Brambleberry's Path

Chapter 38:

Brambleberry rushed into camp after Hawkwing, his amber eyes wide and gleaming with new light.

She was expecting.

Expecting kits. With hope that he was right and that they were his kits, Brambleberry fought off any cat that came near the brown she-cat alongside the black and white splotched tom from Treeclan that had somehow crossed the lake and into their territory. He wasn't paying attention to where the she-cat was going, and before he knew it, most of the intruders were filing out of the camp. He spotted the large grey tom he had fought earlier with a kit in his mouth and identified the small bundle of fur as Spottedkit, Ivel and Gingerfoot's daughter. But all he cared about in that moment was getting Hawkwing to the nursery safely.

It didn't take him long to realize that Hawkwing wasn't headed towards the nursery.

She was headed towards Brightstar.

The silver tabby she-cat stared at Hawkwing with wide sapphire eyes before she growled with anger.

"Where were you?! We needed you!" She hissed at the deputy. Hawkwing blinked her emerald eyes and flattened her ears against her head.

"Brightstar, I need to tell you something." She mewed gently. Brightstar stared at her with narrowed eyes, waiting for the brown she-cat to continue.

"I-I'm expecting." Hawkwing mewed. Fernfeather stood a little ways behind her and Brightstar noticed that he was there before she put all the pieces together in her mind. With an enraged yowl, she shoved Hawkwing against the tree in the middle of camp and pinned her there, the brown she-cat staring up at her with wide emerald eyes.

"You traitor! You mated with a Treeclan cat, and now you're expecting his kits?! And you left us when we needed you the most!" She screeched. Hawkwing flinched at the anger in Brightstar's voice and tried to shrink away. It was then that the other cats heard the other argument that was going on between Riverheart and Rainwind.

"You can't name our kit after Starclan!" He hissed at his mate. Riverheart growled back and her fur bristled as a small grey and silver tom kit lay by her paws. Brambleberry felt his heart shatter into a million pieces and stared up at Hawkwing with wide amber eyes.

She was expecting someone else's kits.

Not his. And what was worse, it was a Treeclan warrior's kits. He let out a low growl and glared at the black and white splotched cat that had come into their territory. Flexing his claws, he silently started to form a plan. A plan to get rid of the Treeclan warrior.

Brambleberry was sure once he had done that, Hawkwing would be his once and for all.