Thanks for the review, please keep 'em coming! D
This one's a longie, I hope you like it. Also, I don't claim to own the warriors series in any ways.
Brambleclaw licked his paw carefully, jumping back as he felt the cut sting. I should let Leafpool have a look at it he decided.
Leafpool! The thought of ThunderClan's new medicine cat filled him with grief for their old medicine cat. Cinderpelt had died when a badger broke into the nursery. But she hadn't been the
only one. Sootfur, had been killed as well, and Dustpelt had been very badly injured.
Leafpool saw Brambleclaw approaching her den and padded over to him. She sniffed at a couple of his wounds and shook her head, obviously exasperated with all these injured cats.
"You have a deep cut on the shoulder, but nothing that won't heal," she mewed.
She slipped back into her den and returned with some marigold.
Brambleclaw winced as the juice entered his wound. He looked at Leafpool, trying to find the right words.
"Leafpool, I'm so sorry about Cinderpelt," he felt himself almost choking up.
Leafpool looked up at him, her mouth still full with marigold.
"I wish she could've stayed longer with me, too," the medicine cat replied her eyes still dull with grief.
Out of the corner in his eye Brambleclaw could see Squirrelflight.
He wanted nothing more than to bound across the clearing, rub his fur against hers and make sure she was okay, but something held him back.
Leafpool caught Brambleclaw's stare and shook her head, mrrrowing.
"Furball. She's crazy about you."
Brambleclaw looked at her surprised, almost hopeful, but then shook his head.
"The only one she's padding after these days is Ashfur."
Brambleclaw unsheathed his claws, imagining that the rock they tore against was Ashfur's pelt. Then he shook his head and sheathed them again. It's your fault and not Ashfur's that Squirrelflight likes him and not me he thought.
Leafpool just shook her head wistfully and padded back to her den.
"Brambleclaw!" a voice right behind him startled him and he jumped around, his fur fluffed up, expecting more badgers, but he relaxed when he saw his old mentor, Firestar. He looked serious and puzzled. "I need to speak to you for a moment."
Firestar's tail disappeared in his den and Brambleclaw niftily followed him. As he entered the den he saw two other cats already seated there.
Stormfur! I almost forgot about him! Brambleclaw purred and walked over to Stormfur. He still missed the serious, down-to-earth, but gentle gray warrior.
The he caught another scent, and he saw a she-cat sitting next to Stormfur. His gaze coldened. Starclan, not another cat that Firestar's decided to take into the clan! We have enough trouble as it is! "Who's she?" he asked, with apparent indifference.
Stormfur looked taken aback, and Brambleclaw couldn't understand why.
The she-cat stretched and then meowed: "I'm Brook. I belong to the Tribe." She looked at him, as if not certain what he would do next. She pressed her fur closer to Stormfur's, who murmured something, to her, too silent for Brambleclaw to here.
Brambleclaw nodded, suddenly remembering her from the time the Clans had journeyed to their new home.
He turned to Firestar. "What is it that you wanted to tell me?" He looked at Stormfur and Brook, wishing they could leave him and Firestar alone to speak.
Firestar started to speak, but his eyes were filled with something Brambleclaw couldn't really recognize. Could it be regret? That he ever wanted to share something with him?
"Stormfur has shared something very interesting with me. I think you ought to hear it."
Brambleclaw tried to concentrate on Firestar, but his anger was uncontrollable. You trust me more than almost every cat in the clan, telling me things like this! I've served my clan more faithfully than some queens guard their kits, and I've proved I can be ThunderClan's deputy and leader after you a dozen times. Of all cats in the clan, I thought you would be one to judge me past my father!
Stormfur cleared his throat and Brambleclaw turned his gaze to him, his anger and impatience slowly dying out in his eyes.
"Brambleclaw, Feathertail sent me a message from Starclan. She said my journey is not yet over. I have to travel with four cats to find what is still missing. Four cats, Brambleclaw! Tawnypelt, Crowfeather, you and me!"
Brambleclaw blinked. "Are you sure she isn't trying to tell you that you need to catch a piece of prey that you may have missed yesterday? Think, Stormfur, Starclan have led us here. That was the purpose of the journey. We're here. The journey's over."
Stormfur looked at him with a mixture of surprise and fury. "How can you say that? After all, wasn't it you that convinced the rest of us to go with you to the sun-drown place on the account of one message from Starclan? So you think messages should only be taken seriously if you have them?" he snarled.
Brambleclaw seemed to be caught in a wave of disbelief. First Squirrelflight and now Stormfur. Could no-one get along with him anymore?
He took a deep breath and thought. "Okay, maybe there is more to it. But it doesn't make any sense. Why should Squirrelflight be left out? And about Brook? Not to mention the fact that we don't know what's missing, we have everything here that we need, or where to go."
Stormfur relaxed now that it seemed Brambleclaw was taking him seriously again. "I don't know," he admitted, "but I'm sure Starclan will lead and guide us."
Firestar, who had been silent the entire time, now spoke up. "You know that I've always tried to do what Starclan have wanted. But I believe this time they are asking the impossible. Brambleclaw, Graystripe's been taken by the two-legs, Sootfur's dead and Dustpelt won't be able to assume warrior duties for at least another moon. How can Starclan ask me to give up another two warriors? We'll be easy prey for the other clans."
Something flickered in his eyes, as if he were thinking about something in particular, but he kept it to himself.
Stormfur bowed his head, but Brambleclaw refused to be beaten. It didn't matter if Stormfur's vision was true or not, he wouldn't see them be beat.
"Firestar, if Starclan knew we were in danger, they wouldn't send for me and Squirrelflight to find what's missing. Please, I have a feeling it's very important."
Stormfur looked at him curiously, as if not understanding why Brambleclaw suddenly seemed so interested in his message.
Brambleclaw unsheathed his claws. Defend your word with tooth and claw! His father had told him. But would he really fight against Firestar, his clan-leader, for a dream that might no might anything.
Firestar looked slightly irritated and growled: "Sheathe your claws Brambleclaw. I'll go talk to my senior warriors about this."
Brambleclaw looked like he had swallowed some mouse-bile. Firestar was acting as if he were an apprentice that had just asked him if he should go with the dawn or evening patrol.
"Firestar," he meowed, "I don't think this is for all ears to hear. The clan might not be too happy about us leaving again."
Brambleclaw closed his eyes and was transported to another time. The clan was still living in the forest, but starving, and he and Squirrelflight had come back, lean and well-fed. He remembered the looks from his clan-mates. He opened his eyes again.
Firestar ignored his words. "You'll have it this way or not at all," he meowed, almost daring him to challenge his words; he padded out of his den.
