CHAPTER 26
That night in Tussockclan territory near their camp, as Dappledshade crouched down carefully in the tussock (so as not to get poked by the sharp plants), she considered how dishonourable a night raid was. Night raids were always seen as at least a little distasteful, even by Flaxclan who were largely nocturnal in activity themselves. She didn't even really know why, at least in that case. At least in the clans where they were sleeping at night it made more sense. Perhaps it spoke to something primal; that there were other dangers in the night they should be worrying about, not each other.
Whatever the reason, she wasn't exactly happy about it, but she refused to express her concerns again. Icestar kept shutting her down when she did, and more importantly she knew there would be no changing his mind about this.
Icestar was at the front of the squad; everyone waited with baited breath, watching his body for a twitch of ears or wave of tail that were signals to act. Spiderstrike was sent out ahead. With his stealth and black coat, he was an ideal scout to observe the sparse camp and find out what they were dealing with. He slipped away into the dark ahead of them; a shape slightly shifting the tussock and sand as he made his way over the dunes.
A few long moments passed before the dark shape returned, Spiderstrike's eyes flashed as the moonlight hit them when he turned his head towards Icestar to report back. Dappledshade strained her ears to hear his whisper.
"Three on watch; two main ones, then there's one in front of a den in the back; Dewstar's I guess. The rest of the camp appears to be asleep." Spiderstrike lowered his voice to Icestar once again, so quiet Dappledshade could barely hear him. "At least one litter of kits in the nursery."
Icestar nodded to the information, then lifted his tail up high above the tops of the tussock strands. It twitched stiffly to the left and right, then forward. They were being ordered to spread out. As each of the elite warriors passed by Icestar, he whispered to them. "Supress all the warriors quickly." The success of this raid would rely on them being quick and effective before Tussockclan had the chance to rally against them.
Dappledshade took up position on the left side of the camp nestled in the dunes. She wouldn't be one of those taking down the guards on watch, but dealing with the cats coming out of their dens as they woke up. Icestar's white pelt caught the dim light from the night sky as he moved towards Dewstar's den. He would deal with the leader himself. Dappledshade felt the young Tussockclan leader had no chance at all.
At first, the attack went well. Waspsting and Sheercrag easily took down the two main guards, and Dappledshade glanced to see Icestar squashing the third protecting Icestar into the ground as she leapt out ready to attack any cat that came out of the ramshackle warriors den to join in. She was hoping that the three guards would go down silent and solve the problem, but unfortunately Waspsting struggled to keep his contained; the cat that Dappledshade recognized as Cragtooth let out a yelp of distress as he managed to shrug the large cream-furred warrior off for a moment.
That was all it took to wake up the camp.
Dappledshade managed to grapple with one of the half-awake warriors that burst from the den easily enough, and after sending them tumbling away, she pinned a second… And was promptly given a taste of her own medicine when a third tackled her off their clanmate. There were just too many of them for the small patrol Icestar had elected to bring. They were all good warriors, but that wasn't enough when they were trying to fight three on one.
Dappledshade snarled, trying to kick off the tabby warrior currently shoving her into the dirt and trying to tear a chunk out of her chest. She recognised this cat; Haretuft had a fearsome reputation for a Tussockclan cat. She had heard her name several times at Gatherings, stories about the aggressive stumpy-tailed she-cat always going for the cheap shot. It always sounded like she belonged in Gorseclan to Dappledshade, but any admiration she might have had was quick to vanish when she was in the firing line, with little chance to get away when three more Tussockclan warriors looming.
A booming chorus of yowls distracted Haretuft and the others. Dappledshade took the chance to wriggle a paw out of Haretuft's grasp, and smack her off. As the tortoiseshell scrambled to her feet, she saw where the noise was coming from. Strange cats she did not recognize had come over the dunes and into the camp. More odd still, they joined Gorseclan's side. They pushed the Tussockclan warriors back, making things much more fair and allowing her fellow elites to actually fight back in fair fights.
As one of the strangers; a massive black tom with a white front foot, blasted by her to chase off Haretuft, she caught a whiff of his scent. It was a scent she had been picking up all the time lately. The same one covering the mostly-eaten hare she had found days prior. She was so stunned that rogues were the ones that had come to their aid, she simply stood there slack-jawed and stared.
Tussockclan was in disarray, cats running everywhere in a panic. In the chaos, Icestar took advantage. As Dappledshade looked on in shock at what was happening, she noticed him, and watched him creeping up on Dewstar who was trying to give stammering orders in the middle of camp… she must have evaded him earlier when he had gone to her den, though not unharmed; blood was dripping from fresh wounds on her back and cheek.
Icestar leapt with a roaring growl; tackling Dewstar and pinning her down as she yelped with surprise and pain. The large tom let out a loud yowl of triumph, drawing the attention of those sparring in the camp. He looked down at her for a moment, considering. Dappledshade thought he was going to demand her surrender there and then, but to her consternation he did not. He instead made a sudden movement. He ripped at her throat with his teeth; her strangled cry cut off as he bit down without hesitation. Dewstar's head fell back as he let go, limp, pupils dilating, her lifeblood flowing from the new wound. Icestar had torn life from the young leader with ease, stunning all those watching, and quickly pulling the Tussockclan cats still fighting away from battle as yelled protests and expressions of horror from their clanmates informed them of what was happening.
The rogues, now that Tussockclan's attention is elsewhere, creep off to the edges and begin encircling the camp. Dappledshade's eyes darted between them and the scene before her. Even though they are, seemingly, on their side, she feels unnerved with them pressing in like this.
"Starclan has guided me into a truce with these outsiders." She noted how Icestar stepped around the word rogue, which he had been spitting with venom for weeks. "These cats are now under my leadership in an alliance!" A couple of the rogues nodded along, tails held high; their general presence was cocky. It made Dappledshade's hackles rise up along her back.
"Starclan has shown me the true enemy was within the clans all along!" Icestar was continuing. "Our new friends will work with me to defeat them." Dappledshade could infer he was referring to Flaxclan and Fernclan.
Little gasps came from the Tussockclan cats as Dewstar began to stir beneath Icestar's claws. Dappledshade watched, entranced, as light returned to her eyes, and the fatal wound on her neck started to knit itself closed. She had watched her own scratches from claws heal over time of course, and this was like watching that lengthy process in super-speed. Though morbid, the process was fascinating; skin knitting together again, fresh red fading to pink. Even Dewstar's fur started to grow back over the wounded area again. Like it never happened. So this was a leader's power; the power to revive after death.
Icestar was watching Dewstar too, tilting his head slightly as he waited for the process to finish. Dewstar wheezed her first returning breaths; eyes sliding open and turning up to the white tom still pinning her down. "...Monster." She spat breathlessly at him. "Y-you… are no prophet… of Starclan." There was a small hum in Icestar's throat in response, and he shifted his grip on Dewstar, digging his claws into her freshly healed neck wound. He spilled her blood onto the sand once again as her clan watched in horror.
Even Dappledshade felt her stomach churn at the cold, cruel action; the ease with which her leader and mentor killed the defenceless Dewstar once again. Icestar watched once more, before orange eyes shifted back up to the young leader's clan that was boxed in around him; the rogues and his own warriors pacing at their heels to make sure none of them did anything in retaliation. "Tussockclan, what I offer you is simple." Icestar called out to the frightened and angry cats. "Surrender; come under Gorseclan command, and protection. We will work together to do Starclan's will." His implied threat of "or else" hung heavy in the air as Dewstar twitched, reviving once again with Icestar's claws hovering over her; ready to take yet another life if required.
The Tussockclan deputy, who had been stopped from acting up until now by Sorrelwind blocking her access, glared daggers at Icestar over the blue spotted tabby she-cat's back. Then, after a moment of deliberation (on what was clearly an impossible choice), Harrierwind gave a small, stiff nod. "Let me speak with the Wise Ones."
The deputy turned, padding over to the den where the Tussockclan elders, the "wise ones" were cowering under the glare of one of the rogues. Harrierwind hissed at the large grey tom who only huffed impassively at her, taking a few steps back. The deputy leaned down to talk in urgent hushed tones with the elders. One particularly wizened cat was the main speaker. Dappledshade guessed the grizzled tom with shredded ears must be Rollingwave, the oldest cat in all clans. Given how much respect and authority was put on Tussockclan's elders, it was easy to guess the oldest among them held the most. There was a reluctant murmur among them, small nods of their heads. Harrierwind turned back to Icestar, the expression on her face one of the utmost loathing. "Very well, Icestar." The words slid out of her mouth like she was saying poison. "You win… Now leave Dewstar be."
Icestar was quick to shift his hovering claws, and step back from the trembling form of the young leader who had revived once again, but this time seemed to have learned her lesson and was keeping silent. She looked terrified. "See, now how hard was that?" His voice was smooth and polite once more. "We could have prevented all this needless violence if you just listened from the start."
"Sun's eyes burn you!" Rollingwave snarled the curse in Icestar's direction. "Ocean's claws drag you down to the depths!" Another elder; a blind, hunch-backed she-cat, shushed him gently, but even her sightless gaze shifted in Icestar's direction with unnerving accuracy, and an expression that looked like the old warrior was praying Starclan smite the white tom where he stood.
Dappledshade's leader was unfazed by the Wise One's malice. He even chuckled as he ignored the insults, and called to the leader of the rogue group. A long-haired grey tom approached. Something about his features looked familiar, but Dappledshade could not place it. "Creek, I put you in charge of Tussockclan's camp. It will make for a good strategic base for us to strike at our remaining enemies… And it means you will no longer need to live in the mountains." Creek looked happy about that. "One of my elite warriors will remain here on rotation as a go-between for us." He nodded towards Sheercrag, volunteering him for the first shift. His older brother had reluctance in his blue eyes, but he nodded. Icestar then turned to all the cats present, raising his voice. "We are now all one clan!" He addressed them all. "The Wise Ones, Dewstar, and your queens will come back to Gorseclan camp with me; protected as honoured guests." More like kept as valuable prisoners.
One queen brought her two kits close to her legs, trying to shelter them. They were frightened; old enough to be mobile, but not really old enough to understand what was happening. To Dappledshade's surprise, there was a second queen she knew. Gullcry, the hostile black and white warrior she had encountered with Kowhaifall, seemingly so long ago now. She looked like she had kits recently, yet there were none to be seen. "My kits are gone." She spat in Icestar's direction as Spiderstrike attempted to herd her and the other queen away. "Your pet rogues killed them!"
"I assure you, they are safe and sound." Icestar's calm comment surprised Dappledshade for a moment, and then she quickly put it together. Those black and white kits that Spiderstrike had "found"… they weren't the rogues at all. "You will be reunited with them if you come along peacefully."
Dappledshade stomach churned sickeningly as they departed, padding along near the back to make sure none of the Wise Ones that made up the back of the travelling party went anywhere. Icestar had clearly been working with the rogues for some time in secret. She was appalled. Working with these cats went against the moral code she thought Icestar also stood for! Apparently Spiderstrike knew. Who else knew without saying anything? Was she the last one to find out? No, Sheercrag, Weedfur and Cuckoofeather all had seemed as shocked as her, at least.
What else did she not know about?
