Sorry for yet another another 2 week long wait for an update, and a whole month since an Ignite update. School's been kicking me in the butt with multiple projects and stuff. Thankfully all of those are done.
Yet another heads up though- more than likely no update next week either. Next week is finals week, and my job wants me to work night shift- ON THE DAYS I HAVE TESTS. I gotta talk to them about that. My grades are a little more important than a part-time job.
I also got my second COVID vaccine dose today. So more than likely I'll feel like crap tomorrow. Joy. ;u;
Reviews are super appreciated!
"I say these words before StarClan, that the spirits of our ancestors may hear and approve my choice. The new deputy will be Rosepetal!" Bramblestar yowled from the Highledge.
Firestar cast a critical eye down on the surprised she-cat. She was a strange choice- young and still training her first apprentice. But then again, hadn't he been fairly young when he had been chosen to become deputy? She would learn how to be a proper deputy in time. He supposed that she wasn't the worst choice for deputy.
He personally would have chosen someone else, perhaps Sandstorm or Brackenfur but... He glanced over at the tom. Brackenfur had seen better days. He acted as usual, congratulating Rosepetal like the rest of his clanmates, but if one looked closer they could see a ever-present glimmer of sadness and loneliness that came from losing Sorreltail. Maybe at one point the tom would have made a nice deputy until he was ready to retire, but not now.
As for Sandstorm... He mentally shook his head. It seemed as if cats were either too old to be deputy or just not a good fit for the role. Choosing his mate to be deputy would have been a foolish decision anyway. No doubt cats would have called him out on favoritism if he had done that.
He caught Bramblestar's hopeful eye, and Firestar couldn't help but snort. He hoped that his hatchling wouldn't be looking for him to solve all his problems. But he gave a slight nod anyway, happy at Bramblestar's relieved expression.
As long as his treasures were happy.
The thought came with some melancholy; all his treasures should have been happy. All his treasures should be alive too. He felt a small prick of heat at his chest, and he cast a look down at the stone, whose influence he hadn't felt since his final transformation two days back. It felt more subdued than usual.
'Perhaps it lost its power after changing me?' he thought. He flicked his tail lightly, taking in some satisfaction that maybe the thing couldn't influence him anymore. 'But then again, it could be in a stage where it's recharging itself,' he mused.
He took his mind off the stone. He had more pressing matters to attend to.
Like the rumbling in his stomach. When was the last time he had eaten properly?
He got up slowly, drawing the clan's attention to himself. He rolled his eyes at the scared looks of some of the cats down below. "Honestly, this will never work out if you all continue to be afraid of me. Am I supposed to keep still every day so you all feel more comfortable?" he snarked. "Can't even let me stretch..." With that said, he extended his wings, casting a shadow over the hollow.
"Where are you going?" Bramblestar inquired.
"Hunting. Preferably somewhere with big enough prey. I'm afraid that hawks won't cut it anymore," he said.
Some of the cats purred, amused.
"I hope you find something out there. Just make sure no one sees you!" Bramblestar added in hastily.
"Now why would I do that? Does my hatchling have no faith in me?" he growled good-naturedly.
Bramblestar started stammering out explanations and apologies, only for Squirrelflight to let out peels of laughter nearby, followed by some laughter from other cats.
Sandstorm had made her way up to the top of the hollow and nuzzled his leg. "Have a good hunt," she purred warmly. He bent his head down and allowed her to touch her nose with his snout.
"By the way, you're about to have an audience with Blackstar and Rowanclaw. Not sure what they want though," he mused. His ears and sense of smell could pick up the Shadowclan cat's footsteps and scents easily.
He was up in the air before anyone could question him, his wings sending large gusts of wind the blew into camp. Sandstorm had to dig her claws and hold onto the ground as he flew off, becoming a large black shape soaring into the distance.
.
.
"And no doubt Blackstar saw that," Rosepetal bemoaned.
"The clans already know," Bramblestar stated. The warriors the other three clans had sent to them for the battle had quietly left to go back to their respective clans after the fighting was over. They hadn't made a fuss, afraid of what Firestar could do to them if they disturbed him from his mourning. His sobs had shaken them all as the dragon held Leafpool's dead body close to him, as gentle as he could manage.
"Keep working, all of you. Might as well continue to repair the camp before he shows up," Bramblestar meowed. The camp wasn't exactly in presentable condition anyway. No doubt the Dark Forest had caused damage to all the clans, so it wasn't as if Blackstar could smugly hold it over their heads.
Bramblestar helped out, working on a collapsed wall of the elders' den. He briefly scanned the camp to gaze at his warriors repairing the camp, and frowned lightly when he couldn't spot Dustpelt in the crowd. The dusty-colored tom was supposed to be supervising the repairs.
'Probably visiting Ferncloud's burial place again...'
He felt Rosepetal nudge him. "Blackstar's here," she meowed softly. He gave his deputy a slight nod, stopping his work and putting some ivy down.
He saw the Shadowclan leader hobble into the clearing with his deputy Rowanclaw close beside him—so close, in fact, that their shoulders were touching, as if Rowanclaw was holding his leader upright. He raised an eyebrow, wondering why the Shadowclan leader was out in such a condition and also realizing why it had taken so long for Blackstar to get to their camp, despite Firestar saying they were on their way earlier.
Thankfully none of the Thunderclan cats who had stopped working to watch the new arrivals were bristling with hostility. Bramblestar recalled a time not so long ago when these visitors would have been treated with distrust, if not outright hostility. Now they hadn't even been challenged as they slowly entered the hollow.
"Blackstar! Come and sit down." Bramblestar bounded over to the tom and showed the Shadowclan leader a space on a newly grown patch of grass where he could rest his trembling legs. He was thankful that the forest was already recovering from the blaze that seemed so far away now.
Squirrelflight joined them from the nursery, where she had been helping Daisy amuse all the kits while Brightheart was out on a hunting patrol.
"Is everything well in Shadowclan?" Squirrelflight asked, exchanging nods with Rowanclaw.
"We are fine," Blackstar rasped, so faintly that Bramblestar barely heard.
Blackstar seemed to be having trouble speaking due to the wheezing in his chest, so Rowanclaw took over. "We have to come to talk to you about the Dark Forest cats who still walk among us," he announced.
Bramblestar narrowed his eyes, not liking where this was going.
"As you know," Rowanclaw went on, "the Dark Forest attack was helped in part by warriors from the living clans." He paused and glanced around the clearing as if he wanted to name those cats right now. "Some of them survived the battle. We need to decide what should be done to them."
Bramblestar shifted his paws. "I agree this is something to think about, but I assumed each clan leader would decide alone. It involves our own clanmates, after all."
Blackstar struggled to his paws and lashed his tail. "We are still bound by our alliance during the Great Battle!" he hissed. "This is a problem faced by all the clans, and therefore we should deal with it together. There cannot be any inequity between us."
"I really hope that you aren't about to make demands of Thunderclan again, after what you and the other clans tried to pull," Bramblestar growled. Blackstar's ears flattened themselves onto his head. "Oh yeah, we still remember very clearly how you and others stormed into our camp and demanded that Firestar step down."
"Speaking of..." Rowanclaw trailed off. "Are we to assume that the big black lizard we saw flying away was Firestar?" He stood firm, but the agitated flicking of his tail betrayed how uneasy the tom was feeling.
"And if it was? What are you going to do about it?" Bramblestar meowed coolly. He and Blackstar stared each other down.
There wasn't a single thing any of the clans could do to Firestar anymore. Angering Thunderclan would be the same thing as angering the dragon.
Bramblestar let his gaze travel around the hollow, ending up on the four cats who were apart from the rest, clearing trampled brambles from one side of the entrance. "Perhaps it would be right that we should agree on a course of action together. Shall we meet on the island tomorrow night?"
Blackstar nodded, refusing to show the Thunderclan leader any weakness. "I'll send word to Riverclan and Windclan, if you'll permit my warriors to travel along your lakeshore."
"Of course," mewed Bramblestar. He stood up and padded beside the ancient white cat as he started to leave. "Thank you for coming, Blackstar. Get some rest before we meet on the island. I'm sure one day is all we need for Firestar to come back and join us," he meowed, effectively cowing Blackstar into silence.
"You know, you might want to make sure the other leaders know he's coming. Wouldn't want them to feel too surprised," he said, trying to not let his smugness show.
Blackstar just grunted. Rowanclaw dipped his head to Bramblestar and guided his leader through the remains of the barrier, then ushered him into the trees.
He turned and padded up to Dovewing, who had been working on the warriors' den with Cinderheart. There was an uneasy aura around her.
'That's right, Bumblestripe died too. It must be hard for her to have lost a friend so suddenly,' he thought, his sympathy going out to the gray she-cat.
"Dovewing, may I speak with you?" The she-cat turned around, her fur lightly bristling, not having heard him approach.
"I'd like you to come with me to meet the other leaders," Bramblestar meowed. "Jayfeather will be with me, of course, and the cats who were trained by the Dark Forest, but I think you and Lionblaze should be present as well. You both know more about what the Dark Forest planned than many of us." He blinked. "Because of the prophecy, right?"
Dovewing nodded mutely.
"Good." Bramblestar turned away. "We'll leave at dusk tomorrow. Make sure you get some rest during the day."
Thunderclan seemed excited at the prospect of choosing a punishment for the traitors among them. Bramblestar felt a wave of impatience at their stupidity. 'Can't you see that these are loyal warriors who made one mistake? Are you all so perfect yourselves?' he growled in his head. 'Punish me too while we're at it; I trained with Tigerstar, just like these cats!'
He sighed, coming to a stop by the elders' den, picking up the ivy he had dropped previously. There was still work to be done.
Ah yes, the old deputy question. A question as old as time. Quite obviously, Squirrelflight wasn't going to be made deputy here. She's a poor choice anyway. I thought of Brackenfur cause he would make a good deputy and retire before Bramblestar even gets close to losing his last life but the man's been through a battle, losing his mate, and having to take care of his kits. He doesn't need more stress.
Of course I ruled out any of Firestar's kin. So no Ivypool, no Sandstorm, no Lionblaze or Hollyleaf cause nepotism. So who is left? Rosepetal of course! She's young and only on her first apprentice but then again, there aren't that many good choices.
I'm debating showing a chapter of Firestar hunting down cows or whatever. But I want Fires to keep out of sight from any humans, so maybe that would be a bit boring to read.
Tell me how I did.