Post by Hollyfall on Oct 29, 2020 20:36:44 GMT -5
Chapter 16: Bristlefrost
As Bristlefrost comes close to ThunderClan's camp, she realizes that she left Spotfur behind with the Sisters. She feels bad, but knows Spotfur will be okay, and gets excited to tell ThunderClan the news. As she enters the camp, she sees Alderheart, Jayfeather, Mousewhisker, Lionblaze, and Squirrelflight talking. Bumblestripe and Birchfall are there too with Twigbranch and Finleap. She skids to a halt, realizing something is wrong, and realizes that their gazes are fixed on Squirrelflight and Lionblaze. Squirrelflight' pelt is ruffled out in anger, and Lionblaze's head is bowed. Looks like Lionblaze told Squirrelflight about his confrontation with Ashfur, and she isn't taking the news well.
Squirrelflight asks Lionblaze how she expects to trust him now, after he spent so long trying to convince her to kill Bramblestar's body, and especially after he attacked Ashfur in the middle of ShadowClan's camp. Lionblaze mews sorry, but before he can continue, Squirrelflight snarls that "sorry" wouldn't have brought back her dead mate if he killed Ashfur. Lionblaze clarifies that he knows, but Ashfur was trying to provoke him, and he's made it clear that Ashfur won't work with anyone unless it's Squirrelflight, and she may be able to reason with him. Squirrelflight is baffled and goes "Reason, with Ashfur?". Lionblaze asks how else they persuade him. Squirrelflight growls if Lionblaze is at all aware of what he's asking her to do. She says that Ashfur is obsessed with her, and while she probably could persuade him, she doesn't know what Ashfur wants in return. Bristlefrost tries to clear her throat, but Lionblaze insists that she could find a way without giving him everything he wants. Squirrelflight's tail bushes, and hisses "You know Ashfur! He stopped being reasonable the first time I turned him down!". Alderheart shuffles uneasily, and says she could trick him again like last time. Squirrelflight rhetorically asks if he really thinks Ashfur will fall for that again. Bristlefrost wants to speak up, knowing they'll stop arguing if they know the Sisters are here.
Bumblestripe steps forward, saying "There's no way to reason with a cat like Ashfur". Lionblaze mutters that they won't know until they try. Birchfall gets angry, lashing his tail and says "There's only one thing that fox-heart wants, and that's for Squirrelflight to be his mate. Do you really expect her to agree to that?". Lionblaze snaps that of course not, but they need to try something. Bristlefrost then yowls that the Sisters are here. Squirrelflight is relieved to see her again, but asks about Spotfur. Bristlefrost says she just needed rest, but she's fine. She explains that the Sisters are at SkyClan's camp, and she came to get Squirrelflight. Squirrelflight asks if they're going to help, and Bristlefrost says she isn't sure they can, but are willing to try.
Lionblaze rolls his eyes and says "It's a poor hunter who tries to trap a mouse with its weakest paw." Squirrelflight jerks her muzzle towards him, and demands an explanation of what he means. Lionblaze hesitates, but then nods to himself and Squirrelflight, and says "Why are we asking a bunch of rogues to find Bramblestar when it's obvious he's gone?" . Squirrelflight's eyes burn with fury, and says they don't know that. Lionblaze snaps that Bramblestar hasn't been seen in a moon. If she won't talk to Ashfur, then killing him is the best course of action to drive him out. Squirrelflight is astounded and can't believe what Lionblaze is saying. She goes "The only sensible thing?"
Lionblaze: "Without Bramblestar's body, Ashfur will have nowhere to hide."
Squirrelflight: "Are you sure of that?"
Lionblaze: "I can't see any other way"
Squirrelflight: "So you'd kill the cat who raised you?"
Lionblaze stares at her, trembling. "Do you think I find this easy? I care about Bramblestar too. He was a like father to me. But I'm not going to let that cloud my judgement. The cat ShadowClan is holding prisoner isn't Bramblestar. Bramblestar is gone." Squirrelflight stretches her muzzle closer to Lionblaze, and growls that he's making a lot of assumptions, and one of them seems to be letting her feelings for Bramblestar guide her, instead of reason. Lionblaze asks isn't she, and Squirrelflight hisses that she's doing what Bramblestar would have done, that being to make sure their next move is the right one before they make it. Lionblaze holds her gaze, saying they don't know what Bramblestar would have done. They think they do, but the truth is, they don't know what he's thinking. If they had, they would have known right away that Ashfur stole his body. Squirrelflight growls again, and asks if Lionblaze is accusing her of not figuring out that Bramblestar was an impostor sooner. Lionblaze argues that she was closest to him. Squirrelflight is visibly hurt by this. Alderheart steps forward and says that accusing her isn't fair. Lionblaze blinks at him, saying "How? I'm only being honest. I'm grateful to Squirrelflight. I respect her. She raised me. But she's made mistakes before trying to protect cats she loves. Keeping the truth of my birth from her Clanmates was a bad decision, and letting Ashfur keep living inside Bramblestar's body would be another."
Bumblestripe grunts in agreement with Lionblaze, stating they should kill him and be done with it. Mousewhisker also agrees, saying that the longer Ashfur lives, they more trouble he can cause. Bristlefrost is horrified that so many of them are willing to risk Bramblestar's life like this. Twigbranch says that that if they kill him, they might lose Bramblestar forever. Mousewhisker calls it nonsense, and he just needs his body back, and just can't do it with Ashfur in it. Birchfall pads to Squirrelflight's side and says they don't know that, and asks if they're going to risk it all by killing Bramblestar. Jayfeather steps in and says that the Sisters have arrived, and they should be consulted before anything else. Lionblaze says "If you want to put your faith in a bunch of rogues, go ahead. I want nothing to do with it. When you're ready to do what must be done, you know where to find me." and goes into the warriors' den. As he storms away, Bristlefrost sees how alone Squirrelflight looks now that she doesn't have the support of Lionblaze. Squirrelflight lifts her muzzle and says they shouldn't waste any time, heading out of the camp. Birchfall calls after her to take a patrol, just to be safe. Squirrelflight beckons Twigbranch, Finleap, Bristlefrost, and Alderheart.
As Bristlefrost follows them, she spots Snow and Sunrise sitting with Hawk. The other Sisters waiting in the shadows. Leafstar greets the patrol, and is glad they came. She's sent messengers to the other leaders, and Bristlefrost is surprised in how quickly Leafstar organized things. Bristlefrost scans the cats, and she doesn't see Spotfur, and assumes she must be on her way home. She sees Rootspring sitting with Tree and Frecklewish. Squirrelflight and Snow greet each other. Squirrelflight thanks her for coming, while Snow remarks she looks tired. Squirrelflight huffs that a lot has happened since they last met. Tigerstar then arrives, with Puddleshine, Dovewing, and Tawnypelt hot behind him. He glances dismissively at Snow and Sunrise, and talks directly to Squirrelflight, asking if they can help them. Squirrelflight says he can ask them himself. Sunrise pads between them and snorts that she knows Tigerstar well enough to not expect courtesy, but explains that they're going to try, but unsure if they can do anything. Hawk nods, and says it seems like something odd and dangerous is occurring. Mistystar then comes, with Willowshine and Shimmerpelt in tow. She says Harestar isn't far behind. Tigerstar asks Snow if they'll be able to find Bramblestar. Snow says she doesn't know, but she knows for a fact that there are many spirits around the lake, and they can bring them here. Tigerstar huffs they only need Bramblestar. Sunrise asks aren't they looking for their ancestors as well. Tigerstar shifts his paws and says they should start with the living. Bristlefrost blinks in surprise, wondering if Tigerstar has been convinced to spare Ashfur. Bristlefrost goes to sit beside Twigbranch as Sunrise guides Rootspring into the center of the grass, while the Sisters form a circle around him, and Bristlefrost wonders if they're going to really be able to summon spirits, but she cuts her thoughts off as she sees the WindClan patrol arrive.
As Bristlefrost comes close to ThunderClan's camp, she realizes that she left Spotfur behind with the Sisters. She feels bad, but knows Spotfur will be okay, and gets excited to tell ThunderClan the news. As she enters the camp, she sees Alderheart, Jayfeather, Mousewhisker, Lionblaze, and Squirrelflight talking. Bumblestripe and Birchfall are there too with Twigbranch and Finleap. She skids to a halt, realizing something is wrong, and realizes that their gazes are fixed on Squirrelflight and Lionblaze. Squirrelflight' pelt is ruffled out in anger, and Lionblaze's head is bowed. Looks like Lionblaze told Squirrelflight about his confrontation with Ashfur, and she isn't taking the news well.
Squirrelflight asks Lionblaze how she expects to trust him now, after he spent so long trying to convince her to kill Bramblestar's body, and especially after he attacked Ashfur in the middle of ShadowClan's camp. Lionblaze mews sorry, but before he can continue, Squirrelflight snarls that "sorry" wouldn't have brought back her dead mate if he killed Ashfur. Lionblaze clarifies that he knows, but Ashfur was trying to provoke him, and he's made it clear that Ashfur won't work with anyone unless it's Squirrelflight, and she may be able to reason with him. Squirrelflight is baffled and goes "Reason, with Ashfur?". Lionblaze asks how else they persuade him. Squirrelflight growls if Lionblaze is at all aware of what he's asking her to do. She says that Ashfur is obsessed with her, and while she probably could persuade him, she doesn't know what Ashfur wants in return. Bristlefrost tries to clear her throat, but Lionblaze insists that she could find a way without giving him everything he wants. Squirrelflight's tail bushes, and hisses "You know Ashfur! He stopped being reasonable the first time I turned him down!". Alderheart shuffles uneasily, and says she could trick him again like last time. Squirrelflight rhetorically asks if he really thinks Ashfur will fall for that again. Bristlefrost wants to speak up, knowing they'll stop arguing if they know the Sisters are here.
Bumblestripe steps forward, saying "There's no way to reason with a cat like Ashfur". Lionblaze mutters that they won't know until they try. Birchfall gets angry, lashing his tail and says "There's only one thing that fox-heart wants, and that's for Squirrelflight to be his mate. Do you really expect her to agree to that?". Lionblaze snaps that of course not, but they need to try something. Bristlefrost then yowls that the Sisters are here. Squirrelflight is relieved to see her again, but asks about Spotfur. Bristlefrost says she just needed rest, but she's fine. She explains that the Sisters are at SkyClan's camp, and she came to get Squirrelflight. Squirrelflight asks if they're going to help, and Bristlefrost says she isn't sure they can, but are willing to try.
Lionblaze rolls his eyes and says "It's a poor hunter who tries to trap a mouse with its weakest paw." Squirrelflight jerks her muzzle towards him, and demands an explanation of what he means. Lionblaze hesitates, but then nods to himself and Squirrelflight, and says "Why are we asking a bunch of rogues to find Bramblestar when it's obvious he's gone?" . Squirrelflight's eyes burn with fury, and says they don't know that. Lionblaze snaps that Bramblestar hasn't been seen in a moon. If she won't talk to Ashfur, then killing him is the best course of action to drive him out. Squirrelflight is astounded and can't believe what Lionblaze is saying. She goes "The only sensible thing?"
Lionblaze: "Without Bramblestar's body, Ashfur will have nowhere to hide."
Squirrelflight: "Are you sure of that?"
Lionblaze: "I can't see any other way"
Squirrelflight: "So you'd kill the cat who raised you?"
Lionblaze stares at her, trembling. "Do you think I find this easy? I care about Bramblestar too. He was a like father to me. But I'm not going to let that cloud my judgement. The cat ShadowClan is holding prisoner isn't Bramblestar. Bramblestar is gone." Squirrelflight stretches her muzzle closer to Lionblaze, and growls that he's making a lot of assumptions, and one of them seems to be letting her feelings for Bramblestar guide her, instead of reason. Lionblaze asks isn't she, and Squirrelflight hisses that she's doing what Bramblestar would have done, that being to make sure their next move is the right one before they make it. Lionblaze holds her gaze, saying they don't know what Bramblestar would have done. They think they do, but the truth is, they don't know what he's thinking. If they had, they would have known right away that Ashfur stole his body. Squirrelflight growls again, and asks if Lionblaze is accusing her of not figuring out that Bramblestar was an impostor sooner. Lionblaze argues that she was closest to him. Squirrelflight is visibly hurt by this. Alderheart steps forward and says that accusing her isn't fair. Lionblaze blinks at him, saying "How? I'm only being honest. I'm grateful to Squirrelflight. I respect her. She raised me. But she's made mistakes before trying to protect cats she loves. Keeping the truth of my birth from her Clanmates was a bad decision, and letting Ashfur keep living inside Bramblestar's body would be another."
Bumblestripe grunts in agreement with Lionblaze, stating they should kill him and be done with it. Mousewhisker also agrees, saying that the longer Ashfur lives, they more trouble he can cause. Bristlefrost is horrified that so many of them are willing to risk Bramblestar's life like this. Twigbranch says that that if they kill him, they might lose Bramblestar forever. Mousewhisker calls it nonsense, and he just needs his body back, and just can't do it with Ashfur in it. Birchfall pads to Squirrelflight's side and says they don't know that, and asks if they're going to risk it all by killing Bramblestar. Jayfeather steps in and says that the Sisters have arrived, and they should be consulted before anything else. Lionblaze says "If you want to put your faith in a bunch of rogues, go ahead. I want nothing to do with it. When you're ready to do what must be done, you know where to find me." and goes into the warriors' den. As he storms away, Bristlefrost sees how alone Squirrelflight looks now that she doesn't have the support of Lionblaze. Squirrelflight lifts her muzzle and says they shouldn't waste any time, heading out of the camp. Birchfall calls after her to take a patrol, just to be safe. Squirrelflight beckons Twigbranch, Finleap, Bristlefrost, and Alderheart.
As Bristlefrost follows them, she spots Snow and Sunrise sitting with Hawk. The other Sisters waiting in the shadows. Leafstar greets the patrol, and is glad they came. She's sent messengers to the other leaders, and Bristlefrost is surprised in how quickly Leafstar organized things. Bristlefrost scans the cats, and she doesn't see Spotfur, and assumes she must be on her way home. She sees Rootspring sitting with Tree and Frecklewish. Squirrelflight and Snow greet each other. Squirrelflight thanks her for coming, while Snow remarks she looks tired. Squirrelflight huffs that a lot has happened since they last met. Tigerstar then arrives, with Puddleshine, Dovewing, and Tawnypelt hot behind him. He glances dismissively at Snow and Sunrise, and talks directly to Squirrelflight, asking if they can help them. Squirrelflight says he can ask them himself. Sunrise pads between them and snorts that she knows Tigerstar well enough to not expect courtesy, but explains that they're going to try, but unsure if they can do anything. Hawk nods, and says it seems like something odd and dangerous is occurring. Mistystar then comes, with Willowshine and Shimmerpelt in tow. She says Harestar isn't far behind. Tigerstar asks Snow if they'll be able to find Bramblestar. Snow says she doesn't know, but she knows for a fact that there are many spirits around the lake, and they can bring them here. Tigerstar huffs they only need Bramblestar. Sunrise asks aren't they looking for their ancestors as well. Tigerstar shifts his paws and says they should start with the living. Bristlefrost blinks in surprise, wondering if Tigerstar has been convinced to spare Ashfur. Bristlefrost goes to sit beside Twigbranch as Sunrise guides Rootspring into the center of the grass, while the Sisters form a circle around him, and Bristlefrost wonders if they're going to really be able to summon spirits, but she cuts her thoughts off as she sees the WindClan patrol arrive.