Stormstar...
That was a powerful name to fear. It rolled off the tongue the same way a raindrop rolled down a leaf. He might have been the strongest warrior in his clan, but with a name like that, all the other clans would fear him.
But no. That day changed his life and the way he perceived it forever. That day was when Goosefeather chased him and his brother as kits (and who did that? They were only kits), that day was when he slipped on the rocks and smashed his jaw. That day was when his mother stopped loving him and started loving his brother more. That day was when Mapleshade came to him...
But that was a long story for another time.
For now, he kept thinking of the possibilities. Warriors were usually named after a strength, but he was one of the few named for their flaw. Crookedjaw, he had noted with disdain. It wasn't an honorable name, it was one that reminded him of his weakness. The fierce clans of his day had very little to do with weakness.
His mother. His own mother had betrayed him in a way. She cruelly renamed him (through Hailstar) despite his father's protests.
He put up an act before the clan when he received his new name. He hated it whenever someone called his name, though the initial sting began to wear off and he almost forgot his original name. Almost.
He would never forget the day Oakheart just stared at him.
It wasn't like any other day hunting, Oakheart wouldn't stop glancing at him until Crookedjaw, getting annoyed, snapped at his brother. But he didn't answer, he just gazed at his slightly younger brother.
"Do you sometimes think about your birth name?" He asked quietly.
What was this? "Sometimes." He answered cautiously. He had been giving it some thought lately.
"Do you hate mother?" Same quiet tone.
"...No." He truly couldn't feel hate, just betrayal. However, he hoped she was happy enough in StarClan.
"Crookedjaw... Stormkit, you know that a name can't and won't define you any more than that jaw of yours. It's what you choose to be that counts."
It was his turn to stare at his brother. Crookedjaw didn't say anything, just moved out of his stance sluggishly, his legs having gone stiff suddenly. He barely caught anything for the clan - not that it mattered right then at the time, surprisingly.
Crookedjaw kept Oakheart's words to heart.
He kept them when Shellheart died, when Hailstar died, when Willowbreeze and their daughters died...when Oakheart himself died...when his only surviving daughter died.
He kept hold of them when Mapleshade practically laughed in his face.
No. The names of both Crookedstar and Stormstar - two names of great importance to him (for different reasons) - did not truly define him.
With that, he was remembered as one of the greatest leaders RiverClan, and perhaps even the forest, had ever seen.
I have no idea why I wrote this. I just decided to write this in one sitting for exercise.
Disclaimer: I have no hand in Warriors whatsoever and do not own the following characters, Crookedstar and Oakheart, at all. I merely borrowed them for the use of this wierd drabble/oneshot.
Crookedstar is one of my favorites, and I always felt really bad for him when Rainflower messed everything up. I was not too sad to see her die. Oh well.
If you didn't like this, that is perfectly alright, I understand. But otherwise, please leave a review! :D
-Winterbornbree
