Prompt: Rewrite Hollyleaf's scene of killing Ashfur to finding Fallen Leaves. Twists are acceptable.

The black she-cat shoved her way through the brambles, panting, lungs and legs overexerted from her attempts to run from her deed and the thoughts that tormented her mind. Thorns were tugging at her pelt, leaves and dirt matting her fur.

I need to get away from the body. I left it in the stream, gave plenty of evidence for a drowning, an accident, and now all I need to do is pretend I know nothing about this.

Even just the thought made her pause and heave. Hollyleaf stood still for a moment, head hanging low. All she could see were Ashfur's surprised, terrified eyes hear his gurgling long after her teeth had been removed from his throat. She could still taste his blood; feel his gray fur between her teeth. It sent a shiver down her spine, and she rubbed her muzzle on the grass in an attempt to wash it away.

I just need to find a piece of prey, the excuse, the reason I was not at the gathering. No Firestar, I haven't seen Ashfur all night. I was hunting because I wanted to improve my skills. Innocent lying, that's what I need to do.

Hollyleaf heaved again before struggling to her feet and pawing her way again down the path.

I did it for us! I did it for them!

Hollyleaf shuddered again.

He planned on revealing our secret. I could not let him ruin my family. We're fragile enough as it is because of me. I want to finally help us be the cats we need to be for this prophecy. Ashfur was interfering with that. He needed to go.

The black she-cat stopped again and pawed at the ground. She had to do it. Dirty as the deed was, she needed to keep her family safe.

Then why did it hurt so much?

She took a few minutes to calm herself as she neared the camp. She found a river, and ignoring the cold, dived into it and furiously scrubbed her face and paws, quickly grooming her fur into its usual, neat flat state. She tracked down a sparrow and mouse in quick succession, and by the time she crossed the thorn barrier she felt calm, collected, and ready.

I did no wrong. There is nothing to accuse me of.

Hollyleaf squared her shoulders, lifting her head to innocently carry her prey off of the ground.

Nothing wrong, just hunting.... I did it for the betterment of my Clan...

When she walked into the camp, she went through the typical motions before her sleeptime. She put the prey on the pile, visited the kits to see their little sleeping forms, spoke briefly with the elders, and strode over to the warriors den.

The black she-cat saw her gray sibling emerge from the medicine cats den. Though he could not see, his eyes seemed to be boring down into her, silently judging her for her actions. Hollyleaf disappeared from his view and curled in her nest.

The next day she wandered, outwardly appearing awake, nonchalant, and normal. On the inside she felt haggard, empty, and determined, driven only by one purpose.

She was just curling up in front of the warriors den for a quick nap in the sun when the cry was raised in the camp.

"Ashfur is dead! Ashfur is dead!" As the Clan gasped in unison, Hollyleaf closed her eyes, imagining the scene once more.

She reopened them in time to see the body being carried into camp. It was damp, soaked through from the river water, and she breathed a sigh of relief at her crime being hidden. From where she was, it looked like the body had been simply drowned.

Hollyleaf hid her emotional turmoil behind a stone mask, instead portraying sorrow and sympathy for Ashfur's death.

For the good of the Clan, for the good of my brothers, for the sake of the prophecy....

For the Warrior Code.

She repeated her mantra endlessly, running it through her thoughts any time guilt attempted to shine through.

Hollyleaf spent much of her time training harder than ever before. Most of the day you could find her slinking determinedly through the forest in search of prey, or in the training hollow practicing moves both alone and with apprentices.

Follow the Warrior Code. The Code is most important to me. My power will be revealed to me when I can finally perform my duties as a warrior of ThunderClan perfectly. All I need to do is train, and follow the Warrior Code.

It was after one fateful day, long after her excursion into the sun drown place to find Sol, longer still after Honeyfern died, that Hollyleaf finally broke down.

The black she-cat slipped between the hanging tendrils of the medicine cat den and moved to stand in front of Leafpool, who was sorting out piles of leaves in her den.

"Hello Hollyleaf. What can I do for you." The smile that Leafpool sent her had the black she-cat blink in hesitation. Where had she seen a smile like that before?

That was the same smile Tawnypelt reserved for her kits. The same look Sorreltail gives her kits every day. That was the smile of a proud mother.

Hollyleaf's mind was made up in an instant. "I want you to tell me. I need you to tell me the truth." Hollyleaf saw Leafpool's eyes widen and tail droop.

"I promise I won't tell anyone! I just... I just saw fur between his claws and smelled your scent on it. But you are my daughter and I did not want you to be... burdened by your choices as I have been by mine."

Hollyleaf stumbled backwards, reeling. That was not what she was expecting to hear.

She... she's my mother?! She is our mother? Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw are not our parents? But.. but then who is our father?

.....no.

Hollyleaf stared Leafpool dead in the eyes.

"Who is my father?" Leafpool backed up a little from Hollyleaf's intensity.

"Crowfeather. I thought you knew... isn't that why you just asked me..." Hollyleaf twitched.

We're half-clan? We aren't pure ThunderClan cats? Leafpool lied to us! Squirrelflight LIED!

Brambleclaw doesn't know either!

They lied to all of us!

How can I follow the Warrior Code if I am half-clan? How can we be prophecy cats if we are half-clan? If we are the results of the Warrior Code being shattered? Twice they broke the Code, twice! Half-Clan mutts of a medicine cat and a warrior of another Clan! TWICE!

How can I become leader as a half-clan cat?

How can I follow the Code?

Hollyleaf turned without another word to her mother and darted out of the camp.

"Hey Hollyleaf, where are you off to?" Hollyleaf spared a glance over her shoulder. Lionblaze was curiously watching her.

"Just hunting. Do you need something?"

"No, just remember that you need to be back soon. You're coming to the gathering tonight." Hollyleaf sent him a quick smile, the smooth, practiced mask coming over her face once more. She padded out of the camp, keeping her cool until she was out of sight.

Half-clan! HALF-CLAN! They never told us! Theyliedliedlied weareresultsofabrokenWarriorCode TheybroketheWarriorCode! IbroketheWarriorCode! Warrior Code! Broke the Warrior Code!

Hollyleaf let out a loud sob as her thoughts jumbled and fragmented from her anger and sorrow. How could they? Hollyleaf knew that she would never be able to get over this discovery. But what could she do about it?

Confess my sins. Confess the sins of our parents and reveal their flaws. With honesty, the Code can be restored.

Confess? Where? To who?

Confess tonight. Tell everyone at the Gathering.

Hollyleaf stood and walked back to camp, her mind clear for the first time in forever.

"Hey, come on Hollyleaf. We are leaving now!" She smiled and followed her brothers all the way to the gathering.

Throughout the ceremony she was unable to sit still. Her fidgeting drew annoyed stares from her Clanmates, but she didn't care. Finally the last leader finished, and she smiled and stood prematurely.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but I have an important announcement to make." Hollyleaf ignored the grumbles from her peers.

Warrior Code. Warrior Code! Fulfill the Warrior Code.

"My siblings and I once assumed that our parents were Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw. I have discovered that this is not the case." In her dramatic pause, Hollyleaf could hear two identical gasps of 'no!'.

"My parents are Leafpool of ThunderClan and Crowfeather of WindClan. Not only are they not of the same Clan, Leafpool is a medicine cat. I just thought you would all like to know of their treachery." Hollyleaf sat down and listened to the sudden loud gossip, feeling nothing.

A moment later she was racing off of the island, panic filling her entire being. A cold frost filled her body.

Oh my StarClan I just revealed us to every Clan. Why did I do that? I'm a fool. What possessed me? What do I do now?

I need to get rid of the evidence.

A new plan formed in her mind, Hollyleaf ran to the camp, knowing that she was racing against her own Clan to get her agenda filled.

She rushed through the thorn barrier and headed straight to the medicine cats den. There, she pulled out the one herb she remembered most.

"How could you do that? I thought you wanted it secret? Isn't that why you killed him?" Hollyleaf's eyes narrowed at Leafpool's voice.

"I want you to make amends for your sins." With one paw she rolled over three bright red berries. "Eat these, and then I might forgive you." Even as Leafpool's eyes widened, her body remained calm, passive.

"You don't want to do that. What would that do?"

"It would make you suffer!" Hollyleaf snarled.

"I would suffer more alive! Leave me in the Clan." Leafpool stared earnestly at the black she-cat. "I gave up my life as a medicine cat, and I'll be forced to live with this for the rest of my life."

Hollyleaf felt her fur lie flat on her back. Fine. That would be probably be best. Leafpool broke the Warrior Code and now she would face the consequences of her decision. Hollyleaf picked up the berries and placed them where they were originally kept.

Broke the Warrior Code twice! Now she has to deal with it!

Without speaking to Leafpool, Hollyleaf stalked out of the den. She continued to ignore the shocked looks of her Clanmates.

"Hollyleaf how could you?" Jay feathers voice came angrily from beside her. Hollyleaf hissed before barging past him.

"Why would you tell them that?" Hollyleaf ignored Lionblaze and padded out of the camp. She led them through the forest ignoring the rain covering her pelt.

Her body felt so icy cold that the rain, in comparison, was warm.

"Why would you do that?" Jayfeather repeated angrily.

"I did it for the betterment of the Clan. I did it for us! Just like I killed Ashfur. It was always for you!" Hollyleaf backed away from their judgmental stares and felt her heart crumble.

They don't love me! I did it for them, for the Warrior Code!

I can't live with this anymore!

Without a backwards glance she darted for the tunnels. She could live there without their presence.

I'm not the third prophecy cat anyways. They don't need me. They never needed me.

Ignoring the thunder, lightning, and their desperate yells, she dived through the opening.

"Hollyleaf, no! It's raining; it's too dangerous in there. We can talk about this!" The black she-cat let out a sob and burrowed further in. She wasn't worth it! She only hoped that they wouldn't follow her.

What is that rumbling?

She yowled loudly as a large rock fell on her head, knocking her out.

~~

"Are you ok?" Hollyleaf blinked in confusion. She did not know the owner of that voice.

"What... happened?" Her eyes were refusing to work, wet mud covering her face and gluing her eyes shut.

"You fell down here during a thunderstorm and the tunnel got clogged with mud. You aren't getting back up there anytime soon."

Hollyleaf felt heaviness in her soul. Was she trapped down here?

"Here, wash your face with this." Hollyleaf felt with a paw in front of her. The cool liquid confused her. She hadn't been in the tunnels often, but according to what Lionblaze had told her, there were no streams by the ThunderClan entrance.

She carefully stuck her face in the stream, feeling the mud come off her body. When her eyes could finally open, she looked beside her to see... nothing.

"Who are you?" She spoke to the cave as a whole.

"I'm Fallen Leaves." The voice behind her made her jump in surprise.

As her green eyes locked with the tabby tom's, she could feel the cold that filled her soul for so long drain out, her body left only with an unfamiliar, soothing warmth. Maybe, she decided, she could live down here for a while.

A/N: Yes I ship them. No regrets!