Post by Waterpelt on Nov 6, 2014 18:36:44 GMT
I realize that I have this story as it is on Wcut as well, but why not post it here, too? :0 Anyway, I'll probably post all chapters that I have so far into one post there, and then continue posting it as I go, like I do on the other thread!
Warriors: Eternal Darkness - Book 1: Dimming Light
Prologue
The sunlight in the branches awoke Briarstorm as she was curled up in her nest made of reed. Was it morning already? The tabby she-cat relaxed her muscles for a moment, letting the sun warm her pelt nicely before she opened her piercing amber eyes again. It certainly was time to get up.
Outside she could hear the clear meows of her Clanmates. Her ears perked a bit up as she heard his voice. Adderclaw. Adderclaw was a bit older than her and an amazing fighter... not that she wasn't, of course! She'd claw every tom's ears off if they'd try anything weird! Then again, that was just her personality. She was like a storm, at least, Mottlestar had described her like that before. Wild and unpredictable. However, the she-cat had also told her that she was sure that when she got older, she'd be like after the storm. Calm and understanding. Hah, Briarstorm wanted to laugh at that.
With a small yawn the she-cat padded outside, out into RiverClan's camp. As she had predicted, cats were chattering aimlessly around; a few queens were gossiping in the corner, another few cats were gathering around the deputy, Laurelheart, and then there was another group around Adderclaw. Briarstorm strolled over quickly with a few long strides, then stood in front of the tom. Her mate. Yes, she had been lucky to have him. Being mates with him was even more amazing. As soon as she came closer, the brown tabby turned his head to her, amber eyes sparkling warmly.
"Good morning, Briarstorm," the tabby greeted her, his sleek tail beckoning her to come closer. She could make out the tortoiseshell she-cat, Mapleflower, close by who smiled at her. Mapleflower had been one of her best friends ever since they were apprentices, after all, they had been polar opposites, thus they had always been evening each other out, pretty much. She raised her tail in greeting towards the cats and settled down besides Adderclaw, licking his shoulder for a moment.
"Good morning," she greeted back, smiling as Adderclaw nuzzled her. The muscles under his pelt could be seen clearly and she was reminded yet again what a fierce fighter he was. As she had settled down beside her mate, Adderclaw suddenly spoke again.
"I think Laurelheart is sick," he stated, tilling his head to the side.
"Oh, really?" Mapleflower inquired softly, leaning forward a bit from where she was perched. "How do you know?"
"He seems a bit more fragile and the way he coughs also doesn't seem good," Briarstorm quickly threw in before Adderclaw could even open his jaws, "I mean, you can hear his coughing through the whole camp!"
"You shouldn't go near him, then," Adderclaw suggested, looking a bit concerned as he shot a fleeting gaze at Briarstorm's belly.
"Huh?" the tabby she cat started for a moment, then realization dawned on her. She huffed, narrowing her eyes, "I'm sure my kits will be fine. And dear StarClan, I won't just be avoiding the deputy because of that!"
Mouse-brained tom, why was he always so worried about her? She supposed that it was kind of sweet, but he'd been like this ever since he had found out that she was pregnant with his kits. It really annoyed her by now.
Adderclaw's ears dropped a bit and he glared right back. "Geez, I'm sorry..." he muttered, lashing his tail. The tension between them was thick again. What else could be expected from two hotheads, though?
Before the two could start their bickering, another voice interrupted them and Briarstorm saw Mapleflower shrink away as she set her large eyes on the cat.
"Are you finally up, Briarstorm? Because you, Mapleflower, Foxpaw and I are supposed to go on a patrol together," a gruff voice meowed from behind her, making her whip around, finally seeing why Mapleflower had shrunken away. The cat standing behind her was none other than Juniperheart. The gray tabby loomed above her, however, his gaze was resting on her mate with narrowed eyes. Oh, if looks could kill, Adderclaw would have joined StarClan by now.
She really couldn't stand Juniperheart, he seemed to believe that only his words were to be believed in, he was also quite manipulative if he wanted to be, that she had noticed. The tabby just gave off creepy vibes to her and he was always glaring at Adderclaw.
Huffing, Briarstorm rose to her paws, shifting her swelling belly until she was comfortable standing. Why again had she decided to get kits? She wouldn't let that arrogant tom see how far her pregnancy was already, though. Never. "Alright. Are we going then, Ju~ni~per~heart?!" she growled, making sure to draw out each syllable slowly. Hopefully it annoyed the other tabby. Sadly it didn't affect the tom at all.
"Yes," was his gruff reply, "Let's go. Foxpaw! Get over here!"
Briarstorm almost felt sorry for the young russet colored tom who happened to be Juniperheart's apprentice. For a moment she saw the young tom flinch, then he nodded, eyes firmly narrowed as he stalked over. He was already taking after Juniperheart? What a bother. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Mapleflower softly inch closer to her, avoiding eye contact with the larger grey tabby.
Juniperheart turned and Briarstorm saw him make sure that Mottlestar was watching, then he called out, loudly if she might add, "Alright, now quit slacking off and follow me! We need to make sure that those filthy WindClan cats don't cross our border!"
Briarstorm saw Adderclaw open his jaw angrily to retort something, but was called over by Laurelheart - who promptly coughed pitifully - and had to abandon what he was about to say in favor of not making the deputy talk more than he needed to. On the inside Briarstorm felt relieved, it wouldn't have pushed Adderclaw in a good light if he had done that. And if anything happened to Laurelheart, she hoped that Adderclaw would be chosen and not that piece of fox-dung Juniperheart.
She silently followed the rest of the patrol out of camp, noticing Mapleflower staying a fox-length within her space. Typical Mapleflower if Juniperheart was involved - she had been afraid of him ever since they had been apprentice. Grimacing, Briarstorm was finally swallowed by the darkness of the entrance.
The border patrol had been rather normal for the most part; the four cats had padded through the territory towards the horse place where their border with WindClan currently was at. Who knew if Cloudstar wouldn't try to attack them again? After they had arrived at said border, Juniperheart had scolded Foxpaw because the latter had tried to hunt a squirrel close to the border. Hah!, Briarstorm laughed in her head, All for show! If he weren't trying to get more cats to support him in becoming deputy, he wouldn't have minded doing that himself!
What a sneaky, manipulating tom he was. Did he really believe that his ideals were correct? It still seemed so.
Maybe she was judging the tom a bit too harshly, but in her honest opinion, he deserved every bit of it. Just the glares he shot Adderclaw because the other could possibly become deputy if Laurelheart were to pass on. Ugh, how childish!
As soon as they had marked the border, the group quickly decided to go back to camp by going on the sandy patch the lake had. The sand felt relaxing between Briarstorm's paws, seeing as it was still a bit wet, and it also felt soothing. She couldn't wait until her kits would be able to see this, too. The tabby was snapped out of her thoughts as Juniperheart suddenly spoke, gaze resting on the lake for a short second. "Mapleflower, Foxpaw, go back to camp ahead of me and Briarstorm - I think I saw a rabbit on our side just now and it would be easier to hunt it together with such a skilled warrior as her."
For a moment, Mapleflower seemed to consider objecting to his order, but Foxpaw beat her to it, nodding his head eagerly. "C'mon, c'mon, Mapleflower, move it! Let's get back to camp and let my mentor hunt to help the Clan!" the younger apprentice gushed, obviously really admiring his mentor, even if said mentor was often rather harsh with him.
Mapleflower still didn't look sure, but as soon as Briarstorm herself motioned for her to go, the she-cat did so, disappearing with Foxpaw through some scrubs.
Before Briarstorm could turn around to ask Juniperheart where exactly he had happened to see a rabbit, a weight slammed her down into the sandy ground. For a moment a pang of fear gripped her. If her kits were hurt by that action, she'd- Deciding quickly that she was beyond irritated now, Briarstorm snapped angrily, "What in the name of StarClan do you think you're doing, Juniperheart!"
The brown tabby she-cat felt sharp claws just above her neck, pressing in slightly and making her wince. "Listen closely now, Briarstorm," he replied and Briarstorm could just picture a cocky smirk on his face, "I'm going to tell you this directly now, so, listen closely, I'm certainly not repeating myself. If Adderclaw gets chosen as deputy once Laurelheart dies - which will happen soon - I'll kill you and your kits. Understood?"
Time seemed to freeze as those words registered in her brain. Her kits... that tom would try and hurt her kits?! This... this was a dangerous situation. Of course, she could certainly tell Mottlestar, but the she-cat was growing older too and had a high opinion of Juniperheart. The tabby could easily just shove the blame on her, claiming that she was lying. That could end both ways, but what could she-
"Understood."
Had that really been her voice? It had seemed very empty. Then again, she was throwing every insult possible at this tom in her head. Why... why couldn't she just start with a feisty response now, was she already growing old for that? She wasn't that old...
Claws left her neck and she quickly scrambled up, hoping and praying to StarClan that her kits hadn't been damaged. If only she hadn't pushed Mapleflower to leave... Her friend was often timid and scared, but if any of her friends were in danger - and most of all kits - the other she-cat could show the greatest courage of them all.
"You won't succeed with this, Juniperheart," she growled out, ears flattening against her skull, but before she could even hear the tabby's reply, Briarstorm had disappeared through the bushes, starting on her way back to camp.
This was the only way.
Briarstorm had decided on this long ago, ever since Juniperheart had threatened her. The only way to protect her kits without making RiverClan hurt under Juniperheart - though there was a slim chance of him becoming deputy even then - was for her to leave. Yes, Mottlestar did favor Juniperheart a lot, however, the she-cat favored Adderclaw even more, admiring his skills in battle. If she had the choice between the two, Briarstorm was sure that she'd chose Adderclaw.
The sun was already disappearing behind WindClan's hills as Briarstorm peered out of the nursery to watch her Clanmates go about their lives. Today was the night of the gathering, so a lot of cats would be gone and all other territories would be just as quiet. It was the only perfect day to do this, and today was her last chance. She only had to hope that her reason to leave the camp so late - and as a queen no less - would work.
A series of coughs dragged her out of her thoughts and she glanced up ahead, seeing Laurelheart's crouched form near the medicine cat's den. The poor guy.. She felt sorry for him, but he didn't seem to be getting better, nothing the medicine cat gave him helped. And they had a really gifted medicine cat even. Many suspected that it was a weird illness he just couldn't fight against, seeing as sometimes it left him for a few moons, then returned. Briarstorm shuddered at the thought of getting something like that too, but made herself calm down. The sickness he had had never started spreading before. The only cats the medicine cat kept him away from were kits.
Shaking her head, Briarstorm noticed Laurelheart call out weakly for the cats that were leaving for the gathering. The tabby she-cat could spot Juniperheart and Adderclaw among them and breathed a sigh of relief, one less thing that could go wrong in her plan.
As soon as all cats had disappeared from the camp Briarstorm rose to her paws and started to pad towards the camp entrance. Just a little bit further, she told herself, A little bit...
However, StarClan didn't seem to be on her side, because the moment she came a fox-length within the entrance, a voice startled her.
"Where are you going, Briarstorm?"
Inside her head, Briarstorm was cursing herself. Why her? Why couldn't it have been any other warrior? Turning her head slightly, Briarstorm took in Mapleflower's concerned gaze which was brimming into her very soul. This would be hard.
"Ah, I'm just going for a little walk," she lied, smiling at her friend. Hopefully the fake smile would work... That, however, didn't count to Briarstorm's luck at all.
"A walk?" her friend questioned, sounding confused, "Can't you just walk a bit around camp? I mean, you are heavily pregnant... w-what if your kits decide to come?"
"They won't," Briarstorm reassured her friend, waving her tail back and forth, "I can promise you that. And if they want to, I'll just tell them 'Stay in there for now or my good friend Mapleflower is going to worry'!" This time she let out a purr as well, laughing a bit. Oh yes, both of them had often been so silly back in their days as apprentices.
This lie seemed to satisfy her tortoiseshell friend and she nodded, "Alright, Briarstorm! I believe you! Though, if anything goes wrong, just scream, I'll be with you in a second."
"Of course," Briarstorm mewed, smiling softly at her kindhearted friend. She felt guilty for lying to her like that, but it was for the best. Turning her head back around, Briarstorm flicked her tail in a motion of goodbye, then disappeared through the entrance.
The grass felt cold against her paw pads as she neared the RiverClan-WindClan border with a small sigh. Here went nothing. If she'd get caught, everything would be over, but then again, Briarstorm had decided that she'd do everything to protect her Clan and kits, no matter what. Quietly the she-cat slipped over the border, into the horse place. It was easy enough to dodge the cats that lived there, they were all kittypets anyways, but as soon as she neared the open fields that were really WindClan's grounds, another pang struck her.
Hopefully WindClan also wouldn't send patrols at this time, just like RiverClan. The queen held her breath as she slowly slid along the grass hills, senses up and alerted.
For her luck, no patrol came and in no time she was behind their camp, where she quickly broke into a run, trying to get out of the territory as soon as possible, albeit with how big it was, that still took quite a while. The dew was slowly gathering on the edges of the grass blades, telling her to hurry up before WindClan would return into their territory. Of course! Her eyes widened in realization, she - she hadn't covered her scent before! How could she have forgotten? Quickly Briarstorm scanned the area, looking for something, anything, that she could roll in to cover her Clan's scent. A moment later a pile of rabbit dung caught her eye and she winced, eyeing it in distraught. Really, now? she questioned, narrowing her eyes, Here goes nothing.
After Briarstorm had rolled in the pile of dung as good as she could while being so heavy - she was also watching out for the kits, of course - the she-cat wrinkled her nose at the smell, then continued on, towards the hills beyond WindClan's territory. She was sure that by now Mapleflower was walking up and down in camp, pondering and worrying for her. As much as that thought actually stung, it was still for the best. Mapleflower would be able to overcome it, she was sure. Adderclaw would help the tortoiseshell as well, he was just that kindhearted, but he'd also have to fight his own sadness. ...If only Juniperheart wouldn't be, she could have raised her kits with their caring father and in RiverClan, but as it was now, she wouldn't return, at least not for a while. Not until her kits were pretty much of warrior age.
Smiling in farewell, Briarstorm set her first step up onto the steep hills ahead of her, looking over her shoulder one last time to catch a glimpse of a rabbit running across the moor. Her whiskers twitched softly in amusement, then she turned her head back around and disappeared over the large hills.
Finally her heart beat was slowing again as the pain stopped. Briarstorm panted softly, staring at the two bundles of fur at the belly. One was a brown tabby much like Adderclaw and she were, but the other... Briarstorm had been confused the moment she had looked at her daughter - her fur was pure white and she seemed very weak. As a mother she was worrying that something wasn't okay with her daughter, but pushed the thought away.
A second later, her son opened his tiny mouth to let out a wail and she stared down at him for a moment as he nuzzled closer to her belly. It filled her with joy for a second, but then she had to use her paws to make the other kitten come closer, which made her uncertain again. However, this wasn't what she should be worrying about for now. Silently Briarstorm stared out of the small cave she was in, past the vines that were hiding the entrance. The tabby shifted her attention back to her kits, eyes glowing. It was a shame that their father wasn't there to name his kits, but at least she knew now that RiverClan wasn't able to find her. She poked the brown tabby softly, murmuring out, "You shall be Bramble."
Her son let out a small squeak, apparently approving of the choice and Briarstorm moved on, nuzzling the small white kitten. "And you shall be Snow..." she trailed off, watching as the white she-cat opened her mouth shakily to let out a weak, shrill squeak. Briarstorm smiled, using her tail to get her kits even closer, then rested her head on her paws, staring outside again. It had already been around half a moon since she had left. It had been very hard to find food at first, but where she currently was at, there was plenty of food.
Her ear twitched softly as she stared at the mouse that she currently had left; she'd have to go hunting again tomorrow, no matter what. That indeed was quite dangerous, but Briarstorm was known for taking risks to make sure everything dear to her would survive, not matter what. After all, that was what had driven her away from the Clans, over the hills, and to where she was now.
If nobody's going to be able to help, you gotta help yourself... she thought slowly, watching her kits out of the corner of her eyes. Finally they had been born. Suddenly, Briarstorm's eyes widened as Snow's eyes snapped open for a second and instead of seeing the usual blue that a kit's eyes often were, Snow was staring wide eyed with pale green eyes, the palest and sickliest shade of pale green Briarstorm had ever seen. A second later they were closed again and all the she-cat could do was stare. If only she'd have known then what all would still happen, even long after she was walking with the stars.
Chapter 1
"Can't catch me!"
The young tom's shrill and excited voice whipped past the hills and a moment later a brown tabby dashed over the hill, amber eyes looking over his shoulder, sparkling with excitement. He skidded down the hill with a bark of laughter, then roughly swiped up a bit of the softer dirt with his back legs, hoping to catch his persuader off-guard. It only sparked his glee further when he heard a shocked squeak a moment later and he looked back again, seeing his sister's snowy white pelt covered in speckles of mud while her pale green eyes seemed shocked. She had also stopped running and was now just standing there, trying to shake the dirt off.
Sighing, Bramble stopped running, then threw back a few words at his sister, "Snow, you're no fun! Don't just stop chasing me!"
His sister's large, glassy green eyes stared at him accusingly as she drew her tongue over her dirty pelt, grimacing when the dirt hit it. "If you'd stop playing unfair I'd continue chasing you!" she protested, voice muffled by her fur.
Bramble rolled his eyes with a huff. His sister was so mouse-brained sometimes! He loved her dearly, but still! "Come on Snow, that wasn't cheating at all!" he grumbled out defensively, sticking up his nose into the air above them. The otherwise clear blue sky was currently painted a dull grey, fluffy and dangerous clouds rolling over it and a harsh breeze picked up, biting in Bramble's fur uncomfortably as the tom shifted, watching his sister try to not shake from the cold breeze. Somehow she had always been weak to weather...
Forgetting about their differences, he padded closer, raising his tail softly as a sign of peace. "Let's go back before mom gets worried. She tends to do that a lot lately... for whatever reason."
"Okay, Bramble."
The brown tabby glanced at his sister for a moment, then hopped past her, eyes following her for a moment. Her white fur was still ruffled because of the wind, but Bramble just waved his tail again for her to follow. Together the two litter mates journeyed back towards their mother's den.
Outside the den, Bramble could see his mother standing, her form looking as though it might be blown away by the wind any second. Frowning, the young brown tabby quickened his pace, worrying that standing out for too long would make his mother's poor health turn even worse. It wasn't far fetched either - her health was turning worse each day.
Even though he was only eight moons old, Bramble still felt like he had to protect his family and was constantly trying to mimic how his mother hunted because she hadn't shown them yet, saying that she would do so in due time. There was something about that which was wrong, though. Bramble couldn't pinpoint it, but inside his mind, something ugly was rearing its head again, whispering to him that his mother had other reasons for not showing them, because she didn't want for them to become independent.
Amber eyes sparkled with shock, then they narrowed as Bramble hopped down the last bit of hill to reach his mother who had by now started coughing. He checked on Snow for a moment to see that she was now slowly sliding down the hill after him and he turned, making sure that he was shielding her from their mother's coughing fit. Mother had always said that Snow would most likely not make it through a sickness, so Bramble wouldn't let her get sick. He swore himself that a long time ago.
Their mother was brutally honest to them, she had been almost their whole lives already, but Bramble didn't wish for it to be any other way. He wasn't much of a cat that beat around the bush himself. His eyes strayed back to his mother who was currently getting a hold of her coughing and the tom muttered lowly, "You'll end up making Snow sick yourself, you do realize that?"
"...I know," his mother retorted in a clipped tone, her eyes, a shade lighter than Bramble's, narrowing as a warning, as to remind him of who she was. Yes, she was his mother, however, while Bramble did hold his kin in high regards, he held his sister in even higher ones. Nothing, and with that he meant absolutely nothing, would happen to her under his watch.
The tense air around them stayed for a few heart-beats, then Snow's voice broke through it. "Sooo, can we, I don't know, go inside? It's getting cold?" the she-cat suggest, awkwardness thick in her meow. Snow was attempting to get them to focus on something else, Bramble realized.
Glancing at his mother as well, he promptly added, "Well?"
Briarstorm narrowed her eyes into slits again, then stepped aside, pushing Snow with her tail a bit. "Let's go inside, then," she murmured softly, but the glance she shot Bramble made him know that she wasn't done just yet with him. Sighing, the brown tabby padded after her quietly, eyes set on his sister's white fur as the wind started to pick up again.
The inside of the cave wasn't much warmer than the outside, still, at least there were nests which could be used to warm oneself. Bramble's eyes caught the muddy white of a few thrush's feathers that were inside Snow's nest, to keep her even warmer. His sister was currently getting chewed out by Briarstorm for wandering so far with him on such a stormy day, but the tabby tom just rolled his eyes quietly.
Why would Briarstorm even try to hold them back anymore? Bramble had been irritated by her rule of not wandering far way too often - the young tom wanted to journey further, see what the world had to offer! Because even if Briarstorm wasn't going to admit it, there was less prey here each day, they would starve on one of these days, even more so if Briarstorm were to pass on. He flattened his ears as he saw his mother approach, Snow watching from the sidelines with large green eyes. Bramble calmly blinked, then rose to meet his mother's gaze, "What's the world beyond these hills like?"
The question caught his mother off-guard, a flicker of emotion went through her eyes that confused Bramble. Why would she look so pained and regretful? Bramble hid his own confusion by staring at Briarstorm, tail twitching softly as he waited for the she-cat to answer. He was going to get an answer, no matter what! As the tabby was about to ask again, his mother spoke up, "The territory beyond these hills is dangerous," she started, "Wild, feral cats live beyond them. A lot of them. They'd tear you apart the second they see you, eating you alive and then using your bones to sharpen their claws."
That... wasn't an answer Bramble would have expected. A cold shiver went up his spine and he repressed a shudder, seeing Snow's shocked face from behind their mother. Cats eating each other? Was that... even possible?
"That's scary!" he heard Snow cry as she was cowering in fear.
"It is," their mother agreed, "That's why we're staying here, to keep safe."
"Is that so...?" Bramble murmured, his amber eyes searching his mother's eyes for any traces of lies. He found none. However, he knew enough about himself to know that she, in fact, was a pretty good liar. He was not sure wether to believe her or not. But, even if there were cats eating other cats and sharpening their claws on their bones, Bramble wanted to see them with his own eyes, no matter what.
Annoyance shot through him as his mother dismissed his statement and rather shooed Snow deeper into the cave to get her away from the cold wind breezing past the vines. Bramble hopped to the entrance again, watching as the dark gray clouds up ahead passed, then, he quickly shot backwards. A shadow had hushed over the cave, the shadow of another cat! The young tabby was interested in who said cat was, however, he also didn't know if their reasons for coming here were bad or good ones.
Quietly, the tom turned, whispering, "Mom, other cats are here."
His mother seemingly froze up, he saw her fur rise dangerously and she spun around, raising her head to scent the air. The tabby she-cat hissed something under her breath that Bramble, even while he was straining to hear, couldn't make out. A moment later, his mother had jumped forward, grabbing his scruff. He almost let out a shocked yelp, after all, he was far to big to be carried just like this and was released a second later, behind his mother.
"Go further back! Go with Snow into the furthest and darkest corner of the cave and don't come out till I tell you!" she hissed dangerously, staring out of the den coldly.
Her tone did confuse Bramble, but he understood the urgency of the situation and quickly backed up, dashing towards where Snow was currently cowering. He stared back as soon as he had entered the shadows of the cave, only to see his mother growling at an amber eyed gray tabby. Bramble narrowed his eyes, crouching. If worst came to worst, he'd dart out of the corner and protect his mother! His young brain did not realize yet that he'd stand no chance against the older cat.
There was only one word his mother hissed out after the tabby had drawn his lips back in a sneer.
"Juniperheart."
Chapter 2
Juniperheart? Bramble thought in confusion, squinting to get a better look at the tom. His right ear seemed to be torn and an ugly scar went down his muzzle, but otherwise he looked absolutely normal. But more importantly, where did his mother even know this tom from? Was this... their father?
The thought sent waves of joy through Bramble and he grinned, almost stepping out of the shadows before reminding himself that his mother had told him to stay put. He huffed. Why wouldn't she let them meet their father?! He shuffled a bit on his paws, glancing at Snow and whispered quietly in her ear, "Do you think this is our father?" His voice moved the soft hairs at her ear and a moment later, his sister gave a small nod, then shook her head before she settled on simply shrugging. So she wasn't sure either, huh?
Bramble glued his eyes back on his mother and 'Juniperheart'. If this tom was their father, why did their mother react like that? Did their relationship end that badly? A spark of curiosity lit in the deeps of Bramble's eyes and he crouched lower, trying to get an even better view. Oh, this was so exciting! Were they going to meet their father finally?!
"Briarstorm, how nice to see you again," the tabby murmured, eyes scanning over his mother before setting back on her eyes. "I wouldn't have expected to find you after so many moons." The gray tabby glanced outside for a moment, then raised his tail slightly. "Aren't you going to let me in? It'll soon rain."
Bramble expected for his mother to scold him for being gone so long or remind him how badly their relationship ended, but what she did truly surprised Bramble. His mother unsheathed her claws and rose one paw threateningly. "If you take even one step closer, Juniperheart, I'll tear your throat out!" she spat, fur bristling even more.
"If he is our father, why are they fighting like that?" Snow's quiet and timid voice reached his ears barely and he took a moment to progress what he had heard, then glanced at his sister, shrugging.
"Parents are weird sometimes." Bramble still kept his voice quiet, as to not interrupt the two cats quarreling. Well, it was more Briarstorm throwing insults at Juniperheart who just stared on in boredom, as though he was listening to a kit.
Suddenly, his deep voice broke into the ranting she-cat's sentence, "Where are your kits, by the way? Were they eaten by a fox already?"
Ouch, that hurt. Bramble felt himself flinch a bit. Did their father hate them? He was only guessing that this cat was their father, but why else should he have come out where they were at? But, why would he hate them then?
"And since when is that any of your business?!" Briarstorm spat, flying at the tom a second later, but Juniperheart easily stepped to the side, evading the weaker cat's attack. His mother surprisingly landed on her paws steadily and twisted around, swiping at the other again. Both backed up further into the cave this way, because when Briarstorm had first jumped at him, the two had switched positions, so now she was driving him further towards them.
Bramble was just about to step out from where he was perched when Briarstorm suddenly dashed past Juniperheart to stop him from further getting into the cave, thus making them go unseen. Snow watched the battle with large eyes, following Juniperheart's and Briarstorm's movements. And yes, Bramble had to admit, he had never seen his mother fight like that. If she had been not as weak, she might have even had a good chance at getting a hit against the larger tom.
"Look," Juniperheart started again, regarding Briarstorm with cold and piercing eyes, "I didn't even come to fight you. You see-"
Before the tom could speak further, Briarstorm lunged at him again, this time sinking her claws into his left ear, ripping it as she was flung backwards. Hissing, Juniperheart glared at her, but otherwise took a step back and hissed something too low for Bramble to understand, but only a heartbeat later, Briarstorm ran at him again. Bramble wanted to do something, anything, to make them stop fighting, but before he could even move, the two cats had already disappeared out of the den, now fighting outside.
The sounds were spinning past Bramble as he hopped to his paws, darting forward. In the exact same moment, a clap of thunder sounded in the distance and large raindrops fell. Bramble squinted, ignoring Snow's surprised squeak for a moment, but it was too dark and rainy, he couldn't even glimpse a hair of his mother's pelt anymore! Where was she?!
Bramble couldn't even start to think when his paws were already carrying him outside and he barely yelled over his shoulder, "Stay put here, Snow! I'll go look for mom!"
His brain had turned off, so he wasn't even thinking about all that could happen to Snow alone in the cave. He heard her small 'ok' and a second later, rain pelted him from all directions. He rapidly blinked his eyes, willing the water out of them as he used his whole strength to stand against the cold rain and wind from above. He took a step forward, calling out at the top of his lungs, "BRIARSTORM!"
No response.
Frowning, the tom shivered as he was already soaked to his bones. Where was she? Had they really gone so far already? The tom started to run in a random direction, hoping to everything dear that by some miracle, that would be the way his mother went, too.
His paws sunk into the wet and muddy earth and he needed to free himself with a huff, shivering again. It really was cold... His wet, muddy and grass covered paws trudged along the wet ground still, but he had to slow down, otherwise he'd trip. Another harsh breeze bit into his fur, then a clap of thunder sounded in the distance again and he gritted his teeth, pressing himself to the wet and dirty ground for a second before deeming it safe to go again.
He hated thunder, even more so around here. His mother had told him before that if lightning was going to strike, it'd strike into trees usually because they would be higher up. But here, on the moors and hills, there was a high chance that he was the highest thing it could strike into. Bramble closed his eyes, willing those thoughts away, before he suddenly slipped on the wet grass, tumbling down the small hill with a shout. For a few heartbeats, Bramble just laid there in the wet grass, rain pelting down upon him as he tried to right his thoughts again. His bones hurt, he was wet and cold and... he just wanted to sleep....
The harsh pitter patter just seemed so soothing right now, but, as the tom was about to close his eyes, a voice reminded him again that he was looking for his mother and if, by any chance, both he and Briarstorm would disappear, Snow would be alone. His eyes snapped open, amber glowing in the darkness as he jumped to his paws again, not even flinching as his cold bones protested. The young tabby dragged himself further, breath coming out in harsh, ragged puffs against the rain as he stared up ahead, eyes blurring again from the rain.
He harshly shook his head, suddenly noticing a trail of wet mud, thrown up as though a cat had slid or rolled through it. But, horror gripped at his bones, momentarily paralyzing him with fear as he stared up ahead. Where this trail was, was a small cliff. Briarstorm had often warned him before that it was dangerous and could kill a cat if they landed wrongly. Shakily, he took a step forward, seemingly forgetting about the cold rain showering down upon him still.
His paws felt even chillier as he approached the edge of the small cliff slowly and carefully, so that he wouldn't slip. For a moment he had to look at his paws, scared of what he might find, then, the tom took a deep breath, staring over the edge down towards the grassy and stone littered ground.
A scream was all Bramble gave before he scrambled backwards, tripping over his own paws, eyes wide as the rain continued to fall. His amber eyes were as large as dinner plates and he shook uncontrollably, but not from the rain. Jaws parted, he stared for the longest time, opening and closing his mouth, no words coming out. But finally, he spoke in a whisper,
"M-mom..."
Chapter 3
Jaws parted into a silent scream and eyes wide open, that was how Bramble saw Briarstorm. Her head was bent at an unnatural angle and he saw small specks of blood that hadn't been washed off through the rain yet. He chocked back a sob, then slowly and carefully climbed down the cliff. It wasn't that high, but it seemed like Briarstorm had slid towards it. She then fell off surprisingly, hitting her head on the rocks.
The small tabby whimpered, still shivering pitifully. Why had this happened? Why his mother? Why-? His thoughts were cut off as another rumble sounded in the distance. His eyes traveled upwards, searching out the bright flash of lightning jumping across the sky. He shivered, cold fur pressed against his body, slowing him down. He took another step closer, whiskers dripping with raindrops. In the back of his head was a voice, saying that he couldn't even carry her back, he- he was too weak. Bramble closed his eyes, teeth chattering from the cold. He wasn't strong enough yet, but, there was one thing he could do. He could promise, yes, he could do that.
His eyes snapped open as he yelled towards the heavens, "Mom, I-I promise you to become stronger! I promise you to protect Snow with my life and find dad! I promise! We won't die!"
For a moment he was unsure of what to do, then hopped forward and used his paws to shovel up the wet dirt. He tried to the best of his abilities, almost sinking into the mud while digging. He coughed as some got into his face, but kept on digging, even though it was hard because of the rain. Wouldn't this rain stop falling soon?
His paws slid away from the soft, muddy earth and he barely managed to hold himself upright and not fall into the hole. He scrambled back, gazing down at it. It did seem deep enough to bury somebody...
Grimacing, he turned, glancing back at his dead mother. Now, he told himself, Don't think about this being your mother - your dead mother. ... just... just image you're burying... uuuh. Just image you're burying some kind of r-rotten prey. You had to do that once before, so just i-image that...
He sunk his teeth into his mother's limp and wet scruff, shuddering. Reminding himself to think about the rotten prey again, the tom moved forward, shaking a bit. As the hole approached, he pulled harder, then let go to walk around her. With closed eyes he pushed her forward, until he felt her body shift, then slide down into the hole. Once again the tabby shuddered, then started to shovel wet earth onto the hole, not once glancing down. It stared to finally occur to him that he would never see his mother again. Gritting his teeth the tom shoveled the the last bit of earth onto the hole and finally looked at it.
It was now covered with earth again, no bit of his mother was showing. His paws shook as he felt the rain once again. But, it seemed to not be pouring anymore... it was just a light drizzle.
The young tabby sighed, then turned around with a rueful look. He had to finally return home, find Snow and calm her down after this storm. A cold breeze bit into his fur and he began to quicken his pace, away from where Briarstorm was buried. He had to remind himself over and over that he could not have brought her back with him; she was just too heavy for him to carry like that. The tabby climbed the small cliff up again with great carefulness, then started to run. His paws were hurting by the time the cliff had completely disappeared from view and he had to chock back yet another sob. Why? Why had she died? It hurt. It hurt so much, he'd never see her again. Bramble slipped on the wet ground, rolling for a short distance, then lay in the mud without making a sound.
His lips parted as he repressed another spasm of shudders. The mud in his pelt, mixed with the rain, felt heavier each second. He reminded himself yet again that there was a reason why he couldn't stop. A reason why he had to keep going, even if it'd kill him. With much effort, the tom pushed himself up before he started running again, ignoring his bones' protests. The ground still felt slippery under his paws, albeit, for some reason his wet pelt didn't bother him. The amber eyed tom didn't understand why, but also didn't care for the moment. Soon the small cave came into view; the vines that had once hid it from predators well were now gone, torn away by the storm. Sighing, he padded closer, not yet in the mood to really deal with damage control. The knot in his belly still lingered around, pushing at him that his mother was now dead and that she'd never be by his side again.
Before he could dwell further on it and mop around, a small white muzzle emerged from the cave, sniffing around outside. Fondness surged through Bramble as he saw his sister check around with great care, watching for predators. In that moment, Bramble felt like forgetting everything that had happened, though, he knew that that was impossible. So instead, he trudged towards her, seeing her green eyes light up as soon as he came into view. Snow bounded towards him, happiness almost radiating off of her. She nuzzled against him, not even caring for his soaked fur.
"You're back!" she cheered, purring. Bramble tried to force a smile back at her, but it didn't work. A few heartbeats later, his sister smile dropped, too, and she asked, "Did something happen? Where's mom, by the way?"
That did it. Bramble couldn't hold his sobs back anymore and finally pressed back against her, drawing her scent into his nose. She wasn't gone, he still had Snow. She wasn't gone. Without realizing it, Bramble had started chanting out the words, "I'm sorry," over and over again. Suddenly, he felt his fur being licked dry and started before relaxing again somewhat. Snow had started rasping her tongue against his wet fur, drying him.
"It's not your fault," she insisted, sounding calm. Bramble almost couldn't believe it. His sister was calmer about this than him? The tabby noticed that he had started smiling and his eyes softened. There was only one question left...
"What're we going to do now, Snow?" he inquired, purring a bit as his sister kept warming him up. Even though they were still standing outside, Snow didn't seem to mind. His sister's licking stopped and everything was silent for a moment, then, her voice shattered it.
"What do you want to do, Bramble...?" she murmured, voice small and quiet against the wind. It had picked up again the moment she had spoken, and Bramble was now fearing her health. He ushered her into the cave in a rush, but not without Snow rolling her eyes a bit. Since when had his sister started becoming this bold? Shaking his head, he turned to look at her, now inside the cave again. He had his answer. Yes, it was the only thing they could really do.
"I... I want to go and try to find our father. Juniperheart can't have gone that far yet," he left out the part that he couldn't even find Juniperheart mourning their mother. For now it didn't seem like the most important thing. Of course, there was a chance that Juniperheart wasn't their father, but... it was worth a try for sure.
Snow gave a small nod, smiling at him with glowing eyes. "Alright then! We should leave soon!"
Bramble smiled back, nodding. Snow... Snow was everything he had left now. He... he needed to protect her! He'd protect her forever! "Ah. Let's go after him now, then. Only if you're ready, of course," he answered, eyes trailing outside the den again. The dark clouds had disappeared and the sun was coming out, painting the sky a beautiful orange. So it had been night when the storm had started? Bramble decided that he didn't care, one night without sleep wouldn't kill him or Snow.
And that was how destiny started to spin. Without realizing it, through her death, Briarstorm had forced her kits to grow beyond them, wether for the good or bad.
"Let's go, Snow!"
"Alright!"
Chapter 4
The earth of the hills still felt muddy as Bramble's paws trudged over it. Snow was a few steps behind him, off into her own world again. His sister had gotten so quiet after their mother's death... Bramble sighed, shaking his head. Snow was still as jumpy and friendly, just even quieter. For the first day of their travel he had been worried that she was in shock, but Snow had reassured him over and over that she was perfectly fine. After a few times, Bramble came to accept the answer, even though he still had his doubts.
A small breeze brushed past the two siblings and Bramble saw Snow shiver, but then grit her teeth and continue walking. She really was changing... she was becoming more confident and brave. For now Bramble wasn't sure if he actually liked it or not. But they had other goals at the moment, for example, finding their father.
The hills seemed to stretch on endlessly, but Bramble was sure that this was the correct way to go. Something deep in his mind was telling him that, so he trusted it for once. Hopefully their father really had gone this way. The tabby frowned while walking, then shook his head, obviously in displeasure about his thoughts. Hopefully everything would be okay.
A sharp gust of wind bit into the tom's side as he slid down another hill. His blinked, mouth parting as he stared up at the sky. Gray clouds were already littering it again, but he could still make out a bit of blue between them. Hopefully it wouldn't rain as fast anymore.
Snow's white pelt flashed next to him and he turned his head, noticing that his sister had caught up again. Snow's ears twitched as she stared at him with unwavering eyes, meeting his gaze. But... to Bramble they didn't seem to be looking at him, rather, they were blank and not staring at anything. Was Snow spacing off somewhere? No, that wasn't correct. She wasnt spacing off, so, was there something else?
He sighed. Briarstorm would've known what was wrong. She-cats sure were weird sometimes. Turning his gaze back towards the front, the tom stared at the never changing surroundings. Indeed, they were quite plain and boring. Everywhere was just plain hills and a few scrubs. When will these hills end either way? Bramble questioned himself, paws almost slipping on the hill's wet mud.
He grimaced, then started climbing it again, looking over his shoulder at Snow. "Be careful, it's slippery," he informed her.
He saw her give a small nod, then she replied, "I figured as much. Thanks though, Bramble."
The brown streaks in her otherwise white pelt made Bramble frown for a second. There was nothing to worry about though, he reassured himself. Snow was healthy and she would not die, not like... Briarstorm had. It was like a hot punch of agony to his heart as the memories resurfaced. In his daze, Bramble lost his footing and crashed down the hill after twisting his paw painfully.
Didnt this happen as well on the day s-she d- Bramble cut off his thoughts, curling in on himself while refusing to acknowledge the pain in his paw. She was dead! Dead! His mother would never return! She would never chew them out for wandering too far again. He'd never... see her again. Unbeknownst to Bramble, he had started shaking, eyes gone deadly wide as he stared on ahead in sadness.
He didn't even notice as a paw began to shake him and a worried voice called out with surprising strength. He didn't feel it, it was just a numbness at the edge of his being. Why did Briarstorm have to die? Was it because of him? If he had jumped out of hiding sooner, would their fight have stopped? Would Briarstorm have stopped attacking their father to snap at him? What he would give to hear her snapping at him again. His mother was gone forever and it was his fault. His fault alone. It was a feeling which was sinking deeper and deeper into him, making his body become even more hollow to him. It was like a chanting mantra in his head, reminding him over and over that he had killed her.
Whimpering, the tom suddenly lashed out, trying to make the voice disappear. He heard a surprised squeak and saw something dart out of his vision. Who was that? Was it one of the voices? Yes. It must be, he decided. Bramble tumbled over himself in a heap again upon trying to stand. The tom randomly lashed out for a second time, feeling a wisp of fur under his paw, before the air was pressed out of him.
His back hit the muddy ground and he gritted his teeth, trying to get up. He was not going to lose against them! He was not! Time seemed to slow as he suddenly snapped back to his senses, staring up into Snow's green eyes. A scratch ran along her right cheek, crimson drops staining the snow white fur. Horror gripped at him. Had he actually just... hurt his sister?
"Are you okay, Bramble?" she inquired quietly, not even looking bothered by the scratch on her check.
He shook his head quickly, fur flying back and forth. "No! I-I don't know what just happened. I-I... Briarstorm is dead because of me! It's all my fault!" he cried out, tumbling over his own words.
For a heartbeat, Snow was quiet, looking past him. Then, his sister looked back at him. "Bramble..." she started quietly, "It's never been your fault, you mouse-brain. You need to understand, it was by no means your fault. Mother's death was a mistake... she has always been... reckless. Don't... don't you dare think that this is your fault!" her voice had risen, turning into a stuttering scream. Blinking, Bramble stared. Snow, Snow was somewhat acting like herself again. She wasn't quiet anymore, she wasn't as cold, she was still his sister.
Sobbing, Bramble buried his head in her fur. She was here with him, she'd never leave him just like that. She was protecting him right now, being strong for him, while he was not being strong for her. He... he had attacked her, for the sake of everything! Why, why had he even attacked her? He had felt like she had been one of the voices haunting him, blaming him. Would that ever happened again? Shaking his head, Bramble gently pushed Snow off him, then stood, fur ruffled in all directions. It wouldn't happen again, he'd protect her! He had promised Briarstorm that.
For so many heartbeats, the two siblings just sat next to each other, enjoying the warmth of their pelts touching. Bramble felt like a stone had been lifted from his shoulders - Snow was finally back to her normal self. She wasn't trying to be distant and braver again. She had matured already through Briarstorm's death and Bramble felt a bit weak for not doing so, too. But he felt like they could support each other to move on, to not fall into a dark abyss of sadness and depression. He never wanted to hear those voices again and with Snow with him, he was sure that he wouldn't.
He smiled at her, but had to remind himself that they had to keep moving. He told Snow exactly this, to which the she-cat gave a nod. Their moment was broken, but moving further would be more important for now.
Nightfall was fast approaching and Bramble's paws were hurting. Sighing, the tom looked further ahead, only to have his eyes widen. He jumped forward, calling over his shoulder, "Look at this, Snow!"
His sister's eyes lit up with curiosity and she hopped closer, leaning past Bramble. "Woooah," she breathed a second later, "It... It looks beautiful!"
Indeed, from where they were standing on the hills, they could see a lake far, far below them, looking small from their position. Now that the weather had cleared up over the day, a beautiful view was given to them. The evening lights were reflecting in it, turning the water into a beautiful, sparkling yellow, orange and red color. It seemed peaceful, yet wild and dangerous. Bramble felt himself leaning forward further, staring at it mesmerized.
A smile slowly spread onto his face and Bramble launched himself forward, running down the hill at a neck-breaking speed. Glancing over his shoulder, the amber eyed tom saw his sister following, albeit a bit slower. Something was pulling him towards the lake and nothing would stop him from getting there!
A few hills later, the tom hit flatter ground and waited for his sister to catch up with a grin, paws quivering with excitement. Why was he so excited about a lake, anyways? Maybe because he had never seen one before? He'd just go with that for now. Snow's pelt brushed against his, but before he could say anything, a shadow blocked their path and a deep voice reached his ears.
"What, exactly, are you doing on WindClan territory, loners?"
Chapter 5
The tom blocking their path was a long legged, broad shouldered black tabby tom with green eyes. An ugly scar ran over his face in a zig zag pattern and Bramble blinked, interested sparking in his eyes. Cats. Other cats? Were these the cats Briarstorm had told about? They didn't seem like cats who'd eat other cats... A smaller, petite she-cat stood off to the side, barely reaching Bramble's height. He really couldn't image cats like her killing others and then eating them.
Were they the loners? Most likely. Bramble took a step forward to speak, but was interrupted by his sister. "We're sorry for bothering you. However, we are looking for somebody. Ahh... do you happen to know a tom called 'Juniperheart'?"
"And why should we even help you, loners?" a sharp hiss came to his right and Bramble narrowed his eyes, looking towards the cat who had spoken. She looked barely older than him and had short dilute tortoiseshell fur. Her golden eyes were narrowed and she curled her lips back in a snarl as their eyes met.
The black tabby flicked his tail up and the she-cat huffed, but backed off. "Back off, Morningpaw," he growled lowly, "I have everything under control. I don't need somebody else provoking a fight where it isn't needed."
He could see in her golden eyes that she was abashed. He felt a smug smile twitching onto his face, but as he glanced back at Snow, he saw her looking at the two unfamiliar cats with curiosity.
Turning back to them, the black tabby sighed. "I'm sorry for my apprentice. My name is Spiderfoot. A cat whose name is Juniperheart lives in RiverClan. He's the deputy, actually."
"Woah!" Bramble blurted out, then smiled sheepishly when Snow sent him a look, "Sorry, sorry! Um, where is this so called 'RiverClan'?"
"At the other end of our territory-" Spiderfoot started, but was interrupted by Bramble.
"Alright, thank you!"
Before the brown tabby could take a step forward, however, a flash of tortoiseshell whipped past him, blocking his path. Bramble glared at the she-cat, Morningpaw, in irritation. Why was she blocking his path? The question was on the tip of his tongue, but the she-cat beat him to it. "You can't just wander in our territory!" she growled.
For a second, Bramble waited for Spiderfoot to come to his aid, but when the tom didn't, he grew curios, glancing at him. Spiderfoot, catching his eye, nodded. "Quite true. Morningpaw is correct, you cannot just wander around our territory. If you really want to get to RiverClan, we will escort you to the border."
"But why?" Snow's soft voice sounded not far from Bramble and he craned his neck to look at his sister for a moment. She looked honestly puzzled. Bramble felt the same way, too. Why were there borders, wouldn't it be better if the clans all helped each other?
The looks the WindClan cats sent him made him blink in surprise, had he said that out loud? Whoops.
"How can you say something like that?!" Morningpaw hissed at him and Bramble flattened his ears against his head, holding his ground.
"I still stand to it: Wouldn't it be easier if all would help each other?" he demanded with a huff, watching Morningpaw with slanted eyes. The she-cat looked disgusted for whatever reason and he promptly heard her reasoning a second later.
"I would never help those stinky Thunder-, Shadow- or RiverClan cats!" the dilute tortoiseshell spat, sticking out her tongue in a disgusted manner. "They don't even live under the stars like us, with all those trees blocking their view from StarClan!" before the young she-cat could rant on, Spiderfoot stepped in again, quieting her down with a flick of his tail.
"The borders have been around for StarClan knows how long. The Clans have always lived like this and it won't be changed. Competitiveness is rather good as well, we all strive to do our best so that we won't seem weak."
Irritation rose in Bramble. So, just because 'StarClan' had told them so, these cats lived by it? What a load of fox-dung. Yet, before he could speak, Snow came to stand next to him, nodding her head. "That makes sense. Now, would you be kind enough to escort us to this border with RiverClan?"
Spiderfoot's eyes lit up and the tom beckoned with his tail. His face was still stern, but it was easy to see that he was pleased by Snow's words. Bramble huffed, suppressing his own thoughts for now. They needed to get over that border. And if it was the only way, then so be it. Bramble slowly followed after Snow, grass crunching lightly under his paws as they padded further. Their territory wasn't much different from what Bramble was used to, so it actually gave him some comfort.
Yet the tom could already see the trees littering everywhere else. So, RiverClan would be under trees, too? At least for a bit, it seemed like. Snow fell into place beside him, glancing to the right where they could already see some parts of the lake. The cold blue water was lapping on the sand. Something was pulling Bramble towards the water, but he wasn't sure what.
"The lake's really beautiful," Snow murmured, watching the dying sun reflect in the small ripples on the surface.
"Yeah," Bramble agreed, side-glancing at it for another moment before the tabby focused back on the WindClan cats. Morningpaw was shooting both of them suspicious looks that he really couldn't stand. He had the urge to call her out on it, but another well placed look from his sister shut him up.
Muttering to himself, the tom quickly pinned his eyes to look forward again in frustration. Morningpaw really was a bother and hopefully he wouldn't have to see her again after this. The other she-cat with them was much more pleasant to be around, she didn't make rude comments and was quiet.
A weird looking thing up ahead caught the young tabby's attention, and without so much thought, he blurted out, "What is that?!"
Spiderfoot glanced back at him, then looked ahead again. Bramble could almost hear the smile in his voice. "That's the horse place. A few barn cats live there, and horses, of course. But they usually shouldn't bother us. After the horse place RiverClan territory begins. So we will escort you there."
Nodding, Bramble kept staring at this 'horse place'. What would horses look like? He had never seen barn cats before either. Were they any different from them? So many questions that kept popping into his head.
Suddenly, Spiderfoot started picking up pace, leaving Bramble dumbfounded. As Snow passed him, white pelt brushing against him, the tabby quickly raced after them. His amber eyes were narrowed in confusion while he was bolting after the others. Why were they running now? He couldn't sense any dangers...
It only took a few moments longer for Bramble to realize the reason. At the end of the horse place he could see other pelts at the border, patrolling along it. A tortoiseshell cat caught Bramble's attention quickly. She seemed to stand out a lot against the other 'duller' pelts.
The thundering close to him made the tabby snap out of it and he screeched, jumping away as he stared up at a creature running behind a fence. It was as big as a monster! He assumed that these were the horses Spiderfoot had been talking about. His trail of thoughts broke off as he bumped into Snow, knocking the two off their feet.
For a few seconds, both lay on the ground, staring at each other dumbfounded, then he heard Snow laugh quietly. Although his sister's laughter got drowned in Spiderfoot's, Bramble still felt his heart swell. He didn't even care that he was being laughed at, all that mattered was that Snow was happy.
He untangled himself carefully, rising to his paws again before shaking his pelt. Grinning sheepishly, Bramble didn't find the heart to snap at them for laughing, after all, Snow was laughing, too.
Spiderfoot was the first to stop laughing, having stopped running a moment after they had toppled over. Smirking, the tom stared at Bramble. "Seems like you're afraid of horses," the tom laughed.
"Horses look weird!" Bramble shot back with a grumble. Spiderfoot still looked amused, but then turned, flicking his tail to Morningpaw. The she-cat gave them a long look, then dashed away. Was she going to stop those 'RiverClan' cats? It would make sense.
The sound of somebody clearing their throat made him blink. Spiderfoot still looked amused. "Were you listening to what I've said just now?"
Bramble huffed, stubbornly evading the WindClan cat's gaze. "No."
"I've just explained that Morningpaw is going to catch up with the patrol and make them wait for us. Once we arrive there we'll leave you to them and leave. You're not allowed to cross back into our territory, I hope you know that."
"Of course I know that!" Bramble defended himself, the warm feeling around his heart gone again. WindClan cats were rude! He saw Snow watching him and Spiderfoot with interest, but his sister didn't comment on their bickering.
A smug smirk was his answer, then Spiderfoot beckoned with his long tail for them to follow. The other WindClan apprentice hopped after him quickly, seemingly afraid of them. Today had been so crazy that Bramble wasn't even in the mood to question a cat being afraid of them anymore. He nodded at Snow, then the two siblings dashed after Spiderfoot.
After they had left the horse place behind, Bramble could see a large tree reaching across the lake towards an island. He hadn't noticed the island before, he realized. Snow tipped him with her tail for a second, beckoning towards a group of cats ahead of them. Bramble saw the tortoiseshell again and blinked. Just from guessing, she seemed to be around the age their mother had been.
It still hurt to think about it, but Bramble was sure that he would not have another breakdown. The other cats on the patrol still didn't really interest the tom, but he saw Morningpaw standing close to them, wrinkling her nose in disgust. So she had stopped them, even though she didn't like it. Bramble was sure that he would have refused in her place if he didn't like them, but he supposed that it was different in Clans.
The RiverClan cats turned their heads as they were approaching. Bramble felt a small bubble of nervousness surface within him, though, he'd never admit that out loud. Getting mustered by four pairs of eyes was unnerving, even for him. He calmed his steps, sticking close to his sister.
The tortoiseshell was the first one to speak, her soft and gentle voice almost startling Bramble. "Spiderfoot, Morningpaw has just told us that you have some loners that request to see Juniperheart," she meowed.
"Indeed," Spiderfoot confirmed with a nod, "These two loners want to talk to Juniperheart, Mapleflower."
The she-cat, Mapleflower, gave a small nod. "I see. So, loners, what is it that you want from our... deputy?"
Her voice sounded so gentle and kind, Bramble felt drawn to her even this soon after just meeting her. She reminded him of a caring mother. It was not Bramble who replied, rather, it was Snow. "We're looking for him because he was the last cat we have seen before our mother's death. We suspect that he may be our kin."
"Your kin?" Mapleflower seemed puzzled. "Juniperheart doesn't have kits... he doesn't even have a mate. It'd be impossible..."
Bramble felt his heart skip a beat in shock. Juniperheart wasn't their father? Why had he visited Briarstorm, then? His paws felt colder than before against the ground.
Snow blinked in confusion as well, glancing at her brother for a split second, then Bramble heard her ask, "Do you know a cat named Briarstorm, then? She was our mother."
Bramble saw Mapleflower's eyes dilate and her breath catch in her throat. The she-cat seemed shocked senseless. But before Snow could elaborate, she quickly blurted out, "You're Briarstorm's kits! You're- you're Adderstar's kits!" her voice was filled with joy, and her eyes were now glowing, but a second later, she lowered her voice, "You spoke from Briarstorm in the past, so, she was the cat who died?" Grief seemed to be catching in her throat.
Bramble winced a bit, this cat seemed to be torn between joy and grief. They were the reason for that. Snow smiled a bit, but it was forced. "Yes... She sadly died. You said that we were Adderstar's kits -- would we be able to meet him?"
"Great StarClan, of course! He'll be overjoyed. Come along, come along!" Mapleflower's voice had turned gentle again as she beckoned for them to come over the border. The tortoiseshell dipped her head to the WindClan cats. Spiderfoot dipped his head back, then ushered his patrol back towards the horse place without another word.
The gray-brown tom next to Mapleflower spoke as the WindClan cats had left. "Are they really the kits of Adderstar, Mapleflower?"
"I'm sure they are, Jaypaw," she reassured the tom gently, leading Snow over the border before she turned to Bramble, "I just have a feeling that they are telling the truth. Besides, he looks almost exactly like Adderstar and Briarstorm."
Bramble blinked at those words, glancing at his tabby fur. Did he really look that much like his parents? He stored these thoughts away and quickly followed his sister over the scent mark.
Turning around, Mapleflower nodded, more to herself than anything. "Let's go meet your father!"
Chapter 6
Water. So much water. Bramble felt like complaining. In front of them was a long stream, behind it he could smell a lot of cats. So, RiverClan's camp was behind this stream? He shuddered a bit, even as he noticed the stepping stones. They really didn't make him feel any safer at all. They actually made him even more nervous... They were slippery, he could fall quickly and die. He glanced over at the two remaining cats, Mapleflower and Jaypaw.
Mapleflower had sent the other two cats on their patrol back to camp already, but made them promise not to tell Adderstar of their guests just yet. Her reasoning had been that it'd be easier to explain everything once she was actually there, otherwise everything could become harder to reason.
Mapleflower sent him a reassuring smile, beckoning him to step closer to the rocks. He stared at her, unmoving. She couldn't be serious, right? A bundle of white pushed past him and he saw Snow stare at the rocks, water still rushing around them. For a moment, his sister seemed to be judging whether the rocks were okay or not, then she took a step forward. Bramble shot after his sister, cry starting in his throat. He could already see her slip and tumble to her death!
His cry died in his throat as Snow stood safely on the first rock, not bothered by the water below her at all. He glanced over at Mapleflower, seeing the she-cat give a reassuring smile again before she dove into the water next to the stepping stones, paddling over to where Snow was standing, looking at the next stepping stone. As his sister took another step forward, Mapleflower paddled next to her, eyes focused on his sister's white fur.
Realization dawned within Bramble slowly. Was Mapleflower helping them get over the water? A part of his brain was nagging at him for not realizing that sooner and he huffed to himself, earning a look from Jaypaw. What was the tom's problem?
"What's your problem, you furball?"
Had he thought out loud again?
Hackles rising, Jaypaw turned his head, glaring at Bramble. "Who do you think you are, loner?" he hissed, growl rumbling deep in the apprentice's throat.
Bramble flattened his ears against his skull, baring his teeth at Jaypaw. "I am Bramble, not a loner! So stop calling me loner, call me Bramble, you RiverClan cat!" he spat. This whole day cats had been calling him loner or rogue, it just annoyed him by now. He was Bramble, not just some kind of loner.
Locking eyes with the other apprentice, the two toms glared at each other restlessly. Only the sound of somebody clearing their throat snapped them out of it.
There stood Mapleflower, small droplets of water dripping from her now sleek pelt. Glancing past the she-cat, Bramble saw Snow sitting on the other side of the river, tail curled around her paws. His sister was waiting for him.
Giving Jaypaw one last, nasty glance, Bramble shot forward, towards the rocks again. He'd show them what he was made of! He'd get there faster than Mapleflower could even swim! Leaping forward, Bramble slid along the first rock, heart hammering with anxiety. Had the water already been running that fast beforehand?
I - I'm not backing down now!
Gritting his teeth, Bramble crouched on the slippery rock, leaping forwards again. For a second, his heart skipped a beat as his left hind paw brushed the water, then he landed flatly on the next cold and wet rock, luckily not breaking anything from his harsh fall. A splash sounded just behind him, and to his distaste, it was Jaypaw, looking about as happy as he was feeling. A few mouse-lengths behind him was Mapleflower, looking as friendly and welcoming as he had seen her all time that day.
"Now, Jaypaw, I'm sure you two can work together, right? I've already helped Snow across, so now it's your turn, Jaypaw!" she announced casually, sending the apprentice a knowing look.
Bramble returned the nasty look Jaypaw sent him with his own happily. He didn't like that grumpy furball, and now he was supposed to help him across? If Jaypaw wouldn't let him drown, well, that would be a surprise.
Bramble quickly struggled to his paws again on the wet rock, trying to not show any weakness. He crouched, then leaped forward as good as he could, ignoring the rushing water below him for a second.
But instead of feeling the next slippery rock under his paws, the brown tabby's hind quarters were suddenly being pushed. Eyes widening, he noticed that he had misjudged his leap. His forepaws had landed just fine, but the rest was in the water. Panicking, the tom tried to heave himself onto the rock, out of the water, but his struggling just made his paws slip away completely. With a strangled cry, he disappeared underwater.
The water blocked out every sound besides itself as Bramble trashed around widely in the small currents. He wasn't sure what to do, but the tom didn't want to die! Because of his wild trashing and flailing, he couldn't see anything, just his paws and water.
It felt like forever for him until he was suddenly brought up to the surface by a strong pull. Gasping and coughing, he saw that his savior had been Jaypaw, surprisingly. The other tom grunted, half dragging Bramble back towards the stones, muttering a small, "Fish-brained loners," under his breath.
Usually Bramble would have spat something back, but for now, he really was too tired to argue with the apprentice. The water was still pulling lightly at the two of them, althought for the moment Bramble just trusted Jaypaw to not drop him. After all, Mapleflower had ordered the tom to help him. Surely he wouldn't go against the older she-cat's words.
His paws hit the slippery rock again and he apprentice behind him gave a grunt, nudging him higher. "Move your paws you fish-brained furball. You're too heavy for me to push you up!" Jaypaw barked out and Bramble turned a bit, still exhausted, but mustered him with the best glare he could do. Struggling, and flailing a bit, he pushed himself onto the rock, grunting. His fur clung to him and a harsh breeze made him shiver. Evening really wasn't the best time to take a swim, it seemed like. He suppressed his teeth's chattering and judged the distance more carefully this time, not wanting to repeat the incident.
He leaped, sliding along the next rock a bit, but stayed on it. The splashes next to him informed the brown tabby that Jaypaw was still keeping up. Pelt still dripping with water, Bramble repeated his leaps, soon enough finally having grass under his paws again. The brown tabby quickly shook his pelt, spraying water everywhere. He heard his sister let out a noise of displeasure as he made her wet, but didn't comment on it. The she-cat just turned her head to see Jaypaw and Mapleflower approaching. The two were as wet as Bramble, but they didn't seem to mind much.
Jaypaw padded past them as Mapleflower smiled, beckoning for them to follow.
Bramble scoffed as he saw the gray-brown tom in front of him glance over his shoulder at them again. Jaypaw was annoying, he really was. Bramble pulled a weird face, scrunching his eyes together and smiling as mouse-brained as he could. A moment later, the RiverClan tom had turned around again and the brown tabby was grinning in victory. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw his sister roll her pale green eyes, but she was smiling.
Mapleflower suddenly stopped, smile still on her face. "Okay!" she started, turning around to the two siblings, eyes glowing, "We're here! Now, Jaypaw, be quiet and don't treat our guests badly! They might become your Clanmates!"
Huffing, the young tom stalked past her rudely. "No thanks. I don't want them as my Clanmates. Ever."
Sighing, the tortoiseshell just waved her tail for the two to follow, muttering quietly under her breath, "He's really a bothersome apprentice... It's hard being his mentor..."
Bramble saw Snow smile sympathetically at Mapleflower before the she-cat disappeared through the entrance as well. Pushing past the small barrier of ferns, Bramble felt one of his legs get tangled by some kind of plant on the ground. He stumbled forward, bumping into Snow slightly.
He apologized to her quietly as Snow turned and smiled at him. Bramble glanced up, noticing that they were drawing the attention of other cats. He felt a little overwhelmed by the amount of eyes on him, but took a deep breath, stepping in front of Snow to shield his sister from the looks. His sister shot him a small glance, then looked around and at the other cats.
Bramble couldn't really focus on just one pelt and instead let his gaze scan around quickly. He noticed a light brown she-cat with green eyes bound over to Jaypaw quickly, almost knocking into the tom. Because Jaypaw had separated himself from his mentor and them, Bramble couldn't hear what they were talking about, but Jaypaw seemed to not be pleased with the other cat, looking almost annoyed. He still didn't look as disgruntled as he had been with Bramble, which actually made him scowl. Why was he nicer to that cat? What was so different about her?
He was snapped out of his thoughts as he felt a cat lay their tail on his shoulder and blinked, craning his head to see Mapleflower smiling at them. "Let's go meet your father, he should be by his den. I'm surprised the commotion hasn't drawn his attention yet. Maybe he's talking with Juniperheart."
Not paying any attention to the staring cats, Mapleflower beckoned them to follow, making her way farther into the camp. Glancing around one last time, Bramble hurried after her, Snow at his heels. He caught one or two suspicious looks that were sent their way, and a few cats were actually looking curious. It made him feel uncomfortable that he was being stared at so much, like he was being backed into a corner.
Swallowing, he concentrated on just looking forward, never glancing back. He still felt eyes burning into his pelt and had to resist the urge to whip around and stare back at the cats. A big rowan tree caught Bramble's attention as they neared it, and he couldn't help staring up at it with large eyes. A small prod to his paw made him snap out of it and he glanced at his sister, who sent him a small smile.
Just a little bit up ahead he saw another brown tabby and heard Snow quietly gasp, "He looks almost like you, Bramble!"
Well, it was true. The brown tabby did look a lot like Bramble, minus all the battle scars he was carrying.
But what exactly is the point with that? It's not like I'd be the only brown tabby in the world... Mom was one too, after all.
Noticing his confused face, Snow elaborated, still looking excited, "Bramble, this is most likely our father!" she gushed.
Oh! Bramble felt his ears grow hot and he smiled sheepishly. "Of course I knew that!" He whispered back, not being able to suppress his excitement. This cat...this cat was their father?
The brown tabby's eyes swayed to the side and for just a split second, his steps faltered. The gray tabby sitting next to the other tom was familiar. Juniperheart....
Snow had seemed to notice, too, but before she could whisper to Bramble, Mapleflower greeted the two talking toms. Both turned, and the moment Juniperheart's gaze landed on Bramble, the tabby felt a cold shiver go down his spine. The intensity that the tabby's gaze had made Bramble want to shrink back and hide, but he pushed it away, stepping over to Snow again. He'd protect his sister, no matter what.
"Adderstar, Juniperheart, I'm sorry to interrupt your talk, however," the small she-cat beckoned with her tail towards the two young cats, keeping her voice as polite as possible, "These loners have been escorted here by a WindClan patrol and have told me that they are Briarstorm's kits."
The reaction was almost immediately. Both toms' eyes widened and the brown tabby, Adderstar, quickly whipped his gaze over to them. "Briarstorm's kits?" he gasped out in shock, scanning both Bramble and Snow up and down.
Bramble saw Snow smile at their... father? And Bramble tried, too, but his smile turned out somewhat awkward, still bothered by Juniperheart's piercing gaze on him.
"I am Snow and this is my brother, Bramble," Snow introduced them politely, taking a small step forward, "It is nice to meet you."
"So, your mother is Briarstrorm? Is she with you?" the tabby's voice grew more hopeful with every word and Bramble felt a small pang of pain.
"Actually," Snow started quietly, "Briarstorm has sadly passed away... We set out to find our father...."
Bramble quickly pinned his gaze on Juniperheart. Why hadn't Snow told Adderstar that they had seen Juniperheart just before their mother's death? Maybe to not get on his bad side? Juniperheart's passive mask didn't falter as Snow announced Briarstorm's death, he didn't even let one little emotion slip.
Now, Adderstar looked horrified, but quickly lowered his head, eyes closed. Letting out a sad sigh, the tom spoke, "I see. That's too bad..."
Looking up again, he looked over at Mapleflower, who had sat down and was just listening up until now.
"Mapleflower, do you trust that they're telling the truth?"
"Adderstar, I don't mean to be offensive," the she-cat started with a mocking smile, despite the sadness that lay in her eyes, "But you'd know if they're your kits. You do not need my opinion for that."
For a moment, the group was silent, Bramble still feeling a few gazes burning into his pelt. Then, Adderstar spoke again, "Alright. Then I'm glad to have my kits back. Let's announce you into our Clan. You look old enough to be apprentices. You want to join the Clan... right?"
The sadness in his voice almost made Bramble wince, but he kept an even face. Why would they have come this far if not to join? Nodding, Bramble finally spoke, "Yes, we'd like to join."
Snow quickly threw in a small 'please' and Adderstar smiled, overjoyed apparently.
Before the tabby could turn to a large willow stump, Juniperheart stood up, padding forwards. "Adderstar," he hissed, "Do you really intent to just let some loners join our Clan? We've taken enough in as it is!" his voice didn't increase in volume, but in force.
Bramble scowled, glaring daggers at the gray tabby. What was he to say, they had come all this way already!
Turning around, Adderstar muster his deputy for a second, then turned towards the willow stump again. "Juniperheart, as much as I respect your opinion, these young cats are my kits, so, they aren't really loners - they're RiverClan cats!" he argued, "And as such I see no problem in welcoming them back into the Clan. Let them prove themselves, I'm sure they'll be a great addition to our Clan."
Juniperheart's green eyes seemed to darken for a moment, then the tabby dipped his head. "Alright, then. You're the leader."
Nodding to the other tom with a small smile, Adderstar leaped up onto the willow stump, calling out, "Let all cats who can swim gather around the Willow Stump for a Clan meeting!"
It didn't take long, seeing as most cats were already either eagerly awaiting the news or shooting suspicious looks at Bramble and Snow. Bramble saw Jaypaw hanging around the she-cat from before again, not looking much more pleased. His eyes narrowed as they met with Bramble's, but the gray-brown tom quickly broke the eye contact to answer the she-cat.
At the other edge of the clearing, Bramble saw a large ginger she-cat with a swollen belly slowly pad over to them. A second later, a gray tom hopped over to help her, only to be shooed away. Only Snow's small prod to his side made Bramble come back to his sense, and he realized that he would've almost missed Adderstar's words.
"RiverClan, some of you may still remember Briarstorm," he started, and Bramble felt an electrifying silence fall over the group, tension high in the air, "We've mourned long for her, but now, these two cats who have come to our camp, they are her kits. They're my kits as well. Both have agreed to join our Clan, so I hope you welcome them well."
Hushed whispers broke out all over the clearing and from where Bramble stood, he could see Juniperheart's smug smile out of the corner of his eyes. The chattering stopped abruptly as Adderstar flicked his tail for silence. "Both of them will be accepted into our Clan as apprentices. Bramble, Snow, please step in front of me."
What? What is this? Bramble thought, puzzled, but followed after his sister nonetheless. He felt the gazes of all the gathered cats rest on them and suddenly felt small. Swallowing, he raised his head high, listening to Adderstar.
"Snow," he started, addressing his sister, who looked up to meet his eyes, "from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Snowpaw."
The tabby's gaze quickly hushed over the gathered cats before he spoke, "Foxface."
Bramble saw a ginger tom look up, startled. Surprise was clearly written over his face, but he still rose to his paws.
"It is time for you to take on an apprentice. You've received excellent training from Juniperheart, and you have shown yourself to be friendly and courageous. You will be the mentor of Snowpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."
"Of - of course!" the ginger tabby, Foxface, exclaimed, quickly padding over to Snow. For a moment, Snow, no, Snowpaw seemed utterly confused, then Foxface nudged her a bit, touching noses. His sister stiffened for a heartbeat, then seemed to understand what she should've done and nodded to Foxface gratefully.
A second later, Adderstar addressed Bramble, "Bramble, from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Bramblepaw."
As soon as Adderstar's gaze wandered again, Bramble felt nervous. Who would his mentor be? Surely not Juniperheart?
"Shrewstorm, it is time for you to take on an apprentice."
Shrewstorm? Bramble wanted to turn around and look who the cat was, but one glance from Snowpaw made him face forward again.
"You've received excellent training from Stoneclaw, and you have shown yourself to be passionate and quick. You will be the mentor of Bramblepaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him."
Remembering what Snowpaw and Foxface did, Bramblepaw quickly turned, coming nose-to-nose with a small light gray-brown she-cat. Her green eyes seemed almost bored as she touched noses with him, but only a moment later, she smiled.
"Let's do our best, eh, Bramblepaw?"
Smiling, Bramblepaw nodded, eyes glowing. "Yeah!"
Around him, he could hear the voices of the other cats. "Snowpaw! Bramblepaw! Snowpaw! Bramblepaw! Snowpaw! Bramblepaw!"
Snowpaw... Bramblepaw... he repeated in his head, still smiling.
Allegiances (WIP)
RiverClan
Leader: Adderstar; a muscular brown tabby tom with amber eyes and scars covering his flanks
Deputy: Juniperheart; bulky gray tabby tom with yellow eyes
Medicine Cat: Troutcloud; a tortoiseshell tom with outstanding ginger and brown patches and yellow eyes. Has a twisted front paw.
Warriors:
Mapleflower; small tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes
Apprentice: Jaypaw
Foxface; handsome ginger tabby with a white chest and muzzle; green eyes
Apprentice: Snowpaw
Duckwhisker; a brown-and-white she-cat with green eyes.
Wrenheart; a small brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes
Lizardfang; a golden-brown tabby with orange eyes
Robinclaw; a reddish brown she-cat with green eyes
Ashfoot; a lithe silver tabby with white toes and amber eyes
Honeystream; a light golden she-cat with a white flecked muzzle and golden eyes
Apprentice: Hazelpaw
Badgernose; a black-and-white tom with blue eyes
Shrewstorm; a small light grey-brown she-cat with pale green eyes
Apprentice: Bramblepaw
Stoneclaw; muscular gray tom with golden eyes
Apprentices:
Jaypaw; a gray-brown tom with white spots, blue eyes
Hazelpaw; a light brown she-cat with green eyes
Bramblepaw; a brown tabby tom with amber eyes
Snowpaw; a white she-cat with very pale green eyes
Queens:
Cherryfur; a large darker ginger she-cat with pale green eyes
Elders:
One-ear; a brown tabby with yellow eyes, left ear is torn off completely
ThunderClan;
Leader: Birchstar; a pale gray tabby she-cat with orange eyes and a white tail tip
ShadowClan;
Leader: Blizzardstar; a white tom with barely visible gray dapples and green eyes
WindClan:
Leader: Brightstar; a small white she-cat with ginger patches and pale yellow-green eyes
Deputy: Spiderfoot; a long legged, broad shouldered black tabby tom with green eyes.
Chapter 7
The light shone down onto him faintly as Bramblepaw opened his eyes tiredly, yawning. Yesterday had been a hasty day for sure. The tabby hadn't had a tour around the camp or territory yet, but Shrewstorm had promised him to show him around as soon as possible. His mentor had stated that it was already too late to still show him around.
Beside him he saw the white pelt of his sister move a bit, then her head popped up, green eyes scanning the surroundings. "Bramble...paw?" she murmured slowly, as if not fully awake just yet.
"Yeah. Snowpaw?" he replied, noting that his sister's eyes sparkled as soon as he said her new name.
"Right. Good morning," she greeted quietly, licking her fur down. "What are we supposed to do now?"
Bramblepaw hesitated, not sure about that himself. What are we supposed to do, anyway? Wait for our mentors, find them, go look for something to do?
He realized that Snowpaw was still waiting for an answer, so, opening his jaws, he replied, "I... don't know, to be honest."
He heard Snowpaw laugh quietly in amusement, then she rose to her paws, arching her back. "Alright. Let's go look for our mentors."
Nodding in agreement, Bramblepaw staggered to his own paws, and hopped after Snowpaw. As soon as they emerged from the apprentices' den, Bramblepaw stretched and flexed his claws for a moment. He peered around the camp, noticing that it was already rather busy.
He could see Jaypaw talking with Mapleflower, the former looking rather bored while his mentor kept chattering on. Snowpaw had told him on the previous day that she thought that Mapleflower and Jaypaw made a great pair as mentor and apprentice. Bramblepaw couldn't really see it, but his sister had always been a bit different and observed more than he did.
"You're finally awake, it seems like," a voice sounded to their left and Bramblepaw spun around, staring at Foxface as the tom neared.
His glossy pelt shine bright in the sun like a fire. The tom dipped his head to them. "Shrewstorm will join us in just a moment," he meowed, swishing his tail. "We're going to give you two a tour through the territory, then we'll join Hazelpaw and her mentor at the lake for swimming practice."
"Swimming?" Bramblepaw brought forward, not even realizing that he had spoken. He still remembered what had happened the day before. He could still feel the icy cold water grip at him.
"Yes, swimming," Foxface confirmed, "RiverClan cats need to swim."
"Do they, now..." Bramblepaw muttered, looking away. Swimming sounded absolutely horrible. He was a cat and not a fish! He had seen a few fish in a small pond once, and had tried catching them. As soon as the water had hit him, he had decided to water was meant for fish and not for cats.
Just as Bramblepaw was wrinkling his nose, another voice joined their conversation. "Already quitting now, Bramblepaw?"
He spun, half expecting to see Mapleflower teasing him, but was surprised when he laid eyes upon a small she-cat. His mentor. "Shrewstorm!" he brought out, obviously surprised.
"Morning," the she-cat replied absently, hitting Bramblepaw's nose with her tail, then nodded to Foxface. "Let's go, we shouldn't waste any more time. The prey won't just jump into our mouths."
As soon as the she-cat turned, Bramblepaw hurried after her, determination shining in his eyes. They excited the camp and Bramblepaw blinked, scanning the area. The had left to the other side, not the one where he and Snowpaw had come from. He ducked his head a bit as he noticed stepping stones again, but gritted his teeth. He wouldn't repeat yesterday's accident!
Behind him he saw Foxface and Snowpaw padding, then he quickly turned back around, seeing Shrewstorm leaping onto the first stone gracefully. For a moment the she-cat halted, looking thoughtful, then prodded around the rock with her paws.
"They're really slippery today!" she called out, "I hope the water won't rise again!"
Nodding, Foxface padded past the two apprentices, then leaped. Shrewstorm leaped as well when she saw her Clanmate jump, coming to a halt on the second rock as Foxface straightened himself on the first one. "You're correct," he murmured out after a moment, "The water must have swelled at night again."
Silence settled between the cats, until Snowpaw spoke up. "What will happen if the water rises again, as Shrewstorm has put it?"
"A flood, most likely," the she-cat replied, then shook her head. "Now, come on, you two. Be careful with your steps, then these stepping stones should be no problem."
Snowpaw gave a nod, then sprang forward as Foxface and Shrewstorm made space for her. His sister landed safely, Foxface holding into her scruff, so that she wouldn't slither off the rock. Bramblepaw released a sigh he hadn't realized he'd been holding, then crouched as well as Snowpaw sprang for a second time, landing beside his mentor.
Taking a deep breath, Bramblepaw jumped, coming to a staggering halt next to Foxface a second later. He straightened up, smiling. He had made it!
Farther up ahead he saw Snowpaw jump across the last stepping stone, coming to a halt on the slightly wet grass on the other side. Swallowing, Bramblepaw leaped, paws almost slipping away on the wet stone. He stumbled a bit as he landed, but Shrewstorm got a hold of him quickly, straightening him up. With a nod, she jumped onto the next rock in front of him.
Did they know that he had fallen yesterday? He didn't want them to belittle him because of that! They hadn't jumped with Snowpaw, either! Narrowing his eyes, Bramblepaw quickly jumped, sliding onto the next rock. Before Shrewstorm could help him again, he bounced forward, to the last rock. He felt his paws slide out from under him, but quickly steadied himself.
With one last burst of strength, Bramblepaw leaped towards the grass. He had a second of shock as his hindquarters touched the ice cold water, but he quickly pulled himself up. The only thing really wet was his tail.
A thud next to him signaled that Shrewstorm had landed. As soon as he turned his head, her muzzle almost touched his nose. "What were you thinking?!" she demanded, fur bristeling. Bramblepaw gritted his teeth, not used to that much anger being directed at him. The fur on his back rose, but he willed it to lie flat.
"I don't want you to belittle me!" he bit back, fur rising along his spine. He couldn't hold it down anymore.
"I wasn't- Well, can you blame me for doing that, after finding out that my apprentice almost drowned the day before?!"
Pinning his ears back, Bramblepaw bared his teeth. "Of course I can! It happened once, who's to say that it will happen again!"
"Why shouldn't it happen again?!" his mentor replied with a growl, "The rocks were even more slippery than yesterday!"
"Yes, but I-" Before Bramblepaw could quarrel further, Foxface stepped between the two, looking annoyed.
"Are you two done yet? It won't help anything if you two are quarreling," he meowed, "We apologize for belittling you, Bramblepaw."
Satisfied, Bramblepaw nodded, then turned away, peering at Snowpaw. His sister was watching them with interest, keeping quiet. He felt his ears grow hot, embarrassed that he had blown up like that in front of his sister.
His ears pricked as he picked up Shrewstorm hissing, but he willed himself to not listen to the two warriors. He'd just grow angry again. Instead, he padded towards his sister. Her gaze pinned onto him as soon as he moved, and she tilled her head in question. "What is it?"
"I..." What did he even want to say?
Before the brown tabby could be embarrassed further, Foxface's voice sounded again. "Let's go. The ShadowClan border is still a way away."
Snowpaw's attention was drawn from him at once, and his sister nodded. As soon as the white she-cat rose to her paws, Bramblepaw awkwardly shuffled away from her again, pinning his ears back, but not in anger. He felt somebody walk past him, and watched Shrewstorm take the lead. She didn't even spare him one little glance.
Was it only him, or did his mentor suddenly seem less energetic than beforehand? She held herself like she was tired, but he shook his head quickly, bounding after Foxface and Snowpaw, wet tail and Shrewstorm's behavior forgotten.
The thick, tall pine trees that were reaching up in front of them made Bramblepaw crane his head upwards. His amber eyes were sparkling, and he willed himself to stay behind the border. ShadowClan territory seemed exciting.
"This is the border we share with ShadowClan," Foxface went on, sweeping his tail across it. "ShadowClan cats are often sneaky and dirty while fighting, so watch out. It's suspicious that they haven't troubled us the last few moons. If they attack, we don't need to have any apprentices sliced to pieces."
"We'll do some battle training after swimming practice, then," Shrewstorm replied, though Bramblepaw saw that she still wasn't as fiery again as she had been just a bit ago.
He was about to reply, to ask her if she was ok, but was interrupted by Foxface yet another time. "We should probably go head over to the lake now," the tom murmured, "We've spent quite a while here! Hazelpaw and her mentor should already be at the lake, so let's not make them wait."
Shrewstorm gave a small nod and Foxface beckoned them to follow. "It's not too far from here!" he reassured them, taking a few steps towards the large body of water that they could already see in the distance.
The cool grassland was stretching out in front of them as Bramblepaw trotted at the back of the group. A few stones were sticking out of the ground here and there, there were some small bushes and a few trees. It honestly wasn't uncomfortable in the territory. For Bramblepaw, ShadowClan territory did look exciting, but he would honestly feel trapped under all those trees.
He squinted his eyes as they drew closer to the lake bit by bit, peering over it into the territory that lay across the lake. ThunderClan, from what he had gathered. They seemed to have around as many trees as ShadowClan, but theirs didn't seem as thick and dark. He couldn't make out anything else besides the trees, though. He quickened his steps only a moment later to keep up with the rest of the cats again.
Snowpaw was padding beside her mentor, her snow white fur standing out against the other colors. They were talking, but Bramblepaw couldn't make out their conversation just yet. He sprinted a bit, stopping just a bit behind his sister, catching the last pieces of their conversation.
"-yes, the medicine cat of a Clan has a deep connection with StarClan. The medicine cats meet each half moon to travel to the Moonpool. Medicine cats stand above the warrior code in many ways - they're free to travel over to another Clan if they deem it fit, or if they have a matter to talk about with the other medicine cats."
His sister nodded, eyes sparkling with interest. "So, medicine cats aren't restricted to borders and use all those kinds of different herbs? Now, that's really interesting..." his sister replied, eyes trailing along the shore that they were nearing, scanning the plants growing there up and down.
Foxface gave a small laugh, snipping his tail tip over Snowpaw's right ear. "That sounds like I'm going to lose my apprentice to Troutcloud soon!" he remarked in a mocking tone before the ginger tom glanced up farther ahead.
Shrewstorm and he made eye contact for a second, then they cats set their paws onto the cool sand. Shrewstorm turned around.
"Hazelpaw and Honeystream are a bit farther to the right; I've already spotted them," the small she-cat spoke, voice not betraying any feelings, "We'll head up to them now and then start with our practice." Before she turned away, her eyes fixed Bramblepaw up and down. "And Bramblepaw, please try to not drown. Or if you're too afraid to swim, I suggest you leave RiverClan."
For a second, Bramblepaw was taken aback by her cold and piercing words, then sprang forward, pushing his muzzle into hers almost. "I'm not afraid!" he defended himself sharply, "How dare you say that! I'll show you!"
His blood was boiling. He had been worried about the sudden change in his mentor, but he wasn't going to let her say something like that to him! He bared his teeth, as she glared back at him, but took a few steps back out of respect. She was his mentor, whether or not he liked it.
Shrewstorm bared her teeth as well for a second, then turned, stalking off. A few seconds later, Foxface followed after her. Bramblepaw glowered after them, then almost jumped as a tail landed on his shoulder softly and ran along his flank. He turned his head, seeing Snowpaw standing next to him, staring up ahead.
She smiled as their eyes met, then followed after the warriors. It took Bramblepaw a few moments longer before he followed them as well. He was not looking forward to that practice if Shrewstorm was going to act like that.
Up ahead he heard a laugh echo towards them and snapped his head towards it. A light brown she-cat surfaced from the water, splashing around with her paws. She seemed happy and Bramblepaw frowned. How can a cat be so happy in the water?
He saw Shrewstorm and Foxface talking to light golden she-cat with a white flecked muzzle up ahead. She had short fur, which was dripping with water. The golden she-cat let out a laugh at something Foxface said, then smiled as she noticed Snowpaw and him. She waved with her tail enthusiastically.
With a bit of hesitation, Bramblepaw padded after his sister to meet the new cat. Honeystream, he reminded himself. Small ripples were almost touching their paws as they closed the space between the warriors. Bramblepaw dipped his head.
"Yesterday I didn't see them as well," the pretty she-cat started, "But now that I look at them, they look perfect for swimming!"
"No, they don't" Shrewstorm interrupted her, raising her head from where she was sitting. "No cat just 'looks' perfect for swimming, you have to learn it nonetheless. There have been RiverClan cats long ago that were afraid of water, yet, going by your words, they should have been made for the water. Even if they were made for it, their own fears destroyed that potential."
For a second, the golden she-cat seemed to be taken aback, then shook her head with a smile. "Aw, come on, Shrewstorm!" she protested lightly, "Don't over-analyze all my statements! All you're gonna do is discourage them, in the end!"
"That's the plan."
Ignoring the younger she-cat, Honeystream turned back towards them. "Ignore her! Shrewstorm has weird moods sometimes!"
Turning towards the lake, she added, "Well, let's look how well you can swim!"
Bramblepaw winced at the thought of swimming, but gritted his teeth. He had told Shrewstorm that he'd show her, and he was going to do just that! He glanced to his right, where Snowpaw was currently padding towards the lake. Her green eyes flashed verily for a second before his sister set a paw into the water. She pulled it back, shook the drops of it, then started to pad deeper into the water.
Suddenly, his sister's head vanished under the torrents of blue and gray and Bramblepaw started forward, only to freeze mid-step as his sister resurfaced, kicking out with her paws clumsily. Honeystream dove into the water after her, paddling towards the young female. "Very good!" she praised, "Try to kick out more evenly and calm down a bit; you already have the basics down!"
As soon as she turned, golden eyes locking with his amber ones, he lowered his head a bit. "C'mon Bramblepaw, get on in!" she shouted cheerfully in his direction, "I promise it'll be fun!"
He stared at her, then at the water, eyes skeptical. He opened his jaws, but was interrupted.
"Yes, it's so much fun, I promise, too!"
His head snapped up again, turning left. There Hazelpaw was, swimming towards Honeystream and Snowpaw. Honeystream and Hazelpaw seemed both very cheerful. He grimaced, feeling the stares of Foxface and Shrewstorm burn into his pelt.
There was no going back now. He was going to do it. Bramblepaw took a step forward. Then another one. He took a deep breath, then went into the water.
Warriors: Eternal Darkness - Book 1: Dimming Light
When something tragic occurs in Bramble's life, he takes it upon himself to see his sister safe. Journeying far with her, he uncovers the truth to his mother's old life slowly. Even after that, peace doesn't come easily to him, StarClan shows a sign that can only mean that a deep darkness is arising which they must fight against - friend will turn foe and foe will turn friend - anything is possible. However, as Bramble is making friends and slowly climbing up to his dreams, death knocks around the corner to take somebody of his family again.
Prologue
The sunlight in the branches awoke Briarstorm as she was curled up in her nest made of reed. Was it morning already? The tabby she-cat relaxed her muscles for a moment, letting the sun warm her pelt nicely before she opened her piercing amber eyes again. It certainly was time to get up.
Outside she could hear the clear meows of her Clanmates. Her ears perked a bit up as she heard his voice. Adderclaw. Adderclaw was a bit older than her and an amazing fighter... not that she wasn't, of course! She'd claw every tom's ears off if they'd try anything weird! Then again, that was just her personality. She was like a storm, at least, Mottlestar had described her like that before. Wild and unpredictable. However, the she-cat had also told her that she was sure that when she got older, she'd be like after the storm. Calm and understanding. Hah, Briarstorm wanted to laugh at that.
With a small yawn the she-cat padded outside, out into RiverClan's camp. As she had predicted, cats were chattering aimlessly around; a few queens were gossiping in the corner, another few cats were gathering around the deputy, Laurelheart, and then there was another group around Adderclaw. Briarstorm strolled over quickly with a few long strides, then stood in front of the tom. Her mate. Yes, she had been lucky to have him. Being mates with him was even more amazing. As soon as she came closer, the brown tabby turned his head to her, amber eyes sparkling warmly.
"Good morning, Briarstorm," the tabby greeted her, his sleek tail beckoning her to come closer. She could make out the tortoiseshell she-cat, Mapleflower, close by who smiled at her. Mapleflower had been one of her best friends ever since they were apprentices, after all, they had been polar opposites, thus they had always been evening each other out, pretty much. She raised her tail in greeting towards the cats and settled down besides Adderclaw, licking his shoulder for a moment.
"Good morning," she greeted back, smiling as Adderclaw nuzzled her. The muscles under his pelt could be seen clearly and she was reminded yet again what a fierce fighter he was. As she had settled down beside her mate, Adderclaw suddenly spoke again.
"I think Laurelheart is sick," he stated, tilling his head to the side.
"Oh, really?" Mapleflower inquired softly, leaning forward a bit from where she was perched. "How do you know?"
"He seems a bit more fragile and the way he coughs also doesn't seem good," Briarstorm quickly threw in before Adderclaw could even open his jaws, "I mean, you can hear his coughing through the whole camp!"
"You shouldn't go near him, then," Adderclaw suggested, looking a bit concerned as he shot a fleeting gaze at Briarstorm's belly.
"Huh?" the tabby she cat started for a moment, then realization dawned on her. She huffed, narrowing her eyes, "I'm sure my kits will be fine. And dear StarClan, I won't just be avoiding the deputy because of that!"
Mouse-brained tom, why was he always so worried about her? She supposed that it was kind of sweet, but he'd been like this ever since he had found out that she was pregnant with his kits. It really annoyed her by now.
Adderclaw's ears dropped a bit and he glared right back. "Geez, I'm sorry..." he muttered, lashing his tail. The tension between them was thick again. What else could be expected from two hotheads, though?
Before the two could start their bickering, another voice interrupted them and Briarstorm saw Mapleflower shrink away as she set her large eyes on the cat.
"Are you finally up, Briarstorm? Because you, Mapleflower, Foxpaw and I are supposed to go on a patrol together," a gruff voice meowed from behind her, making her whip around, finally seeing why Mapleflower had shrunken away. The cat standing behind her was none other than Juniperheart. The gray tabby loomed above her, however, his gaze was resting on her mate with narrowed eyes. Oh, if looks could kill, Adderclaw would have joined StarClan by now.
She really couldn't stand Juniperheart, he seemed to believe that only his words were to be believed in, he was also quite manipulative if he wanted to be, that she had noticed. The tabby just gave off creepy vibes to her and he was always glaring at Adderclaw.
Huffing, Briarstorm rose to her paws, shifting her swelling belly until she was comfortable standing. Why again had she decided to get kits? She wouldn't let that arrogant tom see how far her pregnancy was already, though. Never. "Alright. Are we going then, Ju~ni~per~heart?!" she growled, making sure to draw out each syllable slowly. Hopefully it annoyed the other tabby. Sadly it didn't affect the tom at all.
"Yes," was his gruff reply, "Let's go. Foxpaw! Get over here!"
Briarstorm almost felt sorry for the young russet colored tom who happened to be Juniperheart's apprentice. For a moment she saw the young tom flinch, then he nodded, eyes firmly narrowed as he stalked over. He was already taking after Juniperheart? What a bother. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Mapleflower softly inch closer to her, avoiding eye contact with the larger grey tabby.
Juniperheart turned and Briarstorm saw him make sure that Mottlestar was watching, then he called out, loudly if she might add, "Alright, now quit slacking off and follow me! We need to make sure that those filthy WindClan cats don't cross our border!"
Briarstorm saw Adderclaw open his jaw angrily to retort something, but was called over by Laurelheart - who promptly coughed pitifully - and had to abandon what he was about to say in favor of not making the deputy talk more than he needed to. On the inside Briarstorm felt relieved, it wouldn't have pushed Adderclaw in a good light if he had done that. And if anything happened to Laurelheart, she hoped that Adderclaw would be chosen and not that piece of fox-dung Juniperheart.
She silently followed the rest of the patrol out of camp, noticing Mapleflower staying a fox-length within her space. Typical Mapleflower if Juniperheart was involved - she had been afraid of him ever since they had been apprentice. Grimacing, Briarstorm was finally swallowed by the darkness of the entrance.
The border patrol had been rather normal for the most part; the four cats had padded through the territory towards the horse place where their border with WindClan currently was at. Who knew if Cloudstar wouldn't try to attack them again? After they had arrived at said border, Juniperheart had scolded Foxpaw because the latter had tried to hunt a squirrel close to the border. Hah!, Briarstorm laughed in her head, All for show! If he weren't trying to get more cats to support him in becoming deputy, he wouldn't have minded doing that himself!
What a sneaky, manipulating tom he was. Did he really believe that his ideals were correct? It still seemed so.
Maybe she was judging the tom a bit too harshly, but in her honest opinion, he deserved every bit of it. Just the glares he shot Adderclaw because the other could possibly become deputy if Laurelheart were to pass on. Ugh, how childish!
As soon as they had marked the border, the group quickly decided to go back to camp by going on the sandy patch the lake had. The sand felt relaxing between Briarstorm's paws, seeing as it was still a bit wet, and it also felt soothing. She couldn't wait until her kits would be able to see this, too. The tabby was snapped out of her thoughts as Juniperheart suddenly spoke, gaze resting on the lake for a short second. "Mapleflower, Foxpaw, go back to camp ahead of me and Briarstorm - I think I saw a rabbit on our side just now and it would be easier to hunt it together with such a skilled warrior as her."
For a moment, Mapleflower seemed to consider objecting to his order, but Foxpaw beat her to it, nodding his head eagerly. "C'mon, c'mon, Mapleflower, move it! Let's get back to camp and let my mentor hunt to help the Clan!" the younger apprentice gushed, obviously really admiring his mentor, even if said mentor was often rather harsh with him.
Mapleflower still didn't look sure, but as soon as Briarstorm herself motioned for her to go, the she-cat did so, disappearing with Foxpaw through some scrubs.
Before Briarstorm could turn around to ask Juniperheart where exactly he had happened to see a rabbit, a weight slammed her down into the sandy ground. For a moment a pang of fear gripped her. If her kits were hurt by that action, she'd- Deciding quickly that she was beyond irritated now, Briarstorm snapped angrily, "What in the name of StarClan do you think you're doing, Juniperheart!"
The brown tabby she-cat felt sharp claws just above her neck, pressing in slightly and making her wince. "Listen closely now, Briarstorm," he replied and Briarstorm could just picture a cocky smirk on his face, "I'm going to tell you this directly now, so, listen closely, I'm certainly not repeating myself. If Adderclaw gets chosen as deputy once Laurelheart dies - which will happen soon - I'll kill you and your kits. Understood?"
Time seemed to freeze as those words registered in her brain. Her kits... that tom would try and hurt her kits?! This... this was a dangerous situation. Of course, she could certainly tell Mottlestar, but the she-cat was growing older too and had a high opinion of Juniperheart. The tabby could easily just shove the blame on her, claiming that she was lying. That could end both ways, but what could she-
"Understood."
Had that really been her voice? It had seemed very empty. Then again, she was throwing every insult possible at this tom in her head. Why... why couldn't she just start with a feisty response now, was she already growing old for that? She wasn't that old...
Claws left her neck and she quickly scrambled up, hoping and praying to StarClan that her kits hadn't been damaged. If only she hadn't pushed Mapleflower to leave... Her friend was often timid and scared, but if any of her friends were in danger - and most of all kits - the other she-cat could show the greatest courage of them all.
"You won't succeed with this, Juniperheart," she growled out, ears flattening against her skull, but before she could even hear the tabby's reply, Briarstorm had disappeared through the bushes, starting on her way back to camp.
This was the only way.
Briarstorm had decided on this long ago, ever since Juniperheart had threatened her. The only way to protect her kits without making RiverClan hurt under Juniperheart - though there was a slim chance of him becoming deputy even then - was for her to leave. Yes, Mottlestar did favor Juniperheart a lot, however, the she-cat favored Adderclaw even more, admiring his skills in battle. If she had the choice between the two, Briarstorm was sure that she'd chose Adderclaw.
The sun was already disappearing behind WindClan's hills as Briarstorm peered out of the nursery to watch her Clanmates go about their lives. Today was the night of the gathering, so a lot of cats would be gone and all other territories would be just as quiet. It was the only perfect day to do this, and today was her last chance. She only had to hope that her reason to leave the camp so late - and as a queen no less - would work.
A series of coughs dragged her out of her thoughts and she glanced up ahead, seeing Laurelheart's crouched form near the medicine cat's den. The poor guy.. She felt sorry for him, but he didn't seem to be getting better, nothing the medicine cat gave him helped. And they had a really gifted medicine cat even. Many suspected that it was a weird illness he just couldn't fight against, seeing as sometimes it left him for a few moons, then returned. Briarstorm shuddered at the thought of getting something like that too, but made herself calm down. The sickness he had had never started spreading before. The only cats the medicine cat kept him away from were kits.
Shaking her head, Briarstorm noticed Laurelheart call out weakly for the cats that were leaving for the gathering. The tabby she-cat could spot Juniperheart and Adderclaw among them and breathed a sigh of relief, one less thing that could go wrong in her plan.
As soon as all cats had disappeared from the camp Briarstorm rose to her paws and started to pad towards the camp entrance. Just a little bit further, she told herself, A little bit...
However, StarClan didn't seem to be on her side, because the moment she came a fox-length within the entrance, a voice startled her.
"Where are you going, Briarstorm?"
Inside her head, Briarstorm was cursing herself. Why her? Why couldn't it have been any other warrior? Turning her head slightly, Briarstorm took in Mapleflower's concerned gaze which was brimming into her very soul. This would be hard.
"Ah, I'm just going for a little walk," she lied, smiling at her friend. Hopefully the fake smile would work... That, however, didn't count to Briarstorm's luck at all.
"A walk?" her friend questioned, sounding confused, "Can't you just walk a bit around camp? I mean, you are heavily pregnant... w-what if your kits decide to come?"
"They won't," Briarstorm reassured her friend, waving her tail back and forth, "I can promise you that. And if they want to, I'll just tell them 'Stay in there for now or my good friend Mapleflower is going to worry'!" This time she let out a purr as well, laughing a bit. Oh yes, both of them had often been so silly back in their days as apprentices.
This lie seemed to satisfy her tortoiseshell friend and she nodded, "Alright, Briarstorm! I believe you! Though, if anything goes wrong, just scream, I'll be with you in a second."
"Of course," Briarstorm mewed, smiling softly at her kindhearted friend. She felt guilty for lying to her like that, but it was for the best. Turning her head back around, Briarstorm flicked her tail in a motion of goodbye, then disappeared through the entrance.
The grass felt cold against her paw pads as she neared the RiverClan-WindClan border with a small sigh. Here went nothing. If she'd get caught, everything would be over, but then again, Briarstorm had decided that she'd do everything to protect her Clan and kits, no matter what. Quietly the she-cat slipped over the border, into the horse place. It was easy enough to dodge the cats that lived there, they were all kittypets anyways, but as soon as she neared the open fields that were really WindClan's grounds, another pang struck her.
Hopefully WindClan also wouldn't send patrols at this time, just like RiverClan. The queen held her breath as she slowly slid along the grass hills, senses up and alerted.
For her luck, no patrol came and in no time she was behind their camp, where she quickly broke into a run, trying to get out of the territory as soon as possible, albeit with how big it was, that still took quite a while. The dew was slowly gathering on the edges of the grass blades, telling her to hurry up before WindClan would return into their territory. Of course! Her eyes widened in realization, she - she hadn't covered her scent before! How could she have forgotten? Quickly Briarstorm scanned the area, looking for something, anything, that she could roll in to cover her Clan's scent. A moment later a pile of rabbit dung caught her eye and she winced, eyeing it in distraught. Really, now? she questioned, narrowing her eyes, Here goes nothing.
After Briarstorm had rolled in the pile of dung as good as she could while being so heavy - she was also watching out for the kits, of course - the she-cat wrinkled her nose at the smell, then continued on, towards the hills beyond WindClan's territory. She was sure that by now Mapleflower was walking up and down in camp, pondering and worrying for her. As much as that thought actually stung, it was still for the best. Mapleflower would be able to overcome it, she was sure. Adderclaw would help the tortoiseshell as well, he was just that kindhearted, but he'd also have to fight his own sadness. ...If only Juniperheart wouldn't be, she could have raised her kits with their caring father and in RiverClan, but as it was now, she wouldn't return, at least not for a while. Not until her kits were pretty much of warrior age.
Smiling in farewell, Briarstorm set her first step up onto the steep hills ahead of her, looking over her shoulder one last time to catch a glimpse of a rabbit running across the moor. Her whiskers twitched softly in amusement, then she turned her head back around and disappeared over the large hills.
Finally her heart beat was slowing again as the pain stopped. Briarstorm panted softly, staring at the two bundles of fur at the belly. One was a brown tabby much like Adderclaw and she were, but the other... Briarstorm had been confused the moment she had looked at her daughter - her fur was pure white and she seemed very weak. As a mother she was worrying that something wasn't okay with her daughter, but pushed the thought away.
A second later, her son opened his tiny mouth to let out a wail and she stared down at him for a moment as he nuzzled closer to her belly. It filled her with joy for a second, but then she had to use her paws to make the other kitten come closer, which made her uncertain again. However, this wasn't what she should be worrying about for now. Silently Briarstorm stared out of the small cave she was in, past the vines that were hiding the entrance. The tabby shifted her attention back to her kits, eyes glowing. It was a shame that their father wasn't there to name his kits, but at least she knew now that RiverClan wasn't able to find her. She poked the brown tabby softly, murmuring out, "You shall be Bramble."
Her son let out a small squeak, apparently approving of the choice and Briarstorm moved on, nuzzling the small white kitten. "And you shall be Snow..." she trailed off, watching as the white she-cat opened her mouth shakily to let out a weak, shrill squeak. Briarstorm smiled, using her tail to get her kits even closer, then rested her head on her paws, staring outside again. It had already been around half a moon since she had left. It had been very hard to find food at first, but where she currently was at, there was plenty of food.
Her ear twitched softly as she stared at the mouse that she currently had left; she'd have to go hunting again tomorrow, no matter what. That indeed was quite dangerous, but Briarstorm was known for taking risks to make sure everything dear to her would survive, not matter what. After all, that was what had driven her away from the Clans, over the hills, and to where she was now.
If nobody's going to be able to help, you gotta help yourself... she thought slowly, watching her kits out of the corner of her eyes. Finally they had been born. Suddenly, Briarstorm's eyes widened as Snow's eyes snapped open for a second and instead of seeing the usual blue that a kit's eyes often were, Snow was staring wide eyed with pale green eyes, the palest and sickliest shade of pale green Briarstorm had ever seen. A second later they were closed again and all the she-cat could do was stare. If only she'd have known then what all would still happen, even long after she was walking with the stars.
Chapter 1
"Can't catch me!"
The young tom's shrill and excited voice whipped past the hills and a moment later a brown tabby dashed over the hill, amber eyes looking over his shoulder, sparkling with excitement. He skidded down the hill with a bark of laughter, then roughly swiped up a bit of the softer dirt with his back legs, hoping to catch his persuader off-guard. It only sparked his glee further when he heard a shocked squeak a moment later and he looked back again, seeing his sister's snowy white pelt covered in speckles of mud while her pale green eyes seemed shocked. She had also stopped running and was now just standing there, trying to shake the dirt off.
Sighing, Bramble stopped running, then threw back a few words at his sister, "Snow, you're no fun! Don't just stop chasing me!"
His sister's large, glassy green eyes stared at him accusingly as she drew her tongue over her dirty pelt, grimacing when the dirt hit it. "If you'd stop playing unfair I'd continue chasing you!" she protested, voice muffled by her fur.
Bramble rolled his eyes with a huff. His sister was so mouse-brained sometimes! He loved her dearly, but still! "Come on Snow, that wasn't cheating at all!" he grumbled out defensively, sticking up his nose into the air above them. The otherwise clear blue sky was currently painted a dull grey, fluffy and dangerous clouds rolling over it and a harsh breeze picked up, biting in Bramble's fur uncomfortably as the tom shifted, watching his sister try to not shake from the cold breeze. Somehow she had always been weak to weather...
Forgetting about their differences, he padded closer, raising his tail softly as a sign of peace. "Let's go back before mom gets worried. She tends to do that a lot lately... for whatever reason."
"Okay, Bramble."
The brown tabby glanced at his sister for a moment, then hopped past her, eyes following her for a moment. Her white fur was still ruffled because of the wind, but Bramble just waved his tail again for her to follow. Together the two litter mates journeyed back towards their mother's den.
Outside the den, Bramble could see his mother standing, her form looking as though it might be blown away by the wind any second. Frowning, the young brown tabby quickened his pace, worrying that standing out for too long would make his mother's poor health turn even worse. It wasn't far fetched either - her health was turning worse each day.
Even though he was only eight moons old, Bramble still felt like he had to protect his family and was constantly trying to mimic how his mother hunted because she hadn't shown them yet, saying that she would do so in due time. There was something about that which was wrong, though. Bramble couldn't pinpoint it, but inside his mind, something ugly was rearing its head again, whispering to him that his mother had other reasons for not showing them, because she didn't want for them to become independent.
Amber eyes sparkled with shock, then they narrowed as Bramble hopped down the last bit of hill to reach his mother who had by now started coughing. He checked on Snow for a moment to see that she was now slowly sliding down the hill after him and he turned, making sure that he was shielding her from their mother's coughing fit. Mother had always said that Snow would most likely not make it through a sickness, so Bramble wouldn't let her get sick. He swore himself that a long time ago.
Their mother was brutally honest to them, she had been almost their whole lives already, but Bramble didn't wish for it to be any other way. He wasn't much of a cat that beat around the bush himself. His eyes strayed back to his mother who was currently getting a hold of her coughing and the tom muttered lowly, "You'll end up making Snow sick yourself, you do realize that?"
"...I know," his mother retorted in a clipped tone, her eyes, a shade lighter than Bramble's, narrowing as a warning, as to remind him of who she was. Yes, she was his mother, however, while Bramble did hold his kin in high regards, he held his sister in even higher ones. Nothing, and with that he meant absolutely nothing, would happen to her under his watch.
The tense air around them stayed for a few heart-beats, then Snow's voice broke through it. "Sooo, can we, I don't know, go inside? It's getting cold?" the she-cat suggest, awkwardness thick in her meow. Snow was attempting to get them to focus on something else, Bramble realized.
Glancing at his mother as well, he promptly added, "Well?"
Briarstorm narrowed her eyes into slits again, then stepped aside, pushing Snow with her tail a bit. "Let's go inside, then," she murmured softly, but the glance she shot Bramble made him know that she wasn't done just yet with him. Sighing, the brown tabby padded after her quietly, eyes set on his sister's white fur as the wind started to pick up again.
The inside of the cave wasn't much warmer than the outside, still, at least there were nests which could be used to warm oneself. Bramble's eyes caught the muddy white of a few thrush's feathers that were inside Snow's nest, to keep her even warmer. His sister was currently getting chewed out by Briarstorm for wandering so far with him on such a stormy day, but the tabby tom just rolled his eyes quietly.
Why would Briarstorm even try to hold them back anymore? Bramble had been irritated by her rule of not wandering far way too often - the young tom wanted to journey further, see what the world had to offer! Because even if Briarstorm wasn't going to admit it, there was less prey here each day, they would starve on one of these days, even more so if Briarstorm were to pass on. He flattened his ears as he saw his mother approach, Snow watching from the sidelines with large green eyes. Bramble calmly blinked, then rose to meet his mother's gaze, "What's the world beyond these hills like?"
The question caught his mother off-guard, a flicker of emotion went through her eyes that confused Bramble. Why would she look so pained and regretful? Bramble hid his own confusion by staring at Briarstorm, tail twitching softly as he waited for the she-cat to answer. He was going to get an answer, no matter what! As the tabby was about to ask again, his mother spoke up, "The territory beyond these hills is dangerous," she started, "Wild, feral cats live beyond them. A lot of them. They'd tear you apart the second they see you, eating you alive and then using your bones to sharpen their claws."
That... wasn't an answer Bramble would have expected. A cold shiver went up his spine and he repressed a shudder, seeing Snow's shocked face from behind their mother. Cats eating each other? Was that... even possible?
"That's scary!" he heard Snow cry as she was cowering in fear.
"It is," their mother agreed, "That's why we're staying here, to keep safe."
"Is that so...?" Bramble murmured, his amber eyes searching his mother's eyes for any traces of lies. He found none. However, he knew enough about himself to know that she, in fact, was a pretty good liar. He was not sure wether to believe her or not. But, even if there were cats eating other cats and sharpening their claws on their bones, Bramble wanted to see them with his own eyes, no matter what.
Annoyance shot through him as his mother dismissed his statement and rather shooed Snow deeper into the cave to get her away from the cold wind breezing past the vines. Bramble hopped to the entrance again, watching as the dark gray clouds up ahead passed, then, he quickly shot backwards. A shadow had hushed over the cave, the shadow of another cat! The young tabby was interested in who said cat was, however, he also didn't know if their reasons for coming here were bad or good ones.
Quietly, the tom turned, whispering, "Mom, other cats are here."
His mother seemingly froze up, he saw her fur rise dangerously and she spun around, raising her head to scent the air. The tabby she-cat hissed something under her breath that Bramble, even while he was straining to hear, couldn't make out. A moment later, his mother had jumped forward, grabbing his scruff. He almost let out a shocked yelp, after all, he was far to big to be carried just like this and was released a second later, behind his mother.
"Go further back! Go with Snow into the furthest and darkest corner of the cave and don't come out till I tell you!" she hissed dangerously, staring out of the den coldly.
Her tone did confuse Bramble, but he understood the urgency of the situation and quickly backed up, dashing towards where Snow was currently cowering. He stared back as soon as he had entered the shadows of the cave, only to see his mother growling at an amber eyed gray tabby. Bramble narrowed his eyes, crouching. If worst came to worst, he'd dart out of the corner and protect his mother! His young brain did not realize yet that he'd stand no chance against the older cat.
There was only one word his mother hissed out after the tabby had drawn his lips back in a sneer.
"Juniperheart."
Chapter 2
Juniperheart? Bramble thought in confusion, squinting to get a better look at the tom. His right ear seemed to be torn and an ugly scar went down his muzzle, but otherwise he looked absolutely normal. But more importantly, where did his mother even know this tom from? Was this... their father?
The thought sent waves of joy through Bramble and he grinned, almost stepping out of the shadows before reminding himself that his mother had told him to stay put. He huffed. Why wouldn't she let them meet their father?! He shuffled a bit on his paws, glancing at Snow and whispered quietly in her ear, "Do you think this is our father?" His voice moved the soft hairs at her ear and a moment later, his sister gave a small nod, then shook her head before she settled on simply shrugging. So she wasn't sure either, huh?
Bramble glued his eyes back on his mother and 'Juniperheart'. If this tom was their father, why did their mother react like that? Did their relationship end that badly? A spark of curiosity lit in the deeps of Bramble's eyes and he crouched lower, trying to get an even better view. Oh, this was so exciting! Were they going to meet their father finally?!
"Briarstorm, how nice to see you again," the tabby murmured, eyes scanning over his mother before setting back on her eyes. "I wouldn't have expected to find you after so many moons." The gray tabby glanced outside for a moment, then raised his tail slightly. "Aren't you going to let me in? It'll soon rain."
Bramble expected for his mother to scold him for being gone so long or remind him how badly their relationship ended, but what she did truly surprised Bramble. His mother unsheathed her claws and rose one paw threateningly. "If you take even one step closer, Juniperheart, I'll tear your throat out!" she spat, fur bristling even more.
"If he is our father, why are they fighting like that?" Snow's quiet and timid voice reached his ears barely and he took a moment to progress what he had heard, then glanced at his sister, shrugging.
"Parents are weird sometimes." Bramble still kept his voice quiet, as to not interrupt the two cats quarreling. Well, it was more Briarstorm throwing insults at Juniperheart who just stared on in boredom, as though he was listening to a kit.
Suddenly, his deep voice broke into the ranting she-cat's sentence, "Where are your kits, by the way? Were they eaten by a fox already?"
Ouch, that hurt. Bramble felt himself flinch a bit. Did their father hate them? He was only guessing that this cat was their father, but why else should he have come out where they were at? But, why would he hate them then?
"And since when is that any of your business?!" Briarstorm spat, flying at the tom a second later, but Juniperheart easily stepped to the side, evading the weaker cat's attack. His mother surprisingly landed on her paws steadily and twisted around, swiping at the other again. Both backed up further into the cave this way, because when Briarstorm had first jumped at him, the two had switched positions, so now she was driving him further towards them.
Bramble was just about to step out from where he was perched when Briarstorm suddenly dashed past Juniperheart to stop him from further getting into the cave, thus making them go unseen. Snow watched the battle with large eyes, following Juniperheart's and Briarstorm's movements. And yes, Bramble had to admit, he had never seen his mother fight like that. If she had been not as weak, she might have even had a good chance at getting a hit against the larger tom.
"Look," Juniperheart started again, regarding Briarstorm with cold and piercing eyes, "I didn't even come to fight you. You see-"
Before the tom could speak further, Briarstorm lunged at him again, this time sinking her claws into his left ear, ripping it as she was flung backwards. Hissing, Juniperheart glared at her, but otherwise took a step back and hissed something too low for Bramble to understand, but only a heartbeat later, Briarstorm ran at him again. Bramble wanted to do something, anything, to make them stop fighting, but before he could even move, the two cats had already disappeared out of the den, now fighting outside.
The sounds were spinning past Bramble as he hopped to his paws, darting forward. In the exact same moment, a clap of thunder sounded in the distance and large raindrops fell. Bramble squinted, ignoring Snow's surprised squeak for a moment, but it was too dark and rainy, he couldn't even glimpse a hair of his mother's pelt anymore! Where was she?!
Bramble couldn't even start to think when his paws were already carrying him outside and he barely yelled over his shoulder, "Stay put here, Snow! I'll go look for mom!"
His brain had turned off, so he wasn't even thinking about all that could happen to Snow alone in the cave. He heard her small 'ok' and a second later, rain pelted him from all directions. He rapidly blinked his eyes, willing the water out of them as he used his whole strength to stand against the cold rain and wind from above. He took a step forward, calling out at the top of his lungs, "BRIARSTORM!"
No response.
Frowning, the tom shivered as he was already soaked to his bones. Where was she? Had they really gone so far already? The tom started to run in a random direction, hoping to everything dear that by some miracle, that would be the way his mother went, too.
His paws sunk into the wet and muddy earth and he needed to free himself with a huff, shivering again. It really was cold... His wet, muddy and grass covered paws trudged along the wet ground still, but he had to slow down, otherwise he'd trip. Another harsh breeze bit into his fur, then a clap of thunder sounded in the distance again and he gritted his teeth, pressing himself to the wet and dirty ground for a second before deeming it safe to go again.
He hated thunder, even more so around here. His mother had told him before that if lightning was going to strike, it'd strike into trees usually because they would be higher up. But here, on the moors and hills, there was a high chance that he was the highest thing it could strike into. Bramble closed his eyes, willing those thoughts away, before he suddenly slipped on the wet grass, tumbling down the small hill with a shout. For a few heartbeats, Bramble just laid there in the wet grass, rain pelting down upon him as he tried to right his thoughts again. His bones hurt, he was wet and cold and... he just wanted to sleep....
The harsh pitter patter just seemed so soothing right now, but, as the tom was about to close his eyes, a voice reminded him again that he was looking for his mother and if, by any chance, both he and Briarstorm would disappear, Snow would be alone. His eyes snapped open, amber glowing in the darkness as he jumped to his paws again, not even flinching as his cold bones protested. The young tabby dragged himself further, breath coming out in harsh, ragged puffs against the rain as he stared up ahead, eyes blurring again from the rain.
He harshly shook his head, suddenly noticing a trail of wet mud, thrown up as though a cat had slid or rolled through it. But, horror gripped at his bones, momentarily paralyzing him with fear as he stared up ahead. Where this trail was, was a small cliff. Briarstorm had often warned him before that it was dangerous and could kill a cat if they landed wrongly. Shakily, he took a step forward, seemingly forgetting about the cold rain showering down upon him still.
His paws felt even chillier as he approached the edge of the small cliff slowly and carefully, so that he wouldn't slip. For a moment he had to look at his paws, scared of what he might find, then, the tom took a deep breath, staring over the edge down towards the grassy and stone littered ground.
A scream was all Bramble gave before he scrambled backwards, tripping over his own paws, eyes wide as the rain continued to fall. His amber eyes were as large as dinner plates and he shook uncontrollably, but not from the rain. Jaws parted, he stared for the longest time, opening and closing his mouth, no words coming out. But finally, he spoke in a whisper,
"M-mom..."
Chapter 3
Jaws parted into a silent scream and eyes wide open, that was how Bramble saw Briarstorm. Her head was bent at an unnatural angle and he saw small specks of blood that hadn't been washed off through the rain yet. He chocked back a sob, then slowly and carefully climbed down the cliff. It wasn't that high, but it seemed like Briarstorm had slid towards it. She then fell off surprisingly, hitting her head on the rocks.
The small tabby whimpered, still shivering pitifully. Why had this happened? Why his mother? Why-? His thoughts were cut off as another rumble sounded in the distance. His eyes traveled upwards, searching out the bright flash of lightning jumping across the sky. He shivered, cold fur pressed against his body, slowing him down. He took another step closer, whiskers dripping with raindrops. In the back of his head was a voice, saying that he couldn't even carry her back, he- he was too weak. Bramble closed his eyes, teeth chattering from the cold. He wasn't strong enough yet, but, there was one thing he could do. He could promise, yes, he could do that.
His eyes snapped open as he yelled towards the heavens, "Mom, I-I promise you to become stronger! I promise you to protect Snow with my life and find dad! I promise! We won't die!"
For a moment he was unsure of what to do, then hopped forward and used his paws to shovel up the wet dirt. He tried to the best of his abilities, almost sinking into the mud while digging. He coughed as some got into his face, but kept on digging, even though it was hard because of the rain. Wouldn't this rain stop falling soon?
His paws slid away from the soft, muddy earth and he barely managed to hold himself upright and not fall into the hole. He scrambled back, gazing down at it. It did seem deep enough to bury somebody...
Grimacing, he turned, glancing back at his dead mother. Now, he told himself, Don't think about this being your mother - your dead mother. ... just... just image you're burying... uuuh. Just image you're burying some kind of r-rotten prey. You had to do that once before, so just i-image that...
He sunk his teeth into his mother's limp and wet scruff, shuddering. Reminding himself to think about the rotten prey again, the tom moved forward, shaking a bit. As the hole approached, he pulled harder, then let go to walk around her. With closed eyes he pushed her forward, until he felt her body shift, then slide down into the hole. Once again the tabby shuddered, then started to shovel wet earth onto the hole, not once glancing down. It stared to finally occur to him that he would never see his mother again. Gritting his teeth the tom shoveled the the last bit of earth onto the hole and finally looked at it.
It was now covered with earth again, no bit of his mother was showing. His paws shook as he felt the rain once again. But, it seemed to not be pouring anymore... it was just a light drizzle.
The young tabby sighed, then turned around with a rueful look. He had to finally return home, find Snow and calm her down after this storm. A cold breeze bit into his fur and he began to quicken his pace, away from where Briarstorm was buried. He had to remind himself over and over that he could not have brought her back with him; she was just too heavy for him to carry like that. The tabby climbed the small cliff up again with great carefulness, then started to run. His paws were hurting by the time the cliff had completely disappeared from view and he had to chock back yet another sob. Why? Why had she died? It hurt. It hurt so much, he'd never see her again. Bramble slipped on the wet ground, rolling for a short distance, then lay in the mud without making a sound.
His lips parted as he repressed another spasm of shudders. The mud in his pelt, mixed with the rain, felt heavier each second. He reminded himself yet again that there was a reason why he couldn't stop. A reason why he had to keep going, even if it'd kill him. With much effort, the tom pushed himself up before he started running again, ignoring his bones' protests. The ground still felt slippery under his paws, albeit, for some reason his wet pelt didn't bother him. The amber eyed tom didn't understand why, but also didn't care for the moment. Soon the small cave came into view; the vines that had once hid it from predators well were now gone, torn away by the storm. Sighing, he padded closer, not yet in the mood to really deal with damage control. The knot in his belly still lingered around, pushing at him that his mother was now dead and that she'd never be by his side again.
Before he could dwell further on it and mop around, a small white muzzle emerged from the cave, sniffing around outside. Fondness surged through Bramble as he saw his sister check around with great care, watching for predators. In that moment, Bramble felt like forgetting everything that had happened, though, he knew that that was impossible. So instead, he trudged towards her, seeing her green eyes light up as soon as he came into view. Snow bounded towards him, happiness almost radiating off of her. She nuzzled against him, not even caring for his soaked fur.
"You're back!" she cheered, purring. Bramble tried to force a smile back at her, but it didn't work. A few heartbeats later, his sister smile dropped, too, and she asked, "Did something happen? Where's mom, by the way?"
That did it. Bramble couldn't hold his sobs back anymore and finally pressed back against her, drawing her scent into his nose. She wasn't gone, he still had Snow. She wasn't gone. Without realizing it, Bramble had started chanting out the words, "I'm sorry," over and over again. Suddenly, he felt his fur being licked dry and started before relaxing again somewhat. Snow had started rasping her tongue against his wet fur, drying him.
"It's not your fault," she insisted, sounding calm. Bramble almost couldn't believe it. His sister was calmer about this than him? The tabby noticed that he had started smiling and his eyes softened. There was only one question left...
"What're we going to do now, Snow?" he inquired, purring a bit as his sister kept warming him up. Even though they were still standing outside, Snow didn't seem to mind. His sister's licking stopped and everything was silent for a moment, then, her voice shattered it.
"What do you want to do, Bramble...?" she murmured, voice small and quiet against the wind. It had picked up again the moment she had spoken, and Bramble was now fearing her health. He ushered her into the cave in a rush, but not without Snow rolling her eyes a bit. Since when had his sister started becoming this bold? Shaking his head, he turned to look at her, now inside the cave again. He had his answer. Yes, it was the only thing they could really do.
"I... I want to go and try to find our father. Juniperheart can't have gone that far yet," he left out the part that he couldn't even find Juniperheart mourning their mother. For now it didn't seem like the most important thing. Of course, there was a chance that Juniperheart wasn't their father, but... it was worth a try for sure.
Snow gave a small nod, smiling at him with glowing eyes. "Alright then! We should leave soon!"
Bramble smiled back, nodding. Snow... Snow was everything he had left now. He... he needed to protect her! He'd protect her forever! "Ah. Let's go after him now, then. Only if you're ready, of course," he answered, eyes trailing outside the den again. The dark clouds had disappeared and the sun was coming out, painting the sky a beautiful orange. So it had been night when the storm had started? Bramble decided that he didn't care, one night without sleep wouldn't kill him or Snow.
And that was how destiny started to spin. Without realizing it, through her death, Briarstorm had forced her kits to grow beyond them, wether for the good or bad.
"Let's go, Snow!"
"Alright!"
Chapter 4
The earth of the hills still felt muddy as Bramble's paws trudged over it. Snow was a few steps behind him, off into her own world again. His sister had gotten so quiet after their mother's death... Bramble sighed, shaking his head. Snow was still as jumpy and friendly, just even quieter. For the first day of their travel he had been worried that she was in shock, but Snow had reassured him over and over that she was perfectly fine. After a few times, Bramble came to accept the answer, even though he still had his doubts.
A small breeze brushed past the two siblings and Bramble saw Snow shiver, but then grit her teeth and continue walking. She really was changing... she was becoming more confident and brave. For now Bramble wasn't sure if he actually liked it or not. But they had other goals at the moment, for example, finding their father.
The hills seemed to stretch on endlessly, but Bramble was sure that this was the correct way to go. Something deep in his mind was telling him that, so he trusted it for once. Hopefully their father really had gone this way. The tabby frowned while walking, then shook his head, obviously in displeasure about his thoughts. Hopefully everything would be okay.
A sharp gust of wind bit into the tom's side as he slid down another hill. His blinked, mouth parting as he stared up at the sky. Gray clouds were already littering it again, but he could still make out a bit of blue between them. Hopefully it wouldn't rain as fast anymore.
Snow's white pelt flashed next to him and he turned his head, noticing that his sister had caught up again. Snow's ears twitched as she stared at him with unwavering eyes, meeting his gaze. But... to Bramble they didn't seem to be looking at him, rather, they were blank and not staring at anything. Was Snow spacing off somewhere? No, that wasn't correct. She wasnt spacing off, so, was there something else?
He sighed. Briarstorm would've known what was wrong. She-cats sure were weird sometimes. Turning his gaze back towards the front, the tom stared at the never changing surroundings. Indeed, they were quite plain and boring. Everywhere was just plain hills and a few scrubs. When will these hills end either way? Bramble questioned himself, paws almost slipping on the hill's wet mud.
He grimaced, then started climbing it again, looking over his shoulder at Snow. "Be careful, it's slippery," he informed her.
He saw her give a small nod, then she replied, "I figured as much. Thanks though, Bramble."
The brown streaks in her otherwise white pelt made Bramble frown for a second. There was nothing to worry about though, he reassured himself. Snow was healthy and she would not die, not like... Briarstorm had. It was like a hot punch of agony to his heart as the memories resurfaced. In his daze, Bramble lost his footing and crashed down the hill after twisting his paw painfully.
Didnt this happen as well on the day s-she d- Bramble cut off his thoughts, curling in on himself while refusing to acknowledge the pain in his paw. She was dead! Dead! His mother would never return! She would never chew them out for wandering too far again. He'd never... see her again. Unbeknownst to Bramble, he had started shaking, eyes gone deadly wide as he stared on ahead in sadness.
He didn't even notice as a paw began to shake him and a worried voice called out with surprising strength. He didn't feel it, it was just a numbness at the edge of his being. Why did Briarstorm have to die? Was it because of him? If he had jumped out of hiding sooner, would their fight have stopped? Would Briarstorm have stopped attacking their father to snap at him? What he would give to hear her snapping at him again. His mother was gone forever and it was his fault. His fault alone. It was a feeling which was sinking deeper and deeper into him, making his body become even more hollow to him. It was like a chanting mantra in his head, reminding him over and over that he had killed her.
Whimpering, the tom suddenly lashed out, trying to make the voice disappear. He heard a surprised squeak and saw something dart out of his vision. Who was that? Was it one of the voices? Yes. It must be, he decided. Bramble tumbled over himself in a heap again upon trying to stand. The tom randomly lashed out for a second time, feeling a wisp of fur under his paw, before the air was pressed out of him.
His back hit the muddy ground and he gritted his teeth, trying to get up. He was not going to lose against them! He was not! Time seemed to slow as he suddenly snapped back to his senses, staring up into Snow's green eyes. A scratch ran along her right cheek, crimson drops staining the snow white fur. Horror gripped at him. Had he actually just... hurt his sister?
"Are you okay, Bramble?" she inquired quietly, not even looking bothered by the scratch on her check.
He shook his head quickly, fur flying back and forth. "No! I-I don't know what just happened. I-I... Briarstorm is dead because of me! It's all my fault!" he cried out, tumbling over his own words.
For a heartbeat, Snow was quiet, looking past him. Then, his sister looked back at him. "Bramble..." she started quietly, "It's never been your fault, you mouse-brain. You need to understand, it was by no means your fault. Mother's death was a mistake... she has always been... reckless. Don't... don't you dare think that this is your fault!" her voice had risen, turning into a stuttering scream. Blinking, Bramble stared. Snow, Snow was somewhat acting like herself again. She wasn't quiet anymore, she wasn't as cold, she was still his sister.
Sobbing, Bramble buried his head in her fur. She was here with him, she'd never leave him just like that. She was protecting him right now, being strong for him, while he was not being strong for her. He... he had attacked her, for the sake of everything! Why, why had he even attacked her? He had felt like she had been one of the voices haunting him, blaming him. Would that ever happened again? Shaking his head, Bramble gently pushed Snow off him, then stood, fur ruffled in all directions. It wouldn't happen again, he'd protect her! He had promised Briarstorm that.
For so many heartbeats, the two siblings just sat next to each other, enjoying the warmth of their pelts touching. Bramble felt like a stone had been lifted from his shoulders - Snow was finally back to her normal self. She wasn't trying to be distant and braver again. She had matured already through Briarstorm's death and Bramble felt a bit weak for not doing so, too. But he felt like they could support each other to move on, to not fall into a dark abyss of sadness and depression. He never wanted to hear those voices again and with Snow with him, he was sure that he wouldn't.
He smiled at her, but had to remind himself that they had to keep moving. He told Snow exactly this, to which the she-cat gave a nod. Their moment was broken, but moving further would be more important for now.
Nightfall was fast approaching and Bramble's paws were hurting. Sighing, the tom looked further ahead, only to have his eyes widen. He jumped forward, calling over his shoulder, "Look at this, Snow!"
His sister's eyes lit up with curiosity and she hopped closer, leaning past Bramble. "Woooah," she breathed a second later, "It... It looks beautiful!"
Indeed, from where they were standing on the hills, they could see a lake far, far below them, looking small from their position. Now that the weather had cleared up over the day, a beautiful view was given to them. The evening lights were reflecting in it, turning the water into a beautiful, sparkling yellow, orange and red color. It seemed peaceful, yet wild and dangerous. Bramble felt himself leaning forward further, staring at it mesmerized.
A smile slowly spread onto his face and Bramble launched himself forward, running down the hill at a neck-breaking speed. Glancing over his shoulder, the amber eyed tom saw his sister following, albeit a bit slower. Something was pulling him towards the lake and nothing would stop him from getting there!
A few hills later, the tom hit flatter ground and waited for his sister to catch up with a grin, paws quivering with excitement. Why was he so excited about a lake, anyways? Maybe because he had never seen one before? He'd just go with that for now. Snow's pelt brushed against his, but before he could say anything, a shadow blocked their path and a deep voice reached his ears.
"What, exactly, are you doing on WindClan territory, loners?"
Chapter 5
The tom blocking their path was a long legged, broad shouldered black tabby tom with green eyes. An ugly scar ran over his face in a zig zag pattern and Bramble blinked, interested sparking in his eyes. Cats. Other cats? Were these the cats Briarstorm had told about? They didn't seem like cats who'd eat other cats... A smaller, petite she-cat stood off to the side, barely reaching Bramble's height. He really couldn't image cats like her killing others and then eating them.
Were they the loners? Most likely. Bramble took a step forward to speak, but was interrupted by his sister. "We're sorry for bothering you. However, we are looking for somebody. Ahh... do you happen to know a tom called 'Juniperheart'?"
"And why should we even help you, loners?" a sharp hiss came to his right and Bramble narrowed his eyes, looking towards the cat who had spoken. She looked barely older than him and had short dilute tortoiseshell fur. Her golden eyes were narrowed and she curled her lips back in a snarl as their eyes met.
The black tabby flicked his tail up and the she-cat huffed, but backed off. "Back off, Morningpaw," he growled lowly, "I have everything under control. I don't need somebody else provoking a fight where it isn't needed."
He could see in her golden eyes that she was abashed. He felt a smug smile twitching onto his face, but as he glanced back at Snow, he saw her looking at the two unfamiliar cats with curiosity.
Turning back to them, the black tabby sighed. "I'm sorry for my apprentice. My name is Spiderfoot. A cat whose name is Juniperheart lives in RiverClan. He's the deputy, actually."
"Woah!" Bramble blurted out, then smiled sheepishly when Snow sent him a look, "Sorry, sorry! Um, where is this so called 'RiverClan'?"
"At the other end of our territory-" Spiderfoot started, but was interrupted by Bramble.
"Alright, thank you!"
Before the brown tabby could take a step forward, however, a flash of tortoiseshell whipped past him, blocking his path. Bramble glared at the she-cat, Morningpaw, in irritation. Why was she blocking his path? The question was on the tip of his tongue, but the she-cat beat him to it. "You can't just wander in our territory!" she growled.
For a second, Bramble waited for Spiderfoot to come to his aid, but when the tom didn't, he grew curios, glancing at him. Spiderfoot, catching his eye, nodded. "Quite true. Morningpaw is correct, you cannot just wander around our territory. If you really want to get to RiverClan, we will escort you to the border."
"But why?" Snow's soft voice sounded not far from Bramble and he craned his neck to look at his sister for a moment. She looked honestly puzzled. Bramble felt the same way, too. Why were there borders, wouldn't it be better if the clans all helped each other?
The looks the WindClan cats sent him made him blink in surprise, had he said that out loud? Whoops.
"How can you say something like that?!" Morningpaw hissed at him and Bramble flattened his ears against his head, holding his ground.
"I still stand to it: Wouldn't it be easier if all would help each other?" he demanded with a huff, watching Morningpaw with slanted eyes. The she-cat looked disgusted for whatever reason and he promptly heard her reasoning a second later.
"I would never help those stinky Thunder-, Shadow- or RiverClan cats!" the dilute tortoiseshell spat, sticking out her tongue in a disgusted manner. "They don't even live under the stars like us, with all those trees blocking their view from StarClan!" before the young she-cat could rant on, Spiderfoot stepped in again, quieting her down with a flick of his tail.
"The borders have been around for StarClan knows how long. The Clans have always lived like this and it won't be changed. Competitiveness is rather good as well, we all strive to do our best so that we won't seem weak."
Irritation rose in Bramble. So, just because 'StarClan' had told them so, these cats lived by it? What a load of fox-dung. Yet, before he could speak, Snow came to stand next to him, nodding her head. "That makes sense. Now, would you be kind enough to escort us to this border with RiverClan?"
Spiderfoot's eyes lit up and the tom beckoned with his tail. His face was still stern, but it was easy to see that he was pleased by Snow's words. Bramble huffed, suppressing his own thoughts for now. They needed to get over that border. And if it was the only way, then so be it. Bramble slowly followed after Snow, grass crunching lightly under his paws as they padded further. Their territory wasn't much different from what Bramble was used to, so it actually gave him some comfort.
Yet the tom could already see the trees littering everywhere else. So, RiverClan would be under trees, too? At least for a bit, it seemed like. Snow fell into place beside him, glancing to the right where they could already see some parts of the lake. The cold blue water was lapping on the sand. Something was pulling Bramble towards the water, but he wasn't sure what.
"The lake's really beautiful," Snow murmured, watching the dying sun reflect in the small ripples on the surface.
"Yeah," Bramble agreed, side-glancing at it for another moment before the tabby focused back on the WindClan cats. Morningpaw was shooting both of them suspicious looks that he really couldn't stand. He had the urge to call her out on it, but another well placed look from his sister shut him up.
Muttering to himself, the tom quickly pinned his eyes to look forward again in frustration. Morningpaw really was a bother and hopefully he wouldn't have to see her again after this. The other she-cat with them was much more pleasant to be around, she didn't make rude comments and was quiet.
A weird looking thing up ahead caught the young tabby's attention, and without so much thought, he blurted out, "What is that?!"
Spiderfoot glanced back at him, then looked ahead again. Bramble could almost hear the smile in his voice. "That's the horse place. A few barn cats live there, and horses, of course. But they usually shouldn't bother us. After the horse place RiverClan territory begins. So we will escort you there."
Nodding, Bramble kept staring at this 'horse place'. What would horses look like? He had never seen barn cats before either. Were they any different from them? So many questions that kept popping into his head.
Suddenly, Spiderfoot started picking up pace, leaving Bramble dumbfounded. As Snow passed him, white pelt brushing against him, the tabby quickly raced after them. His amber eyes were narrowed in confusion while he was bolting after the others. Why were they running now? He couldn't sense any dangers...
It only took a few moments longer for Bramble to realize the reason. At the end of the horse place he could see other pelts at the border, patrolling along it. A tortoiseshell cat caught Bramble's attention quickly. She seemed to stand out a lot against the other 'duller' pelts.
The thundering close to him made the tabby snap out of it and he screeched, jumping away as he stared up at a creature running behind a fence. It was as big as a monster! He assumed that these were the horses Spiderfoot had been talking about. His trail of thoughts broke off as he bumped into Snow, knocking the two off their feet.
For a few seconds, both lay on the ground, staring at each other dumbfounded, then he heard Snow laugh quietly. Although his sister's laughter got drowned in Spiderfoot's, Bramble still felt his heart swell. He didn't even care that he was being laughed at, all that mattered was that Snow was happy.
He untangled himself carefully, rising to his paws again before shaking his pelt. Grinning sheepishly, Bramble didn't find the heart to snap at them for laughing, after all, Snow was laughing, too.
Spiderfoot was the first to stop laughing, having stopped running a moment after they had toppled over. Smirking, the tom stared at Bramble. "Seems like you're afraid of horses," the tom laughed.
"Horses look weird!" Bramble shot back with a grumble. Spiderfoot still looked amused, but then turned, flicking his tail to Morningpaw. The she-cat gave them a long look, then dashed away. Was she going to stop those 'RiverClan' cats? It would make sense.
The sound of somebody clearing their throat made him blink. Spiderfoot still looked amused. "Were you listening to what I've said just now?"
Bramble huffed, stubbornly evading the WindClan cat's gaze. "No."
"I've just explained that Morningpaw is going to catch up with the patrol and make them wait for us. Once we arrive there we'll leave you to them and leave. You're not allowed to cross back into our territory, I hope you know that."
"Of course I know that!" Bramble defended himself, the warm feeling around his heart gone again. WindClan cats were rude! He saw Snow watching him and Spiderfoot with interest, but his sister didn't comment on their bickering.
A smug smirk was his answer, then Spiderfoot beckoned with his long tail for them to follow. The other WindClan apprentice hopped after him quickly, seemingly afraid of them. Today had been so crazy that Bramble wasn't even in the mood to question a cat being afraid of them anymore. He nodded at Snow, then the two siblings dashed after Spiderfoot.
After they had left the horse place behind, Bramble could see a large tree reaching across the lake towards an island. He hadn't noticed the island before, he realized. Snow tipped him with her tail for a second, beckoning towards a group of cats ahead of them. Bramble saw the tortoiseshell again and blinked. Just from guessing, she seemed to be around the age their mother had been.
It still hurt to think about it, but Bramble was sure that he would not have another breakdown. The other cats on the patrol still didn't really interest the tom, but he saw Morningpaw standing close to them, wrinkling her nose in disgust. So she had stopped them, even though she didn't like it. Bramble was sure that he would have refused in her place if he didn't like them, but he supposed that it was different in Clans.
The RiverClan cats turned their heads as they were approaching. Bramble felt a small bubble of nervousness surface within him, though, he'd never admit that out loud. Getting mustered by four pairs of eyes was unnerving, even for him. He calmed his steps, sticking close to his sister.
The tortoiseshell was the first one to speak, her soft and gentle voice almost startling Bramble. "Spiderfoot, Morningpaw has just told us that you have some loners that request to see Juniperheart," she meowed.
"Indeed," Spiderfoot confirmed with a nod, "These two loners want to talk to Juniperheart, Mapleflower."
The she-cat, Mapleflower, gave a small nod. "I see. So, loners, what is it that you want from our... deputy?"
Her voice sounded so gentle and kind, Bramble felt drawn to her even this soon after just meeting her. She reminded him of a caring mother. It was not Bramble who replied, rather, it was Snow. "We're looking for him because he was the last cat we have seen before our mother's death. We suspect that he may be our kin."
"Your kin?" Mapleflower seemed puzzled. "Juniperheart doesn't have kits... he doesn't even have a mate. It'd be impossible..."
Bramble felt his heart skip a beat in shock. Juniperheart wasn't their father? Why had he visited Briarstorm, then? His paws felt colder than before against the ground.
Snow blinked in confusion as well, glancing at her brother for a split second, then Bramble heard her ask, "Do you know a cat named Briarstorm, then? She was our mother."
Bramble saw Mapleflower's eyes dilate and her breath catch in her throat. The she-cat seemed shocked senseless. But before Snow could elaborate, she quickly blurted out, "You're Briarstorm's kits! You're- you're Adderstar's kits!" her voice was filled with joy, and her eyes were now glowing, but a second later, she lowered her voice, "You spoke from Briarstorm in the past, so, she was the cat who died?" Grief seemed to be catching in her throat.
Bramble winced a bit, this cat seemed to be torn between joy and grief. They were the reason for that. Snow smiled a bit, but it was forced. "Yes... She sadly died. You said that we were Adderstar's kits -- would we be able to meet him?"
"Great StarClan, of course! He'll be overjoyed. Come along, come along!" Mapleflower's voice had turned gentle again as she beckoned for them to come over the border. The tortoiseshell dipped her head to the WindClan cats. Spiderfoot dipped his head back, then ushered his patrol back towards the horse place without another word.
The gray-brown tom next to Mapleflower spoke as the WindClan cats had left. "Are they really the kits of Adderstar, Mapleflower?"
"I'm sure they are, Jaypaw," she reassured the tom gently, leading Snow over the border before she turned to Bramble, "I just have a feeling that they are telling the truth. Besides, he looks almost exactly like Adderstar and Briarstorm."
Bramble blinked at those words, glancing at his tabby fur. Did he really look that much like his parents? He stored these thoughts away and quickly followed his sister over the scent mark.
Turning around, Mapleflower nodded, more to herself than anything. "Let's go meet your father!"
Chapter 6
Water. So much water. Bramble felt like complaining. In front of them was a long stream, behind it he could smell a lot of cats. So, RiverClan's camp was behind this stream? He shuddered a bit, even as he noticed the stepping stones. They really didn't make him feel any safer at all. They actually made him even more nervous... They were slippery, he could fall quickly and die. He glanced over at the two remaining cats, Mapleflower and Jaypaw.
Mapleflower had sent the other two cats on their patrol back to camp already, but made them promise not to tell Adderstar of their guests just yet. Her reasoning had been that it'd be easier to explain everything once she was actually there, otherwise everything could become harder to reason.
Mapleflower sent him a reassuring smile, beckoning him to step closer to the rocks. He stared at her, unmoving. She couldn't be serious, right? A bundle of white pushed past him and he saw Snow stare at the rocks, water still rushing around them. For a moment, his sister seemed to be judging whether the rocks were okay or not, then she took a step forward. Bramble shot after his sister, cry starting in his throat. He could already see her slip and tumble to her death!
His cry died in his throat as Snow stood safely on the first rock, not bothered by the water below her at all. He glanced over at Mapleflower, seeing the she-cat give a reassuring smile again before she dove into the water next to the stepping stones, paddling over to where Snow was standing, looking at the next stepping stone. As his sister took another step forward, Mapleflower paddled next to her, eyes focused on his sister's white fur.
Realization dawned within Bramble slowly. Was Mapleflower helping them get over the water? A part of his brain was nagging at him for not realizing that sooner and he huffed to himself, earning a look from Jaypaw. What was the tom's problem?
"What's your problem, you furball?"
Had he thought out loud again?
Hackles rising, Jaypaw turned his head, glaring at Bramble. "Who do you think you are, loner?" he hissed, growl rumbling deep in the apprentice's throat.
Bramble flattened his ears against his skull, baring his teeth at Jaypaw. "I am Bramble, not a loner! So stop calling me loner, call me Bramble, you RiverClan cat!" he spat. This whole day cats had been calling him loner or rogue, it just annoyed him by now. He was Bramble, not just some kind of loner.
Locking eyes with the other apprentice, the two toms glared at each other restlessly. Only the sound of somebody clearing their throat snapped them out of it.
There stood Mapleflower, small droplets of water dripping from her now sleek pelt. Glancing past the she-cat, Bramble saw Snow sitting on the other side of the river, tail curled around her paws. His sister was waiting for him.
Giving Jaypaw one last, nasty glance, Bramble shot forward, towards the rocks again. He'd show them what he was made of! He'd get there faster than Mapleflower could even swim! Leaping forward, Bramble slid along the first rock, heart hammering with anxiety. Had the water already been running that fast beforehand?
I - I'm not backing down now!
Gritting his teeth, Bramble crouched on the slippery rock, leaping forwards again. For a second, his heart skipped a beat as his left hind paw brushed the water, then he landed flatly on the next cold and wet rock, luckily not breaking anything from his harsh fall. A splash sounded just behind him, and to his distaste, it was Jaypaw, looking about as happy as he was feeling. A few mouse-lengths behind him was Mapleflower, looking as friendly and welcoming as he had seen her all time that day.
"Now, Jaypaw, I'm sure you two can work together, right? I've already helped Snow across, so now it's your turn, Jaypaw!" she announced casually, sending the apprentice a knowing look.
Bramble returned the nasty look Jaypaw sent him with his own happily. He didn't like that grumpy furball, and now he was supposed to help him across? If Jaypaw wouldn't let him drown, well, that would be a surprise.
Bramble quickly struggled to his paws again on the wet rock, trying to not show any weakness. He crouched, then leaped forward as good as he could, ignoring the rushing water below him for a second.
But instead of feeling the next slippery rock under his paws, the brown tabby's hind quarters were suddenly being pushed. Eyes widening, he noticed that he had misjudged his leap. His forepaws had landed just fine, but the rest was in the water. Panicking, the tom tried to heave himself onto the rock, out of the water, but his struggling just made his paws slip away completely. With a strangled cry, he disappeared underwater.
The water blocked out every sound besides itself as Bramble trashed around widely in the small currents. He wasn't sure what to do, but the tom didn't want to die! Because of his wild trashing and flailing, he couldn't see anything, just his paws and water.
It felt like forever for him until he was suddenly brought up to the surface by a strong pull. Gasping and coughing, he saw that his savior had been Jaypaw, surprisingly. The other tom grunted, half dragging Bramble back towards the stones, muttering a small, "Fish-brained loners," under his breath.
Usually Bramble would have spat something back, but for now, he really was too tired to argue with the apprentice. The water was still pulling lightly at the two of them, althought for the moment Bramble just trusted Jaypaw to not drop him. After all, Mapleflower had ordered the tom to help him. Surely he wouldn't go against the older she-cat's words.
His paws hit the slippery rock again and he apprentice behind him gave a grunt, nudging him higher. "Move your paws you fish-brained furball. You're too heavy for me to push you up!" Jaypaw barked out and Bramble turned a bit, still exhausted, but mustered him with the best glare he could do. Struggling, and flailing a bit, he pushed himself onto the rock, grunting. His fur clung to him and a harsh breeze made him shiver. Evening really wasn't the best time to take a swim, it seemed like. He suppressed his teeth's chattering and judged the distance more carefully this time, not wanting to repeat the incident.
He leaped, sliding along the next rock a bit, but stayed on it. The splashes next to him informed the brown tabby that Jaypaw was still keeping up. Pelt still dripping with water, Bramble repeated his leaps, soon enough finally having grass under his paws again. The brown tabby quickly shook his pelt, spraying water everywhere. He heard his sister let out a noise of displeasure as he made her wet, but didn't comment on it. The she-cat just turned her head to see Jaypaw and Mapleflower approaching. The two were as wet as Bramble, but they didn't seem to mind much.
Jaypaw padded past them as Mapleflower smiled, beckoning for them to follow.
Bramble scoffed as he saw the gray-brown tom in front of him glance over his shoulder at them again. Jaypaw was annoying, he really was. Bramble pulled a weird face, scrunching his eyes together and smiling as mouse-brained as he could. A moment later, the RiverClan tom had turned around again and the brown tabby was grinning in victory. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw his sister roll her pale green eyes, but she was smiling.
Mapleflower suddenly stopped, smile still on her face. "Okay!" she started, turning around to the two siblings, eyes glowing, "We're here! Now, Jaypaw, be quiet and don't treat our guests badly! They might become your Clanmates!"
Huffing, the young tom stalked past her rudely. "No thanks. I don't want them as my Clanmates. Ever."
Sighing, the tortoiseshell just waved her tail for the two to follow, muttering quietly under her breath, "He's really a bothersome apprentice... It's hard being his mentor..."
Bramble saw Snow smile sympathetically at Mapleflower before the she-cat disappeared through the entrance as well. Pushing past the small barrier of ferns, Bramble felt one of his legs get tangled by some kind of plant on the ground. He stumbled forward, bumping into Snow slightly.
He apologized to her quietly as Snow turned and smiled at him. Bramble glanced up, noticing that they were drawing the attention of other cats. He felt a little overwhelmed by the amount of eyes on him, but took a deep breath, stepping in front of Snow to shield his sister from the looks. His sister shot him a small glance, then looked around and at the other cats.
Bramble couldn't really focus on just one pelt and instead let his gaze scan around quickly. He noticed a light brown she-cat with green eyes bound over to Jaypaw quickly, almost knocking into the tom. Because Jaypaw had separated himself from his mentor and them, Bramble couldn't hear what they were talking about, but Jaypaw seemed to not be pleased with the other cat, looking almost annoyed. He still didn't look as disgruntled as he had been with Bramble, which actually made him scowl. Why was he nicer to that cat? What was so different about her?
He was snapped out of his thoughts as he felt a cat lay their tail on his shoulder and blinked, craning his head to see Mapleflower smiling at them. "Let's go meet your father, he should be by his den. I'm surprised the commotion hasn't drawn his attention yet. Maybe he's talking with Juniperheart."
Not paying any attention to the staring cats, Mapleflower beckoned them to follow, making her way farther into the camp. Glancing around one last time, Bramble hurried after her, Snow at his heels. He caught one or two suspicious looks that were sent their way, and a few cats were actually looking curious. It made him feel uncomfortable that he was being stared at so much, like he was being backed into a corner.
Swallowing, he concentrated on just looking forward, never glancing back. He still felt eyes burning into his pelt and had to resist the urge to whip around and stare back at the cats. A big rowan tree caught Bramble's attention as they neared it, and he couldn't help staring up at it with large eyes. A small prod to his paw made him snap out of it and he glanced at his sister, who sent him a small smile.
Just a little bit up ahead he saw another brown tabby and heard Snow quietly gasp, "He looks almost like you, Bramble!"
Well, it was true. The brown tabby did look a lot like Bramble, minus all the battle scars he was carrying.
But what exactly is the point with that? It's not like I'd be the only brown tabby in the world... Mom was one too, after all.
Noticing his confused face, Snow elaborated, still looking excited, "Bramble, this is most likely our father!" she gushed.
Oh! Bramble felt his ears grow hot and he smiled sheepishly. "Of course I knew that!" He whispered back, not being able to suppress his excitement. This cat...this cat was their father?
The brown tabby's eyes swayed to the side and for just a split second, his steps faltered. The gray tabby sitting next to the other tom was familiar. Juniperheart....
Snow had seemed to notice, too, but before she could whisper to Bramble, Mapleflower greeted the two talking toms. Both turned, and the moment Juniperheart's gaze landed on Bramble, the tabby felt a cold shiver go down his spine. The intensity that the tabby's gaze had made Bramble want to shrink back and hide, but he pushed it away, stepping over to Snow again. He'd protect his sister, no matter what.
"Adderstar, Juniperheart, I'm sorry to interrupt your talk, however," the small she-cat beckoned with her tail towards the two young cats, keeping her voice as polite as possible, "These loners have been escorted here by a WindClan patrol and have told me that they are Briarstorm's kits."
The reaction was almost immediately. Both toms' eyes widened and the brown tabby, Adderstar, quickly whipped his gaze over to them. "Briarstorm's kits?" he gasped out in shock, scanning both Bramble and Snow up and down.
Bramble saw Snow smile at their... father? And Bramble tried, too, but his smile turned out somewhat awkward, still bothered by Juniperheart's piercing gaze on him.
"I am Snow and this is my brother, Bramble," Snow introduced them politely, taking a small step forward, "It is nice to meet you."
"So, your mother is Briarstrorm? Is she with you?" the tabby's voice grew more hopeful with every word and Bramble felt a small pang of pain.
"Actually," Snow started quietly, "Briarstorm has sadly passed away... We set out to find our father...."
Bramble quickly pinned his gaze on Juniperheart. Why hadn't Snow told Adderstar that they had seen Juniperheart just before their mother's death? Maybe to not get on his bad side? Juniperheart's passive mask didn't falter as Snow announced Briarstorm's death, he didn't even let one little emotion slip.
Now, Adderstar looked horrified, but quickly lowered his head, eyes closed. Letting out a sad sigh, the tom spoke, "I see. That's too bad..."
Looking up again, he looked over at Mapleflower, who had sat down and was just listening up until now.
"Mapleflower, do you trust that they're telling the truth?"
"Adderstar, I don't mean to be offensive," the she-cat started with a mocking smile, despite the sadness that lay in her eyes, "But you'd know if they're your kits. You do not need my opinion for that."
For a moment, the group was silent, Bramble still feeling a few gazes burning into his pelt. Then, Adderstar spoke again, "Alright. Then I'm glad to have my kits back. Let's announce you into our Clan. You look old enough to be apprentices. You want to join the Clan... right?"
The sadness in his voice almost made Bramble wince, but he kept an even face. Why would they have come this far if not to join? Nodding, Bramble finally spoke, "Yes, we'd like to join."
Snow quickly threw in a small 'please' and Adderstar smiled, overjoyed apparently.
Before the tabby could turn to a large willow stump, Juniperheart stood up, padding forwards. "Adderstar," he hissed, "Do you really intent to just let some loners join our Clan? We've taken enough in as it is!" his voice didn't increase in volume, but in force.
Bramble scowled, glaring daggers at the gray tabby. What was he to say, they had come all this way already!
Turning around, Adderstar muster his deputy for a second, then turned towards the willow stump again. "Juniperheart, as much as I respect your opinion, these young cats are my kits, so, they aren't really loners - they're RiverClan cats!" he argued, "And as such I see no problem in welcoming them back into the Clan. Let them prove themselves, I'm sure they'll be a great addition to our Clan."
Juniperheart's green eyes seemed to darken for a moment, then the tabby dipped his head. "Alright, then. You're the leader."
Nodding to the other tom with a small smile, Adderstar leaped up onto the willow stump, calling out, "Let all cats who can swim gather around the Willow Stump for a Clan meeting!"
It didn't take long, seeing as most cats were already either eagerly awaiting the news or shooting suspicious looks at Bramble and Snow. Bramble saw Jaypaw hanging around the she-cat from before again, not looking much more pleased. His eyes narrowed as they met with Bramble's, but the gray-brown tom quickly broke the eye contact to answer the she-cat.
At the other edge of the clearing, Bramble saw a large ginger she-cat with a swollen belly slowly pad over to them. A second later, a gray tom hopped over to help her, only to be shooed away. Only Snow's small prod to his side made Bramble come back to his sense, and he realized that he would've almost missed Adderstar's words.
"RiverClan, some of you may still remember Briarstorm," he started, and Bramble felt an electrifying silence fall over the group, tension high in the air, "We've mourned long for her, but now, these two cats who have come to our camp, they are her kits. They're my kits as well. Both have agreed to join our Clan, so I hope you welcome them well."
Hushed whispers broke out all over the clearing and from where Bramble stood, he could see Juniperheart's smug smile out of the corner of his eyes. The chattering stopped abruptly as Adderstar flicked his tail for silence. "Both of them will be accepted into our Clan as apprentices. Bramble, Snow, please step in front of me."
What? What is this? Bramble thought, puzzled, but followed after his sister nonetheless. He felt the gazes of all the gathered cats rest on them and suddenly felt small. Swallowing, he raised his head high, listening to Adderstar.
"Snow," he started, addressing his sister, who looked up to meet his eyes, "from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Snowpaw."
The tabby's gaze quickly hushed over the gathered cats before he spoke, "Foxface."
Bramble saw a ginger tom look up, startled. Surprise was clearly written over his face, but he still rose to his paws.
"It is time for you to take on an apprentice. You've received excellent training from Juniperheart, and you have shown yourself to be friendly and courageous. You will be the mentor of Snowpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."
"Of - of course!" the ginger tabby, Foxface, exclaimed, quickly padding over to Snow. For a moment, Snow, no, Snowpaw seemed utterly confused, then Foxface nudged her a bit, touching noses. His sister stiffened for a heartbeat, then seemed to understand what she should've done and nodded to Foxface gratefully.
A second later, Adderstar addressed Bramble, "Bramble, from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Bramblepaw."
As soon as Adderstar's gaze wandered again, Bramble felt nervous. Who would his mentor be? Surely not Juniperheart?
"Shrewstorm, it is time for you to take on an apprentice."
Shrewstorm? Bramble wanted to turn around and look who the cat was, but one glance from Snowpaw made him face forward again.
"You've received excellent training from Stoneclaw, and you have shown yourself to be passionate and quick. You will be the mentor of Bramblepaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him."
Remembering what Snowpaw and Foxface did, Bramblepaw quickly turned, coming nose-to-nose with a small light gray-brown she-cat. Her green eyes seemed almost bored as she touched noses with him, but only a moment later, she smiled.
"Let's do our best, eh, Bramblepaw?"
Smiling, Bramblepaw nodded, eyes glowing. "Yeah!"
Around him, he could hear the voices of the other cats. "Snowpaw! Bramblepaw! Snowpaw! Bramblepaw! Snowpaw! Bramblepaw!"
Snowpaw... Bramblepaw... he repeated in his head, still smiling.
Allegiances (WIP)
RiverClan
Leader: Adderstar; a muscular brown tabby tom with amber eyes and scars covering his flanks
Deputy: Juniperheart; bulky gray tabby tom with yellow eyes
Medicine Cat: Troutcloud; a tortoiseshell tom with outstanding ginger and brown patches and yellow eyes. Has a twisted front paw.
Warriors:
Mapleflower; small tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes
Apprentice: Jaypaw
Foxface; handsome ginger tabby with a white chest and muzzle; green eyes
Apprentice: Snowpaw
Duckwhisker; a brown-and-white she-cat with green eyes.
Wrenheart; a small brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes
Lizardfang; a golden-brown tabby with orange eyes
Robinclaw; a reddish brown she-cat with green eyes
Ashfoot; a lithe silver tabby with white toes and amber eyes
Honeystream; a light golden she-cat with a white flecked muzzle and golden eyes
Apprentice: Hazelpaw
Badgernose; a black-and-white tom with blue eyes
Shrewstorm; a small light grey-brown she-cat with pale green eyes
Apprentice: Bramblepaw
Stoneclaw; muscular gray tom with golden eyes
Apprentices:
Jaypaw; a gray-brown tom with white spots, blue eyes
Hazelpaw; a light brown she-cat with green eyes
Bramblepaw; a brown tabby tom with amber eyes
Snowpaw; a white she-cat with very pale green eyes
Queens:
Cherryfur; a large darker ginger she-cat with pale green eyes
Elders:
One-ear; a brown tabby with yellow eyes, left ear is torn off completely
ThunderClan;
Leader: Birchstar; a pale gray tabby she-cat with orange eyes and a white tail tip
ShadowClan;
Leader: Blizzardstar; a white tom with barely visible gray dapples and green eyes
WindClan:
Leader: Brightstar; a small white she-cat with ginger patches and pale yellow-green eyes
Deputy: Spiderfoot; a long legged, broad shouldered black tabby tom with green eyes.
Chapter 7
The light shone down onto him faintly as Bramblepaw opened his eyes tiredly, yawning. Yesterday had been a hasty day for sure. The tabby hadn't had a tour around the camp or territory yet, but Shrewstorm had promised him to show him around as soon as possible. His mentor had stated that it was already too late to still show him around.
Beside him he saw the white pelt of his sister move a bit, then her head popped up, green eyes scanning the surroundings. "Bramble...paw?" she murmured slowly, as if not fully awake just yet.
"Yeah. Snowpaw?" he replied, noting that his sister's eyes sparkled as soon as he said her new name.
"Right. Good morning," she greeted quietly, licking her fur down. "What are we supposed to do now?"
Bramblepaw hesitated, not sure about that himself. What are we supposed to do, anyway? Wait for our mentors, find them, go look for something to do?
He realized that Snowpaw was still waiting for an answer, so, opening his jaws, he replied, "I... don't know, to be honest."
He heard Snowpaw laugh quietly in amusement, then she rose to her paws, arching her back. "Alright. Let's go look for our mentors."
Nodding in agreement, Bramblepaw staggered to his own paws, and hopped after Snowpaw. As soon as they emerged from the apprentices' den, Bramblepaw stretched and flexed his claws for a moment. He peered around the camp, noticing that it was already rather busy.
He could see Jaypaw talking with Mapleflower, the former looking rather bored while his mentor kept chattering on. Snowpaw had told him on the previous day that she thought that Mapleflower and Jaypaw made a great pair as mentor and apprentice. Bramblepaw couldn't really see it, but his sister had always been a bit different and observed more than he did.
"You're finally awake, it seems like," a voice sounded to their left and Bramblepaw spun around, staring at Foxface as the tom neared.
His glossy pelt shine bright in the sun like a fire. The tom dipped his head to them. "Shrewstorm will join us in just a moment," he meowed, swishing his tail. "We're going to give you two a tour through the territory, then we'll join Hazelpaw and her mentor at the lake for swimming practice."
"Swimming?" Bramblepaw brought forward, not even realizing that he had spoken. He still remembered what had happened the day before. He could still feel the icy cold water grip at him.
"Yes, swimming," Foxface confirmed, "RiverClan cats need to swim."
"Do they, now..." Bramblepaw muttered, looking away. Swimming sounded absolutely horrible. He was a cat and not a fish! He had seen a few fish in a small pond once, and had tried catching them. As soon as the water had hit him, he had decided to water was meant for fish and not for cats.
Just as Bramblepaw was wrinkling his nose, another voice joined their conversation. "Already quitting now, Bramblepaw?"
He spun, half expecting to see Mapleflower teasing him, but was surprised when he laid eyes upon a small she-cat. His mentor. "Shrewstorm!" he brought out, obviously surprised.
"Morning," the she-cat replied absently, hitting Bramblepaw's nose with her tail, then nodded to Foxface. "Let's go, we shouldn't waste any more time. The prey won't just jump into our mouths."
As soon as the she-cat turned, Bramblepaw hurried after her, determination shining in his eyes. They excited the camp and Bramblepaw blinked, scanning the area. The had left to the other side, not the one where he and Snowpaw had come from. He ducked his head a bit as he noticed stepping stones again, but gritted his teeth. He wouldn't repeat yesterday's accident!
Behind him he saw Foxface and Snowpaw padding, then he quickly turned back around, seeing Shrewstorm leaping onto the first stone gracefully. For a moment the she-cat halted, looking thoughtful, then prodded around the rock with her paws.
"They're really slippery today!" she called out, "I hope the water won't rise again!"
Nodding, Foxface padded past the two apprentices, then leaped. Shrewstorm leaped as well when she saw her Clanmate jump, coming to a halt on the second rock as Foxface straightened himself on the first one. "You're correct," he murmured out after a moment, "The water must have swelled at night again."
Silence settled between the cats, until Snowpaw spoke up. "What will happen if the water rises again, as Shrewstorm has put it?"
"A flood, most likely," the she-cat replied, then shook her head. "Now, come on, you two. Be careful with your steps, then these stepping stones should be no problem."
Snowpaw gave a nod, then sprang forward as Foxface and Shrewstorm made space for her. His sister landed safely, Foxface holding into her scruff, so that she wouldn't slither off the rock. Bramblepaw released a sigh he hadn't realized he'd been holding, then crouched as well as Snowpaw sprang for a second time, landing beside his mentor.
Taking a deep breath, Bramblepaw jumped, coming to a staggering halt next to Foxface a second later. He straightened up, smiling. He had made it!
Farther up ahead he saw Snowpaw jump across the last stepping stone, coming to a halt on the slightly wet grass on the other side. Swallowing, Bramblepaw leaped, paws almost slipping away on the wet stone. He stumbled a bit as he landed, but Shrewstorm got a hold of him quickly, straightening him up. With a nod, she jumped onto the next rock in front of him.
Did they know that he had fallen yesterday? He didn't want them to belittle him because of that! They hadn't jumped with Snowpaw, either! Narrowing his eyes, Bramblepaw quickly jumped, sliding onto the next rock. Before Shrewstorm could help him again, he bounced forward, to the last rock. He felt his paws slide out from under him, but quickly steadied himself.
With one last burst of strength, Bramblepaw leaped towards the grass. He had a second of shock as his hindquarters touched the ice cold water, but he quickly pulled himself up. The only thing really wet was his tail.
A thud next to him signaled that Shrewstorm had landed. As soon as he turned his head, her muzzle almost touched his nose. "What were you thinking?!" she demanded, fur bristeling. Bramblepaw gritted his teeth, not used to that much anger being directed at him. The fur on his back rose, but he willed it to lie flat.
"I don't want you to belittle me!" he bit back, fur rising along his spine. He couldn't hold it down anymore.
"I wasn't- Well, can you blame me for doing that, after finding out that my apprentice almost drowned the day before?!"
Pinning his ears back, Bramblepaw bared his teeth. "Of course I can! It happened once, who's to say that it will happen again!"
"Why shouldn't it happen again?!" his mentor replied with a growl, "The rocks were even more slippery than yesterday!"
"Yes, but I-" Before Bramblepaw could quarrel further, Foxface stepped between the two, looking annoyed.
"Are you two done yet? It won't help anything if you two are quarreling," he meowed, "We apologize for belittling you, Bramblepaw."
Satisfied, Bramblepaw nodded, then turned away, peering at Snowpaw. His sister was watching them with interest, keeping quiet. He felt his ears grow hot, embarrassed that he had blown up like that in front of his sister.
His ears pricked as he picked up Shrewstorm hissing, but he willed himself to not listen to the two warriors. He'd just grow angry again. Instead, he padded towards his sister. Her gaze pinned onto him as soon as he moved, and she tilled her head in question. "What is it?"
"I..." What did he even want to say?
Before the brown tabby could be embarrassed further, Foxface's voice sounded again. "Let's go. The ShadowClan border is still a way away."
Snowpaw's attention was drawn from him at once, and his sister nodded. As soon as the white she-cat rose to her paws, Bramblepaw awkwardly shuffled away from her again, pinning his ears back, but not in anger. He felt somebody walk past him, and watched Shrewstorm take the lead. She didn't even spare him one little glance.
Was it only him, or did his mentor suddenly seem less energetic than beforehand? She held herself like she was tired, but he shook his head quickly, bounding after Foxface and Snowpaw, wet tail and Shrewstorm's behavior forgotten.
The thick, tall pine trees that were reaching up in front of them made Bramblepaw crane his head upwards. His amber eyes were sparkling, and he willed himself to stay behind the border. ShadowClan territory seemed exciting.
"This is the border we share with ShadowClan," Foxface went on, sweeping his tail across it. "ShadowClan cats are often sneaky and dirty while fighting, so watch out. It's suspicious that they haven't troubled us the last few moons. If they attack, we don't need to have any apprentices sliced to pieces."
"We'll do some battle training after swimming practice, then," Shrewstorm replied, though Bramblepaw saw that she still wasn't as fiery again as she had been just a bit ago.
He was about to reply, to ask her if she was ok, but was interrupted by Foxface yet another time. "We should probably go head over to the lake now," the tom murmured, "We've spent quite a while here! Hazelpaw and her mentor should already be at the lake, so let's not make them wait."
Shrewstorm gave a small nod and Foxface beckoned them to follow. "It's not too far from here!" he reassured them, taking a few steps towards the large body of water that they could already see in the distance.
The cool grassland was stretching out in front of them as Bramblepaw trotted at the back of the group. A few stones were sticking out of the ground here and there, there were some small bushes and a few trees. It honestly wasn't uncomfortable in the territory. For Bramblepaw, ShadowClan territory did look exciting, but he would honestly feel trapped under all those trees.
He squinted his eyes as they drew closer to the lake bit by bit, peering over it into the territory that lay across the lake. ThunderClan, from what he had gathered. They seemed to have around as many trees as ShadowClan, but theirs didn't seem as thick and dark. He couldn't make out anything else besides the trees, though. He quickened his steps only a moment later to keep up with the rest of the cats again.
Snowpaw was padding beside her mentor, her snow white fur standing out against the other colors. They were talking, but Bramblepaw couldn't make out their conversation just yet. He sprinted a bit, stopping just a bit behind his sister, catching the last pieces of their conversation.
"-yes, the medicine cat of a Clan has a deep connection with StarClan. The medicine cats meet each half moon to travel to the Moonpool. Medicine cats stand above the warrior code in many ways - they're free to travel over to another Clan if they deem it fit, or if they have a matter to talk about with the other medicine cats."
His sister nodded, eyes sparkling with interest. "So, medicine cats aren't restricted to borders and use all those kinds of different herbs? Now, that's really interesting..." his sister replied, eyes trailing along the shore that they were nearing, scanning the plants growing there up and down.
Foxface gave a small laugh, snipping his tail tip over Snowpaw's right ear. "That sounds like I'm going to lose my apprentice to Troutcloud soon!" he remarked in a mocking tone before the ginger tom glanced up farther ahead.
Shrewstorm and he made eye contact for a second, then they cats set their paws onto the cool sand. Shrewstorm turned around.
"Hazelpaw and Honeystream are a bit farther to the right; I've already spotted them," the small she-cat spoke, voice not betraying any feelings, "We'll head up to them now and then start with our practice." Before she turned away, her eyes fixed Bramblepaw up and down. "And Bramblepaw, please try to not drown. Or if you're too afraid to swim, I suggest you leave RiverClan."
For a second, Bramblepaw was taken aback by her cold and piercing words, then sprang forward, pushing his muzzle into hers almost. "I'm not afraid!" he defended himself sharply, "How dare you say that! I'll show you!"
His blood was boiling. He had been worried about the sudden change in his mentor, but he wasn't going to let her say something like that to him! He bared his teeth, as she glared back at him, but took a few steps back out of respect. She was his mentor, whether or not he liked it.
Shrewstorm bared her teeth as well for a second, then turned, stalking off. A few seconds later, Foxface followed after her. Bramblepaw glowered after them, then almost jumped as a tail landed on his shoulder softly and ran along his flank. He turned his head, seeing Snowpaw standing next to him, staring up ahead.
She smiled as their eyes met, then followed after the warriors. It took Bramblepaw a few moments longer before he followed them as well. He was not looking forward to that practice if Shrewstorm was going to act like that.
Up ahead he heard a laugh echo towards them and snapped his head towards it. A light brown she-cat surfaced from the water, splashing around with her paws. She seemed happy and Bramblepaw frowned. How can a cat be so happy in the water?
He saw Shrewstorm and Foxface talking to light golden she-cat with a white flecked muzzle up ahead. She had short fur, which was dripping with water. The golden she-cat let out a laugh at something Foxface said, then smiled as she noticed Snowpaw and him. She waved with her tail enthusiastically.
With a bit of hesitation, Bramblepaw padded after his sister to meet the new cat. Honeystream, he reminded himself. Small ripples were almost touching their paws as they closed the space between the warriors. Bramblepaw dipped his head.
"Yesterday I didn't see them as well," the pretty she-cat started, "But now that I look at them, they look perfect for swimming!"
"No, they don't" Shrewstorm interrupted her, raising her head from where she was sitting. "No cat just 'looks' perfect for swimming, you have to learn it nonetheless. There have been RiverClan cats long ago that were afraid of water, yet, going by your words, they should have been made for the water. Even if they were made for it, their own fears destroyed that potential."
For a second, the golden she-cat seemed to be taken aback, then shook her head with a smile. "Aw, come on, Shrewstorm!" she protested lightly, "Don't over-analyze all my statements! All you're gonna do is discourage them, in the end!"
"That's the plan."
Ignoring the younger she-cat, Honeystream turned back towards them. "Ignore her! Shrewstorm has weird moods sometimes!"
Turning towards the lake, she added, "Well, let's look how well you can swim!"
Bramblepaw winced at the thought of swimming, but gritted his teeth. He had told Shrewstorm that he'd show her, and he was going to do just that! He glanced to his right, where Snowpaw was currently padding towards the lake. Her green eyes flashed verily for a second before his sister set a paw into the water. She pulled it back, shook the drops of it, then started to pad deeper into the water.
Suddenly, his sister's head vanished under the torrents of blue and gray and Bramblepaw started forward, only to freeze mid-step as his sister resurfaced, kicking out with her paws clumsily. Honeystream dove into the water after her, paddling towards the young female. "Very good!" she praised, "Try to kick out more evenly and calm down a bit; you already have the basics down!"
As soon as she turned, golden eyes locking with his amber ones, he lowered his head a bit. "C'mon Bramblepaw, get on in!" she shouted cheerfully in his direction, "I promise it'll be fun!"
He stared at her, then at the water, eyes skeptical. He opened his jaws, but was interrupted.
"Yes, it's so much fun, I promise, too!"
His head snapped up again, turning left. There Hazelpaw was, swimming towards Honeystream and Snowpaw. Honeystream and Hazelpaw seemed both very cheerful. He grimaced, feeling the stares of Foxface and Shrewstorm burn into his pelt.
There was no going back now. He was going to do it. Bramblepaw took a step forward. Then another one. He took a deep breath, then went into the water.