm being so obedient to Bramblestar. She doesn't agree with how he's leading ThunderClan, so I was about to tell her the truth about everything." He explained. "Do you think it'd be okay to trust her, Ren?"
"The more help, the better. If she also thinks this Bramblestar's being unfair, that's even better for us. We might not want to take so much cats with us when we enter dreams, but having some extra paws while we're physically in camp wouldn't hurt." Ren noticed that Foxstripe still seemed hesitant about telling Honeyfur the truth. "Want to talk to Lelouch about it?"
"Can we?" The brown-and-cream tom nodded.
"Follow me." As the two made their way to the camp exit, they were stopped by Squirrelflight.
"Going out again, Molewhisker?" She asked.
"I just wanted to speak with Foxstripe alone. We won't be out long." He meowed. "Plus, Bramblestar's had him cooped up in camp for a while." The deputy sighed.
"I know how that feels. Try to make it quick, okay? If Bramblestar finds out, you might get in trouble, Molewhisker." The two dipped their heads in thanks before heading out into the forest, their paws treading through the wet grass.
"We should make this quick. Even though its not raining, I'm sure we might miss some scents still." Foxstripe suggested.
"Right. Just give me a second." Ren swiped his paw down and tapped on the menu screen a few times to start a video call with Makoto. In a few seconds, a brown she-cat appeared on the screen in front of them. "Did we catch you at a bad time?"
"Kinda. I was on a border patrol with Lelouch, Blossomheart, Dewspring, and Rootpaw." She explained. "I'm really starting to wish this thing had a 'Do Not Disturb' feature." Ren let out a small chuckle. "Oh, I should tell you both that we saw Ivypool, Twigbranch, Nightheart, and Futaba earlier. Seeing Lelouch really made them happy."
"Speaking of Lelouch; Foxstripe needs to talk to him. You mind getting him?"
"Sure. I'll just hang up for now and call back when I get him." Makoto ended the video call and the two toms waited a bit until Ren received a video call from her. When the screen opened, they saw that Lelouch was now with them.
"Foxstripe, are you doing okay?" The violet-eyed tom asked his son.
"I'm fine, father…but something happened in ThunderClan." He meowed. "Bramblestar exiled Lionblaze from camp for a quarter-moon."
"What? Did anyone question him?" He asked.
"Only Cinderheart." Foxstripe replied. "I think we need to start figuring out how to stop him now. If he's already exiling Clanmates, who knows what else he can do?"
"Right…but I don't think we're able to do anything still." Lelouch told him. "This whole thing still sounds hard to believe to most cats. As much as I'd like to rush to stop Bramblestar, we need to be cautious about this whole thing."
"Lelouch's right. The last thing we want is more cats getting hurt." Makoto added. "I know Lionblaze getting exiled still means a cat is being harmed, but it could be worse if we act too rashly." Foxstripe gave them a nod of understanding.
"Didn't you want to tell your dad about Honeyfur?"
"What about her?" Lelouch asked before his violet eyes widened. "Foxstripe, now's not really the time to think about having a mate. Maybe after—."
"T-This isn't about anything like that, father! I don't even think she likes me that way!" Foxstripe stammered. "She walked up to me after Bramblestar exiled Lionblaze and she knew that I didn't agree with what Bramblestar was doing. She doesn't agree with his actions at all, either." He explained. "I was wondering if it would be okay for me to tell her about everything that's going on."
"I don't think it's a bad idea to do so as long as you make sure she doesn't tell anyone." Lelouch meowed. "It'll probably be easier for her to believe since she already is against Bramblestar."
"Right. Thank you, father."
"You're welcome." Lelouch meowed. "Foxstripe, one more thing." The silver-and-black tabby looked at his father. "You're a hero to the Clans this time around. I'll always give you advice, no matter what, but have courage in your convictions. There will be a time where I can't give you my opinion, after all."
"Y-Yes, father." Lelouch's ears fell flat when he realized his last statement seemed to worry his son.
"Is there anything else you needed to tell us?" Makoto asked.
"That's it. Right, Foxstripe?" He nodded. "Great. We'll let you two get back to your border patrol. See ya'." After Ren ended the call, he looked over at Foxstripe. "What's up?"
"It's what my father told me. He's the smartest cat that I know…but I don't know what I'll do when he's gone. I know he still has many moons left to go, but when he brought it up…I felt scared."
"Hey, it's normal to feel like that. He's your father, after all." He meowed. "C'mon, let's get back to camp so you can tell Honeyfur the truth."
When they returned to camp, Foxstripe found Honeyfur and pulled her to a vacant area of camp to talk to her. She has to believe me, right? Foxstripe hoped.
"Is this about what we were talking about earlier?" The yellow-splotched white she-cat asked. He nodded.
"I was relieved when Molewhisker came and interrupted our talk because I wasn't sure if it was alright to tell you, but I know that you deserve to know the truth and I could use your help in the future." He let out a breath. "The truth is that the Bramblestar leading ThunderClan isn't the one that we've gotten to know all these moons."
"What? Foxstripe, what do you mean?"
"Bramblestar is being possessed by some unknown cat. All the things we've seen Bramblestar do lately are things the Bramblestar we know would never do at all." He explained. "Would he ever lazily rest in his den all day, or enforce the warrior code so strongly that he'd exile an amazing warrior like Lionblaze?"
"No, but…none of this makes sense!"
"I know, but the least I can do is ask that you believe me, Honeyfur. I'm telling you all of this because I believe that I can trust you." Foxstripe stated. "When we talked earlier, you made it more than obvious that you're against everything Bramblestar's been doing. If I want to stop him, I need all the help I can get." Honeyfur's green gaze touched Foxstripe's violet eyes momentarily before she nodded.
"I believe you, Foxstripe. I know you wouldn't lie about something like this." She looked over at the leader's den. "Still…how did all of this even happen? And how do you know about all of this?"
"Because I was granted the power of Geass just like my sister and father." Honeyfur watched as Foxstripe's right eye became encompassed with Geass. "The secondary effect that it has is that when it's activated, I can see shadows around cats who have darkness inside of them, or are facing some sort of internal struggle." He reverted his right eye back to normal. "In Bramblestar's case, I didn't know it was true until I spoke with C.C. about it. She's the one who gave me my Geass."
"I'm surprised, to say the least. I've never heard any cat talking about your Geass at all. You must've done a pretty good job in keeping it a secret." She meowed. "So, the darkness you see around Bramblestar tells you that he's possessed?"
"Well, not exactly. Swiftfrost helped me think of that and my father agreed with her. It was at the Gathering when he first brought up the code-breakers. We thought that it was completely out of character for Bramblestar to do such a thing." He stated. "Also, before the Gathering was when he was brought back to us from StarClan…or at least, that's what he wants us to think."
"What do you mean?"
"When he was brought back, the darkness around him was stronger than ever. We think that he got possessed by whoever's in his body right now during his acceptance of his next life."
"Can that really happen?"
"Trust me, I was as shocked as you when I learned that he was possessed, but not all cats that have someone controlling their body are bad."
"There's more?"
"Molewhisker's one of them." Foxstripe motioned for the tom to come over with his tail. "Honeyfur, this is Ren. He was brought to this world in Molewhisker's body to help the Clans. His friend, Futaba, is in my sister's body."
"That explains why he forgot my name earlier." She meowed.
"Sorry about that, Honeyfur. I've been here for a while and I still can't remember every cat's name at times." Ren apologized.
"Don't worry about it." She assured him. "So, why were he and Futaba not brought here as themselves?"
"Do you remember Makoto? The red-eyed she-cat that we brought into camp?" Honeyfur nodded. "She's friends with Ren and Futaba. You saw what this Bramblestar did to her and the others not from this world. With Ren and Futaba disguised as ThunderClan cats, we at least have some more cats who can monitor Bramblestar."
"Wow, this all actually seemed well thought out by whoever brought them here." The she-cat meowed. "So, how do we get our Bramblestar back?"
"We haven't figured that out yet." Ren stated. "All we know is that Bramblestar's spirit is in SkyClan territory. Rootpaw's able to see his spirit, but no other cat can."
"That's probably because he's Tree's son. If Foxstripe can have Geass like his father, maybe Tree's ability to see dead cats was passed down to him." Honeyfur meowed. "I guess that means our Bramblestar is technically 'dead' for the time being." The she-cat was still in disbelief about everything that was actually going on within her Clan. "Anything else I need to know?"
"That should be it. I know I probably don't need to tell you this, but please just keep all of this between us and the other cats who know about it." Foxstripe meowed.
"Who else knows what's going on?"
"My mother, sisters, Lionblaze, Alderheart and Jayfeather all know."
"Oh…well thanks for trusting me with this, Foxstripe. All of them are special cats, after all." The she-cat meowed.
"I'm glad to have been able to share this with you, Honeyfur. I know there are others who also disagree with what Bramblestar is doing, but you seemed the most concerned when you walked up to me earlier."
"Well, I was really just worried about you, to be honest." She told him, causing the fur on his face to grow hot. "Like I said earlier, you're Lelouch and Ivypool's son. I couldn't see you following Bramblestar as being something you'd do."
"Should I just leave you both alone for a bit?" Ren asked slyly, causing the two to blush.
"I-I didn't mean any of that in a flirtatious way!" Honeyfur quickly stammered.
"D-Don't worry, I know." Foxstripe assured her. Although we don't know how to stop Bramblestar, having Honeyfur join our group is great. The more cats we can find to join us, the better.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Asuna gently applied a poultice to Kirito's injured tail, the tom still in the medicine cat's den after the incident with the fallen tree branch. Earlier, Antfur left to go on a hunting patrol, despite her and Shadowsight worrying.
"I think he should've stayed here in the medicine cat's den. He's not fully recovered yet at all." Asuna meowed.
"He has other cats with him. I'm sure he'll be okay." Kirito assured her. "Any idea when I'll be cleared to leave? I didn't think hurting my tail would keep me in here this long."
"Well, you need your tail to keep balance. It also helps with hunting as well." Puddleshine informed the black tom.
"Really? I've been taking this thing for granted this entire time." Kirito replied, looking back at his tail.
"Well it's not like you can't live without it, either. You remember what happened with Finleap when he was an apprentice." Asuna remined him.
"Right. Still, I don't think I want to lose my tail any time soon." He meowed. Kirito looked over at Shadowsight, the tom's eyes filled with worry. "Shadowsight, you okay?"
"Not really. I still don't think letting Antfur leave was a good idea. Yes, he has Clanmates with him, but I'd rather him be safe in here." He meowed. "I know he kept on insisting, but we should've tried to persuade him to stay."
"I don't think we could've said anything to keep him in the medicine cat's den, Shadowsight. We all could see how much he hated being cooped up in here." Asuna replied. "We just have to hope that he'll be safe." From outside the medicine cat's den, they heard pawsteps approaching outside of camp. Each of them knew it was too soon for the hunting patrol to return. The medicine cats left the end and watched in horror as Blazefire and Gullswoop were dragging the body of a dark brown cat behind them.
"Antfur!" From outside the warriors' den, Cinnamontail ran over to the patrol, worry filling her eyes as she looked at the tom's lifeless body. "How did this happen?"
"He went to chase a squirrel up a tree. When he was at the top, he got dizzy and fell. We told him to stay close, but…"
"There was nothing we could've done." Gullswoop added. Moving around the crowd, Asuna noticed Lightleap helping Suguha towards the medicine cat's den. Concerned, she broke the distance between them.
"Is Suguha okay?"
"She's just traumatized, that's all." Lightleap meowed.
"It's not just that…" Suguha murmured. "I could've saved him. If I was Leafa, I could've shielded him. If only I was smart enough to realize that Antfur could need protection…" Asuna placed her tail on Suguha's shoulder.
"None of this is your fault, Suguha." Asuna assured her "It takes a few seconds to cast your Butterfly Shield spell. Don't blame any of this on you." She sighed. "If anything, it's partially my fault. We should've kept Antfur in the medicine cat's den until he fully recovered." The cream she-cat was surprised. "I'll give you some poppy seeds to ease your mind." She looked over at Lightleap. "Thank you for helping her over here, Lightleap." The two she-cats entered the medicine cat's den, Kirito looking at the two with worry when he saw Suguha. "Rest next to Kirito."
"Okay…" Kirito moved over to make room for his cousin. When she was rested, he pressed close to comfort her.
"You okay, Sugu?" He asked. "What happened?"
"She saw Antfur fall from the tree. She thinks she could've saved him if she had shielded him."
"I don't think you would've been fast enough. The chant for it takes a second or two, after all."
"That's what Asuna told me." The black she-cat meowed. "Maybe it's just because I wish I could've done something to save him."
"That's definitely it." Her cousin meowed. "You'll feel better, Suguha. Just get some rest." Asuna let out a small smile before leaving the den to see Shadowsight. She knew that he had to be feeling probably worse than Suguha was at the moment. As she was leaving the den, she bumped into Shadowsight.
"S-Sorry, Asuna." He apologized. "Excuse me."
"Wait." Asuna reentered the den with the tom. "I was going to check on you to see how you were doing."
"What do you think?" He asked. "It's our fault Antfur's dead. I know he didn't want to stay here, but we should've done more to keep him in the den." He walked over to his bedding and rested down. Asuna knew there was nothing else she could say. She remembered how much dread filled her when a cat had died under her care. Death is part of being a medicine cat. We can't save every cat, but in Antfur's case…we definitely could have.
