Disclaimer: Okay, Tigerstar, say the disclaimer.

Tigerstar: It's always me. In every story about me, they always ask me to do the disclaimer. For the thousandt--er, second--time, NO, I WILL NOT SAY THE DISCLAIMER!!!

Ravenpaw: Tigerstar, don't be rude.

Tigerstar: I ain't bein' rude. -Blinks- Hey, where did you come from? You're not in this story!

Ravenpaw: Now I am.

Tigerstar: No fair!! Moletail, get him out!

Moletail: -Drags Ravenpaw out of the room-

Disclaimer-person: Tigerstar, say the disclaimer.

Tigerstar: No.

Firestar: Ooh! Oooh!!! May I?

Tigerstar, Disclaimer-person, Moletail: NO!

Tigerstar: -Drags Firestar out of the room-

Darkstripe: I'll do the disclaimer.

Tigerstar: -Groans-

Darkstripe: Moletail and the Disclaimer-person don't own Warriors.

Tigerstar, Disclaimer-person, Moletail, Ravenpaw: -Sigh of relief-

Tigerstar: -Drags Ravenpaw out of the room-

Chapter 3

(Brambleclaw's POV)

Brambleclaw stared blankly ahead at nothing in particular. There was nothing to see. Apparently, nothing was interesting to the ThunderClan deputy.

"What?" he rasped, managing to choke the word out. "Did you say that Tigerstar and you are related?"

Firestar blinked sarcastically. "No, I said that Bluestar and I are related. Of course I did, Brambleclaw!" Firestar hissed.

Brambleclaw gulped. If Firestar and Tigerstar were related, that meant that he and Firestar's daughters were related. Right? And Firestar's daughters were Leafpool...and Squirrelflight.

"Doesn't that mean that I'm related to Squirrelflight?" Brambleclaw asked with a worried expression in his eyes. Firestar must've seen it, because the fiery red leader nodded sympathetically.

"Yes, Brambleclaw," Firestar mewed solemnly. "It does. But that doesn't mean you two can't be friends, does it?" Brambleclaw sighed and shook his head at that, as Firestar went on, "I know that you can't be mates now, but you can still be friends, just like I said. Isn't that right?"

Brambleclaw sighed again. "Should I tell Squirrelflight?" Then again, if Firestar was going to tell the Clan, maybe not. It would be a big surprise for her--and a big burden. It's not so much of a burden to be related to Tigerstar and just recently become known as related to Firestar, but to be related to Firestar and then learn that you're related to your father's mortal enemy...hey, that's bad.

Firestar swished his tail back and forth. "Yes. I'm not telling the Clan." His words were slow and careful, as if he just had to pick exactly the right ones. Telling Squirrelflight would be harder than telling him, Brambleclaw realised. If Firestar was worried about telling her, then maybe he shouldn't.

Brambleclaw's eyes widened a bit. He stood silently for a moment there, until he lifted his head and growled, "If the Clan found out, the older warriors might not trust you." It was a pure fact. Brambleclaw was the son of Tigerstar, and they hadn't trusted him. Tawnypelt was the daughter of Tigerstar, and she didn't even look like him, and they hadn't trusted her, either. Why should they trust Firestar now?

Firestar jerked back. Shimmering emerald pools of light turned to thin trickles of green as Firestar narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You sure about that?"

Brambleclaw took a deep breath. Inhale--"Yes."--Outhale. "I'm--"

"What's going on out here, fellas?" chirped a hasty voice. It was not just any voice--it happened to be the voice of Firestar's daughter. And not the tabby cat, either.

"Well?" Squirrelflight meowed impatiently. "You going to tell me or what? I'm waiting!"

Brambleclaw cleared his throat. "Well, actually--" He shook his head to steal a glance at Firestar. Was it the right time to tell Squirrelflight?

Firestar nodded approvingly, and Squirrelflight's green eyes brightened enthusiastically. "Tell me, father!" she urged. "Tell me! I need to know why you're up and about way before dawn!" Brambleclaw wanted to know why she was up and about at this horrible time to be up and about, but he kept his mouth shut. Also, Squirrelflight was wrong--it was not way before dawn, it was only a couple of heartbeats away from sun-rise.

"Firestar's related to Tigerstar," Brambleclaw snapped quickly, but Squirrelflight caught every word. Brambleclaw gritted his teeth nervously as she exploded. Sort of.

"WHAT? IMPOSSIBLE! NO! HOW COULD IT BE? WORSE THAN THAT, I'M RELATED TO HAWKFROST, TOO! NOW I CAN'T BE BRAMBLECLAW'S MATE! NOW I'M RELATED TO TIGERSTAR! STARCLAN, WHY HAVE YOU CURSED YOUR MOST BELOVED DAUGHTER?" Squirrelflight fell down and tried to play dead. Brambleclaw shoved her body. "Beloved? I don't think so," he snickered. When Squirrelflight didn't move, Brambleclaw gave her a large push and snarled, "Wake up, you silly furball!"

All of this commotion had attracted Leafpool, Dustpelt, Sandstorm, and Cloudtail to come out and take a peek at the "dead" Squirrelflight. Sandstorm blinked sarcastically, Dustpelt yawned, Leafpool gasped and exclaimed, "What have you done to my sister?", and Cloudtail looked annoyed as he muttered, "She's as bad as Firestar." Leafpool, who was standing next to him, shot him a look, and the white warrior fell silent.

Leafpool eyed Squirrelflight closely and barked out orders to Brambleclaw and Sandstorm. "She's collapsed from shock," she reported. "Go fetch some poppy seeds and try to help revive her." Turning to her father, she added, "What did you do to her, Firestar?"

Firestar sat down and, after curling his tail uncomfortably around his paws, he started licking himself. In between licks, he was able to tell her why Squirrelflight had "collapsed from shock." Leafpool then yowled, "I'M DOOMED!!", and played 'possum, too. Sandstorm fed Squirrelflight three poppy seeds, and Brambleclaw, who had gotten some and didn't know what to do with them, immediately stuffed his three down Leafpool's throat, all at once.

"Are you sure this will work?" Firestar groaned.

"If it doesn't, I know another method," Brambleclaw mewed amusedly. "Watch this." He stalked over to Squirrelflight and yelled in her ear, "YOU'RE RELATED TO TIGERSTAR!"

Squirrelflight's ears pricked up and she struggled to heave herself to her feet. "You don't have to let the whole world know, you know."

Up in StarClan, Bluestar sighed and shook her head sadly as she said the same thing.