Chapter 17
"What are you doing?!"
Talonstar's voice roared in Hawkpaw's ears the instant she, Dawnclaw, and the new recruits padded into camp. The clan leader swayed on his paws, eyes drooping. Cloudstorm and Duskfang moved in almost instantly to keep him upright.
Dawnclaw's poppy seeds! Hawkpaw knew precisely why Talonstar hadn't been as active lately, as well as why he was moving sluggishly now. She wondered how long Dawnclaw's plans had been in effect, and how long she had planned to take over FalconClan.
The pale ginger she-cat's cold gaze abruptly bore into Hawkpaw and the rogues behind her. She narrowed her eyes.
"Seat yourselves with the apprentices," she growled.
Almost at the same time, Duskfang, the clan deputy, yowled a formal summons.
"In line!"
Immediately, cats drooped prey they had been eating and moved to form their rigid lines. Hawkpaw even saw Specklekit, his mother, and the other kit, Fadedkit, poking their heads out of the nursery.
Specklekit's eyes were bright as he leaped over to take his place near the back row of cats. He had grown significantly since Hawkpaw had saved the little furball. It reminded her of how long she had spent in FalconClan.
Fadedkit, the only other kit, eyed all the rogues warily. Her black and white pelt was fluffed up against the cold, and she lifted her chin as she passed the rogues, eyeing the rogues coldly.
"This is ain't a warm welcome, is it?" The golden tabby stared at Hawkpaw. "Ye can speak right? They haven't stolen your voice along with your freedom, right?"
"Yes, I can speak," Hawkpaw responded, feeling somewhat indignant. "We should get going now."
The golden tabby said something under her breath that Hawkpaw couldn't hear.
Duskfang was yowling at the last summons. Looking around, Hawkpaw saw the apprentices, who were in rows on the outer left side of the lines. She flicked her tail at the new recruits to follow her.
"Why do we have to sit with the rogues?!" Coalpaw snarled as Hawkpaw sat down next to them. "Get away from me you freaks!"
He's losing it... Hawkpaw knew the past few days had been difficult for all the FalconClan cats, but Coalpaw could only ever seem to muster up enough energy to be needlessly cruel.
"'Scuse me," A massive white, black, and red striped rogue casually settled down right between Coalpaw and Hawkpaw. He flashed a grin at Hawkapw. When Coalpaw looked as though he was about to spit in the face of the large cat, the rogue put out his paw. "Name's Squawk! My mother, Navy named me that 'cause I talk a lot."
Snowpaw, who was behind Coalpaw let out a grin. Squawk saw the white tom, and struck out his paw in a valiant act to make friends with the other cat.
"What's the meaning of this, Dawnclaw?!" Talonstar snarled as he stared at Hawkpaw and the rogues. "Nightfrost, Frostwing? What are you doing with rogues?!"
Several of the rogues shrank away from the clan leader's icy gaze, but Hawkpaw's gaze was fixed steadily on Dawnclaw as she emerged from the rigid line of warriors. Her chest was puffed up, and her eyes were bright.
"I've recruited new cats, Talonstar," she responded. "That way we can defeat CometClan and AquaClan."
Talonstar seemed to be losing the effects of the poppy seed as he turned to glare at Dawnclaw's bright expression. Duskfang was beside his leader, staring at the ground. The usually so confident Deputy was obviously feeling his loyalties being torn apart.
"I don't want more fleapelts!" Talonstar spat. "Ever since Hawkpaw came, things have been getting worse and worse."
Dawnclaw winced as though she had taken her leader's retort to heart.
Then, Hawkpaw saw her side-eye with her two closest companions. She wanted all the other cats to get mad at Talonstar, to prove he was a poor leader. Frostwing growled menacingly low in his throat, while Nightfrost unsheathed her claws. Dawnclaw stared at the ground.
"I-I'm sorry-" she began subserviently.
"Enough with your overstepping, Dawnclaw! I've a right to make Smokepaw the sole Medicine Cat of this clan, because of how often you contradict me." Talonstar was losing his cool.
"That's not fair, Talonstar!" Silvermist, usually shy and quiet in clan meetings, faced her clan leader. "Dawnclaw's been doing her best! We all have been!"
Several warriors nodded in agreement, though Hawkpaw saw Roseflight and Moonflight exchange dubious glances. Not every cat trusted Dawnclaw, and for good reason.
Talonstar's eyes widened the moment he realised that Dawnclaw had the respect and approval of the majority of the warriors in his small clan. Taking a deep breath, he turned back to the Medicine Cat, a tired look on his face.
"So why?" he meowed. "Why in StarClan's name did you try to recruit a bunch of scrawny rogues?"
The pale ginger tabby she-cat spoke up. "We can hunt, and fight!" she responded in a rasping tone. "We want to live in a community, and have a family."
"Yeah!" Squawk exclaimed.
You won't find that here, Hawkpaw thought ruefully as she stared at Squawk. He was big, but the more she looked at him, the more she felt that he might only be a couple moons older than her.
Talonstar was now seriously considering Dawnclaw's suggestion. Hawkpaw could see the only reason he felt hesitant now was because she had been the one to suggest it, and not him.
"So, what if we do take these cats in..." he meowed slowly, eyeing the rogues up and down. "Who would mentor them? I mean, we would have so many apprentices, and so few warriors..."
"An' that's where I come in!"
Gasps sounded from all around the FalconClan warriors as a blue-grey tom with a permanently cranky expression strutted forward. His wings were bright orange, matching his wide eyes.
"F-featherruffle...?!"
The gasp echoed around the clan as the blue-grey tom sat down beside Talonstar, easily dwarfing the clan leader. Talonstar glowered at Featherrufle.
"I told you I wasn't sure if I wanted to let you in yet," he grumbled.
Featherruffle shrugged. "We're brothers," he meowed sourly. "Of course you're going to let me in."
"Who's he?" Hawkpaw meowed in bewilderment.
It was Roseflight who spoke up from somewhere to the left of Hawkpaw. Her eyes were narrowed as she surveyed Featherruffle.
"He was always unhappy here," she meowed. "So he left. I guess he was unhappy on his travels, so he returned." She sighed. "He's Talonstar's littermate, and has always been a dramatic sourpuss."
Hawkpaw turned back to the rogues, wondering if, with this new cat's arrival, there would be enough mentors for all the new recruits. There were less than twenty cats in the clan, including the kits, apprentices, queens and elders. Hawkpaw wasn't sure if there would be enough mentors.
Talonstar, too, seemed to be doing the math. Eventually, he let out a sigh.
"Dawnclaw, we will try your suggestion to let rogues fight and join the clan." He meowed. "Though they will be apprentices, and will be treated with the least respect. Respect is something to be earned."
"And we'll earn it!" Squawk pipped up eagerly, the large tom jumping up and down. "Just you wait and see, Talon!"
Hawkpaw looked around. It seemed that this would only work if every warrior took an apprentice. Then what of Fadedkit? Hawkpaw knew that the black and white she-cat would be apprenticed very soon, and there would be no mentors left. With a shiver, she wondered if Talonstar would do something to demote Icepaw so that Duskfang would be open. But the clan leader had an entirely different plan.
Talonstar blinked slowly. "Snowpaw, step forward."
Hawkpaw glanced back in bewilderment to see the large white apprentice padding toward his clan leader. His eyes were wide, and he almost seemed invisible in the white snow. Hawkpaw didn't know what the clan leader could want with him, but she felt excitement ripple around the clearing as Snowpaw dipped his head to his leader.
"Snowpaw," Talonstar meowed. "You may be only just nearing five moons in your apprenticeship, but we need your skills as a warrior now." A promotion?! Hawkpaw saw the moment Snowpaw's eyes lit up with happiness.
"You've always kept clanmates from quarrelling, and have proved your skill and value time and time again." Talonstar touched noses with Snowpaw, who was practically vibrating with excitement.
"Snowpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Snowlight, in honour of your compassion and courage. We welcome you as a fully fledged member of this clan."
Hawkpaw watched in awe as Snowlight spread his wings. Around him, several other warriors did the same. With a sudden woosh, Snowlight lifted into the sky, before wheeling away.
"Where's he going?" Hawkpaw asked in bewilderment.
Smokepaw answered her, eyes brimming with joy. "He's going to reflect on his apprenticeship," she explained. "He'll be back with the sunrise."
All the warriors seemed much more light after watching the promotion of one of their young. Hawkpaw glanced around as Talonstar began preparing to match each of the new rogues up with mentors.
"I have a very good idea with regards to these cats' names," Frostwing announced suddenly, puffing up his chest.
Oh really? Frostwing always had names that were simultaneously unclever and cruel.
"They should all have 'dawn,' in their suffix, in honour of Dawnclaw being the one to start this!" Frostwing purred. "They're all older cats, beside Squawk, so I think it would be better if they all had the 'dawn' suffix."
Talonstar opened her jaws as though he was about to start another full-blown argument. Then, he closed them with a snap.
"You know what," he snarled at Dawnclaw. "Fine. Let's give them all your absolutely gorgeous name. I'm so done with being the leader of such a mousebrained clan!"
Ginger, the old ginger tabby she-cat was first. She got the name Gingerdawn, and was given cruel Nightfrost as a mentor. Hawkpaw shivered, thinking that Frostwing's mate was sometimes even worse than Frostwing herself. After all, she thought with a shudder. They probably did something absolutely horrible to Woody and the other rogue.
Mountain, the scrawny silver she-cat was next. She received the name Mountaindawn, with Cloudstorm as a mentor. Cloudstorm was old and impatient, but at least he wasn't part of Dawnclaw's gang. Bright was renamed Brightpaw, and was given Snowpaw's former mentor, Roseflight, as his mentor.
Last was Squawk, the young vivacious tom. He bounded up to Talonstar, eyes bright. Featherruffle recoiled, obviously disgusted by the young cat's happiness.
"Can I be named Squawkpaw, Talonstar?!" Squawk begged. "I'm apprentice-aged, so I want to be with cats my age, like Hawkpaw! Please, please, please?"
Talonstar shot a darkly amused glance at the disgusted Featherruffle.
"Why not?" He meowed tiredly. "I have a great mentor for you, Squawkpaw," he added as Squawkpaw's eyes lit up. "Featherruffle."
"Awesome!"
The meeting seemed to be breaking up. Dawnclaw was eyeing the rogues through narrowed eyes, clearly trying to find a way to make sure she could control them. She had to find their weaknesses, as she had found Hawkpaw's. My friends...
"Hawkpaw?"
Hawkpaw saw Smokepaw padding towards the exit of camp. She was staring at Hawkpaw, anguish written all over her face. Hawkpaw wondered what was wrong.
"Can we go out together?" Smokepaw whispered.
Dawnclaw would kill you... Hawkpaw couldn't, and she definitely shouldn't want to with all her heart. Hawkpaw was about to turn away, when she Smokepaw cried out in a last desperate attempt.
"Please, Hawkpaw!"
Hawkpaw realised that the smoky she-cat's eyes were watering. Pain and panic split through her chest as she realised that Smokepaw must have felt as though Hawkpaw had abandoned her. She glanced once more at Dawnclaw, who was deep in conversation with her littermate.
I can slip away, Hawkapaw tried to calm the heart which began thundering in her chest. I have to comfort Smokepaw.
Smokepaw had almost turned away, but Hawkpaw let out a quiet, yet confident meow.
"Coming."
Author's Note
I hope you all are enjoying Gaining Height as we reach the ~1/3 mark of the story!! It's nearly 35k words for those curious! There's plenty of drama, action, and characters still just waiting to be explored!!! Considering upvoting (starring) the chapters, and/or commenting if you like them - it really helps me out! Thanks for reading this far!