Snowleaf of the future here. This was a fun chapter to write and to reread. I made a few small modifications to make the dialogue go more smoothly. Other than that, this was already a pretty fantastic chapter.

Snowcrystal of Thunderclan I figured what you meant and decided to take it literally anyway :P

thejew22 I'm glad you like it!

Acorn. Leaf I thought you might enjoy it. I added extra fluff just for you.

Moonlight Talon of the Night I already sent you a PM, buddy, so you know exactly how I feel about your review. :3

Pearl That's alright if you can't log in to review all the time. Just seeing folks around every once in a while is enough to keep me working.

jaybae is mine Don't we all wish we could have the Senpai?

lovin'it You better believe it!

AJ I really want to say spoilers, but I'll resist.

legit If I don't review my own story soon, you will lose your mind? Well then I better go and do that.

Skydye Your welcome.

Wandering Snowleaf Yes I do... yes I do...

Something brushed against his nose and he tried to push it away with a paw. He curled up tighter but the tickling returned and made him want to sneeze. He kept his eyes squeezed tight. "Briarlight, is that you?" he mumbled. "It's too early to be doing your exercises, go away."

But no cat answered him. He relaxed but the tickling returned within moments and he felt something soft against his face. With a snarl, he reached forward and sank his teeth into his annoyer. That will teach you not to bother the medicine cat while he's trying to sleep!

"Ouch!" Startled, he leapt to his paws, eyes wide with surprise. It took him only a moment to realize he was alone in the den. "Great, woken up by my own tail. Briarlight hasn't even lived here in over a moon."

He licked his hurt tail, snorting angrily at his own foolishness and closed his eyes. That night's dream had been boring and unhelpful in solving his troubles. As much as he enjoyed chasing mice through mist-filled forests, it had no meaning in the waking world. StarClan was completely silent. And over the past moon with Briarlight out of his den, his existence was becoming unbearable. I'm leaving the Clan. I need to find a purpose again, and according to Rock, it isn't here by the lake.

Once his tail was feeling a bit better, he began his morning routine of checking the herb stashes and making sure everything was in its proper place. He didn't expect anything to have moved from the previous day since he hadn't touched them in a long time. He would talk with Bramblestar today about his decision to leave the Clan, but he already knew it wouldn't go over well. It was unheard of for a medicine cat to voluntarily abandon their duty to the Clan, but Leafpool would be just as capable at taking care of everyone.

It was the day after he had rescued Briarlight from the tree and he still felt the effects of the turmoil that ravaged his mind. It couldn't be clearer to him that she had feelings for him- feelings a medicine cat could never return. But then why does it feel so right? Perhaps when he left the Clans and their distractions behind, it would be more clear to him what he was supposed to do with his destiny. If only he could shake off the look she had given him afterwards- a look of absolute admiration and respect. He shivered as a tingle ran up his spine. I need to forget and leave her behind.

With a long sigh, he completed his chores and ducked out of the den. It was late and the warmth of newleaf sunlight filled the clearing. He could hear his Clanmates milling about happily in the heat. With the dawn patrol back and the fresh-kill pile overflowing, there wasn't much for any cat to be doing other than sharing tongues. It was hard to believe that just a few seasons ago, these cats had been fighting for their lives in the fiercest battle ever to ravage the Clans.

Brightheart's kits mewled and ran about in front of the nursery. Graystripe and Sandstorm had found a large flat rock to lay on to share tongues. And over on the other side of the clearing by the entrance, the normally busy Brackenfur was snoring beneath the cover of some brambles.

With all the Clans healthy and at peace, Jayfeather's role in the Clan seemed less fulfilling than ever before. According to the other medicine cats at the half-moon gathering, prey was running well everywhere. Littlecloud had said that even Blackstar couldn't come up with a reason to be dissatisfied.

His paws suddenly had the urge to be doing something non-herb related and he ruffled his pelt as if to shake away the cobwebs of lethargy that were holding him down. Over by the warrior's den, he heard Spiderleg talking as he gathered cats for a border patrol, and the medicine cat's longing to be out in the forest drove his paws onward. Sure, he could go out in the woods by himself whenever he wanted, but right now he wouldn't mind some company as he spent his last day in ThunderClan.

He padded across the clearing to join the warrior, tail held up proudly. "Greetings, Spiderleg. Have room for one more on your patrol?"

There was a small spark of surprise but the older warrior meowed, "Sure, Jayfeather. I'm just going to gather up anybody who wants to come and we'll be on our way to the ShadowClan border. I know the dawn patrol already checked there, but there isn't much else to do- unless you want to sit around the fresh-kill pile and get fat all day long. I already asked Squirrelflight and she see's nothing wrong with another border patrol."

Jayfeather nodded. He wasn't the only cat in the Clan who was suffering from nothing to do. But he was still surprised that Spiderleg had said yes so quickly. Normally cats questioned him when he tried to do warriors stuff. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"It's not like we're going to get in a fight or anything," mewed the other cat innocently, slipping into the den. "The Clans are at peace."

And the truth comes out.

While the warrior was busy recruiting cats to join the patrol, Jayfeather pricked his ears and listened to the forest beyond the bramble wall. The sound of birds and the wind met him and he closed his eyes for a moment. The Dark Forest attack seemed like a life time ago and now Rock and Midnight believed the days of prophecies were over. It was as if every moment, every single drop of blood spilled and piece of prey caught had been leading up to that one terrible fight- and then it was over.

He turned at the sound of yawning, opening his eyes and faced the direction of the warrior's den entrance. Lionblaze was the first to come out.

"Morning, Jayfeather," his brother moaned tiredly, padding over and flopping down in the dirt beside him.

"It's sun-high, you lazy fur-ball," Jayfeather laughed, prodding his brother in his large belly.

"Eh, whenever I wake up is morning for me," Lionblaze snorted, lazily fending off Jayfeather's paw with his own. "I don't care how early it is- I will bite that if it comes over here again!"

The medicine cat purred and retreated his paw. "Did you sleep well? I keep getting mouse-hunting dreams."

"Those are the best kind of dream," Lionblaze meowed thoughtfully. "Those and fighting dreams."

Jayfeather shook his head in quiet amusement. His brother was a warrior through and through. He envied him for that not just because he wished he could have been a warrior instead of a medicine cat, but because he knew all Lionblaze ever had to think about was fighting and hunting- he didn't bare all of the responsibilities and expectations that Jayfeather did.

It wasn't long before Spiderleg had all the other cats who wanted to go on patrol gathered by the camp entrance; Dovewing, Berrynose, Poppyfrost, and Lilypaw. "Let's go!" Spiderleg meowed, leading the way out into the forest. "And step lively. The Clans may be at peace, but we'll be on the ShadowClan border. They have a reputation of breaking the peace first."

Jayfeather followed his Clanmates, aware of his bother padding languidly after his tail. I'm going to tell him that I'm leaving the Clan. He of all cats should know the full story. He just hoped Lionblaze would understand why Jayfeather needed to go.

The ThunderClan patrol made it to the ShadowClan border without a hitch. It was a typical newleaf day that offered nothing but prey, sunshine, and the twittering of jackdaws in the trees. The only displeasurable thing about Jayfeather's surroundings was the foul scent of ShadowClan that hazed over the border.

"Keep an eye out," Spiderleg announced, leading them between the trees where the ThunderClan markers were thickest. "I know the dawn patrol reported nothing out of the ordinary this morning, but ShadowClan-"

"ThunderClan!"

Jayfeather jumped, startled, and pricked his ears. It was barely a heartbeat before the sound of pattering paws reached his ears. He recognized Tawnypelt's mew and he heard the pawsteps of maybe four other warriors with her as they raced towards the ThunderClan patrol.

"Greetings, Tawnypelt," called Spiderleg calmly, realizing it was one of the ShadowClan cats known for being more reasonable towards ThunderClan. He stopped just a few steps from the ShadowClan scent markers. "It's a nice day for a patrol."

The ShadowClan cats stopped only a few tail lengths away. Tawnypelt purred. "I see ThunderClan is as cheery as always. I assume your cats are all very smug about defeating TigerClan on the moors? Our warriors are already training for the next time we meet in battle."

"That was over a moon ago," Spiderleg pointed out as the other ThunderClan warriors gathered around him. "Is ShadowClan so full of pride that they believe every other Clan is just as boastful as themselves?"

Tawnypelt's tone dropped to a hushed murmur. "I should have expected ThunderClan to perform well on the moors. Some of your cats are part WindClan after all."

Jayfeather's fur rose slightly at the jab, but he relaxed as he realized the she-cat's mew was joking and light. Any other time in the Clans history, if an enemy warrior made an accusation like that, it could have started a skirmish.

Spiderleg laughed, catching the jab too. "That's surprising talk coming from a ThunderClan cat living on the ShadowClan side of the border. You should have been fighting for LionClan."

"Cleverly stated," Tawnypelt meowed simply, showing no hint that she was offended. "I'm going to guess by the fact that you have the medicine cat on your patrol that you weren't expecting trouble on the border."

Jayfeather felt the eyes of the ShadowClan cats warm his pelt. He hadn't been on a border patrol in a very long time so he wasn't surprised that they were curious. But he couldn't help but twitch his tail in discomfort as they watched him.

"There hasn't been trouble on any of our borders for seasons. With all the Clans still on good terms since the daylight Gathering, I wouldn't be surprised if Bramblestar simply stopped making us patrol the border," Spiderleg joked.

There was a flicker of interest from one of the ShadowClan cats and Jayfeather identified him as Tigerheart. Don't get any ideas.

There was a chirp of laughter from the senior ShadowClan warrior Kinkfur. "Keep showing up on the border. We never want to forget what our enemies look like."

There was a grumble of displeasure among the ThunderClan cats. Berrynose let out a low growl but Poppyfrost whispered something in his ear which seemed to calm him down.

Jayfeather narrowed his eyes, focusing them on Kinkfur. "We are only your enemies if you want us to be. The next time we meet in the daylight Gathering battle, we'll show you again the strength of ThunderClan."

A small hiss escaped Kinkfur's lips but she didn't say another word as Jayfeather smugly held up his chin.

"We'll make sure Littlelcoud is training extra hard for it," Tawnypelt laughed, her tail swishing through the air to signal to her Clanmates. "Come on, ShadowClan. For once ThunderClan isn't trying to steal our land or break the Warrior Code so the border is safe."

ShadowClan is still ShadowClan.

The cats from both Clans meowed their farewells as the patrols split up and padded away from the border.

Jayfeather listened as the ShadowClan cats pulled back into their own territory. It was different listening to two Clans interact somewhere that wasn't the Gathering. If the Dark Forest cats had never attacked, their exchange probably would have been much more heated. But the Clans had fought together as one to defeat Tigerstar and his allies and never before had the Clans been so close. Of course they were each still fiercely independent but they didn't hate each other.

The ThunderClan cats patrolled along the border for a little while longer, but it was obvious, even to a medicine cat like Jayfeather, that everything was completely fine. "There is nothing left for us to do here," Spiderleg sighed, sounding a little disappointed. "I guess we go back and see if Brackenfur is awake yet and if he has something for us to work on around the camp."

The small group of cats turned and headed back through the trees. Jayfeather followed after Lionblaze, keeping his head high to enjoy all the scents and sounds the forest had to offer. It was well past sun-high and Jayfeather could imagine the shadows of the branches stretching across the ground. This might be the last day he spent in this forest.

"Lionblaze, wait. I need to tell you something."

His brother stopped suddenly and turned in surprise. "What is it? You want to trick me into falling into a puddle again- I still haven't forgotten about that."

The corner of Jayfeather's lip twitched in amusement as he tried to hold back the laugh. "No, it's not that. I've been thinking for a long time now about something. Sit with me."

"Um, sure, okay." Lionblaze sat down beside him, his pelt warm with curiosity.

Once the rest of the ThunderClan patrol was out of earshot, he sat down and took a deep breath. "I'm leaving ThunderClan."

Lionblaze gasped in shock, shooting back up to his paws with a jolt. "What in StarClan are you talking about? Have you lost your mind?"

Jayfeather closed his eyes. Of course that was his brother's initial reaction- Jayfeather had cut straight to the chase without any explanation. "I don't feel like I have a destiny here now that the prophecy is fulfilled and I've been told that what I'm seeking isn't by the lake." He remembered his sister's words. "Even Hollyleaf told me that I had to make a change if I wanted to be happy again."

Lionblaze stepped closer and rested his chin comfortingly on Jayfeather's shoulder. "And you think leaving ThunderClan is the change that will make you happy? I know you haven't been acting like yourself since the battle against the Dark Forest, but if this was what was troubling you, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Jayfeather pressed his muzzle into his brother's fur. The incident with Briarlight the previous day was still fresh in his mind and he knew those feelings were wrong. "I just need to get away from ThunderClan. My destiny isn't here with them."

Lionblaze remained quite for a moment. The two brothers were close and Jayfeather knew how conflicted Lionblaze had to feel. On one paw, he wanted Jayfeather to stay with his family, but at the same time, he wanted his brother to be happy.

Lionblaze sighed. "Nothing I say will change you mind, will it," he meowed, more like a statement than a question. "Knowing you, you've been thinking about and planning this for a very long time. Is there anything in particular that has made you decide to act now?"

Jayfeather breathed in his brother's comforting scent and he knew he could be honest with him. "Briarlight has feelings for me, and I think I have feelings for her, too," he admitted. "Yesterday when I ran into her in the forest, my suspicions were confirmed. She loves me but I can't love her back. So I can't stay here and let her heart get torn to pieces every single day. She's been through enough and I've reached the limit of what I can do for her."

"I see," Lionblaze whispered softly, and he took a step back. His own heart was twisting in turmoil but his next words were steady. "Then I wish you the best of luck. Do you want me to come with you? At least for a little bit? I don't know where you are going but I can help you get there."

Jayfeather shook his head. As much as he wanted his brother's company, he didn't want to drag out the 'goodbye' to the point where he might have second-thoughts about leaving. He just wanted it all to end. "I'm sorry, but I need to enter the next phase of my life alone. You can tell Bramblestar that I left, just don't tell him about Briarlight."

Lionblaze didn't seem capable of making more words so he just let out a reassuring purr and pressed into Jayfeather's shoulder one last time.

Jayfeather returned the affectionate gesture and for a few moments, they stood together. You were always there to protect me when I needed help- Hollyleaf too. We may not have always agreed, but you were the best brother I could have asked for. You can tell Leafpool everything. She needs to know that I didn't make the same mistake as her.

Lionblaze's sorrowful voice entered his head. I think you are making the mistake right now, but it is your life. I will miss you.

I added some substance to the end of this chapter to give Jay and Lion some brotherly time. And while I was writing this part, iTunes just happened to be playing "Broken Hearts" by Michael Ortega and I got a little emotional...