Jayfeather's theme song is Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day.

Seaman109 I didn't know who that was so I looked him up. Yeah, I could definitely see that working :D

Brinxieleaf She will soon find out.

Snowcrystal of Thunderclan Yup, Briarlight is very sad.

Moonlight Talon of the Night Yup, I was reworking that chapter so much until it finally felt right. Plots where everything is hunky-dory are easy to write, but this stuff actually requires some brainpower.

Brinxie again Poor kitty indeed.

Storm Above Water You better believe I'm continuing this story for as long as people keep reading it. The original story was 57 chapters, so I still have a long way to go.

WyldClaw Welcome back, mate. I feel like it's been a while since you reviewed one of my stories. Also, I think I posted this chapter while you were in the middle of reading the beginning part of my story, so you still have a ways to go before you are caught up.

Briarlight lay in her nest, eyes narrowed into slits as she tried to fall asleep. The whole day had trickled by painfully slowly as the search for Jayfeather continued. Squirrelflight had sent out patrols to scout the whole territory but the medicine cat's scent trail went beyond the border into the unknown. According to the deputy, he was alone so it wasn't like he had been catnapped. It seemed like he had gone by his own decision. But why, Jayfeather? Why did you leave us?

She yawned sleepily even though it would be a long time until sundown. Thornclaw had pushed her to the limit during their earlier training session and if she hadn't been so distracted by Jayfeather's disappearance, she would have fallen asleep a long time ago. But all she could think about were Jayfeather's sharp features and his dark stripes covering his sinewy body. He had been with her last night; his scent still lingered in the warrior's den, but she didn't know why. Though she was pretty sure he had entered her dreams.

She let out a small sigh, the last night's vision still fresh in her memory. He could have left whenever he wanted, but he had stopped to say 'goodbye' to her while she slept. That meant he cared about her and would miss her. Does he know that I really like him or was he just visiting because we are good friends?

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the high-ledge for a Clan meeting!"

Surprised, Briarlight stood up. That was Bramblestar's yowl, but it was unusual for him to call a Clan meeting this late in the day. She got out of her nest and padded out of the warrior's den to join her Clanmates who were gathering in the darkening clearing. All of them seemed as curious as she was so she squeezed in between her brother and sister near the front.

"Hey, Briarlight," Blossomfall meowed as Briarlight sat down beside them. Her tortoiseshell fur was glossy and neat. "We thought you were already asleep."

"I'm still sore from my training," Briarlight lied. Truthfully, she didn't think she would be able to sleep at all that night if Jayfeather didn't come back- but she couldn't even tell her siblings that. Nobody could ever find out that she was attracted to the blind medicine cat. It was forbidden by the warrior code. "-and when you hear the Clan leader caterwauling through the camp, you can't really go to sleep. Do either of you know what's going on?"

Bumblestripe shook his head, eyes fixed on the leader's ledge where Bramblestar stood still as stone. "No idea. Unless Brightheart's kits are being made apprentices early. But I feel like every cat in the Clan would already know that if Bramblestar had told them. Those little balls of fluff would have been so excited, RiverClan would hear them cheering."

Briarlight laughed. "You're probably right!" She loved watching the kits play. Snowkit never seemed to stop talking while Amberkit was always bouncing off the sides of the hollow in excitement. Dewkit however seemed much more mellow compared to his littermates. Whoever gets to be his mentor will be the lucky one.

Once every cat was assembled below the leader's ledge, Bramblestar began to speak. "I wish I didn't have to call this meeting," he meowed dispiritedly. "But it looks like our medicine is not going to return. So I need to appoint a new medicine cat."

Gasps rose up from the cats and Briarlight's eyes grew wide. How could he dismiss Jayfeather so quickly? It had only been one day! He had to come back to the camp eventually, right? She looked around at the startled faces and spotted Lionblaze a few paces away. Of all the cats to be dismayed about the news, ihe should have been the most, but to her surprise, he looked the least alarmed of them all. Did he know something they didn't?

"I don't make this decision lightly," Bramblestar continued and Briarlight's attention snapped back to him. She needed to hear everything he had to say. "Jayfeather came to me yesterday evening and told me that he felt like he no longer belonged in ThunderClan and asked for my permission to leave. I ordered him to stay but it seems like he left anyway. He said he would head for the mountains first, but that's all the information I have."

"Why did he want to go," asked Cinderheart worriedly. "Doesn't he care about us anymore?"

"And he's blind!" Spiderleg growled. "He'll die out there for sure within a couple days."

"He'll be eaten by a fox!" Daisy cried.

"How did he even escape?" Cloudtail muttered. "I was up all night guarding the entrance."

Briarlight's heart raced as she listened to her Clanmates' fearful murmuring. She had been aware of the medicine cat's change in mood over the past few moons, but she always though he would get over whatever was bothering him. Unless he left because of me. She shivered at the idea. Did he leave to protect us both?

"Quiet down everybody!" Bramblestar meowed loudly, silencing the chatter. "I know you are all worried, but there's nothing I can do about Jayfeather now. He's gone and may never return-"

"You could send a patrol to fetch him and bring him back," interrupted Squirrelflight pointedly. The Clan deputy stood near the base of the ledge and her sharp green eyes stared defiantly up at Bramblestar. "He's our kin. What would Firestar say if he knew you let Jayfeather die alone somewhere under a foreign sky without doing anything to try and bring him back?"

Bramblestar's jaw fell open slightly as he stared at his ruffled mate, but his expression quickly hardened. "Don't you dare speak to me as if I don't care about Jayfeather's well-being. I raised him as my son and even when we all found out the truth, I still loved him as one of my own. When I spoke to him, he made it clear that he wasn't happy as a Clan cat anymore and nowhere in the warrior code does it state that a Clan cat must stay a Clan cat their whole life. Even if we did find him and force him to return, do you think he would be content being our prisoner?"

Shocked silence met the Clan leader's words. Even the birds in the trees seemed to cease their chirping at the severity of Bramblestar's tone. No cat argued with him and Squirrelflight sat back down beside the leader's ledge with her fur still puffed out with frustration. Briarlight felt bad for her- Bramblestar too. It had to be hard for both of them to accept that he was gone, especially so soon after Hollyleaf's death.

Bramblestar closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm the agitation making his fur stand up. His pelt had been quivering slightly but he steeled himself. "I have always had complete faith in Jayfeather's abilities and his heart. Whatever he is looking for, he will find it, and maybe then he will return to us. But until then," Bramblestar opened his eyes and his gaze darted down to a cat sitting among the crowd. "Leafpool, you shall return to your medicine cat position. ThunderClan is in need of your talent and expertise once more."

The tabby she-cat stood up and gazed up at the Clan leader. Her amber eyes welled with sadness and her voice shook with each word. "I would be honored to serve my Clan as a medicine cat again. I just wish the circumstances could be different."

"Don't we all," Bramblestar sighed. "I'll explain Jayfeather's departure at the next Gathering, assuming he still hasn't returned. Until then, I don't want anyone to tell the other Clans that he's gone. Does anyone else have something to announce?"

No cat said a word. Everyone seemed too stunned to talk.

"Then this meeting is adjourned!"

Briarlight felt like a tree rooted to the ground. What was she supposed to do now? Would she ever be able to accept that she wasn't seeing Jayfeather again? Could she really just forget about everything he had done for her and live a normal life?

"Woah, did you see his jaw twitch when Squirrelflight mentioned Jayfeather being their kin? You could really tell how distraught he was about losing Jayfeather." Blossomfall stood up and gave her tortoiseshell pelt a vigorous shake. Her long fur deposited a small cloud of dust.

"You look like a moon-struck rabbit," meowed Bumblestripe on Briarlight's other side. "The meeting is over, you can stand up if you want."

Briarlight shook her head to clear it. "Sorry, I- I was just thinking about when Leafpool was the medicine cat before," she stammered, unable to say the truth. She hated lying to her siblings but not even they could know about her feelings towards Jayfeather. "She must be thrilled to be appointed medicine cat again since she didn't make a great warrior."

"She's way more sympathetic than Jayfeather was," Bumblestripe added, eyes filled with longing as he gazed at the fresh-kill pile. "It will be nice to not be afraid to get treated for an injury."

Briarlight opened her mouth to argue that Jayfeather could be nice when he wanted to be, but she didn't want to appear overly defensive. "I guess you're right, Bumblestripe," she laughed instead, rising to her paws as he and Blossomfall padded together in the direction of the fresh-kill pile. "He could be a real stink-cat sometimes."

"You want to share a mouse, Briarlight?" Blossomfall called when she realized her sister hadn't moved from where she had sat during the Clan meeting. "There's plenty of prey to go around so you don't have to starve yourself anymore."

Briarlight couldn't help but chuckle under her breath. Blossomfall was making fun of how she used to refuse food during leaf-bares while she was living in the medicine den. It seemed to make sense back then, but now she wanted to live forever and celebrate her second chance at life. "I ate when I got back from training with Thornclaw but I guess I can force something else down."

She padded over to join her siblings by the fresh-kill pile and listened to them talk. It was amazing being able to interact with them like equals again instead of looking up at them from her nest whenever they visited. She hadn't been confident enough in her own abilities to go tree-climbing with them yet, but they both had said they were eager to try it when she was ready.

She nibbled on her mouse absently. Her littermates were great company so even if Jayfeather never returned, she would still have some cats to talk with- her parents Millie and Graystripe, too. She would miss the ill-tempered medicine cat, but if he felt like he didn't want to stay with her anymore, she would eventually move on.

After she finished her mouse with Bumblestripe and Blossomfall, Briarlight returned to her nest in the warrior's den in silence. A few of the other warriors were already snoring snugly in their own nests as she passed. She was completely tuckered out so although her mind was still racing like the wind, it wasn't long after her eyes closed that she dozed off into her dreams.

She was back in her lush oak forest clearing surrounded by ferns and mossy roots. Scents of fresh-kill filled the air and sunlight warmed her pelt. She expected her siblings to appear out of the bushes and greet her like they often did in her dreams, but no cat showed. "That doesn't matter, I can enjoy myself without them."

Briarlight reached her paws up and sank her sharp claws deep into the bark of the nearest tree and hauled herself off the ground. She felt the most alive while she was up in the branches, watching the leaves flicker past as she flew from limb to limb. It was almost like she could leave all her troubles and worries behind on the ground. You can't reach me up here! she wanted to call out. Troubles can't climb trees!

She reached a high perch that overlooked most of the forest and settled down to enjoy the patches of light on her pelt that trickled through the leaves. She wished she could stay there forever and never have to feel pain again. If only Jayfeather would return to my dreams, then this place would be perfect.

There was a rustle of feathers close by and she turned her head to spot a white wagtail that had landed on her branch. There's always plenty of fresh kill here, even in leaf-bare, she thought, quickly finding a hunting stance and stalking towards the unknowing bird. But I've never seen a wagtail here before. It still shouldn't be hard to catch. Once she was sure she was within range, she raced forward and pounced.

As she reached out with her claws, the bird leapt into the air and dove out of sight at the last moment. She landed at the end of the branch and suddenly realized the wood was dead and dry. There was a loud crack and she felt herself fall. She twisted in the air to right herself but almost at once, she crashed into another branch and careened off it. She tumbled through the air, panic filling her chest as she remembered the day Jayfeather had saved her from the tree.

But no cat was going to catch her this time and she plummeted painfully through the branches, bouncing off them until she didn't know which way was up. She closed her eyes and waited for it to end.

She woke with a jolt and sat up straight. She was back in the warrior's den. Her breath billowed out heavily as if she really had been scared for her life, but the pain in her dream hadn't been real. Other than being a little shocked, she was fine. It didn't feel like she slept for very long but it was already late at night. It was very dark and her denmates snoozed peacefully around her.

Once she was sure none of them had been awoken by her sudden movements, she made a quick stretch in her nest and lay back down. Hopefully her dreams wouldn't be so unpleasant the next time. But the moment her chest touched the moss, she shot back up again in surprise. Something sharp was embedded in her nest and it poked her. She reached down with her muzzle and pulled out a long feather. How did this get here? she wondered, fiddling with it in her paws. Unless... She couldn't see it clearly in the dim light so she picked it up in her teeth and quickly carried it out into the camp clearing. She dropped it in a patch of moonlight and gasped.

It was a jay's feather. Long and brilliantly streaked with blue, black, and gray. It hadn't been in her nest before she went to sleep and there had been no jays on the fresh-kill pile. "I know what this means," she muttered under her breath as realization struck her. She had lived long enough with a medicine cat to understand a sign when she saw one. As Jayfeather would say; all StarClan prophecies are either so simple that you understand the meaning right away, or so mysterious that you have no idea until they're already fulfilled.

She looked around the clearing for any of her Clanmates, but she was alone. If this really was a sign from StarClan, she understood it clearly. She was meant to be with Jayfeather! She had so many questions like, 'wasn't it against the warrior code?' and 'why was StarClan choosing now of all times to tell her?'

Briarlight knew what she had to do, and instead of being scared, she felt exhilarated! This was her chance to be with whoever she wanted without StarClan interfering. I just wish I could tell the others where I was going and why. But my disappearance has to be just as sudden as Jayfeather's.

Taking a deep breath, she padded silently over to the camp entrance. She stopped to look back at the bracken dens lined up against the side of the hollow. This was goodbye, maybe forever, but if she caught up to Jayfeather it would be worth it. Bramblestar said the medicine cat was heading for the mountains so that's where she was going. She had never been there before, but hopefully the medicine cat wasn't too far ahead.

Without a second thought, she slipped through the bracken barrier. "I will find you, Jayfeather."

"Briarlight!"

She almost jumped out of her fur in terror. A cat had been standing guard on the other side of the entrance and she recognized the scent of one of her Clanmates. "Oh, hi Ivypool, what-"

"What was that about Jayfeather?" the other warrior asked sternly, standing up from where she sat to approach Briarlight. "Don't tell me you are going off by yourself to find him."

Briarlight's fur rose slightly. Why hadn't she been more careful about getting past the cat on guard? "I- um, yes. I'm going to find Jayfeather and bring him back," she lied quickly. In truth, she wanted to stay with the medicine cat no matter where he decided to go. "I- I figured if any cat could convince him to come back to ThunderClan, it would be me."

Ivypool's eyed her suspiciously, her blue gaze searching for the truth. "You aren't fit to travel alone yet. You would starve before you ever found him."

Briarlight felt her pride crack ever so slightly. "I would be fine, I-"

"So I'm coming with you," Ivypool announced simply. "I didn't agree with Bramblestar's decision to let the medicine cat leave like that, and I'm sure Jayfeather is just confused. We'll convince him to come back together."

At first, Briarlight's heart soared at the idea of company on her quest, but then she was reminded that Ivypool didn't know her true intentions. "Honestly, I'll be fine," she meowed with false confidence. "It can't be too hard to catch a mouse-"

"We don't have time to discuss," Ivypool pressed, her tail flicking through the air as she turned and padded off into the dark woods. "Besides, I've always wanted to explore beyond the Clan's territory."

Briarlight gave a resigned sigh and followed. At least Ivypool wasn't turning her back. I just hope when the time comes and we do find Jayfeather, I'll know the right words to say.

Anybody else notice that Briarlight's mentor is the mate to her own sister? Also, Thornclaw is over twice as old as Blossomfall and way older than Bluestar or Yellowfang where when they died according to the wiki... that's messed up.