Hello hello hello! Sorry for the week without updating, I've been busy with my other fics. Just for those who might not know- I've written a 3.6k one-shot themed around nightmares, it's in the fic called 'collection'. It's told from beebounce and rushstorm's povs! I've also started writing something for canon characters - it's called 'aftermath'.

Review replies:

SilentsongOvO: thank u! I've always liked rosestar as well, when i'm done with obab i'm probably going to write up a short character study of her. Thank you for your review!

Mintflight0245: thank u minty!

Somestormleaf: hehe yep. And i LOVE duckspark! And i loveeee 'romantic and platonic acquaintance' that is something beebounce would defo say. And nah, he's being to realise what beebounce has known all along: he should be judged on who he is, not who his father is. Thanks for the review!

Dragonbreathjr: TTTHANK U! And YEAH so did i, we've come so far :)

Mosscloud: hehehehheheh. Thanks for your review :)

Anyways! Onwards with the chapter. Feel free to review and pm me :)

When Rustpaw returned to Brambleswipe's forest, he had every intention of working out the truth.

There had to be a mistake. She didn't kill Beebounce's littermate. It was impossible. And whatever had gone on with Petal, and Firepaw - it wasn't him. Or it was, and Brambleswipe had made him do it because she knew they were evil, or something.

It wasn't just senseless murder. Starclan, he prayed it wasn't.

He pushed through the brambles, and emerged into the familiar clearing. It was dark, and the trees seemed closer together than the last time he was here. There were no flowers, not anymore. Just nettles, and spiky brambles, and cold, clumped together moss. He couldn't see the stars.

He spotted Brambleswipe almost immediately. She was as tall as Rosestar, and as large as Duckspark. She lacked Rosestar's well groomed fur - hers was matted, and speckled with caught burrs and trailing scars. She didn't have Duckspark's softness, and roundness- her largeness was intimidating, really. Not that he'd ever say that.

He stepped over to her, picking his way through the wet moss that crowded the ground. He winced as he stepped on a partially foul-smelling clump of mouldy leaves, and Brambleswipe turned around. Her eyes shone in the half-light, and she was wearing a small smile. Somehow, her ear wound seemed different. Jagged, and slightly red. She also had a gash on her throat, and it was smiling at him. It was closed, but raw, and it looked recent. He gulped, and inched closer.

"Rustpaw." She mewed, her voice loud. "You've decided to join me at last."

Rustpaw dipped his head respectfully, like she'd taught him, before standing before her. "I have to ask you something." He said, and watched her face closely. She blinked at him, and looked to the side. Her tail swished slowly, causing one or two leaves to flutter up.

"Of course." She mewed politely, but her tone was cold. Frosty. "What is it?" She asked.

Rustpaw's paws scuffed the ground, and he shifted awkwardly. "I hope this isn't offensive to you." He started, carefully choosing his words. "But… how did you die?"

Brambleswipe's eyes widened, and Rustpaw watched in alarm as her claws unsheathed, and sheathed again. She coughed, and looked down at the floor. Is that a trick of the light or- is she bleeding? He pondered, looking at her gash. It seemed to have opened up, and there was droplets of crimson blood splattering on the floor, shining in the barely there light. She looked back up, and met his scared gaze. "It is offensive, but I will tell you anyway." She snarled, and Rustpaw dodged her bright green eyes. They seemed to be boring into his own, and it was frightening. He looked back up at her, and there appeared to be another trick of the light- her eyes were framed with black, not a single spec of white to be seen.

"So what happened?" He asked, still standing up, still holding his ground.

She flicked her ears back. "Rosestar killed me." She sniffed. "That's what the gash is about." She murmured, more to herself than anyone.

"I thought that Starclan cats didn't keep their injuries…" Rustpaw mumbled. Brambleswipe's ears pricked up, but she didn't correct him. He shivered, and tried to get the words out, the ones that had been swirling around his head since Goldpaw had met him in Starclan. "Why did she kill you?" He asked, and Brambleswipe stiffened. Her eyes were wide, and her claws were fully out, scraping on the moss in front of her. Her tail lashed about furiously, and she was looking around everywhere. Anywhere but Rustpaw.

Brambleswipe finally looked at him, her teeth curled dangerously over her lips. "I don't see any reason to tell you." She spat, and Rustpaw blinked. She'd never acted like this before. Never. She'd been cold, and standoffish, but she'd always assume a peaceful persona after a while. This- this was scary.

"It's just that-that I heard one of my clanmates talking. It must have been a rumour." He all but whispered, and Brambleswipe sighed.

"That's it. Must have been a rumour. I would never hurt a kit." She assured him, and Rustpaw's eyes narrowed.

"I didn't say anything about a kit." He said slowly. Brambleswipe started talking, trying to cover up her mistake, but he just spoke over her, his voice loud. "You killed Beebounce's littermate, then?" He questioned, his tone low, threatening. He couldn't believe it. She'd killed her own flesh-and-blood- his own flesh-and-blood, he realised. For Beebounce was his cousin, and any littermate of his would be to.

"I did what I had to do." She hissed, and Rustpaw took a quick step back. She was admitting to it. To murder. "Rosestar killed my mate, and she took my hearing. So I took her precious Cherrykit. I would have had her other brat as well, but they arrived in time." She straightened up, and puffed out her chest. Blood shined on her cinnamon coat, and she wore a smirk. "No matter. He'll die soon, anyway."

"Wh-what? Why?" Rustpaw asked. "He's my mentor."

"You learn more from me." She mewed dismissively. "Besides," she continued, her mew silky-smooth. "You don't care. You don't even like him."

Rustpaw blinked. Brambleswipe had a reason to have that impression. He'd complained about his mentor enough times to her. But when he'd started following him around, to assure he was complying to the blackmail, he'd realised something.

Beebounce was possibly the nicest cat he'd ever encountered.

He offered to train Petalpaw and Frostpaw when his friends wanted an offday. He organised patrols in the morning, waking up at the crack of dawn, his eyes still heavy with sleep. Whenever Rustpaw snapped at him, he never reacted. He'd just sit there, and take it, not wanting to risk his secrets - his loved ones secrets- being spread. That was a kind of nobility, and loyalty that Rustpaw wished he possessed. His cousin was willing to endure blackmail, and watching as innocent cats were murdered, to protect his friends and his family.

(Rustpaw still didn't know how those two cats had wound up dead, but he was beginning to realise. And he prayed that he was wrong.)

Rustpaw stared down Brambleswipe, forcing himself to meet her narrowed green eyes with his own dark blue ones. "Just because I don't like him doesn't mean I want him dead." He said, and Brambleswipe's eyes widened. She stepped towards him, and Rustpaw glanced down at her unsheathed claws. He cried out, and fled, running at full pelt away from her.

He crashed through the thick undergrowth, not turning back. He didn't look around to see if she was following, he didn't look to see where he was running. He just ran, as fast as he could. He thought he could feel her breath, hot and heavy on his neck, and he spirited faster, through the bushes, and out to the other side. When he burst through, he found himself in a clearing. An achingly familiar clearing, with a familiar-looking cat standing in the centre of it. The cat was admiring a flower, and Rustpaw almost crashed into him.

"Why are you here again?" Goldpaw asked, and Rustpaw stared at him in a panic. Thankfully, the golden tabby tom's eyes softened, and he blinked at him sympathetically. "What's going on?" He questioned. Rustpaw hadn't spoken to him since that faithful night in his dreams, and he was asking what was going on?

"I-uh-" Rustpaw managed to get out, before collapsing in a heap. His lungs burnt, and his heart was thumping from his run, and the fear. Goldpaw suddenly appeared in front of him, waving his tail before Rustpaw's eyes. Rustpaw could hardly make out the flickering tail, his vision was blurry, and everything seemed too bright. He sputtered, and sat up suddenly, blinking up at Goldpaw. The larger tom seemed really concerned now, his eyebrows were furrowed, and his mouth was hanging open. "Brambleswipe." He managed to get out, and Goldpaw nodded in understanding.

"You found out then?" He asked, and Rustpaw nodded grimly. "I told you, dude. Don't trust her."

Rustpaw was momementally floored by whatever dude meant, but then he recalled Duckspark using it when he was a kit. She was apparently always going off with kittypets as an apprentice, and she'd picked it up from them. He shook his head, more out of the knowledge of his own stupidity than anything. "I know." He moaned, shaking his fur out. It was tangled with thorns, and bits of brambles, and Starclan-knows-what-else.

Goldpaw sighed. "Come on. Let's head home." He mewed, and Rustpaw laid down, and closed his eyes. He could deal with this when he woke up. But he knew one thing.

He was never returning to Brambleswipe's forest.

goldpaw is a cool surfer dude

anyways! hope u enjoyed this chapter :)