A/N: Originally posted on Warriors Amino.

. . . why am I doing this? Jayfeather is my favourite character and I'm awful to him.

This is post-OOTS, with mentions from Bramblestar's Storm, and although the Three no longer have their powers Jay can still sense emotions from others because honestly that's not a power.

And YES he will be a little OOC; poor bab's been through some trauma and that'll make ANYONE OOC.

I will probably write a sequel just with how Jayfeather is faring, as a Part 2.

DISCLAIMER: Characters and universe owned by Erin Hunter.

Such a (not so) pretty sight

They found him in the forest.

It could have been a pretty sight; him laid out amidst flower petals and leaves upon new grass.

But the ground was torn up; the petals and leaves haphazardly around, as though some cats had been struggling (and they had), while the grass was messy and bent the wrong way.

It could have been a pretty sight, if not for the state of his face.

They took him back to camp, only two cats needed to hold him aloft.

He always was such a skinny, light cat.

It was Whitewing who first saw them.

"What happened?!"

More and more cats came to see, some wailing, some crying out, and others, silent still.

Brightheart, who had been on the Patrol with Lionblaze and Thornclaw (the two toms carrying Jayfeather), finally darted forward, snarling until the others backed off.

"We need to see Leafpool, now! Move out of our way or he'll die!"

They scattered like confused mice.

Leafpool rushed them in, her gaze open and horrified. She told them not to jostle Jayfeather too much, but also told Brightheart it was better that they brought him to her.

She probably wouldn't have made it in time, and probably without enough herbs.

"This is bad, this is really bad," she murmured, tail brushing against her injured son's flank. "He's - it's - whoever did this injured him really bad. There's - there's still some of his - his -"

"Still some of his eyes left, we know Leafpool," Lionblaze muttered back to her softly. "What can we do?"

The light brown she-cat took a shuddering breath, then straightened up, a determined glint in her amber eyes.

"I'm going to have to remove the rest of it myself. Then we'll have to stop the bleeding. Then, we'll have to wait and see."

Lionblaze looked at her, and then down at his brother, whose blood dripped over his muzzle and onto the floor.

"I'll stay with you, even if I can't help much."

Leafpool did all she could, removing what was left of the mess as gently as she could, her own paws soaked red. The bleeding stopped, thankfully, but it took awhile, and Jayfeather still breathed weakly.

His face was . . . well it was a good thing he was already blind anyways.

His eyes were gone now, though one couldn't tell because of the dressing over the wound. But his face around the eyes, from above slightly to down on the top of his nose ridge was torn skin, the fur around the edges of the wound ragged.

She didn't think his fur would ever grow back there.

(Brightheart would be horrified, later, after he was healed and could walk around, because she knew all too well how other cats would treat him over it.

And ironically, she tip-toed around him like he was thin ice for awhile.)

But although taken care of he didn't wake up the first day. Nor the second, nor the third, fourth, fifth, sixth -

But finally, on the seventh sunrise, he woke up.

And, Jayfeather would think, maybe, it would have been better if he hadn't.

Leafpool came back into her den with herbs clamped on her jaws. She almost dropped them in surprise at seeing Jayfeather up. He seemed to have dragged himself to the back of the den, leaning against the wall and weakly sitting up. Briarlight was out, probably doing her exercises.

She did drop her herbs as she saw him weakly batting at the dressing.

"Jayfeather!" She said, taking a moment to spit out a stray leaf. "Leave it on! You're badly wounded!"

He seemed to recoil in shock, ears pulled back. His stance was wary, seemingly . . . afraid.

That was strange; she hadn't been quiet exactly, when she came in. Surely he heard her?

Then again he was probably fuzzy from herbs and pain, and distracted from the dressing.

"L-Leafpool?" He stuttered weakly.

She rushed over to him but stopped short when she saw him cower down. His chest moved rapidly as he took in short, sporadic breaths, head twitching in a way that told if he still had his eyes, they'd be darting wildly.

He was . . . acting quite oddly.

She'd heard of cats who were never the same after an incident, and she plead to Starclan that Jayfeather would get better eventually. As his mother it hurt something deep inside her to see him so . . . frightened.

"Where are we?" He eventually wheezed out.

"We're in the Medicine Den in Thunderclan's camp," she answered slowly, softly. "A patrol found you in the forest, not too far from the abandoned Twoleg den. They brought you here and I've been treating you for six days. This is the seventh." She slowly padded forward as she spoke, making sure her pawsteps were audible. She sat next to him, lightly brushing against his pelt and curling her tail around him in comfort.

'It should feel nice to act like a mother towards him, but all I feel is horror over what happened.'

It was silent as Jayfeather calmed down, his short intakes of air gradually smoothing out.

"Jayfeather," she started as delicately as she could. "What happened? You don't have to answer now, but can you please tell me eventually."

And then his breathing quickened up again and he pressed himself against the wall, muttering something in a soft frenzy.

Leafpool's ears pricked; she brushed her tail against him in a soothing manner. "I'm sorry Jayfeather, I couldn't hear you."

He spoke again, still low, but the words were a high pitched squeak.

"I don't know!"

"Jayfeather, it's okay, calm dow-"

But he went on, voice firm but body trembling. He grew less terrified of his surroundings, but the memory he relayed lingered and burned his very soul.

He knew he needed to tell her; and immediately.

"I was - I was gathering herbs. You wanted - coltsfoot? Coltsfoot, and, and burdock? Yes - burdock. It was fine, everything was fine. Newleaf smells everywhere. But maybe that's why I didn't - didn't smell him coming."

Leafpool watched him as he spoke with wavering vision. "Who?" She prompted.

"I'm not - I don't," he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

'Why can't I talk right? What the heck is wrong with me?'

He subtly shook the thought from his head, pressing to continue. "I'm not sure - I . . . couldn't place a scent. All I could smell was mint. He probably rolled around in it before he-"

Leafpool butted her head against his shoulder softly. "Oh Jayfeather, my kit . . ."

"He spoke."

Leafpool flicked her eyes over to him, staying silent as he continued.

"He - he jumped on me and held me down. We struggled pretty bad - whoever he was he wasn't too much bigger than me, but he was big enough. He clawed at my face and held a paw on my throat until I stopped struggling and he-" Jayfeather started shaking violently again but he went on, determined still. "He sa-id, 'The thoughts of the dark forest will never be gone, as long as some of us still hold their ideals. Watch your back, half-blooded star-freak!' And then. . ."

"And then you fell unconscious," she finished for him.

He nodded, once.

"Do you want to tell Bramblestar?" She asked after a moment's hesitation.

He shook his head.

"Should . . . I?"

He nodded, stronger this time.

Leafpool sighed heavily, the events weighing in her mind. "Okay."

But as she shifted to move, Jayfeather said, "Wait!"

She paused.

"Not yet." A beat of silence. "Please?"

So she settled back down and the curled up on the floor, Jayfeather still struggling to breath evenly.

The Clan was livid.

Bramblestar eventually had Leafpool tell the rest of the Clan, his tail lashing as they stood on the Highledge.

Jayfeather may generally be grumpy and, quite often, rude, but he was a Thunderclan cat, and a dang good medicine cat to boot.

The Clan's anger was justified, of course, and even more so when Jayfeather finally came out of the Medicine den, wrappings removed.

(He was jittery and jumpy at every sound and scent; it was too much. It was like his remaining senses were in overload. And no one but Leafpool and Briarlight knew that he could no longer see in his dreams.

Whether it was just the trauma, or a permanent effect of the physical damage, he was as blind asleep as he was in the wakeworld.

And it terrified him.)

"We will talk to the other Clans at the gathering, in three days, to warn them that there is still a traitor amongst them - and to find out who did this," Bramblestar announced darkly.

After all, Jayfeather had been his son most of the gray tom's life.

And may his corpse rot in The Place Of No Stars if he wasn't going to do something about it.

Leafpool found out quickly that Jayfeather had violent attacks whenever he was near the scent of mint.

She was sure to move her store after that.

When the time for the gathering came, Thunderclan arrived last; with their heads and their tails held high. Every gaze from blue to green to amber to yellow watched them arrive.

Neither Medicine cat was with them.

Mistystar gave him a questioning look, but he merely shook his head, as if to say he'd explain later.

"So we may begin?" Rowanstar asked. After getting an affirmative mutter from the other leaders, he went first.

Onestar was next to grab the attention of the gathered Clans; his demeanor of late even more antagonistic than usual. Bramblestar grit his teeth, wondering how the Windclan leader could turn the simplest news into provocative barbs.

When it was open for another cat to go next, there was an odd silence where Mistystar looked at Bramblestar, and the Thunderclan tom dipped his head. The message was clear; Thunderclan would go last, and they wouldn't know their news until then.

Mistystar took her time, but didn't let herself draw her Clan's news out too long. When it was finally Bramblestar's turn, he stood straight, and spoke with a firm voice.

"Our Medicine cat, Jayfeather, was viscously attacked eleven sunrises ago."

There was a burst of gasps and chatter from the cats gathered, except those from Thunderclan, who sat in stormy silence.

"Who could-"

"Was it rogues?"

"What coward would attack a blind cat?"

Bramblestar lashed his tail and growled for silence.

When they complied, who looked them over with burning amber eyes.

"It was not rogues; some cat deliberately concealed their scent, obviously targeting Jayfeather. This cat didn't just attack Jayfeather - they clawed his eyes out."

Gasps of horror arose, and fur stood on end as eyes widened. But they stayed silent, because Rowanstar looked at Bramblestar and asked, "Are you saying it was a Clan cat?"

Bramblestar didn't even flinch. "Yes."

A clamor of voices arose as cats defended their own Clanmates and accused others; Rowanstar had to yowl to be heard over the din.

"Be quiet and let Bramblestar speak!"

They silenced themselves, still glaring at one another.

Bramblestar gave the Shadowclan leader a thankful nod. "I do not say this lightly," Bramblestar said gravely. "But I say this because it is the truth. This cat - a tom Jayfeather said, judging by the voice - spoke to him. He said something along the lines that the ideals of the dark forest still live, and that they would rise again. I know it seems an empty threat but we must beware; a traitor is still among us. Thunderclan believes it was a cat from a different Clan, but all the same, I shall keep an eye out for anyone in my Clan who could be a suspect."

The other leaders, even Onestar (albeit not as assured), nodded in agreement.

Some cat from amongst the crowd shouted up to them, "But why would they attack a blind cat?"

"Jayfeather is a Medicine cat, and therefore aligned with Starclan," Mistystar ventured, looking to Bramblestar.

The brown tabby nodded. "Exactly, and there is the fact that this attacker scorned him for being a mix blooded cat." A few mutters rose from the Clan cats. "We believe that what happened was a warning. Or possibly a threat," Bramblestar meowed.

"Then we will have to keep a close eye out," Rowanstar announced, standing up on the branch and stretching. "Until we find something, or know for sure, we shouldn't act too rash," He said, looking first at Onestar, and then Bramblestar.

"Of course, Rowanstar," he replied.

Onestar nodded. "I agree. I really don't think it's a Windclan cat, but I'll keep an eye out all the same."

Mistystar stood up also. "Then this gathering over!" The four leaders jumped down to go join their Clanmates.

"Until the next full moon, Thunderclan," Mistystar said to Bramblestar. "And I hope your Medicine cat heals well."

He dipped his head to her. "Until then, Riverclan. And thank you."

Eventually all the cats left the island, until it was nothing more but an empty clearing awash in the light of the full moon. But, like the amongst the Clans, there were shadows.

And it was only a matter of time until they were to suffer again.

END

-/-