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Chapter Text

It was a beautiful night for a stroll.

The full moon cast a silvery glow over everything it touched, and the stars seemed to shine even brighter than usual. It was so beautiful, in fact, that Brambleclaw didn’t even mind missing this moons gathering. He slowed down, taking in the sound of crickets chirping and breeze rustling through the trees. This is peaceful. He inhaled, the cool night air refreshing his senses and calming him. There was the taste of mouse in the air, and Brambleclaw followed it, in the mood for some night hunting. Pawsteps light, he hid in a clump of ferns and watched his prey. It scurried through the undergrowth, searching through leaf litter for something to eat. Brambleclaw licked his lips and narrowed his eyes, preparing for the pounce.

But then a chilling howl cut through the air. The mouse darted away and Brambleclaw stiffened, tasting the air to try and locate the dog. Mouse-dung! It’s the gathering tonight, the camp is unprotected! There’s hardly anyone around. I can’t call for help if something goes wrong.

Its scent was strong, so strong Brambleclaw couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed it before now. He stood up, eyes darting wildly around as he searched for any flash of fur, anything that would show him a dog was near. Thankfully, he couldn’t see anything. I better get out of here and get someone to help me drive it away.

The night seemed angry now, the tranquillity from before gone. Everything seemed darker now, the night completely silent. Even the insects were hidden away, seemingly aware of the threat.

There was a bark, louder than before. The dog was getting closer. Brambleclaw started to run, focused on nothing but getting back to the safety of camp. He realised with a sense of dread that he was running with the wind; his sense of smell was completely cut off. The dog could be right behind him, and he wouldn’t know it.

And then he heard the growl.

There was a dog, the biggest dog he’d ever seen. It had red eyes and yellow teeth that dripped with saliva. It was the biggest dog Brambleclaw had ever seen, and it was slowly creeping towards him. It had black, bushy fur and a horribly misshapen body. It was truly something straight out of a nightmare.

He ran faster than he’d ever run before, desperate to not only get away from the beast, but also keep it away from camp. He remembered when he was only a new apprentice, and the dog pack had torn through the forest and almost wiped out ThunderClan. I can’t let that happen again.

He was getting tired, but the dog was not. It continued to chase him, snapping at the tip of his tail. There was no time to climb a tree, there was nowhere for him to hide.

I have to fight.

Brambleclaw sprang and turned, hissing furiously at the dog. It was even bigger than he’d first thought, he could see every hair on its pelt up close. Suddenly it lunged towards him, jaws snapping wildly at the air. Brambleclaw barely managed to scamper out of the way in time. The dog snarled angrily, slobber flying everywhere as it turned to snap at Brambleclaw again. The young warrior slashed at its muzzle, sending drops of blood everywhere.

He wasn’t expecting the dog to grab his foreleg in its teeth. It bit down hard, tearing at his flesh. Brambleclaw screamed, struggling to get free to no avail. He yowled in pain, but the dog only seemed to relish his screams, biting down even harder. The dog then shook him roughly, as though Brambleclaw was nothing more than a toy. I don’t want to die… Blood was soaking his fur. His eyesight was going blurry. Brambleclaw let out a final, weak cry as everything faded into black.

Chapter Text

Squirrelpaw paced around the camp, waiting for her mentor Dustpelt to finally finish eating so she could go hunting. Shrewpaw, Spiderpaw and Whitepaw had all already gone out, and it was completely unfair that she had to wait. I bet Spiderpaw will be so smug about it when he gets back. Come on Dustpelt, hurry up!

Dustpelt finally finished eating after what seemed like moons, gulping down the last bite and digging a small hole to bury the bones. As soon as he swallowed the last bite, Squirrelpaw raced over to him. “Can we go out now?”

“We don’t even have a full patrol yet,” Dustpelt grumbled. “Greystripe! Anyone you want us to take with us?”

Greystripe glanced around camp. “You can take Brambleclaw and Rainwhisker with you.”

Oh great, Brambleclaw. The most annoying cat in ThunderClan. Squirrelpaw absolutely hated the dark tabby warrior; he always acted like he was better than her and treated her like a dumb kit. It was infuriating. It was good to have Rainwhisker on the patrol though. He was quiet, preferring to let other cats talk, and when he did speak, his voice was soft. But he was also the only cat in the clan who didn’t mind Squirrelpaw’s constant talking. He got up and stood next to them as soon as his name was called, but Brambleclaw was nowhere to be seen. That’s weird. He usually yells at me for being late to patrol.  “Squirrelpaw, go wake up Brambleclaw,” ordered Dustpelt.

Squirrelpaw made a face. “Can’t we just go without him?”

Dustpelt shot her a glare that told her that any more arguing would be useless. Rolling her eyes, she stomped into the warriors den and looked around for Brambleclaw.

He wasn’t there. Squirrelpaw could tell by his stale scent that he hadn’t slept in the den all night. Weird.

“Where’s Brambleclaw?” Squirrelpaw could tell by the accusatory note in her mentor’s voice that he thought she had chosen not to wake him.

“I don’t know, he wasn’t there.”

Rainwhisker looked a little worried. “Should we look for him when we go out?”

Oh great. I could be going on a perfectly good hunting patrol, but instead I’m looking for a stupid furball. Thanks a lot, Brambleclaw. “Do we have to? He probably went out by himself,” Squirrelpaw complained.

Dustpelt shot her a glare. “I don’t know why you don’t like Brambleclaw, but he’s your clanmate whether you like it or not. We’re looking for him.” Squirrelpaw grumbled to Rainwhisker as she stomped through the undergrowth, imagining Spiderpaw’s smug face when she came back to camp empty-pawed. Hopefully the patrol wouldn’t have to spend too long looking for Brambleclaw before Dustpelt let them go hunting. When I find that stupid furball I swear…

Rainwhisker paused suddenly, tasting the air with wide, shocked, eyes. His whiskers trembled fearfully. “What is it, Rainwhisker?” Squirrelpaw eyed her friend worriedly.

“Do you smell blood?”

Squirrelpaw lifted her head and tasted the air, the faint scent of blood leaving a coppery tang in her throat. Her fur bristled in alarm. A tiny part of her hoped that some cat had just made a messy kill while hunting, but the blood had a different smell to the sweetness of prey blood. “Let’s go!”

The patrol moved forward in silence, racing towards the scent as it got stronger and stronger until it was all around Squirrelpaw, choking her with its thick scent. She could scent dog underneath it, horrified realisation filling her mind as she pieced together what happened. And then she saw it.

Squirrelpaw skidded to a halt, her mouth agape in horror. Brambleclaw was lying on the ground, his right foreleg a mess of bloody flesh and tattered fur. Dried blood clung to the grass and leaf-litter around him, already dry and sticky. Rainwhisker let out a screech of horror, running over to the warrior he had grown up with. “Brambleclaw?” Rainwhisker shook him gently at first, then more firmly as he didn’t respond. Squirrelpaw might have thought his was dead if not for the slow rise and fall of his chest. “We have to get him to camp!”

Dustpelt stared at Brambleclaw, face twisted in something Squirrelpaw had never seen before. “Load him onto my back. I’m strong enough to carry him.”

As Rainwhisker loaded the unconscious (but somehow alive) warrior onto Dustpelt’s back, Squirrelpaw stared on with a worm of guilt in her chest. She wouldn’t have complained if she knew this is what she’d find. I’m sorry, Brambleclaw.

The return was much slower, but they moved as fast as they could safely transport Brambleclaw. After what seemed like seasons of hearing rattling breathing in her ears, the camp entrance finally came into view. “Everyone, out of my way!” Dustpelt yowled, pushing through the entrance. Rainwhisker followed him, Squirrelpaw entering last.

She could already hear Goldenflowers wail as soon as she entered camp. The sound of it sent chills to Squirrelpaw’s heart. Goldenflower sounded utterly hopeless, her wail the essence of fear and despair. If I ever saw Leafpaw like that, I don’t know what I’d do.

Her wail seemed to call everyone from their dens, all stopping in shocked horror as they saw what happened to their clanmate. Cinderpelt raced over beside Goldenflower, pressing her pelt against her comfortingly. “Don’t worry, Goldenflower. I’ll take care of him. Dustpelt, take Brambleclaw to my den.” Cinderpelt seemed calm despite the situation. She’s used to stuff like this, I guess. Squirrelpaw couldn’t help but worry about her sister, Leafpaw. She was a medicine cat apprentice, but she was much less experienced and worried easily. Squirrelpaw could feel her sister fretting over which herbs to use and tried to send her comforting thoughts. I believe in you!

The clan started to gossip anxiously over what had happened to Brambleclaw. Cats started to crowd around the medicine den, and it took Cinderpelt a while to chase all but Firestar and Goldenflower away.

“Hey Squirrelpaw! Do you know what happened to him?”

It was Spiderpaw, the most annoying of all the apprentices and currently one of her least favourite cats in the clan. “No, I don’t,” she snapped.

“Doesn’t your nose work? Surely you could have found some sort of clue?”

The remark made Squirrelpaw pause. The scent of blood and fear covered almost everything, but that had been another scent hidden underneath it. “There was a dog.”

Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say, and apparently the entire clan had been listening to their conversation. “A dog!” Brightheart cried out, pressing against Cloudtail. “What if the pack’s returned?”

Now there really was chaos everywhere. Cats were shouting at each other, individual words impossible to decipher in the chaos. It was enough to intimidate even Squirrelpaw, who usually thought the crazier something was, the better.

“ENOUGH!”

Everyone went silent. Squirrelpaw turned to the leader’s rock and saw Firestar staring down at his clanmates. “All of you, stay calm. The dog pack was destroyed long ago, but there might be another. Greystripe, organise a patrol to check just in case. Everyone else, don’t panic. I’ll make sure nobody else is harmed.”

The clan seemed to relax at his words. Greystripe assigned a patrol to go after the dog, and while the rest of the clan continued to gossip, they were much quieter than before. Seeing his clan was okay, Firestar jumped back down from the Highrock and trotted into the medicine den. Squirrelpaw couldn’t help still feeling unsettled. Something tells me this isn’t the end.

Chapter Text

Brambleclaw woke up feeling like he was about to vomit. He was dizzy, disoriented, and in a world of pain. Bursts of black and white appeared in his already blurry vision, and he forced himself not to close his eyes again. What happened?

“Are you okay?”

Brambleclaw could hear Firestars voice next to him, but the very thought of turning his head made him nauseous and speaking was horribly difficult. In the end, he only managed to make a noise that sounded like a cross between a moan and a whimper.

“I’m going to get Goldenflower, okay? Don’t worry. Cinderpelt said you’re going to be okay.”

Brambleclaw didn’t feel okay. His leg felt like it was burning, his entire body felt like it was being squeezed.

Goldenflower was crying when she came in. Brambleclaw wanted to reassure her, but every noise he made sounded like he was in pain. So he stayed silent as his mother cried and stared at the ground, feeling horribly guilty.

“You poor thing. Cinderpelt said your leg should heal, so you’ll be okay. And Firestar sent out patrols to kill the thing that did this. You’ll be okay.” Goldenflower sounded like she was trying to convince herself as much as Brambleclaw. He wanted to tell her he was fine (even though he wasn’t) and comfort her. But even staying awake was an effort, and Brambleclaw found himself drifting into unconsciousness before long.

***

The next time he woke was three days later, and he felt much better. The sensation of being squeezed was still there, but it was less prominent than before. His head was clear, and his leg didn’t hurt as much anymore. Leafpaw brought him prey and told him what was going on in the clan, and Goldenflower and Firestar had both visited him in the day he’d been awake.

But Brambleclaw was growing restless, sick of being helpless. He was determined to at least be able to go to the dirtplace by himself, rather than relying on someone to help him walk. He was a warrior, not a kit, after all.

Ignoring the pain that shot through his leg with every step, Brambleclaw limped across camp and through the dirtplace tunnel without anyone stopping him. Once he was in the woods, a voice sounded behind him. It wasn’t one he recognised.

***

Ebony thought that the forest was abandoned. If they knew that it was home to a large group of cats, they would have run to the twolegplace immeadiately and locked themself in some sort of twoleg thing.

They could remember the night of the full moon, but only in flashes. They remembered attacking a cat. They remembered biting him. And of course, they knew the consequences for it. I can’t believe I did this to an innocent cat.

Maybe he wasn’t innocent. If Ebony pretended the cat they’d bitten was the most evil, wicked, villainous cat alive, it eased the guilt, if only a little. But no matter who it was, I need to find him and tell him what’s going to happen.

Luckily, it wasn’t too hard. ebony found their camp easily, and the cats didn’t seem cautious unless they were hunting prey. The cat had a horribly mangled foreleg that caused him to limp, and Ebony could recognise the werewolf bite marks covering it. “I’m so sorry,” they whispered.

The cat turned, his face confused and angry. “Rogue! Get off our territory, or I’ll call a patrol!”

Ebony didn’t move. “I will leave as soon as you’ve heard what I’ve got to say.” They took a deep breath. “I bit you on the full moon a few nights ago. You’re a werewolf now. I’m so sorry.”

“Werewolf?” The cat echoed. “What are you talking about?”

Ebony couldn’t hide the surprise from their face. Every cat had heard of werewolves, even if they thought they were only stories. “You’re going to turn into a wolf every full moon. When that happens, stay away from other cats, because if you bite them, they’ll become a werewolf as well.”

The cat didn’t show any signs of emotion. No fear lit up his face, no sorrow or understanding. “You expect me to believe that? I’ll give you a chance to get away from ThunderClan territory before I call a patrol.”

It’s no use. “Please, next full moon get as far away from everyone as you can!”

Ebony darted away, worry lacing their every step. Those poor cats…

***

Three days passed. Brambleclaw did some stretches and played with Ferncloud’s kits. No patrols could find the rogue, nor had they been able to find the dog a quarter moon prior. Brambleclaw hoped that meant it had left the territory. He had hardly spared a thought to the rogues’ words. It was obviously a lie.

He was beginning to get impatient from being trapped in camp. How long will my leg take to heal?  He wasn’t allowed outside of camp without a warrior, and he was only allowed go on short walks to make sure he didn’t injure his leg further. Brambleclaw felt like a kit again. To make himself useful and have something to do, he was helping the apprentices with all their tasks, something Squirrelpaw seemed to find hilarious (though she had been less annoying since the attack).

“Hey Brambleclaw! I saw Tawnypelt on patrol just then.” Ashfur sat beside him with his tail curled around his paws.

“How’s she doing?”

“She’s fine. She heard about the attack though. She was distraught.”

Brambleclaw felt a prick of guilt over how many cats he’d made worry with his injury. “I’m glad she’s okay.”

Ashfur chuckled. “Better than you, anyway. How’s your leg?”

“Cinderpelt said it’s healing well, so I should be allowed out again by the next gathering.”

The next full moon. What if the rogue wasn’t lying?

He mentally scolded himself. Of course it was a lie, whoever heard of cats turning into dogs?

“That’s good. Well, I promised Ferncloud I’d watch her kits for a bit, so I’ll see you later.”

Brambleclaw mewed goodbye to Ashfur and found himself incredibly bored once again. He’d already performed every task Cinderpelt allowed him to do, and now he had nothing to do.

Deciding that a nap would help pass the time (and convince Cinderpelt that he was recovering), he flopped into his temporary nest and curled up, watching Leafpaw sort herbs. Occasionally she would find something rotten or shrivelled and cast it aside, muttering to herself. It was interesting to watch.

Eventually she came upon a cluster of purple flowers. She stared at them for a moment, frowning. “Wolfsbane… this shouldn’t be here.”

She tossed the herb over her shoulder and slid the herbs that touched it to a separate pile. The flowers she’d thrown originally landed on Brambleclaw’s injured leg.

There was a sizzling sound from where the flower touched his flesh, and he recoiled with a hiss. He suddenly felt like all the energy had been sucked out of him, staring at the herb with an expression more scared than he’d ever looked at a plant before.

Leafpaw turned, frowning in concern. “Are you okay?”

Brambleclaw stared at the plant she’d thrown as though it might lunge at him. “That plant burnt me when I touched it.”

Leafpaw’s face was disbelieving until he showed her the burn wound on his paw. “How is that possible? Wolfsbane is poisonous, but it shouldn’t do that. Wait here, I need to get Cinderpelt to treat that.”

Brambleclaw frowned at the plants name. Wolfsbane.

Something about it felt a little too foreshadowing.

Chapter Text

Another half-moon passed normally. Brambleclaw’s leg had recovered to the point where he no longer needed poultices, and he could walk without pain. Most of his leg was still host to horrible pink scars, but dark tabby fur was beginning to grow back in patches where his wounds weren’t as bad. He wasn’t allowed to join patrols yet, but he no longer needed to stay in the medicine den, allowed to use his regular nest in the warriors den. He was finally allowed out of camp by himself, a privilege he had been using to its full value. Determined to make up for the time he’d spent in the medicine den, Brambleclaw went out whenever Cinderpelt allowed it. Goldenflower was a lot more worried than Brambleclaw was about him going out; she fretted over him like he was a kit and insisted on accompanying him whenever she could. It was sweet, if a little overbearing.

Brambleclaw made sure to be extra cautious, determined that nobody would be able to sneak up on him. No dogs, no lying rogues. Even though he didn’t believe a thing the rogue had said, Brambleclaw couldn’t help but feel a prickle of unease, a sense that something was wrong. Recently, as the full moon drew closer the squeezing feeling had gotten worse, a faint buzzing noise in his head accompanying it. He blamed it on the herbs Cinderpelt had given him, but that excuse was running out. He was also ravenously hungry and was always starving even after he had just eaten. It’s because I’m recovering. No matter how many excuses he made, the unease remained. A tiny voice in his head that questioned whether the rogue had told him the truth. But that’s impossible, right?

Brambleclaw wished he had something to distract him from his worries and doubts. His clanmates stopped to talk to him frequently, but it was only a matter of time before they were summoned for their warrior duties. Brambleclaw watched the entrance of camp, jealous at all the warriors free to patrol. What good am I as a warrior who can’t even do my duties?

Hollykit tumbled out of the nursery, Birchkit chasing after her. Larchkit appeared last, carrying a moss ball that she threw to Hollykit. Brambleclaw felt his mood lift as he watched them play. If I want to be helpful, I can take care of the kits for a bit.

Brambleclaw watched the kits play, whiskers twitching in amusement at their overdramatic movements and the way they acted like nothing was more important than winning the game. Hollykit threw the moss ball as high as she could into the air. “Catch it, Birchkit!”

Birchkit scampered after the moss ball, eyes locked on the toy instead of his surroundings. He leapt towards it with stubby kitten legs and crashed into Brambleclaw. He stumbled from the impact, catching himself with his good leg at the last moment. “Sorry, Brambleclaw!” The tiny kit squeaked.

Brambleclaw grinned, hooking the toy under his claws. “I’ll forgive you, but only if you can beat me at moss ball!”

Birchkit let out a delighted squeal. “Larchkit! Hollykit! Let’s beat him!”

Brambleclaw hadn’t played like this since he was a kit. It was nice, to be able to be carefree once again. He lost track of time as he played with them, but it must have been at least an hour. He felt a tiny pinprick of remorse for the past, when he was a tiny kit playing with Snowkit and Tawnypelt. I wish they were still here.

“Brambleclaw? You look sad. Are you sad?” Hollykit stared at him with wide, worried eyes.

Brambleclaw shook his head reassuringly. “I’m not sad. It’s getting late, you should probably go back to Ferncloud now, okay?”

Hollykit nodded and scampered back to the nursery with her siblings. It was late, a lot later than Brambleclaw had realised. The sun was setting, casting the edges of the sky in a reddish-orange glow. Above Brambleclaw, the sky was inky black with stars speckled across it. It reminded Brambleclaw of the night he’d been attacked, and he shuddered at the memory.

Brambleclaw stared at the sky until the sun completely set, replaced by the silvery glow of the almost-full moon. It’s beautiful. As the warriors of ThunderClan slowly retreated to their dens and curled into their nests, Brambleclaw stayed outside and stared at the sky.

He had a sudden feeling that this was the last peace he’d see in a while. But what could possibly be coming? ThunderClan wasn’t at war, and the weather posed no threat at the moment. There was an abundance of prey, especially for this late in Greenleaf. Nothing is going to happen. I’m just being paranoid.

The tingling, squeezing feeling in his muscles almost seemed to grow stronger as he stared at the moon. He tensed as he made the connection, fur bristling slightly. I must be crazy. Do I seriously believe I have some sort of moon sickness? No way! I’m just imagining that the moon’s making me feel different. It’s all just paranoia.

Forcing himself to tear his gaze from the sky, Brambleclaw slunk into warriors den and tiptoed around the sleeping warriors to hide in his nest. Absolutely nothing is wrong.

Chapter Text

 It was the night of the full moon, and the gathering patrol had already left. Brambleclaw was glad not to be on it, his head was pounding and he felt sicker than ever. The buzzing in his head was so loud he could hardly think, and he felt horribly nauseous. But all the physical sickness was nothing compared to the terrified thoughts racing through his head. This isn’t real, right? I’m not going to turn into a dog, nothing’s going to happen tonight, right?

A stronger wave of nausea rolled over him and he gagged, feeling as though he was about to throw up. He ran for the dirtplace and made it just in time, the horrible taste of bile stuck in his throat.

Brambleclaw had told Cinderpelt about his illness, of course. But neither she nor Leafpaw had been able to determine anything wrong with him. They couldn’t find anything causing his sickness either; it wasn’t contagious and Brambleclaw hadn’t been doing anything any other warrior hadn’t. But it kept getting worse each day. Every day the full moon’s gotten closer, I’ve gotten sicker. Oh StarClan, was the rogue seriously telling the truth?

He had to get away from camp before the sun set. He would walk over to the river, wash out his mouth, and have his worst fears either disappear or be confirmed. He hoped more than he’d ever hoped for anything before that nothing would happen. but he was so dizzy that even walking was a challenge, and between having a moon curse and some undiscovered illness, Brambleclaw didn’t know which one he’d pick.

By the time he reached the river, the sun was almost entirely gone. Brambleclaw took a few quick laps of the river water, enjoying its cool, fresh taste. A moment of peace before everything went wrong. The calm before the storm.

Suddenly, Brambleclaw could feel his entire body twitching and shaking. He had an inexplicable, indescribable urge to look up at the darkening sky, to stare at the moon. His brain was screaming, shouting at him to ignore the urge. Brambleclaw whimpered. His head felt like it was about to split open, and his body was on fire. He couldn’t help it, he just wanted the pain to go away. He looked up, directly at the beautiful shining orb that was the moon. StarClan, it was gorgeous. Why had he never noticed its beauty before? Forget the stars, the moon should be what the clans worshipped. Its beauty was indescribable, to compare it to anything else would be a grave injustice.

He raised his muzzle towards it, trembling, as though he couldn’t control his own movements. Suddenly his head was clear. He opened his mouth as wide as he could.

And then, he howled.

Brambleclaw clamped his jaws shut, eyes widened in fear at the sound he’d just produced. He tried to stand up and get away from the moon, but his legs refused to work. He fell onto the forest floor, helpless as a newborn kit. The pain was coming back now, slowly but surely until it was unbearable. Brambleclaw tried to scream, but it came out as a pained, high-pitched howl. His vision was blurry, and the pain was becoming so intense that he was sure his blood was boiling beneath his flesh. He could hear a horrible snapping noise coming from his back, and his gums were bleeding due to the growth of bigger, sharper teeth. Although it felt like a lifetime, the transformation only took less than a minute. But when the pain finally lifted, Brambleclaw’s thoughts weren’t relieved. Brambleclaw was not Brambleclaw anymore. He had been changed, transformed in a savage, mindless wolf with a thirst for blood.

He was hungry, starving, ravenous. He needed food, he didn’t care what it was. He roared, testing out his voice and announcing his presence. There was the scent of cat on the breeze, and his improved nose could track it from across the territory. The hunt had begun.

***

Hawkfrost was doing some night fishing when he heard it. A howl, then a roar. Like a dog, but worse. More monstrous, wilder. And worst of all, close.

He flattened his ears and hissed; all thoughts of fishing abandoned. If a dog was on his territory, he was going to drive it off. Hawkfrost had never fought a dog before, but he had seen the brutes twolegs brought with them to the forest. They looked stupid and easy to trick. And besides, there was no way it was harder than fighting a fox, and he had killed one of those before.

His mind filled with fantasies, vivid daydreams of him returning to camp with the head of a dog and his clanmates respect. He was working, ever since he’d been made a warrior two moons ago, towards getting his clanmates absolute respect and loyalty. That way, if Mistyfoot were to get in an… accident, he’d be next in line for the deputy position.

And then he remembered something, a crucial detail. When he’d killed the fox, he’d been with Leopardstar, Feathertail and Stormfur. Now he was alone. And a dog was much bigger than a fox. Unease creeping through his pelt, he decided it would be best to return to camp and go hunting for the dog tomorrow. He would still gain his clanmates respect if he led a patrol to kill the beast, right?

Too late.

Hawkfrost smelt it before he saw it, its stench colliding with his own fear scent. Hawkfrost panicked, jumping into the river and swimming to a small rock in the centre before finally daring to look at it. It was a huge, ugly brute, something straight out of nightmares. Hawkfrost cursed himself for his growing fear scent as he noticed the dogs scarred pelt and bloodied teeth. The dog snarled and barked at him angrily, its red eyes never turning away from its meal Hawkfrost. Hawkfrost let out a breath of relief. The dog couldn’t cross the river after him. He was safe.

Or so he thought.

The dog dove into the river without so much as testing the water. Its head stayed above water the whole time, keeping its eyes on Hawkfrost. Terrified, Hawkfrost swam faster than he ever had before to get to the other side of the river. Would the beast stop at nothing to kill him?

I’m not going to die. Not here, and not to some stupid beast!  He searched his surroundings, desperately trying to find anything that would help him as the dog drew ever closer. Finally, his eyes locked on a pile of boulders with a cave underneath them. Barely big enough for a cat, and definitely too small for a dog to fit through. Without a second thought, he dove inside the small cave, his fur tearing painfully on the entrance. It’s nothing compared to what will happen if the dog catches me. The dog rose from the river and paused for a moment to shake out its pelt before chasing after Hawkfrost again.

It was massive, bigger than any creature Hawkfrost had ever seen before. It had a badly scarred foreleg, and now that Hawkfrost could see it up close, noticed it had a dark brown pelt and long, hooked claws and fangs. It snapped at the entrance to the cave, oversized muzzle too close for his liking. Hawkfrost hissed fearfully and flattened himself against the other side of the cave, hoping he sounded at least somewhat threatening. How am I supposed to kill this thing?

Is it gone?

And then Hawkfrost heard the worst thing possible. A loud banging and thudding noise. The dog was slamming itself against the stones. It was trying to destroy his shelter. And if that happened, Hawkfrost would be ripped to shreds in an instant.

Chapter Text

Through some miracle, Hawkfrost was still alive when dawn struck. Evidentially, the cave was a lot more solid than either of them had expected. And despite the rough condition he was in after hiding from the dog all night, he was at least unharmed.

The dog had changed its strategy to digging up the tunnel after it discovered the rocks wouldn’t move. But when the moon disappeared and the first rays of sunlight struck the dogs pelt, it froze. Hawkfrost watched in open-mouthed shock as the dogs body withered and shrunk, changing until its figure resembled a cat. When the transformation was complete, the cat fell over, eyes closed with their sides slowly rising and falling.

Hawkfrosts eyes widened as he realised he recognised the cat in front of him. It was Brambleclaw, a ThunderClan warrior Hawkfrost had seen at gatherings before. He couldn’t stop the audible gasp that left his lips. There was a werewolf in front of him.

Hawkfrost had heard of werewolves, of course. Sasha told him stories about ordinary cats that became uncontrollable, savage beasts with teeth sharper than silverthorn once they saw the full moon. Hawkfrost, unlike Mothwing, had never been gullible enough to believe the stories. But now that there was actually one in front of him, he didn’t know what to believe. A plan was already starting to form in his head, though. This could be a great opportunity.

A werewolf would make a powerful ally. A shame he isn’t in my clan. But I can work around that. All I have to do is put him in my debt. Hawkfrost crept out from the cave and nudged Brambleclaw’s shoulder gently with his paw. “Brambleclaw? Are you okay?” Hawkfrost put as much concern as he could muster into his voice.

Brambleclaw whimpered in his sleep, then awoke with a groan. He stood up slowly, then looked around in confusion. “What happened? Where am I?”

Oh, this will be too easy. “You’re on RiverClan territory. I don’t know what happened- I was just minding my own business when you appeared and tried to kill me!” Hawkfrost told himself that the fear in his voice as he spoke was just to guilt trip Brambleclaw, and not because he was actually scared of the older warrior. “I didn’t know you were a werewolf.”

“I’m not-” horror lit up Brambleclaw’s face. “Oh no…”

The ThunderClan warrior sat up slowly, fear and horror written across his face and bushed-up pelt. “I’m so sorry,” Brambleclaw whispered hoarsely.

Hawkfrost put his tail on Brambleclaw’s shoulder comfortingly, internally gagging at the musty ThunderClan scent. He mustn’t have been a werewolf for very long. I saw him just a few gatherings ago, and he was fine. If I pretend to help him now, I can force him to help me when it matters. “Who bit you? Was it another ThunderClan cat?”

Brambleclaw shook his head slowly, staring at the ground. “How do you know about werewolves?”

“Magic is pretty common knowledge outside the clans. I’ve heard stories about them from my mother.”

Brambleclaw stood up slowly, like the elders did when they complained about their bones aching. “You won’t tell anyone about this, will you?” His voice was so pleadingly desperate that it was just begging to be blackmailed, but a slightly kinder part of Hawkfrost forced him to stick with his original plan

“Of course not. In fact, I want to help you. Meet me at full moons, and I’ll help you hide.”

Brambleclaws eyes shone with gratitude, almost replacing the fear and sadness inside them for a moment. “Are you sure? You’d have to do so much for me…”

“I’m sure you’ll find a way to repay me, Hawkfrost muttered quiet enough that Brambleclaw couldn’t hear. The reeds on the riverbed rustled, and he froze. Is someone watching us? He tasted the air, trying to scent for any patrols that might be nearby. The dawn patrol would have started by now, and his hard-earned reputation would be ruined if anyone saw him talking to an enemy warrior on RiverClan territory. “You should probably get back to your own clan before anyone notices you’re gone.”

Brambleclaw tried to walk on shaky legs and stumbled to the side. He looked utterly pathetic. Hawkfrost wondered if he could even make it to the border by himself, but Brambleclaw seemed determined, picking up his pace to walk faster. Before he disappeared from sight, he turned his head back to Hawkfrost. “Thank you so much. I owe you.”

Hawkfrost purred at those words. “Not a problem.”

He watched the older warrior leave through narrowed eyes. I’m going to be keeping a very close eye on you from now on, Brambleclaw.

***

Brambleclaw hissed at the pain that shot through his bones with every step. His entire body ached, from nose to tail-tip. It was an effort to even move, let alone walk, and he longed to get back to camp and curl up in his nest.

He couldn’t remember anything from the night before. After the agony of his transformation, his mind was completely blank. I almost killed someone, and I wouldn’t have even known I did it. I’m a monster. And next full moon, the pain would come back, and he’d have to do all this again. At least Hawkfrost will help me next time… but what if I hurt him?

His stomach felt as though it was being ripped apart by claws. He’d never been this hungry before, not even in leaf-bare. All he wanted was to eat something, curl up, and fall asleep forever. He was emotionally numb from shock, the only thing stopping him from having a breakdown.

Finally, after what seemed like seasons, the camp finally loomed into view. Brambleclaw entered as quietly as he could through the dirtplace tunnel and snuck into the medicine den, curling up as tightly as he could and hiding his wet eyes with his tail.

If there was any such thing as true misery, this was it.

Chapter Text

Brambleclaw was so constantly exhausted. He felt like he was running on empty; no matter how much sleep he got he was always tired, no matter how much he ate he was always hungry. He feared it would remain regardless of the moons cycle- a subtle torture he’d have to deal with for the rest of his life. But could his existence even be called a ‘life’ now, if this was all there was to it? Living in anguish until the full moon, when his- his- curse would come to light? How long would it be until he hurt someone?

He couldn’t even enjoy finally being allowed out of the medicine den allowed to sleep in the comforting presence of his clanmates instead of the suffocating scent of herbs. He was finally able to go on patrols again- but what was the point when it was such an effort to drag his paws along the ground? Even when he wasn’t under the curse’s control, he was still influenced by it. It haunted his every thought, a shadow at the back of his mind. And how was his supposed to stop thinking about it? Every day he got closer to the full moon, closer to becoming a beast again. The full moon had only been two days ago, but two days would become a quarter moon, a quarter moon would become a half moon, and then he’d be a monster again. A cycle he was doomed to repeat until his deathbed. His entire life was ruined.

And what would he do if Firestar asked him to go to the gathering? He couldn’t slip away every time, someone would notice. Someone might even follow him- the very thought of what would happen next made Brambleclaw shudder. At worst, they’d be doomed to live his cursed half-life forever, and at worst, they’d be dead, and Brambleclaw would be thrown out of the clan for murder. Just like his father. And never going to another gathering meant that Brambleclaw would never see Tawnypelt again. Or even if he did, from across the thunderpath, they might never speak again. He’d be alone and miserable forever.

He knew that he was being unreasonable and perhaps a touch melodramatic- but what else was he supposed to do? Be optimistic? See the bright side in becoming a mindless, cat-eating beast? What if next time, I have nothing to stop me and I kill everyone? I got lucky last time, but things will surely go wrong next time. I’m not lucky enough for everything to go right. If I was lucky at all, this never would have happened to me. Planning out the scenarios that could happen was sending Brambleclaw down an entirely new path of panicking. What if they don’t recognise me and drive me off the gorge, just like with the dog pack? Or what if they do recognise me, and exile me and hate me forever?

“Brambleclaw!”

Brambleclaw jumped slightly as he searched for the sound of the noise. To his surprise, Thornclaw was standing directly in front of him. He drew his head back in surprise- Thornclaw’s golden pelt didn’t exactly blend in, and even if it did, surely Brambleclaw should have noticed a cat walking directly towards him? I can’t believe myself. I need to stop being so weird, or every cat will know that something’s wrong with me. “I’ve been trying to get your attention for ages!” Thornclaw exclaimed, seeming more impatient than anything else. “Now come on, we’re going on patrol along the ShadowClan border.”

Brambleclaw trailed along the back of the patrol silently, his thoughts unfocused from his surroundings. He was so distracted that he stumbled over his own paws multiple times, almost falling twice, and thankfully his clumsiness was unnoticed by the rest of the patrol, who were actually doing what they were supposed to. Spiderpaw and Thornclaw took the lead, their expressions so serious that Brambleclaw wondered if a war had been called at the gathering. His thoughts tumbled into scenarios where he’d be forced to face Tawnypelt in battle for a while- before he realised that he would have known by now if ThunderClan was at war. Sorreltail, on the contrary, bounced along happily, pleased to finally be a warrior. When Brambleclaw almost fell flat on his face for the third time, she turned around, noticing his… unenthusiastic… face and slowing down to walk next to him. “What’s up, Brambleclaw? I thought you’d be happy to finally be out of camp again. I know I was when I hurt my leg.”

Brambleclaw didn’t respond, staring across the border aimlessly. He didn’t want to go on patrol. He didn’t want to do anything, he just wanted to curl up alone and never leave his nest. Couldn’t Sorreltail see that talking to him was a waste of time? Maybe it would be better if he got hurt again, so he could stay away from everyone. He considered it for a moment before dismissing the idea. Goldenflower would coddle him, and he’d only hurt her more in the end. She’d probably disown me if she knew what a monster I was. She’d probably think that I’m just like my father: a disgrace on the family.

He wondered if the clan would exile him if they knew. He thought of Firestar, who was his mentor and father-figure. He would never get rid of Brambleclaw, right? Would Firestar care about me unconditionally, or would he hate me too? Maybe he doesn’t like me, and he only barely tolerates me. Maybe he never stopped looking at me the way he looked at me when I was a kit and only got better at hiding it. But maybe it would be better if he did exile me. If I was a rogue, I wouldn’t be a threat to anyone. His mind did a double take over his last thought and he pondered it some more. Could I bare to leave my clanmates behind? He already knew the answer. It would be hard, but if it kept everyone safe, he would do it. It’s my job to be the best clanmate I can be. And since I can’t do that anymore, I might as well just leave.

“So, uh… are you going to respond, or are you just going to stare at that pine tree? I mean- it’s a nice pine tree and everything, but still.” Sorreltail gently poked Brambleclaw’s shoulder and he recoiled, bristling, temporarily disoriented as he was jerked back into reality. Sorreltail’s eyes widened at his response. “I didn’t mean to startle you, sorry.”

She hastily walked forward to talk with Spiderpaw, and Brambleclaw was left alone. He continued to stare over the border, eyes widening as he caught sight of a familiar tortoiseshell pelt.

“Tawnypelt!” Brambleclaw called out happily, watching as his sisters face lit up upon seeing him. Tawnypelt was one of the few cats he felt truly understood him, and being so far away from his only sibling hurt more than any cat could have expected it to. but at the very least, their separation meant that he’d never accidentally hurt her. ThunderClan camp is pretty far away from ShadowClan territory. At least I’m not in any danger of hurting her. Brambleclaw frowned. But last time I somehow managed to get all the way to RiverClan territory, across a river. And I can’t even swim! Who knows what I’m capable of? It isn’t safe for me to be anywhere near the clans. Maybe leaving is the only option

But if he was going to leave, shouldn’t he tell someone first? Goldenflower would try to convince me to stay. She wouldn’t understand the danger I put everyone in. I can’t tell her.

Tawnypelt wouldn’t want him to leave either, Brambleclaw realised. But who’s she to stop me? Brambleclaw thought with a spark of bitterness. She’s in ShadowClan. She’s already left me. There was nothing she could do about Brambleclaw leaving the clans. He glanced at his patrol. “You guys go ahead, I’ll catch up.”

Thornclaw nodded and continued the patrol, Spiderpaw trotting eagerly alongside him. Sorreltail hesitated slightly before following them, glancing at Brambleclaw with worry in her eyes. When she was gone, Brambleclaw beckoned Tawnypelt across the Thunderpath. She frowned, hesitating. Brambleclaw called out to her, and she made a face before darting across the empty thunderpath. “What is it, Brambleclaw? You know I shouldn’t be here.”

Brambleclaw stared at her with sad eyes. “I’m leaving ThunderClan. In fact, I’m leaving the clans entirely. I’m going to become a loner.” Brambleclaw could hardly stop his voice from shaking as he said it. Tawnypelt stared at him in shocked silence. “You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

Tawnypelt said nothing for a moment, trying to figure out what would make Brambleclaw want to leave the clans. “Listen Brambleclaw, I don’t know what’s making you say this, but we can’t talk about it here. Meet me at Fourtrees tonight and talk to me, okay? Don’t do anything stupid before then.”

Brambleclaw glanced at the sky. It wasn’t even sunhigh. Waiting would waste valuable time, but… the full moon wouldn’t come for a while. He had time to wait for a few hours. “Okay.”

Tawnypelt twined her tail around his briefly. “Whatever’s bothering you, I’m sure you’ll see that it isn’t bad enough for you to have to leave after we talk about it.” With that she jumped back across the Thunderpath and into her own territory. Brambleclaw watched her go, tail drooping. If only you knew...

The rest of the day seemed to last for seasons as Brambleclaw waited. After what seemed like ages, the sky was dark, and Brambleclaw was able to finally meet Tawnypelt. Just like last time he’d walked through the forest alone, he had a sense of foreboding and fear, but unlike last time, he was the cause of it.

Chapter Text

It took Brambleclaw a surprisingly short amount of time to reach Fourtrees, or perhaps the time just flew by as he was lost in his thoughts. Tawnypelt was already waiting for him when he arrived, her tawny patches illuminated by the night sky at the edges. “I’m glad you came, Brambleclaw.”

Brambleclaw sat down in front of her and turned his gaze to the moon, barely visible in the sky. His eyes watered at yet another reminder of what he was. “Oh Tawnypelt,” he whispered. “I’m a monster.” Brambleclaw saw Tawnypelts eyes flash with protectiveness and knew instantly that she thought someone was bullying him for his parentage yet again. When he was a kit, when he was an apprentice, all anyone saw when they looked at Brambleclaw was a monster. And they were right.

Tawnypelt pressed her pelt against his in a comforting way. “You’re not a monster, you’re my brother. Don’t listen to anyone who says otherwise.”

Brambleclaw broke away from the embrace and stared at his scarred leg, tears wetting the fur under his eyes as he stared at the mark of his curse. “No one said a thing. But if they did, they wouldn’t be wrong. The problem isn’t them! The problem isn’t what anyone says to me! The problem’s me, Tawnypelt! I- I-” Brambleclaw’s breathing was becoming faster and shorter, and he forced himself to try and calm down. His attempt could barely be called a success, but it at least allowed him to gather the breath to talk again. “See this?” He lifted his scarred foreleg for Tawnypelt to see. “This is my curse! This proves that I’m a monster!”

“It’s just a scar,” Tawnypelt murmured. “Everyone has some sort of scar. It doesn’t make you a monster. It makes you a cat.”

“I wish it were only that,” Brambleclaw whispered hoarsely. “Every full moon I’m going to become a wolf- a monster! I’ll kill everyone I see! I already almost killed somebody- and next time someone’s going to die! I don’t want to hurt anyone. I don’t want to be like him!”

Tawnypelt stared at him for a moment, and Brambleclaw shifted his paws self-consciously. She probably thinks that I’m insane.  “You don’t have to believe me, and I know it sounds crazy. I’m leaving no matter what.” Despite his cool words, Brambleclaw had a pit of anxiety in his stomach, a terrible fear that his last interaction with Tawnypelt would go terribly.

“I don’t think you’d lie about something like this,” meowed Tawnypelt. “Of course it sounds unbelievable, but you’re my brother, and you’re clearly shaken by whatever’s going on. If you’re leaving, then I’m coming with you.

I don’t want to be alone, wandering in unknown territory until the end of time. There’s a reason that exile is the worst punishment the clans have to offer- being alone forever sounds like torture. I do want Tawnypelt to come… But if she was hurt because of me, I’d never forgive myself. “But-”

Tawnypelt swiftly cut him off by flicking her tail over his muzzle. “I am not letting my brother wander off into the middle of nowhere without me. If you’re going, I’m going too, and we’ll find a way to cure you!”

Brambleclaws heart lifted with a hope he hadn’t felt for what seemed like moons. Is there really a cure? Is it really possible that I’ll never have to transform again? That I can… (he scarcely dared to even think the words) …be normal? “But if I hurt you-”

“I can keep myself safe.” Tawnypelt cut him off again. Give me until sunhigh tomorrow to say my goodbyes, and then I’ll meet you here again.”

Brambleclaw nodded, making a mental note to say his goodbyes to Goldenflower and Firestar. His mouth stretched in a goodbye, but before he could make a sound, something caught his eye in the corner of his vision.

A pair of ice blue eyes flashed from the shadows. Brambleclaw’s whiskers jerked in shock as a long-furred brown tabby strolled into the clearing. A growl rose in Tawnypelt’s throat. “What are you doing here?” She demanded.

Hawkfrost looked Brambleclaw dead in the eyes. “I want to join your quest.”

***

It had been pure luck that Hawkfrost was assigned to a hunting patrol at dusk. Even luckier was the fact that he had decided to hunt at Fourtrees instead of by the river (his last fishing trip hadn’t gone too well). It was almost as the StarClan wanted him to do this. But even if they didn’t, he didn’t particularly care. What he did care about, however, was the very useful conversation he had just overheard.

There was no way he was allowing his werewolf to go off and find a cure. Hawkfrost didn’t know if such a thing existed, but it would ruin his plans if it did. He could always do the dirty work himself, but that seemed risky- and frankly, quite unappealing. Then again, going off on some quest for what could possibly be moons would also be a setback. It’s worth it, though. And besides, it won’t be moons. Just play along for a few days, then convince Brambleclaw that he should go back to the clans and accept his fate.

“Hawkfrost? Why do you want to come?” Tawnypelts voice dripped with suspicion. Ah. Brambleclaw’s sister. I forgot she existed. She seems like the type of cat to watch out for- definitely smarter than Brambleclaw.

“I only want to help. No cat should have to suffer something so dreadful. And besides, I know all about curses.” Despite his earnest tone, Tawnypelt continued to glare at him with slitted pupils. Did she see through me? Brambleclaw, however, looked glad to see him.

“Wait, Tawnypelt! Hawkfrost’s fine, he helped me before. You can trust him.”

Hawkfrost purred so softly that only he could hear it, pleased by Brambleclaw’s foolish words. That’s right, trust me. And when your quest goes wrong, and I’m the only cat you have to turn to, leaving the clan for a bit will be worth it.

“Are you sure you want to come? You could get hurt.” Hawkfrost could tell from the way that Brambleclaw said it that he still felt guilty from the other night. The memory of it was almost enough to make Hawkfrost reconsider- but backing out now would make him look weak, and besides, he could always sacrifice Tawnypelt to Brambleclaw’s beast form if something went wrong.

“If I was afraid of getting hurt, I wouldn’t be a warrior,” Hawkfrost meowed.

Brambleclaw nodded, though he still seemed uncertain. “If you’re sure, you can come.”

“I’ll meet you here before sunhigh tomorrow.” Hawkfrost suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be on a hunting patrol, and his clanmates would be suspicious if he took too long. And if they come looking for me, I’m finished. “I have to go back before anyone notices I’m gone. See you tomorrow.” He started the short walk back to RiverClan, aware of Tawnypelts glare following him. If I want Brambleclaw’s full loyalty, the first thing I have to do is get rid of his sister.

***

“Are you sure bringing Hawkfrost is a good idea?”

Brambleclaw gave his sister a look of surprise. “What are you talking about? He’s helped me before.” If Brambleclaw had gone after any other cat than Hawkfrost, they would have been terrified of him, maybe even to the point of exposing him. I’m so lucky he knew about werewolves.

Tawnypelt grimaced, searching for the right words. “He just seems like he’s up to something. I don’t trust him.”

“Up to something? Like what?” Brambleclaw was genuinely confused by Tawnypelt’s suspicion. What would his motives be? Why would he try to do anything? He’s risking his life for me by coming on this quest because he wants to help!

“I don’t know what. It’s just a bad feeling I have.”

Brambleclaw flicked his tail impatiently. “We’ve already said he can come, and he knows more about werewolves than both of us. Please, Tawnypelt, just spend some time with him and you’ll see he’s a good cat.”

“Maybe,” meowed Tawnypelt, glancing at the moon. “We should probably go back to our clans and get some sleep. We have a long journey ahead of us.”

Brambleclaw flicked his tail tip in agreement. “Goodnight, Tawnypelt.”

“Bye, Brambleclaw.”

I should hurry back. This might be my last night in ThunderClan.

Chapter Text

As soon as Brambleclaw woke up, he took in the beauty of ThunderClan camp for what was possibly the last time. His eyes watered with the memories he’d made here; he’d lived his entire life in this camp. It hurt to say goodbye. Every good memory, every bad memory, everything had happened between the ThunderClan borders, in the only home he’d ever known. And now he was going into unknown territory, and dragging his sister and a RiverClan warrior with him.

He spotted Goldenflower padding out of the nursery. His heart twisted with sorrow and guilt that he couldn’t properly say goodbye to her. But I can at least let her know how much I love her.

“Goldenflower?”

His mother turned her head, smiling when she saw him. “Hello, Brambleclaw. Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine,” he mewed, begging his voice not to crack with emotion. “I just wanted to tell you that I couldn’t ask for a better mother, and thank you for always being there for me.”

Goldenflower purred, eyes shining. She didn’t say anything, but Brambleclaw stretched his neck over her shoulder in a hug. Goodbye, Mom.

The only other cat he wanted to say goodbye to was Firestar. He was a great mentor to me. I have to tell him that.

Firestar was lying in the sunlight near his den, orange pelt like the fire he was named after in the sun. Brambleclaw glanced at the sky, doing a double take when he realised the sun was almost at its peak. I must have overslept! I need to be quick, or I’ll be late. “Firestar? I just wanted to say thank you for being a great mentor to me.”

Firestar lifted his head, staring at Brambleclaw curiously. “Well thank you, but why are you telling me this now?”

Brambleclaw shrugged. “I just wanted to let you know I appreciate you.”

Firestar’s whiskers twitched. “I appreciate you too, Brambleclaw.”

Brambleclaw didn’t see the dark ginger apprentice staring at him from the shadows of her den. Even if Firestar and Goldenflower didn’t, she recognised a goodbye when she heard one. She’d given enough to Sandstorm when she ran away as a kit. Brambleclaw was definitely up to something. And she was going to find out what.

Well, that was it. He’d said his goodbyes to his mother and his mentor. Time to leave. Everything felt different when he was doing it for the last time. The earth underneath the entrance barrier felt harder and colder, and the thorns tugged at his fur as though trying to stop him from leaving. Shaking them out of his fur, he bid the camp a silent goodbye. Even if there’s the slightest chance I won’t be gone forever, I won’t be here again for a long, long time. Brambleclaw padded through the forest, making sure to take everything in as he walked. I don’t want to forget anything, even the tiniest detail, about the forest. He wondered if Tawnypelt and Hawkfrost were already waiting for him, and whether they had said their goodbyes yet. Brambleclaw suddenly felt guilty for bringing them with him. It must be hard for them to have to say goodbye to their clanmates. He briefly contemplated refusing to let them come, but decided if he did that, he’d only be wasting time. Tawnypelt won’t give something up once she sets her mind on it, and from what I know of Hawkfrost, he seems the same.

There was a rustle in the bushes behind him. He froze and tasted the air, but couldn’t smell any scent other than ThunderClan. Am I being followed? “Whoever’s there, come out now!”

There was a pause as though whatever- or whoever was there was wondering whether they could stay hidden if they didn’t move. Apparently, they decided that they were already caught, because the bushes shifted and Squirrelpaw emerged. She was glaring at him, a defiant spark in her eyes. “Why were you saying goodbye to everyone?”

“I wasn’t saying goodbye,” Brambleclaw snapped. “And why are you following me?”

“Because you’re clearly leaving, and I want to know where you’re going.”

The question made Brambleclaw pause. He hadn’t even considered where he was going, just far away from the clans. “I’m going hunting. Now go back to camp, Squirrelpaw.”

Squirrelpaw bushed out her already fluffy tail and scowled at him. “Fine then.” To Brambleclaw’s utter shock, she actually spun around and left him alone.

Confused but aware he was running out of time, Brambleclaw hurried the rest of the way to Fourtrees. Hawkfrost and Tawnypelt were already there when he arrived. “Are you sure you want to come with me? I don’t know what lurks outside the territories. You might not return.” Brambleclaw wanted to make sure that they both knew for sure what they were getting into before he dragged them along with him. Tawnypelt gave him a stare that told him she was coming no matter the risk, while Hawkfrost looked offended at the mere suggestion that he might back out.

“You aren’t getting rid of me,” Tawnypelt mewed swiftly. “Now come on, if we hurry we can reach Highstones before nightfall.”

The journey started silently. Brambleclaw, Tawnypelt and Hawkfrost moving quickly and quietly across WindClan territory, not wanting to be caught by a patrol. There were a few times Brambleclaw thought he heard an extra set of pawsteps, or was sure he saw a flash of fur out of the corner of his eyes, but there was nothing there whenever he turned around. When WindClan territory was behind them and night was almost upon them, Hawkfrost asked the question Brambleclaw didn’t have an answer for. “Where are we going?”

“We can stay at Barley and Ravenpaw’s barn tonight,” mewed Tawnypelt. “But after that, it’s up to Brambleclaw.”

Hawkfrost bristled. “Stay with some loners? Are you mad?”

Tawnypelt glared at him. “You’re welcome to go back to RiverClan instead.”

Sensing an argument was about to break out, Brambleclaw stepped between the two warriors, keeping them apart and hopefully calm. “It’s only for one night, Hawkfrost. We need a place to eat and rest, and Barley and Ravenpaw are friends to the clans.”

Hawkfrost growled something along the lines of ‘fine’, and they continued the journey. By this point, they were almost at the edge of WindClan territory, and as the barn loomed into view, Brambleclaw tasted the air and inhaled the semi-familiar scent of hay and cows. The patrol crossed the field as quietly as they could, not wanting to disturb any of the sleeping cows. Getting trampled would not be a good start to this quest.

Their pace slowed as they crossed the final fields to reach the barn, exhaustion apparent in their heavy pawsteps. When they finally reached the door of the barn, Brambleclaw called out to Ravenpaw and Barley, not wanting to intrude on their home.

“Brambleclaw? Is that you?” Ravenpaw trotted out from the entrance of the barn, scanning the patrol. His tail flicked curiously as he scented the mixed scents from ShadowClan, RiverClan and ThunderClan. “There’s no trouble in the clans, is there?”

Brambleclaw shook his head. “Everything’s fine. We’re just passing through, and we were wondering if we could stay the night at the barn?”

Ravenpaw eyed the cats with confusion, and perhaps a hint of suspicion. “Three cats from different clans passing through together,” he murmured. Brambleclaw suddenly realised that he had no good excuse as to why cats from different clans would be travelling together. What can I tell him?

“We’re going to the Moonstone,” Hawkfrost interjected smoothly. “It’s something the clan leaders came up with a moon ago, to send warriors from different clans to the Moonstone together so they’ll bond and there’ll be more peace among the clans.”

Ravenpaw seemed surprised by that false bit of information, but his surprise couldn’t be compared to Brambleclaws. Hawkfrost’s a really good liar.

Ravenpaw nodded at the false information, seeming content with the response. “Just stay quiet and make sure you stay on the lower level of the barn. Barley’s ill right now- it’s nothing serious, but I just want him to sleep it off.”

The three agreed not to disturb Barley, Tawnypelt and Brambleclaw murmuring apologies about his sickness. Brambleclaw remembered visiting the barn to help the two when he was an apprentice, and even earlier than that, Ravenpaw and Barley had helped ThunderClan in the battle against BloodClan. I hope he’s okay.

“I thought you didn’t want us to stay in the barn?” Tawnypelt whispered as soon as they were out of earshot of Ravenpaw.

Hawkfrost bristled defensively. “It’s better than nothing.”

The three hunted for a short amount of time, prey was easy to come by in the barn and they didn’t need to put much effort in to find something to eat. For the first time in almost a moon, Brambleclaw was comfortably full, and nothing could stop him from collapsing into the soft hay and falling into a surprisingly calm and dreamless sleep.

Chapter Text

Brambleclaw woke up to the crowing of a rooster shortly after dawn. He groaned, flattening his ears to try and block out the sound and trying to get at least another few minutes of sleep. He was of course used to waking up early; such was normal in the life of a warrior. But even so, he didn’t want to wake up so early. That was one of the best nights sleeps I’ve had in ages.

Brambleclaw eventually forced himself to stand, shaking the loose hay out of his pelt. He saw Tawnypelt doing the same, but Hawkfrost looked as though he’d been awake for a while: his pelt was well groomed, and he was clawing impatiently at the hay that coated the floor of the barn. “Are you ready to go?”

Brambleclaw nodded his head. “We just have to say goodbye to Ravenpaw first. After all, he was kind enough to let us hunt and rest here.”

Hawkfrost’s mouth twitched into a slight frown, but it was so brief that Brambleclaw had to wonder if he imagined it. I’m probably just seeing things. I’ll add it to the list of weird stuff that’s happening to me. Brambleclaw opened his mouth to call out to Ravenpaw, but shut it suddenly. I don’t want to disturb Barley, and it won’t take long to find Ravenpaw if he’s still in the barn.

It only took a few minutes to find Ravenpaw, curled up in his nest next to Barley. “Ravenpaw,” Brambleclaw whispered, wondering whether he should wake the barn cat or leave without saying goodbye. Thankfully, it seemed Ravenpaw was a light sleeper, because his eyes fluttered open just moments after Brambleclaw spoke.

“What is it, Brambleclaw?” he asked, standing up and shaking the straw out of his pelt.

“We’re leaving now. I just wanted to thank you for allowing us to stay here.” Brambleclaw surveyed the barn, watching the tiny flickers of movement in the shadows. A barn would be a good place to live, he noted. I’d never have to worry about food or shelter. But it isn’t the life of a warrior. Brambleclaw realised for the first time since waking up that he’d never be a warrior again anyway. It hurt as much as getting clawed across the muzzle. I hope that there’s some sort of cure I can get.

Outside the barn, the air was warm and dry. Brambleclaw glanced around, seeing that no farm animals were awake and in the fields, yet. If he squinted, he could almost see the edge of WindClan territory. The realisation made him shiver. I’m so far away from the warrior code, but I need to go even further. I’m still close enough to seriously hurt the clans. “We need to get the barn out of sight by tomorrow night.”

Tawnypelt stared at him. “That’s pretty far to walk in two days. The full moon isn’t for ages yet. We can take our time.”

“The quicker we walk, the quicker we find a cure and the sooner we return home.” Hawkfrost padded ahead and turned his neck to look back at them. “Let’s go.”

I’m glad that we’re travelling fast. If we can’t find a cure before the full moon, I’ll need to find somewhere to transform without hurting someone. And Tawnypelt and Hawkfrost need to be able to hide somewhere as well. I would never forgive myself if they were bitten. The last thought reminded him of something the rogue had said. “If it’s transferrable by bite, does that mean there are loads of cats like me?”

He didn’t realise he had spoken aloud until Hawkfrost responded. “Outside the clans, it’s quite common for creatures to have special abilities. So probably.”

“What kinds of abilities?” Tawnypelt asked. “Anything that could help Brambleclaw?”

Hawkfrost shrugged. “Sasha kept us away from other cats, so I’ve only heard stories.”

Tawnypelt scoffed. “Isn’t the entire reason you’re on this quest because of your supposed knowledge of magic?”

Hawkfrost growled. “I only lived outside the clans when I was a kit. I don’t know everything.”

“You seem to know nothing,” Tawnypelt retorted.

Brambleclaw flexed his claws in frustration. How are we supposed to get anything done if these two can’t stop fighting? “Both of you, calm down! Right now, our only goal is to get as far away from the clans as we can. Just save your strength for walking.”

They continued on in stony silence, Tawnypelt and Hawkfrost continuing to give each other angry glares when they thought Brambleclaw wasn’t paying attention. What a great start to our journey.

Chapter Text

Mothwing twitched her tail nervously, trying to focus on sorting herbs. Mudfur sat beside her, his tail placed comfortingly on her shoulder. “It’s alright if you want to take a break, you know. I can handle this.”

Mothwing shook her head insistently. “I need something to distract me.”

She was scared and afraid for her brother. He’d vanished without a trace, and it reawakened horrible memories of her mother leaving within Mothwing. When she found out he was gone, her first thought was that something horrible had happened to him. Hawkfrost was always such a loyal warrior, and he seemed to love his life in RiverClan, so there was no way, Mothwing was certain, that he would just… leave. Why wouldn’t he tell me he was going? Why didn’t he at least talk to me? Tell me goodbye?  The only indication she’d ever had that something wasn’t the same was when Hawkfrost had approached her yesterday morning to speak to her, and he told her that she’d make a great medicine cat. Mothwing had been confused, because Hawkfrost rarely gave out unsolicited compliments, but she accepted it with a smile on her face. Was that his way of saying goodbye to me? She wanted to scratch the herbs she was sorting at the thought. Hawkfrost knows that I can keep a secret! Why wouldn’t he tell me if he left?

Mothwing desperately wanted it to be true that Hawkfrost had left without saying goodbye, even though it hurt so much that he didn’t trust her enough to tell her what he was doing. Anything would be better than the alternative. Anything would be better than… her mind filled with images of Hawkfrost, pelt bloodied and torn apart in a thousand different ways Please, StarClan, let him be alive. Distracted by her thoughts, Mothwing mindlessly sorted the herbs, not paying attention to what piles she sorted them into. It wasn’t until she confused horsetail and marigold for the third time that Mudfur spoke up. “I think you should rest,” he mewed gently. Mothwing opened her mouth to protest, but Mudfur placed his tail over his muzzle to silence her. “I know what it feels like to lose someone you love. Go outside and talk to someone. I’m banning you from your duties until you feel better.”

Mothwing didn’t want to obey his advice, but she knew that arguing with Mudfur was often pointless, and she knew that he had a point. I’m useless like this. The thought only made her feel worse. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. Her entire family was gone. The father she’d never known, the mother that had abandoned her, the brother that had died, and now her only remaining family, gone without so much as a goodbye. She shook out her pelt and took a deep breath, trying to steady her breathing before she had a breakdown. I still have Feathertail and Stormfur. I still have Mistyfoot.

She still had RiverClan. In a way, her clan was her family, but they could never replace Hawkfrost. He was is my brother, and even if we fought sometimes, I loved him. StarClan, I loved him so much. Why would you do this to me?

“Mothwing! Are you okay?” Feathertail dropped the prey she was carrying rushed up to her, twinning her tail around hers in an effort to comfort her. Mothwing only shook her head, too upset to speak. “It’s okay. I’m so sorry that you have to go through this, and I know how you feel. But the search patrol lost his scent at the river, so he could have just swum across. Maybe he went on a hunting trip and lost track of time.”

Hawkfrost never loses track of time. He would never just go out and forget to come back. He’s gone. Even if he’s not dead, he’s gone. It was as though someone had clawed a hole in her heart. She was all too familiar with the feeling, she felt it when she was a kit and realised Tadpole was dead. She felt it when she was an apprentice and realised Mother had abandoned her. But Hawkfrost had always shared her grief with her, and now it was as though she was hollow.

“I just never thought I’d have to live without him. And I keep hoping that one of the patrols will find him, or he’ll come back. It’s only been what, two days? It feels like moons.”

Feathertail nodded, eyes rounded in sympathy. “I don’t know what I’d do without Stormfur. If there’s anything I can do to help, just tell me.”

Mothwing nodded, eyes dull. Nobody can do anything to help unless they can bring back Hawkfrost.

***

Goldenflower had failed as a parent. It was the only thought in her mind, repeating over and over. She had done something; she must have done something. It was her fault, and her fault alone that Brambleclaw had left, and she was sure of it. Her mind failed to see how it could be anyone else’s fault, how she might not have been the one responsible for Brambleclaw’s disappearance. She always suspected, always feared with a suspicion in the back of her mind that even though she always tried her best, she was failing. She had to be the worst mother in the history of the clans. One of my kits was torn apart by dogs because I wasn’t there to reassure him that he was enough even without his warrior name. One of my kits joined another clan because I wasn’t there to let her know how much she was loved. And now my final kit, the only son I still have, is gone. I should have done something. I should have visited him more. I should have known that he was going to leave and I should have stopped him. Why am I such a bad mother?

Half the clan had come to see her since Brambleclaw’s disappearance, to make sure she was okay and reassure it that it wasn’t her fault. But no amount of kind words would heal how much her heart was aching now. And seeing the suffering of others only made her feel worse rather than comforting her that she wasn’t alone, because she knew it was her fault. She could have prevented all of this if only she was a better parent.

The clan was shocked from their loss, and Goldenflower felt like her heart was being ripped open every time she heard one of Ferncloud’s kits ask if Brambleclaw was going to come back and play with them again. The only other clan member suffering as much as Goldenflower was right now was Sandstorm, and Goldenflower knew that she was guilty for her suffering as well. Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw had both gone missing at the same time: if they’d left somewhere together or one had followed the other nobody was sure, but Goldenflower was sure that Squirrelpaw was only missing because of Brambleclaw’s disappearance: something that was her fault. I’ve ruined everything. Not just for myself, and not just for my family. I’ve destroyed everyone else’s families as well. I’ve destroyed this clan.

Goldenflower rested her head on her paws, eyes dull and pelt ungroomed. She knew it was her fault, and no amount of reassurance from her clanmates would convince her otherwise. She would try to get some sleep, even though she knew that only nightmares would await her. I’m so sorry, Brambleclaw. I failed you.

Chapter Text

Squirrelpaw crouched in the tall grass that surrounded Fourtrees. She was determined not to do anything that could give her away, and was quite possibly the stillest she had ever been in her entire life. Seriously, she hadn’t even twitched her nose when a leaf fell onto it. She could hardly see what was happening through the thick, leafy branches of the bush she was hiding in, but her sense of smell was fine, and she could tell from the fresh RiverClan and ShadowClan scents that Brambleclaw was definitely not just going hunting like he’d claimed. Is he plotting an invasion? Is he going to betray ThunderClan? Squirrelpaw’s muscles tensed, eyes narrowing in confusion. Why would Brambleclaw do something like that? There must be another reason he’s here, right? Did Firestar send him on a special secret warrior quest?

“Are you sure you want to come with me? I don’t know what lurks outside the territories. You might not return,” Brambleclaw warned. Squirrelpaw’s eyes widened. He really is going to leave… with enemy warriors. Where’s he going? Why? And I guess it makes sense that he’d go with Tawnypelt, but why Hawkfrost? And why didn’t he tell anyone? Panic sparked through her frozen figure. Firestar wouldn’t let Brambleclaw slip away into unknown territory without a proper goodbye for the clan. Brambleclaw was acting alone. Why? Squirrelpaw pricked her ears, focusing all her energy into listening in the hopes that someone would say why they were going.

“You aren’t getting rid of me,” Tawnypelt mewed stubbornly. “Now come on, if we hurry we can reach Highstones before nightfall.”

Are they going to Highstones? It took Squirrelpaw two seconds to answer her own question, destroying the tiny wave of relief within her. Brambleclaw wouldn’t need to visit Highstones with warriors from other clans; and he wouldn’t need to go in secret. The only way I’ll know what they’re doing is if I follow them.

As soon as they were out of view, Squirrelpaw took the first steps to follow them. When she was in the centre of the clearing, she stopped dead. Am I really going to do this? I haven’t even told anyone I’m going. Leafpaw will be worried about me. And if they really are doing something bad…

Squirrelpaw hesitated for another moment before making up her mind. I can apologise to Leafpaw later. And besides, I’ll only be gone for a day or two. Brambleclaw won’t even catch me—I’ll be sneaky.

Travelling across WindClan territory was exhausting, and Squirrelpaw found herself longing for the bitter herbs Cinderpelt gave to cats who needed to travel long distances. I’ll never complain about them again.  She spent the entire walk diving behind whatever pitiful cover she could find on the moor whenever someone glanced backward, getting so many burrs and grass stains in her fur that she looked like a walking bush. If they caught me, would they send me back across enemy territory alone? Or would they punish me for discovering their plot?  Squirrelpaw didn’t know which was worse in the best case scenario; facing an enemy patrol or the scolding she’d get from Firestar when he found out she’d been on WindClan territory. Both consequences paled in comparison to what was bound to happen if the trio really was up to no good and caught her spying on them. Nervous, Squirrelpaw kept her distance from the three, at first so that she definitely wouldn’t be spotted and later because she genuinely couldn’t keep up. By the time they finally decided to stop, Squirrelpaw was almost ready to collapse in exhaustion.

Ravenpaw greeted the three with words Squirrelpaw couldn’t hear from where she was. I can’t stay in the barn if they’re there. I’ll sleep in one of the other twoleg buildings. Squirrelpaw was too tired to be picky anyway. She was tempted to curl up and sleep where she was, but forced herself to find some sort of shelter to protect her from the farm animals. I walked all this way, I can walk a little further.

The closest thing was a structure so odd that Squirrelpaw couldn’t even begin to fathom what it was used for. It was curved at the bottom and raised from the ground, and had a roof over it, with a weird smell that made her nose wrinkle surrounding it. But it was a good shape to curl up in, and the fact that it didn’t collapse as soon as she sat down in it made it good enough. 

Trying to ignore the growling in her stomach, Squirrelpaw curled up in the twoleg thing and fought a pang of homesickness. If I just stayed home, I’d be lying in my warm nest with a full belly right now. Squirrelpaw forced the doubt from her mind. I came all this way, and I’m not backing out now.

***

The next day was both harder and easier than the first. While there was much more undergrowth for Squirrelpaw to hide in, the route direction changed almost constantly to avoid dogs, thunderpaths, and anything else that could possibly harm the group of travelling cats. Squirrelpaw struggled to keep up, cursing her legs for being so stupidly short. But at least her lagging behind meant that she was able to stay out of sight from the group of travellers. And after a day of walking, she was so tired that even the prickly thorn bush she slept under seemed like the softest thing in the world.  

After another two days, Squirrelpaw was tired, grumpy, hungry, and wanted to go home.

The only problem was, she had no idea where home was. Which meant she had to either find her own way back and deal with dogs, twolegs, and whatever else was out here, or keep following Brambleclaw. And despite how much she was beginning to loathe having to stay hidden, it was better than wandering alone in an unknown territory. So, she followed the group, still clueless as to what they were actually doing. So far, the only thing she’d been able to overhear was Hawkfrost and Tawnypelt arguing about something she was left in the dark to. It wasn’t as though Squirrelpaw was bad at spying on them, it was just that they fought constantly. Seriously, the two argued more than Squirrelpaw did with any member of her clan, even the ultra-annoying ones like Spiderpaw.

The group stopped suddenly, and Squirrelpaw panicked for a few moments before diving behind a juniper bush to avoid being seen. Her heart beat faster as Tawnypelts head turned to her direction. The tortoiseshell stared at her hiding spot with narrowed eyes for a long moment, before turning away slowly. Squirrelpaw relaxed and let out a tiny sigh of relief.

As soon as she let her guard down, something heavy slammed into her and sent her tumbling out of the bush. She let out a startled yowl, kicking at her attacker blindly. It did nothing to loosen their grip, and sharp claws dug painfully into her shoulder. She could feel blood well up underneath them and looked fearfully up at her attacker, hoping for some kind of mercy. Her attacker, she should have known, wasn’t some random rogue. Hawkfrost stared down at her with icy-blue eyes, claws staying firmly in her skin.

“Squirrelpaw!?” Brambleclaw’s eyes widened, confused and maybe slightly angry. Squirrelpaw’s heart beat faster—what if they really were doing something wrong and she was going to die in order to keep her quiet? She cast a pleading glance at Tawnypelt, but the ShadowClan she-cat only stared back at her.

“Please don’t kill me! I don’t know anything!”

“Why would we kill you?” Brambleclaw asked incredulously. “Hawkfrost, let her go.”

Hawkfrost growled quietly, sheathing his claws and letting Squirrelpaw stand. He was the most hostile of the trio, and Squirrelpaw quickly moved as far away from him as she could without looking like she was going to run away. Even though they said they wouldn’t kill her, the three were still glaring at Squirrelpaw, and she resisted the urge to cower and apologise. “What are you guys doing out here?” She asked, cursing herself immediately for possibly antagonising them further.

“It’s none of your business,” hissed Hawkfrost. Squirrelpaw frowned at him and opened her mouth to argue (against her better judgement once again) when Brambleclaw cut in. “Squirrelpaw, it’s too dangerous for you to come with us. Go back, now.”

“But-” Squirrelpaw was cut off again.

“We can’t just let her wander around the middle of nowhere,” argued Tawnypelt. “It will be safer is she stays with us.”

"Safer!?” Brambleclaw stared at Tawnypelt as though she was crazy. “She’ll be killed! In fact, all of you should go back. It isn’t safe for any of you!”

Tawnypelt and Hawkfrost both bristled. “We’ve had this conversation before, Brambleclaw. You’re not dangerous, and we’re not going back,” meowed Tawnypelt firmly.

Squirrelpaw’s ears pricked, intrigued by Tawnypelt’s choice of words. She’d said that Brambleclaw wasn’t dangerous, not that the journey itself wasn’t dangerous. What did Brambleclaw do? Her pelt was practically burning with curiosity, but Squirrelpaw was, for once, able to stay quiet. I’ll find out myself.

Brambleclaw paused for a moment before sighing and closing his eyes. “Fine. She can stay.”

Chapter Text

Brambleclaw needed a plan, and fast. He only had until the next full moon before everyone around him would die, and his time was already a third of the way up. He could tell exactly what the moon looked like without having to look up at the night sky (something that he was refusing to do, because the weird feeling tingling in his blood was already bad enough). But despite his time quickly running out, he was still no closer to finding any information on how to fix himself. “I’m going for a walk,” he announced suddenly, standing up and shaking out his pelt without looking up. His travelling companions said nothing, still sleeping soundly. He thought it was safe to leave before a green eye snapped open, eager rather than annoyed at being woken.

Squirrelpaw, who had only been travelling with them officially for a few hours (and had no idea what she was getting into, no idea that she was trapped alone with a monster and two unfamiliar warriors), jumped up as well. “Can I come?”

Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes at her. “No. I need time to think.”

Squirrelpaw didn’t argue with him, and he would have been lying to himself if he said he wasn’t surprised. What happened to bossy, thinks-she-knows-everything, annoying Squirrelpaw? The Squirrelpaw I knew would follow me, or she’d yell at me for saying I’m acting entitled and holding the fact I’m a warrior over her head.

The Squirrelpaw he knew wasn’t here right now, apparently. The Squirrelpaw that was here curled up next to Tawnypelt in her makeshift nest and curled up without complaint, the only trace of her usual impudence in the fact that she flicked her tail over Hawkfrost face, only avoiding it being bitten off by the fact that the tom was sleeping. They looked so peaceful, and Brambleclaw endured another wave of guilt crashing through him. No matter how tough a warrior is, they’re powerless in the face of a dog’s jaws. Brambleclaw shivered, his own memories bubbling to the surface of his mind. Going through that… putting another cat through that, especially ones he cared about…

He was a monster, truly. Why else would he let them come with him? I should have snuck away. I was so selfish… all I wanted was to drag another cat into this with me, so I wouldn’t be alone. I’m so selfish.

He crept out from the lone tree hollow they were staying in, padding across the rolling fields and tall grass of the open moor that surrounded him. There was no protection from the moon here, and it shone down on him mockingly, making his pelt prickle. He hissed angrily at the sensation, claws catching on the thin vegetation. It isn’t even the half-moon yet! Is this how I’m going to live my life from now on? Everything I do and feel dictated by the moon?

He wanted to scream at the unfairness of it. But screaming wouldn’t solve anything; it would only attract any predators in the area and wake up his companions, and even if he wanted company, he didn’t want to deal with sleep deprived and annoyed warriors. So, he walked further, dragging up the grass as he walked until his claws were dyed green and his walk had become a sprint. His legs started to ache as he ran across the moor, imagining all his worries being left behind. Eventually he stopped, panting, against a rock. And that’s when he heard it.

A voice, old and cracked and unfamiliar, with an odd accent to it. Talking. Ears flat, Brambleclaw stalked through the grass and moved closer, tasting the air to ensure that he wouldn’t be smelt by the rogues if they were hostile. Upon creeping closer, Brambleclaw saw that it was only one cat, an old tom with brown tabby fur. He was talking to himself, muttering something.

The old cat clearly wasn’t at his best, if he was talking to himself, and Brambleclaw decided he would be doing them both a favour if he crept away and went back to the tree hollow to sleep. Clearly StarClan (or whatever was watching all the way out here) disagreed with his plan, because the wind slowed before twisting in the other direction, carrying his scent to the rogue. Suddenly alert, the old cat went silent, ears pricked. “Who’s there? Show yerself!”

Brambleclaw hesitated for a moment. He’s elderly and hasn’t received warrior training… what’s the worst that could happen?  He walked toward the rogue in the most nonthreatening way he could. The rogue sniffed the air but relaxed, clearly satisfied that Brambleclaw wasn’t a threat.

“What’s a young’un like you doin’ ou’ here so late?” He asked without hostility.

Brambleclaw shrugged. “Just needed to take my mind off things. I can leave if this is your territory?”

The older tom shook his head, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Young’uns nowadays, always too embarrassed to be seen wi’ their elders. Reminds me o’ the tale o’ the saviour’s trial—don’ suppose yeh have time for a story?”

“Um.” Said Brambleclaw uncertainly, glancing at the sky to check the time and recoiling at the way his pelt prickled. “I guess I have a bit of time?”

The tom purred happily, eyes lighting up with a joy that made him look moons younger. “Excellent! Me name’s Purdy by the way. This’s a story from many a moon ago, back when I was nohting but a newly born kitten. I lived in the city ov’r the fields—twas a time where every’un was happy and well fed, which reminds me o’ the time ole Milo fough’ off a vampire by ‘imself…”

“What’s a vampire?” Brambleclaw asked curiously. “Is it magic?”

Purdy stared at him like he’d grown another head. “Ye’ been livin’ under a rock? Vampire’s are everywhere, the scum—leeches that only come out at night to attack n eat innocent cats--- anyway, I was telling yer abou’ the saviour. The good times didn’ last, o’ course, and soon the Upwalkers came wi’ their cages and traps, dragging cat’s away ne’er to be seen again, or returning ‘em as shells of what they were. Was at that time that rumours started goin’ round, tha’ there was a saviour tha’ could fix all our problems. A group of young’uns, though I though’ they were old at the time, went to find the saviour, and lo and behold, the Upwalkers left us alone again.”

“So there really was a saviour?” Brambleclaw asked, kitlike awe in his voice. “One with magic? That could… fix everything?”

Purdy nodded solemnly, whiskers drooping. “Perhaps. Maybe there was a saviour, maybe the Upwalkers gave up on hunting cats. I’ll ne’er know— the ca’s that went to the saviour ne’er returned.”

He went silent at the end of the story. A saviour… was it only a story, or was it real? I guess it could be true, considering my problem. And Hawkfrost and Purdy have both confirmed that there’s magic outside of the clans… this saviour might be my only hope to become normal again, and it’s the best lead I have. But still, Purdy said that no cat ever returned from the saviour. I can’t drag everyone into that danger… but I’ve already brought them so far, so does it really make a difference? Maybe we’d have a better chance of survival together. “Do you know where the saviour is?”

“I’d warn agains’ this, but I won’ stop yer if you wan’ to go. The cats that left when I was a kitten followed the sun, bu’ thas all I know.”

“Thank you, Purdy.” Brambleclaw dipped his head respectfully, only just realising that he never introduced himself. “My name’s Brambleclaw, by the way. Thank you for helping me.” As the old tom returned the goodbye, Brambleclaw found himself torn between fear and excitement. I may have finally found a cure… but what good is it if it takes my life as payment?

Chapter Text

At sunrise the next day, Hawkfrost, Tawnypelt and Squirrelpaw awoke to Brambleclaw yowling in their ears. Unsurprisingly, none of them were happy to be woken up so early, and complained with varying levels of annoyance. By the time they were finally ready to what Brambleclaw had to say, he was practically bursting with impatience and excitement.

“I found it! I talked to an old loner last night, and he told me about a magical being that knows how to fix me!”

Despite never having seen his other form, or having any reason to believe that Brambleclaw was a werewolf other than how distraught he’d been when he first told her, Tawnypelt beamed at him with such joy that it almost hid the tired crinkles in her fur. “That’s great, Brambleclaw! Do you know where to find this being?”

Brambleclaw nodded eagerly. “The loner said to follow the sun.”

“Great,” yawned Hawkfrost. There was a flicker of something that seemed almost angry on the toms face, but Brambleclaw attributed it to tiredness. After all, Hawkfrost had been nothing but kind to him since the start of his journey, and even before then.  

Squirrelpaw looked between the three, clearly confused as to what was going on. “Wait, what’s wrong with Brambleclaw? What needs to be fixed?”

“You don’t need to know.” Hawkfrost flicked his tail coldly, his distaste for Squirrelpaw showing clearly. Brambleclaw frowned at him but didn’t speak up— he wasn’t sure how Squirrelpaw would react to learning the purpose of the quest she was risking her life for, if she even believed him at all.  

Squirrelpaw made a face, her tail bushed up in the way it always did when she was annoyed. “Don’t exclude me just because I’m an apprentice!”

“Oh, don’t worry, we’re not,” Hawkfrost drawled. “We’re excluding you because nobody wants you here.”

Squirrelpaw opened her mouth, then closed it. Brambleclaw felt a tug of guilt at the apprentices face, despite the fact that he hadn’t been part of the conversation. Oh mousedung, I definitely should have stepped in. I wasn’t expecting Hawkfrost to be so mean though… is he really just in a bad mood from waking up? Maybe he’s trying to protect me, and he thinks that Squirrelpaw could be a threat… I’ll have to talk to him later.

Squirrelpaw’s eyes watered with tears and she darted away, her tail the last thing Brambleclaw saw before she disappeared. as soon as she was gone, Tawnypelt rounded on Hawkfrost, hackles raised and teeth bared. “What the heck, Hawkfrost!? You didn’t have to be so cruel!”

“I was only telling the truth,” Hawkfrost argued.

“No you weren’t,” Tawnypelt snapped, tail bushed up. “I’d rather have Squirrelpaw with us than you!”

Brambleclaw glanced between the two, trying to find the right moment to interject. He should have stepped in before, when Squirrelpaw and Hawkfrost were fighting, but he hadn’t expected Hawkfrost to escalate the situation that quickly. “That’s enough, both of you. Let’s just find Squirrelpaw, okay?” The exhaustion in his voice was clear: he was feeling the effects of the moon even stronger than the previous day, his joints ached and there was a static at the back of his mind. Even without his curse coming into play, Brambleclaw had no patience for the situation. “Hawkfrost, you can apologise when we find Squirrelpaw. Let’s go before something happens to her.” I’d never forgive myself if she was hurt because of my quest… it’s my fault I wasn’t careful enough to stop her from coming in the first place!

They stuck together as they searched, Brambleclaw insisting on keeping the others where he could keep an eye on them. (He told them it was for safety that they stuck together so they wouldn’t tell him to stop treating them like kits) He didn’t trust Hawkfrost to search for Squirrelpaw by himself anyway, afraid that he wouldn’t bring the apprentice back to them.  He’s so nice to me. So why was he cruel to Squirrelpaw? It doesn’t make sense. Brambleclaw glanced at the RiverClan tom. His gaze was forced ahead, either searching intently for Squirrelpaw or trying to avoid the angry glares Tawnypelt get shooting at him when she wasn’t looking in any place where an apprentice might be hiding. Brambleclaw guessed that it was the latter.

The trail was surprisingly long, considering the short amount of time Squirrelpaw had to run away. But it was still miniscule in comparison to the distance they’d walked over the last few days, and they were able to find her in just a few minutes. Brambleclaw’s tail drooped when he got close enough to hear her sobs. Squirrelpaw was annoying, stubborn, and reckless, but she seemed to be trying to be nicer recently, and even without his grievances towards her, she was still his clanmate, and he felt guilty that she was so upset. Maybe I should tell her what the point of this quest is. It would be a lot easier. There’s no way I can get her to go to a safe place when the full moon comes. But… I don’t want to tell anyone else. I only told Tawnypelt because she was my sister, and there’s no way I would have told Hawkfrost if he hadn’t seen me for himself. Would Squirrelpaw even believe me? Or would she tell me to stop treating her like a dumb apprentice by lying to her? And if she did believe me, would she still see me the same way? Squirrelpaw’s a pain in the tail, but that’s a lot better than her tiptoeing around me because she’s afraid of me.

“Squirrelpaw?” Tawnypelt called out. The apprentice in question was crouched under a tree branch so low it scraped against the ground, trying to look like she wasn’t upset. Tawnypelt trotted over to her and sat beside her, murmuring something reassuring (and from the face Squirrelpaw made, probably an insult directed at Hawkfrost). Without warning, the tortoiseshell snapped her head up and glared at Hawkfrost in a way that clearly said ‘you better apologise, or else’. Hawkfrost flattened his ears, eyes narrowing.

Looking as though this was the very last thing he wanted to do, he forced out the words through gritted teeth. “I’m sorry, Squirrelpaw. I didn’t mean what I said before.”

Squirrelpaw stood up, and it was impossible to tell if she would forgive the RiverClan tom or not as she looked Hawkfrost in the eye. “I-”

Her words were cut off by a deafening bark. Brambleclaw whipped his head around wildly, legs trembling so quickly he could barely stand. Fear scent leaked into the forest around him, and tail was quivering against his underbelly. The only thought in his mind was an ever-repeating not another dog, not this again no. Brambleclaw couldn’t see the beast physically, but his imagination ran wild in his terror, and in his minds eye, it was everywhere, all around him, waiting to sink its teeth into his throat and-

Without warning he was back, thrown back into that awful night, being stalked by a beast just waiting for the right moment to make him into a monster, to make him one of them. The sky was dark and the leaves were littered with blood and Tawnypelts shouting was whipped away by the storm and oh StarClan, Tawnypelt was with him! She’ll be turned into a monster too and they’ll all hate me for letting it happen!

“Climb!” Yowled Tawnypelt. Brambleclaw could hardly hear her words, and it took his mind a dangerously long amount of time to process them. That’s right, get away! Run away!

His legs were still trembling violently, somehow feeling as heavy as stone and weak as twigs at the same time. It was only because all ThunderClan cats were taught to climb from a young age that the movements were firmly planted in his muscle memory that Brambleclaw was able to haul himself up the trunk of the nearest tree. Memories of learning to climb, Firestar helping him and encouraging him came into focus, pushing away the darkness and fear and everything that came from that awful night just enough for him to regain enough strength to climb. When he finally found himself on the lowest branch and safe, Squirrelpaw was already in the tree, and Tawnypelt was right behind him. Hawkfrost scratched at the base of the trunk, barely lifting himself above the ground, his body built for swimming over climbing and muscles untrained to climb properly, skidding down the trunk whenever his claws gripped into the bark. “Help me!” Hawkfrost yowled, panicking as the wind blew towards them and the stench of dog overpowered the other scents in the forest. He’ll die down there! The monster’s going to force him to life a cursed half-life forever! The dog’s going to kill him! It’s going to kill him and everyone will never forgive me!  He lowered his face quickly, reaching for Hawkfrosts scruff with his teeth. He was just a whisker-length away when the dog finally appeared, mouth foaming and eyes wild as it let out a few excited barks.

Brambleclaw shot back up, terror overtaking him and causing his entire body to quiver like a leaf in a storm, eyes wet and vision spinning. The dog beneath him suddenly wasn’t a dog, it was a horrible and hideous monster with a deformed body and fur darker than a starless night. Brambleclaw wanted to climb higher, to get as far away from it as he could, but when he placed a shivering paw in front of him, he watched, helpless and horrified as it twisted into a dog paw, blood staining the tips of his too large claws. “No!” He screamed, almost falling out of the tree in terror, his fear scent rivalling even the over potent one of the monster beneath him. “Brambleclaw?” Squirrelpaw reached out curiously with a paw, and Brambleclaw recoiled, flinching away in terror and flattening against the tree trunk. “Don’t come near me!” He wailed, “Can’t you see that I’m a monster?!”

***

Hawkfrost rolled away from the dogs snapping jaws, looking for an opening to attack it. The beast was slow and clumsy, but it had sharp teeth and claws, and more importantly, was huge. So far, he was uninjured, but he wasn’t counting on his luck for much longer. What are they doing up there?

Had they abandoned him? Were they so mad that he’d told Squirrelpaw that she was unwelcome that they’d decided to let him die? He jumped back once again, trying to find a safe spot where the dog couldn’t reach him. The dog’s constant attacks made it almost impossible to search, and he couldn’t see anywhere that didn’t require climbing in the fleeting glances he could afford. Am I going to die? Part of him was annoyed that his plan had been for nothing, but majority of him was terrified at the prospect. Will I get to see Tadpole again?  

He heard Brambleclaw yowl something, but he didn’t hear what it was. And although his brain hissed at him in disapproval for daring to even think it (because he was strong, and he wasn’t a kit and he could handle himself because he wasn’t weak like Tadpole), he hoped they were coming to rescue him.

But why would they? They were safe up there. Down here, they’d be in danger. Cats would never rescue a cat that was in danger if it meant risking their own life. They’d leave them to die.

Just like how you left Tadpole to die.

No. Hawkfrost didn’t have time to think about something that’d happened moons ago now, not when he was so close to death himself.

In the time he’d wasted regretting something that couldn’t be changed, the dog had lunged towards him, its mouth open wide enough to encase his entire head. Unable to look away despite knowing what awaited him, Hawkfrost was frozen in horror. The last sound he would ever hear would be the crunching of his own skull. Would anyone even care?

The next sound he heard was not a crunch, and he felt no pain. It was a whine, the dog yipping as someone crashed into it, sending it staggering to the side. Hawkfrost could smell the faint scent of blood, and it took him a moment to process what had happened.

Tawnypelt was on top of the dog, digging her claws into its back and refusing to let go.

Tawnypelt had saved him.

The dog apparently decided that chasing after prey that could fight back wasn’t worth it. It thrashed wildly, throwing Tawnypelt off so hard that she landed a few fox-lengths away, only stopped by slamming into a tree with an awful whamming sound. She let out a groan of pain, laying on the ground, but the dog had retreated thanks to her. It ran away whimpering, tail between its legs.

To say Hawkfrost was confused was an understatement. Why did Tawnypelt save me? She’s hated me from the start. And she put herself in danger to help me- what’s her motive? Is she trying to put me in her debt? What use does she have for me? “Why did you help me?”

Tawnypelt stood up slowly, trying to get up in a way that wouldn’t further injure her back. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“You hate me.”

Tawnypelt blinked at him. “I dislike you, and I don’t fully trust you, but I wouldn’t just let you get mauled. Especially when I knew how to help. You two can come down now, by the way,” she called to Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw.

So, she’d saved him out of the goodness of her heart? Hawkfrost wanted to not believe it, especially when he remembered his own plans to get rid of Tawnypelt. Why do I care that she was stupid enough to save me? I wouldn’t have done the same if our roles were reversed.

Why did he have such a weird feeling in his chest about such a simple fact?

Chapter Text

The journeying cats couldn’t travel any further that day. Brambleclaw was too shaken from the attack, as was Hawkfrost (though he was far too proud to admit it). The moment they had travelled a long enough distance that there was no risk of the dog returning, no cat had the physical or mental stamina to do anything but take a break. They simply rested in silence at the base of a tree, all of them shook by what had just happened. The one thing Brambleclaw was grateful for was the fact that nobody had asked him about his terror upon seeing the dog and his gross overreaction, because he wasn’t sure how he would have even began to explain that he was so stupidly terrified of something that had happened over a moon ago that he couldn’t tell that moment from the present. Now that he was no longer in danger, Brambleclaw wasn’t sure which one was worse: encountering the dog itself, or the way he reacted to it that was so far off how a normal cat would behave. What’s wrong with me? I was safe in that tree, but I let Hawkfrost almost die because I was too stupid to tell the difference between a twolegs pet and a monster. If he’d gotten hurt, it would have been blood on my paws.

Brambleclaw dug his muzzle into his chest, begging himself not to cry. It was the last thing he needed right now, and he was sure that if he did it would be uncontrollable and very noticeable, and everyone would think he was weak and stupid for freaking out over seeing a dog, especially considering they were far from an uncommon sighting in the clans. He wanted to go for a walk so he could be alone, but he hardly had the energy to get up from the spot he was lying down on. I’ll just go to sleep, and when I wake up, everything will be better.

Brambleclaw wasn’t sure if he slept or drifted into a state of mind where for a while, but by the time he regained consciousness, the sky was covered by thick grey clouds that made it impossible to tell the time—or the direction they needed to travel in. “How will we follow the sun now? We’ll never get to where we need to go on time if these clouds don’t clear up!”

Tawnypelt frowned. “Maybe we should consider trying to find a place to wait for a few days until the sky clears, and then we can keep going.” She looked up, frown deepening. “It doesn’t look like these clouds will disappear soon… how did we not notice them before now?”

Brambleclaw’s tail fluffed up in panic. If we wait here for a few days, we won’t make it in time. I can’t go through it again! I can’t- I just can’t! I could hurt someone! I could curse someone! I could murder someone! And even if everyone else gets to safety, what about me? the blurry haze that was his last transformation had only one clear thing about it: the pain. I don’t want to go through that again. I don’t want to lose control of my body. I don’t want to be a monster. “We need to get to the sun-drown place before the next full moon,” he begged. Please.

“I don’t think it’s possible,” Hawkfrost mewed sympathetically, looking at the sky. “We don’t know which way to go, and even if we did, I doubt we could get there in time. We only have a bit more than half a moon left. We’d have to walk twice as fast to even have a chance.”

Squirrelpaw’s eyes flitted curiously from cat to cat, but she held her tongue and didn’t ask the questions she was so obviously dying to ask. “…I think I know which way to go. I can remember the way the sun was facing before, at least,” she mewed hesitantly.

Brambleclaw hesitated. If she’s wrong, we’ll be going in the wrong direction until the clouds clear up. But if Hawkfrost and Tawnypelt are correct, that won’t matter. And if she’s right, and we hurry, we might make it in time. “Alright, Squirrelpaw, show us the way.”

It took a quarter moon for the clouds to clear up after days of heavy rain that they all walked through (with a lot of complaining), and Squirrelpaw’s pride and enjoyment to lead the group during that time was obvious. The travelling cats were able to cover much more distance than they normally would in that quarter moon due to Brambleclaw constantly urging them to walk faster and move forward, and by the time they were finally able to see the sun again, they were so far away from the spot they’d encountered the dog that it would have taken four days travel to even see the forest it happened in.

While they were travelling, everything seemed like it was going to work out. The cats were travelling faster than before, and prey was easy to find in the areas they passed in: prey was relaxed and plentiful due to lack the of cats, something that Brambleclaw was extremely grateful for. A full stomach seemed to make everything feel better, and the pain that was creeping into his bite wound was pushed back by it. Hawkfrost had avoided everyone since the incident, but Squirrelpaw seemed to be developing a friendship with Tawnypelt, which Brambleclaw was grateful for. Even Brambleclaw was starting to feel more relaxed, certain that he’d never have to experience another horrifying transformation. The serenity made the growing buzzing in his head less extreme, and everything seemed as though it would be okay.

When the sun finally reappeared, a horrifying fact was brought to light. They’d been travelling in the wrong direction for a quarter moon.

Brambleclaw’s ears drew back in horror as he watched the clouds finally draw away, the sun behind them despite the fact that it was after sun-high. “No…”

Too shocked to even be mad at Squirrelpaw, Brambleclaw sat on the grass and stared into the distance, numb with shock. “We’re not going to make it in time.” The weight behind his words was obvious, and all he wanted was to sink into the grass and sleep forever so he didn’t have to deal with the consequences of what this meant.  “What are we going to do now?”

“I’m so sorry Brambleclaw.” Squirrelpaw meowed, sounding like she meant it. “It’s okay though, right? we can just turn around and go back the way we came. Nothing bad’s going to happen if we don’t get there before the full moon, right?” A heavy silence followed her words, but no cat stepped up to tell her what was going to happen. Squirrelpaw shrank back guiltily at the silence, letting her imagination run wild with ghastly scenarios.

“We don’t have enough time to go back. The full moon will arrive in almost a quarter moon. We need to set up camp,” Hawkfrost decided.

“What if we went up there?” Tawnypelt suggested, looking up at rocks that went beyond the clouds. It was like Highstones, but so much taller, so tall that they couldn’t see the top. “It looks like there wouldn’t be anything else around. And plenty of places to hide.”

Brambleclaw nodded his head numbly, not caring where they went. It’s going to happen again. Oh StarClan, it’s going to happen again. How am I supposed to bear it?

“Then it’s decided,” meowed Tawnypelt. “We’re going to the mountains.”

Chapter Text

The mountains were cold, even colder than the forest was in the middle of leaf-bare. The rocks were frigid and stung their pads until they were raw, and the travelling cats had to repeatedly backtrack or find another route to avoid perilous drops and unstable ground. Despite the fact that they’d been on the mountains for two days, they’d yet to find anywhere that would keep Brambleclaw trapped inside, because for some reason the mountains were severely lacking in places big enough for a cat to get in and out but not a giant dog. The only thing close to what he needed they’d seen so far was an empty rabbit burrow, but the inside was definitely not big enough for Brambleclaw’s cursed form and he didn’t want to think about what would happen if he was confined to a space physically too small for him all night.

The other option was for his companions to find shelter while he went and did whatever it was he did on full moon nights (that was another thing that scared him, not knowing what he’d been doing for an entire night), and he shuddered when he imagined how easy it would be for him, in a crazed state of mind, to go tumbling off one of the many cliffs and die. Maybe coming to the mountains was a bad idea. Maybe we should have just stayed where we were… but we can’t go back now. We’ve been travelling up the mountains for two days, we don’t have enough time to go back down and set up a camp.

“We need to find shelter,” Brambleclaw decided. “It’s too cold to stay out here, and we still need to set up camp.”

“Let’s look for somewhere before my tail freezes off,” agreed Squirrelpaw. She trotted a few fox-lengths ahead, and when she was next to some shrivelled up bushes, she stood on her hind paws and craned her neck to get a better view of what was ahead. “Hey guys! I think I see-”

Squirrelpaw let out a yowl of shock as something leapt from the bushes. Before Brambleclaw could register it, the creature was on top of Squirrelpaw, digging its claws into her with a snarl. In an instant, the group was bounding forward to fight off the thing that had attacked Squirrelpaw, but it turned its head to look them in the eyes, and Brambleclaw froze in shock at what it was.

The thing on top of Squirrelpaw resembled a cat, for the most part. Their fur was slicked with mud, but their grey fur was visible in some patches underneath it. Their tail had a large tuft of fur at the end that was white instead of brown- the only part not muddy. On top of the cats’ head (Brambleclaw had to blink several times to be sure his eyes were not deceiving him) were goatlike horns, with tiny dents and scratches covering them. Where the cat should have had their front paws, they instead had talons that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a hawk. They were pinning Squirrelpaw to the ground, but didn’t appear to be hurting her, just stopping her from moving.

Another ‘cat’ appeared, this one a she-cat with brown fur that was almost indistinguishable from her muddy pelt. She had the same odd features as the first, though the tuft of fur on her tail was a blueish grey, and her horns were much shorter. “If we let her go, will you attack us?” Her voice was deep and odd, far from the way Brambleclaw was used to hearing cats talk.

Hawkfrost bristled angrily, baring his teeth. “You attacked us first!” Brambleclaw saw his claws slide out and rested his tail on his shoulder to try and persuade him to give up the fight. I’ve never seen cats like these before… Who knows what they’re capable of? I don’t want to antagonise them before I know what they’re capable of… And besides, if we don’t agree not to attack, they’ll hurt Squirrelpaw.

“Alright, just let her go.” Brambleclaw pleaded. The brown cat nodded to the grey one, and he released his grip. Squirrelpaw scrambled upright and practically sprinted back to the rest of the group, but despite her fear Brambleclaw could see her ears were red in embarrassment. “What do you want from us?”

“You’re on our territory,” mewed the brown cat. “These mountains are ours.”

“I didn’t smell any scent markers.” Brambleclaw replied evenly, narrowing his eyes. A small part of him agreed with Hawkfrost, that they outnumbered these strange cats and should fight them on behalf of Squirrelpaw, but that thought was squashed by the rational part of his mind reminding him that he had no idea what these cats were capable of, and if they were on their territory, then they were the ones in the wrong.

“We don’t need any. These mountains are ours—every cat knows that. For your own good, I’d recommend getting out of here as soon as you can. Defenceless rogues like you won’t stand much of a chance up here, especially with-” the tom clamped his muzzle shut and shook his head. “Just leave, before we make you.”

None of the clan cats had a positive reaction to being referred to as defenceless rogues, and Brambleclaw longed to claw one of the strange cats across the muzzle—a sentiment clearly shared by Hawkfrost. But once again, his mind recognised what a terrible idea that was, and he forced himself to sheath his claws. “Fine. We’re leaving.” Hawkfrost gave him a glare filled with fury and indignation, and Squirrelpaw’s tail twitched angrily, but she was betrayed by the relief in her eyes. Only Tawnypelt offered a nod of approval.

“It’s not worth getting into a fight on unfamiliar territory, especially in a terrain we’re not used to. We can find shelter somewhere else,” Tawnypelt reasoned. Squirrelpaw’s fur flattened slightly, but Hawkfrost remained just as angry as before. He glared at the cats, who were clearly not going to leave until there was no risk of the travellers staying on their territory. They glared right back at him.

It was freezing cold, and the temperature only continued to drop throughout the day. It seemed almost like up here, the sun was nothing but a decoration. It was worse than the coldest leaf-bare in the forest territories, a chill freezing Brambleclaw to his bones. He was scared that if they didn’t find shelter soon, they would all die from the gelidity— and was StarClan even watching them out here, or would they be doomed to an infinite emptiness after death? The thought was more terrifying than the idea of death itself.

Brambleclaw could feel Tawnypelt shivering beside him—she had the shortest fur out of all of them, and Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw had decided to walk on either side of her to try and keep her warm (Hawkfrost had needed quite a bit of convincing, but Brambleclaw reassured himself that the RiverClan warrior was only apprehensive to walk so close to a warrior he was technically enemies with, even though it had been a while since the journey had started and it was odd that it would take so long for him to bond with Tawnypelt and- whatever, all that mattered was that Hawkfrost was helping) but their body heat couldn’t keep her warm forever, and her pawsteps were already starting to drag behind. We need shelter, now.

Squirrelpaw suddenly cried out and Brambleclaw gave her a startled look, half of him expecting (as grim as the thought was) to see her succumb to the cold, while the other half immediately went rigid, preparing for another attack from the mountain cats. Instead she was looking eagerly ahead, where hidden amongst the pure white snow was a spot of darkness, sticking out like a fish in the forest. A tiny cave hidden in the snow. Shelter.

“Tawnypelt,” Brambleclaw hissed excitedly. “Look! Shelter!”

The tortoiseshell cat looked up sluggishly, her breath coming out in steamy clouds and shivering from head to tail. “Thank StarClan.”

Brambleclaw resisted the urge to bound ahead into the warmth of the shelter, guiding Tawnypelt there slowly. To his surprise, Hawkfrost stayed too (maybe he had warmed up to Tawnypelt, despite their bickering?), and Squirrelpaw only walked ahead to scent the hole and be sure there weren’t any foxes inside.

Squirrelpaw narrowed her eyes when Tawnypelt, Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw caught up, whiskers twitching nervously. “My nose is numb from the cold, I can’t tell if anything’s inside.”

Hawkfrost stared at the hole disdainfully. “I’ll take my chances with whatever’s inside. Better than freezing to death in the cold.” Tawnypelt jerkily nodded her head in agreement, and Brambleclaw sighed, knowing that taking their chances with whatever lurked inside was the only chance they’d survive. I hope there isn’t a fox in here, waiting to ambush us. StarClan isn’t so cruel, right?

“Follow me,” he mewed, taking the lead and skidding down the small but steep entrance to the main part of the cave. It was a tight fit through the entrance, but it was much warmer inside, and his shoulders sagged in relief. It was hard to see anything in the dark shelter, but Brambleclaw decided that the lack of a snarling predator and/or teeth around his throat meant that it was safe. “Come in!”

Tawnypelt skidded down the slope first, followed immediately after by Hawkfrost and Squirrelpaw, all of them settling down and licking their frozen paws to warm them up. Brambleclaw stared into the gloom of the deeper part of the cave. Without giving his eyes time to adjust, he walked a few steps further inside, smooth rocky ground growing warmer the deeper he went. Despite the fact that the ground was no longer freezing, and that it was even starting to feel warm to his cold and numb paws, he still gasped when the floor beneath one of his paws suddenly got much warmer, almost hot.

Not just hot, he realised with a growing sense of dread. The floor, and by extension his paw, was wet and sticky, with a horrible tang that his nose was only just beginning to pick up. When his eyes finally adjusted, they only confirmed what he already knew was there.

Blood, too much to be from a rabbit or a mouse, forming a scarlet puddle across the floor. At the end of it, nearly indistinguishable from the shadows covering it, a mound of flesh and fur lay, one green eye staring straight at him.

Chapter Text

Brambleclaw tensed, standing rigid before he realised that the silhouette was much too small to belong to a badger or a fox. It was a cat, lying in a pool of blood and badly injured. He took a hesitant step forward, hoping that he didn’t startle the cat. It was true that they were injured, and most likely unable to stand, but it wasn’t worth the risk of being attacked. “We won’t hurt you.”

Now that he was so close, he could see the extent of the injuries this cat bore. Just like the cats they’d encountered earlier, this one had horns and talons, but there was no mud in his pelt. Half of his tail had been ripped off, and one of his horns was nothing but a jagged stump. His entire pelt had been torn up, and he had some particularly bad injuries on his back. The oddest thing about him, however, was the nature of his injuries. Too thick to be inflicted by a fox or badger, yet much bigger than any cats claws. Was this caused by the other cats that live on this mountain? A twinge of unease caused his tail to flick uncertainly. Was this cat a traitor to their group, a cat that we should fear? He didn’t look particularly dangerous, especially not when he was injured so badly. We’re enemies of them as well, and we’re not evil. Brambleclaw stopped the question of ‘what did this to you’ before he even opened his mouth. This cat was in no state to answer questions.

Brambleclaw sat down beside him, blood seeping into his fur. His travelling companions also moved deeper into the cave, concern crossing the faces of Tawnypelt and Squirrelpaw. “We need to take care of his wounds,” Tawnypelt’s gaze crossed everyone in the group before she realised a split-second later that there wasn’t a medicine cat among them. “Does anyone have any knowledge of healing?”

“I do!” Squirrelpaw said with a bit too much excitement than the situation warranted. “Leafpaw told me that you can use snow to close wounds in cold weather, so let’s try that.” Brambleclaw’s ear flicked, surprised that he hadn’t thought of that, and for the first time, truly grateful that Squirrelpaw was with him. As she walked past him to the entrance of the den, he tapped his tail-tip against hers, hoping she recognised the gesture of gratitude.

Squirrelpaw returned rolling a ball of snow, pausing every few steps to shake the cold off her nose. The cat hissed as she broke the snowball with a paw, pressing against his underbelly. After the initial touch, however, he bit his tongue and flinched silently as Squirrelpaw worked.

The night passed quickly after Squirrelpaw tended to the cat’s wounds; Brambleclaw could remember his exhaustion, but he couldn’t remember falling asleep until he woke up in the tightest huddle he’d ever been in. He was still cold, but sleeping in a sheltered den full of warm cats was definitely helping.

It took him a few minutes to even realise that he was awake with the strength of the buzzing in his mind, but it thankfully died away once he was properly awake. Hawkfrost, Tawnypelt and Squirrelpaw were still asleep as Brambleclaw crept away to smooth his pelt, curled up much closer to each other than they’d ever willingly be if they were awake and not freezing to death.

“Hey,” rasped an unfamiliar voice. Pelt prickling at the prospect one of the hostile cats from the previous day had snuck in, Brambleclaw unsheathed his claws and locked eyes with the cat they had saved, sitting up and looking much more alive than he had the day before.

 “Oh,” he mumbled, defences dropped immediately as his ears twinged red with embarrassment at his overreaction. “It’s good to see you’re awake.”

The cat nodded hesitantly. “Who are you?”

“I’m Brambleclaw,” he flicked his tail to where his companions were sleeping, “and they’re Hawkfrost, Squirrelpaw and Tawnypelt. What’s your name?”

“Rock Beneath Still Water, but I’m known as Rock. Listen, I’m grateful that you saved me, but you need to leave.” Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes, prepared to retort something along the lines of ‘your cats can’t kick us off the whole mountains’ or ‘we just saved your life!’ when the cat gestured to his injuries. “Trust me, if you don’t want it to come after you, you need to run.”

“It?” He echoed, his thoughts instantly travelling to the worst possible scenario. Oh no. Why did we come here? They’re all going to die—Tawnypelt and Hawkfrost and Squirrelpaw can’t fight off two monsters when the full moon comes, if we even make it that far! After seeing the cats that lived on the mountain, with features that didn’t belong on any cat, he could only imagine the type of terrible monster cats like these feared. Cats with monstrous features who live in such a cold and unforgiving environment should have nothing to be afraid of. But whatever it is clearly almost killed Rock… “What did this to you?”

Terror flashed across Rock’s face, clearly reliving the memory. Brambleclaw repressed the urge to put his tail on the tom’s shoulder comfortingly, sympathy bubbling inside of him. I know all too well what it feels like.

Rock took a deep breath to calm himself from the memories. “Wake up your companions. It’s not a story I want to tell twice.”

Brambleclaw nodded, nudging Squirrelpaw’s cheek gently. He knew from experience that she was a light sleeper, and that her reaction to when she was woken by other cats was usually woke up everyone in the vicinity (it was part of the reason Squirrelpaw almost always went on dawn patrol with all the other apprentices). Sure enough, Squirrelpaw jumped up with a cry of “What’s going on?” and somehow managed to kick both Hawkfrost and Tawnypelt in the face at the same time.

Brambleclaw snorted trying to hold in his laugh, and he could see Rock twitch his whiskers with amusement as well. “Rock needs to tell us something important, so you can fight each other later.”

Suppressing another laugh at the glare Hawkfrost was shooting at the back of Squirrelpaw’s head, he sat down with the group to listen to the story. Once they were all ready to listen, Rock took a deep breath and began.

“I am- was part of a group of cats known as the Tribe of Rushing Water. We were used to having the entire mountain to hunt on freely—the mountains are too cold and treacherous for ordinary cats to survive on, so we don’t have to worry about making borders to keep away other cats. There are predators here, of course, but nothing we can’t handle.” His eyes darkened, and his voice got lower. “We thought that we didn’t have anything to worry about. We thought that we were safe on these mountains. We were wrong.”

Brambleclaw tensed as his fur prickled with unease, and he could feel Tawnypelt stiffen beside him. Ordinary cats can’t even survive up here. If the Tribe of Rushing Water has built their entire lives in a place as hostile as this, whatever they’re scared of must be a monster beyond any of our wildest imaginations.

“We don’t know how it got here. One day it simply appeared on these mountains. Sharptooth,” he spat the word out like it was crowfood, taking a deep breath to steady himself before continuing “It looks like a lion, but it doesn’t have any mane. Some cats said that it lost it as punishment for its wickedness. From the moment the Sharptooth first appeared, all it’s done is kill. Prey-hunters couldn’t leave the cave safely, and we had to ration food and go hungry to avoid the beast as much as possible. But it was smart, smarter than the other predators that live on the mountains. And when we started hunting closer to the cave and leaving less, it came to us.”

Brambleclaw tensed further, this time in horror. What was happening to these cats was his worst nightmare—exactly what he’d left ThunderClan to protect them from. A beast that no cat would ever stand a chance against, breaking into camp and killing whoever it pleased with no mercy. He could tell his companions were just as fearful as he was—Tawnypelt’s pupils were so wide her eyes were almost entirely black, and Squirrelpaw was trembling. Hawkfrost was doing his best to hide his unease, but Brambleclaw could smell a subtle fear-scent.

“It broke in, and we couldn’t escape because it was blocking the only entrance. It repeatedly attacked us for a half moon- leaving just enough time between each visit to lure us into a false sense of security. It didn’t go on a murderous rampage and kill everything in sight, like a fox, it woud appear, drag a cat away and then leave. Nobody knows what it does to its victims—cats are dragged away screaming and never seen again. It was picking us off one by one, and we couldn’t do anything but watch as the cats we loved were dragged away to be brutally murdered and wonder if we’d be next.” By this point Rock was looking terrified, clearly forcing himself to continue speaking. “We were all terrified, and we were so desperate that we would do anything that had the smallest chance of freeing us from the Sharptooth. Stoneteller, our leader, went to the Cave of Pointed Stones to receive guidance from our ancestors. When he returned, he told us that the Tribe of Endless Hunting was silent. He told us six cats would be sent to kill the Sharptooth, so that the rest of the Tribe could be safe. I was thrown out of the tribe, along with five of my tribemates. We weren’t allowed to return until the Sharptooth was dead.” Rock looked like he was barely holding down a sob. “They- none of them are still alive. I’m the only one the Sharptooth didn’t get to kill, because I managed to run down here after it maimed me and the snow hid my scent.”

Silence followed the story, thick with fear. This was even worse than I thought. We’re stuck in the middle of the mountains, where normal cats can’t even survive, and to make things worse there’s a bloodthirsty lion and a tribe of cats who hate us and have no problem exiling their own for no reason, knowing that they would almost die! There’s not enough time to get back down the mountain, but it would probably be better for Tawnypelt, Hawkfrost and Squirrelpaw if they only had to deal with me on the full moon—but Rock definitely couldn’t make it down the mountain, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I left him here to die.

“What do we do now?” Squirrelpaw asked nervously, breaking the silence.  

“It took us four days to get up here, and I’m not sure we’ll be lucky enough to last another four without the Sharptooth realising that we’re here. We have to stay, at least until Rock’s healed enough to hunt for himself,” Brambleclaw replied grimly. StarClan, if you can hear me, please keep us safe from this monster.

Chapter Text

Squirrelpaw loved adventure.

Squirrelpaw loved to sneak out of camp at night and go hunting for owls. Squirrelpaw loved to race ahead on every patrol and chase after weird scents. She loved all kinds of adventure, and had ever since she was a tiny kit and had first learnt the story of how brave and heroic her dad had been as a warrior. Those stories had kept her up at night, tossing and turning as she imagined herself as the one defeating some faceless evil warrior and saving the clans, becoming the all-mighty Squirrelstar and having a legacy just as great as her fathers. So yes, Squirrelpaw definitely loved adventure of all forms, and if you’d told her three moons ago that one day she’d be on a quest across the lands to reach the place where the sun drowned and do… something… she’d have been absolutely bursting with excitement.

She didn’t love this. It was stupid and cowardly, but Squirrelpaw would have given anything to go back to ThunderClan right now, and sleep in her safe den and talk to Leafpaw and tease Dustpelt, even though she knew she’d get in trouble for it. She wanted to go back to the way things were. For the first time in her life, she didn’t want adventure.  

This was nothing like she’d imagined. It was terrifying. The forests out here are so much more dangerous than the clan’s territory. The dog attack was still fresh in her mind despite it being over half a moon ago. She’d been terrified the whole time, unable to look away as Hawkfrost was almost murdered. Even afterwards, she’d felt horribly guilty for a quarter-moon, not letting herself forget that if she hadn’t run off it never would have happened.

When they decided to go to the mountains, Squirrelpaw was overjoyed. They reminded her of Highstones, and she couldn’t help but hold onto a foolish hope that just like Highstones, there might be a way to contact StarClan at them.  She was so homesick it hurt: she hadn’t talked to Leafpaw in a moon, and part of her was missing, disappeared into thin air along with their special sisterly connection. She missed her parents, she missed Leafpaw, she missed the other apprentices, and she missed everyone. I wish I’d never left. Then I could be on patrol or complaining about having to do the elder’s ticks. Instead of being surrounded by her beloved clanmates, she was stuck with Hawkfrost, who hated her for a reason she couldn’t understand and had no problem showing it (it honestly wouldn’t surprise her if he had some sneaky ulterior motive, but she never brought it up because she reassured herself that it was just her own biases talking), Tawnypelt, who was friendly to her but couldn’t compare to the friendships she’d had in ThunderClan, and Brambleclaw.

Squirrelpaw wasn’t sure what was wrong with Brambleclaw, but it scared her. Before he’d been attacked, he was an annoying furball that she loved to butt heads with. After the attack, he was mostly the same, even though she tried to leave him alone so that he could recover. Ever since he’d left the clan (or maybe even a few days before that) he was different. He seemed scared of something that Squirrelpaw couldn’t understand, and he always looked exhausted, even when he’d just woken up. She’d been trying to stay out of his way to show her sympathy, but he didn’t seem to register it. If I asked what was wrong, would he tell me?

Squirrelpaw was actually scared for Brambleclaw at this point. He seemed to grow more lethargic with each passing day, moving like he was in pain and never paying attention to his surroundings. Tawnypelt was always by his side, and while Hawkfrost seemed more distant, he would always help Brambleclaw if he needed to.

Squirrelpaw, as a result of being told her help wasn’t needed whenever she tried, found herself spending more and more time with Rock. She was able to heal his injuries faster than they would own their own, if only a tiny bit, from using the knowledge Leafpaw had always been so excited to tell her about whenever they talked. The tribe tom was always happy to take her hunting or distract her from her worries, and because of this they were starting to become sort-of-friends. Rock didn’t know what was happening either, but he seemed confident that Tawnypelt and Hawkfrost could handle it, and that the best thing he and Squirrelpaw could do would be to make sure that they were there if they were needed.

Even without Brambleclaw’s illness in mind, there was still a massive problem. The group had to find a new place to rest every few days. Their scents would be too easy for the Sharptooth to track if they stayed in one place for more than two days, Rock had explained with a haunted look in his eyes. It meant that they spent the last four nights in uncomfortably tight but secure caves and the branches of leafless trees that had cold, thin branches like claws, but nobody complained. It’s better than being eaten by a lion.

Tonight was the night of the full moon, and Squirrelpaw found herself wondering what the clans were doing once again. Were ThunderClan and RiverClan at war over Sunningrocks again? Was there any sickness in the clans? Everyone probably thinks we’re dead by now. I wish I could tell them I’m okay.

It was true, mostly. Physically, she was fine, which was more than could be said for Brambleclaw. Glancing over at the brown tabby warrior, she could see that his eyes were half closed, and he was shivering from more than just the cold. Tawnypelt was walking beside him, and although he wasn’t leaning on her, Squirrelpaw could tell that Brambleclaw wouldn’t be able to get far without her. “We should rest for a bit,” Rock suggested.

No sooner than the words had left his mouth, Tawnypelt had moved to the side to give Brambleclaw the space to sit down. He did so clumsily, a tired and dull look in his eyes. “Leave me here.”

Rock sputtered out a shocked protest while Squirrelpaw stayed silent in disbelief. Tawnypelt looked worried, but understanding. Hawkfrost looked indifferent for the most part, but there was a hint of something in his expression. is he… relieved? or happy? Hot rage boiled through her. I thought that Hawkfrost cared about Brambleclaw, at the very least! “What’s wrong with all of you!? Brambleclaw, you’ll freeze to death out here!”

Brambleclaw gave her a weak smile. A smile? Is he insane!? Why isn’t he telling me that he’s going to find shelter with us and this was just some mouse-brained joke!? “I’ll be fine, Squirrelpaw,” Brambleclaw reassured, the statement undercut by his trembling body

“You all saved my life just a few days ago. Please, at the very least let me try to help your illness!” Rock glared at Tawnypelt and Hawkfrost scathingly. Neither so much as flinched. “Are you two content to let your friend die here?”

Hawkfrost didn’t budge, but Tawnypelt pawed the ground uneasily. “Maybe there’s another way-”

“There’s not,” Brambleclaw interrupted. “Please, I’d hate for any of you to have to go through this as well- or worse. I’ll see you all tomorrow morning.”

“You’re not infectious!” Squirrelpaw practically screamed at him. “One of us would have gotten sick by now if you were! So stop being such a stupid furball and come with us to shelter!”

Brambleclaw’s expression was pained when he looked at her again. “Please, Squirrelpaw. Just one night, and then I’ll reunite with you. Don’t worry about me.”

“You shouldn’t be alone on the mountains when you’re ill, and especially not when the Sharptooth’s running around,” Rock protested, the half of his tail that was left lashing in frustration.

“He had a sign from StarClan,” Hawkfrost blurted out. “He has to wait on this mountain for a StarClan cat to speak with him.”

Brambleclaw nodded in agreement. “Their message is for me alone, so you all have to leave me here for tonight.”

Squirrelpaw flattened her ears. She didn’t believe the excuse, but if it was true… all I’ve wanted this journey was to find some sort of familiarity, so I could feel a little closer to home. I can’t anger StarClan by stopping them from talking to Brambleclaw if they really do want to speak with him… “If you’re not alive in the morning, I’m going to kill you,” Squirrelpaw joked humourlessly.

Rock stared at her disbelievingly. “Have you all gone mad? Do the clans not have any loyalty to their friends?”  

“It’s not like that! We can’t anger StarClan by denying them what they want—they’re our warrior ancestors!”

Finally, Rock shook his head, though he still seemed (rightly) frustrated. “Fine. But after tonight, I will claw off your ears if you try to go off alone again.”

Brambleclaw sighed, relieved. “Thank you.”

As they left him further and further behind, Squirrelpaw couldn’t help but wonder if she should have fought harder to try and stop Brambleclaw from staying behind. If he’s lying and StarClan didn’t really want to contact him, I’ll put thorns in his nest for the rest of his life. But why would he lie?

Squirrelpaw stared at her paws, noticing how the white one blended into the snow and made it look like her leg just ceased to exist. She wasn’t paying any attention to her surroundings, oblivious to everything but her pawsteps crunching in the snow until, with no warning, there was a horrible crack and the ground seemed to disintegrate from beneath her.

Terrified, she grabbed at nothing but air, only dimly aware of the shout of another cat. She only fell for a few seconds before hitting the ground, which was thankfully made of fluffy snow and prevented her from having every limb in her body shattered.

When she overcame the shock of falling, she looked up to see Tawnypelt and Rock staring down at her from the edge of the ground above. “Are either of you hurt?” Tawnypelt shouted down.

Either of us? She couldn’t keep the frown from her face when she saw Hawkfrost shaking snow from his pelt beside her. “We’re fine,” he called back.

“Do you see any way to get up?”

Both cats that had fallen looked around, seeing nothing but cliff and walls of stone and ice too slippery to get a grip on. The only other thing in the area was a dark cave was a musky odour that smelled strongly like cat, but also different. Maybe Rock and his friends stayed there for a bit before he met us. “Not that I can see,” Squirrelpaw answered before Hawkfrost had a chance to.

“I think I might know how to get out—wait there, we’ll come down,” Rock shouted down. A few seconds later, both his and Tawnypelt’s faces disappeared, clearly on their way down.

Squirrelpaw sighed, looking at the sky. It was very close to sunset. The sky had been orange on one side when they’d abandoned let Brambleclaw wait for his sign, and now there was a patch of blackness where the moon would rise soon.

“Great,” Hawkfrost hissed, sitting down and digging at the snow with his paws. “Now we’re stuck out here, in the cold, at night.” There was an accusatory note in his voice that mate Squirelpaw’s pelt prickle with anger, especially since she was already furious at how easily he’d abandoned Brambleclaw.

“It isn’t my fault we’re down here! You’re heavier than me- you probably made the ground collapse!”

Hawkfrost stood up so that he could tower over Squirrelpaw in an attempt to be threatening. “You know-”

What Squirrelpaw was supposed to know was never revealed, because at that moment, there was a terrible, angry roar from inside the cave. Both cats instantly froze, staring at the entrance apprehensively.

The first thing Squirrelpaw saw was teeth bared in a snarl, teeth that would haunt her nightmares for the rest of her life. The second thing she saw were its eyes, hauntingly catlike yet filled with a savage bloodlust that no cat was capable of harbouring. It stalked out of the cave slowly, eyeing the two with curiosity, as though wondering why two perfectly good meals would be stupid enough to wander up to its den and yowl loudly outside. Squirrelpaw stared back, petrified. A single swipe from those claws could kill her. Those jaws were wide enough to bite her in half effortlessly. This was a lion, a monster that murdered all of Rocks friends and terrorised his home. This was something she had no chance of surviving an encounter with.

All Squirrelpaw wanted was to run away. The sky was dark, and there was only a pale silver of moonlight on the horizon to light their way. If either she or Hawkfrost were careless with their movements, they’d tumble off the ledge to their deaths before they realised how close they were.

The Sharptooth took a step forward. Still, neither cat moved. Maybe if we’re perfectly still, it won’t see us. Maybe it’s not hungry right now.

The Sharptooth took another step forward. It’s ears were flattened, and its head was lowered. It’s getting ready to pounce, Squirrelpaw’s mind murmured in horror. Run.

There was nowhere to run, and even if there was, she was sure that her legs wouldn’t obey her. All she could do was stumble back when the Sharptooth finally decided that it was sick of waiting. All she could do was think no. as the beast swiped its claws through her neck and everything went red.

Chapter Text

There was blood in her eyes. There was so much blood that she couldn’t see a thing, and her ears were ringing so loudly with adrenaline that she couldn’t hear. Her face felt like it had just been torn in half, and there was a similar pain in her chest. Her ears were ringing so loudly that they drowned out everything else. She wasn’t screaming, she couldn’t. The pain was too intense for her brain to even process what was happening, and every ragged breath felt like claws ripping into her throat. She didn’t even know that she had fallen over until the stinging chill of snow soaked into her body. On her side, blood was starting to dribble out from one of her eyes, and she could see in a blurry red tint. As the ringing in her ears faded, the yowling and screaming of a fight became clearer. Tears of pain and fear stung her eyes, washing away the blood but keeping her eyes blurry,

She only wanted to go on a fun adventure, and maybe stop whatever evil scheme Brambleclaw was up to when she left the clans behind. She wanted to be a hero so everyone would stop seeing her as an annoying apprentice.

She didn’t want this.

She didn’t want to die up here, so far away from her family, a place that was so cold and lonely where the only witness to her death would be a cat that barely tolerated her at best. She’d always liked adventure, craved the rush of adrenaline that came with the threat of being caught when she snuck out of camp. This wasn’t an adventure, this was torture.

She raised her head off the snow-covered ground, unable to stop the agonised groan that came as a result of the pain in her chest and neck. She wondered if she could claw some snow into the wound, but her entire body was weak and trembling, and she doubted she’d have the strength to.

Her vision finally came back into focus enough to see. The pain didn’t abate in the slightest, and blood still flowed freely from the claw marks across her face and neck, trickling onto her muzzle and keeping one eye blind. She wondered numbly if she’d ever be able to see out of it again, or if she’d be like Brightheart for the rest of her life. She wasn’t even sure where the beast had struck, just that it hurt. Dad would kill me if I came back with only one eye.

She choked on a sob, letting her head fall back to the ground. If dad was here, he’d know what to do. He’d protect me. He’d fight off the Sharptooth.

Dad, she begged silently, please come and save me.

A screech of fury and pain pierced her ears and she tried to blink the blood out of her eyes to finally see what was going on, seized by the fantasy that somehow Firestar had heard her cry for help and come to rescue her.

The wishful hope disappeared as soon as her eyes were cleared enough to see properly. Hawkfrost was fighting the Sharptooth, clearly losing and bleeding from slashes all across his body that stained his pelt red, but somehow, he was still alive. Tripping up the beast, staying in its blind spots and running as fast as he could hardly counted as fighting, but the fact that the wounds across his body that spurted blood into the air hadn’t kept him from running was a victory in itself. The Sharptooth wasn’t injured, as far as Squirrelpaw could tell. Hawkfrost was fighting a losing battle, but the moment he stopped…

Her shudder was nothing more than a particularly strong vibration in her quivering body. The Sharptooth would tear him limb from limb, and when it was done, she’d be next. She shut her eyes when she saw it finally pin Hawkfrost beneath one of its giant paws and-

Tawnypelt and Rock could not have chosen a better time to show up.

They distracted the monster just long enough for Hawkfrost to bite down on its massive paw and wriggle free. Three cats against the monster. Maybe we have a chance now. Maybe we have the slightest chance          

The Sharptooth’s moment of weakness didn’t last. It seemed even more furious now, even more murderous. It slashed and bit with no mercy, and Squirrelpaw shut her eyes every time its teeth closed around the space Rock’s tail should have been or nicked its claws against Tawnypelt’s spine. At first Squirrelpaw thought that her companions were just extremely fast, or perhaps the beast was clumsy. She didn’t realise until it was far too late for her mangled throat to call out any sort of warning that the Sharptooth was herding them to the same spot she was. Up close, she could see the expressions on their blood-smeared faces. Hawkfrost looked angry, Tawnypelt looked remorseful but resigned, and Rock was shaking in fear beneath his blood-matted pelt.

Squirrelpaw uttered an apology for going the wrong way and leading them to the mountains in the first place (or tried to, because the part of her throat that should have been making sounds was currently pouring blood into the snow, and she would have been terrified that she’d never be able to talk again if she wasn’t already so scared of dying). The resulting whimper caught Tawnypelt’s attention, and she gave her a pitying but resigned look, one that said ‘I’m so sorry’. Squirrelpaw closed her eyes once again and begged, that by some miracle, StarClan would save them by protecting them and-

There was a bloodcurdling scream, and Squirrelpaw opened her eyes against her better judgement to see that all of her companions were exactly where they’d been before, staring ahead with pure shock on their faces.

When Squirrelpaw saw what they were looking at, her expression imitated theirs perfectly. The Sharptooth was screaming, yowling, crying out in pain. Giant jaws were tearing into the back of its neck, spraying blood everywhere. The once-terrifying beast flailed, trying to scratch at the thing that had it in its jaws

Attached to those jaws was the biggest dog she’d ever seen. It had ugly scars crossing its giant foreleg, and horrible red eyes. It was bigger than the Sharptooth, and the beast was fighting helplessly against the dog until its struggles got weaker and weaker and its breathing rattled to a halt.

The beast seemed satisfied by this, throwing the mangled body to the floor like it was weightless. StarClan answered my prayers. They protected us. We won’t die tonight.

Squirrelpaw was only certain of this for mere moments before the dog swung its head around, staring at the cats with bloodlust in its soulless red eyes.

Chapter Text

The full moon shone brightly overhead, and the stars twinkled the same as they always had. The night was calm, and there had been no dangerous encounters with foxes or badgers for the past moon. If not for the circumstances, things would have been great.

Leafpaw looked up to her warrior ancestors, usually her greatest solace whenever she was upset and didn’t want to talk about it. She wondered if Squirrelpaw was among the stars.

When her sister had first disappeared, Leafpaw was sure that she’d just lost track of time going on an adventure, that she’d return in a few hours with a great story to tell as she undertook whatever punishment was given to her. She could still feel Squirrelpaw’s presence in the back of her mind for that first day, and assumed from the fact that, based on her apprehensive but stable side of their connection, Squirrelpaw wasn’t injured.

Squirrelpaw’s presence faded overnight. Leafpaw remained hopeful for those first two days, that Squirrelpaw had fallen in a stream and washed up somewhere unharmed or something equally as harmless. There were no signs of a struggle anywhere on ThunderClan territory, and her scent trail was impossible to follow after it hit Fourtrees.  

With every day that went by, Leafpaw became just a little bit less hopeful that Squirrelpaw was still alive somewhere. (Just a bit. Her sister wasn’t dead. She couldn’t be.) Firestar sent patrols to every other clan camp in case Squirrelpaw had wandered across a border and been taken prisoner. None of them had seen her, but RiverClan and ShadowClan each had a missing warrior of their own: Hawkfrost and Tawnypelt.

When the half-moon came, Leafpaw and Cinderpelt asked the other medicine cats if they’d seen anything. None of them had. Even StarClan was silent. Leafpaw didn’t know where Squirrelpaw was, or what had happened to her. She’d been warned, ever since she was a tiny kit in the nursery, that the life of a warrior was tough and loss was a part of life, but she’d never considered she would have to deal with it so soon, with the cat she cared about most. She always thought that even if someone close to her died, it would be okay, because she was a medicine cat and she had a special connection to StarClan so she could still talk to them like everything was fine.

This was not fine. This was awful and it felt like part of her was missing, snatched off to wherever Squirrelpaw was now. It made her terrified of losing someone else that she cared about, and she had been sleeping in her parents’ den for almost a half-moon just to make sure that nothing happened in their sleep. It was almost leaf-bare, after all. What if they got greencough, or a chill, or something she could use her medicine cat skills to prevent? She wouldn’t let anyone else in her family die. (Even if Squirrelpaw wasn’t dead, which was a hope Leafpaw would hold onto until a body was found).

She’d been forced to go to the gathering. As a medicine cat apprentice, it was important for her to attend, even if she’d rather be sleeping (dreaming of the games she used to play with Squirrelpaw). ThunderClan walked into the Fourtrees clearing as a tight group, the second clan to arrive after RiverClan. Leafpaw raised her head up high as soon as she inhaled the fishy scent, not wanting to appear weak in front of them. Her façade dropped as soon as she spotted RiverClans medicine cat. There was nothing that could make the hole in her heart that came from missing Squirrelpaw disappear, but Mothwing was a comforting presence, someone who knew what that hole felt like.

She practically sprinted over to the RiverClan medicine cat in training. Mothwing had lost her brother the around the same time that Leafpaw had lost Squirrelpaw, and the golden she-cat had been one of her only sources of comfort since the last half-moon meeting and their private meetings together that had followed.

“Hi, Leafpaw.” Mothwing greeted with a tired smile. She looked exhausted, but her pelt was clean and kempt, an illusion that everything was fine. Leafpaw smiled back, taking her place beside her.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, watching their clanmates exchange stories and talk. “Are you okay?” Leafpaw finally asked.

Mothwing wilted slightly. “There hasn’t been anything new.” She paused for a few moments. “What about for you?”

“Nothing.”

Leafpaw had been trying to reach Squirrelpaw through the connection they shared, but her sister was so distant she could barely feel a thing. It was only after hours of concentration that she was able to feel something for even a second, and all she’d seen for the past three times she’d tried to find her sister was white, a thick white that blanketed over everything like fog. Was that what death looked like?

Neither medicine cat spoke, unsure of what to say. Leafpaw had heard “I’m sorry” from her clanmates enough to know that it did nothing to help, but it wasn’t as though she could just change the subject. They simply sat in silence, watching as ShadowClan and WindClan arrived at the gathering. Almost as soon as Blackstar, the last leader to arrive, jumped onto the leaders’ rock, he let out a yowl to start the gathering.

Normally Leafpaw would have been paying attention to the gathering, but tonight she was distracted. Her connection to Squirrelpaw was weakened to the point of barely existing, but it was still there. She didn’t know where the idea came from, but she needed to try to find her sister again. Right NOw.

She could tell it was important to reach out. She didn’t know what had changed; it had all been the same for days. Was Squirrelpaw finally close enough to reach out? What had changed? Why was her mind suddenly so pressed to connect? This had never happened before.

A sharp pain in her temples urged her to forge the connection. She scrunched her eyes shut and concentrated, reaching out the way she normally did to try and find Squirrelpaw. Her mind reached out, searching for its other half. Nothing.

She reached further, concentrating on picturing Squirrelpaw in her mind. Red fur, white paw, green eyes that always sparkled with mischief, even when she was being punished for waking up camp or sneaking off. She concentrated on their memories together, trying her hardest to focus on everything that was Squirrelpaw.

It seemed to be working. Leafpaw reached out further, a headache rising from inside her skull with the effort she was putting in. Effort that was paying off. She could feel something there that wasn’t there before, coming closer and closer and closer…

She opened her eyes and wished she hadn’t.

Blood. Blood coated her paws and her fur, washed into her eyes so she could hardly see. Red coated everything, the overpowering scent enough to make her gag. She wanted to scream (it was only remembering that she was at a gathering that stopped her). She wanted to know what was going on—surely this couldn’t be happening to Squirrelpaw?

The next thing she noticed was the cold. It sunk into every fibre of her being, so agonising in contrast to the relatively warm night air that had surrounded her a moment ago that she would have jumped into a fire just to make it end. The frigidness burned her skin beneath her fur and she once again resisted the urge to scream, because she was safe at a gathering (Squirrelpaw wasn’t) and this wasn’t really hurting her (it was hurting her sister, and she could do nothing about it)

She looked up, unable to bear the sight of the blood any longer. A beast stared back at her, horrifyingly wide jaws and limbs that weren’t right and it was unnatural and horrifying and it was staring straight at her.

Its soulless eyes stared into hers. Hunger, but much less prominent than the sadistic joy that radiated from it. It was going to kill her, tear her to pieces in an agonisingly slow process. And it was going to enjoy it.

She finally opened her mouth and screamed.

***

It was scared and angry and hurt and it didn’t know why.

First there was pain, so maddening and terrible that it wanted to thrash and destroy and rip everything apart in a frenzied rage.

Next the pain passed, but it still wanted to destroy. It wanted to kill everything that dared cross its path, and hunt for those too cowardly to face them. It wanted to-

Why?

-feel the crunch of bones beneath its claws and taste blood on its tongue.

No.

The creatures were hiding from it, flying away when its jaws snapped at them or running faster than the beast could catch them to dive into holes in the snow. Frustration at its failures built up until it howled and barked and screamed, searching desperately for something to kill. The desire, the need to kill was overpowering, and it wouldn’t stop until-

Stop.

-it found its prey. The smell of fresh blood guided it, its tail wagging excitedly once it caught the tantalising scent. Another howl filled the air, this one of glee. It would hunt, it would kill, and its torment would be over.

With the scent of blood so deliciously overpowering, it had no need for the pitiful scraps of feathers and fur it had previously been chasing. Its movements were more slow, purposeful, as it followed the trail, drawing ever closer.

When it caught sight of red fur beneath it, it didn’t hesitate, it lunged. It trembled in delight as it tore and bit and clawed and ate whatever it could reach, and its prey screamed and wailed and cried beneath it. Its cries were in vain- the beast could not be stopped now, not so close to such delicious prey. It wanted to eat it and roll in it and tear it apart in every way it could, but it paused when the body finally went limp. There was more prey here.

Small. Familiar

Wounded. NOT PREY

It blinked at its new prey. The animals didn’t run. There was blood, more blood. The beast trembled. It still craved- still needed the hunt.

Stop!

It took a step forward, drinking in the scent of blood hungrily. This prey was already injured—not that it mattered. Killing it would still be satisfying. It would still scream and bleed and-

STOP!

-die?

NO!

One of the prey creatures walked forward, and the beast could sense no fear from it. How foolish. The beast snarled at it, opening its mouth wide and raising itself onto its hind legs, towering even further over this stupid creature. It needed to run, cower, cry, tremble, bleed-

“It’s okay.”

The beast couldn’t understand the words, only the calmness and certainty with which they were spoken. This wasn’t right. Prey wasn’t calm. Prey screeched and screamed and sobbed until it died. Prey feared it. They were supposed to be afraid of it.

“You don’t want to hurt us, remember? You didn’t even want us to come with you because you were scared we’d be hurt.”

Run.

This prey was familiar. It recognised the scent from somewhere- and the kinship that came with it. That wasn’t right! The beast had no kin but the moon. The beast was alone.

Its confusion only grew, along with an unfamiliar sense of dread and shock. It hated the sensation. Something was very deeply wrong right now. It growled at the prey, so that it would realise it should be scared and hide and cower and die, and these awful things would go away so that the beast could go back to its hunt.

“You can hear me, can’t you? If you couldn’t, you would have attacked by now. So please, let us go.”

Leave.

So familiar, something so familiar about this. It didn’t want to- it should- the prey should die, but the beast…. didn’t want to kill? This wasn’t right. The hunting drive was gone. The beast was confused. It hated this feeling. It hurt.

The prey was still staring at it, and now the all but one of the others seemed brave enough to come forward as well. It could kill any of them with a snap of its jaws—why weren’t they scared!?

“Brambleclaw, please.”

The beast didn’t understand why the words were so powerful, it didn’t even understand what the words were. But it recognised them, and that was the final straw. The beast let out a pitiful whimper, tail between its legs and bolted as though it was the prey.

Chapter Text

Brambleclaw woke up lying in the snow. Groaning at the ache in his muscles and the numbness from the cold, he realised the moment he opened his eyes that something was seriously wrong.

The snow around him was scarlet with blood, and his fur was clumped together and matted on the spots that laid against the ground. He knew instantly that he wasn’t nearly injured enough to cause this—his only wounds were a few feeble scrapes on his side. There isn’t much prey on the mountains, and certainly none I could have caught in my monster form. Which means-

His stomach lurched in horror.

He had murdered his friends, the only ones who were sticking by him. His breathing grew faster and shallower, body trembling. He’d murdered his own sister. He truly was a monster.

What can I do now? I can never go back to the clans, even if I get cured. I’m a murderer. I killed my clanmate and my sister and everyone who tried to help me. I’m a monster.

I’m just as bad as my father!

Overcome by self-loathing, Brambleclaw curled up and sobbed. They were all dead because of him. They would never smile or laugh or cry or share prey again. They’d never get a chance to have kits, grow old, fall in love. He’d torn their lives away from him. He’d murdered innocent cats.

No, they were more than just innocent cats. He’d murdered his friends, his family, the only cats who had been willing to go on a quest and leave everything behind just for him. The cats who had died, away from their friends, their families, everything they had, just for him.

His breath hitched in his throat. They were all DEAD because of HIM.

He hated this curse. It had taken everything from him. His sister was dead, and he could never return to the clans. He was too dangerous to be around other cats. Is this my new life? Alone forever, on this snowy, desolate mountain? After a life surrounded by his friends and clanmates in a familiar territory, it seemed like hell. No. I don’t deserve to be upset about this. I killed my sister, this is the least I can do to repent.

“Brambleclaw!” Instinctively, his head whipped around at the sound of his name, only to stare in disbelief when he saw who was calling him. “Tawnypelt!? How are you alive?”

Tawnypelt was scratched badly by a creature clearly much bigger than her, but for some reason, was still doing her best to bound through the snow towards him. Brambleclaw noticed she was with another cat, a dark brown tom, but he made no effort to come towards him, or even protect Tawnypelt from him. Why would she want to see me after I hurt her so badly? Why can’t she see she’s better off without me?

“We’re staying in the cave where the tribe lives, just until our wounds heal. It’s too dangerous to talk out here, but I’ll tell you everything that happened on the way back.”

Brambleclaw rose to his paws unsteadily, fighting a rush of vertigo. “Why are you still sticking by me?”

Tawnypelt gave him a half-annoyed look. “We don’t need to go over this again- you’re my brother, and I would never just abandon you.”

“But your pelt! It’s my fault you’re scratched up!”

This time, Tawnypelt looked confused. “Don’t you remember what happened last night?”

“No!”

“You saved us.” At Brambleclaws disbelieving look, she continued, “after you stayed behind, we were cornered by the Sharptooth. We tried to fight it, but it overpowered us. We would have died, until you showed up and killed it. You saved us.”

“And then I just… left?” That couldn’t be true, right? He was a monster. He killed anything that moved: he’d had no problem trying to kill Hawkfrost the first time he transformed. Why would I suddenly change my mind?

Tawnypelt smiled warmly. “You remembered us. You knew that we were your friends, and you left us alone.”

Someone coughed. For the first time, Brambleclaw realised that he and Tawnypelt weren’t alone; a dark grey tom was with them. “It isn’t safe to talk out here. Let me take you back to the cave.”

Tawnypelt nodded in agreement. “There are eagles on these mountains. Neither of us need to get into another fight.”

They didn’t speak much as the grey tom led them to the Tribes’ cave. The first and only question Brambleclaw asked on the journey was what happened to the others, and the answer hadn’t been good. Hawkfrost and Squirrelpaw were badly injured, so much so they were confined to the Tribes’ medicine den. Worry for them kept him silent, along with the guilt that forced him to wonder if he could have saved them if he got there sooner.

He passed under the waterfall entrance to the cave quickly, intending to find the medicine den and check on Hawkfrost and Squirrelpaw as soon as he could. His plans were dashed the moment he stepped paw in the main cave. Even as he adjusted to the sudden darkness, he knew he was being watched. Cats stopped what they were doing to watch as he entered, greeting him with a friendly tail flick and a shout of gratitude. “They know you were the one to kill the Sharptooth.” Tawnypelt explained. “You’ll have to tell the Tribe everything that happened later- the only reason you’re not getting swarmed now is because you need to go to the medicine den first.”

Brambleclaw considered protesting that he was fine, but he knew his sister would force him to go anyway. Besides, he wanted to check on Hawkfrost and Squirrelpaw. If they’re badly injured because of me, I’ll never forgive myself.

He followed Tawnypelt through a narrower tunnel, noticing the familiar tang of herbs growing stronger as they walked. He began to walk faster, eager to check on his friends.

When he finally walked into the medicine den, his stomach dropped. Neither Hawkfrost nor Squirrelpaw were awake, and while Hawkfrosts wounds looked serious, Squirrelpaw’s were fatal. Deep wounds on her face and neck were bandaged with moss, and she seemed lifeless compared to her usual, feisty nature. If not for the slow rise and fall of her chest, he wouldn’t have believed she was even alive. I always found Squirrelpaw annoying, but right now, I’d give anything for her to be herself.

“Stoneteller- the tribe healer- said that she’d recover,” Tawnypelt meowed, guessing his thoughts. “He’ll be back soon though, he just needed to collect fresh herbs.”

His eyes scanned the den. The unfamiliar herbs sorted into piles on the far side of the den seemed fresh- perhaps even more so than the herbs Leafpaw and Cinderpelt used. “What’s wrong with these ones?”

“The tribe wants to give us the best they can. You saved them from the Sharptooth- you’re a hero to them.”

A hero? Even a few hours ago, he wouldn’t have believed he could be anyone’s hero like this- a monster with no self-control. But I saved the tribe, and my friends, from the Sharptooth. And if what Tawnypelt said is true, I did it without harming my friends.

For the first time, he didn’t feel hopeless when he thought about his curse. Could I learn to control it? Would I be able to return to the clans if I wasn’t a danger anymore?

He wanted to believe it, but it seemed far too simple. If it was that easy, why would the rogue who infected me have apologised and warned me instead of just leaving me alone? I wouldn’t be in this mess at all if the monster could be tamed.

He frowned. I always knew this wouldn’t be easy, but I will find a way to lift this curse. No matter what it takes.