Reopened Eyes by WyldClaw

Plot: fixed up Bravelands one shot- originally called "Fool" . Not warriors but it was written by erin hunter and there is not a bravelands book section . takes place after the end of chapter 19 in Bravelands: Blood And Bone. Kind of a reflective piece on Fearless' thoughts after he sees Stinger Crownleaf for what he really is . I own nothing. Stinger's

quotes come from the book.

AAAAA

The young lion Fearless felt like he'd been slashed right through the the gut as he went out from Baboon Island back into the torrential raining Bravelands. He felt like he would like nothing more than to find a dry cave or something of the like and let his grief and horror soak into his bones like heavy dew.

"Sky Strider and Loyal were right…" he muttered into the grey rainy air he let his paws do the walking- or more accurately- wading-through the muddy rainy savannah. . "They tried to tell me of Stinger's crimes but i was just so.. so brainwashed by him, his flattery and lies that i was too blind as a bat to see it until …" he gulped . "He blamed bee for thorn taking Berry and ordered me to k-kill Thorn ."

he sat down in the wet ground for a few minutes and closed his eyes. The fierce angry face and voice of the false Great Parent slammed into him like the force of a tackle from a buffalo:

"This is all your fault, Cub of the Stars! If You'd killed Thorn when you were supposed to, this would never have happened !"

"Atone for your failure, Cub.Get my daughter back , and kill Thorn Middleleaf. Chew him to hyena-scraps. Kill every baboon in his benighted troop if you have to. I don't want a single one of them left in Bravelands."

"I even got rid of Snarl for you, and look at you, still useless to me."

"if you fail me yet again, I have another ally to help me. One whose a lot bigger and stronger than you, Cub. And it won't just be Thorn that Titan kills. I'll tell him exactly where to find you and your pathetic pride."

"Poor, deprived cub: give him a little affection and he'll do anything. I realized it the moment I plucked you from that eagle's tree. You've been so willing and useful ever since-well willing but not quite useful enough. "

The male lion opened his eyes and shook his head tr ring to knock the malevolent Crownleaf;s voice out of his head. he had releiazed then then that Stinger wasn't the kind-hearted wise compassionate baboon he-and the rest of the troop heck the whole Bravelands — thought he waswas.

he sighed as he got up off the soaking ground and started to pad away again. While he was still looking out for predators and where he was going. he was doing it without thinking about it as he was lost in thought.

The weather fits exactly how i feel. The young lion though as he stumbled along the wet shorelines, ignoring the booming crash of lightning and the loud booming roar of thunder in the dark gloomy skies overhead. He felt terribly wounded-and not just because of the injury the baboon Crownleaf had given him on -now stinging in the rain. . He couldn't believe Stinger had admitted to using him for his own gain from the moment he rescued him from the eagle's nest. He had been tricked into staining his paws doing Stinger's dirty work from the moment the so called Great Parent found him . All those compliments Stinger gave him were simply empty words. And I was such a hyena dung-headed fool to fall for his words. I never thought i was being used...

The rain pummeled the young lion's wet yellow fur making it turn a dark brown and a loud squelching noise brought the young lion out of his thoughts. he blinked and noticed for the first time his back paws stuck in a big mud puddle. "Great..." Fearless thought looking down at the mud on his paws. Gritting his teeth the lion used all his might at strength to free himself out out of the dirty mud and he tumbled onto the wet rainy earth., the pouring cold rain washing the mud off. .

He sighed, sniffed around and spotted a cluster of large rocks close by and padded over to it. The rocks hid a small alcove of a sort of dry patch of earth that was just the right size for him. he sat down in the dry spot deciding to stay here until the rain let up. . He gazed out toward the grey rainy landscape.

. "It's like the Great Spirit itself is berating me for being an idiot. " He said to himself. " Sky and Loyal were right.. I just was too stupid to see it until just now..." he shuddered as he recalled the rage and madness on Stinger's power hungry scared face. It had been nothing like the calm collected Crownleaf he knew. Or I thought knew he thought sadly. I wonder if that whole kind Stinger was simply a mask. A total act that everyone-Thorn, Mud, Bark Crownleaf fell for. But I was the stupidest of all-I never questioned his actions, never thought about his motives. All I saw was a kind mentor like figure. Not the power hungry monster i saw that has the animals of Bravelands totally fooled into thinking he's the true Great Parent.

The lion shivered again and he scratched his claws into the earth. "Sky and Stone! I'm such a complete fool. "

He should have known that Thorn was no killer. Thorn was his best baboon friend along with Mud. The lion should have suspected that something was up when Stinger claimed it was the Middleleaf who murdered poor gentle Starleaf. He should have known better but alas he was simply a half grown-idiotic- lion. He never saw the motives behind the Crownleaf's insistence to make his own pride out of the former Dauntlesspride lions: so that Stinger could have his own lions to enforce his rules though him.

Fearless stopped and turned his head to glance back at Baboon Island. "I was blinded by affection for Stinger since he rescued me. Bur now. I see the truth for what Stinger really is. As Gallant's spirit as my witness I will never fall prey to his slick Silvertongue again and will do everything I can to stop him. "

He averted his gaze from Baboon Island. As soon as the rain let up he had to find Sky and Thorn and apologize to both of them. I have to find Loyal as well and tell him i'm truly sorry for those cruel words I told him .. and striking him like that. No matter that Loyal is both Pridelss and an oath-breaker, he was totally right, Stinger means nothing to me anymore.. he is no longer a father figure in my mind-Loyal is. I have to help stop him before more innocent animals become his unwilling pawns and/or hurt. "May the Great Spirit-wherever it may be-icertainly not with.. him- see me through this. I just hope i can set things right."

The End.