New chap, Brambleclaw's POV to Leafpool's. Thanks to Dewflower, who edited almost back-to-back with the one before it.
"Brambleclaw, Cedarheart, Tawnypelt." Hawkfrost nodded to each of them in turn as he stood on the log opposite Brambleclaw. His warriors started to pad closer from the island,circling around them, trapping them inside their ring. Brambleclaw felt his fur prickle at the sight of so many cold, angry eyes.
"We know what you're doing, Hawkfrost," snarled Tawnypelt, leaping up onto the log beside Brambleclaw. "It won't work. We'll warn Blackstar off. Leopardstar, Onestar, and Firestar, too. They'll stop you."
"Will they?" meowed Hawkfrost.
Brambleclaw crouched low, his claws sinking into the bark of the log. Hurt and anger bubbled inside him. "I was wrong about you, Hawkfrost. I told Squirrelflight that you were good. I defended you." He hissed. "I should have listened to her. You're breaking the warrior code; doing everything that Tigerstar did!"
Hawkfrost's eyes widened. "I'm your brother, Brambleclaw. Everything I do is for the good of the forest. Blackstar isn't a good leader; it's only because of Tigerstar and Brokentail that he is Clan leader now."
"How would you know?" spat Cedarheart. "How do you know how it is in ShadowClan? How would you know about Blackstar's history? It's none of your business!"
Hawkfrost's eyes darkened, his claws sliding out of their sheathes, but his tone was still calm. "I don't have to be there to know, Cedarheart. Your own brother agrees with me. Right, Rowanclaw?"
The ginger tom jumped in the crowd. Hawkfrost's cool blue eyes were on him, and Cedarheart's desperate gaze. Slowly, not meeting the dark gray tom's stare, the ShadowClan tom nodded. "He's right. Hawkfrost knows what he's doing. ShadowClan will be better off without Blackstar."
Cedarheart's fur bristled. "You've been feeding them all lies!" he snapped at Hawkfrost. His voice rose. "Don't believe him! Don't follow him! He only tells you lies!" Some cats shifted, others jerked their heads up, eyes flashing as if Cedarheart had just insulted their Clan leader.
"No," Hawkfrost meowed. "You three join me. Help us rid the forest of fools and traitors like Blackstar." His eyes landed on Brambleclaw. "We could rule together as brothers, and the forest would be ours."
Brambleclaw was reminded forcibly of the time, many moons ago, when he had faced Tigerstar just like this. His father had told him to join TigerClan, like Tawnypelt already had. He'd told him that he had all the power, and Brambleclaw could share it if he joined him.
I made the right choice then, he thought. And it was so easy. Why is it so hard this time?
Before he could speak aloud, Tawnypelt jumped forward. "I made the wrong decision once," she growled. "I followed Tigerstar, because I was afraid of ThunderClan, afraid of being judged there. I thought it would be different with ShadowClan, but I was wrong. ShadowClan and ThunderClan are the same, just like you're the same as Tigerstar."
"I am better than Tigerstar. I have learned from all his mistakes, and I am far more powerful than he ever was. He deserved to fail, and I deserve to succeed."
"Why?" demanded Brambleclaw. "You're just as bad as he ever was!" No, he's worse. He's planned this out. He knows what he's doing.
As if reading his mind, Hawkfrost growled, "I am not the fool he was. I have power on my side; cats who will fight for me. We fight for the good of the forest, not for the greed that Tigerstar did." The moonlight washed his pelt sliver and made his eyes glow with icy cold light.
Tawneyplt broke into the argument. "Leopardstar would chase you out if she found out what you're doing."
Hawkfrost's tail twitched. "Once she finds out, she'll have to agree with what I'm doing."
"Or what? You'll kill her?"
Hawkfrost's eyes flashed, and though he didn't answer, Brambleclaw was sure that that was what he'd do. Just like Tigerstar, his mind had been twisted in his hunger for power. Squirrelflight and Leafpool were right about him all along. I should have killed him the night Mudclaw died.
"Why did you save me?" he wondered suddenly. "The night of Mudclaw's betrayal. Why didn't you just kill me?"
Hawkfrost stared at him steadily. The two brothers were almost nose to nose, each the image of the other, the same flaming intensity in their eyes and hardness to their muscles that came from such devoted service to their Clans.
"You're my brother," Hawkfrost meowed. "You're more like me than any other cat. You could fight beside me. We could rule together."
Brambleclaw was silent for several heartbeats. Tawnypelt and Cedarheart stood side by side behind him, not saying anything either or meeting each other's eyes. Are they wondering if I'll accept?
The tabby tom took a breath. "You're not my brother, Hawkfrost. Not when you're just like Tigerstar. I've tried my whole life to not be like him, and I'm not going to start now."
Hurt crossed Hawkfrost's face, as if he'd been clawed, but it was gone so quickly that Brambleclaw couldn't be sure of what he'd seen.
"Very well," meowed the blue-eyed tabby. The steely glint of battle was in his eyes, and for the first time it crossed Brambleclaw's mind that there was a good chance he would not make it out of this meeting alive.
&&&
"The island," confirmed Whitewhisker as she bounded back towards Squirrelflight. "He was headed for the island."
"There's ShadowClan scent, too," Leafpool commented, sniffing the air. "What does that mean? Was he meeting Tawnypelt?"
"It's Tawnypelt's scent," Crowfeather confirmed. "And someone else- I don't know who."
"So Brambleclaw's meeting ShadowClan cats," Squirrelflight growled, her claws unsheathing.
"It shouldn't matter if it's only Tawnypelt," Leafpool assured her. "Their siblings. It's not like they're plotting together." She looked thoughtful, "But he should know better than to meet any cat from another clan. It's breaking the warrior code."
Squirrelflight's tail lashed. "I don't like it. Come on."
She charged onward, leaving Leafpool and the others to follow her, some sharing exasperated glances. Leafpool knew that all the others were certain that Brambleclaw was just meeting Tawnypelt, and there was nothing to worry about. She thought so herself, but Squirrelflight knew Brambleclaw better than her. Besides, she knew that her ginger sister wouldn't be convinced until she saw Brambleclaw meeting Tawnypelt with her own eyes.
They could see the log now. There were no cats on it, but when Leafpool narrowed her eyes she could see that there were cats on the island itself, and more than just two. Her heart beat faster. Did that mean Squirrelflight was right?
Her sister certainly thought so, for she plowed on even faster. Leafpool brought up the rear, straining her eyes. Cats were creeping onto the log now, a whole group from the island and a smaller group from the shore. She thought she caught the glare of Brambleclaw's amber eyes. Was that him?
The patrol was still moving slowly and silently, and Squirrelflight stopped altogether to watch. Leafpool crept forward to sit beside her, pressing her shoulder against Squirrelflight's comfortingly. "I'm sure he has an explanation."
"Like what, Leafpool?" There was misery in Squirrelflight's green eyes. "That he's betraying ThunderClan? Why else would he be out with a whole group of cats in the middle of the night?"
"He doesn't have to be up to anything bad."
"But why didn't he tell me? It's obvious he doesn't trust me!"
"Of course he does."
"Crowfeather trusts you." Leafpool was taken aback by what might have been jealousy in her sister's gaze. "You're luckier than you know, Leafpool."
Leafpool's paws prickled and she looked down, uncomfortable and uncertain of what to say. "I know."
"And you'll be careful?"
"I've been careful for moons now. You didn't know before, did you?"
Squirrelflight shook her head, reaching over to lick her ear. "All right. It's just...you know that this whole thing is mouse-brained, right?"
Leafpool purred. "Yes. But StarClan wants us to be together, Squirrelflight. I know they do."
She looked away from her sister and saw Crowfeather watching her affectionately from a couple of tail-lengths away. She twitched her whiskers at him.
The moment was broken roughly as a shrill yowl ripped through the air. Alarm passed through the patrol as they leaped to their paws, trying to see what was going on at the log. Leafpool saw claws and teeth flashing in the moonlight, but that was all.
It was a battle. A battle that Brambleclaw was fighting in, Tawnypelt too. And Leafpool and the others might be too late to save them from dying, not because of secrets, lies, prophecies or betrayal, but simply because they were too many pawsteps away.
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