Wow, this story is almost over. Huh.

Chapter 29

When the last of Bluefur disappeared through the thorn tunnel, Tinyclaw tried to summon up some form of triumph from within – but it didn't come, to his shock. Bluefur had been a great warrior, and she could have been an amazing leader – but she had thrown it all away. Now she was gone, and it seemed like she had taken ThunderClan's hope with her.

All around, below the Highrock, talk began breaking out. Some cats tried to speak to Oakheart, to console him – but the tabby warrior ignored everyone, even his friend Whitestorm, as he padded to the nursery, his head low. "Who will be deputy now?" Runningwind wondered, through the din of voices.

Tinyclaw glanced to Tigerstar – but the Clan leader was no longer beside him. Tigerstar had slipped down the Highrock and was circling down towards his den, silent and somber. Tinyclaw moved his paws nervously. Was that the right choice, to hide when the Clan clearly needed consoling?

"I think Tinyclaw should be deputy!" came Cloudpaw's cheery mew.

Tinyclaw's ears perked up, and he looked down at the cats. Discomfort grew in his pelt as he saw many eyes staring up at him, thanks to Cloudpaw's announcement. Tinyclaw quickly padded down the rock, trying to hide the bristle in his tail. I don't want to be deputy because of this, he thought. It seems so wrong…

"A kittypet?" Longtail questioned.

"Why not?" Cloudpaw countered. "He figured all this out – not you!"

Longtail bristled and he and Cloudpaw came muzzle-to-muzzle, growling.

Tinyclaw opened his mouth, but Whitestorm was faster. "Enough," Whitestorm growled. "We've more important matters to handle." Longtail and Cloudpaw stepped away from one another, but still glared. Tinyclaw wished Cloudpaw could shut her mouth for once. To the masses, Whitestorm asked, "Where is Darkstripe?"

Tinyclaw swallowed as the Clan mumbled in confusion. In all the events that had transpired, no cat had noticed that Darkstripe was gone. Tinyclaw meowed, "I'm afraid that Darkstripe was always on Bluefur's side."

The Clan looked at him, and Tinyclaw was shocked to see that no cat seemed surprised. Tinyclaw went on, "Darkstripe did a lot of Bluefur's outside plotting while she was in the nursery, and he was the one who went and got the rogues."

"Dirty piece of -" Mosuefur began, but Runningwind cut her off: "Are you sure, Tinyclaw?"

Tinyclaw nodded grimly. Cloudpaw blinked, and then added, "I saw him, too! I saw him bringing those rogues here, while I was hunting for my assessment."

A ripple of assent flowed through the Clan like a gentle breeze on the water. "I'm not surprised," muttered Dustpelt. "He was always licking her tail…" Others grumbled in agreement, and most simply stated that it was good riddance to Darkstripe. Tinyclaw had to admit that he agreed – if he ever saw Darkstripe again, it would be too soon.

The Clan broke apart, sticking to the clearing but muttering to themselves. Tinyclaw sat on his haunches – it felt like the first time he'd been able to do it in ages – and sighed. He didn't have to hear their murmuring to know that it was about the future of the Clan – the new deputy, and what they would do if Bluefur came back. Tinyclaw heard his name more often than he would have liked – he would have given anything to shrink to the size of an ant and fall asleep for a thousand moons.

"Well, then," meowed Graystripe. The big warrior limped over to Tinyclaw, Brackenfur following behind. Graystripe settled down. "Would you want to be deputy?"

Tinyclaw swallowed. The thought of being deputy had at one point excited him – but now it felt as if Bluefur had tainted the position forever. She had wanted him to join her, probably to be her deputy if she succeeded in becoming ThunderClan's leader. The thought made him feel ill.

"I… No," he managed. "No. Not at all."

Brackenfur and Graystripe exchanged a glance, but said nothing more. Tinyclaw changed the subject. "How are you doing?" he asked Graystripe. "Your wounds, are they too bad?"

"He'll be fine," Brackenfur answered. "However…" he frowned. "He cut his tongue, and I'm not sure what to do about it. Tinyclaw, could you get Yellowfang?"

Tinyclaw hadn't even noticed the blood trickling from Graystripe's mouth since the warrior's fur was so tightly packed with dried blood. Tinyclaw imagined that a cut tongue might be difficult to treat. He nodded to Brackenfur and got to his paws once more, heading off for the medicine cat's den.

The last he'd seen of her, Yellowfang had been dragging Brokentail away into her den before any cat really noticed he'd been there. Tinyclaw wondered if she was quietly nursing her son back to health as he pushed his way through the ferns – but what he saw made him stop.

Yellowfang was sitting with Brokentail, yes – but the rumpled tabby tom was lying on his side, still as ice. Yellowfang stood over him like a stone sentinel, her eyes unreadable as she stared down at her son. By her paws, almost hidden but Brokentail's bent, fluffy tail, was a packet of herbs.

Finally Brokentail's body gave a jerk, and suddenly he was breathing again. Yellowfang was unperturbed – she bent down and murmured to him gently – too gently, for Yellowfang. Tinyclaw strained his ears:

"… you have lost a life," Yellowfang murmured. Her tone was cool and quiet.

Brokentail struggled for breath for a moment, before spitting, "Why do I still hurt? If I've got another life left, why do my wounds still hurt?"

"StarClan healed the wounds that killed you," Yellowfang replied, "but they left alone the ones that were less fatal."

Tinyclaw flinched as Brokentail snapped, "Then heal me, you old bone-bag!"

Yellowfang's voice was dark, dangerous. "Very well," she growled.

She bent down and unraveled the leaf packet. Out spilled bright, bright red berries – and Tinyclaw felt a ripple of cold pass down his spine. Yellowfang rolled the berries carefully, oh so carefully, to Brokentail's lips. "Eat these," she said evenly, "and all your pain will go away."

Tinyclaw swallowed. He knew those berries – he flashed back to a time when Cloudpaw had nearly taken a whole mouthful of them herself. Brackenfur had moved so fast to stop her it was almost as if his injury was nonexistent. Deathberries, Tinyclaw recalled. She's feeding him deathberries!

He held his breath as Brokentail leaned forward and took the berries into his mouth. He was chewing before it even occurred to Tinyclaw that he ought to call out, ought to stop this. No, he told himself, holding back. This is Yellowfang's demon, just as Bluefur is mine. She must stop him.

Yellowfang's face was stone. "You have caused so much pain," she told him as he chewed on his demise. "Everyone around you, you have hurt – even me. You drove me out of my own Clan, my home… but ThunderClan took me in. I was a prisoner, but I earned their trust. Now I am their medicine cat, and I am loyal to ThunderClan. You could have done the same, Brokentail – but now, no cat will ever trust you again."

"Like I care," Brokentail growled, his teeth stained red from the berries. He coughed, "This Clan, the cats in it – their lives mean nothing to me. Especially yours."

"I know," Yellowfang said quietly. "I know you care for nothing but yourself – not even your own kin."

Brokentail chuckled, "Kin? I have no kin!"

"Your kin has been closer to you than you have ever realized, Brokentail," Yellowfang said, her tone cold. "I am your mother."

Brokentail was silent – and then he let out a long, raspy laugh. Tinyclaw imagined the deathberries working deep within as he hissed, "You really are an old bat! Medicine cats don't have kits, and who would ever want to have kits with you?"

Yellowfang's tone was unchanged. "I gave you up," she meowed. "Out of all my kits, you were the only one to survive, and I had to give you up. Watching you grow, I was so proud…" Her voice dropped into a dangerous, horrible whisper: "And then I saw what you became, and I knew StarClan had truly punished me. You killed Raggedstar, your own father, and then slaughtered kits from your own Clan and blamed it on me."

Her voice was taut and tight and so angry Tinyclaw thought her words were aflame: "I brought you into this world, and it is time that I ended you."

" 'Ended me' ?" Brokentail repeated, his tone barely above a whisper. "What do you mean, you -" He was cut off.

Suddenly Brokentail was writhing on the floor, gasping and begging for breath. Tinyclaw was frozen on the spot, watching through the ferns as Brokentail twisted and contorted on the stone floor of the den, scattering leaves and berries all over. Brokentail was begging to help – begging for Yellowfang to save him – but his voice fell on deaf ears.

"This is your last life, Brokentail," Yellowfang growled. "I know. A medicine cat always knows. And now you will never harm another cat again."

Brokentail's struggling ended with one last curse upon Yellowfang's name, one that was barely heard. He stopped struggling, finally, and lay flat on the stony floor. His jaws were open in a soundless scream, stained red with his demise. Yellowfang stared down at him, and finally she allowed her dark orange eyes to display her sorrow.

"I know you're there, Tinyclaw," Yellowfang said, finally. "What is it you want?"

Tinyclaw stepped out of the ferns, his whole body feeling numb. He dodged around a scattered deathberry, as if just being near it would send him into a writhing fit of death. It took a moment to gather his thoughts.

"B-Brackenfur wondered what to do… about a scratched tongue," Tinyclaw managed, finally.

Yellowfang got to her paws, stiff. "That's a tough one," she meowed. "Tell him to give me a moment; I'll be there soon."

Tinyclaw swallowed.

Yellowfang looked at him. Then, she decided, "You need some sleep, Tinyclaw." When Tinyclaw made no move, Yellowfang added, "Medicine cat's orders."

Tinyclaw swallowed again, but this time he listened. He turned away from Yellowfang, from Brokentail, and padded out of the den. Somehow, someway, Tinyclaw could feel Brokentail's dead-eyed stare boring into his back. Tinyclaw couldn't leave fast enough.

After what he had just seen, Tinyclaw thought he would never be able to sleep again – but the moment he laid his head down on his paws, dreams swept him away like the current of the river. He was standing in a high place, the world down below covered in mist and the world above the blazing lights of Silverpelt, closer to him than they had ever been before.

Beside him stood Redtail, the former deputy's familiar scent comforting Tinyclaw in this strange, unfamiliar place. When Tinyclaw looked to the tortoiseshell tom, Redtail stared back with so much gratitude that Tinyclaw was unsure that it could all exist in a physical form.

"What is all this?" Tinyclaw wondered.

"StarClan is calling you, friend," Redtail told him warmly. "Do not be afraid of what is to come."

Tinyclaw only stared, confused. StarClan, calling him? To what? For what?

Redtail touched his nose to Tinyclaw's. "I will watch over you, my friend. Do not fear," he breathed.

And then suddenly, in a whirl of powerful winds, it was all gone – the stars, the mist, the land, Redtail… all were sucked up into a great vortex. Tinyclaw let out a cry of fear as it pulled at him, too – but with nothing to grip, he could not resist.

Tinyclaw woke up with a start, fear prickling at his pelt. What had all that meant, that StarClan was calling to him? Had Redtail prophesized his death? The lights all around were dim and dark, and when Tinyclaw noted that he was alone in the warrior's den, he stood up. Every bit of him stung, but he wanted to leave his dream behind.

Everyone was outside, sitting beneath the Highrock. The moon was low in the sky, and all the cats were staring up at the sky, murmuring worriedly to themselves. Tinyclaw detected traces of fear-scent in the air, and his pelt prickled. What was happening?

"There you are," Sandstorm breathed as Tinyclaw approached. She stood by his side and explained, "Moonhigh has come and gone, and Tigerstar hasn't yet appointed the next deputy!"

Shock filled Tinyclaw's limbs. The warrior code stated firmly that deputies had to be appointed before moonhigh – what was keeping Tigerstar? "StarClan will be angry," he murmured.

"We need a deputy," Sandstorm insisted. "Now, more than ever!"

Tinyclaw frowned, trying to find a reason why Tigerstar would break the warrior code. "Considering what's happened today, perhaps Tigerstar is just exhausted?" he offered. He thought of how shaken Tigerstar had been, how out of it he seemed. Perhaps he'd just slept through it all?

Sandstorm's eyes flashed. "Yeah, it was bad," she grunted, "but he can't just curl up and forget about us! He's our leader!"

Tinyclaw bit his tongue. She was right – Tigerstar had responsibilities to his Clan, and regardless he needed to do his job. "Has anyone tried speaking with him?" Tinyclaw asked.

Sandstorm nodded. "Whitestorm did," she answered. "But was sent away."

Tinyclaw sighed. He just lost Bluefur, whom he appointed during a time when he needed someone he could trust. He'd lost Redtail, and Lionheart, all so quickly… Tigerstar had relied heavily on Bluefur's judgment and skills, even when she was in the nursery. Losing her to this was far harder on him than it seemed any cat could comprehend.

"He hasn't forgotten about -" Tinyclaw began, but a gasp in the crowd caught his attention.

Tigerstar was padding out of the den, his shoulders hunched and tail low. He had clearly made no effort to clean himself up after the battle, his pelt sticking up in clumps. But he settled himself in front of the Highrock and announced, "Listen and I will appoint the new deputy."

The Clan held its breath, all eyes on Tigerstar. The silence felt like frost in a leaf-bare morning, settling down and freezing down to the bone.

"I say these words before StarClan, that they may hear and approve my choice," Tigerstar went on, tonelessly. "The new deputy will be…" He trailed off, looking down at his paws. The cats around him murmured uneasily, wondering if Tigerstar had suddenly forgotten what to say.

"The new deputy will be Tinyclaw."

The entire Clan froze. Tigerstar, however, got up and padded away without another word. It was only when he was gone that the Clan seemed to react. Tinyclaw himself stared into the distance, stunned.

I don't want this, he thought frantically. No, no! I don't want this – I don't want to be her!

"Deputy!" Cloudpaw cheered. "I knew it! Tinyclaw is the new deputy!"

Tinyclaw was pushed out of his thoughts. The Clan was full of mixed reactions, but Cloudpaw was bouncing about, her tail fluffed like a cloud. She seemed positively happy – and yet she slammed right into Dustpelt, who looked angry.

"There must be some mistake," the tabby warrior grunted. "A kittypet, our deputy?"

One by one the Clan came up to congratulate him – but for each one that meowed words of good faith, another stepped away to mutter darkly in the shadows. Graystripe and Cinderpelt and Brackenfur's congratulations were among the first, and Sandstorm pressed against his side proudly the entire time – and yet, with each new cat that appeared to congratulate him, Tinyclaw couldn't help but think of how much better they would be at the position in his place.

Do not be afraid, Redtail had said.

How can I not? Tinyclaw wondered, trying his best to keep himself from trembling. Uncertainty and fear flooded his mind with images of him failing, of him being driven out of the Clan like Bluefur. No, this was not what he wanted – but it seemed like he was stuck, by some cruel prank. How can I not be afraid?