[TB AU] LEOPARDSTAR'S LIE -- Chapter 7 (Patreon)

<< INDEX || Chapter 6 || Chapter 7 || Chapter 8 >>

“Heavystep, take Leafwhisker and Stormfur out hunting. After that, Leafwhisker, do you mind taking out the evening patrol?”

“I don’t,” answered the tabby tom.

Brackenflight nodded in understanding. “Take whoever you like. Who wants to take the evening hunting patrol?”

“I’ll do it,” offered Dawnflower, raising her tail in the crowd.

“Good,” Brackenflight agreed. “I’ll come with you. Maybe we can try near the outskirts, past the small Thunderpath? We haven’t hunted there in a few days – we need all we can get in this weather.”

Leopardstar had to agree. She shivered from where she sat, watching Brackenflight. Leaf-bare had taken hold of the forest again, and snow had piled up in thick, fluffy layers outside the shelter of the willows. The river was all but entirely frozen, and the fish were sleeping in the water’s depths.

She scanned the crowd of warriors and tried to keep a frown from her face. If they saw her worry, they would worry. RiverClan always struggled during leaf-bare – every Clan did, but no other Clan had their main source of food become utterly inaccessible for three or four whole moons. This leaf-bare was already proving to be colder and harsher than the last.

“You have your duties,” Brackenflight meowed on. “Get going.”

As the cats dispersed, Brackenflight glanced back at Leopardstar, her gaze questioning. “How did I do that time?” she wondered.

“Fine,” Leopardstar meowed. “Just fine.”

Brackenflight nodded, looking pleased. The senior warrior had taken over for Tawnypelt when the Clan deputy took herself into the nursery to have her kits two moons ago. Tawnypelt had enough worries - what with having three kits to care for during the Clan’s hardest season - that Leopardstar had insisted she appoint some cat to take her place until the kits didn’t need her constant attention.

“Oh, yes,” Brackenflight mewed, breaking into Leopardstar’s thoughts. “It’s Falconpaw and Mothpaw’s assessment today, isn’t it?”

Leopardstar’s ears pricked. She hadn’t forgotten. “Yes – I’ll be there most of the day. Will you be all right?”

“Of course,” Brackenflight insisted. She lifted her chin. “The Clan can function without you for a few hours.”

Leopardstar twitched an ear. She knew Brackenflight – a cat at least two seasons her senior – didn’t like the way Leopardstar watched her, but Leoaprdstar wasn’t about to let up. In these cold, unforgiving moons, the last thing Leopardstar wanted was a slip in leadership. The promise of a full belly and safety had led her into Bluestar’s claws, after all. I will not have RiverClan become so desperate, ever again!

“I’ll be heading out after I stop by the nursery,” Leopardstar told Brackenflight. “Have Blackclaw and Ripplecloud meet me in the training area.”

Brackenflight nodded, getting to her paws. As she strode over to the mentors and their eager apprentices, Leopardstar trotted herself over to the nursery.

Every Clan leader ought to take an interest in the Clan’s kittens, but Leopardstar herself hadn’t been known to visit the nursery often, aside from when she had Falconpaw and Mothpaw. However, with her deputy and closest friend nursing… Leopardstar felt herself drawn in, anxious to see to Tawnypelt’s well-being.

The nursery was far warmer than any other part of RiverClan camp, and it was tempting to stay there as Leopardstar felt the cold melt from her pelt. Mosspelt’s nest was empty – the queen preferred to stay in the nursery, but she’d gone out on the dawn patrol this morning to stretch her legs. Leopardstar was grateful for that – Mosspelt never forgave Leopardstar for LionClan, but she was still willing to do her part.

Tawnypelt was the only queen with kits in RiverClan at the moment. She was lying on her side, grunting as a golden tabby kit scrambled over her to get to his sister. Rosekit wailed as Goldenkit’s giant body tumbled down onto her, trapping her in the moss.

Leopardstar stepped over to the warring kittens, gently taking Goldenkit’s scruff in her jaws and lifting him off of his sister. Goldenkit wriggled, trying to throw his weight around, but he was only two moons old. Leopardstar put him down beside his brother, Reedkit, who was huddled up at Tawnypelt’s side.

“Thanks,” Tawnypelt breathed. She pulled Rosekit over to her with a paw, licking down her daughter’s fur. “They’re getting stir-crazy in here.”

“It’s too cold for them outside,” Leopardstar pointed out, sitting down on her haunches. “Think you can last another moon?”

“StarClan, I hope so,” Tawnypelt sighed. She tucked Rosekit in with her brothers, and the three kittens began to fuss and nurse.

Leopardstar looked over the three kittens. Their father was Root, the loner that had helped Tawnypelt and Blackclaw avenge the death of their daughter Thrushflight several moons ago. Leopardstar hadn’t been totally surprised when Tawnypelt told her – they had grown close on that journey, and Root had lingered near RiverClan territory for some time.

“Goldenkit looks like his father,” Tawnypelt meowed, as if she could guess Leopardstar’s thoughts. “He has Tigerstar’s shoulders, though.”

Leopardstar had to agree. “He’ll be a bully if he keeps growing so much,” she mewed.

Tawnypelt sighed. “I certainly hope not!” She adjusted herself, laying her head down on her edge of her nest. “Speaking of kits… how are Falconpaw and Mothpaw?”

“They’re well,” Leopardstar answered. “They have a combat assessment today. Ripplecloud says Mothpaw is more than ready.”

“Good,” Tawnypelt mewed. “I’d hate for her to fall behind because of me.”

“Ripplecloud was an excellent choice,” Leopardstar agreed. “He was a good mentor for Stormfur.”

“Well, once these three are weaned I’ll be able to take over again,” Tawnypelt insisted. “I love them to bits, but I can’t wait to get out of here!”

Leopardstar purred.

“Will we see Root when leaf-bare is over?” asked Goldenkit. He’d lifted his head from his mother’s belly, his ears pricked. Rosekit and Reedkit, curious, sat up as well.

Tawnypelt answered, “Maybe. He did say he would come back in newleaf.”

“Great!” Rosekit squealed. Her patchy fur was bristling with excitement. “I want to show him all around camp!”

“Me, too!” Reedkit agreed, his eyes bright.

“Now, now, only if that’s all right with Leopardstar,” Tawnypelt insisted. “Root isn’t a Clan cat, remember? He doesn’t live with us.”

“I wish he did,” Rosekit sighed.

Tawnypelt licked her daughter’s ear. “I know you do, dear one, but Root simply doesn’t like being around so many cats. He’s much happier being a loner. You’d rather he be happy, right?”

“Right,” Rosekit agreed.

Leopardstar felt an uncomfortable prickle. They don’t seem bothered at all that a loner is their father, she thought, glancing at Tawnypelt. The tortoiseshell queen had told her kits about their father at the earliest opportunity. The loner had even stayed in the Clan a few days when the kittens were born, leaving before the snows made it too hard for him to travel. Root had even mentioned wanting to be around for their warrior ceremony!

Leopardstar couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. What kind of father would Darkstripe have been, had he lived? Had he known? Leopardstar could only imagine him trying to stick his ugly head into her nursery, or trying to teach Mothpaw and Falconpaw violent fighting moves. The thought of him anywhere near her kits made her want to retch.

“Leopardstar,” urged Tawnypelt, “you don’t want to be late for the assessment.”

Swallowing, Leopardstar murmured her agreement. “I’ll leave you four be, then,” she said. Touching her nose to Tawnypelt’s forehead, she promised, “Fresh-kill should be coming soon.”

Leopardstar turned away from her friend and her family, heading out of the nursery and trotting towards the camp entrance. As she pushed her way through the reed tunnel and out into the snowy world, Leopardstar couldn’t keep her mind off of Tawnypelt’s kits.

They still cared about their father, even if they couldn’t see him constantly. They seemed alright with the idea that Root just didn’t like Clan life. Leopardstar couldn’t help but think back to when Falconpaw and Mothpaw asked about their own father, moons ago.

What would they think now, if she told them? I’ve kept it from them for so long already…

Leopardstar didn’t have all that long to think on it – the smooth clearing where RiverClan did their training wasn’t far from camp, marked by a tall old willow. There was a cluster of old rabbit warrens just over the nearby hill for hunting practice – and holding half-Clan prisoners, Leopardstar thought bitterly – and the river wasn’t too far away for swimming lessons.

The snow had been mostly swept away; the slush pounded down to rough earth by cat’s paws. Blackclaw and Ripplecloud were there already, Mothpaw and Falconpaw sitting before them.

“There you are!” Mothpaw mewed, eyes brightening as she caught sight of Leopardstar. “Mother!”

Falconpaw’s eyes met Leopardstar’s, and she lifted her chin. She didn’t need her kittens thinking she was worried – they were more sensitive to that sort of thing than the Clan. She shook away her worries as she slipped into the clearing, taking her place off to the side and towards the edge.

“I’m sorry for being late,” she meowed, curling her tail around her paws. To Ripplecloud and Blackclaw, she nodded her head and stated, “You may begin.”

Mothpaw went first. She demonstrated her fighting skills against Ripplecloud, and Leopardstar smiled to herself. Her daughter was as graceful as any RiverClan cat, and Leopardstar knew that Mothpaw’s natural beauty would make other cats underestimate her easily. Any warrior caught distracted would feel Mothpaw’s heavy blows.

When Mothpaw was done, it was Falconpaw’s turn. He demonstrated the same moves, but where Mothpaw had flair and fancy, Falconpaw was all efficiency. He was leaner than Mothpaw, and slightly smaller, which made his techniques come faster than his sister’s. He’ll be a strong warrior when he’s older, Leopardstar thought. Nothing at all like his father.

“Next is the mock battle,” Blackclaw announced. Both he and Ripplecloud stepped away, moving to sit on either side of Leopardstar.

Mothpaw and Falconpaw moved to the center of the clearing, staring one another down. Mothpaw’s fur was fluffed, her stance wide. Falconpaw was more reserved, only his tail-tip flicking. Leopardstar could tell he was taking this very seriously – perhaps too seriously.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Ripplecloud meowed.

Falconpaw moved first, dirt scattering under his paws as he flung himself at his sister. Leopardstar’s ears pricked, concern flickering through her as she saw Mothpaw’s shock. Falconpaw was moving like a snake, ducking and weaving in the space between himself and Mothpaw, thoroughly confusing her before he moved in to tackle her from the side.

“Where did he learn that?” Leopardstar wondered to Blackclaw. Mothpaw and Falconpaw were wrestling on the cold earth, pummeling one another with their paws. His approach vaguely reminded Leopardstar of a ShadowClan fighting technique. We haven’t fought ShadowClan in seasons!

Blackclaw shrugged. “He came up with it himself,” he meowed. Eyes sparkling with confidence, he went on, “He’s a very bright apprentice.”

“Mothpaw is, too,” Ripplecloud offered. Mothpaw had finally managed to get the upper paw, using her weight to unbalance Falconpaw and put him on the defensive. Falconpaw’s paws passed harmlessly through her thick pelt. “She’s slick as a minnow!”

Leopardstar watched, curious, as her kittens battled. It was so different from watching them play-fight as kits – now they knew warrior’s techniques, ways to cause real damage not just to others, but to one another. If claws were unsheathed… Leopardstar could easily imagine their blood spattering the earth, and her stomach turned over.

I can’t think about this as if I’m their mother! She insisted to herself. I’m their leader above all!

Mothpaw and Falconpaw battled until sunhigh. They parted, panting, their pelts covered in snow and dirt. Falconpaw had been the clear winner, but Leopardstar knew that this wasn’t that kind of assessment.

“Both of you did well,” she announced. Mothpaw beamed, and Falconpaw did his best to look indifferent. Leopardstar looked back at Blackclaw and Ripplecloud. “I think they’re both clear to learn more advanced techniques.”

“They’ll be a force to be reckoned with,” Blackclaw promised, raising his chin proudly. Ripplecloud nodded in agreement.

Turning back to the apprentices again, Leopardstar meowed, “Go back to camp and get yourselves a piece of fresh-kill – you’ve earned it. Keep up the good effort, and you’ll both be warriors before greenleaf.”

“Hear that?” Mothpaw breathed. She looked at Falconpaw, eyes shining. “Before greenleaf!”

Falconpaw scoffed. “You, maybe. I want to be a warrior before newleaf!”

“As if!” Mothpaw meowed, whiskers twitching. She mussed the fur between Falconpaw’s ears. “There’s still so much for both of us to learn! Why rush?”

Falconpaw bristled, eyes flashing, and wrapped his forelegs around Mothpaw’s neck, tackling her to the ground again.

“The assessment is over,” Ripplecloud meowed sternly, stepping forward. His eyes were hard. “No more of this.”

Leopardstar got to her paws. The look in his eyes… That flash of annoyance in her son’s yellow gaze had looked so cold. Falconpaw and Mothpaw wrestled for a moment more before they separated, Mothpaw kicking Falconpaw off of her with her hind paws.

“Sorry,” Mothpaw mewed, huffing in the dirt.

Falconpaw didn’t meet Ripplecloud’s eye. “Sorry.”

“You can use that extra energy to clean out the elder’s den, before you’ve eaten,” Blackclaw decided. Both Mothpaw and Falconpaw groaned. “I’m sure they would appreciate it.”

Leopardstar sighed. Apprentices! Always looking to pull at the whiskers of their seniors. “Head back to camp,” she ordered.

Mothpaw and Falconpaw got to their paws, the idea of passing their assessment tempered by their punishment for being so overzealous. They headed for the trail back to camp together, passing by their mentors and Leopardstar on the way.

“At least they don’t have ticks right now,” Mothpaw decided, her tone chipper.

Falconpaw only grunted.

Leopardstar touched her nose to Mothpaw’s, then reached out for Falconpaw, only to see him pull away. Her pelt prickled as she watched him go. Blackclaw and Ripplecloud took off in the opposite direction, announcing that they intended to hunt on their way home. Leopardstar absently waved them off with her tail.

She thought of the look in Falconpaw’s eye, and his coldness. Leopardstar had hoped her son would warm up to her with time, but… Perhaps it’s just too late for that, now, she thought. He’s been cross with me for what feels like forever.

Again, she thought of Tawnypelt’s kits. None of them seemed so unreasonably upset with their mother. Was it because they knew about Root? Would telling her kits about Darkstripe be what it took for Falconpaw to come around? Leopardstar always felt so wretched when he looked like he was looking past her.

It has to improve with time, she thought. She recalled a phase of her life where everything Mudfur had done embarrassed her. It didn’t matter that whether she knew her parents or not, that attitude had faded away.

Why should this be any different?

———————————————————-

“Are you certain everything will be all right while we’re gone?” Leopardstar asked, looking levelly into Tawnypelt’s eyes.

The Clan deputy raised her chin. It had been half a moon since Tawnypelt’s kits were weaned, and she was able to resume her duties as Clan deputy. Tawnypelt had wasted no time filling in her old position and taking over Mothpaw’s training again – she still slept in the nursery and took care of her kittens with every spare moment, but no cat doubted her ability to shoulder the burden of both mother and deputy.

“Everything will be fine,” Tawnypelt insisted. Her eyes flashed with annoyance. “But I’m going to have a talk with Dawnflower today – she's been late to patrols and distracted while hunting these past few days, and I’ve just about had enough of it.”

Leopardstar glanced across the clearing, spotting Dawnflower creeping out of the warrior’s den. The pale she-cat stretched, yawning. If one warrior’s laziness was the only problem in the Clan right now, that was all right with Leopardstar.

Tawnypelt twitched an ear. “Feathertail is bad enough,” she muttered. “I don’t need her attitude traveling to the rest of the Clan.”

Leopardstar had to agree there – ever since Feathertail had come back from the fox-hunting mission in newleaf, she’d been noticeably distancing herself from her Clanmates, choosing to hunt on her own and preferring her own company. Such isolationist behavior was unusual in a Clan cat.

Feathertail preforms her duties well enough, Leopardstar thought. Perhaps an apprentice might change her mood? Leopardstar questioned herself, though; was it worth rewarding Feathertail’s behavior with an apprentice? The only kits in the Clan right now are Tawnypelt’s - we’ll have to see if she earns the right.

"Do what you think is best,” Leopardstar decided in the end. Her stomach churned, hunger clawing at her belly. “I need to be off, if we’re to make it to Highstones before sundown.”

“Good luck,” Tawnypelt offered, touching her nose to Leopardstar’s ear. “I know you’re going to see StarClan and all, but have fun!”

Leopardstar twitched her tail at Tawnypelt. She looked to the apprentice’s den and found that Hawkpaw and Mothpaw were swallowing down their traveling herbs – it seemed like Mothpaw was having a better time of it than Falconpaw. Leopardstar saw her son’s face twist at the taste, and she stifled a purr. I remember my first taste of traveling herbs!

She crossed the clearing in long, confident strides. “Let’s get moving,” she announced to her kits.

Mothpaw and Falconpaw got to their paws, both licking their lips. Mothpaw’s eyes were bright and excited, but Falconpaw looked unenthused. He had questioned why apprentices needed to bother going to the Moonstone with leaders at all the night before:

“It just seems pointless,” he had muttered. “It’s not like we can see StarClan.”

“But StarClan sees us!” Mothpaw had said.

“Mothpaw is right,” Leopardstar had purred. “StarClan watches over us all, and making the trip to the Moonstone is a rite of passage for every Clan apprentice. You may not commune with StarClan the way Mudfur or I do, but every Clan cat is connected to our ancestors. This journey is about exploring that connection, and what it means to each individual cat.”

Falconpaw’s muzzle had twisted into a thoughtful frown. “I guess,” he had finally conceded.

Putting her mind to the present, Leopardstar led the way out of camp, tail up, her kits following. Stormfur’s patrol paused at the camp entrance, dipping their heads as they passed and offering good-byes as the three cats slipped out into RiverClan territory.

“We’ll make our way first to Fourtrees,” Leopardstar announced. She put her paws on the path to the Twoleg bridge that spanned over the river. She looked up at the sky, measuring the sun. “We’re a little late in setting out,” she determined, watching the clouds pass over the sun, “but we’ll get there on time if we keep a steady pace.”

The three of them walked in relative quiet, picking their way down the gentle slopes that led to the river. Leopardstar’s stomach twinged as the smell of the water hit her scent glands, and she pushed the feeling away – a cat who intended to speak with StarClan could not eat beforehand.

“Keep an eye out for Twolegs,” Leopardstar meowed as they approached the Twoleg bridge. It was a structure that had been in RiverClan territory for as long as Leopardstar had been alive – several long, flat pieces of wood that formed a path over the deep water below. She paused at the verge of the bridge, glancing back at Mothpaw and Falconpaw. “What do you smell?”

Falconpaw opened his jaws obediently, while Mothpaw gave the old wood a sniff. Leopardstar herself couldn’t scent Twolegs at all – they hardly used the bridge, or the trail it was on, during leaf-bare. If they had more fur, maybe!

“Nothing,” Falconpaw reported.

“Good,” Leopardstar agreed. She brushed her muzzle against the wood to leave RiverClan scent there. “Mothpaw, lead the way across.”

Mothpaw lifted her tail and trotted ahead, fearless of the water below. Leopardstar took up the rear as they crossed, her pads scraping against the smooth wood. She took a moment to look at the frozen river below between the slats of wood that lined the bridge’s edges. No Twolegs have been on the water yet this season, she thought.

That was both a blessing and a curse. Twolegs on the frozen water didn’t just mean Twolegs on their territory – it also meant that they would cut holes in the ice. Though Twolegs used those holes for their own strange way of fishing, they also served as a way for RiverClan to hunt fish during the frozen moons.

Leopardstar stepped off of the bridge, taking the lead again as the trail to Fourtrees wound close to ThunderClan. She took a moment to sniff the borders, asking Mothpaw and Falconpaw to keep an eye out for enemy warriors. The Twoleg path was clear, though, and the border was freshly-marked on ThunderClan’s side not long ago. Leopardstar took the chance to mark RiverClan’s side, just on the edge of the Twoleg path.

They passed the Owl Tree and, soon enough, Fourtrees loomed ahead.

Leopardstar relaxed a little as the three of them entered the neutral territory. She took a deep breath, scenting faint traces of all four Clans, leftover from the last Gathering. Snow had gathered in the clearing since, burying the roots of the four Great Oaks that encircled the little valley. Though they were leafless right now, their old, spindly branches reached for the sky just as proudly.

“Oh, wow!” Mothpaw gasped. “This is so pretty!”

“I guess,” Falconpaw muttered.

Mothpaw looked at the Great Rock, and her haunches wiggled. “I want to go up there!” she decided. Looking up at Leopardstar, she begged, “Can I?”

Before Leopardstar could reply, Falconpaw grunted, “Of course not – we can’t waste time playing around, Mothpaw!”

Leopardstar flicked an ear. She didn’t like Falconpaw’s tone, but... “He’s right,” Leopardstar conceded, feeling a pang of guilt as Mothpaw’s face fell. “Perhaps on the way back?”

The compromise seemed to satisfy Mothpaw. “Okay! Don’t forget!”

Leopardstar’s whiskers twitched. “Why so eager? Does my daughter aim high?” She wouldn’t be surprised if either of her kittens wanted to be leader like their mother one day – in fact, she hoped that was so.

Mothpaw’s eyes shone. “Well, Feathertail said she went up there once – she said the view was amazing!”

Falconpaw rolled his eyes.

Leopardstar’s tail twitched. “Oh, did she, now?”

Mothpaw nodded her head. “I’d like to see it, too!”

“Only because Feathertail did,” Falconpaw mocked, curling his lip. “If she jumped into the gorge you’d run right after her!”

“I would not!” Mothpaw protested hotly.

“Would too!”

Leopardstar blinked, confused. She studied Mothpaw’s stance, how defensive and fluffed up she was. There was no mistaking it. Does she... have a crush on Feathertail? Leopardstar wondered. When did that happen?

“And why not, then?” Mothpaw contested. “Feathertail is a brave warrior!” She puffed out her chest. “And she thinks I’ll be a good warrior, too!”

“So does Tawnypelt, but you don’t look at her like a moonstruck hare!” Falconpaw countered, lashing his tail with frustration. He glanced up at Leopardstar and added, “You should hear her in the apprentice’s den – Feathertail this, Feathertail that! It’s so annoying!”

A pebble of discomfort settled in Leopardstar’s belly. She didn’t mind that Mothpaw had a crush, no, but was it really Feathertail? Not only was she the most standoffish warrior in RiverClan right now, but she was half-Clan – and worse, her father, Graystripe, was Darkstripe’s half-brother.

But the kits don’t know that. If they did, Leopardstar had no doubt that Mothpaw wouldn’t be bickering with Falconpaw about her crush, or looking up to Feathertail with such admiration. Leopardstar hoped the snow at her paws would hide the way her claws sank into the cold earth. And now is a bad time to tell them...

Bitterly, deep down, she knew that this was yet another problem that Tawnypelt’s kits would not have to face. But the idea of telling her children now felt like leaping from the very top of one of the Great Oaks. Why had it been so easy for Tawnypelt?

Because Root isn’t a name used to scare kittens. Root didn’t work with a cat who tried to destroy the Clans. Tawnypelt had made it seem so simple, but it just wasn’t, not for Leopardstar. How could Mothpaw or Falconpaw ever trust her, or themselves, if they knew that she had been lying about it for so long?

“Enough,” she decided, lifting her chin. “We need to keep moving – we'll be entering WindClan territory from here, so the chatter must to be minimal.”

Falconpaw tossed Mothpaw an almost victorious look, while Mothpaw mutinously shut her jaws. Leopardstar sighed and passed between them, raising her tail for them to follow as she padded up the far slope.

I’ll tell them when I’m ready! She thought stubbornly, as they crossed the border into WindClan territory. Between them and Highstones lay hilly, treeless, snowy moorland – but it might as well have been the Twolegplace as thoughts of how best to broach the topic of her kits’ parentage buzzed through her mind like hornets around their nest.