~Lies~ BD 6 Moons
~Wolfspirit~
I watched as Reedfang disappeared into the bushes with Leafwatcher by his side until their tails vanished from my line of sight. My eyes momentarily closed as I gathered my bearings, praying to Starclan that I wouldn't have any needs for my claws.
It was if the whole world had fallen still, the forest eerily silent other than the harsh breaths of the opposing tom and me. I felt the sun begin to warm my pelt as I realized that it must be mid-morning by now, if not later. All was at peace, the grass below my paws still slightly moist from the morning dew, and the leaves above us whispering secrets to the soft breeze.
Taking a deep breath I reopened my emerald eyes, bracing myself for the tough discussion that I had dreaded for the longest time. Flamestar no longer left me any choice, though, as he had crossed the unspoken line we had agreed upon back in my apprenticing days.
"Wolfspirit," Flamestar meowed calmly, breaking the serene silence. My eyes shifted to meet his from their previous location of staring into the dense forest behind him, "I understand what this looks like, but I assure you nothing has happened between me and Leafwatcher...I love Morningshine with all my heart and I would neve-"
"What about that time I found you secretly meeting with Deerpatch?" I interrupted with an angry growl before he even used the chance to start his poorly-planned lie.
Instantaneously his total demeanor morphed, as his amber eyes turned from their warm and welcoming color to a dark and cold wall of stone.
"We vowed we would put that behind us didn't we?" He began slowly, as if he was thinking with the utmost care how he would answer my blatant comment. "That was a mistake from the past, one that I learned from." He paused, glancing me up and down, as his lip began to curl back.
"You were merely an apprentice back then! A naive and young she-cat who thought she was the greatest phenomenon since the discovery of catnip." He snarled suddenly, his usual laid-back personality vanishing as he viciously attacked my past self out of nowhere.
I twitched my whiskers uncomfortably, as I transferred my weight from my left paw to my right. His last sentence stung the large ego I contained. Although cats have criticized me mercilessly before, coming from the leader, who I previously adored, only added salt to the wound.
"Since when was any of this about me!" I rebuked after only a moment's pause, not letting him receive the satisfaction of seeing me stung by his words. "The entire situation is about you meeting with other she-cats who aren't your mate! In fact, you've broken the warrior code before this, but when I discovered you and Deerpatch, a Duskclan warrior, I decided to let it slide, and I kept your secret. And do you want to hear why? For the simple fact that you were my leader and my opinion was unrealistically high of you!" I spoke harshly slamming my tail to the ground with conviction.
"I sacrificed my morals for you in the result of you swearing you would modify your ways! There was a matter of trust that you broke with all of the clan, but they don't even know it. Not yet anyways! I've held myself quiet for too long and Darkclan deserves to know that you fathered Deerpatch's kits and now Leafwatcher's!" I finished closing the distance between us with my face only mouse-lengths away from his.
His eyes lighted with rage as he bared his fangs at me. "No one was suppose to know about Deerpatch's kits, and how are you even aware that Leafwatcher is expecting! Are you snooping around and checking up on me? Is this what this is: you searching for me to misstep in order for you to take over the clan!" He accused in a random attack, shoving me back with his broad shoulders as his paranoia suddenly became apparent.
I stumbled into a maple tree, my back against it as Flamestar stared down at me menacingly while his eyes flashed and flickered. My breath caught in the back of my throat as I returned the glare, not going down without a fight. Overhead I heard a bird flutter and take off, letting out a screech as the sun struck it's yellow and delicate wings. Flamestar glanced up, momentarily distracted as he observed it fly away into green foliage to the far north. I jumped at this chance to collect my thoughts, trying to comprehend what he had implied, and execute a realistic answer for his unrealistic idea.
"That's what you think? That I desire to assume leadership over this clan?" I growled through my teeth as Flamestar snapped his attention back to me. He smirked, and I felt a new wave of anger pouring off of my pelt as I refused to budge a second time. "Flamestar, the last event I wish to happen is taking over your poorly constructed clan, where every cat holds a lie and a secret. Stop being a paranoid elder and open your eyes! There is a bounty of cracks in this clan, but you don't even realize them for the simple fact that you can't focus on your own family! Why are you having relationships with she-cats from other clans? How does this even remotely aid in Darkclan's survival?" I vented in return, remaining shocked at his fanatical accusation implying that I was a power hungry cat who yearned to destroy him.
"Listen to me," Flamestar whispered, his eyes wild, while they shifted back and forth, as if they were searching for a cat to overhear us. His switching of moods and behavior had by now unnerved me, he was acting as if he was in the grips of insanity and I was the unlucky cat to be caught in the crossfires, "Duskclan and Whisperclan are growing stronger every moon. We don't have the skill or the numbers to defeat them, so I've made a plan. We infiltrate them. If I have kits with a few she-cats they'll be loyal to me, along with their kits, it's working already! Not only that, but multitudes of other cats in our clan have agreed to join in our crusade. At this rate, we'll have enough cats to overrun each clan, and you know what will happen when we do?" He asked, looking into my eyes as if I already had an answer for his insane plan. I shook my head vigorously, fear beginning to gnaw at my belly as his intentions became more and more transparent.
"I'll become the leader of all four clans," he answered for me, much to my horror. I spluttered, shock taking the form of my saliva as I accidentally started to cough.
"Flamestar have you lost your-"
"and all will bow down to me and my clan." He continued, not even reacting to my cough fit, or my response, "It's a foolproof plan...one that I believe you should join. You can be one of my high-ranking lieutenants. You're smart and fierce and brave, one of the best warriors of Darkclan, all you are required to do is agree with this and I'll find a perfect tom for you from Nightclan." He murmured, draping his orange tail over my lithe shoulder, giving the false impression of comradeship.
I yanked his tail off my body with my own, stumbling away from him, "You want to wrench the power from the other leaders of the four clans and rule them yourself? Flamestar you've certainly lost your mind! You even h-have k-kits in other clans?" I stuttered, horror filling every inch of my body until I had been paralyzed, staring into his sly and evil amber eyes.
He believed I should join this disturbing plot to overtake the forest so he could quench his power-hungry thirst? It still didn't explain what he and Leafwatcher were doing together, and it raised the question of who else is in on this secret, but that was a mere drop in the blood-filled river Flamestar was determined to travel.
My head began to violently shake as I back stepped away from Flamestar, "No, I won't be part of this terrible concoction. This is wrong, and against the fibers of Starclan, not to mention the warrior code. I refuse to even consider this as a possible option for my future, and I will not be a pawn for you." I hissed, denying his request before I even had time to ponder on his 'generous offer', much to his irritation.
In a rush he weaved behind me, blocking my exit through the berry bushes, his fur on end as he snarled, "I won't permit you to walk away, not after I just told you everything. Either accept my proposal or accept the consequences of my wrath." He threatened in a low voice.
My mind raced, searching for a way to hustle through this without losing my sanity. My ears flicked pensively as I urgently searched for an answer to give him.
"I have a patrol to finish," I muttered, scratching the wet dirt beneath my claws, "I'll give you an answer when I return to camp." I supplied, hoping that this compromise would hold over until I thought of a better plan than avoiding him.
He nodded his head simply, and I felt my body relax, glad that he had taken the feeble excuse as satisfactory.
"Come with your answer by mid-afternoon, or else you'll have more to worry about than a decision." He ordered, before whipping around and slinking into the exit of the clearing, leaving me alone and flustered.
I waited until the bush stopped rustling and the sound of his retreating footsteps faded away before a hyperventilation attack hit me. My breaths became shallow, and I felt my blood rush through my ears as my heart raced. I stumbled to the bush, slipping back into the forest as I ignored the branches scraping my pelt, spotting the Nightclan border looming in front of me.
I shuffled and lowered my body parallel to the border, knowing that no patrols would stop by at this time of day. My eyes began to water and I let out a shaky gasp as my voice rasped, "Oh Starclan, what am I supposed to do?" Distress poured out of my voice, as I wrapped my tail around my paws.
"Perhaps stepping away from the border would be an excellent idea." A smug voice said next to me. My head whipped up, swiveling to my right as my eyes landed on a silver paw and leg a few fox-lengths away. I let my head drop down to my paws again, not having the energy to snap back.
"Go away Smokestorm, I'm not going to cross your border." I said weakly, my eyes and voice dull.
He responded with silence, perhaps surprised at how weak I sounded or waiting for me to let out a sassy comment. I turned my head towards my territory, just wanting him to go away so that I could wallow in pain by myself.
"Wolfspirit." he murmured, his voice was gentle, and its previous arrogance had vanished. My head lifted as I turned to look him in the eyes. I expected judgment or triumph, at the very least humor in his gaze, but all I saw was sympathy and concern in those sapphire orbs.
"What happened to you?" He choked out, worry thick in his question. My eyes looked him over, pondering if this was a trick so that he could use my pain against myself, yet the more I looked at him the more I realized that his concern was genuine.
"Why do you care?" I spat, not letting his kind side deter me from my loathing of him. "It isn't like I'm a cat worth your time." I growled, sarcasm oozing out of my voice as I slowly rose to my feet, raising my head high in pride.
He flicked his tail, unsure on how to tackle this situation. A Nightclan tom, who was the definition of smugness, trying to comfort a Darkclan she-cat, whose usual sharp-tongue had been transformed into a lost and confused skeleton.
"There's something going on over your border, Wolfspirit, and I would hate if a strong and noble warrior like you were caught in the crossfires." He mumbled, kicking the dry dirt under his paws. The hair along my spine raised, there was no way that Smokestorm could possibly know about Flamestar.
"Oh please," I scoffed, my eyes still trained carefully on his face "you hate me, and the last words you would use to describe me is strong and noble. Nothing is going on in Darkclan, and even if there was I can assure you would be the singularly last one to find out." A defiant light entered my eyes, as I stood my shoulders up and puffed out my chest, making sure he knew that I still had dignity and pride.
"Listen to me," he said, his voice lowering as he inched closer to the border and me, "Flamestar is...he's planning something, and he needs to be stopped." He whispered, as I slowly moved forward too. I felt my tail swing uncomfortably, understanding that what he said was right, but refusing to let him know he was correct in his suspicions.
"Talking about my leader in this negative light is off limits, and I refuse to let you." I hissed, defending the very tom who had threatened me. By now Smokestorm and I were once again close enough to touch, only the thin border line separating us.
"You don't need to permit me, I'll explain everything to you, tonight. When your dusk patrol, including Brookstripes, Hareheart, and Thunderroar, goes out be sure to tag along. This is vital Wolfspirit, you are perhaps the only one untainted that is fully aware of what's going on. I spied you and Flamestar having a heated argument, and I know what it's about." He instructed, his voice filled with urgency as his eyes floated around, making sure the conversation was just between us two.
"How do you know who will be on the patrol." I whispered sharply as I stared straight into his eyes, intensifying them so that he knew I was suspicious.
"Remember, dusk patrol, meet me here, don't be late. Tell Brookstripes 'Blue Tree was sent by Smoke'. Say it." He said, his voice hurrying as we heard cats' movements on Nightclan's border.
"'Blue Tree was sent by Smoke', but I don't understand, what do you me-"
"Shhh," he said soothingly, closing the distance between us as he placed his head softly on mine "just trust me."
I recoiled in anger, leaving his warmth almost as soon as he presented it to me. "I don't have time to trust road-kill!" I snarled as I slowly stepped back, his eyes filling with guilt as he opened his mouth to apologize, but I didn't give him the chance.
I whipped around and dashed away, sprinting into Darkclan's dense maple forest, eager to run away from all the confusion.
I glanced over my shoulder once, seeing flashes of Smokestorm until the tom was fully out of sight, and I screeched to a halt, panting.
He touched me, Smokestorm, a Nightclan mouse-brain, had touched me, and for some reason it felt...comforting. I never felt that way when any other cat brushed by me, not even Reedfang . Guilt overpowered me as my mind flickered on him. It felt wrong talking to Smokestorm, not only because he was from a different clan, but because he was a tom.
I still hadn't decided what to say to Flamestar, and I needed to talk to Hareheart my mother and Brookestripes my friend to figure out what they have to do with Smokestorm. Something was going on, and I didn't have the foggiest idea as to what.
I shook my head, beginning to pad slowly back to camp. The sun had by now rose to its highest height, signifying the start of the afternoon. There was so much needed to be done, but only a single thing rang clear in my mind.
Blue Tree was sent by Smoke. Blue Tree was sent by smoke.
What am I getting myself into?
