Bramble

***Spoiler Warning:** Plot and/or ending details follow.*

**Bramble** **or,** **Bramble Silverback** is a male gorilla, and one of the three main protagonists in the second arc.

Following Grandmother's defeat, Bramble succeeds Burbark as Silverback and leads his troop back towards The Mountain.

## Personality

As a Greenback, Bramble was a mischievous young gorilla. He often targeted the Elderly Groundnut due to the latter's lack of intelligence. However, Bramble cared deeply for his father, Burbark Silverback. When Bramble noticed that Burbark's arm wound hasn't healed, he suggested the latter to seek aid out by the Goldbacks. After Chase, Born-of-Prowl saved him from a pack of hyenas, Bramble grew indebted to the former.

Bramble also looked up to his elder brother Cassava Brightback before the latter was subsequently killed much to Bramble's devastation. After being promoted to Brightback, Bramble is anxious about his newfound position due to his age and inexperience. Bramble feared that his position as Brightback made him vulnerable to potential rival Blackbacks due to him being Burbark's current heir.

When Bramble discovers that his troopmate's (Excluding Dayflower and Moonflower), have fallen under the control of the Sandtounge Speakers, he realizes that Burbark only made him Brightback because he'd been compromised by the reptiles mind-control venom. Bramble grows increasingly concerned for his troopmate's welfare. This coupled with a following confrontation with his mind-controlled Troopmates prompt him to leave for the plains with his sister and Dayflower. However the Mistback is captured during their escape and only Bramble and Moonflower make it to the plains. Bramble's love for his trouble couple with Cassava's death prompts him and his sister to honor their brother's sacrifice by completing their journey. During their journey, Bramble is determined to find Thorn and seek his assistance in combating the Sandtoung Threat. When he and Moonflower discover that the Great-Father had been poisoned prior to their arrival at Tall Trees. Bramble briefly loses hope before Moth prophecies that another Great-Parent will succeed Thorn.
Following Thorn's death, Mud concludes that Bramble is Thorn's successor. Bramble is scared by the notion of being entrusted with and even greater responsibility; However, he agrees to accept the position of Great-Parent for Bravelands sake. Among learning that Prance is actually Thorn's successor, Bramble isn't jealous but rather grateful that he doesn't have any excessive responsibilities on his shoulders.

When Gorrillas invade the plains, Bramble is determined to stop Grandmother and free the animals she'd brainwashed.
In midst of the invasion, Bramble and Moonflower try to reason with their father in attempt to free him from Grandmother's mind-control, however the siblings are unsuccessful. Following Grandmother's death, Bramble is able to reconcile with a now-freed Burbark before the latter passes away. Having matured during his journey, Bramble readly takes his father's place as Silverback and leads all the Gorrillas troops back home.

## Biography

### *Shadows on the Mountain*

Bramble is stationed in a tree where he pranks the elderly Groundnut Blackback. Bramble flees before Groundnut catches him. There, he runs into Moonflower who asks her younger brother what has he been up to. Bramble feigns innocence by claiming that he has no idea what Moonflower is talking about. Moonflower doesn't buy it and asks Bramble if he ever gets tired of bothering Groundnut. Bramble says he does not. Moonflower offers Bramble a mango which the latter accepts. However, Bramble accidentally drops it before he can eat it and the mango hits Groundnut's head. Groundnut turns his head towards Bramble and immediately climbs up to confront the younger male. Bramble and Moonflower make a run for it but not before Groundnut threatens to report Bramble to his father, Burbark Silverback.

Later Bramble runs into Chase after he disrupts the Leopardess's prey by pretending to be a lion. After teasing one another, the pair are confronted by a clan of Hyenas. Bramble attempts to climb up the tree Chase retreated into but his leg is caught in one of the hyena's jaws. Taking pity on Bramble Chase intervenes and saves Bramble. After he thanks Chase, the young leopardess claims that her assistance wasn't personal and that she just wanted to fight the clan before she and the Gorilla bid one another farewell.

The next day at Burbarktroop, Bramble tells an exaggerated version of his confrontation with the hyenas but leaves out Chase's involvement. Cassava congratulates his brother on his victory. Bramble is then interrupted by Groundnut who attempts to discuss the incident with the mango. Bramble explains that he didn't mean to hit Groundnut with the mango. Groundnut attempts to respond but Burbarktroop is suddenly interrupted by an earthquake. Cassava declares that a Spirit-Mouth ceremony has been issued and the troop leaves for the ceremony. Moonflower asks Bramble what the mountain is trying to tell them. Bramble reassures his sister that Dayflower will know. Outside of the jungle, Bramble Moonflower sit next to Cassava. Bramble find Dayflower perched on the ledge near the mountaintop and comments Moonflower on her mother. After Burbark arrives last, the Spirit-Mouth ceremony begins. Bramble listens as Dayflower reveals of an unknown danger originating from the caves in the mountain that threatens the entire Bravelands. This concerns Bramble. Burbark however is skeptical of his mate's prophecy since the Gorrila Troops have been living in peace ever since their ancestors emigrated from the plains.

Most of the troop is also skeptical of Dayflower's interpretation. Cassava however lacks Burbark's skepticism and vouches for the Mistback by reminding them that even though their Mountain home has never been threatened before, It's not characteristic of Dayflower to misinterpret her prophecies so Cassava sees know reason not to ignore Dayflower's warning. Burbark still stubbornly refuses to believe his mate and firstborn and Bramble follows his troopmates back to their nests once the Spirit-Mouth Ceremony is over.

Later that night, Bramble dreams over traveling to the plains, struggling to survive. When he spots a watering hole, he stops for a drink only to be ambushed and subdued by an unknown creature. Bramble tries to break free but to no avail. The dream ends when Bramble awakes in panic. Upon realizing that he was dreaming, Bramble is relived that he was never in actual danger but finds that the surrounding nests are empty. Bramble then leaves to seek out his troopmates. Bramble finds them in the gathered clearing soon after and runs towards them. Groundnut spots Bramble and tries to stop him but Bramble forces himself through the crowd only to realize in shock that his troopmates a gathered around the body of another Gorilla. Bramble recognizes the body as Cassava's and tries to wake him, but Bramble has little success. Groundnut then informs Bramble that his brother is dead. Dayflower believes that Cassava's death is related to her prophecy. Burbark remains skeptical and believes that the death of his firstborn was punishment from the Great-Spirit for ignoring his (Burbark's) orders to remain in the mountain. Dayflower insists that Burbark is mistaken as the Great-Spirit would never do such a thing. Burbark however, refuses to believe that Cassava's death broke The Code, insisting that Cassava's demise should be a warning to anyone who dares to venture into the plains. Bramble and a few of his troopmates deicide to investigate Cassva's death even further. Following Cassava's scent trail, they discover Prowls body and the Blackbacks conclude that Cassva's death didn't break The Code after all but died defending their troop from Prowl. Bramble finds the Blackbacks conclusion hard to believe as it wasn't characteristic for Cassava to seek out fights or for a Leopardess to hunt a gorilla like Cassava as gorillas his age were too large for a leopard to hunt but eventually concludes that Prowl attacked Cassava unprovoked since Bramble finds it even harder to believe that Cassava attacked Prowl unprovoked.

When Burbark host a meeting to see who will replace Cassva as his heir, the entire troop is shocked when Burbark appoints Bramble as his new heir due to Bramble's age and inexperience. Even Bramble himself doubts he is ready to be a Brightback. Although Moonflower attempts to reassure her brother Bramble can tell that she shares his doubts as well. Later, Burbark sends Bramble on a mission to investigate the other mountain troops. During his quest, Bramble finds a few Goldbacks in a smaller troop getting jealous over the attention the Silverback is giving to one of the infants but nothing important to report to Burbark. Bramble decides to return home and report to Burbark on his findings.

On his way back, Bramble runs into Chase and Seek. The pair argue on who started the fight between their relatives with Chase accusing Bramble's troop of ending her mothers live while Bramble defends Cassava's actions by claiming that Cassava only fought Prowl in self defense. Chase however doesn't believe Bramble since her mother is not the kind of Leopard who fight somebody like Cassava as the latter was too large for Prowl to hunt. With their argument unresolved, Bramble parts ways with Chase and continues his trek home. As soon as he arrives however, he spots Burbark holding a snake and his horrified when Burbark allows the snake to bite him. This prompts Bramble to flee.

Bramble begins to worry about his father as he doesn't think that his newfound phase is healthy so he seeks out Moonflower and informs her about it. During their conversation, Moonflower reveals that she'd also noticed their father exhibiting strange behavior. She reveals that while Bramble was conducting his survey on the other troops she witnessed Burbark from a group with some of their Goldbacks and Blackbacks which Moonflower found off because Burbark never formed groups like that in the past. The pair try to warn Groundnut about Burbark's strange behavior, but they discover that the Blackback had been bitten by the snakes as well. So the pair decide to seek advice from Dayflower but not before examining her to see if she'd been bitten as well. After they inform Dayflower about the way Burbark had been acting, Moonflower suggests that the three of them return to the Cave-Mouth for further investigation. Dayflower refuses since, Bramble and Moonflower aren't Mistbacks and they already hosted a Spirit-Mouth ceremony. After Dayflower leaves, Moonflower convinces Bramble that they should go behind her mothers back as she doesn't think they're any other options. When the pair make it to the mountain, they enter the cave and they start having visons. Moonflower also receives a prophecy that states that they should seek out somebody in the plains that is already dead. This puzzles the young Gorillas since they don't understand how they can speak to some beast if they're already dead. But Bramble reassures Moonflower that once they arrive at the plains, it'll all make sense. As the pair begin to exit the cave they find Burbarktroop waiting outside to confront them.

### *The Venom Spreads*

Bramble and Moonflower are continuing their journey to the plains. There, they find that Apple had followed them. Apple tries to convince the pair to surrender and return to The Mountain. However, Bramble and Moonflower refuse. In response Lantana and Groundnut reveal themselves and they along with Apple attempt to bring Bramble and Moonflower by force. However the two manage to escape their mind-controlled troopmates. As they near the plains, Moonflower acknowledges that they're the first Gorillas in generations to have entered the plains. Bramble reminds his sister that they're no longer safe on the mountain.

The gorillas continue their trek on the plains and stumble into a copse where a stampeding herd of wildebeests begin to head their way. Together Bramble and Moonflower climb up a tree for safety. The gorillas find that an elderly male wildebeest was left behind. The bull reveals that his herd were fleeing from lions. The lions arrive and kill the male. However the Wilderbeast didn't fear his demise but welcomed it. Bramble concludes that the Plains fearsome reputation is well founded if the bull is willing to die. The Gorillas continue on their journey and stumble upon a gully. Dehydrated, the young apes rush towards the stream to gather some water. There, Bramble hallucinates his elder brother again only to reminds himself that Cassava's appearance is only his imagination and demands his hallucination to to go away. "Cassava" fades before Bramble is attacked and ambushed by a blind lizard. Bramble struggles to break free from the creature's grasp. However he manages to hit the Croc's head forcing it to let go of his leg. Moonflower asks Bramble what'd happened, and Bramble recounts the Lizard's ambush. Moonflower wonders aloud if the lizard's attack is connected to the threat on the mountain. However, Moonflower immediately dismisses the incident with the croc as a coincidence due to the distance between the apes and the mountain. The Gorillas stumble upon another copse where they encounter the Striders. Sky and Dawn introduce themselves and Bramble and Moonflower ask the elephants where to find the Great-Parent. Sky explains that The Great-Father Clearing is located past a nearby Kjope. Back at the Mountain, Chase overhears Burbark acknowledge the departure of his two children before declaring that the troop will no longer mourn for the pair as they welcome Seek into their troop.

Bramble spots the hill and thanks the elephants for their assistance.
When the gorillas make it to the top of the hill, they find that they have to cross a river running in front of Tall Trees. When they arrive at the river, Moonflower spots a large boulder in the middle and suggests that they can use it to cross. As the apes attempt to climb on to the rock, they discover that the boulder is in fact a hippo who considers the river to be his territory before demanding the apes to back off. Following the Hippos departure, Bramble and Moonflower encounter Spider. Bramble asks Spider if he's the Great-Father, but Spider, declines this and suggest that Moth is the one the gorillas are looking for. Bramble asks if Moth's the great-parent, but Spider explains that Moth is actually his daughter but goes on to explain that Moth lives with Thorn. Spider then reveals that he was the member of a local crocodile float which subsequently vanished without a trace. When Moonflower reminds Spider that they need to see Thorn, the latter, leads the gorillas into an underground tunnel. There, they discover the float Spider befriended only to be attacked by the reptiles. Bramble and his sister conclude that the croc's have been poisoned by Grandmother. As the trio flee the bask, Spider leads the gorillas out of the tunnels and into the forest. Upon arriving at Dawntrees, Bramble asks the Baboon's for Thorn. Mud explains that he knows where Thorn is but reveals that the Great-Father is currently in poor health. After Mud brings Bramble and Moon to Thorn, Bramble asks Mud about the circumstances of Thorn's predicament. There, Mud reveals that a Black Mamba had poisoned The Great-Father. Realizing the connection to the threat on the mountain, Bramble concludes that he and his sister are too late.
As Spider explains the role of the Starleaf to the two apes, points out the similarities between the Great-Spirit and the Spirit-Mouth. When Cricket and Crab arrive with Grub, Spider introduces the latter to Bramble and Moonflower. Bramble reveals to baboons that his father was also bitten but acknowledges that Burbark's mental health declined more gradually. Moonflower explains that Burbark had the serpents infect the rest of their troop until she and Bramble were to only ones free from the Sandtounges' control.
Moonflower explains that she and Bramble left the Mountain to seek the Great-Father's assistance on that matter.
With newfound hope, Bramble concludes that if he can't save Thorn, then he can find another way to stop the evil on the mountain. Bramble asks Mud what his stones say thinking that Moonflower might be able to interpret them. Mud reveals that the prophesized message is "*One will come to save the Great Spirit*". Bramble announces to everyone that he intends to walk to clear his head. During his stroll Bramble wonders if his sister is part of the prophecy but isn't sure since the stones made no mention of a sibling tagging along. Without the Great-Parent to guide them, Bramble struggles to come up with a solution to the Sandtounge threat. As Bramble arrives to the Great-Father Clearing, he spots Acanthus seemingly slacking off on guard duty, so Bramble heads to wake him. However, Bramble soon discovers that Acanthus hasn't fallen asleep, but was poisoned by a Sandtounge. Realizing that Thorn is in danger, Bramble rushes to the former's nest. There he discovers that Thorn's adversary is the same lizard who attacked him earlier. Bramble tussles with the lizard and during the struggle, he begs the Baboons and Moonflower (Who had just arrived) for help. Moonflower answers Bramble's pleas while the Baboons are reluctant for assist. Together the gorillas are able to kill the lizard and the Baboons praise Bramble for his heroism. Bramble however feels guilty for slaying the lizard.

### *Blood on the Plains*

Bramble is present when the residents on the plains come to pay their respects to Thorn.

## Trivia

* Bramble is three years old at his first debut in Shadows on the Mountain.