CHAPTER 42

The next morning, the sun once again bathed Gorseclan camp in a warm light; illuminating the stone walls and warming the fur of early risers. Dappledshade sat up on top of the High Stone, just outside the leaders den. The morning air was crisp and refreshing; she had barely slept a wink all night. Strange nest aside, her mind had been too busy. So much had happened, and even after the dust had settled, it had taken a long time to hash things out with the clan. She was sure a few of them still didn't believe it all. Things would take time. They had all been through a lot.

She wiped a paw over her ear, taking in a deep breath and just enjoying the peace and quiet for a moment. The only sign of what went on the evening before was the bloodstain dried in the dirt down below where she sat, and the scuffles in the earth in the clearing… Without her interference, they would all be preparing for another strike on Flaxclan right now, and the camp would be bursting with prisoners and rogues. Instead, she was able to listen to the morning chorus of bird calls, and watch the apprentices stretching and eating a meal outside their den, laughing with each other before they went out for training. It seemed like long ago now that was her down there, even though it really had only been a few moons.

"Dappledshade." A voice called out. It was Sedgetuft, standing below the High Stone. He looked about as worn out as she felt. She was glad he had come through the coup unscathed, even though he had fought with a couple of rogues. "Rowanfall's back." The red tom was limping along behind her brother, taking a bit longer to reach the outcrop with his injury. It was slathered in a salve obviously put in place by the Fernclan herbalist. In hindsight, it was probably unfair to have asked him to come back so soon, without taking time to heal, but then, she needed his answer… And if he chose to stay, well, he could just rest here.

"Thank you Sedgetuft. You're going hunting right?" She asked him, inclining her head to Rowanfall and flicking her tail to invite him up to speak with her.

"Yeah, I'm going along with a couple of apprentices. Get them out of camp for a bit." Good, the young cats would need to clear their head; what better way than heading out hunting and focusing their instincts. She waved her tail in farewell to her sibling, and stood as Rowanfall awkwardly made his way up to the top of the High Stone to reach her side.

"So. Should I be calling you "star"?" He asked shrewdly, inclining his head to her a little too mockingly for her liking, but she let it slide.

"After tonight." Dappledshade returned, playing up her smugness. "Come inside." She led the tom into the den, now much cleaner than it was the night before while Icestar had been wallowing in here. The smell of turning fresh-kill was gone, the nest refreshed and replaced. She had it moved to the other side of the cavern, closer to the water pool. She liked the sound of water trickling down the stone, it put her to sleep.

Rowanfall's soft chuckle followed her into the den. "You got what you always wanted, though perhaps sooner than anyone thought…"

"Yes." Dappledshade turned to face him as he sat himself down just inside the entrance, sweeping his bushy tail around his paws. "There's certainly some wrinkles that will need smoothing over in the clan…" Her nose crinkled. "Some cats think my age and lack of an apprentice matter more than the old law. The elders are trying to sort them out." She certainly didn't want to be on the receiving end of Chiveclaw's vitriol…

"And you know, the whole coup thing."

"And that." Dappledshade flicked an ear. "Once you left I did explain everything to the clan, and most of them at least accepted it, even if they weren't happy about it. I think Cuckoofeather and Sheercrag will be the hardest to convince." She frowned. "As long as nobody kills me in my sleep, I can work on it."

"Speaking of cats who would kill you in your sleep, where's Icestar?" Rowanfall turned to glance out the entrance, almost as if he expected to see the white tom standing there. It was hard to separate this place from memories of the leader just yet.

"He won't be a problem anymore." She replied simply.

"Are you going to elaborate on that?" His question was asked with a lifted chin, and a shift to a more serious tone.

"Does it matter?" She narrowed her eyes. She had to be careful not to give too much away, lest he go back to Fernclan and share Gorseclan's private business for all to scrutinise. "All you need to know is he won't be coming back." Icestar was dead, and she was sure Rowanfall had known that would be his fate when he left camp yesterday. Icestar was far too dangerous to do anything else with. If he was exiled, he could have come back. If he was kept prisoner, he could have escaped. There was nothing else to do for his crimes than to get rid of him permanently. Of course, killing him another eight times would be messy, ordinarily. But there were other ways; things even Starclan couldn't fix, slipped into a bundle of healing herbs…

She reflected that Stoatberry's teachings on poisons had become useful after all.

Rowanfall took her evasive answer with a shrug, letting the topic drop. "Do you feel any grief for him? Even after everything, he was your mentor."

"He was my idol…" She sighed, lilting her head to one side as memories, good and bad, passed by her mind. "I'll miss the cat I thought he was, at least."

Rowanfall hummed, seemingly agreeing with that sentiment. "I passed Blackbird going out to hunt when I arrived…" He brought up the next line of enquiry hesitantly. "The look on her face… Did-"

"Horsefoot's dead." Dappledshade spat a little more harshly than she intended, forcing her expression to soften afterwards. She was angry, and she felt guilt about what happened. Horsefoot had fought at her request. She supposed that was part of being a leader but… "He was taken to be buried after the vigil finished at first light… Waspsting killed him."

"Waspsting was dead…" Rowanfall had seen him too.

"Mottledtail's work. She saw what happened to Horsefoot, and pounced while Waspsting gloated." Mottledtail was a force of nature in herself. She was glad she had her on her side. "I hope he has found peace… He was never the same after losing Kowhaifall." Having Pebblepaw to train had helped, but he had lost a part of himself when his mate and unborn litter was killed, something that was never able to be repaired.

Rowanfall bowed his head mournfully, an action that Dappledshade mirrored. "Hopefully he is with her now."

After waiting the appropriate amount of time in silence, Dappledshade continued with informing Rowanfall about what had happened. "Spiderstrike is gone too. It seems he ran off when the rogues did."

Rowanfall sniffed disdainfully. "Coward. I doubt he'll be back."

"It's not like he had many friends here… The rest of the elite guard stayed though."

"What are you going to do with them?"

Dappledshade sighed. They were Icestar's most trusted and loyal, but also the clan's most talented and experienced warriors. It was difficult. "Any one of them arguably has a better claim to leadership than I do… but provided they don't give me a reason to remove them, they stay. The clan needs them, and in truth I think they know they need the clan. ."

"You'll have to watch your back." Rowanfall said with a slight growl to his voice.

"I always do, but so far they're reluctantly accepting." At least outwardly. Who knew what they were really thinking? She would keep a watchful eye on them all the same. She moved on to her questions for Rowanfall. "Did any of the Fernclan cats see any rogues taking Tussockclan home?"

The tom shrugged, though the movement made him wince; clearly it jostled his shoulder wound. "There were apparently a few hanging around the Tussockclan camp, but they ran for it as soon as they saw the first cats scouting ahead come over the dunes."

Dappledshade nodded along with the information, satisfied that the rogues were gone. "The clans will have to keep an eye on them, but hopefully they've learned their lesson to stay away from us… at least for a while." She flicked over a pebble with one claw idly. "It's good that the Tussockclan cats are safe at home… and now they owe my new leadership." She was a touch smug about that. It was important to establish a place among the other clans quickly after a takeover.

"And Flaxclan both." Rowanfall added, giving her one of those looks that used to annoy her immediately as a young apprentice. "Have you chosen a deputy yet?"

"Are you coming back to Gorseclan?" She countered without missing a beat.

He narrowed his eyes, in a knowing sort of way. "I'm not." She had somehow known that would be his answer, though part of her wished it wasn't the case.

"Can I ask why? It's that grey tabby Fernclan friend of yours isn't it? Keasong?" She threw him a snide look with a mocking purr. "I always knew you had a thing for her. You would have never let any of us annoy you that much without clawing our ears."

Rowanfall's ears flattened with a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment, his fur fluffed up, and she could see the denial forming on his tongue, but he suddenly deflated with a large sigh. "It's not just that." His gaze shifted to one side, then the other. He was reluctant to speak, considering if he even should. Green eyes returned to her face. "Gorseclan doesn't feel like home anymore… Not one cat in the clan, apart from my mother, spoke up for me." His voice was quiet, and his claws had come out, scratching the stone floor of the den. "Not one. They were all so ready to believe that I was lying; that I was a traitor who was trying to kill Icestar for no reason. That I somehow caused Kowhaifall's death… Even my own father wouldn't look me in the eye." He had clearly been stewing over it all ever since his exile. Dappledshade was surprised; she had no idea he was still upset about it. "Neither would you. Even as you sold me out to make your mentor proud of you."

"Oh." Dappledshade didn't know what to say. She would be lying to herself if she said she had not felt guilt over it. Hearing Rowanfall spell it out to her certainly didn't make that feeling ebb. He was staring at her like he expected an apology. The idea of one formed in her mind, but died in her throat as he looked at her, a hint of hurt and betrayal still lingering in the back of his gaze. She couldn't say it. Was it pride, arrogance? Stubbornness…? Back then it had been the right thing to do, after all. Or was it cowardice? "I understand… Of course you wouldn't want to come back after that." Was what came out instead.

Rowanfall's look of disappointment made her feel uncomfortable, however quick he was to mask it. He hummed, acknowledging her words. "So… Who are you choosing as deputy then?" He was quick to change the subject, leaving things unsaid between them.

"...Weedfur. He's the most senior warrior in the clan, and of course as a member of the Icestar's guard…" A deputy should complement their leader; fill in gaps. With her youth and inexperience, he was an obvious option.

"Wise choice." Rowanfall huffed. "He's sensible, and he can help keep whoever still holds some loyalty to Icestar on side."

"They should just be happy they aren't ruled by a lunatic anymore. I took leadership fair and square." Rowanfall's brows raised. "By Gorseclan standards." She added.

"Technically, I took it." He quipped, falling back into their old routine and leaving the discomfort behind.

"And you refused it. Fair game." She chuckled with a flick of her tail. "You should be getting back to your tree-loving new friends now." Dappledshade eyed his wound, which looked a bit angry under the Fernclan herbalist's treatment, likely from being jostled walking all the way here. "Plus it looks like you should be resting."

"Hmm. Probably." He didn't seem too worried as he stood, though the movement made him wince again. "Well, I'll be seeing you Dappledshade. I better go say something to my mother before I go…" He bowed his head, as one would do to a leader, gaze lingering on her for a moment. "Take care... I mean that."

He swept from the den as she saw him off, feeling a little sad to know he was officially no longer a member of Gorseclan. She lingered in the den entrance, watching his red pelt descend the High Stone and make his way towards the warriors den in search of Wattleflower. Her chest heaved a sigh. There was a finality in the air. The end of an era. Now, there was so much to do to start the new one. A clan to rebuild, apprentices to reassign, and amends to make…

Starting with… Her eyes caught a distinctive curly pelt crossing the camp clearing. "Weedfur!" She called to the senior warrior, causing him to look up at her in surprise. "Come up here for a moment, will you? I want a word." She wondered if he felt any reluctance; he was an extremely hard cat to read. Still the tabby nodded, and made his way up to her at the leaders den entrance.

"How can I help, Dappledshade?" Weedfur inquired, giving himself a little shake as he made it to the top of the High Stone. "I see Rowanfall returned." He glanced towards the warriors den, where Rowanfall was being smothered in licks by Wattleflower. "Is he coming back to the clan?"

"No, he's decided to stay in Fernclan." Dappledshade wouldn't share his reasons. They were his alone to share.

"Ah, a pity. He's a good warrior." Weedfur's reply was very neutral, very diplomatic. The tom had always been good at choosing his words.

"Yes. But Gorseclan still has plenty of good warriors… It made selecting a deputy hard." The elite was silent as she led to the topic at hand. She wondered what was going through his head. In truth, she hadn't really quibbled on her choice much. Weedfur had always been at the forefront of her mind. But, one had to build up to things… "I've selected you, Weedfur. If you would take the position."

Weedfur blinked, his odd curly whiskers twitching with obvious surprise. She didn't think she had ever seen him so politely taken aback. "I assumed you would want to select fresh blood." He stated after a moment.

"You're the obvious choice, Weedfur. I need your experience to help guide me as my deputy." Dappledshade said honestly. If they were to have a good working relationship, she needed to be open with him. Her leadership would not be one of deceit like her mentors.

The tabby licked his greying muzzle with a thoughtful swipe of his tongue, deciding how to respond. Dappledshade actually felt a little nervous, wondering how he would respond. If he rejected her offer, it would put her in a very awkward position for a number of reasons. Luckily, he didn't leave her hanging for long. Weedfur dipped his head. "I accept Dappledshade. I will serve as your deputy. I'm honoured you chose me. In truth, while I am still coming to terms with what became of Icestar… with what he did…" Weedfur shut his eyes tightly for a moment, before looking up at her with a firm and honest stare. "I want to be part of building this clan back up, to be a better Gorseclan. The Gorseclan of my youth."

"Then before Starclan, I name you my deputy." She touched her nose to his, and he bowed his head again. "We can have a more formal ceremony if you want, when I get back from Star Falls tonight."

"No need." Weedfur replied briskly, lifting his tail. "There's too much work to do. Shall we organise some cats to go on afternoon patrol, then?"

Straight down to business huh? Dappledshade could definitely work with this. "Yes, let's."