Chapter Four: Complications

Dreamstar shook her head, looking around. At first, she still saw mist, and wondered if she hadn't really woken up. To her relief, Calicofur's figure appeared from the grayness.

"Dreamcl-star," she corrected herself as she spoke. "It is Dreamstar now, right? You got your leader name?"

"Yes," Dreamstar replied, heaving herself to her paws. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. "But something was off about the ceremony?"

Worry shaded Calicofur's eyes. "What?"

"Well, getting technical, it was Tigerstar giving me a life that worried me," Dreamstar commented, shouldering her way past the medicine cat.

"Tigerstar?" Calicofur's voice rose a few octaves. "Giving you a life? Are you serious?"

"Do I look serious?"

"Unfortunately, yes. What was his life?"

"Hatred," Dreamstar murmured, blinking against the sunlight. "He said that I hadn't realized what I was capable of." She turned to Calicofur. "What do you think that means?"

Calicofur was silent. She really didn't know what to say to her friend...

"I see," Dreamstar sighed. "You don't want to tell me again. But Calicofur..." Her amber eyes grew alarmed. "Tigerstar passed on his nature to Hawkfrost. He could have passd it on to me... and that means that I could pass it on to my kits."

Dreamstar lifted her lips in a faint snarl at the thought of her kits being like Tigerstar. That couldn't happen. It wouldn't happen.

Silently, she moved on, Calicofur at her heels. "Any suggestions on who's going to be deputy?" She asked casually.

"That's your decision," Calicofur reminded her. "I can't put any input in there."

Dreamstar rolled her eyes. "Right."

xxx

Windstar beckoned to his warriors with his tail. "Woodenfoot, Thintail, Hunterpaw, come."

Hunterpaw, his current apprentice, scampered up to his side. The young tom had just become an apprentice yesterday, and was constantly at Windstar's side. Woodenfoot and Thintail, tabby brothers, followed.

"What are we looking for?" Woodenfoot asked.

"Simple," Windstar replied. "I want some of the Clan to meet SwiftPack. Also, I wanted to ask them if they wanted to go to a Gathering."

"Wolves?" Thintail snarled in surprise. "At a Gathering? Windstar, have you even spoken to the other leaders about this?"

"Firestar, before he... died," Windstar admitted.

"He's dead?" Woodenfoot's voice was shocked. "What happened?"

"WindClan attacked," his leader growled. "It was an ambush on ThunderClan's camp, very uncalled for."

"And Firestar died..." Woodenfoot echoed slowly. "He was a good cat."

"Yes," Windstar said softly. "He was."

"Who's their deputy?" Hunterpaw asked in an interested tone. "I keep on forgetting."

Thintail suddenly purred with laughter. "Oh, this is hilarious!" He laughed.

"What?" Windstar asked sharply.

"Dreamcloud's going to be their new leader," Thintail explained in an amused voice. "That little she-cat."

"What do you have against her?" Woodenfoot meowed, as Windstar closed his eyes for a moment, keeping his emotions in check. He couldn't afford to reveal his secret love, especially not right now, when she was rising to leader position.

"Don't get me wrong," Thintail answered. "She's a pretty thing. But really, her? A leader?"

"I think she'll do well," Windstar broke in suddenly.

"Seriously?" Thintail was speaking like he was talking to a normal warrior, not his leader. Not the 'Snow' in the Sun and Snow prophecy. "I know you two were friends as apprentices, but can you honestly say that she can be a leader? She's too much of a mouse-"

But he couldn't finish his sentence, for he was pinned to the ground, Windstar's claws inches away from his face.

"You're about to cross dangerous boundaries," The snowy white tom hissed, before leaping swiftly to the side and acting like nothing had happened.

"Sorry," Thintail replied shakily. "You're right. I apologize."

"Don't apologize to me," Windstar purred. "Apologize to Dreamcloud at the Gathering." He turned his head to the warrior. "And that's an order."

Hunterpaw, a light gray tabby, stared at his mentor in awe. Woodenfoot shook his head, but in a fond way. Thintail had needed to shut up, anyway.

"Swift?" Windstar called cautiously. It wasn't safe when they caught the Pack hunting.

"Windstar!" The gray she-wolf cam crashing through the bushes. Her tone became more serious. "Are you all right?"

It had been moons since the cats had seen a wolf up close, not since the Gathering at which Swift and Blizzard requested to be allowed territory. Woodenfoot and Thintail looked shocked, and crouched to the ground, their belly fur brushing the dirt. Hunterpaw sidled up to his mentor, eyes wide.

"I see you've brought Clanmates," Swift yipped in amusement, her amber eyes glowing with merriment.

"Yes," Windstar replied. "You three, this is Swift, alpha female of SwiftPack. Swift, these are two of my warriors, Woodenfoot and Thintail, and my apprentice, Hunterpaw."

"Nice to meet you all," Swift said, dipping her head. "I assume you came to talk about something?"

"Yes," Windstar admitted. "It's Blizzard's decision as well, so call him, please."

Not speaking another word to Windstar, Swift flung her head up in the air, and let out a call, much different from last night's. This one was to alert Blizzard to where she was, and that he needed to come, Windstar guessed.

After Swift finished her call, a second came, this one deeper, and clearly Blizzard's voice. Within moments, the big, cream-colored creature was regally loping towards them. He was even larger than Swift, and the warriors looked terrified.

"Nice to see you," Blizzard greeted them. "Now, from what I understand, Swift said you needed to talk to us?"

"It's not a big thing," Windstar assured him. "I was just wondering if SwiftPack wanted to come to the Gathering."

Swift and Blizzard were silent, and exchanged glances.

"We... we wanted to speak to you about something like that as well," Blizzard said slowly.

"What do you mean?" Windstar asked.

Swift took a deep breath and told him:

"SwiftPack may be leaving this place."

xxx

"Dreamstar!"

Scarletpaw raced up and pressed herself against her mother, green eyes glowing. "I've been waiting to see you," She purred.

"And I you," Dreamstar replied fondly as Birdpaw and Rockpaw followed. The Clan seemed to be awakening to her and Calicofur's presence, and were walking up.

"Everything went fine while you were gone," Birchpelt said, dipping his head in respect, making sure that he didn't look out of line.

"Thank-you," Dreamstar said sincerely. "I'm glad that the Clan is all right."

"Dreamstar," Sandstorm was suddenly shouldering her way through the crowd. "I have something to tell you."

"What?" Her granddaughter asked. Sandstorm flicked her tail towards the leader's den. Dreamstar's new den.

The two pale ginger she-cats walked up to the den, and sat down.

"I've decided to retire to be an elder," Sandstorm said calmly. Dreamstar nodded, understanding, and she continued. "Firestar's dead, and I'm certainly not as young as I once was. The elders have said that they will welcome me, too."

"All right," Dreamstar replied. "I'll tell the Clan after I've chosen my deputy."

"Any ideas?" Sandstorm asked a bit more lightly.

"None."

Her grandmother flicked the younger cat's shoulder with her tail, then walked out of the den.

"Who to choose?" Dreamstar thought to herself. "This going to be confusing..."

She lay down and closed her eyes. Thoughts clouded her mind, and the right cat was one of them.

Prowling out of the den, she leaped atop Highledge, feeling awkward as she stared down at the other cats.

"I have made my decision," Dreamstar yowled. "The new deputy of ThunderClan will be..."

xxx

Who do you think it'll be? R and R!