[TB] STARLIGHT -- Chapter 7 (Patreon)

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For a long time, there was no sound from the onlooking cats.

Tallstar had been the eldest leader in the Clans for many seasons, his history long and the subject of stories told even by elders outside of WindClan. Crowflight remembered settling down in the elder's den as a kit and listening to Morningflower tell the tale of how Tallstar had once journeyed far beyond WindClan’s borders, a story he’d found both inspiring and cautionary.

Beyond that, Tallstar had been involved in so many things – he’d been in battles with every Clan, he had led his Clan even after being driven out by Brokentail and ShadowClan, he’d aided RiverClan when they were sick, helped ThunderClan when they were in need, suffered through WindClan’s starvation and the Great Journey...

Crowflight’s heart stuck in his throat. That great cat, possibly the greatest leader WindClan had ever known, was gone, now.

He felt like a reed bending low in the bluster of an oncoming storm, and by looking at his Clanmates he was certain they felt the same: Ryewhisper looked ready to shake out of his pelt, while Weaselpaw and Thistlepaw both looked as if their world had just ended. Webfoot and Tornear were talking worriedly with Ashfoot, who was using her shoulder to support a sorrowful Softbreeze. Smokewillow had his pelt pressed tightly against Robinwing’s, their tails twined for comfort. Whitetail paced a circle in the grass, shaking her head now and then, and Duskwhisker sat a tail-length away from any of her Clanmates, staring down at her paws.

Crowflight swallowed. Looking at them, he felt as if he had to say something – but who was he to do that? He wasn’t Mudclaw, he wasn’t Barkface, he wasn’t even a senior warrior. And what could he say, anyway, that would alleviate their grief? So, he let his hackles drop to the grass, grief washing over him like a wave.

It was Tinystar who spoke, his ice-blue eyes traveling from one WindClan cat to the next. “Tallstar was one of my best friends,” he meowed soberly. “He will be sorely missed. But he would not want you to wallow in his death – he would want you to lift your chins and forge ahead.”

Crowflight saw more than a few of his Clanmates nodding, whilst others like Tornear and Softbreeze and Duskwhisker narrowed their eyes at ThunderClan’s leader. Crowflight didn’t blame them – who was Tinystar to try to console them? He was ThunderClan’s leader, not theirs!

Tinystar seemed to sense he wasn’t wanted. He glanced over to Onewhisker and Mistyfoot, who were laying out Tallstar’s body a few tail-lengths away with Barkface hovering over them. Out in the open, Tallstar looked thin and frail, no longer the strong cat that Crowflight had looked up to as a kit, but an old cat that had pushed himself to his absolute limit, until there just wasn’t anything more to give.

“Where is Mudclaw?” asked Whitetail. The white she-cat stopped her pacing, turning to look at Tinystar. Her eyes were round. “He’s our leader now. We need him here.”

Crowflight frowned. Mudclaw had gone off hunting, and Emberstep and Thornpaw had gone looking for him and his patrol. He craned his neck to look out at the moorland over the lower hills, in the direction the two had run off in. He saw shapes there,growing closer and closer as they bounded over the hills – Mudclaw was in the lead, with Thornpaw and Emberstep beside him. Falcontail and a few other cats from the other Clans were with him.

Tinystar was oblivious to this, his back turned to the patrol. He flicked his tail at Onewhisker, drawing the lean brown tom close. “There’s something else we must talk about,” he meowed on. Onewhisker looked as if he was about to protest, but Tinystar kept going, raising his voice for the whole Clan to hear: “Before Tallstar died, he-”

Mudclaw was in listening range, now. The dark brown tabby slowed his gait, panting. He must’ve run back at full pelt once Emberstep and Thornpaw had caught up to him. Falcontail and the other members of the patrol, all equally fatigued, stepped back, letting the WindClan deputy have his space once they saw Tallstar’s body in the grass.

Crowflight also stepped out of the way. He’d used his body to keep eavesdroppers out of Tallstar’s den at his final moments, but now he sensed he was in the way. He backed himself up until he sat beside his mother, taking comfort in Ashfoot’s scent as Mudclaw approached.

“Tallstar is dead?” Mudclaw rasped. “Really?” His eyes were wide, and he stared at the black-and-white shape in the grass as if it weren’t real, waiting for the flank to heave once more as Barkface smoothed the black-and-white tom’s fur down.

Tinystar looked somewhat irritated at having been interrupted, his tail twitching. Onewhisker answered with a nod, his eyes dim.

“He died only moments ago,” Onewhisker meowed. He reached out a paw, as if to forestall his Clanmate, “But Mudclaw...”

Mudclaw did not care to listen. He took a strong step forward, pushing past Onewhisker with his chest thrust out and his shoulders squared. “Then I am WindClan’s leader, now,” he declared, his voice taut. His gaze traveled along the WindClan cats and he meowed on, “I may not be able to fill Tallstar’s great pawsteps, but I know I can lead WindClan to its new future by the lake!”

“Mudclaw! Mudclaw!” called all of WindClan – all but Onewhisker, Crowflight noted. Tinystar looked crossly at the dark warrior, and nearby Mistyfoot’s gaze was pressed firmly into her paws, as if she were willing them to take her somewhere else.

What’s going on? Crowflight thought, tipping his head. Onewhisker looked as fidgety as Ryewhisper on any normal day – did he have ants in his pelt?

“Mudclaw, we must talk,” Onewhisker insisted, taking a half-step forward.

Mudclaw frowned. “What for?” he wondered, turning to face Onewhisker. “There’s no time to waste. I’ll choose my deputy and then we can get moving to our new territory. We’ll sit our vigil and then bury Tallstar at our new camp – I'm sure he’d like that...”

By now, the other Clans had gathered up again, the news having spread like wildfire. Leopardstar and Russetstar had trotted down the slope to Tallstar’s body to pay their respects, lifting their heads to watch what was happening. ThunderClan, RiverClan, and ShadowClan warriors lined the surrounding area, and Crowflight felt like a cornered rabbit under their scrutinous gazes. They all had a right to mourn Tallstar, sure, but did they all have to be here for whatever this was?

The audience didn’t seem to bother Tinystar, who stepped between Mudclaw and Onewhisker as if he were trying to keep them from fighting one another. It was a comical sight, considering the WindClan cat’s bulk and size compared to Tinystar, but no cat here was chuckling.

Calmly, his ice blue eyes clear as starlight, Tinystar faced Mudclaw and meowed: “You are no longer deputy of WindClan.”

Shocked silence stunned every cat, even the non-WindClan spectators. What?! Crowflight felt like the wind had been knocked from his gut, and he heard Ashfoot gasp in surprise beside him. Softbreeze hissed in disbelief.

“What is this nonsense?” the queen growled.

Emberfoot was bristling a tail-length away. “Mudclaw has been our deputy for seasons! It’s by the warrior code that he is leader now.”

Mudclaw was bristling as similar confused protests sprang up from more than just the WindClan cats. Crowflight saw the flash of his claws in the grass. Crowflight wondered if he might spring at the ThunderClan leader.

He didn’t. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Mudclaw snarled. He drew himself up, looking twice his size as he glared down at Tinystar.

Tinystar was not intimidated. The crowd went dead quiet, leaning in, ears pricked to hear what the ThunderClan leader had to say. Even Crowflight found himself straining to listen. Tinystar blinked, taking in all of the curious gazes, and then sighed.

“Before he died, Tallstar removed you from your position,” Tinystar said patiently, staring at Mudclaw, “and instead made Onewhisker the deputy of WindClan in your place.”

The silence gave way to mumbles and mutters. Crowflight felt the air around him fizzle, as if his Clanmates were about to explode.

“What?!” hissed Tornear, whose eyes were wide to the whites. “Onewhisker?”

Whitetail’s tail puffed. “But why?” she wondered, eyes flashing between Onewhisker and Mudclaw. “Why would he do that?”

Emberstep lashed her tail. She glared at Tinystar, her eyes blazing. “Why should we believe you?” she snarled. “You’re ThunderClan!”

“Exactly!” Mudclaw growled. He glowered down at Tinystar, baring his teeth. “How do I know you’re not lying?”

Mudclaw’s body language was unmistakably hostile, and Crowflight worried a fight might break out. He tensed his muscles, waiting, but in reality, Crowflight wasn’t sure which side he’d be on if there was a scuffle.

“Tinystar and I were both there,” Onewhisker meowed, edging his way up to face Mudclaw, his tail low in an attempt to soothe his Clanmate. “I don’t like it much myself, Mudclaw, but it was Tallstar’s last command as leader. We need to honor that.”

Onewhisker stood now at Tinystar’s side, and Crowflight had to flinch in sympathy – that was not the best way to convince Mudclaw of his sincerity, not at the best of times and most certainly not right now.

“How convenient for you both,” Mudclaw hissed His gaze darted between Onewhisker and Tinystar. “Only the two of you got to hear Tallstar’s final words, which greatly benefit the both of you...”

“I heard it too!” Mistyfoot rushed forward, suddenly finding her paws. Her eyes were wide and her tail was fluffed with worry. “I was there!”

Crowflight blinked in surprise. He’d nearly forgotten that Mistyfoot had gone into the bush with Tinystar and Onewhisker in the commotion – but she had. That was more proof, but it was more ThunderClan proof. Crowflight swallowed nervously, kneading his paws into the earth.

Mudclaw, predictably, did not like that fact any better. “Oh?” he snapped, swinging his head around to glare at Mistyfoot, now, “and what did Tinystar promise you for going along with this? Deputyship?”

“See here!” Mistyfoot hissed, bristling.

Crowflight had to step forward – he couldn’t let Mistyfoot’s honor be challenged like this. “Mistyfoot wouldn’t lie!” he insisted. Heart pounding in his ears, he looked back at his Clanmates, who looked a horrifying mixture of confused and hostile. He could only hope that they would believe him. “I traveled with her for moons – she wouldn’t lie!”

His defense only seemed to cause more confusion – thankfully, though, the outright hostility seemed to die out, giving way to worried mews and concerned gazes. Crowflight was stunned – did his Clanmates trust his opinion that much? Or were they just so shocked by it all?

He glanced back at Mistyfoot. He was sure to his whiskers that she wasn’t lying, but the implications of all this were making his head buzz. Mistyfoot met his gaze with eyes brimming with thanks.

Crowflight’s legs shook. StarClan, let them be telling the truth!

“Onewhisker is really our deputy?” asked Weaselpaw. His voice was tentative, as if speaking out might warrant a rebuke. “Then... he’s our leader, now?”

“I am,” Onewhisker said, before Mudclaw could interject. “Tallstar appointed me deputy with his dying breaths, StarClan as his witness.” The small brown tom stepped forward and faced his Clan, his head held high. Crowflight saw that his thin tail was trembling.

Hearing that StarClan had blessed the change seemed to calm the cats even more. There were skeptical looks here and there, for sure, especially from cats in other Clans, but by Crowflight’s estimation his own Clanmates seemed assuaged. That was far more important to him.

“You must appoint a deputy,” Tinystar advised. His sidelong glance at Mudclaw was just long enough to be caught by Crowflight. “Now.”

Onewhisker started on his paws, glancing at Tinystar with a shocked expression. Crowflight suppressed a groan – taking cues from Tinystar was not the best paw to start on when leading WindClan, not when Mudclaw of all cats had just been spurned so harshly and publicly.

“Mudclaw,” Onewhisker meowed, turning his head to look back at the brown tabby. “You were Tallstar’s deputy, and you’ve done a fine job. Would you be mine, as well?”

“No,” Mudclaw answered immediately. He drew himself up, clearly trying to hide this massive blow to his pride: “I was deputy for seasons, and my time and my experience and my efforts counted for nothing in the end. Choose some other stooge.”

Onewhisker looked as if Mudclaw’s words had been a blow, and Crowflight knew they might as well have been – what the former deputy had said was the truth, after all, and Crowflight couldn’t help but feel badly for him. Mudclaw had been a good deputy, if a little aggressive, and it was no secret that he’d been purposefully taking over leadership of WindClan while Tallstar was dying – to have the chance to be leader for true taken away so abruptly, at the final moments, for reasons he might never know...

Crowflight glanced at Onewhisker. How did you expect that to go?

Onewhisker swallowed, his gaze hurt. He sighed. “Ashfoot, then,” he decided, turning away from Mudclaw. “Will you be my deputy?”

Beside Crowflight, Ashfoot looked stunned. “M-Me?” she stammered.

Onewhisker nodded. “Yes, you,” he said, giving her a smile. “You’re a smart, level-headed cat, and I’ll need that by my side now more than ever if we’re going to make it out here. Do you agree?”

Despite what had just happened, Crowflight looked eagerly at his mother, urging her to say yes. There was no cat better suited to serve as deputy, except perhaps Mudclaw. His heart swelled with possibility – he'd only ever known Deadfoot as a legendary deputy, spoken of in stories. To have his mother take the position, to see and know her as a deputy... that filled Crowflight with warmth he’d never known when listening to stories of his father.

Ashfoot glanced at her Clanmates, then at Crowflight. She met Onewhisker's hopeful eyes last. Her response was merely a nod.

“Ashfoot! Ashfoot!” called all of WindClan. Crowflight raised his voice louder than the rest, heart thumping in his ears. Even cats from the other Clans joined in. Regardless of the situation surrounding it, Ashfoot was a popular cat, and an experienced senior warrior. There was no better choice Onewhisker could’ve made.

The situation seemed to be settled, after that. Mudclaw hissed and slunk away, his tail lashing. Tornear tried to follow, but was met with snapping jaws and a harsh glare in response. Tornear glanced hopelessly at Emberfoot, who could only shrug in response.

One by one, the WindClan cats began to settle down around Tallstar’s body for his vigil, joined by older members of the other Clans that had known Tallstar in life. Webfoot settled down first, pushing his nose into Tallstar’s fur and sighing. It spurred the others on, and soon enough Tallstar was surrounded by his Clan, their heads bent in quiet meditation.

Tinystar and Onewhisker would probably have been there, too, but Tinystar drew Onewhisker aside and began to talk to him. Leopardstar and Russetstar joined them, with Blackfoot, Tawnypelt, and Ashfoot as well. As their conversation drew them to the old stump, Crowflight guessed they were bringing Onewhisker up to speed on the border situation, something Mudclaw had already negotiated.

Crowflight searched for Mudclaw. His former mentor was a dark shape on the shore of the lake, glaring out at the island. Part of him felt badly – he wanted to reach out to Mudclaw, find a way to show him that this wouldn’t be so bad.

He knew Mudclaw better than that, though.

Crowflight looked away from the former deputy and sighed. He glanced at his Clanmates, who were arranged around Tallstar’s body in a circle, and knew he ought to join them – but he just couldn’t. Not yet.

He spotted Mistyfoot at the edge of the crowd around Tallstar’s body and padded towards her. He sat beside the ThunderClan she-cat, his body feeling exhausted despite having only woken up a few hours ago.

Crowflight glanced at her. He was sure Mistyfoot was a bundle of anxiety after all of this, but there was a question Crowflight had to know the answer to.

“Is it true?” he asked, his voice low. “Did Tallstar really change deputies?”

Mistyfoot blinked in surprise, as if she’d just noticed he was there. It seemed to take a moment for her to register that it was Crowflight, and he recognized that it’d been a long, strange day for her, too.

Still, Crowflight stared up at her. He’d defended her, he was sure she wasn’t lying, but he had to know, and he had to know it from her.

“He did,” Mistyfoot responded. She swallowed, her paws shifting, uncertain. “But...”

“But?” A flash of fear crept up Crowflight’s pelt. ‘But’ what?

Mistyfoot looked down at her paws anxiously. “I’m sure StarClan was there, watching,” she said, her voice impossibly quiet, “and they’d probably have said or done something if it were the wrong thing to do – but... I don’t think he did it right.”

Crowflight’s shoulder fur bristled. He lay it flat quickly, conscious of the eyes of others.

Mistyfoot curled her tail tightly around her body. “I’m not the right cat to judge whether or not Tallstar did the right thing, but he did it. If StarClan has a problem, I’m sure they’ll let us know, one way or another...”

Crowflight’s mouth went dry. It sounded very much like she was trying to convince herself of that, which was certainly not helpful to him or WindClan right now.

“You mean that Onewhisker isn’t legitimate?” he hissed, grinding his teeth together. If that’s true, then...

“Tallstar was dying, Crowflight,” Mistyfoot reminded him blithely. “I think StarClan will probably forgive him messing up the ceremony – whatever that ceremony was supposed to be...”

Crowflight wanted to respond, but Tinystar’s voice from the stump interrupted him, calling for Mistyfoot. The blue-gray she-cat sighed and dipped her head to Crowflight apologetically, trotting to her leader’s side a moment later.

He was dying when he named me, Crowflight thought, staring after her hopelessly. She sat down beside Tinystar and Onewhisker, her posture as relaxed as she could make it. He had no trouble calling me Crowflight with the right words then!

Crowflight found himself bristling. He didn’t think that Mistyfoot was lying about anything, but now he wished she had – if it got out that Onewhisker wasn’t properly named deputy... It's bad enough that it happened in the first place!

A soft scent crossed his nose, and his fur lay flat at the smell of it. Shadepaw was by his side, her tail gently curled around his haunches.

“We’ll be setting out soon, no doubt,” she meowed, her voice quiet.

Crowflight could only grunt in response. Sunhigh had long passed, now, and it felt like it should already be night with how long the day had seemed so far. Time hadn’t mattered while Tallstar lay dead and his Clanmates bickered over leadership.

He glanced at the tortoiseshell she-cat. He’d expected her to ask after him, but she hadn’t yet. That was unusual enough, but the troubled way she looked at Tallstar’s body worried Crowflight even more.

Crowflight lay a paw on hers. Everyone was so busy with Tallstar’s vigil that no cat would notice. Even if they did, Shadepaw being worried was enough to make Crowflight not care. “What’s wrong?” he asked her.

Shadepaw’s ear twitched. “I was just thinking...”

Crowflight frowned. “About what?”

“I had a dream, not long ago,” Shadepaw admitted, “the night before we arrived here. I dreamed we were by the lake, and that everything was fine; but then suddenly the earth began to rumble, and the moor split in two.”

Crowflight bristled. He couldn’t properly see the whole of the moorland from here, but he had to look, just to make sure that Shadepaw’s dream had not suddenly become reality. His heart thudded in his ears. Could such a thing really happen?

“I passed it off for a plain old nightmare at the time, because why would I dream of something like that? I’ve never dreamed about something happening to another Clan.” Shadepaw’s voice was quiet, filled with immeasurable worry. “But I think what happened today confirmed to me that it’s something more than that.”

“Confirmed what?” Crowflight wondered, his tongue like sand.

“WindClan is in trouble,” Shadepaw explained. “Tallstar is gone, and Onewhisker is now leader... but there’s no Moonstone, Crowflight!” Her eyes looked up at him, full of worry. “Who knows what will happen?”

Almost as one, the two of them turned their heads around to look at Mudclaw, who was still standing on his own on the lake shore. An ominous feeling crept up Crowflight’s pelt, and he guessed the same was happening to Shadepaw.

Crowflight felt his heart catch in his throat.

Without a Moonstone, there was no way to ask StarClan for the truth.