Chapter 19: Deal for a Blind Star

Darkstripe had to settle his mind about Brokenstar once and for all. He couldn't kill the cat, but he was a deal maker. Brokenstar's raid did not fit his ambitions. If Darkstripe knew anything, it was that Brokenstar was a cat with unchecked ambitions, but he was not a cat that worried about revenge. It made no sense for him to attack, so Darkstripe concocted a deal. If he knew why Brokenstar attacked, he'd know who was moving things in the shadows.

Darkstripe made his way to Yellowfang.

"I need to talk to Brokenstar."

"I know how much you hate him. How can I trust you won't do something?"

"This is for my peace of mind. I'll be acting as the dealer Thunder for it."

Yellowfang knew if anything Darkstripe would never tarnish his dealer name with murder.

"OK. I'll be close by in case anything goes awry."

With that, Darkstripe made his way to the once feared leader.

"Brokenstar."

"Who is it that addresses me? Can't you tell I'm just a feeble blind cat?"

"You and I both know you aren't feeble. I've seen you making sure your claws are sharp. Who I am is a dealer. You may call me Thunder. I am offering you a chance to survive. You'll never have the power or sway you once had, but I can guarantee you a life pampered as a kittypet. All I want in return is a why."

"So you're the infamous dealer Thunder. I'd say it's a pleasure, but its really not. Why would I tell you anything? It's already been set for me to go to Riverclan, and the code won't let them kill me."

"Maybe not, but they can exile you. Where would you go? You can't see, so I doubt you'd survive the far wilds or the Twoleg place on your own. Do you really think you can gather a bunch of rogues and try again? I know you are on your last life, and you are blind. What power would you have over the rogues to convince them?"

That got Brokenstar thinking. He really was at the clans' mercy.

"If not about the clans, how about when you die. You aren't going to Starclan. That is guaranteed. Where do you think cats like you go?"

Brokenstar set his jaw remembering the Place of No Stars and how the Dark Forest cats complained and suffered.

"If you become a kittypet, there is the chance you go where they go instead of the other place. I mean, you can't believe kittypets go to Starclan, and they don't go to the other place either."

"You are a compelling cat. If I knew who you were, I could have used you in my prime."

"I'll take that as a complement and an insult."

Brokenstar gave out a laugh as broken as his tail.

"Very well. You've convinced me. I'll tell you a bit, but I'll tell you like a dealer."

Darkstripe's tail thrashed in annoyance.

"I was given a job by my client to kill two specific cats in your clan. Then my client would help me take back Shadowclan. They made sure my raid would be as easy as possible."

"Very well. When you are exiled from Riverclan, another dealer River will have you escorted to a specific Twoleg nest. All you have to do from there is make enough noise, and they'll take you in and fix what they can."

What Darkstripe didn't tell him was that these Twolegs would take him to the cutter and remove his tomhood. He deserved a little misery. He'd survive as one of the things he'd once described as the weakest forms of cats, and that was vengeance enough for Darkstripe. Darkstripe knew he could rest easy knowing that this attack was a targeted one instead of a last hurrah invasion, and Brokenstar valued the deal as much as Darkstripe did.

Darkstripe's mind was still whirling. Who could want specific cats dead in Thunderclan, and who was targeted. At first the easy answer was Bluestar and Tigerclaw, but somehow that answer was wrong somehow. Instead Darkstripe focused back on Brokenstar's last words. They made the raid as easy as possible. How was the camp raid made easy? The camp was empty!

It his Darkstripe like a bolt of lightning. The camp was empty. Why was the camp empty? The bones were obviously the work of the rogues, so that wasn't the assistance. It was then that Darkstripe realized the battle patrol to Shadowclan was the assistance. Darkstripe knew he riled several cats up, and many had voiced the opinion to raid Shadowclan immediately. Though, it was Tigerclaw who led the battle patrol. Tigerclaw! There was his name again. Would Tigerclaw do that and who would he want deal besides Bluestar. A certain ginger cat came to mind. It made too much sense, but those bindings of trust in his mind would not allow it. Instead, they somehow felt stronger but off.

Darkstripe began to ponder his trust in Tigerclaw. The trust he felt to Tigerclaw felt different than the trust he felt to Longtail and Dustpelt but initially brushed it off as the kind of trust he felt for a mentor. Still, that wasn't the correct feeling. He compared his feelings of his trust to Tigerclaw with other feelings he had before. Happiness wasn't it. Sadness was closer. It was when he compared fear and despair, did he realize something. Maybe that trust wasn't trust at all. He still wasn't sure what it was, but he knew it would compel him to obey Tigerclaw.

It was then his thoughts were interrupted. A certain white kit came bowling into him. Darkstripe gave a startled yowl before realizing what happened. Cloudkit looked sheepish after having frightened the warrior. Darkstripe's expression softened as he softly chided the kit. Something in Darkstripe secretly liked this odd kit that didn't take rules seriously. It reminded him of himself and Queen.

"You know its not kind to attack warriors going about their day."

"Sorry Darkstripe. I thought I could impress you by sneaking up on you."

Looking at the kit muted the chaos going on inside his head. Instead, a soft fuzziness filled it instead.

"You certainly did sneak up on me. If you weren't pure white, I'd say you'd have the makings of one of our best clan hunters."

The kit straightened excitedly.

"Really! You think I could?"

"Maybe if you work really hard, you could keep all your clanmates well fed even in Leafbare. Say, have I ever told you any of the stories about the mysterious dealer Thunder?"

Cloudkit could barely contain his excitement. He loved stories. Especially stories about mysterious cats who don't quite follow the code.