A Triangle of Complicated Love
Last Update: 10/6/2012
Chapter 2: Tigerheart Joins ThunderClan
Tigerheart's POV
Tigerheart climbed up the rocks towards Bramblestar's den. As nervous as he was, he kept a confident face. When he first arrived in ThunderClan a few heartbeats ago, all eyes were on him. He couldn't stand the stares but he remained calm. Dovewing was amongst the cats. He had to stop himself from running over and licking her all over.
When Tigerheart made it to Bramblestar's den, Bramblestar was sitting on some moss with his tail wrapped around his paws.
"Have a seat." Bramblestar told him.
Tigerheart settled down in front of the ThunderClan leader. Squirrelflight sat down next to Bramblestar.
"So…why is it that you want to join ThunderClan?" Bramblestar questioned him. He didn't sound suspicious or upset about it to Tigerheart's relief.
Tigerheart's heart was thumping loudly in his chest. He hoped they couldn't hear it. He knew that he couldn't tell Bramblestar the real reason why he wanted to join ThunderClan. Bramblestar would be furious and would for sure not accept him into the Clan. So Tigerheart had to go for one option. Lie.
Tigerheart took a deep breath and told a lie, "I want to join because I just felt lost in ShadowClan…" he began but Squirrelflight interrupted him.
"You're in love."
Tigerheart stared at her in surprise. "N-no." he stammered.
Good StarClan! He thought. How did she know?
"Yes you are," Squirrelflight insisted. "I can tell." She sounded sympathetic and not upset.
Tigerheart couldn't meet her eyes so he stared down at his paws instead.
"Is this true?" Bramblestar questioned calmly.
There was no use denying it any longer. "Yes." Tigerheart replied.
Bramblestar let out a sigh. "Love is strong, I know…" he seemed to be thinking thoughtfully for a moment. Then he spoke again more seriously. "I won't ask who it is you are in love with but I will accept you into the Clan. We are kin after all and I trust you."
Tigerheart looks up at Bramblestar in surprise. "Really? You trust me?"
Bramblestar nodded. "You're my sister's son. Of course I trust you. Is this okay with you, Squirrelflight?" he asks turning to Squirrelflight.
"Yes," she answered, staring at Tigerheart warmly. "It'll be good to have such a great warrior in ThunderClan."
"Okay," Bramblestar turned back to Tigerheart. "You know you must protect your new Clanmates in battle and you must gain their trust. I can't do that for you."
"I understand. I will remain loyal to ThunderClan from now on."
"Good. Now I will hold your apprentice ceremony and you will receive a mentor to learn ThunderClan's ways of hunting and fighting." Bramblestar got up and padded out of the cave.
Squirrelflight brushed past Tigerheart as she followed Bramblestar out.
Tigerheart sat there for a heartbeat. Did he just say apprentice ceremony? Am I becoming an apprentice again? He thought before getting up and leaving the den.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Bramblestar yowled from the Highledge.
Most the cats were already in the clearing and they settled down below the Highledge. Jayfeather came out of the medicine den with Briarlight dragging herself behind him. They both stopped right outside the den and sat down, side by side. Brightheart stayed close to the nursery with her three kits and the elders came out from their den to sit down.
Squirrelflight gestured for Tigerheart to sit beside Bramblestar. He came over and sat on Bramblestar's other side. He stared down at his new Clanmates. Most of them were giving him hostile looks, including Ivypool. Tigerheart looked around for Dovewing and spotted her sitting in between Bumblestripe and Lionblaze. Bumblestripe and Dovewing had their tails intwined which made Tigerheart shiver in jealousy. He hoped that he wasn't too late.
"Cats of ThunderClan!" Bramblestar shouted in his deep voice. "Tigerheart has come from ShadowClan and wishes to join ThunderClan. He says the reason for this is because that ShadowClan weren't treating him very well and he felt out of place."
Tigerheart twitched his ears at the lie.
"So I am allowing Tigerheart to join ThunderClan." Bramblestar finished.
The whole Clan remained dead silent. Some were exchanging angry glances at one another and a few others seemed interested. Tigerheart saw Ivypool in particular glaring up at him in pure hatred.
Bramblestar continued on, "Tigerheart will be trained ThunderClan's way of hunting and fighting. From this moment Tigerheart will be known as Tigerpaw once again until he has completed his training. His mentors will be Ivypool and Brackenfur. I've chosen them both to help him finish his training quicker."
Tigerpaw flinched when Bramblestar said Ivypool's name. Ivypool? Why her?! He thought and he saw that Ivypool was looking just as shocked as him.
"Go ahead and touch noses with your mentors." Bramblestar told Tigerpaw.
Unwillingly, Tigerpaw climbed down the Highledge. Brackenfur waited for him below and touched noses with him when he arrived. Ivypool came up and touched her nose to his aggressively.
"The Clan meeting is over!" Bramblestar yowled.
"We should get straight to showing you the whole of ThunderClan territory and then we'll do some battle training," Brackenfur suggested to Tigerpaw. He stares at him thoughtfully, "This reminds me of the time when Tawnypelt brought you and your siblings here several moons ago. I was your mentor then too."
Tigerpaw nodded, ignoring Ivypool's glaring. "Yes, I remember."
"Let's get going then!" Ivypool exclaimed, innocently. "Come on, Tigerpaw." She walked towards the camp exit with her tail high in the air.
Tigerpaw growled before following after her. He had a feeling that he was going to get teased a lot as long as he was an apprentice. He never thought he would ever become an apprentice again. It would take a while for his new Clanmates to get used to having him around. They would still see him as a ShadowClan warrior for many days. That didn't really matter to Tigerpaw though. At least he'll have Dovewing…hopefully.
•••
In the forest, Tigerpaw and his new mentors had just arrived at the WindClan border.
"This is the WindClan border here, Tigerpaw." Ivypool was telling him. "Give it a good sniff."
Tigerpaw wanted to claw out her tongue right then and there. That would get her to shut up. She was treating him as if he was an apprentice on his first day out of camp. He sniffed vigorously at the WindClan scent marker before jerking his head to glare at Ivypool.
"Okay. Tigerpaw already knows what WindClan smells like, Ivypool," Brackenfur told her. "We were just showing it to him."
"Just making sure he knew where the border marker was so he wouldn't accidentally cross it." Ivypool said cheerfully.
Yeah, sure.
"Okay, that's about it of the whole territory. We'll do some battle training now before night comes." Brackenfur said, turning to head towards the battle training area.
Ivypool and Tigerpaw padded after him. Tigerpaw looked towards the sun and saw that it would be setting soon. He quickly turns away before his eyes burned out. Everything was different in the ThunderClan forest than the ShadowClan forest. Tigerpaw was use to hunting and training in ShadowClan.
Once they arrived in the battle training area, Brackenfur settled down on top of a flat rock. "How about you show Tigerpaw an advance move." He suggested to Ivypool
Ivypool stood in the center of the clearing. She suddenly leaped into the air and swiped her claws downward towards an imaginary enemy. Then she landed on all fours.
Tigerpaw knew that move. Well he didn't actually know how to do it, he just saw some ThunderClan cats using it during a battle once.
"Do it, Tigerpaw." Ivypool ordered. She went over and sat down next to Brackenfur.
Tigerpaw cursed quietly. He then leaped into the air and attempted to do what Ivypool did.
"No, no, no!" Ivypool came marching towards him once he landed.
"What?" Tigerpaw asked in annoyance. "I did exactly what you did."
"No you didn't!" she exclaimed. "You did the complete opposite. I sliced downward and not upward. What would your enemy be doing way up there?"
"Well So-ree," TIgerpaw said sarcastically. "Let me try it again."
"No!" Ivypool snapped. "I will have to show you again. And this time, pay attention!"
"Calm down, Ivypool," Brackenfur said sounding slightly irritated. "There is no need to get so upset about it."
Ivypool growled, "Yes there is! Tigerheart- I mean Tigerpaw shouldn't even be here at all!"
Brackenfur nodded in understanding. "I know you're upset about Tigerpaw joining ThunderClan but you'll soon have to get use to it. He's a ThunderClan cat now."
"Whatever." She spat. She leaped into the air and demonstrated the move once more.
Tigerpaw let out a low sigh. I don't think I will ever consider Ivypool as a Clanmate.
End of Chapter 2
Cinderpelt (narrator): Tigerheart…oh um Tigerpaw has joined ThunderClan after all. He must really love Dovewing to do this. But how will he ever get to be with her when she's already spending more time with Bumblestripe? We'll find out soon enough…