Frostmask padded through the forest, the only noise the soft sound of paw-steps on the pine needle covered floor. Their patrol mutely walked in single file on their way to the Gathering, and for the first time since her warrior's vigil, Frostmask was left alone with just her thoughts, which just happened to be the exact situation that she'd rather avoid. Without external distractions, she couldn't stop her mind from turning to darker emotions, to thoughts about pain and grief.
Frostmask took a deep, slow breath.
Although the day had brought happiness when Autumnleap had woken up and when she got to spend some relaxing time with Pineshade and Poolcloud, she still felt the loss of Swoopstrike like a heavy boulder pressing down on her back. She felt like she was drowning in the river again, struggling to swim up, but too tired and weighed down to reach the surface.
And, this time there was no Swoopstrike to pull her to safety and save her.
Because he was dead.
Frostmask clenched her jaw, biting the inside of her cheek. She felt a sting of pain, but it was almost relieving. It was a distraction, and physical pain hurt much less than the pain she felt inside.
Although, Frostmask was grateful that she at least had a burning purpose to focus on through the internal pain. It was something that she could harness the pain to drive herself towards, instead of just staying trapped by it, drowning in the mire… She could focus on hurting Paledusk.
Frostmask's claws slid out as she walked. She would raid as much prey from SkyClan land as she could. Paledusk took Swoopstrike from her, and she would make him pay for it. So, he'd hurt like she was.
Frostmask felt a shudder go down her spine. It felt good to have that focus. It made the pain feel a bit less meaningless, like she was doing something to help it.
But, there was still a black pit in her heart which no amount of vengeance could fill, because no matter how much she managed to hurt Paledusk, to make him suffer, deep down she knew that the task was hollow. It could never accomplish want she truly wanted— to have Swoopstrike back. Nothing could.
Frostmask blinked, pulled out of her thoughts as Sedgestar halted the patrol with a flick of his tail. They were now standing on the crest of the hill that led down into the Fourtrees' hollow. Their orderly line broke ranks as cats grouped around Sedgestar to peer down at the dark, flickering forms of the already gathered cats. Frostmask padded forward to the crest, opening her jaws to drink in the cool night air. She could scent WindClan and SkyClan on the breeze. ThunderClan and RiverClan seemed to have not yet arrived.
Sedgestar nodded, and the ShadowClan patrol streamed forward, bounding down the hill. The group brushed through the bushes surrounding the clearing, but the ShadowClan patrol lingered by the edge of the hollow for a moment. No one seemed particularly eager to join WindClan, and especially not SkyClan.
Frostmask felt like every hair on her pelt stood on end in anticipation as she gazed tensely around at the groups of cats. She was searching for a white pelt, something she both did and didn't want to find. But, Frostmask couldn't spot Paledusk's form anywhere in the crowd.
Frostmask gave her head a small shake. Perhaps it was for the best. She probably shouldn't be looking to pick fights at a Gathering anyway.
The rest of the ShadowClan patrol seemed to decided that they would mingle, at least a bit, so they slowly padded into the crowd. Frostmask's gaze flickered over to a small group of young WindClan warriors, and she began to walk in their direction.
"You're back!" a familiar, rasping voice hissed through the crowd.
Frostmask's eyes widened in surprise, and she turned to see the grey and white SkyClan elder stalking over to her, her clumpy fur bristling.
Birdstrike, Frostmask thought, remembering her name.
"Hello," Frostmask muttered, dipping her head to her. "Birdstrike, right? How are you doing? I hope you weren't injured in the battle."
"What are you doing here?" Birdstrike growled, lashing her tail as she ignored Frostmask's questions.
Frostmask inclined her head at her in confusion.
"Uh, it's a Gathering," she meowed.
"Gatherings are for clan-cats," Birdstrike spat. "Not for cats like you. Get out of here."
Frostmask felt the fur down her back raise in anger. How did Birdstrike know she wasn't clan-born? She was a senile elder, wasn't she? Or, was she not as confused as she seemed?
"I'm a ShadowClan cat," Frostmask said, a soft growl in her voice.
Birdstrike laughed harshly.
"Oh yeah? And, I'm a mouse," Birdstrike spat, narrowing her eyes at Frostmask.
The elder stalked closer to Frostmask, her back hunching as her posture became more threatening.
"Stay out of SkyClan territory, you loner scum," Birdstrike growled, her eyes growing foggy as if she was losing herself in her mind. "You're here for him, aren't you?!"
"I'm not," Frostmask said quickly, trying to calm the elder as she stepped away from her.
It was just like she had said to Frostmask during the battle. But, what would Frostmask do if Birdstrike launched herself at her, like she had done then? She was an old elder, so Frostmask wouldn't fight back. But, it was still a Gathering; would StarClan be angered by Birdstrike pouncing at her?
"I won't let you take him," Birdstrike screeched, her foggy eyes wild. "You won't have my son!"
"Birdstrike!"
The elder jolted as Paledusk's clear, loud voice broke through the sounds of chatting cats all around her.
"Step away from her," Paledusk growled.
The SkyClan deputy stalked over to Frostmask and the SkyClan elder, glowering at Frostmask the whole while. Frostmask felt a rush of ice-cold adrenaline through her body as her muscles tensed. She raised her chin, meeting Paledusk's gaze evenly and not caring that her lip curled up in a snarl of fury and disgust at the sight of him. She dug her claws into the ground, clumping mud under her feet.
A new wound had been added to Paledusk's face— a red line that started on his forehead, swept diagonally downwards, narrowly missing the inner corner of his left eye and ending at his nose. It looked like someone had tried to claw out his eyes and just missed.
Frostmask felt a spiteful jolt of satisfaction at the sight. She hoped that it was Swoopstrike who left that deep wound on his face. And, she hoped it would scar like the crescent mark on his cheek, so as long as he lived, Paledusk would carry with him the memory of Swoopstrike's claws forever.
Frostmask's tail began to lash as Paledusk's green gaze continued to bore into her own. A growl started to rumble louder, and louder, in her throat.
Suddenly Paledusk's gaze broke from hers, and he turned to nudge Birdstrike roughly away, ignoring Frostmask.
"Come on, Birdstrike," Paledusk growled.
"What's going on? Stop shoving me," Birdstrike hissed, raking Paledusk with a suspicious gaze and planting her feet firmly to the ground.
She clearly wasn't going to be peacefully led away. Paledusk made an impatient noise in his throat somewhere between a growl and a sigh.
"It's me," Paledusk said.
Birdstrike blinked, squinting in confusion.
Frostmask's brow furrowed. So, Birdstrike was still confused; she didn't even recognize her own deputy. Then how did she know about Frostmask's non-clan heritage?
"…Icerunner?" Birdstrike meowed hesitantly.
Paledusk huffed in annoyance.
"No. Paledusk. Your son, Paledusk," Paledusk growled.
Frostmask felt a jolt surge through her, her ears pricking in surprise.
Paledusk is Birdstrike's son? He's the cat she's been talking about?!
"Of course. Paledusk," Birdstrike snapped. "I know you're Paledusk. Stop talking to me as if I wouldn't recognize my own son."
"Good," Paledusk rumbled. "Come with me."
Birdstrike now allowed Paledusk to guide her a few steps away.
"Where's Slatewhisker?" Birdstrike meowed. "I haven't seen him anywhere."
"Slatewhisker's gone, Birdstrike," Paledusk growled.
Birdstrike came back to a sudden stop, having only allowed Paledusk to move her a few tail lengths from Frostmask.
"Gone? What do you mean gone?" she said, her voice increasing in volume to become a panicked screech at the end.
"Shh!" Paledusk hissed at her, lashing his tail as he noticed that Birdstrike had attracted curious glances from neighboring cats.
"What I mean is that he's waiting for us back at camp," Paledusk rumbled, the impatience leaving his voice to suddenly become low and soothing. "He wasn't picked to come to the Gathering, remember?"
"Oh." Birdstrike relaxed, her gaze growing cloudy. "That's right."
"Right," Paledusk agreed, going back to guiding her away.
They vanished into the crowd, leaving Frostmask stared intently after them. Her fur still stood on end and all her muscles were tense.
Thoughts in Frostmask's mind were spinning around like strands of spiderwebs, colliding, tangling, knotting up. But, Frostmask couldn't quite see the pattern of the web yet. There were pieces still missing, and they prevented her from putting together the whole picture. But, she was so close. It was like a scent on the breeze that she couldn't quite catch.
Frostmask dug her claws into the ground, her brow furrowed in concentration.
It was all so strange. Birdstrike recognized Frostmask and knew she wasn't clan-born. But, Birdstrike couldn't know Frostmask, not really. It was impossible. Maybe she had heard from her clan-mates that Frostmask had been adopted into ShadowClan, but she had never met her before the battle. And, yet, Birdstrike spoke to her as if Frostmask was someone she met before and despised.
But… what if Birdstrike didn't know Frostmask, and instead she thought she was someone else? Birdstrike hadn't recognized Larchtail during the battle, or Paledusk just now either. She had called them both other cat's names— Doepelt for Larchtail, and Icerunner for Paledusk.
Frostmask felt her chest tense up.
Paledusk had known May… could his mother had known her too? What if… Birdstrike thought Frostmask was May?
Frostmask felt a rush surge through her as she kneaded her claws impatiently into the ground. A feeling of certainty was growing bigger inside her.
Yes. Yes, that must be it. Birdstrike knew things about May; Frostmask could feel it in her bones. Maybe this elder was the key; Frostmask's way of finding out of the truth about her mother. How May knew about the Clans. Why May chose to bring her to ShadowClan out of everywhere else. How Paledusk knew May…
Frostmask gave her head a shake.
But, the answers were hidden deep inside of the elder's clouded mind, and the poor she-cat already seemed like she barely knew where she was half the time.
Frostmask's eyes narrowed.
Also, now that Paledusk had seen Frostmask and Birdstrike together, he'd surely be watching his mother like a hawk.
When Frostmask had asked last Paledusk how he knew May, he had been so defensive. And, now he snatched Birdstrike away from Frostmask so quickly, once he saw them talking… It seemed clear that whatever Birdstrike knew, he didn't want anyone, especially Frostmask, to find out.
If I even wanted to talk to Birdstrike tonight, would I be able to get her away from him?
Frostmask's ears twitched. Maybe it would be best to wait for a better time. But, on the other paw, Birdstrike was old and frail… If Frostmask wanted to ask her anything, this Gathering may be her only opportunity. Who knew if Frostmask would be able to ever speak to her again?
I can't lose this chance.
Mind made up, Frostmask rose to her paws, and slipped into the crowd after Birdstrike and Paledusk.
RiverClan and ThunderClan had just arrived, and now the clearing was very crowded with bodies. Weaving around groups of chatting cats, Frostmask spotted Paledusk off to the edge of the clearing, near the group of medicine cats. She could see Paledusk by a blue-grey she-cat; SkyClan's medicine cat, Swallowfur, while Birdstrike sat a few tail-lengths away, staring blankly out into the crowd. Frostmask noticed Swallowfur scowling at Paledusk, while the SkyClan deputy's mouth moved. But, Frostmask was too far away to hear what he was saying. Frostmask padded closer, sticking to the crowd to try to remain unseen by him, and Paledusk's voice drifted into her ears.
"…hardly knows where she is, or what she's saying," Paledusk was meowing in a low voice to Swallowfur. "I think this is the last Gathering she should attend."
"Why?" Swallowfur protested. "Her mind may be deteriorating, but her body still works fine. She's able to make the trek here no problem. I think the change in scenery is good for her. She gets to see and speak to elders from other clans that she recognizes from her youth. Everyone from her generation in our clan has passed on. How would you feel if your life was only sitting in a cave all by yourself all day, watching cats you hardly remember walk pass your den?"
"Birdstrike's become a liability," Paledusk growled.
"A liability?" Swallowfur repeated incredulously with a harsh laugh. "Dear StarClan, you talk about her as if she's a mad dog, not a retired, respected SkyClan warrior! And, your mother no less!"
Paledusk gave another frustrated growl.
"I don't have time for this right now. Keep an eye on her, and we'll talk about this later," he snapped, turning his back on Swallowfur.
He started heading towards the Great Rock to take his position as a deputy at its base. Frostmask's gaze flickered back to Birdstrike to see Swallowfur had risen to her paws as well, and she was now gently guiding Birdstrike over to a group of elders, murmuring to the elder as they walked. Frostmask felt anticipation rush over her.
Now's my chance to talk to Birdstrike before the Gathering starts!
"Hey."
Frostmask jolted suddenly at the voice. Larchtail padded up to her slowly, her steps hesitant, and her expression shy.
Snake-dung!
Frostmask shot another quick glance after Birdstrike. She'd have to get rid of Larchtail in order to talk to Birdstrike, but how?
But, before she could say anything, Larchtail's gaze flicked from Frostmask to Birdstrike, tracing the path of Frostmask's gaze.
"Birdstrike's doing fine… Thanks to you," Larchtail mumbled before looking down at her paws. "I know the relationship between our Clans isn't the best right now. But, I wanted to thank you still. Helping me and also standing up to your clan-mate… You didn't have to do that."
Frostmask gaze flickered back over to Larchtail. She felt a mix of indecision and distrust. Larchtail had always been kind to her at Gatherings when they were both apprentices, but after the battle in the ThunderClan camp, Frostmask expected only hostility from her from there on out. However… it seemed like she had won back some affection from the SkyClan warrior by helping her with Birdstrike. Frostmask wanted to believe that Larchtail's words were genuine, but she couldn't forget that she was also in the same Clan as Paledusk…
Slowly, Frostmask's tail began to swish thoughtfully. But, if Larchtail was being genuine, maybe she could help her. Maybe Larchtail knew information about Birdstrike that she could tell Frostmask.
After a beat of silence in which Frostmask said nothing, Larchtail continued.
"Did you get in trouble for it?" Larchtail said, her gaze flicking back up to Frostmask's.
Frostmask shook her head, finally acknowledging her.
"No. Sedgestar means it when he says don't attack elders," she said in a low voice. "And, uh— I'm Frostmask now, by the way."
Larchtail nodded, and Frostmask noticed that a bit of relief seemed to spark in the she-cat's eyes that Frostmask was willing to have a conversation with her.
"Frostmask, for your fur pattern. I like it," she said, with a soft purr.
Frostmask's tail-tip twitched as she hesitated. She knew she'd have to tread carefully to make sure she didn't shatter the fragile alliance hanging between them.
Frostmask took a seat next to the tabby, carefully studying Larchtail's expression for any sign that she was going to overstep with her next few questions.
"…I was curious, though, about Birdstrike," Frostmask began hesitantly. "During the battle, she seemed to think that I was someone else… I just thought that was strange."
Larchtail gave a small sigh, shooting a sad glance over her shoulder, back at the elder.
"Yeah. Birdstrike's mind's not all there anymore. She regularly calls me 'Doepelt,'" Larchtail said. "That's my mother, by the way. We look similar. You probably resemble someone she once knew seasons ago."
Frostmask nodded, her heart hammering as she felt cold rush through her, but she kept her expression neutral. Even though she suspected as much, it was still powerful to hear Larchtail confirm it.
"Oh okay. There was this other really weird thing she said to me," Frostmask said, trying to keep her tone as causal as possible. "She was saying that she wasn't going to have her son taken from her. That she couldn't lose him."
Larchtail's expression became even more regretful.
"Oh, yeah… Slatewhisker," Larchtail said.
Frostmask blinked hard in surprise before her brow furrowed. She was suddenly off balance.
…Slatewhisker? Not Paledusk? Who in StarClan's name is Slatewhisker?
Larchtail seemed to notice the confusion of Frostmask's face, and she continued.
"Slatewhisker was one of Birdstrike's kits. And, my father actually," Larchtail muttered bitterly, glancing away from Frostmask for a moment. "But, I never met him. He disappeared from SkyClan territory a couple of moons before I was born. No blood, no body. Just a scent-trail that led over the border, and he was gone. He and his brother, Paledusk, had been inseparable their whole lives up until that point, so Paledusk left SkyClan territory to look for him. But, Paledusk returned to the Clan alone."
Frostmask's ears pricked with interest, and she leaned in closer to Larchtail.
"Any idea what happened to him?" Frostmask asked, searching her face.
She saw a guarded look flash in Larchtail's eyes, but only for a moment.
"I guess there's no harm in telling you," she said with a forced purr. "It's seasons old gossip by now anyway. So, I told you all the facts already. The rest is just hearsay. You know how SkyClan borders the two-leg place?"
Frostmask nodded. Although she had never seen it for herself, it was something everyone learned during training. Two-legs were dangerous, and all apprentices were warned to stay away from them.
"Well that means that we get a lot more stranger cats in our territory than any of the other clans," Larchtail continued. "Rogues, loners, and even the occasional brave kitty-pet, all coming from the two-leg place and across the scent markers into SkyClan land."
Frostmask's brow furrowed. It was an odd thought. The only cats she's seen her clan-mates ever worry about coming into ShadowClan territory were cats from other Clans.
I guess, besides me… and May.
"They aren't usually a problem," Larchtail said. "Our patrols can chase them off with ease. But, after Slatewhisker disappeared, these rumors started circulating in the Clan that some warriors had seen him having secret meetings with stranger cats at the two-leg place border. Becoming friends with them. Talking even with kitty-pets."
Larchtail crinkled her nose slightly.
"I think Paledusk went after Slatewhisker half because he missed him. And, half because he wanted to clear his family's tainted name."
Larchtail shook her head.
"Well, whether Slatewhisker ran off to be a kitty-pet or not, the end result was still the same. Paledusk came back empty-pawed, claiming that his brother was dead. And, Birdstrike was never the same. She retired to the elder's den soon after. She spent a lot of time with me and my littermates when I was a kit, and she was still pretty sharp mentally then. But, once I became an apprentice, that was around the time when she started getting more and more confused," Larchtail said with a sigh.
"Huh. That's sad," Frostmask muttered, keeping her exterior calm, while her mind reeled from all the information Larchtail told her.
…It finally all made sense! Paledusk must have met May in the two-leg place while searching for his brother. But, he's ashamed of Slatewhisker, which was why he'd been so cagey about speaking to Frostmask about the situation.
Maybe May even knew Slatewhisker. Could she have been one of the cats that he had been rumored to have been meeting at the edge of SkyClan territory? Was that why Birdstrike seemed to blame May for taking her son away? And, why Paledusk seemed so aggressive towards Frostmask? Was that how May knew about the clans, and why she ultimately ended up bringing Frostmask to ShadowClan when she was unable to care for her—
Larchtail sighed, pulling Frostmask back out of her whirling thoughts.
"The worst part about Slatewhisker is just not knowing," Larchtail muttered, seemingly half to herself as she continued. "I mean, I can't really miss him since I never knew him. But, I'd like to know what happened. Was he really a traitor that ran away from SkyClan? Is he still alive? Or, is Paledusk right, and he's gone because he died somewhere out there? I guess I'll never know. If he is dead, he surely never had the proper death ceremony, so I won't even get to ask him in StarClan."
Frostmask slowly nodded along. Almost against her better judgement, she felt a twinge of empathy growing in her chest towards Larchtail. Now that she knew that Slatewhisker and May were somehow connected, she couldn't help but feel connected to Larchtail too. Really, their situations weren't all that different even. There would always be questions about May that Frostmask couldn't answer, just like Larchtail would always have questions about Slatewhisker…
At least Frostmask now had a solid explanation about how May knew Paledusk and Birdstrike, which brought her some peace. Although the understanding also brought up more questions than it answered.
"I actually feel the same way," Frostmask murmured, and she saw Larchtail's gaze widen in surprise. "Well, I mean about my mom. She died right after she brought me to ShadowClan. There are so many things I'll never…"
Frostmask was interrupted as a yowl rang out through the clearing from one of the leaders on the Great Rock, signally the start of the Gathering. It was Willowstar who had yowled, and the grey tabby RiverClan leader was standing at the edge of the Great Rock, her silky fur shining silver in the moonlight.
"Let this leaf-fall Gathering begin!" Willowstar purred as quiet fell over the crowd. "I will start with RiverClan's announcements."
"All is well in RiverClan," she meowed. "The fish are still plentiful in the river despite the cooler weather. In the past moon, Otterfang was given her warrior name."
"Otterfang! Otterfang!" RiverClan cheered, and a few cats from the other clans joined in.
Frostmask's gaze found the sleek brown-furred she-cat in the crowd, and Otterfang raised her chin proudly. Frostmask's tail twitched as she remembered how much of an arrogant fur-ball Otterfang was the last time she saw her at a Gathering a few moons ago. Judging by the look of smug pride on the RiverClan warrior's face, that much hadn't changed.
"Besides that, we don't have that much else to report," Willowstar meowed, nodding to the other leaders, offering one of them to speak next.
Rabbitstar padded forward.
"WindClan is doing well too," the ginger tom said, raising his chin and tail proudly. "At the beginning of the moon, a fox had entered our territory and was hunting some of our rabbits, but my warriors managed to chase it off about a half moon ago before it could establish a den in our land. It headed in the direction of RiverClan territory."
At this, Rabbitstar nodded towards Willowstar, who narrowed her eyes at him.
"We have scented fox on our land recently," Willowstar said, a quiet growl in her voice as her sharp gaze raked over Rabbitstar. "Thank you for warning us about it so promptly."
Although Willowstar's voice dripped with scorn, Rabbitstar seemed unbothered. He just nodded indulgently as if he took her thanks at face value.
"You're welcome. I figured it wouldn't be too much of a bother for RiverClan since foxes don't fish," Rabbitstar said with a cheeky purr. "I don't have anything else to report."
Morningstar rose to his paws quickly now, before Rabbitstar even had the chance to take a seat, as if he wanted to make sure he spoke before SkyClan did. Fennelstar watched him with a narrowed gaze, but he didn't try to rush to his paws. Morningstar strode to the front of the Great Rock, holding his plumy grey tail and head high.
"As I'm sure you are all aware," Morningstar said, his loud voice reverberating through the clearing. "ThunderClan and SkyClan have been waging war for moons now over some of our territory that SkyClan keeps trespassing and hunting in."
Fennelstar didn't say anything to argue with this statement, he simply watched Morningstar with a tense expression, although there were hisses and yowls of protest from the gathered SkyClan cats. Frostmask even heard Larchtail give a low growl from next to her.
"About a half moon ago, they struck us with a fox-hearted blow," Morningstar spat, lashing his tail and scraping his claws against the stone beneath him. "They attacked our camp while most of our warriors were out. They killed an elder, Mothwhisker, a nursing queen with young kits, Brambledapple, and my son, Rockstorm."
The ThunderClan cats yowled out in fury as Morningstar named their dead. Frostmask tensed her shoulders. Pressure was rising in the clearing like a storm was gathering. Frostmask glanced up towards the moon. It still shone brightly, but she knew that it wouldn't stay that way as soon as someone tried to attack someone else.
"However, with ShadowClan's help, we were able to drive them back," Morningstar growled, continuing. "And, launch our own attack on their camp in revenge."
Morningstar turned to glare at Fennelstar. Both large toms still had wounds on their pelts, inflicted by each other's claws only a few nights ago.
"We are even now," Morningstar said to him, growling out each word. "Do not test us. Stay out of our territory, and we will leave you alone."
Fennelstar gave a mocking laugh, his narrowed eyes glinting dangerously.
"Forgive me, Morningstar," Fennelstar sneered. "But, I can't take a threat from you seriously, when your clan has to hide behind another, using them to do your dirty work. I wouldn't be surprised if ThunderClan and ShadowClan decide to just merge and become one soon enough."
"We would do no such thing!" Morningstar snarled furiously, and Sedgestar was suddenly on his paws, turning towards Fennelstar.
Sedgestar's long-legged form was slighter than the bulky SkyClan leader's, but with the fur down his back bristling and his amber eyes burning with anger, he looked no less intimidating.
"This past moon, ShadowClan also lost a good warrior, Swoopstrike, who fell at SkyClan's claws," Sedgestar said.
His voice was low and even, but it had an undertone of danger. It was like a dark river that appeared calm, but if a cat carelessly stuck even one paw in, they'd be snatched away by the vicious current surging just beneath the surface.
"It is true that we had an agreement with ThunderClan, but that treaty is now at its end," Sedgestar growled cooly. "ShadowClan does no one's dirty work for them, and we certainly aren't bound to ThunderClan. If you have an issue with ShadowClan, you take it up with me, and me alone, Fennelstar. Our Clans don't have to be enemies, but ShadowClan will put you in your place if we must."
Fennelstar's tail lashed behind him.
"Point taken, Sedgestar," Fennelstar growled, before his voice became sickly sweet. "In that case, besides this little— ahem— shall we say, ThunderClan hiccup, there have been so many good feelings between ShadowClan and SkyClan for many seasons… I am sorry for the loss of your warrior, but I think it'd be a shame to throw it all away because of this one little incident."
Sedgestar narrowed his eyes.
"Quite right," he growled, nodding in agreement.
Frostmask felt a surge of anger inside her, and she dug her claws into the ground. She knew that Sedgestar was allowing ShadowClan to hunt on SkyClan land, so all this talk about "good feelings" between ShadowClan and SkyClan was just for show. But, regardless, her blood still boiled to hear her leader agree with Fennelstar reducing the entirety of Swoopstrike's stolen life to "one little incident."
Sedgestar turned away from Fennelstar to look out over the gathered cats.
"As for the rest of our news, we have four new warriors, Pineshade, Frostmask, Poolcloud and Autumnleap," Sedgestar meowed.
Frostmask ducked her head slightly as ShadowClan cheered loudly and defiantly for their clan-mates with a scattering of ThunderClan cats joining in, but the rest of the clans were silent. Sedgestar turned back to Fennelstar.
"Do you have any more news, Fennelstar?" Sedgestar asked, icily polite.
Fennelstar shot a pointed look at Morningstar, and for a heartbeat, Frostmask wondered if he was actually going to respond to the proposed truce by the ThunderClan leader. But, then Fennelstar shook his head.
"No. SkyClan is doing well, but we don't have much to report," Fennelstar responded, his tail twitching.
"Then I say this Gathering is over," Sedgestar meowed.
Sedgestar smoothly descended from the Great Rock like water racing down the side of a stone.
Frostmask turned towards Larchtail to see she was already on her paws to leave.
"Bye Frostmask, it was really nice talking to you," she meowed. "I hope we get to see each other again soon."
Larchtail paused, grimacing as she seemed to replay her words in her head.
"Er… I mean, see you soon, at a Gathering. Off the battlefield, of course," she amended quickly, her tail twitching awkwardly.
Frostmask gave a snort of bitter amusement, but a bit to her surprise, she didn't feel any resentment towards Larchtail about it.
Larchtail's a good cat, Frostmask decided. She can't help that she lives in a Clan run by Fennelstar and Paledusk.
"Me too," Frostmask said, blinking at her in a friendly way. "Bye."
Author's Note:
Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Also I ended up writing out Swoopstrike and Dappledpelt's relationship backstory in a review below, so check that out if you're interested. :)
Reviews:
Firecat21870: I'm glad you like it! Yeah, I'm sure each of them will try to get as much prey as they can find.
There was a Book to Remember: Hahaha I think a lot of ShadowClan cats are thinking that exact same thing.
Brian.H.H: No worries! It's good to hear from you again! Also, I was thinking about your comment about honor, and I think you're right. The way I was judging it in my head was like "battling someone could kill them, but stealing from someone doesn't kill them." So, I was judging killing someone as more "morally wrong," than stealing from them is. But, when I read your comment, I realized that you're right that honorable does not always equal moral. And, that a code of honor and a moral code could be entirely different.
Thank you! I was really happy for Pineshade and Frostmask to finally have a real heart to heart. Also, that's another good point about the Gathering, and I am inclined to agree with you. Truthfully, I just want Frostmask to be able to talk to Larchtail, and I felt like if Pineshade or Poolcloud were there, then they might have gotten in the way of that haha. So, I thought it would be easier to leave them at home.
Simitria: Thanks! It was nice to have a brief moment where we can see what's been going on in Pineshade's head. It's tricky because she's an emotionally reserved character, so I can't having sharing too often because that wouldn't be her personality, but it's no fun if we never see in her head at all.
Pandere: Oof, you are spot on about Dampfang. He just won't go away! Haha why would I stop when I love Sedgestar so much too. Yeah, I feel similarly about like the evolution and disappear of certain traditions in the clan over time.
Avalanche: Pineshade's love life certainly isn't over yet haha…
Shimmerbreeze: I enjoy writing slow burn romances to throughly develop the relationship between the characters, so there will still be some time before any sort of love confession. Don't worry though, their relationship will still continue to progress even without love confessions. And, haha, it may be a bromance right now on Frostmask's side, but it's not for Autumnleap!
SavvySpirit: Those are some good ideas about Lizardkit. I was thinking of sticking with a single mentor for him, although he'll need a bit more specialized training because of his disability, so it will be a bit more of a collective effort than an average apprentice. Lol don't worry about our main gang lacking romance drama, some more will certainly be coming (eventually.) And, Dappledpelt is not pregnant; she won't be having any more kits. Although she actually already has one, Leafbreeze.
I think I'll just go ahead and explain Dappledpelt's and Swoopstrike's backstory to explain this. When they were apprentices, Swooppaw developed a big crush on Dappledpaw. Dappledpaw knew about it, and they had a flirtatious friendship, but she was a free spirit and a bit of an impulsive, wild-child. So, she wasn't really interested in getting in a serious relationship with him or anyone else at that time. Swooppaw accepted this (although it made him sad) and he basically just decided to wait for her, whenever she was ready, and the two of them stayed good friends without Swooppaw trying to push a relationship on to her.
At the very end of Dappledpaw's apprenticeship, right before she was given her warrior name, she had a fling with a handsome rogue, basically just a one-night stand. But, she found out she was pregnant pretty shortly after her warrior's ceremony. The rogue was long gone at this point, and Dappledpelt was devastated because she didn't mean for this to happen. She ended up confiding in Swoopstrike because he was her best friend, and confessing everything that happened. Swoopstrike was heartbroken that she was pregnant with someone else's kits, but he still loved her and wanted to help her. So, to cover her tracks, he told her that she could tell the Clan that he's the father.
Dappledpelt had only one daughter, Leafkit. Swoopstrike tried to be supportive of Dappledpelt and Leafkit in the nursery by checking on them and bringing them prey, and although he was trying his best, he wasn't the most involved father. He was pretty distant because he was still hurting about the fact that Dappledpelt didn't love him like how he loved her, and he and Dappledpelt were still pretty young- neither of them intended to be parents at this age. He also had trouble bonding with Leafkit; he loved her because he saw Dappledpelt in her, but he also struggled because he hated her rogue father: he was both jealous of him, and he thought this rogue was scum for not taking any responsibly and just ditching Dappledpelt (this is how he started to become really prejudice against rogues, thinking they all were trash.)
Dappledpelt also wasn't super close to Leafkit because she hated being confined to the nursery, so she regularly left Leafkit to be watched by the other queens while she went hunting or on patrols. So, Leafbreeze as an adult isn't super close to either Dappledpelt or Swoopstrike, but she didn't hold them any ill will because she knew that they both loved her, just in their own way, and that they hadn't intended to have her so young.
Once Leafpaw began her training, Dappledpelt talked to Swoopstrike and told him how grateful she was for his help and that she'll forever be in his debt. And, Swoopstrike brushed her off, like "Don't worry about it." But, he also told her that he thought that now that Leafpaw was out of the nursery, they should "break up." (They never were really together, but the Clan believed they were mates. So, Swoopstrike wanted to end their fake relationship.)
Swoopstrike still loved her, but it hurt him too much to be with her in this fake way, and he was still hurting about the whole rogue thing too. And, on Dappledpelt's side, she was surprised by the request, and a little hurt because she had started to develop real romantic feelings for Swoopstrike too over the past six moons that she had been in the nursery. But, even though Dappledpelt didn't really want to, she easily agreed to "break up" because she felt like there was no way that she could try to pressure him to stay with her after he had done so much for her.
In the following moons, Dappledpelt and Swoopstrike maintained a relatively friendly but distant relationship. Dappledpelt began to really love Swoopstrike, but she also felt extremely guilty about the whole situation and everything she put Swoopstrike through when he had been nothing but a great, supportive friend to her in return. So, she kept her distance and never broached her feelings to him because she basically thought she didn't deserve to have a real relationship with him.
For Swoopstrike, he had decided that being in love with Dappledpelt had only ever brought him pain, so he became very closed off emotionally, which resulted in him being a jerk to everyone all the time and just throwing himself into his warrior's duties, neglecting his relationships/friendships with his friends and clan-mates. It got so bad that at one point, his only real friend left was his sister, Snakeeyes (Swoopstrike tried to push her away too, but Snakeeyes wasn't having it.) Also, Swoopstrike tried really hard to finally get over Dappledpelt by squashing his feelings for her deep down inside, and to stop himself from loving her, whenever he caught himself thinking about her fondly, he'd think about her being with the rogue, and that'd make him feel angry and hurt, which would drown out the good feelings. However, as much as he tried, Swoopstrike was never able to stomp out his care for her completely.
When Swoopstrike started to train Frostpaw, he really wanted to hate her because she had been a rogue. But, by mentoring her, he found himself accepting her as a ShadowClan cat, and he finally slowly realized that it's not possible that all rogues are evil. Against his will, Swoopstrike also genuinely bonded with Frostpaw. Finally feeling that care and connection for someone after he had worked so hard to push everyone away helped heal him emotionally, and that in addition to realizing that not all rogues are evil, allowed him to finally forgive Dappledpelt in his heart for everything. He started to try to fix his friendship with Dappledpelt by spending more time with her, and, although Dappledpelt was hesitant/uncertain about what was happening, she was also ecstatic that he wanted to hang out with her and their relationship seemed to be "going back to normal."
Both he and Dappledpelt separately were trying to work up the courage to tell the other their feelings and finally clear the heavy air that hung between them— by Dappledpelt telling him that she was so sorry that she had been so selfish and caused him so much pain, and Swoopstrike telling her that he forgave her. But, Swoopstrike died before they could have that conversation, which is part of why Dappledpelt was so devastated that she never got to apologize to him and tell him that she loved him too.
I think that now that Swoopstrike's in StarClan though, he knows how she feels, and he's just again patiently waiting for her, until she is ready to join him. :')