Brambleclaw trudged through the condemned and forgotten forest. Oh how he hated even the air in here, but StarClan must have put him here for a reason. He pushed through the undergrowth, and soon he came across the acrid scent of ShadowClan. But wait… It was his sister’s scent.

Sure enough, Tawnypelt was standing in a clearing in front of a stump with her head bowed. There seemed to be no tears, but Brambleclaw was close enough to hear some mutterings under her breath.

He sighed and walked towards her in the clearing. “Hey girl you know you drive me crazy,” he said warmly, Tawnypelt’s head turned to him. Her face brightened instantly and she went over to greet him. “One look puts the rhythm in my head,” he said and Tawnypelt smiled a little.

Then, the fur on her back began to rise and her lips curled into a snarl. Brambleclaw looked past her to see none other than his StarClan-forsaken father: Tigerstar. The ambitious former leader stood on the stump, tail swaying and a slight smirk across his face.

“Welcome Brambleclaw,” Tigerstar hissed. Brambleclaw unsheathed his claws slowly, but he soon saw two other figures: two tabbies. Instantly, Brambleclaw could tell who the one of the left was, with his ice blue eyes.

“No need to bring out the claws, Brambleclaw,” spat the tabby with the ice blue eyes as he walked forward. The muscular shape stepped into the dim light, only a tail-length from Brambleclaw’s face.

Tawnypelt hissed beside Brambleclaw, “Hawkfrost.” Hawkfrost smirked, but kept his attention fixed on Brambleclaw. Brambleclaw didn’t flinch; he had faced his brother before in life or death, so now this staring was simple.

Hawkfrost slowly walked back to his place beside his father, and Brambleclaw turned to Tawnypelt, “Still, I'll never understand why you hang around,” he whispered, but Tawnypelt gave no communication; she just looked at Tigerstar. “I see what's going down,” Brambleclaw whispered half to himself.

“Before you joined us Brambleclaw,” Tigerstar began, jumping off the stump to be closer to them, “I was talking to Tawnypelt about how I was sorry about all the damage…” He paused; there was so much mockery in his voice, and Brambleclaw just wanted to attack, but he must have patience. “She’s done…” Tigerstar added silently with a smirk.

“Cover up to make up the fear,” Brambleclaw began, turning his head to Tawnypelt. She turned to look at him with an emotionless expression. Tigerstar took a step forward, then Brambleclaw jerked his head to his father. “Tell yourself it's never gonna happen again,” he spat at Tigerstar, still talking about Tawnypelt. Tigerstar took a step back respectively, leaving Brambleclaw where he made his declaration in Tigerstar’s face.

Brambleclaw relaxed a little, turning back to Tawnypelt, he whispered, but loud enough for Tigerstar and the others to hear, “You cry alone and then he swears he…” Brambleclaw took another step to Tigerstar instantly to shout at him: “loves you!”

Tawnypelt glared at Tigerstar, and Tigerstar began to snarl. But the other tabby came forward, standing in front of Tigerstar, saying, “No, Tigerstar.” Tigerstar stared and panted at the tabby, but after what seemed like forever, Tigerstar nodded and the tabby cautiously walked back to his place.

For a few moments, all the cats just looked at each other: Tawnypelt to Brambleclaw; Brambleclaw to the tabby; the tabby to Hawkfrost; Hawkfrost to Tigerstar; Tigerstar to Tawnypelt and Brambleclaw. Gulping and sighing with unease, Brambleclaw asked Tigerstar calmly, “Do you feel like a man when you push her around?” Tigerstar tilted his head slightly in confusion, but kept his eyes focused on Brambleclaw. “Do you feel better now, as she falls to the ground?” Brambleclaw asked Tigerstar.

“What are you talking about?” Tigerstar rose, unsheathing his claws slowly. But Brambleclaw walked in front of him, preventing him advancing anywhere. “Well I'll tell you my friend,” Brambleclaw said in Tigerstar’s face, then began to walk to Hawkfrost, saying, “One day this world's going to end.” Hawkfrost turned his nose up in contempt, and Brambleclaw snorted at his half-brother’s attitude.

Brambleclaw turned his head to Tigerstar, anger flaring up in his eyes. Tigerstar was mirroring the flare, but he kept his composure. “As your lies crumble down,” Brambleclaw growled, “a new life she has found.”

Tawnypelt tensed slightly when Brambleclaw mentioned Rowanclaw and their kits, but Brambleclaw didn’t phase. He just calmly stared at his father, matching the expression and figure perfectly. Brambleclaw felt the weight of all Starclan; he could just feel all eyes on him, but it was time he spoke his mind.

“I know very well of Tawnypelt’s new life,” Tigerstar finally growled back. He rose, his face again right in Brambleclaw’s. Each pair of amber eyes glowed with a flare: Tigerstar’s of ambition, Brambleclaw’s of pure anger. “You would do well to back off,” Tigerstar threatened. Brambleclaw thought about it; while it was true that if he was injured here, he would be injured when he woke up, he couldn’t stand to back down. Now that Tigerstar was dead, the world seemed to be free. At least, as free as it could be.

“A pebble in the water makes a ripple effect,” Brambleclaw whispered, “Every action in this world will bear a consequence.” Tigerstar glared at his son, for he knew Brambleclaw was referring to all the trouble he’d caused in the forest, which had cost him losing all lives in one swipe by Scourge.

“If you wait around forever you will surely drown,” Brambleclaw warned his father, stepping back a few steps and sitting calmly down, still staring at his father.

“What do you mean, Brambleclaw? Tigerstar’s dead!” the dark tabby added, but Tigerstar turned to the tabby, ordering, “Silence, Darkstripe!” The dark tabby nodded, but still wrenched his face at Brambleclaw.

“I see what's going down,” Brambleclaw said after taking a good look at all the surroundings and all the cats gathered.

“You do, do you?” Tigerstar teased, beginning to circle Brambleclaw, raising the pressure. Brambleclaw nodded slowly, keep an eye on his father as he circled. “Well, tell me then,” Tigerstar responded, “Tell me what my notorious scheme is, huh? You get to be deputy in ThunderClan and you think you’re high and mighty? You think you know everything?” Tigerstar stopped behind Brambleclaw, but he did not turn to look at Tigerstar. “You think I’m still after Firestar, even though I’m dead and damned?”

There was a long pause; the entire forest was still and silent, but the atmosphere of this forest was always foreboding. Finally, Brambleclaw began soft and spiteful, “I see the way you go and say you're right again.” He slowly turned his head to Tigerstar, repeating, “Say you're right again.”

Tigerstar just scoffed at Brambleclaw; Brambleclaw shot up and faced Tigerstar, shouting, “Heed my lecture.”

Tigerstar lunged at Brambleclaw, at aiming his unsheathed claws at Brambleclaw’s chest. Brambleclaw braced for the impact, but Tawnypelt stepped in front of him, taking the hard blow. Tawnypelt just squinted her eyes, though tears rolled down. Tigerstar pulled away, astonished, but Tawnypelt recoiled with a hard knock on the head. Tigerstar was sent reeling as Tawnypelt clutched on his back.

“One day she will tell you that she has had enough!” Brambleclaw yelled into the fray. Father and daughter were in a heated combat of slashing and yowling. Brambleclaw could see blood splattering on the ground and Tawnypelt had a few oozing sores. He prayed that she would not wake up with those, but he feared the worst.

Tawnypelt rammed Tigerstar into the stump that he used as a throne, blood spilling out of his mouth. Tigerstar’s vision now blurred, Tawnypelt just sat in front of him, hoping he would call off the fight. But Tigerstar launched at her, and Brambleclaw said, “It's coming round again.”

As Tigerstar fought Tawnypelt, Brambleclaw turned and challenged Hawkfrost, “Do you feel like a man when you push her around?”

Hawfrost nudged Brambleclaw, motioning towards Tigerstar. “I never pushed her around,” he responded. Brambleclaw snorted, turning back to the battle. As he laid his eyes on the two, he saw Tigerstar throw Tawnypelt down.

She hit the ground with a loud thud, and Brambleclaw glared at Tigerstar. “Do you feel better now, as she falls to the ground?” asked Brambleclaw, and Tigerstar clawed Brambleclaw’s shoulder, Brambleclaw quickly bit his offenders paw, but Tigerstar shoved Brambleclaw against the stump.

He held Brambleclaw against the stump, whispering, “Actually, I do.” Brambleclaw used his hind legs to cut Tigerstar’s side, sending him reeling so Brambleclaw could break free. Brambleclaw faced his father, panting, “Well I'll tell you my friend, one day this world's going to end.” Tigerstar was sitting, looking defeating with all his injuries, but he would not let his expression match his physique.

“As your lies crumble down, a new life she has found!” Brambleclaw shouted, and Tawnypelt jumped from behind him, hurtling on top of Tigerstar. Tigerstar was showing his weaker side, struggling under Tawnypelt’s weight. Tawnypelt pushed his face into the dirt.

Brambleclaw slowly approached, saying, “Face down in the dirt…” Brambleclaw flicked his eyes to see Darkstripe and Hawkfrost casually escaping backwards into the darkness. The cowards were leaving Tigerstar with Tawnypelt and Brambleclaw.

“This doesn't hurt,” Tawnypelt said, pinning Tigerstar down, Brambleclaw sinking his teeth Tigerstar’s tail. Tigerstar could only utter suffering whimpers, feeling the true pain he should have felt when he died. Brambleclaw felt a surge of pride, knowing that he was taking care of his father, even if this was just in a dream.

Tigerstar was reduced to only a wheeze, and the last thing Brambleclaw remembered was Tawnypelt screaming:

“I finally had enough!”