Pasts and Leaders

"What?" whispered Stripedflower, anguish in her voice. Sheriff had looked up from Blackkit when Shorttail had entered. He gasped. Pinepaw stared at Shorttail's silhouette and was at a loss for words.

"...Yes, Stripedflower. Your father is dead," replied Shortail. Pinepaw could tell he was sad to say it.

Stripedflower released a cry, and would've collapsed if she were satnding on her four paws. She ducked her head and started to weep. Pinepaw watched as her father reached over to her mother and licked her ear. She felt bad for her mother. She had gone through to many hardships.

She was born from Lilybud, a silver tabby, and Woodleap, a brown tom. She was born with Fallenriver, a dark brown tom, and her sister, Littlekit. Littlekit died a quater moon later. After her and her brother had become apprentices, they went into battle with both parents. Woodleap was the deputy, and the leader, Sharpstar, had died. So had Lilybud. All three mourned for quite a while, until one day, when Stripedflower was doing her duties, she got hit by a coming monster. She injured her shoulder, and was almost too fragile to become a warrior. Until, one day, as she tried exercising her shoulder, a young tom ran into her. He was a kittypet named Sheriff. They spent time together, and fell in love. She told her father, Woodstar, that there seemed an eligable tom to become a warrior after Sheriff helped to heal her shoulder. Woodstar gladly allowed the red and white tom into the clan. So did Fallenriver, newly made a deputy. Stripedflower soon became a warrior, and mated with Sheriff. They had Pinepaw and her brother, Oakkit. Oakkit died a few days later. After Pinepaw had become an apprentice to Fallenriver, Stripedflower got pregnant with Blackkit. That night, right before she gave birth, Fallenriver died of whitecough. And now, Woodstar was dead.

Pinepaw ducked her head at the memories. She hated to remember them, even though they weren't her's. A sudden thought then came to her mind.

"Shorttail, how... how did he die?"

Shorttail ducked his short tail. "His den collapsed onto him. From that, that shake."

"And who is the new deputy?" she asked, as her mother shook beside her, weeping.

"We don't have one. Fallenriver died after moonhigh last night."

"So... we have no leader," it wasn't a question, more like a statement.

"No, we don't. I don't - and niether do any of the others - know what to do."

"We will figure out something," Sheriff jumped into the conversation. "But do you mind if you talked outside, brother?"

Shorttail and Sheriff were not actually brothers. They were best friends that acted like brothers.

The cream and red-patched tom nodded, and motioned Pinepaw with his short tail to follow him outside. She eagerly followed. THey stood on an outcrop that let them look upon the clan. They were muttering, yelling, whispering and saying things like "Who will be our leader?" or "What happened to WoodStar?" or "What in StarClan's name is going on?"

Suddenly, a loud and demanding, but young voice, bellowed, " Quiet! Calm down, everyone! Keep your fur on! I will tell you what happened!"

It was Badgerthorn, a very young warrior. He was made a warrior about a moon ago. He was white withe silver patches where a badger's patches might be. You could easily spot him in a crowd, and Shorttail and Pinepaw found him as he shouted, "Quiet!"

The clan listened as he told what had happened. He finished the story with, "...and as I searched around his den, I saw, a... a... Brown claw sticking out from the debris."

Pinepaw shrinked back as she heard that, not wanting to hear it. She saw Shorttail flatten his ears against his head sadly. They saw the clan murmur quietly as Badgerthorn ended with a broken and cracked voice. It was just murmurs that passed through the clan until Whitecloud, also a newly made warrior and Badgerthorn's sister, asked, "Who will be our leader?"

A voice next to Pinepaw said, "Badgerthorn will."

Pinepaw looked at Shorttail with surprise. Badgerthorn? Are you kidding me? He hasn't even had an apprentice; he still seems to be! thought Pinepaw. The other clan members had looked at Shorttail with surprise and indignation, too. They then voiced exactly what Pinepaw had thought.

She looked over at Badgerthorn. He was staring at Shorttail with a truly frightened - no, more like fear stricken - look. His front left paw was raised a bit, and he looked like he was about to jump off the Highmound - the place where the leader adresses the clan.

"No, listen," said Shorttail, calming the clan. "We should make him our leader. Yes, I understand he is young, but that is one of the reasons why. I also know he hasn't had an apprentice, but he is already wise and gentle to the clan. I also understand he is somewhat irresponsible, Whitecloud; don't worry, I know! I was his mentor. He is also loyal, loving, kind, what a leader needs to be. He also has a leading ability, if you all listened to him say all that up on Highmound, you would know."

The clan whispered approvingly at Shorttail's speech. Most nodded, but some Elders shook their heads, wanting to stick to the Warrior code. But, unfortunately for them, the nods outnumbered the shakes, and sooner than Pinepaw would like to think, Badgerthorn was now Badgerstar.