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Coming From A Mutual Misunderstanding
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A/N: Short idea that got into my head...I figured that these two cats wouldn't be too popular with their clans giving their closeness with some very unpopular cats. It made me wonder what would happen if they had a chance to talk?
Boulder, Longtail and Warriors is ｩ to Erin Hunter.
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The full moon hung high in the night sky as the forest clans fathered at Fourtrees for the Gathering. Longtail, the pale tabby ThunderClan warrior, sat by himself at some distance from the Highrock where the clan leaders addressed the gathering.
It was the first such Gathering since the combined clans had driven BloodClan from the forest. Longtail licked at a paw, remembering the bloody battle. "A battle was won," he mused to himself. "But for me the war goes on."
"Shrew for your thoughts?" A voice purred in his ear. Longtail's eyes widened as he whirled and growled at whoever had snuck up on him. He hissed as he detected the scent of ShadowClan.
Longtail growled. "What do you want--" He demanded, his fur raised. A skinny silver-gray tom with a ragged ear and bright blue eyes walked out of the darkness that shrouded his approach in typical ShadowClan fashion. "--Boulder?" Longtail sniffed in distaste.
The ThunderClan warrior had no use for ShadowClan on principle, let alone one with such a colorful past as Boulder: a loner who joined ShadowClan only to be one of Brokenstar's loyal elite, who had later been driven from ShadowClan along with his blood thirsty leader, becoming rogues. Those rogues took part in attacking the ThunderClan camp twice, then fell under the leadership of Tigerstar who reintegrated them into ShadowClan when that treacherous warrior became leader. And it was Boulder who led Tigerstar to find Scourge and BloodClan in order to bring them to the forest, resulting in the battle between the fierce loners and the forest clans.
Put simply: Longtail had no reason to like Boulder. The ShadowClan warrior flicked his tail and sat, unbidden, next to the ThunderClan warrior. "What do I want? The same thing you want, I imagine."
Longtail growled. "StarClan forbid that we should have anything in common." Boulder's eyes narrowed.
"Oh really?" He meowed. "Then why is it you aren't sharing tongues with your other cats in the Gathering? Or even your own clanmates?"
Longtail flinched as if clawed. "That is none of your business!" He hissed at the nonplussed tom beside him.
Boulder didn't even twitch a whisker. "Of course," the silver-gray tom mewed. "After all, its hardly my business if a warrior feels isolated and alone because of the company he kept." Longtail bristled, his ears and tail standing straight up.
He couldn't stop himself from asking "What do you mean?"
Boulder stretched. "Well as I understand it, you were one of Tigerstar's biggest supporters in ThunderClan. Only Darkstripe was more loyal. And it's no secret that you disliked Firestar--" Boulder nodded towards the nick in Longtail's ear, a reminder of that fight between the pale tabby and Firestar—then Firepaw—when he was first brought to ThunderClan. "Now Tigerstar is reviled by every decent cat and Firestar is the hero of the forest—must be awkward for Tigerstar's old friends I imagine."
Longtail bristled, baring his teeth and growling. "Says the cat who left BloodClan to join ShadowClan, got himself banished from ShadowClan only to rejoin it in time to fight his 'old friends' in BloodClan!" Boulder arched his back but did nothing but pad at the ground.
"So...I see you do understand." The silver tom said at last. He looked at Longtail with large blue eyes. "My clanmates barely talk to me. Wetfoot—I mentored him and now he won't even look at me. All he sees—and the rest of my Clan sees—is Brokenstar, Jaggedtooth, Clawface, Tigerstar, and Scourge." Boulder looked down. "...Do you think I wanted to be caught up in all that?"
"..." The ThunderClan warrior said nothing.
Boulder went on, heedless "Ever since a ShadowClan warrior met me in the Twolegplace and told me about life in the forest, all I wanted to do was to become part of a Clan and learn your ways. That's all. I followed Brokenstar because that's what I thought I was supposed to do as a loyal Clan cat. And he was the one who welcomed me into ShadowClan! And then when he started working with Tigerstar so after he died I followed Tigerstar back into ShadowClan. When he heard about my past with BloodClan he told me to bring him to Scourge. I tried to tell him...but he wouldn't listen." His ears flattened as he stared at Longtail. "All I want is to be a respected warrior. No more, no less. Somehow," he went on. "I suspect you want the same."
Longtail looked away. He didn't say anything for a long time. "....I didn't know what Tigerstar was." He murmured, not meeting Boulder's eyes. "...I'm not like him. Or Darkstripe. But sometimes I catch my clanmates looking at me and....I wonder if they trust me."
"Even with Tigerstar dead, we're still in his shadow." Boulder commented bitterly. "So if you want to tell me to leave, so be it. But I can tell you, that it gets very lonely when no cat wants anything to do with you." Longtail looked down.
"I don't think that's true." A new voice meowed. Boulder and Longtail looked up. Striding towards them, his orange pelt fairly shining, was Firestar. He looked at the two lonely looking warriors in turn. "I can't speak for how every cat feels or thinks," the ThunderClan leader said. "But I remember when I was new to the Clans. I didn't think I'd ever be accepted because of my kittypet roots." His whiskers twitched as he glanced at Longtail. "Anytime I made a mistake I half-expected to be banished from the Clan."
"But now..." He shook his head. "I suppose what I'm trying to say is: whatever happens, just keep doing your best for your clans. Sooner or later, they'll respect you for that. It has to be earned, not demanded. And for what it's worth," he went on. "I don't think either of you are as distrusted as you seem to think. Give them time and show them the kind of cats you really are...instead of the cats you were around."
Boulder and Longtail looked surprised at Fireheart's words of support. "T-thank you." Longtail stammered. Firetail mrrowed in amusement.
"And for what it's worth...you're both great warriors. And believe me, I'd know." That won a purr of amusement from the two cats, both of whom had personally fought with Firestar—Longtail when they first met; and Boulder when Firestar had battled him during the raid on ShadowClan to recover the stolen ThunderClan kits.
Firestar looked to the Highrock. "I think the Gathering is about to start. You two think about what I said, alright?" With that the orange tabby darted off. Boulder and Longtail exchanged a glance.
"...He's not what I expected." Longtail said at last. Boulder nodded.
"True." He meowed. "But then—I guess that means that we don't have to be either, right?"
Longtail nodded. "I suppose so." He stretched languidly as he stood up. "We should probably go hear what's being said." He paused awkwardly, licking his paw before adding. "...Good talking to you Boulder. Your a credit to your clan."
The silver tom blinked his large blue eyes. "T-thank you Longtail." He said, but couldn't resist adding. "Of course, that's not saying much for ThunderClan."
"This from ShadowClan!" Longtail yowled with a snort. "I'll catch you around...but if its on our side of the Thunderpath expect to lose an ear!"
"You can try." Boulder purred. With that the two cats went back to sit with their Clans...buoyed somewhat by the notion that perhaps they weren't as alone as they thought.
THE END
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