Crookedjaw stared at the prey on the fresh-kill pile. The jaws of the squirrel had been wrenched wide and hung open, dangling by sinews so that its mouth gaped unnaturally. Its broken, twisted face seemed to stare out at the horrified cats.
“That was Crookedjaw’s prey,” Echomist breathed.
Hailstar sniffed at the pile, then looked up. “It’s an omen!” he growled, his eyes flashing. His gaze swung to Crookedjaw. “It’s you!” he growled. “You are the new RiverClan deputy!”
Chapter 32
Birdsong pushed her way through the stunned cats. “He’s too young!”
“He’s been a warrior for moons!” Willowbreeze retorted.
Hailstar silenced them with a look. “StarClan knows best.” He dipped his head to Crookedjaw. His voice was flat. “I cannot change the will of our ancestors.”
Crookedjaw felt ghostly fur slide around his flanks. The scent of Mapleshade hung in the air. Had she left the omen? His heart soared. It truly was an omen from StarClan.
“Go to Hailstar!” Willowbreeze nudged Crookedjaw forward. “Go and accept! Tell him you want to be deputy.”
Sedgepaw blocked his path. “I’m going to be the deputy’s apprentice.” She puffed out her chest.
Voleclaw nodded to Crookedjaw. “Well done!”
Beetlenose sniffed. “Who’d believe you were once the smallest kit in the nursery?”
“Now he’s the biggest cat in the Clan,” Cedarpelt purred. “Congratulations, Crookedjaw. You deserve it.”
Do I? Crookedjaw stared numbly at his Clanmates.
“He doesn’t have any experience,” Troutclaw whispered to Birdsong.
Timberfur’s tail was twitching. “He’s only fought in one real battle.”
Shimmerpelt was staring at the fresh-kill pile. “Are we allowed to eat an omen or should we catch more fish?”
Graypool slid past her. “Why not ask our new deputy?” Her eyes glinted. “Congratulations.”
“Crookedjaw!” Oakheart’s mew made him turn. His brother weaved through his Clanmates. “You will make a fine deputy and a great leader.” He touched his muzzle to Crookedjaw’s cheek. “You will always have my loyalty.”
Crookedjaw’s numbness melted. There was real warmth in Oakheart’s gaze. He’s forgiven me for Rainflower’s death! Thank StarClan! “Thank you,” he whispered.
Shellheart padded forward. “I’m proud of you.”
Crookedjaw looked up at Silverpelt. Are you proud of me, too, Rainflower?
A sharp paw prodded him. “You have to tell Hailstar that you accept,” Willowbreeze reminded him.
Crookedjaw padded into the shadow of the willow. The moss at the entrance to Hailstar’s den quivered in the breeze. Crookedjaw paused, steadying his paws.
“You don’t understand!” Brambleberry’s urgent mew sounded from inside the den.
Hailstar answered. “What is there to understand?”
“It wasn’t an omen from StarClan!”
Crookedjaw’s heart seemed to stop.
“Who else would send omens?” Hailstar rasped.
Brambleberry’s mew was frightened. “Just let me go to the Moonstone,” she pleaded.
“The Moonstone?” Hailstar sounded puzzled. “An omen is an omen, wherever it comes from. Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Crookedjaw burst through the moss. He stared accusingly at Brambleberry. “What is it? What’s wrong? Don’t you want me to be deputy?”
Brambleberry’s eyes glistened. “Of course I do!” She was trembling. “It’s just . . .” She trailed off.
“Just what, Brambleberry?” Hailstar was sitting at the back of his den, his gray pelt hardly visible. “If you’ve heard something from StarClan, tell me.” He glanced at Crookedjaw. “Tell us.”
“Not yet.” She closed her eyes. “Everything might be all right.” She blinked them open and stared at Crookedjaw. “You’re as strong and as skilled as any other warrior. As long as you make the right choices, it might still be okay.” She slipped out of the den before Hailstar could speak. Crookedjaw wanted to follow her. He wanted to make her tell him what was worrying her, what had been worrying her for so long.
“Do you accept, then?”
“Huh?”
“Do you want to be deputy?” Hailstar’s mew snapped Crookedjaw back from his thoughts.
He shifted his paws. “Do you still want me?” Had Brambleberry put him off?
“Of course I do.” Hailstar heaved himself to his paws. “The omen of crooked jaws surprised me,” he meowed. “But it was an omen. I know you’re still young. But you have great potential. You’ve overcome a lot, Crookedjaw, and you’ve become a warrior your Clan can be proud of. I always thought you’d become deputy one day—even leader.” He shrugged. “Maybe not so soon, but if you want it—”
“Want it?” Crookedjaw blinked at his leader. “Of course I want it. More than anything else.”
Hailstar narrowed his eyes.
Crookedjaw tumbled on. “My Clan means more to me than anything in the world. I know I’m young, but I promise to learn. I promise to grow wiser and stronger and do everything I can to help my Clan.” His promise to Mapleshade rang in his ears. I will be loyal to my Clan above everything. What I want doesn’t matter. The Clan must always come first. Excitement surged under his pelt as Hailstar brushed past him and nosed his way outside.
“Come on.” The RiverClan leader beckoned him with a flick of his tail.
The green reeds glowed almost blue beneath the rising moon, and the willow branches whispered overhead. The air was warm and Crookedjaw could taste the river. His Clanmates lined the clearing, watching silently as Hailstar led him to the middle of the camp.
“Shellheart!” The RiverClan leader called the former deputy forward.
Shellheart padded to join them. His spine showed beneath his ragged pelt as he stood before Hailstar.
Hailstar dipped his head low. “Shellheart, RiverClan thanks you for your loyalty and wisdom. You have never flinched from your duty or shown anything but courage. You’ve served your Clan well and we wish you peace and comfort in the elders’ den. You have earned a long rest.”
Sedgepaw bounded forward. “I promise I’ll keep your nest clean and pull out all your ticks.”
Timberfur tugged his daughter back by her tail. “Shhh!”
Crookedjaw stifled a purr as Hailstar went on solemnly. “I hope you will share your stories with all of us and with the kits yet to be born. We still have much to learn from you.”
“Shellheart! Shellheart!” As the Clan called his name, Crookedjaw cheered loudest of all for his father and mentor.
“Crookedjaw.” Hailstar touched Crookedjaw’s shoulders with his tail-tip. “From this day forward you will be RiverClan’s deputy. StarClan has given you its blessing, and I pray you live up to its hopes and to ours.”
Crookedjaw glanced at Brambleberry, sitting in shadow outside her den. She was staring at her paws.
Hailstar’s eyes darkened. “I am on my ninth life. You are young to be so close to leadership. I pray that StarClan gives you all the strength and wisdom you’ll need in the coming moons.”
“Crookedjaw! Crookedjaw!” He heard warmth in his Clanmate’s cheers, in Oakheart’s above all. There was no hint of jealousy, nothing but pride. Willowbreeze watched him from the edge of the clearing, her eyes reflecting the wide, starry sky. Breathing deeply, Crookedjaw tasted the scents of the river and the reeds and the willows. These were all his now, more than ever before. Straightening his back he looked up at the stars. Thank you, StarClan. I promise I won’t let you down.
The long day had left Crookedjaw bone-tired. After the ceremony, his Clanmates had crowded around him, sharing tongues until the moon rose high in the sky.
“Should we build you a bigger den now?” Petaldust called as Crookedjaw padded wearily to his nest.
Oakheart swallowed the last of his meal and licked his lips. “Perhaps I should line your nest with swan feather
s?” he teased.
Crookedjaw purred with amusement, but he was relieved to creep into the darkness of his den and curl into his nest beside Willowbreeze.
“Good night,” he murmured as Willowbreeze snuggled in. He closed his eyes. He was jerked awake almost at once by a paw jabbing his side.
“Mapleshade?” He staggered to his feet.
The orange-and-white cat paced across the gloomy clearing, sending mist swirling as she lashed her tail. “See?” Her eyes glowed with triumph. “I told you I’d keep my promise! You didn’t let the death of your mother distract you from your loyalty to the Clan. You chose to save your Clanmates over her! And now you’re deputy.”
Crookedjaw narrowed his eyes. I didn’t choose anything. His mother’s death had nothing to do with him becoming deputy. He opened his mouth to argue but Mapleshade was too busy crowing.
“I told you I’d reward you! Never underestimate my power!”
“So, you did leave the omen?”
She didn’t answer. “Come on! There’s someone I want you to meet.”
Rainflower? His heart pricked with excitement. She’d be here now, in StarClan’s hunting grounds. He raced after Mapleshade as she headed into the mist. She led him to another clearing, little more than a gap between the slimy gray trees.
“Where is she?”
“She?” Mapleshade snorted. “What are you talking about?” She nodded toward two toms who were emerging from the withered ferns on the far side of the space. Crookedjaw recognized one of them at once.
Thistleclaw!
The ThunderClan warrior stopped beside his mentor—the same ragged, pale gray tabby who’d been training him last time—and stared at Crookedjaw.
“Is this him?” the ragged tom grunted.
“Just get on with your training session, Silverhawk,” Mapleshade ordered.
Crookedjaw darted in front of her. “Why are they here?”
She snorted. “To help you learn, of course!” She whipped her tail across his ears. “Watch!”
Silverhawk crouched, growling at Thistleclaw. Thistleclaw stretched his claws and hissed. They circled each other, eyes like slits. Suddenly Silverhawk darted forward. Thistleclaw ducked away from his mentor’s jaws and Silverhawk’s teeth snapped at thin air.
“Did you think you’d get me that easily?” Thistleclaw hissed.
Silverhawk crouched lower. “Say that again.”
“Did you think—”
Before Thistleclaw could finish, Silverhawk leaped on him and dug his claws deep into Thistleclaw’s shoulders. Crookedjaw gasped when he saw the blood welling up in the spiky gray-and-white fur. Thistleclaw yowled, scrabbling at the ground, trying to get a grip, but Silverhawk heaved him on to his back and kicked his churning hind paws away. Crookedjaw’s breath stopped in his throat as Silverhawk lunged for Thistleclaw’s neck. Opening his jaws wide, he gripped his apprentice’s throat in his teeth.
No! He was going to give a killing bite. Crookedjaw started to rush forward, but Mapleshade knocked him back with a vicious blow.
“Wait,” she growled.
Silverhawk let go of Thistleclaw
The ThunderClan warrior leaped to his paws, ignoring the drops of blood that flew off his pelt. “Let me try that on you!” he begged. “I think I know what to do now.”
Crookedjaw stared in horror. “You’re teaching him how to kill? But that’s against the warrior code!”
Thistleclaw’s gaze flashed at him. Contempt lit his eyes. “If you want to be more than just a warrior,” he snarled, “you have to be prepared to look beyond the warrior code!”
Silverhawk padded closer. “Victory is everything,” he hissed. “There’s no glory in surrender.”
Thistleclaw tipped his head to one side. “Do you want me to show you how the killing bite’s done?”
Crookedjaw recoiled. “No!”
“No?” Thistleclaw narrowed his eyes. “What do mean, no? Why wouldn’t you want to learn such a powerful move?” He looked puzzled.
Crookedjaw took two steps back. The fur along his spine was standing on end. “I didn’t know StarClan was like this!”
“StarClan?” Thistleclaw blinked. “You mouse-brain! This isn’t StarClan! Those smug, toothless fools won’t teach you anything as useful as this.”
“This isn’t StarClan?” Crookedjaw’s mind whirled. “Then . . . where am I?”
Silverhawk pushed past Thistleclaw. “This is the Dark Forest,” he snarled. “This is where you go if StarClan won’t take you.”
Crookedjaw whipped around. Trees loomed over him on every side, mist swirled, and the shadows moved as though they were alive. Voices sounded from the darkness, cries and whispers that he didn’t understand. Breathing fast, the blood roaring in his ears, he turned back and stared at the three warriors. Their eyes were fixed on him, glittering with menace. Crookedjaw stiffened, rage giving him courage. “You lied to me!” he spat at Mapleshade.
“I never told you this was StarClan,” she meowed smoothly. She took a step toward him. “Why are you so angry? You’re the deputy of RiverClan. You have everything you want. And you got it because I trained you and encouraged you. I did more for you than your own mother.”
“Shut up!” Crookedjaw unsheathed his claws.
Mapleshade circled him, pelt smooth, tail swishing behind her. “Your mother never sent an omen telling your Clan to make you deputy, did she?”
“So it was you!”
“Of course it was me!” Mapleshade’s mew sharpened. “Do you think Hailstar would make you deputy without an omen? You’ve never even won a fight!”
Thistleclaw hissed. “He’s deputy already?” He glared at Silverhawk. “Are you going to do the same for me?”
Silverhawk clouted his apprentice with a lightning-swift forepaw, sending him staggering back. As Thistleclaw struggled to keep his balance, Silverhawk thrust his muzzle in his face. “You still have much to learn!” he spat. “Your time will come when I say so, apprentice!”
Crookedjaw shook his head. “I don’t want to learn how to kill,” he whispered.
Mapleshade’s gaze blazed on his fur. “But you promised to do as I say,” she reminded him softly. “You promised to sacrifice everything to be the greatest warrior in RiverClan.”
“I know, and I will always put my Clan first.” Crookedstar knew he had to get away from here. “Thank you for making me deputy.” His pelt brushed a slippery tree trunk as he backed out of the clearing. “But I think I’m okay now. I don’t need any more training.”
Mapleshade’s eyes darkened to empty hollows. “What do mean, you don’t need more training? You can’t break free, Crookedjaw. It’s too late for that. You’ve made me a promise and I’ll make sure you keep it.”
Chapter 33
The hollow around Fourtrees brimmed with moonlight. It silvered the Clans and bathed the Great Rock. Crookedjaw shifted his paws as he stood between the other deputies, his shadow huge on the stone behind him.
“Why did Hailstar make you deputy?” Adderfang hissed in his ear. “You’re not even ready to fight for your Clan.”
Crookedjaw swallowed back fury. He didn’t want his first Gathering as deputy to begin with a fight. Stonetooth, ShadowClan’s deputy, glanced at him from the corner of his eye. Reedfeather turned his back. Clearly the WindClan deputy still had not forgiven RiverClan for the theft of his daughters.
Crookedjaw scanned the crowd, looking for Oakheart. Where was he? He’d seemed so eager to come. Didn’t he want to see his brother named deputy in front of the other Clans? Disappointment sat in his belly like a stone. Willowbreeze had stayed in camp, unable to make the journey to Fourtrees because of a deep cut on one of her pads. She’d slipped off a rock while fishing for an oversized trout. The wound was healing well, thanks to Brambleberry, but she wouldn’t have been able to walk all the way to the Gathering. Shellheart hadn’t come, either. He was confined to the elders’ den, sick with a swelling in his belly. He’d begged Brambleberry to give h
im strengthening herbs so he could attend, but she had insisted he rest. Crookedjaw glanced up at Silverpelt. Perhaps Rainflower was watching.
Hailstar raised his voice above the swishing of the great oaks as he addressed the Gathering. “Shellheart retired to the elders’ den this moon.” The Clans murmured as the RiverClan leader paused. Crookedjaw lifted his chin, his heart racing. “Crookedjaw is RiverClan’s new deputy.”
“Crookedjaw! Crookedjaw!”
As his Clanmates called his name, Crookedjaw pricked his ears, praying the other Clans would join in. Relief washed over him as he heard ShadowClan join the cheer, WindClan and ThunderClan following.
“Crookedjaw!”
Joy fizzed beneath his pelt. They were cheering for him!
A pair of amber eyes flashed in the crowd. Thistleclaw was staring silently at him. Crookedjaw stiffened. He hadn’t been back to the Dark Forest since he’d realized it wasn’t StarClan’s hunting grounds, waking cold with horror every time he drifted close to a dream. How could he have been so dumb? He’d never go there again. He’d never talk to Mapleshade.
Why did she help me become deputy? The question had burned in his mind since that night. She can’t make me do anything I don’t want to do. He dug his claws into the warm earth. I’m going to be the best deputy RiverClan’s ever known. I’ll protect my Clan with my life if I have to.
Thistleclaw’s gaze still burned into his. He knows I was there. Thistleclaw nodded as if he knew what Crookedjaw was thinking. Does he think we’re allies?
Never!
Crookedjaw turned to Adderfang. Did ThunderClan’s acting deputy know that one of his warriors was training in the Dark Forest? Did Sunstar know? Perhaps the whole of ThunderClan was learning how to kill!
As the cheering died away, the leaders scrambled down from the Great Rock.
“Well done.” Hailstar landed beside Crookedjaw. He beckoned with a flick of his tail. “Come and meet—”
Crookedjaw interrupted him. “I want to find Oakheart.”
Hailstar cocked his head. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. I’ll join you when I’ve found him.”