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: Apprentices Oh My

...

Brightfur felt a sense of déjà vu as she carefully rolled berries into a beech leaf. There were many differences between now and her attempt to flush the deathberries out as a 'paw, of course; this was in the middle of the day, in a sunny Greenleaf heat, and Ravenwind was fully awake behind her. But the same silent pressure weighed in on her as she saw how many her mentor had collected. Where did she even get this many?

Ravenwind, perhaps sensing her thoughts, rolled her eyes and sighed. "It took me ages to make that stash. Do you really have to do that?"

"My den," Brightfur replied firmly, lifting the bundle. "My rules."

"One day without me and you're already getting a big head," the older medicine cat teased. Her amber eyes glowed with warmth.

Ravenwind had been surprisingly charitable the past few days; she'd even gone so far as to say she was proud of how much Brightfur had grown. And even with that wiggling notion in the back of her mind that was pleased by the praise, she couldn't help but find it overwhelming. Ravenwind didn't tease. Ravenwind demanded. "You're just happy you'll have a reason to sun yourself all day," she shot back. And to watch everyone, Brightfur didn't say. Today would be a bad day to cause a scuffle.

"Guilty as charged," she purred.

"Were you and your mentor ever like this?" she asked instead, trying to gauge where this new behavior had crept up from.

"Dustfeather? Please." Ravenwind rolled her eyes, claws digging into her nest. "There wasn't a nice bone in that rat bastard's body."

Brightfur lashed her tail, surprised; but, deathberries in maw, she felt brave enough to press further. "You've never said his name before."

Ravenwind stood and padded over to the hole she kept her red pearls in. Brightfur tensed, instinctively, but the medicine cat tugged a beech leaf closer and began piling them on. Is she... helping me?

"Lemme tell you a story about Dustfeather, okay?" she started, voice soft. "He saw the future. Every day and every night, he knew what would happen. And he didn't care. He watched his Clanmates suffer in stereo every day and did nothing but say 'I told you so.' He even knew about me, and every little thing I'd do. He probably even knew how you'd die." Her eyes flickered to Brightfur's a moment, then back down. "One day, WindClan attacked us. We were vulnerable and terrified. Leopardpoppy died." The softness in her mew turned to steel. "When he took me to receive my medicine cat name next half-moon, he named me Ravenwind. Because he wanted me to always remember who ripped her away from me, and that he did nothing to stop it."

Brightfur shuddered. What would it be like, she thought, to have a gift like that? Frustrating, surely? To see every thorn-prick and every kit taken too soon, and be unable to stop most- if not all- of it from happening? Maybe numbness was the best retort to such a thing. But none of that could forgive the cruelty he'd shown Ravenwind. And maybe, since he saw what she would become, he could've changed that. Maybe he could've been a positive influence on her.

She remembered the Thunderpath, and what she had said the night Parsnip lost her eye: "A lot of stuff seems to happen here." Alderstar's reply echoed in her ears. "It's where everything started."

"Did he... die by the Thunderpath?" she asked, swallowing. That was what Bristlepelt had told her. But Bristlepelt had also admitted to being loyal to her, and it felt unwise to assume.

Ravenwind blinked at her, surprised. "Yes. He was run over by a monster."

"Oh," Brightfur meowed. She could tell that it wasn't as simple as that. "That must've been..." She struggled to find the right words. "...Hard to watch."

"I knew it'd happen there," she explained with a shrug. "My first half-moon ceremony, he took me to the place and said, 'look, right here. This is where I'll die.' When he bled to death, he laughed and told me, 'I told you so'." Ravenwind shook herself out, standing up with an extra bundle of deathberries. "He wasn't a very creative tom with his one-liners- but he was consistent, I'll give him that." Carefully, she tucked the leaf into the corner of Brightfur's mouth, leaving her awkwardly fumbling with two balls of poison. "Make sure to wash after this. You don't wanna kill someone sharing tongues later."

"What happened to the WindClan cat?" she slurred around the packages. Brightfur knew. It simply felt like a good test to see just how open Ravenwind was.

"Who, Thistlestone?" Ravenwind examined her claws. "Cats like that have a tendency to go swimming in the gorge, if you know what I mean."

The name niggled at her, though it took her a second to realize why. "Rhymes with bristle."

"Yeah. Their mother was always like that about names, I'm told."

Brightfur juggled the bundles along through the territory, appreciating the warmth of Greenleaf on her pelt. Her thoughts were consumed with Ravenwind's revelations, as they usually were whenever she got chatty. It'd become more and more often as she'd grown older. I could probably ask her just about anything and she'd tell me, she realized, shuddering. But who in their right mind would want those answers?

Ducking her head under an upturned log, Brightfur took a second to adjust her load before continuing. Bristlepelt's never mentioned having a littermate before. Brightfur pictured the gentle gray tom; StarClan only knew what he was doing in WindClan right now, but if she had to guess, he was probably checking his own herb stock. But he knew about the WindClan warrior that killed Leopardpoppy. Is he really okay with Ravenwind killing his own brother? A shiver of fear ran down her spine as something else crept into her mind. Did he help her do it?

All these moons, Brightfur had never once felt afraid of Bristlepelt. Even her first meeting with him hadn't been too terrible. The idea that the medicine cat who'd guided her paws on how to help Hazelkit and Dewkit may have calmly watched his brother fall into the gorge felt like a nightmare. And even if he didn't, he knows Ravenwind's crimes. He's probably helped cover for her. He loves her. How could he love someone who'd ripped kin from him?

The walk to the stream felt like it took mere heartbeats, and yet Brightfur was exhausted. She bowed her head a moment, saying a quick prayer for Flowerpaw. Brightfur's heart may no longer lay entirely in StarClan, but she knew that Flowerpaw was there, and she wanted the dead apprentice to know she was thinking of her. That done, Brightfur unceremoniously dropped the bundles at her feet, batting one into the flow. The deathberries bobbed and rolled as they flowed away. I hope no rogue or loner tries to eat them, she thought, then shook it away. Brightfur didn't think there was a cat alive who'd grab a random ball of wet leaves and berries and shoved them into their maw.

Brightfur considered the final bundle with no small amount of hesitation. Dumping it would mean she no longer had anything to do, and that meant she'd have to return to camp. I don't want to sit around before the ceremony. I'd be a nervous wreck.

"Aunt Brightfur?"

Brightfur's ear flicked backwards, a bit surprised, before she stood and smiled as a familiar golden tom padded out of the undergrowth. "Lionmask. How's my favorite nephew doing?"

"I'm your only nephew," he meowed, purring. Lionmask came over to sit down beside her, and Brightfur felt a swell of love for the young warrior. She remembered how he'd brought her fresh-kill as a kit, hoping to make her feel better. I've missed him. I've missed my kin. "What are you doing?"

"Throwing out old herbs," she answered. It wasn't technically a lie. "Most older warriors don't come to this stream, so it's become my dumping ground."

Lionmask tilted his head quizzically. "Isn't it better to save them? Even if they're old, they've still got a little use, don't they?"

"Not these ones." Brightfur shoved it into water without preamble. She didn't know what she'd say if he'd tried to look inside. "Why're you out here all alone? Shouldn't you be patrolling?"

"I'm grabbing some fresh-kill for the ceremony," he admitted sheepishly. "Tigercloud's been dragging me out before dawn to practice walking the territory with her eyes closed. I guess she's hoping it'll help her get a feel for what Hazelkit is going through."

Brightfur hummed noncommittally. "Feeling a little left out? It can't be easy to see your littermate get a 'paw well before you."

"Not really. I mean, I wouldn't know where to start with Hazelkit! I'm glad he's gonna have Tigercloud for a mentor. She's great at coming up with work-arounds." He gave her a nudge. "What about you? Nervous?"

"Little bit," she replied. Brightfur reached a paw around to touch the patch of hairless skin on her hip. "Do you know how I got this?"

Lionmask's brow furrowed. "Alderstar said you fell on a stick."

"You have to admit, that's a pretty crummy cover story."

"I guess I just... never really thought about it? You've been like this basically all my life."

"Fair enough," she conceded. "But, no, I didn't fall on some stick. Ravenwind and I got into a bit of a scuffle, and..." Brightfur swallowed. Saying it out loud was more daunting than she'd expected. "She bit me here so I wouldn't be able to run away."

Lionmask barely suppressed a gasp at her expense. A shaking paw touched hers, easily dwarfing it. He's gotten so big, she reflected. "Did he- did he know-"

"No," she reassured him. The last thing Brightfur wanted was to tarnish one of the few good memories he had of his great-grandfather. "No one did. You're the first cat I've ever told." She chuckled a little, sardonic. "I'm getting older. I guess that means I've gotten a little less scared?"

A tongue rasped her ear, catching Brightfur off guard. "You won't be like that," he promised with a surprisingly solemn look. "Dewkit is so lucky to have you."

Brightfur sighed. "For his sake, I hope you're right."

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Clanrock for a Clan meeting!"

Brightfur swallowed her bite of vole with a grimace. She pushed it to the side, content to let someone else finish it after the meeting. She took her place and did some quick spot grooming while the other cats gathered.

Briarspots and Smokestripe padded out of the dirtplace together, trading a quick nose touch before taking their individual seats. Maplenose sat as close to the rock as physically possible, grooming Hazelkit and Dewkit despite the two toms already looking spotless. Hawkflower and Brackenclaw exchanged a few words before sitting next to each other. Addershine helped Flowerstrike into the clearing; the old tom was barely even alive these days, more dust than cat. Barkfall sat down and instantly had Grayfeather and Rainblaze on his sides, staring up at Slatestar with gleaming eyes. Newtfrost and Badgerthroat took to the very back, having seen plenty of ceremonies in their seasons. Flametuft gently coaxed Willowthorn into a spot near him, the warrior undoubtedly worried about stepping on paws. Antpaw rolled her eyes at her sister's antics and went to be by her mentor.

Brightfur squinted over the sea of pelts, seeking out Ravenwind. She was crouched inside the elders' den, tail-tip twitching. It's just like her to avoid coming to prove a point. She sighed internally.

Slatestar waved her tail for silence. She looked at her Clan with deep pride. "Greenleaf has been good for us. The Greencough has left us without issue, we have new warriors coming, and I've even received word that we may be receiving a new litter soon."

Someone's pregnant? Brightfur scanned the viable queens. She came up empty. Badgerthroat is getting on in seasons, and likely didn't want more. Rainblaze is content with one litter. If Tigercloud was carrying she'd've screamed to the heavens about it by now. Willowthorn isn't padding after anyone. Antpaw doesn't seem interested, and Maplenose has her paws full with these two. Is it Slatestar? No, she wouldn't've been so vague.

The gray molly moved on without elaborating. "Hazelkit and Dewkit have come to us from a bloody world beyond our scent markers, and they have suffered for the crimes of their kin. We've taken them in as our own, and I know they'll grow to be great cats one day, despite those who may have wished them otherwise." Slatestar motioned to them with her nose. "Hazelkit, step forward."

The tawny tom did so, dark paws and ears trembling to make out every sound. Brightfur didn't think she'd ever seen him so still before.

"Hazelkit, from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Hazelpaw. Your mentor will be Tigercloud. I hope she'll pass on her kindness and adaptability onto you."

Tigercloud stepped closer so Hazelpaw could find her quicker, bumping noses in a friendly manner. Brightfur just barely caught her whisper, "If I mess up or you need help, let me know. We'll work through it together, okay?"

Hazelpaw purred and sat down beside his new mentor. Tigercloud's tail wound around him protectively.

"Dewkit-" he jumped- "do you accept the post of apprentice to Brightfur?"

"I do," Dewkit meowed, voice soft. Brightfur hoped he wasn't nervous about being around her.

"Then I name you Dewpaw. At the half-moon, you must travel to the Moonstone to be accepted by StarClan before the other medicine cats. The good wishes of all of ShadowClan go with you."

Dewpaw skittered over to her, tail bushed up. Brightfur dipped her head to bump noses with him. "You'll be a great medicine cat," she meowed. Better than I could ever be.

Slatestar threw her head back and yowled, "Hazelpaw! Dewpaw! Hazelpaw! Dewpaw!"

As they all chanted along, Brightfur pulled Dewpaw just a little bit closer. She still didn't know what kind of mentor she would be, but she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she'd be better than Ravenwind. And I'll never leave you alone with her. I promise.

Author's Note: Hooo boy, this took a while. Sorry 'bout that- I've gotten a puppy, so I've been pretty busy. Rip me lol. I think next chapter will be a half-moon meeting.

-Mandaree1