Me, clearly wanting to shiny hunt in S/V and Legends:Arceus instead of anything else:
This chapter reflects my issues with motivation for anything that isn't pokemon. I found a shiny Hisuian Zorua though!
Reviews are highly appreciated!
Firestar almost felt useless with the way he did next to nothing, watching the rest of the clan go about their daily duties. There was an air of anticipation that came after the report of the water going back down. Hopefully the lake would return to its normal borders soon, and then Thunderclan could return to their waterlogged camp and start on clean-up and repairs. Then everything could be normal again.
Or, as normal as they could get.
Most of the time he was either lounging around or hunting. It wasn't really lounging per say; he was helping keep the sick cats warm. But most of them were making a steady recovery and no longer needed him. Seedpaw and Lilypaw had since recovered from their almost drowning experience and were back to training with their mentors.
Sandstorm was the only one that stuck around, even with her cough gradually improving. His mate stuck around mostly because she loved him.
When he wasn't lounging, he was off flying towards his usual hunting spot. He killed one of those black-and-white creatures for him to eat and sometimes brought scraps for the clan to share.
He didn't spend long hunting, and before he knew it, he was back with Thunderclan, wanting nothing more than to drink in the scent of his mate huddled by his side.
He supposed he was becoming a little too obsessed with making sure Sandstorm was there, because his hatchlings certainly weren't.
Squirrelflight had taken to awkwardly avoiding Bramblestar out of embarrassment, for misreading his situation with Jessy so badly. Jessy didn't seem to know what was going on between the two, and it seemed that Bramblestar and Squirrelflight were intent on keeping it that way. She threw herself into taking care of the clan like any other warrior, which left her no time to see her father.
Bramblestar was avoiding him. He supposed the leader still held mixed feelings about Firestar's intervention.
He missed his hatchlings. He missed his family.
A weak pulse of heat rippled through him; clearly a sentiment that the stone shared.
Why feel bad about helping him?
Before he could mull over the question further, a flash of gray fur entered his vision. Frankie was looking around cautiously, as if he were afraid he was going to get caught doing something he shouldn't. It wasn't the first time he had caught the tabby tom sneak out of camp without anyone knowing.
"Going somewhere?" he asked, looking directly at Frankie. The tom jumped slightly at the sudden loud voice. "You've been leaving quite a bit lately without anything to show for it," he said, slightly accusatory.
Frankie lowered his ears. "I'm sorry. But I have to keep trying!"
"Trying what?"
"I'm trying to find Benny."
"Your brother, yes?"
Frankie nodded. "I'm really sorry that I've been sneaking out, but I feel like I'll never have the time to find him!"
"You have nothing to be sorry for. We should have known you'd come looking for Benny. We all know how it feels to lose kin. It's part of clan life."
Frankie lowered his head. "Then it's a part of clan life I can't accept."
"I didn't say we accepted it, either," Firestar sighed. "Regardless… where do you think he might be?"
Frankie looked relieved, some of the tension in his shoulders visibly leaving him at the notion that Thunderclan would help him. "I last saw him at our den, before the storm separated us."
Frankie was a kittypet, which meant his den was near or at Twolegplace. Firestar couldn't go with him.
"I can't go near Twolegplace with how I am," he murmured. Frankie lowered his ears in disappointment. "But there are others who can."
He could see Bramblestar discussing clean-up plans for the hollow with his senior warriors. As much as it pained him to interrupt…
"Hatchling," he murmured, but everyone else could tell that it was more of a call. Bramblestar rose to his paws with a frustrated lash of his tail, eyes weary. Without so much more of a word, he whipped his tail gently around Frankie, the kittypet letting out a yelp of shock. He presented the tom in front of the Thunderclan leader, and Bramblestar's eyes widened in realization. "I caught this one trying to sneak out," he said.
Frankie gazed up at Firestar in betrayal.
"Tell him what's going on." Frankie's mouth opened in a gape, suddenly understanding. His shoulders sagged.
"I need help," he pleaded to Bramblestar. The tabby tom's ears flicked in curiosity, looking back and forth between Firestar and Frankie. "I'm trying to find Benny. Firestar said you might be able to help me."
Bramblestar's eyes flicked over to Firestar in confusion and betrayal.
He understood at that moment that Bramblestar probably thought that Firestar had made the decision for him.
"I'm not saying you should. I'm helping Frankie ask you for help. If it were me, you know I would have tried to help him." Back when he was a cat went unsaid. "I'd never make such a decision for you."
He hoped that Bramblestar would understand that Firestar wasn't trying to overstep Bramblestar's authority.
The Thunderclan leader stayed silent for a few heartbeats, thinking. Then he lifted his head. "I guess I want to help too," he admitted. At that, Frankie breathed a sigh of relief.
"I last saw him near our den," Frankie meowed.
"In Twolegplace," Bramblestar murmured to himself, eyeing Firestar's body. "Do you think you could pick up on Benny's voice or something?"
Firestar hummed. It wasn't impossible to pick out a voice in a crowd for him, but all the way in Twolegplace? A cat he had never heard before?
"I don't know what Benny sounds like," he rumbled. Even now, he tried extending his senses towards Twolegplace, but it was a garbled mess of Twoleg noises and sloshing water. He could hear cats talking in the distance, but none of them mentioned Frankie or Benny by name. He growled in frustration. "I can't pick up on anything that has anything to do with you or your brother. I'm sorry."
So much power, and for what? He was useless.
"It was worth a try I suppose," Bramblestar sighed. "We're going to have to go into Twolegplace in that case." He twisted his head over his shoulder. "Rosepetal!"
The she-cat in question looked up from where she was sorting out hunting patrols.
"Frankie and I are going to search some of Twolegplace for his brother. You're in charge while I'm gone."
"What?! You're just going to leave with an inexperienced kittypet for company into Twolegplace?!" Dustpelt yowled out. Other cats voiced their frustration at their leader, and Bramblestar's ears pinned themselves on his head.
"It's okay. You don't have to go so far for me. I can look by myself," Frankie muttered.
"No."
Bramblestar gazed at Frankie, a new determination blazing within his eyes. "Right now, you're a clanmate. And clanmates don't get left behind. Especially when they're looking for their own kin. And I know that if it was one of ours, we'd do everything in our power to find them too!" he said, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"We did it for Firestar," Cherryfall chimed in, multiple cats suddenly looking up at the dragon. "I can help look for Benny!"
Bramblestar looked thoughtful for a moment, before nodding. "Does anyone else want to join?"
Firestar figured that it was time for him to step a figurative step back. He helped Frankie do the right thing in asking the clan for help. Everything else was all Bramblestar.
.
.
A quarter moon was shining down on the clearing when the search party returned to the makeshift camp, heads bowed solemnly.
"Bramblestar!" Rosepetal exclaimed as the patrol neared the tunnel entrance. "Did you find Frankie's brother?"
At the sound of her voice, Minty, Jessy, and Millie erupted out of the tunnel.
"Benny's dead," Frankie responded wearily.
Minty's eyes stretched wide. "Oh, no! How?"
While Bramblestar gave a brief account of their search and the discovery of Benny's body inside the drain, more of his clanmates emerged from the tunnel. Murmurs of sympathy arose from them as they listened.
"We buried him on a little hill overlooking the lake," Bramblestar finished.
"I'm sure Starclan was with him at the end," Jayfeather rasped, padding up to Frankie and giving his pelt a few sniffs.
"I hope so." Frankie's voice was bleak. "Because I wasn't."
"You did all you could," Millie told him.
"At least now you know what happened."
"Yes," Jessy added. "You don't have to worry anymore, and you can grieve for him properly."
Frankie nodded, gazing around at the group of cats who surrounded him with looks of sadness, but he said nothing.
"Come on." Jayfeather gave Frankie a gentle shove. "Into the tunnel, and I'll take a look at you. You can have some thyme leaves for the shock."
"I'll bring you some fresh-kill," Minty offered as the medicine cat led Frankie away.
Once Frankie had gone, Jessy padded over to Bramblestar. "Thank you," she mewed. "You didn't have to do that."
Bramblestar dipped his head toward her. "My cats never have to suffer alone," he told her.
Jessy's ears flicked up. "Is that true?" she pressed. "That we are your cats?"
"For now," Bramblestar replied, feeling a purr rise in his throat.
Jessy touched her nose to his. "Good."
She pulled away from him and darted back into the tunnels. He raised a paw, intent on joining his clanmates, until he caught green eyes staring forlornly at him from the corner of his eye.
Normally Firestar would usher him over and wrap him in warm scales. Now he was keeping his distance, ever since the fight with the kittypets.
Or rather, he was keeping his distance.
Had what Firestar done really be called interfering?
He slowly padded up to the dragon. Firestar didn't make any movements, only eyeing him with fierce possessiveness that he was clearly trying to control. His muscles were twitching in restraint.
Bramblestar didn't say a word as he pressed up against Firestar's scales. Predictably, Firestar's tail snaked around his body, bringing the tabby in front of the dragon where his forelegs snapped in place to trap him.
He was alarmed to see red irises under half-lidded eyes.
The dragon was clearly pleased with himself.
What does it matter what he thinks? He is yours.
I tried figuring out a way to skip a few chapters ahead because I didn't want to alter every chapter in Bramblestar's Storm, nor was it necessary.
With each chapter, we get closer to the end. It will happen eventually, I promise! ;-;
The stone's trying to teach Firestar that he should be taking his treasures by force, regardless of how they think and feel. Fires doesn't like that. He's letting Bramble make the first move so he doesn't come off as obsessive.
Tell me how I did.