Incogitance Chapter XI, a warriors fanfic

Before we get started on this epic chapter, time for some pre-chapter review replies!

Lightstreak 59: yeah, the whole thing is planned out. Can't say if it comes out the way you want it to, though... that would give it away. ;)

Lunarpaw: I like the idea of Brambleclaw mating with Hazelpaw by force. :P Poor Hazelpaw is adorable, if only Brambleclaw agreed with me...

Squirrelflightisawesome: again, can't tell you what'll happen, and I disagree with your favorite pairing, but I can't say anything else or it'll ruin the chapter...

TDIluvr: I kind of stopped reading Warriors after Dark River, but did read a summary of Long Shadows... and I have to agree with you. -glares at Power of Three books-

WildCroconaw: hmm, I don't know. I believe this chapter contains that information. ;)

Revriley: Cloudtail and Longtail? They are amusing. I squeezed Cloudtail into this chapter somewhere, but not Longtail, so picture him somewhere in the distance. Maybe harrassing Mousefur or something. :)

Painted Inkblot: Brambleclaw is shifting a lot, and doing so very fast. He also does that in this chapter... I think that that's just Brambleclaw in this story, but if I ever get around to rewriting it then it's something I'll work on.

Shellheart: yeah, I know, a whole mess of relationships. This fic was supposed to be my attempt at a romance, but it taught me that I'm incapable of writing anything without a battle. And yes, everything's falling into place...

icethroat21: For more action, skip to the end of my boring replies and get on with the chapter. ;)

Tenacross: aww, thanks! Hope this chapter is good, then. :)

Chapter 11

Hazelpaw padded brightly after her mentor.

"Can we go train now?"

"Not now, Hazelpaw."

"But that's what you always say!" the gray-and-brown she-cat complained, "We haven't even had a real training session yet, and all the other apprentices have started -"

"I said not now, Hazelpaw," Brambleclaw repeated irritably.

Hazelpaw followed him persistently to the edge of camp. "Where are you going?" she inquired, cocking her head to the side.

"Hunting."

"Can I... come with you?"

Hazelpaw didn't think she could put her desire to go with him into words. After she had become his apprentice, their walks in the woods had stopped, and she hadn't been out of camp with him since her ceremony. It seemed as though the camaraderie between them had flickered out of existence, and the small apprentice longed to reignite it.

Because when she was with Brambleclaw... something was different. Something different in the air, that made her steps lighter and her breath come easier, that made her feel like she was on fire and at the same time ice cold, a surge that made her feel as though she could run on the wind. She longed, more than anything in the world, just to run through the forest with him, for him to teach her how to hunt, and to be his apprentice...

"No."

Round hazel eyes sparkled with unshed tears. "Why not?"

To her surprise, he nuzzled her gently before stepping away again. "Don't cry, Hazelpaw. I..." he trailed his off, and all of a sudden his eyes came alive. "Actually, Hazelpaw, would you like to come?"

Hazelpaw felt a hot thrill run down her spine. "Yeah!"

Brambleclaw gave her a warm look, his soft amber eyes resting on her own. "Then come on, let's get going."

Ashfur was in the training hollow with Birchpaw when Brambleclaw and Hazelpaw ran by, moving past them as though they and the training hollow did not exist.

"I wonder why they didn't stop to train here," Birchpaw wondered aloud.

"Yeah, me too." Ashfur's eyes narrowed. "Want to follow them?"

"Follow them?" Birchpaw's ears perked.

Ashfur forced a playful expression onto his face. "Yeah. It'd be great practice."

Birchpaw laughed, already bounding out of the training hollow. "I can't wait to see the looks on their faces! It'll be a great story to tell Whitepaw later."

"Yeah," Ashfur agreed absently.

His mind was racing, his heart was pounding, and he could hear the blood rushing in his ears.

You're paranoid, he told himself. They're just training. But he knew, he knew that wasn't true.

Watch out, Brambleclaw. I'm coming.

As they neared the lake, Brambleclaw caught a whiff of RiverClan scent blowing towards them. He looked at Hazelpaw, afraid for a moment that she would notice, but the apprentice continued to pad after him merrily.

Of course, she wouldn't recognize RiverClan scent, or even bother to taste for it; he hadn't taught her about scents yet. But she might recognize a scent that didn't belong.

Brambleclaw took a breath, and put his plan into motion. He nudged the boulder that was his plot with his nose, and it began to roll down a proverbial hill.

"Hazelpaw - do you smell something strange?"

Jerked out of a reverie, the apprentice blinked, and then opened her jaws to taste the air. "Yeah, I do smell that," she commented. "I don't know what it is, but it doesn't smell like ThunderClan."

"It's ShadowClan."

Bright hazel eyes widened with fear. "ShadowClan?"

Brambleclaw nodded gravely. "I think it might even be Blackstar himself."

Hazelpaw unsheathed her tiny, unthreatening claws. "What does that piece of foxdung want on ThunderClan territory?"

"I don't know." He turned to look his apprentice in the eye, his own eyes hard. "Listen, Hazelpaw. This isn't a training exercise - this is for real. I need you to run as fast as you can back to camp and get Firestar."

Hazelpaw radiated with nervous fear scent. "Who else should I bring?"

"No one," Brambleclaw replied seriously, "Just Firestar. If anyone else came, if might upset Blackstar into attacking."

Hazelpaw nodded. "You can count on me, Brambleclaw!" With that, the brown and gray streaked apprentice turned and sprinted back towards camp.

As soon as she was gone, Brambleclaw stepped out of the brush and weaved his way through the lakeside, where Hawkfrost was waiting for him.

"Well done, brother," the ice-eyed warrior purred.

The boulder was rolling.

Birchpaw's tail shot up. "Someone's coming!"

Ashfur grabbed him by the scruff and pulled him into the thick brush, just in time. Hazelpaw dashed past them, without a clue to their presence.

"That was close," Birchpaw breathed, "She almost caught us!"

Ashfur's eyes narrowed. "She smelled like fear."

Birchpaw tasted the air. "Now that you mention it..."

Ashfur's pelt bristled. "Breath in again, Birchpaw."

The apprentice took a deep breath, and his brown eyes widened. "RiverClan!"

"Right."

"What's RiverClan doing on our territory?" Birchpaw demanded, flexing his claws. "I say we go fight them!"

"Good idea," Ashfur mewed tentatively, "But before you jump out and fight them, I think we should find out what in StarClan's name is going on. You up for a bit more spying?"

"Yeah." Birchpaw nodded seriously. He followed Ashfur's lead out of the brush and towards the lake.

Hazelpaw tumbled into camp, bursting through the gorse laden entrance gasping for breath, but unwilling to stop. She was running top speed towards Firestar's den, and nothing would stop her from warning her leader and carrying out Brambleclaw's orders - except, that is, for an inconvenient rock.

Hazelpaw tripped and fell forward flat on her face.

"Hazelpaw!" someone grabbed her by the scruff and pulled her to her paws. "Are you alright?"

Hazelpaw dusted herself off, and looked up gratefully at Cloudtail. "Yeah - fine. But I really need to talk to Firestar, it's important, and -"

"Woah, slow down." Cloudtail licked a clump of dust off her shoulder. "What's going on?"

"No time," the apprentice panted. "I have to talk to Firestar!"

Without another word to Cloudtail, she turned and scurried off to her leader's den. Cloudtail frowned, contemplating what would have gotten her so worked up. But being Cloudtail, the whole encounter soon left his head.

The fox trap gleamed silver in the sunhigh light. Hawkfrost grinned maliciously.

"Can you feel the power at your pawtips, Brambleclaw?"

Wild amber eyes turned to meat the ice blue. "Yeah."

Hawkfrost laughed wickedly. "You really are brilliant, my brother. Using your apprentice like that was genius worthy of Father."

Brambleclaw climbed up onto a tall tree branch and hid himself behind a leafy clump. "It was an afterthought, actually."

"So humble," Hawkfrost mused. "Unlike father. However, that can be forgiven. I'm sure he's very pleased with you." He clawed his way up the branch to sit beside his brother. "I'm glad you saw the light, Brambleclaw."

Brambleclaw's eyes held a demonic glow. His mind was going crazy with the surrealism and rushing adrenaline. He smirked.

"So am I."

The two brothers sat together in the tree as they sat on the leaders' branch, waiting for their prey.

"...he's by the lake, near the ShadowClan border, and he's in trouble! So you have to come now, Firestar!"

Firestar was pacing worriedly. "Did Brambleclaw say why I had to come alone?"

"He said it might upset Blackstar," mewed Hazelpaw.

"The reinforcements can hide in the undergrowth -"

"You don't need reinforcements!" the apprentice protested, "You have me - and Brambleclaw! He's already there! I'll bet he's fighting Blackstar on his own as we speak -"

"Hazelpaw, stop." Firestar's brow furrowed as he contemplated the situation, his radiant green eyes blazing. Finally, he seemed to give in to Hazelpaw's logic. "Brambleclaw is already there?"

"That's right. And I'll bet he's fighting Blackstar now. Those mousebrained ShadowClan trespassers will be sorry..."

"Hazelpaw. Go get mouse bile for the elders."

The apprentice's hazel eyes widened. "Wh-what?" she mewed quietly.

"Go get mouse bile for the elders," Firestar repeated impatiently. "I have to go."

"I have to come!" Hazelpaw cried, tears welling in her eyes. "Brambleclaw is in danger, and I was a good messenger!"

"Yes, you were," Firestar praised, "But if Blackstar is really there, then this is too dangerous for you. You need to stop overreacting and go get mouse bile." Attempting to calm her down, he winked and added, "Mouse bile is an apprentice's chore; you should get used to it since you're an apprentice now."

Hazelpaw brightened at the reminder that she was a true apprentice of her Clan - her mentor didn't help her with that often. Suddenly, the chore didn't seem as bad.

"Take care of Brambleclaw," she whispered.

She wasn't sure who she was addressing, the spirits of StarClan or her leader, but Firestar was already gone.

The RiverClan scent was getting stronger. And, more disturbingly to Ashfur, it was becoming mingled with ThunderClan.

"Do you smell that?" Birchpaw inquired fearfully. "RiverClan and ThunderClan... do you think they killed someone?"

"No." Ashfur scanned the undergrowth and treetops for the signs of what he knew he'd find. A pit was growing in his stomach, and he tried his best to swallow the fear creeping up on him. There was only one explanation for the mingled scent, and that explanation meant endless disaster for the Clan. But, remembering his conversation with Squirrelflight and the pure anger in her flashing green eyes, Ashfur decided not to react until he had concrete evidence.

Besides, Ashfur told himself, this could all just be a misunderstanding.

Right. A misunderstanding. As if.

Suddenly, his eyes caught onto two pelts hidden in the branches. He stopped, blinked, and did a double take. The two cats were several foxlengths off, and well hidden, but upon closer inspection the russet brown and dark tabby pelts were unmistakable.

A thrill of anxiety ran through Ashfur as though he'd been dunked in freezing cold water.

"Birchpaw," he rasped.

The apprentice stopped in his tracks. "Ashfur? What's wrong?"

Ashfur tried to compose himself, but he knew he was failing miserably. "Go back to camp."

"What!" The apprentice was indignant. "Something's going on here, and I'm going to find out what! Besides, Hazelpaw already went back!"

Ashfur had a horrible sinking feeling that Hazelpaw had only been sent to get Firestar, but he did not voice this to Birchpaw. "Yeah, she went back, but I think you should too. Actually, it's because you need to do something else." He paused, wondering if what he was doing was wrong. Here he was, about to act against the best interests of his Clan, for the sake of his own pride and desires. He might be as bad as Brambleclaw. But he took a deep breath, and did it anyway.

"I need you to get Squirrelflight."

"Just Squirrelflight?" Birchpaw looked confused. "But don't you need more reinforcements? And why Squirrelflight?"

Ashfur didn't know how to respond. "I... you just have to trust me, Birchpaw."

For a moment, the amber-eyed apprentice stood his ground, torn; in his opinion, his mentor was doing the wrong thing, though Birchpaw believed this was just a misjudgment on his part. But maybe he did have his reasons, and part of being an apprentice was to obey a mentor's orders. Did he respect Ashfur? Yes. But in the end, it boiled down to: did he trust Ashfur?

Yes.

Birchpaw turned and ran back to camp, with the single intention of fetching Squirrelflight.

Firestar darted cautiously through the woods, his mind racing. What was Blackstar doing on their territory? Or was he there at all? Maybe Brambleclaw was mistaken, and it was just a ShadowClan patrol going to far over the border. How had Brambleclaw known it was Blackstar anyhow?

His fiery pelt glowed bright orange in the sunlight as he shot through the undergrowth. A shadow of doubt poisoned the outer edges of his mind. Was it possible his former apprentice had betrayed him?

No. He had trusted Brambleclaw for moons. Ever since that day in Twolegplace, when he had locked eyes with his apprentice, and the two had confirmed their trust in one another. It had been hard, but he had long ago discarded the misgivings he had held against the cat that looked just like his archenemy.

Besides, he thought, how could Brambleclaw be betraying him now? Even if it was a plot or a trap, Firestar knew he could easily escape. Even if he had somehow gotten ShadowClan on his side, he could still make a run for it as a last resort. No, it wasn't betrayal. It couldn't be.

Tasting the air, Firestar caught ThunderClan scent. The holder of the scent was coming towards him fast, and the leader ran up a tree and hid in the branches. Better safe than sorry, he thought. To his surprise, though, it was Birchpaw who crashed out from the undergrowth, dashing at breakneck speed towards camp.

As soon as the apprentice had passed, Firestar leapt back to the ground and resumed his pace. He remembered that Birchpaw and Ashfur had been out training; he assumed that Ashfur had picked up on the same thing Brambleclaw had, and sent his apprentice running back as well. The thought comforted him; he had to loyal warriors facing down the potential threat at the border, whatever the mysterious threat might be.

At last, the glare of the sun reflecting off the lake pricked his eyes. He smelled ThunderClan, as expected, but not ShadowClan. It was... RiverClan? What was going on? Confused, Firestar continued forward, looking around for his warriors.

He paused, and continued moving towards the lakeside.

Ashfur watched his leader from his perch in a nearby tree branch. He had no idea what Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost were planning, but he assumed it was an ambush. He was amazed at their stupidity; after all the lengths the two had gone to formulate their plan, this was it? Firestar was by far a more skilled fighter than either of them, and had the advantage of seven extra lives on his side. The two rebellious brothers didn't stand a chance.

It was for that reason that Ashfur remained hidden. He fought the impulse to leap down and warn his leader before he entered the clearing, the area by the lake where the fox trap was cleverly hidden in the growth by the bank. Warning him would allow the traitor to escape, and not only that, would give the impression that he was framing him. Squirrelflight would never forgive him, he thought with a pang. No, he had to prove his own loyalty, Brambleclaw's treason, and be free with Squirrelflight once and for all.

Despite his reasoning, his heart stopped when Firestar stepped out onto the bank. He waited for the two brothers to spring. He decided he'd allow them to fight for a bit, and then he'd jump in to help his leader like a noble warrior. Soon Birchpaw would be back with Squirrelflight, and then it would all be over. Brambleclaw would be ruined, and he would win.

He heard a slight rustling from Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost's tree, and the brothers leapt.

"Now," whispered Hawkfrost.

The two brothers jumped from the tree, landing on either side of Firestar.

The leader looked from his former apprentice to the RiverClan warrior and back again. His portrayed himself as calm and controlled, the opposite of his racing heart. "Brambleclaw? What's going on?"

Hawkfrost lowered himself into a fighting crouch and barred his teeth. "Justice is going on," he snarled.

Firestar looked to Brambleclaw. "Brambleclaw? You're collaborating with him?" The leader's expression of calm turned to one of not fear, but of disappointment. "I trusted you, Brambleclaw. I didn't think you would truly walk this path."

Brambleclaw's fierce gaze faltered.

"He's trying to distract you, Brambleclaw!" Hawkfrost cried. "Remember what he did to you as an apprentice, and even as a warrior, how he never trusted you!"

Brambleclaw's eyes hardened. His brother was the only one he could trust.

"Brambleclaw," Firestar mewed softly, "What are you doing?"

No, Brambleclaw thought. He had trusted Firestar once. He had been loyal. And Firestar had trusted him in turn. Could he actually go through with killing his leader?

"Brambleclaw, don't falter now!" Hawkfrost urged. "If you stop now, you'll never have Squirrelflight."

Yes, he could. That sealed it. Amber fire flared in Brambleclaw's eyes, and he unsheathed his claws.

"So that's what this is about?" Firestar stared his warrior down. "Brambleclaw, you of all cats should know that there is more to life than just love and ambition."

"Shut up!" Brambleclaw screamed. His mind was being torn in two, as though Hawkfrost and Firestar were playing tug-of-war with his emotions. But then Squirrelflight was added to Hawkfrost's' side, and he could no longer resist. "Shut up!" he yowled, his claws sinking into the ground.

"Attack now!" Hawkfrost commanded.

The two cats lunged at him. Firestar easily dodged, but suddenly found himself tangled in a flurry of deadly claws.

The ThunderClan leader expected to win. He thought the two warriors were rather foolish for attacking him, but mostly, he was disappointed in Brambleclaw. He had been a good warrior, and might even have been leader on his own merits some day. Now, Firestar thought, he would have to exile or kill him.

He suspected that Hawkfrost had influenced Brambleclaw, and sorely wished his former apprentice hadn't meddled with him. He was suspicious of interference on Tigerstar's part as well; he wondered if his archenemy could communicate like StarClan from the Place of No Stars. But there was no time to think on this now; he was too busy evading blows and swiping back in turn.

The flame-pelted leader felt a surge of satisfaction as he landed a swipe across Hawkfrost's ear. He felt like he was winning, and to his credit, it seemed like he was. But the one thing Firestar failed to notice was that he was being driven backwards towards the lake, and slightly to his left.

The great leader of ThunderClan didn't suspect a thing until the cold metal clenched around his neck.

Ashfur watched his leader singlehandedly take on two strong warriors, and felt more than a bit of pride. Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw were done for.

It wasn't until too late that he saw what they were really up to.

NO! Ashfur was paralyzed. This wasn't happening, this wasn't happening... no, it was. Do something, mousebrain!

He would save Firestar.

Pain erupted in Firestar's neck. He felt the foxtrap - he still had enough wits about him to realize it for what it was - digging into his throat. He felt the blood running down his shoulders, and his vision swam, and began to darken.

"Brambleclaw..." The vibrant green eyes closed, and the leader shuddered as he lost his first life.

"Well done, my brother," Hawkfrost panted. Icy eyes watched the dying leader with satisfaction.

But Brambleclaw didn't feel satisfaction. He wanted to feel triumph; he expected to feel triumph - but all he felt was a cold, hard hole in his chest.

It was wrong. He was wrong. Everything was wrong.

His leader was dying in front of him. And it was his fault.

No. It had to be, for the good of the Clan, for the good of Squirrelflight...

But Firestar trusted me...

But he had to die!

Squirrelflight will hate me...

She won't know!

His last word was my name...

And now he's dying...

And only I can save him...

"No!" Brambleclaw yowled. Something within him shattered. Tears assaulted his eyes, and as though he wasn't in control of his own body, he ran forward to his leader's aide.

He dug frantically at the foxtrap's wire, scattering soil all around. Hang on, Firestar, I'm coming...

"Brambleclaw! Stop!" Hawkfrost grabbed him by the scruff and threw him backwards. 'You can't turn back now -"

"I can do whatever I want!" Brambleclaw glared up at him with eyes fiercer than ever before. "And you can't control me."

With a hiss, Hawkfrost leapt at him. Brambleclaw dodged, and tore at his brother's side. With a yowl, Hawkfrost slashed the side of his face, drawing blood, and the two fell backwards away from each other.

"I'll kill you if you betray me," Hawkfrost hissed.

Brambleclaw looked over at Firestar. He was losing his third life - his fifth remaining. Time was running out.

Was he doing the right thing now?

He didn't know.

Hawkfrost lunged again, soaring high through the air. Brambleclaw ducked and rolled away from his leap, and his half-brother soared right over his head. For a moment, Brambleclaw wondered how Hawkfrost had been so far off his mark, and then realized that he hadn't been the target.

In one swift movement, Hawkfrost knocked the unprepared Ashfur to the ground. The gray-furred warrior had been trying to dig out his leader, but was now pinned helplessly under Hawkfrost's weight.

Tigerstar's youngest son sighed melodramatically. "I guess I have to kill you," he meowed, as if it was an every day bother.

Brambleclaw again felt himself torn in two. For moons, he'd wanted nothing more than to see Ashfur dead, and now his half-brother was on the verge of killing him. But Brambleclaw had also just realized that he had betrayed his Clan and killed his leader, and now, in sudden selflessness and with a surreal feeling that he was going to die anyways, he chose to do the unthinkable.

He chose to save Ashfur.

Ashfur, the cat who had stolen Squirrelflight from him, Ashfur who had always been suspicious of him, Ashfur who had always mocked him, degraded him, berated him, and looked down on him. He was going to save him.

Out of the corner of his icy eye, Hawkfrost saw his brother coming. Without second thought, he drove his claws into Ashfur's throat.

Ashfur screamed. His yowl rang through the trees, making the leaves quiver, animals scamper into their dens, froze the air around them and shook Brambleclaw to his core.

"No!" He charged at Hawkfrost and knocked him away. Hawkfrost stood aside willingly, his eyes glinting.

"You wanted him dead, brother. Now everything is as we wished."

Brambleclaw shook his head numbly, tears pricking his eyes. What had he done? Somehow, through all his hatred of Ashfur, he had never meant for him to die. He had just meant to take Squirrelflight back and leave his rival coughing in the dust, but never to die. He had never wanted anyone to die. Not Ashfur, not Firestar, not Ripplepaw, not Mistyfoot, not Reedwhisker... Brambleclaw's eyes widened his he realized how many cats had died while he followed his brother and father in an ambitious trance.

"Brambleclaw..." Ashfur's glazed blue eyes bored into his fellow warrior. He squeezed them shut and coughed up blood.

"Ashfur, no..." Tears were for the weak, Brambleclaw knew that, but he couldn't stop one from straying from his eyes. "I... never meant for this... I didn't..."

In all the stories of warriors past, of enemies and rivals, when a cat sat by his dying rival's side, there was generally a moment of forgiveness. Somewhere inside of him, Brambleclaw hoped that Ashfur would forgive him now, and would express this before departing to StarClan. He didn't know if he could live with himself if he wasn't pardoned by the cat he'd wronged the most.

But in his last moments, Ashfur's deep blue eyes were cold and hard. Eyes that had once resembled the beautiful sea at sun-drown-place were now drowning in anger and pain. Hate was written across his face, and for a moment Brambleclaw was terrified that the powerful hatred would be etched into his features for all eternity. But suddenly, Ashfur seemed to relax. His eyes softened back to their sea-like state, as though one could float gently in their depths. He let out a quiet breath, closed his eyes, and didn't breathe again.

Now Brambleclaw truly, his tears dripping down onto the bloodstained gray fur. "Ashfur..."

"Brambleclaw, get up!" Hawkfrost's cruel voice jerked him out of his sorrow. "You need to get back to camp now and warn your Clan! You need to move on with the plan! Forget him!"

Brambleclaw stood up and wordlessly moved over to Firestar. He could tell just by a brief glance that his leader was already gone. His lives had been sucked away by the fox trap, and the flame-pelted leader who had been the light of ThunderClan lay limp in the silver loop. Brambleclaw's heart tightened, and he felt like falling to the ground and dying then and there. This was his fault, all his fault...

But why was it his fault? Hawkfrost. Hawkfrost had misled him. Hawkfrost had made him do this. He whirled around on his half brother, his eyes fierce and wild.

"Have you really turned on me, Brambleclaw?"

Brambleclaw responded with a lunge. Claws unsheathed, he made a leap at Hawkfrost's throat.

But it was never that easy. Hawkfrost side-stepped and returned the gesture, slashing at his side.

"You understand, Brambleclaw, that you have to die now," Hawkfrost whispered.

Again Brambleclaw didn't respond, instead attacking with rage and anguish. He swiped, bit, tore, and clawed, but barely landed a blow through his blurred and swimming vision. He felt like his mind was about to tear in two and his heart shatter to thousands of pieces, and the only way to appease his inner screams was to tear Hawkfrost to pieces.

He let out a yowl of pure anguish, and dove again at Hawkfrost. He landed on top of him and somersaulted with him into the lake, flailing and clawing all the way. The two stood, up to their chests in water, and continued the fight to the death.

Water splashed and sprayed, tinged with drops of scarlet. Brambleclaw felt his blood flowing into the lake, and watched as it trailed across and merged with Hawkfrost's. He realized truly in that moment that they were brothers - with the same blood, same father. Before that would have stopped him from laying a paw on Hawkfrost, but now he was so overcome with fury and grief that nothing would stand in his path.

Not even the pressing water or the crimson stains.

With another cry, Brambleclaw leapt at Hawkfrost, and lost himself in a frenzy of deadly claws.

They say that blood is thicker than water. Brambleclaw of all cats knew this to be true. Blood had pulled him out of his life and turned him into a traitor. But water, as he discovered, was also rather thick, as it held him back from his target of Hawkfrost's throat.

There was a word to describe Brambleclaw then and there, a word that chronicled his life since the day Squirrelflight chose Ashfur.

Incogitance.

Incogitance is thoughtlessness, unreasonableness, and to be lost in emotion. Thoughtlessly he had followed Hawkfrost and Tigerstar's path of blood and tears. Unreasonably he had taken innocent lives. And now, lost in emotion, he fought for it all back.

Because Incogitance also means want of thought and the power to think, and before then, Brambleclaw had given that power away. He had been duped into wanting different power, the power to lead a Clan to greatness with the she-cat of his dreams at his side, but in the process had lost a more important power - control of himself. And it was rushing back to him like a raging river, washing over his spirit and driving him at Hawkfrost with more force than he had ever possessed.

He pinned Hawkfrost underwater and dug his claws into his shoulder blades. For the first time since giving himself to his brother and father, Brambleclaw took a life without second thought. He sank his claws and teeth into Hawkfrost's throat and kept them there, even as their heads reemerged from the water. He watched not with satisfaction, but with a sense of freedom, as those cold, icy eyes glazed over with hatred and stillness.

"You...traitor," Hawkfrost hissed, blood staining his teeth.

Traitor. Brambleclaw knew he was a traitor. He had betrayed his Clan, and now his family. But it didn't matter anymore. He was lightheaded, dizzy, and free.

Hawkfrost went limp in his jaws. Brambleclaw dragged the two of them onto the bank of the lake, and collapsed.

And then he cried. He burried his nose in Hawkfrost's fur, and cried. It wasn't until he saw his own blood leaking onto his half brother's fur that he realized his own injuries. He wondered absently if they were life threatening, but it didn't matter. If he died, so be it. He deserved it.

He rested his muzzle on Hawkfrost's side, each of them wet and bloody. Brambleclaw was more confused and lost than when this whole thing started, and it made him want to tear himself to shreds.

That was how Squirrelflight found him, wet and distraught on the lake running red with blood.

A/N: long chapter, I know. Longest yet, I think. There just wasn't a stopping point anywhere. Sorry if I lost anyone in my mess of breaks and scene changes, or any of the other crazy things that make sense in my head but might not in yours. The scene changes and description were supposed to make it exciting, so I hope I didn't confuse anyone. Take note, though: if Brambleclaw's distressed thoughts don't make sense to you, that's okay. I'm not sure they make sense to him either.

That made me really, really sad. It especially killed me to kill Firestar, because I adore him... but I'll stop now, in case there are any cheaters who scrolled to the bottom without reading the chapter. You know who you are.

Next chapter: epilogue, Squirrelflight reflects.