Brambleclaw's Fury

Part 1

A/N: In this book, not everything is exact and like the books portray it- this is an AU, after all.

"Brambleclaw, we didn't get along well, at first", Squirrelflight began. Brambleclaw felt his heart lift. She loved him! But then she continued. "Then I realized after the fights, and us not getting along, and that I never loved you that way!" she laughed a bit, realizing how awkward the conversation was. "And well, I knew that- well, I love Ashfur! And Brambleclaw," she paused, placing a paw over his, real concern in her eyes. "I know that you know that we wouldn't be very good mates. I think it's better that we're just friends". Dawn light leaked into the entrance of the den. She smiled and touched her nose to his, and then went to sit outside, with Ashfur nearby.

Ashfur grinned widely when he heard the news, and he wrapped his tail around her. Brambleclaw was crushed. He couldn't believe it! After all he had done for Squirrelflight, she rejected him! He had even apologized for the fights and arguments they had! Brambleclaw felt like a vast empty hole had swallowed him up. He had been so eager the night before to tell her what he felt for her. Now he just wanted to go back to sleep, and never wake up. He felt terrible. It felt like somebody had clawed at his heart. He padded back to his moss bed, and slumped down, covering his head with his paws. Why had he tried? He wasn't good enough for her. She was beautiful and smart, and she would never choose a cat like him. He was mad. Why had he done that? He knew that she would- could never love him. He curled up and tried to go back to sleep, but he couldn't.

"Wake up, sleepypaws!" Thornclaw poked him with his paw. Brambleclaw didn't respond. Thornclaw poked him harder. "Brambleclaw! You have the patrol! It's sunhigh already!" Brambleclaw shook his head. How could he carry on? The love of his life had rejected him.

"I just want..." he trailed off. Thornclaw sighed, wrapping his tail around his paws and sitting down.

"I know Brambleclaw. We all want to sleep- but we can't!" he responded impatiently. "Fine! I don't care, get in trouble with Firestar!" he retorted. And then he promptly turned around and headed out of the den. Brambleclaw laid there for a couple more heartbeats, then heaved himself up and out of his nest, and lazily began to groom himself. He sighed. He felt terrible. It was a cool morning. It was, in fact, sunhigh already and Sandstorm beckoned him over with a flick of her tail. He headed over.

"What?" he grunted grumpily.

Sandstorm frowned, then responded, "You're going on patrol with..." Brambleclaw tuned her out as he looked across the clearing and saw Squirrelflight playing with one of the apprentices. Ashfur came up and she touched noses with him and gave him a gaze full of warmth, but something else too. Brambleclaw wished that was him. Sandstorm scowled.

"Brambleclaw! Are you even listening?" He glared at Sandstorm. She already seemed irritated this morning, but he didn't care.

"Fine." He padded off in a random direction until Thornclaw called him over for patrol duty. Apparently, he had been put on a patrol with the golden-brown tom, along with Mousefur and Graystripe.

"I'll catch up", he muttered, wandering off on his own once again, having no intention of catching up with them. He just wanted to be alone. How could hecope with this? How could he live with Squirrelflight and Ashfur beingtogether? She had broken his heart. Then he had a great idea.

The only solution to this whole Ashfur-and-Squirrelflight problem was to do something so heroic and great, that Squirrelflight would leave Ashfur forhim, and regret she had ever left him.

A couple of days later, he went about to execute his plan. He would stop before any real damage was done. Squirrelflight would love him again, and Ashfur would be nothing but a piece of fox dung to her. There was one place, that would work. He bounded up to the medicine den.

"Leafpool!" he called.

"Come in!" she answered. Brambleclaw headed in.

"I found some catnip near the old abandoned Twoleg place!" he exclaimed happily. Her eyes lit up with joy.

"Really? That's great! I haven't been able to find catnip there or anywhere lately, but I suppose I could have missed it". Brambleclaw nodded, digging his claws into the dirt underneath him, eager to start his plan.

"You should have a warrior escort you". She shrugged.

"I didn't think I needed one, there haven't been any foxes or badgers or even Twolegs around lately". Brambleclaw scraped his claw against the stone floor impatiently. This would only work if he was there to save her. But there was another thing. She said this as if she wanted to see someone. She wasn't planning to meet Crowfeather, was she? When the badger fight had happened, Crowfeather and Leafpool had come back to the Clans. They had come just in time to help, too. But Cinderpelt had passed away from her wounds, and she had died the death of a noble cat, protecting Sorreltail and her newly born kits who were born during the fight. But Brambleclaw didn't mention it.

"Firestar and the Clan would want a cat to go with you, just in case anything happened", he pressed. And he'd want someone to save you, he thought, but of course, didn't add that. She finally relented, sighing.

"Okay, and I guess it'd be best, and besides, I'll need help carrying back some catnip". He nodded. They headed off into the forest for the old abandoned Twoleg place. It took them a while, but they finally reached it. His plan was simple. He knew there was a snake's nest near a hole in a patch of ferns. He would lead her there, then the snake would lunge for her, trying to bite her. Brambleclaw would save Leafpool before it could bite her, and then they would go back to the Clan and she would tell everyone how he saved her, and then Squirrelflight would realize how much better he was than Ashfur, and then she would be with him again.

"I don't smell catnip..." said Leafpool, puzzled.

"I think there's some over there", lied Brambleclaw. He led her over to where the snake's nest was. He kicked the snake's nest and then edged away from it discreetly. She shrugged and went beside the snake's nest to find the catnip, not knowing the danger that was hidden inside.

"Brambleclaw, there's no—" she stopped as a snake lunged for her. Brambleclaw darted in to stop it like he was supposed to. But he was too late. The snake clung to where Leafpool's eye should be. She yowled.

"Leafpool!" he cried, distressed. Brambleclaw darted his paw out quick to flick the snake off. She yowled again. He crushed the snake, then bit its neck to make sure it was dead. There were two ragged red lines over her left eye where the snake's fangs had dug in when Brambleclaw had pulled it off. She stumbled.

"Leafpool! I- I- I didn't mean for this to happen, I promise!" he panicked, not knowing what to do. He might have just ruined his only chance to be with Squirrelflight. He rushed to support her. She yowled, not knowing what else to do. Brambleclaw grabbed the back of her neck and hauled her onto his back slowly. She kept slipping off. He eventually ended up hauling her short distances across the forest until they got back to camp.

A/N: Comment, vote, and stay tuned for the next chapter!

~Swiftstar