Disclaimer: I don't own the Warriors series!

Title: Deep Dive

Summary: In a world where ThunderClan absorbed ShadowClan seasons ago, young warrior Weaselface is tasked to rebuild the fourth Clan and take her place as leader. But how can she betray all she's ever known and loved, all on the word of one ghost with a grudge?

...

"Elmkit, give Weasel her tail back!" Sweetshine's scolding was gentle as clover as Elmkit tried fruitlessly to pull Weaselface's tail off. "You're gonna wake her up!"

Weaselface sighed out of her nostrils. "No, no, it's fine. I've surrendered to my fate." She lifted her head to look very pointedly at Elmkit. Elmkit smiled around the fur and went right back to it. "I haven't felt this rested in ages. Did Beetooth die or something?"

"Not quite," said Sweetshine, who let out a bubble of laughter. "Your daughter decided to tell Spiderstar off. He's in the clearing now, playing with the others."

She blinked uncomprehendingly. "Which one?"

"I did!" Elmkit chirped, puffing her tiny chest out. "Grandpa wanted to take you hunting, but I told him no!" The brown and white tabby gave one last tug to her tail. "C'mon, mama, have breakfast with us!"

Weaselface felt torn between humor and horror as she sat up, letting Elmkit lead the charge. I dunno where she gets her attitude from, but it's gonna get her in trouble one day. The kitten eagerly skittered out into the clearing, almost instantly pouncing on Spiderstar, who was rolled onto his back while Featherkit squirmed across him.

Weaselface looked around curiously. ThunderClan was practically empty at this point. Plumpetal and Bumblepaw sunned themselves by the fresh-kill pile, sharing a squirrel. Birchfoot was grooming Ratpaw after what looked to be a particularly rough patrol with Smokescar, the latter of which was nowhere to be seen. They were the only cats around.

"Hi," squeaked Honeykit, making her jump. The little tom was sitting by the entrance of the nursery, just out of sight, with Larkkit.

She crouched slightly to speak eye-to-eye with him. "You guys don't wanna play with Spiderstar?"

Larkkit's ears went flat. "We wanted to! He said no."

"He said only special kittens got to play with him," Honeykit added. His little eyes were wide. "Aren't we special too?"

A dark kind of anger surged through her veins. Weaselface gathered the two close and nuzzled them. "You're very special. Spiderstar's just really excited to spend time with his grandkits, and he forgot how to be nice."

"Aren't we his too?" Larkkit asked. "We're one big family, aren't we?"

"We are," she promised. "I know it's not the same, but how about we share breakfast together? Then we can play."

That seemed to perk them up a bit. Weaselface collected a vole from the pile and nodded a greeting to Plumpetal and Birchfoot. Elmkit and Featherkit disengaged from Spiderstar as she came back, leaving the black tom bereft of kittens. Spottedkit ripped some fur from the vole and set to work with her teeth, carefully and thoroughly mashing it.

Spiderstar joined them with a glance at Spottedkit. "Aren't they a bit young for prey?"

"They're almost weaned," Weaselface replied, tearing a bite out of her late breakfast. "But she's not eating it."

Spottedkit stopped chewing to speak. "I'm mushing it up!"

"Mushing it up?" he repeated slowly, tilting his head to the side. "Why?"

"It's fun," she said, and shrugged. "Papa says it's okay, so long as I eat it up after."

"I... guess it is?" Spiderstar looked from Spottedkit to the other two nestled up in her side. "Oh. Are they joining us?"

Weaselface lashed her tail. "Spiderstar, you can't just ignore Larkkit and Honeykit. They're just as much future warriors as the rest."

Spiderstar flinched a bit. He at least had the decency to look sheepish. "You're right, I'm sorry. I'm... not great with kits."

"Adderpelt turned out just fine," she said sensibly.

"That was mostly Flintpoppy's doing."

Doubtful, Weaselface thought, trying not to snort. Flintpoppy wasn't what she would consider motherly. But, then again, neither was she. "Kits are basically just tiny warriors. Talk to them like it."

"Yeah?"

"I haven't scarred them for life yet."

Spiderstar scrunched down so he was laying more comfortably. He glanced around awkwardly. "So... how was patrol?"

Weaselface stared at him blankly. Is he... trying to joke?

Featherkit perked up. "It was great! I caught a leaf this big!" She held out her paws, unintentionally flopping onto her back.

"It was," added Honeykit. "I measured it. Then Larkkit tried to eat it."

"Hey!" Larkkit pouted. "I did eat it."

"What," said Weaselface, just as Spiderstar said, "Why?"

"Mama says not to waste stuff we catch! And Featherkit did a really good job!"

"I made her spit it out," Spottedkit explained, and they both relaxed. "I told her if she swallowed it Mintfern would make her eat a icky plant to puke it up. I saw her do it once."

The silver and white tabby stuck her tongue out. "Ew."

"That's gross but eating a leaf isn't?" Spiderstar pondered, looking at Spottedkit. He squinted. "Wait. Did Spottedkit always have white?"

Weaselface felt like she was on the back of a monster, being thrown left and right by the conversation. "Yes?"

"You're sure?"

"That's... why I named her Spottedkit, sir."

"No, not that." Spiderstar pulled the kitten closer and licked her roughly between the eyes. Under his primping, Weaselface noticed a small patch of white hairs beginning to snake their way up from the bridge of her nose. "See that? Adderpelt never mentioned her having a face spot."

The ground dipped out beneath her. "She... doesn't have a face spot. Just her paws and chest."

Spottedkit blinked at Spiderstar, then her. She looked remarkably calm. "I got a new spot. It happens."

"Not... not like that. New patches of fur usually only happen when you get old, or you lose some in a fight."

"Nuh-uh. Look." Spottedkit shifted so her back legs were splayed out, as if she were going to clean her belly. There was a bigger spot on the inside of her hip, hidden by the natural bend in her leg. "See? That's why I'm named Spottedkit, right? Because I get new spots?"

Weaselface pushed the prey over to Spiderstar and sat up. "I'm going to Dew."

"What? This isn't time for this argument! Mintfern can-"

"Have you ever seen this before?"

He hesitated. "No."

"Then Mintfern probably hasn't either- she's only a few seasons older than me! Dew might not be a medicine cat, but she's seen all sorts of weird stuff. If anyone can give us a basis to work off of, it's her." The brown she-cat scooped Spottedkit up, leaving a half-mushed bit of prey behind her. "I won't be gone long, okay? Can you watch the kits?"

Spottedkit squirmed a little. "I gotta eat that! Papa will be disappointed."

"Larkkit can eat it, Spottedkit." Spiderstar gently brushed noses with her. "We're just gonna make sure you're healthy."

"Of course I'm healthy," she meowed, tiny tail lashing. "I eat all my prey!"

Weaselface didn't think to take it slowly as she scrambled through the territory. Spottedkit dangled like moss from her teeth as she ducked over and around various bits of foliage, hardly even second-glancing the Thunderpath.

Spottedkit was silent for most of the trip, only thinking to speak when she slowed down. "Mama, am I gonna die?"

Ice stung Weaselface's heart at the tremble in her voice. "No! No, of course not." Spottedkit wouldn't be so alert and active if she was, would she? Still, the white patches concerned her. What if it's a weird cat mold? Or what if StarClan is marking her for death? A third, equally terrifying option hit her. What if it's because I lied about Adderpelt being her father? What if StarClan is punishing her for my misdeeds?

"Okay." Spottedkit looked at the shady pine tress above them. "Mama, when are we gonna move here?"

"What?"

"They told me it was home. When are we gonna go home?"

"Who is they?"

She shrugged. "Them," she answered, and gave no further description. "They told me we belong here, and that when you fell into the water you came out different, and that's why."

"I..." Weaselface trailed off. She wanted, more than anything, to shout no, don't listen to them! They don't know anything! But they did, didn't they? "I don't know, Spottedkit."

"Okay," she said, and fell silent.

There was no one guarding the elders' camp at this time of day, which made it easy to slip inside without awkward questions. Most of the elders were sleeping in their den, and there wasn't hide nor hair of Squirrelwhisker. Ashkit and Hootkit were quietly playing tag, but quickly stopped as she came up to them. "Have you seen Dew?"

Ashkit shrunk his head into his shoulders and didn't say anything. Hootkit was sniffing at Spottedkit's paws. "Did you bring us a new playmate?"

"I'm looking for Dew. Have you seen her?"

Hootkit crooked her tail to point at a squashed bramble thicket. "She's in the sandy den."

That's... new. Too worried to think over it, Weaselface dipped her head and went inside. The den was, indeed, sandy to the touch, with remnants of what had once been pine needles on the floor. The walls had little hollows, holding various decayed leaves and berries. This must've been the medicine den, once. In the very center was Dew, sprawled out and snoring.

She gave the blue molly a solid nudge and set Spottedkit down. "Dew. Dew? Mom!"

"Wassat?" Dew said eloquently, waking with a snort. She stretched her legs out. "Criminy, Weasel, you trying to kill me?"

"Spottedkit has spots," she blurted out.

Dew blinked at her sluggishly. "Good for her."

"No, I mean..." Weaselface nudged the kitten close to her. Dew's tail twitched as she broke her personal bubble. "This is Spottedkit. She's getting all sorts of white spots she didn't have before. I thought you might know something about it."

"Hi, grammy," Spottedkit chirped. "How come you don't visit us?"

"Because I find your leader and camp repulsive."

"Yeah, that seems like a good reason."

Dew groaned and wiped a paw over her face. She studied Spottedkit a moment, looking more and more frustrated as she did so. "Fuck's sake, Weasel. You interrupted my nap for a little vitiligo?"

"And I'm going to keep interrupting until you tell me what that means!" she snapped, taking a step forward. "Is it going to hurt her? Is there any herbs we can use? Is it lethal?"

"Christ," she grunted. "I forget you were raised under a rock. It's, like, a birth thing. It's not common, but it's not uncommon. All it does is have the bits of you that make your fur a certain color die out, leaving white spots. It doesn't hurt or anything." Dew's jaw split in a yawn. "By the time she's my age, she's probably gonna be more white than black."

"Am I gonna get a squishy face like yours?"

"We can only hope." Dew put her chin on her paws. "Well, I meandered my way in here hoping to get a break from Pinethroat's snoring, but it's a bit late now. Might as well put up your paws."

Weaselface hesitated, feeling torn. She was thoroughly relieved to know it wasn't dangerous, but also a bit embarrassed to have jumped to conclusions. "I should probably get back. Spiderstar-"

"Can mosey his butt on over if it pays him that much mind."

She stared at Spottedkit's little form as her chest rose and fell. Sleep was far from Weaselface's mind.

"Mom," she said finally. "You're great at crushing stupid fantasies."

Dew rolled onto her side with a sigh, refusing to open her eyes. "It's what I do best."

Next came the complicated part; wording. Weaselface knew that Dew didn't believe in StarClan. She doubted she'd even listen if she brought the topic up. And while she wanted this persistent niggling to vanish, she wanted it to do so properly, with facts, rather than a quick shutdown. "I've... been having a lot of dreams lately."

"Okay," she said, instantly wary.

"You know this camp was once a Clan, right?" Dew nodded. "I keep having these dreams of bringing it back. Of- of taking this camp and fixing it up and living a long life here. I don't want my kids being treated like I was growing up. Spiderstar's already trying to teach them to see each other as... different."

Dew finally cracked an eyelid. "Ahhh, so that's where the other day came from."

"It's stupid, right?"

"Is it?"

Weaselface's jaw dropped. "Of course it is! I'm ThunderClan!"

"Since when?" Dew asked. "You were raised here. This is home to you, yeah?" Weaselface glanced away. "Look. I don't think dreams are a great way to base your life plan. But dreams don't repeat over and over without a reason. Maybe part of you thinks it'll be better here."

"But..." Weaselface tried to think of a good argument to that. It was hard. "It'd be so much work! Patrolling, marking territories, and so on. Where would I even find Clanmates?"

"I don't get the Clan thing very good, but I'm pretty sure that's what deputies are for," she replied, amused. "If you ask nicely, I'm sure some of your little friends would come with, or maybe a few dipshits from the Twolegplace. Some cats just love fixer-uppers."

"You're supposed to be telling me this is stupid and to stop thinking about it."

Dew blinked thoughtfully. "I think I'm the wrong person to ask for that. I love doing stuff that ruffles Spiderstar's fur. And you might not be perfect, but you'd definitely be a step up from him." She paused. "Hell, I wouldn't even have to stay, would I? I could- I could finally just... leave."

"No! Please, just... just for a little while. I..." Weaselface felt herself losing steam. Why am I even discussing this? "I'd... need a medicine cat. Or a vague approximation of. Spottedkit's clearly touched by StarClan, she just needs to learn. Just... just stay long enough for that. Please."

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Alright. I'll stay for that. But not a day longer, you hear?"

"I'm not... I shouldn't..."

"Sounds like you've already made up your mind," Dew said, flicking her chin with her tail. "If you don't trust me, why don't you ask Dovefrost? Or Fogfur? They're pretty loyal, aren't they? And you trust 'em. Maybe they can talk you out of it."

"Why them?"

Dew shrugged. "They guard the camp the most. If anyone oughta hate the stench of this place, it's them."

Author's Note: Fun fact- Spottedkit isn't asleep for any of this. I dunno when, exactly, Larkkit turned into a female himbo, but she did and that's how it be!

-Mandaree1