Chapter 85: Meteoric Threat
If you thought the threat of Tigerstar ended there, you'd be wrong. I even knew this before his departure from the realm of the living, but there was something I forgot to anticipate. Not only was he mentioned twice in the final prophecy, he had been gifted power in the form of nine lives from Starclan. If I knew anything about death, it was that when Starclan interferes, it grants their target more power in the afterlife. In other words, Tigerstar had more potential than me.
I felt his entry of the Darkforest the same way one would feel if the moon suddenly came crashing down. The Darkforest literally rippled when he was spiked into it. I needed to act fast. For now, I was stronger than him, but that would change quickly if he found out the properties of the afterlife. I weaved through the layers of the Darkforest to ensure I was the one to meet him first. If anyone else did, there was a chance he'd doubt me.
I finally saw him. To me, he was a deep pit of ambition and pride. Unfortunately, I'd gotten here too late. He'd already manifested a power. Thankfully, it was a subtle one, but it did interfere with my plans to fade him. The power he had manifested was invulnerability. All of his power went into channeling that one ability, and that was both a boon and a hinderance to me. I couldn't just kill him and roll him back. No. I'd need to be more clever.
"Ah. Tigerstar. It is a pleasure to meet you. I witnessed your rise, am I must say, I am impressed." I mewed as I emerged from the trees.
"Who are you?!" He spat.
"Not one for welcomes?" I teased. "Forgive the lack of introduction, but I am Mapleshade. I'm sure you've heard of me."
"You're that cat who had a half clan affair and killed three cats in revenge. Why should I trust a treacherous cat like you?" He hissed.
I responded with aggression as well. "Those three deserved it! They were the reason my kits were killed! My kits were to act as the unifier between Thunderclan and Riverclan, but Starclan betrayed me… just as they betrayed you." I baited.
"Starclan betrayed me?" he both questioned and hissed.
"Oh yes. You were a leader, a star, and yet you died to one blow. They gave you nine lives, but they never healed you. Even if you had died to an illness, I bet Starclan would have had you die nine times over to put you through agony." I lied. I knew Starclan couldn't heal such a wound, but Tigerstar needed a target for his wrath.
"Why would Starclan do that?" He genuinely questioned.
"Because you were always just a piece in their game. They had a prophecy that fire would save the clans. Lo and behold, a kittypet who was the color of fire appeared. They put you on this path, wanted you to fail, to lose, because that is what their prophecy said. Why would a coward like Ravenpaw return to accidentally witness the perfect crime? Why would Bluestar suddenly get sick when you had the perfect assassination attempt. How could Firestar, a kittypet, overpower you when you finally went to kill Bluestar yourself? Face it! They meant for you to fail. You were made to lose!" I hissed in his face. "But now they aren't watching you. Now they aren't plotting against you. From here, you can enact your revenge, and I'd be willing to help… for a price."
"Speak molly! Tell me what you desire." He growled.
I took an aloof look as I groomed my paw saying. "It's not much. I just want to be there as Starclan falls. There are a great many of us here discontent with how Starclan runs things. I'm sure you can rally them. Cats like us, the powerful ones, have the capability to draw cats of like mind to us."
"And how would that help. If you can't tell, we aren't in Starclan!" He hissed.
I pretended to be mysterious as I answered. "I never said that those cats had to be dead. I mean, I had my own little side project. Did you know Crookedstar was never meant to be a leader?" I baited.
A vicious chuckle emerged from the tom. He didn't even know it, but that spike of ambition he just felt started to give him an aura, one who actively combatted mine. I concealed the spike of fear I just felt. I could not let Tigerstar ever find the Unseen Stars and my territory. He'd carve right through it without realizing it.
"You intrigue me Mapleshade. I think I can work with you. Tell me, how should I begin?" He asked with that malicious tone.
"Wander. The Darkforest is infinite in size, yet at the same time it is not. If you wander, you will find those like you. Paths never meant to meet will instead intersect. Build a force of cats like you. I have my own business to attend to, but we will meet again." I mewed before bounding off, using a hole between layers to make some additional distance.
What needed immediate addressing was my cats. If I knew anything, Tigerstar would come looking for me eventually, and I don't think I could stop it. What I needed most was to somehow conceal my coalition's camp, even if Tigerstar were to walk right into it. I paced, frustrated at this new development. How could I stop him? How could I keep what was mine safe?
Apparently, my lashing out had caused my aura to expand. As I calmed myself, I knew I had to make it recede. I drew it in, but something odd happened. A small chunk of the Darkforest came with it. I could feel it inside me. I deposited it back on the ground, curious at what I'd just done. I'd just carried a portion of the Darkforest, suffused with my power, inside of me, and if I remembered correctly, all of my territory and the cats inside it were filled with my power as well. If my theory was correct, I might be able to carry the Unseen Stars with me, always invisible to Tigerstar and just under his nose.
I rushed back to camp to try the idea. I will say, it was an odd sensation. In a way, I changed from just a who to a where. I managed to pull it all inside me, along with the cats within. At the same time, I could feel myself occupying a place within. There was a me inside this place I brought into myself. It was also fully me. It wasn't just a copy. It was me. I could see through its eyes, feel what it feels, and it didn't at all feel lesser to the me outside. In fact, it felt the same as me, with the place within still being inside it, inside me. I was starting to get a migraine from thinking about it, so I just concluded that both were the real me. I just occupied two places at once.
Thankfully, the rest of the Unseen Stars didn't seemed too disturbed by the sudden change. The only thing that really changed for them was that outside of our territory would be wherever the outer me occupied. It was strange when Frecklewish tested it. When she left, she literally stepped out of my pelt. We both tested it a bit and confirmed that moving into the inner territory only worked when I allowed it. Some other members were a little disconcerted that now there was a me always outside of camp and undefended. Thus, Dawnstar created a new group. These cats were given the job of outer guard. They were to defend the me that moved around the outer Darkforest secretly. Of course, Snowtuft and Moonpaw were the primary members. They were both the stealthiest members of the Unseen Stars.