Chapter Sixteen: A Lost Cause
Sandstrike followed the patrol back through Thunderclan territory, with Tigerclaw heading them in Lionheart's place. She felt numb with guilt, and hardly felt her paws on the forest floor. Before she knew it, she was passing through the gorse tunnel. Expectant faces turned towards the patrol, eyes bright with interest. Sandstrike avoided their gazes. What was supposed to be a triumph turned into a great loss.
The patrol moved to the base of the Highrock where Bluestar waited. The apprentices had joined their denmates, silently grieving. Bluestar observed Lionheart's absence, her eyes dark.
"Tigerclaw," She murmured, bowing her head. "Tell me what happened."
"We found Whitestorm with the help of some kittypets. He had joined Brokenstar's rogues, and several rogues that lived in the twolegplace," Tigerclaw began. "We ambushed them, but we were heavily outnumbered, and despite the rogue's lack of fighting ability, we became outmatched. Lionheart called for a retreat, but he was already overwhelmed. He couldn't escape the dozens of enemies we fought. I tried to turn back and help him, but there was no way to save him," Tigerclaw said. His regretful voice broke through Sandstrike's grief. She'd heard him lie too many times, she knew now how to detect one of his lies.
"You lie," Sandstrike choked. The nearby cats turned to her.
"What was that?" Tigerclaw asked, having not heard her. His voice held a veiled hostility.
"You tell lies!" Sandstrike spat. "You didn't try to save Lionheart! You sat by, safely, and did nothing but watch as Lionheart was torn to shreds!"
"Tigerclaw, is this true?" Bluestar narrowed her ice-blue eyes.
"Why would I sit back and allow my clanmate to be slaughtered?" Tigerclaw answered with a question, avoiding it. "I'm loyal, I would do anything to ensure that a cat of Thunderclan, especially someone as important as a deputy, would return home safely. My best isn't always enough," He bowed his head humbly.
"Answer the question!" Sandstrike snarled. She spun around, her green eyes blazing. This was it. This was when she brought all of Tigerclaw's crimes to light. "Graystripe! You tried to free Lionheart from the rogues! Did you see Tigerclaw fighting alongside you? Did you see him anywhere?"
"No-" Graystripe gave Sandstrike a glare when she tried to interrupt. "But the battle was chaotic, and I was nearly blinded by the number of rogues around me. I wouldn't have been able to see Tigerclaw if he'd been a tail length away."
"Really?" Sandstrike hissed. "The night of your warrior vigil, what did Ravenleap tell you?" Graystripe turned his yellow gaze to his paws. "He told you his secret, didn't he? What was it?"
"Ravenleap had been injured in battle, he was scared and it was dark," Graystripe muttered awkwardly. "His retelling of the battle of Sunningrocks was… different from Tigerclaw's. I never believed him anyways. Fireheart was delusional enough to believe him, but they're both dead and gone now. It doesn't matter."
Sandstrike's triumph, her anticipation, turned to desperation. How would she make them see?
"He killed Lynxpaw!" Sandstrike announced. "Darkstripe came to get him only so he could be tortured and killed in front of me!"
"You think a Clan cat is capable of the cruelty Lynxpaw suffered?" Bluestar questioned sceptically.
"This monster is," Sandstrike glared at Tigerclaw. The great tabby came to stand beside Sandstrike.
"Why, exactly, would I want to kill Lionheart?" He asked skeptically, looming over her.
"To be deputy. It's no secret you're ambitious. I can't have been the only one to see your face when Lionheart replaced Redtail," Sandstrike answered promptly.
"Ambition is not a trait of an evil cat," Bluestar interrupted. "I myself held a lot of ambition as a young cat, and it guided my paws to being Sunstar's successor. Just because Tigerclaw wanted Lionheart's role doesn't mean he would do terrible things to get it."
"But what of Thistleclaw?" Longtail patrol had slipped back into camp to watch the debate. "He was Tigerclaw's mentor, and we all know he was a rather ruthless, bloodthirsty cat. Mentors and apprentices form strong bonds, and a mentor often passes down their values and even their personality. They're a big influence on a cat's life."
If only I had listened more to my mentor, Sandstrike thought sadly. He had so much wisdom to give.
"I am not my mentor," Tigerclaw snarled. "Nor am I my father! When he betrayed his clan, I made a promise to myself to ensure that I would never become the cat who walked before me."
"So you vowed to never be honorable? Cowardly or not, Pinestar still followed the warrior code!" Sandstrike yowled.
Tigerclaw bent down to whisper into Sandstrike's ear. "You'll never convince them. Their respect is too deeply rooted. However, I'm sure they'd be more willing to believe you if you told them the whole truth. Including…" His amber eyes sparkled maliciously. "Your own paw in the crimes." Sandstrike's stomach twisted with guilt. She knew she'd done horrible things, but what about Longtail? He had blood on his paws as well, but he hadn't been as willing as Sandstrike. Everyone knew he used to hang out with Tigerclaw, and while she could use it to her advantage, she couldn't bear to see him die. It wouldn't help her consciousness. He was in danger, just as she was. Tigerclaw held threats over both of them, and if he made good on them, it wouldn't take much work to turn the whole clan on them. Tigerclaw noticed the submission in her gaze and straightened up.
"She is grief stricken," He told the clan. "She has lost her love, Fireheart, her brother, Lynxpaw, and her uncle, Lionheart, in such a short amount of time. Grief can drive cats mad, she doesn't know what she's saying."
"And are you the best judge of that?" Longtail spoke up. "I don't recall you ever training as a medicine cat. What could you know about grief, and how horribly it affects the mind?"
"I've lost my sisters, my mother, my mentor, my leader, my dear friends, Lionheart and Redtail, and also dealt with the betrayal of my best friend, Whitestorm," Tigerclaw said somberly. "I have had much to grieve."
"Enough of this petty arguing!" Bluestar shouted angrily. "We are getting nowhere, but I'm afraid Tigerclaw has the better reasoning here. I must think and grieve, then appoint a new deputy. We should all be mourning, not arguing over his death. It sounds to me that nothing could have saved him."
Sandstrike trailed off to the warriors' den, passing her mother on the way in. She couldn't find any words right now. She wished she could comfort her mother, but she couldn't even comfort herself. She'd been so determined to execute the crime well, she'd left no way to untangle the web of lies she'd spun. At this point, she was simply digging her own grave, and it kept getting deeper, with no way out. Sandstrike was tired. She collapsed into her nest, her wounds stinging. The pain in her heart was much worse.