Omen of the Sun Book Three: Dusk

Chapter Three

Brambleflower

Brambleflower checked behind her numerous times as she sped through the forest. Should I go home? She wondered, her paw held haltingly over the ground, poised to turn. She was a part of HollyClan now- or was she? She didn't know.

She sighed and continued on the way she was going. No, she supposed she wasn't a part of HollyClan, at least, not anymore. She had a secret, and she was going to tell CloudClan, because they deserved to know. Their leader is a traitor. I know what she and Mintflame did. Betrayed us all.

She didn't feel very sorry for Mintflame, only worried. Worried that he would find her. Worried that she should've kept silent. But things were awful in HollyClan- the leader, Leafstar, refused to come out of his den, the deputy didn't send out nearly enough patrols, and they were starving. Brambleflower quite missed her old life, as a kittypet, but didn't dare say it. The Clan was a mess. She had to go.

She did feel a little guilty for leaving Hazeltooth, but the cat was an idiot, and she had practically disowned Brambleflower. They were sisters, and they should've stuck together. Guess Hazeltooth forgot about that.

Brambleflower sniffed the air, and smelt the scet of CloudClan- pure, and fresh, and watery, like a river. She took a deep breath, and stepped over the border line. She cringed, waiting for the onslaught that was bound to happen. Oh, why didn't she stay in HollylClan? She-

Nothing happened.

Squeezing her eye open a crack, Brambleflower swept her gaze around the forest. Nothing. Not even a mouse, which was quite disappointing, since she was starving. I hope CloudClan has food... Oh, but I don't want to give them trouble!

Shaking her head, she continued on her way.

"Hey!" A cat shouted, and Brambleflower squeezed her eyes shut.

"What are you doing here?" Someone asked. Her voice was familiar. Turning, Brambleflower saw who had spoken. "Sunpaw!"

"You know her, Sunpool?" The cat who had shouted asked, his tone gruff.

Sunpaw nodded. "I- er- well- yes, I do. You're a kittypet," she informed Brambleflower. "Oh, and it's Sunpool now."

Brambleflower nodded nervously. "Right! Sunpool! Nice, nice. Um. I... I have something to tell you, is this your entire Clan-?"

She spoke haltingly. Get it together!

Sunpool snorted. "No, of course not. Whiteswirl, shall we bring her back?"

The tom who had shouted considered Brambleflower. "Well, she says she has a message for us. Maybe we should."

"Whiteswirl-"

"I'm leading this patrol, Shadowfur."

Turning, Whiteswirl led the way back to camp. The black she cat who had tried to argue sent Brambleflower a cool, calculating look, then turned back.

Brambleflower hurried to catch up with Sunpool. "So! Sunpaw- I mean, Sunpool. Uh, how's it going?"

"Leave me alone," Sunpool muttered, speeding up. Brambleflower wondered what was wrong with her, but decided not to push it.

Following the patrol silently, she prepared to speak in front of the Clan.

~*~

"We're here," Whiteswirl announced a few minutes later, sweeping his tail through the melting snow to the entrance to the camp. "Don't try anything."

Nodding, Brambleflower followed the patrol in.

"Applestar!" Whiteswirl called.

A silver tabby she cat looked up from where she was sitting at the corner of the camp, four kits suckling at her belly. "Yes, White- Who in the name of StarClan is that?!"

She jabbed her tail in Brambleflower's direction.

"This is a cat we met inside our borders," Whiteswirl said. "She claims she has a message for the Clan."

Applestar looked at her cooly. "State your name and Clan."

"I'm Brambleflower of HollyClan," Brambleflower meowed. "Or, should I say, formerly of HollyClan. I- er- I left."

Applestar nodded. "And what exactly is your message?"

She was so careless, Brambleflower said, with who she spoke with, and how loudly, and where. If she were leader, she'd be stowing Brambleflower in her den and hissing for her to tell her all she knew about HollyClan. But you're not leader. And it must be harder, with kits.

Brambleflower squared her shoulders. She had had a feeling this question was coming. Now was the time for courage, for truth. Now was the time for justice.

"It's a message concerning matters which I can only disclose with the whole Clan in attendance," she informed Applestar, making sure she sounded official.

Applestar narrowed her eyes at her, then nodded. "Very well."

She beant down and whispered something to her kits, who disengaged themselves from her stomach. Shouldn't she have a stand-in for her since she has kits? Brambleflower wondered.

Applestar strode confidentally over to a pile of rocks at the back of the camp. "All cats old enough to climb Sky Tree gather beneath the Rock Pile for a Clan meeting!"

She did have a certain aura of commading power, Brambleflower thought. Maybe she was young, but she seemed to have confidence.

Well, not so much after I say my bit.

Brambleflower stepped forward to the Rock Pile and waited by the side. Cats gathered around it, some casting curious glances at her. She noticed that a light gray she cat stayed at the back, half in a den, casting anxious glances back into the den every once in a while. Is she the medicine cat?

"Cats of CloudClan, this she cat, Brambleflower, has come to us from HollyClan to give us a message," Applestar announced, the words rolling easily off her tongue. "We will sit as her audiance, because she has risked much coming here."

I have? I mean, I have.

Applestar leaped down from the Rock Pile and nodded at her. Brambleflower took a deep breath, and scaled the Rock Pile. It was so high up, she could see everyone and everyting.

"Cats of CloudClan," she began, rolling through her much-rehearsed speech in her head. "You think that you know your leader. Your family. Your friends."

Applestar shot her a look, and CloudClan began to murmur among themselves. Perfect.

"But. You don't," Brambleflower continued.

"Every night, some of these cats train in a place known as the Dark Forest. The Dark Forest is the place where evil souls go when they die, such as the well-known Hawkfeather or Talonwing. You can't trust anyone. Anyone could be a spy."

Am I doing this right?

"In fact," she added, sweeping her gaze around the clearing, landing finally on Applestar. "Your leader trains there, in the place of the evil, and learns to overthrow the Clans. Your medicine cat does too. There is nobody you can trust. Nobody you can save. Not when the evil is within you."

She made to jump off the Rock Pile, then paused. She was getting a very good reaction from them; Applestar looked murderous (gulp) and the medicine cat was snarling. The cats of CloudClan were casting shocked looks at each other. Perfect, Brambleflower thought, pleased.

"Oh," she added. "Just thought you should know- Applestar's kits? They aren't Goldleaf's."

With a dramatic flick of her tail, she turned and leapt over the wall of the camp.

She had done it.

She had exposed them.

And now, she was probably going to die.

Oma :O Shizzle is gonna happen!

If anyone is confused as to who Brambeflower is, she's Stanley the kittypet. Speaking of which, the real Stanley, who Brambleflower is based off of, died D; so I wanted to bring her back into the book.

R.I.P. Stanley...

-Rainfeather