Well, this was certainly one of the more longer chapters I've had to type up. I don't own Warriors. Erins please don't sue me.
Now if you don't read the AU Dump, you probably missed what I had to say. A few weeks ago I got a review for Ignite on fanfiction. I am absolutely open to constructive criticism, it's the stuff that makes me think long and hard about what I'm doing, but if you do happen to give me such, can you please make your review make sense? Please don't accuse me of putting stuff into the story that doesn't make sense and then proceed to not tell me what doesn't make sense in the first place. They also said that I've forgotten that people need love, hugs, and tenderness, proceeded to bring up Spottedleaf for some reason, and told me that I needed to sit down and think about what I was writing.
And I still haven't gotten a response back.
Just a reminder that I'm writing for fun. It's just a hobby. I'm not out to make the next best-selling novel or anything. But at the least I'm trying to make some things in the fic make sense, all for you guys. Otherwise the self-indulgence would be through the roof!
Reviews are highly appreciated!
When Bramblestar returned to the makeshift Thunderclan camp, he caught Squirrelflight and Firestar talking to each other in low tones. It was meant to be private, but Firestar's whispers were the equivalent of a cat talking normally to someone else. This time, it seemed like Firestar was trying extra hard to keep their conversation private, his murmuring still audible but quieter than usual.
"…should…talk…him," Firestar murmured.
Squirrelflight's ears were pinned back, her tail lashing. She whispered something fiercely back to her father.
"When you're not on patrol then, hatchling."
Bramblestar idly wondered why they couldn't talk outside of their makeshift camp, when he caught a pale ginger shape beside Firestar.
'Guess he didn't want to disturb Sandstorm,' he thought fondly.
He glanced at Firestar. The dragon had craned his neck over to nuzzle gently at his mate. 'He had to have heard everything that went on with Shadowclan,' he determined.
If Firestar had listened in, he didn't show it. The dragon currently only had eyes for Sandstorm, whose body suddenly spasmed as she went into a coughing fit. Firestar crooned concerned as Jayfeather made his way over, intent on checking her over.
"How did the meeting go with Rowanstar?"
He was snapped out of his thoughts by the question Squirrelflight posed to him, startling him with her sudden appearance.
Bramblestar described his offer to help Shadowclan cope with the fierce kittypets, and how Rowanstar had refused.
Squirrelflight shrugged, though there was compassion in her green eyes. "That's Rowanstar's decision to make," she commented.
"Squirrelflight! We're waiting on you!" Thornclaw yowled to her, standing next to Mousewhisker and Dovewing, clearly ready for a patrol.
"Coming!" she called back.
As Squirrelflight headed off with her hunting patrol, Bramblestar noticed Jessy standing close by, listening to his account of the visit. He was about to beckon her over when Rosepetal, who was spreading the bits of Twoleg pelt on a holly bush, called out to her.
"Hey, Jessy, come and help me freshen up these pelts!" Jessy bounded across to her immediately. Bramblestar was pleased and a little surprised to see how well she was settling in.
"You'd almost think she was a clan cat," he remarked to Graystripe, who was padding past him with a starling in his jaw.
Graystripe nodded, dropping his prey to reply. "We should have learned by now not to be surprised by kittypets," he mewed with a wry twist to his mouth.
'Speaking of kittypets…' He glanced over at the former kittypet turned dragon.
Sandstorm raised her head and greeted Bramblestar as he approached. "How did the visit to Shadowclan go?" she asked.
"Not good," Bramblestar admitted. "Rowanstar wouldn't let us help him with the kittypets." He thought how ill she looked, her green eyes bright with fever. "How are you feeling?"
"Oh, fine," Sandstorm replied. "The fern dust is getting into my throat is all. Maybe if I just walk it off…"
With a dull thud, Firestar's tail snapped into place, keeping his mate close to his scales. A possessive growl rumbled in his throat.
"How is she really?" Bramblestar asked Jayfeather, unable to stifle his anxiety about the ginger she-cat and her mate's response.
"She doesn't have greencough," Jayfeather answered, "so she should be okay. But living in a cold, damp tunnel doesn't help. It's probably better for her to be next to Firestar, given that he's so warm."
'I wish we could go back to the hollow,' Bramblestar thought. Aloud he mewed, "I think I'll go check the water levels, and see if they're starting to go down."
"I'll come with you. Brightheart!" he called to the she-cat. "I shouldn't be long!"
The senior warrior chirped her response.
Outside in the clearing, Bramblestar spotted Lionblaze and Daisy on their way back into the clearing with a load of moss. "We're going to check the water levels," Bramblestar called. "Do you want to come with us?"
Lionblaze paused, his bundle of moss tucked under his chin.
Daisy gave him a nudge. "Go on," she urged him. "I'll sort out the bedding."
"Thanks!" Lionblaze dropped the moss and bounded over to join Bramblestar and Jayfeather.
Heading into the trees, Bramblestar caught a whiff of Thunderclan scent, and came upon Squirrelflight's hunting patrol, already heading back to camp. Squirrelflight was carrying a thrush, while Dovewing and Thornclaw both had mice.
"You've done well!" Bramblestar purred. Squirrelflight nodded. "I think the prey is starting to come back," she mumbled around her mouthful of feathers.
"Why don't you come with us to check the water levels?" Bramblestar suggested.
"Sure." Squirrelflight dropped her catch at Mousewhisker's paws. "You can take that in. And Thornclaw, you can lead the patrol out again. It seems like the prey's running well, so we ought to make the most of it."
As the rest of the patrol headed for the camp, Bramblestar led the way down the slope with Squirrelflight at his side, and Lionblaze and Jayfeather just behind. He suddenly felt at ease, comfortable and happy to be with these cats he knew so well. The others seemed to feel the same, their tension and anxiety relaxing as they trotted through the trees. The tension shared between him and Squirrelflight that gripped them since the storm started seemed to be melting.
Scuffling broke out behind them with a mock growl from Lionblaze. "Die, ShadowClan trespasser!"
"Get off, you great lump!" Jayfeather protested, though there was laughter in his voice.
Squirrelflight whipped around. "Honestly! How old are you both?" The two brothers broke apart.
"Sorry," Lionblaze muttered, though his eyes glimmered with mischief. "I don't know what came over me."
"I'll get you later," Jayfeather promised as they set out again.
'It's almost like they are kits again... our kits,' Bramblestar thought. 'Hollyleaf would be joining in if she was with us right now.' Hollyleaf would have been proclaiming herself leader, joining Lionblaze in defeating the "Shadowclan trespasser".
Reaching the top of the hollow, the four cats peered over, scanning the floodwater that covered their dens.
"It's just as deep as it was before," Bramblestar meowed, discouraged.
"I'm not so sure." Lionblaze pointed with his tail to a tangle of soggy roots that stuck out of the cliff above where the nursery had been. "See those? They look as if they might have been uncovered recently."
Bramblestar nodded slowly, trying to remember whether the roots had been visible the last time he looked.
"When we went down into the tunnels," Lionblaze meowed, "you scratched on the floor to mark the water level. Maybe we could do the same here." He frowned. "Though I don't see how we could make scratch marks on the side of the cliffs."
"Maybe we don't need to," Squirrelflight put in. "We could go to the edge of the flood among the trees, and mark the water level there with sticks instead."
"Great idea!" Bramblestar agreed. Following the top of the hollow, the cats reached the water's edge and paused for a moment, gazing out across the lake and the drowned forest. Bramblestar felt his paws sinking into mud.
"Mouse dung!" Jayfeather cursed. He had taken an extra pace forward, and now the mud was creeping up his legs, hampering him as he tried to backtrack.
Lionblaze leaned over and grabbed his brother by the scruff, hauling him back. "Use your nose, mouse-brain!" he hissed.
Jayfeather shrugged him off, and raised each paw in turn to shake off sticky clots of mud. Lionblaze jumped back to avoid the shower.
"The scents are all different," Jayfeather mewed after a moment. "And the air feels weird on my fur."
For a few heartbeats longer Bramblestar stood still, contemplating his flooded territory and realizing how much had changed- perhaps forever. He wondered if anyone could ever hunt in that part of the forest again.
Then Squirrelflight gave him a shove. "Wake up!" she meowed. "Let's look for some sticks."
She and Bramblestar and Lionblaze scattered up the slope, searching for long, thin sticks that would be easy to drive into the mud as markers. They brought them back to Jayfeather, who chewed one end into a point.
"This tastes disgusting," he muttered, spitting out bark.
"I wish we could mark the level in the hollow like this," Squirrelflight meowed as she drove the first stick into the marshy ground.
"So do I," Bramblestar agreed. "We'll just have to take note of where the water reaches up to on the cliffs."
They continued to set markers along the water's edge between the hollow and an ash tree that stood with its roots washed by floodwater.
'The training clearing is under there,' Bramblestar thought sadly.
Then he spotted Jayfeather creeping up on Lionblaze, who was busy pushing a stick into the mud with his back turned. Bramblestar opened his jaws to warn Lionblaze, then closed them again, watching to see what would happen. Jayfeather sneaked up until he was a tail-length away from his brother. Then he slammed his paws down into the water, throwing up an enormous splash that showered Lionblaze from ears to tail. Leaping backward, Jayfeather avoided the worst of it.
Lionblaze spun around with a hiss of fury. "Stupid furball!"
"I said I'd get you." Jayfeather licked one paw complacently and drew it over his ear.
"You wait!" Lionblaze bared his teeth and leaped for his brother, who dashed away into the trees. Bramblestar listened to them crashing about, and suppressed a mrrow of amusement.
"It's good to see them having fun for once," Squirrelflight observed, padding up to him. They sat in a comfortable silence, watching the two brothers have their fun.
"So what did Firestar talk to you about?" he blithely asked her. Then he inwardly winced, realizing that it wasn't any of his business.
She flinched, paws shuffling in the mud. "Uh… well…" she tried formulating.
Then she sighed. "You know how… tense we've been, since the flooding started?"
'Only too well,' he inwardly thought. "I've been taking risks lately, I know," he muttered. He didn't feel particularly proud of many of the difficult choices he had to make the past moon, images of Poppyfrost, Seedpaw, and Lilypaw's near deaths coming to the forefront of his mind.
"He wanted me to talk to you," she shrugged.
He titled his head. "About what though?"
"About…" she squinted over his shoulder. "Jessy."
"This is about Jessy?" he asked, shocked.
Her eyes darted to the left before focusing back over his shoulder. "No, I mean Jessy," she stressed.
Then he realized that she was looking over his shoulder, and he twisted around to see the she-cat in question was watching them from a few taillengths away.
"What does she want?" Squirrelflight meowed.
Bramblestar felt slightly uneasy. "I don't know. I'll go and ask her." He padded up to the kittypet, wondering whether some disaster had overtaken their temporary camp.
"Is everything okay?" Jessy blinked at him, her eyes gleaming.
"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything," she mewed.
"Everything's fine. This can wait until later if you're busy."
He glanced back at Squirrelflight, her head slightly lowered in disappointment. Firestar wanted them to talk things out, but if Jessy had something important to tell him, then the talk could wait. "Is it important?"
She nodded her head in affirmation.
"Then now's a good time," Bramblestar told her. Glancing back at Squirrelflight, he called, "Round up those two daft furballs and go back to camp."
Then he led Jessy along the top of the flood, heading toward the Shadowclan border. "What can I do for you?" he asked.
Instead of replying, Jessy stopped and looked out over the drowned forest. "I wonder what it was like here before the floods came," she murmured.
"It was beautiful," Bramblestar replied at once, nostalgia overtaking him. "There was long grass, and patches of fern and bramble where the prey could hide. In greenleaf the sun would shine through the branches and make patterns on the ground. The air would be full of scents—fresh green growth, and the warm scents of prey. And then in leaf-bare, in the frost and snow, the cold would make your pelt tingle, and you'd feel so alive!"
"There's even a place for Firestar?"
He nodded enthusiastically. "He has a whole clearing to himself. There's a giant hole in the canopy to allow him to easily fly in and out! It felt comfortable enough for the whole clan to share tongues there."
"You love living here, don't you?"
"Yes, I do," Bramblestar meowed, walking on. "I can remember our old home, and I still walk there in my dreams, but- but I have always believed that Starclan has led us to the right place here."
"Are you quite sure about that?" Jessy pressed, picking up the note of doubt in his voice.
"I have to have faith that the floods will go down," Bramblestar told her. "But come on, Jessy," he added. "You didn't come looking for me just to chat about the forest." He didn't interrupt his talk with Squirrelflight for this. Especially since Jessy had something important to tell him.
Jessy narrowed her eyes. "No, I wanted to talk about the kittypets who are giving Shadowclan all that trouble. I think I know who they are."
"You do?" Bramblestar felt suddenly excited. "Who?"
"There's a gang of kittypets and a few strays who like to claim that part of the forest for themselves," Jessy replied. "They hunt there- not that they ever catch anything," she added with a sly sideways glance at Bramblestar.
'Will she ever forget that I said that to her?'
"Go on," he mewed.
"I don't know these kittypets well," Jessy continued. "I think one's called Ziggy, and another one is Riga. But I know where they live and where they like to roam."
Bramblestar felt the fur along his spine start to rise. "Are you suggesting we attack them without ShadowClan's approval?"
Jessy shrugged. "It's a possibility."
For a moment Bramblestar was filled with admiration for Jessy's courage, and for how she was willing to help wild cats who were completely unknown to her.
"I can see how much your sister means to you," Jessy added. Taken aback by her perceptiveness, Bramblestar couldn't think of anything to say before she went on. "Do lots of cats have kin in other clans?"
"Great Starclan, no!" Bramblestar exclaimed. "Cats are supposed to stay in the clan where they were born. Clan loyalty is very important to us. A cat who changed clans would be thought of as a traitor, and it would be hard for their new clan to trust them. Tawnypelt only went to live in Shadowclan because our father became their leader."
"Wow!" Jessy's eyes stretched wide. "Why didn't you go with her?"
Bramblestar hesitated. 'I can't tell her about Tigerstar! We'd be here all day!' His fur bristled at the thought of his father. He had tried to forget what Tigerstar had done for moons. Firestar's roars of anger rang in his ears as Leafpool's blood stained the earth.
"It's… complicated," he meowed at last. "Thunderclan has always been my home. I miss Tawnypelt, but I've never regretted my decision."
\He and Jessy padded on in silence for a few moments, until Bramblestar began to pick up the scent of Shadowclan border markers. "We should turn back here," he mewed.
"Okay." Jessy bounced on her paws. "But we're going to attack these kittypets, right? I can show you where to find them. They often go out at night, and that would be a really good time to sneak up on them." She jumped up and swiped one paw at a head of cow parsley, scattering the tiny white flowers on the grass. "We'll soon teach them to stay away from clan cats!"
"Hang on," Bramblestar warned. "I haven't said we're doing it yet. I have to speak with my clanmates first."
For a moment Jessy looked wounded. "But-" She broke off at the sound of cats brushing through the undergrowth.
Bramblestar stiffened, then relaxed as he picked up Thunderclan scent. A patrol came into view with Cloudtail in the lead, followed by Birchfall and Whitewing, with her apprentice, Dewpaw.
"Bramblestar!" Cloudtail ran up to his leader with his ears flattened. "Those mangy crow-food eaters from Shadowclan have been trespassing again!"
Bramblestar saw that all the cats in the patrol were bristling with anger, their eyes glittering. "We picked up their scent several tail-lengths inside our border," Birchfall confirmed.
"Those kittypets you heard about must be attacking them on their other border," Whitewing meowed, "so they're trying to hunt on our territory."
"We can't let them get away with it!" Cloudtail growled.
"No, we can't," Bramblestar agreed. Turning to Jessy, he meowed, "It looks like we need your plan."
.
.
Jumping to the top of the mudfall, he gave a yowl. "Let all cats who are old enough to catch their own prey come here outside the tunnel for a clan meeting!"
Surprised mews burst from the cats nearest the tunnel, who were trying to warm their fur in the last of the sunlight. The apprentices broke off their fighting practice at the far side of the clearing and pattered eagerly across to the bottom of the mudfall, followed by their mentors. Daisy, Cherryfall, and Blossomfall popped out of the tunnel. Purdy appeared a moment later, his pelt stuck all over with moss, and plopped himself down beside the apprentices. Jessy bounded over to Frankie and Minty, who were sharing a blackbird under an arching clump of fern, and chivvied them over to join the rest. Jayfeather came to sit at the mouth of the tunnel, with the sick cats clustered around him.
"Cats of Thunderclan," Bramblestar began when all the cats were assembled, "and our guests." He dipped his head to the three kittypets. 'And dragon,' he mentally added, seeing Firestar watching him carefully. "You all know that kittypets have been harassing Shadowclan in the woods beyond their top border. Tomorrow I'm going to lead a patrol to get rid of them."
"What?" Dustpelt sprang to his paws. "Have you got bees in your brain?"
"You offered Shadowclan our help and they turned you down," Graystripe pointed out. "Rowanstar won't thank you for interfering."
Several other cats echoed their protests. Bramblestar looked down on their bristling fur and twitching tails. It's just as well he hadn't told them this was Jessy's idea.
"If the kittypets are allowed to keep attacking Shadowclan," he went on, forcing himself to stay calm, "then Shadowclan will start to hunt in our territory, or in the woods beyond our border. It's in our own interest to deal with the kittypets." He was relieved to see that several of his cats were looking interested, but he knew that he hadn't won them over yet.
"Why can't Shadowclan deal with their own problems?" Mousewhisker protested. "These are kittypets, for Starclan's sake! How dangerous can they be?"
"Well, we've met fierce kittypets in our time," Sandstorm pointed out from her place besides Firestar. "And Shadowclan is weakened by the floods."
"So are we," Rosepetal retorted. "Why should we risk injury to help Shadowclan? What have they ever done for us?"
"Yes, we didn't survive the Great Battle to fight on behalf of Shadowclan," Brackenfur agreed. Bramblestar glanced down and caught Jessy's eye. She looked shocked by the strength of the objections to the plan. He noticed that Squirrelflight was watching Jessy, too; then she fixed her green gaze straight on him. She hadn't spoken yet.
One by one, the warriors turned to look at their former leader, waiting for him to give his opinion.
The dragon disregarded their gazes. "You all know that I would have helped them if I were still leader," he stated.
"And if you were still a cat," Dustpelt yowled to him. "Firestar, you have more of a reason not to help Shadowclan! They helped drive you out!"
"Regardless, this isn't my decision to make." He curled his tail tighter around Sandstorm, who gave a weak yelp of protest. Alarmingly, Bramblestar thought he saw red flash through Firestar's eyes.
"I think we should take action," Squirrelflight suddenly meowed. "We can't let a bunch of kittypets force Shadowclan onto our territory. If Shadowclan isn't strong enough to deal with them, then we'll have to!"
Bramblestar saw a ripple of enthusiasm pass through the clan in response to Squirrelflight's rousing words.
"That makes sense," Graystripe declared.
"Yes! Let's drive them off!" Thornclaw yowled.
Blossomfall worked her claws into the ground. "The forest is for warriors, not for kittypets!"
Bramblestar noticed that Frankie and Minty were looking a bit unnerved by the protests against kittypets. Millie leaned over to them and Bramblestar heard her whisper, "Don't worry, they don't mean you. They get like this sometimes."
"Then that's settled," Bramblestar announced. "Warriors who are prepared to fight, join me now." He slithered down from the mudfall, with mud sticking to his fur and clogging his claws. At the foot of the pile he met Cloudtail, Thornclaw, Cinderheart, Lionblaze, Blossomfall, Ivypool, and her apprentice, Snowpaw, all pressing forward to volunteer.
"I can't let apprentices come," Bramblestar meowed with a glance at Snowpaw. Snowpaw took a pace back, looking hurt.
"Why not?" Ivypool asked Bramblestar. "They have to fight sooner or later, and a battle against kittypets won't be as dangerous as fighting another clan."
Bramblestar tipped his head on one side. "Good point. Okay, Snowpaw, you can come." Snowpaw let out a squeal of delight and leaped straight into the air, while his sister, Amberpaw, slid out of the tunnel and ran forward.
"Me too!" she begged.
Jayfeather snaked his tail around her neck and hauled her back. "Don't even think about it. You're far too sick." He ignored Amberpaw's protests and herded her back into the tunnel.
"What about you, Dewpaw?" Bramblestar prompted, seeing the third of the litter hovering close by. His eyes were wide and his gray-and-white fur looked ruffled.
"I'm going to stay and help guard the camp," Whitewing announced before her apprentice could reply. "Dewpaw can come with you if he likes," she added, glancing at the little cat beside her.
Dewpaw shook his head. "It's okay, I'll stay and help you, Whitewing. You might need me."
Bramblestar noticed that Lilypaw and Seedpaw had crept closer to the front of the crowd of warriors, and he shook his head firmly at Lilypaw and Seedpaw's mentors, Poppyfrost and Hollyleaf. 'No, they're still too vulnerable. It's too soon after they almost drowned.' Poppyfrost nodded agreement and bent her head to speak gently to her younger sisters, Hollyleaf silently hanging back.
Rosepetal thrust her way through the crowd of warriors around Bramblestar. "When do we leave?"
"You don't," Bramblestar told her. "I need you to stay and take charge here."
Rosepetal's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean you're going yourself? This is just a minor skirmish. It doesn't need the clan leader!"
"It was my suggestion," Bramblestar reminded her. "I have to take part and share the risks with my clanmates."
Rosepetal nodded reluctantly. "All right, I'll stay."
Bramblestar glanced around until he spotted Jessy sitting with Frankie and Minty. "Jessy," he called to her, "will you come with us, please? We need you to show us where to go." Jessy nodded and rose to her paws to make her way over to Bramblestar.
"Hatchling." He turned to where Firestar was, the dragon's muscles twitching in apprehension. Another wave of red flashed through his eye. The stone at his chest was glowing slightly, beating against Firestar's black scales. He almost looked like he was fighting against himself. "Be careful," he forced out.
"You know I can lead them myself. We'll be fine," he tried placating his former leader. He tried not to glare at the glowing red dot clustered against the dragon's scales. 'It's like that thing is gaining its power back.'
Frankie had followed Jessy over to the clan leader, and now he spoke up. "I'll come too, Bramblestar, if you like."
Bramblestar looked at him, and at Minty, who was peering around his shoulder, her eyes wide with horror at the thought of going into battle. "No," he meowed. "Thanks for offering, but you stay here and go on with your training. You too, Minty." His gaze swept around his assembled warriors. "The rest of us leave at dawn!"
Squirrelflight's trying to talk but Bramblestar is too busy. I know I said that I would nip the love triangle thing in the bud, and I have... sorta. Firestar had a talk with her. Fairly certain that will come up later.
Poor Fires doesn't want any of his treasures hurt. And neither does the stone for that matter...
Tell me how I did.