Chapter Text
Stonefur felt weak, barely registering the warm streaks of blood that crept down his legs, the burning pain that sparked alongside his neck. Every pawstep felt heavy, as if he was stuck in a pit of mud, tempting the young tom to fall down onto the blood-stained ground of the camp. Riverclan camp, not Tigerclan he mused, forcing himself to hold his head high as he surveyed the clearing around him. He noticed Mistyfoot standing close to the apprentices' den, feverishly licking the top of her children's heads as they pressed their faces against their mother's thick fur, while Mudfur was approaching both Featherpaw and Stormpaw with herbs tightly clutched to his jaws. On the other side of camp, Skyheart was whispering something to a bloodied Beetlenose, the latter shrugging as if to brush off the queen's concerns. Stonefur couldn't help but to smile as he noticed a small kitten poking her head out of the nursery, only to be shooed back into the den by her worried mother.
"Innocent, aren't they?"
Stonefur flitched, quickly turning around to face the voice with a hiss, only to regret as a ginger and white molly backed up with concern.
"I'm sorry Ottersplash" Stonefur forced his fur to lie flat against his thinning body. "I just got-"
"It's ok Stonefur" the molly blinked, her eyes meeting Stonefur's blue for a moment before drifting off elsewhere. "I wasn't thinking.....you had a really hard few moons, especially with....with what happened."
The blue-gray tom knew what she was saying, to avoid the horrors without leaving her tongue. I know what you mean he mused. But it's different being in the center of it. "Yes, and now we have to rebuild our clan" he dodged the topic, unwilling to subject both him and the molly the horrors that he and the other halfclan cats had to go through. Ottersplash nodded, her eyes finally fixed on a golden-spotted molly surrounded by two pissed-off Riverclan warriors. Stonefur followed her gaze, eyes narrowing as he saw the pitiful look of the former leader's expression. You caused this! a ripple of anger shot through his pelt. And you get to face your actions, in front of your- no, my clan.
"What do you think is going to happen to her?" Ottersplash asked with an unreadable gleam in her eyes.
"I was going to ask that"
"When?"
"Right now" Stonefur huffed, pelt prickling as he forced his paws to guide him through the camp, ignoring the sense of dread as he felt blood and torn fur under his paws. He could see the slain body of Cedarpelt, the elder dying to reclaim Riverclan from the grips of Tigerstar, while Shadepelt was lying down beside Sedgecreek with a pained expression on her face. Meanwhile, Mosspelt and Reedtail were dragging an injured Loudbelly throughs Mudfur, with Dawnpaw's gaze flickering between her mother and the disgraced Leopardstar. So much has happened he leapt upon the Wetrock, gritting his teeth as pain shot through him like a bolt of lighting. He unsheathed his claws, hosting himself up upon the very top of the rock before gravity had a chance to pull him down. His legs, aching and bloodied, yearn to lie down and sleep away, but Stonefur didn't want to. He had a clan to lead, a trial, and to rebuild!
"Stonefur-" Mistyfoot approached the Wetrock with a limp, concern lit in her blue eyes. "You shouldn't be up here with all your wounds!" her children followed close behind her, peering up at their uncle with worry.
"I'm fine Mistyfoot" he meowed stubbornly, an ear flickering as cats slowly started to gather around the clearing, some bearing wounds both treated and untreated. He knew that Shadepelt and Loudbelly were severely injured, having been dragged to the medicine cat's den against their wishes, while Cedarpelt was being prepared for burial by his living elders. As much as i hate to say it, but i'm glad we only lost one cat, though one is too many. Mistyfoot closed her jaw, accepting her defeat as she limped back to check on Featherpaw and Stormpaw with the former's children in tow to check on their denmates. Stonefur felt relieved that Mistyfoot's living children made out of Tigerclan alive, being forced to be separated from their mother while training under Tigerstar's cronies. I wonder why he spared them his pelt prickled with hatred at the thought of Tigerstar. But i can ask that later-
"All cats old enough to swim, gather around for a clan meeting!" he yowled, earning a few mrows from the crowd as nearly all of Riverclan were present. While some held some form of amusement for Stonefur's untimely calling, others appeared worn out or even angry - though Stonefur knew why. His angered gaze fell upon Leopardstar, the molly closely guarded by Heavystep and Voleclaw as they guided her into the middle of the clearing, an order that would've been given anyway. They knew what to do.
"Today has been the hardest part of Riverclan history-" the dusky sun reflected on his pale pelt, giving it a rusty color. "With Shadowclan forming to take over us with blood and bone. Not only have we defeated Tigerstar and his gang, but we have taken back Riverclan!"
a chorus of yowls and purrs ring through the air, giving Stonefur a sense of pride. They had fought tooth and claw to reclaim their clan, to mark themselves free of the shadowy grips of evil that had once plunged the clan. Stonefur sat still for a moment, allowing the yowls of joy to die down before speaking once more.
"However, a cat that we once trusted gave us up over to Tigerstar, and turned our home into a battlefield" his tone darkened, as he met Leopardstar's fearful gaze from the crowd. The spotted molly was once a respectful but rash leader, giving up everything to protect her clan - but she destroyed her leadership with a simple alliance turned dictatorship that shook Riverclan to the core. She had no problem with ordering him to kill two innocent apprentices, nor had a problem with the unjust treatment of half-clan cats, or the abuse that his clanmates suffered. To Riverclan, Leopardstar is no longer a leader.
"Leopardstar, step forward"
The former leader approached the Wetrock, being closely followed behind by her guards as she stared up at Stonefur with fear and regret. "I am here."
"I see" Stonefur hissed. "And now you will have to face the consequences of nearly destroying our clan. Do you have anything to say?"
"Yes," Leopardstar was about to speak when Stonefur let out a growl.
"Face the clan and tell them"
Leopardstar turned to face the crowd, eyes burning into her spotted pelt like fire as she opened her jaws to speak. "My clan-"
"OUR clan, fishbrain!" a warrior hissed.
"Our clan has been through a lot-" Leopardstar corrected. "And i am partly to blame for what has happened in the past few moons. I only wanted peace for Riverclan, to be able to live together without all...of the deaths that occurred before i became leader. So when Tigerstar came and offered to band together to form Tigerclan, i thought that i had the answer for peace. But clearly, i was wrong."
Stonefur listened, forcing his ears to stay upright as he took in every word that left Leopardstar's mouth, a wave of disgust and hatred slowly building up from within. "So you admit to causing Riverclan pain and suffering?" he asked, as if he already knew the answer.
"Yes, i did, and i am sorry for leading this clan so much pain and suffering" Leopardstar lowered her head, unable to meet the gazes of her clanmates. For the first time, Stonefur noted how pitiful Leopardstar appeared to be, absorbing the snarls and insults thrown her way with an unseeable expression and hunched back. His leader, once a noble warrior who fought to protect her clan, is now nothing but an outcast, spared by the luck of the stars above. Remember all the patrols that we went to? Or how we use to compete against each other for fun? emotions prickled his mind like thorns, threatening to wedge their way deeper into his soul. One, however, wedged it's thorn into his soul. And you threw it all away for a bloodthirsty tomcat anger flew through him, it's bitterness claiming his mind as memories flashed before him. Exiled your own father, allowed that son of a bitch's cronies to abuse us and-
"There is no way that a simple sorry could fix everything that you had done" Stonefur hissed in a venomous tone, the feeling to just lunge down and rip Leopardstar's throat tempting him to do so. However, he knew better. Graypool didn't teach us to kill, neither did Mudfur his eyes briefly glanced over to the elderly medicine cat, who had left under "orders" from Starclan. Every cat knew better, but the voices of Leopardstar and Tigerstar had shut them down.
"I know" Leopardstar's voice was barely a whisper among the chowder of hissing felines. "But i can fix my mistakes."
"You cannot expect Riverclan to warm up to you after moons, Leopardfur" Vixenleap hissed from the crowd, her green eyes narrowed with fury. "You were willing to kill my foster sister's children because you wanted to get laid with that....monster!" the black molly stalked towards Leopardstar, the latter simply raising her head to meet each other's gazes. "Admit it, you spineless coward!" Vixenleap stood only a whisker-length from Leopardstar's face.
"I-"
"I what? Let me guess, you're gonna make a spiel about how you are this poor, innocent cat who got caught up in-"
"ENOUGH!" Mudfur shoved through the crowd, shouldering Vixenleap aside with a huff. The elderly tom's pelt bristled, as he planted himself between the two mollies. For a moment, Stonefur wanted to hear what Vixenleap had to say, couldn't help but to agree with the molly, but Mudfur is the medicine cat. And according to Riverclan, medicine cats are in rank with the leader. "I know that Leopardstar has done very bad things" the gruffy tom's eyes flickered with grief. "But we cannot fight each other. There must be a way to.....punish Leopardstar without violence." The crowd started to mumble, some agreeing with Mudfur while others like Vixenleap scoffed at the idea.
"I agree with Mudfur" Mistyfoot's voice echoed. "If we went out of our way to attack and maim Leopardstar, then we will be just as bad as Tigerclan and his gang."
"Well i don't!" Mosspelt meowed. "We nearly lost everything thanks to Leopardstar, so she deserves whatever hits her."
"We should approach this in a more peaceful way" Emberdawn said, earning nods of approval from Ottersplash and Pikepaw.
"Our elder died so that we can be free from her traitorous ways, so why let her go scott free!?" Timberfur bared his fangs at the spotted molly, his tail placed over the body of Cedarpelt.
As the crowd started to bicker one another, Stonefur was starting to grow impatient. Between the setting sun sinking and the code of naming a deputy, Stonefur wanted the trial to be over with. Maybe i should just exile her and get this over with? he thought for a moment, yearning for the idea. But his gaze was caught on a shiny stone rolled down the Wetrock, bouncing off of it until it rolled over to Mudfur's paws. Where did the stone come from? he mused, noticing how Mudfur glanced from the stone to Stonefur for a moment. Stone....It's my name, but i feel like there's... Suddenly, an idea hit him. "Stop!" he yowled, raising his tail to commence silence among his clan. He waited a heartbeat, listening as cats started to quiet down before speaking once more. "I have an idea!" his gaze wavered to Mudfur. "I will allow the clan to vote, using stones found around camp."
"That's a good idea, Stonefur" Mudfur blinked. "It'll be a clanwide way to solve this issue."
"I agree with Mudfur, but what would be the options?" Beetlenose tilted his head.
Fishdung! I need to say something, and fast! "I was thinking that everyone can vote with stones, with one placed by the nursery, and the other placed by the elders" curious mumbles rang through the crowd. "The pile with the most stones by the nursery will mean that Leopardstar will stay-"
"Are you sure?" Petaldust tilted her head.
"Why should she stay when she has harmed us?" Featherpaw mused, with Stormpaw appeared unease.
"I was getting to that-" Stonefur sighed. "Anyway, Leopardstar will stay BUT she will have to give up her nine lives and name....." his gaze flickered through the crowd, attempting to pull off more ideas until he met Featherpaw's gaze. "She will no longer be allowed to train any apprentices, nor become deputy once more. She cannot leave camp without one experienced warrior, and she cannot attend gatherings. If anything, she will help around camp and aid in cleaning the dens." Stonefur could hear snickerings from the younger felines, but paid no attention to it.
"And the other option is death?" Stormpaw mewed.
"No!" Mudfur's pelt bristled with fear. "We can't do that"
Stonefur shook his head. "If the stone pile by the elder's den has the most stones, then she will be exiled."
Despite Mudfur's mumbling of grief, the Riverclan cats have seem to come to an agreement. After all, this is a clanwide vote, and a clanwide effort to solve a complex issue. The blue-gray tom felt regret and sorrow for the elderly medicine cat, as the latter had raised Leopardstar since birth, only to turn out that his daughter stained her clan with blood. I hate it for him, but it must be done. Skyheart slipped over to place a comforting tail around Mudfur's shoulders, while Petaldust mumbled words to her former mentor as an attempt to comfort him.
As cats started to gather pebbles and stones to add onto the two piles, Stonefur glanced up at the sky, noticing a faint star beaming against the dying sunlight. I am bloodied and bruised, I must rebuild my fallen clan.