CHAPTER FORTY ONE
Working together hadn't been all that difficult. Flamestrike worked alongside Birdpaw to convince a few of the Tribe cats to work with them rather than against them. To his surprise, a few of them had already been against their leader's orders. From what Flamestrike was able to gather, their old leader had suddenly died without warning, and a new order was brought to the Tribe. That in itself had rung a bell of alarm for Flamestrike.
He couldn't shake off the feeling of dread that was slowly creeping through him. Seeing the SkyClan cats for the first time was enough to tell him that Birdpaw had been right, all along. What bothered him more than anything was how badly in shape Blizzardwind and a few of the SkyClan warriors were in.
"It isn't right, what Stoneteller has done to you and the rest of your Clan," the same she-cat who had cornered him during their fight whispered. Her ears were flattened with unease as she looked at him, "I'm sorry for attacking you the way I did. We were under strict orders to take in anyone who wasn't part of the Tribe."
"I know," Flamestrike assured her, knowing that most of these cats probably wouldn't have attacked if they weren't given the orders, "If you can gather others to join you, maybe we could fight against your leader and give everyone here a better future."
Hope flashed within her eyes. Flamestrike knew that things could go very wrong if their leader found out what these cats were doing behind his back. He exchanged a knowing look with Birdpaw when he noticed how anxious she looked once the she-cat was gone.
"What I don't understand, is why this is happening now," Reedriver sighed in frustration as the four of them sat together. Flamestrike was more than surprised that Birdpaw had stuck around with them, rather than her Clanmates. It was clear the cat known as Darkflower wanted her to be by her side, and was also her mother, "It seems as if everything is happening all at once, and nothing could have prepared us for it."
"Because, StarClan is trying to make us work together," Spruceleaf replied, meeting Reedriver's look of surprise.
Flamestrike's eyes lit up with understanding when he realized what she meant by that. He recalled what Birdpaw had mentioned, along with Spruceleaf. If what they said was true, than, the five original leaders had been reincarnated. Flamestrike didn't want to believe it was true. He wanted to set his own destiny, and forge his own path. Yet, it seemed as if StarClan had already chosen it for him.
We were never even given a choice, he thought bitterly. Spruceleaf had been taken from her Clan. Birdpaw's Clan had been devastated by the Tribe. Worst still, there was still some kind of prophecy the five of them would have to fulfill. Four of them were reunited together, but, ShadowClan had yet to reveal themselves.
"No one ever said this would be easy," he muttered, looking down at his paws.
"You can say that again," Birdpaw sighed in exasperation.
Of everyone in this cave, Flamestrike suspected she was suffering the most from this prophecy. He couldn't help but wonder what would happen if SkyClan came back to the Clans. Would they be accepted once the Clans were reunited?
Now, it was all a waiting game. Everyone was on edge. The Tribe cats Flamestrike and the others had spoken to had agreed to meet with them upon evening when their leader was asleep. Since he had assigned guards to his cave, Flamestrike had no doubt he would already be on edge. He shook his head at the thought, knowing just how risky this mission was.
They sat there in awkward silence until a few Tribe cats slipped inside the cave. Flamestrike's whiskers twitched with anticipation when he noticed how muscular and lean they were. The she-cat from earlier gave him a tiny nod as she sat beside the same tabby tom from the other day.
"First and foremost, I want to know what it is you Clan cats have in mind," the tabby tom growled, speaking for the rest of the group.
Flamestrike exchanged a knowing look with the other four, feeling apprehensive about this whole venture. Once again, that same feeling in the pit of his stomach came rushing back. Flamestrike glanced at Blizzardwind and the other injured cats uneasily.
"We don't want to be here anymore than you want us here," Reedriver began, ignoring the hostile looks Oakfire and Stormshadow gave him. Flamestrike had to admit, it was impressive the way Reedriver ignored them. The silver-furred warrior was clearly annoyed with their behavior, and, Flamestrike couldn't blame them.
I know that you're my father, he thought, glaring at Oakfire pointedly, But, that doesn't mean you can boss me around like you're the leader.
"I understand that you've been talking to my friends, here," the tabby dipped his head towards the other Tribe cats, who also shared uneasy looks, "How do we know you aren't going to turn on us?"
Flamestrike nearly rolled his eyes at that. Were they really mousebrained enough to believe they would do something like that, especially in the condition they were in? Still, Flamestrike couldn't blame these cats for being suspicious. They'd clearly been suffering for a few moons, under the tyranny of their leader.
"You have to trust us; we aren't going to hurt you," Spruceleaf put in, her voice soft as she locked gazes with the tabby. He looked at her warily, amber eyes gleaming with concern. "We only want peace with the Tribe."
The tabby's tense muscles seemed to relax; Flamestrike felt more than relieved when he understood these cats posed no threat. What he worried about more than anything was getting out of this alive, and, losing no allies in the process.
"The Clan cats have been nothing more than extra mouths to feed, and a waste of useful herbs," the she-cat spoke up, ignoring the glare the tabby threw her, "Stoneteller is only wasting his time with them."
That, Flamestrike could agree with. He had no doubt that this Stoneteller was about as crazy as Icestar and Russetstar. But, he also knew that Stoneteller needed to be put in his place.
"So, exactly how are we going to deal with this?" he asked, "We can't just ignore the fact that these cats need help, as much as we do."
For a moment, Flamestrike was almost afraid that the tabby would attack him right than and there. He knew he was speaking out of place, and, braced himself for whatever was about to happen next. To his surprise, though, the tabby merely looked interested.
"Very well," he flicked his tail in some form of agreement, "What do you have in mind?"
It was at that point they'd formulated a plan to stop Stoneteller once and for all. Flamestrike had quickly learned through the tabby, who was known as Strike, explained the situation. Stoneteller was meant to have what the Clans called an apprentice. Through that apprentice, it was Stoneteller's job to teach them everything about being the leader of the Tribe. However, the Stoneteller who ruled the Tribe now had taken leadership by force.
Stunned by this sudden revelation, Flamestrike realized that all of this had happened for a reason. Stoneteller was a cruel leader who only allowed those he was close to at his side. To make matters worse, he was forcing the younger cats who were known as To-Bes to fight each other until they were 'good enough'. Flamestrike shook his head at the thought. If anyone was capable of doing that, than, Flamestrike realized this cat needed to be stopped.
"If we work together, we can stop the ones who work closely with Stoneteller," Strike explained once everyone was gathered around him and the rest of the Tribe cats.
"We've been training for this moment," Stormshadow put in.
"Are there any SkyClan warriors in decent shape for battle?" Flamestrike asked, turning to Emberstar as he stood up. The orange tom gave a nod and flicked his tail, gesturing for those who were available for battle to join them.
He watched with interest as smoky black tom with yellow eyes emerged from the crowd. A muscular black tom with powerful back legs followed, along with a gray she-cat with darker gray paws. While they looked as if they had seen better days, Flamestrike also noticed they were more than ready for this fight.
"Thorntalon, Lightningstrike, Frozenfoot and Wrenflight are the strongest warriors I can spare," Emberstar explained, "Along with Birchpelt." He nodded to his deputy, who padded forward and touched Birdpaw's muzzle with her own.
"It'll feel good to fight alongside my apprentice," she meowed. Flamestrike merely nodded in agreement, knowing that this was one battle they were itching to win and get over with.
...
All was quiet as everyone fell into position. Flamestrike remained crouched beside his father and Stormshadow. Reedriver had taken his position beside Acorntail once everyone had finished discussing plans of the battle. Strike hadn't promised that those who had already suffered from injuries wouldn't be kept out of the fray. Flamestrike just hoped and prayed that no one suffered from any casualties.
"Are you sure about this?" Stormshadow asked, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"I'm positive," Oakfire nodded, looking at Flamestrike warily, "Flamestrike, I'm proud of what you've become."
For once, Flamestrike stared at his father in disbelief. Hearing those words meant more to him than he could ever imagine. A purr rose in his throat before he gave a slight nod. Going into battle with his father was something he'd always dreamed of, in more ways than one.
It wasn't until seeing movement out of the corner of his vision that Flamestrike realized too late what was happening. Stoneteller had already seen what was coming. A caterwaul of yowls echoed throughout the cave as cats flung themselves at each other. Flamestrike narrowed his eyes after grappling with a scrawny looking she-cat, whose claws raked his side and belly. Flamestrike made quick work of her, leaping out of the way before she could deal another blow. Acting fast, Flamestrike suddenly lunged forward and pinned her to the ground. With one strike of his claws, he sent her fleeing back towards the other caves where more cats seemed to emerge from.
How many cats are part of this Tribe? he wondered as he found himself facing yet another Tribe cat. The good news was, these cats were easy to deal with. Compared to fighting a fully trained warrior, they were nothing more than pushovers. Which left Flamestrike worried that he was getting in over his head, again.
"Did you honestly think I was going to make this easy?" Flamestrike stiffened when he spotted Birdpaw squaring up against someone twice her size. Malice flashed within the silvery gray tom's amber eyes as he had her pinned to the ground, claws raking her sides. Her yowls of pain were enough to make him spin around and leap towards them, only to feel another cat push him away. "I am going to make you suffer, along with the rest of your pathetic Clan!"
"No! I won't let you hurt her!" Flamestrike screeched, kicking his back legs into the belly of the larger tom who held him down.
"You're going to watch her die, along with the rest of your Clanmates," the tom merely taunted.
His look of triumph was what really ticked Flamestrike off. Flamestrike suddenly pushed back with all his might using every ounce of strength he had to kick the tom off. He didn't give a chance for the other tom to recover as he raced over towards Stoneteller and Birdpaw. Fear wormed its way into his belly when Flamestrike noticed she wasn't moving. For a moment, he thought she might have been killed. It wasn't until seeing a flicker of movement that he realized what she was playing at.
Stoneteller was taken by surprise when she launched herself at him, jabbing her claws at his muzzle and vulnerable underbelly. Even that wasn't enough to stop him, though, as he dropped down on her with all of his weight. Flamestrike held back a sigh of relief when she rolled out of the way just in time to avoid getting crushed.
"I'm not letting you take my Clan!" she spat after leaping back to her paws, glaring daggers at Stoneteller, "Not ever again!"
It was like staring at a different cat. Flamestrike watched on in amazement as she launched herself at Stoneteller, moving with the grace and speed of a fully grown cat. His jaw nearly dropped when she pinned him to the ground, this time. He may have been twice her size, but, Birdpaw was using her smaller size to her advantage. She'd confused him enough time to tire him out until he couldn't fight back any longer, using her stamina against him.
By now, the rest of Stoneteller's followers had disappeared in the heat of the battle. Flamestrike narrowed his eyes when he noticed just how small the group of cats looked without them. Had most of them been rogues, like Strike had warned them about?
"You were never the rightful leader of the Tribe!" A creamy white she-cat suddenly slipped through the crowd of cats, yellow eyes glowing with hate as she glared at Stoneteller, "You took over with force, and the Tribe of Endless Hunting is angry with you because of that!"
For a moment, Flamestrike thought he saw real fear flicker across Stoneteller's eyes. The Tribe of Endless Hunting must have been their version of StarClan. There was still so much about the Tribe that they had yet to learn.
"The Stoneteller before me was a weak-minded fool!" Stoneteller spat, ignoring the cold looks his Tribemates were giving him, "I have given our Tribe a second chance - a chance to be greater than we have been in seasons!"
"By killing innocent cats and holding an entire Clan hostage?" Strike scoffed in annoyance, "You have done nothing more than turned us into a bunch of mindless rogues, working under a tyrant."
Stoneteller looked as if he was ready to say something else in his defense when Birdpaw pressed her paw harder against him. Not for the first time, Flamestrike was amazed with how different she looked in that one moment. He couldn't shake off the feeling that she was a different cat, one with more experience in dealing with these cats than some random apprentice.
"This ends now," she hissed through clenched teeth, "I don't believe in killing others; you must leave this place, and never return."
"What right does a mere outsider have in giving orders to me?" Stoneteller shot back.
"The same rights we, as the Tribe of Rushing Waters, have in doing the same," Strike snarled, the venom in his voice enough to send shivers through Flamestrike, "You are no longer welcome here, Stone. If you are caught trespassing on our territory, we will not hesitate to kill you."
Once again, the silver tom was ready to argue when he seemed to think better of it. Instead, he narrowed his eyes with hate as Birdpaw finally released her grip on him. The cats who had followed him were already regrouping around him, looking more than terrified with the prospect of surviving on their own.
"Fine," he spat, wincing as he sat up from the wounds Birdpaw had inflicted, "You will all pay the price for this, one way or another!"
Flamestrike grimaced at the thought as he and the others finally fled from the cave. The moment Stone was gone was when it felt as if the tension from earlier slipped away. Relief flashed within Strike's eyes as he and the rest of the remaining Tribe cats gathered.
The battle was finally over. But, at what cost?