Spottedleaf peered over the edge of the bush-littered slope. The five chosen apprentices crouched beside her. Next to them a group of ThunderClan cats waited for Bluestar's signal in the undergrowth.
The greenness of the steep-sided glade had been bleached by the full moon's cold light, and the leaves glowed silver. The large oaks that marked where the four Clans' territories met stood at the bottom.
Warm scents of cats from the other Clans thickened the air. In the moonlight, Spottedleaf could clearly see them moving about below in the grassy clearing between the four oaks. A large, jagged rock stood in the center of the clearing.
"There are so many cats down there!" Graypaw hissed under his breath.
"There's RiverClan's leader." Spottedleaf hissed back. "Crookedstar."
Firepaw craned his neck. "Where?"
"That light brown tabby with the twisted jaw, beside the Great Rock." Spottedleaf nodded to the huge tom who sat in the center of the clearing. His striped pelt shone pale in the moon's light. Despite the distance, the signs of harsh life on the leader's aged face showed, and his lower jaw looked twisted as if it had been badly broken and improperly healed.
"He's bigger than Lionheart!" Firepaw gasped.
"And there is ShadowClan's leader-Brokenstar." Spottedleaf hissed. Her fur pricked uncomfortably at the sight of the dark brown tabby. His fur was long, face broad and flattened, and tail bent. The tom's amber eyes were calm as he stared around him.
"He looks nasty." Muttered Dustpaw.
"Sure does." Sandpaw agreed.
"He has not been leader long-four moons, ever since the death of his father, Raggedstar." Spottedleaf put in. "Yet he already has quite the reputation among all the Clans for not suffering fools lightly."
Firepaw blinked at Spottedleaf with that all too familiar look of interest. "Do all leaders have the 'star' suffix?"
"Indeed they do." Answered the warrior. "It represents their bond with the warriors of StarClan."
"I thought Bluestar and Tallstar were just special..." Firepaw admitted quietly.
Spottedleaf affectionately nudged her apprentice. "There's no shame in not knowing every aspect of our ways, youngster." She purred. "Did your father mention what Tallstar looked like?"
"Father told me he's black-and-white with a long tail." Firepaw mewed. His look of interest hardened. "I still find it unfair."
"Pardon?"
"Naming a cat after their disability, I mean. Halftail, One-eye, Crookedstar, Brokenstar. Leaders have the power to change a cat's name, right?"
Spottedleaf nodded.
Firepaw continued. "Why have Crookedstar and Brokenstar kept such...distasteful names then?"
Spottedleaf honestly hadn't given it too much thought until now. The bond between leaders and their ancestors was special and secretive. The tortoiseshell knew very little about receiving a name from the stars. Were leaders allowed to rename themselves or could such a change only be done by the deceased?
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The Beginning Prophecy: Firestarter
FanfictionFour Clans of cats have shared the wilderness for generations, living by a code laid down by those before them. When said code is threatened by the mysterious deaths of noble warriors, such as her littermate, Redtail, Spottedleaf's world is turned o...
