I'll be honest, I forgot how long Super Editions were until I rifled through Bramblestar's Storm and realized that there are 30 chapters and I'm only about half-way there? Hard to tell honestly.
I'd like to hope that people are still reading and enjoying this fic, cause if people aren't... that's pretty embarrassing. For me anyway.
Reviews are appreciated!
When his dreams didn't take him to his hatchling's meadow, full of peace and content, he was brought towards images of fire and conquest. Flames licked at his scales, warm and inviting. Smoke billowed around him, blending into his scales. To anyone else, it smelled acrid and ashy. To him it smelled like sweet and airy. The light from the flames made his scales glow, turning some of his scales from black to his old ginger.
The lake, no longer bursting its banks and back to its original size, reflected the destruction around him. Trees burned, the soil was melting, and smoke blocked out the sun.
To anyone else, it was an apocalyptic nightmare.
Ah, paradise.
To him it was perfect.
His treasures were here, kept safe from the flames until their bodies were ready to handle it. All his treasures. With no one to oppose him.
But you can't have this remember? She's gone. You can't have her.
Anger rose up in him, burning hot. No! He had to protect his hoard! Losing his treasures meant that he had failed- nothing had been worth it-
Something scratched at his scales. He looked down to see Bramblestar staring up at him with a vacant expression. His heart quickened in panic. His hatchling was much too close to the water, and his body wouldn't be able to function with all the smoke assaulting his senses. His body wasn't yet ready for this environment!
Just before he could cry out his hatchling's name in terror and move his body in order to protect him-
"Firestar?"
He blinked open his eyes. Instead of the darkened waters of the burning lake, smoke turning the sky into perpetual night, there was unmarked dirt and mud, pale dawn light leaking through the cloud cover. His eyes shifted downwards. His hatchling was staring up at him, claws resting on his scales.
"Firestar?"
"Hmm?" he rumbled groggily.
Safe. His hatchling was safe. His hatchling was here, within his claws.
"I want to show Jessy our real camp," he said quietly. "But I can't really move," he gestured to Firestar's forelegs.
His eyes lazily drifted to the she-cat in question, mulling around by the tunnel entrance. She looked up at them, ears perked as she heard her nae be spoken. There was some wary and caution in the way her tail flicked nervously but otherwise seemed unbothered by Firestar's state of awakeness.
He loosened up his forelegs, enough for Bramblestar to easily wiggle out and climb down his scales.
"Stay safe, hatchling," he rumbled. Bramblestar waved his tail in acknowledgement, before gesturing towards Jessy. She took the hint, getting up to her paws and trudged through the mud to follow him away from the tunnels.
Why do you so easily let him go like that? He should be protected.
He twitched at the thought. 'No. I can't keep trying to shelter them. He's leader now. I have to let him go,' he tried reasoning. He was unsure if he was trying to convince himself or the stone.
His mind wandered to the night before. A thing. She had called him a thing. Jessy had apologized for calling him so, but still. He tried to focus on the hurt it sent through him instead of the anger the stone pumped through him, afraid that he actually would have lashed out the night before.
You are a King. Show them.
It wasn't any of their faults. The kittypets weren't used to seeing a dragon. His own clan had been afraid of him for so long. They would get used to him in time. He couldn't force them to interact with him.
It was fine.
It's not fine.
He did his best to ignore the hot sting of the stone's heat at his chest. A low growl rumbled in his throat.
His mate was sick. Bramblestar was clearly stressed trying to keep the clan united in face of the flooding. Leafpool…
'I can't have her,' he thought bitterly. He wished he could ignore the urge to gather them into his claws and protect them.
"Where have you been?" Squirrelflight's accusatory voice rang out, breaking him out of his thoughts. Cats were milling around the tunnel entrance, and Bramblestar and Jessy seemed to be back from their walk. He felt the heat of sunlight warm up his scales.
"I took Jessy for a walk, to show her some of the territory," Bramblestar explained.
Squirrelflight curled her lip. "If Jessy wants to see the territory, she can join a patrol!"
His mate was sick, one hatchling was stressed and the other dead, and Squirrelflight? His last hatchling had a bone to pick with Bramblestar all of a sudden. Not only him, but Jessy too.
"I'd like to think that I can walk where I like, and with any cat I like," he retorted.
Rosepetal's shoulders tensed, looking awkward as the two cats quarreled. "Dovewing, Lionblaze," she called out to the two. "Take a patrol each and check the Shadowclan border. Start at opposite ends and meet in the middle—and make sure the scent marks are good and strong," she finished.
Lionblaze dipped his head. "Which cats should we take?"
"Let's see..." Rosepetal glanced around. "Blossomfall, Dustpelt, and Birchfall can go with you. Dovewing, take Spiderleg, Brightheart, and Cherryfall."
"I'll help by going on patrol if you like," Frankie offered, surprising Firestar at how fast Jayfeather's herbs worked on the tom.
"No, thanks, Frankie," Bramblestar meowed. "It's a bit soon for that. Get some rest today, and we'll find you something to do soon."
"Patrolling with a kittypet?" Blossomfall muttered. "I'd sooner eat fox dung!"
"Yeah," Spiderleg agreed. "He'd really scare Shadowclan."
He let his tail thump against the ground at those comments. The two warriors flinched, remembering who exactly was listening into their words with perfect clarity.
"The sick cats shouldn't go out," he mewed to Rosepetal as the Shadowclan patrols moved off. "Sandstorm and Amberpaw need to rest and stay dry." He perked his head up suddenly. "Maybe we can have them stay by Firestar?" he said hopefully, looking over to him.
His hatchling knew that Firestar wouldn't be able to resist having his mate so close. He snorted in amusement, puffs of smoke leaving him but nonetheless giving his approval. Bramblestar's shoulders visibly sagged in relief.
"Mousewhisker has started coughing," Rosepetal reported. "And Berrynose is looking pretty sorry himself. I think they should stay in camp, too." She flicked her tail toward the tunnel entrance, where Berrynose was crouched miserably, his cream-colored fur ungroomed. Poppyfrost sat beside him, giving his ears a comforting lick.
Bramblestar's body tensed up again, anxiety rolling out from him in waves. Firestar understood the fear of the clan getting ill.
"I'm going to lead a patrol along the Windclan border," Rosepetal went on. "Poppyfrost, Cloudtail, and Thornclaw, you can come with me."
The Thunderclan leader nodded. "Just be careful. When I was out with Jessy I spotted a Windclan patrol on our side of the stream," Bramblestar told her. "You should keep a lookout for—"
"What, you only think to tell us that now?" Squirrelflight's tail lashed and her green eyes narrowed in fury as she stormed up to him. "There are trespassers on our territory and it slipped your mind?"
'He should have come straight back and sent out a patrol, but why does she need to bite his head off?' Bramblestar hadn't been leader for that long either. He narrowed his eyes at his hatchling. He would need to have a talk with her later on.
As for Windclan, his claws itched to take care of them himself. Heat pricked at his chest, urging him on.
Show them.
'No. Bramblestar can take care of them himself. He's leader now. I have faith in him.' They needed to learn not to rely on him.
"Can I come too?" Jessy asked, bright-eyed, after Bramblestar suggested taking a patrol upstream to investigate as to how Windclan was crossing into their territory. "I'd like to help, and I know I can't hunt."
"Okay," he agreed. "But do exactly what I tell you."
Pride surged through him, watching his hatchling take charge.
Squirrelflight still looked annoyed though.
'What is with her lately?' He definitely needed to talk to her soon.
Coughing drew his attention away from the departing patrol. He turned his head to see Jayfeather leading Sandstorm and Amberpaw out of the tunnels. A soft purr rumbled in his throat as he bent his head down to nuzzle Sandstorm gently. Amberpaw settled by his side and Sandstorm gladly let Firestar take her within his forelegs.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, concerned. He could feel her body tremble as a few more coughs tore out of her.
"It's just a cough," she rasped.
He wasn't convinced. "Should I find something beyond the territory?" he mused to himself, remembering when he had done the same for Foxleap and the other cats injured from the battle with the Dark Forest.
"If you can find something, it would be helpful. All my usual herbs are underwater," Jayfeather meowed, currently checking over Berrynose, whose tail was flicking miserably as the tom sniffled lightly.
"I'll try to find what I can during my hunt then," he murmured.
The hypocrisy was not lost on him. They shouldn't rely on Firestar. But he would do anything to make sure that his mate was healthy.
She purred weakly up at him. Despite her weakness, her green eyes glittered in the pale sunlight. He felt mesmerized by them.
Such a pretty treasure, isn't she?
'Mine,' his mind growled in agreement. Anything for her.
I get that Squirrelflight was probably stressed over the flood and Thunderclan's not-so-glamorous situation regarding the flood, but she snaps at Bramblestar way too much in this book. He's trying his hardest to help his clan through any means necessary, even risking his own life. And then Squirrelflight snaps at him because he dared to talk a walk with Jessy.
Like, calm down honey, you and Bramble aren't even mates at this point in time.
Jessy is a plot device to show that Bramble still needed Squirrel but here? I'm gonna find a way to nip that in the bud. Bramble doesn't need Squirrel cause he's got Rosepetal as a deputy, and they're not even mates yet. And Squirrel's silent angry jealousy? Fires is going to have a talk with his daughter bout that.
The more I go into this book the more I realize that I hate the BrambleSquirrel subplot. :/
Because of this, I'm starting to hate how I wrote this chapter actually. Things are starting to feel out of character... yeah I'll definitely have to fix that.
Oh and the stone's still doing its thing. Wonder if anyone picked up on the potential sequel ideas here?
Tell me how I did.