Chapter Text
Tigerclaw was no fool, he knew that some of his clanmates didn’t agree with his methods. There were times he may have been too quick to unsheath his claws or snarl a taunt when his patrol ran into the neighboring clans’ border patrol. But he will swear to the stars that he does it only to protect his clan.
That doesn’t mean he isn’t trying to be better, peace is better than bloodshed after all. Tigerclaw never realized just how extreme Thistleclaw’s mentoring was until Darkstripe became a warrior. Having mentored Darkstripe the same way Thistleclaw had mentored him, he hadn’t quite understood just how bad it was until he saw how Darkstripe would treat his clanmates and then immediately turn to Tigerclaw expecting praise or support. No doubt Darkstripe learned that from himself, which meant that he had learned it from Thistleclaw.
When Bluestar gave him Ravenpaw, she told him privately that she hoped Tigerclaw could shape the easily frightened kit into a more confident warrior by the end of his apprenticeship. Despite what Bluestar asked of him, Tigerclaw knew that he’d be walking a thin line with this one, he wanted to bring out the best in his new apprentice, but he couldn’t do to Ravenpaw what he had done with Darkstripe. Not just because he wanted Ravenpaw to become a respectable warrior, but if he was too aggressive, Ravenpaw would only retreat further into himself. Yes, Ravenpaw would require careful attention, they’d have to work at his pace but Tigerclaw would push him to keep trying things just beyond his comfort level.
It took about four moons, but Tigerclaw had finally managed to form a good mentor-apprentice relationship with Ravenpaw and coaxed him out of his shell somewhat. He was still a little skittish and would occasionally flinch during battle training, but they could share a few good-natured jokes between them.
The only issue was that now that Ravenpaw was more relaxed, he also got distracted more often. Several times now, Tigerclaw had caught Ravenpaw spacing out, watching birds in the sky or nosing around plants, but not in search of prey.
Tigerclaw stalked over to where Ravenpaw was, he was supposed to be tracking the rabbit he scented earlier, but instead, he was sniffing curiously around a patch of yellow flowers.
“Ravenpaw, how do you expect to feed the clan with a bunch of leaves?” Tigerclaw growled lowly, “The trail will go stale by the time you get your head out of the clouds!”
Ravenpaw jumped. “S-sorry Tigerclaw! I just noticed that there’s a patch of goldenrod and maybe Spottedleaf could use some for her stores...” Ravenpaw hung his head in shame, “I’m sorry Tigerclaw, I’ll do better.”
Tigerclaw sighed and beckoned his apprentice closer, “I’m not upset Ravenpaw, but you need to focus on your training, you want to be a warrior with your brother, don’t you?”
It didn’t go unnoticed by Tigerclaw when Ravenpaw hesitated before nodding earnestly. “Ravenpaw... You do want to be a warrior, right? Are you interested in plants because...?”
Another thing he probably learned from Thistleclaw, though many warriors seem to share this sentiment. What was so interesting about plants and berries? Sure it's important, medicine cats are the most respected cats in a clan next to the leader, but how could life in a stuffy den filled with plants be appealing when they could be patrolling borders and providing for their clan?
Ravenpaw’s stuttered mew broke him out of his thoughts.
“Well, I don’t really know? I do enjoy hunting and learning battle moves with you, I just... also like learning about medicine? Sometimes I like to stop by Spottedleaf’s den when she has patients to see what she’s doing, but I swear it's nothing more than that! I’ll keep training with you, I promise! I’ll-”
Tigerclaw gently placed his paw on Ravenpaw’s head to get him to stop talking, he was clearly about to spiral into an anxiety attack and Tigerclaw didn’t want to deal with that again, not after all the progress they made to stop them.
“Ravenpaw, there is no shame in wanting to be a medicine cat. Though I do ask you to consider this carefully, the role of a medicine cat is a great honor, but it also requires personal sacrifice and it will take you a lot longer to earn your full name.”
Ravenpaw let out a breath, relieved that Tigerclaw wasn’t angry with him.
“That being said, focus on your warrior training for now, it won’t be long until it's time for your trip to the Moonstone. Perhaps while you’re there you can ask Starclan if you’re calling is to be a medicine cat instead, I’m sure it won’t be the first time an apprentice made such a realization and had to switch.”
“Yes Tigerclaw, I... That sounds good, should I mention this to Spottedleaf or...?” Ravenpaw asked hesitantly.
Tigerclaw shrugged, “If you want, but for now let’s go catch that rabbit, hmm? Can you tell me where it went?”
Ravenpaw jumped to his paws eagerly, scattering leaves and loose rocks with his excitement, though he quickly shrunk into a stalking position when Tigerclaw glared at him good-naturedly for alerting the nearby prey.
Great Starclan, if this apprentice made any more noise, he’ll end up chasing the rabbit straight into the paws of a moor-runner!
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Somehow, they managed to catch up to the rabbit near the Shadowclan border, now Ravenpaw was slowly creeping up on it. It was a large one, clearly alert for predators as its ears were twitching constantly. Tigerclaw made sure to remind Ravenpaw that he’d need to be silent if he wanted to catch it. Hopefully, he would, it could feed all the elders and then some if they were lucky enough to catch it.
Ravenpaw got about a fox length away, in prime position to leap and catch the rabbit, but he flinched as a monster came barreling down the thunderpath not too far away. The rabbit remained unstartled, used to the sound of monsters it seemed.
Ravenpaw glanced at Tigerclaw, hoping for a nod or a signal that it would still be alright to try and catch it after the disturbance. Just before Ravenpaw could pounce though, a familiar tortoiseshell lunged at the rabbit, killing it with a neat bite to the back of its neck.
Tigerclaw slunk over to his apprentice, “Bad luck, it’s not your fault though, you couldn’t have known Redtail would be there.” He murmured in his apprentice's ear.
The pair watched silently as Redtail started dragging the rabbit towards a bush, probably where he had left his other catches, Tigerclaw mused.
“Should we offer to help him carry his prey?” Ravenpaw whispered to his mentor.
Tigerclaw thought for a moment, it would certainly be a kind gesture considering the deputy had caught his apprentice’s prey that he tracked from Snake Rocks, but on the other paw...
“I have a better idea Ravenpaw, how quietly do you think you can climb that tree over there? I think it’s about time you learned how to follow an enemy from above.”
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The two snuck away as quietly as they could, and despite Tigerclaw’s lumbering form and Ravenpaw’s tendency to step on twigs, they managed to retreat far enough to scramble up their trees without being noticed.
From their perches high above, they watched curiously as Redtail pulled three more large rabbits out from under the bush, dragging them one at a time closer to the Thunderpath.
“What do you think he’s doing?” Ravenpaw whispered.
Tigerclaw’s eyes narrowed but didn't answer, what was their deputy doing?
Redtail paused at the edge of the Thunderpath, glancing around before darting under the bush he had pulled the rabbits out from. The mentor and apprentice stayed still as they waited for Redtail to come out and retrieve the rabbits.
The sun had climbed steadily into the sky and there was still no sign of Redtail returning for the rabbits.
“Maybe he went hunting for more prey?” Ravenpaw suggested as Tigerclaw got up to stretch.
“Perhaps,” Tigerclaw mused. “Head on back to camp, Ravenpaw. Catch something for the queens on your way, I’m sure Frostfur would appreciate something fresh if the hunting patrols aren’t already back.”
Ravenpaw’s ear twitched curiously. “I thought we were going to wait for Redtail? Didn’t you want me to practice my-”
“Training is over for the day, you’ll get your chance to surprise Redtail another time, I promise,” Tigerclaw said firmly.
“Oh well, are you going to wait for him then? That’s a lot of rabbits, should I grab one to help out or...?”
“Just get going Ravenpaw. Redtail and I will handle it.”
Ravenpaw, sensing that Tigerclaw was close to losing his patience, turned tail and darted down the tree, quickly disappearing into the undergrowth.
Tigerclaw settled back onto his tree branch, he had no intention of leaving until he knew exactly why Redtail would leave so much prey in plain view of the Thunderpath.
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Ravenpaw was cleaning his whiskers after catching his shrew, it was small but he had already caught a mouse and a vole. Peering through the trees, he noted that it was almost sundown. He found enough to hopefully satisfy Tigerclaw, he could probably return to camp now but he was it might not be enough, not after losing the rabbit he and Tigerclaw followed to the Thunderpath.
Ravenpaw thought for a moment, if he buried his last catch now, he could get back to the Thunderpath and surprise both him and Redtail! If he could pull it off, surely Tigerclaw would be proud of him then!
Quickly jumping to his paws, Ravenpaw hurriedly scraped a shallow hole in the earth to drop his shrew into. Then he rushed up the trunk of the nearest tree and made the quiet journey back to the thunderpath from above ground.
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Tigerclaw was dozing on his branch, starting to think Redtail might just be hare-brained and wasn’t worth waiting for when the bushes started rustling on the other side of the Thunderpath, revealing a Shadowclan patrol.
Blackfoot nimbly crossed the thunderpath, the others following quickly with ease. “So Redtail, I see you found Shadowclan some rabbits. Good job, we’ll take them from here.”
Tigerclaw bristled and prepared to leap down on top of the Shadowclan deputy. How dare he try and openly steal Thunderclan prey! From our deputy no less, I’ll show him!
“Just take it and go. The less time you spend stinking up our territory the better.” Redtail growled back, not moving to step away from the prey but not moving to defend it either.
Tigerclaw watched through narrow eyes as each of the Shadowclan intruders stepped forward to take a rabbit, Clawface paused and instead turned to Redtail.
Slowly and deliberately, Clawface bent his head down and rubbed it against Redtail’s cheek, taking his time as if he was greeting an old friend.
Redtail closed his eyes and breathed deeply, and then, in turn, he bumped his head against Clawface’s chest for a moment, hardly enough to touch, but very clearly meant to show affection.
Clawface swooped down and picked up the rabbit. “It's been good seeing you again, Redtail. May Starclan light your path.”
"And yours as well," Redtail mewed, "you all best be on your way now before the dusk patrol arrives. I'll deal with the scents you left behind."
Nodding to his fellow deputy, Blackfoot flicked his tail and darted back across with his rabbit, the others following close behind. Redtail wasted no time, grimacing as he pushed around a load of fox dung he had collected before the Shadowclan warriors had arrived, effectively hiding their scent. Tigerclaw wouldn’t be surprised if the dusk patrol came back reporting fox scent at the Shadowclan border that night with how much Redtail spread about.
Having seen enough, Tigerclaw nimbly hopped along the branches a few tree-lengths. How am I supposed to tell Bluestar any of this? Should I confront Redtail first?
Climbing down the tree, Tigerclaw was wrapped up in his thoughts, not realizing where he was until he came across the Great Sycamore tree, where Ravenpaw was waiting for him, tail twitching nervously as he tried to keep his small prey pile stacked neatly.
“Well done, Ravenpaw. I didn’t expect to find you still hunting, this will be enough for the queens and elders combined!” Tigerclaw rumbled approvingly.
Ravenpaw looked ready to jump out of his fur when Tigerclaw spoke, what had spooked him? Tigerclaw was sure Ravenpaw had heard him approaching, he certainly wasn’t trying to be quiet as he walked.
“O-oh! Thanks, Tigerclaw...” Ravenpaw trailed off, he looked like he wanted to say something else but his jaw stayed firmly shut.
Tigerclaw sighed and picked up a few pieces of the prey his apprentice caught, the pair walked back to camp at an agonizingly slow pace. Tigerclaw was just about ready to drop the prey altogether and interrogate his apprentice when Ravenpaw spoke.
“Tigerclaw, is there somewhere quiet we can talk? I... I have something I need to tell you.”
Tigerclaw flicked his tail and swerved to the left, carefully sniffing around the base of a tree before heading down into the abandoned den beneath the roots.
Ravenpaw followed and set down the prey, staring nervously at his paws.
“Well? Spit it out Ravenpaw, we don’t have all day.” Tigerclaw said gruffly.
“Well, I... I’m sorry Tigerclaw.” Ravenpaw mewed quietly, “I know you told me to hunt for the queens on my way back but I really wanted to surprise you with my tree stalking.”
Tigerclaw’s eyes narrowed, “Ravenpaw, what are you getting at?”
“I went back to the Shadowclan border,” Ravenpaw confessed. “I thought maybe I’d be able to catch you and Redtail by surprise, I wanted to impress you, and well...”
“I saw Redtail talking to those Shadowclan cats, they looked... Very friendly with each other.”
Tigerclaw inhaled sharply, “Ravenpaw, you disobeyed direct orders! Not only that, but we also don’t even know what Redtail was doing, what we know could be very dangerous.”
“Am I in trouble again?” Ravenpaw mewed.
“..... No.” Tigerclaw said, “I can’t go to Bluestar with what we saw until we have more information, even if you were there with me, it's us against the clan deputy. She’d never believe us.”
Ravenpaw deflated a little, unsure if he should be glad that he wasn’t going to be punished or troubled by the fact that they can’t go to Bluestar about Redtail’s actions.
“For all we know, Redtail is acting under Bluestar’s orders to appease Shadowclan without spilling blood.” Tigerclaw continued, pacing around the den now, agitatedly flicking his tail as he tried to reason more with himself than his apprentice as to why Redtail would be working with the enemy.
“For now, you are not to say a word about this to anyone, do you understand me?” Tigerclaw said, whirling around on his apprentice.
Ravenpaw nodded mutely, pressing himself against the wall of the dens in fear.
“I need you to promise me Ravenpaw, you can’t tell anyone, not even Dustpaw. Especially not Dustpaw, okay? Can you do that?”
“I’ll keep it a secret Tigerclaw, I swear.”
“Good,” Tigerclaw said, stepping back. “Good, now let's get this back to camp, you go straight to your nest, alright?”
Ravenpaw nodded once more, snatching up his prey, and clambered out of the den and back into the forest. The two walked back to camp at a slow pace, neither one daring to try to talk again.
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Doing as he was told, Ravenpaw deposited his prey on the pile and went to his den, carrying a small mouse with him to eat before he went to sleep.
Tigerclaw set down his prey as well, about to ask the queens if they were hungry when the hairs on his pelt began to raise when he saw Redtail approaching him.
“Tigerclaw! There you are, the dusk patrol just made their report. Fox scents have been found by the Shadowclan border, I don’t want any of the apprentices training near there until they’ve learned a few moves to take on a fox, understand?”
“Ah, uh yes Redtail. I’ll be on the lookout. How fresh was the scent? I didn’t smell anything there when I was with Ravenpaw earlier.”
Redtail eyed him suspiciously, “Fresh enough, stick to the Tallpines for now, Thunderclan can’t afford to lose any apprentices right now.”
“As you wish, now if you’ll excuse me I’m rather tired. I think I’ll retire early tonight.” Tigerclaw replied, paws itching to get away from the deputy.
How strange, he mused. Just yesterday I would have laughed at him telling me to be careful and now I can barely stand to look at him.
Redtail nodded, “Dismissed, get some rest Tigerclaw. I’ll see you and Ravenpaw on the dawn patrol in the morning, we’ll be taking the Twolegplace border.”
Tigerclaw just flicked his ear in response and hurried to the warriors’ den. Could Redtail be suspicious of him already? Perhaps he shouldn’t have mentioned he was in the area.
Whatever the case was, Tigerclaw would be keeping a close eye on the young deputy. Something had to be done about him, should he prove to be a traitor.