Maybe I should make a Bone and Jayfeather crossover story. There isn't a story on the site yet that has both of them listed as characters... hmm, I wonder how I'd do it.
delecttric Not a Lionblaze fan, I assume?
Runereader of the Nightwings Jayfeather is pretty neato- at least my fannon version is for sure. Ivypool is coolio too, but unfortunately she doesn't have an immense role in this story. If I remember correctly, she had a much more impactful role in the original Jayfeather's Conclusion.
MistLion After so many rough and harsh chapters, I figured we could slow down and take a short breather. I think everyone was looking forward to more JaxXBriar lemons- I mean cheese- I mean fluff! :)
P D Val de Fleur Mmmm, delicious and nutritious feedback. To respond to just some of the things you brought up: a lot of human terms don't exist in cat-speak so I try to make up some cool stuff. Erin Hunter already gives me plenty to work with like "crow food" and "greencough." Yes, I think breaking traditions is important, especially if those traditions are flawed. And yes, there already is a list of all the cats at the beginning of the story in the allegiances. Also look up chirping cats on YouTube.
Jayfeather climbed confidently up the rocks, his pads rough and hardened from living over a moon in the mountains. Briarlight was at his side and they were running out of time if they wanted to make it back to the cave by sundown. He assumed if they found a cave large enough for a Tribe to live in or one that possessed mystical properties, he would know. They had found plenty of divots and crevasses in the earth caused by the tremor but none were large enough for the Tribe to live in nor seemed to have any connection with the ancestors. He hoped they weren't wasting their time.
Jayfeather, if you can hear me, I really wish you would come home. We need you so badly...
His mind was still distracted with thoughts. Over the past few days, the cacophony of strife rising up from the base of the mountain had diminished for one reason or another. He was absolutely sure he had heard Lionblaze's voice calling for him to return to the Clans and it was tearing his heart in two. Part of him wanted to stay loyal to his familial upbringing while the other part felt betrayed that they would never accept him for who he was. Of course he hadn't told Briarlight the whole truth because he didn't want to upset her.
Instead, he really did try to imagine a mock-fight between the two of them. Both of them had become faster and stronger since leaving the Clans and it could be a fun test to see exactly how far the two of them had come. He had the weight and strength advantage, but she had working eyes and more battle-training.
"You are still thinking about the Clans, aren't you?" Briarlight meowed, interrupting his thoughts.
He raised his chin smugly, satisfied that she had guessed wrong. "No, actually I was thinking about my glory over you when we do decide to duel. Why would you think I was thinking about anything else?"
"I just know you really well," she meowed simply. "You get a distant look in your eyes. And you're ears, which are almost always swiveling to hear everything, are unnaturally still."
He was genuinely surprised that she could read his body language so well but he wouldn't admit that she was partially correct. He intentionally wiggled his ears. "No, see, they are definitely moving."
She purred. "So what is bothering you?
"I don't want to talk about it and it's nothing you haven't heard me say already," he meowed. "The Clans this, suffering that, you know it all."
Briarlight let out a bark of exaggerated laughter. "Sassy Jayfeather has to be one of my favorite Jayfeather's."
"There is only one Jayfeather," he muttered, feeling his skin grow hot beneath his fur.
"Debatable."
He gave up on the argument. "Just out of curiosity, what are some of your other favorite me's?"
"There aren't very many other options," she pointed out. "Grumpy, content, and bored are the only other ones I know."
His eyes grew wide in mock surprise. "Only four me's? What about 'beating up Pack cats' me? Or maybe 'saving you from falling out of a tree' me?"
"I'm pretty sure both of those times were grumpy Jayfeather."
He lashed his tail pretending to be angry. "Come on, let's keep walking." He lowered his head so she wouldn't see the amusement across his face. I was actually terrified when I saved you from falling out of the tree and filled with righteous fury when I fought Boulder.
"Hey, look over there!" She seemed to have spotted something.
He turned as she raced a little ways up the mountain and he followed slowly. He could feel the ground beneath his paws begin to slope steeply.
"There is a cave here and it looks big enough for cats to live inside," she described once he had joined her. "The only problem is this sheer cliff right next to it that goes maybe thirty fox-lengths down.
He edged his way closer to the precipice. He could sense the open space in front of him and the wind threatened to pull him over. "This isn't a safe enough place for the Tribe to live and I don't feel any connection here with the ancestors. We'll keep looking."
Briarlight let out a loud moan of frustration. "Why couldn't the ancestors be more specific about what they wanted us to find and where to find it?"
He purred and took a few healthy steps away from the ledge. "Vagueness is something all ancestors share in common. None of them ever tell us exactly what to do, and because of that, we understand many of their prophecies only after they are complete." He stopped and thought about his own words. "But then I wonder why prophecies even exist if they come true without us doing anything to help them along." He noticed she was still giving off agitation from her pelt. "Is there something else you would rather be doing?"
Her tail swished through the air. "I'm sorry for being impatient, but can't you just go to the Tribe of Endless Hunting and demand answers?"
He shook his head. "You know as well as I do that the ancestors can't be bullied or bribed. The best we can do is trust in them and... great StarClan, I'm regressing. I thought I was past the point where I put my absolute faith in our warrior ancestors."
"The Tribe of Endless Hunting are okay, but StarClan is not," Briarlight pointed out jokingly. She took a step closer to the cliff's edge and he could picture her leaning over to see the bottom. "The Tribe have no rules that say two cats can't love each other... at least not that I know of."
Jayfeather nodded in agreement, remembering all the cooped up pain and anger he had felt while he was living in ThunderClan. Leaving the lake was the best decision he had ever made. "I suppose you are correct. We'll be done with every kind of ancestor once we leave the mountains. I still plan on finding out the truth about Sol's supposed SkyClan."
He could tell Briarlight was still itching with pent-up feelings; her fur felt like it was buzzing with disgruntled bees. He turned to face her. "You are still not satisfied. What's wrong?"
Her affectionate gaze washed over his pelt like a cool breeze on a hot day. "I've just been thinking about us. I can't help but feel like we are wasting our precious time. Something horrible could happen again, and if one of us died, we'd wish we spent more quality time together while we still had the chance."
He was taken aback by the amount of emotion in her words but she made a good point. They had barely spent any time alone since reuniting at the base of the mountain. At first they had been traveling with Jay and Crash, and then there was the kerfuffle between the Tribe and the Pack, and now they were still dealing with other cats' problems. "And you were pestering me for worrying about calamities and catastrophes."
She laughed. "All of your moping got me to start moping. I'm a hypocrite, I know, but I'm serious. I want us to be together again, alone."
I don't plan on staying much longer," he meowed softly, padding to her side and pulling her close with his paw. "If I remember correctly, you said it was a noble cause to help other cats in need."
She pressed her muzzle into the fur on his shoulder so her words were muffled. "Now I feel bad."
He gave her a lick on the head. "Don't be hard on yourself. I am also eager to move along with our journey. Once we do this last favor for the mountain cats, I promise we'll be alone together at last."
Briarlight separated from him and her fur suddenly lit with energy. "Then what are we waiting for! Let's find a cave that doesn't have a sheer drop next to it where cats can fall to their deaths!"
"I was thinking the exact same thing," he meowed cheerily, following her. Happy Briarlight is my favorite.
"0.0"
It was almost sundown and Jayfeather was carefully padding back down the mountain towards the Pack's cave with Briarlight right behind him. He had made the decision that it was time to return since they were having no luck finding any sort of cave that could be useful. His paws weren't tired but instead felt weighed down by guilt. They were just as close to finding answers now as they were at the beginning of the day. Perhaps Flora and Nettle are having better luck than we are.
The evening chill was creeping across the stones again but he could tell that it was noticeably less cold compared to a moon ago. In fact, the breeze rustling his pelt was quite pleasant. Even though the tremor had rearranged a lot of the rocks and even altered the airflow that tumbled down from the mountain's summit, he had already remapped the land in his head. He knew exactly where he was, the direction to the Pack's cave, and where the old border between the Pack and Tribe lay; it was only a few fox-lengths away. They had traveled almost as far as the Tribe's old cave before turning around.
Briarlight suddenly stopping. "Can we stay out a little bit longer. There are no clouds and I bet the moon will look gorgeous."
"I couldn't care less what the moon looks like," he stated flatly, irked that she would bring up the visual appearance of something. "But I wouldn't mind waiting a little bit longer before we head back. I just don't want the others to get worried and send a search party for us."
Briarlight laughed, sniffing the air and guiding him towards a patch of thyme. "I'd be insulted if they sent a patrol to try and find us. Haven't we proven that we can take care of ourselves?"
Jayfeather breathed in the sharp and familiar scent of the herb bush. The leaves were used for cats in shock but everyone had recovered enough from the disaster so he wasn't compelled to gather any. "What if a Sharptooth attacked?" he joked. "Do you think we could handle that?"
Briarlight flopped down in the dirt. "You mean a mountain monster a dozen times larger than a cat that enjoys eating us? I'm glad those don't live around here anymore."
He purred and lay down beside her, curling his tail around his muzzle to keep himself warm. "It's not entirely out of the question. The mountains are vast and plenty of it is outside of the Tribe's border. The Tribe cats claim there are wolves here, who knows what other creatures could be lurking among the rocks waiting for a chance to attack."
Briarlight suddenly leapt to her feet, scattering the tiny thyme leaves in her excitement. "I guess we would have to fight it together! I'd claw at it like this, and then do this-" her paws swished through the air, ripping through a stalk of the leafy herbs that surrounded them. "-and then I would drop a huge rock on its head, just like Feathertail did in the stories."
"That was probably the best imitation of a freshly made apprentice I have ever heard," he laughed, amused by her performance.
She dropped back down to the ground beside him, panting. "Don't forget that I was only an apprentice when the tree fell on me and put me in the medicine den for all those seasons. I should be allowed to have fun now that I'm free to run and hunt again."
"Of course you are! No cat can take away the second chance you were given."
Her purr of affection was so loud that he could feel it in his bones.
The two of them lay beneath the thyme, listening as the gentle gusts of mountain air rustled through the leaves. Jayfeather felt at peace for the first time in a long time. For few heartbeats, his mind was clear of all the confusion and uncertainty he had felt over the past few days. All that mattered was the moment he was sharing with Briarlight. Neither of them spoke again until the night was fully upon them and the sun no longer offered up its warmth.
"It is a half moon tonight," Briarlight sighed wistfully as if she were in a dream. "I wonder if all of the medicine cats will be going to the Moonpool."
He rolled over onto his back so he was facing the sky. Even though he couldn't see it, he knew the half-moon was high above his head. "Maybe," he meowed. "With StarClan's guidance, I know the Clans will be okay. Besides, they are safer down there where the mountains can't collapse and crush them to death. I've stopped worrying, you should too."
He could tell from the restless flickering of her tail that she wasn't convinced. He turned his head towards her. "What?"
"What what?"
"What are you worrying about?" he pressed.
The joyful excitement from moments ago was starkly replaced by a sense of suspicion. She stood up sharply and let out a small hiss. "Did you just go through my head?"
He stood up hastily to match her, his pelt spiking in alarm. He hadn't expected such a dramatic reaction. "No, I swear I didn't! I could tell because you are twitching like you always do when you're upset."
"Are you sure?"
His shock rapidly changed to agitation and he grit his teeth. He felt the she-cat's doubtful gaze singeing his pelt but he wasn't about to let himself be blamed for something he didn't do. He narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice until it was almost a growl. "If we are going to be traveling together, we need to be able to trust each other. I've been very good about respecting your privacy. Just because you are upset about something doesn't mean you can take it out on me."
Briarlight took a step away from him, her pelt quivering. "If- if that is true, then I'm really sorry. I've just been so distracted lately. Can we forget this ever happened?"
He glared at her for a few moments longer. It bothered him that she still didn't have absolute faith in his actions, but he understood that the past few days had been hectic and they were both a little lost in thought. He wouldn't hold the mistake against her. Unless she does it again. He let his fur lie flat again and relaxed the muscles in his jaw. "I won't invade your thoughts as long as you don't hide your feelings from me. We are mates now so we have to be honest and open with each other."
"I really am sorry," she meowed sincerely.
Jayfeather could detect the guilt in her voice. If it had been any other cat back in the Clans, he would have let her feel the sting of his tongue and berated her for her nonsense. Instead, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Let us never bring this up again."
They both went quiet. The scents of the mountain twined around them as if to try and calm the brief flash of heated tension. When the wind died down there was total silence. No trees to shake their leaves nor owls to shatter the night with their cries. Instead, Jayfeather basked in the serenity. The only other time he had experienced absolute silence was when he had been inside the underground tunnels that criss-crossed the lake territory. It had been moons ago but he still remembered the earthy scents and the suffocating hollowness he had felt as he was crawling through the depths. We made sure to collapse all of the entrances to the tunnels so no cat will ever get trapped down there again.
Briarlight sighed, a glimmer of sorrow etched in the sound. "I wish you could see the stars and the moon- and the rocks and the plants and the clouds. The nights are really pretty in the mountains."
He rolled over onto his back as if to stare up at the sky. He could sent the thyme bush nearby and the pungent scent of its leaves masked the air around him. "I wish I could see it all, too. Why don't you describe it to me."
"Sure, I can do that," she meowed, cheering up a little. She sat up and let her tail rest on his chest.
He pulled her tail over his paws to keep them warm and listened.
"Firstly, the moon looks like it is cut right down the middle as if a giant starcat ripped half of it away."
He purred in amusement at the thought. "And I thought Sharptooth was bad enough. Just imagine a cat so big, they could eat the moon."
She purred and carried on. "There are clouds in the sky but they are wispy and far away. They remind me of ripples of water in a river."
He tried to imagine the picture in his head. "Keep talking."
"There aren't any real trees growing on the mountain, just shrubs, but the flowers are in full bloom and they look like they are made of silver ice in the moonlight. The rocks and boulders around us cast rolling shadows on the earth and if I look down the mountain towards the lake..."
"What is it?" he meowed, noticing her surprise. "Are the Clan territories visible from here?"
Briarlight couldn't explain what she was seeing and there was silence for a few moments. "I- I can't see much because everything looks like smudges from up here, but I think the ground around the mountains is reflecting the moon? Does that make any sense?"
Jayfeather pondered the statement. "The ground is reflecting the moon? Are you looking at a pond or a lake that might be causing the reflection?"
"No, there definitely weren't any ponds or lakes there when we passed the twolegplace," she told him. "There was a river but no body of water big enough to reflect the whole moon. It's as if everything is covered with water."
He didn't like the sound of that. "Maybe there was a flood. I'm not sure if the ground shaking could have caused something like that."
"How could it?" she mused dismissively. "It wouldn't make any sense that shaking rocks caused water to cover so much land. Maybe it has something to do with the twolegs, they are always doing strange things."
Jayfeather felt the familiar worm of dread wriggle into his throat again and he tried to swallow it down. He stood up. It was very late and their friends would definitely be getting worried about them. "I think we should head back. We'll find out if there actually is a flood once we get down the mountain. Come on."
Briarlight got to her paws and padded to his side as they began their walk back to the cave. "I know we agreed not to mention it, but I'm sure the Clans can deal with that kind of problem. They have in the past."
Jayfeather nodded. The Clan territories often flooded after leaf-bare ended since all the melted snow would drain into the lake and raise the water level. "That is true. I'm more worried that we will never find the Pack's ancestors no matter how much we explore the mountains."
"Or a new home for the Tribe. Maybe we'll be stuck up here forever trying to find a way to help the mountain cats."
He shook his head vigorously. "I won't let that happen. No matter what, I plan for us to leave as soon as possible; maybe in just a couple of days. It is about time we continued our journey."
