Part 5

It had been a moon since Brambleclaw and Birchwing had confessed their love for each other, and he loved every minute he spent with her. But something wasn't right. She was pretty, clever, and she was a warrior. But she wasn't Leafpool, and although he made her happy, he wasn't as happy as he was when he used to be with Leafpool. But it was far too late now. Sparrowpaw had caught on quickly. He'd always been closer to Leafpool than him and had told her instantly. She hadn't come out of her den since. Infact, he'd never seen her eat since either. Bramblepaw showed his disgust by avoiding him, and just walking away whenever he tried to talk to him. But something felt different today, almost as though, something was going to change. Stretching he got out of his nest and padded out of his den. He could instantly tell something was wrong. Sparrowpaw and Bramblepaw were whispering to each other in the corner of the camp. Bramblepaw looked horrified and there was a glint of worry in his eyes. Sparrowpaw looked furious about something but his eyes were full of worry to. Then Sparrowpaw spotted him and it was clear his rage had bubbled over. He got to his paws and stormed over to him, despite Bramblepaw's desperate protests. Sparrowpaw bared his teeth at him when he reached him.

"Think you're such a great leader don't you?" he snarled and Bramblestar flinched, "Think you're a great cat? I think you're a stinking cheating lying crow-food eating piece of fox-dung!" Bramblestar took a step back. Did his son hate him that much because of his affair with Birchwing? And when he looked at Bramblepaw, he saw no love for him in those amber eyes, only loathing, though he didn't show his anger as much as his brother.

"Don't even bother Sparrowpaw," he retorted, "He's just a waste of time. He knows nothing, and he won't help us now. No cat will."

"Of course I'll help you," he mewed, "Whats the matter?" He was so focused on what Bramblepaw had said that he didn't see Sparrowpaw launch himself at him, claws unsheathed, until he pinned him down, snarling with fury.

"You don't even care do you?" he growled, "I hate you! This should have happened to you instead!" Just then another tabby pushed Sparrowpaw off him, and he recognised Birchwing's tabby pelt straight away. He got to his paws quickly, though his heart still stung from Sparrowpaw's words.

"What are you doing?" Birchwing snarled at Sparrowpaw, "Have you lost your mind?" Bramblepaw growled at his mentor and slashed her cheek with his claws.

"Hey!" he snarled, "Paws off my brother! And who are you to say he's lost his mind? Have you? Having an affair with that piece of crow-food!" He flicked his tail at Bramblestar and he started to feel a little frustrated. Why where they acting like this? What had changed?

"Whats going on? Why have you both confronted me?" he demanded. Sparrowpaw gritted his teeth and looked at Bramblepaw. They looked at each other for a while then Bramblepaw spoke.

"Its Leafpool," he mewed, "She ran away. We haven't seen her for three days now." Bramblestar felt the ground below him disappear. She'd ran away! No! No she wouldn't! He looked at his paws. Had he caused all this?

"Don't you see?" Sparrowpaw demanded, "Don't you see what you've done to her? When she found out about you two, it killed her on the inside! You killed her Bramblestar! You did this to Leafpool!" Bramblestar took a step back and shock his head. It just couldn't be true! He felt the tears flow down his cheek. What had he done?

"We're going to look for her, with or without you, and theres nothing…" Sparrowpaw froze mid-sentence and stared over Bramblestar's shoulder. Bramblepaw seemed to know what was happening and pricked his ears at his brother intently.

"Whats happening?" Bramblestar asked.

"Sparrowpaw can sense what Leafpool's feeling," Bramblepaw explained, "He freezes like this when he makes contact." Whatever was going on it couldn't have been good. Sparrowpaw's face turned to horror and he yowled in pain.

"What is it?" Bramblepaw mewed urgently supporting his brother, "What did you see?"

"I just saw darkness," he mewed in a monotone, "Nothing but dark and pain. The pain…" Sparrowpaw sobbed and shock himself, "Leafpool's in serious trouble! We have to find her now!" He glared at Bramblestar, "We've wasted enough time here." The two apprentices immediately sprinted out of camp without a backwards look. He immediately ran after them, he had to help Leafpool at all costs. He wouldn't fail her again! But then he heard rushing pawsteps behind him and turned to see Birchwing following him.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To find Leafpool of course!" he mewed shocked that she didn't understand.

"Why?"

"Because she's my mate!" he mewed in horror, how could she not understand?

"No, I'm your mate," she mewed with icy calmness, "You choose me over her remember. If you love me, then you'll come back to camp and forget about that nobody." Bramblestar's eyes widen with horror. Now he had to decide. Leafpool or Birchwing? Who did he love? How could he choose? He loved them both! But Birchwing's frosty glare made him shiver with resentment, and he knew that this was not the she-cat he wanted. Leafpool was, and always would be. It had token him a while to figure it out, but now he had he just hoped it wasn't to late.

"Then I'm going after Leafpool," he mewed and she gasped with horror, "You can do what you want." With that he spun around and charged after the two brothers. He caught up with them in a clearing, where they were sniffing, having clearly lost her scent trail.

"You!" Sparrowpaw spat, "What are YOU doing here?"

"I've come to help," he mewed, "I love Leafpool, not Birchwing, and I want to help her in anyway I can." Sparrowpaw muttered something under his breath but Bramblepaw ignored him.

"We've lost her scent trail," he informed then he carried on sniffing around the clearing with Sparrowpaw. Bramblestar sniffed the air and he thought he could scent her to his left and he pushed through the bushes to find the rest of her scent trail. He called for the apprentices and they sprinted through the forest, following her scent trail. It wasn't long before Bramblestar realised her scent was stronger.

"We're getting close," he told them and they nodded. He pushed his way first through a bush of brambles and froze in horror at what he saw. No. No! NO! It can't be! The others pushed through after him and Bramblepaw froze beside him.

"MOTHER!" Sparrowpaw howled and he ran over to Leafpool covering her in licks, "Wake up! Come on! WAKE UP PLEASE!" Leafpool was sprawled in the middle of the clearing, her flank barely rising, her whole body shivering. He eyes were shut but her cheeks were still damp where she had been crying. He padded numbly over to her and collapse beside her. This couldn't be happening. He felt a tear trickle down his cheek and land on Leafpool's head. He licked her ear softly.

"Leafpool," he mewed his voice shaking with strain, "Leafpool please. You can't leave me. Please come back to me." He felt hollow inside, he could literally hear his sanity breaking down within him. Leafpool was his life, how could he have left her? Suddenly her ear twitched and his breath caught in his throat.

"Leafpool?" he choked out and her eyes fluttered open. He sighed with relief. "Thank StarClan."

"Leafpool!" Sparrowpaw squeaked, "You're awake!"

"Yes," she mewed weakly, laying her tail gently on both of her sons shoulders, "Its okay my children. I'm here, and I always will be." Suddenly she gritted her teeth and squirmed with pain.

"Leafpool," he mewed worriedly, "What do you need, I'll find the herbs." Leafpool let out a cough of laughter.

"Herbs won't help me now Bramblestar," she mewed looking up at him without raising her head, "Nothing can."

"No! There must be something!" he mewed desperately, he licked her flank, "You can't leave me. Not when I just worked out everything. I understand now Leafpool, I love you, not Birchwing. I always have. It just took me a while to work it out." She smiled at him gently and her eyes glew with warmth.

"I should have known that," she mewed shutting her eyes, "But I felt so betrayed, I couldn't help it. And I suppose, the way I reacted, just made everything worse." Suddenly he understood, Leafpool had known what was happening all along. She must have.

"You knew this would happen didn't you," he mewed laying his head on her flank, "StarClan told you that night when we were travelling didn't they."

"Yes, they did," she mewed flinching with pain, "I didn't have the heart to tell you. But as the illness got worse and worse, I tried to distance myself from you to make sure you didn't get sick to. StarClan told me you wouldn't but I couldn't take the risk. I also wanted to make you feel less attached to me so you wouldn't feel so much pain now. But I ended up pushing you straight into the paws of Birchwing, and I couldn't have hated myself more for it."

"You mean, you weren't angry at me?" he mewed in shock.

"I was a little," she mewed, "I knew you must have loved her to and meant to betray me, but I knew it was mostly my fault, and my heart wouldn't let me blame you." He let out a sob. How could she not see how much he was to blame? He nuzzled her cheek sadly and twined her tail with his.

"You'll be okay won't you Leafpool?" Sparrowpaw mewed.

"You can't die," Bramblepaw put in, "It would hurt too much."

"I'm sorry my kits," she mewed gentle tears rolling down her cheeks, "Please remember that no matter what, I will love you until the end of time, and that I will watch over you forever." Suddenly a painful spasm passed through her body and she groaned with pain.

"Hang on Leafpool!" Bramblestar mewed desperately, "Please hang on!"

"I…I can't…" she choked, blood spilling out of her mouth, "I can't feel my paws." Then she gasped in her last breath before her flank fell, and it didn't rise again. Her gentle amber eyes glazed over and the light faded in her eyes.

Leafpool was gone.