[TB] TWILIGHT -- Chapter 8 (Patreon)

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“Great, just what we need,” Cloudtail hissed. Shadepool felt her Clanmate's thick pelt bush as the she-cat shifted position. “What're they doing all the way out here?”

“We can take three of them,” Sootfur insisted between his teeth. “We outnumber them two to one, Tinystar.”

No! Alarm rang in Shadepool's ears, and she stared desperately at the back of her father's head. Crowflight and his patrol were coming closer and closer, and Shadepool hoped to StarClan that her father wouldn't give the order to attack.

“We're not here to shed blood,” Tinystar reasoned. He glanced around at his patrol, and meowed sternly, “Sheathe your claws, all of you!”

Shadepool sighed with relief. Thank you, StarClan!

Graystripe was nodding along. “It wouldn't look good for us if we attacked them,” he pointed out, “not if we're here to investigate.”

Reluctantly, Sootfur and Cloudtail both backed down. Their defensive position did not change, but Shadepool did see the outright aggression fade from her Clanmates' faces. The ringing in Shadepool's ears dulled into a low hum of anxiety as Crowflight met them at the foot of the hill.

With him was Duskwhisker and a warrior Shadepool needed a moment to recognize - Emberstep. She flinched at the gray she-cat's presence: Emberstep had rallied behind Mudstar's rebellion, even after Crowflight had managed to sway the rest of WindClan to Onewhisker's side. Her being here was not a good sign.

“ThunderClan!” Emberstep hissed, the fur between her shoulders bristling. She glared at Crowflight. “I'll go back and get reinforcements-”

“Hold,” Crowflight ordered, waving his tail.

Emberstep spat in protest, and even Duskwhisker, Crowflight's close friend, looked angry and uncomfortable as Crowflight took a step forward to confront the ThunderClan cats.

He was assessing the situation, Shadepool knew - the way his dark blue eyes passed along each cat, calculating their strengths and weaknesses so that if it did come to a fight, he and his Clanmates would scrape by. It was something that Stoneheart had taught him, on their journey.

His eyes met Shadepool's, and she saw his body language relax.

“Why are you here?” Crowflight asked Tinystar, blinking evenly. “And why have you brought your medicine cat?”

“Last I checked, this wasn't WindClan territory,” Tinystar remarked. “We do not need your permission to be here.” He slipped from the defensive line to meet Crowflight in the middle of the two patrols. His tail-tip twitched to and fro, the only sign of uncertainty.

Shadepool's paws fidgeted nervously. Tinystar had said not to pick a fight, but did he really want to pull on Crowflight's whiskers?

“We've been patrolling this area since the ambush,” Duskwhisker answered, her eyes narrowed. “Just in case whoever killed Onewhisker comes back.”

Emberstep scoffed: “And wouldn't you know it - they have!”

“See here, fox-breath!” Cinderpelt hissed, stepping forward. The fur along her shoulders bristled. Beside her, Sootfur and Cloudtail looked ready to pounce, and Shadepool felt alarm buzzing in her head again, a hornet trapped in a wall of thorns.

Emberstep hissed a challenge, her tail lashing aggressively, and Shadepool saw the sharpness of Duskwhisker's shoulders as she hunched down, about to lunge.

“Enough,” growled Tinystar. “We're not here for a fight!”

“Tell that to them,” Sootfur complained. He glared at Emberstep, who bared her teeth in return. “They think they can just accuse us of murder and get away with it?”

“Keep calm, youngster,” Graystripe muttered.

Tinystar sighed. To Crowflight, he explained, “We're here to investigate the site of the ambush for ourselves. Shadepool has come to offer any insight a medicine cat might bring.” He narrowed his gaze at Sootfur. “We are not here to start fights!”

The ThunderClan warriors backed down, with varying degrees of reluctance. Sootfur still looked like he wanted to rearrange Emberstep's face, and the WindClan she-cat was certainly not helping that in any regard. At least Duskwhisker had the sense to step back behind Crowflight.

Crowflight's eyes narrowed, slightly. “Did you not believe us at the Gathering?” he asked, raising his chin at Tinystar.

“I don't think you lied about what you saw or scented,” Tinystar meowed carefully, “but no cat knows ThunderClan scent like ThunderClan. Onewhisker was my friend, and I want this feud ended before it turns into something far worse than accusations in the moonlight.”

“You realize there's not much left there, right?” Duskwhisker pointed out, her tone just shy of openly mocking Tinystar. “It's been more than a quarter-moon, and the blizzards and snowstorms have wiped out everything.”

“There's nothing my nose can't do,” Cloudtail insisted, puffing out her chest. “I'm the best tracker in ThunderClan.”

Shadepool guessed that she wanted to say “in all the Clans,” but thought better of it - that would've been especially insulting to Emberstep, whom Crowflight had claimed to be one of WindClan's best trackers. Regardless of Cloudtail's foresight, however, the lean gray she-cat still looked annoyed.

Perhaps that's just how she always is, Shadepool thought, annoyed. There's one in every Clan.

“Very well,” Crowflight meowed, dipping his head. “We will escort you to the ambush site.”

“You can't be serious!” Emberstep's tail puffed out again, and she glared at Crowflight. “This is just a waste of time! We should drive them out!”

Crowflight turned his muzzle to his Clanmate. “This isn't our territory, Emberstep; there's no reason to drive them off.”

“It should be our territory!” the wiry she-cat hissed.

“Regardless,” Crowflight went on, his tone measured, “there's no harm in them looking around. Who knows what they'll find?”

“Probably nothing,” Duskwhisker groaned. She sounded more exhausted with the arguing than the idea of ThunderClan's investigating. She waved her tail. “Let's get moving, then.”

“Follow me,” Crowflight ordered.

The dark tom strode ahead, heading away from the river. Though Sootfur grumbled under his breath, and Cinderpelt muttered about “bad WindClan manners,” they fell in line behind him. Shadepool was still herded into the middle, just behind Tinystar and Graystripe, while Emberstep and Duskwhisker took up positions at their flanks, herding the rest of the patrol between them.

Shadepool felt her heart thudding in her chest, a mix of nerves and worry curdling in her stomach. Ahead, she watched Crowflight walk, leading them around the foot of the big hill. She had hoped to see some glimpse of him out here, but not in such a tense situation like this!

It's not like we can be affectionate here. Any hint that Crowflight favored her would be instantly caught by a cat like Emberstep or Cinderpelt, or worse, Tinystar. Crowflight's position as the deputy was already tenuous, what with his youth and never having had an apprentice, and something like that would likely bring it all down on his head, sign from StarClan or not.

Beyond the big hill was a small hollow, a little resting place enclosed on all sides by the slopes of more hills and a view of the Divide's waters. It reminded Shadepool of a smaller version of WindClan's camp, almost. The ground here was tough, and many boulders of varying shapes were littered on the ground and embedded in the hills. Snow didn't seem to find it easy to collect in the shallow scoop. The ground sloped down here, too, almost pulling the cats into its center.

Shadepool felt a prickle of fear go up her spine - it looked like this place was the perfect nest for something evil to hide in. It reminded her of Snakerocks back in the old forest. She could certainly imagine a horrible ambush happening here.

“These were once badger sets,” Crowflight meowed, stepping into the hollow. His steps were cautious, as if the badgers were still here. “There are holes like these all over the hills around these parts, but there hasn't been anything big living in them for seasons from what we understand.”

“Barkface hid in one of them, then?” Cinderpelt guessed. She looked around the hollow. “Which one?”

Crowflight gestured to one side, to a small slit beneath a huge boulder that looked like it led into endless darkness. Shadepool balked - she couldn't imagine a cat squeezing into so narrow a place, much less a badger.

“How'd he manage that?” Sootfur gasped, echoing her thoughts. He peered down into the small gap. “A kit would have a hard time fitting in down here!”

Crowflight sighed. “No idea,” he admitted. “It must have been the shock. At any rate, we had to dig him out.”

Shadepool saw evidence of that, off to the side. The claw marks were still visible in the cold-stiffened earth. She bent down to sniff and caught only the very faintest whiff of WindClan. She couldn't tell who exactly had done the digging.

“Spread out,” Tinystar ordered. His voice bounced off the hills, making him sound like he was right in Shadepool's ears. “If you find anything, anything at all, speak up.”

The ThunderClan cats split up, putting their noses to the ground. Sootfur, Graystripe, and Cinderpelt took the rocks and the upper hills, while Tinystar and Cloudtail were looking for wherever Onewhisker had died. Emberstep and Duskwhisker took to the hillsides, both looking very uncomfortable with the idea of lingering here but watching all the same, crouching like hunting hawks in trees.

Shadepool stayed near the hole Barkface had hidden in. If the others needed her, they would call for her. She hunkered down and stared into the depths, her whiskers trembling as they brushed the stone.

Her heart ached - she could imagine a terrified, injured Barkface struggling to pull himself beneath the stone, looking for any sort of shelter. Even as her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she found it difficult to see anything, and the blackness of the old badger set seemed to go on forever.

“We found Onewhisker over here,” Crowflight mewed behind her. He was talking to Tinystar and Cloudtail. “We think Barkface might've been struck first, but Onewhisker likely drew their attacker's attention so that he could escape.”

“Was Barkface any good at fighting?” Cloudtail asked, her tone curious.

“WindClan doesn't teach their medicine cats to fight,” Crowflight responded matter-of-factly. “He could use his claws, sure, but there's no way he was strong enough to take on a fully-trained warrior, or even a rogue.”

“Shadepool can fight,” Sootfur pointed out. “She said you lot taught her how.”

Shadepool pulled her head away from the hole, feeling her pelt prickle with embarrassment.

“We did,” Crowflight confirmed. He glanced at Shadepool awkwardly. “As best as we could, anyway.”

“Focus,” Tinystar ordered. “Shadepool, come here.”

Shadepool obeyed, grateful that her father had forced a change in subject. He, Cloudtail, and Crowflight were staring at a flat patch of stony, barren earth, and Shadepool guessed that this was where Onewhisker had fallen. She took a step back and observed, ignoring the shiver that ran down her spine at the thought.

It looked as if the weather hadn't touched this place - there were dark spots on the pebbles that might've been very old blood, and Shadepool could see deep gouges from cat's claws, long and parallel, like the ones where Crowflight and the WindClan warriors had dug out Barkface. There was a significant disturbance here - Onewhisker had fought hard.

No fur, Shadepool thought dismally. It would be next to impossible to identify the attacker by claw marks alone - there were just too many to try, and a cat's paws were generally similar in shape and size. Fur would've been the easiest way to narrow things down, and it might've held some scent - but the wind must have blown away any that lingered, or the kill was just that clean despite the struggle.

Cloudtail grimaced. “I'm barely getting anything,” she complained. “Some WindClan, some blood, and sure, some ThunderClan, too, but I can't tell who it is.”

Shadepool's stomach clenched. If Cloudtail was scenting ThunderClan in the earth, then surely that meant it really was a ThunderClan cat! She looked at her father, who was glaring down at the ground as if he wanted to set it aflame.

“Are you sure?” Tinystar asked, his tone tight.

“I scent it,” Cloudtail admitted plainly. Cinderpelt and Graystripe came away from their own investigations to listen, looking unnerved. Cloudtail mewed on, her tone frustrated: “But it's so faint - fainter than Onewhisker's, when it should be just as strong. Almost like...”

“Like what?” Crowflight wondered, his whiskers twitching.

Cloudtail sighed, her eyes blazing. She hunkered down and scrabbled at the ground, loosening some of the dirt.

“Look,” she meowed as she did, pushing a bit of the loose topsoil towards Crowflight. “You can smell Onewhisker here pretty plainly, right? He's WindClan to his bones - the scent is in every part of him, down to the sweat off his paws. But the ThunderClan scent isn't like that. If it were a ThunderClan cat, it would be just as strong as Onewhisker's is.”

“But it's not,” Shadepool guessed, “because it wasn't a ThunderClan cat?”

Cloudtail nodded, and she looked at Crowflight. “Believe me or don't, but my guess is some cat rolled in ThunderClan scent markers and then came here to do them in - it would explain why their scent is so superficial, even in leafbare.”

“You can't believe that rubbish, can you?” Emberstep growled indignantly. She thrust herself forward, going muzzle to muzzle with Cloudtail. “I know what I smelled!”

Cloudtail bared her teeth. “Maybe you smelled what you wanted to smell!” she retorted. “A mouse can be a shrew if you want it to be!”

“Emberstep, back down!” Crowflight snapped. He took her by the scruff and pulled her aside, before she attacked Cloudtail, spitting her out a tail-length away.

Emberstep was bristling from ears to tail. “You'd take their word over mine?!” she snarled, her spine bent in a sharp arc.

“I'm willing to listen,” Crowflight countered firmly. The fur between his shoulders bristled. “This could confirm a possibility we considered, but tossed away!” He stood between his Clanmate at the ThunderClan patrol, and Shadepool admired his bravery, feeling warmth in her toes.

“That still doesn't answer who did it, though,” Duskwhisker pointed out blithely. Her yellow eyes narrowed at the ThunderClan cats, and on Cloudtail particularly: “Not to mention that it makes little sense as to why some random passerby would roll in ThunderClan scent and specifically kill WindClan warriors. How would they even know to do that?” Her lips tightened. “I'm sorry, but 'maybe' doesn't cut it in this case. You could sniff that dirt and say anything about it, and it'd be just as meaningless to us.”

Shadepool's heart sank. Were they really going to dismiss the possibility so resolutely? She stared at Crowflight, willing him to keep fighting for the idea.

ThunderClan aren't murderers! She thought desperately. No true Clan cat would do this!

Crowflight sat back and sighed. He looked at Tinystar, and meowed, “Duskwhisker does have a point. You've no reason to tell us the truth.”

“I don't lie,” Tinystar declared in a rough tone, “and neither would Cloudtail.”

“Maybe not,” Crowflight mused, his voice thoughtful, “or maybe a ThunderClan cat acted of their own volition. We don't know, and that's the point.”

“Then work with us,” Tinystar insisted. His eyes flashed, and his mew grew pleading: “We can figure this out together!”

Crowflight's ears flattened, and Shadepool knew he wanted to agree - she wished to StarClan he would - but he shook his muzzle in the end.

“Coward!” hissed Sootfur.

Shadepool wanted to leap to Crowflight's defense, but to her surprise, Tinystar did it for her: “That's enough,” he said sharply, glaring at Sootfur. When the gray warrior backed down, Tinystar looked back at Crowflight.

“You're in a difficult position,” Tinystar meowed carefully, “and I understand that. I wasn't much older than you when I was deputy, and ThunderClan was facing some of its darkest days. It's hard.”

Crowflight said nothing.

“I do not want war with WindClan,” Tinystar went on. “I want to figure this out - together, if possible. If it's not, then so be it - but I will prove my Clan's innocence and defend our honor.”

While Crowflight didn't respond immediately, Emberstep slid forward, coming close to Tinystar's muzzle. She hissed, “I think it's time you left.”

Cinderpelt hissed, “You can't be serious!”

“But we're not done!” Shadepool meowed.

“Oh, I think you are,” Emberstep shot back, glaring talons at Shadepool.

Shadepool flinched back at the hatred in the other she-cat's gaze, but she still had her voice: “What about where Barkface hid? We haven't even looked there!”

Duskwhisker came up beside Emberstep, her posture low and dangerous, and even Crowflight echoed his Clanmate: “I agree. You should leave.”

Shadepool turned her gaze on Crowflight, willing him to listen, to let them stay just a little longer - there could be something they were all missing that could solve everything! But Crowflight seemed to be doing everything he could not to look her way. Shadepool understood why, deep down, but it still hurt.

The WindClan deputy lowered his muzzle, his back arcing just enough to be threatening despite how outnumbered he and his patrol were. “Leave,” he hissed. “ThunderClan has done enough here already.”

Sootfur spat, and Cinderpelt hissed at Emberstep, with the thin gray she-cat responding in kind. Cloudtail slapped the dirt with her paws, baring her teeth in defiance. The thick fur of Graystripe's neck was standing up. Shadepool ducked down, tucking her tail close as she glanced at Tinystar - it would only take an order from her father for this place to erupt into fighting.

Tinystar stared levelly at Crowflight. “Consider your actions, today and onward,” he advised, his tone treading the line between danger and concern. “You are WindClan's deputy, and there is power in that place.”

“Shut your mouth, ThunderClan!” hissed Emberstep. She lashed out with a paw, coming a hair's breadth from slicing one of Tinystar's whisker's off.

Tinystar was unmoved. He stared at Crowflight for a little longer before turning about and ordering, “ThunderClan! We're leaving.”

Shadepool trembled. Reluctantly, the others began to follow her father away, and she knew she had to follow - but she couldn't help but stare at Crowflight, the bees of alarm and fear once again buzzing in her trapped mind.

She knew Crowflight better than any cat - surely he wasn't going to just ignore what they had learned?