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: I'm writing this letter, and wishing you well

...

"Tell me about Smithy," Ravenwind cajoled, breaking into the silence.

Brightfur looked up from her sorting with a flick of the tail. "Why?"

The molly shrugged. "He seems to be such a polarizing topic. You met him, didn't you?"

She turned back, pushing some watermint to the side. Brightfur tried to decipher why Ravenwind might want to know- a common question as of late, with the molly seeming to have settled into something of a calmer persuasion. Maybe she wants to ask for his help? No. Ravenwind would never betray ShadowClan. Kill him? She's getting too old to fight a full-grown tom.

Sensing her hesitation, Ravenwind chuckled, ear twitching dismissively. "Not everything I say is a scheme, Brightfur. Sometimes I'm just bored- same as you."

Brightfur digested this slowly. She knew Ravenwind was, at her core, just another cat. It wasn't like she forgot that. She woke up with bedhead just like everyone else and had favorite foods. She once witnessed the medicine cat go ears over tail on ice. But she couldn't find it in her to trust her like this- Ravenwind was not someone who engaged in small talk or sat around on her paws.

"He's like you," she meowed finally.

Ravenwind's eyes sharpened. "How so?"

"He's not- he doesn't hesitate to kill someone who gets in his way. Even his brother." Scrap's gaping throat flashed behind her eyes. "I think he just wants to survive comfortably. All he ever talks about is food or medicine. It's like he wants to make his own little Clan."

She snorted derisively. "A Clan of loners. Can you imagine? They'd probably give themselves some edgy name like DeathClan or BloodClan. Ridiculous." Ravenwind drew out a paw from her loaf and groomed it, slightly cross-eyed. "For what it's worth, I've never killed someone just because they were in my way. You're alive, after all."

"Flowerpaw?"

"Saw something she shouldn't've." She shrugged. "You can't still be mad about that, can you?"

Brightfur bit back something vulgar and stood, tail lashing. Why does she have to do this every conversation? "I'll never understand you," she uttered bitterly, stomping off.

"It's mutual!" Ravenwind called after.

The camp was buzzing with early morning activity as Brightfur breached the daylight. Briarspots was heading off with Rainblaze, Badgerthroat, Maplenose and Brackenclaw. Lionmask and Tigercloud were discussing plans for the day with Hazelpaw. Willowthorn was helping Dewpaw care for the elders' old moss, listening with half an ear as Stonebreeze shared an old story. Flowerstrike snored loudly in the clearing, more fur than anything else.

Brightfur risked a look around, finding no signs of Slatestar. Probably off patrolling with Newtfrost, Addershine, Barkfall and Flametuft. She'd been keeping herself busy- Brightfur hadn't even spoken to her directly since she returned from the Twolegplace gathering.

"Dear?"

Ears perking, Brightfur smiled as Smokestripe padded up. They exchanged a brief nuzzle. "Hey, mom. You aren't patrolling?"

"Not today. Would you mind if we went somewhere private?"

Puzzled, she shook her head. Smokestripe led her to the warriors' den, tail brushing against her yellow chin. She'd taken the news of Berry's death hard, but not as hard as her banishment. She'd been sleeping alright and hadn't shown any signs of slowing down. Brightfur couldn't think of anything else she might need.

"Do you remember," she started, flopping into her nest, "when you were little, and Alderstar used to kittensit you?"

"A bit," Brightfur replied. "You had to go train."

Sighing, Smokestripe draped a paw across her muzzle. "I had you all so young. Fallingfeather did her best to help, but I think it's one of the biggest reasons I failed you."

Brightfur bonked their heads together. "You didn't fail us, mom. Brackenclaw's a respected warrior, Flametuft has two kits he adores, and I've even got an apprentice of my own now."

"Brackenclaw wouldn't look his sister in the eye, Flametuft doesn't have any drive, Berry and Darkkit are dead, and you..." Smokestripe searched her lean form a moment. "I don't know, exactly. I just know you're not happy."

Flinching, she tucked herself between the molly's shoulders and curled close. It hurt to be picked apart like this. It hurt even more to hear Smokestripe blame herself for their various glitches. "None of it is your fault."

She acted like she hadn't heard. "I want to do better. Be better. I'm older, more mature. I can be the cat you kits needed. I can be the cat... they'll need." Trembling, Smokestripe rasped her tongue over her ear. "I'm pregnant, Brightfur."

Brightfur felt her body start to freeze. Anxiety pounded from her ears to her tail as she tried to imagine being an older sister. I know how to take care of kits. I've delivered litters before. And it's not like Smokestripe is old or anything. But there's a difference between someone else's kits and your siblings, isn't there? "Who else knows?"

"Slatestar and Briarspots- he's the father," she said. "I want to wait and make sure they're healthy before I announce anything. They... are healthy, right?"

Moving away, Brightfur ran a paw down her flank. The action was robotic as she carefully felt the little bundles. She must be who Slatestar mentioned at the ceremony, then. She knew. "I feel... four," she meowed, feeling like she swallowed sand. "First litters are usually small- you had a big litter, so it's not surprising this one would be big too."

"Four," Smokestripe whispered with awe. "And they're- healthy?"

"It's too early to feel any issues," she admitted. "But you'll know if there's anything wrong."

She breathed a sigh of relief, eyes fluttering shut. "Thank you."

Brightfur grunted a mmhmm and excused herself, stumbling away on hollow legs. She didn't expect this. Did anyone expect their parents to have more kits? Some cats did, but they weren't usually seasons apart. Did Ravenwind know? Cold water ran down her back. Ravenwind. Would she try to pull anything? Brightfur honestly didn't know. I'm going to have to watch her. Like I did with Tigercloud and Lionmask.

"Brightfur?"

Brightfur jolted out of her daze. She'd been halfway into the elders' den. Willowthorn and Dewpaw stared blankly at her, concerned. The silver and white molly had been the one to speak, reaching a paw out to touch her shoulder.

Shaking herself, Brightfur meowed, "Yeah. Yeah. Sorry. I was just wandering." She turned and exited, embarrassed and confused. She prayed Smokestripe hadn't noticed her stupor- she didn't want more guilt on her mother's shoulders.

A pelt brushed past her. With a little hop, Dewpaw was keeping pace beside her, tail high. He'd gotten a lot more touchy with her as of late- it probably looked cute to everyone else. To Brightfur, it was a bit nosy.

"Wow," he said. "Lionmask and Tigercloud were cute kittens."

"They were."

"Is someone pregnant?"

"My mother," she said.

"Oh. Huh." Dewpaw jerked his head behind him. "Do... do your siblings know?"

Brightfur slumped to the dirt, setting her chin on her paws. "Nope."

Dewpaw hesitated to join her. He was looking anxious now. "I thought that was why... oh."

Her fur began to raise. "Who?" she asked.

The gray tom shook his head and shrugged. "I dunno for sure. And what if I'm wrong? Shouldn't I keep it to myself?"

"Dewpaw," she meowed, as patiently as she could. "As medicine cats, we need to know these things so we can keep an eye on them."

Shifting from paw to paw, Dewpaw glanced around. He leaned close to her ear. "I saw them before. Tigercloud and Lionmask. I think... I think I see past things that can mean present things. Like I saw them as kits, and Smokestripe is having kits." He paused again, looking more and more sheepish. "I bumped into Brackenclaw yesterday."

"Brackenclaw?" Brightfur echoed, surprised. Her brother hadn't shown any interest in anyone his age. "Are you sure?"

Dewpaw nodded. "I, uh. I was nosy. I gave him half my prey this morning, and he touched my paw." he hesitated. "Do you... know anyone with ginger and white?"

He wouldn't.

Would he?

"Because I, uh, I only know-"

"Clover," she whispered. "Brackenclaw is having kits with Clover."

"Maybe!" Dewpaw hastened to add. "I still dunno how this works yet. He could just be thinking about kits, or something."

"Have some faith in yourself, Dewpaw," she chided. Clover wouldn't care about Clan code, but Brackenclaw does. Wouldn't she have joined if they were together? Something worse occurred to her. Not if Smithy had anything to do about it. "I need to talk to my brother. I won't mention you at all, okay? I'll just ask if he's seen Mabel or the others recently. I'll know if he's lying."

"And if he's not?"

"If he's not..." Brightfur thought of Ravenwind and shuddered, Dewpaw quaking against her fur. "Then we need to be prepared."

Author's Note: Wow! Wrote this in one night. I've missed writing these dorks- just been working out some final plan pieces, y'see. Two litters is a lot to juggle!

-Mandaree1