Chapter Text
Hollyleaf POV
Fire. That’s all there was. Thunderclan was gone, as cats desperately ran into the safety of the forest, to escape the flames. They swallowed the camp like a cat desperately drinking water on a hot Greenleaf day. It lapped at the pelts of Hollyleaf and her brother who were frantically searching for a way out. The clan had fled before them, as Hollyleaf and Lionblaze helped Jayfeather save herbs from the medicine den. Hollyleaf was now regretting their decision as her eyes scanned the camp frantically for a way out. There was none. The tunnel leading out of camp was covered over by trees and embers. If they hid in the medicine den the smoke would kill them, while the apprentice's den entrance was blocked by fallen branches. Hollyeaf watched with horror as the roof of the warriors den burst into flames as embers drifted onto it. There would be no shelter there.
“We could try to shelter in Firestar’s den?” Lionblaze called over the roaring of the wind and flames.
“We can’t there’s too much smoke! We’re trapped!” Hollyleaf cried to her brother. Hollyleaf pressed up against Lionblaze while wrapping her tail around Jayfeather.
“What about the nursery? Can we get through the bracken?” Jayfeather asked. His face was stern, determined, but Hollyleaf could see the fear in his eyes. He was terrified as they were.
“Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, Lionblaze!” A familiar voice called. Hollyleaf squinted to see through the veil of smoke, as a shadow came running towards them.
“Squirrelflight!” Hollyleaf called, relief washing over her as their mother ran towards them. Squirrelflight slid to a stop in front of the three. Her eyes were wide with fear.
“Thank the Starclan your alright! Come on, there’s a way out of camp this way behind Firestar’s den!” She urged her kits, waving her tail for them to follow.
“A secret way out of camp? I can’t believe we never found it!” Lionblaze said as the three began to trail behind their mother up the rocky cliff side.
“Thank the Starclan, you three were enough trouble as kits!” Squrrielflight said weariness in her voice. “Be careful the ledge is narrow, Jayfeather hold onto your sister’s tail. I’ll move ahead of you three to make sure the path is clear. “
Jayfeather flicked his tail in annoyance.
“I can do it myself.” he hissed. Hollyleaf narrowed her eyes.
“Don’t be a mouse brain! Now’s not the time!” she growled back, lashing her tail in front of his face. She winced as she felt his teeth grip her tail. If she couldn’t tell how scared he was before she could now know from how tight he gripped her.
The three made their way up the cliff ledge. The tiny pebbles underneath their paws skittered and fell from the deep drop down into the camp. Hollyleaf’s chest felt tight as she could barely breath from smoke and fear.
“We’ll be alright… Starclan and the prophecy will protect us...we are the three with the power of the stars in our paws.” She thought to herself, feeling hope rising within her as they neared the top of the path. Squrrielflight stood waiting for them.
“It’s very narrow at the end, let me help you!” she called rushing over. She gripped each one of her kits by their scruffs and pulled them onto a small smooth patch of cliff top. The clifftop was small and there was a gap between it and the rest of the forest. The gap led down into the camp below, the height between the cliff top and bottom of the camp was dizzying.
Just as squirrelflight pulled Jayfeather up to safety, a flaming tree from above the camp came kerreing and crashed down onto the ledge path behind the four cats. There was no way back now.
“Stay here, I’m going to jump to the other side and help you across!” Squrrielflight instructed and before any of the three could stop her she launched herself to the other side. Hollyleaf’s breath caught in her throat as she watched her mother barely make it to the other side. The front half of her body caught the cliff side and Hollyleaf heard her let out a gasp of air as her wounded stomach hit the rocks. Squrrielflight hauled herself up onto the safety of the grass.
“Now you jump, I'll pull you up by your scruff!” Just as those words left Squrrielflight’s jaws, Hollyleaf heard the sickening crack of wood.
“Watch out!” Lionblaze cried. Hollyeaf leapt to the side, nearly knocking Jayfeather off the edge as another burning tree came crashing down in front of them. It sent flames and embers spitting at the three cats. Hollyleaf felt the heat scratch her face, it burned so hot she was sure she would be blind when she opened her eyes.
“Help me!” Jayfeather’s voice cried, bringing her back to her senses. When Hollyleaf opened her eyes Jayfeather was inches from falling off the edge. She quickly grabbed his scruff and pulled him back up. Lionblaze was on the other side of the clifftop safe but also inches from the edge.
“Are you alright?” He called them in fear. He turned his head towards where the tree had fallen and his eyes widened with fear. The tree had fallen into the gap, but had gotten trapped on another small ledge below, sending flames up, cutting them off from the safety of the other side.
“Oh Starclan no!” Hollyleaf whispered, her voice catching in her throat.
“Lionblaze, Jayfeather, Hollyleaf!” Squrrielflight cried, her voice shaking.
“We’re alright! We can’t get across!” Hollyleaf called back, managing to get a glimpse of her mother on the other side.
“I’ll get a branch to get you across!” she called back.
“Right, we'll be ready!” Lionblaze yelled. Hollyleaf felt her stomach twist.
“She can’t! What about her wound! She’s too weak, she won’t be able to carry a branch!” she cried to her brother, as the realization of their situation was quickly suffocating her.
“Squrrielflight will do what she has to.” Lionblaze answered hers, his eyes fixed on the horizon searching for their mother.
All too quickly Hollyleaf’s fears were realized as she watched her mother return, struggling to drag a branch. Her limbs quivered with weariness, the branch slipping from squrrielflight’s jaws as she lost her grip and it fell onto the grass.
“Starclan help us!” Hollyleaf prayed peering out into the smoke that covered the forest, hoping the souls of starclan would come from them. Her eyes widened, as she believed her prayers had been answered. A gray silhouette came running out from the smoke.
“Ashfur!” Squrrielflight called as the gray tom’s full form came into view.
Ashfur slowed to a stop as he looked at Squirrelflight and then at the three on the clifftop. Hollyleaf felt her blood run cold as she looked at the tom. His dark blue eyes were narrowed, his face colder than a stone in the shade. There was more to it, but Hollyleaf couldn’t read the other emotions lingering on his face.
Squrrielflight staggered up to him, her eyes wide and wild with fear and desperation.
“Ashfur! I need your help! I can’t place the branch across the gap!” she cried, her sides heaving with tiredness from having dragged the branch.
Ashfur pinned his ears back, a side of his lip curling up into a snarl.
“Why should I?” he hissed. Hollyleaf blinked in shock, her fur along her spine bristling. Squirrelflight's fur began to bristle as well as her rage filled glare bore holes into the warrior.
“Why should you?!” She screeched. “Because they’re going to die, if we don’t!” Squrrielflight looked ready to leap and tear Ashfur’s pelt off, but Ashfur only stared at her as if he was confused.
“So now you want my help? Funny, I’ve spent my entire life trying to help you only to be met with anger and fighting.” he said sitting down cooly, as if there wasn’t a fire raging around them. Squirrelflight's face twisted as her eyes widened in confusion.
“Ashfur what are you talking about!?” she yowled, her teeth bared.
“I did my best to protect you from Brambleclaw when he treated you less than a piece of crowfood…” Ashfur began only to be cut off as Squirrelflight reared up on her hind legs looking as if she was going to strike him. She landed in front of Ashfur, her face inches from his.
“That's what this is about!? Your quarrel with Brambleclaw needs to stop! Too many moons have passed, you need to accept that I’m his mate, not yours!” She growled. Ashfur blinked, not breaking his composure, yet it was clear emotion was welling inside him. His pelt quivered, his tail twitched thumping against the burned grass, and he flexed his claws digging into the dirt.
“And you need to accept what kind of cat he is. Tell me Squrrielflight are you even happy? He’s treated you less than a piece of prey since you were an apprentice, he insults you, fights with you, and refuses to even apologize! I see it, the whole clan sees it!” Ashfur hissed as the two cats began to circle each other. “I remember when you told me you couldn’t trust him yet you ended up loving him! He’s just like his father!”
“He is not!” Squirrelflight yowled lunging at the warrior trying to strike only to miss. “Don’t you dare say that! I am happy! I love Brambleclaw with every breath! You were my friend Ashfur! Please I never meant to hurt you. I didn’t know you were still upset!” Squrrielflight growled, her voice beginning to soften slightly.
“He is, you just refuse to see it. I tried to make you see what kind of cat he was once. Who do you think led Firestar to fox trap that day by the lake? Hawkfrost wanted me to lead him there with the promise that it would hurt you. But I spied on him after we talked and I overheard him talking with another cat. He wanted to get rid of Firestar so that Brambleclaw could be leader. They wanted to take over the clans like their father had done!” Ashfur yowled.
Hollyleaf felt faint, her legs shook feeling as if they would give way underneath her any moment.
“Brambleclaw wanted to take over the clans?” She whispered looking at her brothers who looked just as stunned.
“You’re wrong! My father is an honorable warrior! He would never kill his leader!” Lionblaze roared, looking ready to leap across the flames and attack the gray tom on the other side. Ashfur turned his head and looked at the three pityingly.
“He’s not. Not too many seasons ago he was following in his father’s paw prints. And I wanted to show you Squrrielflight and the whole clan who exactly he was. That’s why I led Firestar down to the foxtrap that day and ran back to camp to warn you. Brambleclaw may have saved Firestar then, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t turn again. My quarrel isn’t just with him, my quarrel is also with you Squirrelflight...it always has been..”
The blood in Hollyleaf’s ears roared. she looked on at the two cats, the flames enclosing in on them and the branch only feet from them. They were going to die, even if the fight between Squirrelflight and Ashfur had nothing to do with them. Ashfur took a step towards Squrrieflight who swiped at him warningly.
“I loved you. I would have done anything to make you happy...Starclan knows I tried. I did my best to be there for you when Brambleclaw treated you like rotten prey...I supported you, protected you from him...I did everything in my power to help you...yet...you chose a tom who treats you no better than a newborn kitten...his blood cursed by his traitorous father.” Ashfur hissed his face twisting, his lips curled into a pain filled snarl while his eyes widened with agony.
Squrrielflight looked at a loss for words at Ashfur’s revelation. Her jaw flexed, yet no words came out as she stared into the tom’s dark blue eyes.
“Ashfur….all of this was moons ago….I had no idea you were still upset.” was all that managed to come out. Ashfur blinked at her, in confusion.
“Upset? I’m not upset you have no idea how much pain I’m in! It’s like being cut open everyday and bleeding onto the stones! I don’t understand how you failed to see the blood!” Ashfur yowled, throwing his head back as his voice took on a wild distant tone. Ashfur lowered his head as the four cats stared at him with a mix of terror, confusion, and rage. Ashfur’s pelt stopped quivering as he slowly regained his composure. His eye glanced over to the three still trapped on the cliff top.
“So tell me why I should help you...maybe if you finally lose somebody you love you’ll finally feel the same pain you caused me…” Ashfur said as he turned and began to walk away.
Squrrielflight bristled, she looked back at Hollyleaf and her siblings, at the branch and finally Ashfur.
“If you really want to hurt me, You’re going to have to find a better way than that….they’re not my kits.” she called after Ashfur, who stopped dead in his tracks.
The world stopped for Hollyleaf. There was no longer fire around her or danger, or her brothers, or Ashfur, or the life saving branch. The only thing that existed was Squrrielflight and her words.
They’re not my kits.
“You’re bluffing.” Ashfur said, glancing over his shoulder, rolling his eyes.
“Am I? Did you see me give birth to them? Nurse them? Stay in the nursery till they were apprenticed? No, I fooled you and the clan!” Squrrielflight growled her voice, shaking yet defiant. Ashfur finally turned around.
“And nobody knows, not even Brambleclaw?”
Squrrielflight shook her head.
“Not even Brambleclaw. Nobody knows.” Ashfur looked back at Hollyleaf and her brothers who were still cowering as the flames were now close to consuming them. Without warning he grasped the life saving branch and thrusted it through the fire and to the other side. The flames pushed down and away by its leaves, leaving a space for an escape.
“I will let them live...whoever they belong to. But if you think that I will keep your secret you’re wrong!” Hollyleaf’s eyes widened.
“You’ll tell?” Squrrielflight cried, her voice small and terrified.
“Perhapes... What will your kin think when they find out you’ve lied to them and Thunderclan? What will Brambleclaw think? You’ve lied a lot in your life Squirrelflight...maybe it’s time for you to finally tell the truth.” Ashfur said, venom dripping from his words. With his final words Ashfur turned on his heels racing off into the woods, disappearing once again into the smoke and darkness.
As soon as he was out of sight Hollyleaf wasted no time getting across the branch and neither did her brothers. Squrrielflight raced over to them, fiercely licking each one of them on the head and checking them over. Hollyleaf pushed her off.
“You’re alright, thank the Starclan…” she said breathlessly.
“You lied right? We are your kits aren’t we?” Hollyleaf questioned, her voice small and quivering. She was terrified of the answer. Squirrelflight closed her eyes and drew in a deep heavy breath.
“No I didn’t...I should have told you a long time ago, but we thought it was for the best.”
“Who’s we? You know who our parents are!?” Jayfeather growled bristling, his fur blackened and signed from the flames.
“Yes I do…”
“But you won’t tell us…” Lionblaze growled, baring his teeth, his own anger joining with his siblings.
“Please know that I couldn’t have loved you any more than if I had given birth to you myself. Both Brambleclaw and I love you so much!” Squrrielflight pleaded, sadness washing over her face.
“That’s fox dung!” Hollyleaf spat. “You don't have the right to feel anything towards us! You lied to us our whole lives! Go away and leave us alone! You’re not our mother!” She growled her black fur standing on end. Squrrielflight stared up at her and Hollyleaf watched as her face fell sullen, crushed. Squirrelflight let out a breath as if she had been crushed in a rock slide. Hollyleaf turned to her brothers and they began to walk out into the forest to find the rest of Thunderclan, leaving Squirrelflight behind. As they did, rain finally began pouring down from the sky putting out the rain, yet it was too late to save anything.
“Who I am….who are my parents…” was the only thought on repeat in Hollyleaf's head.