2- Judgement.

Every pawstep was a struggle. Even though the pup was malnourished, it became increasingly heavy during the way back. It was getting close to the evening and Brackenfur and Tawnypaw had only just made it to the camp tunnel entrance. The pair were quite surprised to see Sandstorm, Mousefur and Thornpaw standing outside its front entrance.

"We decided to wait for you…" Thornpaw mumbled without making eye contact. All around their paws was the prey they had collected earlier in the day, including Brackenfur and Tawnypaw's catches. The golden-brown warrior was about to voice his gratitude, but he was unfortunately interrupted by the wining of the pup. It hadn't made a single noise since Snakerocks, but now it was crying again.

"If it continues on like this, cats all the way in StarClan will go deaf!" Mousefur snorted. "Come on, let's get this over with." She bent down to pick up her prey and trotted through the tunnel. Brackenfur and Tawnypaw stared at the party, completely dumbfounded. They couldn't tell whose side their clan mates were on.

"I hope you know what you are doing, Brackenfur…" Sandstorm murmured as she also followed though the tunnel with her prey in her mouth, Thornpaw at a whisker-length behind.

I wish I knew what I was doing, too.

Straightening himself with a final deep breath, Brackenfur pushed his way into the clearing, his apprentice right behind him. This is it. The anxious warrior felt all of his muscles tense, ready for the confrontation he had in front of him.

When they entered through, everything had seemed normal as the golden tom padded through the gorse tunnel. Warriors were sharing tongues with each other after their evening meal, the elders were gossiping around their old stump and the apprentices were squabbling playfully off to the side. Just as the golden warrior began to relax, the pup let out its' loudest wail ever. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look in the direction of where the pitiful cry had come from. Almost at once, they began to spit and bristle.

"Is that a… dog?"

"What the-?!"

"Brackenfur, what in the name of StarClan?!"

The golden-brown warrior felt as if he had mouse bile in his throat. Oh, why didn't he think this over? Tawnypaw looked up at him helplessly, as if pleading for him to say something to the allegations. I don't know! He had no idea how to respond to everyone, and when Firestar soon emerged from the base of Highrock, Brackenfur couldn't move. The red-pelted leader padded slowly to him with a bewildered and shocked expression on his face. His mouth kept opening and closing with nothing coming out, clearly at a loss for words. Brackenfur then noticed Sandstorm emerge from the steadily growing crowd of cats. The pale she-cat and Firestar exchanged a look that only they seemed to understand.

"Brackenfur… what is the meaning of this?" Firestar meowed eventually, his expression now unreadable. Brackenfur took a nervous, deep breath, deciding that it would be best to start from the beginning.

"Well, while I was out with my hunting patrol, Thornpaw had picked up an unfamiliar scent." He gave a quick glance to the brown apprentice whose amber eyes were boring holes into his paws. "We followed the trail to a crevice in Snakerocks and that's where I found this pup." He looked down and prodded the thing slightly and it twitched its' paw feebly in response. "I was shocked to see a pup to be left alone, its' littermates already turned to carrion. It was clear that it was going to die, but I wasn't sure what to do with it so I decided that it would be best to bring it to Thun-"

"Bring it ThunderClan so we could take care of it? Is that it?" A young, white warrior by the name of Cloudtail yelled. He got up and moved towards Lostface to protectively stand in front of her. "You want us to raise a killer to murder us all?" Brackenfur knew that he was hinting about what happen to Lostface when the dog pack was loose in the forest not too long ago. She used to be a beautiful she-cat, but now half of the side of her face had no fur, eye or ear; just pink, faded brutal scars and gorges. It was the result of the devastating dog attack when she was an apprentice. She was lucky to be alive, unlike Swiftpaw sadly. The golden warrior looked on sullenly at the she-cat of interest. She was staring at the pup in terror and her body was shaking uncontrollably.

"No, of course not!" Mind racing, Brackenfur quickly tried to retrace his steps. "What I meant was that I thought… if we could just perhaps umm…" He let out a hiss of frustration, more so directed at himself and his lack of hindsight. "Look, I couldn't just leave the thing!"

"Yes you could have," A cat whom Brackenfur could not see growled.

"Is this how we want to show off ThunderClan?" Darkstripe yowled from the side of the group. "To show that we're nothing but a bunch of kittypets with dogs, cripples, and warriors who ignore the warrior code? I say we get that thing out of here now!" Before Tigerstar, formerly Tigerclaw then, had been sent to exile, Darkstripe, Dustpelt and Longtail had been his closest friends. Dustpelt and Longtail lost a lot of their hostility towards others since then, but it appeared that Darkstripe still held venom on his tongue towards anything and everyone.

"All in all, it is up to Firestar to make the final decisions, not you, Darkstripe." Cinderpelt, the medicine cat of ThunderClan growled, obviously offended at being called a cripple. The dark warrior's only rebuttal was a hefty grunt as he turned his head. When Cinderpelt was an apprentice, she injured her leg badly beyond repair. Knowing that she could never be a warrior, she turned to the duty of a medicine cat. The gray she-cat then averted her gaze from the dark tabby to her leader. "So Firestar, what do you think we should do?"

Firestar glanced from his former apprentice, to Brackenfur, and then gave an especially long look to his deputy, Whitestorm. His green eyes then wandered down to the pup on the ground, his face remaining unreadable. The ginger tom then stood up and beckoned the golden warrior forward with his tail. Brackenfur quietly obeyed, briefly picking up the emaciated pup with him. Now at a closer distance, the young warrior saw that his leader's green eyes were faintly tinted at the rims with commiseration.

"Brackenfur," Firestar began, his voice as cool as the wind, "I know how you must be feeling. It's hard to watch something suffer when you know that there is something you can do to help. But this…" The red tom gestured to the limp bundle at Brackenfur's paws. "This is something completely different." Firestar then glanced to Whitestorm. "Does the warrior code even allow the coddling of anything other than a cat?"

The wise deputy's brows furrowed thoughtfully. "I don't know." He meowed at length.

"Firestar…" Graystripe began, his ears flat with hesitation. "While it is… unfortunate what happened to this pup, aren't we suffering badly enough as it is?" Firestar gave his best friend a long look, his eyes briefly flashing of guilt.

"Graystripe's right," Sandstorm put in. "Leaf-bare is fast approaching and prey is already scare as it is, due to the fire."

"Not to mention that Tigerstar could be plotting his next attack, and we need to be ready if he strikes." Longtail growled, his tail thrashing. There were many murmurs of agreement as one by one, cats began to list points that ThunderClan needed to have their focus on. They didn't need the added stress of dealing with something so… unconventional in their clan.

"And to point out the obvious, that thing nearly destroyed us a few days ago!" Cloudtail spat, his mouth ajar in the beginnings of a snarl.

"It was Tigerstar that almost caused our fall," Whitestorm interrupted, his yellow eyes gleaming in the collecting sunset. "The dogs were just an indirect pawn to his treachery."

"And it wasn't this exact dog!" Brackenfur protested. He had to force the fur on his neck to lie flat, the battle of the future of this dog kept wavering dangerously and he couldn't tell what the endgame was going to be. The golden warrior turned his attention back to his leader and dipped his head. StarClan, please don't let them take this the wrong way! "With all due respect, Firestar and Cloudtail, I'll use you as an honest example." He heard an incredulous hiss come from the white warrior whereas Firestar flicked an ear questioningly.

"Go on," The flamed tom pressed.

"Despite the reputation that kittypets have," Brackenfur began, his whiskers twitching anxiously. "We have proof right here that not all kittypets are lazy and asinine." Cloudtail's blue eyes flashed with hot anger while Firestar frowned. Wait, no! That came out so wrong! "Sorry-! I didn't mean that you are still kittypets, because you're not! You're formidable warriors now, despite where you came from." Taking a deep breath, the golden tom forced himself to relax. "What I'm trying to say is that, it's not fair to judge the actions of one due to the actions of many. If we did… you both wouldn't be standing here now."

"Don't compare me and Firestar to the likes of a mangy, crow-food ridden mutt!" Cloudtail scathed, clearly having none of what Brackenfur was saying. Firestar lashed his tail to quiet his outspoken nephew.

An older, white she-cat by the name of Frostfur then padded forward. "But even so… what's done is done. Brackenfur brought it," She pointed with a paw to the pup. "to ThunderClan. We all see it, and the state that it is in. I can't say I'm comfortable with this but, if we cast it away now… won't we be no better than rogues?" More murmurs spread throughout the group of cats, only this time it was unease that edged their mews. How could the clan turn away from a creature that was clearly suffering and pretend that they had never saw anything?

A disdainful sniff arose from a dark-furred tom. "Are we seriously considering this right now?" Dustpelt muttered. "Raising a dog, in a clan?"

"Well, maybe we don't have to keep it in ThunderClan forever." A small, pale gray she-cat mewed quietly to Dustpelt. "Perhaps we can just nurse it until it's healthy enough to fend for itself."

"Great thinking, Fernpaw." Frostfur meowed and the young apprentice licked her chest in embarrassment in response. Brackenfur felt his heart race like a rabbit being chased for prey, for he couldn't believe what was happening before him. Are cats actually trying to reason with me?

"If we must, I also agree on this option," Cinderpelt put in. "It cannot be the will of StarClan to let us watch this creature helplessly die, but it also cannot be the will of StarClan to let us bring a dog into the ways of the warrior code."

"Then it's settled." Firestar concurred, nodding swiftly. It was clear that the ginger leader was relieved to finally reach a conclusion. "Cinderpelt, please do everything in your paws to nurse this pup back to health until it is fit to leave. In the meantime, cats of ThunderClan," He paused to give a look around to all his warriors. "I know this is shocking to us all, but as of right now, this dog is to remain in camp, where it will not be harmed." Many cats began muttering to each other once more, their faces a mix of disbelief, anger and fear.

No way! On the other paw, Brackenfur couldn't keep his jaw from slackening. We're going to keep it!

"What?! But it's a dog! Why are we-"

"It will not be harmed," Firestar repeated, his yowl silencing Cloudtail's outburst. "This is no longer up for debate." The white warrior grumbled colorful words underneath his breath as he stalked off to the warriors den, Lostface following him after a heartbeat of hesitation. Many other cats in the clearing took his departure as the end to the unofficial clan meeting and began to break up into smaller groups to discuss the latest turn of events.

Cinderpelt, however, moved to Brackenfur to pick up the pitiful bundle of fur from his paws. With a single flick of her tail, the gray she-cat directed them both towards the medicine cat den and the golden brown warrior grimaced at the sight of how unnaturally the pup dangled limply in her jowls. He was about to panic when he thought the poor scrap died during the confrontation, but then it opened its tiny pink mouth in a silent cry. It's still fighting to survive, he noted with a strange burst of pride. Brackenfur then horrified himself when he thought from a moment that the pup looked somewhat adorable, despite its emaciated state.

On the way to the den, the golden warrior heard a she-cat yell, "Are we going to give it a name?" He turned his head in time to see Firestar freeze and shift on uneasy paws at the question. The ginger tom exchanged a look with his deputy and it was Whitestorm who finally answered several heartbeats later.

"No," The wise tom meowed firmly. "If we name it, we might become attached."

"Attached, to a dog?" Someone out of sight yowled. "As if!"

Although it was not directed at him, Brackenfur purposefully ignored the sneer and slipped into the medicine cat den with Cinderpelt. Gently, the she-cat laid the pup down on an empty moss bed and began to inspect it immediately. The ginger tom watched her face screw in a deep grimace as she lightly pawed and sniffed at the scrap of fur.

"This is bad." She mewed quietly, her blue eyes full of concern. "I don't know anything about the structure of dogs but I know a dangerously sick animal when I see one." From out of nowhere, Brackenfur watched in horror as the medicine cat nipped at the helpless pup's tail.

The golden tom felt his fur beginning to bristle with anger. "Cinderpelt! Why did you do-"

"Hush," The she-cat completely dismissed his yowl with a flick of her tail. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" The golden warrior growled, still upset that the she-cat had bit his pup for no reason. Wait… my pup?

"Exactly," Cinderpelt continued, as she stood up and began to frantically rummage though her herb stores. "A quiet kit might as well be a dead kit and if this pup isn't responding to any stimuli, then this really bad news." Brackenfur's expression quickly changed from anger to dismay at hearing her words.

"Then what can I do to help?!" He rasped, his amber eyes burning like the sun with determination. I did not go through all of this hassle just for you to die!

"For a start, lick its fur the wrong way to get the blood flowing properly." Cinderpelt ordered through the chewing of some herbs. Brackenfur didn't wait to be told twice as he dived down into the moss with the pup and began to vigorously lick at its fur. The golden tom was startled by just how cold the pup was and how different its fur felt on his tongue as compared to a cat's. It was short and almost prickly, as opposed to the longevity and smoothness that he was used to. Throughout his licking, Brackenfur discovered that the little pup was a tom. Err… male, I guess. I don't know if male dogs are called toms but if they are, does that mean that female dogs are called she-dogs? And if these supposed she-dogs are expecting, would they be called queens, too? Mind spinning with questions Brackenfur knew he wouldn't get the answers to, the golden warrior continued to dampen the pup with his saliva.

Together, he and Cinderpelt worked arduously throughout the rest of the evening on the pup. At several points, many cats tried to peek their way into the den to see what was going on but Cinderpelt had sent them away with nothing more than an aggravated hiss. Once her chosen herbs were chewed into a fine pulp, the medicine cat pried the poor scrap's mouth open, put them in and rubbed at the pup's throat so that it would swallow. She then did something similar with some moss drenched in water. With approval, Brackenfur mimicked her actions by sacrificing what would have been his share of fresh-kill to give to the pup. He needs it more than I do.

When the moon was halfway up in the starry sky, the cats finally took their first break.

"Now what?" Brackenfur asked, his tongue slightly sore from being overworked.

"We wait and hope for the best," Cinderpelt answered simply, shuffling to sit down. "That's all we can do at this point." Brackenfur noted how the gray she-cat was trying to remain business-like and formal but he noticed the haunted and anxious look creeping at the corner of her blue eyes.

"Thank you," Brackenfur suddenly blurted. "I know this isn't exactly what you wanted to be a part of but… I appreciate you helping anyways."

"Not like I was given a choice," She muttered. "But even so… I respect Firestar's wish, as I too believe that it is the best course of action we can take right now." She looked over at Brackenfur and the pup and gave a small, wiry smirk. "You look like a queen, protecting her kit from the dangers of the outside world."

The golden warrior felt his pelt flush with hot embarrassment. As he looked down, he didn't even realize that he had pressed the pup close to his flank, with his tail wrapped defensively around the sodden form. He started to make an effort to move away but Cinderpelt halted him with a raised tail.

"Don't," She meowed. "He needs warmth and you're the best cat to provide it from him right now. You'll have to stay in my den for tonight." Relieved, but still embarrassed, Brackenfur settled back down and curled once more around the pup. He relaxed when he felt the tiny, rhythmic heart beat of the pup beside him and somehow pulled himself closer to the poor thing. Exhausted from the eventfully day, the golden tom felt himself slipping easily into sleep. There was, however, one particular thought that wouldn't stop pestering him like a bothersome bee buzzing in his ears.

Don't become attached?

He gave an inward, dry chortle, thinking back to the jab from one of his clanmates.

Too late.

Next Chapter

ThunderClan finds it difficult to adjust to life with their new, unwanted guest.