A long yowl sounded through the Clan in early morning the next night. Leafstorm had sat vigil until moon rise so she slept in her new den. Leafstorm crawled out of the warrior den with Glacierclaw following. She drowsily saw Tigerstar on the High Step.
"Cats of ShadowClan. Our deputy, Blackfoot, died last night." His voice sounded scratched.
"Littlecloud, our medicine cat, said that he died in his sleep. There was nothing ill or wrong with him when he died. He just did." Leafstorm didn't know why, but this sent a chill throughout her. He died? With nothing wrong with him? Strange. When the leader went back into his den mournfully, Blackfoot's body was brought out for mourning. Cats gathered around it before burial. Since Leafstorm didn't know him very well, she just went back into her den and slept.
At night, cats gathered underneath High Step to hear who the new deputy was. Leafstorm sat promptly under the rock and Sunpaw took her place beside Leafstorm. Glacierclaw took her other side. The murmurs died down as their great leader leaped onto the rock overlooking the camp.
His massive tabby shoulders were perched at a proud position. His amber eyes gleamed.
"I will now appoint a new deputy..."
A silence.
"Leafstorm will be the new deputy of ShadowClan." Yowls of disapproval shot through the crowd.
"She's a ThunderClan cat!"
"But we don't trust her!"
"She's hardly a warrior!"
"Choose again!"
Tigerstar raised his tail for silence. Leafstorm felt eyes on her, burning holes into her pelt.
"I have chose her because she is a worthy and loyal cat. She has also tried to prove her honesty to her Clan."
"Well said!" Sunpaw said happily.
Glacierclaw nodded, curling his tail with Leafstorm's.
Leafstorm felt stones hit her. But I can't be this responsible! How can I change and help these cats? I'm not fit for this job! What about Glacierclaw? Leaders can't have kits! What if I have to become leader soon? There are many more responsible and wiser cats out there than me! I just became a warrior a couple dawns ago! What am I going to do? I have to set patrols and- The list went on and on. She couldn't do this. The cats started clearing out of the camp center and Leafstorm suddenly felt dizzy as she felt to her side. Glacierclaw helped her up when she heard Spottedleaf,"Spottedleaf! I can't do this!" She saw the old medicine cat a couple tail-lengths away from her. Spottedleaf laughed sweetly,"Yes you can, Leafstar."
"Leafstar? I'm only just a warrior!" She cried out.
Then she was transported back to the ShadowClan camp. Glacierclaw was looking anxiously into her eyes. She felt her head spinning and when she opened her eyes, she was in the warrior den. Sunpaw was no where to be seen but Glacierclaw was sprawled out beside her, purring in his sleep. Leafstorm closed her eyes again, the current day was swirling in her head. Sighing,the warrior fell asleep. She was running again into the ShadowClan camp with Swiftfoot and Glacierclaw following her.
Glacierclaw looked at her and she stopped, trying to press against him for comfort but Swiftfoot hissed and they both disappeared. Leafstorm was alone in the Clan camp, looking at herself in a pool of water that just appeared before her. She was sitting at the river between RiverClan and ThunderClan territory. Bluestar and Firestar were reflected in the water and Leafstorm cried out to them. Wolfheart, her father, was then looking up at her, but he was rippled away. Leafstorm flattened her ears against her head. When she looked back in the water, she saw blackness filling the river. Leafstorm heard her name in the wind and she yowled,"Spottedleaf! What can I do?"
She didn't see her but Leafstorm heard,"You will be covered in darkness until he lightens your way."
Leafstorm woke up with snow falling through the branches of the warrior den. Leaf-bare was here.
