This is the last chapter of the Better Choice! Enjoy!
Bramblestar still was walking through big clumps of snow, but at least the blizzard had stopped.
It should be easier now to find Squirrelflight. Unless she's with the other kittypets.
Bramblestar stopped when he saw several kittypets chasing a smaller white kittypet looking riled up as they chased her on the Thunderpath.
Bramblestar's heart stopped when he saw Squirrel leading them, going the fastest out of all of them.
"Stop Olivia!" Squirrel snarled at the she-cat. "You know what happens you steal food from us!"
The white cat tried to run as fast as she could, but unfortunately her plump figure made her progress just a little slower than the cats chasing her.
She stumbled and tripped on the Thunderpath, the Thunderpath tore clumps from her fur and she landed into a set of bushes next to it.
The gang that Squirrel was leading was closing in on the wounded she-cat. Even Bramblestar knew the wrongness of killing a defenseless kittypet.
"STOP!"
Bramblestar leaped between his former mate and the kittypet.
"Squirrelflight?" Bramblestar whispered.
"Her name is Squirrel." One of the cats hissed.
Squirrel didn't reply, just stood in surprise and wonder looking at Bramblestar.
"What're you doing here?" Squirrel gasped.
"Well, to take you home." Bramblestar blurted out. The other cats looked at each other.
"What? She lives here!" A gray tabby tom spat angrily.
"I...no, I was a part of ThunderClan." Squirrel admitted.
"You said you weren't!" Another cat yowled.
"Get her!" Several cats shouted.
Bramblestar and Squirrel took off with the latter ahead leading in a certain direction.
"Where are we going?!" Bramblestar called to her as they kept running.
"I need to bring someone with us to ThunderClan!" Squirrel replied.
Not a mate, right?
They kept running till they stopped at one of the Twoleg nests.
"Jocelyn!" Squirrel called. Moments passed before a dark grey she-cat appeared from the cat flap.
"Squirrel! Who's that?!" Jocelyn gasped.
"Bramblestar, leader of ThunderClan." Bramblestar growled.
"Come with us." Squirrel meowed.
"Oh, but our Twolegs!" Jocelyn protested.
"Join us please." Squirrel persisted again. "Or you won't see me again."
"Oh, okay." Jocelyn looked reluctant to do so but she turned to Bramblestar and Squirrel and followed them.
They kept going onward sniffing the air for the gang that was chasing Squirrel.
They all tensed and showed their claws when a cat appeared in front of them.
"Wait stop!" The cat gasped. "It's me, Olivia!"
"You stole food from me!" Squirrel hissed.
"I couldn't starve after my Twolegs kicked me out!" The she-cat gasped. "Please! Let me go with you!"
"No, Bramblestar!" Squirrel growled.
"Come on, she can come." Bramblestar muttered.
Olivia sniffed and joined the three as they left Twolegplace together.
Several sunrises had passed and yet Bramblestar still wasn't back. Brackenfur lead the Clan as usual but Gemlight was getting annoyed at his pride, acting as if he was truly leader.
Maybe Bramblestar decided to live with Squirrelflight once he found her, maybe something happened to him.
Gemlight was more anxious about the latter until she heard a small wail. She jumped away from her kits and crawled out to see Bumblestripe crying on Rosepetal's shoulder.
"Bumblestripe, go on a patrol, it'll help." Brackenfur reassured him.
Bumblestripe left camp and Rosepetal followed.
"Okay, that ought to-"
"Brackenfur!"
The deputy looked and Gemlight's eyes widened as before her were Bramblestar, Squirrelflight, and two other cats she never met before.
"I've brought Squirrelflight, her friend Jocelyn, and this other kittypet here, to be part of ThunderClan." Bramblestar explained.
"What the heck?" Stormcloud growled. "So since you're not doing Gemlight anymore, you're going back to your first mate?"
"No, I was told by StarClan to do this." Bramblestar explained.
"Or your hormones." Ivypool sneered.
"No." Bramblestar hissed.
"Why'd you bring three she-cats then?" Ambermoon retorted, looking at them with hostile eyes.
"Cause they wanted to all join ThunderClan of course!" Bramblestar snapped. "We will feast-"
"It's leaf-bare Bramblestar." Brightheart muttered.
"Don't care. We'll be feasting." Bramblestar replied. "Brackenfur, send three hunting patrols and don't let them back into camp until they bring back four pieces of prey per patrol."
"You're being ridiculous." Blossomfall hissed.
"And you, my dear, will be going to bring back three by yourself on your patrol." Bramblestar meowed evilly. "So get to it."
Blossomfall growled bitterly before joining her patrol.
Squirrel was looking around camp and saw Gemlight bringing her kits back in the Nursery.
"Why hello, Gemlight!" Squirrel purred. "Those Stormcloud's kits?"
"Yeah, they're cute aren't they?" Gemlight purred back, she might as well kill her rival with kindness.
Unexpectedly, Twigkit trotted over and looked at Squirrel with big amber eyes.
Gemlight tried her hardest not to scream, Twigkit was the spitting image of Bramblestar. If that didn't give away the father, then nothing else would.
Squirrel's eyes flashed briefly, but she smiled.
"Yes, they are." Squirrel replied, she then nodded and turned to the kittypets she came with.
"Isn't this great?" Stormcloud purred, licking Gemlight's cheek. "All these new cats and a nice feast, our kits are beautiful-"
Gemlight stopped listening and blushed at the thought of Bramblestar's image, which was passed down to Twigkit. At least she had part of him from their relationship: their kits.
"Hold on, Gem." Stormcloud meowed, his ears perked. "Patrol's back."
Her mate trotted eagerly to the patrol that brought back four pieces of prey. Stormcloud hastily tossed a mouse several feet from the elder's den and carried a fat vole to Gemlight.
"Hey!" Sandstorm growled crankily. "I'm not just going to eat a mouse! Give me that vole!"
"Shut up you fox-face." Stormcloud snapped, shocking Sandstorm. "Here, Gemlight."
Gemlight downed the vole and was barely aware that all the patrols were back till Bramblestar stood proud before the Clan.
"All cats that can hunt their own kill come forth!" Bramblestar announced. "We are here to make two new cats apprentices and one old cat a warrior again."
Squirrel beamed at Bramblestar.
"Jocelyn, you are now Pebblepaw. Bumblestripe will teach you how to live through heartbreak and stuff." Bramblestar muttered.
Pebblepaw trotted over and touched noses with Bumblestripe, who looked like he just stopped crying.
"Olivia, you are now-"
"Could I keep my name?" Olivia asked.
"No, we do not need another Daisy." Bramblestar explained. "You are now Milkpaw and Rosepetal will be teaching you."
Milkpaw rolled her eyes and touched noses to her mentor.
"And Squirrel, after several moons of absence I am glad to call you Squirrelflight again." Bramblestar concluded.
"Pebblepaw! Milkpaw! Squirrelflight!"
Squirrelflight watched as the night fell and all the cats went to their respective dens. The moon reflected on her emerald eyes.
She padded over to the Nursery and gazed at Twigkit.
There's no cat that could look more like Bramblestar, I can see it as clear as day!
She bared her teeth and turned away.
Gemlight will pay, this whole Clan will pay for my suffering.
Thank you for those who enjoyed and reviewed! Instead of a spin-off called Squirrel's Flame there will be a direct sequel with flashbacks in each chapter called The Better Clan. Look out for that it should be published within a month or so. Thank you.