Chapter 88: Blind Devotion
You know, even my own hubris can get the better of me. In my efforts to ensure Tigerstar never knew powers existed, I failed to realize that others may develop them without realizing. As stated before, Tigerstar has developed the power of invulnerability, which eats up all his energy preventing accidentally discovering another. It was only when I went to meet him again did I find out my misconception. With Tigerstar, besides Brokenstar, was a dark tabby. I could already tell the tom was blindly loyal to Tigerstar. What really set the tabby apart was what he was unconsciously doing.
The tom, who I'd later learn was named Darkstripe, was so blindly loyal to Tigerstar that it was semi-infectious. It wasn't particularly overpowering. Any cat with even the slightest inkling of distrust could shake it off. No, what made that power so effective was what it did to the unthinking, the ferals. There were only three present here, but it was hard to wrap my head around. If Darkstripe weren't influencing them, the three ferals would have instantly tore into each other or any cat present. Instead, they just waited unmoving. Sometimes some foamy drool would drip from their mouths, but otherwise they were like stones. It was obvious that Darkstripe had no control over them directly. Instead, he acted as Tigerstar's means to order them. The worst part was that this wasn't visibly draining Darkstripe. He had such utter faith in Tigerstar's charisma and leadership that it bypassed the base level strength of a Darkforest cat. I wish I had gotten to him first, such intense potential. Maybe on the day of reckoning I'd get the chance to roll him back.
Tigerstar noticed my presence. He may not have known his own power or how it was expanding, but he had inadvertently created a domain. It wasn't very big, but, given how domains tend to try and quash one another, he could feel my presence very easily.
"Mapleshade." He mewed in greeting. "What brings you by again?"
"Just thought I'd check in and see what you're up to. I see you've somehow managed to tame some of the ferals. Never thought I'd see that. At least it works for padding up our numbers." I answered.
"You keep speaking as if numbers matter. I've already checked. We can't get into Starclan." Tigerstar growled.
"Maybe not directly." I mewed cryptically.
"What do you mean?" He growled back.
"I mean the path between the Darkforest and Starclan will not work, but there are other options. I'm sure you know all about Starclan and their prophecies. One of which we can take advantage of. One prophecy dictates that the Darkforest will somehow invade the realm of the living. If we can get into the living world, it stands to reason that Starclan can do the same. What that means is that there is a route through the world of the living to get into Starclan, entirely bypassing the barrier. I doubt we could find it naturally, so we need to encourage Starclan to find it for us. You know, bait them out." I stated.
"And why could we not attack now?" He inquired.
"Numbers. Starclan tends to throw the living clans at any of their problems. We need to become one big enough that even they cannot afford to hold back. Believe it or not, I've got some cats in Starclan who can push that option, but they don't exactly have a lot of saying power. They can only really present the idea. In the meantime, we need to make our strength known as a credible threat. Do you have any ongoing projects that can help?" I asked.
"In fact, I do. I'm trying to encourage both my sons to take over their respective clans. Hawkfrost is very into the idea. Brambleclaw, on the other paw, is much more hesitant. He's largely staying due to his kinship with Hawkfrost. Regardless, they both know I'm still around." He explained confidently.
"That is perfect. In either case, success or failure, they contribute to the overall cause. They'll know you had your paw in this. They'll know we're still here." I responded.
The praise caught Tigerstar off guard. He actually preened a bit from it. "Yes. Of course. That was my plan all along." He mewed pridefully in a boldfaced lie.
While I didn't buy it, that subordinate that had developed such an interesting power just ate it up. He actually looked at Tigerstar with wonder, taking his word as fact. I bet he believed Tigerstar was unable to lie. He was Darkstripe's personal god. I decided to take a peek into his soul to see why he had such devotion.
What I saw almost made me vomit. To this day, I do not know how I managed to conceal what I did. What made Darkstripe loyal? It was because he knew nothing else.
I saw it begin the day Darkstripe became an apprentice, the only one of a generation. He was given to Tigerclaw. The eyes that met the apprentice were not ones of a kind mentor. They were ones of a ruthless task master. Darkstripe didn't have anything even remotely resembling a normal apprenticeship. He was drilled on techniques until he literally collapsed. In spars, Tigerclaw did not hold back. It was a wonder that the cat could even stand at the end of the day. The worst of it wasn't the damage to his body. Thet would heal. It was his mind. Every day the tom's individuality and intrinsic beliefs were beaten. The Darkstripe now following Tigerstar was nothing like the apprentice he had once been. He was killed long ago. The final straw that broke him was when Darkstripe got his warrior name. It was the one time Tigerstar ever gave him praise, and Darkstripe latched onto it like it was the most kind and generous thing in the world. It became his only purpose, to receive that praise once again. He'd never receive it, but Tigerstar always kept it just out of claws' reach, making it appear attainable. It was a pitiful existence I would not wish on a cat. I could not wait for the day Tigerstar dies. There'd be so many things I could finally make right.