jayfeather x briarlight fanfic :3

chapter seven: jayfeather

                                    ~The night before the events of chapter six~

Jayfeather closed his eyes slowly, thinking fondly of Briarlight. I'm so glad I made the decision to choose her over Half Moon. Only a moon into our relationship, and I'm the happiest I've ever been! He thought happily. Then he drifted into sleep peacefully. 

_

"Jayfeather!" A voice called to him. He snapped up. Where am I? He asked himself. That voice was familiar. Painfully familiar. 

He padded towards the voice. He couldn't even see in this dream, so he was sort of walking through StarClan's territory aimlessly. "Half Moon?" He called, his heart sinking. She leapt out of the bushes and padded slowly over to Jayfeather. 

"What were you thinking?" She asked him softly. "Briarlight isn't your destiny. It isn't supposed to unfold like this! You'll get all caught up in the relationship and then... alright, half of this is just jealousy, and I'm sorry about that. But what if you make... what if you make Leafpool's mistake?" 

Jayfeather stiffened at the mention of her mother, and his eyes widened furiously. "Don't talk about my mother like what she did was wrong! If she hadn't gotten together with Crowfeather, then I wouldn't be here!" He roared.

Half Moon jumped back. "I'm sorry, Jayfeather. I shouldn't have said it like that. Your mother did no wrong. The warrior code is pretty stupid half the time. But... just be careful, okay?" Half Moon whispered into his ear softly. 

Jayfeather piped down, sighing. "No, Half Moon, I'm sorry. And you're right. I can't be with Briarlight. It's against the code, and you're also right about the fact that the code is pretty stupid. But still. I'll break up with her tomorrow." 

Half Moon stared at him sympathetically. "It's your choice! I don't want you to break up with your true love just because..." she trailed off, sounding sadder and looking down at her paws. 

Quickly, Jayfeather took her chin in his paw and lifted her head, trying to look her in the eyes, hoping he was looking in the right place. "I do really love Briarlight. But Half Moon, I love you too. We'll figure this out once I'm dead, okay?" He asked her with extreme gentleness.

"Okay," Half Moon replied slowly. 

"Promise?" 

"Promise." 

_

The present 

Jayfeather sighed, knowing that he probably hurt Briarlight much more than he intended. But if she had kits, then what would have happened? Would ThunderClan kick them out? What if Leafpool was just favored by Firestar because she was his daughter? No. Firestar was always fair. But he still felt like he should've told Briarlight about the dream instead of lying to her. 

Then again, if he told Briarlight the truth now, would she believe it? Of course she would. She trusted him, and Jayfeather knew it. But what if he ripped a hole in that trust? He tried to shake off all the questions, trying to get back to work with his herb sorting, but Alderheart nudged him before he could make any progress. 

"Jayfeather, you're not even doing anything. Something on your mind?" He asked sympathetically. Jayfeather turned away, annoyed. But then he slowly nodded. "What is it?" Alderheart sat next to him.

"I made Briarlight upset. And I feel terrible about it," he replied.

Alderheart nodded. "It was like that when I made Twigpaw angry-" 

"It's nothing like that! Clearly you weren't in love with her!" Then Jayfeather covered his mouth. He just revealed his secret. And it was worse because he still loved Briarlight.

"Wait... you were in love with Briarlight?" Alderheart tipped his head at Jayfeather, and he nodded. 

"Yes, I do." Now that the secret was out, there was no going back. 

"Aw, Jayfeather. It'll be okay. You'll get through this. And as my mentor, and like a father-figure to me, I'll support you no matter what. And... Briarlight was always like a mother to me-not that Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw weren't enough. But... Brambleclaw died, and Squirrelflight hated him and it... it wasn't a good family to be born in, so now I feel like you guys are my family. So I love you, and I want to best for you," Alderheart mewed gently. "My mouth is shut," he promised.

Jayfeather felt a rush of affection towards his apprentice, and his eyes watered. "Thank you, Alderheart. You're like a brother to me. Maybe a son. I don't know, and I don't think I'm ready for that yet. But you're right. And I love you, too." There was no point in being prickly towards Alderheart now. Clearly he needed some help, since Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight were always fighting. He used to comfort Sparkpelt all the time, so that's probably why he was so good at comforting cats.

He felt Alderheart stiffen. "Really? You do?"

"Well, like, a brother love," Jayfeather snapped. "Hey, and this doesn't mean that you can slip away from work, either!" He continued. 

Alderheart chuckled. "I won't. I'll cover your job for today. Go talk to her. She's by the lake," he told Jayfeather. "She'll be waiting for you, I just know it."

Jayfeather took a deep breath, standing up and nodding gratefully to Alderheart. He confidently strode to the entrance of camp and sliding through the woods soundlessly. Briarlight's scent wafted into his nose, and it had a large twinge of melancholy. She's so sad, he realized, his heart sinking. 

"Briarlight. I need to talk to you. And you need to talk to me. I'm going to tell you the truth. The whole truth."