Chapter One Hundred One:

The hisses and howls of the battle rang through Brambledusk's ears as he slashed his claws across Iceshine's throat, sending her falling to the ground. Fury and the need to get revenge for Cinderfall, Turtledove, and Waspberry – alongside the rest of his Clanmates, who had perished in the fire, gave him the strength he needed as he fought his way through the crowd. Shellfall's side was putting up a good fight, even though they were sorely outnumbered by the new reinforcements, they continued to fight, never giving up. Brambledusk was slightly impressed by Shellfall's stubbornness.

Brambledusk had been through a lot in his life. He had started as the son of Spottedwing and Oakcloud and had considered the other kit in the nursery at the time, Adderstripe, the son of Swiftstar, his best friend, almost like a brother. They had grown up together, with Adderstripe being the ringleader, his strength, honesty, and resolve making him a fine cat for Brambledusk to follow. Adderstripe had seen his father's cruelty, and Brambledusk had experienced it firsthand. He had chosen to follow Adderstripe out of his own free will, even though he had a slight suspicion that Rabbitfur had been pulling the strings behind Adderstripe's back the entire time. Adderstripe still detested his father and wished to usurp him to create an honorable WindClan.

But there were things Brambledusk had regretted, things he had never gotten over. Attacking Scorchstar when he was young was one of those. Scorchstar had just been a young cat with no idea of what his father had been planning to do – Brambledusk never should have mauled him the way he did. He disagreed with Adderstripe's methods, and to this day, Brambledusk still was unsure of if he did the right thing, refusing to participate in Adderstripe's rebellion and killing Rabbitfur after that. It was something that always stuck with Brambledusk, something that he was never quite sure if what he did was right. The entire point of the rebellion was to usurp the tyrant known as Swiftstar – something that Shimmerwing was doing, Brambledusk thought. The cruel irony. Shimmerwing is Adderstripe, and we're here, fighting for her side. I can make the right choice this time, fighting against evil. But it hadn't been as simple as that during Adderstripe's rebellion, and Brambledusk knew that.

When Adderstripe had been killed by Russetstripe, Brambledusk had been devastated. Regardless of what had transpired between Adderstripe and his father, regardless of who had been pulling the strings or the rebellion, Adderstripe had still been Brambledusk's best friend – his brother. It had taken a long time for Brambledusk to get over that, and, in a way, he was never quite sure he did. But life went on after that. Brambledusk had three brothers that he raised after his mother died when they were just apprentices. He loved them deeply, and when Lightningtalon had kits that he was unable to care for, Brambledusk took care of them in his place, raising them until they were warriors, and taking care of them even after then. When Cinderfall became a father, Brambledusk assisted his brother in taking care of his kits, even with young Mintpaw. Brambledusk continued his tirade at raising kits – he had spent plenty of time with Iceheart's kits in the mountains and in camp.

But there was loss to Brambledusk's life. His father had been the first family member of his to pass away, followed by Spottedwing in battle. He had lost his youngest brother, Buzzardwing, when he died for Scorchstar, and had mourned him deeply. Then he had lost Lightningtalon after he died saving Iceheart. After that, Cinderfall had died in the fire. And it wasn't just his brothers he had lost, it had been more kin. He lost Mintpaw and Turtledove as well. Brambledusk knew as well as any other cat the pain of losing family.

There had been more to Brambledusk's life than just family, though. He had served as the deputy of WindClan, chosen for none other than the point that Scorchstar did not trust him. He had been through a lot with Scorchstar – and Russetstripe, by extension. Brambledusk served as Scorchstar's deputy for over a year, being with him when they allied with ShadowClan to defeat RiverClan, then allied with ShadowClan to try to defeat ThunderClan and RiverClan. He had been present in the fire that had harmed him so, taking a blow for Scorchstar. It had been the factor that made him decide to step down from being the deputy. He realized that he still had not forgiven himself for what he had done to Scorchstar and WindClan, never truly being able to get over it. It had given him doubts about his ability to lead, and he could not serve as Scorchstar's deputy in clear conscience while he still had those lingering feelings.

He had been a confidant for Scorchstar's kits, especially Hawkfire. He felt himself get closer to Russetstripe as the moons went on, forgiving her for Adderstripe's death. Russetstripe had saved him from the fire, and he had went with her to search for Iceheart and Hotaru, meeting Runningflame in the process and developing a respect for the tom once he realized that he had loved Russetstripe. Then he had been the cat to figure out Russetstripe's newest secret – that she was expecting kits. He had offered to pretend to be the father, but he wasn't sure if that was what Russetstripe wanted.

Over all, Brambledusk had lived a long and complicated life. He wasn't sure if it was good – there, of course, had been many setbacks. But… I'm happy. I've served WindClan for a long time as a warrior, and I don't regret a single moment of it. Now, the final battle was here, to bring peace to the Clans. Brambledusk remembered talking about unification back when he was young. Dapplestar had been trying to bring unification for the Clans, but her death had made the Clans break out into war. If Shimmerwing won this battle, it was possible she could unify the Clans. It all depended on the outcome of this battle, though.

Brambledusk slunk through the crowd, knowing there was only one way to decide the tides of the battle. He spotted Shellfall's spotted gray pelt, examining the crowd from a hunched position. Brambledusk dropped down to his haunches, and then pounced onto the thick-furred tom. Shellfall leaped out of the way before Brambledusk could land on him. The two cats glared at each other, their eyes glittering. Brambledusk realized they shared some similarities. Both of them had been loyal to the cats who started the rebellion, and never wanted to fight against them.

"Give it up," Brambledusk told Shellfall. "The longer you fight, the more death and destruction you cause."

"You know nothing of the way I fight!" Shellfall snapped at Brambledusk. "You don't know the circumstances that led here! I have to defend Dapplestar! She was killed by Shimmerwing!"

"So, it is justice you fight for, then," Brambledusk said, tilting his head. "Is justice better, or is mercy?" He knew it wasn't Shellfall he was asking this question to – it was him.

Shellfall's ears flattened. "She tried to change the world, but cats resisted her at every turn."

Is that really what you believe? Brambledusk thought, gazing at the soaked gray tom. His thoughts flashed back to the fire – the bodies he had collected in the remains of the flames. Cinderfall. Turtledove. Waspberry. And more. "And you thought that burning everything in your way was the best way to unite this world?" he asked.

"Of course not," Shellfall snarled. "But she didn't deserve to be betrayed by her own deputy for it!" He gazed into Brambledusk's eyes, and Brambledusk wondered what he saw in there. Did he see a long serving warrior? A warrior who felt his path was almost complete, once the end of this battle was here? A shattered warrior, a warrior that was always at war with himself?

"This ends now," Brambledusk said. It's time for the world to be at peace. And if that means your death, then that is the risk I will have to take. He leaped at Shellfall, his claws outstretched as he aimed for the tom's vulnerable, sensitive throat. Shellfall dodged his blow, and the two cats rolled together, their claws shredding each other's skin, until Brambledusk felt a searing, stabbing pain. He looked down to see Shellfall's fangs embedded deep into his throat. Oh… I see. I see it, now. A fiery ball of agony rose through Brambledusk's throat and his breathing started to halt as he coughed up blood that streamed down his mouth. Shellfall let go.

"I'm sorry," the dappled gray tom whispered. Then he bounded away into the battle. Brambledusk fell to the ground, his head swimming as the blood continued to pour out of his wounds, soaking his pale tabby fur. Brambledusk rested his head down, love and warmth filling his heart. I've loved so many cats, he thought. I did not have a wasted life. Not at all. I may have gone through some hardships, but it's what made me strong. The pain was slowly ebbing. There was nothing.

"Brambledusk!" Even in his veil of near unconsciousness, Brambledusk found the strength to turn his head. He recognized the ginger face. Russetstripe bounded over to him, her green eyes wide with horror as she stared at Brambledusk's wound. "Oh, no! No, no, no!"

"It's okay," Brambledusk rasped, wincing at the pain and agony in Russetstripe's eyes as she looked Brambledusk up and down. "I'm fine. I want to go. I'm tired."

"No…" Russetstripe gasped. "You can't…"

Brambledusk nodded. "I want to."

Tears swelled in Russetstripe's green gaze as she sat down, leaning over the pale tabby tom. Brambledusk could no longer smell the scent of her fear, and the feeling in his body was ebbing away. The only senses he had left were his sight and his hearing. His head began to spin as he looked up at the sky, hearing the thunder rumble from the clouds. At the corner of his vision, he could see a flash of fur. Huh…? Who is it…?

"Brambledusk," Russetstripe whispered. "…I'm sorry. For everything."

Brambledusk blinked twice. He knew what she was talking about. "…I forgive you."

"Go to them," Russetstripe murmured. "They're waiting for you."

Brambledusk took a deep breath, and more cats started to walk towards him. His eyes widened as he recognized each and every single one of them. Cinderfall's dark gray fur was shining with stars, while Buzzardwing's green eyes glowed with love for his brother. Lightningtalon sat next to Spottedwing, and Oakcloud brushed his pelt against his mate. Turtledove brushed her muzzle against Skyheart's, and Lilystream was licking Buzzardwing's ear. Mintpaw was curled up at Skyheart's paws. And…

Adderstripe…? Brambledusk turned his head over to make out the ginger-and-white tabby pelt. Yes… it's you… Adderstripe padded over to Brambledusk and bent over to touch noses with him.

"You stupid furball," he purred. "Come on. You've always been the slow one."

"Ha." Brambledusk smiled at his best friend. He rose to his paws, surprisingly easily, with the pain evaporating completely. He looked down, and saw his limp corpse, unbreathing, unseeing. He glanced at his paws, seeing his pale brown toes outlined with stars. Ah. I see it now. He walked over to Adderstripe, brushing his tail down his best friend's pelt. "I missed you."

"You too," Adderstripe said. His amber eyes shadowed. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Brambledusk meowed. "I'm the one who should be apologizing."

"No." Adderstripe shook his head. "Everything is good in StarClan. So, I don't want to hear any of your apologizing nonsense. I've always been sick of hearing that."

Brambledusk glanced around at the rest of his loved ones. Spottedwing walked over to Brambledusk, purring loudly as she licked her son's face heavily. Brambledusk shook his head. I'm still a kit to her, he thought wryly. That's okay. Oakcloud followed Spottedwing and tousled Brambledusk's head with his tail, pride glowing in his pale eyes.

"Mother, Father," Brambledusk said, feeling his voice crack.

"I'm so proud of you, Brambledusk," Oakcloud said. Spottedwing was purring too loudly to say anything. Brambledusk dipped his head in thanks and padded over to his three brothers. They watched him with glowing, moonlit eyes, broad smiles on their faces. Cinderfall was no longer the singed, charred corpse he had been when Brambledusk had found his body. He touched noses with his youngest brother.

"Cinderfall," Brambledusk said.

Cinderfall butted his head against Brambledusk's. "You and I both need to watch over Seedberry," he said.

"Of course," Brambledusk said. "Mintpaw?" He looked down at the dark gray tom, nestled between his mother's paws. Can he hear me? Mintpaw glanced up at Brambledusk.

"Brambledusk!" he exclaimed. "Hi!" He leaped to his paws and nipped at Brambledusk's tail playfully, just like when he was a kit. "I was waiting for you!"

"Ahaha." Brambledusk chuckled. "He can hear." He glanced up at Skyheart. Skyheart nodded, tears of joy in her blue eyes. Turtledove touched her nose to Brambledusk's shoulder. Brambledusk purred loudly before trotting over to Buzzardwing, who was pressed closely against Lilystream. Brambledusk grinned in amusement. "I see you two are finally mates."

"I told her the next time I saw her, we'd be mates," Buzzardwing said. "And I kept true to that promise." He twined his tail with Lilystream's. Lilystream purred as she nuzzled her head against Buzzardwing's, blinking thankfully at Brambledusk.

"Thank you for helping me deal with his loss when I was alive," Lilystream said. "I don't think I would've ever been able to heal if it hadn't been for you."

Brambledusk smiled at him before walking over to Lightningtalon. Wait… Waspberry was pressed closely against Lightningtalon's black fur. Huh…? "What…"

Lightningtalon blinked at Brambledusk. "It was when I was protecting Iceheart that I realized that I had made a mistake. My entire life. I was too scared to be there for my kits, and I was too scared to be there for Waspberry. But, in that moment, I knew that… I loved my kits, and I loved Waspberry." He glanced at Waspberry. "And she was kind enough to forgive me." A loud purr rumbled from Lightningtalon's chest, and Waspberry licked his cheek roughly.

"Ah." Brambledusk grinned. "Good. So I don't have to bother you in here." He touched his nose to Lightningtalon's cheek. "Iceheart and her kits will be fine. They have Hotaru with them. And they'll always remember you." He turned to Waspberry. "And you."

"It's odd, don't you think?" Waspberry asked.

"What?" Brambledusk blinked.

"All of us have made a difference in our Clans," Spottedwing meowed, trotting over to Brambledusk. "But out of us… it's you, Brambledusk, who changed the course of WindClan forever. I don't think you understand that."

"Huh?" Brambledusk turned to Spottedwing. "Mother, what do you mean?"

"You have made a difference in each of our lives," Spottedwing meowed, using her tail to gesture to every StarClan cat that sat around him. "But you have also made a difference in WindClan. There is not one cat's life that you did not touch. You were the smartest cat in the Clan. The most loyal, the most determined, and the most thoughtful. If it was not for you, WindClan would be nothing."

"That can't be true," Brambledusk argued. "I'm not the most important cat in WindClan. It's either Scorchstar or Russetstripe."

"Not true." Spottedwing shook her head. "They are definitely among there, yes, but it is your support to them that made them the powerful cats they are. If it was not for your support, they would be nothing, and so would WindClan. You are a hero, Brambledusk, and that is how you will be sent into StarClan as." The spotted tabby pressed her nose to Brambledusk's nose. "My precious son. One of the most important warriors in WindClan. Your name will be passed down for generations."

"Come on!" Mintpaw bounded over to Brambledusk. "I want to show you my favorite place in StarClan." He grabbed Brambledusk's tail in his mouth and started to drag him away from the battlefield.

"Hey, Mintpaw!" Skyheart exclaimed. "Stop that, right now!" She raced after Mintpaw, but Brambledusk blinked at her.

"Don't worry," he said, purring as he allowed Mintpaw to drag him from the battlefield to StarClan. "I want to see his favorite place." As Mintpaw pulled him, he looked over Spottedwing. "Are the Clans united now?"

"They will be," Spottedwing said. "Very soon. Your efforts are what helped it. When cats talk of the united Clans, your name will be in there."

"Ahaha." Brambledusk purred. "That's nice and all. But first and foremost, I'm the cat in WindClan whose entire life was bossed around by some kits." He felt a smile break on his face. Spottedwing grinned and touched her nose to Brambledusk's. Brambledusk turned around and let Mintpaw drag him. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Adderstripe's gaze. The ginger-and-white tabby walked over to him.

"I'm proud of you," Adderstripe said. "I really am. You were – are – a great cat."

"Thanks, Adderstripe." Brambledusk touched his nose to his best friend's shoulder before following Mintpaw into StarClan territory. His time had come – he was ready to join his family in StarClan. If WindClan ever needed him, he'd send them signs, through rainbows, butterflies, or flowers. He'd always be there, for his family in StarClan, and his family in WindClan. He looked over his shoulder at the battlefield, wishing he could say goodbye to Scorchstar, Russetstripe, and Iceheart. I'll send them a sign.

For now, he was home.