A New Era
YO! Thanks all you guys who reviewed! Chapter 10 is out! Whoo-hoo! Chapter 10! Double digits! Did I ever tell you that chapter 10 continues the story?! (Duh…) But this time, it will be in Brightheart's POV! Brightheart will explain the 'meeting' for you guys, 'cause she knows you're all dying to know!
Originally, I was going to name this chapter, "Chapter 10: The Meeting; Exposed", but then, in honor of FireWerewolf (who is getting on my nerves), I changed it to Chapter 10. So Chapter 10's title is Chapter 10. Is this vaguer enough for ya?!?!?!
As always, go review!
~Crystal Cavern
Chapter 10: Chapter 10
Brightheart fidgeted. She could tell that Jayfeather was angry. Why wouldn't he be? If you were the medicine cat, who had faith in StarClan and you suspected that your clan did also, and you just discovered that your clan turned their back on your ancestors because they thought that they knew better than them, wouldn't you be mad also? Brightheart suspected that Jayfeather was in that position. He had every right to be angry, and for that, she was happy, because it showed that he cared for his clan. If he didn't care, then he would have been ignorant, and that is not a good thing.
Jayfeather trembled in fury. His fur stood on end. His tail lashed back and forth. His ears were pinned back against his head as far as they could go. He even emitted a dim aura. Not dark or evil, but not exactly white and joyful. In fact, it was far from that. The birds stopped singing. The mice stopped scurrying. Even the sun hid behind some clouds. The whole forest seemed as if it was shirking away from Jayfeather. Jayfeather was like a volcano, ready to erupt.
"Tell me what you mean, Brightheart." Jayfeather said, harshly, as if every word was a struggle between rage and peace.
Brightheart could not look at him. She was scared of his reaction. "I-I just can't tell you… You'll get mad it me…"
"Just say it. If you don't I'll get my answers in my own way."
"Wh-what do you mean by that?" Brightheart asked.
"If you don't tell me, you'll find out." Jayfeather's voice was a cutting edge, ready to pierce at any moment.
Brightheart trembled and pinned her body down on the ground as low as she could. Jayfeather could be mean and bossy, and now… Scary.
"Okay! I'll tell you!" Brightheart blurted out. "Just don't hurt me!"
Jayfeather waited. His tail tip twitched.
Brightheart cowered. "Th-the meeting… Remember when there were not many cats in the warrior's den? I'm sure y-you do. They all went for a meeting. B-But it wasn't everybody. Just most of Th-ThunderClan… They tried to de-decide on…" Brightheart's voice trailed off.
"On what?!" Jayfeather bellowed. The whole forest seemed to shake on the impact of Jayfeather's voice.
Brightheart's mew was pitiful. "O-on, the new leader…"
"I already know that! Tell me something I don't know!"
"We-well…" Brightheart wasn't scared anymore… She was downright terrified. She couldn't remember being so scared in her life. Those vicious dogs seemed like nothing compared to Jayfeather's anger. Why? Because when those who hated you hurt you, it's to be expected. Jayfeather lived in ThunderClan, and she had been his mentor. It hurt when someone who was as close to you as your own family yell at you like that.
Brightheart trembled. "Re-remember Berrynose and Hollyleaf? They had tummy-ache. I-it wasn't bad prey… Well… actually it was…-"
Jayfeather cut her off. "Explain more clearly!"
Brightheart's stumbled over her words. "M-Mousefur thought that because StarClan didn't respond to Leafpool… That they abandoned us… S-so she… She… She hid something bad in Hollyleaf and Berrynose's prey b-because she knew that they were going to oppose the m-meeting." Hollyleaf and Berrynose would have never allowed the meeting to happen… Brightheart thought.
Jayfeather closed his eyes and took deep breaths. "How is that possible? Mousefur is sick with green-cough! A sick cat wouldn't have been able to do something like that! Plus, she's an elder!"
"B-but… I saw her… Last night… When you were all asleep. After hiding something… in the prey, she waited for you all to sleep. Th-then she went down to the lake, and dunked herself in the water. I-If you're wet on a night like last night, then you would be more prone to green-cough. Right?"
Jayfeather sighed. "So I didn't know anything because I was asleep?"
Brightheart nodded. "That's right…"
"But I didn't sleep well last night. I was awake for most of it."
"No… you were asleep… You were in a fitful sleep, but nevertheless, sleep…"
"Oh…" Jayfeather said. "And how do you know all this?"
Brightheart summoned up all her courage. "I n-noticed that Mousefur was acting strange, so I followed her. Everybody has been working so hard, and they were all tired. I alone saw Mousefur go to the lake and come back."
"What about Longtail? Does he know?"
"He was p-part of the meeting too…" Brightheart stammered.
"I see." Jayfeather said. "We'd better be getting back to camp. Leafpool would be wondering why we were out so long. But first, tell me why you weren't at the meeting."
Brightheart didn't say anything. Her whiskers quivered.
"You were their backup, weren't you? You were supposed to cover for them. Am I right?" Jayfeather thundered.
"Th-that's right…" Brightheart just managed to choke out the words.
Jayfeather sighed. "Oh great StarClan, why can't I just tell them all?"
Brightheart was confused as well as scared now. What does he mean by that? What is he hiding from the rest of the clan? I think he's suspicious… but, he's our medicine cat! Whatever he's hiding must be for the good of our clan, Brightheart thought.
Jayfeather got up and walked away. Without looking back, stopping, or slowing down, he said, in a hard tone, "Brightheart… Let's go."
Brightheart didn't have any choice. Of course she followed him.
They traveled in silence. Brightheart was anxious, mainly because she didn't know what Jayfeather was going to do. He could be so unpredictable at times.
When they finally arrived, Jayfeather swished his tail and said, "Brightheart, come with me."
Brightheart followed. She felt small. She felt as if Jayfeather was her superior, which in fact was true since he was a medicine cat, but she was way older than him. She was even old enough to be his grandmother! Because of that, Brightheart was uneasy.
Jayfeather led her to the medicine cat's den. No surprise there, Brightheart thought. I wonder what he's going to do now.
As if reading her mind, Jayfeather padded over to Leafpool. Jayfeather was going to speak when Leafpool asked, "Where are the yarrow leaves?! Berrynose and Hollyleaf are still in pain!"
A look of realization crossed Jayfeather's face. Oh, that's right, we forgot to bring it with us, Brightheart thought.
"Brightheart!" Jayfeather exclaimed. "You forgot to bring the yarrow leaves!"
"Me?" Brightheart asked. "Why are you blaming me? You were the one who forgot! Since when was I your slave? Since when was I supposed to carry it? You should be blaming yourself!" Jayfeather's tongue is so sour. It's not my fault he forgot to bring it.
"You were accompanying me, weren't you? It's your job to bring it! Or at least remind me!" Jayfeather hissed.
"Well, I'm so sorry to forget it, your majesty!" Brightheart spat back. "Idiot…"
Leafpool looked at both cats. "I don't care who's fault it was! Somebody go get it! Hollyleaf and Berrynose are in pain!"
Jayfeather trotted to the entrance. "I'll go get it. After all, I'm the medicine cat. Brightheart, you'd better tell Leafpool what you told me. I'm serious. Then, Leafpool, I'll leave it up to you if you want to tell her that." Jayfeather left.
"Tell me what?" Brightheart called after him.
Leafpool twitched her whiskers. "Go on." She said, not unkindly. "What do I need to know?"
Brightheart sat down and flicked her ears. "I hope you're prepared for some bad news."
Leafpool gave a purr of amusement. "What more can go wrong? I'm already cornered," Leafpool pointed out. So is the rest of ThunderClan. Brightheart thought. We're still vulnerable. We're leaderless.
"I hope you're ready for this." Brightheart said, unsure.
Leafpool nodded. "I am."
"Okay. Well, there was a meeting…" Brightheart explained. "A meeting about our new leader."
Leafpool tensed, all her forced happiness from before gone. "What are you talking about?" She asked.
Brightheart looked away. "We were all concerned about the gathering. You know, the one in two moonrises."
"Oh yes, that one." Leafpool said. "I've been dreading it."
"Well…"
"Well what?"
"There was a meeting." Brightheart fidgeted. This was like explaining to Jayfeather all over again.
"When?"
"Today…"
"And your point is?" Leafpool asked.
Cloudtail appeared beside them. "I hope I'm not interrupting you two."
Leafpool sighed. "No it's alright."
Cloudtail took a breath. "It's Hazeltail."
Leafpool nodded. "That's right. Did you or Sandstorm find anything?"
Cloudtail blinked. "It's not exactly good news."
"Oh great. More bad news. I didn't think it was good news since you didn't bring Hazeltail back with you." Leafpool murmured, and then said, a little louder. "I guess that was to be expected."
Cloudtail seemed offended. He was, after all, the best tracker in ThunderClan. "I caught her scent trail. She ran towards an owl's nest and then changed course. Her final destination was ShadowClan. I didn't go any further than that. I reported back."
Leafpool sighed. "She is so troublesome. What was she thinking? Especially at a time like this…" Leafpool pondered over the issue for a bit and then looked at Cloudtail. "We need to get her back. Could you do it?" She asked.
"O-of course." Cloudtail replied. "When do I leave?"
"Now." Leafpool said. "It's too important to wait. I need her back here, as soon as possible. If not, then there will be a huge problem." Leafpool twitched her ears in frustration and worry. "I didn't think I would have to deal with this until the gathering!"
As Cloudtail stepped out, Honeyfern stepped in.
"Leafpool, do you have a spare moment?" Honeyfern asked.
"Sure, no problem. I have my whole life ahead of me." Leafpool replied sourly. "What now?"
"Well… I'm sorry I didn't report this sooner, Leafpool."
That's right. Brightheart thought bitterly. You were at the meeting right after that. Of course you didn't have time.
Honeyfern continued. "Anyway, our dawn patrol clashed with ShadowClan's patrol. Nobody was harmed, but there was a lot of spitting. One of the ShadowClan apprentices got physical and leaped on Squirrelflight. That's all."
"As long as nobody got hurt, it's fine." Leafpool said.
Honeyfern was uncertain. "Okay. I just wanted to tell you." And with that, she walked out.
Leafpool turned back to Brightheart, who hadn't spoke a word during the entire process. "I'm sorry." Leafpool said. "Where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?"
Brightheart nodded. "There was a meeting, remember? It was so we could decide on a new leader."
"We? You were there?"
"Well… most of ThunderClan." Brightheart replied. "Myself not included."
Leafpool was shocked. It showed on her face. "Oh, great StarClan, why can't I tell them all? If I did, this would never have happened!"
Brightheart narrowed her eyes. Didn't Jayfeather say something like that a while ago? Hmmm… I'm pretty sure he did. They really are hiding something from us. I wonder how many cats know about it. Right now, I'm only sure about Jayfeather and Leafpool, but since they used the word, 'all', there are probably more cats that know.
Brightheart opened her mouth again, and this time spilled out the truth. She told Leafpool everything… Well… Not exactly everything. She left out Jayfeather's curiosity on history (not important enough), her failed attempt on getting yarrow leaves (no need to embarrass herself), and Jayfeather's pretended death (she'd only make Leafpool worry). That was her first mistake.
"So, as you see, Mousefur planned this." Brightheart finished.
Leafpool was shaken. "Mousefur? How could she? I thought-"
Just then Jayfeather returned with half of the remaining branches of yarrow leaves. He padded over to the storage area and went to work. "Did you tell Leafpool yet?"
Brightheart nodded. But not the whole thing.
"Good. Leafpool, have you?" Jayfeather asked.
Leafpool shook her head. "Not yet. It doesn't feel right." To Brightheart, she said, "Don't worry. You will know soon enough. Trust me. It's better if you don't know everything for now." Leafpool eyes suddenly seemed far away. "Sometimes I wish I didn't know these things."
Jayfeather nodded at this and finished storing the herbs. "Okay. Brightheart, you may go now."
Brightheart wanted to scream, to shout. She wanted to know. She wanted to help, and not be a burden…but she couldn't disobey. So, she went outside.
She went outside, but she didn't go far. Her curiosity got the best of her. She might have gone outside, but she would not give up. Quickly, Brightheart padded to the back of the den. She quickly and quietly pawed some loose dirt and brambles free from the main structure, creating a hole. The hole was small enough to not be noticed, but big enough for Leafpool and Jayfeather's voices to be heard. She lay down and listened.
"I'm going to check on Mousefur." Leafpool said.
Jayfeather's voice seemed urgent. "Wait, before you do, you should know something. I've given some yarrow to Hollyleaf and Berrynose. They regurgitated out the bad prey and should be fine now. Only… I don't think it was the prey that harmed them…"
"What do you mean?" Leafpool asked. "Brightheart said that Mousefur did something to their prey."
"She might have." Jayfeather said. "But I couldn't figure out what she did. I also don't think that bad prey was the main cause of their tummy-ache. It was stale, that's for sure, but that's all. There was nothing wrong with it. In fact, I think it was the thrush that Lionblaze caught yesterday. Lionblaze wouldn't have done something bad to his own catch. And besides, he's not that type of cat."
Leafpool's voice was worried. "What are you getting at, Jayfeather?"
"Did ShadowClan have any contact with us within the last few hours?" He asked.
Leafpool didn't reply.
"I guess that's a yes, then. I think you know what I'm suspecting. It was probably…"
The next word made Brightheart's heart skip a beat. She couldn't believe it. She realized Leafpool was right. It was better if she didn't know. And now she did. It made her uneasy and frightened. She left then, that name in her head, repeating itself over and over again. She went to the camp entrance for no real reason. She didn't notice the fact that there was nobody guarding the entrance. She was much more concerned on other matters. Brightheart figured that it was best if she didn't confess to Leafpool and Jayfeather. That was her second mistake.
Brightheart was really scared. That name was still echoing in her head, and it was getting louder and louder. It was overwhelming. Brightheart vision went blurry.
She saw an image of a cat walking towards her. The scent… it's not from ThunderClan… Brightheart felt dizzy. Then she collapsed.
Before she saw darkness, she heard the non-ThunderClan cat call her name.
"Brightheart! Brightheart! Are you all right?" The she-cat was right beside her now. "It's me, Willowshine! From RiverClan! What's wrong?"
Brightheart wanted to scream. There was a voice in her head. It was calling out a name. It was so loud that she couldn't bear it any longer. Then she blacked out.
The name was Scourge.