Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors!

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: A Not-So-Happy Welcome

...

"Brightfur! It's been a while!" Newtfrost called as the patrol neared. Next to him sat Badgerthroat, the duo guarding the ShadowClan camp with quiet dignity. He caught sight of Huey and Dewey and his jaw dropped. "Okay, it hasn't been that long."

The black and white molly jabbed the calico in the gut, making him double over with a wheeze. "We're just glad you're okay, dear. Last we heard, you and Ravenwind had a fight? And then you just kinda… vanished."

Brightfur let out an awkward laugh. "Yup. We, uh, we tend to do that. Just... not in public. Much." She cleared her throat, desperate to move the conversation along. "I hope I didn't miss anything bigger than what Lionmask and Tigercloud have told me."

Badgerthroat frowned. "Some Greencough is all. Typical for the end of Newleaf, beginning of Greenleaf."

"Any deaths?"

"Nope. Stonebreeze is coughing pretty hard, but otherwise he's alright. Flowerstrike's got a fever. That kind of thing."

Newtfrost's tail twitched nervously. "You've forgotten one."

"I didn't forget. I just... you know."

Brackenclaw shoved his way to the front. "It's not Flametuft, is it? Or, stars forbid, Smokestripe?"

"No, no, nothing like that. It's-"

"It's Antpaw."

They all jumped as Briarspots padded out of the entrance. The deputy scanned the group with a surprising nonchalance. Brightfur couldn't help but notice a few gray hairs clinging to his muzzle- stress, or natural aging? "Willowpaw, you ought to go see her. She's... well, she's sick. Tigercloud, Lionmask, see about getting some lunch. Same to you Brackenclaw- we'll talk later." He nodded to the medicine cat. "Sorry about this, but duty before food. Slatestar's gonna want a full report on what you've been getting up to."

"That's alright," she meowed. "I'm not very hungry. Can the kits come?"

The tortoiseshell studied Huey and Dewey a moment. Dewey shrunk a little under the weight of his eyes; while Huey, sensing his concern, straightened and puffed out his chest. "I suppose. They don't look like they take after you any. Did you adopt them?"

"It's complicated."

Briarspots bent and took Dewey without another word. Brightfur trotted after him with Huey, deeply grateful to the tom's gentle nature. They'd never been all that close, but he's always just seemed to be there, waiting with a smile and fresh-kill.

ShadowClan was mostly tucked away as they crossed to Slatestar's den, despite it being more than late enough for patrols. Sleepy eyes blinked out from dens, burrowing into Brightfur's pelt. She wondered what surprised them more- that she'd come back, or that she had brought non-Clan kits with her. But no one tried to stop or confront them, something she took as a blessing.

"Well," said Slatestar. "This is certainly a surprise."

Brightfur and Slatestar were, technically, around the same height, but Brightfur couldn't help but feel the gray molly towered over her as she looked at her with a slightly raised chin. The last time she'd seen the leader, she'd been suffering from ill-effects from a dodgy raven- a dodgy raven Brightfur had purposefully poisoned, at that. She'd been weak and ill. Now she was well-fed, belly peeking out just a little, with a clear, calm gaze.

"They have StarClan's blessing," she replied.

"I don't doubt you," Slatestar meowed. "But we have no proof of that, either. The other Clans will throw some horrible accusations our way if we show up with two new apprentices at a Gathering that just so happened to have a blessing. They could say we were stealing from outsiders."

"We could claim they were from a queen in our camp," Briarspots suggested.

"Hard to claim that when one has clear kittypet markings. And they're both suffering from fire wounds. I don't seem to recall ShadowClan territory catching fire lately."

"I beat the fire!" Huey snarled, showing off tiny teeth. "I won! I didn't 'suffer' anything!"

"Very brave. Still. We're at an impasse."

"I can prove I saw StarClan." The three cats turned to look at Dewey. The pale gray tom was clinging close to his brother's side, but the stars were in his eyes. "They told me a special something. Something only a few cats know."

Huey startled. "Oh! Right. I forgot. I got the same thing."

Slatestar traded a look with Briarspots. "Well, this should be interesting." She awkwardly waved a paw at them. "Go ahead, then."

The creamy yellow tom stared vaguely in their direction. His pale eyes were almost unnerving. "I met a cat named Mossyear. She said she was your sister."

"This is true," Slatestar meowed. "But not proof."

"I wasn't finished! She said that when you were apprentices, you snuck out of camp to play around, and you met a monster. It was taller than a dog and as big as a lion, with sharp talons perched on its head. It looked at you and you both ran. And then you never told anyone." Huey seemed to take great pleasure as he spoke, flicking his tiny claws out with great enthusiasm. "That's what she said, anyway."

Briarspots regarded the kitten thoughtfully. "Slatestar?"

Slatestar swallowed. "Deer. They aren't a threat to us, but the whole thing freaked me out pretty bad."

"So he's telling the truth?"

"Yes. Only Mossyear and I knew about that night." She paused, considering, before going on. "They're going to need Clan names." She stepped forward and nosed Huey. "You can be Hazelkit-" she nosed Dewey- "And you're Dewkit. Is this acceptable?"

Dewkit squinted at her. "You didn't ask me what I saw!"

"I think your brother proved what you saw very well."

"...Can I still tell you?"

Slatestar nodded and bent down, presenting him with her ear. He whispered into it, tail thumping nervously. Slatestar's expression froze into a calculated blankness as she straightened. "Get Ravenwind."

"Slatestar?"

"Now, Briarspots."

"There's no need," meowed Ravenwind, who padded into the den with a flourish. "I've been waiting outside."

"Eavesdropping, I assume," Briarspots said, shaken by the curtness in Slatestar's voice.

Brightfur stiffened on reflex. The motion garnered her mentor's attention for the slightest of seconds before she looked away. Somehow, having the medicine cat ignore her was worse. Having her be angry was terrifying on its own, but when she saved it like this it meant that she was planning retribution. I'll have to check my food for moons after this. Not that I didn't already.

Slatestar didn't wait for her to settle in before speaking. "So, you overheard. You agree that StarClan has spoken to these kits?"

"I agree that something did." Ravenwind shot her a look. "Or someone."

"How could I have possibly known about the deer?"

"Mossyear could've told you on another visit."

"I've not spoken to her since she died."

"The testimony of a traitor who ran away is shaky at best. Don't you agree, Slatestar?"

Slatestar was unmoved by their bickering. Her tail twitched a little with impatience. "But you agree these kits are credible."

Ravenwind shrugged. "I think they know names, sure."

"Then perhaps you can tell me why Dewkit just accused you and Brightfur of watching Leafleg die?"

The world seemed to stop on its axis as Brightfur processed what she had said. She opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again.

StarClan was full of cats who could influence minds like Dewkit's, and who would be more willing to do that then Leafleg himself? Cut from his prime, forced to watch as his body was returned half-rotten and waterlogged. Who never received justice. But she can't possibly believe him, can she? After so many moons of trying to deal with Ravenwind on her own, was something as simple as a fluke really the last pin to drop? Could it ever be that simple?

Brightfur looked at Slatestar, who looked back with eyes full of suspicion and disgust, and realized it could very well be.

Author's Note: Another short break, but this one came from getting adjusted to my job. I don't like to fish for compliments, but the review section's kinda died. Feedback is always welcome!

-Mandaree1