Wow, more than a dozen reviews total. I'm so HAPPY:)

Thank you everybody!

Now, on to the story.

Disclaimer: If I owned warriors, it wouldn't be anywhere near as successful as it is now :)

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Almost as soon as she entered the hollow Ashfur came bounding up to her. He opened his mouth to say something, and instead yowled, "What in Starclan is that?!" His fur fluffed out so he looked twice his size, and he stood spitting at the bundle in Squirrelflight's mouth. Almost instinctively she bristled as well, protecting the helpless bundle of fur in her teeth. This is for Comet.

All eyes in the hollow immediately turned toward her, and a shocked silence greeted her.

As she padded up to the highledge, and from there to Firestar's den. Hisses and curses were spat at her, but mainly to the pup. Then the sea of cats parted, showing Leafpool padding up to her, her eyes wide and surprised.

"Thank Starclan you're alive," she whispered in her sister's ear. Then, examining the pup, she asked, "What's this?" There was no hostility in her voice, only curiosity.

Pointing with her tail, Squirrelflight continued on, promising explanations with that simple gesture.

Looking back, Leafpool saw Brambleclaw narrow his eyes coldly at Ashfur. Not wanting a fight to break out, she beckoned Brambleclaw with her tail to follow them. Standing, he nodded at the medicine cat, and then padded out to going them. Together they entered their leaders den.

Firestar was staring out into space, seeing something none of them could see. Leafpool cleared her throat, and her father jolted out of his revere.

"You really should warn me before you enter," he sounded tired, but there was amusement in his voice.

His eyes passed over Brambleclaw and came to rest on Squirrelflight. Padding over to her, he bent his head to brush his muzzle along her side, then drew back as if he just smelled dog, and just realized there was one in his den.

Blinking in surprise, he narrowed his eyes distrustingly at the pup, then rounded angrily and growled angrily at Squirrelflight, "What is the meaning of this?!" His claws sheathed and unsheathed, making scratching noises against the stone floor of the den.

Out of the corner of her eye, Squirrelflight saw Brambleclaw unsheathe his claws as well, as if to protect her if need be. She felt a warm giddiness arise inside of her, but didn't if it humiliation of letting some other warrior fight for her, of happiness.

Setting the pup on the ground, Squirrelflight stepped protectively over him. Raising her head unflinchingly, she said, "This is Comet's pup."

"Pup?" Firestar asked, momentarily distracted.

"It's what dogs call their kits." Squirrelflight explained.

Nodding in understanding, he asked brusquely, "And why is it here?" Pointing with his tail for emphasis at Leafpool, he continued, "And yet you've brought one of its kit's here, endangering us all. What happens when its mother finds out, or when it grows up?! Have you forgotten what happened to Bluestar?" His fur was standing on end and his lips were pulled back into a snarl.

Squirrelflight cringed, but did not break her protective stance over the pup. As if it helped the situation, the pup whimpered.

Looking straight into her leader's eyes, she replied, "Of course I haven't. No one will ever forget Bluestar. As for the pups mother, she is dead." Or soon will be, she thought bitterly.

Firestar's eyes softened and he sat, showing them they should do the same. "Alright," he said after a minute of studying the shivering bundle at Squirrelflight's feet. "Tell me what happened."

Nodding gratefully, Squirrelflight began her story, beginning at when she left camp to when she returned, sharing her suspicions, thoughts, and feelings of the dog that had found a place in her heart. By the time she has finished, the sun had gone down, and Firestar's eyes had widened with surprise and understanding. Leafpool seemed to be pondering something, and Brambleclaw still looked like he wanted to drive the dog from camp and back to its dead mother.

"The prophecy says," she whispered, concluding her tale. "That enemies will become our allies, and in the background was pack, pack, kill, kill. What if that had been a hint instead of a warning of what our ally was and is supposed to be."

Squirrelflight saw Firestar was thinking over what she had said. "That could be true, but it could be we would raise an enemy that will know all of or secrets. And many of the clan will remember the last time there was a wild dog pack roaming out territory; Cloudtail, Ferncloud, and Ashfur to name a few. Their grudges are probably still way to high to look at a dog without feeling anger, let alone let one into our clan."

Squirrelflight inwardly cringed. She remembered the stories she had been told about Brindleface, the gentle and caring mother, killed by Tigerstar to get Comets mates pack a taste of cat meat. Firestar was right, what was she thinking. A dog in a cat clan. A tale for kits to laugh at, not some answer to a danger looming over them all.

But then she thought of what Comet had said….and not said. How had she known her name? Known there was more of her kin, enough of them to be a clan. She had known Midnight. She hadn't lied. She was connected to the clan already, the father of her pup had been an enemy to Tigerstar, and now his son might be an enemy to Tigerstar's treacherous son Hawkfrost. She had to try.

For Comet. For the Clan.

Standing up straight and confidently, and looking Firestar straight in the eye, she tried a different tactic, one she knew would definitely help the helpless bundle at her paws be accepted. "We've got to try. They'll have to put aside their grudges aside, and learn to love."

Firestar gasped, and Squirrelflight knew he had caught what she had said. Another part of the prophecy. She smiled inwardly at her move.

Narrowing his eyes as if he knew she had planned on saying it, he told her, "We'll see." Turning toward Leafpool, he asked, "Leafpool, have you had a sign from Starclan?" To Squirrelflight it seemed like from his tone he knew the answer already.

Shaking her head, she replied, "No, but its Half-moon in a few days."

Nodding his head as if he had reached a decision, he told the group, "Then it's decided. The kit will stay until after Leafpool's trip to Moonpool. If we get a sign before then, or then, whether or not to keep it, we'll go from there." Looking at Squirrelflight once more, he told her, "You brought it, you can tell the clan about it." Standing up, he dismissed them, then beckoned with his tail for Squirrelflight to follow him.

The fact that she now had to re-tell her story all over again was more than she wanted to bear. Knowing her emotions, Leafpool shot her sister a reassuring glance. She nodded, grateful, then glanced at Brambleclaw. The tom hadn't said anything during her narrative, and was now staring coldly at the pup in her jaws. What happened to the Brambleclaw of this afternoon. She thought sadly. Then, almost ashamed, she thought, what happened to the Brambleclaw I loved.

There. She admitted it. She had realized it during the fight of the badgers, when Leafpool had returned with Crowfeather. She could have never left the clan with Ashfur, but she had already with Brambleclaw, when he was chosen to go to the sun-drown place, and she hadn't even loved him then.

She saw Ashfur approach her, his mouth opening to ask questions Squirrelflight wasn't sure she could or would be able to answer.

To her relief Firestar stepped in front of him, growling, "Wait until after the meeting." Ashfur nodded, giving Squirrelflight one last level look before padding over to Cloudtail and Daisy.

The she-cat noted that Brambleclaw had turned his cold gaze from the pup, and had fixed it on Ashfur instead. Squirrelflight shivered at his open hospitality. You just admitted you loved him, her conscious reminded her.

Firestar jumped atop highledge and yowled the familiar summoning, but there was no need. All the cats were already there, glaring at the pup with unconcealed hatred. Squirrelflight gulped, the enormity of the task soaking in. How was she going to make them accept him. They already hated him, and he was only a couple days old. Almost as if he knew he was being glared at, he wriggled, trying to hide himself in her orange fur.

Ignoring the penetrating stares from her clan mates, she scrambled atop highledge, slipping awkwardly thanks to the heavy burden in her mouth. Turning to face her clan, she was Leafpool give her another encouraging nod. Squirrelflight acknowledged it with a twitch of her tail, then set down the pup. Then, raising her head, she opened her mouth to speak.

Before she could utter a single mew, several cats began yowling and spiting their disapproval. Firestar yowled to silence them, but it took several minutes for the clan to actually quiet down

"What in Starclan is going on, Firestar?" Dustpelt yowled. "Why are you letting this piece of filth enter out camp. We should drive it back to its two-legs."

Squirrelflight's pelt bristled. A protective instinct rose in her, something different than what she had ever experienced before. Is this what a mother feels for her kits?

Cloudtail's angry yowl came next. "Don't you remember why Brindleface was murdered? That filth Tigerstar killed her to give that things kind a taste for us. Remembered what happened to Brightheart? To Bluestar? Keep that worthless filth here and that may happen to any of us!"

Yowls broke out again, this time laced with fear. Firestar had to once again fight to make his voice heard.

Once he did, he said, "Before another of you ask what is going to happen, listen to what my daughter has to say." Turning his head to her, he backed up, indicating she should begin.

Not used to seeing all her clan mates from such a height, her vision swam. When she could see clearly once more, she was Brambleclaw staring at her intently, nothing in his gaze suggesting hostility. Realizing she was staring right at him, he allowed an encouraging nod to break through his stony disposition, and then smiled.

Surprised and pleased, she took a breath, then once again began her tale. Murmurs broke out when she mentioned Comet, but other than that there was silence.

When she had told her story to her father, she still hadn't been sure she was doing the right thing. Now she strove to make her clan mates understand, to accept the pup she had argued to protect.

As she finished her narrative, she saw some of the queens, past and now, glancing sympathetically at the helpless creature at her paws. Some of the warriors were pondering at what they had heard, while some still glanced distrustfully at it.

Firestar stepped forward to tell them what they had decided, and Squirrelflight saw Brambleclaw nodding his at her, looking proud and angry at the same time. What's with him? She thought.

As Firestar finished speaking, yowls broke out once more, but Squirrelflight noticed half of the clan cats were silent, now unsure of what they believed.

Leafpool thrust herself forward, opening her mouth to say something. A quiet hush had come over the cats, all seeing what their medicine cat was about to say.

Taking a deep breath, Leafpool raised her voice loud enough for all to hear. "Starclan send us signs and prophecies that may never make sense until they actually happen. I will ask them, however if they mean this dog to be our ally." She knew it didn't sound very firm, but it was the best she had at the moment.

A voice in the back asked a question that seemed to be on everybody's mind. "Will they answer you? After all you did. Leaving you life as a medicine cat for love, and from a different clan at that. Will Starclan still think you loyal?"

Squirrelflight knew this comment had hurt her deeper than she showed, but before Leafpool could answer Sorreltail spoke from the nursery.

"If Starclan don't accept her as a medicine cat, then they shouldn't be able to accept anybody. Leafpool showed her loyalty when she returned. How many cats would've been able to do that. Not many."

Leafpool nodded, her whisker twitching in thanks.

Nobody opposed her after that, but not all would reconcile letting the pup stay.

"Who will nurse him? He's already larger than a two week old kit!" Mousefur asked from the back?

Squirrelflight looked pleadingly towards Sorreltail, but the she cat wouldn't meat her eyes. Almost everybody had turned their attention back to Firestar when she unexpectedly spoke up.

"I'll do it. I'll nurse the thing." Her voice sounded indifferent, but underneath Leafpool could see she was uncertain.

Nodding gratefully, Squirrelflight picked up the pup and jumped from highledge. Landing crookedly, she rose again and walked towards the nursery.

Without meeting the clan's stares, some shocked and some approving, Sorreltail took the pup, then padded back into the den.

Firestar cleared his throat, and stares slowly turned back to their leader. "So, it is decided. It will stay until half-moon, then we'll go from there."

Flicking his tail in clear dismissal, he met up with Sandstorm, and together the padded to his den, conversing in low voices.

For a moment it was silent, then cats broke up into groups, talking together and glancing at the nursery. Some still looked angry, some still uncertain.

Squirrelflight was about to enter the nursery when a voice said warningly, "I wouldn't, if I were you." She turned and saw Brambleclaw staring at her, his amber eyes betraying nothing.

Before she could retaliate, Brambleclaw explained, "She's probably still uncertain about her decision, give her peace."

"Oh, aren't you the smart one," she shot at him, but turned away from the nursery and towards the warriors den, just realizing how tired she really was. It seemed like moons ago she had wandered away from camp.

Climbing into the den, she settled down to sleep, her mind still whirling with what had happened. She dimly heard Brambleclaw refusing Ashfur entry, and was amused by his protectiveness.

The last thing she remembered before sinking into the slumber of sleep was an image of Comet, healed and magnificent, lowering her proud head humbly and whispering, "Thanks"

That's when sleep claimed her.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Well, that was difficult. I really wanted to get it over with, cuz I really want to get to the part where the pup gets to start training. I was also getting very tired of calling him "bundle of fur" or "it" or "the pup."

But, here ya go!

Happy Veterans Day!

Oh, yeah. You don't think Brambleclaw would forgive her so easily? I thought so. There still "enemies." He'll get nicer…..maybe.

Until next chappie:)

BlindSeer.