Dispite it being a dream, it took us a while to get to what remained of Fourtrees, and along the way, I noticed that most of the old forest had been reduced to stumps. I wondered why Starclan was so keen on showing me this? Did it have something to do with Tigerclaw's unexpected death?
Perhaps it had something to do with how my mere presence had somehow resulted in Tigerclaw dying? If so, what did Starclan intend to do? It was pretty much too late to reverse Tigerclaw's death now, unless they somehow had the ability to time travel, though I doubted it.
Eventually we arrived at Fourtrees, and I saw that it was basically a shadow of it's former self: The trees themselves were gone, and the Great Rock had been shattered into smaller, but still large, fragments.
I had already expected this, but what I didn't expect was the absolutely gargantuan number of cat skeletons that littered the area: all over the rock, and on the ground surrounding the rock. It looked as it it was the remnants of a battle, a battle that every clan had participated in.
"What happened here?" I asked in shock, eyes lingering on one of the closer skeletons, which still seemed to have skin attached.
"The Last Battle," Goosefeather replied grimly. "A battle over what little freshkill and territory remained, after the maiming of the forest. Every clan participated, and every clan died. With Tigerclaw dead, this is the fate that awaits the clans if something is not done."
"But… why?" I asked in confusion. "Surely you warned the clans of what was coming?"
"Yes, but the clans chose not to listen," Goosefeather replied sorrowfully. "Without Tigerclaw, the clans had no reason to unite, they had no reason to listen to each other. The cats we chose refused to journey to the Sundrown place together, and so they never heard Midnight's warning."
I stared at Goosefeather, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why are you telling me this? Is StarClan blaming me for Tigerclaw's death?"
"No," Goosefeather replied softly. "We know it's not your fault. We don't know how it is you know the things you do, but we don't blame you for Tigerclaw's death. We already know who's responsible."
My eyes widened at his statement. "If it's not me, then who?"
"Mapleshade, a cat from the Dark Forest," Goosefeather replied grimly, giving me a serious look. "Mapleshade has been in contact with Crookedstar. She told Crookedstar that Tigerclaw would one day become leader of ThunderClan, and that he would destroy RiverClan, unless Crookedstar prevented it."
My eyes widened even further. "The Dark Forest is involved? This early?"
Goosefeather nodded. "Cats of the Dark Forest have been influencing the living cats of the clans for generations, leading them down dark paths that turns them away from the warrior code and the light of StarClan. Most cats that they influence go to the Dark Forest when they die, unless they turn away from the Dark Forest's influence while still alive.
"Recently, however, the Dark Forest has become more active, and have begun to influence the tide of events. They have begun to tell the cats loyal to them to do things they normally wouldn't have done, which is causing the future to become darker than it otherwise would have been."
"Is that why you're talking to me so directly?" I asked with a frown. "Normally StarClan only gives warnings or prophecies. I've never known of StarClan to communicate so directly."
"That's right," Goosefeather replied with a ghost of a smile. "StarClan does its best to stay out of the living cat's affairs, only giving the living cats warnings or prophecies. It is rare for us to communicate as directly as we are now. But with the Dark Forest acting to change events from their normal course, we feel we have no choice but to do so as well."
"But why is the Dark Forest changing so much?" I asked, looking up at him. "Are they trying to change the future so they win the Great Battle?"
"It would seem so," Goosefeather nodded. "However, with Tigerclaw dead, it would seem that the Great Battle will no longer take place. With one fell swoop, the Dark Forest has insured that clans will die, regardless… unless something changes. That is why we have come to you."
"Me? But what can I do?" I asked in confusion. "I'm just one cat."
"You're a cat that somehow has knowledge of the past and the future," Goosefeather replied wryly. "And we don't know how or why."
I looked away, towards the broken Great Rock, and the skeletons that littered it. "I know how I know, but I can't explain why… and explaining the how would be pretty difficult itself."
"You don't have to explain," Goosefeather replied softly. "We know that you're not what you appear to be… when you were conceived, we noticed that the twoleg afterlife intervened somehow in your birth, though exactly how is unknown to us."
I jerked my head around at stared at him in surprise. The human afterlife had intervened? That was news to me. "The twoleg afterlife?"
Goosefeather nodded. "There are many afterlifes, each race has their own. Normally we leave each other alone, so it was something of a shock when the twoleg afterlife suddenly intervened in our affairs. They only seemed interested in your birth, though. StarClan has no idea why."
I looked at him with wide eyes. There was a human afterlife… and it had somehow intervened in my birth in this world as a cat. I wasn't sure how to feel about this, so I decided to set that particular thorny issue aside for now.
"Right," I shook my head. "Lets… put that to the side for the moment. You mentioned that StarClan needed my help with something?"
Goosefeather nodded, turning serious again. "Yes. We need to find a way to unite the clans when the time is right… and StarClan feels that the only way we can do so is by creating another adversary to take Tigerclaw's place. Normally we wouldn't be able to do this, as no cat in Starclan would be willing to turn the heart of a cat away from the warrior code, but…"
I frowned, annoyed at the directly our conversation had taken. "But since I already know the future, and the consequences that the absence of the adversary will create… you feel is it safe to for me to do this, as in my heart, I'll… what, still follow the warrior code?"
Goosefeather nodded silently, regarding me with a serious look.
"Thats a lot to ask of one cat, Goosefeather," I replied with annoyance. "I don't like conflict, and besides, I'm too young to be deputy. I just became an apprentice. Isn't it already too late to change things?"
"There is time," Goosefeather replied quietly. "There are many seasons to go before the maiming of the Forest, and you will have our guidance."
"What if I don't want to?" I asked petulantly, looking away from him.
"That is your choice, of course," Goosefeather acknowledged. "Whatever you choose to do, StarClan will do it's best to avert the destruction of the clans. But we feel this is the best way to do it. If you help us, StarClan will reward you. But you don't have to choose now. As I said, there is time. All StarClan asks of you is to think about it."
"Alright, I can do that," I nodded. "Can I go back to sleep now?"
"Yes, but one more thing before you go," Goosefeather gave me a serious look. "I have a gift, one that will aid you in the seasons to come, regardless of what choice you make."
"A gift?" I asked curiously.
In response Goosefeather pressed his nose to mine. "I give you the gift of persuasion, Frogpaw. With this gift, you'll always know the wants and needs of others, and you will know the right words to win others to your side, or turn them away if need be."
It felts as if a bolt of lightning passed between us, and I felt the energy of the gift settle into my bones. I felt the weight of words, of weighing needs against wants, of seeing how cats interacted with others of their kind, and how to manipulate that interaction.
I made to ask Goosefeather another question, but suddenly I felt very tired, the dream started fading away like a haze, and I fell into a deep sleep.
I woke up suddenly what felt like moments later. Feeling a bit groggy, I lifted my head and looked around the apprentices den. It was dark again, so it seemed I had slept the whole day away. Only Sandpaw and Dustpaw were in the apprentices den with me, and they were still fast asleep.
Feeling more wakeful now, I got up and left the apprentices den, curious to see what was going on around the camp. It seemed that everyone else was sleeping, save for Bluestar, who was standing in the clearing near the medicine cat's den. A moment later, Spottedleaf emerged from the medicine cat's den, and started talking with Bluestar.
Curious to know what they were talking about, I stealthily made my way around the Highrock, and sat down in the shadows close to them.
"...will recover too," Spottedleaf was in the middle of replying.
Bluestar sighed. "We are lucky to have only lost one warrior this time. You are a gifted medicine cat, Spottedleaf."
Bluestar tilted her head and studied the stars. "I am deeply troubled by this morning's defeat. ThunderClan has not been beaten in its own territory since I became leader. These are difficult times for our Clan. The season of newleaf is late, and there have been few kits. ThunderClan needs more warriors if it is to survive."
"But the year is only just beginning," Spottedleaf pointed out calmly. "There will be more kits when greenleaf comes."
Bluestar twitched her broad shoulders. "Perhaps. But training our young to become warriors takes time. If ThunderClan is to defend it's territory, it must have new warriors as soon as possible."
"Are you asking StarClan for answers?" Spottedleaf asked gently, looking up at the stars herself.
"It is at times like this that we need the words of ancient warriors to help us. Has StarClan spoken to you?" Bluestar asked in turn.
"Not for some moons, Bluestar."
They lapsed into silence, studying the stars, and I considered their words. Starclan may not have spoken to Spottedleaf, but they had certainly spoken to me. But what they asked of me… it felt insane.
They wanted me to be Tigerclaw's replacement, simply because without him stirring things up, the clans won't unite. They wanted me to be Tigerclaw's replacement, because I knew the future, and that somehow would make it easier for me to be a piece of shit like Tigerclaw. According to them, me being Fireheart's adversary was the best way forward, somehow, and they wanted me to trust that they knew what they were doing.
From what I recalled reading in the books, StarClan had, thus far, never lead the living clans wrong. They somehow knew the future, and somehow, always knew what actions to take to avert catastrophe. All of that and more meant that it would likely that I could trust them, but the human part of me knew that failure was always a possibility. It wasn't possible for StarClan to be completely flawless.
But thinking about it… I realized that StarClan hadn't actually told me what to do, they had simply revealed what the future looked like, and had asked me to work with them to fix it. Goosefeather had said I would have their guidance, but he hadn't said that they would tell me what to do, or how to achieve their goals.
They hadn't demanded that I take Tigerclaw's place, they had simply asked for me to do so, and gave me time to consider their request. And, given the point, what exactly did being Tigerclaw's replacement mean? Goosefeather had been rather vague on that point, and now that I thought about it, I had failed to ask him to clarify what he meant.
Still, without Tigerclaw the future looked pretty grim. It seemed that the clans needed to experience a time of troubles if they wanted to have cause to unite for the great migration.
Part of me wondered why I cared. If the forest was destroyed, I could always find a new home somewhere else for myself, but the question was, what would I do in the mean time? I was still a cat. It wasn't like I could go back to being human. And I knew for a fact that a life in the forest with the clans would be better than a life alone as a rogue or a life as a kitty pet where I'd be neutered, but I was fairly sure if I became Fireheart's adversary, my life would be cut short.
Goosefeather had said that I would be 'rewarded' by StarClan if I became Fireheart's adversary, but he hadn't clarified what that reward would be. There were a lot of things he had failed to clarify.
In truth, I was undecided on what I would do. I needed more information before I would commit to it, but… perhaps it would be a good idea to lay the groundwork for becoming Fireheart's adversary, if that meant being a dick to him at first. Just in case, if I decided it was truly necessary. I could always repair that relationship later if I felt like it.
My course decided, I stood up to make my way back to the apprentices den, but a moment later a shooting star suddenly flashed across the sky.
I looked over at Bluestar and Spottedleaf, and noticed that Spottedleaf's tail was twitching, and the fur along her spine was bristled. Bluestar was silent but attentive as Spottedleaf continued to gaze upwards.
A few moments later, Spottedleaf lowered her head and turned to regard Bluestar. "It was a message from StarClan… Though they will be adversaries, the fire and the frog can save our Clan."
"The fire and the frog?" Bluestar echoed. "What does that mean?"
Spottedleaf shook her head.
"I do not know," she admitted. "But this is the message StarClan has chosen to share with me."
The ThunderClan leader fixed her clear blue eyes on the medicine cat. "You have never been wrong before, Spottedleaf. If StarClan has spoken, then it must be so. The Fire and the Frog will save our Clan."
My ears twiched, and I felt a bit irritated. I hadn't made my choice yet, but apparently StarClan felt my decision to lay the groundwork was choice enough.
Fucking star cats.
