When the sun began to fall from the sky, dipping down past the horizon to give way to night, ThunderClan's warriors crept out of their dens, emerging from the shadows to sit vigil for their fallen clanmate. Not every cat came to keep vigil for Cloudtail; it was a rite reserved for close friends and kin only. At least, that's how Poppyfrost had explained it to Fleckpaw. But Cloudtail had been a member of ThunderClan for so many seasons, a large portion of the Clan would join him on his final night. He'd made many friends in his years as a Clan warrior, and he'd done the Clan a great many services in his lifetime. ThunderClan would mourn his loss deeply.
Fleckpaw was among the cats keeping the silent vigil, his head bowed along with the other cats out of respect for the dead. He shifted his weight from paw to paw, unsure if it was really ok for him to be here, among Cloudtail's close friends and kin. After all, Fleckpaw had only known the old tom for a day, and wasn't particularly close to him, though he would be eternally grateful to him for the role he'd played in bringing Fleckpaw to ThunderClan. No, Fleckpaw wasn't here for Cloudtail, his presence here was mainly to support and comfort Quickpaw and Lynxpaw. Quickpaw's trembling flank was pressed up against Fleckpaw's side, black and white and ginger fur mingling with closeness.
Fleckpaw was worried about his friends; the death of their kin seemed to be hitting them very hard. He glanced over at Quickpaw briefly, only to find that his bright green eyes had gone dull with grief, fixed on some undefinable point on the ground. Fleckpaw looked up, just for a moment, to observe the other cats gathered around Cloudtail's body. He recognized a few of them- Bramblestar, Cinderheart, and Palesnow sat at the edge of the clearing beside a black and white tom, Brightheart was hunched over Cloudtail's body with a long furred she cat that Fleckpaw knew he'd met earlier, but her name escaped him now. Dewspeckle, Quickpaw and Lynxpaw's mother, sat beside her kits opposite the side Fleckpaw was on. He also spotted Sandstorm and Graystripe, old as they were, defiantly keeping vigil for their old friend. Countless other cats were crowded around the old white tom's body, cats Fleckpaw knew he would come to think of as his family in the moons to come. It made his heart hurt to see ThunderClan this way. The same clearing that'd been filled with the noisy bustle of Clan life had now been silenced by grief, and would remain this way until morning came.
As Fleckpaw sat in silence, he found himself with ample time to think. To think about the Clan, to think about the killer that stalked the cats living around the lake. What sort of monster is this Lightning Rogue? How could he take an innocent cat's life so easily? Where is he? And of course, the most sobering thought: What if he walks among us? Fleckpaw didn't want to entertain the possibility that the killer was a ThunderClan warrior. He knew he didn't have the right to suspect the cats of a Clan he'd just joined, not after they'd welcomed him into their ranks, accepting him as one of their own. But it was a possibility he could not overlook. If the killer was hiding in ThunderClan, he'd be all that much harder to catch. After all, ThunderClan would not be quick to suspect one of their own- that would go against everything a Clan stood for. He might be the only cat in the Clan harboring these doubts, he'd need to keep quiet about it for now. And yet, Fleckpaw was not foolish enough to think he could solve this mystery on his own. He was a single apprentice who'd joined the clan one sunrise ago. He didn't know the names of all of his Clanmates, and he didn't fully know ThunderClan's territory yet. He was no Firestar, whose arrival in ThunderClan had been foretold by StarClan. He had no prophecy whispering promises of a grand destiny. He was just Fleckpaw. And without a prophecy to guide him, he'd need to use his wits to catch the Lightning Rogue.
In Fleckpaw's mind, the beginnings of a plan were starting to form. These were the first few threads of the web that would hopefully trap the mysterious killer and stop him from hurting any more cats. It wasn't much, but it was a start. And he had to start somewhere.
First, he'd need to keep a close eye on everything going on in the camp. Who went out on patrols, and who came back. Who went out to hunt alone most often, who acted suspiciously… Once he figured these things out, hopefully he'd have a bit of a base to work from. Most importantly, he needed to think about who was out of the camp at the time Cloudtail was murdered. If he lined up the information on who left the camp most often with who was out when Cloudtail was killed, he'd at least have an idea of which cat it could've been. The Lightning Rogue was fast he left no trace, but there was no way he could be in two places at the same time. So if he was a member of ThunderClan, he'd need to be out of the camp to commit the murders.
If Fleckpaw was able to come up with evidence suggesting that a cat in ThunderClan might at least have reason to be suspected, he might be able to convince some other cats to help him solve this mystery. Going to Bramblestar or any of the Warriors was out of the question, they'd be quick to dismiss a mere apprentice's worries without a second thought. But perhaps some of the other apprentices would be willing to help him? Sunpaw wasn't exactly the nicest cat, and she still didn't seem to trust Fleckpaw, so it was unlikely she'd be willing to help him with anything, but perhaps Quickpaw or Lynxpaw would listen to him. After all, they'd lost a cat important to them thanks to this Lightning Rogue. They probably wanted to stop him as much as Fleckpaw did, if not more.
Fleckpaw's mind was made up. He would find a way to stop this killer, whatever Clan he came from. He would protect the new home he'd found in ThunderClan, the home he'd searched for for so many moons. Ravenpaw had loved this Clan. It was the place of his birth, and though he'd turned away from Clan life, he'd never really left behind his Warrior heart. Fleckpaw had found the Clan his grandfather had loved so dearly, and he would not allow it to be destroyed by some callous rogue.
As the sun at last rose on the silent Clan, the glow of the early morning light reflecting off of Cloudtail's white pelt, Fleckpaw found new strength in his resolve. He'd found the place where he belonged, and he wouldn't watch it be torn apart.
Surprise! I'm not actually dead. I doubt anyone is still reading this story, but if you are, thanks for sticking with it. It's been almost two years since I last updated this, I believe. Hopefully I'll be able to pick it up smoothly, but its been a while, so please forgive any mistakes or discontinuities with the plot... Just let me know if something doesn't make sense. I really do appreciate comments. Furthermore, please remember that this story diverges from the canon plot line after The Last Hope.