#leopardwillow

"She would've understood it was her duty to lead EarthquakeClan!"

Lynxfang moved his long ears. The bat he had been trying to catch before the conversation started was long gone, and he moped its loss. A full belly would have helped him handle Riverfur's needless whines. "And I guess Asterkit isn't fit for leadership either, traditionally speaking."

"You're not taking this seriously!" 

"Riverfur, darling, I'm only following your logic here. I'm aware a cat can not be mature enough to lead a clan if all they've got is five moons, but by appointing the right regent, I don't see why we can't turn the little catworm into Asterstar."

Riverfur and Lynxfang had been close friends ever since teenagehood, but that habit of his of always giving out the worst solutions to his problems was growing older and older by the day. Going to the happy place was not enough sometimes.

"Why don't you go to the Moonstone then,  Lynxstar?" 

Riverfur stomped away, angrily.

"I mean, if it'd make you happy! I'm all over you, honey!"

And just like that, Lynxfang was left all alone. He refused to feel bad for the sarcasm he had employed, as much as he knew he had upset Riverfur for good. You can't just interrupt a guy when he's trying to get out of his comfort zone for the sake of the clan! He was already lamenting the lack of violent physical contact between cats, and he wasn't about to lament the lack of a leader too. He could feel bad about this after he found that bat again, and gorged its eyes out of its skull for thinking he could run away. 

He brought a couple of prey back to camp as compensation for breaking the Warrior Code with that bat — and its mate —, but his generous contribution did not stop the side eyes his clanmates gave him as he trotted towards the fresh-kill pile. With an open mouth, Riverfur's scent came in easily and he became content with the fact that his friend came back safe and sound despite the separation. He'd charm his way back into his heart, he was sure of it!

"Huh," whispered Leopardwillow, which he managed to overhear "You might not believe in me, but he trained under one of the most honorable warriors EarthquakeClan had since it's Renaissance."

"Did he?" Hootwhisker whispered back, sharing her attention between the gossip and Stemkit. Both were just as important to the queen.

Leopardwillow nodded as she complemented: "Darkstripe, his name was. Our first ever tragedy." 

Tch, since when was Darkstripe honorable? Since he tried isolating him from the other apprentices? Since he started going around saying he was too unstable to be taught advanced fighting skills? Since he had assured Ravenpaw, now Raventuft, that he was going to get killed by his paws someday? He didn't even do his job! Lynxfang owed his warrior name to the rogues he met around the forest, and the fierce kittypet Cece — a kittypet! Imagine being so incompetent a kittypet is more of a mentor to your apprentice.

When Lynxfang passed by the two she-cats, he did not do so much as to even greet them, and walked immediately towards Raventuft. He was welcomed with his lover's friendly tongue, but then his purring stopped and was replaced by a yelp of betrayal.

"You already ate?! This isn't fair," Raventuft commented.

"Not you too."

"Who am I going to eat with now, everybody else is so dull," he threw himself on the floor, dramatically. 

"It's critical, but you'll live. I just had to gather more patience to myself on patrol today."

"Let me guess: it involves Riverfur, Pikestar and Asterkit?" 

Great, he had been talking about it to the entire forest. "He doesn't chill, does he?"

"She," he corrected. 

"What?"

"She's been meaning to tell you, but you kinda blew it up with your sarcasm there, so she told me to give you a headsup. Said you did not deserve to know by her mouth until you stopped being a huge fox-dung; her words, not mine."

As much as he'd kill and die for Raventuft, Lynxfang knew better than to believe in everything he said. He was probably trying to create discord between he and Riverfur by adding that last part. Riverfur wanted him to know, but was too angry to face him; she'd never call him fox-dung, though.

"Was that why she mentioned Wishwhistle?"

"Riverfur? Being subtle? Come on. She only mentioned her because she wishes that incompetent goofball could be half as good a leader as her father was. I don't need to remind you how unsubtle Riverfur was when we were younger, do I?"

"Please, spare me." 

Raventuft purred. "The hedgehog spike on your bed was pretty funny."

"Glad my suffering brings you joy, love, because it only brings me regret."

He purred some more. "I have no idea why she still sticks around with us." 

"Maybe she finds you handsome."

Raventuft stopped purring. He looked at Lynxfang. He looked with murderous intent. "You did not need to say that."

"What, you'll just let this chance slide? You could go in there and trash talk about me, and then you lie your head on hers, and then—"

"She likes mollies, Lynxfang!" 

Raventuft looked so cute when he was upset, but Lynxfang knew better than to overdo it. As much as he looked funny, it was never a good idea to tease him for so long. He shrugged. "Worth the shot." 

"Besides, I already have you," he muttered, as he laid his head on his back. "That's more than enough for me." 

"I love you too, ducky." 

From that corner of the warrior's den, Lynxfang could see the cave tunnel in which Pikestar would go inside to rest. It looked spacious, it looked distant — it looked safe from the side eyeing and the prophecies of destruction Petaleye had made about him. He was always jealous of Pikestar, keeping a den all to his own. He remembered how his clanmates would look at Pikestar when he came around, even when he was growing senile and his decisions were not always reinforced. There was respect in those eyes. There was admiration. There was fear. 

As unreasonable as some of her fears were, Riverfur was right about two things: the first thing was that EarthquakeClan was seen as weak and unstable by the others and it could be exploited; the second was that Lynxstar did not sound so bad. It sounded right.

"Hey, ducky?"

"Hm?" Raventuft raised his head to look at him. "What is it, Lynxfang?"

"Do you want to make an announcement with me?" 

Raventuft tilted his head, but followed along. Everytime that Lynxfang became nonchalant, it meant trouble, and Raventuft loved watching trouble unfold. His legs became more and more paralyzed, however, the closest the two of them became of the leader's den, and his eyes were slowly opening more and more. No, not even he could go that far...

Lynxfang jumped gracefully from rock to rock until he reached the top, and then he yelled as loud as he could: "Let all cats old enough to cat their own prey gather in the middle of our camp, for a clan meeting!"

StarClan above, he was going that far.

There was only one word to describe the clan cat's reaction: bewilderment. In the middle of a breezy snowstorm, their furs all spiked up, the clan gathered around to listen to the announcement. 

"EarthquakeClan has been leaderless for longer than it should have been," Lynxfang continued, "and the rightful heir is not of age yet. I decided to appoint myself as temporary regent of EarthquakeClan, and Raventuft as my deputy. To honor my clan, I shall go to the Moonstone with Brightnight in the evening, and come back with the nine lives of a leader."

"How would that be temporary, if you get the nine lives?" Leopardwillow immediately protested. Keeping peace is going to be so much harder with him as a star..., she thought to herself.

Lynxfang bared his teeth at her, but kept the calm demeanor. "I shall pass them all down to Asterkit once he comes of age, and has taken at least one apprentice to himself."

"You never trained an apprentice before!"

"Oh, but I will. I'll start with Asterpaw."

There were no verbal protests, but there were no excited screams of Lynxstar! Lynxstar! Lynxstar! echoing through the rocky walls. The clan was speechless.

Riverfur took a deep breath and broke the silence: "I'm with Lynxfang. Right now, we need a strong leader to intimidate our rivals. EarthquakeClan vanished from existence once, it could vanish again!" 

Leopardwillow was shaking her head repeatedly. She whispered: "Riverfur, he'll ruin our diplomacy…!"

"He'll be Lynxstar temporarily. Once Asterstar takes leadership upon himself, we'll restore whatever allies we've lost."

Leopardwillow lowered her ears. There was nothing she could do.

Brightnight agreed to take Lynxfang to the Moonstone in the evening. Raventuft was starting to come around to the title of deputy. All that Lynxfang needed right now was one last visit to the nursery before departing. Just for fun.

Asterkit had listened to it all, and was hissing to the tom as he walked in. He could not so much as reach his head, but he still showed his claws at him, spitting: "Mom told me about you! She said she kept seeing horrible things about you, from StarClan!" 

He had to laugh. "Little one, your mom was never trained to be a medicine cat. Who's to say her visions were real?"

"I'll run away before I'll be your apprentice!"

"And where would you go, huh? There's a snowstorm, tiny, and your coat is not as thick as mine. But it's whatever, really… if you die, all my problems are gone with you." 

Asterkit began cowering down, as Lynxfang's shadow covered him. He was such a big cat. It would be such a hard fight. 

"Oopsie, I wasn't supposed to spoil my future plans. Owies, I did it again. Ah, I guess it can't be helped. Unless…"

"Unless…?"

"Unless you help me. In whatever I ask you to do."

"W-what do you want from me?"

"Oh, but it's too complicated to explain right now, since you see… I gotta skedaddle. Keep that eagerness for a chit-chat for when I come back, alright, kiddo? Can you do that for me? Good."

"Leave him alone!" Horsekit jumped in front of Asterkit, hissing. "Go away!"

He purred. "You're such a funny molly, I might make you my apprentice as well, so you can protect him all the time! Later!"