Chapter 101: The Ties That Break
I had just finished bringing food and water to Stonefur the next morning when I got cornered by Tawnypaw. She looked like she needed to speak to me, so I decided to comply. I could instantly tell the nature of what she wanted to discuss would require privacy, so I guided her to the edge of camp where eavesdroppers wouldn't likely hear us. Tawnypaw looked pensive, as if she didn't quite known what she wanted to ask. I could tell she was starting to worry she was wasting my time, so I gave her a patient look while lying down, making it clear I wasn't going to take off on her. Finally, she seemed to have mustered up her courage.
"Tell me about Tigerstar." She blurted out before a look of shock and fear crossed her face. She clearly thought this topic was some kind of taboo. It was a mostly right thought since most cats felt guilty for their part in not recognizing Tigerstar's deception, but that was not true with me.
"What is it you want to know about him? Do you just want to know what he did or do you want to know who he is?" I queried back.
"I just… I need to know why every cat looks at me like I'm about to do something evil. What did Tigerstar do that could somehow reflect all the way back on me? No one will tell me. They act like even mentioning his name will cause me to turn into some kind of monster. It's not fair." Tawnypaw whined, getting a bit choked up.
"You are right. It isn't fair. They shouldn't treat you like that, and you deserve to know about your father. As the deputy, I bear the blame for not noticing how the clan treats you, and I must apologize. You never deserved such scorn. I will tell you all you want to know about Tigerstar, the good and the bad." I consoled.
"Thanks. I needed to hear that. What was Tigerstar like?" Tawnypaw mewed, her tone taking an inquisitive edge.
"If you asked anyone else, they'd say Tigerstar is a cat ruled by ambition, but that's not all there is to him. Ambition on its own is not a negative trait. Ambition allows a cat to surpass their limits and gives them the drive to do what others cannot. Yes, Tigerstar is ambitious, but I'd say his biggest flaw is his impatience. I will say, at one point in time Tigerstar had a very real chance at being Thunderclan's leader. He was a well respected deputy, and he had the problem solving skills to match. That's when Tigerstar's impatience reared its ugly head. Tigerstar couldn't stand to just wait Bluestar out. He plotted her death, hoping to hasten his ascension to leader, but it hit the wrong cat. You know Cinderpelt right?" I asked, seeing her briefly glance towards the medicine den.
"Yes. I know Cinderpelt. She's one of the few cats who doesn't look at me like that." Tawnypelt replied.
"Well, Cinderpelt wasn't always just three legged. Just like you, she was a spirited and somewhat feisty apprentice, Firestar's apprentice to be more precise. Well one day in the coldest depths of Leafbare, Tigerstar attempted to pull off his assassination. He knew the camp wasn't able to supply many warriors and thought it an opportune time to try and single out Bluestar. He claimed that he found Shadowclan scent on our territory. In a twist of fate, Bluestar was unable to leave the camp herself due to illness. Firestar and I agreed to let Tigerstar know she couldn't come after going looking for herbs, but Cinderpelt was too spirited. She snuck off to let Tigerstar know. That's when tragedy struck. Cinderpelt was hit by a monster on the Thunderpath while tracking Tigerstar's scent. It pulverized her leg, leaving us no choice but to remove it. In the end, Tigerstar's scheme failed, but it was not victimless." I mewed, seeing her clear interest in my story.
"But what if there really was Shadowclan on our border?" Tawnypaw asked.
"That's what we asked too, until we were raided by Brokenstar's rogues. They hit us at an impossible time of weakness. We had too many cats on border patrol, and suddenly Tigerstar called for a raid on Shadowclan, leaving only two warriors in the camp to defend everyone. It wasn't long after the raid patrol took off that the rogues attacked. We got extremely lucky that no one of ours died in the raid, but Brokenstar himself revealed to us that it was Tigerstar who let him know when to strike. It was another attempt to kill Bluestar while he was still deputy." I regaled.
"What if he just made a bad choice?" Tawnypaw pressed, hoping to somehow overturn Tigerstar's history.
"That was also a possibility we considered. Of course, the most damning piece of evidence to his nature was revealed when we held a trial. Two of the big topics were the previously discussed stories, but the last one was the death of the previous deputy Redtail. The reason why this is relevant is that Redtail dies under mysterious circumstances. While it was reported that he died to the former Riverclan deputy Oakheart, this was proven to be false, because Oakheart was already dead by the time Redtail died. In the end, Tigerstar revealed he killed Redtail, but he claimed he did it as a mercy kill. He almost got away with it too, but there was one thing he didn't count on. Ravenfeather witnessed the murder. He gave his account on how Tigerstar ambushed Redtail and killed him in cold blood." I answered.
"Can we really just take Ravenfeather's word for it?" Tawnypelt mewed, getting a bit desperate.
"Tigerstar's reaction told it all. He lashed out at Ravenfeather for concealing his knowledge. In the end, Tigerstar tried to justify himself by saying he deserved it. He revealed his true nature to us. He had no sense of empathy for those he hurt, seeking only victory and the power it would bring. After he was exiled, he caused the dog problem and murdered Brindleface, Ashfur's mother, himself. " I replied, watching her fumble for some kind of justification to not see her father as a monster. I let her fight her feelings for a little while before speaking again. "Your father had the potential to be an amazing cat, but he let his impatience rule him. Within you I see potential as well. You're a cat who doesn't just take our word for it, always inquisitive and willing to push the boundaries to learn a lesson. I know my story comes off as biased, but I have to warn you, if you seek out Tigerstar, be careful. He's a skilled liar and isn't afraid to hurt even those close to him."
Tawnypaw considered my words, eventually padding off to see Sandstorm to question her and get in some daily training.
Eventually, evening rolled around, but something was amiss. Sandstorm came padding over, looking worried.
"Smudgefoot, have you seen Tawnypaw? We just got back from training, but she looked a bit down. I grabbed some fresh kill from the pile to share with her, but she was just gone. Where could she have gone?" She mewed frantically.
I stood and stretched myself out. "I don't necessarily know, but I have an idea. Come on." I mewed before leading her out of camp. It wasn't long before we came to the Shadowclan border. There sat Tawnypaw, hyping herself up to step over the line. She spotted us approaching.
"Don't try to stop me! I need to do this!" She hissed, arching her back defensively.
"What's going on? What are you doing Tawnypaw?" Sandstorm asked, padding a bit closer.
"Stay back! I just have to do this! I need to know! I need to see for myself who Tigerstar is. You can't dissuade me. Sandstorm, I love and respect you as my mentor, but you have to let me do this." Tawnypaw yowled, causing Sandstorm to freeze.
"Tawnypaw… I…" Sandstorm started to mew before looking back at me. I gave her a nod. We always knew this was a possibility. Sandstorm settled herself, taking on a more maternal look. "You're right. You've always been the type to seek out your own answers. I won't stop you. Please, just be careful out there. Know this. If you ever feel like it, Thunderclan will always be your home. I'll miss you."
Tawnypaw had tears starting to fun down her face as she responded. "I'll miss you too. I'm sorry."
The embraced for a couple moments before pulling apart. We watched in silence as Tawnypaw stepped over the border and disappeared out of sight. Even after she was gone, we hung on a few moments longer, just watching the tree line as if that would make her return. Finally, after what was probably an hour, I coaxed Sandstorm to return to camp. She was silent the whole trip back, quickly breaking away from me as soon as she spotted Firestar. She needed his support now.