Chapter 94: A New Dawn

Something had changed when Firestar came back with his nine lives. He didn't look as miserable as when he left with Cinderpelt. He bore a new confidence that felt a bit out of place given how recently Bluestar's death had been. It honestly worried me at first. He leapt onto the high ledge with his head held high.

"May all cats old enough to hunt meet below the High Ledge for a clan meeting!" He announced, drawing every able bodied cat out of their dens. Briefly pausing a moment to look upon us all, Firestar continued. "I have received my nine lives from Starclan and have been named Firestar. I know the loss of Bluestar has shaken us all, but Thunderclan is still here. We still live! Bluestar gave her lives for us, so we'll repay her by remaining strong proving her sacrifice was not in vain. I know tough times are coming. Tigerstar neighbors us and continues to be a threat. I will do everything in my power to ensure his plans fail, but to do so, I need your support. I may have been born a kittypet, but you all made this my home, so please place your trust in me to guide you as I put my trust in you to work hard and keep this clan we call home together."

A resounding cheer swept through the camp. Morale had been restored. While the pain of loss still hung heavy in the camp, there was a certain amount of relief that came from having a new leader crowned. Firestar's nine lives meant Starclan approved of their choice in leader. The same kind of tragedy was unlikely to occur twice in a row. Having a star gave a feeling of security, like all was not lost.

Firestar leapt down to meet me. Almost immediately all that bravado faded out of his form as it gave way to nervousness and relief. "Great Starclan, that was nerve racking. How do you keep your cool so well? Every moment I was up there, all I could feel was their gaze upon my pelt. They were looking to me to make everything right again, and I almost cracked. I couldn't even name the deputy yet. At least I got them calmed down. Hopefully I can work up the nerve tomorrow morning to name the deputy, but who should I even choose? Maybe Whitestorm or Lionheart since they're well respected in the clan."

Lionheart and Whitestorm, who were coming by to congratulate Firestar, both rolled their eyes at Firestar's clear ignorance at the obvious. "Smudgefoot is right there Firestar. He's already deputy in all but name. I honestly can't see how you missed that." Lionheart teased lightheartedly.

Firestar slightly hunched in embarrassment. "Oh yeah. Right. Sorry Smudgefoot. I hadn't even considered you."

I waved it off nonchalantly. "It's no problem. You knew I'd be helping you regardless of if I got the title or not. We've always been partners, so maybe you thought of me more as a co-leader instead of your subordinate."

Firestar briefly froze, mulling over my words. "That… sounds about right. Are you at all upset that I became leader? I mean, I've always thought you'd be the better one to do it, regardless of Bluestar's choice. I mean, if it was you, you wouldn't have been nervous at all with all those cats depending on you."

I looked Firestar dead in the eyes, not allowing him to look away as I gave my reply. "Firestar. I am never not terrified for the safety of those I protect. I wouldn't have done any better than you. Reassuring others has never been my talent. I don't know how to appeal to emotion, let alone control my own. I'd have probably hidden outside the camp, planning and rehearsing a speech only to forget it on nerves once I got up there. As you always said, I fix things. That's what I'm good at, but that's not what is needed in a leader. A leader guides. They keep those under their rule safe and happy. They're a figurehead to the clan, so they must be charismatic and willing to make the tough decisions. So in conclusion, no I am not upset you got the leader position. You'll do much better at it than I ever could."

Firestar briefly guffawed at my answer. "Sorry for laughing, but that's such a you answer. You always give some kind of analytical speech, and it always makes me feel better. Thanks for that. I hope you know I'm naming you my deputy tomorrow."

I gave a nod in reply. "I'd expect nothing less, but I have a proposition as well. We've got a number of events backlogged that could help the camp's morale."

Whitestorm cut in, clearly interested in whatever scheme I seemed to be up to. "We're listening." He mewed.

"Well, we've got three apprentices ready to receive their warrior names. On top of that, we've also got three kits to apprentice. They're already a bit old for the nursery. I'm sure Bluestar only held them back because of the dog threat." I answered.

Firestar's tail swished happily. An event to divert focus seemed like the best thing to do. "Well, what should we name them? Brightpaw is a difficult one to add to. Swiftpaw definitely lives up to his name given that he's either in a rush or splayed out on the ground. Fernpaw is probably the easiest given her gentle nature. She's already taken an interest in joining the nursery queens."

"It might be better to comment on Brightpaw's nature over a visible feature given her scars. Swiftpaw reminds me of a breeze, there tugging at your pelt and energetic before petering out. Fernpaw will probably be named after her appearance." Lionheart commented.

"Hmm. Brightpaw's nature…" Firestar mused before seeming to have come up with something. "How about Brightheart since she's remained strong despite her disability?"

"A good choice." Whitestorm mewed, giving a slight nod, gesturing for Firestar to continue.

"Swift… Well, Lionheart already mentioned a breeze, so maybe Swiftbreeze. Hopefully he doesn't think it's too feminine. Finally, Fernpaw. She's definitely a looker, and she's gentle natured. I guess she kind of looks like a cloud, so maybe Ferncloud. That sound reasonable?" Firestar queried, looking to us.

"I have no arguments against those names. If Swiftpaw complains about his name, I'll remind him that a cold breeze easily slices through fur chilling even the most fluffy of warriors. He also might need to get in touch with his feminine side a bit. He's been looking at Ravenfeather and I with curiosity lately, and I think he fancies Cloudtail and Brightpaw a bit." I answered.

The other three reflexively looked Swiftpaw's way, catching him stealing a glance at Cloudtail and Brightheart. All the tells were there, the way he turned away whenever either looked his direction, and yet he positioned himself somewhere he could easily watch them and try and work up the nerve to talk to them. Even Longtail didn't seem able to keep his attention entirely on him.

"I can't believe I didn't notice that." Lionheart mewed, clearly enjoying the banter. "Speaking of coming couples, Dustpelt and Fernpaw seem to have a bit deeper of a bond than simply mentor and apprentice."

"I'm honestly surprised that doesn't happen more often. It's very common for a cat to seek out a mate who is similar to one of their parents. Given that mentors tend to take on a paternal role and the code prevents us from having kin mentor kin, that means a relationship is totally allowed. Though, I would suggest we amend that in the future to have a grace period after an apprentice becomes a warrior where they cannot take a mate. I'd hate for a mentor to force themselves on an apprentice." I mewed in a matter-of-fact way.

"Way to make it creepy Smudgefoot." Firestar mewed in mock annoyance.

"What? I see an issue, and I'm not going to just let it stay there. Maybe I'll take some time to talk to Fernpaw and Dustpelt to ensure the relationship is genuine. Let's move off all this relationship stuff before I find myself with my paw in my mouth again." I replied in anger jokingly.