That night, he trekked to the Moonpool alone, despite the protests of his Clanmates. No cat was to be hurt on the sacred journey, and if he was then all the better for it. He truly was a despicable cat, a miserable excuse for a leader.
"Who goes there?!" The approaching cat reeked of WindClan.
"It's Forreststar, and I'm headed for the Moonpool."
The cat stepped into his line of sight and he was surprised to see the Breezestar before him.
"Is everything alright with ThunderClan? No trouble, I hope?"
"I made a terrible mistake, Breezestar, and now one of my young cats has paid the price with their lives. You'll hear about it tomorrow, but I must ask StarClan's forgiveness."
"Good luck, Forreststar. I hope you find what you seek. "
He awoke in a clearing lined with trees. The moon shone bright and the undergrowth looked healthy and beautiful. It was forever greenleaf in StarClan.
"Forreststar?" The very cat he was looking for stared at him. Surprise clouded the young tom's gaze and now that the leader looked, he realized that his son's pelt looked far better now. Remnants of depression showed in his serious gaze, which only made Forreststar more angry. No cat should have been so desperate...
"I know I'm not Swiftpaw, but I was hoping we could talk." The leader mewed. His voice was far calmer than he felt.
"I saw what happened when she got back... I'm sorry you were so upset."
"No, Falconpaw. You are not at fault. None of this is your fault. Snowclaw was wrong to let others abuse you, and I was wrong for not noticing until it was too late."
"What do you mean? No one could tell me why they were all apologizing!"
"I'm sorry, Falconpaw. Snowclaw abandoned you and I let her. There was no reason for you to have suffered so much. You did absolutely nothing wrong."
"But why did Snowclaw hate me?! She said she was my mother! Deerfur never treated Swiftpaw like that! You never said anything mean! Why is everyone sorry?!"
"Snowclaw was attacked by a rogue, Falconpaw, and moons later, she bore his kits. Do you know what I'm trying to say?"
"She doesn't like me because I'm HalfClan? Is that it?"
"No, Falconpaw. It's not that you're HalfClan... she didn't want the rogue's kits, Falconpaw. They reminded her of the rogue and the fact that she was attacked so brutally. Do you understand?"
The young tom's eyes darkened with a wisdom far beyond his eight moons.
"She thinks of the rogue whenever she sees me... does that mean she thinks I'll act like him?" Falconpaw was rightly disgusted.
"Why? The only she-cat who even looked at me was Swiftpaw, and I never thought of having kits anyway!" An idea flashed through his head and his eyes brightened.
"If you tell the others that they were wrong, do you think they'll like me? I want Swiftpaw and Snowclaw to be happy, Forreststar! You have to tell them!"
The brown leader did his best to hide his surprise.
"Of course." He assured the younger tom as he buried his face in his son's fur. "Of course I'll tell them... I don't know why we were so blind. You truly are the best of us all."
"Tell Swiftpaw I love her, and that she has to live. We'll have the rest of forever to be together, I promise."
"I'll tell her, Falconpaw. I promise."
"Cats of all Clans, ThunderClan has made a grave mistake. One that has almost cost us two lives." Forreststar began solemnly. He'd allowed the other three leaders to go before him and each report of bountiful prey and new kits made him miss Falconpaw all the more.
"One of our apprentices, Falconpaw, was reported dead by Swiftpaw. She spoke with him before he left, and I spoke with him by the grace of StarClan. Falconpaw was depressed, and for good reason. It was revealed by Snowclaw that Falconpaw was one of her kits. We were led to believe that he was a rogue, and you know how we Clan cats feel about outsiders, but we took it too far, and for that reason, Falconpaw walks among StarClan as he more than deserves" Forreststar broke off for a bit.
"I…" He choked on his words. "I saw him in StarClan, and he wanted… he wanted to be normal. He said Snowclaw and Swiftpaw and everyone else should be happy, and that no, Snowclaw, he would not turn out like that rogue, no matter what you say. He truly was the best of us. I tell you this now because only one cat in my Clan knows all of this, and that is Swiftpaw. She is literally the only cat in ThunderClan who has not made the mistake we all did. She is the only one who cared for him, and that's wrong. For all our pride as ThunderClan cats, as Clan cats, we have let down StarClan in the biggest way there is. Thank you for being so patient and hearing Falconpaw's story."
The clearing was quiet by the time Forreststar was done, and Swiftpaw made her way to the base of the tree as the brown leader hopped to the ground.
"Thank you," She muttered, eyes bright with pain. "Hopefully they'll remember us now."
"I wish I had done more for him… I plan on sitting vigil for Falconpaw. Not in our camp, but on the Island, where I can mourn undisturbed by those who hated him. You are welcome to join me, if you wish."
"Of course," The black and white she-cat mewed happily. "Let me know when you leave."
"Swiftpaw's gone!" Deerfur shrieked as she pelted out of the warriors den and nearly tackled Forreststar the next morning. The older leader sighed, their secret weighing on his shoulders more than ever. In a few moments, he would have to tell the Clan what Deerfur already knew…
"She is."
