Bramblestar walked into his den and found Maplepelt curled up, deathly still.
He asked her in alarm, "Maplepelt, are you alright?"
"Does it look like I am?" she snapped, her voice breaking. "Pinestar is gone!"
Bramblestar was at a loss as to what he could do. He hadn't yet grown accustomed to having a mate. He said awkwardly, "I'll... um... leave you alone," as he exited the den.
Everything had gone downhill since he became the leader. He longed for his father's guidance, but he couldn't have it.
He knew he needed to choose a deputy, and quickly.
"All cats trained or in training gather around Highrock for a clan meeting!" he yowled.
Cats immediately came swarming out of their dens, eager to hear what their new leader had to say.
"I must choose new deputies. I say these words before Pinestar, my father, that he may hear and approve of my choice. Foxpelt and Lightningblaze will be my new deputies."
Foxpelt and Lightningblaze exchanged looks of mingled pride and sadness, walking towards the rock.
"There will be a couple of changes around here as well," he said. "I resign my status as Maplepelt's mate-"
A wail of dismay arose, and he spotted Maplepelt digging herself into Swanpelt's shoulder.
"-but Maplepelt must still be treated with the utmost respect, for she has served as the leader's mate for moons," he finished.
Some looked sympathetically at Maplepelt; others were nodding like it made sense.
"You must all understand," he began, "that we cannot allow chaos to reign in our midst. That is why I have decided to take measures to ensure that order is maintained."
"Firstly," Bramblestar continued, "leaders must always have a mate. And so, I have decided to take Dandelionstripe as my mate."
Dandelionstripe's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly composed herself and stepped forward to take her place next to her new mate.
"Secondly," Bramblestar went on, "she-cats must be guarded at all times. Beautiful she-cats must be treated with respect, but we must do what we can to keep ugly she-cats under guard."
"Furthermore," Bramblestar continued, "I believe that toms can also be made into slaves. Runts, unskilled, and boisterous toms will be forced into servitude. They will be treated just as the ugly she-cats are treated."
At this, some of the toms in the crowd shifted uneasily, but Bramblestar did not seem to notice.
"Even beautiful she-cats can be made into slaves as punishment," he went on. "And for those who are already slaves, punishment can take the form of scarring, being force-fed crow food, or sleeping outside in the coldest area of the forest.
That is all for now."
***
Bramblestar marched towards the dreary, uninviting nursery where Badgerleg's kits were waiting for him. He was supposed to perform their naming ceremony, but Badgerleg had refused to come along, leaving Bramblestar alone to undertake the task. As he drew closer, he could hear the little bundles of fur playing around and their mother keeping a watchful eye on them.
As soon as the kits saw Bramblestar, they froze in their tracks and scurried towards the shelter of their mother. "Where's Badgerleg?" Slimepaw asked in her usual, unconcerned tone.
"He's not coming," Bramblestar replied, trying to keep his frustration in check.
"Good," Slimepaw said with an air of satisfaction.
Bramblestar growled, "I could punish you for speaking like that."
"Just don't give my daughter a horrible name, will you?" she said dismissively.
"Can't you at least pretend to be excited?" Bramblestar asked, growing impatient.
Slimepaw finally looked up at him. "I'm excited that my sons will now be able to venture out into the wild world, hunt, and protect our clan. But I'm not excited that my daughter will have to endure the same nasty treatment as the other she-cats. And I'm not looking forward to receiving my full she-cat name, either."
Bramblestar had to admit there was some truth to what she was saying. "Well, rules are rules," he said.
"I don't think the warrior code states that she-cats must have bad names," she retorted calmly.
"It's tradition," he countered.
"Traditions can be changed."
"There would be an uproar!"
"Oh, cry me a river!" Slimepaw meowed sarcastically. "All the toms will be devastated that they can't call the she-cats horrible names any more!"
"Well, I can't change your name," he said.
"I just want a good name for my daughter. I think she's quite pretty."
As Bramblestar looked at the small she-cat, he could see that she was indeed a beauty. Her sleek fur was a mix of black and brown swirls, which adorned her lower body. The same pattern continued onto her head, highlighting the features of her face. Her eyes were a warm shade of amber, though they were clouded with fear.
"Well, I'll try to come up with something," he relented.
He walked out of the nursery and climbed onto Highrock, yowling, "All cats trained or in training, gather around Highrock for a clan meeting!"
The few cats who weren't in the clearing made their way out, their ears pricked up in curiosity.
"Badgerleg's kits have been born, and they are now eight moons old, so we must have the naming ceremony," he announced. He beckoned to the first tom. "From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Blizzardpaw, in honor of your white pelt."
Blizzardpaw self-consciously looked down at his white pelt with a black diamond on his neck. He looked up proudly and sat up a bit straighter.
"Since you do not wish to follow the path of the medicine cat, all warriors will help mentor you, but your primary trainer shall be Acorntail," he finished.
Blizzardpaw stood up and strode over to Slimepaw's brother, touching their noses with him.
The second tom stepped forward, eager to outmatch his brother.
"From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Dunepaw, in honor of your sand-colored pelt."
"Since you do not wish to follow the path of the medicine cat, all warriors will help mentor you, but your primary trainer shall be Darkleg."
Dunepaw sat up and trotted toward Darkleg, his new mentor, eagerly.
The last tom strode forward, his appearance much less appealing. He was small and he shook when he walked, his tail short and drooped.
"Hm! A runt!" Bramblestar exclaimed. "This kit is not fit to be a warrior, so he shall be a slave. His name shall be Smallpaw."
Slimepaw glared at him.
Bramblestar glared back.
Bramblestar won.
"Now for the she-cat!" he mewed in contempt.
The she-cat stepped forward.
"From this day forward, until you have kits, you shall be Petalpaw, in honor of the swirl patterns on your coat."
Cats started muttering to themselves, wondering why she had a decent name.
"She is quite pretty..."
"But we give her a new name later..."
"Bramblestar is quite different from Pinestar..."
"Now we shall name Slimepaw," he continued. "This she-cat has given birth to kits and has provided more cats to defend this clan. From this day forward, you shall be Slimefoot. Meeting dismissed."
As he entered his den, he saw Slimefoot beaming at her kits, snuggling the toms and comforting Smallpaw.
Was it like that to be a she-cat?
Credits to: Michelle Ooten on Pinterest
Petalpaw! She is a combination of Badgerleg because of her dark color and white, but she's got some sand color in her