Erin Hunter - Starlight

Mudclaw narrowed his eyes at Brambleclaw. “You were there too, were you? Another ThunderClan cat, what a surprise! What did Firestar offer you if you backed him up? Did he promise to make you deputy of ThunderClan?”

Any temptation to blurt out the truth vanished in an instant, as Brambleclaw struggled with the urge to leap on the WindClan warrior’s back and claw his fur off. Just managing to stay where he was, he glanced up at Firestar and saw cold fury in his leader’s green eyes.

“How dare you doubt my word, or my warrior’s?” Firestar hissed at Mudclaw. “Tallstar’s decision was made in the sight of StarClan.”

“How do you know?” Mudclaw challenged. “Are you a medicine cat all of a sudden?”

“His decision was clear enough.” Firestar spat back.

Mudclaw spun around to face his Clanmates. “Are you going to sit here and accept this?” he demanded. “Do we let ThunderClan choose our leader for us?” Whipping around to glare at Onewhisker again, he added, “How many of our warriors do you think will follow you, you sniveling, crow-food-eating traitor?”

Before Onewhisker had time to reply, Crowfeather padded forward and stood at the edge of the tree stump. His fur was ruffled and his eyes stunned with grief, but when he spoke his voice was calm.

“I will follow Onewhisker. I made the journey to the sun-drown-place with Brambleclaw, and I know he does not lie.

If he says that Tallstar made Onewhisker deputy before he went to hunt with StarClan, then I believe him.” Raising his head to meet Onewhisker’s gaze, he meowed, “Onestar, I greet you as the leader of my Clan.”

More voices came from WindClan. “Yes! Onestar!

Onestar!” But others sounded uncertain, or openly defiant, and Brambleclaw could see it wasn’t going to be easy for Onewhisker to believe in his right to lead his Clan. He spotted Blackstar and Leopardstar at the edge of the crowd, exchanging a glance of amused satisfaction. They weren’t disappointed to see quarrels in WindClan, that was for sure.

Onewhisker dipped his head toward Crowfeather. “Thank you,” he mewed. “But don’t call me Onestar yet,” he begged.

“I haven’t received my name or my nine lives from StarClan.”

His ears flattened with embarrassment, and Brambleclaw guessed he was afraid he would never be approved by StarClan because of the way in which he had become WindClan’s deputy.

“And you never will!” Mudclaw snarled, as if he could read Onewhisker’s most hidden thoughts. “You are not our leader!

Come down here and fight me if you dare. Then we’ll see who’ll make the better leader for WindClan.”

Onewhisker gathered his haunches under him, ready to leap down and meet Mudclaw’s challenge, but Firestar raised his tail to stop him. Brambleclaw braced himself to intercept Mudclaw if he launched himself onto the tree stump.

“Stop!” An outraged cry came from Barkface. “Sheathe your claws, Mudclaw,” he told the WindClan deputy. “Clan leaders have never been chosen by fighting. And do you want to start a fight with Tallstar’s spirit still watching over us? We should be sitting in vigil for him, not bickering over who will take his place. You betray him by behaving like this. He always expected the best from his senior warriors.” He paused, with a long glance at Firestar, and then added, “I believe what the ThunderClan cats tell us. This was Tallstar’s choice, and you must accept it.”

With a visible effort, Mudclaw flattened his neck fur and sheathed his claws. “Very well,” he growled. He looked up at Onewhisker, and the hatred in his eyes was like poison.

“You’re brave enough standing there with your ThunderClan friends to back you up. But if you think I’ll serve as your deputy, you’re wrong.”

Onewhisker dipped his head. “Very well,” he meowed.

“I’m sorry if that’s your decision.”

Mudclaw’s only reply was to spit. Then he turned away to follow Barkface and some of the other WindClan warriors as they went to bring out Tallstar’s body for the vigil.

“Onewhisker,” Firestar mewed quietly, “you have to appoint another deputy. Now . You can’t lead this Clan alone, and you will need all the support you can get if Mudclaw decides to make things difficult.”

For a moment Brambleclaw wondered if he would choose Crowfeather, who was watching the leaders closely. But Crowfeather had been made a warrior too recently, and besides, he carried the taint of being friendly with ThunderClan, thanks to the journey he had made with Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight. Onewhisker needed an experienced warrior who was trusted by WindClan but not too popular with cats in other Clans; a choice that every cat would approve, perhaps even Mudclaw.

Onewhisker closed his eyes to think. Then he opened them again and looked down at his Clanmates. “I say these words before the spirit of Tallstar, and the spirits of all StarClan, that they may hear and approve my choice.”

Brambleclaw found himself letting out a sigh of relief that the correct words were being used this time.

“Ashfoot will be the new deputy of WindClan.”

Brambleclaw wasn’t even sure that he knew who Ashfoot was. Then he saw a gray she-cat standing with a look of utter shock on her broad face. Crowfeather bounded over to her and pressed his muzzle to hers, while the other WindClan cats called out, “Ashfoot! Ashfoot!”

Brambleclaw suddenly remembered that she was Crowfeather’s mother; he had seen her once or twice before at Gatherings, though he hadn’t spoken to her. She was obviously a popular choice among her Clanmates. Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes. Onewhisker had made a wise decision, just as he hoped.

Onewhisker leaped down from the stump, and Firestar followed. Ashfoot came forward to touch noses with her leader. “Thank you, Onewhisker,” she meowed. “I’ll do my best. I never imagined—”

“I know,” Onewhisker interrupted, giving her ear a quick lick. “That’s one reason why I chose you. I don’t want a cat who thinks she deserves power. I want a cat who will help me make our Clan strong again when we reach our new home.”

Ashfoot let out a purr. “Then that is what I will do.”

Turning to Firestar, Onewhisker meowed, “Thanks, Firestar. I’m sorry that was so difficult. I never thought Mudclaw would accuse you of lying.”

Firestar shrugged. “I wasn’t surprised. Mudclaw had taken on many leadership duties long before Tallstar died. It must have been a shock for him to learn he wasn’t going to be leader after all. But at least you seem to have most of the Clan behind you now.”

Onewhisker nodded, but a flicker of anxiety crept into his expression. “How will I get my name and my nine lives from StarClan, Firestar? There’s no Moonstone here. Do you think I should take some of my warriors and go back through the mountains to Highstones?”

Firestar twitched his tail. “I think that’s the most mousebrained thing you could do. The journey there and back would take nearly a moon. And Mudclaw wouldn’t be sitting on his paws doing nothing while you were away; that’s for sure.”

He flicked his ears toward the cats who had brought Tallstar’s body into the clearing. Mudclaw was sitting a little way apart from them, staring at Onewhisker with an ominous look in his eyes. Brambleclaw felt his belly twist. The new WindClan leader must be more than mousebrained if he thought the problems with Mudclaw were over.

“You’re right.” Onewhisker sighed. “This isn’t the time to leave the Clan. But we’ll have to find some way of sharing tongues with StarClan, won’t we?”

“There must be another Moonstone close by,” Ashfoot meowed with sturdy common sense. “StarClan wouldn’t have brought us here otherwise. We’ll find it as quickly as we can—and until we do, your Clan’s loyalty will have to be enough to keep you as our leader.”