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talonslockau · 7 months ago

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Forest of Secrets - Chapter 16

Chapter 15 || Index || Chapter 17

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!”

Fireheart looked up from where he was sitting with Peppermask. The familiar call was hardly a surprise; it was the night of the Gathering, and all cats had been waiting eagerly for Bluestar to announce who was going. Even Graystripe, he noted with a twinge of dismay. It wasn’t like the gray tom would be going: he had barely been present in camp the entire moon, even after being lectured by his sister and his longtime friend. There was no way Bluestar or Tigerclaw would reward him now by letting him go.

Still, he padded forward patiently to sit with the other warriors. He hoped Bluestar would still choose him to go; even though she had previously implied he would get to go to the Gathering, there was always the chance that Tigerclaw had managed to change her mind.

Peppermask sat beside him, her tail resting over his; he could feel her tense, as she too wondered if she would be allowed to go. She had been very helpful, making sure that no hunting patrol had come back empty-pawed. And yet, he could all too easily see how Bluestar might overlook her in favor of more experienced warriors, like Whitestorm or Dappleshine.

“Another moon has come and gone, and so it comes time for another Gathering.” Bluestar’s eyes shone in the dim sunset light as she gazed down on the crowd of warriors. “In addition to Tigerclaw, Yellowfang, and Dewpaw, as well as any elders and queens that wish to make the journey, I will be bringing with me Longtail, Mousefur, Dustleap, Fireheart, Cinderspark, Willowbranch, Peppermask, and Graystripe.”

Fireheart gasped in surprise, glancing over to Graystripe nearby, but the tom remained stoic as he gazed up at the leader. Why in Starclan’s name had Bluestar chosen him? Then he recalled the times he and Peppermask had covered for the dark gray tom and claimed he was busy hunting. Perhaps she thought he was more dedicated to the Clan than he actually was.

“We leave at once.” She announced, leaping off the rock. “Whitestorm will be in charge of camp while I am gone. Meeting dismissed.”

Those that had not been called to go left for their dens, some good-natured grumbling amongst them. Fireheart padded over to where Bluestar was waiting, watching as Graystripe ignored them and came to stand beside his mother Willowbranch. They hadn’t talked since that dawn with Silverstream; part of it hurt, not being able to talk to his friend, but this time Fireheart wasn’t the one that had done anything wrong. It was up to Graystripe to come to his senses.

He glanced over as the patrol of elders came over. He wondered briefly if Speckleflight or Snowkit might come, but then he caught sight of the newly retired queen guiding her son into the elders’ den with the help of One-eye. He couldn’t help but frown at the sight; it seemed wrong, watching a young and capable tom walk into a den meant for those who could no longer serve the Clan.

He didn’t get a chance to dwell on it as Bluestar led them out of camp. He walked side by side with Peppermask, but it wasn’t long until Cinderspark was bounding up next to them. “My first Gathering as a warrior!” She crowed to both of them, vibrating from excitement.

“I told you it’d happen.” Fireheart purred to her, glad to see her spirits lifted so high even after everything that had happened in the past few moons. “It’s a shame Mistspring couldn’t come with you. I’m sure she’s just as proud.”

“Yeah, but Yellowfang said she needs to rest her voice, not chatter away like a starling all night.” The dark gray molly sighed for a moment, but she didn’t let the thought get her down. “But it’s okay! I told her I’d tell her everything that happened when I got back!”

He glanced at Peppermask trotting beside him, barely able to suppress a smirk. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate that.” He managed to mew, not fully able to keep a straight face. Luckily, the newest warrior didn’t seem to notice.

“I know she will! She said she was sure that it’d be exactly like she was there!” Cinderspark replied brightly, oblivious to the snort of laughter from her sister on Fireheart’s other side. “Anyways, I’m gonna go catch up to Graystripe. Bye!”

They watched as she sprinted off, before the ginger tom finally let loose a fit of giggles. “Poor Mistspring. Cinderspark’s gonna make her go deaf from all her yelling.” He commented to Peppermask.

“Are you sure she isn’t already?” Peppermask retorted mirthfully. “Then again, she must be used to it after seven moons of mentoring her. And it’s better she gets her excitement out with someone that’s used to it rather than us.”

“I guess that’s true.” He replied, just as Bluestar and Tigerclaw began to accelerate their pace. He and Peppermask responded in kind, keeping their eyes and ears open as they raced through the forest. It wasn’t long at all before they were at the log bridge across the river.

“Everyone, be careful crossing!” He heard their leader call out from the front. “The snow-melt has iced in the cold. I don’t want any of you falling in the river tonight.”

Longtail was the first to step up, wrapping his paws around the log and beginning to slide his way across. Fireheart watched for a moment before turning to Peppermask. “At some point, I feel like it would just be safer to use the Thunderpath to cross.” He remarked to her.

“You know Tigerclaw would never.” She mewed back to him with a shake of her head. “Besides, I hear it gets even more dangerous when it’s covered in ice. Monster paws don’t have claws to grip through ice, so when leafbare storms happen, there’s inevitably a few that slide off into the forest. If that happened on the bridge while we were crossing…”

They both shivered at the thought. “I see your point.” Fireheart still remembered how easily the Monster had thrown Brokentail through sheer force, and the former leader’s current state was a regular reminder of the damage Monsters could do. If one attacked an entire Clan, even by accident… no, it was best not to think about that.

It felt like an eternity before the two young warriors finally stepped up to the decayed root system of the log bridge. “You first. You’ll need someone to help fish you out if you fall in again.” Peppermask nudged him with a smirk, whiskers twitching as he glared at her.

“I will not.” He retorted angrily, giving a nod of respect to Bluestar and Tigerclaw standing beside the bridge before delicately stepping up. He didn’t hesitate to wrap his paws around the log just as Longtail had, digging his claws in and slowly scooting his way across. He was sure it looked ridiculous, but he wasn’t going to fall in a second time, especially not with half the Clan watching.

He waited patiently as Peppermask, then Bluestar, then Tigerclaw made their way across. There was little idle chatter as they waited: each cat was too eager to reach Fourtrees, saving their breath for tales of glory and grandeur that they would tell to the other warriors when they arrived.

Their leader led them proudly up the slope to Fourtrees, halting at the edge of the clearing as usual. There were dozens of cats in the crowd below, and he could easily see the six cats sitting on the Great Rock in the middle. It seemed Thunderclan was the last to arrive.

They only hesitated for a moment before Bluestar gave them the signal to charge down into the hollow. There was no need for formalities; each cat knew how to conduct themselves at the Gathering. Fireheart stopped at the edge of the crowd, watching as it parted for Bluestar, Tigerclaw, Yellowfang and Dewpaw to maneuver their way through to the Great Rock.

He turned to see the Thunderclan patrol already dispersing. Graystripe had already disappeared, though it wasn’t long before he caught sight of a flash of silver and saw a large gray tom weaving his way towards it. He didn’t bother hiding his scowl at the sight. It was clear where his former friend’s priorities lay.

He turned, about to ask Peppermask where they might find Mistyskip, but instead bumped into a large gray shoulder. “Oh! I’m so sorry.” He mewed, looking up to see he had run into Stonestep, one of Riverclan’s greatest warriors, who turned to look in surprise.

“Ah, Fireheart! Are you here to join the rest of us in telling your tales?” Stonestep’s tail gestured to the warriors seated near him; large, muscled toms and mollies that were looking at him curiously. “I’m sure Tornear and Mudclaw especially would be eager to hear the tale of how you defeated Brokentail himself!”

He hesitated, part of him wanting to join in with the Gathering festivities. This was a chance to truly impress some of the greatest warriors in all of the Clans! But, he reminded himself with a quick glance at Peppermask, he had a job to do here. “It’ll have to wait. I was wondering if, uh, Mistyskip was chosen to come to the Gathering this moon?”

“My sister?” Stonestep nodded. “Aye, she’s around. Probably gossiping with the queens, if I had to guess. Quite boring, really; most all that they do is talk about their kits.” He shook his head wryly. “You sure you don’t want to join us instead?” He offered, patting the ground beside him with a paw.

Fireheart forced himself to shake his head. “Next time, I promise. If you ask me then, I’ll tell you about how I fought Clawface after only two moons as an apprentice, too.” There were gasps and murmurs of appreciation at his words, but he waved his tail for Peppermask to follow him as he fought his way through the throng of cats around them.

“The queens will likely be over this way.” The spotted tabby mewed softly to him, before nimbly taking the lead from him. He didn’t hesitate to follow her, grateful at her ability to find her way through a crowd that he seemed to lack. He glanced up at the Great Rock as he trailed behind, where the leaders and deputies were talking amongst themselves. He noticed with a jolt that Bluestar’s icy gaze was watching him as he threaded through the crowd.

Why was she watching them? He panicked for a moment before realizing that he was probably just eye-catching in the crowd. No fur was quite as bright and vibrant as his, especially under the full moon light. Then another realization caught up to him; if he was that easy to track, then Bluestar had likely seen him leave for Ravenpaw’s farm with Peppermask. After all, she had mentioned seeing him leave the Gathering as an apprentice, when he had been going to warn Yellowfang about the danger she was in from Brokentail’s threats.

Then she looked away from him, and he quickly shook himself out. If she knew that they had lied to her about where they were going last Gathering, surely she would have said something to him when they were alone? And, in any case, they had done nothing wrong. There was no reason to worry.

Still, that guilt nagged in the back of his mind as Peppermask led him over to a group of mollies, slightly separated from the rest of the Gathering. It was easy to spot Willowbranch sitting there, the only Thunderclanner among them, but it was the silver-furred molly from Riverclan with icy blue eyes that his sight was focused on.

“Peppermask! It’s good to see you in good health. And your friend, Fireheart.” Mistyskip gave him a courteous nod, which he responded to in kind. “You haven’t taken any more dips in the river in this past moon, have you?”

His fur prickled uncomfortably as the mollies around him purred lightly. “I prefer to keep my paws in my own territory.” He finally mewed, trying to keep his voice light.

“As all good warriors should. Thunderclan is lucky to have both of you.” He took a deep breath to force himself to relax as Mistyskip continued on. She had just meant to have a little banter, but the memory of water flooding into his lungs still sent fear pulsing through his veins. It was clearly different for a Riverclan cat, who must be so used to the water. “Come, sit! Willowbranch was just mentioning something about a battle in the Twolegplace with some rogues.”

“Indeed. Fireheart himself was one of the combatants!” The silky silver Thunderclan tabby mewed, her green eyes warm yet awed at the sight of him. “You should tell us what happened. I’ve only heard what happened through sharing tongues with Cinderspark, and you know how excitable she can be…”

“Cinderspark? So she’s a warrior now! Congratulations, Willowbranch.” A tortoiseshell Shadowclan queen mewed earnestly. “I can’t wait for my own kits to grow up and become warriors. They’re still so young, but…”

“Actually.” Fireheart mewed, diverting attention back to himself. “Mistyskip, Peppermask and I were hoping to talk with you for a bit?” Alone, he added silently, hoping that she would get the drift without him having to say it out loud.

Her blue gaze glittered dangerously as she considered him for a moment. “Of course, I’d be happy to.” She turned back to the rest of the mollies. “I’ll catch up with you all later. Don’t be sharing all the juicy stuff while I’m away.”

“We most certainly will!” Another tortoiseshell mewed with a teasing grin as Mistyskip rolled her eyes and started leading them away from the Gathering. It didn’t take long at all until most of the hubbub died away and they were alone in a bushy area a little ways up the slope.

“I assume this must be important if it can’t be said in front of everyone else.” The older Riverclanner mewed as she turned to face the two young Thunderclan warriors. “So? I imagine that you sought me, specifically, for a reason.”

“We did.” Peppermask bowed her head respectfully as she sat down, and Fireheart did the same. “Mistyskip, I understand this is a lot to ask, but we need to ask you some questions about your dad, and the day he died.”

“I- I see.” The silver molly deflated as her friend spoke. “I wasn’t there that day, but I can try to answer what questions you may have. You might have to ask my brother if you want to know more.”

“We’re looking for discretion in this matter.” Peppermask mewed beside him. “Your brother is a good cat, but we can’t risk it getting back to our Clan that we’re asking about these things.”

The Riverclanner’s eyes narrowed briefly as she spoke. “I see. If I may, what does my father have to do with Thunderclan problems? I trust that whatever you’re doing, it is within the warrior code, but I can’t say anything that would put my own Clan at risk.”

Fireheart held his breath, unsure exactly what to say, but Peppermask seemed to have expected the question and flicked her ear with an unbothered air. “There are certain rumors within the Clan about what happened that day. Cats claiming responsibility for things they did not do. We want to know the truth, unbiased as it can be, and we agree that requires a Riverclan perspective.”

Mistyskip regarded them closely for a moment before slowly nodding. “Alright. Ask away.” She mewed wearily, as though the mere thought of her father’s death had already drained her.

He glanced at his companion beside him. He had so many thoughts, he didn’t know which to ask first. It didn’t seem tactful to jump straight into Oakheart’s death, but if they surprised her with his words, she might clam up and refuse to talk. “Why was Oakheart’s patrol out there that day?” He finally asked.

The silver Riverclanner rolled her eyes, and for a moment he worried he had asked something he shouldn’t have. “They were being fishbrains. My dad and my brother loved pushing each other past the limits. They weren’t expecting a Thunderclan patrol to come by, even though we had just taken Sunningrocks that same moon, so of course Thunderclan would be guarding the forest fiercely. They got caught, and they paid for it.” She gave them a curious glance. “But surely you already knew that part?”

“That seemed to be the general consensus, yes.” Peppermask answered with a dip of her head. “But with the amount of lies, it was hard to be sure we were in the right that day.”

“The fighting started in the forest, I know that much. Your warriors were defending their territory.” Mistyskip nodded slowly. “Shadespeckle - then my brother’s apprentice - came racing back to camp with a nasty scratch above her eye. She still has it, actually. She told us what had happened. Some of the warriors wanted to go help, but my uncle said that he wasn’t going to waste warriors covering for his brother’s mistakes. That he would either get himself out of trouble, or be stuck in the healers’ den for his arrogance.” She sighed wistfully and looked out towards her territory. “If he had, perhaps things would have been different.”

Fireheart perked his ears curiously. “What do you mean?” He asked her eagerly.

“Dad realized he was in over his head and called for a retreat to Sunningrocks. I don’t think he expected your patrol to follow him. I think he also expected Crookedstar to send backup, and that made him fight more fiercely than he would have otherwise.” Her lips curled into a frown at the thought. “Maybe he wouldn’t have fought to his death.”

His heart lurched at her words. “So he was killed, then?”

She blinked in confusion at him. “Of course he was. I thought you knew he died?” She looked to Peppermask for answers.

“What he means to ask is, so he was killed by a Thunderclan cat?” Peppermask asked, brushing her tail against his reassuringly.

“Ah. Is that what some cats in your Clan are claiming?” Mistyskip nodded slowly. “Interesting. Killing is against the code, and I thought you Thunderclanners were more dedicated to that than to even your own Clan…” Her whiskers twitched in amusement as they both bristled. “But I can see how being the one to take down the great deputy of Riverclan would be quite the tale.”

“It’s against the code unless in self-defense.” Peppermask pointed out. “You can see how that doesn’t match up with what you’ve told me of your dad. That’s… part of why I’m suspicious.”

“Dad would never try to kill another cat.” The Riverclanner declared firmly, her nose twitching in disdain. “He was reckless, true, but he lived for the fight. There is no honor to be found in killing another cat, and it would’ve spoiled his victory. He preferred to beat cats fair and square.”

“So if he wasn’t killed, how did he die?” Fireheart asked as gently as he could.

The silver molly looked down at her paws, her blue eyes watering at the thought. “A rock slide crushed him.” She mewed softly, her voice trembling. “There was a loose pile of rocks, near the edge of Sunningrocks. Mudwish thinks he rolled into it while fighting, and chose to stand his ground instead of run away. Maybe he didn’t realize how far he’d gone… Maybe the blood rushing through his ears hid the sounds of it collapsing. It doesn’t really matter. The end result is the same.”

Peppermask gasped beside him, and they both leaned in closer. “And he’s absolutely sure? There were no killing blows on him?” He asked, his heart racing. If it was true, then they had the proof they needed - that Oakheart, at the very least, had not died to Tigerclaw’s paws.

She shook her head. “He was wounded, yes, but nothing that would have kept him from running away. Nothing that couldn’t have been treated with a few nights in the healers’ den.” She looked back up to them with a mournful sigh. “Mudwish said it was painless, at least; that he would have died instantly. He didn’t suffer, and he died in battle. I don’t think he would have wanted to go any other way.”

The spotted tabby beside him nodded, and he could tell from the look on her face she was thinking of her own father. He could have lived so much longer, if not for Tigerclaw. “Thank you, Mistyskip. That’s what we needed to hear.” She mewed to the other molly. “And the rest of your Clan, do you think they’d say the same?”

“Without a doubt. We have no reason to hide his death. It was too early, yes, but it wasn’t shameful.” She glanced out towards the Great Rock, which was mostly obscured from their view. “I’m sure even my uncle would say that in front of all the Clans, if need be.”

“There’s one more thing we need to ask.” Fireheart spoke quickly, all too aware that the leaders would call them together soon. “One of the cats who was there - the most trustworthy one - he said your father said something very odd before he died. He said that Redtail attacked your brother, and then Oakheart pulled him off and said ‘You of all cats know better than to attack him.’ Do you have any idea what that meant?”

The Riverclan molly looked baffled. “Are you sure he said that?” She replied, her bewilderment leaking into her voice.

“If not those exact words, then something close to it.” Peppermask replied, her tail flicking nervously. “So you have no idea why he tried to protect Stonestep, then?”

“No!” Mistyskip protested before she had even managed to finish her question. “Dad never protected any of us. He said that the most important teacher in life is natural consequences - and he knew Stonestep, especially, never backed down from a fight.” She stared off into the distance, her brows furrowed, as she searched her memory for some explanation. “Unless he wanted some deputy on deputy fight, but even then, what a strange thing for him to say. I watched them fight once, when I was a young warrior; they loved to taunt each other, but nothing as strange as that.”

“Then why would he say something like that?” Fireheart pressed, as confused as she was by it all. “You don’t suppose he had some vendetta against Redtail - or that Redtail had somehow harmed Stonestep in the past?”

“No, I don’t think so. And I don’t know why he said that, either.” Mistyskip was still frowning as she stared off into the distance. “But I think I know who might.”

She looked back to the two Thunderclanners as they perked their ears eagerly. “My mother, Graypool - she was probably the closest cat to Dad, besides my uncle. I think sometimes, she knew his mind better than he did. If there were any cat that knew what he meant by that, it would be her.”

“Is she here?” Peppermask pressed quickly, glancing back towards the rest of the Gathering.

“No, she-”

“Cats of all Clans!” Fireheart didn’t recognize the voice immediately, but he knew well enough that it was one of the leaders. He looked back to Mistyskip, and he could see the urgency he felt echoed in her eyes.

“I’ll convince her to come to the next Gathering. My uncle would never say no to her if she wanted to come. We’ll see you then.” With that, she sprang back towards the Great Rock, where a crowd was already forming. With a knowing glance at Fireheart, Peppermask did the same.

He was about to follow when he spotted Silverstream and Graystripe sitting next to each other. His lip instinctively curled at the sight, and he stalked over to sit close to them. They were barely hiding their affection for each other as they pressed into each other - purely for warmth, of course.

“Even as leafbare has arrived, Windclan continues to thrive in the moors.” Tallstar was the first to step forward, his golden gaze gleaming as he looked down on the assembled cats. “Just this moon, Ashfoot and Deadfoot have welcomed a new litter of four kits into the nursery.”

Fireheart’s eyes flickered to the dark deputy, who sat tall and proud beneath his leader. “We are also proud to announce four new warriors; Webpounce, Quickbreeze, Robincloud, and Whitetail. They have served the Clan faithfully as apprentices, and I am certain that Starclan will light their paths for many moons to come.”

All eyes turned to see the four new warriors, their fur fluffed and chests puffed as they basked in the gaze of the other Clans. His eyes were drawn to Whitetail, recalling his past meetings with her. She looked far more confident in herself than she had when he had first scared her, amongst the tangle of sky-walking Thunderpaths.

“That is good to hear, Tallstar.” Crookedstar mewed, standing as the black and white Windclan tom stepped back. “Riverclan has also welcomed a new litter in the nursery. Three kits, each happy and healthy thanks to the tireless work of our healers.” The crowd murmured the usual congratulations at this, with the two Riverclan healers sitting up a little straighter at the praise.

“We also have four new apprentices - Brushpaw, mentored by Beetlenose; Copperpaw, mentored by Whiteflame; Skip-paw, mentored by Morningwhisper; and Swallowpaw, mentored by Sedgecreek.” The crowd searched for the four mentors, finally finding them sitting beside a few very nervous young apprentices. One was a big black tom with a graying muzzle, while the rest were tabbies of various stripes.

“We thank Starclan that they have not yet frozen the river this leafbare. May they see fit to continue to give us a mild one.” With that, the disfigured tabby stepped back with a pleased nod to the other leaders.

“A mild leafbare is good for us all.” Nightstar mewed, the next to step forward. “Prey continues to run in Shadowclan territory as well. And we also have four new apprentices at the Gathering tonight. Rowanpaw, apprenticed to Redfern; Oakpaw, apprenticed to Wolfstep; Cedarpaw, my own apprentice; and Lavenderpaw, apprenticed to Newtspeck.”

Congratulatory murmurs spread through the crowd once more. It didn’t take long to find the other set of young apprentices, several mentors protectively hovering nearby. The one that drew Fireheart’s attention the most was a dark ginger molly, her fur shining like a Riverclan cat’s but a far more striking color like his. He wondered briefly if she had once been a kittypet, before quickly shaking the thought from his mind. With how Thunderclan had reacted to him at first, he doubted that any other Clan would be willing to take in such an outsider.

“It is good to hear Shadowclan is finding plenty of prey in their own territory. I am sure that means Thunderclan won’t be scenting any hunting patrols across our borders in the next moons.” There were growls from the Shadowclan cats as Bluestar stepped forward, but Fireheart and many other cats purred in amusement at her words. It was no secret that Shadowclan often found prey across their borders, though Brokentail had taken that to an extreme.

“Though prey runs swiftly in our territory, I am pleased to say that thanks to some of our newer warriors, we have had no trouble finding freshkill. Thunderclan’s future shines brightly, and I thank Starclan for granting us such capable warriors.” Fireheart glowed with pride at her words. “We bring with us one of those new warriors today; Cinderspark, who has proven herself in the eyes of Starclan.”

Fireheart could see Cinderspark puffed up to nearly the size of Lionheart or Whitestorm with her fluff as all eyes turned to her. Part of him wondered if she was going to explode from the excitement, but thankfully Bluestar spoke before she could. “I pray that Starclan sees fit to give us another moon of mild leafbare. Until then, may Starclan light our paths.”

“May Starclan light our paths.” The crowd echoed, immediately beginning to disperse at Bluestar’s cue. The leaders jumped down from the Great Rock to lead their patrols, their deputies and healers quickly following. The hollow soon filled with the sound of chatter as cats said their goodbyes to the other Clans, preparing for another moon of tension.

“Mild leafbare my tail. Mark my words, the snow will pile a tail-length high this moon!” Fireheart blinked as a tabby elder nearly bumped into him as he passed, heading for Shadowclan’s side of Fourtrees as he talked to Patchpelt and another Shadowclan elder. “Why, we might even have to dig our way out of camp!”

He snorted in amusement at the thought, turning to comment to Peppermask before remembering why he was sitting alone. He searched the main hollow, finally spotting the two a few tail-lengths away and nearly obscured by the tall grass. He wandered over, careful to appear as though he was just moving among the crowd even as he angled his ears towards them to hear their conversation.

“... won’t be going past the bend until after sunhigh. We can meet under the Twoleg bridge.” Silverstream was mewing to Graystripe as she briefly twined her tail with his. “You’re not on a dawn patrol, are you?”

“Tigerclaw put me on the Shadowclan patrol.” The Thunderclan tom replied glumly, before brightening up. “But that means I can meet you right after! It’ll probably be right after the sun reaches halfway to sunhigh.”

“I don’t want to have to wait that long. But I suppose if I must…” The silver tabby rubbed her cheek against Graystripe’s, and Fireheart turned away in disgust. He didn’t want to see or hear any more. As he trotted over to where the rest of the Thunderclan cats were waiting, a plot began forming in his mind. Graystripe was stubborn, and wouldn’t listen to them for anything. But perhaps he didn’t need to get Graystripe to see reason…

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