Disclaimer: I haven't read Long Shadows… so I obviously DON'T own it either.

Mastermind

Chapter 1

"Jaypaw, we need more watermint!" Leafpool mewed.

"Yes Leafpool," Jaypaw grunted. Herbs, herbs, and more herbs! Can't Leafpool stop feeling so anxious about running out of herbs?

"Maybe you should take a warrior with you," Leafpool went on, "It would be better."

Trying to sound polite, but ended up sounding quite rude, Jaypaw growled, "I know the territory well enough!"

Leafpool tail flicked the ground in one swift motion, and she let out an angry sigh.

"You'll bring back more herbs that way!" Leafpool snapped, "I'm not talking about your blindness!"

"Fine," was all Jaypaw muttered.

Scenting around the camp, Jaypaw decided to bring Mousewhisker. Eh, he was a kittypet, but he collected herbs with Mousewhisker before.

Walking out of the medicine den, he scented Honeyfern guarding the entrance. She was mumbling something about… Berrynose. She was so preoccupied that all she did to acknowledge Jaypaw and Mousewhisker was a nod and an inaudible mutter.

"So… watermint looks-err, smells like what again?" Mousewhisker asked awkwardly, once they were at the lake.

Jaypaw sniffed the air, and smelling the fresh watermint scent, he flicked his tail towards it.

"I'm going to check something…" Jaypaw mewed, thinking about his stick.

He slowly moved his paws to where he had last left his stick. It was still there. Letting out a brief purr of satisfaction, he let his paws feel the scratches along the stick; some crossed and others uncrossed.

"Looking at something?" mewed a somehow familiar, male voice.

Surprised and angry that he hadn't scented any cat, he whipped around towards to voice, even if he couldn't see the cat who spoke.

"Who are you?" Jaypaw hissed.

Chuckling, the tom mewed, "To my mother, I'm her precious kit. To my enemies, I'm a piece of fox dung. To my friends, well, I'm just their friend. To a fox, I'm a nuisance. To a-"

"What's your name?" Jaypaw snapped, impatient.

"I listed a few," the tom mewed, sounding amused, "My little kit, fox dung, a fox once called me 'grr rrr', a rogue, a loner, a-"

"What do you ME to call you?" Jaypaw snarled.

"That depends entirely on what you think. What am I to you?"

"A mousebrain," Jaypaw muttered to himself, "I don't know, can't I just have your StarClan-damned named?"

"Impatience isn't good, you know," the tom murmured, "Fine, I will get to my name that was given to me. To those who know of my rank, I am Sayer. To a mere cat, I am Conifer. If you aren't a mere cat… then I am Fatesayer."

"I don't think of myself as 'mere'!" Jaypaw sniffed, thinking of the prophecy.

Jaypaw felt himself being observed (A/N: Not the perverted way!") by unseen eyes, and finally, the cat conceded, "You are blind… and you don't seem like a mere cat."

Satisfied, Jaypaw nodded, and pricking his ears, he heard Mousewhisker approaching, with the scent of watermint basking in his nostrils. Surprise emanated from the former-kittypet, and then hostility. Jaypaw heard the watermint drop to the ground, and a snarl tore from Mousewhisker's throat.

"Who are you?" he spat threateningly.

"Well, to my mother, I'm her-" Fatesayer began.

"Call him Conifer!" Jaypaw interrupted. Mousewhisker, contrary to him, was a mere cat, "He's not a threat… at least I don't think so."

"I'm passing through," Fatesayer mewed vaguely, "To see a certain Clan… ThunderClan, from what I remember."

"That's my Clan!" Jaypaw blurted out.

There was an odd silence, in which only the distant chirping of birds could be heard, and Fatesayer mewed, "May I… see your leader?"

Jaypaw wondered if he could trust this somehow familiar cat… he spoke as if he was dropped on his head by his mother a few times, but he didn't sound like he had bad intentions.

"Firestar will decide what to do with you, then," Mousewhisker mewed uncertainly.

Fatesayer was silent, except for the swish of his head as he nodded. Remembering the watermint even though Mousewhisker forgot it, Jaypaw picked them up, and padded to camp, behind Fatesayer and Mousewhisker.

When they arrived at the camp, Honeyfern was still there, but this time, they had her attention as she saw the unfamiliar cat.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

Jaypaw had a pretty good idea of where Fatesayer's mouth was, so he flicked his tail almost in his mouth.

"His name is Conifer," Jaypaw mewed for the second time. Honeyfern really was a mere cat too.

"What does he want here?" Honeyfern growled, suspicious waves flowing out of her,

"He wants to see Firestar," Mousewhisker replied.

'He just came back from hunting… so I guess that he might speak to you… if he wants to," Honeyfern mewed reluctantly.

Finally back in camp, Jaypaw raced to the medicine den to drop off his watermint, and followed Mousewhisker and Fatesayer's scent up the Highledge. Mousewhisker obviously thought of himself as the guard, quickly glancing at Jaypaw to see who entered Firestar's den. Staying next to Mousewhisker, Jaypaw pricked his ears and listened.

"Mousewhisker told me to call you Conifer, is that right?" Firestar voice queried.

"Yes, I am Conifer to you," Fatesayer mewed immediately.

Jaypaw almost let out a purr of amusement, Fatesayer thought Firestar was a mere cat?

"I came here because I… had to. Is it alright for me to stay?" Fatesayer asked, his voice getting a bit quiet.

Firestar was known to accept most cats, so Jaypaw wasn't really surprised when he mewed, "Alright, but tell me, why must you stay here?"

"Um… because… I… am all alone?" Fatesayer mewed, and any cat could tell that he was a horrible liar.

"That… is quite interesting…" Firestar mewed, sounding unconvinced.

"You will let me stay" Fatesayer suddenly snarled, "I say so, so I shall stay!"

Jaypaw shivered at the intensity of Fatesayer's voice, and green eyes flashed in his mind. Fatesayer… was he the cat that appeared in his dreams?

Jaypaw heard Fatesayer panting, followed by a breathless mew of, "I… am staying."

"Very well, you may stay… but someone must be guarding you at all times!" Firestar declared. Paw steps coming out of the leader's den announced the fact that the two cats were getting out of the den.

Oddly enough, Jaypaw could feel a bit of tiredness coming from Fatesayer as though he had run around the camp a few times.

Firestar climbed onto the Highledge, and announced, "Let all cats old enough to catch their prey join here for a Clan meeting!"

Cloudtail, Dustpelt, Brackenfur and Sorreltail came out from the warrior's den, and Foxpaw, Icepaw, Squirrelflight and Whitewing came from the forest. Other cats followed the two apprentices and their mentors, some carrying prey, and Spiderleg came out from the dirt place, looking a bit embarrassed.

"This cat is to stay at ThunderClan… for now. His name is Conifer," Firestar mewed.

There were much protests of 'not another non-Clan cat' joining ThunderClan.

"Another rogue?" Dustpelt growled irritably.

"We have enough non-Clan cats in this Clan, Firestar!" Spiderleg added.

"It's against the warrior code to let cats like him in!" Hollyleaf hissed.

"I said that he will be guarded at all time! Until he is trusted enough, he will always be watched!" Firestar repeated, this time with more irritation, "Are there any volunteers?"

Jaypaw felt reluctance overwhelming the clearing. No cat wanted to guard Fatesayer.

"I will," Jaypaw declared.

Yeah… I don't know if Firestar would actually ask for volunteers, but oh well…

Not much action, but I hope it was okay.

Constructive criticism is welcome as well as reviews! :D