Chapter Twenty One- Dark Secrets of the Oak and Ashes
Ashstar had done it! Why hadn't we thought of her as a suspect?
Daisypaw had her tail wrapped around Hazelpaw and was dragging the grey she cat along. Hazelpaw didn't know where and she didn't care. She didn't care about anything much except the thoughts whirling round her head.
Ashstar had done it.
Of course as soon as they realised Mothfur's alibi was completely useless it meant that Ashstar's had gone as well.
But we didn't even think of her as a suspect.
Hazelpaw thought again of the conversation Daisypaw had reported Ashstar and Mousestripe having. It suddenly made a lot more sense - and sounded a lot more sinister.
There I was minding my own business, Daisypaw had said, in an opportune listening place next to the Warrior's Grass Lay place, when Ashstar pads up to Mousestripe. 'Mousestripe,' she said, 'I need to talk to you. You haven't quite finished helping me with that little business of ours. You were so late to my den that dusk a couple of sun-ups ago, that we barely got a thing done.' 'Yes but I made up for it on the following sun-ups,' Mousestripe said nervously. 'Ah but not quite,' replied Ashstar, 'there's still a little bit of work which needs to be finished.' Honestly, Hazelpaw, Mousestripe was absolutely beside himself. He had his ears pinned to his head and he was shaking. 'Can we perhaps arrange another meeting?' Ashstar asked. 'There's just a little more work I'd like you to do - perhaps this evening?'
"If it had been any other warrior, we might have been more suspicious, but somehow Ashstar has always seemed above the other warriors; so remote from all their dramas. And Mothfur, Rabbithop and Redflame had all been such good suspects - so had Grassclaw and Mousestripe, to start with. They all had motives to kill Whistlesong, but Ashstar doesn't appear to have any motive at all."
Ashstar had done it. Why?
Hazelpaw suddenly felt someone nudging her shoulder.
"Hazelpaw," said Daisypaw, "you're talking to yourself.
The grey she cat blinked and found herself outside the old Hollow Log.
"Quick," Daisypaw said, nudging her again, "hide."
Hazelpaw climbed in and Daisypaw settled down beside her. She could feel the cream she cat shaking.
"I never guessed it would be Ashstar." She said quietly. "I didn't want to tell you, but I was nearly certain that it was The Flame and Rabbithop. It was all beginning to fit - motive, means, even the flower. But - oh Ashstar!"
Hazelpaw nodded, pressing against her friend supportively.
"She doesn't seem real does she?"
"Nope, a clan leader through and through! Oh but now we know how the murderer got Mousestripe to help - Ashstar must have offered the deputy position in exchange for his services. And that conversation three sun-ups ago makes sense! And who we saw that moon-high must have been them hunting for the flower. Great StarClan!"
"I wonder why she did it though. What in Silverpelt could be worth murdering two warriors for?" Mused Hazelpaw.
"Well, let's be logical about this. Why would cats kill other cats besides in battle?"
"Power, love, fear, revenge." Hazelpaw recited.
"Revenge seems unlikely as there are other means for that and power because Ashstar is already clan leader."
The cream she cat twitched her ear thoughtfully.
"Well what if - Hazelpaw tell me if this doesn't make sense - what if Whistlesong was blackmailing Ashstar. Asking for - the deputy position - in exchange for keeping quiet about something?"
"But Ashstar seems so perfect!" Hazelpaw objected. "What could she be blackmailed about?"
"I don't know, but it must be rather awful if she's killed two warriors over it. What do you think though? Am I right?
Despite everything else going on, Hazelpaw couldn't help feeling amazed.
Daisypaw asking me what I thought about her detective work!
The grey she cat swallowed back a purr. "It makes sense, if anything does." She replied.
Daisypaw let out a small purr of amusement. "Pity we can't ask Whistlesong about it; excuse me but why were you murdered."
"No. But you could ask me."
Hazelpaw and Daisypaw jumped.
A pair of glowing, amber eyes were visible in the dim light.
We are not alone in the log!
"Wh..who's there?" Daisypaw stammered.
The cat stepped closer to the she cats and into the light.
"Oakbranch?" Hazelpaw squeaked.
What is she doing here?
The dark ginger she cat nodded. "It is I."
"What are you doing here?" Daisypaw asked, echoing Hazelpaw's thoughts.
"Hiding."
"From who?"
Hazelpaw's mind flashed back to what Shimmerpaw had said about seeing Whistlesong nervously speaking with Oakbranch not long before she was murdered. They had stopped abruptly when Ashstar had come near.
"From her." Breathed Hazelpaw.
"You're hiding from Ashstar because you know what happened in Ashstar's past, what Whistlesong blackmailed her about. You know that Whistlesong and Mousestripe's deaths weren't an accident."
"I know. Now. I had my suspicions, but no proof. It wasn't until after Mousestripe's death that..that I …." The ginger she cat sighed before sitting back on her haunches,
"I better start from the beginning; with the cat it all starts with."
"And who's that?" Asked Daisypaw, head tilted curiously.
"Cinderpaw."
The name echoed around the log.
Daisypaw gave a little squeal of glee, blue eyes flashing in the darkness. Hazelpaw just shivered with foreboding.
She seems to be everywhere.
"What happened?" the grey she cat whispered.
Oakbranch cleared her throat. "Well. At the beginning of last season, when I was still deputy, Cinderpaw became a 3rd seasoner. The silver she cat was also one of the chosen few to be mentored by Ashstar. I was amazed that she had got chosen, even requested especially, - not because of her skills, they were quite brilliant - but because Ashstar didn't seem to get on with her the same as all the other apprentices, often avoiding her in camp when possible. But anyway, it could have just been my imagination, or so I told myself at the time."
The ginger she cat twitched her tail, eyes distant, as if reliving long ago memories.
"So young Cinderpaw began her training and it went very well. She was a very bright and skilful apprentice, eager to please, and Ashstar was a good mentor to her; they were a good team. I would sometimes drop in on their training to watch when I went hunting - and that was when I started to notice Ashstar behaving….oddly. She always seemed on the verge of telling Cinderpaw - something - and certain topics of conversation made her twitchy.
After a few sessions, I could tell Cinderpaw had begun to notice too. I often found her whispering to Leopardpaw while glancing at Ashstar out the corner of her eye. I could tell the yellow spotted she cat didn't quite believe her though, and thought she had bees in her brain."
Oakbranch let out a slight huff of amusement.
"I had no clue what something - secret or otherwise - Ashstar would want to tell anybody, let alone an apprentice. She had always been a very private cat, especially once she became deputy."
The ginger she cat sighed, before sitting down and curling her paws underneath her.
"But I soon found out. It was one night. I was heading to Ashstar's den to organise the next day's patrols with her. I was about to announce myself when I realised Ashstar had company in the den. Glimpsing silver fur through the lichen, I guessed it was Cinderpaw. This wasn't unusual for them to often sit and talk about training techniques or general clan life after training. I decided to wait outside as to not intrude, when she told her - her secret."
There was a slight pause.
"Some 13 moons ago, when Ashstar was still deputy, she had a kit. That kit had a StormClan father so it was hushed up. The kit was given away to a nice she cat and her mate. That kit was Cinderpaw."
Hazelpaw gasped, while Daisypaw let out a squeal of delight. "Really! Oh really, Hazelpaw, excitement!" She hissed under her breath.
Oakbranch continued, "At first I couldn't believe it, but some things started to make sense. The handsome silver StormClan tom who Ashstar, Ashstorm then, tended to hang out with a little too much at gatherings. The secret moon-high walks I sometimes caught her on. Why she was always so touchy about her private life."
The ginger she cat gave a slight purr of amusement. "Even why Cinderpaw was such a natural swimmer and times when I thought the two she cats looked so similar."
She shook her head. "Anyway, I think Ashstar was hoping that...that she could have the relationship with her daughter that she always grieved for. But, of course Cinderpaw couldn't. There was a long silence after the reveal. I saw the silver she cat's shocked face through the lichen. Then she turned and ran out of the den straight past me. I paused, torn. I wanted to try and console either she cat, but I couldn't unless I revealed I knew and, I didn't want to admit I had been eavesdropping."
The ginger she cat's ears drooped sheepishly.
"So I turned and padded away, processing what I had just heard. The next day, Ashstar acted completely normal of course, meanwhile Cinderpaw was acting quite distracted, and avoided the dark grey tabby at all costs. I'm pretty sure she told Leopardpaw what had happened. I saw the two cats whispering, looking quite serious and Leopardpaw, quite concerned.
Ashstar, I think, was alarmed by Cinderpaw's reaction and was realising for the first time how she'd put her position in jeopardy if this was to come out. I followed them when they went training and they had a - discussion. I heard Ashstar say that Cinderpaw had to consider her position and so keep it a secret between just the two of them. Cinderpaw didn't think that was fair and I quite agreed with her."
Oakbranch paused suddenly, ears pricked. Her amber eyes scanned past the she cats, out the log entrance.
Why is she so jumpy? Are we in immediate danger? Thought Hazelpaw, muscles tensing.
Satisfied that nothing was out there, the ginger she cat continued.
"Ashstar arranged for Cinderpaw to meet her one night after a gathering. I didn't know this at the time, I just accepted the order to watch over camp as Ashstar went for a 'night walk'. It was then that I noticed Cinderpaw was nowhere to be seen and I figured out what was going on. I asked one of the warrior mentors to watch camp while I followed them to the meeting. I had decided to come clean and try to help both she cats. I followed them to the now abandoned training hollows and up High Cliff."
Hazelpaw couldn't help gasping.
"The two she cats sat on the ledge and I watched, waiting for an appropriate time…" The ginger she cat trailed off. "There wasn't one."
Oakbranch stood up, eyes distant and glazed. Hazelpaw noticed her shaking slightly. Then the ginger she cat seemed to steel herself and take a breath before speaking once more.
"I saw the claws.
I saw her slip.
I heard her scream."
Oakbranch closed her eyes.
"I wanted to believe it was an accident. A tragic accident, but then I saw her...her ice cold eyes, without any feeling."
She let out a shaky breath.
"I ran. I was terrified of what I had just witnessed. I didn't know what to do. The cat who I had led the clan with was no more. A heartless, lifeless - rogue in her place."
Oakbranch shook her head.
"It's an utter miracle from StarClan that I could carry on my duties as normal, I'm certain Ashstar never suspected a thing; I knew I would have been in real danger if she had. That's why I decided to keep it a secret. I guess you could say I was a coward. I was just so scared - no - terrified. So I said nothing and everything was going okay until….until Whistlesong."
Hazelpaw blinked, barely keeping up with it all. Daisypaw pressed against her in excitement and anticipation.
Oakbranch continued.
"Whistlesong. The cat who I asked to watch the camp when I followed Ashstar. She knew something was up, and asked me about it. I said nothing - then - but the secret I carried had begun to haunt me, I could barely sleep at night. Whistlesong kept at it, convinced something was up, and one day - I just blurted it all out.
Everything.
I regretted it at once, knowing how much danger I had also put her in. I told her we needed a careful plan of who to tell and how and to keep it a deadly secret until then. She promised, but I didn't miss the greedy look sparkling in her eyes.
Not long after, I decided it was time to resign from my deputy position. I knew once I got the word out, Ashstar would lose leadership of PineClan and I wasn't the right cat to replace her. I told her I was retiring and she actually seemed rather sad. If only she knew what I knew, I thought. Nonetheless, she let me have a say for who to succeed her next and that worked well for me. Whistlesong and Mousestripe popped up in discussions, but we agreed that Mousestripe had a bit of a too nervous temperament and well, I knew Whistlesong would make a good deputy, but I didn't think she would make a good leader yet if we were to let the truth out. So, I was thinking perhaps Riverrush or maybe her sister Dovepool.
I left it with Ashstar thinking either she cat would be a good leader. So I was shocked when I retired and Ashstar announced Whistlesong as the new deputy. When I asked her about it she just snapped about being the leader and it being her choice. I asked Whistlesong about it and she told me the truth.
She was blackmailing Ashstar.
I was furious and frightened, not for my sake - she had promised that she had not mentioned me in the slightest - but hers. She had no idea what Ashstar was capable of. Whistlesong continued to blackmail her. First for the deputy position, then for leadership of the clan."
There was a pause as this sunk in.
"Your discussion with Whistlesong before she-" Daisypaw broke off.
Oakbranch blinked. "Correct, young one."
"Yes, she came to me to tell me she was meeting Ashstar and was going to force her out of the clan once and for all by threatening to tell her secret unless she stood down as leader. Either way, Whistlesong would win. I was angry that she would use a tragic accident for her own gain and terrified for her safety, especially when she told me the meeting place was on High Cliff."
The ginger she cat sighed and shook her head.
"When I didn't see her that night, I was concerned. When she didn't show up the next day for the clan meeting, I was worried. When I heard she had gone White Rabbit, I knew. I was more scared than ever. I had a feeling that Ashstar knew Whistlesong had a source; I could only hope she didn't know it was me. Then came the death of Mousestripe. This was going too far. I had to do something, for the sake of PineClan."
Hazelpaw gasped, in a brief state of clarity; remembering the flash of ginger fur she seen that same morning.
"You were the cat who alerted the Clan Guard!" She exclaimed.
"Yes, I did. As soon as I heard Ashstar's announcement, I knew something was very wrong. And that's also why I'm hiding."
There was a pause as the ginger she cat let out a breath and sank down, as if all her energy was drained out of her from telling that story.
Meanwhile Hazelpaw's mind whirled. Her fur was bristling with shock. She could hardly believe it.
Ashstar - the great Ashstar - had broken the Warrior Code by having a half clan relationship and then a kit - Cinderpaw! The silver she cat didn't kill herself either, it was Ashstar. She did it!
That thought made Hazelpaw's skin crawl with horror.
Her own daughter! And Oakbranch knew all this time but was too scared to tell any cat - until Whistlesong. Who then blackmailed Ashstar and Ashstar killed her….
Something then occurred to Hazelpaw.
"You said Cinderpaw told these things to Leopardpaw - the same Leopardpaw who is now Lead Apprentice."
"Yes." Confirmed Oakbranch, tilting her head to the side. "Good job picking up on that, young one. I see why you were one of the ones who figured out this whole mess."
Hazelpaw ducked her head embarrassed before hissing to Daisypaw. "She must have known this the whole time - that's why she was acting so odd and why she was meeting with Mousestripe. I knew she had something to do with this!"
Daisypaw nodded. "She can't have known exactly what was going on, but I bet she suspected; might have even realised Mousestripe had something to do with it and that's why she arranged to meet him."
The cream she cat's blue eyes flashed with excitement and Hazlepaw felt her quiver slightly. "This is it Hazelpaw! We've solved the case! We have enough to accuse Ashstar now, no matter what she says!"
"That is," said Daisypaw, glancing cooly at Oakbranch, "if you have decided you're brave enough to come forward and tell the Clan Guard the truth."
Hazelpaw winced. She could tell what Daisypaw thought of Oakbranch keeping what she saw a secret.
And I understand why she feels that way but I don't think it was as simple as that. Besides, if we offend her now, we'll never get the evidence we need to complete the case.
The grey she cat held her breath, waiting.
After a pause Oakbranch nodded.
"Of course I'll accompany you to the Clan Guard to present your evidence, that's why I told you what happened. Besides," the ginger elder added with a playful sparkle in her eye, "it's not like I'd let you go on your own anyway."
Daisypaw huffed, indignantly but Hazelpaw only felt relieved.
The ginger she cat chuckled slightly before becoming serious.
"It is thanks to your detective work and bravery that I can do this. I will soon be free of her and be able to do my part in making sure justice is served. And because of that, I thank you. You have no idea how proud of you two PineClan apprentices I am."
With that, Oakbranch dipped her head to the two she cats in a solemn bow, eyes filled with pride.
Hazelpaw pelt pricked with embarrassment and she shyly avoided the ginger elder's eye.
Daisypaw, however, puffed out her chest and raised her chin high in a regal pose.
"We were just doing our duty to our clan as noble warriors." She said grandly. "But your thanks, by no means, is much appreciated."
Hazelpaw had to stop herself from chuckling out loud, and when she looked she swore she saw a gleam of amusement in Oakbranch's eyes.
The grey she cat opened her mouth to reply - to Daisypaw's dramatics - or say something else about the extraordinary things they had discovered - when there was the sound of a twig cracking under-paw.
Dum dum duuuuuuuuuum! Who's come to find them? Meanwhile, wasn't Oakbranch's tale something?! Looks like we know now what the prologue is all about along with them mysterious amber eyes (Oakbranch watching). Btw this is like the longest chapter in the story, but there's still plenty more of those where that came from. Tune in next MON/SUN to see what happens next to our hero detectives!
-Fastbreeze37
Mintflight – Thank you! Mission accomplished lol. I was kinda worried it would be too obvious but I'm glad it wasn't and hope you enjoyed the twist.
Russestmoth – Yeah I know right?! Like Daisypaw and Hazelpaw were totally freaking out at the beginning of this chapter and I'm pretty sure Hazelpaw's brain almost exploded too (she was thinking so hard I wouldn't be surprised if there was smoke pouring out her ears, lol)!
Echofire – Yeah, Man was she grouchy as…. I expect she was getting a bit under the pump because of the Clan Guard's presence (maybe she even knew one of her own had alerted them?), but it pretty much gave her away.
Runningfeather – Thank you so much!