Previously on TRotR…
"I don't trust Turtlepaw," said Sweetsong. "I think there's something weird about her."
Flamepaw stared at Sweetsong incredulously. "What? But she rescued you! How can you not trust her?"
"Darkstar and Turtlepaw were saying everything as if they… knew what they were going to say," answered Sweetsong." What if the whole thing was staged?"
"But it can't have been staged," Flamepaw pointed out. "Smokepelt, Swampnose, and Rabbittail left ShadowClan. Darkstar wouldn't have sent three of his own warriors out to spy on ThunderClan and RiverClan."
"You're right," she answered, tail drooping. "Oh well, it was a guess all the same."
Okatu Fernsneeze: You don't need to apologize for long reviews, I seriously love them. I agree, what Hareflight did was not justified. And it sucks having Trump as our next president, but we kind of have to accept it. I know he's horrible, but I don't think he can do much – right? Even Republicans hate him. I think we agree on everything in regard to Clinton and Trump. I also don't believe the sexual assault claims all the women filed against him. It just seems way too unrealistic that they'd come out about it at the very end of the election, instead of going straight to the police right when it happened. It almost feels as if they did it just to get his poll numbers down.
CHAPTER 27: THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
Eaglekit's POV
I was starting to feel a little better. Although I couldn't leave my den for long, and wasn't allowed to fly, I felt less tired than before. Willowbranch told me that it would take a few more days for me to heal fully.
I've had a lot of visitors since I'd become sick. Illness in StarClan was rare, and everyone was concerned for me. Waterkit, my half-sister, came to visit once.
"Hi, Waterkit. Anything going on in StarClan?"
Waterkit frowned. "Didn't you hear?" she asked me.
"What?"
"Featherheart isn't here anymore," Waterkit said.
"What?" I asked, startled. "What do you mean by that?"
"She disappeared," Waterkit answered. "Just… gone. Everyone is really worried. We've tried looking for her through the Scrying Pool, but nothing showed up. That can only mean one thing: she's left the Clan borders."
"Do you think she went to visit someone in a different sky?"
"Then she should have told us," Waterkit answered crossly. "You're always allowed to go, as long as you check in with a council member."
I was starting to have a bad feeling about this. I thought of the plan the Dark Forest cats and I had made. We had planned to go to the living world together, but… had they gone without me?
"Eaglekit, are you alright?" asked Waterkit.
"Yeah," I lied. "I'm, um, just tired. Can you"…
"Sure," agreed Waterkit. "See you later." She flew away.
I felt miserable. They probably decided I was of no use to them after all. Sandfur and the others must have gone to the living world without me. But how could they do that? How could Sandfur abandon me?
You promised me, Sandfur, I thought, putting my head down. You promised.
Swanpaw's POV
"Goodbye, Swanpaw," said Hareflight at sunhigh.
"I'll miss you," I said miserably. I still couldn't believe Hareflight was a traitor. Yes, I'd always known he was a bit clumsy, awkward, and scared at times, but did that make him a bad cat? No. It wasn't his fault he'd ended up with the Legion. It was Greennose's fault.
No matter how many times Greennose apologized, I would not forgive him. If he and Heronclaw hadn't done their stupid dares, then none of this would have happened. Hareflight would not be kicked out of the Clan, and Waterpaw would never have gone out with Turtlepaw in the first place.
"Come on, we need to go," Talon called to Hareflight, a bit impatiently. "You coming or not?"
"See you around," Hareflight said to me. He nuzzled my cheek and strode off.
I watched him until he was nothing but a dot in the distance. When he was finally gone, I turned around and walked back to camp, my tail drooping.
"May all cats old enough to swim join around the Lakeledge for a Clan meeting!" I heard Sassafrasstar call. I heard the sound of several cats coming out of their dens, and joined them around the ledge as well.
"Cats of RiverClan," Sassafrasstar said, "I have identified the traitor in this Clan."
There were shocked murmurs in the crowd. "Who is it?" someone asked. "What are you planning to do?" another cat said.
"It is Hareflight," Sassafrasstar finished.
There were a lot of gasps at this. Silvermoon and Sweetsong pressed together, looking very upset. I saw Silvermoon's ears flattening and Sweetsong's lip trembling, as if she was about to cry. Sassafrasstar had spoken to Sweetsong and Silvermoon about this, so they knew what was coming. But it was still extremely tough on them. They had just lost Goldensun, and now Hareflight had betrayed the Clan – what more was next?
The rest of the Clan, on the other paw, was furious.
"Where is he?" demanded Snakescale.
"Let's drive him out!" Lightsky yowled. "Send him out of the forest!"
"ENOUGH!" Sassafrasstar roared, cracking a nearby twig with a paw. The Clan went silent.
"He's not here," Sassafrasstar said calmly. "Hareflight has gone to live with Talon. When this war is over, I will decide whether he can stay here, or if he has to leave."
"You're being way too nice!" Duskpelt snorted. "I say turn him out. We can't have a cat like that in our Clan!"
Needless to say, I was glad Hareflight wasn't here to listen to this.
"I make the decisions here, not you, Duskpelt," Sassafrasstar pointed out. "I appreciate all your opinions on this subject, and I assure you Hareflight will not get away without punishment. But we will decide on this later.
"Hareflight told me that he witnessed Eaglekit's death, done by Jasper of the Legion," she added. "And it turns out that a RiverClan cat did kill Featherheart after all. It was Hareflight. He did it in self-defense," she added hastily, because some of the cats were staring at each other with raised whiskers, "because she was trying to kill him. We need to find a way of telling Darkstar, before he plans an attack on us."
Swampnose suddenly raised his tail. "Sassafrasstar," he said, "I don't mind going and telling Darkstar. I'm a ShadowClan cat, so he'll probably listen to me."
There were murmurs of agreement at this, but Sassafrasstar shook her head.
"No Swampnose. He will not hesitate to kill you, simply because you betrayed ShadowClan by coming here. In fact, ShadowClan territory should be off-limits for everyone. You saw what he did to Swanpaw, Sweetsong, and Flamepaw."
That was true. There was no way I ever wanted to go there again.
"We'll just have to figure out another way," said Sassafrasstar, when no cat spoke. "This concludes this meeting." She went into her den, and the cats around the Lakeledge dispersed.
I, however, had other plans.
"Um, excuse me?" I asked, climbing the Lakeledge. "Can we talk for a second, Mom?" I immediately felt taken aback by my own words. When was the last time I'd called Sassafrasstar 'Mom'? Now that I thought of it, I realized that I'd never called her that. Other kits called their mothers that, in the nursery, but for some reason, she was always uncomfortable with us calling her that. Maybe it was because we were her foster kits, or maybe it was because she was a leader and couldn't be with her kits all the time.
Sassafrasstar looked surprised too. "Sure, Swanpaw," she said, leading me into her den. "What about?"
"Hareflight," I said, looking at my paws. "Will he be alright with Talon?"
"I'm sure he will," Sassafrasstar said reassuringly. "Talon may not be the most social of cats, but he'll make sure the Legion doesn't bother Hareflight anymore."
"So, when have you decided Hareflight will come back?" I asked eagerly. I could not wait till then. Although Hareflight was only gone for an afternoon, I already missed him.
Sassafrasstar stared moodily into the wall, not answering.
My face suddenly felt cold. "He is coming back, isn't he?"
Sassafrasstar turned around. "I don't know," she said. "He didn't stand up for Eaglekit when he was killed. A true warrior stands up for cats in his Clan, even if it costs him his life. And then he killed Featherheart."
"But it was in self-defense!" I exclaimed.
"I agree," Sassafrasstar said. "But he didn't need to leave her body on the border like that. He should have just let it get swept away in the river. Then we wouldn't have this war."
"But he" – I began, but Sassafrasstar cut me off.
"It's hard being a Clan leader sometimes. I know he's your friend, Swanpaw, but I have to do what's best for the Clan. None of them want Hareflight back. Even if I could trust him, the Clan would reject him. He could never have a place in RiverClan."
I turned away, disappointed. Why couldn't she see that Hareflight was a good cat? That underneath all those secrets he'd kept, there was someone who could be loyal to the Clan, if given a chance?
I sometimes wished that my mother wasn't the Clan leader. It would be so much better to have a parent who could give me sympathy and comfort without having to lecture me about "what's best for the Clan." Why did it have to be her who made all the Clan decisions? Why couldn't it be some other cat?
"Hey," Waterpaw said, coming up to me, "What's going on?"
"Hareflight's not coming back," I whispered, looking down at my paws. "Sassafrasstar told me so. I'm sorry, Waterpaw," I added. "I know he was your friend."
Waterpaw's eyes misted up. "I'm sorry, too," he said. "I know how much you cared for him."
I stared at her in surprise. "Me?"
"Come on, Swanpaw!" Waterpaw protested. "I think you like him. In fact, the whole Clan knows that you like him. It's kind of, well… obvious."
My whiskers twitched in embarrassment at the mere suggestion. I liked Hareflight? That was ridiculous. How could I like anyone? About two moons ago, I had been virtually the most hated kit in the nursery. But now I liked someone? It just wasn't possible.
"So anyways," I said hastily, "I think you and me should both go up to Sassafrasstar and get her to change her mind" –
"Oh give it up, both of you!" a voice behind me suddenly exploded. "I for one say good riddance. Hareflight's as good as a murderer!"
I whirled around, trying to pinpoint exactly who had spoken. It wasn't too hard. Flamepaw was right behind us, his fur bristling in anger.
"Flamepaw!" Waterpaw shouted, aghast. "Hareflight's my friend. How could you say such a thing about him?"
"He as good as killed Eaglekit!" Flamepaw barked. "Yes, he wasn't the one to give the death blow, but he let one of those filthy Legion cats slaughter him! He's the reason why Eaglekit isn't an apprentice alongside us!" He took a step forward. "And he killed Featherheart! He's the reason why we have a war against ShadowClan!" Did you ever think of that?"
"How dare you," I snarled. "Featherheart was a traitor. She was the one who tried to kill him." I noticed Whitepaw coming up behind Flamepaw, clearly with the intent of calming us down. He opened his mouth, but his voice was drowned out as Flamepaw continued to scream at me.
"Well, it's still his fault!" Flamepaw retorted. "After Eaglekit died, he should have come to Sassafrasstar, he should have done something, he" –
"How could he have done anything?" Waterpaw screamed. "Luke said he would kill his entire family if he opened his mouth!"
"Look guys, just calm down" – began Whitepaw.
"What do you think of this?" I flashed at him.
He looked uncomfortable. "Well," he said, "I agree he shouldn't have sat by and watched Jasper kill Eaglekit."
"You see?" Flamepaw cut in. "He agrees! He" –
"But," Whitepaw continued, "you can't fully blame Hareflight, Flamepaw. He was barely an apprentice at the time."
Flamepaw stared at Whitepaw, dismayed. "But Whitepaw, he's a traitor. He betrayed his Clan!" He began to pace around. "And if you think even for a second he's done anything to redeem himself, then" –
"Is that what you really think?"
I immediately turned around to see who it was. Sweetsong was standing behind us, a strange look on her face. She was staring at Flamepaw, looking sickened.
"I can't believe I wanted to be friends with you," she whispered. "I thought you were brave to come with me to ShadowClan. But you're just an arrogant, selfish tom, Flamepaw. You're too busy thinking about your own problems to understand. Hareflight's suffered through a lot. Probably more than anything the rest of us have been through."
None of this was said in a cruel or angry voice, but Flamepaw looked more hurt by her words than anyone else's. He flattened his ears.
"I'm sorry, Sweetsong," he said. "But just because he's your brother doesn't mean he gets a clean slate. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm due for a hunting patrol." He stalked off, not bothering to look back. I thought Sweetsong was going to get even more upset, but she just stared at him with dull, glazed eyes.
Sweetsong's POV
Why did you do it, Hareflight? I thought, staring at my reflection in the pool. Why?
Sitting near a pool by the ShadowClan border, I stared moodily out at the Thunderpath, kicking a stone out onto it. I had cried a lot when Sassafrasstar told us what happened, but I refused to cry anymore.
Why did Hareflight have to betray us all like that? Why would he do this? How COULD he do this? How could he abandon… me?
And how could Flamepaw be so cruel? Why hadn't he supported me? I thought I could actually be his friend, but he was just one of those arrogant toms. I wasn't going to associate with him anymore.
While I sat there, thinking, I suddenly caught some ShadowClan scent. It smelled fresh, and with a jolt, I realized someone was trespassing on our land.
I got up and followed the scent. I couldn't make out which ShadowClan cat it was, but it was headed towards the edge of the Thunderpath.
The Thunderpath abruptly ended at one point. There, I hid behind a bush as two cats came into view. One cat was clearly Darkstar. The other one was Turtlepaw.
I narrowed my eyes. What was she doing here? Why was she talking to him?
"How is RiverClan?" asked Darkstar.
"Oh, they're fine," Turtlepaw purred back. "They don't know anything. They still think I'm on their side. Yes, there are a few of them who are mistrustful, but Sassafrasstar says I'm in her Clan, so that's that."
I stared. So I was right about the conspiracy theory. Turtlepaw was indeed a traitor!
"Have they planned any attacks on us?" asked Darkstar.
"Oh, no," Turtlepaw answered. "They're only concerned about their traitor in Luke's army. They're not even thinking about you!"
"So I'll plan an attack soon," Darkstar said. "Sometime within the next quarter-moon. When we attack, you still have to pretend you're on RiverClan's side. Someone will attack you, but I'll give the Clan orders to make sure you don't get too beaten up – a few scratches at most. Have you found the murderer yet?"
"No," answered Turtlepaw. "I'll keep looking, though."
But we have found the murderer, I thought, confused. It's Hareflight. Maybe she wasn't there at the meeting, when Sassafrasstar told everyone about Hareflight? But I had seen Turtlepaw at Sassafrasstar's meeting. Was it possible that she wasn't really on Darkstar's side? Maybe she was working for someone else? But who could that be?
"Well, let me know if you do find them," said Darkstar, looking disappointed. "See you in a few days."
"Bye Darkstar," Turtlepaw said, walking away. As soon as Darkstar had left, I stormed out from behind the bush and marched right in front of her.
"Okay, show's over," I snarled. "I saw everything. What exactly are you up to?"
"Where did you come from?" Turtlepaw asked, trying to hide her alarm. She was largely unsuccessful.
"Why were you with Darkstar?" I demanded. "Tell me right now. You're not leaving until I get an answer."
"Actually, I kind of wanted to talk to you too," Turtlepaw answered. "It's about Hareflight."
I was taken aback. "What do you mean?" I asked. "Why didn't you tell Darkstar about Hareflight? If you're going to choose a side, at least decide which one you're on! Are you on our side, his side, or someone else's side? You should at least figure that out before"…
"I'm on my own side," Turtlepaw hissed back. "Everything I've done is for me."
"Then you're selfish," I answered, not even bothering to think about what I'd just said.
"How dare you," Turtlepaw snarled. "Don't you insult me like that, I" –
"I hate to break it to you, but you're not exactly in a position to be making threats," I interrupted. "Tell me what you're doing right now, and why you're doing it."
Turtlepaw glared at me, for a moment, it looked like she was trying to restrain her words. Then she launched into speech.
"I was heartbroken when Featherheart died," she said, stiffly. "She was the only one in ShadowClan who actually trusted me, despite my WindClan heritage!"
"So you are on Darkstar's side, then," I said, confused.
"No I'm not," Turtlepaw shot back. "Unlike him, I don't hate all RiverClan cats. I even went out with Waterpaw, the son of the RiverClan leader! He's the only other friend I ever had. I confided in Waterpaw whenever there was trouble. He's always there to sympathize with me.
"Darkstar asked me to spy on RiverClan. He wasn't going to actually kill you, you know – it was all an act. I would have said no, but I wanted to find out who the murderer was. He's not the only one who wants to avenge Featherheart – so do I – but I want to do it my way, not his. So I did agree to become his spy, but just for my reasons."
"Did he send Swampnose and the others to spy on us, too?" I asked.
"No, they came on their own accord," Turtlepaw said. "But they didn't interfere in my plans – they didn't even know what I was up to."
I glared at her and unsheathed my claws. "I'm going to tell Sassafrasstar everything you said to me. She'll exile you without a second thought."
"Guess I'll have to kill you, then," Turtlepaw responded, staring at me with a crazed glint in her eyes.
I snorted. "Brave words, apprentice. Don't forget I'm a warrior" – my words were cut short as she slashed me in the muzzle.
"We'll see about that," she said.
I barreled into her, knocking Turtlepaw off her feet and pinning her to the ground. This only worked for a moment, though. Turtlepaw somehow managed to pull herself out and shove me down.
"That's all?" Turtlepaw sneered. "No style, no power when it comes to fighting? You're going to get yourself killed!" She laughed, a high-pitched laugh, and pinned me to the ground.
I hissed, and thought to myself, This apprentice is way out of line. She needs to be dealt with. I briefly closed my eyes and allowed her to slash my belly, wincing in pain. But this time, I was ready. As she prepared to strike again, I sprang up and knocked her to the ground.
"Why, you"… Turtlepaw sputtered.
"I'm not done yet," I smirked. With a hiss, I unsheathed my claws and ripped open a side of her flank. Turtlepaw screeched as I clawed and clawed, unmercifully. She was not going to get away with this. If she thought she was going to hurt me and get away with it, she had another one coming.
"What's going on?" someone suddenly shouted. I turned around. An entire RiverClan hunting patrol stood behind us, staring. Sassafrasstar, who happened to be leading the patrol, glared at us.
"May I ask why the two of you are fighting?" Sassafrasstar asked. "I thought we'd dealt with all of this when I punished Greennose and Heronclaw!"
"She"… Turtlepaw began, but I cut her off.
"She's been spying on us," I said. "I just caught her talking to Darkstar on the border and planning an attack."
There were a few gasps from the patrol. Several of them began furiously whispering at once.
"She was just about to kill me," I continued.
"Wait a minute," Waterpaw suddenly interrupted. "This isn't true." He stared at Turtlepaw, his eyes worried. "Tell me it isn't true!"
"It is," Turtlepaw said. Her eyes were sad, but showed no trace of remorse. She stared up at Sassafrasstar. "I'm a spy for ShadowClan, okay? And yes, I was going to kill her. Her brother killed my best friend." She bared her teeth.
"I think that's enough," Sassafrasstar interrupted. "Turtlepaw, in lieu of what you have just said, you are banished from RiverClan. If we see you on our borders after sunrise tomorrow, my warriors have permission to kill you."
"Good riddance," Turtlepaw snorted. But she did not move. She just stood there, staring at the ground.
"Leave RIGHT NOW!" Lightsky roared, glaring at her. "If you don't I'll chase you out myself. Do you want to deal with that?"
"Fine," snarled Turtlepaw, looking back at me. "But I'm not going to let any of you get away with this. Especially not you, Sweetsong! I'll find your brother and take care of him, don't forget that. You'd better sleep with one eye open from now on, because after that I'm coming after you too!" She sauntered off.
"Wait!" Waterpaw suddenly yelled. "Turtlepaw, come BACK! It must have been a mistake! It" –
"Waterpaw!" Sassafrasstar interrupted him. "Get a hold of yourself!"
Waterpaw gulped, clearly trying to hold back tears.
"Your loyalty must be to your Clanmates, and nowhere else," said Sassafrasstar. "If Turtlepaw admitted it herself, then she definitely did attempt to kill Sweetsong. We cannot keep her here any longer."
"Besides," I added, "she's a liar and a fake. She pretended to side with us, when actually, she's Darkstar's spy. Then she lies to Darkstar, just to get her own ends. Do you really think she cared about you? She must have been using you for StarClan-knows what reason."
I looked up and stared at the sky, thinking about the magnitude of problems. This whole thing was messed up. We had threats from ShadowClan, threats from the Legion, and now threats from Turtlepaw – and to think my brother was the cause of all this.
The sky was dark and unwelcoming, as if another storm were coming. Somehow, I knew this wasn't the storm just yet. We were merely in the calm of a storm; everything that happened so far was only a preparation for it.
The worst was yet to come.
After this I'll post a second allegiances for the story. It's about time one was posted, seeing as we're a little less than three-fourths of the way through the story. Yes, we are actually that far in! But the next chapters are where the most excitement happens in the story, so stay tuned.
Next chapter:
We see things from Turtlepaw's point of view. She briefly explains what caused her to become evil, and the full reason why she wants revenge on Hareflight.
We also see a bit more of what Sandfur, Orangefoot, Flowerstar, and Featherheart are planning. It's about time we got back to them!
AOTD: I definitely don't think what Hareflight did was justified. His actions were explainable, but not excusable. He just stood there on the side and let the Legion cats kill Eaglekit, which in my opinion makes him just as guilty. Having said all that, we should feel sorry for him, since he was young when it happened and he was too scared to go to anyone about it.
QOTD: What do you think of Turtlepaw, now that you've seen this other side of her?
