Disclaimer: I don't own the Warrior Cats 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: Strength in Numbers

...

"You truly have the worst timing," Ravenwind meowed. "And, honestly, would it have killed you to show a little more? I could understand Mossyear being small, only having one kitten, but two is another matter entirely."

Badgerthroat cracked open her good eye. "Shut up and call my family in, you old bat."

"I can't do both."

"I just gave birth and I feel like monster-food. Make more bad jokes and I will claw your muzzle off."

The black and white molly's snappishness hardly made an impression on Ravenwind. The black she-cat turned and padded out into the clearing without another word, leaving Brightpaw to keep her company for the short amount of time it would take to gather her mate and their apprentice-age kit.

Brightpaw cleared her throat awkwardly. "Well, at least we know these two won't be as big as Maplepaw."

Badgerthroat let out a wispy laugh. "Very true." She nosed the silver and white tabby she-kit, which stood out brightly against her black and white mother and all brown sister. "I'm thinking of naming this one Willowkit. The brown one can be Antkit. Willows, ants, and maples. I like that combination."

"Unless they're in your fur, of course."

"I dunno about that. Maple leaves would be sure to spruce my plain pelt a bit."

"I heard something about leaves?" Mossyear thrust her head into the den, eyes glowing. "Ooh, they're just gorgeous. Maplepaw, come meet your sisters."

"I would, if you'd get out of my way," Maplepaw meowed behind her. The unnaturally large apprentice had to crawl inside, shuffling over to meet them. Mossyear pressed close to her older daughter in a comforting manner as she did so. "Wow. Was I that little?"

"No," said Mossyear firmly, purring. "But you're special."

Brightpaw watched the scene a moment longer before slipping away to give them privacy. She wondered who all had come to meet her when she was born. Grandpa, I'm sure, but did anyone else? It was just as likely that they did or didn't; ShadowClan had been wrestling with grief for Birchpaw, taken before his time, and could have either crowded or abandoned the area. She hadn't been old enough to remember.

Her eyes wandered over to the prey-pile, stacked high with food. Lionkit and Tigerkit had opened their eyes just a few days ago, revealing the typical green that seemed to carry through their family line, and the tiny kittens scrambled here and there throughout the day. Lionkit sniffed curiously at a squirrel tail, his milky yellow fur coming in thick and bushy, while scrawny and twig-like Tigerkit clambered over the back to the very top, her little chin raised high. The mouse under her paws rolled, sending her on top of her brother with an 'oomph!'

There's four kittens in camp now, she realized. The thought filled Brightpaw with a foreign kind of dread. Brightpaw could understand Burnstar's suspicions and his need to retaliate. She knew the whys and hows of what was going on between her and Hawkflower, even if she didn't want to admit it to herself- didn't want to be one of those medicine cats they tell stories about, a failure. They all scared her, but they scared everybody.

Brightpaw was the only cat in ShadowClan who knew just how close danger was, however.

No one would suspect tiny, half-kittypet Ravenwind of murdering full-grown warriors like Leafleg. Everyone assumed Flowerpaw was an accident. Puddle had been an omen- one she had been dragged along with- rather than poison. If Ravenwind didn't like something, she took care of it. Permanently. She didn't want that kind of mentality anywhere near the tiny lives she had helped bring into the world.

"Worrying again?"

Brightpaw jumped, bristling, as Smokestripe approached her with a twinkle in her eye. "Sorry, mom. Just... thinking."

"That's all you've done lately." Smokestripe settled in next to her. "I know things are bad right now, but today is a happy day for ShadowClan. A sign that nothing stays- horrible or otherwise."

She thinks I'm worried about RiverClan. Brightpaw swallowed some residual guilt. "Mom, can I ask you a hypothetical question?"

"Hypothetical, eh? Sure."

Brightpaw's tail twitched with anxiety, but she kept her voice mostly steady. "What if you knew something... bad? Really bad? And it's so bad and scary that you think you have to tell the Clan, but you're not sure they'd believe you?"

Smokestripe blinked at her, taken aback. "Dear, are you okay?"

"It's hypothetical, mom."

"Right, right. Hypothetical." She let it slide, but Brightpaw could see the concern in her eyes as she tilted her head slightly. "Well, if it were me, and I had to find a way to prove something to the Clan, I'd get other cats on my side first. I mean, 'safety in numbers' is a saying for a reason. One cat could be a trick of the light, but a group of cats hold more weight."

Brightpaw opened her mouth, but a flicker caught her eye. Ravenwind was watching them across the way, eyes burning. She lowered her head and nodded. "Thanks, mom. I'll... I'll try to perk up a bit."

Smokestripe leaned in to lick her forehead. "Don't be afraid to come to me if you have any problems, Brightpaw. I can handle it."

No, you can't, she thought hopelessly. No one can.

The camp was empty when Brightpaw came to- and so was the prey-pile. Her stomach gurgled with acid and nerves as she looked around, hoping to find someone who'd tell her what chore she should do today, but no one in particular stood out. Guess I'm hunting.

She managed to find herself a finch, settling in to eat where it was caught. The warmth of Greenleaf was slowly transforming into Leaf-fall; some of the leaves were tinged orange or red, and the fireflies had started to dwindle at night. She imagined things with RiverClan and ShadowClan would only escalate once Leaf-bare hit- with the rivers frozen, RiverClan starved almost as harshly as WindClan, and they were bound to be more testy than ever. It didn't help that WindClan was one drifted scent away from attacking. ShadowClan really does stand on its own, doesn't it?

Voices in the distance made her ears prick. Brightpaw slunk through the underbrush, tail tip flicking back and forth, until she came across the training hollow. Brackenpaw and Flamepaw were cleaning each others' ears while Berrypaw talked cheerfully with Briarspots, their pelts brushing. Addershine politely tilted his head, and Fallingfeather took her cue to step up and explain the rules of the hunting portion.

Their final assessment! Excitement burned through Brightpaw. I can't believe I almost forgot!

"I'm sure you'll do fine," the black molly finished. "You're all good cats, worthy of carrying a warrior name."

Briarspots chuckled. "That's fancy talk for 'we're proud of you'."

Could I tell one of them? The idea hit Brightpaw like a monster. All this time, she'd been worried about upsetting Hawkflower or Grayfeather with the truth about their sister, or scaring young Maplepaw with the information that the cat she went to for thorns and other things had blood on her paws, but she'd never put a lot of thought into telling her siblings before. But who? Flamepaw needs to focus on his assessment, for his kits' sake. Brackenpaw would need proof to believe me, and I don't have a lot of that. Her eyes fixed on Berrypaw. Berrypaw would listen, wouldn't she? She always had before.

Brightpaw watched with new resolve as her littermates vanished into the terrain. The mentors followed suit soonafter. She padded out into the hollow and bent down low, finding the strongest whiff of Berrypaw she could. I know where she's going, but she's going to be hidden.

The Burnt Sycamore was in full bloom as she approached, keeping low. Its twisted, gnarled branches held crows and other birds as they rested up from their daily troubles, squawking and screeching to one another for space. A sparrow huffily landed on the ground nearby, pecking at the weeds in search of worms. Brightpaw waited for her sister with baited breath. Berrypaw was a shadow as she approached, her green eyes narrowed with determination. One pounce and it was dead and gone, dragged away before the other birds noticed and reacted.

"Great catch," Brightpaw meowed, deciding to appear out of the grass.

Berrypaw twisted her head around, nodding in recognition. Her eyes glowed as she scraped dirt over the kill. "Thanks! Did you come to wish me luck?"

I'm ruining her assessment. Brightpaw's ears twisted back with shame, wondering if she should save it for another day. Would I ever be brave enough to bring it up again?

The indecision must've shown on her face. Berrypaw bumped their noses together in a friendly manner. "Hey, what's wrong?"

The medicine cat dug her claws into the dirt to stop them from shaking. "I need to tell you something."

"Okay." She nodded, sitting down. "Tell me."

This is way too easy. "I just don't think you'll believe me, you know? It's pretty far-fetched."

"I think I'll be the judge of that."

"But what if-"

"Brightpaw," she chided. "Just tell me."

The simplicity of her words took the wind out of Brightpaw, who slumped to the dusty ground. "I think Ravenwind killed Leafleg."

There was a long pause. "Come again?"

Brightpaw lifted her chin so Berrypaw couldn't doubt her hearing. "Ravenwind killed Leafleg."

Berrypaw stared her down, looking for all the world as if Brightpaw had spoken in fox. Brightpaw tried to quell her own shakiness, but it was almost impossible. She was between a rock and a hard place- her mentor, and the horrible things she had done, and her sister, and whether or not she believed her.

Finally, she spoke. "Why do you think that?"

She told her about that day at the gorge, starting with her agreement to sneak into WindClan for herbs in order to keep Rainblaze and her kits healthy, continuing onto them recruiting Leafleg, and ending on their argument and how Ravenwind was alone when she turned around. "The gorge went into that river," she explained. "That's why Burnstar found him there."

Berrypaw was bristling now, eyes flashing. "What kind of badger-hearted monster would-"

"I don't think Leafleg was the first," she interrupted, but didn't clarify. One murder was hard enough to process- she wasn't going to sling two others at her rapid-fire. "And he won't be the last. Not unless we do something."

"Do what, exactly?"

Brightpaw flinched so harshly her whole body ached. Ravenwind padded out of the bushes with a blank look to her muzzle. Her eyes narrowed at how Berrypaw moved to shield her. "I'm sorry about this, Berrypaw. I really shouldn't have tried to sweep this under the den."

"What?" she asked rhetorically. "Murder?"

Ravenwind's eyes stretched wide. "Stars, no! I would never." She stepped closer, stopping when Berrypaw growled. "You see, there's a certain herb I keep in my den that can, in large amounts, cause hallucinations. Brightpaw fell onto my stock a few nights ago. I was so scared Alderstar would blame me, so I tried to hide it." She bowed her head. "And now Brightpaw's spinning spiderwebs. I'm sorry about the scare."

Berrypaw glared at Ravenwind a second, then glanced at Brightpaw. "Is this true?"

"No!" She rapidly shook her head, aghast. "I don't even know any herbs like that!"

"Brightpaw," Ravenwind chided, then sighed. "Listen, child. I have no beef with you. So let's pretend today never happened, shall we?"

The black molly watched Brightpaw's reaction. The way her muscles tensed; the fear in her eyes, which begged for her to agree, to run as far and fast away as she could, and then looked to the skyline. "Where's my mentor?" she asked. "He should be watching over us."

"I told him I'd do it," she meowed. "I noticed Brightpaw acting oddly yesterday, so when he mentioned her scent on the breeze I offered to come."

She heard me talking to mom! Brightpaw's heart was going so fast it felt like she would keel over at any second.

"I gotta say, Ravenwind, this whole thing is pretty shady." Berrypaw nudged Brightpaw to make her move, but she felt frozen. "I don't know for sure which one of you is right, but I do know that this is serious. Alderstar needs to know about this."

"You don't wanna do that."

"Actually, I kind of do."

She sighed and shook her head. "Your loss." Ravenwind bunched up her muscles and charged. Brightpaw and Berrypaw whirled around and took off, but Brightpaw only managed to get a few steps before Ravenwind sank her teeth deeply into her hip. Her legs buckled under her. Berrypaw skittered around and unsheathed her claws.

"Oh, Brightpaw," she meowed, pressing a paw to her throat. "Why did you have to make this harder than it has to be?"

Author's Note: Hey, look, a cliffhanger.

-Mandaree1