AN: I've decided that I'm not taking my time in updating this. Since it's summer, I should get the writing bug out of me while I can. Jadeleaf is definitely my all time favorite character, even though she's sort of gone through what most of the Warrior characters go through ^^" But anyways, here's chapter thirty five! Oh, and thanks tufted titmouse for your review! This time you get...A Larksong plushie!

-CHAPTER 35-

There had been yowls of outrage that night. Squirrelfang had argued that she was too young to be the new deputy. Sagefrost had pointed out that it would be wise to choose a cat with more experience. Dawnpaw had bounced around excitedly around her paws, mewling in encouragement as cats continued to argue with one another. The world around her seemed to lurch under her paws as she listened to the arguments that swept across the clearing that night. No cat was ready to face the fact that she was their deputy. She was far too young and inexperienced for such a task. Blizzardstar had rushed into naming her as his deputy, and she knew it. Now no cat would accept her.

Daylight brought other problems to Jadeleaf when she opened her eyes for the first time as his deputy. A few cats had been waiting around the clearing, giving her glares as she passed by. The vigil over Larksong's body had been filled with tension and anger. Squirrelfang and his followers had stayed away from the vigil, so certain that something terrible might happen to them. Jadeleaf had tried to speak with Toadpaw after he watched his mentor for the last time. She knew that Blizzardstar would have to give him a new one until he earned his warrior name. Dawnpaw had sat beside her brother, tail against his shoulder as he looked at Larksong before her body was buried.

Now she was pacing around the entrance of Blizzardstar's den, unsure of what to do next. Her Clanmates had refused to listen to her when she tried organizing patrols. Only Darksmoke had been willing to point out the mistakes she made. She'd put him on two patrols at the same time, and he told her that he was already on the sunhigh patrol. Appleheart had volunteered to join the hunting patrol at sunhigh when Jadeleaf shook her head in frustration. When she had looked at Appleheart in relief, she told the young warrior to take Dawnpaw and Toadpaw with her to distract the apprentices. After such a hard vigil, they would have to learn that distraction was always the key to getting over something that had happened in their lives.

"Blizzardstar, can I speak with you?" Jadeleaf asked when she heard paws shuffling in his den. She could already tell that he was anxious about his son. He'd never named the tiny kit, but she knew that he was planning to this morning. Freezemist had accepted the kit when Stonebrook handed him to her, though the silver tabby had asked where the kit came from. When Stonebrook mentioned the mother's name, Freezemist's expression changed from joy to surprise. "I wanted to talk about my new roll as the...deputy." Her heart lurched as she thought of how strange that sounded. The Clan was still getting used to it like she was. When Blizzardstar had told her to come in, she moved forward.

He sat on his pile of moss that had been collected by the apprentices. Dawnpaw had come back with a large bundle of moss, while Toadpaw had come back with feathers from a blackbird. Blizzardstar had gratefully accepted the gifts when Dawnpaw cleaned out his den. Jadeleaf knew that he was thinking of their warrior ceremonies, and she wondered if he would hold them soon. Dawnpaw was more than ready to become a warrior, and so was her brother. When Blizzardstar met her gaze, the fur along her spine began to stand on end.

"I chose you as my deputy because you were always destined to lead this Clan," he rasped. "My sons were never destined. StarClan gave me no signs that they would lead the Clan. Even now as I sit here, I wonder if Snowstorm had something to do with this. He was always ambitious, and rightfully so." He looked down at his paws, silent for a few heartbeats. Jadeleaf felt as though the world around her had darkened. Her father had everything to do with this. Snowstorm was determined to see that he or his kin became the leader of ThunderClan. "I took his place as deputy when he grew ill. Adderstar saw me as a strong, reliable deputy while he was stuck in the medicine cat's den. And now I understand why he was so ambitious. He was the one who should have been named as the deputy, not me."

Jadeleaf stared at him for a few heartbeats as his body shuddered. She wondered for a moment how much longer it would be until he joined StarClan. Her heart lurched at the idea. Blizzardstar had been the leader long before she was born. Probably before her mother had even moved to the nursery. When Blizzardstar rose to his paws, she saw that his shoulders heaved with effort. "I'm sorry that I disturbed you," she murmured. She looked down at her paws as he moved forward. "My father does care about you, and he'll accept Larksong without question," she added. "Have you thought of a name for your kit?" she asked after realizing that a distraction was needed.

"I would like you to see him," the leader replied with a shake of his head. Jadeleaf blinked in surprise. She watched as he padded past her. There was something almost ominous about the way he spoke. It felt as though he was already telling her to become his kits' mentor. Her shoulders heaved as she limped after him. The paw that had been sprained still had a limp every now and than. She'd learned to adjust with the fact after Applewhisker had taught her how to get over it.

Are you up there Applewhisker? she wondered as she looked up at the sky that loomed above her. Are you as proud of me as my mother and father? Her mind reeled as she remembered what her mentor had taught her when she was an apprentice. Applewhisker had done everything in her power to make Jadeleaf become a stronger warrior. When she'd joined the ranks of StarClan, Jadeleaf had been devastated. She recovered from the shock when Whitesnow had grown closer.

The hollow was strangely empty when Jadeleaf padded across the clearing. Dewfur and Duskfeather were sharing tongues by the halfrock, while Petalcloud whispered to Coalfire. The old cat kept giving Jadeleaf anxious glances. She knew that Petalcloud of all cats would question why Blizzardstar had named her as his deputy. The cat was older than Blizzardstar himself. She'd been around when Adderstar was still a deputy, according to Stonebrook. Jadeleaf wondered if Petalcloud could tell her stories about Adderstar and what he did to become the leader. Perhaps by listening to her stories she could learn how to make the Clan accept her faster.

Inside the nursery it was dark and warm. Freezemist's tail was wrapped around the tiny bundle of fur that was Blizzardstar's kit. Her own belly was round, and Jadeleaf knew that it wouldn't be long until her own kits arrived. For a moment she wondered what Appleheart and her siblings would think of the latest addition. Than she reminded herself that they would accept Freezemist's latest kits. The kit itself was black with white ears. Jadeleaf felt her blood run cold as she watched the kit drink milk that belonged to Freezemist's kits. Was it a sign that he was already selfish? She shook her head and tried to cast the thoughts away. This kit was the future of ThunderClan. She would have to learn that every cat was unique, even if it looked selfish to her.

"He's already got his father's strength," Freezemist purred when she met Blizzardstar's gaze.

"That's good to hear," Blizzardstar grumbled. He nudged the kit softly, though to Jadeleaf's surprise, the kit wailed at the feeling. "I've decided to name him Sootkit," he announced.

"Sootkit..." Jadeleaf blinked at the name. It suited a kit that had come from a flame that was doused by StarClan. She nodded slightly, unsure whether or not it was her place to speak out. When Blizzardstar stared at her, she held his gaze. "The name is perfect," she replied.