The ShadowClan patrol crouched on the crest of the hill. Their reflective eyes glowed yellow in the moonlight, flashing like fireflies with each blink as they peered down the slope and into the gathering clearing. For the first time, Frostmask was at the head of the patrol at Sedgestar's side. But, the place of honor didn't come without cost. Her fur prickled as she felt the cold rage in Dampfang's gaze boring into the back of her skull.
Fourtrees below them was fairly empty. Judging by the scant amount of cats, it looked like only one other Clan had already arrived. Frostmask opened her jaws to drink in the breeze. The cool scent of windblown trees settled on her tongue, and her gaze flashed to the figures sitting at the base of the Great Rock, finding the one whose pelt glowed brighter in the moonlight than his shadowed companions.
SkyClan.
Sedgestar gave the signal to move, and ShadowClan streaked down the slope in unbroken formation until they reached the undergrowth that surrounded the Fourtrees' clearing. There they slowed and lingered for a few moments. No ShadowClan cat seemed particularly eager to join the SkyClan cats, and based on the hostile glares ricocheting in their direction, SkyClan wasn't all too happy to see them either. Frostmask's eyes flitted over the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of Larchtail's tabby pelt or Mottledflame's tortoiseshell one, but before she could, Sedgestar touched his tail-tip to her shoulder.
"Remember," he murmured. "The gathering is not just for socializing anymore. We have duties to attend to."
Frostmask nodded, pulling her gaze off the crowd and glancing at him.
"Follow. We should greet Fennelstar and Paledusk," Sedgestar said, turning towards the Great Rock and where the SkyClan leader and deputy sat at its base.
Frostmask was forced to hurry to keep up with Sedgestar's longer stride, moving her shorter legs faster than his. Out of the corner of her gaze, she noticed a few intrigued glances shot in her direction from the SkyClan warriors as she walked with Sedgestar towards the Great Rock. Her ears burned. She imagined that to them, she must look very much like a kit trying to match pace with a warrior. Frostmask blinked hard, trying to shove her self-conscious thoughts out of her head as she put her muzzle close to Sedgestar's ear.
"Do I need to do anything?" she asked in a hissed whisper.
"Try to be amiable," Sedgestar said, speaking in such a quiet voice, Frostmask had to strain her ears to hear him. "Don't start fights, but don't back down from them either. If you don't feel like talking, that's alright. I will take care of most of it."
Sedgestar fell silent as they drew closer and caught Fennelstar's and Paledusk's attention. Frostmask glanced briefly towards Paledusk. For a moment, worry swirled in her belly as she feared that he would be upset at her for missing their last meeting. But, her attention was quickly pulled away from him and towards Fennelstar as the SkyClan leader straightened and turned towards them. Frostmask was suddenly struck by how frail he looked next to Paledusk. She could make out the shape of Fennelstar's bones beneath his long-furred pelt despite the fact that it was nearing green-leaf, and the other SkyClan warriors all seemed a healthy weight.
Her brow furrowed.
He must be sick again. Or, maybe his seasons are just catching up with him. He is the oldest of the leaders.
Fennelstar's eyes were rheumy and dull with exhaustion as they swept over her. But, they still seemed sharp with intelligence as they suddenly narrowed.
"Sedgestar. Where's Grovepelt?" he asked bluntly, his voice coming out as a croak.
"Back at camp," Sedgestar said, inclining his head towards Fennelstar and Paledusk in a faint hint of greeting. "This is Frostmask. My new deputy."
Frostmask could feel Paledusk's intently curious gaze on her, but she willed herself not to look at him. She feared that if they made eye contact while standing so close to their leaders, Sedgestar or Fennelstar would notice some sort of connection between them.
"New deputy?" Fennelstar echoed, blinking in surprise.
He gave a harsh bark of laughter which turned into a hacking cough for a moment. But, he recovered quickly, clearing his throat, and his voice came out stronger.
"Don't tell me that old dog finally retired?" Fennelstar's gaze flared mockingly in the moonlight.
Frostmask knew Sedgestar well enough by now to see his anger in the slight tightening of his jaw, but he kept it hidden away from the SkyClan cats.
"Grovepelt more than deserves his moons of rest. Perhaps it's something that you should consider as well, Fennelstar. You're not looking too well," Sedgestar said, a quiet edge of false concern creeping into his voice.
Fennelstar quickly bristled.
"I caught a chill from staying out too long in the rain. That is all," he growled.
"If you say so," Sedgestar said breezily, flicking his ears.
Fennelstar growled again and then turned, and as if to prove himself whole and hearty, launched himself up the Great Rock, stalking to the far end of it. Not one to be left behind, Sedgestar twitched an ear at Frostmask in goodbye before following Fennelstar up the boulder, leaving Frostmask alone with Paledusk.
A beat of silence filled the air.
"Deputy, huh? Congratulations," Paledusk said.
His words were warm but quiet— loud enough to reach Frostmask's ears but no further.
Frostmask finally allowed herself to meet his eyes, and a flicker of warmth appeared in her chest in response. Paledusk seemed happy to see her, and more than a bit pleasantly surprised and impressed to see her as deputy. He also, thankfully, did not seem at all upset about her missing their last meeting.
"Thank you," she said, giving a small dip of her head.
Paledusk blinked once before subtly inclining his head slightly to the side in a motion for her to come next to him. She obeyed, walking over to side, but not too close, where she sat with the Great Rock to her back and turned to gaze out over the crowd.
It was an odd perspective. She was much more used to staring at it the other way.
"Don't look at me and try not to move your mouth when you speak," Paledusk said in that same soft voice, barely above a breath. "That way we can talk without anyone knowing."
"Is this how all the deputies do it?" Frostmask asked, trying her best to keep her lips still, and her voice came out in a mimic of his low, breathy tone.
As she spoke, her gaze roamed aimlessly over the crowd, looking at everything but seeing nothing.
A quiet purr rumbled from Paledusk.
"Indeed," he said. "It'd be quite boring for us if we truly just sat here looking stoic all night, hm?"
Frostmask murmured an agreement.
"How long have you been deputy?" Paledusk asked, curiosity lacing his tone. "As I recall, neither you nor Grovepelt were at the gathering last moon."
"I've only been deputy for about a half-moon," Frostmask responded.
She was finding it harder than she anticipated to not look towards Paledusk as she spoke to him. Her eyes kept drifting in his direction before she realized what was happening and quickly pointed them somewhere else. Now, she locked her gaze on Lizardstrike's white pelt, firmly telling herself to keep her eyes on him.
ShadowClan was still avoiding SkyClan for the most part. Lizardstrike was sitting with his siblings and Cricketpaw, and staunchly ignoring any nearby SkyClan warriors.
"And, is Grovepelt truly just back at camp?" Paledusk asked.
Frostmask's brow furrowed.
"He's not dead, if that's what you're implying," she said, her shoulder fur rising slightly at the thought. "One of his injuries from the battle just wasn't healing well. He'd been wanting to retire to the elders' den for a while, and this seemed to be the right time."
"I see," Paledusk murmured.
Lizardstrike's eyes flickered in Frostmask's direction, and seeing her staring at him, he raised his tail in hello, his eyes bright. Frostmask gave him a friendly blink in response before deciding that she should look somewhere else, so that Lizardstrike wouldn't think something was wrong if he caught her gazing intently at him again. Instead, she made Pineshade her next target, sending her gaze searching for her in the crowd.
"Have you been enjoying it so far?" Paledusk asked, a purr starting to vibrate beneath his words. "I remember, I was quite excited to do even the most mundane tasks for the first moon. Everyday felt like being an apprentice on my first day out of camp again."
"It's… alright," Frostmask said, drawing out her sentence before finally deciding on the term.
'Alright' was a good choice, she thought: Benign— not full of excitement, but not too negative either.
But, Paledusk must have still sensed some of her discontent.
"Have you been finding it too difficult?" he asked, concern in his tone.
Frostmask's eyes had found Pineshade, and she was now watching her, but in her mind, Frostmask saw Paledusk. She imagined that if she was looking at his face, he'd have a small, worried slant back to his ears.
"No, it's not the work," Frostmask reassured quickly, although, truthfully, she wouldn't tell him even if it was.
I'm deputy now, she reminded herself. What I say reflects back on ShadowClan, as a whole, now more than ever before.
"It's mostly just a few clan-mates who don't think I'm a good fit for the role," Frostmask added, figuring that that was a harmless thing to admit.
He'll obviously realize that at some point anyway. Paledusk is not stupid, and Dampfang is not subtle.
At that thought, her gaze flickered from Pineshade to Dampfang. They were sitting together at the edge of the gathering clearing and seemed to be speaking. It was hard to decipher anything from their expressions though; their dark pelts were almost completely swallowed up by the shadows cast by the foliage above them. But, Frostmask could still make out motion here and there— the flicking of annoyed tails and the flashing of eyes.
They must be quarreling again.
"The beginning of a new deputyship or leadership is a time of adjustment," Paledusk said, his voice taking on a soft note of wisdom, refocusing Frostmask's attention. "Not just for the individual with the new responsibilities, but for the Clan as a whole."
"Yes," Frostmask said with a soft sigh. "Although I'm not sure if all my clan-mates will ever agree with my appointment. I have this, um…"
Frostmask searched for the right word for Dampfang.
Bully? Thorn in my side? Piece of snake-dung?
"…Rival," Frostmask decided.
She mentally congratulated herself on coming up with the suitable term.
Maybe I will figure this politics thing out eventually.
"His name is Dampfang," she continued. "We've basically been rivals since kit-hood. I think he really wanted to be deputy instead of me. Or, wanted to see anyone but me deputy."
Paledusk paused for a moment in thoughtful silence.
"Let me guess… Dark fur, green eyes, glaring at you right now?" he said, wry humor in his voice.
Frostmask blinked, her attention sharpening back towards the crowd. Sure enough, Dampfang had left Pineshade sitting alone in undergrowth and wandered back into the heart of the clearing. Even from fox-lengths away, Frostmask could see his fur bristling with obvious anger as he stared at her. Frostmask narrowed her eyes at him in response.
"That's the one," she said, holding his gaze.
"You can win your Clan's respect," Paledusk said, and Frostmask blinked in surprise at the conviction in his voice. "Even if you never gain Dampfang's, he will have to fall in line with time."
"…How are you so sure of that?" she asked cautiously.
"You see, the course you two are on right now is unsustainable," Paledusk explained. "It will either end in a collision or with his surrender. And, if you assert your authority over the rest of ShadowClan, he will have no choice but to yield, or risk isolating himself and becoming an outcast of the Clan."
Frostmask took more than a small amount of bitter joy at the thought of Dampfang becoming ShadowClan's outcast— the place that she'd held for so long.
Oh, how the winds have changed…
But, Paledusk hadn't quite answered the question that she'd wanted.
"What I meant was how do you know that I'll be able to gain the rest of my clan-mates' respect?" she clarified.
Paledusk let out a quiet huff of amusement.
"Well, you're May's and my daughter, aren't you?" he asked drily.
Frostmask blinked, a bit of warmth stirring in her chest.
She may not know all that much about either of her parents, especially in comparison to other cats who grew up with theirs, but one thing she did know for sure was that May and Paledusk were both very tough cats. May had to be to survive so long on her own, and Paledusk… well that was just obvious.
Maybe Paledusk was right about her gaining ShadowClan's respect. Sure, Frostmask didn't want to be deputy, but it was the job she had, so she should do her best to do it well.
Paledusk and Frostmask both fell silent at the sound of paw-steps thundering down the slope. The bushes surrounding the clearing rustled, and ThunderClan strode out, Morningstar at the patrol's head. As the rest of his warriors scattered to join ShadowClan to talk, Morningstar and Acornear headed straight for the Great Rock. Morningstar cast Frostmask a curious glance as he saw her sitting there, but he didn't stop to say anything. It seemed like he wanted to get the story straight from Sedgestar, since he quickly sprung up onto the boulder, meowing a greeting to the ShadowClan leader before the two of them began a low-toned discussion.
However, Acornear padded right up to Frostmask. As he approached, though, he icily ignored Paledusk, not even casting him a single glance. It was as if in Acornear's eyes, the SkyClan deputy wasn't even there.
"Frostmask, hello!" Acornear greeted her, his yellow eyes curious. "Are you ShadowClan's new deputy?"
She nodded.
"I am," she said, lifting her chin in her best approximation of confidence.
"That's wonderful. Congratulations!" Acornear purred for a moment before turning solemn.
"But, is everything alright with Grovepelt?" he asked.
"He's just chosen to retire to the elders' den," Frostmask explained. "You'll hear the whole story from Sedgestar later."
"I'm sure I will," Acornear said with a nod before cocking his head to the side and studying Frostmask closely.
She got the sense that this was the first time that the ThunderClan deputy had ever put in the effort to really look at her.
Before she'd been no one to him— probably at best, the odd looking kit ShadowClan had adopted. But, now she was an equal— maybe one day a bitter rival, or a most trusted ally. As ShadowClan's deputy, she deserved a bit more than a fleeting glance.
"You were Swoopstrike's apprentice, weren't you?" Acornear asked suddenly.
Frostmask's eyes widened in surprise, and that little tender spot in her heart ached, as it so often did when someone brought Swoopstrike up unexpectedly.
"Yes, I was," she said.
"To be honest, I thought one day, I'd be sitting at the base of this rock with him," Acornear admitted. "But, I'm sure he'd be quite proud to see his apprentice here instead."
Frostmask blinked. Truthfully, she hadn't yet put much thought into what Swoopstrike would think about this whole situation. But, Acornear's words warmed her from tail-tip to nose with pleasure, and she sat up a bit straighter, a purr rumbling loudly in her throat.
The undergrowth rustled again, this time heralding WindClan's appearance. As they joined the crowd, Rabbitstar and Wheatfur headed right towards the Great Rock as the other leaders and deputies had. Acornear nodded to Frostmask to end their conversation and moved to take his seat by the Great Rock, positioning Frostmask in between him and Paledusk.
Both Rabbitstar and Wheatfur cast dubious glances from narrowed eyes at Frostmask as they reached the Great Rock, but neither bothered talking to her. Rabbitstar joined the other leaders above, while Wheatfur took a seat on Paledusk's other side after they exchanged muttered greetings.
Frostmask's brow furrowed as she tried to recall what she knew about the WindClan deputy. Besides the fact that she had kits a couple moons ago (which even if she didn't already know, she'd easily be able to tell from her milky scent) not that much.
Only a few heartbeats after WindClan's arrival did RiverClan appear. As they stalked into the clearing, their glossy pelts shone in the moonlight. They must have chosen to swim across the river to get here, rather than taking stepping-stones or a bridge, because they were soaked through from head to tail. Water droplets still collected on their whiskers like dew on grass blades, and they sparkled in the low light. The RiverClan warriors padded into the thick crowd, dispersing to chat. As they twined around warriors from other clans, Frostmask watched as they occasionally brushed their dripping pelts against them, and received outraged hisses in response for getting the other cats' fur wet. Frostmask couldn't entirely tell, but she was pretty sure that the RiverClanners were doing it on purpose.
Unlike Morningstar and Rabbitstar, when Willowstar caught sight of Frostmask, she immediately altered course. With Perchpelt trailing behind her, Willowstar strode right up to Frostmask and stopped so uncomfortably close to her, Frostmask's dry whiskers almost brushed with her dripping ones.
"You're that former rogue ShadowClan brought in. Remind me your name," Willowstar commanded.
Every part of Willowstar—from her long, feathery tail, to the gently swirling stripes on her sides, to her silky pelt, and melodic voice— seemed soft and welcoming. Except for her eyes. Willowstar's eyes were as hard and sharp as ice, and Frostmask had to suppress a shiver as she stared into them.
"I'm Frostmask," she said, resisting the urge to lean back and put more distance between Willowstar and herself.
"That's right," Willowstar mused. "You're a young warrior, aren't you? Your name was announced, what? Six, seven moons ago?"
She shot a sharp glance over her shoulder.
"Perchpelt?"
"That sounds about right, ma'am," Perchpelt responded, flicking water droplets off his ears. "She became a warrior alongside a litter of three."
Frostmask must have looked shocked that the RiverClan warriors remembered so much about her life, because Willowstar released a high-pitched purr of amusement.
"Oh look, the poor dear is so confused," Willowstar said, her voice pitying but her eyes glinting wickedly. "ShadowClan doesn't keep such close records of their enemies as RiverClan does, hm dear? Why am I not surprised."
"Willowstar."
Frostmask felt a jolt of relief as Sedgestar's sharp voice suddenly appeared. She shot a quick glance upwards to see him glowering down at the RiverClan leader from over the edge of the Great Rock.
"Are you going to stand down there, harassing my deputy all night, or should we start this gathering?" he growled.
Willowstar flicked her tail, but she didn't seem all that bothered by Sedgestar's rebuke as she sprung up onto the Great Rock. As soon as her paws touched the boulder, Sedgestar threw his head back, releasing a yowl for silence. Perchpelt took his seat next to Wheatfur, and the large, murmuring crowd settled.
Frostmask dug her toes into the ground to steady herself as suddenly dozens of eyes seemed to turn right towards her. Her nervous heartbeat thrummed in her ears, and her gaze, a bit desperately, scanned the dense crowd, searching for a familiar pelt to latch onto. It was Snakeeyes that she found first, and she relaxed slightly as the queen gave her an encouraging nod as their gazes met.
"Let the gathering begin!" Sedgestar's voice rang out. "I will open the meeting. ShadowClan has much to share tonight."
"It looks like it," Rabbitstar growled, shooting a pointed glance down at Frostmask.
Sedgestar ignored him.
"We've had a prosperous past moon. With every passing sunrise, more prey returns to our territory, and our clan grows. Dewleaf is expecting kits, who will be born any day now," Sedgestar said, lifting his chin. "We've also made three new warriors: Lizardstrike, Yewstorm, and Featherfall!"
Frostmask sat up a bit straighter, purring with pride as ShadowClan cheered for their new warriors with some cats from the other clans joining in, mostly from ThunderClan. From her side, Acornear gave her a friendly nod.
"One of them yours?" he guessed, his voice a soft murmur. "Congratulations."
She blinked in confirmation.
"Thank you," Frostmask whispered back.
"Although, I also have some bittersweet news to share," Sedgestar said, once the cheering died down, his tone becoming a touch more solemn. "Grovepelt, who has served as my loyal deputy for many seasons, since the start of my leadership, has chosen to retire to the elders' den. There he will receive the honor and care befitting his many seasons of faithful service, and I hope he continues to share his wisdom with ShadowClan for many moons to come."
"Grovepelt!"
A cheer for him rose up from a group of ShadowClan cats in the crowd, but then it began to spread, rippling through the clearing.
"Grovepelt! Grovepelt!"
Even though he wasn't in attendance, the former deputy got even more cheers than Lizardstrike, Featherfall, and Yewstorm did. But, Frostmask figured he was more well-known among the clans, and if she had to guess, fairly well-liked, given his kindly reputation.
Also, a cynical part of her mind whispered, since he's retired, he's no longer a direct threat to the other clans. Now, they can cheer to honor him without fear, since they know they won't meet him in a future battle.
"Frostmask has been named my new deputy," Sedgestar said, with a nod down towards her before taking a seat to signal the end of his announcements.
Frostmask locked her eyes straight ahead, looking out into the trees rather than the crowd, willing herself to be calm and still as the eyes of everyone at the gathering turned towards her.
As they stared at her in silence for a moment, she thought that their reaction seemed quite mild, especially given Sedgestar's earlier warning. But, his premonition quickly came to pass as sudden muttering filled the air, and Sedgestar was suddenly bombarded by questions from the crowd.
"Who is that?"
"Isn't she the rogue?"
"Why did Grovepelt retire?"
It was Morningstar who yowled for silence this time.
"Why are you all meowing? The gathering isn't over," the ThunderClan leader scolded, frowning out into crowd.
"Well, I think the warriors deserve to have their questions answered," Rabbitstar cut in, his thin, ginger tail flicking. "So, tell us Sedgestar, why did Grovepelt retire?"
"He was injured in a battle, and the severity of his wounds and his age have been making recovery difficult," Sedgestar said, his face and voice impassive as if he was reporting on some banal weather.
"A shame," Fennelstar said in a tone which made it sound like the opposite. "But, maybe there is a lesson to be learned here. If ShadowClan kept their noses out of the other Clans' business, then Grovepelt would've never gotten injured."
"SkyClan's affairs became our business when your warriors raided our camp and stole our herbs in the heart of leaf-bare," Sedgestar said with a low growl, his neutral expression darkening some.
Rabbitstar's large ears pricked in interest.
"There was herb theft? I never heard about this," he said.
"That was in retaliation. ShadowClan attacked our camp first!" Fennelstar growled, ignoring Rabbitstar.
Morningstar's head jerked towards Fennelstar.
"Only because you fox-hearts won't stop trying to steal our land!" he spat, his tail lashing. "ShadowClan has been our noble ally against SkyClan's and RiverClan's dishonest attacks!"
"Don't drag us into this," Willowstar said, baring her fangs. "You have a lot of nerve, Morningstar, talking about treacherous attacks when less than two moons ago, ThunderClan raided our land when my clan was peacefully celebrating the equinox on the banks of our river!"
"You first helped SkyClan steal our territory!" Morningstar hissed.
Willowstar flicked her tail irritably.
"I gave warriors to bolster SkyClan's numbers, yes, in exchange for territory rights on both banks of the river from SkyClan," she growled. "But, I didn't attack your clan during a sacred celebration!"
"How was I supposed to know that you had some sort of celebration that day?!" Morningstar growled, rolling his eyes.
Hisses of offense rippled through the RiverClan and WindClan warriors.
"The equinoxes and solstices are the days when the spirits see most clearly into the lands of the living! Those days are sacred for all cats," Willowstar snarled, her back arching slightly.
"If ThunderClan wasn't such a den of heathens, they'd know that," Rabbitstar growled in agreement.
Frostmask's ears flicked nervously as the tension in the gathering heightened.
Truthfully, she'd never heard much about the equinoxes and solstices before this either. Celebrating them certainly wasn't something widely talked about or engaged with in ShadowClan. But, they were apparently quite important in RiverClan and WindClan, judging by the outrage their warriors were showing to Morningstar's comment.
Sedgestar took a step between Morningstar and the bristling RiverClan and WindClan leaders.
"Calm down," he rumbled, turning to stare at Willowstar and Rabbitstar. "I'm sure Morningstar meant no offense."
Rabbitstar huffed.
"You speak boldly for someone who has even less regard for the old traditions than ThunderClan does," Rabbitstar hissed, his eyes narrowing. "Just look at your deputy pick! You've put a rogue as next in line for Clan leader! What were you thinking?!"
Frostmask swallowed, her mouth dry. This turn in conversation was hardly surprising, but she still shifted uneasily under the unfriendly glares shot in her direction.
"I have to agree with Rabbitstar on this," Willowstar broke in.
Sedgestar tore his gaze off Rabbitstar to send a searing look at her.
"So those rumors I hear about RiverClan welcoming half-clan kits in with open arms aren't true?" he asked icily.
Frostmask's ears pricked. This information was new to her, and evidently also to many other cats in the gathering, since gasps of surprise echoed around the clearing. But, despite this sudden reveal, Willowstar lifted her chin, unabashed.
"No. They are true," she said, her voice ringing out confidently. "But, that's different. Even one drop of RiverClan blood in a cat means that they belong to RiverClan. They have ancestors in our skies, watching them as much as us. But, what spirits watch rogues? Would StarClan even grant Frostmask her nine lives, if one day she became leader? What spirits would be there to greet her?"
"I would," Sedgestar hissed, his amber eyes narrowing.
"Although I don't entirely agree with Willowstar's philosophy on half-Clan cats," Rabbitstar said, shooting the RiverClan leader a look out of the corner of his eye. "She's right about Frostmask."
"No," Sedgestar growled stubbornly, his tail starting to flick behind him. "She was my choice, named in a ceremony under the light of Silverpelt. StarClan saw and approved her. Our ancestors help guide us, but they don't control our lives. They would not reject my choice."
"What makes ShadowClan think that you're above our ancestors' law?" Rabbitstar suddenly exploded with a furious snarl, scraping unsheathed claws on the stone below him as he whirled on Sedgestar. "You lot are no better than a band of rogues!"
Snarls from ShadowClan warriors echoed through the clearing. Frostmask's pelt rose with alarm as she glanced into the crowd and saw her clan-mates sizing up the WindClanners. Dustleap and a WindClan warrior near him seemed like they were only heartbeats away from exchanging blows.
Oh, please don't break the truce! Frostmask mentally pleaded with her clan-mates. You'll just make ShadowClan look worse!
"Now, now Rabbitstar, let's be reasonable," Fennelstar chided, abruptly interrupting the skyrocketing tension.
Despite his unwell appearance, when Fennelstar drew himself up to his full height and wrapped his bushy tail around his paws, he looked every part a regal leader, and the gathering once again fell quiet to hear what he had to say. Fennelstar swept his gaze over the clearing, taking in the pelt of every ShadowClan warrior present.
"We all know that ShadowClan has always been the place of rejects and broken things," Fennelstar said in a steady, unnervingly calm voice. "They live in the swamplands because no other Clan wanted it, and they eat the prey that squirms in the mud because no other cat could stomach it. When the wind blows south, in SkyClan, we can smell the rats, the rot, and the foul two-leg trash in the air, carried for leagues to our territory from their Carrionplace. Why does it surprise anyone that they've made a rogue their deputy? Vermin and detritus are the only things that ShadowClan knows."
Frostmask's stomach twisted in anger, and before Fennelstar had even finished speaking, a chorus of offended yowls rose up from the ShadowClan cats in the crowd. They crashed like waves against the responding jeers and scoffs from the SkyClan and WindClan cats.
Frostmask had thought it had been bad before, but now the tension in the air was as heavy as a hurricane. As she glanced up, she almost expected to see the dark clouds swirling violently above, a torrential downpour about to break. But, the sky remained clear; evidently things had not gotten so out of control that StarClan felt the need to intervene.
Beside Frostmask, Paledusk shifted, the motion drawing her attention. His expression was stern but not hostile, and their eyes met for the briefest moment. His gaze flicked away just as quickly, but not before Frostmask saw the sympathy glittering there.
Frostmask stiffened her spine and stared impassively out over the angrily pulsing crowd for a moment, willing her expression to be as hard, cold, and indifferent as the one Sedgestar often wore.
She cast a quick glance at her leader to see how he was responding. Although everyone else in ShadowClan seemed to have no issue in displaying their rage, Sedgestar kept his face under tight control, allowing his fury to only seep through in the curl of his lip.
"I will never apologize for ShadowClan's adaptability," Sedgestar growled, his words dripping with venom. "It is part of what makes us strong— to see the beauty in what you find ugly, to feast on the food that you lot turn your muzzles up at. Because change is inevitable— a cat must adapt, or die. A time will come for you, Fennelstar, Rabbitstar, maybe not in your lifetimes, but in the lives of your descendants, when your Clans will face great change. Will SkyClan and WindClan adapt? Or, are you so small-minded that you will allow yourselves to be destroyed, like an insect smacking itself against the side of a stone, again and again, because it does not think to fly around it? Unlike you, I do not have to worry about my Clan's future. I know that no matter what, ShadowClan will survive."
Rabbitstar released a wordless hiss as Fennelstar's eyes narrowed.
"You spit on the ways of our ancestors, Sedgestar," Fennelstar growled. "And, ShadowClan shall suffer for your hubris."
That decidedly sounded like a threat to Frostmask's ears, but Sedgestar lifted his muzzle to the air defiantly.
"I have nothing more to say to any of you. ShadowClan, we're done here," Sedgestar said, turning to descend from the Great Rock.
Frostmask rose to her paws, preparing to join him.
"The waxing half-moon," Paledusk's faint voice suddenly hissed in Frostmask's ear.
She blinked in surprise, stopping herself just in time from turning her head in his direction and looking at him.
"Meet me here."
Frostmask stomach lurched. She twitched one of her ears, but beyond that, couldn't acknowledge that she'd heard him because Sedgestar had just sprung down to her side. She stuck close to her leader as ShadowClan peeled away from the rest of the clans and coalesced at the edge of the clearing.
Thankfully, Sedgestar had summoned ShadowClan quickly enough that no fights had had the chance to break out. The other clans were now silent, no longer jeering at ShadowClan, but Frostmask's pelt prickled at the feeling of their dozens and dozens of hostile eyes watching them scramble up the side of the hollow as they exited the gathering. Sedgestar led the patrol in fuming silence, and Frostmask didn't relax until they disappeared into the undergrowth and out of the other Clans' sight.
Author's Note: I loved writing the gathering in this chapter, especially Fennelstar's speech and Sedgestar's response. All the kitty politics and the leaders hurling insults at each other is just so fun!
Also, I'd originally wanted this chapter to be both the gathering, and the events afterwards. But, it got a bit too long, so that's coming next chapter. Thanks for reading, see you next time!
Fastbreeze37: Thanks so much! I'm really glad that Frostmask's hesitance at being made deputy makes sense, because that was something that I was worried about not really coming through. (Especially because she frankly just doesn't really think that much about being deputy beforehand.) But, yeah that's exactly what I was going for, like she's already trying to manage a lot as a regular warrior, and she's not particularly ambitious. So, she's just kinda like "Sedgestar, why are you making me do this?!"
I'm excited that we get to dive more in depth with Sedgestar in this part of the story, since he's obviously going to be spending a lot of time with Frostmask from now on. Dampfang is also going to be more at the forefront too, unfortunately lol, since their rivalry is really coming to a head. Tragically, no one is tossing him into a lake any time soon haha.
But, yes, I love your analysis on Sedgestar! I think the parallels between him and Paledusk, which you've mentioned previously, will become even more evident in this part of the book because it sort of starts to feel like Frostmask is a pawn trapped between these two powerful kings, and both of them are trying to maneuver her into a place that works best for them.
To address your question about how many others know about Sedgestar's occasionally manipulative nature, I think most of ShadowClan doesn't, although I don't think Sedgestar is deliberately hiding it from them, per se, but more that they just don't put that much thought into it, at least not when it involves him messing with the other Clans. Like to use the ThunderClan situation brought up in the last chapter for example, I don't think many ShadowClan warriors would really care to sit down and think about Sedgestar's logic there (besides maybe Dampfang, since he's kinda questioning Sedgestar's leadership in general atm.) At least, I don't think Frostmask would really have put the pieces together if it hadn't been brought to her attention by Sedgestar.
However, I think Sedgestar doesn't really keep secrets from the cats closest to him (Emberflower and Grovepelt namely.) For Emberflower, I could maybe see Sedgestar hesitating to tell her something if he's worried that she'd disapprove of his decision/be upset with him, but I think Sedgestar truly keeps nothing from Grovepelt. As for what Grovepelt thinks of all of this, I think in general he has a stronger moral code than Sedgestar, and so uses that to try to keep Sedgestar in check when he feels like he's going too far. But, Grovepelt has such a deep, paternal bond to Sedgestar, that I think Sedgestar could do almost anything terrible, and Grovepelt would (eventually) forgive him because he just loves him that much.
I kinda rambled a lot there lol, but your comment just brought up so many interesting points to talk about!
Brian.H.H: Thank you! Okay, I'm glad that mostly makes sense to you haha. And, yes, you're absolutely spot on about Frostmask and Sedgestar's very different perspectives on the situation. They're both kinda part of the problem, like Sedgestar is because his apology was pretty weak all-in-all, and he also still thinks he didn't do anything wrong when it came to keeping the information about Frostmask being half-SkyClan from her. So, that's not good enough for Frostmask because her anger towards him is two-fold, (one for thinking she'd betray ShadowClan, and two for lying to her in the first place) and he's not addressing one of those issues. And, the other big part of the problem is that Frostmask can hold a grudge. Like with Dampfang, he's obviously a jerk, but she's also almost constantly takes the worst interpretation of his actions. Now she's started to go down a similar path with Sedgestar, where she's constantly looking to see the worst in him, and it doesn't help that she's also got a little bit of a victim complex and so is hyper-aware of any perceived slights against her. (Although, it's not entirely unwarranted, since it's true that she's experienced a lot of negative things in her life for being not ShadowClan-born, including Sedgestar accusing her of treason.)
Anyway, I went a bit on a tangent there, but thank you as always for your comment and for reading!
Murphypaw: Thank you so much! And, you're totally right: like Frostmask has matured so much, but that sort of insecurity of her place in the world still remains buried at the core of her being. And, that really comes out with Sedgestar and Paledusk since they sort of represent the polar opposite aspects, which are causing insecurity and division in her identity. (Sedgestar represents acceptance in ShadowClan, the home that raised her. And, Paledusk represents her connection to her mother, and her blood-family history.) She is very much caught between these two forces in a sort of tug-a-war, and at this point in the story, I think Frostmask isn't entirely sure want she wants from either of them. Does she actually crave Sedgestar's respect, or does she want to hold her grudge against him for his betrayal forever? She's curious about her blood relatives, but is it worth getting to know Paledusk when all of ShadowClan would disapprove of it?