Chapter 19
"Disgusting code breaker!"
"How could you betray us?"
ShadowClan was in complete disarray when Flamescar broke the news of Mousestar and Goldenstar's relationship. Eaglepaw stood in the midst of bristling, angry cats, his ears flattened to his head in an attempt to block the deafening screeches. He looked around for his mother, who was standing at the camp's entrance, her body shaking.
"Don't just stand there, you coward!" Chivepelt growled, his teeth bared. "Come here and face us!"
Mousestar reluctantly padded in, immediately met with a blow to the face by the ginger tom. She screamed in agony, and Eaglepaw rushed forward, facing the warrior with his hackles raised. "Stay away from her!" He growled.
"You dare defend the traitor?" Chivepelt hissed, sizing the apprentice up.
Eaglepaw squared his shoulders, already the same height as the tom. "I defend my mother."
"Your mother is a traitor!" A voice called, sending the camp back into a screeching frenzy.
Eaglepaw looked around frantically, it seemed that no cat was on Mousestar's side. He looked for Quailkit, who was nowhere to be found. He then spotted Cinderpaws by the medicine den, his eyes narrowed and tail lashing. Gorsepaw poked his head out next to him, his body quivering from all the screaming. The medicine cat finally stepped forward, his tail raised in the air for silence. No cat listened, too bothered by their own rage to pay attention. The very obviously annoyed tom lifted his head to the sky, loudly screeching, "QUIET!"
The camp fell silent, all eyes on the medicine cat. Pleased with himself, Cinderpaws nodded, then turned his attention to Mousestar, who was staring at him with wide eyes. He looked at her for a moment, then beckoned her forward.
"I-I apologize everyone. I know what I did was wrong, and-"
"Don't act meek and scared now! You sure were bold when you mated with a thunder cat!" Oatblossom spat, glaring at the she-cat. A few cats opened their mouths to shout their agreement, but a warning look from Cinderpaws silenced them.
Mousestar began to shake, her tail drooping behind her. Eaglepaw pressed his body to hers, earning a few hisses of disapproval from the cats gathered around. The ShadowClan leader stared at the ground, her voice shaky. "I sincerely apologize to everyone. I've failed you all and I don't deserve your forgiveness."
"You sure aren't getting it either." A cat growled. Eaglepaw whipped his head around, but couldn't locate who it was.
"What about Shrewpounce?" Another voice called. Eaglepaw recognized Heatherflight, who had pushed her way through the crowd. "You made us believe that you were pregnant with my brother's kits, not some ThunderClan traitor!"
Mousestar opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Shrewpounce, who had moved to stand next to her. "I knew about what happened, and I knew about Mousestar's relationship with Goldenstar." A few gasps came from the crowd and the warrior dipped his head. "I did it to retain our leader's dignity. I knew that if any cat knew about it, ShadowClan would be ruined."
"Why would you want to protect a traitor?" Ebonythroat mewed, her eyes flashing. "And ShadowClan is already ruined, now that every clan knows!"
"I protected her because I loved her." Eaglepaw felt Mousestar flinch next to him at the word 'loved'. He blinked at the brown spotted tom, whose eyebrows were furrowed. "And it isnt Mousestar's fault that every clan knows, it's that foxhearted ThunderClan cat's fault!"
Flamescar had moved to stand in the front of the group, his eyes dark. "Though it is unfortunate that all of the clans know of our business, we musnt excuse Mousestar for her actions." A few cats murmured their agreement. "None of this would have happened if Mousestar had simply remained loyal to the code, and to her clan."
"What do we do then?" A voice called from the back of the group.
The clan began to get rowdy again, many cats shouting their ideas of what to do next.
"I say we demote her! She's no leader to me!"
"Exile! She's not one of us!"
"Why don't we just kill her?"
Eaglepaw felt his body stiffen at the last suggestion, and the camp grew silent. His heart was beating so fast and hard, he was sure everycat in camp could hear it. Mousestar tensed next to him, her eyes wide and her mouth agape in stunned, fearful silence. A few cats in the crowd slowly nodded their heads, sending a chill up Eaglepaw's spine. They can't really be considering killing her, can they? He glanced at Flamescar, who had a solemn look on his face. Eaglepaw felt his heart drop. I'll protect her with my life. They're not killing my mother! After what seemed like an eternity, the tom spoke.
"No, we won't kill her." Eaglepaw released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Thank StarClan! "If we killed her, we would be hypocrites! How can we be angry with her breaking the warrior code, then retaliate by breaking it ourselves? No. That would not work out well."
"So what?" Chivepelt spoke, his ears twitching. "We just let her off with no consequences?"
Flamescar shook his head, his eyes flashing. "Oh no. A punishment is still in order." Mousestar stared at the tom pathetically, her shoulders hunched as she crouched to the ground. Flamescar stared into her eyes for a second, then broke the gaze with a swift shake of his head. "But I need Cinderpaws' advice. Until we figure out what to do next, I want you all to remain civil and courteous." The two toms swept out of camp, leaving the clan in silence.
Eaglepaw's ears flattened as the clan glared at his mother, and him as well. He stepped closer to her, pressing his pelt to hers. The she-cat trembled next to her son, making Eaglepaw's heart break inwardly. I wish I could comfort her, but I don't know what's going to happen either. He looked at the hostile cats around him, his eyes falling on Quailkit, who was just outside the nursery. The she-kit stared at him, her soft green eyes unreadable. He stared back, his heart beating faster.
After what seemed like forever, the ShadowClan deputy and medicine cat returned to the camp, their eyes glittering as they looked at the group that was still gathered near the entrance. Giving the cats a small nod, Flamescar leapt onto High Branch, earning a few gasps from the clan. He looked down at the camp, his eyes shining.
"Cats of ShadowClan, Cinderpaws and I have come to a decision." Eaglepaw felt like his heart would burst from his chest if it beat any faster. "We have both decided that it would be best for the clan if Mousestar retired." Eaglepaw leapt to his paws in outrage, but was pulled down by his mother. Flamescar looked at him, but did nothing. "She will give up the rest of her lives, drop her star suffix, and in turn become an elder early."
"We don't want her here at all!" Chivepelt growled, leaping to his paws. "Exile her! Exile her!" A few cats shouted in agreement, stepping forward to stand next to him.
Flamescar looked at the tom, his eyes flashing. "I have made my decision. There will be no-"
"She betrayed us!"
"If we keep her here, ShadowClan will look weak!"
The ShadowClan deputy unsheathed his claws, splintering the branch he perched on. "I will not hear anymore of this! With the rogues running around, there's no telling what would happen to her if we cast her out. We-"
"Why should we care about what happens to her? She didn't care about us!"
"She's a traitor! She doesn't deserve mercy!"
"Enough!" The flame colored tom yowled, silencing the clan. He glared down at the cats, his tail lashing. "You will not disrespect me! I am your leader now, and my word is law! Mousewhisker will remain with us, as at the end of the day, she shares our ShadowClan blood." Eaglepaw flinched as he heard his mother's warrior name. "If you have any more concerns you may speak with me privately, but otherwise, this meeting is dismissed." He prepared to leap from the branch, but was stopped by a voice.
"Actually Flamescar, I agree." Eaglepaw looked at his mother in shock, who had lifted her head confidently to the ShadowClan deputy. Cats in the crowd began to hiss at her, but she ignored them. "I do not wish to stay in a place where I am not wanted, even if that place was where I once called home." She turned her head to address the clan. "I know that I've hurt you all, and I wouldn't feel right wasting the rest of my life away as an elder, knowing that you would have to hunt and care for me. I've been thinking about this for a while now, and now the opportunity is being presented to me, so I will take it. I will leave peacefully."
Flamescar looked down at her in shock, his eyes wide. "Mousewhisker, are you sure about this? If you leave the clan, we will have to treat you as an outsider… there will be no returning."
The she-cat nodded confidently, her body rigid and strong. "I've never been more sure about anything. I am no use to this amazing clan, and I will no longer tarnish its legacy with my presence." She turned to leave, but Eaglepaw dashed after her.
Eaglepaw stared at his mother, who refused to look at him. "You can't be leaving." He mewed, his voice quiet.
"I have to, my love." She mewed, still not looking at him.
"But… What about me?"
Slowly Mousewhisker turned her head, her bright green eyes brimming with tears as she gazed at her son. "You…" She choked, but regained her composure. "You will become the greatest warrior ShadowClan has ever seen. Promise me that."
Eaglepaw shook his head, a lump rising in his throat. He tried his hardest to fight back the tears that threatened to spill, his voice quiet and raspy. "N-No, I can't. I can't live without you Mousestar, please. Don't go."
"Mousewhisker!" A voice hissed from behind him, but Eaglepaw ignored it, his eyes wide and pleading.
He felt his heart break into a million pieces as his mother shook her head at him, a soft smile on her face. "I have to Eaglepaw, and you know that."
"Then… Then let me go with you!" Eaglepaw yowled, making the crowd behind his gasp in shock. "Please, mama, don't leave me!"
Mousewhisker blinked at him, her voice stern. "No Eaglepaw." A lone tear fell from his eye, which she wiped away with her tail. "Don't cry, my little warrior. Just remember me, and remember that you're destined for great things. You're the best thing to ever happen to me, and though it hurts, I must go. But I need you to be strong, son. I'll always be thinking about you." Before he could say anything else, she gave the camp one final look, then dashed off into the shadowy forest.
Eaglepaw stared after her in shock, too stunned to move. He heard cats speaking around him, but it all sounded muddled and distant, as his heart was beating too loudly for him to focus on what was being said. He felt something prodding at his flank which sent him back to reality.
"Eaglepaw, are you alright?" Flamescar mewed, his face just inches from the apprentice's.
"We should send him off too!" Chivepelt hissed, his tail lashing. "You heard what he said, he wanted to go with her! Besides, can we really trust the son of a traitor?"
Flamescar moved away from Eaglepaw to growl in the tom's face. "For once, Chivepelt, think before you speak! What would you do in that situation if your mother left you? If I left you?"
Chivepelt looked taken aback, his eyes wide. "I… I would do the same."
"Exactly." Flamescar grunted, huffing. "Eaglepaw is innocent here, and he's the one that's the most affected by this. I want all of you to be kind to him, as this is a very tough time for him. Tomorrow I will travel to the Moonpool to receive my nine lives and appoint a deputy. Until then, I order you all to get some rest."
The cats around him began to disperse, but Eaglepaw remained rooted to the spot, staring at the camp's entrance. A quiet voice distracted him from his jumbled thoughts, and Quailkit's sweet scent filled his nose.
"I know what you're going through, Eaglepaw." She mewed, pressing her body to his. "And I'm here for you."
At these words, Eaglepaw broke down, the tears he had been fighting so hard to suppress finally streaming out as he fell to the floor.
Why is this happening to me?
Author's Note:
Chapter 19 is here! Poor Mousestar! Who do you think handled the situation better, ShadowClan or ThunderClan? Let me know in a review!
Hopefully I can get three chapters posted next week, but I know that at the very least I'll have chapters 20 and 21 done.
Thanks for reading!
~MeltingPopsicles
