Chapter Eighteen

Pain needled deep in Fogface's tight muscles. She lay tense, wreathed in Stormspark's warm body; whose flank fluttered as if she were asleep. But Fogface knew Stormspark was just as wide awake as herself. Both waited for Eelthistles' signal that it was time to sneak away for a rebel meeting.

Fogface's hooked claws tore gouges in the moss beneath her. She was in over her head. She hadn't wanted to be part of a rebellion in the first place! Now that tensions were building, the responsibility weighed on her. Why had she made that stupid decision? She didn't need to help lead, she could've followed the cause, safe in anonymity, another face in the crowd. All this to impress Stormspark? They were long past the days of trying to woo each other, of Stormspark making a show about catching the biggest piece of prey on her patrol, of Fogface pulling out all her best fighting moves when she knew Stormspark was watching. Stormspark's belly swelled against Fogface's back. All this not to impress her, but to be better, to stop her from ever wanting more out of a mate, stop her from ever even thinking of leaving. 

A shadow fell upon the floor of the den, distorted as it twisted over the bodies of the sleeping RushClan cats. The cat that cast it stood for only a moment, outlined against the faded moonlight, before walking away. Fogface looked up, meeting several pairs of glowing eyes.

The RushClan cats snuck out in small groups, darting away like a school of fish. In the moments after Totarascar and Leafshade left, Fogface drew herself up into a stiff crouch. Stormspark flicked her tongue out, licking her ear. Fogface glanced back at her mate, who gave her an encouraging wink. When she saw Hollysplash stand up and pick her way through the crowd, Fogface followed. Eelthistle beckoned them forward with a flick of his tail, not saying a word. Fogface, Hollysplash, and Honeydapple crept forward. As they slipped past Eelthistle, Fogface turned to look back towards Fernstar's den, but she was too far to make out her sister's shape.

They slipped through the long grass and bush, the rivers' guttural gurgle hushing as they approached the border. Anttail purred when they arrived, yellow fangs peeping out from her smile. Fogface approached her tupuna. 

"Glad you made it," she said.

Fogface huffed a laugh. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were enjoying this." 

"Do you think I like being hauled out of my warm nest on a rainy night? My hips will ache tomorrow." Anttail's teeth flashed again. "But my Dapplefur? Now she always enjoyed a spot of trouble a little too much."

Fogface nudged her bony shoulder. "As I recall, you were the one always dragging her into trouble!"

The long grass parted as Stormspark alone waded through.

"Where's Eelthistle?" Fogface asked.

"I told him to stay behind. If someone gets up to make dirt, it'll be very suspicious if there's no guard. I'll tell him all the details" Stormspark replied, as if Fogface's worry was Eelthistle missing out, and not her mate's safety.

For the first time, Fogface paid mind to the ForestClan cats that huddled the border, where open grass met clustered trees,  where shadows snaked across the ground, serpentine and sinewy. Bluenettle and Dappletooth spoke to each other in low growls. Wekafur, usually leading the group, stood backwards. His eyelids drooped, his coat ungroomed. She spotted a few new faces, no one that she knew. Two tortoiseshells and one grey tabby. She nudged Stormspark. "It's growing," she whispered into her ear. Stormspark's eyes stayed fixed on the crowd, but her light purr said it all. For the first time in a long time, Fogface's fur prickled with pride. This was theirs. They were building this rebellion together, they were doing right together. 

"Are you ready to start?" Stormspark whispered back. Fogface met her hazel eyes, bright and shiny in the moonlight. She nodded, and the two mollies stepped out to address the crowd. 

"Things have certainly progressed since our last meeting." Stormspark took the lead, her low growl silencing the whispers from the crowd. "Spiderstar and Keastar have put their paws down and announced that ForestClan is officially becoming one. How's that coming along?" 

"The new camp is nearly finished. We'll move in within the next half-moon," Hivestrike told her.

"BeechClan are pushing more of their systems on us," Amberfang cut in. "Their pay system. We weren't asked at all. RimuClan cats have never had to pay for what we want. This is exactly what we were worried about, they're turning us into a bigger version of BeechClan. I don't know why Keastar is going along with this!" She hissed. 

Stormspark narrowed her eyes. "I'll be honest, I don't know anything about this pay thing. RushClan has never had it either."

"It's this weird hierarchy thing. Higher ranks get more pay, and you use the pay - these painted rocks - to get privileges, like good prey and the best spots in the den. You give over your rocks to get these things and give them to someone else. The more you have, the better." The new grey tabby said, voice quavering as all eyes turned to her. 

"It's still new for BeechClan too," a former-BeechClan elder explained. "It was introduced when I was an apprentice. Cats use it for privileges, but other things too. Paying someone else to go on the dawn patrol in their place, to get on hunting patrols in the best places to catch prey on plentiful days to get a reputation for being a better hunter than they really are. It's not supposed to be used like that, but it is, and the higher-ups turn a blind eye. The more pay you get, the easier your life is."

At that, one of the other new cats spat. "And RimuClan cats got less than BeechClan cats! Spiderstar and his medicine cat said it was because we're still getting used to the system. But that makes no sense, why would less pay help us get used to the system? If that was what it's all about, he should've lowered it for everyone!" 

The grey-spotted tabby rolled her eyes. "What are you complaining about, you're a legion warrior. You're getting more than most of us." 

"So there's already a system of inequality being enforced against RimuClan cats?" Stormspark mused. "That's exactly what we were worried about."

"Now hang on," Toatoafur looked uncomfortable. "There's nothing wrong with the pay system. Your traditions have been enforced on us too, like your legion, secondary and lesser warriors. It's not fair that the RimuClan cats are getting less, but it's a bit hypocritical to criticise us for having a hierarchy."

Dewfur, a once-RimuClan cat shook his head. "It's about the work-and-reward balance. Legion warriors earn their place. They train harder, they're the ones expected to put their lives on the line to defend their Clan. It makes sense they should be compensated more for their efforts. Warrior status isn't fixed like the BeechClan crafts." At the confused glances from RushClan cats, he carried on. "Certain crafts are given more pay than others. But in my opinion, some of the lesser-paid ranks put in the most work. The runners get paid the most and it's seen as the best rank, but they don't actually do a lot. There aren't always opportunities to trade with outside allies. Meanwhile, the growers and kit-watchers put in the work every day, but their rank is looked down upon and they get paid less. From my understanding, cats are steered into crafts based on their skill set, so it isn't a choice. Our legion system operates under the assumption that any cat, if they train hard enough, can gain the skills to earn a place in the legion."

Silence followed Dewfur's speech as the gathered cats processed what he had said. Finally, one of the tortoiseshells - whom Fogface thought was called Quickdusk, or maybe Quickdawn - said quietly "I'd never thought about it like that before."

"What I'm hearing is that we're right. BeechClan is slowly trying to assimilate RimuClan, and we're running out of time to do anything about it." Stormspark tried to steer the conversation back on track.

"And RushClan will be next," Anttail called out.

"So what do we do about it?" Fogface spoke up for the first time, meeting Anttail's eyes.

Stormspark turned to her, face stern. "We take action." She turned back the crowd, lips curling downwards. "We can't let this unification be completed without resistance."

"Like what?" Someone asked

"An attack."

At Stormspark's words, Fogface stiffened. An attack? On ForestClan? They couldn't do that. They'd be putting Fernstar in a terrible position. She couldn't betray Fernstar like that.

Fogface wasn't the only one doubting this idea. Whispers cascaded through the crowd as arguments broke out. 

"How would an attack work? Would we have to attack our clanmates?" Amberfall scowled. "It's easy for RushClan to propose an attack, but some of us are in a more difficult position than you."

Immediately, Bluenettle snorted. "Scared of causing a little chaos? What's the point of a rebellion if we don't do anything?" 

Her friend Dappletooth nodded. "I wouldn't mind sinking my teeth into Keastar's fur."

"I've been waiting for an excuse to shred Spiderstar's ears." Bluenettle's fangs flashed white as she grinned.

"You all knew when you joined what this was. You all joined because you're opposed to the idea of ForestClan. Your leaders imposed a huge change on you, changing your lives forever. Your cultures are being changed, whether you're RimuClan or BeechClan," Stormspark waved her tail, interrupting the discussion. "But I appreciate that this is a big ask for some of you, and no cat who doesn't want to participate has to."

"Wait." Fogface's voice rang out in a harsh whisper, her mouth opening without consulting her mind first. "We have to think about this. Are we ready to deal with the fallout of an attack? We lose the secrecy of this movement, and we risk starting a war." Fogface met Stormspark's eyes, pleading. "This wouldn't be easy for RushClan either, we'd be directly disobeying our Chief and dragging our whole Clan into this." 

Stormspark sighed. "I don't like it either, but what choice do we have? We can't let ForestClan go forward." 

"Aren't you the Chief's sister?" Dewfur addressed Fogface directly. She shrunk under his stare. "At the last gathering, Fernstar seemed very against the idea of ForestClan going forward. She did say RushClan wouldn't launch an attack, but perhaps you could convince her? Or does she have a plan of her own?"

Fogface bit her lip. "I don't know. She's been very resistant to a RushClan attack so far. We had a ForestClan spy on our territory, and a small group of us attacked her. Fernstar was furious we went behind her back and responded with violence. I don't think she has a plan at this stage."

"Other than increasing battle training and trying to gather allies and support from local loners and rogues, RushClan haven't been doing that much. Fernstar's been trying to find a solution that will keep everyone happy, but there isn't one. If you ask me, we can't make any change unless we do attack."

Fogface shuffled her paws. She hated the idea of a battle. But Stormspark was right, she couldn't think of any other solution - words hadn't been effective so far. "I'd like a chance to talk to her, convince her that a warning attack would work." She sighed. "And if she says no, at least she's had some kind of warning that we're gonna do this."

"Let's give it a quarter-moon for everyone to think this over, decide if they want to be involved, try and come up with alternative solutions. Thanks for coming everyone, especially the ForestClan cats currently living in RimuClan's old camp, I know it's a bit of a trek to get here."

Bushes to Fogface's right rustled, a low murmur disguised by Stormspark's closing statements. Her triangular ears swivelled to catch the sound. Her head swivelled in the same direction. Between the cover of the leaves peeked a muzzle and whiskers. Her mouth dropped open. Had they been followed? Her hackles raised, spiking from her back. Before she could alert Stormspark, she took a closer look at that muzzle. She knew those markings. Black fur peppered with ginger, a blaze across the nose. Breathing in the cat's scent, Fogface's hackles dropped. Dawnpaw, her apprentice. As the crowd dispersed, Fogface whispered to Stormspark. "Dawnpaw followed us, I spotted her in the bushes. I'm going to stay behind and talk to her."

Stormspark frowned. "She followed us? Is she alone?"

Fogface nodded. "I think so. I couldn't see or scent anyone else."

Stormspark's concern didn't waver. "Okay, but be careful. Take her away from the border, you never know who might come along." Then she shook her head. "No, I'll stay with you. I know she's your apprentice and I don't want to impose on your business with her, but you shouldn't be alone."

Fogface looked past her mate, searching for a certain tortoiseshell among the crowd. "No, I'm going to get Honeydapple to talk to her too. This is serious stuff for a 'paw, and I think her māmā should know."

Stormspark hesitated, then nodded. "Okay, good idea. I'll catch her and send her over to you." She licked the top of Fogface's head. "Don't take too long, I'll be waiting up for you." She scurried off.

As the border between RushClan and BeechClan became deserted, Fogface said softly. "Come out, Dawnpaw. I know you're there."

After a few moments, a small feline emerged from the bush. Before either of them could say anything, Honeydapple came marching back, furious. "Dawnpaw, what in the name of StarClan were you thinking, sneaking out all alone?"

Dawnpaw froze. "Honeydapple?"

"How much did you hear?" She snapped.

"Enough to know what's going on. You guys are rebelling against ForestClan! Does Fernstar know?"

"Did you see her here? No, of course, she doesn't know!"

"So Fogface and Stormspark are in charge of this?"

Fogface nodded. "It was Stormspark's idea." Dawnpaw's maw stretched open in a silent 'wow.'

"Don't you realise the danger you put yourself in? If anyone other than Fogface had seen you, they might've thought you were a spy. You had no idea what we were doing, you could've marched right into a battle or something." Honeydapple's voice rose, and Fogface wrapped her tail around her friend's shoulders to calm her. They didn't need to draw attention to themselves.

"Honeydapple's right, I taught you to be smarter than this."

Dawnpaw stayed quiet, not making eye contact with either of them.

"Dawnpaw, you can't tell anyone about this. It must stay secret. Can we trust you to keep quiet?" Fogface implored.

Dawnpaw met her gaze. "I'll do better than hold my tongue. I want to join."

Spit sprayed across Fogface's muzzle as Honeydapple made some kind of explosive noise. Flinching, Fogface swept her gaze across the empty treeline. "Absolutely not! You're an apprentice, you aren't old enough for this."

"I saw another apprentice there. Duckpaw from RimuClan."

"Duckpaw shouldn't be here either, but I'm not her mother, I'm yours. And I'm telling you, you're not joining."

Dawnpaw lashed her tail. "Look, I'm not asking to fight or anything. I just want to go to meetings. I agree that ForestClan is wrong. I want to stand up for what's right!"

"You can help by focusing on your training," Fogface said.

"Focusing on my training won't do anything; everyone's training and it's got us nowhere," Dawnpaw turned to her mother. "I'm going to join and you can't stop me. I'll show you I can do this, I'll show all of RushClan!"

"You'll show Morningpaw?" Fogface murmured. Listening to her apprentice's words, it dawned on her what all of this was really about.

Twin sets of green eyes fixed on her.

"What does this have to do with Morningpaw?" Honeydapple questioned. Fogface shook her head. Couldn't Honeydapple see the competition and jealousy raging between her two daughters? Or the competition and jealousy on Dawnpaw's part, anyway.

"This has nothing to do with her," Dawnpaw spoke in a halting tone. 

"You're sure this has absolutely nothing to do with you trying to show your sister that you can be every bit as good as she is? Or showing the rest of the Clan that you're better than she is?" Fogface probed.

Dawnpaw screwed up her mouth. Her luminant eyes skittered in their sockets like a frantic dragonfly. "No. Can't a make my own decisions and choices? Does everything, even my thoughts, have to be about her?" She growled.

Honeydapple stepped closer to her daughter. "Is that what's been going on between you two? I know you're not as close as you used to be, but growing apart and figuring yourself out is part of being an apprentice. When I've tried to talk to you two, both of you told me to get out of your lives."

"She's so much better than me at everything, and she doesn't even have to try!" Dawnpaw burst out. "She's a better hunter, a better fighter, friends with everyone, the whole Clan likes her more...I'm sick of living in her shadow!"

Honeydapple hooked her tail around her kit's body, pulling her close. "Oh, I promise you the Clan loves you just as much. Some cats find training easier than others; we all have our strengths. No cat is as thoughtful or as creative as you."

Dawnpaw wiggled away. "What's useful about being thoughtful or creative? I wish I could hunt like her, or fight like her. That's what the Clan cares about. She's funny, all the warriors and all the kits like her. I'm just her awkward sister."

Watching this with a lump in her throat, Fogface interjected: "Being a warrior isn't just about hunting and fighting. We need thinkers like you to help us through problems. I promise you the other warriors see how caring and kind you are, and how much effort you put into everything you do."

Dawnpaw sighed. "It doesn't feel like it."

"When I was an apprentice, it felt like all eyes were on me," Fogface said. "Fernstar and I were Seedstar and Greyheart's kits, so we had Chief Spirit running through our blood. Every cat wanted to see how we'd turn out, which one of us might turn out to be Chief. We both let the Clan down. The Chief role never appealed to me; I didn't want the pressure or the responsibility. All I wanted was a quiet life, friends, a mate and kits. Fernstar wanted leadership but suited it even less than I did. She was too anxious and as apprentices, she resented me."

Dawnpaw tilted her head. "But you guys are so close."

"We are now, but we had a rough patch. Fernstar wished she could be more like me. We had a huge fight once. She told me that I was wasting my opportunities, that I was lazy and selfish, that my dreams of a mate and kits were boring and stupid. If we could switch brains she'd make something of herself. I told her she was holding herself back and if she tried harder, she'd be fine." Fogface shook her head as she retold the story. "I didn't understand what she was going through back then." Fogpaw had a big storm coming. Her younger self would be ashamed of the mess she'd become.

"They didn't speak for a whole moon," Honeydapple interjected with a smile. "It was a very awkward moon for our team."

"We always want what we can't have. If you talked honestly to Morningpaw, you might be surprised at what she has to say. I'm sure there are things about you she admires or qualities she wishes she has. We eventually made up after I had my heart broken for the first time. I had the biggest crush on Sedgeflower, and she had just become mates with Mudfishleap. I sobbed to Fernstar about it, and she was there for me, even if she thought I could be doing more with my life. I apologised for what I said. I might not have really understood it, but I could see how much distress the thoughts in her head caused her."

Dawnpaw curled her lips, looking sulky. "There's no way Morningpaw would want to be like me. What would her problems be, that she has too many friends to keep track of?" She snorted. "That she's too successful? I'm sorry if I don't have that much sympathy for poor Morningpaw having to live up to the great expectations everyone has of her when no one seems to think I could be good at anything!"

Honeydapple sighed. "Fogface is right, you should talk to your sister. You never know what she might be going through. I hate seeing you two so divided. Both Fogface and I are from two-kit litters. We both have powerful sisters, Chief and Protector. And we both love our sisters more than anything. Hollysplash is my best friend, I don't know what I'd do without her." Seeing Dawnpaw's stony expression, Honeydapple licked the top of her head. "You don't have to do anything to prove you're as good as Morningpaw. You're just as talented as she is. I think so. Your father thinks so. The whole Clan thinks so too."

Dawnpaw rubbed her cheek on Honeydapple's chin, purring the lightest of purrs. "Thanks. But this whole thing doesn't matter, I still want to join the rebellion." As Honeydapple's soft features downturned into a stern frown, she hurried on. "Not because of Morningpaw! ForestClan is a threat to RushClan. And the RimuClan cats are being treated so unfairly. I don't want to sit by and do nothing. I won't do anything dangerous; I'll go to the meetings and listen, that's all. I didn't know what was going on with RimuClan. It's important to me to know what's going on."

Fogface leaned over to whisper into Honeydapple's ear. "It might be good for her to come to meetings. It'll help her self-esteem. She feels like her sister is more loved and valued by the Clan, this gives her a chance to be an active participant in something, and feel helpful." And it'll stop her from telling anyone. She met Honeydapple's eyes, trying to convey the words she wasn't saying out loud.

Honeydapple's tail wavered as she thought. "Alright, but you're going to meetings only," Dawnpaw nodded. "And-" Honeydapple narrowed her eyes. "You'll stay with me at all times. You go nowhere and do nothing without my permission."

A smile split Dawnpaw's face, white teeth luminous in the darkness. "Thank you, Honeydapple!" She pressed the pads of her paws into the dirt, kneading in her excitement.

"On one condition." Honeydapple placed a paw down over her daughter's, stilling her immediately. "You talk to your sister and work things out. It doesn't have to be tomorrow, or even this half-moon. But I hate the thought of the two of you growing so far apart that your relationship can't be fixed. My sister is so important to me, and I want you two to have what I have. The Clans are facing unprecedented change, with everything that's going on right now, you two need each other more than ever."

Fogface looked back over her shoulder to the quiet border behind them, still muddied with ForestClan scent. She shuddered. "Come on, we shouldn't be here. Let's get back to camp."

Honeydapple took the lead, her long legs a blur. The other two lagged behind.

"Thanks for whatever you said to her," Dawnpaw whispered.

Fogface twitched her whiskers, ignoring the churning in her gut. She wasn't sure about this either, but she couldn't risk Dawnpaw running off at the mouth. She believed what she said; this could be good for her. Having her own little secret might help with some of this jealousy and build her confidence. But if anything happened to her kit, Honeydapple would never forgive her. She was in too deep as it was, co-leading a rebellion, and endangering an apprentice was the last thing she needed.

"Is there really going to be a fight?" Dawnpaw asked.

Fogface looked down at her paws, hidden in the grassy overgrowth. She could see them stained with rusty, dry blood, smelling acrid and bitter. The kind of scent that would linger, no matter how many times she would let the river wash it away. "If that's what it takes to stop ForestClan, yes." 

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