Bramblepaw turned his head away from the pool and glanced up to the hole in the roof of the cavern, where he had originally fallen into the pool that reflected the moon. His eyes searched calmly for a way to climb up, but any paw hold he could muster would be useless. There weren't enough grooves, and the teeth-like rock stabbing downwards all seemed too smooth to get a good grip on. Even the water from the new rain that was coming down had made everything too wet to try and travel up on.

Turning around, the apprentice knew he had to seek another way out. If this cave was home to a tribe, they had to have a real way out, some other entrance for other cats. This would be Stoneteller's cave, which meant he was probably as deep as the caverns went.

With one pawstep at a time, Bramblepaw lowered his head and padded away from the pool, trying to keep Moon's words on mind. That cat had an aura to her, and she walked with stars like an ancestor. If she knew the origins of the clans, then Bramblepaw had to put faith in the stars to keep them safe. Even if the future was skewed beyond comprehension, he was willing to put his paws forward until he finally got his clan into a place of relative safety. The clans would always be willing to fight for small things like territory, but this world was changed for them.

"I can't miss the old territory anymore," Bramblepaw reminded himself, shaking his head as the image of Fourtrees and a full moon entered his mind. The vision flashed and was so brief, but the memories slammed Bramblepaw's heart, and he had to force away any emotion he felt in order to keep his body composed. "That territory is Scourge's, and I need to get the clans up to strength… If Starclan has destined me for this task, then I have no intention to fail." His own words gave him more strength than he reckoned, his head raising as he glanced around upon exiting the room with the pool.

The entire cavern was as dark as could possibly be, but it felt so unnatural to walk into the dark rooms with his back being the only source of illumination. The sound of the river above felt deafening, and Bramblepaw's eyes delved deep into the darkness to find a way out. Any natural light barely outlined the world around him.

To his left, Bramblepaw noticed a cave extend into a room with what looked like small holes. Padding over, he tentatively placed a paw inside the hole, noting how rounded out and smooth it was. Could these have been nests for the Tribe? They seemed to be weird cats, but Bramblepaw was reminded that this world – these mountains – were vastly different than the forests he was used to. Moss probably wasn't the normal commodity, probably rare, and considering how often the forest cats had to replace bedding… Not as sustainable in this world.

While his curiosity on these nests wasn't satisfying, Bramblepaw turned away, his eyes slowly adjusting to the incredible darkness that surrounded him. While it felt beyond natural, Bramblepaw continued to pace around the small place, exploring the caverns as his ears began to drown out the white noise of the river above him.

I wish I could hear just the rain instead, Bramblepaw thought quietly to himself, his ears perking as he listened for any sound that would indicate his way out. With each little cavern he passed, he could feel something brush past him. The feeling was gentle, like the fur of a friend whom you passed on your way to pick up fresh kill from the pile directly after a training session.

It reminded Bramblepaw of training with Tawnypaw, the brawls they would get into under the guidance of their mentors… Bramblepaw sighed at the thought, the training hollow could almost be felt between his paw pads, the gentle grass and sand mixture made the training hollow a beautiful place.

The sun could be felt just as much, hot against Bramblepaw's back, his breath hard against the still wind as he and Tawnypaw sparred for superiority with all the knowledge they had learned during their short time in training.

Maybe they hadn't been training that long, but Bramblepaw and her were strong in fighting. Their hunting – albeit not as great – was still top notch for apprentices of their moon age. Bramblepaw remembered flicking Tawnypaw into the air before trying to dart for where she was going to land, to catch her off guard with another attack, but was quickly blindsided when she twisted midair and twirled, landing perfectly on his shoulders.

It had taken all of Bramblepaw's strength to not immediately crumple at the sudden weight and throw her off but rolling her into the dirt.

The memory made Bramblepaw's lips twitch into a smile, his whiskers twitching in amusement as Firestar – Fireheart at the time – had told them that the sparring was enough. While they had a lot to learn, they passed the small test and sparred quite well. Though… Bramblepaw's smile quickly faded, seeing the darkness lying behind Firestar's green gaze that day. A pair of glossy leaf green eyes that watched him like a hawk, seeing nothing but Tigerstar in Bramblepaw's dark tabby pelt and amber gaze. Even the thought now made Bramblepaw's shoulders sag under the weight and pressure.

"Can I even live up to Firestar's expectations?" Bramblepaw pondered as he slipped away from the final cavern and his eyes caught the glimpse of rushing water ahead of him. The water tumbled downwards, which Bramblepaw had never seen before. Behind the water was almost nothing but pristine darkness, the white foam outlining the waterfall as Bramblepaw stepped closer to it. "Will I be nothing but disappointing to him? I don't… want him to think I'll be like my father."

Bramblepaw didn't have an answer to that, but with Firestar's recent actions and even more glares, he was unsure of how the fiery orange tom would treat him in the future. Before the battle, Firestar had treated him like a son, giving Bramblepaw advice. A father that Bramblepaw would prefer…

Yet, that version of Firestar was vastly different than the distant Firestar of now. The Thunderclan leader was nothing more than a shell of his former self, and one that Bramblepaw wished desperately that he could heal.

It was not in Bramblepaw to heal Firestar in such a way, Firestar had best friends who could do that far better than Bramblepaw ever could hope for.

Graystripe, Cinderpelt, and Sandstorm were there.

Bramblepaw was just a thorn in Firestar's side, he was certain of it.

I don't care what it takes, I am not Tigerstar.

"You think a lot."

The dark voice came from behind Bramblepaw, and the young apprentice froze on his paws, still sitting directly in front of the stream of water that tumbled down towards the rocky cropping far below. One wrong slip of the paw and Bramblepaw's life would meet a terrifying conclusion. So the apprentice stood still, keeping his tail low and his head low now as well, feeling the water mist onto his whiskers and fur. He could almost feel the red eyes gazing at him from the darkness.

"All these new skies and you're worried about Starclan? And even… Firestar." It's dark cackling echoed in Bramblepaw's ears. "That tom is nothing more than a soft-hearted kittypet, but maybe he grew some claws after all," the evil bloody voice continued. The deepness crackled, almost like a storm was brewing. "I've seen the way he stares at my son, thinking he is just like me. What is so wrong with that, huh? After all, you have my drive. You want to be leader of the clan after all, even if you are quite young. Just like me…" A few paw steps made Bramblepaw lower his head further, his lips curling back to prepare a snarl. "Relax, all these new skies have weakened me for the time being. There is just so much to learn, including what this Moon taught you. I wouldn't worry about what the stars have planned for you, I'm not done with you yet… Or Tawnypaw for that matter, you are my kin, I should get to train you."

"I don't want to be trained by you," Bramblepaw growled lowly, his ears pricking to the side. A dark spiky pelt brushed along his side, forcing Bramblepaw to shiver. "Leave me be, I have no interest in you and I never will."

Tigerstar's warm breath touched Bramblepaw's ear. "You have a lot of interest in me, don't lie to me. I've got many who are training me as we speak, preparing me for a long and brutal fight ahead. I can read those thoughts in your head, I can pick out what your greatest fears are, and not one of them is close to thinking that becoming like me is the worst possible thing. You want to be a leader? Well when you're older, you'll become a leader, and I will give you your last life. Literally."

"I won't let you give me any lives," Bramblepaw growled turning to face his father with his head raised high and his lips drawn back into a snarl this time. He pushed his fears aside, and as his gaze turned to where Tigerstar had once been…

He found he was alone, the darkness in the depths of the cavern seemed to brighten up as the moon came into view behind the waterfall. The path lit up as Bramblepaw backed away slowly, eyes wary of anything that could still be lurking in the darkness. The emptiness of this place made him feel more paranoid than he probably should, Tigerstar was dead, there was no threat from him left.

Turning back around, Bramblepaw followed the light to his right side, noticing a cleft and path outside the waterfall and away from the cavern.

Following it, he hopped up and felt the wind and the light rain. The storm had passed by so quickly, where did it go? The night was almost cloudless, the misty rain barely touched the outer layers of his fur. Did Moon conjure the storm to get him to follow her and listen to her stories?

It would mean that they had to push Tawnypaw away, they didn't want her to listen to the stories that were told in the caverns.

"If the Tribe died out, then I'm sure this mountain range isn't safe," Bramblepaw muttered to himself, glancing around and recognizing the rocky overhang against the river that he had jumped across. The river would lead directly over the edge into the waterfall and plunging far below, but for now, Bramblepaw was on the correct side of the river, he didn't have to jump back across.

With the new knowledge, Bramblepaw quickly bounded across the surface, listening to the mountains around him in a faint hope that Tawnypaw stuck around. Disappointment quickly washed over Bramblepaw as he shook his head and realized that hope was gone as rapid as a rabbit into its burrow.

Silently, he slipped back to the edges of the cliffs and found the trail back down to the small cave the remnants of the four clans were sleeping in. Their scents wafted up the trail and Bramblepaw suddenly felt cumbersome, his body was heavy and his eyes felt as if they were ready to close in sleep. No sleep on Bramblepaw's end for the entire night, but he padded down the rocky path and glanced inside, a familiar scent striking his nose.

Too late.

The familiar orange fur pushed outside the rocky opening to the cave, shoving Bramblepaw backwards as he quickly scrambled to stay upright on his paws, amber eyes wide in surprise. Firestar had awoken! And the anger that protruded from the once calm leader's demeanor had become sour with anger as green eyes glanced over Bramblepaw. The black pupils dilated, sharpening and focusing on Bramblepaw with fierce precision as Bramblepaw felt as if a claw had struck his throat, catching his vocal cords and not allowing him to even meow a greeting to the Thunderclan leader.

"Where were you?" Firestar asked simply, his gaze harsh.

Bramblepaw almost wished Tigerstar had pushed him off into the waterfall… It would've saved him the conversation with Firestar. "I-I thought I heard other cats," Bramblepaw stammered as he meowed, trying to stand tall. The once-kind leader's eyes narrowed, his long orange tail thrashing behind him but Firestar remained dead silent, so Bramblepaw continued. "I went up the trail where I thought I heard the voices, and I explored a small cave up there. I wanted to make sure no one was around, and no one was there. So now I came back."

"You've been gone quite a while," Firestar replied with the flick of his ear, as if dismissing any idea of a threat in the mountains. "If what you say is true, I'm sure you would've come back sooner, you missed the changing of your shift. Webfoot and Russetfur have already taken over." The Thunderclan leader seemed to ponder something before he spoke again. "Go inside and get some rest. I don't want you dead on your paws when we leave tomorrow. Understood?"

"Y-Yes, Firestar," Bramblepaw responded, lowering his head and his ears pinning back. He felt as if Firestar still didn't trust him, even though he left, he did originally think that there were other cats in these mountains. Now, he was almost certain it was Moon trying to lure him outside and towards the abandoned caves. Even now, Bramblepaw didn't think he smelled a single scent of cat…

Without another word, Bramblepaw darted past Firestar and into the cavern, eyes glancing around before he found Tawnypaw and rapidly slipped into the makeshift nest beside her. His body was uncomfortable on the rock, but he was protected from the wind and the mist here…

Was he protected from Firestar?

By the time Bramblepaw had awoken, the buzz of the clans was already preparing to move out, and he felt a paw prod his side.

"Get up, Firestar and the leaders have called for us to get going," Tawnypaw's voice greeted Bramblepaw, who slowly sat up and glanced around.

Bramblepaw took note of the other cats walking around him, their eyes dull and their stances filled with dread at another day of travel in the mountains. He shook out his fur before swiping his tongue over his chest to flatten the fur even somewhat. "Today is another bad fur day," Bramblepaw mumbled as he noticed how stuck out his fur was in comparison to most of the cats who were there. His fur was stuck up in various places, and he felt the soft warm tongue of Tawnypaw as she began to groom his fur.

"Quiet and relax, we'll be fine," Tawnypaw mumbled before pulling away and her whisker twitching. "It'll have to do," she replied before standing fully and glancing around, watching the cats begin to shuffle outside and onto the rocky trail. "Let's get going, we don't want to be left behind. I hope your journey last night wasn't too bad?"

Bramblepaw didn't know how to explain what he saw to Tawnypaw, but his sister was the only cat he could confide in for the matters that plagued his mind. He stood up beside her and lowered his voice down to a whisper.

"I caught up with the cat I saw," he started, noticing Tawnypaw's bewilderment. Before she could interrupt him, Bramblepaw continued in his hushed tone. "She wasn't just a normal she-cat," Bramblepaw explained. "She was some ancestor, I think, of the clans. She talked about a clan of cats that used to live in these mountains, some… Tribe, I think she called it. The Tribe of Rushing Water."

"Weird name…" Tawnypaw mumbled in disbelief. Bramblepaw couldn't blame her for not believing this wild tale.

"Very," Bramblepaw nodded in agreement, several cats passing them as they fell in line behind the small group of warriors, slipping outside the cavern. The sun breathed warmth onto Bramblepaw's back, but after the night before, it just made him feel uncomfortable. "This cat – her name was Moon – she told me about the clans, and the tribe, and how they were connected. I didn't get to ask her much, but… She told me that the clans would end up relying on me."

"On you?" Tawnypaw narrowed her gaze, but more out of confusion. "Why would any ancestor want you to help the clans? Not that you shouldn't, we should work to bring the clans back to their greatest strength, but wouldn't that message best be reserved for someone like Firestar?" Tawnypaw questioned.

Even that was a question Bramblepaw had no answer to.

"I'm not saying I don't believe you," Tawnypaw continued when Bramblepaw glanced away. "I'm just… confused, really, that seems like a message the leaders of the clans would get, not some apprentice like us." Tawnypaw's tail brushed over Bramblepaw's shoulder and down his back, imitating the way Goldenflower would do in order to calm Bramblepaw when he was little. "Whatever the ancestors want us to do, whatever this Moon wants you to do… It doesn't make sense. We aren't prophetic warriors, after all, and even I don't think Starclan would want us to do anything special until Tigerstar is… forgotten."

Bramblepaw felt she was right, but the situation was still a mess. "That's not all she told me, she also told me we wouldn't meet the last of that cat. Scourge, the leader of Bloodclan."

"Him? But he has our territory now, why would he follow us?"

With the shake of his head, Bramblepaw sighed, watching as the clans shifted up and got to the top of the rocks, now on the larger flat surface he was on the night before. "Something about how the twolegs would destroy the territory, like they had done with another clan before." Once more, Bramblepaw kept speaking before his sister could interrupt. "Moon spoke of a fifth clan, not Starclan, but Skyclan. They were like a mix of warriors between Thunderclan's bulkier strength and Windclan's graceful speed, and they were tree hunters. They didn't hunt in undergrowth, they actually hunted in the trees." Bramblepaw couldn't think of how that could work… But he didn't dwell on it. "Their territory was by the river beyond Thunderclan and Riverclan, and when that territory was gone, they were left to the wilds outside the clan territories. I don't… know how true that is," Bramblepaw admitted.

Tawnypaw shrugged. "If it was something the clan leaders had to do, I'm sure there was reason for it," she replied with a sigh, though she didn't seem to believe her own words. "We can't think about prophecies or what Starclan wants us to do. We have to protect our clanmates the best we can and become great warriors that will one day be of a great service to our clans."

"That is something we can both agree on," Bramblepaw replied with a half-hearted smile in return.

He couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat as he followed his clanmates through the mountains though, but he felt as if they were close to the end of their journey… Hopefully the mountains were as forgiving as he had hoped.

~~Author's Note

Heya! Welcome back! Did ya miss me? No? Ouch, that hurts! Anyways, another update because this took way longer than necessary! So over the past couple weeks, my room has been an absolute mess of boxes from orders I've received, but I did it. I built my very own desktop computer for both gaming and writing, as well as built a desk and a gaming chair in order to be able to have a place in my room for some great gaming and a great place to write. Now my back won't be as bad laying on a bed at an awkward angle while I write on my laptop (oof).

For those tech inclined, my laptop runs 16 gigs of RAM and has a 2070 super gpu, though I do need to get an extra fan or two installed to get better circulation to keep the pc cool, it works absolutely wonderful! I'm proud of the build I did, and that is what I am using as of right now in order to get these chapters out to you guys! This chapter is also a bit shorter than I anticipated, I thought about adding another part to it but decided against it and will use that in the next chapter, so this is what you guys have for now. I would like to thank everyone who is sticking around through my absolutely shitty upload schedule, I'm just... horrible lol.

Okay, now I should be able to update more frequently. I've gotten the root canal, I have a new desktop computer that I've never had before (until now, I've never owned a desktop, it has always been laptops) and I'm quite happy. I feel like I can actually complete projects again! Especially writing, this is the most writing I've done for one singular story in a couple years... (sorry Stormi, I know you were waiting for part III of the rewrite but uh, I do not know if I will be getting to that anytime soon!)

Thank you to everyone for your patience! I'll be back soon with another chapter! Have a wonderful day!