A large, red-brown tabby slunk with purpose through the wooded forest. He continued, making his way through the trees until he sighted water. At the edge of the river, he paused, making note of the chill in the air. It would not be long before leaf-bare struck the forest with its icy grip. The tom glanced out over the rushing current, before plunging into its depths, swimming confidently to the other side. Although he wasn't on his side of the bank anymore, he stood with his head raised high, and waited.
Minutes passed, before a bush rustled and a tall, golden-spotted she-cat prowled into sight. She spoke in an abrupt, authoritative tone the tom wasn't used to hearing. "Tigerstar. He doesn't have much longer. A few days, at most."
Tigerstar dipped his head. "Good. Once he dies, send a messenger. I will come to your camp with some of my warriors."
The she-cat hesitated, the tip of her tail twitching. "We will have equal power in this, won't we? I don't want to join you if you're going to take over."
Tigerstar sounded hurt. "Of course we will be equal! Leopardfur, I wouldn't dream of abusing your trust. Together, ThunderClan and RiverClan will be stronger than ever before."
Leopardfur's gaze betrayed nothing, but she nodded anyway and retreated back towards her camp, leaving Tigerstar alone.
Meanwhile, in the RiverClan camp, cats were crowded around a large pale brown tabby. His twisted jaw was trembling as his body was wracked with violent coughs. Closest to him, a silver tabby she-cat sat, gently bathing the tom's head with damp moss. She whispered reassurances to him, much like a mother would do to her kits. It seemed that he would join StarClan before the sun rose.
Sandstorm paused, her attention caught by a faint rustling in a bush ahead of her. Prey?
The ginger tabby opened her jaws, hoping to identify whatever was causing the mysterious disturbance. Nothing.
She crouched down, and began to inch forward. There's something behind that bush, but what? Still no scent. Could it be an enemy warrior, disguising themselves somehow? I don't think it's a mouse.
She crept closer, green eyes narrowing as she slipped under the foliage, claws unsheathed and sharp, just to find herself opposite a calico tom with a distinctly fluffy ginger tail. His amber eyes seemed to be reflecting starlight, despite it being close to sunhigh.
Redtail! He's… alive?
Sandstorm threw herself at the small tom, expecting him to playfully roll over and play-fight with her, just like they did when she was a kit. Instead, she fell right through him, onto the ground with a thud. The tom was standing in the exact same position, sadness in his starry amber eyes.
He isn't here. I'm dreaming. Sandstorm felt stupid for not realising sooner.
Redtail finally spoke. His voice sounded different - deeper, maybe, than it was when he was alive. His posture was different, too. He stood taller, looked more confident. StarClan must have granted him the body he had always wanted!
Redtail was born with a body similar to most she-cats, but he'd always known he was really a tom. There was some confusion among the Clan when he first spoke out about it, apparently, but Sandstorm hadn't been born at the time. She had always known him as one of her fathers. It didn't matter that they weren't blood related.
His deep voice sounded familiar, yet new at the same time. He spoke as if he were in a trance, his starry eyes growing pale and glassy.
"Embrace the darkness, for there you will find your strength. Embrace the darkness, but do not fall victim to it. Do not fall."
"What? Father, is this some kind of.. prophecy? What do you mean? Darkness?"
Sandstorm's mind buzzed with thoughts. I haven't seen him at all since he died, except in those horrible nightmares. I finally get a chance to speak with him and I get this?
The young tabby snapped out of her irritated confusion when Redtail hissed, his fur standing on end. "Do not fall. Do not fall."
Is he even talking to me?
She looked around, suddenly noticing pairs of gleaming eyes surrounding her.
What's going on? Who are they?
Redtail's face contorted in pain, his voice raising to a pitiful screech. "Fall. Fall. You will fall. You will fall. You will fall. You will fall."
"Redtail! What do you mean?"
Sandstorm saw faint shapes of more transparent cats, chanting 'fall!' 'fall!' 'fall!', pressing closer to her and Redtail. She could hardly see them, but she felt their presence somehow. They made her feel like she was suffocating.
Redtail reared up on his hind legs, his claws slashing outwards at the other ghostly cats. He stared at his daughter, his eyes sorrowful. "Run."
Sandstorm awoke in her nest, her chest tight, heart racing. She glanced wildly around the warriors den. Everything was normal, everyone was asleep. On one side of her, Fireheart was lying stretched out, his hind legs poking into Sandstorm's nest. He was snoring. On her other side, Dustpelt was curled up in a ball, his tail tucked over his ears to block out the sound of the orange tom. Everything was fine.
Still, Sandstorm felt trapped, like the horrible ghostly cats were still pressing around her telling her she would 'fall'.
I have to get out of here. Get some air.
She picked her way past the sleeping cats, careful not to tread on Mousefur's tail as she passed the wiry she-cat. As she poked her head out of the warriors den, her mind was still a mess, her nerves hadn't calmed. She jumped, hearing a sneering voice yowl on the other side of the clearing. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join for a Clan meeting!"
Tigerstar. It's the middle of the night! What does he want?
For the first time, Sandstorm noticed Leopardfur standing near the entrance to the gorse tunnel, her spotted fur looking silver in the moonlight. She had a patrol of RiverClan cats beside her. Are we under attack? They didn't look hostile, but not friendly either.
"Uh, are you going to let us out?" Dustpelt muttered, nudging her with a front paw.
"Sorry," Sandstorm replied, moving out of the way.
The dark tabby stretched and lashed his tail. "What could be so important, that he feels the need to call a meeting in the middle of the night? Wait, RiverClan are here?"
Sandstorm settled herself down in the clearing near the warriors den, Dustpelt and Fireheart sat to her left, already debating over the RiverClan cats.
"Maybe they need help with something?" Fireheart speculated.
"They don't look like they're having any problems. Besides, the river won't freeze for a while yet. What else do they ever have an issue with?" muttered Dustpelt.
"Crookedstar might be sick. Didn't you see how frail he looked at the last gathering?"
Fireheart's tone was sympathetic, unlike Dustpelt, who hadn't quite woken up properly yet. The dark brown tabby shook his pelt out and sighed. "If they needed herbs or medical assistance, they'd have just gone to Yellowfang." His ear twitched. "You've been awfully quiet, Sandstorm, what do you think?"
Sandstorm didn't respond, she was too busy thinking over her dream.
"Hey." Fireheart gave her a gentle prod. "You okay?"
Sandstorm jumped slightly, ears flattened. "Oh, sorry! I just spaced out for a bit there."
Fireheart and Dustpelt exchanged a concerned glance. Before any of them could say any more, Tigerstar began to speak.
"ThunderClan. I regret to inform you that Crookedstar has passed away."
He paused to allow time for some sorrowful murmurs from the gathered cats. Crookedstar has usually been fair towards ThunderClan, except for in Sunningrocks disputes. The loss of a leader, especially so soon after Bluestar, was a shame for all the Clans.
"It is truly a sad day for the forest. Crookedstar was a strong leader."
Sandstorm found herself frowning. Dustpelt leaned over and whispered to her. "Sad? He wasn't this upset over Bluestar's death."
"Maybe he's just saying that because RiverClan are here." she replied.
Tigerstar continued. "But he wasn't strong enough. He didn't see the true potential RiverClan holds. Leopardfur, however, does. We have seen that the only way our Clans will be truly strong is if we join them together."
This time, Tigerstar was interrupted by confused chatter and howls of protest from ThunderClan. Dustpelt was on his paws, spluttering in disbelief. "What the fuck? What the fuck!"
"Enough!" Tigerstar narrowed his eyes at the assembled cats. "RiverClan's queens, kits, and elders will stay in their own camps, with some of their warriors to guard them. The rest of warriors will join our patrols starting tomorrow. Leopardfur and I will be joint leaders. If you have any complaints, direct them to the dirtplace. Go back to your dens."
With that, the big tabby jumped down from the Highrock and retreated to his den. The RiverClan cats stayed huddled in a small group, unsure of what to do.
Fireheart looked bewildered. "Is that all he's going to say?"
He scowled and puffed out his chest in an attempt to imitate Tigerstar. "Wake up ThunderClan, Crookedstar is dead. Oh, by the way, RiverClan is joining us now. No big deal. Goodnight."
Dustpelt hadn't said any more, but any cat could see he was furious, his fur stood on end, and his amber eyes were narrowed in disdain.
Sandstorm sighed and padded back to her nest, trying to block out the sound of her Clanmates discussing and arguing over the meeting. I'm so tired. I'll deal with this in the morning.
After what seemed like only a few minutes, Sandstorm was awake again. She didn't dream this time, and had pushed her thoughts of Redtail and the ghostly cats aside for now. She had other problems to think about, namely RiverClan. Graystripe hadn't assigned her to a patrol, so she decided she'd go for a walk to clear her head. Maybe she'd find some prey, too. She looked around for Dustpelt or Fireheart, hoping one of her best friends would be around to accompany her, but they were nowhere to be found. The toms must have taken their apprentices, Cloudpaw and Thornpaw, out. Sandstorm's ears lowered. Cinderpaw had been her apprentice.
When the young grey she-cat was injured by a monster on the Thunderpath, Tigerstar had insisted to Bluestar that she was unfit to be a warrior. Once she had recovered, Cinderpaw decided to become Yellowfang's apprentice. Personally, Sandstorm thought Cinderpaw could still be a warrior despite her leg injury, but Bluestar had made the decision. I miss training Cinderpaw. She'd be a great warrior. Now that Tigerstar is leader, he can do whatever he likes.
Her tail lashed as she padded through the gorse tunnel. What does he think he's doing, joining two Clans? I don't trust him at all. If he becomes even more ambitious, will anyone be able to stop him? Is there even any point to trying? How many cats will suffer because of him? She let out a long sigh. Her internal, questioning, pessimism seemed to have no end these days.
Usually, Sandstorm was well-focused. She was one of the most skilled hunters in the Clan, but today she was distracted, her lack of sleep combined with her anxiety over Tigerstar led to her not concentrating on her surroundings. She was abruptly torn from her thoughts as she tripped over a soft heap nestled near the top of the ravine. "Huh?" Sandstorm shook out her pelt and noticed it was a cat she'd walked into.
"Can you watch where you're going?!" hissed the cat. Sandstorm realised that it was a young RiverClan warrior. She had seen the silver tabby at Gatherings before, but they'd never talked.
What was her name again? Silver-something. Silverpelt? No.. Silverpool? Hmm.. Silverstream! That's it.
She didn't seem particularly friendly at the moment, her pale blue eyes blazing with annoyance.
"Sorry." Sandstorm muttered. "I wasn't paying attention."
"Clearly." Silverstream shot back.
Sandstorm thought she should try and smooth things over. They were one Clan now, as much as they hated it. Besides, I don't want any more enemies. Maybe if I get RiverClan cats on our side, we could help each other. "What are you doing out here anyway?" asked the ginger tabby.
Silverstream gave her a sharp look, as if she wasn't expecting Sandstorm to stay and chat. After a pause, she spoke. "I wanted to get away from your camp. It's hard to be so close to ThunderClan cats."
Sandstorm felt slightly stung. She hadn't expected the RiverClan cats to be overly happy about their Clans merging, but she had hoped to make friends. It wasn't Sandstorm's fault Tigerstar was ambitious. "Well, uh. Okay. Sorry. I'll… see you around, I guess."
Silverstream didn't respond.
As she padded away, Sandstorm decided it was time to give herself a motivational speech. Get it together. Stop worrying, and focus on hunting instead. You're a warrior, not a kit!
It wasn't long before she spotted a pigeon, searching for worms underneath the shade of an old oak tree. She slid down into the hunting position, and with a quick yet graceful pounce, Sandstorm caught it.
Later, by the time she had reached the camp, most of the ThunderClan cats were settling down to enjoy their meals. Tigerstar was standing by the fresh-kill pile. "Nice catch." He rumbled.
Sandstorm couldn't help glancing at the RiverClan warriors, who were clustered together, looking irritated. "Why aren't they eating?"
Tigerstar sneered, "They caught nothing. Slimy fish-eaters can't hunt under our trees. They're warriors, if they catch nothing, they eat nothing."
I wonder what Leopardfur had to say about that. It isn't fair. They aren't used to our territory! "Why not send them to the river to hunt, then?" she asked.
Tigerstar shot her an interested look. "Well, that would be too easy for them. They'll only be TigerClan warriors once they learn true hardship." Sandstorm felt the fur rise on the back of her neck. "As if starving them is going to make them loyal to you!" she snapped. The leader's eyes widened, and Sandstorm took a step back. Her patience had worn out, she had forgotten who she was talking to.
Tigerstar leaned in close and murmured, "Not many cats would question their leader like that. You aren't afraid, even though I could.. dispose of you with one swipe." He unsheathed his claws to emphasise his statement, and Sandstorm felt thoroughly unsettled. Arrogant asshole. "That's why I like you, Sandstorm. Once you lose that.. unfortunate compassion, you'll be a great warrior." With that, the dark tom stalked off towards his den. Sandstorm felt even more uncomfortable. As much as she hated to admit it, having Tigerstar trust her wouldn't be a bad thing. Perhaps she could try to gain his trust further, maybe if she pretended to be cold and uncaring, he would reveal his plans and she could report back to the Clan. No. That'd never work.
The she-cat shook out her pelt. She didn't want to think about that right now. She glanced over in the direction of the RiverClan cats again. Tigerstar had disappeared from sight, and his deputy, Graystripe, was busy stuffing his face with fresh-kill. No one will notice if I take them something. She grabbed the pigeon she had caught and carried it over to where the RiverClan cats were gathered. She spotted Silverstream sitting nearby, so she padded over and dropped the bird at the she-cat's paws. Maybe this will make up for earlier.
The silver tabby looked up, her eyes narrowing as she saw Sandstorm. "If you want to gloat about your prey, go somewhere else." she muttered.
Sandstorm twitched an ear. "I wouldn't do that. Uh, I know I didn't make a very good first impression, and I noticed you weren't allowed to eat so, here." She expected the she-cat to hiss or snarl, so Sandstorm was quite surprised when Silverstream sounded grateful, maybe even friendly. "..Thanks. That's actually really nice of you. Won't you get in trouble?" Is she.. worried?
"Don't worry, we're all one Clan now. It'll be fine." Sandstorm reassured her, feeling relieved.
Silverstream purred, "Yeah. One Clan." She paused to try the fresh-kill, before passing it on to the other RiverClanners. "I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier. It's just been difficult, adjusting to all this. Not just the whole Tigerstar-taking-over-my-Clan thing, but losing Crookedstar as well. He was my father."
Sandstorm felt a stab of pity for the young she-cat. She could relate, as her fathers, Redtail and Runningwind, had also passed. Thanks to Tigerstar, probably. "I'm sorry that he's gone…He'll be watching from StarClan though. He'd be proud of you." She mewed awkwardly.
The silver tabby tilted her head to one side, her eyes narrowing again. "What makes you think that he'd be proud of me? You don't even know me."
Sandstorm's ears flattened in dismay. Oh no! I said the wrong thing! Just when it seemed like we were becoming friends! "S-sorry." She stammered. "I just thought.."
Silverstream sighed. "No, I'm sorry. You meant well, I shouldn't be so snappy. I need to remember that not all ThunderClan cats are as bad as Tigerstar."
Sandstorm relaxed. "It's okay."
Silence. "Well… I might head off to my den now…" For some reason, she wanted to stay and talk to Silverstream more. I better not push it.
The silver tabby dipped her head. "Goodnight, and thank you for the pigeon."
"No problem!" Sandstorm replied. As she rose to her paws, Silverstream purred, amusement clear in her tone, "Watch you don't trip over anyone on your way to the den."
Sandstorm snorted, flicking the she-cat over the ear with her tail. As she curled up in her nest, she realised her conversation with Silverstream had eased some of her anxiety. She seems like a good warrior. And she doesn't trust Tigerstar. Maybe having RiverClan cats here won't be so bad after all.