Dewfur started, his eyes flashing. "Brookshadow..." He sat down, giving her a lick between her ears.

Brookshadow shivered a bit, flattening her ears against her head.

"Who is 'he'?" Dewfur asked gently.

Brookshadow closed her eyes, not responding.

"Okay... Did he hurt you other than that?"

Brookshadow shook her head, reopening her eyes. "N-no..."

Dewfur nodded and they sat in silence for a few minutes.

Brookshadow's eyes snapped to the ivy curtain as it moved. She saw Bramblestar entering with Squirrelflight and Leafpool, while Brookshadow could see the faces of her siblings outside.

Dewfur looked at Bramblestar and dipped his head. Bramblestar nodded to him and sat down, Squirrelflight just beside him, while Leafpool went into her herb store in the back of the den. Brookshadow blinked a few times at her leader.

"Are you alright?" He meowed.

"Bramblestar," Leafpool called from the herb store, "I think she's been asked that question a few too many times today."

Bramblestar looked back at his medicine cat and blinked slowly, then nodded. "Who did this, Brookshadow?"

The light brown tabby didn't respond.

"Brookshadow, I can only help if you let me."

Again she didn't reply. Bramblestar opened his mouth to say more, his eyes flashing in annoyance, but Leafpool came out of the herb store and gently nudged him away. "Maybe you should let her be for today. It did just happen, and I'm sure she doesn't want to talk about it right now."

Bramblestar didn't seem to like being told off, albeit gently, by his medicine cat. He sighed a bit and looked at Brookshadow for a few seconds before trotting outside. Squirrelflight looked after him for a few moments, then shook her head, sighing.

Leafpool cleared her throat. "It's probably best that she gets some rest, sleeps the shock off. You'll have to tell them to wait." She gently pulled a leaf wrap from a small hollow in the wall, carefully unwrapped and took a few small poppy seeds from it, then put the leaf wrap back into the hollow and took the few seeds over to Brookshadow without a glance over at Squirrelflight. The orange deputy nodded and stepped out of the Medicine Den, and Brookshadow could just barely hear her quietly explaining to her siblings why they couldn't visit her.

"Don't we have just as much right to see her as you?" She could faintly hear Flintwhisker growl.

Leafpool set the seeds down in front of Brookshadow, blinking kindly at her. "Eat these. You'll feel better in the morning." She turned her gaze to Dewfur. "I know you probably want to stay, but I'm not going to allow that. She needs complete quiet."

Dewfur nodded and gave Brookshadow a lick on her cheek. Brookshadow lapped up the poppy seeds and flicked her ears. Dewfur watched her for a moment, then left.

Brookshadow pricked her ears. The conversation outside was growing slowly quieter.

"I'm telling you, the point isn't who has the right to see her. It's the fact that I'm telling you Leafpool said she needs rest."

"Which is dumb! I'm sure Leafpool..." Lightfur trailed off.

"Leafpool is doing the best she can," Dewfur mewed gruffly. "The only thing we can do is let Brookshadow rest, and see what we can find out in the morning."

Brookshadow faintly heard a few sighs, but if the conversation continued, she wouldn't have known, as her eyes slowly drifted closed.

Brookshadow screamed herself awake the next morning. Leafpool was by her side whispering soothing things to her in an instant, while Jayfeather was facing her from a distance with a concerned and slightly annoyed expression.

Brookshadow realized where she was and took a few deep breaths, calming down.

"That's it, Brookshadow," Leafpool mewed encouragingly. "It's okay. You're safe."

Brookshadow blinked a few times, remembering slowly why she was in the medicine den. It's not okay.

Leafpool watched her closely. "Bramblestar wants to talk to you, if you're alright with that."

Brookshadow nodded and stood up slowly.

"And other than your neck wound I think you're okay, but I still want you to sleep in here for a few more nights."

Brookshadow nodded again and headed out from the ivy curtain with Leafpool. The tabby medicine cat led the way up to Bramblestar's den, then paused and cleared her throat. "Bramblestar?"

"Come in, Leafpool," Bramblestar meowed from inside the den. Leafpool trotted inside, Brookshadow following her. Leafpool sat down across from Bramblestar's nest, and Brookshadow sat next to her.

"Brookshadow," Bramblestar mewed, "I know you must feel horrible and scared right now, but I need you to tell me what happened."

Brookshadow swallowed and took a breath. "I-... I was wandering the territory, not really doing much of anything, and I ended up on the RiverClan border. I was going to leave when..."

Leafpool shifted closer to Brookshadow. "It's alright," She whispered.

"When Piketooth saw me and started attacking me, and... and..." She trailed off, her voice shaking.

Bramblestar's eyes glinted angrily. "So Piketooth did this to you?"

Brookshadow's nod was almost indiscernible.

Bramblestar looked at Leafpool then stood and stormed out of the den.

Brookshadow started shaking, trying to hold back whimpers. "What did I do wrong?"

Leafpool placed her tail-tip on Brookshadow's shoulder. "You didn't do anything wrong. Bramblestar is just upset. Come on, let's get you back into the Medicine Den."

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Bramblestar was yowling as the two she-cats emerged. Brookshadow stopped, but Leafpool nudged her forward. "Come on."

"Wait... What is he doing?" Brookshadow asked, her stomach in turmoil.

"Nothing of our concern." Leafpool mewed, gently pushing Brookshadow forward. Brookshadow resisted for a few seconds more, then allowed herself to be led into the Medicine Den.

"We were all relieved when we found our dear Clanmate Brookshadow." Bramblestar began, his voice faint now that Brookshadow was in the den. "But we misjudge what doesn't happen before our eyes."

Brookshadow watched as Leafpool took a few poppy seeds and laid them in front of her. Brookshadow looked at them for a few seconds before lapping them up.

"I have some horrible news to share with you..." Brookshadow heard before drifting off to sleep.

Dewfur felt the fur on his pelt fluff up as he listened to Bramblestar tell the entire Clan that he knew who had raped Brookshadow.

The entire clan had been silent before Bramblestar had told them. Now they were shouting at their leader, whom hadn't even told them the name of the cat.

"He needs to die!"

"Kill him!"

"Brookshadow needs justice!"

Bramblestar had been trying to silence them. Squirrelflight, who had been standing at the bottom of Highledge, now scrambled to the top beside her mate. "Enough!" She yowled above the cats. Everyone silenced immediately. "I want justice just as much of any of you! But if we don't listen to Bramblestar, then we won't get that justice and this will all be for naught. Now, I strongly encourage that you listen to you leader before shouting out incoherently!"

No cat moved. Bramblestar was looking at Squirrelflight with a mix of fear, relief, and fatiuge. Squirrelflight sighed a bit and nodded to Bramblestar, turning and padding down from Highledge. Bramblestar took a small breath and returned his gaze to the Clan.

"Piketooth of RiverClan. He is the one who did this."

The cats below exchanged angry glances. Dewfur glanced at Brookshadow's siblings who all wore disgusted expressions and turned to mutter to each other. Featherdapple's eyes specifically darkened, and she muttered under her breath, "I knew nothing good would've happened."

If Dewfur's own mind hadn't been steaming, he would have asked her what she meant.

"This meeting is over. We will discuss how we will deal with this situation at a later time. Once we've all..." Bramblestar took a breath and chose his next words carefully. "... calmed down." With that he trotted down Highledge and into his den. Dewfur huffed a bit and went to the Medicine Den. Pushing his way through the ivy curtain, he mewed forcefully, "Why didn't you tell me? We-"

"Hush!" Leafpool hissed quietly, glaring at him. "She's sleeping."

Dewfur felt his fur lie flat as he saw her lying there, her breathing deep and even. Where her neck had been torn was packed with herbs and cobwebs, but was red with blood stains. "I'm sorry. Bramblestar just told everyone."

"So I heard," Leafpool sighed, sounding slightly annoyed.

"What's wrong?" Dewfur asked.

"She's upset because she thinks it was wrong of Bramblestar to publicize things like that." Jayfeather snorted.

"It was wrong of him. If I was raped-"

"Oh, 'If you were raped', Leafpool? Save it. You weren't raped, you willingly mated with someone not in your own Clan. Namely my father." Jayfeather hissed.

Leafpool's eyes flashed. She took a breath and swallowed. "Excuse me." She mewed, stepping lightly around Dewfur and padding quickly out of the den.

Dewfur looked after her, his mouth open slightly. "Uh... Jayfeather, that was a bit harsh..."

"Oh, let her cry it out." Jayfeather sniffed. "Are you here for something, or are you just going to stand around?"

Dewfur pulled back his ears and shook his head.

"No reply? Then get out."

Dewfur pushed out of the ivy curtain and looked around. He spotted Bramblestar sitting just outside his den, surveying the clan, and felt rage build up inside him. He trotted quickly up the Highledge and looked straight at Bramblestar.

The ThunderClan leader looked up at him and twitched his whiskers. "Yes?"

Dewfur said without hesitation, "I want to kill Piketooth myself."