Tigerclaw

This is probably really stupid, Tigerclaw thought to himself, But if Darkstripe thinks it could be useful, then I probably have to go through with this. He was waiting near the abandoned twoleg nest, wondering if, and when, Princess actually would show up. And what will she have to say? The evening was drawing to a close, and Tigerclaw knew that he couldn't stay out too late, or he would draw suspicion. I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm helping ThunderClan. Besides, Princess is only one cat. There's no reason to be afraid. But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to completely believe that. Suddenly, the bushes on the far side of the nest rustled, and the strange she cat stepped once again into view. Tigerclaw noticed that her fur was surprisingly well groomed for a rogue. Normally they were too busy surviving to worry about shiny fur.

"Welcome, Tigerclaw," Princess mewed, "I see that you've come. You're willing to listen to what I have to say."

Tigerclaw shrugged, feigning indifference, "Well, I don't have to believe you do I?"

Princess nodded, "True, true. But I would advise you to keep an open mind on what I may tell you. It could save your life."

"What do you mean, may tell you?"

"Well," the rogue licked her paw and drew it back over her ear, "That all depends on what you tell me."

Tigerclaw was taken aback, "Wait, why do I have to tell you anything? I'd rather die than give away ThunderClan secrets!"

Princess purred, "Oh no, I don't want to learn about ThunderClan. I want to learn about Tigerclaw." Tigerclaw was even more confused.

"What do you want to know about me?"

"Do you like being deputy?"

The question caught him off guard, "Well, yes actually. I guess I do."

"Do you consider yourself the best warrior in the forest?"

Tigerclaw shrugged, "I guess I'm pretty good. I bet a lot of cats are smarter than me, though."

"Do you like being controlled?"

Again, she managed to surprise Tigerclaw, "What? I'm not controlled!"

She rolled her eyes, a very kit like expression, "Oh come on. Do you obey Bluestar?"

"Without question!"

"So would it be right to say that she controls you?"

This puzzled Tigerclaw, "Maybe… But she doesn't control how I think. I choose to obey."

"So you want to be controlled?"

Tigerclaw lashed his tail, "Enough! It's my turn to ask the questions."

"Fair enough."

"What are you trying to accomplish?"

She paused for a moment before answering, "I'm trying to gather knowledge. And I must say, I do believe I am succeeding." Gathering knowledge? What kind of an answer was that? Why would a cat want to gather knowledge? Maybe this cat was just a curious rogue… But that didn't explain her strange knowledge of Clan behavior. Or her supposed information. The information that Tigerclaw had come here to find out.

"What is it you were telling me about last time we met? About the problem's not being all Brokenstar's fault?"

Princess paused to consider this. Tigerclaw realized that this rogue was a lot smarter than he was giving her credit for. Finally, she answered, "You know about the Warrior Code… right?"

"Of course! Even the youngest Clan kit knows about that!"

"Yes, I know. Anyway, the Code binds all cats, with exceptions only given to special cats, such as medicine cats. It sets a strict code of conduct… Like a Law. With such strict rules, every cat works in a specific way. The warriors hunt and patrol. The kits play. The queens stay in the nursery. The four Clans generally leave eachother alone. Now this may or may not be the best system out there, but it is a system. That's why inter-Clan relationships are so rare, and so scandalous."

Tigerclaw nodded in understanding, but he still didn't quite see where Princess was going with this.

She must have noticed the look on his face, "Don't worry, I'm getting to the point. Well, there are some cats who understand this system better than others. And they can exploit this in certain ways. For example, the leader of, what was it? Ah yes, WindClan. Well, he exploited the system to rise through the ranks and become leader. He played his cards just right, and became the top of the heap relatively quickly. Those cats are looked up to. Then…. Then there are the cats who exploit the system in less pleasant ways. These cats have banded together secretely, each coming from their own respective Clans, and they meet every so often. At these meetings, they make deals, such as trading herbs for prey, or land in return for information."

She paused for a moment to let her words sink in. Tigerclaw couldn't understand what he was hearing.

"But," The warrior stammered, "That's against the Code! That's against everything we have ever believed in! A warrior must be loyal to his Clan above all others! Even himself!"

Princess shook her head sadly, "This is why what they do is possible. All of the other cats are blind to their treachery."

Tigerclaw's gaze darkened, "I refuse to believe you! This is stupid! You're just trying to spread lies!"

The she cat shrugged, "Believe what you want. If you want to learn more, come visit me again the night after the next Gathering. Good bye." And once again, the mysterious rogue disappeared into the undergrowth.

Tigerclaw dug his claws into the soft moss beneath his paws. What she said was impossible! No cat would do such a terrible thing! He wished this made him feel better, but it did not. Because deep in his heart, he suspected that what she said might be true. Maybe… Maybe Darkstripe could be right after all.