Jaggedstar's Choice {COMPLETE}

Chapter 42

LichenClan had suffered a heavy loss from the battle, after Elmstar called for the retreat they had found the bodies of Rabbitwing, Timberfall and Willowstrike. It was Willowstrike's death that truly struck a nerve with Jaggedtail, Elmstar had forced the nursing queen to fight and she lost her life. Ashstream had taken over caring for Larkkit and Rustkit, but her family was devastated.

A long vigil was held for all their fallen Clanmates, but Jaggedtail could feel the tension and a sense of anger from the entire Clan towards Elmstar. The words from Barkclaw, Tigertail, Cherrypool and Flowerpelt all rang through Jaggedtail's mind.

Maybe it's time to ask yourself, should we really follow a leader like this?

So let me ask you something, is this a battle that you wanted or are you just blindly following your leader?

The only cat that Elmstar will listen to is you, you have to stop this. Find him and put an end to this.

A leader doesn't go blindly into battles causing the deaths of innocent cats!

Jaggedtail hadn't slept the night before, he tossed and turned in his nest all night. Many cats were wounded, but none of them could stay in the medicine cat den due to the sick cats that still lay there. When Jaggedtail woke up that morning, he learned that Kestrelflame had died overnight and Barkclaw had many fears for the rest.

Leaf-bare isn't over. Jaggedtail thought painfully, recalling what Sagefeather had told him. The hardest leaf-bare we have ever faced doesn't even begin to explain the loss that LichenClan has felt. They had once been a large Clan full of strong and powerful warriors, the warriors den had been full and crowded but now it was looking smaller and smaller everyday.

I made the wrong choice. Jaggedtail realized that night, he should have done everything he could to stop Elmstar, but he didn't and both LichenClan and SunClan had suffered heavy loss.

"Are you going to give us an explanation?" Jaggedtail heard the angered mew of Foxwhisker.

"You led our Clan into battle that killed our own warriors!" Owlheart chimed in. Jaggedtail turned around to see that Elmstar was facing the very angry Clan.

"I told all of you." Elmstar snarled, he looked like a cornered fox. Scared and ready to fight. "StarClan sent me a vision! I had to attack, to help keep our Clan safe!"

"You're going to destroy this Clan!" Flamewhisker added. "You led us into a violent battle!"

"I am your leader!" Elmstar roared.

"Would StarClan want you to leave my kits without their mother at only two moons old!" Foxwhisker's entire body shook with anger, and for good reason. The Clan was angry, and Jaggedtail was too. I need to choose my Clan. Jaggedtail thought with a flick of his tail, crossing the camp towards the crowd.

"They have a right to be angry, Elmstar." Jaggedtail spoke loudly, stepping through the crowd and facing Elmstar. "Three of our cats have died from the battle, and we've already lost Kestrelflame to sickness. How many more will we lose? We shouldn't be using more herbs on injured warriors, we should only be focusing on healing our sick ones!"

Elmstar stared down at Jaggedtail with pure anger and betrayal in his eyes. "Elmstar, you are my friend but I need to stand beside my Clan right now. If you attack another Clan, we will not follow you."

"Jaggedtail may I speak with you in my den, please?" Elmstar's voice was low and dangerous, but Jaggedtail kept his head high. He could feel Maplepool's eyes on him, he hadn't stopped to ask her what she felt about all this, but now wasn't the time.

Jaggedtail stoically crossed the camp to Elmstar's den where both of them gathered inside. "You said you would always follow me!" Elmstar began shouting once they were alone.

"That was before I saw what that battle did to our Clan. Two kits, forced to live without their mother before they even left their sides. And you, Elmstar, you lost a life! If you keep rushing into battles like this you will lose the rest of them, you won't be a leader for long."

"I'll be the best leader that this forest has ever seen!" Elmstar bared his teeth. "LichenClan will be known as the most fearsome Clan in the whole forest!"
"LichenClan doesn't want that!" Jaggedtail shouted. "We don't want to live that life! We want to live in peace!"

"I am LichenClan's leader!" Elmstar's voice boomed and Jaggedtail was shocked as he slashed his paw forward, Jaggedtail ducked in time but stumbled backwards. He stared at Elmstar in shock, the leader trembled and his eyes were wide and crazed, filled with fury and pain.

Jaggedtail felt his heart breaking inside of his chest. This isn't my friend, this is a power crazed cat. "I'm leaving." Jaggedtail muttered under his breath and climbed down from the den with another word. He found the Clan waiting outside, they must have heard everything from all the yelling.

"You have to do something, Jaggedtail." Foxwhisker mewed. "Please."

"I need to think about this." Jaggedtail couldn't face the Clan right now, he needed to talk to Maplepool. He rushed across camp to find his sister.

"I heard yelling." Maplepool stared down at her paws, she looked up with pain in her eyes. "Jaggedtail, what's wrong with Elmstar? Why is he acting like this? It's like he became leader and went completely mad!"

"I don't know." Jaggedtail sighed, sitting down beside her. "But he's not the Elmstar we used to know, he's not Elmheart."

"I want him to be the cat I fell in love with." Maplepool whimpered. "I can't stand to watch him like this, I love him but I love my Clan too. What if I had died in that battle? Or Mossleaf? What would he do then?"

Jaggedtail once again thought of Redpaw, he didn't know if Elmstar would be able to handle losing a kit in the mental state that he was in. "I have no idea." Jaggedtail sighed. "But he needs to be stopped."

"How do we stop him?" Maplepool questioned. "Do you think you can convince him to calm down?"

"I don't think so." Jaggedtail's heart twisted, his stomach flipped in knots and a feeling of fear washed over him. "No matter what, Elmstar can't keep leading like this and if he won't change or step down..." Jaggedtail's voice broke off. He needs to be overthrown.

Maplepool knew this as well, everyone did. If Jaggedtail wanted to save his Clan, he would have to take the Clan from Elmstar, one way or another. The two of them sat in silence, both of them had lived their entire lives with Elmstar but now he felt like a complete stranger.

As Jaggedtail drifted off into thought, he noticed Barkclaw stepping out of the medicine cat den. The medicine cat looked utterly defeated, his amber eyes overflowing with grief. Jaggedtail had a bad feeling in his chest as he watched the medicine cat go to his brother. He couldn't hear them, but he watched Branchfur drop his head. "Stormsong is dead." Jaggedtail breathed out, Maplepool had been watching as well.

"Oh, Jaggedtail." Maplepool whimpered. "What is LichenClan going to do?"

"We'll survive." Jaggedtail mewed, holding back the fear in his throat. "LichenClan will always survive."