Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors or many characters featured in this story. The only things I own are the storyline and the original characters featured in this story.
CHAPTER FOUR
BRAMBLECLAW
Light filtered in through a crack in the den. There was a cat sleeping next to him, their pelt warming his. The scent of herbs clung to the air. Brambleclaw blinked. Where was he? Then he remembered: the battle with BloodClan! He had to help WindClan! He lurched to his paws, but his limbs felt heavy and stiff. Jerking them into motion, he gasped at a sudden pain in his chest. Brambleclaw fell into a crouch, a hiss of pain escaping his clenched teeth.
Fighting through the pain, he pushed himself back up and staggered to the entrance. Brambleclaw slipped his head out, expecting to see cats writhing on the ground, shrieking and yowling and...
Hold on a second. There was no loud screeches, no snarls. None of the sounds of battle. His eyes widened as he saw WindClan cats resting in camp, wounds still fresh and raw-looking on their pelts, but relaxed, some even dozing lightly. They definitely weren't fighting with BloodClan, not anymore. Puzzled, he looked around, when something hit him. The battle with BloodClan had taken place just before dawn, the sky dark and streaks of red, orange, and yellow shooting through the sky. Now it was the middle of the day, the sun high in the sky.
"Brambleclaw?" a voice behind him made him turn. His brow furrowed when he realized it was Tawnypelt. What was his sister, a ShadowClan warrior, during in the WindClan camp now? The battle was clearly over, and he saw no other ShadowClan cats around. "You're awake."
Brambleclaw blinked. "We won?" he asked, although it was clear they had.
Tawnypelt nodded. "Sent BloodClan packing with their tails between their legs," she confirmed proudly. Her eyes darkened. "Barkface thought you might not survive," she added, with a glance at his chest.
Brambleclaw craned his neck to peer at the wound. He winced at the sight. The was a jagged scar running sideways along his chest, stretching from shoulder to foreleg. It was still raw-looking, and obvious that any exertion would make it start bleeding again. He touched a paw to it, feeling the bumps and ridges along it.
"How?" he asked, his voice suddenly hoarse sounding. "How did I survive?"
"Runningnose managed to stop the worst of the bleeding, and that kept you alive until the battle was over," Tawnypelt explained. "Then with full access to all of Barkface's herbs, and plenty of trips for cobwebs, it finally stopped bleeding." She stepped closer, until she was by his side, pressing her muzzle into his shoulder. "I thought you were going to die." Her voice cracked a little.
Brambleclaw leaned into her. "Why are you still here? Wouldn't Russetstar have wanted you to leave with the rest of ShadowClan?"
"Yes," Tawnypelt replied. "She did. But you're my brother, and you were heavily injured, on the brink of death. I would never have left you like that, constantly worrying that you might die."
Brambleclaw didn't know what to say to that. Finally, he asked, "Did anybody die?"
His sister nodded sadly. "ThunderClan and ShadowClan are okay. The worst cat from our Clans was you. But Mudstar lost a life, and Rushtail and Tornear died from WindClan. I heard a rumor that Mistystar might also have lost a life, but it's unconfirmed. But Sunfish died too."
Brambleclaw looked down at his paws. "If ThunderClan had gotten here faster, then maybe those cats would still be alive."
Tawnypelt shook her head. "Brambleclaw, the BloodClan are to blame for their deaths. I heard Rushtail and Tornear died in the very beginning, in the surprise attack. There was no way we could've run fast enough to save them. And Sunfish... well, she ended up against the new BloodClan deputy. Big dark brown tabby. No one could've saved her. Besides," she added, pressing her pelt against his, "she wanted to die in battle and see her mate again."
"Who was her mate?" he asked curiously.
Tawnypelt rolled her eyes. "Beetlenose. He died in the first BloodClan battle."
"Oh." Beetlenose. He remembered the black tom, with the gray warrior crouching over him. He had seen the RiverClan cat die.
"Now, come on," she meowed, nudging him back into the den. "You still have some recovering to do."
Brambleclaw was beyond pleased at the forest scents that surrounded him. Barkface finally declared him well enough to return to ThunderClan a couple days ago, after roughly a half-moon in the medicine den. His Clanmates welcomed him back eagerly, and Tawnypelt went home to ShadowClan.
Unfortunately, he wasn't considered well enough to patrol or hunt yet, since straining his wound could very easily open it back up again. All he wanted to do was help his Clan, and instead, he was forced to rest day after day. He was bored to death of resting! Soon though, he could return to light duties!
He rolled onto his side, resting his cheek against the warm stone. The plus side of not being able to go anywhere was that he had plenty of time to sun himself, or play with Spiderkit and Shrewkit. He really liked Shrewkit. The dark brown tom was a feisty little cat, and a good learner. When he became an apprentice, Brambleclaw would enjoy mentoring him, if Graystar chose him.
There was a snarl from outside, followed by, "What are you doing here?" Dustpelt and Willowpelt were the guards at the moment, and it sounded like it was the former speaking. Brambleclaw sat up, pushing the kits off of him and ushering them toward Ferncloud. The pale queen drew them close with a sweep of her tail, worry shining in her eyes. Brambleclaw planted himself firmly in front of the nursery, as Sandstorm and Ferncloud ushered the two kits in. Technically speaking, he wasn't supposed to fight. But if there was an attack, then by StarClan, he would fight!
Ashfur darted to his side, his dark eyes fixed on the camp entrance. ThunderClan warriors all around the camp rose to their paws, claws unsheathing, teeth being bared, ready to fight at a moment's notice.
There was a moment of tensed silence, where no cat moved a muscle, then Willowpelt appeared, Russetstar and Rowanberry following closely behind. The Clan relaxed, but still remained on-guard for anything they might do. ShadowClan cats were notorious for being sneaky and cunning, and their leader tended to be hostile to the other Clans. While their deputy was more tolerant of the other Clans, ThunderClan especially since they gave her sister Yellowfang refuge, she still shared some of Russetstar's distrust. Graystar and Mousefur rose to their paws from where they were speaking quietly, and padded to meet them.
"Russetstar, what a surprise," Graystar meowed politely. He dipped his head to the two ShadowClan cats. "Is there something wrong in ShadowClan?"
Mousefur said nothing, only eyed the she-cats suspiciously. Rowanberry returned her glare without hesitation.
"Rowanberry." Russetstar touched her deputy on the shoulder with her tail, and the cream-and-brown she-cat looked away from the ThunderClan deputy, moving her eyes to Graystar. Russetstar turned to nod back at the ThunderClan leader. "Graystar. Some of my warriors have had an... interesting idea." There was no warmth in her voice, only cold politeness. If Graystar noticed it, he gave no outward sign of it, other than to copy her stoic politeness.
"Have they?" he replied in the same tone. "I assume you're here to share that idea, not talk about what your warriors have been doing the past half-moon."
Something flashed in her eyes, but it vanished almost instantly as she meowed, "Of course. You will hear about my warriors at the next Gathering. It's not so exciting that I must share it now. They have suggested that we leave."
Brambleclaw's amber eyes widened in shock. Leave? As in, we leave the forest that the Clans had been living in since they came to be? We can't! This is our home!
The murmurs and glares that his Clanmates were shooting the ShadowClan cats meant most of them agreed with the tabby warrior. "ShadowClan act all high and mighty and fierce, but when it comes down to it, they're all just a bunch of mouse-hearted cowards," he heard Cloudtail growl.
The angry look in Russetstar's eyes showed that she had heard him, and Rowanberry looked ready to claw his ears off, but with a glance at her leader, she held back and resorted to settling a rage-filled glare on the long-haired warrior. Cloudtail met her gaze fiercely, eyes narrowed. Graystar shot a warning look at the white tom, who tore his gaze away from the ShadowClan deputy and sat down, the fur on his shoulders bristling.
"What does ShadowClan think of the idea?" he asked evenly.
"Many cats approve of it. Over half."
"Then why hasn't ShadowClan left yet?" challenged Ashfur.
Russetstar met the pale tom's gaze. "We will not leave unless the other Clans do as well. Unlike what many cats believe, ShadowClan cats are noble and trustworthy." She shot a glare at Cloudtail and Ashfur in particular. "We will not leave the other Clans to fight BloodClan without us."
"Only with all four Clans united against Scourge and BloodClan will we have any chance of taking back our home," Rowanberry added.
"But, if all the Clans agreed, we could leave and search for a new home," Russetstar continued. "We could leave the forest to BloodClan, and find a new one."
Graystar didn't answer for a moment. Finally, he meowed, "I will discuss this with my Clan and tell you our answer next Gathering."
The two ShadowClan cats nodded. Brackenfur jumped to his paws. "I'll escort you to the border," he offered, a hint of a growl in his voice.
Mousefur nodded in agreement. "Brightheart, Sorrelpaw, go with him."
The three cats padded up to the leader and deputy. Russetstar locked eyes with Graystar for a moment; then all five cats padded out of camp and disappeared.
Brambleclaw turned to his leader. "Will we discuss this now?" he asked.
"When Brackenfur, Brightheart, and Sorrelpaw get back," he answered, sitting down and wrapping his tail neatly over his paws.
The cats settled down again, but there was now an impatient feeling in the air. Brambleclaw fidgeted, until Ashfur hissed in his ear, "Brambleclaw, if you keep that up, your wound is going to open up again!" It was said in a teasing manner, so that the tabby knew he didn't mean anything serious, but he also caught the simple meaning. Basically, Ashfur just told him, "Stop fidgeting so much, you mouse-brain!"
After that, he managed to keep himself still.
Finally, the three cats appeared, padding into camp calmly. Graystar nodded to them, then leaped to his paws. He sprang onto the Clantree, skipping the summoning entirely. After all, what was the point when all the cats were already gathered in the clearing?
"ThunderClan," he boomed. "You all heard Russetstar's suggestion. Now I ask you: do you agree with it? Do you want to leave the forest to BloodClan and find a new home?"
There was silence. Personally, Brambleclaw didn't want to. A few cats looked like they did, though. Others had thoughtful looks on their faces. Dustpelt was murmuring something in Ferncloud's ear. Graystar and Mousefur exchanged looks.
Finally, the ThunderClan leader announced, "We will vote on it. Cats who want to stay and fight, go by the nursery. Cats who want to leave the forest to BloodClan and find a new home, go to the camp entrance."
Immediately, Sandstorm padded over to the nursery. The cats who hadn't decided yet quickly moved to the middle. A moment later, Brambleclaw followed his former mentor, and after a second's deliberation, Ashfur joined them. Graystar and Mousefur joined the three cats, sitting and waiting for the rest to decide.
Willowpelt thought for a moment, then slowly, head low, padded over to the camp entrance. Rainpaw stared at his mother with wide eyes, a faint gasp escaping his lips as Sorrelpaw slunk after her. Brightheart gave her apprentice a disproving look as she sat down by the nursery. Cloudtail and Rainpaw instantly joined her, the latter still staring at his family with a shocked expression.
Barley muttered something in Ravenpaw's ear, then both loners backed out of the middle, but neither headed to a side. Barley glanced at Graystar, then meowed, "We're not really part of this Clan. We aren't voting."
"Are you sure?" Graystar asked. "You're hunting for ThunderClan, fighting on ThunderClan's behalf. We would accept any choice you made."
"We're sure," Ravenpaw told him with a firm shake of his head.
Brambleclaw turned his attention to the cats still in the middle. Longtail, Cinderpelt, Brackenfur, Dustpelt, Ferncloud, Mistlewind, and Frostfur had yet to vote. As he watched, Cinderpelt and Brackenfur joined the cats who wanted to stay. Mistlewind shuffled her paws, then joined Frostfur and Longtail as padded after them, the latter supporting the elder.
With only Dustpelt and Ferncloud not having taken a side, not counting Ravenpaw and Barley, all eyes were on the pair. They seemed to be arguing in hushed tones; then Ferncloud turned away, taking her kits with her. She joined the two cats who wanted to leave. Dustpelt watched her go, then joined Brambleclaw and the others. Brambleclaw watched Ferncloud pad away, his eyes drifting to her two kits, Shrewkit in specific.
"We stay!" Graystar roared, and the Clan erupted into pleased yowls. However, the cats who chose to leave hadn't been forgotten. Mousefur jumped forward to snarl at them.
"You would leave the forest to those savage BloodClan cats?" she hissed. The Clan quieted down to watch how this confrontation would play out.
Ferncloud looked down at her paws, where her kits stood, but Willowpelt raised her head and glared defiantly at the deputy.
"I've already watched one kit die because of them," she growled. "I don't want to lose another."
"Same," Sorrelpaw murmured.
"Are you still going to leave?" called Ashfur, stepping forward to stare at his sister.
Ferncloud looked up sharply. "Of course not!" she exclaimed. "I'm a loyal member of ThunderClan! I go where it goes. No matter what I feel about it."
The other two cats echoed their agreement. Spiderkit and Shrewkit just looked confused. Mousefur retreated, but not with a glare at the three cats. Ferncloud brought her kits back to the nursery, and Dustpelt bounded forward to meet her, purring and pressing his muzzle into her shoulder. Willowpelt followed more slowly, Sorrelpaw trailing after her. Rainpaw stood stiff-legged, watching them approach.
Brambleclaw turned his attention away. He padded to the Flatrocks and flopped down again, heaving a massive sigh. ThunderClan may be staying, but he still couldn't do anything. He rested his cheek against the wam surface, letting out a drowsy purr. Maybe he couldn't leave camp, but at least there was a great place to sun himself!
Brambleclaw flattened his ears as Sandstorm cried out yet again. The whole Clan was gathered out in the clearings even though it was the middle of the night and most of them were exhausted. Three days had passed since they voted, and the Gathering was nearing. They would hear the other Clans' decisions then.
Sandstorm had begun giving birth in the middle of the night. Spiderkit and Shrewkit had been ushered out the moment she started. Dustpelt and Ferncloud sat with them at the edge of the crowd. The rest of the cats just sort of milled around, unsure as to what to do. A lot of them might have tried to go back to sleep, except for the fact that the cries kept waking them up.
"Isn't there anything we can do?" asked Ashfur, glancing anxiously at the nursery. He kneaded the ground with his forepaws.
"Nothing," answered Brambleclaw.
"Unless you want to go in and help Cinderpelt," Longtail offered from where he rested with his head on his paws.
"No thanks," Ashfur muttered. He shuddered. "I'll leave kit births to medicine cats and queens."
"Are you sure?" teased Brambleclaw, prodding him with one paw. "Maybe you have hidden depth as a medicine cat! Who knows?" He heaved a great sigh. "You'll just have to try to see, I guess. Have fun!"
"You be quiet!" Ashfur ordered. Brambleclaw grinned.
When Cinderpelt finally announced the birth was over, the tension in the air evaporated. With no father to announce the birth to, there was a moment of confusion, until Graystar stepped forward, his eyes filled with emotion. Firestar was his best friend. He's bound to want to get to know his kits.
Sure enough, Graystar meowed, "May I see them?" His voice was choked with feeling.
Cinderpelt nodded, understanding gleaming in her blue eyes. "Of course, Graystar." She glanced around, her gaze settling on the cats that had been closest to her since Firestar's death. "Brambleclaw, Dustpelt, Brightheart, Ravenpaw, you can each visit the new kits after Graystar." Brambleclaw because he was her apprentice, Dustpelt and Brightheart because they had always been there for her silently supporting her, and Ravenpaw because he was an old friend of Firestar.
The four selected cats nodded as Graystar poked his head into the nursery. The broad-shouldered tom forced himself in, and disappeared inside. Cinderpelt slipped in after him after requesting that someone brought borage for Sandstorm. Frostfur was quick to get it.
Graystar appeared, his face lit with happiness, and Cinderpelt called from inside, "Dustpelt, Ravenpaw, your turn."
The two cats padded in, and Cinderpelt poked her out. "Where's that borage?" she called.
"Here," Frostfur responded, her mew muffled by the leaves in her mouth. She dropped them at the medicine cat's paws. "Is that enough?"
"Plenty," replied Cinderpelt, and she ducked back inside.
Cats crowded around Graystar, clamoring to know what they look liked. He began describing them in great detail.
Dustpelt appeared, his eyes gleaming, and Ravenpaw padded out beside him. Dustpelt murmured something to the smaller tom, before both cats vanished into the forest, leaving the camp. Brambleclaw stepped forward, exchanging an uncertain look with Brightheart. Were they allowed in now? A call from the nursery confirmed it, and the two cats squeezed in. Brambleclaw grunted. The nursery entrance sure was small! Of course, it was built for kits, not full-grown warriors like him.
With a final push, he managed to get in. It took a moment for his eyes to get used to the dim lighting. Once it did, he felt s a surge of delight as he saw the scene in front of him. Cinderpelt sat on one side, watching the new mother. Brightheart leaned over the queen. But all his attention was on the pale ginger she-cat in the nest. Sandstorm lay curled around two tiny shapes. Brambleclaw leaned down to gently sniff the two bundles of fur. Both of them were she-cats; one had a tabby-and-white pelt. She was the smaller of the two, though not by much. The other had a dark ginger pelt. Just like her father, Brambleclaw thought. She would be identical to Firestar, if not for her white paw.
"Have you given them names yet?" Brightheart asked, gazing at the new mother.
Sandstorm shook her head. "Soon," she meowed, gazing down lovingly at the two kits. "So much like Firestar," she murmured to herself, licking the ginger kit's head. "I'll think of some later. For now, though, all I want to do is look at my beautiful, precious daughters."
Cinderpelt glanced at the two visitors, and Brambleclaw caught the message in her eyes: leave her in peace. He nodded and backed out; Brightheart slipped out behind him, and Cinderpelt followed. The medicine cat pressed against the crowd, and they parted to let her through.
"Give her some peace," Cinderpelt ordered. "She's tired, and one of the kits happens to be almost identical to Firestar. She can have more visitors tomorrow."
Murmurs of understanding rippled through the cats. They dispersed, most heading for their dens. Brambleclaw pushed towards his nest, stepping carefully over stray tails, until he reached his nest. Ashfur tiptoed up to his own nest, which was only a quarter tail-length away from Brambleclaw's.
"So?" Ashfur whispered. Brambleclaw started awake and blearily raised his head; he had just fallen asleep, and did not enjoy being woken up already.
"Wha-?" he grumbled.
"The kits," Ashfur explained, and understanding filled the tabby. He blinked, heaving a massive yawn, before leaning over the gap between their nests to rest his head and forepaws in it. His limbs were heavy with exhaustion, and his eyelids refused to stay open. He shook his head; that helped him wake up enough.
"They're... wonderful," Brambleclaw murmured.
"What do they look like?" Ashfur pressed.
"Uh..." Brambleclaw yawned again; he was having trouble thinking straight. "One's a tabby-and-ginger... wait. That's not right." He shook his head to clear it. "There's a tabby-and-white kit, and a dark ginger kit." He yawned. "The ginger one looks so much like Firestar, except that she has one white paw."
"Hmm." Ashfur lay his head down, and Brambleclaw retreated back to the warmth of his nest. His friend didn't say anything more, at least not that he heard. He closed his eyes again, and was asleep almost instantly.