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talonslockau · 6 days

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Forest of Secrets - Chapter 18

Chapter 17 || Index || Chapter 19

The camp was shady and cool as Fireheart trotted in behind Sandstorm, Whitestorm and Peppermask. The pale light of the leafbare sun was beginning to fade as it descended below the trees, taking with it any hope of basking in warmth after the patrol. He puffed up his fur as he deposited a scrawny robin onto the dwindling fresh-kill pile, which Snowkit swiftly took to bring back to the other elders. It would be a night of going hungry, but the young warrior knew that this was part of his duty to the Clan as a warrior, and did his best to savor what little blood had landed on his tongue rather than dwell on the rumbling in his belly.

“Poor haul today.” He heard Tigerclaw observe behind him. “Barely enough for the elders and queens.”

“Most prey is in its burrow, thanks to the cold.” It was Sandstorm that answered her father with a resigned tone. “At least we all managed to catch something, so the elders and queens won’t go hungry. Even Fireheart managed to catch a robin, even if it was mostly feathers.”

He flexed his claws angrily at the dismissive tone of the young molly, padding out of hearing range before he could hear more. He was sure she would complain that his coat had alerted all the prey to their presence, even though hers could be just as bright in the sunlight. It wasn’t his fault that there was little prey to be found until the weather warmed back up.

He took a seat by the warriors’ den and began to wash one paw. He had been busy all day, between guarding Brokentail, trying to persuade Silverstream, and hunting for the Clan. His bones ached and his muscles were weary from shivering in the cold, but at last he would be able to settle down and get a night to sleep before he took on Tinyfrost’s dawn patrol the next morning.

“Fireheart.” His ears perked as he heard someone hiss his name, and he looked around in confusion. No cat in the clearing was looking at him; even Peppermask was talking to Cinderspark and Willowbranch, rather than join him by their den. “Fireheart.” He glanced behind him to see two familiar gleaming yellow eyes, hiding in the shadows between the nursery and the warriors’ den.

“Graystripe?” He asked in confusion. The dark gray tom had been ignoring him since their fight on the riverbank. “What are you doing back there?”

“I have something to show you.” The light of his friend’s eyes disappeared into the gloom before he could ask any further questions.

He glanced behind him to where Sandstorm was still talking with her father. Had Graystripe found out something about Tigerclaw? With no one watching him, he slipped into the shadows to follow his fellow warrior, heart beginning to race. Maybe he’d discovered the proof they needed, and they wouldn’t have to talk to Graypool after all!

Fireheart was surprised by the spacious area behind the dens, big enough to fit all of the former apprentices. “What is it, Graystripe? Did you- oof!”

He was flung against the bramble barrier of camp, thorns digging into his thick fur. The ginger warrior barely managed to roll out of the way as something solid landed right where his head had been.

He could barely make out the large silhouette of Graystripe in the shadows, his claws flexing furiously. “Graystripe! What are you doing?” He managed to ask before the other tom was lunging at him again.

He sidestepped and ducked as the other tom swung out at him, sensing the air whoosh over his ears. “You tried to get Silverstream to stop seeing me!” His former friend growled. “Haven’t you interfered enough?”

“I tried to get her to see reason, since you won’t!” Fireheart retorted, anger beginning to rise in his chest. “You can’t live forever with divided loyalties, Graystripe. This is going to catch up to you!”

“Don’t you dare talk about loyalties to me!” The other warrior snarled as he dashed forward to try and ram the ruddy tom in his side, but despite his weariness Fireheart was quicker. “I know where my priorities lie, and I know that you need to stay out of it!”

“I can’t stay out of it when you’re endangering us!” He shook his head in disbelief. Did Graystripe think he was doing this for fun? “Tigerclaw is still watching us, Graystripe. Or has sneaking off with Silverstream made you forget what happened to your father?”

The other tom hissed in his face, the stink on his breath nearly smothering Fireheart. “Don’t you dare throw Dad in my face, kittypet!” He spat as he leaped once more for the ginger tom.

Blood roared in his ears at the other warrior’s words. Once, Graystripe had understood that Fireheart was no longer a kittypet, but a fully trained warrior like him. It seemed he really was a fool if he’d forgotten that.

He didn’t dodge out of the way this time, instead slamming forward to send the other tom flying. He was already leaping on top of the other tom before he could get up, digging his claws and fangs into the other’s thick gray fur. There was no holding back; Graystripe had made his intentions clear.

They rolled and flipped across the ground, a mess of fur and fangs. He felt his former friend bite down on his foreleg, and retaliated by smacking him in the jaw with a clawed paw, part of him relishing the pain as the other warrior quickly let go. He felt claws rake across his forehead, and dove in to bite at the other tom’s soft, fluffy belly.

“Stop this nonsense!” He immediately let go, springing back as Bluestar’s yowl reached his ears. They had tumbled into camp in their fight, and now they were surrounded by vicious, eager eyes watching their every move. He could see Graystripe opposite him, fur hanging off of him in patches, streaks of blood across his pelt. He couldn’t imagine he looked much better.

Their leader stepped between them, her blue eyes ablaze with fury, and for the first time he felt a twinge of guilt. “Graystripe, go to your nest. Fireheart, with me. Now.”

The other tom gave him one last cold glare before turning and padding off to the warriors’ den. It was clear he didn’t regret what he had done at all. Part of him itched to dig his claws into Graystripe’s back and give him something to truly regret, but he wasn’t going to provoke another fight in front of the whole Clan.

He sighed and limped after Bluestar, his tail low as he followed her through the lichen curtain. “What in Starclan’s name was that, Fireheart?” He lowered his head in shame as he heard her voice quaking with anger. “Surely Tinyfrost taught you never to lay a claw on another Clanmate!”

He slowly took a seat, not daring to venture further into her den. “I’m sorry, Bluestar.” He mumbled, afraid of what he might see if he looked her in the eyes.

She huffed, clearly dissatisfied with his apology. “Are you not even going to tell me what that was about?” She asked him. He could picture her in front of him; drawn up in a regal pose, all too like when he had first met her, as she looked down on the insolent young tom that had angered her.

His lip curled at the thought of telling her the truth. Graystripe certainly deserved to have his secret affair exposed, after luring him in and attacking him for merely trying to help. But still, some shred of loyalty kept him from saying it out loud. “I’m sorry, Bluestar. We had… an argument.” He finally mewed, his voice painstakingly loud in the stillness of the den.

“Yes, I can see that.” If he didn’t know better, he could have sworn he heard a hint of amusement in her voice. “But a mere disagreement doesn’t lead to two warriors tumbling through my camp, locked in bitter combat. Especially two cats that up until now have gotten along especially well.”

He sighed at her words. She was right, of course, and he could sense her gently prodding to try to learn more. But despite the pain of his wounds, he couldn’t let Graystripe be exiled; not yet, at least. “I understand, Bluestar.”

The silver leader took a deep breath. “Is this what you were so upset about last moon, when you approached me in my den?” Her voice was soft, yet lacked the venom that he had expected. When he glanced up, he was surprised to see a familiar motherly warmth in her icy blue eyes.

“I- no, that was really about Brokentail.” He looked down at his paws, still too ashamed to look directly at her. “I didn’t- we hadn’t argued yet, at that point.”

“I see.” A tense silence hung in the air between them, an agonizing quiet that was only filled with the sound of his beating heart. “So this is a new development, then? Tell me, Fireheart: should I come to expect to see you two at each other’s throats every night, or will you be able to resolve this?”

He wrinkled his nose bitterly, but kept his head down so she wouldn’t see. “I’ll try not to fight with him again, Bluestar.”

“Trying isn’t good enough.” He winced as the expected venom finally laced into her voice. “As I’m sure you’ve noticed, it’s leafbare right now. Every accident, every injury depletes our herb stores, and there is no way to replenish them until newleaf. Because of your fight, we now may not have enough marigold to help a cat injured in battle defending our territory. Depending on the extent of your injuries, I may have two perfectly fine warriors unable to hunt or patrol until you recover, which means we will catch less prey and our borders will be easier to cross. Everything in leafbare is precious, Fireheart; food, herbs, even energy. I cannot have you wasting that.”

He bristled at her words, unable to hold back his anger at his old friend any longer. “Then why don’t you go tell him that? I was just getting ready to sleep when he attacked me!” Fireheart shouted at her, his voice echoing around the small den. “I was just defending myself!”

She stared at him for several moments, her blue gaze unreadable. “So you’re saying he attacked you, completely unprovoked?” She finally prompted him, her tail tip flicking irritably.

He rolled his eyes with another heavy sigh. “I was trying to help him, but his tiny fleabrain interpreted it as attacking him.”

“Fireheart.”

He sighed bitterly. “I’ll stay away from him completely from now on, I can promise you that much. And I definitely won’t give him any help unless he’s about to die. He can’t take it as provocation then.”

Bluestar echoed his sigh and looked away for a brief moment. “Is there no way for you to resolve whatever it is you two are arguing about?” At his snort of unamused laughter, she shook her silver head wearily. “I’m not asking you to become friends again, but surely there must be something you can do.”

He hesitated. Part of him wished that he could do just that, but there was no way for him to resolve what was happening without either accepting Graystripe’s forbidden affair, or getting him to drop Silverstream himself. “I already did what I could.” He finally answered her, as tactfully as he could manage. “And that got me more trouble than it was worth. There’s nothing I can do until he changes his mind.”

For a moment, he thought he saw a glimmer of understanding in the leader’s eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. “I see.” She replied after a moment. “Is that all, then?”

He glanced behind his shoulder, wondering if perhaps Graystripe was waiting right outside. “I guess so.” He finally mewed, looking back at his leader.

“Very well. As punishment, you will have night vigil and elder duty for the next quarter-moon.” Her eyes were narrow, as though daring him to protest her decision. “And dawn patrols for the quarter-moon afterwards. In addition, you will be last to eat for the next moon - even after the apprentices.”

His stomach growled in protest at her words, but he nodded in acceptance of her decision. It wasn’t as if there were any apprentices right now, but the meaning was clear nonetheless. “Thank you, Bluestar.” He mewed respectfully with a dip of his head. At least it wasn’t being exiled.

“You will also not be allowed to share patrols with Graystripe, including Gathering patrols, until both of you stand in my den and tell me that this situation is resolved.” She fixed him with a scathing glare. “Is that clear?”

“Yes, Bluestar.” He stood, expecting her to dismiss him immediately.

“Go see Yellowfang. I don’t need those wounds getting infected. You can tell Tigerclaw to have Graystripe sent to see me, as well.” The silver leader ordered, beginning to wash one of her paws. Clearly dismissed, he turned and promptly left the den.

Tigerclaw was already sitting outside. “I heard Bluestar’s orders, kittypet.” He growled before Fireheart could open his mouth. “No need to speak to me.”

He glared at the dark tabby as he passed by, claws unsheathing slightly. It was clear he had been listening in on the entire conversation - which made him thankful that he hadn’t told Bluestar what the fight had been about. Even if she had treated it in confidence, which he couldn’t be sure of, he was definitely sure that Tigerclaw wouldn’t do the same.

He could feel the eyes of camp watching him as he slipped past Dewpaw into the healer’s den. “Yellowfang?” He called softly as his eyes adjusted to the shadows inside.

“I figured you would come by to see me.” He could make out the dim silhouette of the old, grizzled healer as she moved about the den. “Come to treat those wounds Graystripe gave you, hmm?”

He flattened his ears at her teasing tone. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Dewpaw told me about your fight with Dustleap when you first joined. Is this going to be a regular event? Should I keep a store of herbs just for you?” The former Shadowclanner continued, apparently ignoring his words. “I heard whispers around camp that you’d tangle with Cinderspark next, but I think Sandstorm is more likely-”

“I don’t want to talk about it!” He snarled at her, and the healer finally quieted. “Look, Graystripe’s the one that attacked me, alright? I was just defending myself. I’m sorry I’ve given you more work, but there’s nothing I could do to avoid it.”

Yellowfang didn’t speak for a few moments. Silence stretched between each heartbeat, before she finally moved towards him, carrying a bundle of flowers in her jaws. “Nothing at all?” She asked drily as she set the bundle beside him and began feeling his pelt for wounds.

He let out a low hiss as she found one and began working on it. “Well…”

She poked it harder, causing him to wince. “Spit it out, mousebrain. It’s obviously bothering you.”

“I recently found out he was breaking the code.” Fireheart admitted after several heartbeats. “That’s what we were fighting over. But you can’t - ow - tell anyone, alright? Not even Graystripe. He’d probably attack me again if he knew you knew.”

“So fragile, the code.” The healer replied with a wry shake of her head. “You’ve got a good head on your shoulders. If you believe that this breach of the code should be kept secret from the rest of the Clan, then I trust that.” She paused to plaster some cobwebs over his wound. “And I trust that these will teach you not to go sticking your nose in places it’s not needed.”

“They definitely have.” He growled as she felt out another stinging scratch. But even as he said that, part of him worried. Graystripe and Silverstream were putting themselves in real danger, even if they wouldn’t admit it to themselves. If he didn’t help them, then he was afraid that the end result would be disastrous, for both of them.

But no matter what he thought, Graystripe had made it clear his help was unwanted. For better or for worse, he would have to leave his old friend to navigate this on his own.

“While you’re here, tell me; what happened at the Gathering last night? I saw you and Peppermask sneak off with Mistyskip.” He was grateful to hear Yellowfang switch the topic to something more relevant, and cast his mind back to the Gathering, which seemed so long ago now.

“Well, we guessed correctly that Redtail didn’t kill Oakheart. He died when rocks fell on him. The blood Ravenspirit saw in his mouth was probably just from the fight.” Fireheart recalled, thinking back through everything the Riverclan molly had told them. “She said that any Riverclan cat would be willing to attest to that, even Crookedstar. Mudwish was the one who looked over the body, if you want to ask him about it.”

“I might.” The old healer spat out another glob of poultice onto the bite on his foreleg. “Anything else?”

He narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment, thinking back through each question they had asked. “She said she didn’t know what Oakheart meant when he pulled Redtail off of Stonestep. But she did mention that her mother, Graypool, might know, and that she’d bring her to the next Gathering.” He sighed at the thought. “Though I probably won’t be attending, after this.”

“The moon’s only just begun. You have time to make up for this.” He was surprised by Yellowfang’s soft grumble, having expected her usual chastising over him being a mousebrain. “And do you think this Graypool will have the answers we need to confront Tigerclaw, once and for all?”

“I don’t know.” Fireheart admitted. “But the more proof we have, the better, right?”

Yellowfang hummed noncommittally at his question as she continued looking over his pelt. He waited for her to answer, but instead she continued tending to him, apparently lost in her own thoughts. Her silence worried him; did she think that they were doing the wrong thing by waiting another moon? Tigerclaw hadn’t made any overtly suspicious moves yet, but it was only a matter of time before his plan for Bluestar was set in motion. He only hoped that they wouldn’t be too late.

#talonslock #warrior cats #the prophecies begin #fanfic #thunderclan #talonslock story #forest of secrets #fireheart #tigerclaw #sandstorm #graystripe #bluestar #yellowfang

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talonslockau · 13 days

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Forest of Secrets - Chapter 17

Chapter 16 || Index || Chapter 18 It was late morning when Fireheart finally managed to slip out of camp. It hadn’t been easy to convince Tinyfrost to take over the rest of his shift guarding Brokentail. Three dawn patrols had been a steep price, and he was certain his old mentor knew it, but what he had to do was far more important than suffering through a few cold patrols along the Shadowclan border.

He was racing through the forest now, determined to reach the Twoleg construction where the Thunderpath stretched over the river. If he was fast enough, he could reach it before the Thunderclan patrol along the Shadowclan border was finished. If he could talk to her without Graystripe around, maybe, just maybe, he could get her to see reason. He was sure she knew what she was doing was wrong; he just hoped he could get her to see that this could not end well.

As he reached the edge of the forest, he could hear Monsters racing back and forth mixed in with the splashing of the river below. This was the end of Thunderclan territory - any further in, and he would be going into Riverclan territory. The thought of entering enemy territory was daunting, but he had to trust that Silverstream had been right, and there wouldn’t be any patrols until sunhigh.

Determined now, the young warrior cautiously made his way down the slope. It was a bit drier now, so there wasn’t any ice to slip on, but he still didn’t want to trip and fall in. If Silverstream had already arrived, it would be awkward explaining to her what he had been doing in this part of the territory after she fished him out.

The bridge was sturdily made, hardly even trembling as Monsters flew by overhead. As Fireheart stalked his way into the shadows beneath the gray stone, flattening his ears to block out what he could of the Thunderpath noise overhead, he caught sight of a now-familiar flash of silver. Sitting at the water’s edge, partially obscured by the dried grass and reeds, were the swirling gray stripes of the Riverclan molly that he was after.

“Silverstream.” He hissed, watching as the molly jumped in surprise. She turned towards him, her light blue eyes wide and full of delight, her long and feathery tail raised in affectionate greeting.

Then her gaze narrowed as she caught sight of him. “Fireheart.” She mewed his name disdainfully. “What are you doing here? What’s happened to Graystripe?” Her tail rattled in silent warning, daring him to come closer and risk her claws.

“Graystripe’s fine… for now.” He answered, deciding it was best to keep his distance. “But he won’t be if you keep seeing him!”

Her long fur bristled at his tone. “I would never let any harm come to Graystripe!”

“You might not.” He winced as a particularly loud Monster roared past above them, leaving a slight ringing in his ears. “But you can’t protect him from everything!”

“Can’t I?” She challenged him, lifting her chin haughtily as though she were staring down at him. “I know every bit of my Clan’s movements. They’ll never catch us - and even if they did, they’d know better than to hurt my mate! I would never forgive them - and that means Crookedstar wouldn’t, either.”

He curled his lip distastefully. She and Graystripe were hardly mates - they’d known each other for barely two moons! “You might be able to protect him from your Clanmates, but are you sure you can protect him from his?”

The dark fur along her spine rose, her tail rattling further. “Are you implying you’d hurt him over our love? I thought you two were friends!”

Were they friends anymore? He wasn’t sure, but he supposed he wouldn’t be doing this if it were Dustleap or Sandstorm that he’d caught with an enemy warrior. “I wouldn’t - but there are other cats in the Clan who would!” He took in a deep breath, trying to contain his emotions. “Graystripe’s father Quickflash was murdered, Silverstream. By a cat in our Clan. Did he tell you that?”

Her gasp of shock told him the answer to that. “You can’t be serious.” Though her words were incredulous, the Riverclanner’s voice was shaky and doubtful. “Surely Bluestar would exile any cat terrible enough to do that! I thought the code was everything to you Thunderclanners.”

He grimaced at her words - the second time he’d heard that in two days. “Most of the Clan doesn’t know the truth. But you can ask Graystripe yourself - he does, and he abandoned seeking vengeance from his father to go see you instead.” He glanced over his shoulder, suddenly nervous that someone was watching - but the slope was devoid of life in the leafbare cold. “But his murderer knows we’re watching him, Silverstream, and he’s doing the same to us. If he finds out about you two, he’ll use it against Graystripe. I can’t protect him from that, and neither can you.”

He could see her hesitate now, her tail stilling as she thought over what he said. “You don’t really think he’d kill Graystripe over our love?” She asked softly, her gaze clouded and distant. “We’re not hurting anyone.”

“I don’t know what he’d do to keep his secret.” Fireheart replied carefully. “But he was already prepared to kill his son over it, and he had done nothing wrong. As long as Graystripe continues to meet with you, he’s in real danger.”

She nodded slowly for a moment before her eyes narrowed and looked back at him. “You said he knows all of this. If he’s still continuing to meet with me despite that, then it must not be as dangerous as you’re making it out to be.” She challenged him, tail tip beginning to twitch again.

Fireheart rolled his eyes. “He’s being too stubborn about it to see reason. He thinks that as long as we’re handling it, he’s fine. But we’re barely more than apprentices, and unlike you, we don’t have the leader willing to fulfill our every whim. At best, he’ll be exiled. At worst-”

“If he’s exiled, then he can just come live in Riverclan!” Silverstream interrupted, fluffing herself up proudly. “I know Father would be glad to welcome such a capable warrior, especially if I vouched for him.”

“I said at best!” He snapped back, barely refraining from snarling at her. “Are you sure he’d even want to join Riverclan? He hates getting wet, he can’t swim, and he despises the smell of fish. And even ignoring all of that, he’d constantly have to fight against his own family - his sisters, his mother, his aunts and uncles! Is that really what you want for him?”

The silver tabby shrugged dismissively. “I’m sure he’d get used to it for our love. Besides, if they really cared for him, they’d make sure he didn’t get exiled.”

Fireheart let out a frustrated hiss. He’d thought that she might be slightly more intelligent, but it was clear she was just as stubborn as her ‘love’. “We can’t protect him from himself! He’s constantly missing during important moments, he’s leaving tracks that even a kit could follow. He’s not subtle, and he’s about as sneaky as a lopsided badger. Sooner or later, he’s going to get caught. And if it’s his father’s murderer that catches him, there will be no helping him.”

He turned away before she could answer him. “Maybe I was wrong to talk to you about this. But if you really do care for him, you’ll think about what I said, and you won’t let him get himself killed.”

If she said anything in response, he didn’t hear it over the roar of the Monsters. He bounded back up the slope and into the safety of Thunderclan territory, turning to take one last glance behind him. She was staring after him, her mouth slightly agape, but her brows were furrowed as though she was pondering the conversation.

With a sigh, he turned back and padded back into the forest. He had got her thinking, at the very least - which was more than he could say for his argument with Graystripe. Now, it was time to get back to camp, and return to what little normalcy he could.

#talonslock #warrior cats #the prophecies begin #fanfic #thunderclan #talonslock story #forest of secrets #fireheart #silverstream #graystripe #tinyfrost #brokentail #crookedstar

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talonslockau · 19 days

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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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talonslockau · 24 days

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The final votes are in, and we've had a tie between Mosscloud and Mossdawn. Except... I've got news that one of the votes was miscounted and was actually meant for Mosscloud, meaning Mosscloud is the winner! I continue to expect a legacy name to win and continue to get surprised (although Mossheart did come close this time) - I'm not sure if it's because I'm the only one with a fondness for legacy names, or because they just haven't been very good ones. Either way - I'll see you all in a few weeks for the next poll!

It's the last Wednesday of March, which means time for another naming poll! For this poll, we're taking a break from our Thunderclan cast to focus on a different Clan's apprentice, one who we've met but doesn't earn a name in canon. We first meet Mosspaw when they bring their injured brother, Volepaw, across the border in search of Yellowfang. The two apprentices are revealed to be kits in the process of Bluestar's questioning - first apprenticed at 3 moons old by the power-mad Brokentail. They end up staying while their brother coalesces, alongside their mother, Featherstorm, who defends them fiercely from any threats - real or perceived. At the very end of Fire and Ice, we see them and their brother as healthy 6-moon old apprentices, with Mosspaw being apprenticed to Snowbird and Volepaw being apprenticed to Acornwhisper.

Mosspaw is one of the two openly nonbinary cats we meet in Fire and Ice, the other being Mosspatch, healer of Riverclan. (I swear I didn't plan for both the Mosses to be nonbinary - it just happened that way while writing!) They care for their family fiercely, even disobeying the fearsome Brokentail's orders to make sure their brother is safe, and eventually being convinced into staying to take care of him. We can see that even though they're shy, and deeply afraid of the Thunderclan cats, they still do what they have to to make sure their brother lives - an admirable quality! They are mostly white in color, with dark brown patches, and bright blue eyes.

Mossfeather is a legacy name that gives a nod both to their mother, Featherstorm, as well as their mentor, Snowbird. Mossheart, while chosen in part for their qualities, is also a legacy name given that Fireheart was the one to rescue both Mosspaw and Volepaw as well as Shadowclan as a whole. It's only thanks to him that Mosspaw lived long enough to gain said name! Mosscloud puts emphasis on their shy nature as well as mostly white pelt (You can even imagine that the patches look like clouds with this choice!), while Mossdawn, Mosspetal, and Mosswish all emphasize their nature that led them to cross the Thunderpath in search of help for their brother. As always, feel free to suggest other names in the comments or tags!

#self reblog #mosscloud

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talonslockau · 27 days

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Forest of Secrets - Chapter 15

Chapter 14 || Index || Chapter 16

It was a warm greenleaf day as Fireheart trotted merrily through the forest. Birdsong drifted through the trees, a warm and sweet melody that seemed to lighten his paws until he was almost floating along. Squirrels scampered through the foliage, as mice raced across tree roots. Prey was plentiful, and even though he was supposed to be out on patrol, his mouth watered at the thought of sinking his teeth into a juicy vole.

Surely a little hunting wouldn’t hurt anything, he thought as he lowered himself into a hunting crouch. After all, there hadn’t been any attacks on the border in moons. He lowered himself more as he spotted a young starling, scratching at the ground as it looked for acorns amongst the roots of an oak tree. He took one step closer - then another -

SPLASH!

“Hhh!” Fireheart jolted awake in shock as icy-cold water soaked his fur. He was in his nest in the warriors’ den, which was dark as the morning light had yet to peek its first rays into camp. He glanced up to see a hole in the den right above his nest, where another large droplet was coalescing to splash down onto him. He ducked to the side right as it fell, watching as it splattered down and was absorbed by his damp moss.

“You too, huh?” He glanced over a nest to see Peppermask, whose own head was soaking wet. She drew one gray paw over her head, trying to wick some of it away. “Woke me up as well. Seems the den has sprung a few leaks since last leafbare.”

“Someone ought to take care of it. Where’s Tigerclaw? He’s the one that should be in charge of den repairs.” Darkstripe was sat up nearby, his nose wrinkled in disgust. “Should have sent Cinderspark out for den supplies while she was still an apprentice. I can’t sleep like this until Goldenflower’s kits are apprenticed!”

“I’ll take care of it. No need to bother Dad with something so trivial.” Fireheart blinked in surprise as another drowsy voice interrupted them, turning to see Sandstorm shuffling past. “It’ll be good as new by sunhigh.” She growled at the three of them before leaving the den.

He glanced over at Peppermask, whose ears were also perked in astonishment. “I guess that takes care of that, then.” She mewed after a few moments.

“I guess so.” The ginger tom echoed in surprise. Sandstorm seemed like the type to believe any apprentice work was beneath her. Then again, perhaps she just refused to be uncomfortable for the next several moons while the kits grew. That made more sense than her doing something out of the goodness of her heart.

He shook the thought out of his mind, looking over to Peppermask before noticing the empty nest sitting between them. “Where’s Graystripe? He wasn’t on either of the dawn patrols, was he?”

“I don’t know.” Even in the low light, he could see the frown on the spotted molly’s face. She leaned down to take a deep sniff. “He was definitely here recently. His scent is still fresh.”

“Does it matter?” Darkstripe snorted as he shook himself out and padded after Sandstorm. “Maybe he found somewhere drier to sleep. That’s what I’m going to try to do, anyways.”

Fireheart hesitated, glancing over at Peppermask to see his expression mirrored on her face. Graystripe being so absent from camp was worrying both of them, not to mention his strange avoidance of them. He flicked his ear towards the entrance, and they both stood and padded towards it, silently agreeing that they had to find where he had gone.

They passed Darkstripe, who was bitterly complaining to the night guard Dappleshine about the soaking den. The tortoiseshell queen looked rather annoyed with him, but gave the two warriors a courteous nod of respect as they passed. He could see Tinyfrost in an equally bad mood by the foxhole, guarding their prisoner through the night. He didn’t dare to stop to ask how the little warrior was doing; he already knew the answer.

The two young warriors paused by the bramble tunnel as Peppermask scented carefully. “He came through here.” She murmured softly to him, and with a nod of understanding he followed her outside.

The forest was still in the moments before dawn, with all creatures slumbering peacefully in their nests. Normally, Graystripe would be doing the same, having never liked to get up before the sun’s rays reached the horizon. What had compelled him to leave camp before even the dawn patrols?

Peppermask followed her brother’s scent to the training hollow, where they both gave pause for a moment. Perhaps he had just been practicing his hunting crouches? Then the trail veered sharply off, to the muddy bank of a shallow creek that had dried up many seasons before Fireheart was born.

There was no need to track now; though most of the snow had melted in the slightly warmer night, the ground here was slick enough to easily see the tom’s pawprints running along the bank. The pace of his pawprints indicated he had been almost sprinting; as the two began trotting alongside, they gave each other a nervous glance. There was no way he could have scented anything when he was running so fast. But if he hadn’t been hunting, where would he be going?

The trail followed the creek bank all the way through their territory. The morning light was just beginning to color the sky as they finally emerged from the trees at the edge of Riverclan territory. Now, Graystripe’s tracks were mixed up with those of passing patrols’. Fireheart glanced furtively at Peppermask. “What now?” He whispered to the spotted molly beside him.

She opened her mouth as though to reply, then suddenly crouched down into the tall grass they were standing in, lashing her tail at him to do the same. He did so in confusion, following her narrowed green gaze down to the reeds at the water’s edge.

At first, he saw nothing. Then he spied movement, and watched with wide eyes as two cats bounded out of the reeds. The first was Graystripe, his large muscled form easily visible as he dashed by, scattering pebbles in his wake. The second was much smaller, more slender, a silver streak flashing past.

The second caught up to the Thunderclan tom, bowling him over and sending them skidding across the riverbank. Fireheart stood, tail lashing, and prepared to defend his friend when he heard mirthful purring. He watched in shock as Graystripe reached up and gently lapped at the silver cat’s cheek.

What in Starclan’s name was Graystripe doing? He looked over at Peppermask, but she seemed equally surprised and bewildered at what was happening. As he looked back at the two, he realized he recognized the tabby that had been chasing after his friend: Silverstream, one of the Riverclan mollies that had rescued them from drowning.

“Graystripe!” Fireheart finally sprang out of the tall grass, eyes narrowing as he saw them both bristle and look guiltily towards him. He felt Peppermask slide out of the grass behind him. “What are you doing?”

The dark gray tom’s yellow eyes were wide as he stared at his friend and sister. “Did you two follow me?” He mewed, his voice stunned as though he hadn’t even considered the possibility.

“Of course we did!” Peppermask snapped beside the ginger tom, her tail lashing furiously. “Is this why you’ve been disappearing so often? Visiting her?”

The Riverclan molly’s lip curled into a snarl. “I have a name, you know.” She spat angrily at the Thunderclanners.

“Yes, of course you do! Silverstream, a warrior of Riverclan - our enemy, Graystripe!” The spotted tabby growled, her green eyes blazing as she stared down the other molly. “And the daughter of Crookedstar, no less! Could you have chosen worse?”

Silverstream opened her mouth to retort, but Graystripe stepped forward. “I think I should go.” He mewed, not to his Clanmates, but to the molly beside him, looking into her blazing blue eyes with his wide, earnest yellow ones.

There was a tense moment of silence before the Riverclanner nodded. “Fine.” She responded haughtily, leaning in to brush her cheek against his. She whispered something into the Thunderclan tom’s ear that Fireheart couldn’t catch, before stepping away to the water’s edge. The silver molly cast one last challenging glare towards the two Thunderclanners that had interrupted them before slipping back into the water and disappearing.

Peppermask advanced on her brother. “You missed the battle with Brokentail! You missed Cinderspark’s ceremony! All for some Riverclan vixen? I thought better of you, Graystripe.”

The tom’s gray hackles began to rise at his sister’s words. “She’s not a vixen!” he replied, anger surging into his tone. “You’d know that if you bothered to look past her Clan!”

“I don’t need to look past her Clan, Graystripe. She’s an enemy warrior! By seeing her, you’re breaking the warrior code.” The spotted warrior’s own fur was bristling furiously, and as Fireheart looked on he saw her begin to shift into a battle stance. “We were both raised to be loyal to Thunderclan. What would Dad say if he could see you now?”

“Don’t you dare bring up Dad to me!” Graystripe spat, advancing on her now. “You know I miss him just as much as you do. The only difference is, I wasn’t going around attacking my Clanmates for his death! I think that makes me a far more loyal Thunderclan warrior.”

“Why, you!” His sister released a strangled cry at his words, and Fireheart saw her claws unsheathe as her ears flattened further. He stepped forward, not wanting the two siblings to start fighting - how would they explain that to Tigerclaw and Bluestar?

“Graystripe, that’s not fair at all. Peppermask has good reason to question your loyalty when you’re constantly out of camp with a-” He glanced at where Silverstream had disappeared. “A Riverclan molly all the time.”

“You’re doubting me too?” The dark gray tom sounded wounded at his words. “I’m still loyal to Thunderclan! I always have been, and I always will be. I’ll never leave it.”

“What else can I think?” Fireheart asked him with a small shake of his head. His heart felt as though it were tearing through a thorn thicket, but he couldn’t just let Graystripe go so easily. “You’re breaking the code by seeing her, and lying to the Clan. What if there’s a battle with Riverclan? Would you still fight her?”

The other tom rolled his shoulders. “You worry too much. With how many Riverclan warriors there are, we’ll never be on the same battlefield. Besides, with Brokentail’s defeat, the Clans will be at peace.”

“And what about Tigerclaw?” As he said it, a memory surfaced in his mind of Silverstream and Graystripe next to each other at the Gathering. “That night at the Gathering - you weren’t really sick, were you? You were planning on sneaking off to see Silverstream!”

Guilt shone in his friend’s yellow eyes, and he could hear Peppermask’s gasp of shock and anger beside him. “You’ve spent so much time away from the Clan, chasing after her. Sooner or later, you’re going to get caught - either by Thunderclan, or Riverclan. You have to stop this, Graystripe.” Fireheart warned the other tom.

“I don’t have to stop anything!” Graystripe cried, his tail lashing angrily. “We’re careful, Fireheart. She makes sure that we meet in gaps in the patrols, and I don’t meet with her until I’m done with patrols for the day.”

“You’re not careful enough. Tigerclaw has noticed you missing, Graystripe. And if we could track you here, so could he.” Though Peppermask was a superior tracker, so were several other cats in the Clan - if Tigerclaw recruited them to help him, it wouldn’t be long until their secret was found. “Why is she so important to you? More important than your Clan, more important than us?” Fireheart asked. The thought of Graystripe abandoning them at the Gathering played over and over in his mind. How could he consider Silverstream more important than avenging his father?

“You don’t understand, Fireheart. I love her!” He flattened his ears at Graystripe’s strong declaration. How could he possibly say that? He barely even knew her! “We share the same thoughts, even though we’re from different Clans. It’s like Starclan themselves planned for us to be together!”

Fireheart shook his head in disbelief. What his friend was saying was ridiculous. He knew birth wasn’t everything, but it was clear both cared deeply for their own Clan. How could they possibly reconcile that?

As he was about to speak, he heard Peppermask mew beside him. “There’s no point to this. He’s clearly made up his mind.” He looked at her in surprise as she turned and walked back up the riverbank into Thunderclan forest, flicking her tail for Fireheart to follow. She paused at the top to give her brother a wicked glare. “Just don’t say we didn’t warn you when you get exiled over this.”

The dark gray tom growled beside him, but Fireheart found himself unable to disagree. Just because they were the first to find out what Graystripe had been doing didn’t mean they’d be the last. He had been willing to make excuse after excuse for his friend, believing him to be grieving his father, but he couldn’t cover up such a blatant breach of the code. Especially not when he was doing so without care for what Thunderclan would do to him, when Fireheart himself had to constantly fear being exiled.

He cast one last look at his friend - his first friend, the one that had welcomed him into the Clan - before following Peppermask up the hill. It hurt to turn his back on Graystripe, but he couldn’t let himself get caught up in this. Tigerclaw still had to be dealt with, and he couldn’t give the evil deputy any more ammunition to accuse him with.

He would have to leave his best friend to figure things out on his own. He just hoped that it wouldn’t end in exile, or a far worse tragedy.

#talonslock #warrior cats #the prophecies begin #fanfic #thunderclan #fireheart #peppermask #darkstripe #sandstorm #dappleshine #tinyfrost #graystripe #silverstream #talonslock story #forest of secrets

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talonslockau · 1 month

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#talonslock #warrior cats #the prophecies begin #thunderclan #tumblr polls #mosspaw

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talonslockau · 1 month

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Forest of Secrets - Chapter 14

Chapter 13 || Index || Chapter 15

“The Twolegplace patrol will be Tinyfrost, Graystripe, and Darkstripe…”

Fireheart forced himself to stifle a yawn as Tigerclaw droned on about who would be on what patrols for the day. Even though the threat the tabby tom posed was constantly on his mind, it was hard not to get drowsy when he talked on and on for what felt like an eternity.

“... and Fireheart will be guarding the prison.” He perked up briefly as he heard his name called, before scowling as he realized what his assignment was. He was certain he had been assigned to prison guarding twice as often as any other cat - him and Tinyfrost, that was. Between that and patrolling the Twolegplace border, he had barely done anything else in the past quarter-moon.

He spied a wicked smirk on the deputy’s face as he turned away and the rest of the Clan began to congregate into their various patrols. As tempting as it was to lash out, he knew better than to draw attention to himself. For the time being, it was better to be humble and put up with the dung that Tigerclaw slung his way. It wouldn’t be long, he told himself, until the traitor’s evil plots were revealed to everyone: until then, he would have to suffer in silence.

He made his way past the apprentice den to the foxhole, where a gray form was beginning to push their way through, carrying a dirty mossball. “Yellowfang.” Fireheart mewed in greeting, dipping his head respectfully before taking a seat in a grassy spot near the prison entrance.

The old healer grunted acknowledgement as she squirmed through the entrance, several joints popping as she did so. She paused to shake the dirt out of her pelt, before dropping the moss-ball by her paws. “Fireheart. Tigerclaw assigned you to guard duty again?”

“The fifth time this quarter-moon.” The ginger warrior replied glumly. “I guess I shouldn’t complain too much - it’s easy enough to do. But…”

“I know, I know. You warriors prefer showing off your skills.” The grizzled molly rolled her eyes dourly. “Well, you can help supervise him while he stretches his legs. Better you than a cat like Tigerclaw, I suppose. You know they’d just claw each other’s ears off.”

Fireheart stared at her. “What do you mean, stretches his legs? In that tiny foxhole? It’s barely big enough for a cat his size to turn around!”

Yellowfang chuffed at him. “No, mousebrain. Outside the hole, out around camp. It might be cold, but the fresh air and sunlight will do him good.”

Fireheart glanced behind him at the hole, the fur on his scruff rising in apprehension. He was supposed to guard Brokentail, not take him out for a leisurely stroll. What would Bluestar think? “He’s supposed to be imprisoned.” He pointed out carefully, not wanting to get an ear-lashing from the cantankerous former Shadowclanner.

“And he’ll still be stuck in camp, won’t he? I’m not asking you to take him to go meet his old cronies.” He winced slightly at the old healer’s harsh growl. “You’ll just need to watch him. It’s not like he can go far right now.”

That was true, he thought guiltily to himself. But something about it still felt wrong. “I have to get approval from Bluestar first. If something happens…”

“Oh, for Starclan’s sake!” He folded his ears back at the molly’s outburst. Just as he opened his mouth to protest further, she shook her head and sighed. “No, Fireheart, I’m sorry. You’re only doing your duty to Thunderclan, just as I’m only doing my duty to my patients. Go on, then. I can keep watch for you while you go ask her.”

He blinked in surprise at her sudden change in mood, but nodded quickly in acceptance all the same. “Thank you.” He mewed, quickly getting up and hurrying across camp before she could change her mind instead. He slowed as he reached the lichen curtain that fell across Bluestar’s den. He had a good reason this time for visiting her, but the thought of entering her den still made him nervous. What if she got mad at him for interrupting her peace?

“Who’s there?” He jumped slightly as he heard the leader call out from within her den. “I can see your shadow, you know.”

“I- er- it’s me, Bluestar. Fireheart, I mean.” He mentally admonished himself for sounding like such a fool in front of her. “May I come in?”

“Ah.” Her tone lightened immediately as he identified himself. “Yes, of course, Fireheart. Come in, come in.”

He took a deep breath and pushed his way through the curtain. Bluestar was sitting in her nest, cleaning her whiskers with one strong yet delicate paw. “What brings you to my den? Surely you’re not just looking for my company.” He blinked as she spoke. Was that a joke from the regal queen? He wasn’t sure.

“Well, uhm, Yellowfang wants to let Brokentail stretch his legs, or something like that. For his health. I- I know you said that he’s our prisoner, and I’m supposed to be guarding him, so I, uh, wanted to ask your permission first?” He sounded like a young apprentice, his voice almost a squeak as he finished speaking. There was no reason to be afraid of her - she wouldn’t exile him for asking a simple question, would she?

The silver molly stopped cleaning herself and his heart skipped a beat as she focused her icy blue eyes on him. “Yellowfang said that, did she?” She considered the ginger warrior in front of her for several heartbeats. “And what do you think?”

He hesitated, unsure of how she wanted him to answer. “Well- I mean, only his front paws work, so I don’t really think he can run away. And it’s not like he’s going to be able to tell enemy warriors about our camp from his foxhole. Not unless we got more prisoners, which I don’t see happening, I mean unless some other leader goes rogue and-”

“Fireheart.” He startled a bit as she spoke, looking up from where he’d been staring at his paws. “You can relax, you know. I’m your leader; I’m here to help you, and the Clan.” He realized she was staring at him in concern now. “Is something besides Brokentail bothering you?”

He thought instantly about Tigerclaw and his treachery. He could tell her the truth, all of it, right now. They were alone, and even Tigerclaw was out on patrol. No one else would overhear, or even know.

But he knew better than that. He had no proof for his accusations; not yet, anyways. “I- Well, it is about Brokentail. At least a bit.” He fibbed, recalling the fear he’d felt when he thought he had killed the rogue leader. “I’m the reason Brokentail went under that Monster’s paws. I was chasing him, and he wasn’t looking where he was going, and- he couldn’t stop in time.” He dug his claws into the dirt, remembering the moment with such crystal clarity. “I thought I killed him. The warrior code, it says not to kill other cats, but-”

He stopped himself, taking a deep breath in and out. Though he had been fibbing, at least at first, part of him was terrified of what Bluestar might say at his admission. But when he looked back up at her, her gaze was filled with that familiar motherly warmth and compassion.

“What happened to Brokentail is not your fault. It is his. If he had followed the code, we would not have needed to chase him out. He would not have been sheltered in that old Twoleg nest, with the other rogues. And he is the coward that chose to run, rather than stand and fight you. You are a good warrior, and you have beaten him before, but your victory the second time was hardly a sure thing.”

He relaxed at her soft mew, soothing a wound in his mind he hadn’t known was there. “As for the code, Brokentail was not bound to it or its laws the moment he chose to abandon it. Killing him would have fallen outside of the code.” She stepped out of her nest, coming to stand in front of Fireheart and gently nosing his forehead in comfort. “If you had killed him for good that day, I do not think a soul in Thunderclan - or even Starclan - would have blamed you.” She murmured softly into his ear.

He stared at the ground in front of him for a moment, nodding slowly. That had been about what Longtail had said to him, in the heat of the moment. But he knew that the skinny tabby had had his own reasons for wanting Brokentail dead, and it was hard to trust his assessment. “I understand. Thank you, Bluestar.” He replied at last.

“Of course. I understand your worry, Fireheart, but I have seen your heart. No matter what happens, I have faith you will try to do the right thing. So long as that is the case, you have no reason to fear.” She stepped back, taking in his demeanor. “Now then. Is that all?”

He blinked, trying to remember why he’d come in the first place. “Er- you never said what to do with Brokentail.”

“Ah, yes.” The silver-furred leader returned to her nest. “He may walk around camp at Yellowfang and his guard’s discretion. I agree with your assessment: even if he tried to escape, I doubt he’d get up the side of the ravine, so long as his back legs are broken.” She lapped at one paw for a moment, before pausing. “You can tell Tigerclaw and the other warriors that, as well.”

He nodded quickly at her words. “Of course. Thank you, Bluestar.”

Just as he turned to leave, he heard her cough. “Ah - but he is not to go within one fox-length of the nursery. You can tell them that, as well.”

He glanced back at her, his head tilted in confusion. “May I ask why, Bluestar?”

She paused for a second before sighing. “It’s as much for his safety as for the kits’. You’ll surely remember that it was under his orders that Goldenflower was attacked and her kits stolen.” She shivered slightly at the memory. “I have no doubt that Frostfur remembers, as well. I would rather not have any… unfortunate incidents resulting from him straying too close.”

He also shivered at the thought. He remembered how Frostfur had verbally attacked Ravenspirit, back when he had only been trying to bring water to her kits. Ravenspirit had been her Clanmate, and she had watched over him since he was a kit with the other queens. How she might react to a cat that had already threatened her kits and her mate… “Of course, Bluestar. I’ll let Yellowfang know, as well.”

“Good.” She flicked her tail to dismiss him, and he quickly pushed the lichen out of his way and hurried across camp, to where Yellowfang was waiting.

“Well?” The healer asked him with her typical scowl. “What did Bluestar say?”

“She said that he can leave the foxhole if his guard allows it, but that he’s not allowed within a fox-length of the nursery.” Fireheart summarized quickly as he took up his spot in the dry grass next to the prison, puffing his fur up against the cold.

Yellowfang snorted dismissively at his words. “Why? Does she think he’s going to steal some kits away under our noses?” She grumbled, rolling her eyes at the thought.

“No, but the queens might think that.” He replied steadily, glancing towards the nursery. Frostfur and Goldenflower had taken their kits out of camp to frolic in the snow; they were four moons old, now, and getting too big for the nursery to contain them. “You treated Goldenflower’s wounds. Surely you remember what Brokentail’s rogues did to her.”

“Ah.” The gray molly dipped her broad head in understanding. “Yes, I remember. And queens can get very protective of their kits- especially their first litter.” She sighed and glanced over her shoulder to the foxhole. “Very well. Even avoiding the nursery, there’s still plenty of camp for him to walk around in. I’ll go fetch him, then.”

She disappeared into the dark of the prison, momentarily leaving Fireheart alone with his thoughts. He glanced over camp, but most warriors were out hunting or patrolling the borders; Dustleap was keeping a watchful eye over camp from near the nursery, while the elders were bickering in the sunlight. He winced a bit as he noticed Snowkit among them, batting a mossball back and forth with his mother and One-eye.

He turned as he heard Yellowfang shoving her way through the entrance, Brokentail’s scruff in her jaws. It was a tight squeeze, especially with two broad-shouldered cats, but she somehow managed to push her way through. “Now then. Practice those exercises I showed you; your back won’t get better unless you make it.” She deposited him gently in the dirt, before stooping to pick up the dirty mossball she had dropped.

“What, you aren’t going to stay?” Fireheart asked, alarmed. He had been expecting to watch her chaperone the exile around camp, not swiftly disappear as soon as she had dragged him out.

She rolled her copper eyes at him. “I need to go take this dirty moss to the dirtplace, then hunt for him. I’m sure you can manage to watch him.”

“Well- but- I-” He stammered out, watching helplessly as she proceeded to ignore him and cross camp towards the bramble tunnel. He knew logically that the former Shadowclan leader couldn’t hurt him, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be alone with him either.

“What’s the matter, kittypet? Scared you can’t beat me in a fair fight?” Brokentail taunted as he stretched his claws out to the sky. Fireheart glanced down at the tabby tom, whose legs were wrapped in a combination of sticks, cobwebs, and bindweed. Even though they now looked normal, they still dragged uselessly in the dirt behind him - it would be months before he would potentially be able to walk with them again, if all of Yellowfang’s knowledge worked.

“I’m not a kittypet.” The Thunderclan warrior snapped wearily. He knew better than to give the rogue any reason to bicker with him, but he wasn’t going to put up with being called a kittypet until sunset either. “I’m far more of a warrior than you ever were.”

“Your mother a kittypet? Your father a kittypet?” The prisoner sneered at him, his words like fangs looking for a weak spot.

“My mother was, yes.” Fireheart mewed steadily, but he hesitated as he thought of his father. He recalled the story Tallstar had told him, about Jake, and how they shared such similar pelts. Could that curious kittypet have been his father? He didn’t know. “I don’t know who my father is. You could be my father, for all I know.” He snorted at the thought of being related to the fleabag next to him, but he supposed anything was possible. “Though I’m sure the mere thought of you fathering a Thunderclanner is an insult to you.”

Brokentail chuckled beside him, a harsh and wheezing growl not unlike Yellowfang’s. “You’re closer to the truth than you realize.” He finally replied, rolling his head and flexing his broad shoulders.

“Well, I-” The ginger tom stopped and stared at the tabby, baffled. “What? I don’t understand. Are you saying you had a kit with a Thunderclanner?”

“Once.” Brokentail seemed to smirk as he watched Fireheart staring at him, as though he were basking in the attention he had finally gotten from his guard. “Many seasons ago, now. Don’t look so surprised; I was once quite the charming tomcat, in my youth.”

He snorted in disbelief at that. All Brokentail cared about was himself: what cat couldn’t see that? “And you loved her?” He asked the rogue incredulously.

The rogue rolled his dark eyes at that. “Hardly. She was weak, whiny, and wormbrained. A typical Thunderclanner, really. But she very much adored me, for some reason I’m sure made sense in her tiny little head.” He shook his head dismissively at the thought.

The fur on Fireheart’s scruff rose briefly before he forced it back down. The callous attitude was hardly unexpected from the dark tabby, and it wasn’t as if he ever knew the molly in question. Unless he did? He gazed out across camp, wondering briefly if he had ever met Brokentail’s mate.

“We met at a Gathering, the moon after I became a warrior. I think she was quite impressed with the tales of my strength - that’s why Raggedstar made me a warrior early, you know.” Brokentail continued, either not noticing that he had briefly lost his guard’s attention or not caring. “It wasn’t long before she was begging to meet me on the side of the Thunderpath. She even showed me some of Thunderclan territory, the little fool.”

Fireheart nodded along listlessly as he glanced over the camp, before a terrible realization jolted through him. “That’s how you knew where our camp was.” He mewed accusingly, glaring at the prisoner as his claws dug into the dirt.

“Hmm.” Brokentail gave him an appraising look, sending shivers up his spine that he did his best to hide. “So even a kittypet is smarter than Thunderclanners? I suppose I can’t say I’m surprised.” The tom scoffed, flicking his ear dismissively as he looked away. “She didn’t show me, but she was such a predictable creature. Took the same path back to camp every time. You can hardly blame me for following her on a few occasions, can’t you? Surely you would do the same in my place.”

Fireheart’s lip curled in disgust. “I wouldn’t, actually. I don’t need to know where the other Clans’ camps are, because I’m not a murderous tyrant bent on driving them all out.”

The codebreaker shrugged, unbothered by the hostility in his voice. “Your loss, then. A good warrior never turns away from a potential advantage.” He examined his paws as though checking for dirt in between his claws. “She died on the Thunderpath, several leafbares ago. Sometimes I wonder if she was looking for me.”

The warrior blinked in shock at the indifference in Brokentail’s voice. “Did you kill her?” He asked, forcing his fur to lay flat. It would hardly be the first murder that the dark tabby had committed, after all.

The exile gave him a long, cold stare out of the corner of his eye. “I didn’t need to. She wasn’t a threat to me.” He replied at last, before lapping at one dirty paw.

“And those kits you murdered were threats?” Fireheart challenged.

Brokentail scoffed again. “Those kits were weak. I was merely training them and they died. They never would have survived a battle, even if they survived leafbare.” The cold exile’s features softened suddenly. “That Thunderclan molly bore a single kit before she died. A tom, she said. She said he looked just like me, and that she’d bring him to meet me when he was old enough.” He shook his broad head wistfully. “He probably died without her. Thunderclan kits do tend to be so weak.”

His eyes widened in shock. Brokentail had had a son- a Thunderclan son? His mind suddenly was racing with possibilities. Many cats had died in the leafbare before he had joined the Clan, warriors especially. It was equally likely that Brokentail was right - his son could have died without his mother to care for him, especially if he hadn’t been old enough to leave camp at her death.

He gazed across camp, where Dustleap sat watching vigilantly. He looked so much like his father, Tigerclaw, with his narrowed eyes and dark tabby stripes. They had the same broad shoulders and wide head, just like Brokentail.

A thought suddenly sprang to his mind. Tigerclaw had no siblings, and his parents had died long before Fireheart had joined. He knew all too well that the two shared the same black heart and ignorance of the code. They even had the same long fur and amber eyes.

Was it possible? Could Tigerclaw be Brokentail’s long lost son?

#talonslock #warrior cats #the prophecies begin #fanfic #thunderclan #fireheart #tigerclaw #bluestar #yellowfang #brokentail #dustleap #one-eye #snowkit #speckleflight #talonslock story #forest of secrets

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talonslockau · 1 month

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A very brief departure from the Warriors fandom - if you're into Five Nights At Freddy's, check out Pixlokita's wonderful Into The Ballpit AU that involves Gregory and Glamrock Freddy doing some time travel shenanigans, as well as the fanfic I wrote inspired by it! Pix does such good art (see Exhibit A) and deserves much love so if you're interested go follow them!

I heard it's your birthday this week! Happy birthday to you!

In celebration I bring you a small gift that I hope you will appreciate. I know it's not canon, but I just got so inspired I wrote this a few months ago and decided to finish it up and post it for you today. I hope you like it!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/54452362

Absolutely loved it so I drew fanart inspired from it ahaihsksbdkdnd already lost it in the comments but 🫶💖 thank you again for writing this ;w; it was such a nice read 💖💖💖

#reblog #not warriors #fnaf #five nights at freddy's

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talonslockau · 1 month

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Goddammit I'm gonna have to do this at some point aren't I?

If you haven't yet go follow Rain's Thistledown, lots of good art and story over there!

did the challenge, with a Thistledown twist!

can't separate the siblings though

#reblog #thistledown au

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talonslockau · 1 month

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CINDERPAW GOT HER WARRIOR CEREMONY

Snowkit got forced into the elder's den

Someone needs to smack some sense into Bluestar bc oh my GODDDDD

Literally though Cinderspark: I'm a warrior now! Also Cinderspark: But my best friend is now an elder instead of an apprentice because Bluestar is a meanie mousebrain.

Fear not; I promise Snowkit's story does not end here! I can't yet share the reasoning behind Bluestar's decision - though it is more complex than 'oh no deaf kitty' - but we will explore that and more in Forest of Secrets, and if you disagree with her decisions now, you'll find catharsis eventually... :)

#talonslock #talonslock asks #thesilliestofgals

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talonslockau · 1 month

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Forest of Secrets - Chapter 13

Chapter 12 || Index || Chapter 14

Fireheart shook himself off as he entered camp, carrying the limp body of an ill-fated cardinal. The first snows of leafbare had at last arrived, beginning to coat everything in cold, white flakes. Only the camp currently remained uncovered, thanks to the careful pattern of branches and leaves that stretched over it, though he imagined that it wouldn’t remain that way for very long.

As he took his kill to the freshkill pile, he could see that camp was bustling with activity. He could hear Goldenflower’s litter begging her and Frostfur to go out and see the snow, while the elders were bitterly complaining about how the cold was reaching their bones. Even most of the warriors were sitting around camp, sharing tongues in the evening light. It was good to see the Clan thriving, even despite leafbare and the sinister plots that threatened them.

“It’s quite active today.” He heard Longtail remark to Tigerclaw as he deposited his prey. “Has something happened while we were out?”

“Bluestar will be calling a meeting shortly.” The dark tabby deputy responded with his usual low growl. “You’ll see.”

Fireheart perked his ears, but he knew better than to ask anything of the treacherous tabby. It was too early for anything regarding the Gathering; it was still over a half-moon away. No, he thought to himself as his eyes drifted towards where Cinderpaw and Snowkit were play-fighting, this had to be something else.

He caught sight of Peppermask, who was sitting near the entrance, and trotted over with a tail flick as greeting. “Where’s Graystripe?” He asked her curiously as he sat down beside her. “Surely the Twolegplace patrol got back before we did.”

“They did. Tinyfrost and Dustleap are here.” She pointed out the two warriors with her tail, nearly on the opposite sides of camp. “He must’ve left almost immediately, because he wasn’t here when I got back from patrol.”

The ginger tom frowned at that. “Do you think he’s avoiding us?” He wondered, glancing at the bramble entrance. It was empty - all the patrols for the day had already come back. “He’s been spending a lot of time out of camp since the Gathering.”

“Since Quickflash died.” The spotted tabby replied, her ears dipping slightly as she gave him a warning glance. “He’s likely just distracting himself with hunting. He probably thinks he’s being helpful.”

“He wasn’t in camp for the battle, either. You think he’d stay in camp after the scolding Tigerclaw gave him when he finally showed up again.” He huffed as he recalled getting woken out of his drowsing by Tigerclaw’s yowling. He couldn’t fault the deputy, either: All Graystripe had brought back from his day-long hunt had been a couple paltry voles that would barely feed one of Goldenflower’s kits. “I hope he doesn’t miss this meeting. Do you think it’s going to be-?”

“I hope it is. I don’t think anyone can deny that Cinderpaw fought bravely during the battle. Taking on Ratscar and Tangleburr by herself- that’s something any cat could be proud of. Especially with what happened to Mistspring…” Fireheart glanced across camp towards the healer’s den as Peppermask spoke, but the entrance was covered in shadow in the evening light; he couldn’t see inside at all. “If she’s not made a warrior after that, then when?”

“Right.” Fireheart couldn’t disagree with that; he was thinking much the same thing. It had to be a ceremony; if it were anything else, surely Peppermask would have already heard the gossip and told him as such.

“And it’s past time for Snowkit to be apprenticed, too. Sandstorm’s been dropping ‘hints’ all day that she thinks Tigerclaw is going to pick her to be his mentor. It’s her time, or whatever.” The molly rolled her green eyes with great exaggeration. “I was about ready to claw her mouth shut on patrol!”

Fireheart hesitated. It was clear that Snowkit’s deafness, and his being held back, wasn’t common knowledge around camp. Was it fair for him to share it with Peppermask? As he glanced towards the nursery, he could see that Speckleflight had separated him from Cinderpaw and was now busily grooming his head and face. Perhaps Peppermask was right, and Snowkit would be apprenticed today after all.

“There!” The tabby beside him gasped, and he looked over to see Bluestar emerge from her den and immediately scale the Highrock. Even before she said a word, the Clan started to swarm out from around the clearing.

“All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!” The Thunderclan leader called out proudly, watching her warriors assemble beneath her. “As you all surely know by now, Brokentail and his rogues were indeed planning to invade our camp. Already they had been stealing prey from our territory.”

There were jeers and hisses at her words, and he noticed a few cats glance back towards the prison where Darkstripe was guarding with a scowl. Word had also spread of Brokentail being held prisoner, and while the Clan had accepted Bluestar and Yellowfang’s word on the matter, it was clear that they had mixed feelings about it. Fireheart couldn’t blame them: Even though Yellowfang was true to her word and hunting and caring for him, he still felt strange about protecting the kit-killer after they had taken in his victims.

“Each warrior in the patrol performed their duties admirably. Fireheart, Dustleap, Longtail and Mousefur acted with great courage and risked their lives to make sure our camp remains safe. Thunderclan honors each of them.” There were excited and envious murmurs at her words, and he noticed several cats stealing a glance towards where he was sitting. He ignored them, keeping his eyes focused on Bluestar.

“However, there is one cat on the patrol that acted just as bravely as each of these warriors, who has not yet received her name.” All eyes now turned towards where Cinderpaw was sitting, near the middle of the crowd. The dark gray molly sat as still as stone, but her tail tip rattling furiously betrayed her excitement. “Her mentor and I have agreed: she has earned her warrior name. Cinderpaw, step forward.”

She did so readily, her dark blue eyes as wide as the moon as she gazed up at the silver queen. “I, Bluestar, leader of Thunderclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn.” Their twin blue gazes were locked on each other now. “Cinderpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

The young molly’s body was shaking all over now, yet she still nodded determinedly. “I do!” She yowled, her voice echoing through camp for all to hear. Several cats stifled a chuckle, Fireheart among them.

“Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Cinderpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Cinderspark. Starclan honors your valor and quick thinking, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan.” Bluestar jumped off the Highrock to meet the new warrior, and rested her muzzle on the dark gray molly’s forehead before allowing her to lap respectfully at the leader’s shoulder.

“Cinderspark! Cinderspark!” Fireheart called along with the rest of the crowd, glancing towards the healer’s den as he caught sight of movement. Mistspring stood next to the rocky entrance, her own icy blue eyes glittering with pride as she watched. He could see that her throat was covered in white cobwebs; she was still recovering from her wounds, and he guessed she was under healer’s orders not to use her voice.

The rest of the crowd parted as they caught sight of her, allowing the former mentor through to the newly-appointed warrior. He saw her mouth move slightly as a few quiet words were exchanged before they gently touched noses. As Mistspring began to move back towards the healer’s den, the crowd quickly pressed in, eager to welcome Cinderspark into the warrior ranks.

Fireheart joined them, watching as the newest warrior beamed in pride as she welcomed congratulation after congratulation. “Well done.” He mewed softly to her, touching noses with her softly. “I knew you could do it.”

“Thank you, Fireheart.” He paused as she replied, glancing back at her sparkling blue eyes. “For believing in me, despite everything.”

“Of course.” He dipped his head before continuing on, allowing Peppermask to greet her sister as a warrior. He fondly thought of his own warrior ceremony, as much of a blur as it was from how exhausted he had been. At least Cinderspark wouldn’t have to sit vigil with those mourning, like he had. Tonight would be a night of triumph for her.

He was just about to pad away when he heard a loud yowl from the crowd. “Wait!” He turned to see Speckleflight glaring at Bluestar, who had begun to make for her den. “There’s still one more ceremony to be performed tonight.” The pale golden queen growled, her yellow gaze locked on the leader. “I’ve waited long enough: it’s time to make Snowkit an apprentice.”

While the cats in the crowd perked their ears in curiosity, Bluestar’s own ears flattened in anger. “I’ve already had this conversation with you far too many times, Speckleflight.” She snapped, her blue eyes narrowed to slits. “My decision is final.”

“He deserves a ceremony!” The oldest queen howled, the fur on her spine beginning to raise. “Would you truly make him stay in the nursery forever?”

The silver leader’s scruff started to rise in response. Cats around them whispered eagerly, Cinderspark’s ceremony momentarily forgotten in the sudden drama, and Bluestar glanced towards them with a frown. After a long moment, she sighed and forced her fur to flatten. “If you insist on Snowkit leaving the nursery, Speckleflight, then I suppose I have no choice but to agree.”

She began to ascend the Highrock once more as Speckleflight grinned triumphantly. Fireheart wanted to celebrate with her, but something about the leader’s flicking tail told him to hesitate. “Snowkit, step forward.” She called out, gazing out at the white kit sitting near the nursery still.

Snowkit stepped forward at his mother's coaxing, looking surprised and a little nervous as Bluestar glared down at him. "Snowkit. The time has come for you to move to the elders' den." There were gasps of shock at her words. Most of the Clan wasn't aware of the young tom's deafness, so such a move would no doubt confuse them. “I will have Dewpaw arrange you with a suitable nest."

The gathered cats eyed each other uneasily as Snowkit stood there, his head tilted in confusion. After several moments of tense silence, Speckleflight came to stand beside her kit. "He won't be going to the elders' den without me." She growled defiantly at her leader as she rested her tail on her son's flank.

Several heartbeats passed. Even though the air was freezing, his fur felt hot from the tension between the two. At last, the leader dipped her head in acknowledgement. "Very well." Bluestar replied coldly. "Speckleflight. Is it your wish to retire to the elders' den?"

Fireheart shifted nervously as he watched the two mollies face each other down. "If you make us, then yes." The dappled golden queen snapped, the fur on her spine beginning to rise.

The silver leader ignored her attitude and continued on. "Thunderclan honors you, Speckleflight, and all the moons of service you have given us in the nursery. May it be Starclan's will that you have many moons of rest."

It was then that Fireheart realized the disparity between the two elder ceremonies, and he grimaced uncomfortably. It was clear that Bluestar cared very little for Snowkit, which seemed so uncharacteristic of her normal motherly demeanor towards the rest of the Clan.

He glanced at where Cinderspark was standing as Speckleflight began herding Snowkit towards the other elders, and saw the dark gray molly's tail was bristling out of anger for her friend. Still, if she had any objections, she didn't voice them.

“Clan dismissed.” Bluestar called, and the rest of the Clan immediately started gossiping amongst themselves. A kit going straight to the elders’ den was unheard of. And while Speckleflight was the oldest queen in the nursery, it had been assumed - expected, even - that she would have another litter after Snowkit. What would her retirement mean for the nursery?

“Fireheart…?” He glanced over to see Peppermask padding over to him. “You don’t look surprised. Did you know…?”

“I-” He glanced back at the elders’ den. Smallear seemed to be leading Snowkit into the den, presumably to get him a nest, while Rosetail and One-eye were pressed into Speckleflight’s side in comfort. “Back in leaf-fall, the Gathering after I became a warrior, I overheard Speckleflight talking to Bluestar about his apprentice ceremony. Bluestar said she wouldn’t give him one, but I didn’t know why until recently.” He looked back to meet her questioning gaze. “Snowkit is deaf.”

“That’s why…? Oh. Oh.” Peppermask looked past him to the elders’ den. “I- I guess I can see that. Most elders retire once they’re no longer able to hear certain sounds. I guess I can see the logic in it, but to never even give him a name seems cruel.”

Fireheart hesitated. He didn’t know where he stood on such matters. He was still new to the Clan and its ways, and while he knew why Bluestar had done it, some part of him agreed with Peppermask. He had seen the delight on Snowkit’s face when pretending to spar with Cinderpaw - a delight he remembered well from sparring with his friends as an apprentice. It felt cruel of Bluestar to never give him the chance to experience that for himself.

“Graystripe!” He blinked out of his thoughts as he heard Peppermask call her brother’s name, and turned to see the gray tom exiting the bramble entrance. “Where have you been?”

He looked startled to see them, his yellow eyes wide as they flicked back and forth between his sister and his friend. “I- uh- I was just taking a walk. Enjoying watching the snowflakes falling and all that. What happened? Why is everyone gathered around the Highrock?”

“Cinderspark got her warrior name. You missed it.” Even though he didn’t look at her, he could feel the tense anger in Peppermask’s form beside him. Obviously, she wasn’t pleased with Graystripe in the slightest. “And Speckleflight and Snowkit-”

“She did?” Graystripe gasped in surprise. “I better go congratulate her then! Thanks for letting me know.” He breezed past them, not even bothering to listen to the rest of her words. The gray spotted tabby stared after him, her mouth agape in shock.

“That was weird, even for Graystripe.” Fireheart observed out loud. “He doesn’t even look wet from snow-melt.” Actually, it was quite the opposite - his fur was light and fluffy, as though it had been well-groomed.

“Yeah…” Peppermask replied, her tail twitching beside him. “He doesn’t seem like he’s mourning much at all anymore. Enjoying the snowflakes falling? He’s never liked the cold. He wouldn’t be out there without a reason.”

The ginger warrior hesitated beside her. Had Graystripe lied to them? But why? Surely he knew he could trust them with anything. Even as he thought it, however, thoughts about his sister surfaced. He often lied and said he was going hunting when he visited her. But Graystripe certainly didn’t have any kittypet kin, so who would he be lying about visiting? No, he thought to himself - it must be something else.

“I guess it doesn’t matter right now.” The spotted tabby sighed, getting to her paws. “I’m going to go bring some prey to the nursery. We’re all going to have to take care of the apprentice chores, until Goldenflower’s kits become apprentices.” Her nose twitched irritably. “Unless Bluestar holds them back, too.”

“I hope not!” Fireheart mewed as she padded away. Still, he couldn’t get his mind off of Graystripe. What was his friend hiding? Was it the same reason he seemed to be avoiding them? As he watched Cinderspark accepting congratulations from her brother, he couldn’t help but shake the feeling that something was wrong - and that he wouldn’t find out what until it was too late.

#talonslock #warrior cats #the prophecies begin #fanfic #thunderclan #bluestar #fireheart #peppermask #snowkit #speckleflight #tigerclaw #longtail #darkstripe #cinderpaw #cinderspark #graystripe #talonslock story #forest of secrets

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talonslockau · 2 months

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since people are talking about grey cats with blue eyes

#reblog #rootmash

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talonslockau · 2 months

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Pink princessy brokenstar

behold! the ruthless leader of shadowclan!!!

#harriertail #reblog

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talonslockau · 2 months

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And it looks like Snowbloom is the winner! A lovely name for a lovely tom - I'm excited to unveil it as the story progresses, though unfortunately it likely won't be until the third book. Thanks to everyone who voted, and I'll see you in a few weeks for our next name poll!

It's time for the next name poll (definitely not accidentally two days late because I have no concept of time)! This one is going to be Snowkit, who we haven't seen much of in Fire and Ice, but who will have his own arc in Forest of Secrets to give him some character development.

Snowkit is a white tom with pale blue eyes. We've learned by now that Snowkit is deaf, and there is some speculation among those in the know that this is why he has yet to receive a mentor/his apprentice name despite being nearly 3 seasons old. Speckleflight is fiercely protective of him, and rarely lets him out of her sight. Despite that, he has made a surprising friend in Cinderpaw, and the two can often be found playing outside the nursery when she's done with her duties.

Snowshine is a nod to his mother, Dappleshine, as is Snowdapple, while Snowspeckle is a nod to his other mother, Speckleflight. The other three are names that I picked that I feel suit his personality well.

(As a note, while Snowflight would also be a good potential name for him and a nod to Speckleflight, I have chosen not to include it due to fairly obvious reasons regarding canon).

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talonslockau · 2 months

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Forest of Secrets - Chapter 12

Chapter 11 || Index || Chapter 13

Fireheart’s wounds stung as he wearily followed Yellowfang into camp, but he kept his head held high nonetheless. By the nursery, he could see Snowkit alongside five younger kits watching with wide eyes as they returned triumphantly. Closer to the entrance, the elders were bickering amongst themselves, but they slowly quieted as they caught sight of the returning patrol and the broken body that the healer leading them was carrying.

Bluestar herself was waiting for them by the Highrock, her blue eyes narrow as she watched them approach. “What has happened? Dewpaw and Longtail returned with Mistspring, but-” Her eyes widened in shock as she saw who Yellowfang was carrying. “Is that Brokentail?”

“He was hit by a Monster trying to flee from us.” Dustleap snarled before the old healer could set her burden down. “Yellowfang insists we should let him live instead of killing him for his crimes against the code!”

“He lives because Starclan wills it!” The cantankerous molly snapped back at him, turning a baleful copper gaze on the young tabby before turning to Bluestar. “They would not have let him return if they did not want him here. Starclan has spoken: Brokentail must be allowed to live!”

Bluestar looked upon the mangled tom uneasily. “Brokentail.” She murmured softly, her gaze cold and unkind - so different compared to how she often looked at Fireheart and the rest of her Clan. “What do you have to say in your defense?”

He couldn’t see the tabby’s expression from where he was standing, but the ginger tom could only imagine that the rogue’s face was twisted into a deep scowl. “I have nothing to say to you!” He spat at her spitefully. “Thunderclan is full of weak mousehearts. I should have driven you all out when I had the chance!”

The silver leader’s eyes narrowed at the provocative words, but she seemed almost amused by his words more than offended. “And yet you never could.” She replied steadily as she looked back up to the patrol. “I do not understand, Yellowfang. Brokentail has broken every law of Starclan’s noble code. And yet you claim he is here because they willed it?”

“Starclan is the one that grants us lives, Bluestar.” The grizzled healer responded with a dip of her head. “And they are the ones that can take them away, as well. If they had wanted him to die by the Thunderpath, they would have done so. And yet, they have allowed him to live. It is Starclan that judges us for our deeds; if they have decided he still deserves to live, then who are we to claim that we know better?”

Fireheart refrained from rolling his eyes at the healer’s superstitious nonsense. There was no such thing as multiple lives; every cat knew that, or else Quickflash might have come back. Whatever powers Starclan did have, it was very obvious from having met Redtail that they would not interfere so boldly by resurrecting such a horrible leader. Still, he knew better than to interrupt her.

His ear twitched as he heard someone emerge from the bramble tunnel behind them. Glancing back, he saw as Tigerclaw entered camp, his amber eyes glowing as he spotted his son next to Bluestar. The tabby tom made straight for the small crowd, while Peppermask and Darkstripe looked on curiously behind him.

Bluestar gave a slight nod to her deputy, but didn’t take her eyes off of Brokentail. “Be that as it may, Yellowfang, what would you have me do with him? Even if we let him live, he would die soon enough without aid.”

“You’re not suggesting we throw him out?” The healer sounded astonished, as though the thought had never occurred to her. He didn’t know why: it sounded like a perfectly sensible solution to him. “We would be no better than him, throwing out the broken to die in the wilderness!”

The fur on Bluestar’s scruff rose at that. Fireheart winced, remembering how irate she had been at Mosspaw’s exile. “Those are not remotely the same. He exiled innocent kits because he couldn’t be bothered to use herbs: he is a murderer, and should be treated as such.” Bluestar responded coldly. Tigerclaw nodded approvingly beside her, and though it rankled him to agree with the traitorous tabby, he had to admit he could not argue with her. “There is no place in our camp or our territory for him.”

“If I may, Bluestar.” The crowd turned to see One-eye approach slowly. “The Clan once took prisoners, many seasons ago, back in the days when we fought bitterly with Windclan for territory. It has been long since that foxhole was used, but-” She glanced disdainfully at the exiled rogue before them, “I’m sure it would still fit him.”

“Keep Brokentail? In our own camp? One-eye, you must be mad.” Tigerclaw growled as he shook his head. “He would murder our kits by sundown!”

“I’m old, not senile! You’d do well to remember that, Tigerclaw.” The old white molly swung her head to glare at the deputy with a snarl. “I may only have one eye left, but I can see as well as you can that he’ll never be able to walk again. Even if he does manage to escape the prison, I’m sure whatever warrior is on guard duty will be able to catch him before he makes it to the nursery. Unless you don’t trust them to take on a two-legged elder, in which case they shouldn’t be on guard duty at all.” The elder gave a wide yawn once she finished her speech, showing off her broken and missing fangs prominently.

The deputy growled lowly in response, but he seemed momentarily cowed by the elder. Fireheart was surprised and impressed - not many cats could speak to the mighty warrior that way and expect to keep their ears. Beside him, Bluestar seemed thoughtful. “Perhaps it would be better to have him somewhere we can keep an eye on him.” She mewed at last. “He has already demonstrated a remarkable ability to survive destruction, like a swarm of rats. If we didn’t kill him now, it’s impossible to know what harm he could bring later.”

“You’re not seriously considering it?” Dustleap huffed bitterly as he lashed his tail. “Well, I’m not hunting even a flea for this pile of crowfood! He can starve to death for all I care.”

He glanced at Bluestar, wondering what the leader was going to say, but it was Yellowfang that spoke first. “I will care for him.” The old molly growled roughly, dipping her head to the silver queen before her. “As healer, it is my responsibility to see to Starclan’s will. If this is how I must serve them, so be it.”

The leader watched Yellowfang with a scrutinizing gaze. At last, she nodded slowly. “Very well. So long as no undue burdens are placed upon my warriors, I see no reason not to imprison him. Being held captive by such weak mousehearts will surely be punishment enough for this rogue for whatever lifetime Starclan grants him.” She gazed down on the exile, her whiskers twitching in amusement as she threw his words back at him. “One-eye, show Yellowfang to the foxhole. Tigerclaw, I expect that there should now be two cats on guard duty at all times, with one being posted next to the prison.”

The large tabby nodded slowly to the leader as One-eye began showing Yellowfang across camp, towards the apprentices’ den. “It will be done.” He mewed, though the irritation in his voice and his twitching tail tip indicated he still wasn’t quite pleased with this plan.

“What about the rest of Brokentail’s exiles?” Bluestar asked as she looked back to the rest of the patrol. “Longtail told me that they had been driven out. Do you think they will return?”

“It’s possible. None were killed in the attack.” Mousefur mewed as she stepped forward. “But I don’t think they will be so eager to attack us, especially not without their leader. I doubt we’ll be seeing them for many moons.”

“Make sure there’s a regular patrol along the Twolegplace border, as well.” The leader instructed Tigerclaw once the dusky brown molly had finished speaking. “Once a day will be enough - just to make sure that Brokentail’s rogues don’t find their way into our territory.”

“They were already hunting within our territory. We found crowfood near their nest, and one of them mentioned bringing back prey from our territory before the fight.” Mousefur mewed with a nod to Fireheart. “Fireheart and Longtail were right. Brokentail was already a threat, we just hadn’t realized it yet.”

“I see. I’m glad we acted quickly, then.” Bluestar mewed appreciatively. “You all will have to tell the other Clans of the battle at the next Gathering.” Fireheart perked his ears at that. She was already guaranteeing that he would get to go to the Gathering? The others would be thrilled to hear it. He started to get to his feet when the silver queen spoke again. “Though you could perhaps leave out the part about Brokentail himself.”

“Why?” Dustleap challenged brashly, his tail still lashing. “You’re not ashamed of taking in that old fleabag, are you?”

“No. I trust my healer’s word.” Bluestar replied, her gaze unwavering as she looked on at the reckless tabby warrior. “But mention of him will surely open old wounds. There is no reason to bring it up needlessly. If any cat asks, he died under that Monster’s paws.”

Dustleap sneered at that, but Fireheart nodded in understanding. Even with Yellowfang, the topic of the old Shadowclan tyrant seemed raw. He couldn’t imagine how it would be for Windclan, who lost their home to his greedy claws, or Shadowclan, who suffered cruelly underneath his leadership. She was right: it was best to leave the topic be.

The cats surrounding her began to disperse across the clearing. Fireheart watched as Cinderpaw bolted for the healer’s den - checking on her mentor, he realized guiltily. He had nearly forgotten about her in all that had happened after the battle. He was about to follow the gray apprentice when he stiffened and glanced back to Bluestar. “Has Graystripe returned from hunting yet?” He asked curiously.

She glanced at him, a small frown crossing her silvery muzzle. “He has not.” She admitted. “Why?”

He frowned at her response. It was unusual for any warrior to be out all day, but perhaps Graystripe had lost track of the sun. “You said you wanted two cats on guard duty. I was supposed to be the second, but then there was the battle.” Tigerclaw narrowed his amber eyes, and he added quickly, “I just wanted to offer to guard Brokentail first, at least until Tigerclaw assigns the night vigils.”

The deputy’s gaze stayed narrow, but Bluestar smiled in delight. “Of course, Fireheart. I appreciate the dedication. The Clan needs that more than ever these days.” She sighed softly as her blue eyes drifted across his pelt, torn from both the battle and the rose bush he had chased Brokentail through. “But you must see Yellowfang and Dewpaw afterwards. I can’t risk your wounds getting infected now that leafbare is here.”

“Of course.” He mewed with a dip of his head, taking the opportunity to dismiss himself. He crossed camp towards the ferns of the apprentices’ den that he had seen One-eye take Yellowfang. He paused by it, glancing around in confusion. She had mentioned a foxhole, but he had never seen one near their old den.

“Looking for the prison?” He jumped as One-eye seemed to materialize beside him. “It’s over there, just behind the warriors’ den.” She pointed with a paw, and he followed it to see an almost-hidden hole in the ground. Long grass and a few tree shoots surrounded it; if she hadn’t pointed it out, he would have never seen it. “Well hidden, of course. We couldn’t have any enemies sneaking in to free their friends.”

“Thank you.” He mewed, trotting over. The hole was small, only big enough for a young apprentice to fit through comfortably. Tigerclaw, Lionheart and Whitestorm would never be able to fit in on their own. Then, he supposed, perhaps that was a good thing for Brokentail - it meant that the more murderous members of the Clan wouldn’t enact their own justice on him.

He threw back his shoulders and started to squeeze his way in. He didn’t need to see the inside, really, but he was curious. It was evidently very rare for Thunderclan to take prisoners, and he didn’t know when he’d get another opportunity like this.

The inside was almost black, and even though he couldn’t see, he could feel with his whiskers how cramped it was. He blinked slowly, trying to let his eyes adjust, when he heard soft murmuring. As the space slowly came into focus, he could see Yellowfang and Brokentail laying in a shallow groove in the dirt. The healer was gently lapping at the exile’s head with her eyes closed, just like he had when he had been comforting Princess.

“Yellowfang!” He hissed in surprise. “What are you doing?”

The old molly startled at his voice, opening her eyes to see him standing in front of them. “Fireheart!” She gasped, clearly also shocked to see him. “What are you doing in here?”

“I was going to guard Brokentail.” He scowled at the kit-killer. Even though he had volunteered for it, that didn’t mean he liked the rogue any more than Dustleap seemed to. “What in Starclan’s name were you doing to him? Were you comforting him?”

The healer stared at him with wide eyes, as though she hadn’t processed what he said at all. Then her shoulders sagged and her gaze dropped to the floor. “I was.”

“Why?” Fireheart asked in confusion. She hated the tyrant that had exiled her, didn’t she? Surely his comfort would be the last thing on his mind. He shook his head slowly in disbelief. “He doesn’t deserve that.”

Her gaze slowly turned to the mangled tabby beside her, her eyes drifting across his still form. She watched as his flank slowly and steadily rose and fell. He was sleeping, the ginger tom realized after a moment. “Because he’s my son.”

Fireheart blinked at her, not sure if he had heard her right. “Your son?” He echoed dimly as he stared at her. “But I thought healers weren’t allowed to have kits.”

“We aren’t.” Yellowfang sighed as she watched the tabby tom breathing, her eyes filled with a fondness he hadn’t seen from her before. “I was young, and foolish. I was in love with his father - Raggedstar. We were leader and healer, then, and I believed that there was nothing that could stop us.” Her copper gaze then clouded with grief. “I was wrong.”

Fireheart glanced behind him. No cat was going to sneak up on them, at least for the time being, so he slowly sat down. He owed it to Yellowfang, at least, to hear her out. “What happened?”

“I had three.” She mewed softly. “The first two were stillborn mollies. I named the first one Hopekit, after the hope I had that the rest would live. I named the second Wishkit, after the wish I had that they would forgive me in Starclan for breaking the code. The third…” Fireheart glanced at the exile before him. “Brokenkit, after the broken heart I had realizing I could never raise him as his mother.”

She looked back up to the Thunderclan warrior, her eyes watering. “I knew then that I had betrayed Starclan by taking a mate and kits, and that they were punishing me for my insolence. I thought that Hopekit and Wishkit’s deaths were the curse they had given me.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “But now I know I was wrong. My punishment was not that my daughters died. It’s that my son lived!”

Brokentail didn’t startle out of his sleep, still slumbering soundly despite the howling of the queen beside him. “Does he know? That you’re his mother, I mean?”

“No.” She opened her eyes and gazed back down at her tabby son. “I buried Hopekit and Wishkit where they were born, and took Brokenkit back to Raggedstar. He was surprised at my change of mind, but agreed to have one of the queens nurse him instead.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “One jumped at the chance to nurse Raggedstar’s son. She raised Brokentail like he was her own. He likely still believes she was his birth mother.”

She sighed wistfully at the memories. “I recommitted myself to my duties as a healer. No one but my mentor ever suspected that I was Brokentail’s birth mother, and I was able to move on with my life. But Starclan never forgot, and they certainly never forgave.” The healer’s paws shuffled shamefully in the soil. “Ever since his birth, I have been unable to speak to them. Thankfully, I have always had an apprentice there to interpret their will for me, but it is a constant reminder that I have broken our sacred code.”

He watched her carefully. “You said that you knew that my sister was in a hard position, and that you couldn’t leave her in distress. Is- is this why you agreed to help her?”

Yellowfang nodded slowly in response. “My mentor taught me those secrets I mentioned when I was a half-moon away from kitting. I think she knew, even if she didn’t say it out loud.” She sighed once more. “Sometimes I wonder if she looks down on me from Starclan even now, still disappointed in me for not following the healer code. I abandoned my old self completely - my love, my kits, my name - yet still, my shame follows me.”

He perked his ears in surprise as she spoke. “Your name? You had a different name?”

She snorted. “What, did you think I was born Yellowkit?” The grizzled healer’s whiskers twitched in amusement at his question. “My mother may have been a bit mad, but she wasn’t blind. I had a name to match the rest of my siblings’, once.” She looked away, her smile fading after a few heartbeats. “But that name was given to me by Starclan. In abandoning them, I abandoned that name. Raggedstar gave me my new name, just after Brokenkit was born. There aren’t many in the Clans who remember my old name, now.”

He recalled the joke Graystripe had made on the way to a Gathering with him a couple of moons ago. “I guess I didn’t really think about it.” He finally mewed. “What was it, if I may ask?”

The melancholy molly shook her head slowly. “No. Like I said, that name is no longer my own. Starclan has made it clear I no longer deserve it.” The dark gray queen sighed as she looked down on her son, her gaze filled with heartache that spoke more words than she could ever say. “Just like he is no longer my son. It is only in these secret moments, when no one is watching, that I even dare to think about what life might have been.”

The elderly healer finally looked back up to him, her sorrowful copper gaze meeting his emerald eyes. “I understand if you cannot forgive me. I don’t know if I would either, in your position.”

Her form seemed to shrink before him, until she looked nearly as small as a new apprentice. He looked between her and Brokentail - her son, the cat she loved despite all that he had done, cared for unconditionally. He understood now why she had defended him so desperately; what mother would willfully send her son to his death? And even knowing all the atrocious acts that the tabby had committed, knowing that he only still lived because of Yellowfang, Fireheart couldn’t find it in himself to blame her.

“I’ll forgive you.” He declared at last. “But only on one condition.”

Her eyes glittered in what little light remained. “Speak your mind.” She replied wearily, as though already resigned to him extorting her.

“You forgive me for breaking your leg.”

They stared at each other for several moments. He wondered if perhaps she was thinking it over, but then she began convulsing, letting out a growl in between each shaky breath. “Yellowfang?” He mewed in concern for the old molly, stepping closer in the small cave.

“Oh, Fireheart.” She wheezed in between growls, and after a heartbeat he realized she’d been laughing. “I forgave you for that many moons ago.”

“Then I forgive you.” He mewed simply, leaning over Brokentail to touch his nose to hers affectionately. “Cats aren’t just their parents. I am not the kittypet my mother and father were. Brokentail is not Raggedstar or you. I wouldn’t thank him for your actions, just like I won’t blame you for his.”

Her laughter finally ceased, and she slowly looked up to fix him with a steady copper gaze. “You have more wisdom than some elders I’ve known, Fireheart.” Yellowfang murmured softly, finally standing up and moving away from Brokentail’s body. “Thank you. It feels good to have told another cat the truth.” She hesitated and looked back at her son briefly. “It… it may be selfish of me to ask, but would you keep this between us? Even though I can no longer speak with Starclan, I still enjoy my role as the Clan’s healer. I don’t want to give it up for anything.”

Fireheart stared at her in confusion. “Why would you have to give it up if other cats knew? Brokentail being your son has nothing to do with your skill as a healer.”

She chuffed as though he’d said something funny, but he could see tears welling in her eyes. “If only other warriors thought as you did.” She sighed and glanced down at her paws. “By taking a mate and having kits, I broke Starclan’s code. I could be exiled, if Bluestar so chose. At best, I would likely be forced to retire to the elders’ den. I may be old, but I still have some life left in me, I should think.”

The ginger warrior pressed himself against her, giving her a reassuring purr. “You’ve kept my secret, I see no reason why I shouldn’t keep yours. Besides, Dewpaw still needs a mentor, and it would tear her up to have her second mentor taken from her in as many moons.” He wondered what the spotted molly would think if she learned of Yellowfang’s secret; she had always been ready to recite the healer code, but he had no doubt that she loved the grumpy old healer as well.

“Dewpaw…” The grizzled gray molly hesitated at the mention of her apprentice’s name. “Do you think I should tell her the truth as well? I never told Wetnose, but… perhaps she deserves to know.”

He wasn’t sure how to answer that. He didn’t see the issue, but then, he wasn’t a healer. “I think you should trust your own judgement on that. Dewpaw’s an understanding cat. If you think she needs to know, then I’m sure she would be willing to keep your secret.” He blinked as the thought of the healer’s apprentice suddenly reminded him of what had happened after the battle. “You should go see her, though, and help her with Mistspring. Besides, I’m supposed to be outside, guarding Brokentail.” Even as he said that, he glanced back at the sleeping form. It wasn’t like there was much to guard right now.

“I already did what I could to help Mistspring. Whatever happens, she’s in Starclan’s paws now.” Still, the healer moved towards the crevice that led outside, before glancing back at the two toms. “Brokentail won’t be moving for a while. I gave him some poppy seeds to help ease the pain, and they’ll likely keep him sleeping through the night. You should come with me, so I can see to those injuries of yours.”

Fireheart hesitated, glancing back. While he trusted Yellowfang’s assessment, he had still promised Bluestar that he would guard the prison. “Can I come see you after I’m done? I don’t want to disappoint Bluestar.”

The old queen rolled her eyes at his words. “I’ll bring the herbs to you. You’ll be sitting outside?” He nodded quickly in response. “Fine, then.” She pushed her way through the entrance, her bulky Shadowclan frame loosing some of the dirt as she went through.

The warrior gave one last glance at the almost peaceful form of Brokentail before following her. It would be strange, having the former tyrant in camp, but some part of him was glad the tom had survived the Monster. Especially now that he knew the truth about his parentage. Even if Yellowfang might deny it, it was clear she still had affection for the broken tom.

He shook his head briefly to rid himself of the thought. It wasn’t his concern, anymore. As far as he cared, Brokentail was just a prisoner. He left the foxhole quickly, leaving the dark tabby to the shadows where he belonged.

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