Disclaimer: I don't own the Warriors series!

Title: Red Pearls

Summary: Brightfur just wanted to be a medicine cat. Her mentor, Ravenwind, has very different ideas on what that means- for her and for ShadowClan. With Ravenwind controlling her every move and more than willing to kill to keep it that way, Brightfur will need more than just luck to live to tell the tale.

Chapter Title: Oh, Happy Day

...

Smokestripe carefully smoothed out Brightpaw's back fur with her tongue while she did the same to her arm. The molly was too old for her mother to be cleaning her for ceremonies, she knew, but she wanted to look her best for Hawkpaw and Graypaw. They trained their hardest for today. It's only fair I make the effort.

The past few days had been hectic on Brightpaw's mind. Alderstar had been quick to send out search patrols, but not even a sniff of Leafleg had come to them. The medicine cat had yearned to say something, but she didn't think it would go over very well to tell her grandfather and Clan that her mentor may be a murderer. It didn't help that she had no evidence except that they had managed to convince him to travel across Clan borders; and, in its own way, wasn't that just implicating herself? At the end of the day, Ravenwind could say she watched Leafleg fly away and they'd be more likely to believe her over some young scrap of fur that didn't even have her name yet.

Ravenwind was trusted. Ravenwind was respected. No one would ever guess she'd done something so terrible. Brightpaw hoped that she was just overthinking things, and that her mentor wouldn't do something like murder just because she didn't like a warrior. But why can't I believe that?

"You look wonderful," Hawkpaw purred as he approached, bumping foreheads with her. Clutched between his teeth was a daisy; for Flowerpaw, he'd said. It made her heart ache just to think about it. "Maybe you could join us on our vigil later? The company would be nice."

"We'll see," she said, nosing the underside of his chin.

It wasn't just Brightpaw gussying herself up for the ceremony. Rainblaze and Barkfall were practically sparkling as they chatted with Stonebreeze. Honeyflower and Newtfrost were sharing tongues. Slatestep was sharing training tips with Briarspots while they waited. Mossyear and Badgerthroat were ducking their heads in and around Maplepaw, determined to get their wiggly kit as clean as possible. Fallingfeather was meowing something quietly to Graypaw, who nodded along, smiling. At his paws sat a crow feather. The black molly let out an emotional sigh and nuzzled her son.

"You're going up with Graypaw, aren't you?" Skyberry asked Addershine. "I mean, you did more than- well, you know."

Addershine ducked his chin with embarrassment. "Yes, ma'am. I just hope Flamepaw won't be too hurt that I went up without him."

"Soon," she promised. "Soon."

Ravenwind didn't leave her den until Alderstar called for them to gather. Brightpaw hesitated to join her, then realized that would only make her look suspicious. If she did kill Leafleg, I don't want her to know I know, do I? She plopped down beside the black she-cat, flicking an ear as a greeting.

Alderstar hopped up to his usual place, looking almost naked without Duskspring. The tom hovered behind Hawkpaw, looking rather haggard from his Greencough. "It's with a heavy heart I look down today, seeing two where there should be three. But Flowerpaw resides in the stars now, and I don't doubt that she will celebrate this day with us in spirit."

Graypaw took a bold step forward, setting the crow's feather at the bottom of the Clanrock. Hawkpaw was close behind with the flower, placing it with such tenderness one could've mistaken it for a kit.

"I know it's not traditional," Hawkpaw meowed. "But we've picked our names."

Alderstar studied the items. "One after your mother, and the other after your sister?" he mused. The dark tabby slowly nodded. "I would be honored to give you such names. Addershine, is Graypaw ready to be a warrior?"

Addershine nodded. "He'll make a great addition to ShadowClan, Alderstar."

"Duskspring, is Hawkpaw ready?"

"No thanks to me," the gray tom grumbled ruefully. "He'll be honored for many moons to come."

"Don't sell yourself short, old friend," he chided. "I, Alderstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you in turn. Hawkpaw, Graypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Hawkpaw meowed.

Graypaw cast a pointed glance at the nursery, then nodded. A surprised rumble swept through the Clan.

"You wish to be a nursery warrior?" Alderstar asked. Graypaw puffed out his chest. "A great choice for a great warrior. Graypaw, from this moment on you will be known as Grayfeather. StarClan honors your kindness and generosity, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan."

Brightpaw felt her breath catch as Grayfeather stepped up to accept his name. Hawkpaw twitched with anxious jitters as Alderstar turned to him.

"Hawkpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Hawkflower. StarClan honors your courage and even-tempered nature, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan."

Courage, Brightpaw mused as she watched Hawkflower and Grayfeather exchange proud little looks. The word reminded her of the situation at paw- or, more accurately, her lack of action on the issue. If it was true- if Ravenwind had committed murder- it was her duty to ShadowClan to make sure it didn't happen again. She tilted her head back and yowled their new names along with the rest of the Clan.

Stonebreeze cleared his throat. "Well, I suppose it's my turn," he grumbled, nudging Honeyflower pointedly. The yellow tabby stubbornly shook her head. "Some friend you are. Letting me stand in front alone like this."

"Of course," Alderstar meowed, raising his voice once again. "Stonebreeze, is it your wish to give up the name of a warrior and go to join the elders?"

"It is." He shook out a back paw. "Joints are hurtin' like nobody's business these days."

"Your Clan honors you and all the service you have given to us. I call upon StarClan to give you many moons of rest."

"Stonebreeze, you ball of coot feathers!" Flowerstrike cried, overjoyed. "You shoulda told us! We would've gotten a nest around!"

The gray and white spotted tom just shook his head, padding over to bump noses with the older elder. "I can still make my own nest," he grumbled.

"But why would you want to?" Skyberry teased, whiskers twitching. "There's still plenty of 'paws to order about."

"Congratulations!" Maplepaw meowed to the two new warriors, and it was then that the Clan began to split back into groups, swapping between cats to congratulate. Hawkflower craned his head up to see if Brightpaw would be coming soon, but Brightpaw didn't notice. Her eyes were far away.

If there was one blessing in all of StarClan, it was that Ravenwind was a restless sleeper, twitching and snoring. Brightpaw knew almost immediately when her mentor had drifted off. She stood, stretched, and casually made her way over to the stores. I have to be authentic. If anyone wakes up, I'll just tell them I thought I heard Duskspring coughing.

Brightpaw carefully bent down and pulled away the moss that covered the red pearls. They smelled very different from the other herb smells in the den- sharp, but not in a clean, comforting way. Something almost unnatural seemed to infect the air around them. She carefully rolled one out of its hole, squatting awkwardly to get a better look. Even in the dark, she could see the seed set in the middle of the berry, which was a bright red tinge.

Juniper berries were blue. Purple-blue, almost. Certainly not red. She only knew of one other major berry that ShadowClan used, and that was deathberries. Brightpaw swallowed at the hole, which was half-full. Way too many for a just in case type scenario. Has she done this before?

She suddenly recalled Puddle, the elder who had died so suddenly despite being healthy, and the connecting event of her forgetting most of that day. Ravenwind had called it a sign. But if she had something like deathberries so close at paw, who was to say she hadn't snuck some into Puddle's food? Into Brightpaw? I need to get rid of these. Now.

Brightpaw silently grabbed one of the many beech leaves they kept nearby, hoisting as many berries as she could logically fit onto it. It would take a couple of trips if she wanted to destroy the entire batch. I could do one haul a night. Ravenwind hasn't touched this hole in moons. She won't notice until it's too late. She hoped.

The night was clear and calm as she slipped out of the medicine den. Crickets chirped loud and proud; the peaceful symphony of Greenleaf. Hawkflower perked up as she slipped out the entrance, inching over so she could sit, but she shook her head and lifted her maw, showing off the bundle. He nodded and moved back. Brightpaw was almost entirely certain Grayfeather was asleep. No wonder he's so excited to see me. He's probably bored out of his fur.

If these were deathberries- and, Brightpaw admitted to herself, that could very well be a big if- then there was no way she was going to dispose of them by-paw. One wrong lick and she'd be sick for a week. The best way she could think of was to throw them into a stream somewhere and let them be washed far, far away. With that in mind, she pushed further and further into the territory, determined not to risk anyone's health.

It was with a heavy heart that she came across the stream where Flowerpaw had drowned that Leaf-bare. Brightpaw was certain the only one who came by to this spot these days was Fallingfeather; and there was no way she was drinking any of it. She tilted her head back in prayer. I'm sorry, Flowerpaw. I hope I'm not desecrating your honor by doing this. But you have to understand; I can't keep such a deadly thing near where my nieces and nephews will play. Brightpaw lowered the beech leaf into the water, watching as the tiny red bulbs were carried off. When the leaf was empty she let go, watching it slip away with the waves.

A voice, dangerously calm, broke through the night. "Brightpaw."

Brightpaw whirled around, eyes wide. "Ravenwind! I- I thought you were asleep."

Ravenwind practically blended into the darkness as she neared, her amber eyes dark and swirling with rage. "Do you know how long it took me to collect so many of those?" she asked. "A long time, Brightpaw. Red pearls are an essential herb-"

"They're deathberries, aren't they?"

Ravenwind fell silent. Finally; "Yes, they are."

The confirmation made her scruff rise. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Why would I?" She shrugged nonchalantly. "You were just a kitten when you asked me. I wasn't going to tell a kitten that I had a dangerous poison in my stores."

"Why have them? Why so many?"

Ravenwind cocked her head to the side. "Get to the real question here, Brightpaw. I know you didn't drag me out in the middle of such a nice night to debate herb storage."

"Did you kill Leafleg?" Brightpaw meowed. It all came out in a jumbled rush.

"What do you think?" she replied, as if weren't obvious by the deathberries currently floating downstream.

"I think it's more logical than him just disappearing."

"Good point. Alright, I'll take it in order; I keep the deathberries in case a cat is too injured or too ill to make it much longer and they wish to greet their ancestors with as little pain as possible. I keep a lot of them because big battles happen; not yet in your lifetime, true, but they occur. As for Leafleg- you caught me. You got it all figured out." Ravenwind rolled her eyes. "I'm shocked it took you this long, honestly. I picked you for a reason."

Brightpaw's stomach dropped. "What?"

Ravenwind sighed and tromped over to her. There was a certain softness to her face, somehow pitying and warm all at once. "You're a good choice for medicine cat. You follow orders. You care for your Clanmates. You don't trust the other Clans."

"I thought medicine cats weren't supposed to hold grudges," Brightpaw whispered, stiff with horror as it all sunk in. Ravenwind had chosen her to follow in her pawsteps. She didn't want her just to care for her Clanmates- she wanted her to be able to kill for them. Kill them, if it came to that.

"You fear WindClan for what they've done to your family," she responded, making her flinch. "You can try to hide it all you want, but I know your heart. WindClan ripped Birchpaw from your mother; and it wouldn't surprise me if you blame them for Darkkit."

"Stop," she pleaded. "Just stop."

Ravenwind went on. "If ShadowClan hadn't been at war, Smokestripe wouldn't have felt such stress. If WindClan hadn't killed Birchpaw, Smokestripe wouldn't have had to grieve. Maybe, just maybe, Darkkit would be alive right now." Her ears flattened. "Flowerpaw didn't understand that."

Brightpaw had gone numb from paws to ear tips, a whirlwind of emotions battling in her chest. "You drowned her, didn't you?"

"I told her no, but she didn't listen," she growled, eyes flashing. "Do you think I enjoyed doing that, Brightpaw? How could I? Flowerpaw had nothing but good to her name- but she insisted, and she started poking around, and I did what I had to do. That's what being a medicine cat is all about- doing what's best." Ravenwind grew silent. Her amber eyes misted over. "My mother once said I was a blessing from StarClan. You remind me of her."

"Your mother?" Brightpaw snapped. "Your mother was some kittypet named Pearl." Ravenwind stared at her, truly floored. "Flowerpaw showed me at Highstones. I know the sum of your parts, Ravenwind. I know that, no matter how much I look like her, Leopardpoppy is dead."

"Never say her name!" Ravenwind screeched before flinging herself onto her. Brightpaw let out a shocked howl, scrambling for purchase. Ravenwind flipped her with ease, slamming her back into the stream floor. Claws dug into Brightpaw's shoulders as she went below the water.

She's going to kill me!

Brightpaw panicked, slamming her back paws into Ravenwind's stomach; she was so terrified she didn't realize that her claws were sheathed, leaving her blows feeble and ineffective. The need for air burned through her chest like fire as she struggled. For all Ravenwind's fronting about being old and weak, there was steel in the medicine cat, fury in her rigidness, and intent in her bared teeth.

This is the last thing Flowerpaw saw, Brightpaw realized as she began to slip into unconsciousness. StarClan, please. I don't want to die like this. What will Smokestripe think?

Suddenly, Ravenwind backed off. The black she-cat dipped her head below the waves, fixing her teeth into Brightpaw's scruff. She didn't fight it as she was dragged to shore, soaking wet. The medicine cat was breathing even more heavily than she was, minus the water she occasionally coughed up.

"My apologies," she rumbled finally. "Leopardpoppy... my mother did so much for me. Talking about her is a bit of a sensitive spot for me."

Sensitive spot? Brightpaw sniffled derisively; she didn't have the strength to speak. She almost drowned me!

Ravenwind eventually hauled her to her paws and led her back to camp. Brightpaw tried to shift away, but the medicine cat pulled her back every time. Brightpaw had a lot of things to consider, but she couldn't move past her attempted murder. It clung to her thoughts like cobwebs, refusing to let go even for something as serious as her mentor admitting to multiple prior killings.

Ravenwind's breath brushed her ear. "I know you're angry. I don't blame you. But I just want you to know- regardless of how I may have acted, I'm very proud of you. I'm glad I chose you."

That did the exact opposite of help. Brightpaw opened her mouth to tell her as much when she heard Hawkflower's concerned cry. The new warrior was by her side in a millisecond, sniffing her sopping pelt for injuries. Grayfeather wasn't far behind.

"She fell in," Ravenwind grunted. "I fished her out."

Brightpaw was too exhausted to argue. She buried her nose in Hawkflower's pelt and wished his familiar scent could erase what had just happened. Hawkflower shot Ravenwind a suspicious look, none too pleased with her lack of interest, and gently led her over to their vigil spot. Grayfeather and Hawkflower corralled Brightpaw between them like an errant kit, licking her pelt clean with swift strokes.

Her limbs didn't stop shaking until dawn.

Author's Note: Whoo boy, lots of Shenanigans in this chapter, huh.

Fun Fact- Hawkflower was originally gonna be named Hawkstripe. But then I realized it'd be pretty cool if both boys got named after family members, so here we are.

-Mandaree1