The Fate of Flat and Soot - A Warriorcats RP

A fire is coming to scorch the forest to its roots.
Look to the sky for your final hope.
Find that which thunder sought to destroy,
For only it can bring the storm.

Tensions are high in the forest. Leafbare is fast approaching and Thunderclan has too many mouths to feed. It doesn't help that Riverclan is pressing in at their border, trying once again to take back Sunningrocks. When a patrol finds two abandoned kits in the middle of the Thunderpath, Icestar is at his wits' end. Will the coming Leafbare destroy Thunderclan once and for all, or will these new kits grow to be the warriors who will save the clan?

(I'm just going to respond here, if there's a better place to put it, just let me know. )


As the dawn patrol returned to camp, Icestar sat beneath the high rock, waiting. With a flick of his grey speckled tail, he signaled Emberstorm to join him.
"Who will be the Mentors" mewed Icestar "Do you have an answer yet? If you don't decide soon, I will start looking around Tree Cut Place for a lonely Twoleg".

Emberstorm nodded. "Yes. I think Hollyfoot would be a good mentor for Sootkit. She's young and a bit impulsive, but that might be what Sootkit needs to come out of her shell. And Flatkit..." She paused, thinking of the strip of fur that still had not grown back on the kit's back. In the cold moons of leafbare, would he even be able to keep warm in the forest? "I worry more about him. He sustained injuries on the Thunderpath that may impact his apprenticeship. I wouldn't want to give him to another warrior only to have to take away their apprentice. With your permission, Icestar, I would like to mentor Flatkit until we determine whether he can survive in Thunderclan." She bowed her head respectfully to her leader. "If it becomes clear that he cannot be a warrior, I will take him to the Twolegplace myself."

Icestar paused for a second, his tail gently twitching, "That will work out well. We will have the ceremony today at sunhigh. Can you let Sunclaw know that her adopted kits are to be ready?" Icestars cold expression faltered as a smile crossed his face. "We wouldn't want a repeat of my apprentice ceremony"

As quickly as it brightened, Icestar's complexion sank back into a determined frown and he turned to leave. Before leaving to the Leader's Den, Icestar turned his head around. "Emberstorm, Rember this promise. If Flatkit cannot be a warrior. I expect you to keep it"

Emberstorm felt her heart sink and doubt clawed at her belly. Would she really be able to turn the timid kit into a worthy warrior? She forced herself to nod and sound confident as she said: "Of course, Icestar. I always keep my promises."

The words tasted bitter on her tongue as a memory flashed through her mind.
"We're gonna be warriors together, right, Emberkit?"
"The best warriors! I bet you'll be called Flickerclaw, because you'll be the fiercest warrior the clan has!"

She shook out her fur to dispel the memory and trotted off to tell Sunclaw her kits would be apprenticed soon.

Icestar sat in the leader's den, concentrating deeply on the ceremony to come. Apprentice ceremonies were not unusual but this one felt different. It was his first as leader. The words that came as second nature to every warrior, kept slipping from his mind.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather below the Highrock.” He murmured to no one in particular, over pronouncing each word to try and mask his fear. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather below the Highrock.”

The ceremony is at sunhigh. Is that normal? Is that what Treestar would have done? his thoughts were a tick, an itch that could not be ignored.

"Today we gather here to celebrate two new apprentices"
Celebrate really?
"Today we gather here to honor"
Honor
Icestar had talked himself into joining the clan. He had delayed a Riverclan attack on the Sunningrocks long. He had even projected strength in front of the entire gathering. He used to speak without thinking, a river of words.
Rivers freeze in leafbare

"Hollyfoot and Emberstorm, Flatkit and Sootkit, Hollywood and Emberstorm," Icestar repeated. "At least get the names right you mousebrained fool"

"Sunclaw?" Emberstorm called into the nursery.

"Come in," Sunclaw replied calmly. "I hope you've brought food. The kits have been bothering me all day about having another taste of blackbird."

"Er, no, I didn't, sorry," Emberstorm said as she padded into the den. "I've actually come to talk to you about Flatkit and Sootkit becoming apprentices."

She could see two pairs of eyes peeking out from behind their mother. Normally, she would expect clan kits to be springing forward with excitement at the chance to become apprentices. She remembered how eager her first apprentice, Hollyfoot, had been to go on patrol and learn to hunt and fight for her clan. She couldn't see any of that excitement in those wide, frightened eyes.

Sunclaw looked uncertain too. "Is Icestar sure they're ready?" she asked. "Maybe they could stay with me for another moon..."

Emberstorm shook her head. "He's sure," she said, "and they're getting too big for the nursery now, anyway. It's time they become apprentices, or..." She trailed off.

Sunclaw's gaze grew hard as flint. "Or what? My kits have the same right to be warriors as any others."

Emberstorm remembered the queen's grief when her biological kits had died suddenly from complications shortly before Flatkit and Sootkit had arrived. She knew these kits were Sunclaw's as much as the litter that now walked with Starclan.

Emberstorm nodded. "Of course. The ceremony is at sunhigh. Please have them ready by then."

"I will," Sunclaw said, as if the words were a challenge.

Emberstorm left the nursery and found Hollyfoot beside the fresh kill pile.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked.

Hollyfoot's eyes light up with excitement and she leapt to her paws instantly. "Of course! What is it?"

Emberstorm felt a twinge of uncertainty. She wondered if the young warrior would overwhelm Sootkit with her exuberance. Well, it was too late to change her mind now.

"Sunclaw's kits are going to be apprenticed at sunhigh, and Icestar and I agree that you should mentor Sootkit," she said.

"Really?" Hollyfoot exclaimed excitedly. "My first apprentice! You won't regret this, Emberstorm. I'm going to be the best mentor ever. I'm going to teach Sootkit everything there is to know about being a warrior and-"

"See that you do," Emberstorm said quickly, feeling the fur along her spine start to stand on end. Was she making a horrible mistake? "I know you'll be a good mentor to Sootkit," she said, trying to sound as if she believed it.

Hollyfoot seemed too excited to notice her doubt. She bounded off toward the warrior den to prepare.

Now all that was left to do was wait.

As Sunhigh approached, Icestar walked out of his den. He felt the weight of the clan's gaze press down on his lean shoulders. In the movement of their heads, he could see a reflection of his walk to the highrock, his deep breath, and his jump onto the overhang.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather before the highrock". Icestar's voice pierced through the cold leaf-fall day. It was more confident than he felt.

Emberstorm's breath caught in her throat like a tough piece of prey. This was it. No going back. Either she made Flatkit a warrior, or she doomed him to life as a kittypet. And what would Sunclaw think if Emberstorm took her adopted son away one day and never returned with him?

She couldn't think of that now. She padded up to the high rock to join her clanmates.

Sunclaw hurried Sootkit and Flatkit out of the nursery. Their fur was freshly groomed for the ceremony, although Flatkit still looked a little...unfortunate.

Hollyfoot was waiting too, practically bouncing with excitement. The apprentices-to-be were showing more restraint than her, for Starclan's sake! Emberstorm groaned.

From the highrock Icestar could see the cats filter into the clearing. Their faces weren't cold but weren't kind either. Sunclaw's warm gaze shone through the assembly of cats. Her belief in the two adopted kits was strong. That's exactly the kind of belief the Thudnerclan needs. I hope it's not misplaced.

"This sunhigh, we gather here today to name to two new apprentices" Icestar gestured as warmly as he could "Flatkit and Sootkit, could you please come forward"


With a little push from Sunclaw, the two apprentices walked toward the highrock, fear evident in their young eyes. Emberstorm and Hollyfoot stood waiting. Both of them seemed calm, although he could see Hollyfoot's eyes brimming with excitement.

Icestar gazed down at the small black kit and felt a sense of pride grow within him. This would be a day that neither of them would ever forget. "From this day forward this apprentice will be known as Sootpaw"

It felt good to get the words out, the cats were now focused on Sootpaw and not paying him any attention.
"Emberstorm" Continued Icestar, his thoughts still on the crowd, "Your strength and loyalty have been indispensable, .you taught Hollyfoot well, and I have no doubt you will do the same to Sootpaw. I expect you to pass on all that you know and more"

Emberstorm was caught off guard as she stared up at Icestar. Sootpaw? But surely Flatkit needed the attention of a somewhat-experienced warrior, rather than a brand new one like Hollyfoot... Maybe she had misspoken when she told Icestar who would mentor which kit. Or maybe he knew something she didn't. Either way, she wasn't about to question her leader in front of the clan. She stepped forward to touch noses with Sootpaw.

"And this apprentice" Icestar continued, his heart beating wildly as it dawned on him that be had broken his promise with Emberstorm "Will be known as Flatpaw"

The clipped fur tom didn't react. His eyes remained locked on the ground. His ears twitched nervously.

"Hollyfoot" stuttered Icestar, his composure quickly fading. The puzzled she-cat paused for a second. In the moment Icestar thought his heart might burst — is this how I lose my first life? But she soon stepped forward, with less excitement than before, but Hollyfoot did not make a scene.

"Hollyfoot, you are an endless source of energy. It empowers those around and has helped get the clan through its toughest moons. I hope you pass that energy and all the knowledge Emberstorm taught you down to your new apprentice."

Hollyfoot beamed at Icestar's praise, her confusion replaced by joy. She stepped forward and bent down to touch Flatpaws nose. After a moment of hesitation, the new apprentice lifted a shaking head and allowed their noses to touch.

Icestar let out a breath, perhaps louder than he would have liked, and looked around. The assembly of cats seemed to be nodding in approval. In their eyes, nothing had gone wrong. Emberstorm and Hollyleaf were busy with their new apprentices, their momentary confusion replaced by new responsibility. Only Puddlefoot seemed angry, their piercing blue eyes focused directly on Icestar. He was not looking forward to hearing what they had to say.

"What are you most excited to do now that you're an apprentice?" Emberstorm asked, forcing a purr into her words and hoping Sootpaw couldn't sense her false enthusiasm. "Maybe Hollyfoot and Flatpaw could join us on a border patrol so you can see the rest of the territory?"

"I guess," Sootpaw said, her ears nearly flat against her head. "But aren't there badgers out there? I don't want to run into a badger. Or a fox. Or an eagle."

Great Starclan, Emberstorm thought, Has there ever been such a timid apprentice? "That's what you have your mentors for," she explained, "to show you how to scent for danger and stay safe in the forest."

Sootpaw cast a longing glance at her mother and at the nursery. "We could always stay safe in camp?" she suggested hopefully.

Emberstorm felt irritation spark in her pelt, but reminded herself that she'd need to be patient with Sootpaw in a different way than she'd had to be with Hollyfoot. "We can't find prey in camp. All the cat scent scares them away, and a hungry belly can be just as dangerous as a badger in leafbare. Don't worry. I'll look after you whenever we're outside camp until you can look after yourself." If that ever happens... she thought despairingly.

She looked around for Icestar, wondering if she could catch his eye and receive some reassurance.

Icestar's off-colored eyes were no longer paying attention to the new apprentices— I have no doubt you will do the same to Sootpaw. He walked through the crowd of slowly dispersing cats and steadied himself for the conversation to come.

"You" Puddlefoot's voice was only a whisper but it still cut through Icestar "We need to talk. Now."

Then the elderly medicine cat turned around and marched into her den. With a sigh, Icestar mewed a half-hearted farewell to Emberstorm and Hollyfoot and followed the medicine cat inside.

"Are you mousebrained?" spat Puddlefoot, their fur prickling with barely suppressed rage "or are you actively trying to sabotage the clan? Because you're doing a pretty good job at it".

"What did I do wrong?" Icestar replied, his expression pained.
Puddlefoot was ready for this question: "The clan is frail. Few warriors have faith in your leadership and you made the weakest kids in memory apprentices to your deputy and her former apprentice " Their voice started to rise. "Those kits clearly aren't ready to be warriors. And you gave them to the cats riding your coattails".

"Emberstorm and Hollyfoot are two excellent warriors" Retorted Icestar "I gave them Flatkit and Sootkit because they would be ready for the challenge"

"Do not lie to me, Icestar" Puddlefoot shot back "You gave them to Emberstorm and Hollyfoot because those are the only two cats in this clan that you trust. It's as clear as the full moon on a cloudless night. A clan that has shone you nothing but kindness"

Icestar could feel his position slipping. The old medicine cat was right. He had been naive. "So what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to start leading this clan with some sense. You may have the name and the lives but that is all. You have nothing else. Stop acting like you know how to lead."

Their words stung Icestar, he had tried to be a good leader but there were no good decisions. Should he have given up the leadership position and gone back to being a warrior? Icestar's thoughts of failure so consumed him that he briefly forgot that Puddlefoot was even there. The wise old medicine cat opened their mouth to speak when Icestar cut in.

"So what would you have me do?" cried Icestar, pain welling up in his voice "What would you have me do!"

"Well, you can start by cutting the wailing" Puddlefoot's words were harsh but their tone was diplomatic "Sootpaw and Flatpaw are smart but full of fear. I fear that by making them apprentices, you have pushed them to face that fear too quickly. Perhaps they will rise above it. Or perhaps it will break them. Their fate rests in Starclan's paws now"

"Should I make them kits again"

"No, I think it's too late for that". Puddlefoot started slowly pacing, " You should have assigned them to me. After all Thunderclan does need a new medicine cat. But there's no use chasing after lost prey. We must act for the future"

"Has Starclan given you a sign?" Icestar tried not to let his voice betray his doubt.

"No, they haven't" Puddlefoot stopped their pacing and stared pensively at Icestar "But perhaps now is the time to ask. This will have been the first time since you became leader you've been to the mothermouth".

Icestar paused, his stomach growling uncomfortably. The night before had been a sleepless one and he was not looking forward to a long, hungry journey. "I shall go tonight"

"Yes! Their voice was excited "And take Lightfur. And don't come back until you have learned to ask for help"


Icestar dipped his head in thanks and walked back into the camp. Emberstorm and Hollyfoot must have taken their apprentices out of camp. A couple of warriors were still talking below the highrock, Lightfur among them. When Icestar approached they stopped.

"Lightfur, I plan on sharing tongues with Starclan tonight. I don't want to travel alone. Could you please accompany me"

'Accompany me' Who says that?

Lightfur broke off his conversation with the other warriors to look over at Icestar. This was new. The leader of Thunderclan rarely asked for his help. He knew Lightfur had disapproved of him being chosen as deputy in the first place, so he usually chose to confer with Emberstorm, the only cat who would go along with anything he said. Maybe it was a good sign he was asking him for a change, even after the obvious favoritism in his choice of mentors.

Lightfur nodded. "Of course I will accompany you. When do we leave?"

The ease by which Lightfur responded left Icestar in shock. He expected more resistance from the senior warrior. Icestar couldn't help but recall the last time he told Lightfur he was going to the mothermouth. That time the white-jawed warrior had kept that white jaw clamped shut. But even in his silence, Icestar felt the hostility.

"We leave at Sunset. Puddlefoot will prepare us traveling herbs" Icestar wanted to continue the conversation. The formality that loomed over their every conversation. But he had nothing more to say. So he turned around and walked back to the leader's den.

The sour taste of the traveling herbs lingered on Icestar's tongue long after he left camp. It made him sick. Icestar couldn't help but remember his short-lived tenure as assistant to the medicine cat. He was put in charge of chewing the increasingly confounding concoctions and watching them fail. The scent of blood. The scent of the herb. The scent of death. At some point, it became difficult to figure out where one began and the others ended. The memories washed over Icestar in a sticky tide. He couldn't breathe. He was drowning. I have no doubt you will do the same to Sootpaw

Icestar looked over at Lightfur to see if the wise warrior was disturbed— Of course not. He's implacable as ever. That's exactly what a leader should look like. What a leader should be.

In an attempt to break free from the cascade of desperate anxieties, Icestar broke the silence: "How should we travel to the mothermouth. I was thinking we cross by the great rock and skirt Riverclan and Windclan's territory"

Lightfur nodded. "That sounds like as good a plan as any. Though we'll want to make sure we can't scent any Riverclan patrols. The last thing we need is to give Reedstar and excuse to attack us."

He hoped that the Riverclan leader would respect Icestar's right to travel to Mothermouth, but with the tensions between their clans, it was impossible to know for sure. There hadn't been any casualties in the recent fights for Sunningrocks, but the battles were getting more vicious and harder to fend off. It was only a matter of time before some cat got killed.

He flexed his claws. He wasn't going to let any Thunderclan cats die on his watch. If that meant he had to spill Riverclan blood...well, he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"Do you hate me?" The words slipped out of Icestar's mouth before he could think better of it "Do you hate me for deciding to become leader instead of stepping down and letting you take command"

Lightfur blinked in surprise. He considered the question for a moment. Then he shook his head. "No," he said. "I don't hate you. I worry for Thunderclan and...I will admit, I was obviously unhappy when Treestar chose you to represent us at that gathering, but..." He sighed. "I have to trust Starclan to guide us through this and do my best for my clan in the role I have. If Starclan did not approve of you, they wouldn't have given you nine lives. Clearly they believe you can do this. If our ancestors believe in you..."

He trailed off. Did he believe in Icestar? Not yet, he decided. Even if Starclan had chosen him, Lightfur had seen little proof he was up to the task. But he'd taken a step in the right direction asking Lightfur to accompany him to Mothermouth.

"I do not think your leadership will be the end of Thunderclan," he said. "Especially if you continue to consult with what senior warriors remain. A clan does not live and die on the strength of its leader alone. That is what makes us different from rogues and loners. We help each other." He looked his leader in the eye and sincerely said:" I hope you will trust us to help you, if ever leadership seems too heavy a burden to carry alone."

"If I were you I would probably hate me" Icestar continued, for some reason finding the taboo of formality easier to break when out of camp "I was never ready to be leader, I could barely handle Longpelt and he was practically ready to be a warrior while still in the nursery".

"I often wonder that. Why Starclan didn't respond to my sleeping at the moonstone by asking me to find someone wiser". Icestar's anxiety melted away as his mouth got going "I half expected Treestar to thank me for my service and ask me to retrieve you from the Thunderclan camp".

Without waiting for a response Icestar continued "But they didn't. A great gathering stared at me for a long while and muttered among themselves. Then gave me nine lives. Perhaps they could have refused me. But I was the deputy and Treestar did die. Perhaps it doesn't matter how foolish I am. What matters is I was in the right position at the right time."

Lightfur's pelt prickled uncomfortably. "Well, I prefer to think my ancestors wouldn't make a cat leader of Thunderclan just because he happened to attend one gathering as deputy, but...perhaps you're right. I suppose the truth is: Starclan can only guide our paws so much. Sooner or later, you are going to have to find it within yourself to be the leader that Thunderclan needs, whether or not it was truly your destiny."

"I suppose that's going to happen" Icestar felt like abridging the conversation there. Lightfur was set in his ways and he would never raise so much as a paw against Starclan. They were always going to have the answers and always going to have a plan.

The two cats continued through the darkening territory, silent except for the soft patter of their footfalls. Upon reaching the fourtrees, Icestar quickly skirted the rock and forged off into the moor, following the Windclan Riverclan border out towards the moonstone. Towards Starclan. He desperately wanted to spring up onto the Great Rock and yowl his frustrations away. While some cats found the Great Rock intimidating, Icestar loved the vantage it provided. He never felt like a leader unless he stood profoundly on the boulder, staring out over the assembly of clans.

For those of you who do not already know me. I am Icefeather, the new deputy of Thunderclan. I have sad news to report, Redtooth has died of the same disease that prevents Treestar from being here today. But do not take his absence as evidence that Thunderclan would be easy prey. She wishes to protect you from the disease and avoid subjecting you to the hardships that it would entail. For it's both these hardships and our mercy that make Thunderclan strong. But if we catch any cat so much as one tail-length across our border, do not expect our claws to be so kind.

Lightfur wrinkled his nose at the mingling of Riverclan and Windclan scent. The sooner they got past this part of the journey, the better, in his opinion.

He hoped Starclan would have something to say to Icestar. Perhaps they would offer advice to resolve the conflict with Riverclan... Lightfur knew that was naive, though. The conflict had existed since before his mother's mother had walked the forest and would exist as long as the forest stood.

Perhaps Starclan would give him some words of encouragement, then. Anything to help the young Tom show the confidence a leader should display.

He noticed Icestar stand a little taller as the drew nearer to fourtrees. "I wonder if Reedstar will have anything to say at the next gathering," he remarked darkly.