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: Smithy

…

Brightfur didn't sleep that night. None of her family did; Brackenclaw questioned Berryshade over and over again, as if in doing so he'd find some inconsistency and prove she hadn't killed Burnstar with her own teeth, and even from the warrior den they could make out Flametuft and Rainblaze trying to comfort Lionpaw and Tigerpaw. Smokestripe entered Alderstar's den and didn't leave it until the sky began to lighten just the slightest bit. Judging by the drag in her tail, her efforts had accomplished nothing.

Berryshade met Smokestripe halfway, nuzzling her reassuringly. Brightfur had applied a wrap to her cut eye. "I should get going."

"I'll go with," Brightfur meowed quickly. They all knew Brackenclaw was too law-abiding to go much of anywhere with a killer, even if said killer was his sister. Good thing I've got plenty of practice, then. "You need to get some sleep, mom."

The black molly reluctantly nodded. She stared at Berryshade with sunken eyes. "I'll visit as soon as I can, dear." She twisted around to call. "Flametuft, Brackenclaw, come say goodbye."

Flametuft poked his head out of the apprentices' den. "Sorry, I can't. Lionpaw just got to sleep." Her avoided looking at Berryshade as he spoke, ears lowered. "Sorry, sis."

"It's alright," she said, with a tone that said the direct opposite. "I understand."

They waited in stiff silence for Brackenclaw to make his appearance, but all they got in return was the cool Leaf-bare breeze. Smokestripe somberly shook her head. "How many times must this family be broken apart until StarClan is satisfied? I just don't know what we've done to deserve this."

Berryshade hesitated, breaking her stoic character for the first time all night. The molly reached out to gingerly headbutt her. "You didn't do anything, mom. You're just stressed and tired."

"How could I not be?" Her voice cracked. "I've only got so many kits left to lose, you know."

"I know, mom," she replied earnestly. "I'm sorry this had to happen. But it did. And I'm going to take my lumps like a warrior."

Smokestripe's eyes narrowed. "Had to happen?"

Brightfur tensed. She didn't know if she was imagining the flash of a black pelt near the medicine den, but she didn't dare risk it. She bumped Berryshade's shoulder. "Come on, sis. The sun is rising. We gotta go."

The forest was surprisingly awake for an early Leaf-bare morning. The few remaining birds were chirping, and the slightest rustling told Brightfur that a squirrel had ducked out of its hole before disappearing back inside, satisfied that it needed to hibernate longer. Even the snow seemed softer under-paw, thanks to a fresh blanket that had fallen the day before. Her breath floated into the air and vanished against the barren trees.

She hated it immensely. This is the hardest day of my life. Why does the weather have to be so nice?

Berryshade didn't speak until the reek of the Carrionplace threatened to choke them both. "The rats are hiding out deeper in the trash this time of season. As long as we don't go digging for them, they won't bother us." She spared Brightfur a look. "You don't have to follow me in if you don't want to."

"It's fine," Brightfur lied. "Just- don't go too fast, okay?"

"I won't."

She led the medicine cat to a hole in the fence, pushing through with little trouble. Brightfur swallowed a ball of anxiety and followed. Snow covered most everything here as well, save for a sleeping monster that smelled warm enough to burn. She stared at it, half-afraid it would leap to life and eat her for a snack, but Berryshade kept right on moving.

Brightfur had climbed Highstones before, been through the darkest tunnel in the territory, but somehow the piles of Twoleg junk were far more intimidating. Stones were solid and easy to climb, so long as you had pawholds, whereas everything in the Carrionplace was complicated and craggly. One cold silver object slipped out under her back paw, clanking to the ground with a loud metallic sound, its limp tail curling around the square base. She cringed and kept climbing.

Eventually, the trash smoothed out into a sort of a plateau. There were bigger objects up here; rectangles of soft rocks. Some of them were flat and a dirty yellow, while others rose up into strange peaks and displayed a variety of colors. Sleeping on one peak was a ginger-and-white molly. She looked almost triple Brightfur's size, with thick fur. Her hackles rose on instinct, but Berryshade visibly lit up at the sight of her, hopping onto the soft rock without a care.

"Clover," she hissed, jabbing a claw into her side. "Clover, get up. It's me."

Clover cracked open an eye. She lifted her head up with a long yawn, letting Brightfur get a good look at her crooked jaw. Teeth stuck out the right side of her muzzle. "Heya, Berry. What's up?"

"You seen Smithy?" Berryshade asked. "I gotta talk to him."

Brightfur blanched. She'd fully expected to meet some loners, but she didn't think she'd be meeting the Smithy.

"He said something about swingin' by Mabel's house. Just had her litter." Clover's ear tilted towards Brightfur, quickly joined by the rest of her face, eyes wide. "Who are you?"

Brightfur awkwardly dipped her head. "I'm Brightfur. I'm a medicine cat."

"A what?"

"She's my sister," Berryshade interjected. "I asked her to wait with me. If that's okay, of course."

The ginger-and-white loner studied her a moment, then patted the soft stone. "C'mon up."

I guess I don't have any choice. She really didn't want to step on any tails. Brightfur crouched and hopped up. Her paws sunk into the fabric immediately, making her feel off-balanced. She dug her claws in and waited for the bouncing to stop.

Clover laughed at the dumbfounded look on her face as she settled in. "Never been on a sofa before?"

"I have no idea what a sofa is," Brightfur meowed. "But I'm going to assume it's this thing and say yes."

They lapsed into an awkward silence. It didn't take long for Berryshade to hop to her side of the sofa, pressing their pelts together comfortingly. Clover went about washing her pelt, which seemed to gleam and glitter against the snow. Her jaw was certainly the first thing a stranger might notice, but Brightfur didn't doubt that cats stared long afterwards. She's beautiful.

The tips of her paws had frozen solid by the time she heard a breezy voice calling from across the trash, "Hey, it's one of my favorite Clan cats! And a stranger!"

Brightfur squinted as the shape of who she assumed was Smithy came across the horizon. His silver and white fur almost seemed to vanish against the snow, despite there being quite a lot of it. Something about the way he moved, from how his fur swished to his stroll, seemed to scream lackluster and nonchalant.

Clover rolled onto her back, head leaning off the sofa. "How's Mabel doing?"

"Pretty good! Three boys. Named 'em Huey, Dewey, and Louie." Smithy's trot came to a stop at the foot of the sofa, smiling ear to ear. "Who's the new friend? She's cute."

Brightfur's ears flew back. "I'm Berryshade's sister, thank you very much."

Smithy's smile didn't falter. "Cool."

Berryshade hopped off the sofa to greet him with a nuzzle, though judging by her stiff shoulders she didn't really want to. "Sorry about how sudden all this is, but I had to get away from ShadowClan. Can I crash here?"

"Of course you can! You belong here, just like everyone else," he purred, eyes blinking slowly. "Is your sister staying too?"

Deeply unnerved, Brightfur leapt down. "I was just going."

"Alrighty then. Come visit soon, you hear? Everyone's welcome." Smithy took a step towards her. "And, hey, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Is it true what I hear? About a kit that looks like me living with you?"

Brightfur's eyes widened. "Who told you that?"

He shrugged. "I mean, I knew my blood was in your Clan. But I never thought any of them would look like me. It's... interesting."

Behind him, Berryshade pointedly shook her head.

"I..." She whirled around, tail lashing. "I have to go. Thanks for letting me on the sofa."

"Of course," Smithy repeated, watching her retreating form closely. "Anytime."

Brightfur spent the rest of the day rolling in various piles of snow, both to ruin them and to get the feeling of Smithy's eyes on her pelt out of her mind. The squirrel and birds from earlier were long gone by the time she returned, making for horrible hunting. She finally got a shriveled shrew as night fell, and she ate it right then and there rather than embarrass herself by bringing it back to camp.

I'm sorry, Berryshade, she thought. I wish I could do more for you. I hope you're safe.

Her weary paws led her to the warriors' den. She couldn't imagine curling up next to Ravenwind tonight- or ever again, for that matter. She stuck her head inside, hoping to crawl in next to Hawkflower, only to notice the spot was filled. Maplenose was curled around the gray and black tom, his face buried in her side. Their tails were intertwined.

"Oh," she breathed, stepped back. Something in her heart ripped. I knew she had a crush on him as a 'paw, but I never thought he'd reciprocate. Brightfur turned her head away, ashamed at having seen such a private moment between her friends.

Quit being such a frog-brain, frog-brain, she reprimanded herself, taking in deep breaths. You and Hawkflower were doomed from the start. Everyone knew that! You should be happy for him- he's moving on and finding love with someone who's allowed to love him back. Her paws shook in the snow as she contemplated where to go next.

"Aunt Brightfur?"

She jumped, whirling around. Tigerpaw's brown tabby fur stuck out starkly against the snow as she approached. "Sorry, I didn't mean to spook you. It's just... Lionpaw is really freaked out about what happened, and dad hasn't slept since-" she swallowed- "Would you mind staying with us? It'd help him a lot to know StarClan is watching over him."

StarClan hasn't been with me in many, many moons, Brightfur thought dully. But that was okay. She'd survived this long without them, after all. "Sure thing, Tigerpaw."

Author's Note: This chapter feels like one gut-punch after another for this family tbh. Poor Smokestripe doesn't deserve any of this; Flametuft just wants to be a good dad to his kids; Brackenclaw is terrified of being shunned and is putting a mask up; Berryshade is basically in shock for this entire chapter; and Brightfur has no one she feels she can rely on anymore.

-Mandaree1