*Sorry this one's a little long! Hopefully it's as climactic to read as it was to write. Writing in Yellowstar's POV has made her seem kind of old and sweet--which she is--but in this chapter you'll get to see more of the side of her that's allowed her to reign over FireClan for generations.*
CHAPTER 27
Yellowstar yawned and stretched in her den, gazing through half-slitted eyes at the soft, gray pre-dawn light filtering through the lichen. Fallensnow was fast asleep at her side, her soft, pink nose buried in her bushy tail. Yellowstar licked her mate's cheek tenderly.
"Prrr?" Fallensnow chirped sleepily.
"Go back to sleep, Fallensnow. I'm going to help Paletuft on patrol."
It was six days since Weaselclaw had asked for her help. Things in the Clan were peaceful, but Yellowstar knew that peace wouldn't last while Scratchface controlled BlackClan. And we have so much more to fight for now. Redpoppy's kits had come just the night before. Yellowstar remembered waking up to her yowls of pain, afraid for a moment that BlackClan had invaded their camp again. But with Cloudstep and Freezepaw's help, the kitting had gone smoothly, and Yellowstar had been delighted to welcome two new future warriors to the Clan: Cricketkit and Hawthornkit.
She leapt easily down from Highledge and met Paletuft in the center of camp. The she-cat was as alert as ever.
"We're taking Downtail, Acorntail, and Skypaw with us."
Yellowstar blinked. "Downtail?"
"You didn't think you could avoid one of your senior warriors forever?"
"Of course not." Yellowstar eyed Paletuft shrewdly. They still hadn't talked about Fallensnow's decision. I just have to give her time, Yellowstar thought. Whatever she thinks of me for this, I will never doubt her loyalty.
It wasn't unheard of to take apprentices on border patrol, but Yellowstar usually only sanctioned it for times of peace, to give the younger cats practice. It made her nervous to think that, without the apprentices' help on patrols, she wouldn't have enough cats to remark the borders every day.
Acorntail looked groggy--he'd never been much of a morning cat, Yellowstar mused. Skypaw trotted after him. Yellowstar purred: there's one apprentice that'll never be caught oversleeping! Finally, Downtail padded out from the warrior den, yawning. He gave Yellowstar a formal nod, flicked his daughter's flank with his tail playfully, and said nothing at all.
"Right." Paletuft led them through the thorn barrier. "We're patrolling BlackClan first, then we'll make our way to TallClan. Jaggedclaw's patrol will take CrookedClan and visit BlackClan again, after Dapplecreek and her patrol have hunted."
She's such an adept leader. Yellowstar padded at the end of the party, behind Acorntail. Thunder forest was awash in soft, gray light, the pre-dawn glow making the newly fallen leaves look ashen at Yellowstar's feet. If I get the time, she thought as she pushed easily through a few bushes lining the path, I'll take Skypaw and Stormypaw to the training hollow. She purred. I love training apprentices, especially in battle. Watching them learn how to take their spirited play and turn it into a disciplined practice for the sake of their Clan. I remember playing with Tallflower when we were kits. I was always Clan leader. She tilted her head, deep in thought. And helping train Mapledawn. She thought back to Wrencatcher's accusations. I still believe she was a loyal FireClan cat, but… She was strange. Where did she learn moves like that? How did she instinctively know how to organize the Clan for battle?
"Yellowstar, does the border seem strange to you?"
Yellowstar snapped back to the present immediately and opened her jaws to take in the air. She stared into Shadow forest, looking for movement.
"You're right. The borders are stale. They usually mark them before we get here, but it doesn't smell like any BlackClan cats have been here since last evening."
Skypaw's pelt fluffed out as she sniffed the thorn bushes eagerly. "How can you tell?"
"Fresh scent feels different in the back of your throat," said Acorntail. He laid fresh scent on their side. "See the difference?"
Skypaw nodded, her dazzlingly blue eyes wide with curiosity as she stared into the forest. "It does smell different."
"I'd say last afternoon, actually," said Downtail, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "The BlackClan markers are already overlaid with prey-scent and fallen leaves."
Yellowstar dipped her head. Downtail had always been an adept tracker. She trusted his judgment. She doused the border with her own scent and motioned for her warriors to do the same. "We'll check it again later today," she mewed, "but I don't like this. Paletuft, have a runner assigned to each patrol. Whoever is fastest--Acorntail, Stormypaw, Jaggedclaw. We need to be ready for trouble."
"I can do it!" chirped Skypaw. Downtail gave her an approving nod.
"Yes, Yellowstar." Paletuft left her own scent, flicked her tail, and padded along the border toward the lakeside. All the way down, the BlackClan scents were stale. Yellowstar felt the fur on the back of her neck raising. I was really hoping things would be peaceful until the Gathering, but it looks like I'll be forced to give Weaselclaw an answer early.
The sun was rising as they reached the TallClan border. Yellowstar would never understand the appeal of living in the open air like that. Even if you managed to find shelter when it rained, wouldn't the bare earth get so soggy you could hardly move?
The TallClan morning patrol rounded a hill, tails raised in polite greeting. Their deputy, Lightfoot, led three of their older warriors, Skinnyleg, Furlscruff, and Goldenstripe. She recognized them from Gatherings when she was a young leader. Yellowstar tipped her head--these were seasoned senior warriors, not the sorts cats she'd expect on a routine border patrol.
"Everything well?" asked Downtail as they reached the border, each group maintaining a respectful distance on either side.
Skinnyleg lashed his tail. "Keep alert," he said with a growl. "We smelled BlackClan on our side of the FireClan border."
"Where? Show me," demanded Paletuft.
The deputy, Lightfoot, stepped forward; her pale gray pelt was smooth, but her yellow eyes were fierce. "I won't allow you to cross the border," she said coolly. "The scent was back that way, toward the end of settled territory. You'll just have to take our word for it." She flicked her eyes to Yellowstar, who'd unconsciously moved to stand beside her deputy. "We're stepping up patrols on our border for now." Her warning was clear.
Yellowstar nodded. "I think that's wise." They'd hardly finished patrolling the whole border, but it was clear if they stayed to finish, they'd be risking TallClan's ire. She gave Paletuft a questioning look; it was still her patrol, after all. Even with her leader here, Yellowstar thought, it should be her decision.
"We'll keep a lookout on our borders, too," said Paletuft. "See you next Gathering, Lightfoot."
Yellowstar was proud of how dignified Paletuft was as she led her patrol away, tails high, backs to the enemy as if they had nothing to fear. She's always been an aggressive cat, but she doesn't pick fights. She'll be an adept leader when I'm gone. She felt the chill of leaf-fall more every year; her pelt fluffed up from the cold, though the younger cats hardly noticed. Which won't be long now. If we can settle things with BlackClan, fix our lack of warriors, straighten out Frecklefang and Wrencatcher--maybe Fallensnow and I can retire to the elder's den. She sighed wistfully as the ravine came into view. I think we've both earned it. And my last life isn't far off.
The camp was awake now. Dapplecreek was getting her hunting patrol ready by the thorn barrier; the tortoiseshell she-cat gave Yellowstar a friendly nod. Acorntail peeled off to join and told his apprentice to take a short rest before he took her for hunting practice later.
I'll report the BlackClan scent to the Clan after sunhigh. There was plenty to do until then.
Dapplecreek's eyes were shadowed--Mapledawn's abandonment had shook her almost as much as Redpoppy and Thrushflight. The two new parents were peeking out of the nursery now, letting Hawthornkit, a torbie she-cat, and Cricketkit, a brown tabby with a white belly like his father, play on clumsy legs under the open air. Their eyes wouldn't be open for a while yet, and their stubby legs wobbled as they climbed over Redpoppy's tail. Thrushflight looked like he couldn't be happier. Redpoppy's eyes were soft with love, too, as she looked at her new kits, but her tail drooped when she caught sight of the returning patrol.
Yellowstar padded up to her. "Your kits look well," she mewed gently.
"Any news?" Redpoppy asked.
Yellowstar shook her head sadly. "I believe she will come back when she's ready."
Redpoppy pulled her two tiny kits closer to her. "I want Hawthornkit and Cricketkit to meet their sister," she mewed.
"I know." She pressed her tail-tip comfortingly to Redpoppy's cheek. "We just have to be patient. Your daughter was--is--a loyal cat. She wouldn't have left unless she had good reason."
"If she did come back--"
"I'd love to hear her side of the story." Yellowstar pawed thoughtfully at her necklace of prey-bones; Freezekit had been given the privilege of making this one, so there were dried flowers wreathed in with the bones. "I can't allow abandoning the Clan do go unaddressed, but I will be fair with her." If she just gives me the chance.
"Thank you, Yellowstar." The dark red queen cast a withering glance toward the elder's den. Wrencatcher and Frecklefang were busy at their punishment duties. Rabbitleap and Birchnose stopped them every few moments to bark orders or corrections. Yellowstar blinked. She'd never seen Rabbitleap so angry. Her pale yellow eyes burned. Yellowstar couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could catch the gist; Frecklefang turned and spat something at her mother, who hissed a retort, her pelt fluffing like she was ready to fight a badger. Wrencatcher, on the other hand, kept his eyes on the ground. His shoulders slumped under the force of his mother's rage.
Frecklefang still wasn't backing down. "Um, Yellowstar," said Thrushflight nervously, "should you--"
"I was just thinking that." Better intervene before my Clanmates start fighting in camp--again. But before she made it halfway across camp, Frecklefang turned around and sped off, her ears flattened against her skull.
"Get back here and finish your job!" Rabbitleap yowled after her.
"No! It's time I told the Clan the truth!"
Oh, Ageless Ones above, this cat--
"CATS OF FIRECLAN!"
Yellowstar was rooted to the spot with horror. Frecklefang had jumped on top of Highledge. Her claws uncurled from their sheaths and a low growl rumbled in her throat. I'm about to make this cat wish she'd never been kitted.
"Wait," whispered Redpoopy. "I want to hear what she has to say."
"Yeah, me too," said Jaggedclaw, who had apparently been eavesdropping a tail-length away. "Let her speak."
Fallensnow popped her head from Yellowstar's nest, looked up in confusion at the dappled golden she-cat standing in Yellowstar's place. She leapt down and gave Yellowstar a curious look.
"What's she doing?"
"Getting herself exiled," said Yellowstar with a growl. She bunched her muscles to leap up and bat the insolent cat from the Highledge, but Fallensnow laid her tail on Yellowstar's shoulders.
"Maybe you should just let her speak," she said quietly. "Everyone's watching, anyway."
She was right; Dapplecreek's patrol had paused from the camp exit and was coming to gather under the ledge. Wrencatcher sat between his parents, who looked like they were ready to tear his throat out if he followed his sister. Freezepaw and Cloudstep were staring from the apprentice den. Cloudstep took one look at Frecklefang and rolled his eyes. Downtail sat next to Paletuft; Stormypaw and Skypaw came and curled their tails around their paws next to them.
"CATS OF FIRECLAN," Frecklefang yowled again. "Listen to me!"
"Are you going to let this happen?" hissed Paletuft.
"Not for long," Yellowstar growled. "But everyone's watching. Obviously they want to hear whatever she has to say."
"It's time you knew the truth about Mapledawn. She was a traitor! I found her on the BlackClan border, meeting with Weaselclaw, an enemy cat. But before that, StarClan warned Wrencatcher about her. Tell them, Wrencatcher. Tell them what they said."
"Well--" The pale ginger tom looked hesitantly around camp. "It was just one cat," he said nervously. "A gray tom. And he… Looked kind of crazy. Maybe he was wrong."
"You coward!" hissed Frecklefang. "If you won't tell them, I will! The cat said Mapledawn would betray us like she did before. See, she wasn't always Mapledawn. In a past life, her name was Mapleshade--a murderer who worked for the Deathless Dark Ones!" She paused; the Clan gasped and murmured in shock.
That--Yellowstar found herself nodding. Okay, that's insane, but... It might explain a lot.
Redpoppy hung her head sadly, as if she knew this already somehow. Thrushflight just looked angry, like he didn't care if it was true or not. Jaggedclaw, who'd always been suspicious of Mapledawn, was starting to look doubtful. Acorntail looked from his sister to his brother with wide, confused eyes.
"What are you doing?" Acorntail mewed hoarsely.
"Mapleshade betrayed her Clan," said Frecklefang, spittle foaming on her lips and spraying as she yowled, "killed their medicine cat--"
"And what about you?" It was Freezepaw that spoke. The little white she-cat's head was high as she padded out to stand under Highledge. "Are you going to tell us about your past life, too? About the grudge you've held for lifetimes? Mapledawn took her new life and became a different cat. She let go of her old self's vengeance. But you, Frecklewish--"
Wait--they're both reincarnated? the Yellowstarforced her mouth shut; she was gaping at the little white cat like a lost elder.
"You're lying." Frecklefang's tail bushed out as she turned to look out at the crowd. "She's lying. You all knew Mapledawn was strange. She had skills no apprentice could have possibly learned. And she left me to die in battle."
"Because she was under orders to protect Cloudstep," said Wrencatcher in a small, nervous voice, almost under his breath.
"And let's not forget something else," Yellowstar said, finding her voice. She stood with dignity, her chin high, her voice calm and strong, though she was picturing taking Frecklefang's scruff in her teeth and throwing her across the camp. "Let's not forget what exactly Mapledawn was doing in BlackClan that day. Would you like to tell them, Frecklefang? You're so interested in the truth, evidently."
"Who cares?" Frecklefang shrieked. "Who gives a mousetail? She was on enemy territory--"
"I mean," interjected Jaggedclaw thoughtfully, "weren't you on BlackClan land, too? How else would you have tracked her down?"
Yellowstar gave him a low, approving nod. "Mapledawn was there to try to convince Weaselclaw to take her place back as leader--because we learned that Scratchstar--Scratchface--never received his lives. Weaselclaw was still the rightful leader. Now, I don't approve of my warriors doing something like that without my permission, but her heart was in the right place. She certainly wasn't betraying FireClan. She was trying to save it. Frecklefang lied to you all. She lied to me."
Acorntail just stood with his jaw half-open, as if too stunned for words. Paletuft, Jaggedclaw, and Downtail started crowing the base of the Highledge, pelts fluffed up as they fixed Frecklefang with cold stares. Paletuft glanced at Yellowstar, waiting for her cue. Not yet. She kinked her tail to tell her deputy to wait.
"You aren't the only one who's spoken with StarClan," chimed in Freezepaw, glaring at Frecklefang. "I wasn't going to tell everyone a Clanmate's secrets, but Frecklefang has left me no choice. Yes, the Ageless Ones sent Mapleshade back to FireClan as a new cat. They tried to keep it a secret for a long time--they wanted Mapledawn to make her own decisions, as herself, without being swayed by her past life. But she found out, and apparently someone told Wrencatcher, so now you all know. Mapleshade was a ThunderClan warrior. It was generations ago. More generations than anyone alive is old enough to remember. It was before our ancestors ever moved to the lake. That cat lived in the Dark Forest, with the Deathless Dark, for ages, until she wasn't even recognizable as a cat anymore. She finally faded away, and her soul was allowed to return here, to FireClan."
So it's true. Yellowstar fixed her leader's crown. Now I know why she could fight like that. And why she was always so... Haunted.
"You're all fools if you believe this kit over me," Frecklefang spat. "Mapledawn was evil--and Yellowstar should have never made her a warrior. She should have exiled her."
"Watch your tongue," Yellowstar hissed. "Whatever this Mapleshade did has no bearing on who Mapledawn is. Now get off my Highledge. I've let you give your silly little speech so the Clan can see no cat is trying to hide secrets from each other, and now it's over. Go back to your duties. Clean out the elder's den."
"You're cowards. You're all cowards! Why can't you see that I'm right?" Frecklefang's mew rose to a desperate yowl.
"Mapledawn isn't even here anymore," mewed Redpoppy from the nursery. She glared at Frecklefang while she guarded her kits with her body. Thrushflight stood over them both, growling threateningly. "Because of you."
"Yet you're all still loyal to her." Frecklefang dug her claws into the Highledge stone. "If you want me off this ledge, make me," she spat.
Don't mind if I do. Yellowstar bunched her muscles and leapt, kicking off the side of the ravine to give her a boost, and barreled into Frecklefang. They tumbled off the ledge together, Frecklefang yowling with shock and defiance; Yellowstar twisted mid-air, reached for Frecklefang's scruff, missed, and fixed her teeth in the she-cat's back. They both landed heavily, but Yellowstar got to her paws immediately and tossed Frecklefang against the wall like she was nothing more than a piece of half-rotten prey. There she lay, winded, while the Clan began yowling and shrieking around them.
"Banish her!" yowled Dapplecreek. The usually mild-mannered she-cat was fluffed up to twice her side, her tail whipping from side to side.
"Exile her!"
"Drive her out!"
Yellowstar hesitated, taken aback. Rabbitleap and Birchnose shook their heads sadly; Wrencatcher fell to the floor and covered his face with his paws. This isn't what I expected.
"She doesn't deserve a place in our Clan!" called Beechwhisker. "Not after all these lies."
Dapplecreek and Thrushflight made a circle around the spitting, hissing she-cat. Jaggedclaw, Downtail, and Beechwhisker joined them.
"Stop this!" wailed Acorntail. "Leave her alone!"
"Everyone," said Yellowstar sternly, "back up and calm down. I've given no order to exile this cat."
"We can't have a traitor living here," hissed Dapplecreek. "She chased off one of our best warriors. She lied to everyone."
"Yellowstar," said Jaggedclaw, "you can't be thinking of letting her stay?"
"I believe we should--"
"Don't bother," Frecklefang growled. "I don't want to live in a Clan that defends an evil cat like Mapleshade. I'll leave peacefully." She curled her lip in disgust. "Good luck fighting BlackClan without me."
"Frecklefang," Acorntail mewed. "You're our sister. You can't just leave… Mom? Birchnose?" he mewed imploringly to his parents, but the two cats just shook their heads sadly.
"In that case," said Yellowstar evenly, "may the Ageless Ones guide you, Frecklefang." Inwardly, she was cheering; at least this solved one of her problems. "Paletuft, Jaggedclaw, you may guide her across our borders." She gave Paletuft a meaningful look and added in an undertone, "away from BlackClan." The last thing she needed was a vengeful exile joining up with a tyrant like Scratchface.
Frecklefang hissed at her escorts, but she didn't try to lose them as they ushered her unceremoniously out of camp. Dapplecreek, Thrushflight, Downtail, Beechwhisker, and even Freezepaw followed to the thorn barrier, all bearing identical, stony expressions. The two warriors apprentices hung back, looking baffled, while Cloudstep sniffed irritably and ducked back into his den.
Yellowstar drew a paw across her muzzle, trying to buy herself time to think. We lost an able-bodied warrior today, she thought, and with our numbers so thin, I can't take that lightly--but being a FireClan cat is about so much more than being able to hold your own in battle. It's about loyalty. She glanced at Wrencatcher, still cowering miserably between his parents. Time will tell whether he'll follow his sister out of Thunder forest forever.
