Another chapter! Long time coming! I hope you enjoy it!
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"Do Tawnypelt and Hawkfrost enjoy eating lizards?" Tigerstar turned his head to glance over his shoulder. Watching Firestar jade green eye's narrow in fascination as the she-cat disturbed a lizard basking on a rock; it whisked down a crack when her shadow fell on it.
"They don't necessarily enjoy eating lizards." Tigerstar said vaguely.
It was a big adjustment to his kits when they first arrived in ShadowClan. It took a long period of time for them to get used to their new Clan and Clanmates. Settling into a new routine and different way of life that was similar but also jarringly different to their old ones. They had the same warrior code but it was interpreted differently within their father's Clan.
Tigerstar is still convinced that Tawnypelt had converted to ShadowClan's way of life more easily than Hawkfrost did. That made him worry sometimes. The fact his daughter was able to adjust so quickly as his son struggled so hard just to find his place in the Clan. Also that first leaf-bare got rid of any harboring reluctance they had to eat a few lizards and frogs. Tigerstar was proud of both of them regardless.
Firestar let out a nonverbal sound of acknowledgement as she quickened her steps to pad side-by-side with the ShadowClan leader. Tigerstar in turn slowed down his pace so that the flame-pelted ThunderClan leader could keep up. The pair walked in sync for the duration of following the river. Though eventually they came upon a pile of reddish boulders blocking the gorge they had found themselves in due to the river. It annoyed Tigerstar that they had so many obstacles in the way.
He pulled himself up the pile of rocks, Firestar scrambling behind him, and peered cautiously over the top. Directly below him, water flows smoothly out of a gaping black hole into a round pool before winding away down the gorge and out of sight.
This is it! Tigerstar thought to himself. Surveying everything that he could with just his eyes. This is what my ancestors settled for after being chased out of their former territory.
Firestar's smaller stature finally made it atop the pile of rocks where Tigerstar was admiring the gorge from where they stood. The ThunderClan was out of breath, this much traveling was taking a lot out of the smaller she-cat, although she was faster, her stamina was limited to her body size. Tigerstar let her catch her breath before saying, "I believe this is where SkyClan had settled."
The flame-pelted she-cat nodded. "I think so too. There seems to be signs that a group of cats could make a home here."
Tigerstar nodded in agreement as he spotted several caves, dark, narrow openings tucked underneath the cliff. Narrow trails zigzagging across the cliff face, leading from one cave to the rest. Those caves would make good dens, and depending on the size and how many openings they have, they would make for good defense, especially if the assailant had to climb up the cliff to reach them. They'd easily be swatted off. Those trails were also narrowed and stepped, only big enough for only one cat to use, meaning that there would be no passing each other, another great defense. The way it was so open made it easy for anyone on watch. Although the downside was that there were many places for enemies to hide with all the caves and crevices. Also--
"So this is it." Firestar's voice shook Tigerstar out of his inner defense planning. "Do you think we should have a proper look at it?"
Tigerstar nodded in agreement and began taking the lead as he carefully maneuvered around boulders and steep narrowed trails, keeping one pale amber eye on Firestar to make sure the flame-pelted she-cat didn't slip and fall. A cat of Tigerstar's size would lead either to a sprain and something broken, a cat of Firestar's size would end up dead from a fall from this high up.
When they safely reached the bottom Tigerstar led them through a slow viewing of the deep rocky ravine. They began by checking out what Tigerclaw perceived as dens, the first den they checked was indeed the biggest and what they both deemed the warriors den. The den was nothing like ShadowClan's own dens, mainly because all the dens were caves made of stones, with sheer walls and sandy floors. Though it did provide protection just from wind and rain and even the heat, high enough that no chance of a flood can reach it. It was an ideal defense point just as he thought with how cautious one needed in order to climb.
So far SkyClan's camp was nothing like the tall shaded pine trees that covered the majority of ShadowClan's territory and it's wet marshes, his den under the roots of the oak tree with his moss and pine needle nest, nothing like the thorn bush nursery or the thorn wall that surrounded ShadowClan's camp, the large bramble bush that made up the warriors den, and just the diversify in every aspect of his Clan. Here, in the place that SkyClan had settled, it was all the same. Same stones, same cliffs, and same gorge and ravine. Would Tigerstar have gotten used to it? Just like he did ShadowClan if he was driven out and had nowhere in the forest to go.
The dark brown tabby leader came to sit on the very edge of the den that overlooked the place where SkyClan once settled their camp and began contemplating. Where would he be now if he never had a life in the forest? In ThunderClan? If he never became a ThunderClan warrior, or its deputy, if he never met Firestar and had their kits. If he hadn't restored the dying ShadowClan and became its leader. There were a lot of "if's" and Tigerstar didn't want to deep dive into them so soon.
Instead he closed his eyes and once he opened them again he wasn't where he was supposed to be. Instead of there being an empty ravine there was now a bustling encamp filled with cats that just seemed to be going about their lives. Miserable as most appeared to be. Some of these cat's he vaguely recognized from past dreams and visions. These were most definitely SkyClan warriors and this is more than likely the place that they had settled after fleeing the forest.
Tigerstar sighed, rubbing a massive paw over his ears before moving, walking towards the top of the cliff to be 'out of the way'. He eventually perched atop a cliff jutting over part of the ravine, giving him a good view. He watched as the phantasm of long past SkyClan warriors continued on with no awareness of the spectator watching them from the future.
Just watching them, Tigerstar felt a sudden yearning to want to learn, to know these cat's and how they lived. He remembered the words that his mother said, she told him that they were descendants of these cat's and he was curious as to which one of these SkyClan warriors he was from. It was hard to narrow it down, especially with countless seasons and generations between him and the original SkyClan warriors. His ancestor could look starkly different from himself. Though Tigerclaw knew it was a tom.
"Whatever you do, I'll do it too," Tigerstar murmured to himself as he eyed each SkyClan warrior in turn that passed by. "Show me everything and tell me how. This all means something and yet nothing to me. I can see there is so much to learn, it's all so close and yet so far. Please, come to me and guide my paw's."
Tigerstar took a deep breath and blinked. The vision of the SkyClan warriors disappearing entirely. Firestar's soft pelt brushing against his side drew Tigerstar from his thoughts. The dark brown tabby leader turned his attention to her and she looked up into his amber eyes with a look of understanding.
"Let's get some sleep." Firestar meowed, gesturing inside the den behind them. "We can search some more tomorrow, right now we should get some rest."
Read sounded good to Tigerstar in that moment and tiredly he followed Firestar inside. Hoping that tomorrow would give them clearer answers and a clearer mind.
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Tigerstar nuzzles into the warm body next to him. He curls around it, getting closer, loving the scent and the way it's tickling his nose right now. He feels a soft touch rubbing up and down his back. A purr escapes out of his throat, his large front paws flexed in pleasure. The touch moves lower, and a soft willowy tail wrapped around and squeezing his tail twice.
Tigerstar jolts awake, ears twitching as his amber eyes open up wide. He sits up and looks down seeing Firestar lying underneath him, his former mate blinking warmly up at him as she squeezes his tail again.
"Good morning." Firestar greeted him warmly, sitting up and stretching as he watched her.
Tigerstar hadn't slept beside anyone since becoming ShadowClan's leader. Or at least nobody besides his kits. Mainly Tawnypelt when she annoyingly used her sixth sense to know when he had a bad day and knew not to leave him alone with his thoughts. So waking up beside Firestar once again after so many moons without her was surreal.
"Good morning," Tigerclaw echoed, blinking away the feeling. "We've much to do today."
Firestar nodded in agreement, letting out a heavy sigh. "I know but where do we even start?"
"We'll search around and see what we find." Tigerstar replied, wanting to give her a more definite answer but he didn't have one.
It was a blessing from StarClan that Firestar didn't argue with him. She didn't have any definite plans either on what they needed to do for the long lost SkyClan cats.
It was as they were stretching and about to go catch some prey that they heard the sound of rustling and faint voices.
Tigerstar was instantly on the defensive, his thoughts turning back to the memory of him taking down the haughty Dodge and the not so far-fetched idea that he might have followed him to get some revenge. But he wasn't going to jump to any conclusions yet.
Both he and Firestar shared a look, both knowing that they needed to investigate, and so both decided to creep slowly towards the entrance. The faint voices grow louder and more clearer.
"Is he here?" a cat meowed nervously.
"I think so!"
Tigerstar cautiously peaked his head out of the den, trying to get a good look up at the cliff side, but was taken back as a pebble flew down from the cliff top, bopping him right atop his head.
Tigerstar wasn't even fazed, he could hardly even feel the pebble as it rolled off his head and landed right between his paws. But he was annoyed. Someone with the audacity to throw a rock at him was going to lead to a long talking too.
"Stay here." Tigerstar murmured as he slipped out the den, sticking close to the shadows of the jutting cliff rocks, his dark coat helping him blend in. And he snuck his way right at the time without alerting anyone to his presence.
Slinking his way through the gorse bushes he eyed up what seemed to be a dark tabby tom, the other a smaller tortoiseshell. They both had the appearance of well-fed kittypets and the horrible reek of Twolegplace, already he didn't like them.
"Hey, Moony, we got you a little something!"
Tigerstar spied one of the kittypets with a paw hovering over the body of a mouse. It had obviously been dead for days; white maggots were wriggling through the remains of its fur. The stink of it could be smelt all the way over to the gorse bush that Tigerstar was hiding inside. The intent was clear, they were going to push that piece of crowfood over the edge.
It filled him with an icy rage. A waste of fresh-kill would have anyone in his Clan sentenced to clearing out the dirt den with their muzzles for a moon. And for another reason was that Firestar was still down there and might end up getting it thrown on her.
With a growl rumbling in his throat Tigerstar stretched to his full height and proudly walked out of the gorse bush with a sneer on his face. Tigerstar knew he was intimidating, and he used that to his full advantage. "And just what are going to do with that?"
If a cat could leave their body and be harshly shoved back into it then the expressions on these two kittypets were that of dying and coming back to life slowly when they whipped around and found Tigerstar appeared before them.
Their eyes were stretched wide as moons that only appeared to get bigger as Tigerstar slid out his unusually long, sharp claws. "Well?" Tigerstar dryly prompted them. Thinking that maybe he had done a bit too good of a job scary them as they were now slack jawed and unblinking and unresponsive.
Tigerstar sat down and slid his claws back in, which caused the two kittypets to each let out a loud exhale of relief.
"I - I- w-we--" the tom couldn't seem to get a proper sentence out while the she-cat wasn't able to do anything but stand frozen in place.
"Well from my point of view," if they weren't going to talk then Tigerstar would. "It seems that you both have no consideration for others. You are seeming to waste resources for others to survive. And you hit me with a pebble."
"W-we're sorr--"
"Please don't kill us!" Both cats spoke over each other but the she-cats was blurted louder.
Tigerstar gave them both an unimpressed look as he wryly retorted. "I'm not going to kill you over a pebble."
The two cats looked ready to keel over in relief, but tensed again as Tigerstar continued. "But I do expect an apology and an explanation."
"What--Yes! Yes! Please forgive us!" The dark tabby tom exclaimed, as the tortoiseshell she-cat hastily nodded along.
"So, now explain why you were throwing things at me?" Tigerstar demanded, watching as the two grappled with what to say.
"We didn't mean to throw it at you." The she-cat finally managed to say.
"That may be true," Tigerstar meowed. "But you were trying to do it to someone else. Now who was it?" Tigerstar needed to be compared in case someone else was occupying the former SkyClan camp. He wanted to know if they were dangerous or not or if perhaps he and Firestar would have to confront this cat or simply leave well enough alone.
The pair shared a look before replying, "just this crazy old cat," the she-cat replied. "He doesn't live here, but he comes here every full moon, and sits on that rock that sticks out over the gorge. He spends ages staring up at the moon—that's why we call him Moony."
"Then he sleeps one night in that cave before he goes away again," the tabby added.
The she-cat gave a disdainful sniff. "Every cat around here knows that he's mad. If you try to talk to him, he just tells you weird stories about cats in the stars."
"--stories about cats in the stars." Tigerstar echoed, a tingling sensation going up his spine. That wasn't solid evidence but it was a close step in signs that SkyClan used to live here.
"Mad, isn't it?" The tortoiseshell she-cat hesitantly meowed.
Tigerstar didn't reply, his thoughts turning towards this Moony. If anything it wouldn't hurt to speak with him. If he comes once a full moon, which reminds Tigerstar of a Gathering, then it might be something worth investigating. Maybe, just maybe, this Moony might know about SkyClan in some way.
"C-can we leave now?" The tabby politely asked, his yellow eyes avoiding direct eye contact with Tigerstar's pale amber ones.
Tigerstar felt as though he'd frightened them enough. Also, they've given him a good lead on discovering the remains of SkyClan. With a single nod of his massive head, Tigerstar let them know he needn't anything else from them.
"Now before you both run off," Tigerstar halted them in their tracks, watching the fear spike once again. "What are your name's?"
"I'm Boris, and she's my sister Cherry," the tabby blurted hurriedly, as if delaying an answer would anger Tigerstar.
"Cherry and Boris." Tigerstar slowly drew out. "I'll make sure to remember you both."
That sent the two kittypets running through the bushes and Tigerstar couldn't control his mrrow of laughter anymore.
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Fun Facts
Neither Hawkfrost nor Tawnypelt like eating lizards. Tigerstar basically told them to eat everything he puts on their plates like a good father should.
Tigerstar having visions!
Tigerstar rethinking his life.
Tigerstar x Firestar moments that totally won't cause issues later!
Tigerstar just taking enjoyment out of scaring some kittypets, nothing to see here folks!
Probably how that conversation between Tigerstar and Firestar is going to go when he goes back:
Firestar: Why did you do that to those kittypets?
Tigerstar: I thought it would be fun at the time…and I was right.
Firestar: …. It's moments like this that I question why I fell in love with you in the first place.