Six moons earlier…..
Sunkit squirmed as Featherpelt washed his ear. "Mom, stop that! You're embarrassing me!" he yowled. The other queen Birdsong, who was lounging in the corner of the nursery, smirked. Her two kits Skykit and Breezekit watched the scene with different expressions. Skykit appeared indifferent while his sister flashed Sunkit a sympathetic look.
"I'm so glad I don't have to take baths," the tabby brown tom boasted to his sister.
Breezekit glared at him. "Yes, we do, Skykit! Every afternoon after –"
"Forget I even said anything."
Sunkit wriggled from his mother's grip. "I'm clean enough," he declared, swiping a paw over his head to smooth out the spiky, wet fur.
Featherpelt's whiskers twitched. "I just want you to look your best for your apprentice ceremony," she remarked. The words weren't out of her mouth five seconds when her other kit Silverkit crashed into the nursery and accidentally ran into her brother. The two kits tumbled into the moss, Silverkit sprawled on top of Sunkit.
"Ger rof me," he growled through Silverkit's fur.
"Oops. Sorry, Sunkit," she said, scrambling off him.
Sunkit stood up and shook out his golden brown pelt. He glanced warily in Featherpelt's direction, scared she was going to give him another bath.
Featherpelt shook her head at them. She was going to miss their antics once she got back to warriors' duties. "Where's the mouse, Silverkit?
"Eaglestar just jumped onto High Rock!" the silver kit squealed, jumping up and down excitedly. "It's time!"
"What are we waiting for?" Sunkit said. "Let's go!" Before the two kits could rush out of the nursery, Featherpelt stepped on their tails. Silverkit face planted in a pile of moss while Sunkit flashed her an annoyed look.
The queen lifted her paw off their tails. "I know you two are excited, but –"
Eaglestar's yowl cut her off. "Let all cats old enough to catch their prey join here under High Rock for a clan meeting!"
The two kits gave their mother pleading looks. They were anxious to leave. Featherpelt couldn't blame them. She remembered being the same way for her apprentice ceremony. "- please act like you have some sense," she finished. The queen brushed a fleck of moss hanging off Silverkit's ear and nudged them towards the bramble entrance of the nursery. "Go on. The Clan is waiting for you."
Sunkit and Silverkit padded out the nursery, their heads and tails held high. Featherpelt followed them into the clearing where the Clan was already gathered around High Rock. She took a position at her mate Falconwing's side, who greeted her with a lick. As she watched Sunkit and Silverkit make their way to the base of huge boulder, she couldn't help but think how her two kits looked like tiny copies of her and her mate when they were apprentices.
"I remember when that was us," Falconwing whispered, his voice teeming with pride.
Featherpelt flicked her ears in acknowledgement as Eaglestar began the ceremony. "Cats of Thunderclan, Sunkit and Silverkit are at six moons and are now able to begin their apprenticeship." He stopped and stared down at Sunkit. The kit held his amber gaze, unafraid. "Please step forward, Sunkit," Eaglestar commanded.
The young tom obeyed and stepped closer to the rock. "From this day forward, until he has earned his warrior name, this young cat shall be known as Sunpaw."
"Sunpaw! Sunpaw!" the Clan cheered with Falconwing and Featherpelt cheering the loudest.
"Hawkclaw? May you step forward as well?" Eaglestar called.
Featherpelt held her breath as a muscular brown tabby padded towards the base of High Rock. Hawkclaw was Falconwing's brother and Eaglestar's son. He thought he was Starclan's gift to everything and treated everyone as if they were inferior to him since his father was Clan leader. Featherpelt never got along with him as apprentices, and even as warriors they still squabble occasionally on patrols.
"I should have talked to Eaglestar about this," she muttered.
"What?" Falconwing asked quietly.
"Nothing," she mewed, returning her attention back to Hawkclaw and Eaglestar.
"Hawkclaw, you were a fine mentor to Riverbreeze." He nodded to a blue gray tom sitting in the second row of the crowd. "Once again, I ask you to mentor another apprentice."
The tom dipped his head. "I accept, Eaglestar." Hawkclaw touched noses with Sunpaw, then retreated with his new apprentice to the crowd of Clan cats.
Eaglestar then focused his gaze on Silverkit. Featherpelt stared intently at her. She looked incredibly nervous and…almost scared to be an apprentice. What is she so scared about? She wondered.
Suddenly, a black cat dashed across the clearing to stand beside Silverkit. She suppressed a gasp. The cat sitting next to Silverkit was the Clan's medicine cat – and Featherpelt's littermate – Whitetail.
"Sorry I'm late," the tom panted, his unusually white tail drooping. "I was tending to Blackfang's leg."
Eaglestar gazed warmly at Whitetail. "It's okay," he said. "You haven't missed anything."
Featherpelt thought it was odd Eaglestar didn't berate Whitetail for being late to a clan meeting. He always put cats on apprentice duties for a quarter moon if they were late, regardless if they had a good excuse. Then again, he was always sweet on me and Whitetail. she thought.
Eaglestar's voice brought her back to reality. "Until this day forward, until she has earned her warrior name, Silverkit will be known as Silverpaw." Silverpaw touched noses with Whitetail while the clan cheered for her.
"Did you know Silverpaw wanted to be a medicine cat?" Falconwing whispered to his mate.
Featherpelt shook her head. "She never mentioned it. Maybe she was afraid we'd talk her out of it."
Falconwing sighed. "There's no reason for her to be afraid. Whether she's a medicine cat or warrior, I'd still be proud of her."
Eaglestar twitched his tail, silencing the clearing. "As you all know, we recently won a battle with Riverclan for Sunningrocks." A few yowls of triumph rolled through the clan. The Thunderclan leader waited until they were quiet before continuing. "Unfortunately, Blackfang injured his leg in battle. Though Whitetail has informed me he's expected to make a full recovery, Blackfang told me he is ready to join the elders." Before Eaglestar could continue, the clan chattered about this revelation.
"Blackfang is joining the elders?" echoed a ginger apprentice.
"Well, he hasn't been up to par in the last few moons, Foxpaw," the apprentice's mentor Stormclaw mewed.
"It's about time," his mate Grayheart agreed.
"Who's going to be our deputy then?" Hawkclaw yowled, his voice drowning out the others.
"Yeah! Who's going to be our deputy?" the clan chorused.
Eaglestar lashed his tail in frustration. "Let me finish!" he growled. He took a breath, then resumed speaking. "Since Blackfang is retiring, the time has come for me to appoint a new one." His eyes traveled over the clan until his gaze rested on Featherpelt. A shiver traveled down her spine. It seemed creepy the way he always looked at her. Even when he had been her mentor, he always looked at her with awe and pride, even though she wasn't his kin. Ever since she had been kitted, Eaglestar had always acted like a father figure to her. Not that she minded, but it seemed weird that he never treated his sons – his own kin – the same way.
She pressed herself against Falconwing's pelt, the way she did when she was nervous. His presence always seemed to soothe her.
"I say these words before StarClan, so that they may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of Thunderclan shall be…Featherpelt." Shocked mews rippled across the clan. Falconwing leaned away from her. Heads turned to stare at the she cat, their expressions varying from surprise and delight while Hawkclaw glared at her.
Featherpelt's heart hammered in her chest. She was starting to feel self-conscious of the all the attention.
"Do you accept this position?" Eaglestar asked.
The clearing was dead silent, except Hawkclaw's hushed chanting in the background, "Don't say yes. Don't say yes,", all of them anxiously waiting for her answer.
Featherpelt was almost tempted to say no. She didn't want to be deputy to a leader that treated her better than his own sons. But this is the moment you have been dreaming of since you were a kit. A voice reminded her. Are you too afraid of a leader to accept the role?
Of course not. She remarked. Featherpelt, then, met Eaglestar's eyes. "I accept the position. I will serve the clan until my last breath."
"Featherpelt! Featherpelt!" The clan chorused.
Then, Eaglestar dismissed the meeting with a flick of his tail and disappeared into the curtain of lichen, concealing the leader's den at the base of High Rock. "Congratulations," Falconwing said, though he sounded as if his heart wasn't in it. It had never occurred to Featherpelt that he had wanted to be deputy as bad as his brother. As the clan cats broke into groups to begin their patrols, several cats passed Featherpelt and congratulated her. This seemed to anger Falconwing, who got up and left. Featherpelt stood up and called after her mate, but he seemed to not hear her and left with a border patrol. Hawkclaw shot her a glare before joining his brother. Sunpaw bounced at his side, spouting off a moon's worth of questions. He didn't seem to notice his mentor's mood.
Featherpelt stared after her mate as he vanished from the gorse tunnel. Dark thoughts swirled inside her head. Is it really that bad for me to be deputy? She thought. Will Falconwing not want to be mates with me anymore?
"I wouldn't worry about him," an albino she cat mewed, padding up to Featherpelt. "He'll get over it. So will Hawkclaw."
Her voice dragged the new deputy out of her thoughts. "Do you really think so, Cloudflight?"
"Of course I do," her best friend replied. "If he doesn't, then he wasn't worth your time." She dropped her mew. "Though if he's the cat I think he is, I'm sure he'll get over it."
That made Featherpelt feel a little better. She scanned the clearing looking for Silverkit to take her mind of Falconwing. She spotted her entering the medicine cat den with Whitetail. I wonder why she never told me she wanted to be a medicine cat. She marveled for the second time that day.
A paw prodded Featherpelt's shoulder. "Stop you're worrying, Featherpelt," Cloudflight commanded. "Let's go hunting. We need to celebrate you getting back to warrior duties!"
Featherpelt laughed. Her friend was right. Falconwing would get over it, and her kits were going to be fine. "Sure, let's go!" she remarked.
Before the two warriors could walk out of the gorse tunnel, Eaglestar yowled across the quiet clearing, "Featherpelt, come here! I need to talk to you!"
"Coming!" the deputy replied. Though she wasn't thrilled about being alone in a den with her leader, she excused herself from Cloudflight and retreated to Eaglestar.
"Fine! Leave me why don't you?" her friend teased before walking away from the gorse tunnel. Featherpelt rolled her eyes as she followed Eaglestar into his den.
She gasped as a shock of cold air blasted her pelt as she passed through the curtain of lichen. The den was a lot cooler compared to the hot, greenleaf day.
The Thunderclan leader sat in his nest of moss and looked down at her. Featherpelt met his eyes awkwardly, unsure what to do. She felt like a brand new apprentice that had just been given a brand new mentor.
"You can sit, Featherpelt," Eaglestar finally said, amused. "I like to keep my meetings casual."
His deputy obeyed and sat on the dirt floor. "What did you want to talk to me about, Eaglestar?" she asked. The sooner we finish, the better.
"I was just going to inform you what your duties as a deputy are," he explained, "but if you already know, then we can skip ahead to a more serious matter."
"I'm familiar with deputy duties. What is this 'serious matter'?"
Her leader's friendly, calm demeanor switched to a solemn, almost grim mood. He heaved a great sigh and dropped his mew, despite the fact no other cat could hear them in his den. "I was passing through Windclan territory –" He stopped when he saw Featherpelt gave him a strange look. "I was coming back from the Moonstone," he explained. "Anyways, as I walked on the border, I heard voices whispering from the bushes. I didn't pay them much attention until they said something about Thunderclan. I stopped and listened to what they were saying. I didn't recognize the voices, but they had Windclan and Shadowclan scents.
"Anyways, as I eavesdropped on their conversation, I gathered they were planning a full scale invasion on Thunderclan."
Featherpelt felt her claws unsheathe, her pelt bristling. "What in Starclan's name are they thinking?" she demanded.
Eaglestar shook his head. "I truly don't know, but if I had to guess, they probably need more territory to feed their clans. After all, they are two of the biggest clans in the forest."
A growl escaped her throat. "That still doesn't give them the right to attack us. There have always been four clans in the forest! They have sustained themselves off the land for generations! Why does now make any difference?"
"I don't know. I wish we could ask Riverclan for help, but they won't be too keen on being allies after the battle for Sunningrocks. The only thing we can hope from them is that they stay neutral."
Featherpelt didn't reply. She would like to say they should take patrols to Windclan and Shadowclan and attack them first, but she knew that wouldn't work. They would still be badly outnumbered, and the warriors were still weak after the battle for Sunningrocks.
"Do you know when they are going to attack?" she inquired.
"Soon, but I don't know how soon."
"What are we going to do, then?"
Eaglestar hunched his shoulders and sighed in defeat. He stared sadly at her. "I was afraid you were going to say that," he rasped. "I was hoping you'd come up with something,"
Featherpelt stared at him in shock. Did he just say that? She thought in awe yet anger. Eaglestar's eyes still lingered on her, waiting for her to respond. What do I say? She cried to StarClan. What can I tell my leader?
You know what to do, daughter. Use your head. A voice, that same voice from earlier, echoed.
Featherpelt recognized that voice. It was her mother. Cherryheart? she called, but her mother was gone. She focused her attention back to Eaglestar. She took a deep a breath and told him what she had previously thought about sending patrols to Shadowclan and Windclan. "But I know we would be badly outnumbered, and we're too weak to fight after Sunningrocks," Featherpelt added. "All we can do know is prepare for invasion. We should increase patrols, have battle training sessions, keep the fresh-kill pile well-stocked, and make sure the medicine cat den has plenty of herbs."
Eaglestar nodded his head, his expression grim. "I guess that's all we can do." He yawned and curled up in his nest. "I'll make the announcement as soon as everyone gets back from patrols. You can leave now, Featherpelt."