Chapter 4: Bramblestar

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BRAMBLESTAR

            As Bramblestar finished speaking, he wondered if Tawnypelt was stealing prey from ThunderClan. No it couldn’t be! Tawnypelt was a good cat, and she was born a ThunderClan cat! But her father, Tigerstar, was the most ambitious, greedy, and malicious cat in the forest, a dark voice whispered inside of his head. No, Tigerstar was his father too and he was a good cat!

            How many innocent cats were there in ShadowClan that would suffer if ThunderClan attacked the camp? The kits, the elders, the queens, possibly his sister if she truly was innocent…no, he knew couldn’t think like that. How many blameworthy cats would get away with prey-stealing if he didn’t attack the ShadowClan camp?

            Bramblestar sighed. Firestar would have known what to do. His mentor had been able to handle just about every situation perfectly. It was Firestar who kept his Clan calm when Bramblestar’s father, the sinister Tigerstar, led an army of Dark Forest warriors to attack the four Clans and it was Firestar who sacrificed his ninth life to kill Tigerstar’s spirit.

            Just as he was about to drift into sleep, Bramblestar heard a soft, gentle mew. Recognizing Shadepaw’s voice, he meowed, “Come in!” The pretty black apprentice was carrying two voles, and she dropped one at his feet. Bramblestar muttered his thanks before asking, “Why have you come here? Have you received a sign from StarClan?”  

            Shadepaw shook her head and took a bite of her vole.  She turned and fixed her sparkling green eyes on him. Bramblestar felt as if Shadepaw could see right through him. Then she meowed unexpectedly, “You’re thinking about Tawnypelt, aren’t you?”

            Caught by surprise, Bramblestar did not know how to reply. “Uh, well…maybe…well, yes,” he stammered.

            Bramblestar was surprised to see sympathy in her eyes. She murmured, “I know what it’s like to lose your sister.” He realized she was thinking about Streampaw. “You have it worse. I can at least see my sister at Gatherings and when we run into each other patrolling the borders, but you never see your sister at all. She is…”he began.

            “Wrong again,” Shadepaw interrupted. “I see my sister at the Moonpool sometimes, and at least my sister isn’t an enemy warrior.”

            Bramblestar didn’t know how to respond to that. They ate the rest of their fresh-kill in silence. Shadepaw finally devoured the last bite of her vole. She stood to leave, and her glowing green gaze rested on his amber eyes. “Jayfeather will be back soon,” she said. “It is past sunhigh now. If you need anything, I’ll be in my den.”

            Shadepaw was almost to the entrance when she turned around and said, “I can guarantee that wherever she is and whatever she is doing now, Tawnypelt is thinking about you.”

            Bramblestar was about to find out that she was right.

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