Brightheart's Revenge

An Unforgiven Grudge

     Three days past since we discovered Ivypool's body and still Bramblestar did nothing about the problem. I was beginning to think I would have to put matters into my paws. He had four days left and that's it. I had to go to him to ask, but right now he seemed busy.
     The morning was cool with the breeze ruffling my patched fur, making me shiver. Leaf-fall wasn't to far away now; a few more moons and the leaves would have fallen and the air would get cooler. I watched in silence, laying with my chin resting on my paws, as the patrols went out. Bramblestar leaned over to Squirrelflight and whispered something in her ear and she nodded. I sat up and waited for her to choose me for a patrol, but my name was never spoken. I flicked my tail but acted like it hadn't bothered me.
     'It's not like I was going to lead a patrol into a battle with WindClan, geez.'
      I looked away and watched Dovewing's kits as they tumbled around. My eyes softened and my heart hurt as I remembered the time I had Whitewing, how happy Cloudtail was and how happy I was. Seemed like a long time ago when I thought about it. They seemed happy and I envied it. "Brightheart," Bramblestar's voice jolted me from my thoughts. I turned my head quickly and watched him pad over to me. "Come with me. We need to discuss this battle with WindClan." My eye widened and I stood up and followed him quickly out if camp. 'Well I guess I won't be taking matter into my own paws... hopefully,'
     The breeze blew through the forest, making the undergrowth stir. I watched as a thrush fluttered away in a hurry, a feather departing from its wing, landing slowly and softly to the ground. I turned my head and saw that Bramblestar was staring at me. "What?" I meowed, realizing that he was talking to me.
     He sighed and stopped walking. "I have thought about this battle that you want to have with WindClan and I agree. But this is also about territory lines, not just Ivypool's death." He explained, sitting down. "I understand that you also want to fight ShadowClan for what they've done to Cloudtail and Dustpelt. But I have decided only one can be done." I narrowed my eye and looked to my paws. 'WindClan isn't that big of a deal and if we beat ShadowClan, WindClan might back down. Maybe I could even attack WindClan on my own...' I shuffled my paws in thought then turned to Bramblestar again. "ShadowClan it is." I decided rather fast. WindClan wasn't that big of a threat anyway, maybe they'll back down. Just maybe.
      He dipped his head and looked away, into the forest. I looked the same direction he did and saw that the grass and leaves were starting to die early. Leaf-fall was coming earlier then I thought. "When will we be fighting?" I prompted, looking around with my one good eye, not looking at him.
"I am not sure about that. I will discuss that with Squirrelflight tonight and get back with you." Bramblestar replied and I turned to face him, nodding. "Thank you," I meowed low after a few heartbeats of silence. He dipped his head but said nothing more, padding away. I stayed where I was, watching him head toward the camp.
     I looked away and walked away, going toward the ShadowClan border. Hopefully, no patrol would be there and I'd be alone. I just needed a walk. ShadowClan needs to be aware of their territory lines anyway.
     Trotting through the undergrowth, ferns and bracken soaking my fur with the dew. I only got half way to it when I spotted Dewpaw and Jayfeather. I stalked up, my body low, and came up behind them. I watched as they silently picked herbs by the roots and made a small pile. They must be stocking up before leaf-fall. Or maybe the battle with ShadowClan.
     "Make sure to get lots of marigold, Dewpaw," Jayfeather meowed, sniffing for more herbs. She simply nodded. The wind ruffly struck her as she stood there, picking up the pile of plants and moving on. "Jayfeather, we should find that catmint, too. Before they're taken and die." Jayfeather popped his head up as she spoke, nodding and leading the way. I watched them go, deciding to stay where I was. I sat up and waited until they were gone before going toward the ShadowClan border again.
     I snarled under my breath and padded softly through the bushes. I looked around just as I came to the border and crouched down. If we were going to attack, I had to see the territory. It was something I knew I had to attempt, even though I knew I might get caught and killed. I looked around and stalked down the border line, searching for a mud puddle.
      I sniffed along until I finally found a small puddle with mucky water in it. I sighed and looked around, rolling in it until I was caked with cold, muddy water. My pelt itched and I fought my instinct to shake out my fur.
      I stalked through the undergrowth and crossed the territory line without hesitation; I told myself over and over, 'They won't smell you, your scent is covered with mud.' I let out small breaths and stuck to the trees and bushes, creeping through the territory. I stopped. I could hear voices. I backed into a bush until I was sure I was covered, watched silently until I spotted three tough warriors chatting away, going toward our territory line. The leaves brushed the drying mud and I felt a cobweb stick to my tail. I begged StarClan not to have a spider in it.
      "ThunderClan is for scardy-mice. If I were in that lame excuse of a Clan I'd be gone in a heartbeat!" One of them snickered, then he stopped. He looked around and sniffed. "Has ThunderClan crossed into our territory?" Another asked, fur sticking up; she, too, was sniffing around. The third was rolling his eyes. "You guys are wasting your time. ThunderClan cats are goody-two paws, they wouldn't do that." The other two exchanged glances and nodded, padding away down the territory lone, snickering away again.
      I sighed in relief, I realized I had been holding my breath. I quickly stalked out if the bush and away, heading further into unknown territory. I looked around and watched a thrush flutter away, narrowing my eye to a slit. 'What have you become?' A voice asked, and I looked around frantically, expecting to see the leader of ShadowClan or even worse, a warrior. But I couldn't find anyone. I shrugged it off and stuck to the bushes and low trees, making sure I wasn't caught. I spotted a puddle, a bigger one, and I looked over my shoulder and around the territory. I slid in and rolled around in it - trying not to make noise. My fur felt sticky and stinky, but my ThunderClan scent was masked. I looked to my paws and fought the urge to shake my fur and get rid of all the muck. My fur dripped mud until the cold air created a solid. "What have you become, Brightheart?" The same voice called, this time familiar and much closer - more out of my mind and in the real world.
      I gulped as I realize who it was. I slowly turned my head to look behind me and I spotted the sparkly, black and white grown-up-apprentice. Swiftpaw.
     "Swiftpaw..." I whispered, letting out a surprised gasp. "This is not you, Brightheart. This battle does not need to happen for revenge." He meowed calmly. "This has to happen. We have been beaten up for too long, and I can no longer watch this Clan I've grown up in be destroyed." I whispered, padding away. A stone-like ball appeared at the bottom of my stomach - I couldn't talk to him anymore, it was killing me. Grief washed over me as Swiftpaw didn't answer.
      I looked over my shoulder quickly and saw that he was gone. I looked away and he was there, eyes slitted and his fur slick. "The warrior with the deadly determination will not be strong enough, for everyone who goes evil does not stay on this ground," I stalked past him and ignored him, going over to a bush, feeling odd because the wind was drying the mud to a crusty layer.
     I hated ignoring the ones I loved, but what I was about to say was going to hurt him and possibly me later on. So I kept my mouth shut and ears down.
     I sniffed around took in the view, making sure I knew what I saw when we attacked. Pine trees were everywhere, swampy-puddles were under some of them with pine-needles scattered everywhere. I spotted a rock and rolled it to a puddle, scratching a mark on it so I knew where I was. I stalked away, looking around and taking in more of the view. The bushes were turning yellow as they died and pine needles fell everywhere, turning orange. The ground was squishier then ThunderClan territory, as if there was underground holes everywhere. I rolled another rock over to a great hiding spot, a fallen pine tree with a dip under it. I marked the rock and carefully climbed over the dead pine tree's trunk.
      I looked around and stalked further into the territory, marking good hiding spots where I'd see them but no ShadowClan warrior would assume someone out them there.
     I finally came to the camp. The sun was going down by then. Quickly, I searched the barrier around it for any hiding spots or any holes to get in. I only found one rain-made dip in the side so I marked it with a few rocks. There was a small puddle in the bottom but it didn't matter.
     Breathing heavily, I stalked away. I tried to race away quietly but I was starting to panic, feeling like someone was watching me. I felt unsafe. I stalked near bushes and trees again, following the rocks until I came to the territory line. Just as I went over the line I heard yells and then heavy paws coming toward me. My heart hammered in my chest, my fur stuck up even with the mud crusted deeply into my fur, my eye wide and I dashed.
      I rolled into the dense wood of a few bushes and scooted until I was covered. I panted heavily from fright and the short run. I caught my breath and looked through the brush, watching carefully as the ShadowClan warriors - the three I had seen when I first snuck into the territory - looked around, fur rose and eyes narrowed to slits. I was glad I got out in time; they looked well fed and strong.
      "I saw a brown cat! It had ThunderClan written all over it! I know it was ThunderClan cats, because it went here!" One yelled, chest heavily and claws unsheathed. "Stop, will ya? It could've been a rogue. If it was, it's now ThunderClans problem. We saw nothing, lets go." The she-cat growled, padding away. She seemed very interested in this situation.
      I slowly backed up when they finally turned around to leave. I sighed in relief and silently stalked toward the lake. The sun was starting to go down by the time I got to the lake; I watched the cool waves as the wind blew across it, the clear water showing pebbles beneath the liquid. Groaning, I stepped into the water. My skin crawled and I shivered as the cold substance wrapped around my body. I fought the urge to run out and just lick my fur clean, but I knew it wouldn't work out to well.
      Holding my breath, I climbed in deeper until my head was just above water, my claws digging into the loose pebbles. I closed my eye for a heartbeat and when I opened it, I started to panic. The loose pebbles had gotten out of reach somehow and I was struggling to keep my head up. I sucked in air desperately as I feared the water would grab me and pull me under. The liquid started turning muddy as I thrashed around, my fur cleaning up but I was still panicking. I somehow managed to swim out even farther into the lake until I was sure I wouldn't be able to touch the bottom unless I could breathe underwater. I panicked even more, my breaths coming in short gasps. My legs grew tired and the water pulled my under.
     I opened my mouth and tried to breathe in, quickly realizing I would drown. The water filled my ears, nose and mouth quickly and I thrashed my legs in all directions. I wasn't going to make it if someone didn't save me.
     I screamed underwater but I barely even heard myself. The sun was turning to dusk and I could barely see the sky underwater. My lungs ached and screamed for air. My nose touched cool air and my muzzle got out and then my head. I gasped and just as I closed my mouth, I went under again. My legs burned with the effort of trying to stay afloat until I couldn't move them.
     I felt paralyzed and doomed.
     Air bubbles escaped my nose and I couldn't stop them. My body was tired and all I could do was lay still. I could feel the air slowly leave my lungs until I had no more left. My body hung in the water as if on a tree branch.
     The water was so cold, so so cold. My blood felt frozen, lungs screamed for that air that was so close, yet so far away. I yearned for hope, but all my hope of living was gone, sunken away, seemed to never be found again. The water surrounded me. Dark, musky water consumed me, dragging me under more and more. My vision was going dark and my head pounded, dying of loss of oxygen. I smiled briefly with my eye closed. I'd finally be at peace. No pressure, just the wind at my fur and no territory lines to close me in.
      Then, the life without me in the Clan flashed before my eyes.
      Dewpaw, Snowpaw, Amberpaw, all devastated at me missing. I wouldn't be able to get revenge on ShadowClan. The Clan fell apart. ShadowClan took over until there was no ThunderClan left.
     And then Cloudtail. His handsome face and white fur, fluffy as usual. No scars, no blood, just his bright blue eyes. "Brightheart, it isn't your time. Fight. You have a job and you haven't done it yet." His voice seemed to echo and I opened my eye, the water was still there and I was still sinking. I stood up straight in the water and watched him, silence ebbing the water until his voice rung in my ears.
     Cloudtail ordered, his voice fading, "It's sink or swim, Brightheart, sink or swim."

*****
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