Chapter 86: Check In
Now that I occupied two places at once, I had enough time to work on some additional projects. The main one of concern was Tigerstar. As I've said, I can't kill him, as in, he is unkillable. My best option was to keep him misinformed and busy. Every moment he is scheming is a moment he isn't learning about the Darkforest's properties. If I can keep him distracted, he'll never become a god. If he does though, I don't think I'll win. He's just got too much potential. He grows faster.
I decided to check up on him again to get a measure of how quickly he was learning. It was far easier to find him than I anticipated. He must have either expected me or wanted to see me. As I made my approach, I noticed a familiar cat next to him. It was Brokenstar. I'd honestly forgotten that I left him to wander after his death. He needed some form of punishment for the sins of his life before I would roll it back. Now, I wouldn't get the opportunity. Tigerstar had found him.
"Tigerstar, Brokenstar. I see you tow have gotten acquainted." I mewed in both an aloof and teasing manner.
"Mapleshade! It was your fault! You left me! You abandoned me!" Hissed Brokenstar.
I looked the tom up and down. Honestly, he was far weaker than the last time he was here. Maybe he was missing that spark of life. Maybe he'd actually gotten weaker. Either way, he didn't even register as a threat. I decided to put him in his place. I slammed him into the ground with force. You could actually hear the air driven out of his lungs. Then I planted my claws against his neck.
"Let's get one thing perfectly clear. I did not betray you. You betrayed me! I gave you one rule. One measly little rule, and you couldn't even do that. It wasn't even hard to follow. All you had to do was not hurt kits. It was a pretty logical and easy ask. And what did you do?" I demanded.
Brokenstar looked a bit defiant, unwilling to answer me, so I pressed harder, making sure my claws drew blood, asking again, "what did you do?"
"I killed kits!" He fearfully squealed.
I pulled my claws back slightly. "Yes. You killed kits, the lifeblood of every clan, the moldable minds. You stole a generation from your own clan thoughtlessly. You could have had power. You could have won, but you were stupid. Do you think I asked that of you because I just liked kits? No. I asked that because they were my means of controlling the future, and you wasted it. You've always been blind, not just when you lost your eyes." I hissed before removing myself from the tom. What I'd just said was filled with half-truths and minor lies.
Tigerstar looked a bit impressed. "I didn't know you knew him. I always knew Brokenstar was a bit of a failure, but I never knew he was enough of one to fail even with powerful backing." Tigerstar complemented.
"Ease up on the flirting Stripes." I mewed arousing a growl from him. "I don't like you, and you shouldn't like me. We're only on the same side by circumstance. Once we get what we want, I can imagine us trying to tear into each other's throats. I'm willing to help you on some projects and teach you the basics, but don't always expect me to always agree. I've got my own thing going, my own plans and schemes. If you interfere with mine, well, we'll see who the strongest cat here is." I threatened.
In a strange way, Tigerstar liked me. I knew what I wanted and took no guff from anyone. "How about a spar then, just so we get the general idea." He flirted.
On one paw, I did not like him that way. I'd never like him that way. On another, it would be a good way to compare our strengths. If I ever figured out a means to bypass his invulnerability, I'd still need to get in the fatal blow. Going in blind could be a death sentence. This was a good alternative to test the waters.
"Sure. Why not. O haven't had a good fight in a while." I answered.
We began circling each other, hissing and spitting. I let him start things off. He hit me with a swipe I purposefully allowed. It hit with considerable force. If I had to compare it to anyone, it'd be one of Splitpelt's clones. Still not currently a threat to me but worrying none the less. I returned the favor in equal force. Things were starting to get interesting. We were both Thunderclan born and raised, but his moves were two generations newer. Meanwhile mine were a bit older but also forgotten. His moves were made to fight Riverclan and Shadowclan. Mine were still reminiscent of when we still fought Skyclan. To my benefit, the moves made to counter Skyclan worked equally well against the new generation of Thunderclan, or whatever Tigerstar is. He did have raw muscle on me, but I was more seasoned and was holding back. He got tired first, but I let him call it a draw. He'd never accept a loss. I then decided to depart. I remembered there might be someone still waiting for me.
I found him, or rather them, relatively easily. They were all together, having fallen around the same time and having the same faith. Despite the fear obvious in some of the members of the crowd, their leader still demanded respect and kept them orderly. That cold façade was still cloaking his face before he saw me. His eyes lit up as a genuine smile emerged. He trotted happily up to me, brushing into my fur as we could now be together again. I looked down lovingly at this cat I considered my kit.
"Hello Tiny. Are you and your cats ready to go home?"