that damn cat book

Defeat weighed heavily on Tigerclaw's shoulders as he stalked through camp, the moon glowing and bathing the territory in its heinous light. He glanced upwards, lips curled back in a growl. He hated the brightness, it was what was keeping him poignantly awake and alert... so much so that he felt he could not sleep now even if he wanted to. He shook his massive head, the scar on his nose still fresh and burning as if it'd only happened a few seconds ago. He pictured the smarmy little Riverclan warrior that had done it and rage filled his lungs yet again. Tigerclaw's fur bristled, ears lay flattened against his head. They could have won! If Redtail wasn't such a coward, they could have easily turned it around. But of course, his pretentious attitude had cost them territory. It almost made Tigerclaw more infuriated than the fish-breathing group that had defeated them in the first place. And to think- Redtail had the nerve to try and console him after they'd lost because of him. He scoffed, prowling through the camp in the shadows. He didn't want to be talked to, so he tried to keep his hefty form hidden in the blackness of the camp as much as possible. Unsure of where he wanted to go, he merely walked past dens, peering in every once in a while to get a look at the rest of his clanmates sleeping ever peacefully. How could they? Didn't the loss of territory mean a hair to any of them?! It was pathetic. Tigerclaw lived in a clan of fragile kittypets, he was sure of it. He craned his head, eyes seeping into the apprentice's den, where he could pinpoint the light sleeping form of his apprentice. Ravenpaw's eyes were closed, tail twitching nervously in his sleep. Was he a fool even in his dreams? Tigerclaw's eyes narrowed at the black lump of fur. Few things frustrated him more than his own apprentice's incompetence. The whole clan coddled the fluffy behavior he continued to display. It wasn't fair- why should he be looked at like a bully when he was just trying to make sure Ravenpaw wasn't slaughtered the moment he received his warrior name? Maybe it was cute to be a blubbering mess when you're a kit, but sometime everyone has to grow up! He flicked his tail in irritation, moving past the apprentice den before he stirred any of them awake and had to hear the whining voice of Ravenpaw while he was already on edge.

Padding past the warrior's den, he noted Darkstripe and Longtail sleeping fairly close to each other. At least he had those two- as stupid as they could both be sometimes. They understood strength more than any of the squabbling mousehearts he could pick out sleeping around them. Tigerclaw was constantly analyzing his clanmates, sensing how useful or useless they'd be. Lionheart was strong but far too gentle. Whitestorm, once a reliable friend turned bee-brained and bumbling. Mousefur, feisty and ambitious but without the skill to back it up. And of course, how could Tigerclaw leave out their loyal deputy? The brave cat that gives away their pieces of territory! The Riverclan lover! The soft and ever-giving-in Redtail! He could feel his claws sliding into the earth underneath his paws as he watched the red-furred tom sleeping peacefully as if he hadn't practically handed over sunningrocks just a while ago. It was hard for Tigerclaw to stop himself from padding right on into the den and cuffing Redtail over his ears right now. He wanted to rip every tuft of fur from his body, but before he could keep delving into his dangerous impulses he turned from the warrior's den to peer instead at the injured warriors in the Medicine Den.

"Tigerclaw-" The voice of Spottedleaf made Tigerclaw jolt back slightly, his enraged expression shifting quickly into surprise. "What are you doing awake? Going for a night walk?" Spottedleaf was pleasant sounding enough, but Tigerclaw had his fill of softness already tonight.

"I can't sleep." He admitted gruffly, sitting down and wrapping his lashing tail around his paws. "And I don't understand how any of us can. Not after the loss tonight." Spottedleaf walked over, glancing back at the sleeping figures of her patients. She gestured with her tail for him to follow her. He figured she didn't want to disturb the injured cats. Tigerclaw didn't care for a conversation, but he was already here and he was far too exhausted to argue. He rose to his paws and followed her outside of the medicine cat den. Spottedleaf's eyes glanced past him for a moment before she refocused onto him.

"I know sunningrocks is a pretty significant blow..." She finally replied, the kindness evident in the way she spoke to him. "But Redtail made the right decision. Many of you were injured pretty badly- including yourself." She ran her tail over his muzzle, much to his dismay. He halted briefly, wrinkling his nose at the feeling of her fur tickling it. Tigerclaw felt a surge of upset hit the bottom of his stomach. Of course, Spottedleaf would think this was the right decision. She was merely a medicine cat. She hated fighting- she probably would have rathered they didn't fight at all! And what did she know of sunningrocks and why it was so important?

"Sunningrocks is nothing but a place to laze about for Riverclan!" Tigerclaw snapped, continuing forward again. He noticed Spottedleaf's gaze drifting from him again, but he continued anyway. "We use it for hunting. It's as if they want Thunderclan to starve just so they can nap in the sun- all the way over on OUR side of the river, mind you." He scoffed. "They could spy on us- on our territory! It's ludicrous."

"You're right," Spottedleaf said in response, meeting his amber eyes yet again. "But is sunningrocks worth the lives of your clanmates? If the fight had continued..."

"If the fight had continued, as it should have, we would have turned it around. Riverclan has no advantages on land- they swim like otters and expect to be able to carry their own when they meet us where it's dry. It would have been an easy win! But now..." He blinked, watching as she yet again continued to peer past him. "What are you looking at?"

"Oh, sorry!" She exclaimed, nervously stopping for a moment. "I'm meeting with Bluestar soon. I was just seeing if she had left her den yet. I'm paying attention, I promise." Tigerclaw couldn't stand her supportive attitude. It made him feel like she was trying to coddle him.

"If you're busy, I'll leave." He replied with a short tone. He didn't want to talk to her, anyway. Spottedleaf parted her jaws to respond, but Tigerclaw was already moving away from her and heading the other direction.

"Make sure you get some rest..." She called after him. He didn't think it warranted much of a response. His paws brought him back to the entrance of the warrior's den. Tigerclaw stared into the den again at the peaceful figures. The sounds of them breathing brought him only a bit of calmness. He wondered what Spottedleaf and Bluestar would discuss. Probably the defeat... Rather suddenly, Tigerclaw desired to know what his leader thought of Redtail's bad decision. After all, Bluestar could be just as soft as the rest of them, but he thought there was hope for her wits to come in handy yet. He knew Bluestar well, and there was a chance she'd be angered by the decision. Maybe, if he could get some insight into her opinion he could even sway her to consider a different decision for deputy of her clan. He turned back around yet again, feeling as if he'd bounced all over the territory a hundred times this night. Tigerclaw glanced back and forth, not wanting anyone to catch him spying on their leader and medicine cat.

The shadows did a good job hiding him despite his abnormal size, lucky for his dark-colored pelt. He watched as he spotted Bluestar leave her den, only to peer upwards from the high stone at the stars. Her face was lonesome and pensive, it made Tigerclaw wonder what she was thinking. She seemed particularly miserable as she did often with matters of Riverclan. He always wondered why she seemed to connect herself so much with them. Sometimes, it made him suspicious. His furious slitted eyes watched as Spottedleaf approached her, and he leaned, crouched against the ground to hear the conversation.

"How is Mousefur?" Bluestar meowed. Tigerclaw twitched his tail. He should be the one getting credit for the small she-cat's life.

"Her wounds are deep, Bluestar," Spottedleaf replied, shifting nervously against the cool grass. "But she is young and strong," Questionable. "She will heal quickly." Tigerclaw could sense Bluestar's relief even from his hiding spot. There was a brief hesitation, and he wondered if he had eavesdropped for no reason after all.

"And the others-?" Bluestar's cool voice broke the silence.

"They will all recover, too." The response prompted a sigh from the gray she-cat.

"We are lucky not to have lost any of our warriors this time. You are a gifted medicine cat, Spottedleaf." She said quietly against the silent nighttime. Tigerclaw wondered why she was getting praise for simply doing her job. It wasn't as if she'd helped fight. He watched Bluestar lift her muzzle to the stars. "I am deeply troubled by tonight’s defeat. ThunderClan has not been beaten in its own territory since I became leader." So she WAS bothered, after all. "These are difficult times for our clan. The season of newleaf is late, and there have been fewer kits. Thunderclan needs more warriors if it is to survive." What? Did she think this was an issue of numbers? That wasn't true! This was an issue of backing down and out far too quickly. He couldn't believe nobody could see the real issue here! For a moment, the two she-cats went back and forth about the topic, and Tigerclaw didn't care to listen to it. Consoling and dreck weren't his thing. He almost left his spot in the darkness, before he caught something interesting enough to stick around.

"- Are you asking Starclan for answers?" Spottedleaf's question piqued his curiosity. He felt suddenly like he was in on secrets he shouldn't be. Every cat knew the Starclan conversations between medicine cat and leader were not to reach the ears of prying warriors. But maybe, if Tigerclaw knew what their ancestors thought of tonight's failure, he'd have a leg to stand on.

"It's at times like this we need the words of ancient warriors to help us. Has StarClan spoken to you?" Bluestar questioned, turning her head to Spottedleaf. Spottedleaf looked somber as she averted her gaze and instead looked up at the stars as well.

"Not for some moons, Bluestar-" Just as quickly as she had said it, something odd happened to Spottedleaf. Her eyes widened and filled with a glaze-over that was hard to describe. She looked distant, not apart of this forest or even this world. The fur along her spine bristled and her entire body became tense as if she were nothing more than a cat-shaped rock. Bluestar kept quiet, looking at her. Admittedly, even Tigerclaw felt somehow anxious in the presence of this process. It was almost frightening. Spottedleaf came out of her daze, head snapping forward and breathing heavy. Bluestar rested her tail on the she-cat's shoulders. "It was a message from Starclan," Spottedleaf said hurriedly as if trying not to lose it. "Fire alone will save the clans."

Tigerclaw recoiled slightly. Fire? What could fire do for them? His eyes narrowed, drifting upwards. What was Starclan trying to do? Were they meant to believe something this meaningless? Why was it so vague? He curled his lip as if threatening the stars themselves. Bluestar's bewildered response didn't fall onto Tigerclaw's ears. He'd had enough of this dreadful conversation. He turned from where he was hiding and started to make his way into the warrior's den. Fire... how foolish. If fire was meant to save them, then something had to change.