Chapter Text
Leaves crunched beneath his paws as he and Cinderpelt quietly made their way home. Somehow, the young medicine cat had convinced him not to even stop at Barley's barn to eat, and he found that he was regretting his decision.
"Quit looking like a hungry kit," Cinderpelt teased, her eyes full of energy despite the long journey. She also carried a light spring in her step.
He guessed that he felt the same; he was just made leader, after all.
Wow. Leader. That's crazy.
It had felt just like yesterday when he had been reborn and was forced to relive a life he was unfamiliar with. How would his apprentice-self react to the news of him becoming the leader?
He sighed, a light breeze simultaneously ruffled his coat as he did so. Leaffall already being in session meant that eventually, the overwhelming doom of Leafbare would approach.
The faint smell of cat wafted into his senses, and he glanced around wildly. Cinderpelt noticed as well, her spine fur prickling with tension and apprehension.
One of the surrounding thickets rustled, and Ravenstar bristled. It could be anyone, Redstar, Thistleclaw, a rogue–
Graystripe burst through, mumbling a string of incoherent curses before meeting their alarmed gazes. He chuckled sheepishly, quickly picking out small twigs from his burly coat.
"Graystripe, you oaf!" Cinderpelt snapped, although there was no real bite to it. She shook her fur before forcefully flattening it, clearly still not over the spark of fear that the warrior had ignited.
"I know, I know," he sighed, before his gaze excitedly lit up. "Ravenwing! I mean, Ravenstar! Wow, that has a real ring to it, huh?" He circled Ravenstar, looking him up and down; Ravenstar ducked his head self-consciously.
"I haven't changed," he insisted, "I'm still the cat you grew up with."
"Yes, but you're the leader now," Graystripe pointed out.
Before he could retort, Mousefur and Runningwind emerged from the brush, exasperated looks on both of their faces.
"Graystripe!" Mousefur snapped, mirroring Cinderpelt's reaction from a few moments ago. "You can't just wander off like that!"
Runningwind nodded in silent agreement, fixating a glare on Graystripe. The warrior noticeably shrank into himself, and he shrugged. Although Ravenstar suspected it wasn't enough to quench Mousefur's annoyance.
She respectfully bowed her head to him and Cinderpelt, before ushering Graystripe away, Runningwind following closely behind. The medicine cat sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Okay, now, hopefully without any more interruptions, we can get home. You need to name a deputy, after all."
He nodded, a pang of anxiety flickering from within. He had completely forgotten about that! He blinked furiously, trying to ease away the coming frustration that made his eyes glaze over.
He could feel Cinderpelt's worried gaze on him, and he forced himself to regain control over his emotions. He could worry about that later. Right now, he had a clan to take care of.
"Okay," he muttered, "let's get home."
By the time they arrived, half of the clan was present, and he felt all eyes dart to him the second he emerged from the gorse tunnel. Longtail whispered something into Darkstripe's ear, and Bramblepaw watched him with guarded curiosity. Out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted Whitestorm sitting with a thoughtful expression, as if he were studying his every move. Anxiety pierced him like a thorn in his side. They had been so supportive when he had been chosen; what was the difference now?
Cinderpelt nudged him reassuringly, snapping him out of his thoughts. "It's okay," she promised, "they're just curious. I'm sure it's not every day they get to see their clanmate become leader in a short amount of time."
"But what do I do?"
"Just...be you. Part of being a leader is figuring everything out."
"That's not helpful," he hissed, letting a bit of his frustrations spill and seep out onto the campground. Guilt immediately swallowed him a heartbeat after for being so rude, but Cinderpelt was dismissive.
"Oh, I know, but I recommend you eat something before the deputy ceremony, since you look like you could devour a whole horse." With a wave of her tail, she snatched up a sparrow from the fresh kill pile before disappearing into her den. He let his shoulders fall; she was probably right. He did tend to get a bit irritable when he hadn't eaten something, and he couldn't exactly recall the last time he had done so.
He trailed over to the pile, the scent telling him that it had been restocked recently. He sifted through it before coming upon a beautiful finch, the meat under its feathers clearly full and healthy. He lightly picked it up, but just as he was about to head over to his usual area where he ate, he reminded himself that he had to eat near the highrock now. He settled comfortably a few mouse lengths away from the rock, ignoring the silence.
Graystripe's patrol from earlier arrived back at camp, and much to Ravenstar's surprise, Fireheart trailed behind them. When he spotted Ravenstar, he grinned, bounding up to him. Graystripe caught on, following the orange tabby.
"So, you're the leader now, right? Nine lives and all?" Fireheart asked, searching Ravenstar's gaze for something he couldn't exactly understand.
"Yes," he confirmed, and like that, a sudden eruption of cheers sounded from his clanmates. His previous annoyance seemed to dissipate, although he still found it weird that they were acting like he was about to combust any moment when he had gotten back.
Whitestorm strolled up to him, a warm smile teasing at the corners of his lips. "Well, finish that finch, because it's almost time to name a new deputy."
He nodded, quickly gulping down his prey. As he did so, Fireheart washed his pelt, while Graystripe rambled on about how horses were something that Starclan sent to remind them that the Dark Forest exists. Ravenstar let out a contented sigh. Despite everything, his friend and mate were the same cats he knew.
When he stepped into the leader's den, he was greeted with a new nest, the moss recently gathered, with small red flowers lining the edges. Whitestorm's scent faintly hung in the den. Gratitude took hold of him, and he reminded himself to thank the senior warrior.
Now, who would be a good deputy?
Fireheart or Graystripe were obvious choices, since he had grown up with them and trusted them. But, then again, he didn't need favoritism getting in the way of his choices.
Whitestorm was a good idea, too. After all, he was very loyal, a senior warrior, and had an apprentice before. But, he was getting older, and while Ravenstar absentmindedly knew that experience was a good skill to have, he always noticed the way that the white tom's sides heaved when he barely ran, or how the frays of his fur were becoming gray. The senior warrior deserved peace.
Well, that didn't exactly narrow anything down, unless...
Yes! I know exactly who!
A feeling of accomplishment washed through him. He had decided who would be deputy, and now all he needed to do was start the ceremony.
What were the words, again?
"All cats that can hunt their fresh kill, gather under the Highrock for a clan meeting!"
The way his voice echoed and bounced off the clan walls pleased him, and slowly but surely, cats began to emerge from their dens or arise from where they sat.
Lostface, who had been quietly sitting with Hollowthroat, quickly jumped up, excitement apparent in her remaining eye. Hollowthroat shouldered her playfully, but followed her faithfully int the growing crowd, Cloudtail, who had not been far away, following. Darkstripe and Longtail emerged from the warriors' den, both cats stretching tiredly, obviously woken up from a nap. Bramblepaw raced Tawnypaw; Fireheart and Graystripe made their way to the front.
Once he made sure everyone was present, he puffed out his chest, trying to resemble the look Bluestar had often taken on when she held meetings or ceremonies. He made sure he had fully memorized everything before beginning his speech.
"I say these words before Starclan, that the spirits of our warrior ancestors, and Tigerclaw, may hear and approve of my choice. ThunderClan's new deputy shall be..."
"Longtail."
Surprised murmurs rippled through the clan, and Longtail hesitantly waded through the crowd, with Darkstripe grinning proudly at his mate.
"Do you accept?" He asked, staring down at the pale tabby.
Longtail gulped, and never had Ravenstar seen the warrior so unsure. For a few heartbeats, he was worried that maybe he would decline, but Longtail dipped his head.
"I do."
Chants of his name spewed from the crowd. Hollowthroat and Lostface exchanged gleeful glances before the white-and-black ran up to his former mentor and butted his shoulder playfully.
He pressed his head into his shoulder. His chest shuddered with effort. There was no sound, no comforting rumble. Just silence. But the intent was there. Darkstripe joined in, and soon everycat clustered around the newly named deputy. But he remembered that he wasn't exactly done with the meeting, and once the cheering died down, he raised his tail to get their attention.
"There is one more thing I have to do. Hollowthroat, Lostface, please step forward."
He wasn't exactly sure how to phrase it. He had never done something like this. But he hated the way that Lostface flinched when someone called for her, or the way Hollowthroat averted eye contact when a clanmate tried to get his attention.
At first, he never knew if he could take away some of the remaining pain that their names brought, but now, he could. The words were still on his tongue, from when he had asked One-eye about it over a moon ago. It had been an impulse, and he hadn't expected the elder to answer, but ever since then, he had memorized them, ingraining them into the roots of his mind.
"Spirits of Starclan, you know every cat by name. I ask you now to take away the names from the cats you see before you, for it no longer stands for who they are. By my authority as clan leader, and with the approval of our warrior ancestors, I will give these cats new names."
The two friends glanced at eachother, pleasantly surprised.
He hopped down from the rock, almost slipping as he did so. He approached the ginger-and-white she-cat first, now face to face.
"From this moment on, she will be known as Brightheart, for the courage and growth she has harbored her entire journey as a young warrior." He pressed his nose to her head, and she licked his shoulder in response. He had to stop his legs from shaking from the happiness that rumbled inside him.
He then went over to Longtail's former apprentice. He had thought hard about the name he would give him.
"From this moment on, he will be known as Swiftspirit, for his sense of justice and compassion that he has strongly shown." He repeated the action, and Swiftspirit shakily leaned forward to lick his shoulder.
Ravenstar stepped back, surveying the clan. As he did so, chants of their new names started.
"Brightheart! Swiftspirit! Brightheart! Swiftspirit! Brightheart! Swiftspirit! Brightheart!"
Longtail's pale green gaze was glazed over, and when Ravenstar caught it, the new deputy could only grin. Brightheart whispered a 'thank you,' and he purred, the first in a while.
This was his clan.
He was their leader.
And he knew that he would do anything to defend it.
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