Brambledusk sat next to Adderstripe's side as the two toms stood near the Tall Branch, craning their ears to listen to what was going on in the lightning blasted oak. Violetheart had just entered the den, worry and sorrow crossed over her face as Swiftstar met her right outside the entrance and drew her in. Brambledusk could hear Adderstripe clench his teeth, and ragged breaths escaping him.
"Swiftstar." Violetheart's voice was muffled, but Brambledusk could make out every word. "Berrysplash is ill."
"I know that," Swiftstar demanded. "Tell me, can you heal her?"
"No." Violetheart shook her head. "I'm afraid what she has is terminal. She doesn't have long left."
"What?" Swiftstar's roar echoed from the Tall Branch, and Brambledusk imagined him whirling on the gray she-cat. "What kind of useless medicine cat are you that you can't fix my deputy? My deputy! She has served me for years, and she can't live the rest of her life in peace?"
"I am the medicine cat that has served you since you just joined the Clan," Violetheart growled. "If it wasn't for me, you would have never become Clan leader, so I highly suggest that you remember that and speak to me with the status I have. I can make Berrysplash's life peaceful until she passes, but she is sick, and she cannot be healed."
"Does she know this?" Swiftstar asked, the fury and anger evaporating in his voice to be replaced with raw agony.
"Yes. She is very much aware of her condition, and she has requested to step down as deputy when she is no longer able to perform her duties to the best of her condition."
"Very well." Swiftstar's voice was choked with emotion. "Can I speak to her?"
"She's been asking to speak to you. I'll let her know."
Brambledusk gasped with shock as Violetheart disclosed the information to Swiftstar. The gray medicine cat padded out of the den, not noticing the two toms as she trekked back to her own den. Adderstripe watched her go, his expression made of stone, and Brambledusk couldn't distinguish what he was feeling. Was he happy Berrysplash was sick? He would get to be deputy, now. His destiny had been set in stone since the moment he was born to Petalspring, as the Clan leader's oldest son.
"Adderstripe?" Brambledusk asked hesitantly. "Are you okay?"
Adderstripe snapped out of his daze. "Huh?" he asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's a pity about Berrysplash. I'll miss her, she was a great warrior. But finally…" He cleared his throat. "My time is about to come. And I'm ready."
The two cats wired their jaws shut when they saw Berrysplash limp out of Violetheart's den. The deputy's fur was ragged and dull, but she still walked with her head high as she entered the gnarled oak and disappeared. Her voice was weak but audible as she greeted her Clan leader.
"Swiftstar," Berrysplash meowed.
"Oh, Berrysplash," Swiftstar gasped. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."
Brambledusk twitched his ear. He'd never thought he'd see the day where the Viper of WindClan was apologizing.
"It's all right," Berrysplash rasped. "Every cat dies. It's just my turn, now. I'll be stepping down soon. Who are you going to make your next deputy?"
"It was going to be Adderstripe," Swiftstar meowed, "but things have changed. What if he's not the right cat to be my deputy? He clearly enjoys getting on every single one of my nerves. He speaks up against me at every turn. How do I know he won't disobey my orders and get all the cats killed? What if he's the weak link and he destroys WindClan from the inside out?"
Adderstripe's amber eyes stretched wide in horror. Brambledusk covered his mouth with his paw so no cat could hear him gasp.
"What?" Berrysplash's voice was thick with shock. "But Adderstripe has been your chosen deputy since he has opened his eyes. Who will you choose in his stead?"
"Why not Scorchclaw?" Swiftstar countered.
Adderstripe's claws unsheathed.
"I don't doubt that he wouldn't be an excellent deputy," Berrysplash meowed, "seeing as he was my apprentice. But he has no apprentice. Making him a warrior would be breaking the warrior code."
"Rubbish," Swiftstar growled. "The deputy must be a cat who knows how to lead. I told Scorchclaw he was too young to have an apprentice. I was wrong, but Harekit and his siblings are too young to become apprentices by the time you step down. I will make him deputy, and give Harekit to him when he's older."
"There's another reason for this, isn't there, Swiftstar?" Berrysplash asked. "Something you're not telling me."
There was a pause. "The rumors of Adderstripe being an illegitimate child are rifer than ever. I hear them when they think my back is turned. Ever since you've been sick, all the cats are talking about is Adderstripe being that cursed Rabbitfur's son. I've taken care of Rabbitfur, but the rumors haven't stopped. There will be a rebellion if I pick Adderstripe to be the deputy. But he was always destined to be my heir. Oh, Berrysplash, who do I—"
Before Swiftstar's sentence was finished, Adderstripe turned on his heel and streaked away, away from the den. Brambledusk was fast on his heels when the ginger-and-white tabby tom dove across the clearing to encounter his mother, Petalspring, who was sitting down near the nursery. Petalspring turned on her heel and stared at Adderstripe with wide blue eyes. But, before Adderstripe could say anything to her…
"Rabbitfur is gone!" The cry echoed through the clearing as Driftberry raced into the camp, yowling the statement over and over as she tripped on her own heels. Adderstripe spun to stare at Driftberry, gaping in horror, and the WindClan cats began to gather around Driftberry, exchanging shocked words. Brambledusk's ears shot up as questions were shot at Driftberry from every direction.
"Did something happen to him?" Grayflight asked.
"He'd never run away on his own," Hawkfeather argued. "He's not a coward."
"Did ThunderClan kidnap him?" Thrushwing mused.
"Or RiverClan?" Sunleaf added.
Brambledusk's thoughts raced, thinking back to the venom that Swiftstar spat Rabbitfur's name with.
"I've taken care of Rabbitfur, but the rumors haven't stopped." Wait… could it be…
Brambledusk exchanged a glance with Adderstripe, who seemed to share the same sentiment as Brambledusk, for he stared at Driftberry with his claws unsheathing and sheathing. The fury radiated off Adderstripe's pelt in waves, strong enough to send Brambledusk off his paws.
The cats began to argue with each other, all debating reasons for why Rabbitfur might be gone, until Swiftstar exited his den with Berrysplash at his side. Despite the camp breaking into choruses of anger, fear, and trepidation, Swiftstar spoke calmly as his voice raised to address all the cats in the clearing.
"I'll send out search patrols for Rabbitfur," Swiftstar meowed, and Brambledusk couldn't help but notice the lack of worry in his eyes for the disappearance of such a senior warrior. "We'll find him, I assure you."
"Thank the gods," Hawkfeather murmured, but the gossip didn't stop, even as Swiftstar turned away. When the tom disappeared into his den, the gossip grew louder and spread through the camp like wildfire. Just as Swiftstar says, every cat talks when they think his back is turned.
"Maybe Rabbitfur deserted!"
"Was he killed?"
"We've got to find him."
Adderstripe turned away, fleeing from the whispers from the Clan and back to Petalspring. Brambledusk was right behind him, his heart racing in his chest as the world seemed to come falling down on them. What happened to Rabbitfur? Did Swiftstar have something to do with it? Had Swiftstar confessed that Adderstripe really wasn't his son?
"Come with me!" Adderstripe urged his mother. Petalspring nodded, baffled as Adderstripe hauled her into one of the abandoned rabbit burrows. Brambledusk glanced at Adderstripe, and the ginger-and-white tabby tom nodded, allowing him to join them. Brambledusk squeezed his way through the burrow as Adderstripe stared at Petalspring, his amber eyes wide with terror.
"Adderstripe!" Petalspring snapped. "What is the meaning of this?"
"There's something I wanted to ask you." Adderstripe's fur was ruffled. "Something I can't get off my mind. Is my father really Swiftstar? Or is my father… Rabbitfur?" His amber eyes never left his mother, who stepped back at Adderstripe's question, as if she had been physically pushed.
"Are you out of your mind?" Petalspring snapped. "What are you babbling about? Your father is Swiftstar! He is your father! Do you understand?"
"He is not my father!" Adderstripe yowled at her. "Tell me the truth! Is my father Rabbitfur? He said he thinks of me as his son! That's the truth, isn't it?"
Petalspring's fur fluffed up, glaring at Adderstripe with so much venom that for a moment, it looked as if she was confronting an enemy warrior. "If you want to think so, if it pleases you, then you can think so. But do not make that as an excuse to oppose Swiftstar. Sooner or later, you will be the leader of WindClan. Then, everything will begin. I am waiting for that day, as well. But for now, you must be patient."
Adderstripe stared at his mother, his jaw open. There was a rumbling behind them, and Brambledusk turned on his heel to see Swiftstar entering the rabbit burrow. Brambledusk's heart stopped in his chest, but the ginger-and-white tom paid Brambledusk no mind and walked over to the two cats.
"I hear Rabbitfur ran away," Swiftstar growled deeply in his chest as his unfeeling gaze raked across the two warriors. He focused his amber gaze on Adderstripe, who was still looking at Petalspring. "Now you're just a poor, abandoned lapdog."
"That was your doing!" Adderstripe screamed at the top of his lungs, swinging his head to face Swiftstar. "You scum!"
"Scum?" Swiftstar narrowed his eyes. "Be careful, boy. Words can kill. Use them with care."
"Oh, sorry about that." Adderstripe's voice was laced with sarcasm as he lashed his tail. "I'm just an abandoned lapdog. I lost my composure."
"You lost your composure so easily?" Swiftstar asked. "A pitiful composure."
"So easy?" Adderstripe snarled at him. "I have lost my real father! That's right! I have no father! You could never understand how I feel."
"What are you saying?" Swiftstar's green eyes narrowed. "Your real father is right here. Your father is me. The son of a lowly rogue. A worthless upstart. A crude tom who cats disparage as a viper. That is your father." Swiftstar loomed over Adderstripe, every word of his causing every tuft of fur to stand up on Adderstripe's pelt. The ginger-and-white tom snapped his jaws at Swiftstar.
"In my vein flows the blood of Rabbitfur and his ancestors before him," Adderstripe yowled. "You're wrong. My real father is Rabbitfur."
Petalspring, who had been watching the exchange like a frozen rabbit being seen by a predator, finally snapped and interfered, pulling at Adderstripe's legs. "Come to your senses!" she screamed at Adderstripe. "Your real father is right here!"
"Mother!" Adderstripe snarled at Petalspring.
"Apologize!" Petalspring demanded. "Apologize to your father. You must apologize! Apologize!" Tears were welling in Petalspring's eyes, and tears were falling down Adderstripe's cheeks, staining the ground below him. Swiftstar was the only one who showed no emotion on his face, staring at the two cats with a gaze full of ice.
"I thought it was about time to make you deputy," Swiftstar told Adderstripe. "But I guess I was wrong."
What? Swiftstar turned on his heel, his tail lashing, his hackles raised as he marched away from the rabbit burrow. Petalspring raced after him, leaving the two toms alone, frozen in their tracks. Brambledusk had no idea what to say to Adderstripe as the ginger-and-white tabby tom collapsed on the ground, curling up in a ball and digging his nose into his haunches. Brambledusk rubbed his tail down the spine of his friend, sitting in silence with him.
Brambledusk had no idea how long it had been as Adderstripe slowly sobbed, but he could the sun hitting its highest peak in the sky, when the argument had taken place just at dawn. Swiftstar's scent became thick again, and Brambledusk was ready to claw his leader in the face if he was about to threaten Adderstripe again, but when the ginger-and-white tabby tom poked his head in the rabbit hole, panic was written all over his face, as if the argument from earlier was completely forgotten.
"Your mother is gone!" Swiftstar barked at Adderstripe, who immediately got to his paws and stared at Swiftstar.
"I'll go find her!" Adderstripe exclaimed.
"I have sent out patrols to search for her already," Swiftstar snarled at him, stopping him with his body just as Adderstripe was about to leave the burrow. "You will stay put. I do not trust you to go after Rabbitfur instead."
"Damn you!" Adderstripe yowled at him when he marched away. The ginger-and-white tabby cat raced after his father, exiting the rabbit burrow with Brambledusk at his heels. "Let me go look for her!"
"No!" Swiftstar turned on his heel, baring his teeth at Adderstripe. He swung his head towards Brambledusk. "Brambledusk, you go look for her. Now!"
"Uh, me?" Brambledusk was dazed. Some cat had finally addressed him and acknowledged that he was there. Were they not embarrassed at all to see him privy to the royal family's drama?
"Yes! Go!" Swiftstar's command sent Brambledusk running away from camp with no time to say anything to Adderstripe. Brambledusk scaled the walls of the camp and bounded through the moorland, his heart racing in his chest as the exchange between father, son, and mother stayed in his mind. It never seemed to leave.
Did Petalspring join Rabbitfur? Brambledusk asked himself. No. She was on Swiftstar's side. Did she go off to find him, maybe? The hatred that Adderstripe had spat at Swiftstar with was justified, Brambledusk knew that, but he also knew that Adderstripe loved his mother. I've got to find her for him.
Why did Swiftstar want to make Scorchclaw deputy? Was it true that Swiftstar was involved in Rabbitfur's disappearance, like Adderstripe had said, to quell the rumors of Adderstripe being Rabbitfur's son? Swiftstar had been adamant when telling Adderstripe that he was his real son, and Petalspring had confirmed that. So, wasn't that true? Why was Adderstripe insistent on Rabbitfur being his father?
Brambledusk had no problem with Adderstripe being deputy and stopping Swiftstar before he killed more cats. The death of Oakcloud was still fresh in Brambledusk's cold, cold heart. He was willing to do anything to stop Swiftstar from hurting any more cats that he loved. Adderstripe has lost his father, and I have lost mine, too, thanks to our Clan leader. But our mothers are still here, and I've got to find Adderstripe's. Brambledusk shook the thoughts of today's encounters from his mind and tasted the air for any sign of Petalspring's scent. He could make out the scents of Hawkfeather and Grayflight, presumably sent to look for Petalspring, but he couldn't find her scent in the distance.
Hawkfeather and Grayflight's scents spread out through the northern most part of the territory and the western part. I should search near RiverClan's border, then. Just as Brambledusk pelted down the hills that led to the marshland, the sickly scent of fox and the copper tang of blood made Brambledusk skid in his tracks. Oh no. Oh, no! With fear making his body tremble, he focused his nose on the scent of fox and blood and tracked down where it was coming from, exceedingly close to the moorland.
As Brambledusk lifted his head to study the source of the scent, a lump developed in his throat that he couldn't swallow when he spotted a bundle of gray-and-white fur. Brambledusk approached the unmoving pelt and moved it with his paw, recognizing it as a cat. He already knew who it was the moment he turned it over to reveal its face. Petalspring. His mentor.
Grief swelled at Brambledusk's eyes and misted his vision as he saw the grievous wound on Petalspring's throat and the scratches and gashes all over her body. Petalspring's mouth was curled in a snarl, and her claws were unsheathed, tufted with the fur of fox and stained with its blood as well. The fox's scent drifted closer into RiverClan's territory, but it wasn't his problem. Brambledusk's knees trembled, threatening to give way, but he had to get Petalspring back to camp. He grabbed Petalspring's blood-stained scruff and hauled her on his back.
This can't be happening, Brambledusk thought, completely numb as he bounded through the moorland and headed back to WindClan's camp. This is a sick joke. I'm dreaming all of this. But the scent of fox, the dead weight of Petalspring on top of him, and the screaming match from earlier all made it clear that this was reality. A twisted, demented reality that Brambledusk was forced to live in. Brambledusk spotted the tip of camp below and slowed his pace so Petalspring wouldn't fall off his body.
The moment Brambledusk entered camp, horrified shocks and mournful yowls rang through the cats who watched him enter. Brambledusk paid them no mind, instead, he walked like a cat possessed, forcing himself to Swiftstar's den. Swiftstar and Adderstripe were waiting inside, their eyes wide with terror as Brambledusk dropped Petalspring's body in front of them. Brambledusk stepped back, feeling the stickiness of Petalspring's blood staining his fur.
The cries were audible from the camp behind him. Cats screamed Petalspring's death to the sky, cats sobbed, and other cats were yowling, fearing that they would be next. Brambledusk hadn't told them the cause of death, but he assumed that from the blood pouring from her wounds and staining the ground of camp, they all assumed. He forced the cries to exit his ears and focused on the sight in front of him.
Swiftstar laid out Petalspring's body, licking it fiercely and leaning in front of her. "Come on," Swiftstar whispered, pressing his face to hers. "Wake up. Wake up, Petalspring. You can't leave. Who did this to you? Whoever – whatever – did it – I'll rip them into shreds. I'll start by taking their legs, then their paws, then…"
"Stop it!" Adderstripe caterwauled.
Swiftstar ignored him, pawing his former mate's cheek. "Open your eyes, please… Please, wake up. I'm begging you. It's me. Look… look at me…"
"My mother was always alone," Adderstripe growled, pacing around Petalspring's body. "Always. Always waiting for you. Day after day, even when you chose pretty little Sunleaf and had kits with her instead. You let her waste away! To you, she was just a plaything given to you by her father!"
"You're wrong!" Swiftstar snarled. "She was never arranged for me! I loved her! I treasured her from the bottom of my heart! I cared for her!"
"Then why did you dash her hopes?" Adderstripe snapped.
"Her hopes?" Swiftstar echoed.
"My mother always wanted me, her own son, to become deputy. She asked for it, time and time again. But… you only cared for Sunleaf's children. You want to make Scorchclaw deputy!" Adderstripe's voice threatened the roots of the oak to shatter.
"That's not true!" Swiftstar barked. "I was going to let you have it. I told her that."
"I never heard that," Adderstripe snarled, lashing his tail. "I heard that you wanted to make Scorchclaw deputy."
"I told you!" Swiftstar screamed. "Didn't I tell you? Your entire life, that I was going to make you deputy, and you were going to lead the Clan after me? I never said anything to make you sad! Nothing at all! Isn't that true?"
"In that case." Adderstripe's muscular body was trembling. "Swear now. Swear on my mother's soul. Before your mourning ends, you will grant her wish. Swear! Swear you'll make me deputy! Take pity on my poor mother and grant her that. Make me your deputy!"
There was a heavy silence between the two cats. Brambledusk's frame was shaking and the world was spinning around him as he watched Adderstripe yowl at his grieving father, who shot back every word. There was nothing but them. Brambledusk didn't exist at the moment, as far as they were concerned. Now Brambledusk was watching the future of WindClan in the making. Brambledusk swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Very well." Swiftstar's voice was exhausted. "The Clan is yours."
Adderstripe stared darkly at his father before nuzzling his mother's bloodied cheek. He collapsed on the ground, a heap of ginger-and-white fur, and shared tongues with his mother for one last time before turning on his heel and leaving the den. Brambledusk was alone, staring at Swiftstar's grieving figure as sobs racked the WindClan leader's body.
What does the future hold now? Swiftstar had just made Adderstripe deputy, but that came at the cost of their family and Petalspring's death. Would some cat tell Scorchclaw that he was meant to be deputy instead? And if that happened, what would unravel? What would Adderstripe do to Swiftstar to become leader? From the conversation, it was clear that Adderstripe wanted to be leader. And now Brambledusk was deeply involved. What do I do?