Disclaimer: I don't own the Warriors series!

Title: Deep Dive

Summary: In a world where ThunderClan absorbed ShadowClan seasons ago, young warrior Weaselface is tasked to rebuild the fourth Clan and take her place as leader. But how can she betray all she's ever known and loved, all on the word of one ghost with a grudge?

Chapter Title: Weasel and the no good very bad day

...

"No fair, it's my turn!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

"Elmkit, you went last time," Weaselstar meowed. Her fur was sticking up in random directions from exertion and badly-held brambles. "Let Honeykit have his turn."

Honeykit stuck his tongue out and trotted over with his head high. Elmkit whined in the background as he bent into a crude stalking motion, wiggled his haunches, and leapt to grab the bramble in question. The kits had quickly made a game out of retrieving it when it inevitably slipped from her paws, usually smacking her in the face along the way.

The black tom sank to the floor with the thick tendril in his teeth, eyes sparkling. "I did it! I caught the dog tail!"

"It's bramble, Honeykit."

"It's a dog tail," Spottedkit replied. "We all decided."

Weaselstar shrugged internally and took the bramble from him, not looking to argue. The molly crouched on top of the plant, sinking her teeth into a well-worn section. It wasn't difficult to chew through, theoretically; it was just hard for her to keep from being distracted, surrounded by kittens like she was.

Another yank almost had Weaselstar jumping with surprise, but it was just Larkkit, grabbing the very end and tugging as hard as her little body could. Weaselstar felt her irritation waver slightly. She's such a good little kit. It's such a shame it's doing jack-all.

"Are you still on that?"

This time, Weaselstar did jump, letting go of the bramble. It swatted her directly in the nose before rising back towards the top of the nursery. It was beginning to feel like it was taunting her.

"My turn! My turn!" Featherkit cheered.

Sweetshine was purring as she inspected the spot where Weaselstar had been hit, tail curling with badly-hidden humor. "You were going after that when I went in for a nap. It's still giving you trouble?"

She glared at her paws, ears hot. "It's mocking me."

"Let me have a go," she replied, touching the tip of Weaselstar's ear with her nose. "Go take a breather, Weasel."

"I can't-" Weaselstar started, then stopped, sighing. "What kind of example am I setting for ShadowClan?"

"To be fair, that bramble has it out for you." Sweetshine gave a gentle lick to the side of Weaselstar's face, making all her thoughts screech to a stop. "You don't have to be the best den-builder to be a good warrior. You helped me all the way to ThunderClan when I was kitting, didn't you? And you let everyone here decide where they wanted to go."

She shrugged self-consciously. "It's not like a lot of cats came because they wanted to."

Sweetshine gave her a pointed look. "Go for a hunt, Weasel. Grab something tasty, get a drink, and then come back. The bramble will still be here when you get back."

"But-"

"We can take the rest of the wall, can't we?" The calico directed the question to the kits. "We can kick and chew on all the bad plants together!"

Elmkit started to vibrate, pupils blown wide with excitement. "A whole pack of dog tails!"

"See that? You're outvoted, Weasel."

Weaselstar huffed and stuck her tongue out at them. "Little traitors. See if I let you help me with the big dog tail!"

"It's the leader," argued Featherkit, floofing her little pelt out. She looked like a burnt pinecone. "We gotta fight it together!"

She slowly shook her head. "Outvoted by my own children."


ShadowClan was a lot brighter than Weaselstar had expected. The natural shade of the trees took away a good portion of the sun's bite, but left the light behind. It was nice, she reflected, breathing in the pine and bog smell. Sometimes, ThunderClan felt like a worm on a rock- sizzling and stiff.

The brown molly tasted the air for prey. She was close to the small Thunderpath that bordered RiverClan, far from the disaster that was ThunderClan. She'd not seen any of her former Clanmates since moving, but Weaselstar didn't delude herself into thinking Spiderstar was taking this calmly. The meeting on the halfbridge is only a few days away. What if he attacks us when we cross the road?

A rustling caught her ears, banishing those worries all together. Weaselstar dropped into a crouch. Her tail-tip flickered impatiently behind her as she crept closer to her prey- a plump rabbit. And so close to RiverClan! Weaselstar felt something like amusement creep up. I'll have to ask Rainstar if one slipped past him on his way to visit Briarstar. Or maybe that's too personal? It'd be funny.

Weaselstar felt a breeze blow from behind her. The rabbit froze. Weaselstar watched as it shifted onto its back two paws, looking nervously around.

Mouse-dung! She took off just as the rabbit did, claws ripping up dirt behind her. It darted forwards, then right, then left, just barely dodging a new set of paws. Weaselstar skidded on the grass to avoid ramming into a gray-and-white blur of fur.

"C'mon!" the stranger called over their shoulder, laughing, as it took off. "It's gonna get away!"

Weaselstar stared after them, a bit confused, before deciding the rabbit absolutely took priority and following. The stranger was just a bit faster than her, their fur a flapping flag in the wind. They glanced back, saw she was behind, and whooped. The rabbit banked right, dodging the stranger's teeth by mouse-lengths, only to find itself becoming victim to Weaselstar's claws. The she-cat wheezed with success as she plopped down.

The stranger sat down as well, one leg sticking out to the side. Weaselstar could make out particulars now- they were a gray-and-white cat, long-furred, and just slightly taller than her. Their fur had a natural spikey quality to it, sticking up the same way Featherkit and Honeykit's did after a wash. They were smiling.

"Nice catch," they meowed. "I don't think I've seen you around here before. Are you new?"

"You could say that."

"Sweet." The gray-and-white cat held their paw out expectantly. "Name's Ice Cube. He/him, if you please."

"Um," said Weaselstar, processing that entire sentence. What's an ice cube? "I'm Weasel." Ice Cube waved his paw with a pointed look. "She/her?"

"Nice to meet you, Weasel." He tilted his head to the side. "You look like you swallowed a sofa. Got a problem?"

"Just confused," she admitted.

"Never met a trans cat before?"

"I don't think so?"

Ice Cube laughed. "Ah, don't worry about it. I was born a molly, y'see, but I'm a tom through and through. It's why I smell the way I do. I can change my voice, but scenting can get complicated."

"Oh!" She perked up. "I've heard of that! Where I'm from, we just call it being born with the wrong spirit for your body."

"That's dumb," he replied. "My spirit is fine, and so is my body. I'm just trans."

Weaselstar winced. She got the feeling she wasn't making a stellar first impression. Change the topic, bog-for-brains! "You're pretty deep into forest cat territory, you know that? Doesn't that worry you?"

"Aw, they're all talk." Ice Cube blew a raspberry. "Nobody lines their nests with bones. You know how uncomfortable that'd be?" A devious twinkle entered his eyes. "Between you and me, I'm actually one of them."

It took all her energy to swallow a snort. If only he knew! "Is that so?"

"Yup. Heck, I'm one of their best cats." He winked. "Y'think a big, bad forest cat could take some of that rabbit home? It's for my husband."

Weaselstar hesitated, claws digging into the fur. It was still warm. "I dunno. I've got my own mouths to feed. Kits."

"I've got a couple of those too! You should visit sometime. Pringles absolutely loves gushing over the little ones." She studied his expression, and found that in spite of his earlier lie, there was nothing but honesty there. "Just a leg? I helped tire it out, didn't I?"

The fight left her in an instant. I've got a whole pile back home. "How's about this, Ice Cube. I'll give you this whole rabbit, but only if you stop by sometime next moon and let me have dinner with your family. Does that sound fair?"

"Sister, you've got a deal. Just warning you- you'll lose your ears once he's through chewin' them." Ice Cube grabbed the rabbit with a sly smile. "You be careful out there, alright?"

"I'll make sure to pass it on to my forest cat family," she replied. Ice Cube's face fell as she winked. The tom looked absolutely mortified. "Get on outta here. Before I change my mind."


Weaselstar dropped her mouse at Sweetshine's paws with a pout. "I thought I was gonna get to kill the dog tail."

"I told them to wait, but-"

"I did it!" Larkkit yowled, kicking the bramble with her back paws. "I beat it up, Wee-mama!"

She sighed and nuzzled the silver and white tabby. "My brave little warrior. You've regained my honor."

"I take it the hunt helped?"

Weaselstar settled in next to her with a little smile. "I think I made a new friend, actually."

"I hope it wasn't my dinner," she said, mouth full.

"Not quite. I do have a dinner date next moon, though."

"Ooh, mysterious. I like it!"

Author's Note: A New Friend has Appeared!

Ice Cube is a riot to write already tbh. He has anime protagonist hair, a husband, an adopted stepchild, and a new litter. And that's just the beginning! He gives me a lot of Dodger and Thomas O'Malley vibes.

-Mandaree1