Warriors AU: Blackfoot's Reckoning

Chapter 10

Blackfoot sighed and looked up at Nightstar as the images of the past faded. The sharper vision that Stonefur had given her was not a favor from Starclan, but a curse. "Goldenstar didn't care about the sick Shadowclan cats, did he? He just wanted you to make him the next deputy, so that they would accept him as their leader when you died."

Nightstar blinked affectionately at her. "He fooled me, too," she meowed. "But what matters now is that you cared about the Shadowclan cats. You weren't looking for revenge or some advantage over Shadowclan; you only wanted to help your Clanmates."

"I guess that's true," Blackfoot meowed, a little hesitantly. She still felt hot beneath her pelt with fury and shame. Why had she ever believed in such a treacherous cat? Two such treacherous cats: Brokenstar and Goldenstar had both cared only for their own power, their own hatred, not for the cats they led. They'd been vicious and manipulative, and she'd believed in them both. Between them, they'd left Shadowclan in tatters.

When I lead Shadowclan, I'll be better than either of them, she promised herself. Then, realizing the truth of her thoughts, she took a deep, relieved breath. Whatever she did, she wouldn't make Goldenstar's or Brokenstar's mistakes. A purr began to rumble deep in her chest.

She knew now what she was supposed to do. It was simple. She'd always cared about her Clan more than anything. She'd protect the cats of Shadowclan.

I don't know if I'll be a good leader, but I'll do my best for the cats I lead, she thought.

"Do you want this life, Blackfoot?" Nightstar asked.

This time, Blackfoot replied with certainty. "I do."

Nightstar pressed her cheek against Blackfoot's, still purring. "With this life, I grant you loyalty. To the warrior code, to all the cats of the forest, and especially to Shadowclan."

Pain flowed through Blackfoot once more, but now she felt like it was making her stronger.

As she looked around at the starry warriors of Starclan, she wondered if they'd planned it this way. Perhaps they knew she had to be brought low to see how she needed to change. That was why they had given her these lives, from these cats. They understood that, although she'd followed vicious cats and done terrible things, she could still be a good leader.

Nightstar brushed her tail across Blackfoot's back as she padded away. Blackfoot was sorry to see her go.

When she had disappeared into the crowd of starry cats, one more cat stepped forward. His fur was just as black as Nightstar's and his eyes were a vivid green. He looked at Blackfoot as if he knew everything about her, even though she'd never seen him before.

She dipped her head, instinctively wanting to show this stranger respect.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked, watching her closely.

Blackfoot's mouth dropped open. She almost knew, she was sure of it. There was a name she was on the verge of speaking. She couldn't say it.

After a few heartbeats, the black tom purred in amusement. "I'm Tall Shadow. You know me as Shadowstar. I was the first leader of Shadowclan."

Blackfoot gasped, her heart beating faster. "You're going to give me a life?" she asked. "You want me to lead Shadowclan?"

Shadowstar padded closer. His green eyes were sharp. "I hope you're up to the job."

Blackfoot shifted from one paw to another. "I hope so, too," she told him. "I'll try. Surely, we're due for a few peaceful seasons."

"Try not to be too naive," Shadowstar meowed drily, flicking his tail as he paced past her, then came back to stare into her eyes. "It won't be easy. Don't think everything will be fine from now on. The Clans might have won the battle against Scourge, and the territories might be safe for a little while, but the Clans' troubles are like the seasons. They always come around again."

What's going to happen? Blackfoot opened her mouth, but before she could ask, visions began to flash before her eyes, rushing faster and faster past her. Unlike the memories she'd seen with each previous life, these were things that had never happened.

Monsters were ripping up the earth, their great teeth tearing it apart. Blackfoot cringed in horror, sick with terror, as the Great Oaks fell, shaking the ground beneath her paws.

Cats raced past her, unseeing. Twolegs came after them, and Blackfoot looked at their faces, spotting Blackclaw, Stonefur's sister in Riverclan, but unable to recognize any of the others, they ran so quickly.

In the next, her Clanmates—she saw Russetfur's faced clearly for a heartbeat—padded around the edges of a lake she didn't know, somewhere far from their territory. She thought she saw her own white pelt among them, but the image was gone before she could be sure.

Now cats were sick, dying, yowling for water. She caught the scent of illness, and then it was gone, washed away by the fresh scents of Fourtrees in greenleaf.

She saw herself again for one jarring heartbeat, older and looking defeated, and unknown she-cat whispering in her ear, pale yellow eyes narrowed. What am I doing?

Cats she didn't know, in a place she didn't know, turned their backs on a tortoiseshell and white tom and walked away.

The visions faded, leaving her back in the warm night of Fourtrees, and she gasped for breath, nauseous and dizzy with the speed of everything she'd seen. "Is that the future?" she demanded of Shadowstar. "Are those things that are going to happen? Is this a warning?"

Shadowstar's tail slashed the air. "There are many paths to the future. Even Starclan doesn't see everything that's going to happen," he told her. "They're only dreams of what might happen. The choices you make will matter."

Blackfoot was still panting, trying to catch her breath. She didn't want to see Fourtrees fall. She didn't want to listen to that pale-eyed she-cat or wear that awful look on her own face. "I'll do my best to make the right choices," she promised.

"That's all we can ask of you." He came closer and brushed his muzzle against hers. He smelled of a cool night just before dawn. "With this lie, I give you the quality that your Clan will need above all others in the long days to come. Leadership."

He waited. As the sharp pains of her new life made her muscles spasms and contract and she bared her teeth in pain, he watched quietly. She thought there was a touch of sympathy in his gaze, but it didn't help the pain.

When the spasms ceased, she felt cam for the first time since she had entered Mothermouth. She had to be careful from now on, had to weigh her words and actions. Shadowclan was depending on her. She met Shadowstar's bright green eyes and nodded.

He dipped his head, then drew himself up, looking even taller than before. "I hail you by your new name, Blackstar," he told her. Blackstar raised her head, her chest filling with pride.

"Your old life is no more," Shadowstar went on. "You have now received the nine lives of a leader, and Starclan grants to you the guardianship of Shadowclan. Defend it well; care for young and old; honor your ancestors and the traditions of the warrior code. Live each of your nine lives with pride and dignity."

"I will," Blackstar told him, her mouth dry.

He wheeled to face the cats of Starclan, and together they chanted the name of the new leader of Shadowclan.

"Blackstar! Blackstar!"

Another book done! Novellas are very short, so this is a short story. I apologize that there is no cover for this book yet. My book artist is working very hard on the cover but also has school to worry about, as do I. Please be patient as it will be here eventually. The next book will be a Super Edition! It will be Sandstar's Quest! I'll get the allegiance uploaded later tonight. Thank you for reading!