Dark clouds were gathering at the edges of the horizon, but the full moon still hung unobstructed in the middle of the sky when night fell and Frostmask's clan-mates grouped in the camp clearing, preparing to depart for the gathering. Leaving Mistkit and Newtkit with Larkfoot and Dewleaf for the moment, Frostmask followed Autumnleap from the nursery, padding with him over to the others to see them off.
From the edge of the group, Greytail sent a narrowed-eyed glance up towards the partially overcast sky, her eyes skimming over the tendrils of the clouds that seemed to be stretching out from the borders of the darkening sky and towards the moon.
"That's a poor omen if I've ever seen one," she grumbled to her fellow nearby elders.
Frostmask's paws prickled nervously at Greytail's words, and she shot a glance over at Clearstream, hoping the retired medicine cat had something to say to assuage Greytail's fears. But, Clearstream silently just shifted from paw to paw, and Frostmask got the sense that she might actually agree with Greytail's assessment.
Frostmask turned her gaze onto Sedgestar. Judging by the angle of his ears in Greytail's direction, he'd heard her too, although he didn't respond. And, evidently, Frostmask and Sedgestar weren't the only ones who had overhead the elder, since Mosspounce also glanced up at the sky, studying what was quickly starting to look like a building storm.
"Should we even go?" Mosspounce asked hesitantly, her gaze flitting over their clan-mates.
"If the winds change, and the sky becomes clear, ShadowClan cannot be seen to miss the gathering for the second time in a row," Sedgestar spoke up finally. "We must at least make an attempt. But, if the moon becomes covered before the gathering begins, we will turn back to camp."
Murmurs of agreement rose up from the crowd. With a cold, uneasy feeling in her stomach slithering around like a snake, Frostmask turned to Autumnleap and lightly brushed her muzzle against his in goodbye.
"Say hello to Larchtail or Mottledflame for me, if you see them," Frostmask murmured. "And keep an eye out. I have a bad feeling about tonight."
"You and Greytail should start a pessimists' club," Autumnleap said, his amber eyes sparkling with his gentle teasing. "It can't be that bad. It's the night of truce after all."
"A truce that has been broken before," Frostmask pointed out.
He blinked at her reassuringly.
"I'll be careful," he promised.
Frostmask nodded, leaving Autumnleap to walk over to Sedgestar briefly. His amber gaze flickered to her.
"We'll speak when we get back," Sedgestar said.
"Of course," Frostmask meowed.
Sedgestar summoned the group to him with a wave of his striped tail, before turning and slinking out of the thorn tunnel, his patrol streaming out behind him.
With a quiet sigh to herself, Frostmask took a seat in the now silent camp. Her gaze was pulled up to the sky, and she studied the glowing yellow moon, and the part of dark indigo expanse that was not yet blotted out by clouds.
She wasn't typically one to send out pleas to StarClan, but she found a simple prayer forming in her mind.
Please keep ShadowClan safe.
The stars twinkled down at her, and Frostmask lowered her eyes, feeling a bit more at ease. She at least knew that if Swoopstrike or Grovepelt or any of her other dead clan-mates had any say in the matter, they would be doing their best.
A shifting shadow in the corner of her eye caught Frostmask's attention. She turned her gaze towards the thorn barrier, and she saw Pineshade's head poke in through the thorn tunnel. Her amber gaze darted around camp for a few moments before settling on Frostmask.
"Did everyone in the gathering patrol leave?" Pineshade hissed in a loud whisper, her ears twitching.
Frostmask tilted her head to the side, a bit bemused at Pineshade's nervousness.
"Yeah. You just missed them," Frostmask said.
Pineshade immediately perked up, her gaze brightening. "Oh perfect!"
Pineshade strode into the clearing, heading towards Frostmask.
"I'm avoiding Dampfang," she explained. "Today we—"
"Oh… er— I already know," Frostmask admitted, her ears flattening sheepishly. "I heard you two out in the forest earlier."
Pineshade paused mid-stride, her ears pricking in surprise. Frostmask winced faintly, bracing herself for a scolding.
"But, I didn't tell anyone else about it or anything!" she meowed quickly in her defense. "You guys were talking really loudly. Honestly, me overhearing you was kinda unavoidable—"
Pineshade just snorted at her excuses, rolling her eye.
"Uh-huh. Sure it was," she drawled.
Pineshade then resumed padding over until she was right next to Frostmask, where she unceremoniously plopped to the ground. She licked a paw and dragged it over her ear causally.
"You know, cats don't give you enough credit," Pineshade said matter-of-factly, her gaze glinting mischievously. "You're way more stealthy than they say."
Relief that Pineshade wasn't mad prickling at her, Frostmask's shoulders relaxed, and she rumbled a mrrow of laughter.
"Oh 'they say,' huh?" Frostmask echoed, her whiskers twitching in amusement. "And, who exactly is it that's saying I'm not stealthy?"
Pineshade blinked in exaggerated innocence.
"I don't know. Definitely not me," she said in a not-at-all suspiciously swift voice. "Anyway, it's actually convenient that you already know. Now I don't have to put in the effort of explaining the whole thing."
Pineshade rolled onto her back with a sigh, stretching her forelegs far out in front of her and flexing her toes in the air.
"You know, I thought I'd feel bad about it, at least a bit. But I don't, and you wouldn't believe how relieved I am instead." Pineshade gave a long exhale. "It's like a boulder of weight been removed from my shoulders, and I feel so light now… I think it's because I'd really given up on him a while ago, but it just took some time to admit it to myself."
Frostmask settled down next to her in a neat crouch, tucking her paws under her chest.
"You got there eventually, and that's the important part," Frostmask pointed out. "I'm happy for you."
Pineshade huffed in dry amusement, glancing up at her from upside down.
"'You got there eventually, and that's the important part,'" she mimicked her in an overly stiff, formal tone. "You don't have to sound so proper— like a deputy giving advice to an unruly warrior."
Pineshade stuck her tongue out at her, wrinkling her face up. "Come on, Frost. You must be dying to say 'I told you so.'"
Frostmask purred.
"I've grown wise enough to know saying something like that to your face is a bad idea," she teased. "I'd like to keep my whiskers not clawed off, thank you very much."
"But, I know you're thinking it," Pineshade said, her one eye narrowing suspiciously.
Still though, Pineshade didn't press her on it, instead she rolled onto her side to pensively stare out into camp, her amused expression fading.
"It's going to be kinda tough to be around Dampfang for a while though," she continued, her tail-tip starting to tap against the ground. "Remember how awkward it was when we first became warriors? It'll be like that but worse."
Frostmask's ears flicked, easily recalling those unpleasant memories.
"Yeah. I'm not looking forward to Dampfang being even more of a badger than usual," she said, exhaling sharply. "Although I'm sure it'll be worse for you. He didn't exactly sound like he agreed about breaking up. Do you think he'll pester you to give him another chance like before?"
"Maybe." Pineshade sighed briefly, giving her head a small shake. "But, it's done. Forever this time. I just wish that there was someway that I didn't have to keep being around him. At least, until things blow over a bit more."
Frostmask murmured a quiet agreement, but there was nothing she could do to help with that. StarClan knows, Frostmask had wished that Dampfang would just go away probably more times than she could count. But, it was just something that was unavoidable when living in a clan— everyone was always stuck together, for good and for bad, no matter what.
After a beat of silence Pineshade's gaze turned back to Frostmask, and her amber eye widened appealingly.
"Can you make Dampfang go sleep in the apprentices' den?" she asked. "At least for a little bit?"
Frostmask huffed at the absurdity of Pineshade's request, shaking her head.
"Yeah, sure. And I bet when Dampfang goes complaining to Sedgestar about it, he won't think that sounds like an abuse of power at all," Frostmask meowed sarcastically.
"It wouldn't be so bad," Pineshade protested, although she gave a mrrow of laughter which showed she wasn't really taking the argument seriously. "It's not like there's even any apprentices in it right now. He'd have the whole den to himself. So much peace and quiet and room to stretch out."
"Well if it's so nice, why don't you go sleep there instead?" Frostmask asked, her whiskers twitching in amusement. "There. Problem solved."
Pineshade shook her head. "No, I can't just go sleep there instead because I spent ages collecting feathers and putting my perfect, soft nest together! Duh. It was already enough work earlier today just to take it apart and reassemble it on the other side of the warriors' den, away from Dampfang's. I'm not dragging it across camp too."
Pineshade prodded Frostmask's side with one of her hindpaws, her amber eye brightening. "Oh and that reminds me, I put my nest where yours and Autumnleap's used to be. I figured you two wouldn't need the spot since you'll be spending so much time in the nursery now…"
Frostmask's ears pricked in dismay, her amusement fading rapidly. "What?! You destroyed my nest? We were still going to use that! And Pineshade, I just changed that moss—"
Pineshade purred loudly, interrupting her.
"Relax! I'm kidding," she said, shaking her head at Frostmask's gullibility. "Your nest is still intact, mine is just next to yours. I just scooted your nest over a tiny bit, so that mine is closer to the cozier center of the den."
"Of course you did," Frostmask deadpanned.
Pineshade poked at Frostmask's side again a few times, her eye sparkling teasingly. "Isn't this fun? Now that we've both decided we don't like Dampfang, we can spend all of our time together instead. Just me and Frostmask, hanging out. Forever."
Frostmask shook her head in amused exasperation. She was glad that Pineshade seemed to be in such a good mood after ending things with Dampfang. But, with everything else Frostmask had going on, with being deputy, and the other clans, and her new family… she wasn't sure if she would often have the energy for her friend's antics.
"Really?" Frostmask asked, rumbling a brief purr. "I give it two days before you and Autumnleap are clawing each other's ears in frustration."
Pineshade's brow furrowed.
"Oh yeah," she said, giving a huff of annoyance even as she continued to purr. "Remind me why, out of all cats, you've chosen to be with my aggravating brother?"
"Uh well, the first reason is I love him," Frostmask said matter-of-factly. "And, the second reason is we're raising kits together now, remember?"
Pineshade nose wrinkled up in a faint look of disgust. "Ew."
Frostmask rolled her eyes.
"Don't worry," she meowed drily. "I doubt you'll be lonely, even when you're not around me. You've got other friends too, remember. And, a whole patrol's worth of kits that adore you. And, I'm sure once Murmurstep hears that you're available, she'll be happy to keep you company—"
"Oh shut up!" Pineshade cut her off, giving Frostmask's side a slightly harder thump with her hindpaw for emphasis.
Frostmask lashed out a paw to bat her ears in response, and Pineshade's lip curled back in a snarl, although she was still purring.
"You're not allowed to kick the deputy!" Frostmask growled playfully, her eyes narrowing.
"You won't be deputy for much longer, vile tyrant!" Pineshade spat dramatically, her spiky dark-furred tail whipping from side to side. "I'm usurping you!"
She launched herself up at Frostmask, wrapping her forepaws around her shoulders and dragging her with her back down to the ground. For a few moments, the two rolled around like kits, swatting at and nipping each other but not bothering to use anything that resembled real battle moves. But, it wasn't long before Frostmask rolled away from her to rise back to her paws, shaking the dirt from her pelt.
"Truce?" she asked, her amusement fading as reality set back in. "I really better go back to Newtkit and Mistkit."
"Alright," Pineshade said, yawning widely. "But don't think this means I'm going to allow your tyranny to continue."
Frostmask huffed.
"Because I told you that you couldn't kick me?" she quipped from over her shoulder as she trotted off towards the nursery.
"Exactly," Pineshade drawled, lazily rolling to her paws.
Shaking her head, Frostmask ducked under the thorn bush that sheltered the cozy den. She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the dimness as she tiptoed inside. Although her interaction with Pineshade had kept her away from her kits longer than she'd intended, it had also put her in a better mood, which was even more improved by the familiar, comforting scent of the nursery wreathing around her.
Dewleaf, Amberberry, and their kits were already sleeping. Minnowkit, Marigoldkit, and Mallowkit were getting big— their lanky legs tangled together in a gold and ginger pile as they slept, snoring slightly next to their mother. Dewleaf was on the other side of them, her smaller kits piled up near or on her. Sprucekit was sprawled over Dewleaf's shoulders, while Lichenkit curled up delicately against the curve of her mother's side. Mudkit was lying on his back on the other side of Dewleaf, his fluffy white belly exposed to the air for all to see, while Fogkit was draped over Dewleaf's tail.
Purring softly, Frostmask padded past them, heading over to where Larkfoot lay with Newtkit and Mistkit a couple of tail-lengths away from the others, keeping the newborns safely out of the way from the often rowdy older kits. When Frostmask reached them, Larkfoot wordlessly rose to her paws to give the spot to Frostmask. She gave Frostmask a friendly blink as she padded past her, heading closer to Dewleaf where she curled up to sleep.
Frostmask lay down, curving herself around Mistkit and Newtkit who stirred drowsily at her touch. Frostmask bent her head, grooming them both with a few firm but gentle licks. Mistkit's soft, fluffy fur tickled her nose as she groomed him, and when she turned her attention to Newtkit, the tiny kit kneaded at the air. Frostmask purred louder, soft contentment draping over her like a blanket of feathers.
Even though they'd only been here for one day, the kits already seemed to be flourishing. They'd clearly grown used to ShadowClan's nursery, Frostmask, Autumnleap, and the other queens. They looked healthy, and not a trace of thunderpath scent remained on their pelts.
Keeping her gaze locked on Mistkit and Newtkit, Frostmask placed her chin down on her paws. A rush of affection flooded her, warming her heart as the kits snuggled into her fur, their small bodies vibrating with their purrs. Frostmask looped her tail around them, pulling them closer, and her eyelids began to droop. Although worry about the gathering still nagged at her, Frostmask's final thought before drifting off to sleep was that maybe things weren't going so badly after all.
Frostmask stirred awake at the sounds of concerned voices talking in the camp clearing and the patter of rain against the nursery's roof. Frostmask blinked, lifting her head from her nest, anxiety and curiosity immediately sparking off her pelt, but she didn't have the chance to rise to her paws before the thorn bush shook slightly as Autumnleap entered inside, flicking water droplets from his ears.
"How was it?" Frostmask asked quickly, keeping her voice hushed to not disturb the kits, although Dewleaf, Amberberry, and Larkfoot all blinked awake.
Autumnleap winced faintly, and that was enough for Frostmask to know that it must have been bad.
"Sedgestar would like to speak with you in his den. He'll probably tell you everything," Autumnleap told her quietly.
Worry surged in Frostmask's gut, and she scrambled to her paws. Newtkit mewed as her warmth left her side, and Frostmask bent her head to soothingly touch her nose to her kit's head before stepping out of the nest.
"Make sure you lick your pelt totally dry before touching the kits," Larkfoot ordered Autumnleap before he could even get within a tail-length of the nest.
Instead, Larkfoot took Frostmask's place with Newtkit and Mistkit herself for the moment.
"Yes ma'am," Autumnleap muttered, getting to work grooming the water from his long pelt.
Frostmask gave his shoulder a quick lick before entering out into the rain herself. Despite what seemed to be an eventful gathering, the clearing had already emptied, her clan-mates likely retreating to their nests to avoid the rain. Frostmask hurried across the camp, quickly reaching the Oak Tree's roots where the entrance to Sedgestar's den lay.
"Sedgestar?" she called, but she didn't wait for his response before slipping into the tunnel and padding down the short passage and into his den.
Since the moon was now hidden by the clouds, the inside of the earthen cave was near pitch-black, although Frostmask could still faintly make out the silhouette of Sedgestar sitting to the side of his nest.
"Hello Frostmask," Sedgestar greeted her with a sigh.
Sedgestar must have asked Emberflower to allow him to speak with Frostmask alone, since only he was present at the moment. And, despite his mostly collected pose, Sedgestar's tail flipped with agitation, which made the worry prickling through Frostmask worse. Still though, Sedgestar nodded for Frostmask to sit too, and she obeyed, even as her paws still itched with anxious energy.
"What happened?" Frostmask asked. "Did the rain interrupt the gathering?"
"Let's just start from the beginning," Sedgestar said, running a paw over his weary face. "As soon as we arrived, I got a sense of tension radiating from the other leaders. Morningstar hardly wanted to speak to me, or even look me in the eye. Willowstar's tongue was silver and forked, and Rabbitstar's snippy. Although that's hardly new or notable for the two of them."
Frostmask nodded along, Sedgestar's words unfurling an image in her mind of the leaders perched upon the Great Rock, and the pressure that loomed between them like a storm.
"Strangely enough," Sedgestar continued, "Fennelstar was the only subdued one, although I don't think that had anything to do with us. His seasons seem to be finally catching up to him. I doubt he'll make it to see the end of leaf-fall."
Frostmask blinked.
And then Paledusk will be leader of SkyClan.
Her brow furrowed. That should improve the relationship between ShadowClan and SkyClan, right? But, if the impression Frostmask was already getting about the gathering was correct, then ShadowClan may need SkyClan's alliance moons before that could happen.
"Then the announcements began," Sedgestar said, his brow knitting. "The other leaders insisted that I go first to explain ShadowClan's absence from the previous gathering. Rabbitstar insinuated that we may be considering abandoning a warrior's way of life entirely since ShadowClan seemed so ready to ignore aspects of the code which did not 'suit Sedgestar and his rogue deputy.'"
Sedgestar's eyes darkened with anger, and Frostmask's stomach twisted up into anxious knots. "I, of course, explained Grovepelt's passing, and that we were mourning him the night of the last gathering. I then made our other announcements, alerting the other clans that you and Autumnleap had welcomed a litter of kits, which is why you could not make it to this gathering. They all accepted this easily. I also informed the clans that last night a patrol of ShadowClan warriors found a deceased rogue queen by the thunderpath that separates us and ThunderClan, the investigation of which led them slightly over the border."
Frostmask gave a small sigh of relief.
It doesn't sound like anyone had anything to say in protest about Mistkit and Newtkit at least. Paledusk will know that I didn't seem like I was expecting kits the last time he saw me, but, like I suspected, he didn't say anything about it.
But, Frostmask's relief was short lived. As Sedgestar paused for a moment to take a breath, his tail started to move faster, going from twitching to lashing, and making Frostmask's muscles tighten in anticipation again.
"That's when Morningstar finally spoke up. He confirmed that his patrols had found a dead queen and kit near the thunderpath with ShadowClan 'reek' all over them, but he also said that that was not the only time ShadowClan scent had been found in their territory in the past couple of moons."
"What?" Frostmask blurted out, a rush of cold rippling through her pelt.
"He accused us not only of trespassing, but prey-stealing as well." Sedgestar rumbled a low growl. "When I asked if he had any proof to back up these ridiculous claims, he said that our scents-trails had been proof enough, claiming that ShadowClan scents had been picked up in their territory as recently as a quarter of a moon ago."
Frostmask went totally still, save for her heart hammering in her chest as fast as the drumming of rabbit feet.
That's the waxing half-moon. When I last met Paledusk at Fourtrees.
Frostmask's mind whirled, scrambling to pull up memories of that night.
Had she forgotten to hide her scent when she'd crossed over that narrow strip of ThunderClan land between ShadowClan's territory and Fourtrees? She couldn't recall a definitive memory of it, but masking their scents with strong smelling plants was second-nature to ShadowClan warriors— it was even used before practically every hunt! Frostmask had done it so many times in the moons since she first became an apprentice that it'd become instinct. Could she had really been so preoccupied with other things that it had slipped her mind?
But, wait…
Frostmask's brow furrowed.
That night was the one where she'd heard something behind her after she'd parted with Paledusk. Could a ThunderClan cat have seen her slinking off of their territory, but had not gotten a good enough look at her to identify her by name?
Nausea rose up in the back of Frostmask's throat, making her feel ill.
The other clans are still mad that Sedgestar made me, a rogue, deputy. And, Paledusk told me that Morningstar was already being pressured to turn on ShadowClan at the last gathering. Could some ThunderClan cat have seen me leaving their territory, and that was what pushed Morningstar over the edge? Did I turn ThunderClan against us too? Is this entire mess all my fault?
Sedgestar released another growl, although this one sounded more frustrated than angry, his tail lashing from side to side.
"I denied any wrongdoing by ShadowClan, of course. But, truthfully don't know what to think of it," he confessed. "I would not think Morningstar would be the type of cat to lie about such a thing. And, if he were to be lying, I don't see what he'd gain by turning ThunderClan against us."
"Especially after we've done so much for him," Frostmask spoke up quickly.
Despite the anxiety whirling in her, she couldn't just sit in silent, frozen dismay; it would look too suspicious.
"We've been their closest ally for seasons," she continued. "Fennelstar may be too ill now to cause trouble, but I doubt their problems with SkyClan are over."
Sedgestar nodded. "Exactly."
"Do you think that maybe Willowstar or Rabbitstar could be pressuring him into it?" Frostmask asked, recalling her conversation with Paledusk. "Could Morningstar have been convinced that ShadowClan has been… taking advantage of ThunderClan, somehow?"
Sedgestar's brow furrowed deeply.
"I wouldn't put such a scheme past Willowstar or Rabbitstar," he said. "But, could Morningstar be persuaded to lie without hard evidence against ShadowClan? …It just doesn't make much sense to me. Morningstar is such an honest cat."
Frostmask's mouth turned dry as anxiety squeezed her chest even more tightly than before.
"Then… do you think he's not lying? Could one of our clan-mates have been trespassing in ThunderClan's territory?" she asked in a low voice.
It almost physically pained her to ask the question which could incriminate herself, but Frostmask knew that it was a possibility that Sedgestar would want to explore. Not bringing it up might seem more suspicious.
Sedgestar glanced over at her, and even in the deep darkness of the den, Frostmask could still see thoughts darting in his eyes. Her heart pounded harder, but she kept her expression steady.
"Do you have any reason to believe that someone may have gone on to ThunderClan's territory multiple times in the past two moons? Besides the time you and Autumnleap went to rescue the kits?" Sedgestar asked.
Frostmask's ears twisted back as she heard the hidden layer to his words. Sedgestar asked the question in the same sort of way a mentor might question a wayward apprentice: 'If you know something, come clean now, and you'll be in less trouble than if it comes out later.'
Frostmask shook her head.
"No," she said without hesitation, her voice low, and Sedgestar sighed softly.
"I don't have any reason to think so either," he muttered. "Our clan-mates are loyal."
But, as he said the words, Frostmask didn't miss the worry and suspicion that flashed in his eyes, although it was for only a fraction of a moment before his expression was back under his control again.
Frostmask nodded in agreement, despite the storm of anxiety still raging in her.
She was in too deep to change course now though. Telling Sedgestar the truth, that she was the one who was trespassing on ThunderClan territory in order to get to Fourtrees to meet with Paledusk, an enemy clan's deputy, who was also her father, would implode her entire life. She could lose everything— all her friends, Autumnleap, her kits… Especially with Dampfang and his friends against her, who would surely be calling for the harshest punishment.
What would even happen to her? Would Sedgestar allow her to explain that her intentions had never been to harm ShadowClan, and in fact, meeting with Paledusk had allowed her to learn valuable information that had helped ShadowClan? Or, would Sedgestar not care? Would he go as far as to exile her? What would she do then? Go crawling to Paledusk for shelter in SkyClan? But, she didn't want to be a SkyClan cat! ShadowClan was the only home she's ever known…
Frostmask snapped out of her silent spiral of panic as Sedgestar began speaking again.
"Anyway, getting back to the gathering," he continued, thankfully seeming to not notice the terror and guilt that currently gripped Frostmask as tightly as hawk's talons. "After that accusation from Morningstar, Rabbitstar dropped any pretense of civility towards us. Despite what I'd said about your kits, Rabbitstar asked me if the real reason you weren't at the gathering was because I was hiding you away since I was embarrassed about having a rogue deputy. He was relentless and aggressive. More so than I'd anticipated."
Sedgestar shook his head tiredly.
"I defended our clan, but at some point during Rabbitstar's tirades, the clouds finally covered the moon and rain began to fall. The gathering was clearly over at that point, so we left."
"But there was no fighting?" Frostmask asked.
"Nothing physical," Sedgestar confirmed.
Frostmask gave her ears a small shake, trying to shove her own problems out of her mind to focus on ShadowClan.
"But another gathering interrupted by rain…" she muttered.
"A poor omen," Sedgestar said, sighing again as he finished her thought. "Or at least, the other leaders, and Rabbitstar especially, see it that way."
Frostmask nodded slowly, meeting her eyes to Sedgestar's. "What do we do? It sounds like Rabbitstar is itching for a fight."
Sedgestar gave a sharp exhale.
"Yes. He gets that affliction every couple of seasons," he said drily before falling quiet for a moment, his tail swishing behind him in contemplation.
"Despite Rabbitstar's threats, I don't think we should preemptively attack WindClan," Sedgestar said slowly, finally breaking the silence. "Not with our relations with the other Clans so fraught."
Frostmask nodded, seeing the wisdom in that decision. "It would make our reputation look worse to be seen as the aggressors."
"Yes. Exactly," Sedgestar meowed. "Especially because of ThunderClan's accusations this gathering."
Frostmask's ears twisted back, her worry rearing back up.
"Do you think ThunderClan could also be threat?" she asked in a low voice.
"It's possible. Even if Morningstar believes his accusations to be true with every fiber of his being, I'd hope he'd be willing to extend us some grace after ThunderClan had so much support from ShadowClan for so long… But, I don't know what he will decide."
Sedgestar gave a growl of frustration, his ears flattening. "Morningstar's being such a headache for me right now."
"So we… can't really do anything right now? About WindClan or ThunderClan?" Frostmask prompted, her stomach clenching with dismay.
"But, we don't do nothing," Sedgestar said sternly. "For now, we keep ourselves strong by eating plenty of green-leaf prey, we keep a close eye on our borders, and we keep our battle skills sharp."
Frostmask swallowed, her mouth dry.
But will that be enough?
Never in her life had ShadowClan had to face aggressors on both of their borders. If they had to fend off attacks intermittently from both WindClan and ThunderClan, would ShadowClan be strong enough to do so alone?
Paledusk's offer for an alliance drifted back into Frostmask's mind, and she took a deep breath, gripping the idea tightly before she could lose her nerve.
"Should we consider other options for alliances?" Frostmask asked in low voice.
Sedgestar's sharp gaze met hers as his ears pricked in surprise.
"Are you proposing an alliance with Willowstar? Or Fennelstar?" he asked.
"I'm not 'proposing' anything," Frostmask muttered quickly, dropping her eyes from his.
I can't come across as too eager for an alliance with SkyClan, or Sedgestar might get suspicious!
Frostmask's stomach tightened with nerves.
"It was just a thought that popped into my head," she continued. "I don't like the idea of ShadowClan having two aggressive clans on our borders."
Sedgestar shook his head.
"I don't like it either, but I also don't see an alliance with RiverClan or SkyClan as realistic," Sedgestar said. "Assuming that they would even be willing to put their bad blood behind them to work with us, it would not make us look favorable in ThunderClan's eyes. In fact, it would probably be the final push to completely alienate Morningstar from us."
Frostmask's ears flattened guiltily.
If we haven't lost Morningstar already because of me and my stupidity.
"Then there's of course the matter of what they'd want in return for aiding us." Sedgestar sighed, closing his eyes for a moment as if fending back a headache. "Willowstar is practically a fox in a cat's pelt. And Fennelstar's body may be ill and ailing, but his mind is as cunning as ever."
"You're right," Frostmask muttered. "I shouldn't have said anything."
Sedgestar's eyes snapped back open, trapping her gaze in his.
"No. I made you my deputy for a reason. I want to hear your thoughts," he said firmly, but then a spark of dark humor entered his amber eyes. "Things will just have to be a bit more desperate to get me to go to Willowstar or Fennelstar with my tail tucked between my legs."
Despite the guilt and worry weighing her down, that coasted a huff of bitter amusement from Frostmask.
"I don't think you'll ever tuck your tail between your legs," she muttered. "Even if things are so desperate that we need their help."
Sedgestar shook his head. "No, I would. I would do anything for ShadowClan."
"I know," Frostmask said softly before glancing to the ground, going silent for a moment.
Although she was terrified about what Sedgestar might do to her if he knew that ThunderClan's aggression against ShadowClan was her fault, she couldn't help but also feeling horribly guilty. It wasn't just guilt about how her actions may have negatively impacted ShadowClan, putting her clan-mates at risk, although there was plenty of that. But, Frostmask also felt guilty for keeping the information from Sedgestar specifically. Especially since she suspected that he had just gone out on a limb for her.
Frostmask inhaled a deep breath.
"By the way… I wanted to ask about the kits— Newtkit and Mistkit, I mean," she muttered, shuffling her paws. "When I first talked to you about them, about keeping them, you seemed hesitant. You said it might be bad for the Clan to let them stay. But you changed your mind."
"Yes," Sedgestar's deep voice rumbled. "Have Newtkit and Mistkit settled in well?"
With some difficultly, Frostmask made her gaze lift back up to his.
"They have. But, what I want to know is why did you let them stay?" she said, her voice a bit hoarse as she forced the words out. "Was it because of the arguments we made in their defense? Or, was it because I wanted them?"
Sedgestar's unreadable amber eyes flickered over her face, but then his mask slipped for just a moment as his expression softened.
"Both."
Frostmask nodded, breaking eye contact again as guilt stabbed at her even more painfully than before.
"Well, I didn't get to say it earlier, but… thank you," she murmured. "Thank you for letting them stay."
If her treachery did come out and ruin everything, she at least wanted Sedgestar to know she was truly grateful for that.
Author's Note:
There's still plenty of chapters left to go before the end of this story, and I've been building up to it for *quite* a while, but with this chapter, things finally feel like they've been set in motion for the climax. Now we just watch the pebble tumble down the mountain until it becomes an avalanche. I'm so excited!
As always, thank you all for reading and especially thank you for the support on last chapter! I'll see you next time :)
Reviews:
Autumnleap: I can't wait to have more scenes with the kittens too :)
Cactopus: Yeah, I really enjoyed writing both those scenes with Pineshade and Lizardstrike! And, I do have an outline of the story plotted out so I know how the story ends. The outline is roughly broken up by chapters, but sometimes the story takes me in a different direction which means that what I planned on being one chapter turns into two, which is what happened with this chapter and the previous one.
Meister Fallon: Yes! That was so cathartic to write.
Shadowhunter474: Yes! And, yeah you're right about Dampfang sort of having a point. I don't want my antagonists to be completely one dimensional, so like in his head, he's got a good reason for doing what he's doing (even though he's a huge jerk!)
Brian.H.H: Yeah, it was nice to have a more chill/happy chapter, although it unfortunately didn't last long lol. And I love that, Poolcloud did definitely steal Pineshade's parental genes haha. Also thank you for the support, now that I'm not putting as much pressure on myself, I'm feeling much better about it!
Darksky NightWing-ShadowClan: Wow I'm so impressed that you were able to catch up in just one day! Thank you so much for reading, and I'm so glad you've been enjoying it! :) (And I also can't believe that I've been working on it for five years haha.)