Chapter 45: Sham Reconciliation

Tigerclaw knew not the beast he unleashed. It was time to start pulling all the contingencies I put in place. Tigerclaw's betrayal wasn't one I planned to take lightly. Tigerclaw needed to be punished.

I briefly contemplated just killing him while he slept and vanishing into the night, but that plan was a bit too drastic. It'd leave Fireheart without his friend and Tigerclaw a martyr. Even if I could kill him without arousing suspicion, death is too good for him. Death is just an ending. I know this from experience. What Tigerclaw needed to see was his dreams crumble. The things he thought impossible needed to become reality. I knew exactly how to hurt Tigerclaw most. Tigerclaw is a sociopath of victory, so nothing would hurt him worse than making him a loser, to fade into disgrace.

There were several things I could have done immediately. Tigerclaw knew this. He may be a fool, but he isn't utterly clueless. Tigerclaw knows I know too much. Thus, he is afraid. He is a good actor. Only such a skilled liar such as I, or as observant as Ravenfeather noticed Tigerclaw's change. There was ever present suspicion in his eyes. He now saw every cat in camp as a potential foe. He did not know which cats I knew and influenced. Every cat was a potential threat.

This was exactly the mindset I wanted him in. Sometimes the best way to hurt someone is to set a blade of Damocles. I didn't even need to do anything. It was the fact that I could that set Tigerclaw on edge. In fact, I was toying with him. In the mornings, I encouraged a stare down. Our eyes would be equally furious, but I was the one to win such mind games. Sometimes I'd flick my eyes to a random cat before resuming the stare down. I could almost laugh as his fur would raise.

I think he knew I was messing with him, but that did not make the threat invalid. I'd been harassing him with it for about three days when Fireheart came back from a patrol with something unusual. It was a small white kit from his sister.

"Fireheart! What is the meaning of this?" Bluestar commanded.

Fireheart went on to briefly describe his interactions with his sister and that his sister gave him her firstborn so that she knew he'd be raised somewhere she'd know. While there were some arguments among the clan about whether the kit could be taken in at all, Tigerclaw was notably silent. I knew that look well. He was contemplating something.

Then, in a tone that silenced the clan, Tigerclaw spoke. "I say we take the kit in."

This did not fit Tigerclaw's personality at all. He was a bit of a blood purist. The fact that he wanted a kit from a kittypet to join the clan rang all kinds of alarms. What was his game? What did he want?

It was then his eyes met mine. They were almost apologetic. Was he trying to placate me? The sad part was that it almost worked. I didn't have much of a relationship with Cinderpaw. The only reason her injury hurt me was that it hurt Fireheart. Now Tigerclaw was trying to give Fireheart a kit to somewhat make up for his ill-conceived plan. The silence hung heavy over the clan.

Finally, Bluestar spoke. "Tigerclaw? You accept this kit into our clan given the circumstances."

I knew Tigerclaw's response was going to be a lie, but apparently Tigerclaw wasn't very good at lying on the spot. "Yes… If this kit is of the same bloodline as Fireheart, he'll prove to be a competent warrior. As we've seen from the past few moons, a cat taken from the Twoleg Place early enough can in fact be raised into a good warrior. Smudgefoot is proof of it."

I knew those words must have tasted like rotten meat in his mouth, and I purred in vindictive amusement because of it. His motive was obvious. He wanted me to drop my threat, except it wasn't a threat anymore. My plans were already in motion. He just gave me the perfect smokescreen to conceal them. I'd pretend to accept his commiserations.

With Tigerclaw's support, the kit, now named Cloudkit, was near universally accepted. Bluestar even went through the effort of having a naming ceremony for the kit. After which, Fireheart carried the kit off to the nursery while Bluestar signaled me to follow her into her den. Here's the thing about learned empathy. In my first life, I didn't know what emotions I was feigning. I was a doll just going through the motions. Now that I knew what I was pretending to be, I could lie far easier. I could do something all sociopaths I ever knew couldn't. I could lie with my eyes, and Tigerclaw didn't know. The one unspeakable truth about cats like us, and I could break it. The relief actually flashed across his face, unable to be contained in the façade when he say my lying eyes, while in my mind a wicked laughter echoed as it schemed and planned a cruelly personalized vengeance.

When I entered Bluestar's den, I knew Tigerclaw wasn't listening. He'd been fooled by the eyes. He knew the nature of Bluestar's summons, but he believed I'd lie now, believing he'd rebought my loyalty. He was dead wrong.

"So, you and Tigerclaw have been having a little spat recently. Care to tell me what that was about?" Bluestar urged in a commanding yet somewhat nonchalant manner. She thought I was going to lie as well.

"What I say here does not leave this den. Tigerclaw betrayed me. We had a pact where I taught him how to get what he wants while he protects those precious to me. He hurt a cat under my protection. Thus, our pact was null and void. Now he does not garner my protection. In fact, I've decided to crush him for his treachery. With that, I have some things I'd like to reveal." I spouted in a hushed whisper.

"And what is the nature of these secrets?" Bluestar asked, concerned.

"That I am not the first he has betrayed. Currently I bear no proof, but Tigerclaw has done something most unsavory. Such of which bar him from ever walking in Starclan. He is hasty and ambitious. Until I have the proof gathered and consolidated, keep your head on a swivel. Tigerclaw is not to be trusted." I warned.

Bluestar seemed hesitant before asking one final question. "What could he have done that was so foul?"

I met Bluestar's eyes with an unfeeling factual look. "Oakheart and Redtail died in the same battle, and yet, Thunderclan and Riverclan cannot agree on who died first. Look into that and you may find the truth."

In a strange way, I felt joy for having something on Bluestar for once. It was slightly bittersweet. I didn't feel like I really beat her. I still wanted a true victory over her, to lead her by the nose without having to pull the rug out from under her and reveal a nasty truth. Maybe once Tigerclaw was gone, we could have a proper rivalry. Yes. A rivalry founded on a truly level playing field. I looked forward to the day.