Squirrelflight turned to cast her green gaze over the three cats. Her eyes were weeping and tired from the flames, but glowed with warmth.
"Of course you are. I had to come up with something to get Ashfur away from you." She purred. Relief swept over the cats. "Besides, even if I hadn't given birth to you... I still raised you. I still love you beyond measure. Losing you would have destroyed me." She admitted, her eyes watering.
"And Brambleclaw, our father?" Lionblaze carified. Squirrelflight squeezed her eyes shut and let out a happy sigh.
"Yes. The one and only." She butted her head gently against Lionblaze. "Now, you two take Jayfeather to the medicine cat den. Leafpool will need your help treating any cats who were burned or inhaled too much smoke." She instructed, lifting Jayfeather's singed paw and giving it a gentle lick.
"Where are you going?" Hollyleaf asked. Lionblaze, too, shared her discomfort of their mother leaving so quickly after such an event. Jayfeather's thin pelt bristled under the dampness.
"Not to worry. I won't be out of sight, I promise." She assured them, giving each of the cats a lick to their forheads. "I need to talk to Firestar." She explained, then swept her bushy tail to guide the cats in front of her. "Go on, I'll be right behind you. Watch out for embers." She warned.
The cats trudged forward. Hollyleaf was acutely aware of her mother's presence behind her, glancing back every once in a while until they made it into the hollow.
"Jayfeather! Hollyleaf, Lionblaze! Oh, and Squirrelflight, you're all alright!" Leafpool cried out, rushing to butt heads with her sister. "Are you alright?" Leafpool hesitated, looking over her sister's tired form.
"I'll be alright after a few moons of sleep." Squirrelflight admitted with a groan. "Have you seen Father?" She asked. Leafpool nodded, flicking her tail towards the Highledge.
"I've treated him and sent him to rest. Mother is with him. Squirrelflight, come, let me look you over..." Squirrelflight pulled away from Leafpool's gentle tail, shaking her head.
"I will. Right now, look over my kits." She ushered the three forward with another flick of her bush tail. "Jayfeather's paw has been singed a bit, and the other two can help you treat any injured cats." Hollyleaf perked up a little with pride. That's right, she had some medicine cat training! She could easily help. Lionblaze seemed put off by the idea, but helped guide Jayfeather into the den anyway, with Hollyleaf following behind. Leafpool glanced warily at Squirrelflight, no words needed.
"I'll be fine. Trust me." She purred weakily. Leafpool grunted and licked Squirrelflight fiercly on the shoulder.
"As soon as you're done with Father, come right to me. Or stay there, I will come to you. I... Just be careful." She murmured. Squirrelflight smiled at her sister and brushed up against her side before padding off towards Highledge.
The ginger warrior's body ached and her lungs burned from smoke, but she knew there were more important things to take care of than just her body. As she climbed the Highledge, she looked over the hollow, taking in the scattered cats. Although many had singed fur and were coughing like they had greencough, they were all helping each other, guiding those whose eyes were swollen from smoke into the medicine cat den. She caught the eye of her apprentice Foxpaw, who flicked his tail excitedly. The fire seemed to have only scorched a few whiskers on the young cat, and now he was feeding off the exhileration.
"Foxpaw. Take some warriors who aren't hurt and do a small patrol around the hollow. See how far the fire has spread and how fast it's dying." She instructed. Foxpaw nodded eagerly, racing off towards a small mottled gray apprentice. Squirrelflight blinked, focusing. ThunderClan didn't have a mottled gray apprentice. As the apprentice turned to Foxpaw, Squirrelflight realized it was Icepaw, her fur completely covered in soot, being slowly washed away by the rain.
"Squirrelflight?" Squirrelflight's heart jumped as she recognized the voice, and finished her journey into Firestar's den.
Brambleclaw had apparently just gotten to his paws, his imprint still left in the moss next to Firestar. He smiled wearily.
"I thought that was you. I take a moment to rest and you're already taking out my deputy work." He chided. Squirrelflight forced a weak smile. The sight of her father had sent her thoughts reeling at what Ashfur had said.
"Squirrelflight.. You look terrible." Firestar lifted his head. Squirrelflight could see where the fire had scorched his cheeks- no doubt he had been the last to get out of the hollow in his rush to get his clan to safety. "Has Leafpool looked at you?"
"Yes, don't worry about me." Squirrelflight shrugged off his concern. She wasn't exactly lying- Leafpool had looked at her. She made the wonderful decision to settle down on her belly. The stone was cool and her skin felt like it was still in the midst of a fire. "I need to talk to you. It's... Incredibly important." Squirrelflight admitted.
"Squirrelflight, we've just been through a fire.. Surely it can wait?" Firestar muttered, his voice coarse from smoke.
Squirrelflight shook her head so fiercly she saw stars when she opened her eyes again. "No, Father." She insisted. Firestar blinked in surprise.
"I know you're serious when you call me Father." He admitted with a wheezy chuckle. Brambleclaw flicked an ear back.
"Well, I will leave you to talk, then? The clan could use some-" Squirrelflight flicked her tail at him, nodding for him to sit down.
"No, this includes you as well, Brambleclaw. It's... It's about Ashfur." Squirrelflight finally admitted. Brambleclaw stiffened and he immediately sat, curling his tail around his paws intently.
"Go on." Brambleclaw encouraged, his expression unreadable but his amber eyes glinting.
"During the fire, our kits were trapped." Squirrelflight explained, her throat tightening a little. She realized how close she had come to losing them in that moment, and she had to take a moment to breathe. Brambleclaw's eyes had widened now. "They're okay." She quickly reassured him as his claws scraped against the cool stone of Firestar's den. "But, while I tried to save them... Ashfur came. He helped me drag a branch to create a bridge out of the fire for them. I was too weak to carry it myself."
"Thank goodness." Firestar let out a breath of relief, his leaf-green eyes fluttering shut. Brambleclaw glanced at him, as though he was admiring his ability to hold his judgement on a cat so well.
"But, he wouldn't let them pass." Squirrelflight continued. Firestar's eyes flashed open, narrowing slightly.
"What do you mean?" He leaned forward in his nest, shifting a little. Brambleclaw's shoulder fur was beginning to rise, his eyes blazing. He knew what Squirrelflight meant, and she was sure it was taking all his power to remain in the den with them.
"I mean, he wouldn't let them escape the fire." Squirrelflight hesitated before continuing. "Father, I know you're going to find this hard to believe but... Ashfur wanted to kill my kits." She told him, leveling her gaze with his. Firestar blinked in shock.
"What? Why would Ashfur want to do such a thing?" Firestar gaped. Brambleclaw got up and turned in a tight circle, his thick tail thrashing. Squirrelflight rose to a sitting position and he butted his head against her shoulder, hard.
"He wanted to get revenge against me. Because I love Brambleclaw, and not him." She whispered, catching Brambleclaw's fierce amber gaze and watching it soften as he licked her cheek gently. "But that's not all, Father." Squirrelflight continued, her voice straining with exhaustion and rage. "Ashfur told me something while he tried to burn our children to death." She hissed. Firestar still seemed to be recovering from the revelation, and looked up in surprise at her tone.
His lifted chin revealed the thin scar that circled around his throat and it drove Squirrelflight to her paws, her claws scraping noisily against the stone.
"He planned to have you killed in that fox trap last season!" She snarled. She sensed Brambleclaw flinch next to her, and she knew he was reliving to fact that it had also been the time he had to murder his own blood. "He wanted to kill you to get back at me then, too!" She had to lower her voice as not to screech in the den.
Firestar stared at the two in surprise, blinking back and forth.
"You're... You're positive?" Firestar wondered.
"Firestar, I've told you before about not trusting Ashfur..." Brambleclaw admitted softly, padding towards their leader and laying his tail across his shoulders. "Squirrelflight of all cats wouldn't lie about this."
"Of course not, I just..." Firestar seemed distraught, his eyes hollow. "Ashfur? I've known him since he was just a kit... He was always such a good warrior." He shook his head, closing his eyes.
"What do you suggest we do, Firestar?" Brambleclaw asked.
"Do? Exile him!" Squirrelflight thundered. "What else is there to do?" She demanded. Both the toms flinched at the word exile.
"Nobody has been exiled from ThunderClan since... Well..." Firestar half-glanced at Brambleclaw, but didn't make eye contact. He looked back at Squirrelflight. "But you're right.. I can't let an attempted murderer in our clan." He began to get to his paws, but Squirrelflight rushed to his side, settling him down with her thick tail. The leader had just recovered from his illness, and now with the fire, he needed the rest.
"Please, Father... Rest for now." She encouraged.
"No." A cold expression took over the usually passive Firestar. He got to his paws, and after a couple shaky steps, was able to pad out on to the Highledge. After an uneasy glance between them, Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw followed.