I had to dissect a lot of this while I was going back and fixing the earlier chapters. I cut out the entire Rock section, since I forgot he is gone forever, and replaced him with someone else. I also changed the chapter's name to more accurately describe what to expect.
BeeQueenBeezy Thank you! When I came up with that line I realized it was a real keeper and truly portrays the Warrior Code for what it is.
MistLion Only took 25 chapters but Jay and Briar are finally together. And Sol kinda is like the Grinch :P
Shatteredsky of Riverclan Sol has some big parts coming up. And why do you and MistLion have such startlingly similar reviews?
Inkie's Excited for 2018 Yeah I feel a little bad for Ivypool too.
Moonlight Talon of the Night I so enjoy reading your long thought-out reviews! I actually was thinking about Ivypool's backstory and how that would effect her feelings of betrayal.
"Greetings, Jayfeather. I see you have finally arrived at the mountain's paws."
Jayfeather blinked open his eyes. He was lying in a copse of pine trees and in front of him sat a shimmering snow-white she-cat with green eyes that stared fondly back at him. He scrambled to his paws. "Half Moon!"
Half Moon purred warmly and stepped forward to embrace him. "It's good to see you again," she meowed quietly, her voice barely more than an echo on a breeze.
Jayfeather wanted to press against her fur but her image was barely visible and he worried she might dissolve. Instead, he gently touched noses with her. "I haven't seen you since after the battle with the Dark Forest," he meowed, closing his eyes as he breathed in her sweet familiar scent. "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you, too," she meowed, stepping back to look at him from head to tail. "I can see you have changed much since leaving ThunderClan behind. You are starting to look less like Jayfeather and more like Jay's Wing. He always did enjoy a good scuffle."
Jayfeather realized she was talking about the cat who who had gone into the tunnels under the Clans so many seasons ago. Jay's Wing had died down there but Rock had sent Jayfeather back in time to take his place. It was then that Jayfeather met Half Moon and had fallen in love. "How are you here now when you were by the lake last I saw you?" he asked.
"I am not bound to any one sky," she answered softly. "And I've been following you for a long time. Seeing you happy is all I want in the little time I have left."
"Little time you have left?" A jolt of dismay washed down his spine. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Half Moon squeezed her eyes shut as if trying to hold back the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her. When she finally reopened them, they were filled with sadness. "Don't worry about that. I will still be around for plenty more seasons to come. I said I would wait for you forever, did I not?"
"You did," Jayfeather murmured. He was painfully aware that each time he saw her, she was a little bit more faded. Eventually she would disappear completely just like all the ancient ancestors. "Some day we can be together and then everything will be the way it should. I know it!"
Half Moon purred. "I look forward to that day. Until then, I will continue to wait patiently. But don't feel the need to join me before the time is right, you still have so much to live for like the cats who look up to you."
Her words were pained and it made his chest ache. "Are you upset that Briarlight loves me? Did you want me to turn her down because you were my first love?"
Half Moon blinked slowly, and when she opened her eyes again the pain was gone from them. "Do what feels right to you, don't worry about me. I have to go now and it may be a long time until we see each other again. I only have the strength to enter your dreams one final time. After that, the only time we can meet is when you die and join me in the stars."
"No, wait!" Jayfeather cried as his dream began to fade to black. "I still have so much more I want to talk with you about!"
But he was waking up and Half Moon was almost completely gone. "We will speak again, my love, and then all will be made clear. Until then, I wish you the best of luck in your adventures to come."
;3
"What's your favorite thing to eat? Do you like furry prey or birds more?"
"Uh, I don't really know. I'm not picky."
Briarlight purred in amusement as the kittypets, or housecats as they liked to be called, barraged her with questions. They were trekking up the steep hill that formed the base of the mountains and she padded after Jayfeather who was leading the way. He had been strangely quiet since that morning. When he did speak he sounded distracted. She was suspicious that he had seen something important in his dreams and when he was ready to share he'd tell her all about it.
The two kittypets followed closely behind her as they walked and Sol meandered steadily at the rear. He was as silent and mysterious as ever but he didn't seem to have any issue traveling uphill.
Briarlight however could already feel the ache growing in her legs as she pushed herself along. She was much stronger and more confident than she had been when she left the camp, but it would still be moons before she was as fit as when she was a warrior's apprentice.
"You have to like something more," Cash continued pointedly, huffing only slightly as he padded behind her. "Personally I prefer birds more. I like to take all the feathers out and use them in my nest."
Briarlight flashed Jayfeather a quick glance. "Speaking of feathers, did you know Jayfeather secretly loves having feathers tucked into his fur while he's sleeping? His name is Jayfeather after all."
The blind cat must have heard because he twitched an ear in annoyance, but he didn't say a word. Cash however seemed to beam with joy at the idea and whispered something eagerly into Jayjay's ear.
Briarlight knew she should feel bad about giving the young cats ideas of how to torment the former medicine cat, but the opportunity was too great to pass up. She knew he would find a way to get back at her.
The grass was slowly changing to hard rocky dirt beneath their paws as they walked, and the once common holly bushes were being replaced by thick clumps of thyme. Briarlight could feel a chill rolling down the mountain like a wave and she embraced it gratefully after traveling so long under the harsh newleaf sun. She couldn't see very far up the mountain from where she stood, but she knew there had to still be plenty of snow covering the top.
The rocks around them grew larger and more plentiful and the cats came to a steep patch of earth as high as a cat was long. Briarlight couldn't help but be a little annoyed by how easy Jayfeather made it seem as he hopped effortlessly over like a rabbit. She followed next, her muscles straining with the effort as she heaved herself over the ledge. Jayfeather grabbed her scruff and pulled her the last tail-length up to save her from looking like a fool. She wished she could do everything by herself but she just couldn't yet.
Jayjay and Cash leapt up the ledge next, their claws tearing into the side of the hill and sending a small shower of dirt and tiny stone down on Sol who hissed with annoyance and took a step back. The older rogue was more cautious and his calculating yellow eyes darted up and down the ledge with what could be described as boredom. He gave a snort of contempt and took a few paces to the side where the earth was less steep and crawled up with ease.
Show off! Briarlight tracked him with her eyes. She had been worried the rogue would try to cause trouble for the Clan cats after they escaped the twolegplace, but he had been completely fine. Perhaps he had changed for the better.
"What are you staring at?" Sol growled, padding closer to her, his cold yellow eyes giving away nothing. "Your friends will leave you behind, sweet thing, if you don't move."
She lifted her chin and puffed out her chest. Or maybe he was as callous as ever and he really just wanted to tell Jayfeather something and be on his way. She turned and trotted up the hill to catch up with the others. He was a mystery that she wished she could solve, but it was probably best to ignore him and focus on her time with Jayfeather.
The mountain only seemed to be getting taller the longer they traveled, and even the lively Jayjay and Cash had slowed their stream of questions and comments as they dragged their tired paws onward. Jayfeather must have noticed everyone's exhaustion because he raised his tail for them to stop.
"We'll take a break here," he meowed, carrying in his tone a sense of confidence and authority that Briarlight had never heard before. "If my memory is correct, we should reach the Tribe's border tomorrow around sun-high- assuming we maintain a steady pace."
Briarlight's fur pricked with embarrassment as his blind gaze flickered in her direction. She really was getting stronger but she still tired more quickly than the others.
As the cats found comfortable places to rest their legs, Briarlight used the opportunity to take in her surroundings. This was the farthest she had ever been from camp and the idea of seeing all kinds of new lands and faces excited her. Even the debacle in the twolegplace had left her with stories she could tell her kits.
Kits! It was a guilty pleasure she had dreamed of for moons, but could she really have Jayfeather's kits? Now that they were free from the warrior code they could start their own little Clan. She shook her head, lowering her chin so the others wouldn't see the amusement on her face. She wouldn't worry about kits now. It was too soon and she wasn't sure if Jayfeather was even interested. Right now she would stay with him as he traveled until he found whatever it was he was looking for. Then perhaps they could talk about kits.
"Hey, Briarlight!"
She looked up, spotting the tabby face of Jayjay staring at her eagerly. "Yes?"
The young cat's eyes were bright with excitement and he and Cash trotted over to her. "We were wondering if you remembered any fighting moves from when you were a warrior cat. It would be super cool if you showed us how to fight like real Clan cats!"
"I, uh," she mumbled. She hadn't had any battle training in a very long time so she doubted she could give any inspirational advice. But she didn't want to disappoint the young cats so she shot Jayfeather a pleading look. The former medicine cat just shook his head and chuckled. Briarlight was on her own for this one. "I can try to teach you a few things but it has been a very very long time since I last practiced. Ivypool would have been a much better teacher."
"Who do you think would win in a fight?" Jayjay mewed, his eyes narrowing as an idea filled his head. "You or Jayfeather. I've seen him fight rats and he even held off a fox. But you are a real warrior."
"Uh," Briarlight glanced back at Jayfeather whose ears were now pricked with interest. "I guess we'll never know unless we get in a disagreement. But I'm pretty sure I would win."
Jayjay and Cash shared an identical look of disbelief but they didn't ask any more questions. Instead they pounded off towards one of the huge rocks that stuck out of the ground nearby, talking excitedly to each other all the way, and raced to the top. She didn't know where they kept all of their energy but she was grateful their attention span was short. They had already forgotten about her teaching them battle moves.
"You really think you would win?"
Briarlight closed her eyes for a moment and turned her head towards Jayfeather. He sat a few fox-length away in a tuft of scraggly old grass with a peculiar look sparkling in his eyes. "I was just saying that to make them happy," she joked, meeting his cool gaze. "They'll be talking about it for a long while and maybe I'll have a moment of relief from their endless questions. It's not like we'll ever actually fight."
Jayfeather's eyes grew wide but before he could say anything else, Sol suddenly stood up. "I'm just going to excuse myself," he meowed coldly. "You two love-birds keep talking and I'll try to hunt. Maybe I'll catch a grasshopper or something in this ugly barren land."
Briarlight eyed the tortoiseshell rogue as he wandered off. "Why is he here again?" she asked Jayfeather who padded closer.
"I thought you would know," he answered, nudging her shoulder with his muzzle. "You and Ivypool are the ones who brought him along for StarClan knows why."
"He hasn't told you about this important thing yet?"
"He's barely said anything to me at all," Jayfeather meowed. "Hasn't mentioned what he did back in the Clans or what his true intentions are. It's almost as if he's afraid of this thing has to tell me. Either that or he's full of mouse-dung and is just here for the free fresh-kill."
She looked into Jayfeather's wise mysterious eyes. He always knew what she was thinking and the idea still unnerved her. But she would treat him like her mate and trust his judgement. "Why don't you just read his thoughts and find out for yourself?"
Jayfeather's blind gaze lifted towards the sky which was clear of clouds and promised another hot day. "If I try and he notices, he might not let me get anything. I can visit his dreams tonight but I'm sure everything is fine and he's just trying to put us on edge."
