#rowanclaw: you can fall in love again

[twilights-800-cats]

idk what it is about me - maybe I've just grown up with and been involved in this series for so long - but I'm so ambivalent to most Warriors news that I saw the tawnycrow news and thought "huh."

[bonefall]

BB!Tigerheart -> Heartstar

For @noisycitrine and @halogenwarrior who wanted more info on the most woman ever.

[Image ID: An AU version of Tigerheart from Warrior Cats, now named Heartstar. She is a small, lithe russet-brown tabby with a long tail and bright golden stripes. She has a two-colored mane, raptor claws, and oval 'glasses'. There is a bright golden 'heart' on her chest.]

FUN FACT did you know that Canon ShadowClan had 7 male leaders in a row, from Houndstar to the modern arc? I said no. Girl Tigerheart be upon ye.

Names are sacred and carry immense weight in Clan Culture. When a cat is about to become a leader and would have a name conflict with an unfaded ancestor, StarClan renames them. Heartstar was particularly special.

She returned to the Lake after bringing back the love of her life, Dovewing, and died in a raid to take back ShadowClan kits from the Kin's remnants. Tigerheart's father, Rowanstar, couldn't bear to lose his last child. He declared her his deputy, and plunged into the Moonpool with her body.

He drowned the last of his lives away, so that she could live. StarClan itself was awed by this sacrifice, and performed a miracle. Heartstar burst from the water sputtering, ready to rebuild ShadowClan anew.

As a leader, Heartstar is back and ready for the controversy. She watched her Clan fall apart twice, once from Dark Forest meddling and a god's games, and again from Onestar refusing to lend aid during a yellowcough epidemic, and has vowed to never let that happen again.

She's ferociously protective of her family, supporters, and clanmates, in that order, and is not afraid to gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss if she thinks she's doing the right thing.

Clanmew Name: Gaorbabun, Babishai (Tiger + Heartbeating, Heart will Beat + Star)

Alignment: ShadowClan, brief periods as ThunderClan and SkyClan

Relationships: Mate - Dovewing Children (adopted) - Lightleap, Shadowsight, Birchkit, Rowankit Parents - Tawnypelt, Rowanstar Siblings - Dawnpelt, Flametail Nespring - Strikestone, Sleekwhisker, Juniperclaw Mentor - Marshwing

Below the cut is trivia first, then all the changes to the character arc-by-arc, up to OotS, AVoS, and Heartstar's Rise.

Trivia!

Rowanclaw is now the son of Brokenstar along with Littlecloud! They were honor-sired for Newtspeck.

They have a distinct bi-colored mane from their mother, and 'glasses' from their father.

Tigerclaw's family trait is being brown tabbies with raptor claws.

Heartstar got all of the traits because she deserves it

I also miss how she was once described as having 'gold' in an older description so compromise; golden stripes.

I feel like you can't just miraculously resurrect without some kind of cool physical change, so, Heartstar gets to have a raised heart-shaped keloid scar on her chest.

She didn't sire any of her kittens; Light and Shadow were Bumblestripe's, and Strikestone's death left two more behind. It's free baby.

Heartstar fights in perfect tandem with Dovewing. Heartstar is so small that she can leap freely around and under her, skilled enough to never trip her up.

Their favorite tactic is for Dovewing to grapple with a huge opponent, allowing Heartstar to pop like a weasel from up between her legs to viciously attack the opponent's belly.

Tigerheart was the smallest member of the Tigerkin family, by far. In a lineup of record-setting Clan giants, Heartstar is barely larger than an apprentice.

She is much smaller than her entire family. Pocket pikachu.

Heartstar's favorite food is crayfish. She likes how most Clans are unsettled by this, Reedclaw was unbothered.

BB!OotS

Change NUMBER ONE is that Tigerpaw is the only survivor of Tawnypelt's second litter, born during the Cruel Season that saw the rise of Bramblestar.

His siblings, Dawnpelt and Flametail, are much older.

A tom-kit initially named Goldenkit, the other kits in the litter died to illness. Before her last child died, Tawnypelt angrily challenged StarClan by renaming the survivor Tigerkit.

"Go on, take a tiger into the stars so it can bite your faces off. No? Thought so."

Dawnpelt and Flametail were cool older siblings, Tigerkit especially idolized Dawnpelt and her quick sass.

The rowdy and troublesome kit was assigned to Marshwing, the cat that Brackenfur saved from an eagle during the Great Journey, now one of ShadowClan's finest warriors.

Marshwing's mentor was Oakfur, who liked to joke that whenever Marsh wanted to admit defeat he'd take the little twerp instead.

Tigerpaw met Dovepaw on the journey to unblock the southern river.

During this time, Dovepaw made her realize that she was definitely not a boy and probably also a lesbian.

This was to Rowanclaw's soft amusement when she returned home, as he is also transgender and figured it out after going on a long journey

"Maybe if we send you out again you'll come back with another one"

Dove and Tiger were fast friends after this eye-opening trip. Dove's perspective expanded to include the other Clans and the death of Rippletail made her realize how much they matter.

Tiger's perspective expanded to, "I do whatever i want because I want to see Dovewing"

Unfortunately for them, tensions between ThunderClan and ShadowClan were beginning to sour. Blackstar and Russetfur were not fond of the new management style of Bramblestar and his aggressive deputy, Thornclaw, both of which had recently taken power shortly before Tigerheart was born.

Unknown to Bramblestar, Thornclaw was training in the Dark Forest, and trying to encourage him to act more aggressively than Firestar.

Tigerpaw started training in the Dark Forest through her good friend Redpaw, who was brought in through his mentor Applefur. Applefur was the sister of Marshwing.

Her paternal grandfather was Brokenstar, and her maternal grandfather was the infamous Tigerstar. If Tawnypelt had given her this name to ward away StarClan and protect her death... then surely there was a power to gain from him?

Tigerstar took a shine to his granddaughter immediately, introducing her to his dead son, Hawkfrost.

It was very surprising to not find Brokenstar in the Place of No Stars, but Runningnose was there to... "explain" is not the right word, more like, "cryptically leave breadcrumbs of answers"

Tigerpaw was often pitted against Ivypaw in particular, as if their mentors considered them rivals. It fostered a lifelong resentment between them, especially as Dovewing began to speak highly of Tigerheart.

Tigerheart remained a supporting character, someone that Dovewing was able to talk to for a different perspective from her father Lionblaze and sister Ivypool, until near the end of the arc during a fateful battle

Attacking ShadowClan for control of a contested berry patch, Russetfur was killed, and Blackstar was devastated.

A troublemaking calico creature slid into his good graces. Sol, God of Chaos and Games, convinced him to abandon his leadership.

In the scramble, Redwillow, Ratscar, and Applefur took control of ShadowClan, and started enforcing their own rules. Tigerheart was more cunning than them, and realized they were not going to be able to keep power.

She was threading a thin needle, not openly supporting her fellow Dark Forest trainees, and she knew it.

When they were thrown out of power by Rowanclaw rallying Blackstar to return to power, Tigerstar punished them harshly in the Dark Forest and praised Tigerheart for her foresight.

Shortly after, Flametail had figured out the plot. Redwillow, Ratscar, and Applefur were freakishly strong and Thornclaw was encouraging Bramblestar not to help. They were all in cahoots!

The Dark Forest used their powers to kill him so he'd be silent, ice cracked by demonic meddling.

Tigerheart didn't know if she was going to be able to save his soul, but she had to try. Once again, Tigerstar had ignored the warning sign to preserve his family, calling off the execution.

In that moment, it proved to Hawkfrost that he was undeniably playing favorites. It wasn't about the plan. It wasn't about breaking out of the Dark Forest. It was all another project for Tigerstar's ego... and he was not valued like his bloodline through Tawnypelt.

(Go check out my meta intentions with Hawk's redemption arc over here!)

During the Great Battle, Tigerheart stayed to watch the embarrassment of the first attack, but defected as soon as the fighting got serious in the second one. She wasn't going to hurt her Clanmates, haughtily announcing that this was the best opportunity to, "join the winning side."

After the fight, Dovewing's powers started to ebb away... taking her hearing with it. Meeting with Tigerheart was always refreshing, sometimes it felt like she was the only one who really 'understood' what she wanted.

Things began to get serious when Tigerheart's apprentice, Sleekpaw, developed a rebellious streak, and a group of strange cats arrived at the lake. Onestar reacted badly, and ShadowClan fell to the kin.

BB!AVoS

If Tigerheart has any regrets, it's how she was careless with her niece. She didn't think it was a problem to just let her work it out.

It seemed... harmless. Kids who wanted to feel cool and powerful, she could empathize with that.

The apprentices weren't wrong, at first. The way Onestar immediately became upset about the outsiders, the way two kits were separated because of a vague prophecy, how Clans refused to cooperate even after everything. Tigerheart was frustrated by much of it too.

But there was something wrong about Darktail. Especially when he announced that he was accepting any cat who felt wronged and excluded from Clan society.

Maybe the impulse was harmless. Maybe Darktail was the problem in the end. In any case, the yellowcough outbreak ravaged ShadowClan and the Kin, and WindClan refused to let either of them collect mullein to treat their sick.

Dying to yellowcough is a horrible fate. Catmint can cure, but mullein must be used to prevent lung damage. Tigerheart watched clanmates survive the illness, only to choke to death in the end.

Crowfrost, the deputy and Tigerheart's brother-in-law, was one of them.

Crowfeather, Harespring, and Heathertail went behind Onestar's back to deliver what they could, but too late to save many cats that Tigerheart loved.

After this, ShadowClan quickly fell apart. The Kin was stronger, having immediately kicked the sick out of their group and quarantined.

Cats like Scorchfur said that if Rowanstar wasn't a weak leader, he would have made "hard choices" and done the same

Tigerheart realized that every group had a different reason for following the Kin. Some wanted Clans to be harsher. Some wanted more diplomacy. Others were just looking for connection.

She's smarter than most, and realized that this was much like the Dark Forest. The Kin was everything and nothing, and that meant there was probably an ulterior motive behind it.

They couldn't be trusted.

But no one listened to her. ShadowClan crumbled, she had to flee, and her last memory of her sister Dawnpelt is the image of her worried expression over her shoulder, leaving her behind in the Kin's new camp.

Dawnpelt wouldn't separate herself from her kits, including Sleekwhisker.

An ancient curse was filled yet again, tabby tiger watching their golden sibling fade away.

While staying with ThunderClan, Tigerheart found herself wrapped up in the messy sort-of-relationship between Dovewing and Bumblestripe

Dovewing was clearly unhappy, caught between two uncertain options, growing increasingly frustrated with ThunderClan

When Violetshine brought SkyClan back to the Lake for the final fight with the Kin, Tigerheart decided she needed to go be with her freed Clanmates, wherever they were to go.

Tigerheart asked her to come, but Dovewing wasn't ready. She couldn't leave her Clan, especially not when it wasn't even clear if the ex-ShadowClan cats would be fully accepted into SkyClan

Shortly after making that choice, Dovewing became pregnant. Dread twisted into panic as she realized she didn't want to raise kits with Bumblestripe, the thought of ThunderClan constantly speaking over her as a parent sunk in, and the knowledge that she had already turned Tigerheart down overwhelmed her.

With ShadowClan disbanded, Rowanclaw refusing to choose a new deputy and rejecting his remaining lives, Tigerheart and the survivors had to try and get used to being part of SkyClan.

Heartstar's Rise

This is a summary; go ahead and see the 1st draft outline of Heartstar's Rise over here!

After Dovewing choose Bumblestripe over her, Tigerheart returned to the ShadowClan survivors

They had been annexed into SkyClan, as Rowanstar was refusing to lead after his Clan fell apart under his watch

He never replaced Crowfrost after his horrible death, and was calling himself "Rowanclaw."

Ironic, that he was now in the same position as Blackstar, just before he was made deputy... but this time, there was a safer, more stable Clan for his cats to serve. He was convinced he was doing the correct thing.

This was causing problems related to the ex-ShadowClan cats having a lack of autonomy over themselves; they were no longer a Clan, but still felt like one.

They didn't want to be SkyClan cats. They were ShadowClan.

Tigerheart was more of a leader than Rowanclaw, but he was insisting ShadowClan would never have another star to its name.

"Let it rest in peace."

But before she could hatch a plan, Dovewing vanished, and Tigerheart was told by Poppyfrost (open to change) that she fled because she was pregnant.

So, of course, Tigerheart charged off to go find her.

After traveling far, far east for many days, she hit the church of the Guardians.

While there, her resolve to rebuild ShadowClan only grew stronger, though she promised Dovewing that this time... it was her choice.

She would stay and raise the kits with her, become a Guardian. Anything.

Dovewing, however, felt that this wasn't right either. Tigerheart needed to get home, her love of ShadowClan was completely different from Dovewing's dread for ThunderClan.

And... though she loved it here, she would love being wherever Tigerheart was.

Several guardians decided to join them for their own reasons; Blaze, Ant, and Cinnamon.

Spiresight is probably not going to be one of these (open to change); because he is now the leader of the Guardians. His name refers to the Guardian's new leader ability to sense anything that happens in their territory through the flora that grows there. It was not a name given by Tigerheart.

They came back to SkyClan and ex-ShadowClan cats having an argument over kittens that the Kin's remnants were still in possession of.

Yarrowleaf had been exiled from the Kin remnants and was begging for them to go back and 'save' the newborns Hopkit and Flaxkit.

The ex-Shadow cats wanted to launch an attack; Leafstar didn't feel there was enough evidence to justify a kitten-stealing raid.

How could she know if Yarrowleaf was telling the truth that Nettle was a danger to the kits? Yarrowleaf could have been exiled because she was the danger.

Tigerheart decided that enough was enough. ShadowClan was clearly still a separate Clan in their hearts, and they should be making their own choices, not begging someone else's leader for permission.

She will make controversial, ShadowClan-centric choices as a leader-- this time around, I want it to be less "black-and-white," so that the Kin remnants aren't completely evil and there's nuance to this situation... which Tigerheart tramples, displaying how she makes decisions.

But, this time, the raid has a consequence; Tigerheart died in the attack.

this is a formative moment for Shadowkit

However, Dovewing couldn't accept this, and brought her to the Moonpool in desperation.

Once there, Rowanstar refused to watch another child die. Declaring her his deputy, he grabbed her body and dove into the water, drowning away all of his lives so that she could live.

StarClan was touched by this heroic display of self-sacrifice, and was emotional enough to perform a miracle; Rowanstar's last life became Heartstar's first.

And with that life, Rowanstar gave her strength. Strength he used for one last kick, to send her thrashing back up to the surface of the pool as he sunk into the abyss below.

After this, Heartstar rebuilds ShadowClan. She can be a very biased leader, often ending up in situations where she lets her family off the hook easier than other warriors, or doling out 'theatrical' punishments just to say she did it. On that note, there are aspects of the code she barely cares about.

For this reason, even with the Clan she has the achievement of rebuilding, she can be quite polarizing. Her supporters adore her; her detractors despise her. This hasn't inhibited her ability to rule though...... yet.

(Better Bones does not cover arcs that are not done yet!)

Her political profile is largely 'soft' Traditionalism. She believes that ShadowClan must come first and that fighting keeps the Clans strong, but is committed to preserving the strength of the other four and does a lot of diplomacy. On Clan collaboration, she leans towards Fire Alone. On most other things, she leans Traditionalist.

[goosewhisker]

russetfur vs. the entirety of skyclan || ch. 2

read this on ao3 || read this on fanfiction.net

chapter one

summary:  After enduring months of Turtlekit and Kitekit’s abuse, Rootkit finally snaps and accidentally awakens his powers. This has the unfortunate side effect of reviving the ghost of an angry Shadowclan warrior who: 1) is personally offended by Skyclan’s existence, and 2) has magnanimously taken it upon herself to relieve the world of that burden. Or something.

thanks for all the likes/reblogs/comments guys!! honestly i got way more support than i was expecting and i’m so grateful to all of you. now i bring you chapter two: In Which Rootkit Realizes He’s Over His Head

Rootkit starts with some research.

Once a long time ago, back when he'd been awed by his dad's abilities and not ashamed of them, Tree had told him and Needlekit how he pacified ghosts.

"First, of course, you have to talk to them," Tree'd told them.

"Like you always do!" Rootkit had chimed in. Even then, he'd known of his father's preference for talking over fighting.

Tree had purred. "Of course. Most ghosts don't want to fight; they just have unfinished business here. Talking first can save you a lot of time in getting to the root of the problem."

"What then?" Needlekit had asked.

"The ghost gives you a task. Usually, they want to right a wrong, or speak to their loved ones one last time. Something like that."

"Woah..."

"Once you complete the task, they'll be at peace. The ghost will be able to move on to the afterlife, or wherever they were supposed to go after they died."

In other words: figure out the unfinished business and finish it. Rootkit's already tried talking, with... not much success. Of course, that's hardly the only way of figuring out what a ghost's deal is; one of Tree's favorite stories had been about trying to help a mute she-cat whose throat had been torn out by dogs.

She'd wanted him to find her kittens and take them back to her owners, or something. Rootkit forgot.

Anyway, that's not the point. The point is that there's more than one way to skin a cat (wait, no, bad expression) and Rootkit doesn't have to talk to the crazy lady to get her pacified.

So. Research.

Rootkit starts off with Petalnose. Old people, in Rootkit's experience, know all the local gossip, and Petalnose is the oldest of everyone Rootkit knows. Except Leafstar, maybe, but he's not about to bother Leafstar for something like this.

Especially if she's really having second thoughts about his warrior ceremony.

Petalnose, at least, seems to have no such doubts. Unlike most of the clan, she's never seemed bothered by Tree's weirdness, and never treated Rootkit differently because of it. He appreciates that.

"Rootkit!" Petalnose exclaims when he climbs into the elders den. She jabs a paw into Fallowfern's side, who abruptly wakes up with a snort. "Look who's here!" she adds, gesturing to Rootkit with her tail.

"Hi, Rootkit," Fallowfern says, a little too loudly. Petalnose flicks her tail gently in the way that Rootkit's learned means a little softer. Fallowfern's voice is a little quieter when she says, "What brings you here?"

Rootkit plops down in front of the elders and regards them seriously. "I'm here about a cat," he says. "She said..." he trails off as an idea creeps into his mind. "Frecklewish said," he begins slowly. "She said something about a cat named Russetfur. And I wanted to know if you knew something about that."

It's vague and sketchy as heck, but Petalnose hums thoughtfully. "The name sounds sort of familiar. I think Tawnypelt may have mentioned her, when she was still here. Do you-?" She turns to Fallowfern and makes a conplicated series of gestures with her paws, tail, and ears that leaves Rootkit breathless trying to keep up.

After a moment, Fallowfern's expression clears. "Russetfur?" Her voice is too loud again, but Petalnose doesn't seem to mind. "She was Shadowclan's deputy once. Tawnypelt told us about her, remember?"

"Right!" Petalnose nods and turns back to Rootkit with a smile. "It was a long time ago, I think, before Rowanclaw became leader. Does that answer your question, hun?"

Rootkit considers this. It answers some questions - why she thought the camp was Shadowclan's territory, for one. She must've died back when it was still Shadowclan's. And she thought he smelled like a rogue because she didn't know Skyclan's scent.

It doesn't explain what her unfinished business is, though. Or why she's here in Skyclan's camp instead of at her own. But Rootkit thinks he might know the answer to the last one.

"Do you know how she died?" he asks.

Petalnose blinks, thrown. "Ah... no. Why do you ask?"

Rootkit abruptly remembers that it's a pretty weird thing to ask, no matter who's asking the question, and suddenly all his enthusiasm evaporates. "No reason," he mumbles, and slinks out of the den before she can say anything else.

When he gets outside, Russetfur is sitting by the entrance.

Rootkit yelps, backpedalling frantically, but Russetfur ignores it. "What is this?" she demands. "Some make-believe clan?"

"A... what?"

The she-cat turns on him, eyes sparking with fury. "A bunch of kittypets, playing pretend? Some of your Twoleg-coddlers haven't even changed their names. Harrybrook? Macgyver?" she snorts. "What kind of pathetic housepet names are those?"

Rootkit blinks at her, stung. They might look at him weird, but those are his clanmates she's talking about, and she has no right to make fun of them like that. "Hey-" he begins, but she steamrolls right over him.

"And not only do you embarrass the Clans' names with your little roleplay, you have the nerve to do it on Shadowclan land!"

"But it's not-"

"When leafbare comes, and you mewling Twoleg-snoggers get a taste of real hardship for the first time, you'll go running right back to your masters," Russetfur snarls. "And leave the forest for the real warriors. This is the land of our conquest! We carved out a place for ourselves 'mid hardship and suffering and war and we painted our border lines with blood! You pathetic coddled pets aren't even worthy of the air we breathe, let alone-"

Rootkit screws his eyes shut and screams, at the top of his lungs, "We're not kittypets, you old hag!"

Perfect silence descends on them, and it's only then that Rootkit realizes he's standing in the middle of the camp. Everyone's conversations have stuttered to a halt to stare at him and Russetfur, and no one's looking at Russetfur.

Rootkit swallows and wonders if it's too late to run away forever.

"Then what the Dark Forest are you," Russetfur says, and he remembers whose fault this all is in the first place.

"We're Skyclan," he hisses, glancing furtively at the rest of the camp. Everyone's still staring. "We were one of the original clans, but we got kicked out when the Twolegs took our territory. We just got back to the lake, only you don't know 'cause you've been dead," he adds in a vicious whisper.

Russetfur stares at him.

"Even if your stupid story was true," she says after a beat, "Any clan too weak to protect its territory deserves to be kicked out," and Rootkit sees red.

A second later, he's sprawled in the dirt several tail-lengths away with a brand new bruise across the face. Great, now the whole of Skyclan's seen him get belted halfway across the camp by thin air. This will do wonders for his reputation.

"Don't you try to get one over me, boy," Russetfur shouts. "I've been kicking warriors' butts all the way back to the nursery since before you were born."

Yeah, 'cause you've been dead since before I was born, Rootkit thinks, but he's not dumb enough to point it out. He's about to struggle to his feet when a shadow steps between him and the ghost.

"What's all this about," Tree says, a hint of something dangerous in his voice.

Russetfur, to her credit, doesn't seem cowed at all. She spits on the ground between them and raises her head to glare directly into his eyes. "Teaching that fool boy a lesson."

"That 'fool boy' happens to be my son," Tree says, and then, with an unnervingly pleasant tone, he adds, "Lay another paw on him and I'll rip it off."

A clump of dried bracken rolls by in the wake of Tree's announcement, and for a moment, no one moves.

Then Russetfur blurs. When the outlines of her shape resettle, she's poised with claws outstretched over Tree's vulnerable, unguarded throat. Rootkit wonders hysterically why she bothered to stop when she starts laughing. Unlike her earlier cold laughter, this seemed genuinely amused.

"Interesting," she says, and the mirth in her voice sends shivers down Rootkit's spine. Then he realizes that Tree's claws are suspended over her belly, at precisely the angle needed to rip out her intestines with one move. "At least one of you has something like a spine." Faster than Rootkit can follow, she smacks Tree aside with one paw, sending him hurtling to the ground next to Rootkit.

"Dad!" Rootkit wails, scurrying over to him, but Tree flings out a paw to stop him.

"What do you want, ghost?" he calls out. His voice is unruffled and perfectly steady despite his fall.

"I want you gone," Russetfur says. "I want you and the rest of this kittypet clan to go crawling back to your masters with your tails between your legs. And I won't rest until I see it happen."

Tree rises and shakes the dust from his pelt. His eyes are half-lidded, like he truly doesn't care. "I suppose we're at an impasse, then. This camp is Skyclan's home; Shadowclan gave it to us themselves."

Russetfur snorts. "Blackstar would sooner hang himself by his own intestines than hand over any land to kittypets like you."

... right, whoever that is. Rootkit watches Tree blink in confusion. Russetfur doesn't seem to notice.

"This is my declaration of war," she announces. It's snarled like a challenge, thrown down like a glove on the ground between them. "Me versus the whole of Kittypetclan. Your chances are looking dim, housepet."

Tree visibly sighs. "Ma'am, no one wants that," he says. "If you'd listen, perhaps we could come to a reasonable agreement that everyone's happy with."

"The only agreement I'll be happy with is you and your lot of Twoleg toys dead!" Russetfur lunges at his dad, but even as Tree braces himself for the attack, the ghost dissipates into thin air that blows past him like wind.

Rootkit, who's close enough to feel it, shudders as the ice-cold air claws at his skin.

Tree blinks and relaxes his muscles belatedly. There's a moment of silence before someone asks, "Uh, was there a ghost?"

Rootkit starts and turns to the crowd, having almost forgotten they were there.

"In the camp?" Reedclaw frets. "Is that safe?"

"Hey, wait." Pigeonfoot cranes her head to get a glimpse of Rootkit. Rootkit realizes what's coming even before she says it, and his heart sinks. "Rootkit was talking to it before you even got here. Does that mean he can see ghosts too?"

Rootkit freezes.

And then Tree steps in front of him, shielding him from their audience. "It's not uncommon for kits to able to see ghosts," he says evenly. "Kits tend to have greater sensitivity to the spiritual and can sense a lot of things adults can't. It'll probably disappear as he grows older. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get my son to the nursery."

Rootkit stares at his dad and, to his horror, feels tears of gratitude welling up in the corner of his eyes. "Dad," he begins, but Tree just shushes him and picks him up by the scruff of his neck in a way he hasn't done since Rootkit was a couple moons old. Rootkit lets himself be carried back to the nursery and when his dad drops him in a nest and curls around him, he doesn't protest.

Needlekit crawls over from the nest they'd shared earlier. "What happened out there," she asks in a small voice, and Rootkit finds that his throat is too choked to answer her.

His dad purrs comfortingly and a moment later Rootkit feels Tree's tongue rasp gently over his head. "We'll get her out of here," he says. "And no one will be hurt. I promise."

[need1etail]

07 Chapter Seven

Violetkit gazed across the den. Moonlight showed through the gaps in the brambles and dappled the fluffy pelts of Grassheart’s kits. Snakekit, Flowerkit, and Whorlkit—still too tiny to play—were snuggled together, a tangle of paws and tails, beside Grassheart’s belly. Wasptail was there too, curled up next to her mate. Violetkit sighed, her heart aching. She and Twigkit used to sleep like that. Now she was alone, beside Pinenose, who was snoring. Am I the only one awake? She’d heard the night patrol come in not long ago and whispering a report to Rowanclaw before retiring to their dens.

She wondered if they’d found any sign of the rogues. In the days since the battle against the rogues visit, rumors had spread through the Clan. Dawnpelt had declared that they were just a pack of kittypets looking for trouble. “They’ll get bored and go back to their cozy Twoleg dens before long,” she predicted. Violetkit hoped she was right. The thought of strange cats roaming the forest made her nervous.

Something else Violetkit had heard was that Russetstar had been acting differently since the rogues arrived. She stayed in her den, and Wasptail and Grassheart were gossiping about her strange attitude, saying that she always looked as if she was deep in thought.

Not a cat had stirred since the patrol had gone to their nests. A fox screeched in the distance and Whorlkit had lifted his head sleepily, but he’d only yawned and tucked himself deeper among his littermates before falling asleep again.

Violetkit longed to cross the den and curl up beside them, but she didn’t want to upset Pinenose. Pinenose had been a great mother for a long time, but now that her kits were apprentices, it seemed as though she itched to be out in the forest again, hunting with the other warriors.

Why can’t I move to the apprentices’ den? She guessed the other cats wouldn't approve. She was barely three moons old. But Needlepaw, her only real friend, was in the apprentices’ den. She imagined with a purr how much fun it would be to curl up in the nest beside Needlepaw. They could talk all night if they wanted or play mossball or share a mouse while everyone else slept. It will be great.

A pair of eyes shone through the nursery entrance. Violetkit lifted her head sharply, her hackles lifting. Then she smelled the familiar scent of Needlepaw. Had her friend been thinking about her too? Excitement tingled in her paws, and she wriggled forward and slithered, quiet as a snake, out of her nest.

“Needlepaw?” she hissed.

“Quick! Come outside,” Needlepaw whispered back.

Violetkit pricked her ears happily. Were they going on another nighttime adventure? Her breath caught in her throat. Were they going to meet Twigkit?

She nosed her way through the entrance, the well-trodden brambles smooth between her paws, and dropped onto the ground outside. Stars sparkled in the wide black sky like dew on a black pelt. The moon shone, blanching the clearing with crisp light. A chill cut through Violetkit’s fur, but she hardly felt it.

“Are we going out of the camp?” she whispered to Needlepaw.

Needlepaw swished her tail along Violetkit’s spine. “Yes.”

Violetkit watched Needlepaw’s green gaze flick past her. She followed it stiffening as she saw another she-cat standing in the shadows. Her fur shimmered, ghost-like, in the gloom.

“I don’t see why we have to take her.”

Sleekpaw! Violetkit shivered as she recognized the apprentice’s mew. There was scorn in it.

Sleekpaw had never even looked at Violetkit before, stalking past her as though walking past stale fresh-kill when she passed her in camp. Sleekpaw scared the kitten. Her eyes were always dark with what Violetkit could only guess was anger, and every time they past by each other, she felt cold shivers run down her spine. She stared at her now, and Violetkit fought the urge to back away. Spite glittered in the older cat’s gaze. Confused, Violetkit looked back at Needlepaw. “I don’t understand. Is Sleekpaw coming to meet Twigkit too?”

Sleekpaw tipped her head sideways. “Is that what you usually do?” She stared questioningly at Needlepaw.

Needlepaw flicked her tail. “Maybe.”

“Really?”

A shiver of unease ran down Violetkit’s spine as Sleekpaw spoke. The tortie apprentice made the word sounded like a threat.

Needlepaw lashed her tail. “Don’t be such a foxheart, Sleekpaw. I asked you to come with me tonight because I trusted you.”

Sleekpaw’s expression changed, like dawn breaking through darkness. She pressed against Needlepaw, running her tail down her spine. “Of course you can trust me, Pine Needle. I love sharing secrets.” Her purr was sweet as honey. “But can you trust her?”

Violetkit lifted her head indignantly. “Of course she can! I’m her friend!”

Sleekpaw’s whiskers twitched with amusement. She thrust her muzzle close to Violetkit’s. “Then you’d better keep your mew quiet. Unless you’re trying to wake up the whole camp.”

“Come on!” Needlepaw padded toward the narrow tunnel that led to the dirtplace.

Violetkit scampered after her. She wanted to ask again why Sleekpaw was coming with them, but Sleekpaw was too close behind her. Needlepaw knows best, she reckoned. Perhaps it’s in case we run into those rogues. She felt reassured at the thought. Of course! Sleekpaw was coming to protect them.

She ducked through the tunnel after Needlepaw, her nose wrinkling as she smelled the dirtplace. Outside, they veered away from it, following the track they’d used last time.

Excitement twitched through Violetkit’s pelt. She was going to meet Twigkit again. They could play cat and mouse again. And she could show Twigkit how much she’d grown. Perhaps she’s grown too.

Needlepaw padded past a bramble and kept going straight.

Violetkit frowned. They’d traced the curve of the brambles last time and crossed the ditches. “Are we going the right way?” she ventured uneasily.

“‘Are we going the right way?’” Sleekpaw mimicked her, squeaking like a kit.

Embarrassment flashed hot through Violetkit’s fur.

Needlepaw glanced over her shoulder, exchanging a look with Sleekpaw.

Worry twisted in Violetkit’s belly. Was this a safer route to the ThunderClan border? She didn’t dare ask in case Sleekpaw made fun of her again.

They trekked on, Violetkit’s paws growing tired. She half hoped that Needlepaw would offer her another lift on her shoulders, but pushed the hope away. Sleekpaw would mock her if she let Needlepaw carry her like a weak kit.

Before long the needles began to grow squishy beneath her paws, turning to mud as they headed farther from the camp. Bramble turned to bracken behind the trail. The trees crowded closer, blocking out the moonlight so that Violetkit had to open her eyes wide to see where she was going. Had Alderpaw suggested a new meeting place?

Tiny paws skittered over the path ahead. Needlepaw pricked her ears, her tail twitching. She bounded forward, and the bracken swished as she dived through it.

Violetkit halted, her nose twitching as she smelled mouse.

Sleekpaw stopped beside her, licking her lips as she stared at the bracken.

Needlepaw nosed her way out, a dead mouse dangling from her jaws.

“Nice catch.” Sleekpaw padded toward her. She sniffed the mouse.

Needlepaw dropped it. “Do you want first bite?” she asked the tortie.

Violetkit blinked at them in surprise. “I thought apprentices were meant to hunt for the Clan first.”

Sleekpaw snorted. “Don’t be such a cleanpaw.”

“The rest of the Clan is asleep,” Needlepaw pointed out. “I don’t think they’d want us to wake them up for a morsel of fresh-kill.

Sleekpaw batted the mouse toward Violetkit. “Let’s pretend Needlepaw caught it for you. You’re Clan aren’t you?” Her eyes narrowed. “Oh, no. I forgot. You weren’t even born here.” She hooked the mouse back with her claw and took a bite. “I guess I should eat it.”

Needlepaw bristled. “Don’t be mean.” She grabbed the mouse from Sleekpaw. “Are you hungry?” she asked, dangling the mouse from her claw.

“No, thank you.” Violetkit shook her head. Her throat was too tight to swallow. She just wanted to get to Twigkit and Alderpaw. Sleekpaw’s scorching glare was making her nervous. “Are we nearly there?”

Needlepaw glanced around. “Nearly.”

Violetkit opened her mouth to taste the air. “I can’t smell Alderpaw or Twigkit.”

Sleekpaw padded across a stretch of muddy earth and peered between the shadowy trees. The fur rippled along her spine. “I can smell them.”

Needlepaw pricked her ears. As she turned her head to follow Sleekpaw’s gaze, the bracken rustled and a long-furred gray she-cat leaped out.

Fear shrilled through Violetkit. Rogues! She backed away, her heart pounding in her ears. Pawsteps sounded behind her. She jerked around and saw a she-cat slide from the bracken. Her dirty ginger pelt glowed in the dim moonlight. Beside her walked a long-furred black she-cat, their tails brushing against each other. They were under attack!

A silver cat emerged and stopped beside the gray she-cat. “I thought she wouldn’t come.” They eyed Needlepaw, distrust in their gaze.

“Of course she did.” The gray she-cat brushed past the silver cat and stopped in front of Needlepaw. Her voice was monotone. “She’s brave.”

Violetkit froze. Panic gripped her chest. She glanced at Sleekpaw. Was there going to be a fight? But Sleekpaw watched the rogue calmly, her pelt smooth.

“Needlepaw.” The gray she-cat’s eyes sparkled as she spoke. A bit of emotion sparked in her mew.

How does she know her name?

Needlepaw met her gaze. “Hello Rain.”

Shock washed over Violetkit like cold water; needles showered from the pine above. She looked up. A shape moved along a branch, then slithered down the trunk and landed on the ground.

It was a black-and-white tom.

“Hi Darktail.” Needlepaw nodded to him.

Violetkit saw the muscles rippling beneath his pelt. She began to tremble. Why have Needlepaw and Sleekpaw come here? How does Needlepaw know these cats? “Are these the rogues who attacked ShadowClan and WindClan?” The words tumbled out before she could stop them.

Behind her, the tom purred with amusement.

“They attacked us,” Darktail growled.

Violetkit wanted to race to Needlepaw’s side, but her paws felt rooted to the earth. She gazed at Darktail, fighting back terror.

“Of course they did.” Needlepaw swished her tail. “Clan cats are so defensive.”

Needlepaw was acting like they were friends. Suddenly Violetkit understood, and disappointment swamped her. We didn’t come here to meet Twigkit! We came to meet them!

Sleekpaw hooked up a leaf idly. “Clan cats don’t like to share with anyone.”

“They want all the prey for themselves,” the black she-cat sneered.

Violetkit realized that all the cats were staring at her. Did they expect her to say something bad about the Clans too?

“Is this the kit you told us about?” The silver cat padded toward Violetkit, their eyes flashing with curiosity.

“Yes.” Needlepaw strode past them and stood beside Violetkit, her chin high. “This is Violetkit.”

The silver cat sniffed at Violetkit. “She smells like a Clan cat. I thought you said she wasn’t one of you.”

The words hit Violetkit like a monster and the world swayed beneath her paws. She stared at Needlepaw in disbelief. Did she really say that? She wanted to wail.

“She’s been living with us.” Needlepaw glanced at Violetkit. “This is Roach,” she meowed, nodding to the silver cat. “That’s Rain and Darktail.”

Violetkit followed her gaze to the gray she-cat and the black-and-white tom.

“And that’s Flame and Raven.” Needlepaw introduced the she-cats.

Violetkit swallowed. “Why are they here?”

Darktail sat down. “We have to live somewhere.”

“Pinenose says you don’t belong by the lake,” Violetkit whispered.

Darktail snorted. “Pinenose sounds like a greedy cat who wants all the prey to themself.”

“She’s not!” Violetkit defended her mother, her tail fluffing up.

Darktail ignored her and looked at Needlepaw. “You were right. There is a lot of prey here. We’re going to grow fat.”

“Are you going to stay here?”

Roach narrowed their eyes. “Is there any reason we shouldn’t?”

Violetkit’s fur prickled with fear. The cat was staring at her as though she were prey. “This is Clan territory,” she whispered, her voice hoarse.

Needlepaw flicked her tail in irritation. “Why shouldn’t we share it? Why do Clan cats behave like they’re so special? They’re just cats, like these cats.”

Violetkit looked at the dark-eyed rogues. You’re nothing like Clan cats.

Sleekpaw stepped forward. “No kit can help where she’s born. Why should the Clans deprive other cats of good hunting just because they weren’t born in a Clan?”

Violetkit sent the tortoiseshell she-cat a sharp glare. You were just mocking me for not being Clan-born. Why are you defending these rogues now?

Darktail’s gaze flicked over to Sleekpaw. “Who’s this?”

Needlepaw dipped her head. “Sleekpaw. I told her about you and she wanted to meet you.”

“Can we trust her?” Rain padded closer, her pelt prickling.

Sleekpaw raised her muzzle. “Of course you can!” she declared. “I think the Clans are wrong too. All their borders and rules just make more battles.”

Violetkit stared at her, surprised.

“You weren’t born in a Clan,” Sleekpaw told her, her tail suddenly slipping around the kit. Her eyes shone and she ran her tail down her spine. “Don’t you think it’s weird having so many rules?”

Violetkit blinked at her. “I don’t know.” The sleek she-cat’s tail made her feel strange. She had to turn away from her sparkling green eyes.

Darktail stared at her. His blue eyes were like ice. She shivered. “What’s it like living with Clan cats when you know you’re an outsider?”

Unease tugged at Violetkit’s belly. She wanted to be loyal to ShadowClan. She thought of Tawnypelt and Pinenose. Her mother was half loner, too, what did she think about the rogues? What would Russetstar say if she knew she was here? She was stern and distant, but Violetkit wanted to earn her respect. “I guess it’s okay.” She tried not to remember how lonely she felt in the Clan. How Pinenose’s kits ignored her. How she wasn’t allowed near Grassheart’s kits in case she passed an infection. “They try to make me feel welcome.” Her breath caught in her throat. Don’t they?

Darktail leaned closer. “And yet they don’t.”

Violetkit backed away. His ice blue eyes pierced her, making her fur feel cold. She shuddered. How does he know?

Needlepaw passed around Darktail, her chest puffed out. “Russetstar makes rules about who’s allowed in the Clan and who isn't. But she’s old and set in her ways. She needs to learn that we’re all just cats. We all want the same thing—to hunt and live in peace. But she’s so busy defending her borders, she’s forgotten that.”

Violetkit’s thoughts whirled. Needlepaw sounded so certain. Was she right? They were all just cats. Perhaps the Clans were wrong.They acted like rogues were no better than foxes, just because they came from outside the Clan.

Darktail suddenly stood, making Violetkit flinch. Her heart was racing. His eyes were haunting her. She wanted to look away but she couldn’t. “I like you, Violetkit,” he meowed. “I want to see more of you around here.” He turned to Needlepaw and nodded to her. “Bring her more often, won’t you? And more cats like Sleekpaw over there.” Sleekpaw blinked at him, her tail swishing against the earth. The rogues disappeared one by one, the only one left being Rain, who gave Needlepaw one last nuzzle before she left.

But she’s not really one of us, is she? As she remembered Ratscar’s words, a thought flashed through her mind, chilling her to the bone. Is that how they all see me? She stared at where the rogues had disappeared, her heart pounding so loud, she’d be surprised they couldn’t hear it. Does ShadowClan think I’m like them?

I’m back baby.

[newtcloud]

I’ve noticed some people seemed interested in my TawnyFeather + kits AU, and I have some news for you, it’s actually part of a much larger AU/fix I think about occasionally.

I do work with a traditionalist (more info) worldview, I list the original names the first time the cat is mentioned. Some cats are slightly genetically changed, I mention the changes as well. (I want to make family trees, one day maybe) I talk from Clan to Clan here, and it’s a lot and a little disorganized haha

Hope you enjoy reading my thoughts!

Windclan

For starters, Mudclaw remains deputy. When Ravenstar (Tallstar, he is black with little white now) is close to dying he calls Mudclaw in for a private meeting. When Mudclaw arrives he sees Crowpaw (he doesn’t receive his name in the mountains, also he has amber eyes) leave and enters. Ravenstar is honest about his fears, and Mudclaw listens critically. He vows to try and keep peace, and earn the other clans’ respect in a less violent way. Ravenstar also tells him to respect what Crowpaw chooses to do, Mudclaw doesn’t understand what Tallstar means with this until Crowpaw says that he needs to leave to sort out his thoughts. He allows it, and prays that he is safe.

Mudclaw becomes Mudstar, with lives (not literal lives, but more in a guidance way, as is more common within traditionalism) for Compassion, Clarity of judgement, Diplomacy, Patience, Love, Wisdom, Endurance, Loyalty, and Understanding of other viewpoints.

Oatwhisker (Onewhisker, brown and white tabby) becomes his deputy, and Starclan shows approval by granting access to the island. The two become good friends.

Windclan and Thunderclan still grow apart, but less so. Mudstar is not hostile, but also asserts their rights to decline help. Firestar is a little saddened, but respects the decision. With time the two clans change that distance to a more casual relationship.

Since Crowpaw is gone, Nightcloud has kits with a loner, Sleetkit (Breezepelt, now a lighter gray) and Antkit (Black molly). They grow up to become Sleetpelt and Antfang, they’re both a little hot-headed but ultimately strong young cats.

Crowpaw returns after several years, changed into a more wise man. He asks Mudstar to be let back, and he accepts after remembering Ravenstar’s words. Crowpaw becomes Crowheart and lives his life without mate/kits.

When Darktail arrives Mudstar is mad that Oatwhisker kept this a secret, but doesn’t have any reason to punish him since he never broke the law. Oatwhisker dies with Darktail, which Mudstar grieved over for the rest of his life. Sedgewhisker succeeds Oatwhisker, and she becomes Sedgestar when Mudstar dies of old age.

Shadowclan

Tawny’s kits are born a lot earlier, and they aren’t really just The Three In Shadowclan for their earlier life. Tawny teaches them about their family in the other clans, and stands up fiercely when other cats try to tell them they’re not Shadowclan.

Rowanclaw is their foster father (he’s trans) and when he has his own litter Tawny + kits help with raising his kits: Redkit/paw/whisker (Redwillow, red and black torbie, predominantly red) and Darkkit/paw/nose (Olivenose, black and red tortie, predominantly black). Tawny and Rowan are close friends, but never mates.

Sol still appears and causes a ruckus, and it’s resolved the same way.

Russetfur retires from her position before she’s killed in battle, she becomes an elder but remains fairly active because she can. Nobody dares to stop her anyway, and her death shakes all the clans. She is succeeded by Tawnypelt.

When Blackstar dies in the floods, Tawnystar succeeds him. She names Rowanclaw deputy.

Tawny’s kits themselves are largely themselves:

Reedtail (Flametail, brownish-red tabby with white) was really sickly as a kit (Tawny didn’t have an ideal pregnancy, with stress from journeying and malnutrition), he often had to stay in the medicine cat den. Littlecloud let him help so he wouldn’t grow bored while he was staying there, when Reedkit was ~7 moons (apprenticed late) he chose to become a medicine cat because he loved the work and wants to help cats as sickly as himself. Littlecloud was very fond of him, and the two were often called “like brothers” by the other medicine cats. He dies from shock after falling in the freezing lake while playing with his foster siblings. Littlecloud was devastated, and mentored no other cats until Mudleaf’s (Puddleshine, brown and white tabby) enthusiasm made him cautiously less stuck in his grief.

Goldenstorm (Dawnpelt, cream and grey calico) was a go-getter, happy to give her opinions and overall quite the troublemaker. She keeps senior warriors on their toes, and Tawny is never surprised to find her at the root of mischief. She has kits later in her life, and is heavily scarred but lives through the Darktail era. She is renamed Scarredpelt, and wears the name with pride.

Heronfur (Tigerheart/star, silver black tabby with white paws and chest) is mostly the same. He’s your average tom, with a penchant for bad ideas. The romance with Dovewing is gone, and he doesn’t become deputy/leader.

Thunderclan

The three are Maplecloud’s (Leafpool, dark, brownish-red ticked tabby) kits, but no-one knows who the other parent is. She steps down as med. cat after she discovers her pregnancy, many cats were skeptic, but her willingness to give up her dreams made them sympathetic. When Cinderpelt dies, she takes up the med. cat duties again.

Foxkit/paw/storm (Jayfeather, red classic tabby), becomes a warrior, his mentor is Brightheart. Maplecloud was overjoyed to see him succeed as a warrior. I personally am not a fan of the whole prophecy in the 3rd and 4th arc, so I scrapped that lol. He’s a cranky warrior that bites off more than he can chew to prove himself, Brightheart helps him accept himself. It’s a long journey, but he is enjoying his life more and more as he grows older.

Emberkit/paw/heart/star (Hollyleaf, black and red tortie), becomes a warrior with a strong belief in the code, highly intelligent and has the qualities of a leader. She is a beloved warrior, deputy and eventual leader. She becomes mates with Smokepelt (Cinderheart, gray and cream and white tabby with a broken leg).

The two have three kits:

Patchfur (Hollytuft, gray and cream lynx point)

Ryestripe (Sorrelstripe, gray and brownish torbie, predominantly brownish)

Ashcloud (Fernsong, grey and white)

Lionkit/paw/claw (Lionblaze, still a fluffy golden tabby), is a strong fighter and the definition of beauty. It was no surprise that he had flings across the borders sometimes. He’s bad at making good choices, and is grateful that Emberheart acts as his brains sometimes. He is the surrogate father of Smokepelt and Emberstar’s kits.

Ashfur doesn’t betray anyone, never had a thing with Squirrel and he dies when he helps Maple and Squirrel save the three in the fire.

Brambleclaw (Reddish-brown tabby) never takes up the position of deputy, Hornetfur (Brackenfur), becomes deputy instead. Bramble gravitates towards an uncle role with Maplecloud’s kits, and is saddened to learn that his attempts towards having kits with Squirrelstorm (Squirrelflight, ticked red tabby, no white) are failing (He’s infertile, they have a loner surrogate around the time of TFA).

Alderkit/paw/pelt (Alderheart, brown tabby with a little white) takes interest in med. cat duties, and succeeds Maplecloud.

Gingerkit/paw/pelt (Sparkpelt, predominantly red torbie with white paws) looks a lot like her grandfather, very excitable.

Pigeonkit/paw/whisker (Dovewing, Gray with odd eyes, deaf and blind on the blue eyed half of her face), has good senses, but ultimately wasn’t meant for he life of a warrior, she becomes a kittypet and still lives near the lake. Foxstorm was her mentor. Her sister visits her occasionally.

Silverkit/paw/claw (Ivypool, silvery gray tabby), was Emberstar’s apprentice when she was a warrior. She’s a good fighter, though at a young age she was often bitter that her sister seemed to get more attention. Emberheart helped her realize her own strength, and she became deputy under Emberstar.

Riverclan

Riverclan was too ignored for me to change much sadly. I still had a few things:

Mothface (Mothwing, golden lynx point) is very close to Maplecloud :) Many jokes are made that Lionclaw looks like her :) ;) Her brother Kitefang (Hawkfrost, brown lynx point) used her to gain power, the two were close and she never hated him after his body and plans were discovered. She doesn’t believe in Starclan still, and is respected. Miststar (Mistystar, ticked gray tabby, Russian Blue green eyes) covers for her lack of belief, and knows she’s valid and a good med. cat.

Riverclan doesn’t let Darktail mess with them, Miststar isn’t leader for long, but still is the oldest living one for a while. Rookstar (Reedwhisker, has green eyes now) succeeds her and his deputy is Minnowtail.

(Also in case my vague smilies are too... vague, Mothface is the mother of the three and loves her children very much despite not seeing them often)

[twilights-800-cats]

<< Allegiances || Prologue || Chapter 1 || From the Beginning || Patreon >>

Prologue

The full moon hung heavy in the black night sky, turning the backs of the ShadowClan patrol to silver. The small group of warriors stuck together, whiskers brushing and eyes darting from side to side, looking for some unseen enemy. 

 It shouldn’t be like this, Rowanclaw thought, unease prickling his paws. Normally the journey to a Gathering was peaceful and easy, even though ShadowClan had to cross beneath a Thunderpath to make it to Fourtrees. There was no feeling as if something were watching from the shadows, ready to spring out from the silence at a moment’s notice.

Rowanclaw glanced at his Clanmates. Orre and Wolftooth stood guard at the patrol’s flanks, while Blackfoot took up a position in the rear, his ears pinned back. Ahead, Nightwing jumped at the hoot of an owl, and Pinewhisker snapped his teeth when she trod on his paw.  

“Enough.” Russetstar turned her head, green eyes blazing. “Be silent, or do you want to tell everyone where we are?”

This is a patrol heading to the Gathering, Rowanclaw wanted to whine. Not a battle party!

“Ease up,” Pansytail meowed, brushing her plumy tail along the Clan leader’s spine. Her eyes were soft on her mate. “Twolegs don’t work at night, every cat knows that.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure,” Wolftooth growled a pawstep behind Rowanclaw, his tail-tip flicking irritably. “These Twolegs aren’t like the ones we knew, Pansy.”

Rowanclaw swallowed. Wolftooth and Pansytail had once lived in the nearby Twolegplace, part of a group of violent cats called BloodClan. That terrible group had broken apart after being defeated by the forest Clans, and moons later Wolftooth and Pansytail’s small group joined ShadowClan. If any cat knew Twoleg behaviors, it would be them.

“What are you going to tell the other Clans?” wondered Littlecloud, as if to steer the topic away. The small tabby medicine cat looked more anxious than usual. “The Twolegs are invading the Black Fens – we're lucky they haven't reached the tunnel beneath the Thunderpath yet! When they do...”

We might be cut off from the rest of the forest, Rowanclaw finished glumly. His fur prickled at the thought.

Rowanclaw looked at Russetstar expectantly. What would she say? Every Clan was being affected by the Twolegs, from what their patrols had seen from over the Thunderpath – Rowanclaw himself had watched a group of WindClan hunters cower helplessly in a bush while Twolegs plodded along their torn land, scaring away every rabbit. Would she mention that?

Would she mention the hunger? Rowanclaw couldn’t recall the last time his belly had known a full meal. He supposed, grimly, that there would be no need to talk about that – it was fairly obvious in their shrunken frames and poking ribs.

“I will tell the other Clans only what they need to know,” Russetstar answered simply. “I see no reason to involve them in our affairs, especially if they’re facing their own problems as well. ShadowClan can protect itself.”

Can we? Rowanclaw wondered.

“Wherever Stoneheart went, the rest of us should’ve followed,” grunted Pinewhisker. “He got out before it got bad.”

Nightwing bristled beside him. “If he knew, he should’ve told us! What kind of warrior just abandons their Clan like that?”

“Well, he left ThunderClan...”

Rowanclaw stared incredulously at Pinewhisker. “How dare you!” he spat, the fur along his shoulders rising. That’s my mate you’re meowing about! “You don’t know Stoneheart at all, do you?!”

Pinewhisker blinked, as if he hadn’t recalled that Rowanclaw was right there. Nightwing, whiskers trembling, turned her muzzle away to stare at a passing birch as if it were the most interesting piece of landscape in existence.

Rowanclaw dug his claws into the earth. “That’s what I thought,” he growled.

He felt Russetstar’s tail lay across his shoulders. “Blackfoot, go on ahead,” Russetstar meowed. “We will join you shortly.”

Blackfoot twitched his tail in response, pushing through the crowd. Rowanclaw felt frozen to the spot as his Clanmates awkwardly stepped around him. No one said anything to him as they disappeared into the undergrowth, leaving only Rowanclaw and Russetstar behind.

What can they say that they haven’t already said? He wondered as Russetstar took a step away from him. When the Clan had resigned themselves to Stoneheart’s absence, Rowanclaw had endured so much of their sympathy that he felt sick at the thought of yet another cat expressing their sorrow for his loss.

He was painfully aware of Russetstar’s gaze – was she upset with him for bursting out like that? He dared to meet her eye, only to find that her whiskers were twitching with amusement, not annoyance.

“It’s all right, Rowanclaw,” she said. “If some cat were badmouthing Pansytail, I don’t think I would have reacted any differently.”

Rowanclaw breathed a sigh of relief. If this were any other Clan, Rowanclaw expected he’d be reprimanded for his outburst – in ShadowClan, however, there was no such silliness. ShadowClan cats said what needed to be said... sometimes regardless of who it might offend.

“I asked this before, but... do you know anything?” Russetstar wondered. She tipped her head. “Have you seen any sign of Stoneheart since he left?”

Rowanclaw swallowed around a lump forming in his throat. “No,” he answered. “Nothing.”

Russetstar stared at him a moment longer, as if she doubted him – and then, sweeping her tail through the night air, she meowed, “I miss him, too, Rowanclaw – but we’ve a lot more to worry about than one missing cat. I’m sure you understand that.”

Rowanclaw’s tail puffed. “They’ve no right to doubt his loyalties!” he snapped. “Stoneheart is ShadowClan to his core!”

“I know,” Russetstar meowed patiently. Rowanclaw eased off – Stoneheart had been Russetstar’s apprentice for many moons. She knew Stoneheart as well as Rowanclaw did. “I’ve never doubted Stoneheart’s loyalties - but you have to admit that the timing of his departure...”

“It looks bad,” Rowanclaw finished, turning his muzzle away. “Believe me, I know that.”

“... Regardless,” Russetstar swept on, “we’ll be late if we hang about here. The other Clans will start without us.”

Rowanclaw got to his paws and followed Russetstar along the trail to Fourtrees, barely paying attention to where he put his paws. His mind was buzzing and his heart was aching. Soon I might be the only cat left with any faith in Stoneheart!

It didn’t help that he was the only cat that knew of real reason why Stoneheart left: Rowanclaw didn’t know why, but StarClan had chosen his mate for a grand, dangerous journey with cats from every Clan. He had gone off to fight some unknown darkness that was going to threaten the Clans and the forest they lived in.

Rowanclaw longed to tell the others; but without knowing the true nature of Stoneheart’s dreams, what use would the explanation be? What cat would believe that StarClan had chosen simple warriors to do this great task? He hardly believed it, still. But Stoneheart was gone, and so were other warriors from the other Clans – that had to mean the dreams were real.

The doubt gave Rowanclaw pause again. He had to hope that the dreams and signs were real, otherwise... Otherwise, they were just an excuse to get away from me.

He shook his head of the thought. Stoneheart was not that type of cat!

Blackfoot was waiting for them in a bed of ferns. A few steps beyond were Fourtrees, a small clearing in the forest bordered by the four largest oaks in the forest. Rowanclaw craned his neck to peer over the bushes and into the clearing ahead.

“No one else is here,” Littlecloud meowed, his ears twitching. “What’s keeping them?”

Rowanclaw frowned, lowering his chin. What was keeping the other Clans? Normally a Clan wouldn’t hesitate to be the first ones to step into Fourtrees on a Gathering night. Some Clans even loved to brag about it.

A chilly wind cut through Rowanclaw’s pelt. He shivered. There was a strange tension in the air tonight, so thick he felt like he could pierce it with a claw. What did that feeling mean?

Russetstar curled her lip. “I don’t know what’s stepped on the other Clan’s tails, but I for one don’t want to wait here until leaf-bare. Come--”

A loud growl, louder than any predator Rowanclaw had ever heard, erupted from within the trees, interrupting Russetstar’s call. Littlecloud whimpered, covering his ears. Pansytail was bristling from ears to tail.

“A monster!” she cried above the noise. “In the forest?!”

“What in StarClan’s name?” Wolftooth cursed, unsheathing his claws.

Another monster roared to life, this time on the other side of the ShadowClan cats. Rowanclaw’s heart beat in his ears – they were surrounded! He looked to Russetstar and Blackfoot. What should they do?

A third monster sounded from the opposite end of the clearing, and suddenly the clearing of Fourtrees was flooded with bright yellow light. Rowanclaw’s eyes watered from the intensity, and as he ducked his head below the ferns he yowled, “They’re waking up!”

“ShadowClan, fall back!” Russetstar called, her eyes flashing in the light. “Hurry!”

Rowanclaw pulled himself to his paws, pushing Nightwing ahead of him as his patrol retreated back the way they came. The roar of the monsters was grumbling and rattling now, growing louder and louder as Russetstar led them up a nearby slope.

Down below, in the clearing, Rowanclaw could make out the shapes of Twolegs walking through Fourtrees - long, odd shadows in their harsh and unnatural light. They pointed with their strange paws at the oaks, moving out of the way as large, boxy monsters, their shells a bright yellow, crawling forward.

“What are they doing?” Pinewhisker panted, eyes wide.

“Russetstar, we need to leave,” Blackfoot advised, an edge of panic in his voice. “If they see us...”

Russetstar was bristling. “I need to know what they’re doing to Fourtrees!” she snapped, pushing her deputy aside.

The boxy yellow monster raised what looked like its tail – but it was unlike any tail Rowanclaw had ever seen. It had long, sharp talons at the end, and with those talons it gripped one of the old oaks by its trunk. The tree rustled, some leaves falling softly into the night.

Another monster approached, and it pressed its strange front-end tail into the trunk of the oak. A harsh whine split the air, like the sound of some dying beast, and the smell of sap and wood flooded Rowanclaw’s senses.

“StarClan help us!” Littlecloud wailed. He stared at the moon imploringly, his eyes wide to their whites. “Stop them! Please!”

Rowanclaw was transfixed as the tail drove deeper and deeper into the oak. Moments later there was a loud snap, and a groan, and the oak gave way, falling into the embrace of the taloned monster. The taloned monster raised its tail, taking the oak with it, and, slowly, turned and dropped the tree to the side unceremoniously.

Twolegs swarmed over the tree like flies to a corpse. Rowanclaw felt bile rise in his throat as the monsters fired up again, crawling across the ground on their strange paws to the next oak. The third monster, another taloned one, trundled in and, like a badger, used its talons to pull up the Great Rock as if it were searching for beetles beneath.

In that moment, Rowanclaw understood the darkness that his mate had left to fight.

The horrors dragged on through the night, until Rowanclaw was cold and stiff and deafened by the noises of the hungry monsters. The ShadowClan cats watched, speechless, as the Twolegs and their monsters tore apart one of the oldest, most sacred places in the forest.

Stoneheart... Rowanclaw thought, mouth dry, wherever you are...

Please... Please, save us!

[twilights-800-cats]

<< Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || From the Beginning || Patreon >>

Chapter 2

For the first time in a long time, Stoneheart walked in silence.

His ears twitched. He was used to the sound of Nightpaw and Crowpaw’s latest argument, or Mistyfoot and Stormfur chatting in hushed tones, or Shadepaw talking with Feathertail about an herb she saw and what it might do. The empty air seemed to amplify everything around him, from birdsong in the trees to the roar of a Twoleg monster as it woke somewhere in the distance.

Stoneheart couldn’t help but chide himself for leaving the others so suddenly. It’s not like I don’t love them! He thought, leaping over a stray branch that had fallen long ago. I’m just no good at good-byes.

He paused, lifting his head. There was a Twoleg nest here, he knew – an old one with a pair of elderly Twolegs. They didn’t bother cats much, but they certainly didn’t like it when ShadowClan patrols snooped for mice in their old barn. He could see the structure not far away, and the thin, spindly fence that surrounded the Twolegs’ territory.

Best avoid it, he told himself. After trekking through a winding Twolegplace for days and coming back to seeing what they’d done to the land he called home, he was quite sick of Twolegs. I miss Purdy, though, he reflected as he trod on towards the woods ahead. He seemed to know so much about why Twolegs are the way they are...

Sunhigh was gone by the time that Stoneheart reached the trees, and, as he passed a familiar rotten log, he scented ShadowClan. He paused to let the smell wash over him. It's so different now. Sharper. His journey with cats from all four Clans had muddled his senses, mixing their scents together into something new, something that was surprisingly comforting.

He tried to identify the patrol that had passed this way. Breathing in deep, he was happy that he recognized both their scents: Skipnose, that kittypet-turned-warrior, and Oakfur, he thought, lifting his chin. Smokepaw might have been with them, but he didn’t place a marker. They must have passed by before dawn.

Satisfied, Stoneheart went on, quickly identifying the trail his Clanmates had used through the vibrant marsh grass and putting himself on it, wary of his Clanmates lurking about. No cat was better than ShadowClan at blending into their surroundings, and Stoneheart would certainly be embarrassed if he were ambushed.

Traveling further into the woods, Stoneheart could feel leaf-fall's chill in the air. The trees here, more oak and birch than pine, were shedding their golden leaves onto the marsh around them. Stoneheart’s paws tugged him off the beaten path and further into the grove.

His pelt prickled in this familiar location, and he let his paws guide him to a small clearing between the trees. A fallen log and an old, gnarled boulder were surrounded by bright, five-petaled orange flowers – what ShadowClan medicine cats for ages called the blazing star.

Carefully, Stoneheart picked his way around the herb. Many ShadowClan cats believed that stepping on one meant disaster, as the herb had saved all four Clans seasons beyond counting ago. It was a point of pride that they only grew here, on ShadowClan land.

Stoneheart hopped on top of the boulder, relishing what little warmth it had managed to soak up from the sun. He breathed in the scents of the grove, his body relaxing. Though he had left ThunderClan for ShadowClan, this place reminded him of where he’d been born, with the thick cover of leaves and the smells of bracken and fern.

This is where I asked Rowanclaw to be my mate, he reflected, scanning the grove. Where he told me he wanted kits... and where Mistyfoot asked me to leave ShadowClan to go on the journey.

He sighed. And it’s going to be destroyed.

Stoneheart felt claws pierce his heart at the thought. So much that was so important to him would never be, could never be, again. Would this be the last time he laid eyes on this grove? Did the lake have anything like this?

His stomach rumbled, interrupting his thoughts. He hadn’t eaten since the leftovers the journeying cats had polished off at dawn. Stoneheart recalled the way Webfoot and Weaselpaw looked, and worried – did ShadowClan look the same?

I can barely hear Twoleg monsters, but there are some on our territory, he thought, listening. It seemed like the noises were on the far end of ShadowClan land, towards the woods by the Twolegplace they called the Black Fens. Maybe we’re better off than the others.

He heard the brambles rustle behind him. Stoneheart turned and spotted a dove picking its way along the ground, oblivious to his existence, as most doves were. Stomach growling again, Stoneheart dropped into a crouch.

The kill came easily – doves were simple-minded prey. But as he lifted his head from his fresh-kill, there was a screech of defiance and a blur of fur. Stoneheart was knocked off of his paws before he could react.

“Thief!” cried his attacker. “That’s ShadowClan prey!”

Stoneheart felt claws pricking his pelt. “I am ShadowClan!” he complained, twisting beneath his foe. His hind paws found their belly and, with a push, shoved them off of him. Stoneheart could hear them scrambling to their paws, but he was faster.

“Redpaw, it’s me!” he called to the ginger she-cat.

The apprentice paused, her posture an awkward mix of anger and shock. Slowly, though, her spine relaxed. “Stoneheart?” she murmured, whiskers twitching. “Is that... really you?”

“Yes!” Stoneheart breathed, his heart lifting. She’s not so skinny as the WindClan cats, he thought, looking her over. But she is still thin. He looked into the sparse undergrowth that surrounded them. “Where’s Pansytail?”

“Right here.” Redpaw’s mentor appeared, as if Stoneheart had called her. Pansytail’s dappled pelt blended in almost perfectly with the leaves on the ground. Her green eyes regarded Stoneheart with a caution that mirrored Webfoot’s. “Hello, Stoneheart.”

Another shape padded out from the shadows. “What’s going on?” asked a young dark brown tabby tom, his eyes darting from side to side. “Is it Twolegs? Another Clan?”

“Talonpaw?” Stoneheart tipped his head. “Is that you?”

“It’s Talonstripe now,” he said, lifting his head. He didn’t seem fussed that Stoneheart had reappeared right in front of him. “Russetstar made me a warrior a quarter-moon ago!”

“Congratulations!” Stoneheart felt light as he looked over his Clanmates. Clearly, he was receiving a better welcome than poor Crowpaw had!

“Where have you been?” Redpaw asked. She stepped forward and took a cautious sniff. “You smell funny.”

Talonstripe flicked his tail. “And you look fat,” he grunted, tipping his head towards Stoneheart’s side.

Stoneheart rolled his eyes. “I haven’t been to any Twolegs, if that’s what you’re thinking.” He turned to Pansytail, who he assumed was the leader of their patrol. “I need to speak to Russetstar.”

Pansytail was not regarding him with the same curiosity as the younger cats. There was something in her eyes, but whenever Stoneheart tried to meet her gaze, she looked away. Finally, she turned about and, with a flick of her dappled tail, she ordered, “Come.”

Redpaw and Talonstripe took a position alongside him as Pansytail led the way back along the trail. Stoneheart felt a prickle of discomfort run down his spine as he picked up his dove. Was he being escorted home as a Clanmate? Or as a possible enemy?

———————————————————

The trek through the pine woods was quiet, and Stoneheart was thankful for the dove in his mouth – it kept Redpaw or Talonstripe from asking questions he couldn’t easily answer with a nod. To his delight, most of the marshes were unchanged by the Twoleg invasion, though he couldn’t help but notice that Pansytail was taking a longer route to get back to camp.

We should be cutting through the Black Fens, he thought, glancing to his right. But we’re heading up towards Carrionplace instead. The path that they were walking on wasn’t as well-worn as most other hunting trails, meaning that it was just beginning to see constant use. Straining his ears, he could hear the rumble of Twoleg monsters coming from the direction he figured that they should be going. Have they begun destroying that part of our territory?

The dove in his mouth weighed heavy as he plodded on. Though it stopped him from answering questions, it kept him from asking them, too.  

Stoneheart pushed his worries out of his mind for just a moment, letting himself enjoy the feel of being home again – the way the ground squished beneath his paws, the rustle of the pines and the crackle of their needles... even the little stinky mushrooms that bloomed over the rotted old fallen trees. He had missed it all so much!

Pansytail pulled them off of their current path as soon as Carrionplace came into view. The stench of crow-food and Twoleg rubbish wasn’t overpowering yet, but Stoneheart still wrinkled his nose regardless. That’s one part of our territory I won’t miss! He thought. Carrionplace, and the nasty rats within, had always been nothing but trouble for ShadowClan – a source of food that all too often came with a deadly price.

The patrol was following a familiar trail again, this one picking its way between boggy ponds and thick bunches of sedge and swamp grass. The smells of chervil, sweet pye, and mint were strong here, and he scented Littlecloud beneath it all – this was his favorite spot for gathering herbs.  

Ahead, a sedge bush rustled violently. Pansytail lifted her tail and the patrol halted behind her. Stoneheart looked over the shorter warrior, wondering what could be up ahead – another patrol, possibly? His heart ached as the anticipation of seeing his Clanmates again was stronger than he realized.

It was a rabbit, however, that shot out of the bush. It lolloped across the bog, its white tail up. If it saw the cats, it gave no indication... and if the patrol was going to go after it, Pansytail gave no signal.

Why not? Stoneheart was confused. The rabbit was plump, and easy prey in the sticky, wet soil, yet none of the cats surrounding him seemed at all interested in going after it despite the faint outline of their ribs poking through their pelts.

As soon as the rabbit was gone, Pansytail picked up the pace again. Stoneheart adjusted his grip on his dove, still confused.  

“The Twolegs have poisoned the rabbits,” Talonstripe explained, glancing Stoneheart’s way. “They make cats sick to eat, and most who’ve eaten one have died.”

A weight dropped in Stoneheart’s belly, sudden and hard. No wonder the WindClan cats were so skinny! He thought, the fur along his spine prickling with horror. His mind immediately turned to Crowpaw, and how the brash apprentice might take the news. How are they surviving at all right now?

“We haven't lost anyone,” Pansytail assured, glancing back, “but the other Clans have. Thankfully they were able to warn us before we got to eating any rabbits on the fresh-kill pile.”

Stoneheart breathed a sigh of relief, but it didn’t quell the discomfort he felt at the thought of Twolegs poisoning the very prey that the Clan cats lived off of. First rabbits, what next? The dove in his mouth suddenly didn’t seem so appetizing anymore.

Soon enough, Stoneheart realized that they were closing in on the ShadowClan camp. He took in the familiar pines standing tall over an outer wall of bushes prickly enough to keep away any predator that got too curious. Stoneheart could hear the babble of the stream that ran through camp, a part of the river that tapered off into the marshes like a cat’s tail.

His heart soared. It was still there – still whole and undamaged, nestled deep in the heart of the marshland. The smell of ShadowClan surrounded him, pulling his paws onward.

I’m home.

He had to stop himself before he got too carried away. Like in the star flower grove, he had to remember that the Twoleg monsters would come chugging for this place – sooner rather than later. This place that he called home would be gone.

“Nervous?” Redpaw wondered.

Stoneheart swallowed. He couldn’t bring himself to answer, and not just because of the dove in his jaws. Redpaw looked confused that a ShadowClan cat would be so worried about returning home. She didn’t know – she didn’t understand.

He pushed past the apprentice, catching up to Pansytail as she ducked beneath the sedge-and-fern tunnel that led into the camp.

I’m home, he thought as he stepped into the clearing, but this place won’t be home for long.

[twilights-800-cats]

<< Allegiances || Chapter 25 || Chapter 26 || Chapter 27 || From the Beginning >>

Chapter 26

“Look at that,” Stormfur breathed. “It’s…”

“Amazing,” Mistyfoot finished.

The two of them had managed to collect enough prey between them for the others before catching sight of the nice place that Purdy had pointed out. The stream that led to the lake also led here… to a steep cliffside that bordered more water than Mistyfoot had ever imagined existed in the world.

It went on forever, the water – it crashed endlessly against the sandy cliffs below the two cats, white and foamy. The breeze smelled strongly of water and rock and salt, and the sun, now a blood-red disk, was slowing sinking into the waves.

“It’s… drowning the sun…” Stormfur mewed, awe in his eyes. “A place where the sun drowns…”

Mistyfoot planted her paws in the ground, feeling like her world was shaking. Did the water before them really have the power to swallow the sun?! She swallowed, forcing herself to remember that it must get spat back out – how else would the sun return day after day?

Stormfur leaned against her, and Mistyfoot felt her fear ebb. “Are there any RiverClan stories about this?” she wondered.

“I don’t know,” Stormfur admitted. “I don’t think so.”

“There should be,” Mistyfoot whispered.

“Yeah.”

Silence stretched between them as they watched the sun slide down behind the water. The air grew cool and the water turned dark, the waves churning the surface so much that it did not reflect the light of the stars as they began to appear. The lake in contrast had been still and quiet, and Mistyfoot was grateful that StarClan was sending them there instead of this place.

“Could you swim in it?” Mistyfoot wondered.

Stormfur frowned. “I don’t think so,” he answered. “It’s so dark… the shore must drop off very sharply. A cat getting caught in that, and then lashed on the rocks… And look at the way those waves are churning, over there – no one would be able to swim out of that!”

Mistyfoot’s heart beat in her ears as she imagined Stormfur drowning in the churning water below. She dug her claws into the earth. “I would try to save you,” she insisted, finding herself utterly serious.

Stormfur bristled. “You’d drown!” he threw back, his eyes round. Mistyfoot flinched, worried she’d said the wrong thing – but then his amber eyes softened, and he meowed, “But I appreciate the thought.”

Mistyfoot leaned against him, grateful to her core that Stormfur was here and not down there in the water. Warmth flooded her pelt as he touched his nose to her ear. She pressed her muzzle into his thick fur and sighed.

Even before the face of such a great, terrible wonder, Mistyfoot felt just fine – because Stormfur was here, and as she stood with him… she felt like she could do anything.

———————————————————-

Mistyfoot and Stormfur returned just as the moon began to rise. Mistyfoot’s neck ached from dragging her rabbit until Purdy came and took it from her. The old tom had cleaned up since their arrival in the woods, his mats gone and pelt almost free of ticks. Mistyfoot was impressed, and happy that the old cat seemed even jollier now.

Stormfur put his catch on their makeshift pile. Shadepaw took the rabbit from Purdy and split it with the apprentices, while Stormfur took two mice over to Feathertail, who was keeping watch off on her own. Mistyfoot plucked up a vole and took it over to Stoneheart, who was nestled up between the roots of a sheltering oak by the stream. A fresh poultice lay over his wound, and his eyes were bright when Mistyfoot approached.

“You two were gone for a while,” he commented, twisting his tail. “Busy?”

Mistyfoot’s whiskers twitched. “I don’t know what you mean,” she insisted, her pelt prickling. “We only stopped to look at where the stream ended – you wouldn’t believe it, Stoneheart…” She described the place to him, her heart beating in her ears again at the memory.

Stoneheart shifted in his nest. “Sounds romantic,” he purred.

“Stop it!” Mistyfoot hissed, lashing her tail. “Just because-”

“Don’t.” Stoneheart stopped her. His pale eyes sharpened on her. “There is very clearly something going on between you and Stormfur. I don’t think you should keep denying it.”

Mistyfoot stiffened – and then she sighed. She batted the vole’s remains between her paws, her pelt feeling hot with embarrassment. “I… I have feelings for him, yes,” she confessed quietly. “I just… I don’t know whether or not it’s love, or even if he…”

She twitched her whiskers. I sound like a lovestruck dove! She chided herself. Mistyfoot glanced up at Stormfur, sitting across the clearing with his sister. What were they talking about? Looking at him made her heart beat faster, and she looked back down at her fresh-kill.

“What did it feel like to fall in love with Rowanclaw?” she wondered.

Stoneheart’s gaze turned puzzled. “I don’t know, really,” he answered. He rested his head on his paws. “I guess it felt… natural. Like it was meant to be that way, and that was okay.”

Mistyfoot swallowed. “It feels like that with Stormfur,” she confessed. Anxiety mounted in her again, bubbling words from her jaws: “But he’s from another Clan, and who knows what will happen when this journey is through, and…”

Stoneheart touched his nose to her ear, silencing her. “All any of us can do right now is just… trust ourselves. Listen to your heart, not your head, Mistyfoot. You don’t need to figure anything else out just yet.”

Mistyfoot’s head clenched, but she endeavored to ignore it. She pressed licked her brother around the ear.

“Thanks,” she meowed.

Stoneheart’s whiskers twitched. “Anytime.”

———————————————————-

“Stop looking already, Shadepaw,” Nightpaw hissed. “It’s rude.”

Shadepaw flinched, looking back down at her paws. “I’m just worried about them, that’s all,” she insisted. Mistyfoot and Stormfur had been gone so long, and when they returned the air around them seemed… different. Now they were talking to their siblings, and everything seemed so strange, especially after her conversation with Feathertail about the pain of heartbreak.

“Well, gossiping like an old queen isn’t going to do anything,” Nightpaw insisted. “It’s not our business.”

“She’s our Clanmate!” Shadepaw insisted, “Not to mention our friend.” She pressed Nightpaw through their bond, wondering why she was feeling him getting so prickly again. “It’s natural that we worry about her.”

Nightpaw’s eyes darkened. “Worry about yourself,” he grunted. “And stop prodding! That’s rude, too.”

Shadepaw bristled. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she snapped. “Worry about myself?!”

Nightpaw nodded with his nose over to Purdy and Crowpaw, who were sharing a rabbit together. The old tom seemed to have attached himself to Crowpaw for the day, and was constantly in the WindClan apprentice’s ear about something. Crowpaw was holding it together but Shadepaw guessed it wouldn’t be long before he snapped.

“What?” Shadepaw wondered, oblivious to Nightpaw’s point.

Nightpaw’s ice-blue eyes narrowed. “You and that WindClan cat have been inseparable – you might be too dense to feel it but I can. You’re a medicine cat, Shadepaw… and he’s from another Clan! Mistyfoot and Stormfur are one thing, but you and him…”

Shadepaw’s fur bristled with indignation. “How dare you!” she hissed. Annoyance bubbled up in her, and she dug her claws into the soil. “There is nothing like that between Crowpaw and I!”

Nightpaw did not look convinced. He curled up tightly in his nest, throwing his tail over his nose. “Denial is kinda hard when I can feel what you feel,” he grunted. “But whatever. G’night.”

“Good night!” she snapped back.

Shadepaw curled herself up tight, her back to her brother. Her claws dug into her nest, and with her temper so hot she found it hard to fall asleep. Her tail trembled as she drew it close to her, glowering across the clearing at Crowpaw.

He’s wrong! She insisted. He doesn’t know anything! He doesn’t know anything at all!

[twilights-800-cats]

<< Allegiances || Chapter 18 || Chapter 19 || Chapter 20 || From the Beginning >>

Chapter 19

Feathertail had been right about the weather.

Mistyfoot glanced up at the clouds through the trees, wondering if RiverClan cats really could predict the weather. A raindrop splattered on her nose and she shook her muzzle with frustration. The clouds had come quickly as the cats had started to move, and they had to take shelter in a copse that wasn’t too far from the barn they’d left that morning. It was just too difficult to proceed in the rain – with the sky clouded, they could get lost very easily.

“This sucks!” hissed Stoneheart. He was pacing, his paws splashing in the softened earth.

“I know,” Mistyfoot agreed. Her pelt was uncomfortably damp. “I just wish we knew where we were going.”

Stoneheart sighed and settled beside her, wrapping his tail around his paws. “Stormfur was right to make us stop,” he meowed. “I just wish we’d gotten farther.”

“Me, too.” Mistyfoot looked over at where the others were, about a fox-length away from her. Stormfur was wrestling with Shadepaw, and Mistyfoot could overhear him giving her advice on her swiping if she focused. It was a good idea to get the apprentices practicing if they couldn’t be moving – it kept their minds off of their frustration at their lack of progress.

Stoneheart’s whiskers twitched. “I’m surprised you’re not over there,” he grunted. “Don’t you want to help the apprentices?”

Mistyfoot swallowed, glancing at her brother. She kneaded her paws into the earth and sighed. “I… I’m not a worthy mentor,” she admitted quietly.

Stoneheart’s ears pricked. “What?” he breathed. “Who said that?”

“No one said it,” Mistyfoot insisted. No one but Ashfur, she reflected. “I just… Stoneheart, I had an apprentice.”

“What?! And you didn’t tell me?” There was no anger in her brother’s voice – just concern.

Mistyfoot’s throat felt dry. “It was before the last Gathering we attended. I… his name was Shrewpaw. He got caught by that badger… and it killed him. He was just trying to protect Nightpaw. If I had been a proper mentor he never would have gotten into that situation, and he’d still be alive, and--”

“Whoa, whoa, slow down,” Stoneheart meowed, nudging Mistyfoot with a shoulder. His eyes sparkled with sorrow. “I’m so sorry, Mistyfoot,” he breathed. “I had no idea.”

Mistyfoot leaned on her brother. She stared down at her paws, and murmured, “I just… I’m not a worthy mentor, Stoneheart. I don’t think I ever was. I keep thinking of everything I could have done to save him and…”

Stoneheart sighed. “Oh, Misty,” he mewed, “you can’t beat yourself up about it forever. You’ve got to let it go eventually; learn from it, and let yourself recover.”

“It still hurts, though,” Mistyfoot meowed. “How can I forget what a failure I am?”

“Mistyfoot, it sounds like that was just a really bad situation,” Stoneheart told her. “You said Nightpaw was involved, too? What if they both had died?”

“I think about that, too,” Mistyfoot admitted.

Stoneheart sighed again. His tail rested on Mistyfoot’s flank. “Nightpaw seems okay, at least,” he mentioned. “Is that why he came with you? Because of what happened?”

Mistyfoot looked over at Nightpaw, who was boxing with Crowpaw. Crowpaw was clearly using his superior height to his advantage, and loving every moment of Nightpaw’s frustration. Mistyfoot swallowed, thinking of all that had happened before they had left ThunderClan – and how happy Nightpaw seemed now, in comparison.

“Tinystar just… started treating us differently,” Mistyfoot told Stoneheart. “I don’t know why. I think Nightpaw just wants to prove himself to Tinystar.”

Stoneheart grunted. “It was only a matter of time,” he mewed. “I left ThunderClan because of how everyone was treating me, after all.”

Mistyfoot felt her shoulder fur rise – and then fall. She wanted to tell her brother that Tinystar hadn’t been prejudiced, but she knew she had no idea where Tinystar’s change in attitude had really come from.

“Something happened,” was all she said. “I love ThunderClan, Stoneheart. It’s my home; where I belong.”

Stoneheart blinked at her. “We all have to go where our hearts lead, I suppose,” he mused.

Mistyfoot looked at her brother. There was a strange emotion in his eye, something like regret. “Before all this stuff happened… I remember you and Rowanclaw were really close,” she ventured. “Did you two ever… become mates?”

Stoneheart flinched. Mistyfoot regretted bringing it up, suddenly. Stoneheart frowned at the earth and explained, “We’re mates, yes. But Rowanclaw… he wanted to start a family. The visions and dreams… I had to put it off.” Stoneheart looked beseechingly into Mistyfoot’s eyes. “And aren’t we too young for kits, anyway?”

Mistyfoot’s whiskers twitched. Something about Stoneheart being surrounded by tiny kits was amusing. “I don’t know,” she admitted, “but if you keep wondering about whether or not you’re the right age, you’ll be elders before you decide.”

Stoneheart scoffed, flicking his tail. “You’re one to talk,” he chided, “what with how close you and Stormfur are suddenly.”

Mistyfoot bristled, suddenly, her pelt hot. “There’s nothing going on!” she insisted indignantly.

Stoneheart rolled his eyes. “He’s a noble cat,” he went on, “but he’s from another Clan, Mistyfoot. You need to figure this out before it goes too far.”

Mistyfoot looked away from her brother, frowning, not wanting to confront that idea. And yet her eye landed on Stormfur, who was trying to wrestle with all three apprentices, now, and failing miserably. Mistyfoot swallowed. Was there really something between she and the RiverClan warrior? How would she know?

���Now isn’t the time for that sort of thing,” Mistyfoot insisted, to herself more than Stoneheart. “We’ve got a mission to focus on.”

“I suppose,” Stoneheart sighed.

“Hey, guys!” Feathertail’s voice rose from where she sat observing her brother and the training session. She was looking up at the sky. “I think the storm is almost done!”

“Really?” Nightpaw wondered from his place pinning down Stormfur’s flank. “I’m itching to get going! Crowpaw isn’t fighting fair, anyway.”

“Hey!” hissed Crowpaw. He rose up and cuffed Nightpaw over the ear. “WindClan moves can beat ThunderClan’s any time!”

Nightpaw growled and pounced, tackling Crowpaw to the soggy earth. The WindClan tom wiggled, annoyed, as Nightpaw battered him with his paws.

“Stop that!” Shadepaw hissed, bristling. “You’ll open up Crowpaw’s wounds!”

“Come on, you two,” Stormfur meowed, getting to his paws. He used one of his massive furry paws to push Nightpaw and Crowpaw apart. “We’ll have plenty of time for more practice later.”

Mistyfoot blinked. Sunlight was beginning to poke through the clouds, and a shaft of yellow light touched Stormfur, making his dark gray fur glow. The gentle, confident way he handled the apprentices made Mistyfoot’s pelt prickle with warmth.

He’s so… she didn’t finish the thought. What would Stoneheart say if he caught her looking moony at Stormfur after she’d insisted there was nothing there?

She gave herself a mental shake to clear the haze. I need to act like that, too, she insisted to herself. That’s the only way I’ll be a better mentor.

I need to learn, and let Shrewpaw go.