Warriors: The New Era.

Chapter Thirty Eight: Soldiers In A Different War

Now...the fun begins. Sunfield and Fang driving to their new mission, Foxleap concerned for his sister, and Firestar in a warzone.

AKA...

Politics

Firestar shook Crookedtar's hand, enthusiastically, "Crookedstar, my friend! How goes the School?"

Crookedstar patted Firestar's hand, "Firestar, it could never be better. We have several new transfer students, and they are all marvelous characters! You should stop by sometime, maybe give a speech!"

"Speeches always get taken the wrong way," Firestar shook his head, "The youth today will live and learn, as we did. We didn't have it easy. And neither do they. If parents understood their children, then we'd have a lot more bright minds in the future. That and I'm afraid I do not have time to teach at my alma mater."

"Yes, well, of course some children have to be tolerant and respectful to their parents," Crookedstar nodded.

Around them, high society music was being played, and the high society interacted and danced with each other, all in formal clothes. The ladies gawked at each other's dresses and dates, while the Men stuffed themselves with the buffet, and took bets on who could dance with who without their date knowing.

Banners were hanging from the ballroom's ceiling. Firestar and Jay's Wing face were painted on them, with a symbol of Forrestlake's flag.

Firestar grimaced, "Well, even then, we must teach our youth to think for themselves."

"Come now Firestar, when children have the freedom to chose, they chose wrong," Crookedstar corrected.

Firestar breathed deeply and nodded, "Yes...I suppose so. Give my regards to the staff."

Firestar departed from the principal, and tried to hide his angry expression, which he did very well.

After all, the political world was a nasty world.

A man without a disguise, was a dead man.

"Oh, Hello Firestar!" A young woman cut him off, outstretching her hand. "You don't know how much of an honor it is to meet you in person!"

Firestar politely smiled, "On the contrary, you don't know how much of an honor it is for ME to meet people like you. If it weren't for the people, Forrestlake would never be where it is today!"

A half truth.

It's because of people like them that Riven was a cesspool.

"And how is Mrs. Sandstorm these days?"

Firestar sighed, maintaining the jovial smile "Well...all these charities and gala's certainly tax her to her extreme. She stayed at home, and is taking a much needed rest."

"A man without his wife, is surely going to find themselves in heaps of trouble, if they are not careful," The woman nodded, "You definitely...need the right people by your side to maintain status quo."

Firestar's expression changed and he bid her a good night.

He chuckled and navigated through the

Firestar noticed the mahogany door to the hallway leading out, and shuffled through the crowd.

"FIRESTAR!"

Firestar was taken aback by how much disrespect was in that name, but he quickly found that it didn't matter. He turned to see Bluestar, in a black dress stomping towards him.

"Bluestar..." Firestar falsely smiled, "What...a...pleasant...surprise."

"How's your boys doing?" Bluestar growled, "They still believing in ya? Better Forrestlake, Pure Forrestlake, hm? How's that coming along?!"

Firestar bit his tongue, "Just...fine."

"You must certainly enjoyed the election that you stole off of me," Bluestar scowled.

Firestar grinned widely, this gesture being as real as can be. "Which one?"

Bluestar growled "Watch yourself, Mr. Charisma. This is a war you cannot win."

Firestar began to feel a hiss emanate from his throat, "And what would you know of war? What would you know about the prices our soldiers pay? Only enough to start a campaign ad, I'm sure."

Bluestar huffed in rage, and turned heel.

Firestar sighed, and turned around to see another man he'd sure as shit did not want to see. But he kept his façade up.

"Professor Crowfeather!" Firestar held his hands up in a hugging motion, "What a surprise!"

"Indeed," Crowfeather mumbled, not giving the man any respect, "I'm here on behalf of the university. Your donations to the school board are of great help to us."

"Just make sure the school receives new equipment, and keeps their electives up," Firestar nodded with a bright smile, walking away.

Bramblestar was waiting at the door, along with another man with glasses and a mustache. When they noticed Firestar, the opened the door and followed after him.

As soon as the doors shut, Firestar did a complete 180, screaming in rage.

"DAMN THOSE POSH ASSHOLES!" Firestar snarled, "While they sit up here comfortable, MILLIONS of people in this county are starving, being raped, mutilated, and murdered! And do they care?! NO! They are content with donating to the Blackwood Asylum, and stock exchanges, but the POLICE?! The SCHOOLS?! THEY-"

"Calm down, Firestar," Bramblestar patted his shoulder, "Me and Hawkfrost feel the same way."

The man with glasses and mustache, removed them revealing Hawkfrost.

"Yes, Firestar. Our brother is right."

Firestar rubbed his head, "Those assholes! I'm almost HOPING Rock gets to destroy their worlds. Watch them scurry like ants helpless."

"You don't mean that," Hawkfrost calmed him.

Firestar breathed deeply and sighed. "No. No I don't. Still can't they SEE that the world is in shambles and they have the money to fix it! NO ONE in there actually supports me! They just are waiting to see me fall!"

Hawkfrost began to chuckle and hum a tune, "They all wanna see me fall...Stephen Curry how I ball...G-"

"Hawkfrost," Bramblestar warned. "Stop singing."

"Right...sorry," Hawkfrost mumbled.

Firestar took deep breaths, and turned to Hawkfrost, "How goes the Three? Are they in?"

Hawkfrost scratched the back of his head, "We...haven't made contact yet."

"Why not?!"

"Because...they're going through a lot at the moment," Hawkfrost sighed, "And...Bramblestar's daughter is there too."

"What?!" Bramblestar asked, "Squirrelflight said she lives in Riven!"

"She...uh...works for Poppyfrost now," Hawkfrost informed.

Firestar sighed, "I will talk with my daughter. It seems lying is a fact they both cannot control."

"Well," Bramblestar started, "Leafpool never lied. She just never told the truth."

Hawkfrost groaned.

Firestar nodded, "Still, to lie to you about your children."

"She had her reasons," Bramblestar defended, "Do you know what happens to a police officer's kids in this country?"

"Bad things I'm sure," Hawkfrost sighed.

Firestar nodded, "Very well. Let them rest then. After several weeks, we must confront them."

Bramblestar nodded. "Back to the party then?"

"Unfortunately," Firestar nodded, and the second the doors opened, he forced the brightest and happiest smile on his face.

Hawkfrost sighed.

Firestar had his role.

But they all had a part to play.

Of course, one such soul could rival the fake smile Firestar had, with a real one.

Sunfield looked out the window of the car, watching the trees pass by.

"So...what doe the kids look like?"

"We don't have a face ID, for secrecy reasons," Fang grunted, "But you have their names. Dustleap and Jaywhisker. Find them, and gain their trust."

Sunfield nodded, "Okay, that sounds easy."

"ARS is after them..."

Sunfield went silent.

For a minute, Fang thought that he had found something that actually scared the boy.

"Uh...doesn't ring a bell...who are they again?"

…

Or not.

"Just another Bloodclan," Fang dismissed.

Sunfield shrugged, "Well it's not like they'll hold a school hostage."

"They bombed a school, Sunfield," Fang said without missing a beat.

Sunfield blinked and then continued, "Do they know what they look like?"

"They most certainly do," Fang responded. "Which is why you need to find them ASAP."

Sunfield began to feel less confident, and reached for the radio.

"Come to the land of the lost and-"

Fang grabbed the radio and changed the channel.

"CRAWLING IN MY SKI-"

"You metalhead," Sunfield insulted.

Fang growled, "I'm driving. I pick music."

Sunfield began to smirk, and flicked the radio.

"-of freaks, like you...and me...I know a pla-"

Fang grunted and switched the channel again.

"FEAR IS HOW I FALL...CON-

Sunfield looked dead into Fang's eyes, and smirked.

Fang grunted, "Don't you fucking dare, kid."

Sunfield pressed the button on the radio.

"Live like the kings and the queens of tradgedy! Just freaks! Like you...and-"

Fang slammed on the breaks. In the middle of the two lane road, he put the car in park, shut off the engine, and grabbed Sunfield by his shirt, "LISTEN HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT! Whatever the Queen sees in you, I sure as hell do not! You're an annoying little gnat, who thinks the world works the way you want it to!"

Sunfield kept on smiling, "I see the world through diamond eyes."

"You see the world as a child does! The world is not nice, it is naturally evil. It will shoot you in the back if you're not careful."

Sunfield grinned. "But by being nice and loving to everyone, you gain a lot more friends. When you help someone, you help everyone."

"But you only ever help yourself!" Fang grunted.

Sunfield shrugged, "Well...ya got to start somewhere. It's not like any of you have ever given me a reason to care about what you think of me..."

Fang snarled, "I don't care about your shitty backstory! Get in line! We all have backstories! Now are you going to grow up, or you just going to be prancing in the gardens like a child!"

Sunfield rolled his eyes, shrugging, "Well, seeming as how the Queen sees something in me, I'm game. I'm one of you guys now. I'm a soldier!"

"A soldier in a different war..." Fang sighed.

"What's that mean?"

Fang grunted, starting the car up again.

And before Sunfield could protest, he switched the radio off.

"How is she?" Foxleap asked.

Icecloud was perched up in her bed, eyes droopy, and crusty. Her breath smelled bad, mostly because of the vomiting since last night.

Jayfeather took her temperature and sighed, "Well, she doesn't have a fever, but the discoloration in her eyes may mean that she's been voluntarily poisoned. Perhaps she had too much-"

"Ipecac!" Midnight and Ivypool came bursting into the attic, with a sheet of paper. "The drug is Ipecac! It causes vomiting, and coughing spells."

Foxleap muttered, "Have you been vomiting a lot lately?"

Icecloud shook her head.

"Well, then she at first sick, so how did the Ipecac get here?" Ivypool asked.

Midnight shrugged, while Icecloud finally opened her mouth.

"They were in the cabinets," Icecloud rasped, her voice sounding very strained. "I thought they could help..."

Foxleap gasped, "Your voice. You sound so..."

Icecloud widened her eyes.

"So...sick. Are you sure you're okay?"

Icecloud shook her head.

Midnight ushered them out, for fear of the sickness spreading.

When the door shut, Foxleap gathered the four of them, and muttered, "You think this is something Rock did? We know he had somehow taken over Jayfeather, what if this sickness is something Rock is doing?"

Jayfeather snapped his fingers, "I can do a mental scan! See if anything is wrong?"

Foxlea shook his head, "No, what if Rock has a failsafe? That, and I don't feel comfortable with you going through my sister's memories."

"Is it a drug? Or is it a withdrawal?" Ivypool asked.

Foxleap glared at her, and she hel;d her hand up, "Let me explain. In the old timeline, we all know that her crimes were drug charges. And, is it possible that-"

"NO!" Foxleap yelled "It's not! I turned her whole room upside down looking for drugs. And she has no signs of ever being back on them."

Ivypool sighed, while Jayfeather widened his eyes. "Maybe it's a blood thing? We can give her a blood test."

"I tried, but she tensed up when I brought that up, since she's afraid of needles I think," Foxleap scratched his head.

"Forget her wants, think about her needs!" Ivypool stared at Foxleap's eyes, "Would you rather not do anything because she said so and let her possibly die, or go behind her back and let her live! It's not a qu-"

"When did I get taller then you?" Foxleap asked out of the blue.

Silence.

Jayfeather grabbed Midnight's shoulders and slowly sauntered away.

Ivypool curled her lip "What?!"

"You were taller then me for the duration of our relationship. Did I grow, or did you shrink?"

Ivypool smirked, pursing her lips, "Well you DEFINITLY didn't grow..."

"What do yo- HEY!" Foxleap caught on, as Ivypool laughed.

Foxleap sighed, "I'll try to get some blood samples while she's asleep. But the actual testing will take days!"

Ivypool stopped laughing, and nodded, a smirk still on her face. "That sounds good."

"Alright...I guess I'll just," Foxleap walked backwards and headed for the stairs.

Ivypool nodded. "Yeah. Get outta here."

Foxleap slid down the stair banister, and made his way to the basement, putting in the code and the doors opening.

He took a small elevator, (Honeyfern berated him for being so flaunt with his money) and when he reached his lab.

It was shaped like an underground garage, with a tunnel he personally carved out to save money that led to a road, with cars, suits, and other projects he was working on.

"Hey Fox."

Foxleap dropped his jaw.

"How did you get into my lair?"

Jaywhisker smirked, "I took the elevator down, same as you."

"This whole area is PASSWORD protected!"

"Yeah, not exactly Fort Knox buddy!" Jaywhisker put his goggles back on, and proceeded to weld some metal plates together.

Foxleap almost said a retort that he hacked the servers of Fort Knox, but in truth, he WAS caught, so he bit it back.

"What are you building?"

"Armor."

Foxleap groaned, "So long as you ASK before you use my tools and equipment, go ahead! Just stay away from my project room."

"Sorry, Already took a look," Jaywhisker shrugged, "Gotta say, it's looking good. Will put Project X to shame."

"HOW DID YOU KNOW ABOUT PROJECT X?!" Foxleap screamed.

Jaywhisker shrugged, "Again, this place ain't exactly Fort Knox. Add some security to your servers."

"There protected by TEN FIREWALLS!" Foxleap screamed.

Jaywhisker grinned, "Well then, I guess I'm just smarter then you."

Foxleap's eyes twitched, "Excuse me?"

"I. Am. Smarter then you."

Foxleap gained a devilish grin, and smirked.

"How about a wager then?"

Jaywhisker grinned.

"What sort of wager?"

"First one to create a working replica of the Hell-Bat armor wins."

Jaywhisker gasped, and covered his mouth in surprise.

"The Hell-Bat armor?! THE ARMOR THAT BATMAN USED TO WHOOP DARKSEID'S ASS AND SAVE HIS SON?! THE ARMOR THAT DRAINS YOUR METABOLISM TO GIVE YOU EXTRA PHYSICAL CABABILITIES?! HELL BAT?! MORE LIKE HELL YEAH!"

Foxleap grinned, "Up for the bet?"

Jaywhisker almost accepted, but he remembered something else.

"Sorry...But I'll have to pass. I'm working on this armor for Russetleap. Hope you understand. Maybe later."

Foxleap widened his eyes, "Oh...okay then. I'm going to work on Project Titus. Don't break my stuff!"

Jaywhisker gave a mocking salute before getting back to work.

These two are going to have so much fun.

They're like Chaotic Good, that can't let the other be better.

Adios.