And here we are, the last chapter of Rising Storm! And as promised it is in Tigerclaw/star's point of view~ I hope you review and favorite and follow! Now, onto the last chapter! And hopefully 'A dangerous path' will be up shortly! Also no judging on anything, cause I am in control here! (Also the things he sees in the Dark forest are of what would have happened if he chose the path he originally set out to do, before Firepaw/heart happened that is!)
0o0o0o
Tigerclaw's paws felt more heavy than usual as he trampled into the dark hole that descended into Mothermouth where he was to receive his nine lives from StarClan. Unlike last time, when it was him, Bluestar and three apprentices, he did not run, he did not cower, instead there was an anxious anticipation that overtook him. He was there with Runningnose, the ShadowClan medicine cat, who led him through the narrow tunnels until he arrived at the Moonstone, the cavern was as it was when he had last saw it. Dark and void of life, its unearthly vibe sending uncontrollable shivers along his broad shoulders and spine.
"Come forward," Runningnose meowed to him, and as if his words were a signal the white light from the moon lit up the whole cave, making it seemed like they were already in StarClan. Mentally shaking himself out of his momentary distraction, he straightened himself and lay down infront of the stone, settling his head on his large paws so that his nose touched the smooth surface. The icy cold of the stone made his muzzle crinkle but he did not pull away, and then he closed his eyes, and waited for StarClan to appear.
It felt like ages, no sound came to him. He slowly peeked open his pale amber eyes and let them snap open in shock as he found himself no longer in the cave, but in a meadowy field. Slowly sitting up he glanced around at himself, the field seemed to stretch on and on, seemingly forever to his right, but on his left, a forest that was dark and left his body feeling as if ants were crawling through it. So it took him completely off guard as a voice spoke up from what seemed like far away, but was actually just a few rabbit hopes in front of him.
Tigerclaw watched in silent astonishment as cats seemed to be pulled right out of the sky, their pelts glimmering and almost see through but there were many of them, each different and he couldn't place them in his memory.
"Welcome, I am Cedarstar." Spoke up a single voice out of the assembled cats, Tigerclaw straightened himself as he was approached by a cat that held himself with dignity and a sense of importance. "I welcome you to StarClan, and I will be the first to give you a life." Stepping forward without another word, Cedarstar touched noses with Tigerclaw. "I give you a life for responsibility, use it well for the wellbeing of your new Clan and all the cats that live there under your leadership." The life felt like a whiplash to Tigerclaw, forcibly snapping his muzzle shut due to the force at which he received the life.
Cedarstar stepped back into the ranks of StarClan, Tigerclaw managed to compose himself for the next cat. Only then to be taken aback as this cat padded quickly and gracefully toward him, and affectionately gave him a lick on the cheek. It was a sleek, mottled, raven-black she-cat with green eyes that were filled with love and adoration for him as she took a step back to gaze at him.
"Mother…" Tigerclaw whispered in amazement, Leopardfoot purred happily as she pressed her nose gently to her sons.
"I give you a life for guidance, use it well when someone needs help to be led on the right path." Tigerclaw was ready for when the agonizing life was shoved into him, his muscles spasmed and his legs rocked but his mother stayed until it ebbed away.
"But what if I don't know what is right?" He whispered as his mother began to withdraw, she gave his ear an affectionate flick of the tail before rejoining the ranks of StarClan. The next cat made Tigerclaw's head jerk up, the cat to appear made his claws slide out in horror and shock. Out from the StarClan ranks came a small, dark, dappled tortoiseshell tom with a distinctive bushy ginger tail as red as fox fur, and feathered ears. The cat made Tigerclaw wince as he came to stop in front of him.
"Redtail, I--" Tigerclaw didn't know what to say, back before when he lived in ThunderClan his quest for leadership had drove him to kill Redtail, ThunderClan's deputy, in order to try and achieve being made deputy himself. The last time he saw the warrior was when he dragged him back to camp, and now, here he was. Standing in front of him in better health and age as all the other StarClan cats seem to be.
"I forgive you," Redtail meowed, his eyes defensive at whatever Tigerclaw was to say. Tigerclaw was stumped, after what he had done? Redtail was willing to forgive his murderer?
"I don't deserve it." Tigerclaw managed to get out as he gazed at the smaller cat, who just scoffed at Tigerclaw reply.
"And that is why I am giving it to you," Redtail meowed, coming to touch noses with Tigerclaw. "I give you a life for forgiveness, to forgive not only your enemies but also yourself for choices that might hurt others." There was emotion in that life, making Tigerclaw felt like he was being squeezed from the inside out but he accepted the life regardless, his pale amber eyes locking on Redtail as he disappeared into the mass of cats.
The next cat was one that Tigerclaw never expected to see again, it was a red-brown tom with green eyes. A cat that Tigerclaw knew too well, a cat that haunted his legacy. It was Pinestar, his father. Tigerclaw repressed the snarl that wanted to rip out of him and re-sheathed his claws in order not to attack the cat that abandoned him as a kit.
"You have grown," Pinestar meowed, his eyes shining with wonder. Tigerclaw bit back a sarcastic comment, something along the lines of if he stayed he would have seen him grow to be what he was now. But Tigerclaw kept it to himself and simply nodded at his words. "I give you the life of expanded view, use it to see beyond just the borders you have set." the life that he received felt foreign as if he was in unfamiliar territory and far from home. Tigerclaw felt relieved as Pinestar stepped back into the StarClan ranks.
The next cat to step out looked so out of place that Tigerclaw did a doubletake, the cat was a sleek ginger, his head held high as though he had padded alongside StarClan although it seemed obvious that he was not apart of them. Although there was something eerily familiar about the tom, Tigerclaw just couldn't place this stranger.
"I am Jake," the cat meowed, his tone friendly as well as the glint in his eyes. "I've been given permission from StarClan to give you a life, and the life I give you is a life for loyalty. Use it for even when you are far from home or in the most devastating of times to hold fast to what we cherish such as our family, friends and our own beliefs." As the life slithered into him, Tigerclaw couldn't help but inquire about this cat.
"Have we meet before?" Tigerclaw questioned, his eyes narrowing more due to curiosity then the ache that he felt in his limbs as the fifth life was given.
"No," Jake replied, but his whiskers twitched as he added. "Although you have met and fell in love with one of my daughters." Tigerclaw finally seemed to realize that Jake was a kittypet, but from the way he looked to the way he acted and sounded it reminded him of Fireheart. His surprise was forgotten as another cat came forth.
Tigerclaw watched as a small kit padded out of the ranks, its fur was fluffed up as it eyed him with curiosity. The kit stopped right in front of him, seemingly waiting for something but Tigerclaw just stared blankly at the young kit. "Bend down!" The kit commanded, and with a dip of the head after an awkward twitch of his ear, allowed the kit to press its nose against his. "I give you a life for acceptance, use it for when you cannot do anything else." The life was less aggressive and came swiftly and with little to no pain, the kit happily bounded back toward the assembled cats as yet another, the seventh, cat padded briskly forward.
He was a large, dark brown tabby tom. And it took only a quick second for him to remember this cat before he announced himself. "I am Raggedstar, leader before Brokenstar and Nightstar, I give you the life for suspicion, use it wisely for when you don't think that the person you think is your friend but really not." The life was like a stinging bee, it pricked at Tigerclaw's sense as if on high alert for danger.
The next cat was a white she-cat with long whiskers. She showed dislike in her eyes as she gazed at Tigerclaw, but touched noses with him anyway. "I give you a life for tranquility, use it for yourself when choices are hard to make and need to think." the life was soothing and Tigerclaw accepted it without hesitation.
Tigerclaw watched as she slinked back into the mass of cats, and he waited for the next and last cat to come and give him his ninth life. Slowly, a gap opened up between a row of cats, and to Tigerclaw's amazement, out stepped the hairless rat like cat that he saw such a long time ago in his dream. The cat came forward, and Tigerclaw outstretched his nose to finally receive his last life but the cat walked right past him. Tigerclaw turned his head to look at the disappearing cat in confusion.
"You coming?" The cat called over his shoulder, although he did not stop nor did he slow down. Tigerclaw casted a glance at the other StarClan cats, Raggedstar nodded his head, ushering Tigerclaw to follow. Reluctantly, Tigerclaw got to his paws and briskly caught up to the cat who was already disappearing into the forest that gave him such a dreadful feeling.
"Where are we going?" Tigerclaw demanded, watching as the stars above his head died away to an inky blackness that blocked out any light. The smell was foul along with its deadly silence, the only sound that he could hear was his own heartbeat and the cat that was leading him forward.
"You'll see," the hairless tom rasped, it felt as if they had been walking for moons in the gloomy darkness, but a sound came from up head, and the cat in front of him stopped and signaled for Tigerclaw to do the same.
"What are we--" The screech of fury came out of nowhere, making Tigerclaw's unusually large claws slide out as he prepared himself for whatever was to come. But instead he watched as two cats bowled together in a dangerous tussle of fur and menacing howls and caterwaul's.
"Watch," the hairless cat said, making Tigerclaw's eyes fixate on the two cats. All he could make out were them, their hissing and spitting, blood spattered from where their fight has been taken too far.
"That's enough," a rough voice called out, making Tigerclaw perk up. He slinked forward, the hairless cat not stopping him as he crouched low in the shadows of a bramble bush. His eyes focused in on a spiky furred gray-and-white tabby. Leaning his head forward a bit, Tigerclaw found to his amazement that he was looking at his old mentor, Thistleclaw.
"That was very good, Antpaw, Breezepaw," His eyes were narrowed with malice as he stalked up to the two apprentices, his eyes narrowed as he whipped out a paw to slash across Antpaw's muzzle. "But too slow, try again!" then the two apprentices were at it again, their hissing turning up to new extremes. More violent and deadly than his apprenticeship ever was.
"Come, this is not what you need to see," Tigerclaw jumped as the hairless cat that led him into this forest in the first place brushed by, Tigerclaw glanced unsurely at his old mentor before following.
The sound of an argument could be heard, and the voice that was doing the most shouting sounded so familiar to Tigerclaw, that he shot past the hairless cat in order to get a look into a small clearing. Inside the clearing was a golden-brown tabby tom with sun-colored amber eyes that were narrowed in defiance to a cat that hide in the shadows.
"Friendship is worthless. You have learned an important lesson, one that I could have never taught you. But I will teach you much more. There'll come a day when you'll be so powerful, you'll have no need for friends. And when that day comes, I promise you will never regret that you chose to be a warrior!" came the voice that draw him in, the cat was in the shadows the gleam of his sharp claws the only thing that peeked out along with his imposing shadow that casted over the young cat.
"Everyone needs someone," The young cat retorted, his head held high as he stared into the shadows. "And the way I see you act shows me how truly pathetic and delusional you really are!" Tigerclaw was impressed by the young cat as an angry growl came from the shadows.
"Are you betraying me?" Came the menacing hiss, but the apprentice didn't flinch.
"To betray you would actually mean to care about your teachings in the first place, you're nothing but a black hearted fox! I'd never follow you again. Tigerstar!" The young apprentice hissed back, and Tigerclaw watched with astonishment as a startling replica of himself stalked out of the shadows, standing threateningly with unrepressed anger as he glared down upon the apprentice.
"All traitors deserve to die!" This Tigerstar snarled to the unyielding young cat.
"Just like you then!" the golden-brown apprentice spat as this version of Tigerclaw jumped upon him. The two cats tussled and spat at each other in a knot of fur. Tigerclaw was quick to stand up in order to, interfere maybe? But was stopped by the hairless cat.
"Come, there is more…" The hairless cat moved on, and soon another stretch of woodland extended more further inward. As they walked a bushy tail flickered from the shadows and the hairless cat swiftly followed after, Tigerclaw padded steadily keeping up, many questions were filing through his mind as to why he just saw himself or perhaps a lookalike. But that died when he recognized a dark brown tabby tom, with a white underbelly and bushy tail.
"Hawkkit?" Tigerclaw meowed in confusion, but it didn't seem like his kit although a part of him knew it was. His son looked older and had filled out well into a strong, powerful looking cat. He padded swiftly through this dark, disgusting forest as if he had done it countless times. Tigerclaw stalked silently behind him, his insides burning when he realized he was tracking his son like common prey. But Hawkkit didn't detect him at all, Rock padded on ahead as if he didn't suspect him to even realize they were there.
"Hawkfrost!" The greeting call came at such a surprise for Tigerclaw that he jumped, then quickly he berated himself for acting like a scared kit. But his eyes gleamed as he realized that Hawkfrost, must have been Hawkkit's warrior name. Tigerclaw padded ahead of Rock as his son meowed a happy greeting to another cat in the shadows up ahead.
"Brambleclaw!" Hawkkit replied, his fur bristling as he approached a dark brown tabby affectionately. Tigerclaw starred as he saw Bramblekit, much older and a copy of himself to no fault. His gaze searched around to see if any of his other kits were there, but found none, just Hawkkit and Bramblekit...who were now warriors known as Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw. Tigerclaw watched them with a glow of pride as they crouched down before each other, their tails lashing playfully as if they were kits and began to tussle.
"Look how well they have grown," Rock meowed, curling his tail around himself as Tigerclaw flashed him a look but stayed focused mostly on his two sons.
"They have become good warriors," Tigerclaw meowed with pride, his amber eyes bright and gleaming.
"Yes, they both have. But fate had in store for them that blood would spill blood, and so it had." Tigerclaw narrowed his eyes in confusion, his mouth opened to ask what he had meant but Rock was already beginning to explain. "The other path you would have chosen, if you had not decided against it. You're sons would have fought to the death, one because of their want of power and to please, and the other for their loyalty to their Clan. All because you still wanted power, even in death and you used your kits to do so."
"I would never," Tigerclaw began, his lips drawn back in a snarl but it was his own voice that cut across that statement.
"Stop that at once, are you both kits? Fight properly!" The snarl made both brothers jump apart, eyes turning to see Tigerstar slinking out of the shadows. Both Hawkkit and Bramblekit nodded before giving battle cries and fighting with their claws unsheathed.
"My influence…" Tigerclaw meowed, his eyes narrowing in on this version of himself.
"A dark presence that you had casted on the Clans for generations, you would have been ostracized from StarClan and restricted to this wretched place for the rest of your existence, always mulling over ways to get what you wanted, like a nibbling rat." Rock mocked at the end, making Tigerclaw snarl at the insult.
"What else would I have done?" Tigerclaw inquired, his tail lashing as Rock gave an amused scoff.
"So much more, with a much darker history than any cat in all the Clans." Rock said with irritating vagueness.
Suddenly a thought that sent ice through his veins popped up, his whiskers quivering nervously as he asked his question. "What about Fireheart?"
"The worse possible things imaginable," Rock replied, his sightless eyes turning to bore into his concerned amber ones. "This is your chance now, to change the outcome of your life, to overlook your pride and need of power. You are being given a second chance, use it!"
"For what? Taking care of a bunch of sniveling, pathetic group of cats that are nothing more than mice to be picked off?" The voice was familiar, the same one that picked through his mind when he was banished from ThunderClan. But a body came with the voice, a large ginger and white tortoiseshell she-cat leaped gracefully down from a nearby tree, her amber eyes glowing in the dark lighting of the forest.
"You," Tigerclaw growled, his fur spiking as the she-cat began circling him and the sightless cat beside him.
"Yes, me." The she-cat mocked, her matted fur stinking with the scent of decaying blood while she looked almost see-through.
"What is it you want?" Tigerclaw demanded, his claws slowly sliding out as this she-cat seemed to take him as nothing more than a foolish kit.
"My name is Mapleshade, I have walked beside you from the day you were born, guiding your paw steps, laying out your destiny before you. For greatness, for you to rightly rule what should have been rightly yours. That is until love came before greatness." Mapleshade came to stand just a mouse-length away, her eyes boring mockingly into his own. "But it is never too late, greatness could still be yours if--"
"You become a bloody killer with no regard for the warrior code, StarClan or even those that you come to love." Rock retorted dryly as he butted into what Mapleshade was saying.
"Mouse-brain!" Mapleshade spat at the hairless cat who was unfazed.
"The choice of his fate is not yours too make, it is his." Rock pointed out calmly, coming to stand beside Tigerclaw who was listening closely to the both of them.
"Well then," Mapleshade meowed slowly, her eyes zeroing in on Tigerclaw. "What is your choice?"
Tigerclaw eyed both cats, the sounds of his sons screeching in his ears along with the ringing of his alternate self's harsh command. And if Rock said was true, which he had shown him proof of, what he could become-- "I'd rather die than listen to a word you say!" Tigerclaw hissed in Mapleshade's face.
"That can be arranged." Mapleshade growled, then with agile grace jumped upon Tigerclaw, who intercepted her with a rake to her belly. The two fell sideways as they wrestled for dominance, clawing at each others fur and faces with aggression. Tigerclaw took a moment to admire her moves along with the power behind them but grabbed a hold of her shoulder with his teeth and yanked her off of him.
"You've done enough, Mapleshade," finally said Rock, who had been standing back as the two cats fought suddenly stepped forward, coming between them as to put an end to their fight. "You have no power here, leave."
"You think you're so great!" Mapleshade hissed, her teeth bared as she stared at the two toms. "But mark my words, another shall arise, much greater and more powerful than you'd ever be! I shall lead him to power and you'll be wishing that you'd have followed my advice!"
"I do not fear you, nor would I ever wish to see you again. If I do, StarClan or not, I will end you." Tigerclaw hissed back, his eyes glaring hotly into her fur.
"We'll see, now won't we?" Mapleshade retorted, and at once turned tail and vanished into the shadows.
"I should have torn her pelt apart for good measures." Tigerclaw muttered, as he stared at where she disappeared to.
"That is not important, she is gone." Rock meowed, standing in front of Tigerclaw now. "It is time for you to receive your final life, I give you the life for change. Use it now to set your paws on a new and better path till you join the ranks of StarClan yourself." Rock came to touch noses with Tigerclaw, his tail twitching as the finale life mounted up with the rest of them.
"You are now Tigerstar, you're old life is gone. All you can do now if go forward with your life, there will be much uncertainty and much danger to face. I cannot guide your paws any longer, I must warn you however, there is an enemy that you must not underestimate that will come to you seeking his own power. Do not put your pride above this cat, and remember that you shouldn't face every battle or else you will die fighting. But another thing is that some fights you just can't back down from, learn the difference."
Tigerclaw, or Tigerstar felt lost and confused but dipped his head in thanks. "StarClan has sent the ShadowClan medicine on ahead to announce the arrival of the new leader of ShadowClan, there is much you must do and such little time. But," Rock once again touched noses with Tigerstar. "I know that if any cat can, it's you."
"Thank you," Tigerclaw meowed, closing his eyes and as he did he felt at peace with himself.
0o0o0o
Okay, I hope that it was worth the wait, sorry I got side tracked because they are taking out the phone towers cause of zoning laws or whatever and so no phone access which sucks and sorry if you don't like. But I will try to update soon! (Only two more books and it's onto 'Daughter of Fire and Tiger!') Review!
