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The ThunderClan camp was quiet on a sunny afternoon. Most warriors were out on patrol or resting in the shade of the gorse. But inside the lone den near the elders' den, where the blind prisoner Brokentail was kept, the silence felt heavy.
Tigerclaw entered, blocking the light with his large frame. He didn’t check whether Cinderpaw or Yellowfang (his traitor of a medicine cat from ShadowClan) was watching; he knew they were busy with herbs near the medicine den.
Brokentail sat in the far corner, a ragged ball of dark brown fur. Even though he was blind and broken, the former ShadowClan leader still gave off a dangerous energy. His ears twitched as he heard Tigerclaw’s heavy steps.
"You’re late," Brokentail growled roughly. His voice sounded like dry leaves on stone.
Tigerclaw didn’t respond right away. He sat down and looked at the blind tom. Slowly, he leaned forward and touched his tongue to the fur between Brokentail’s ears. This act of "sharing tongues" showed trust and closeness that would shock any other ThunderClan warrior. But Tigerclaw knew that this was more about solidifying an alliance.
"Patrols take time," Tigerclaw replied quietly between licks. "Bluestar is becoming more careful. She thinks she senses danger everywhere."
Brokentail coughed harshly, which could have been a laugh. "Oh, she’s right. The forest is changing, Tigerclaw. You can sense it, even if I can’t see it. The smell of weakness is everywhere."
Tigerclaw paused, his muzzle close to Brokentail’s scarred ear. "The weakness starts at the top. Bluestar has lost her strength. She lets WindClan back in, accepts kittypets, and keeps you around out of misplaced mercy. It’s wrong according to the warrior code."
"And what about your 'kittypet'?" Brokentail asked, turning his sightless eyes towards Tigerclaw. "Fireheart, I take it? He watches you, Tigerclaw. I can feel his stare like a thorn in my fur whenever he walks by."
Tigerclaw’s claws unsheathed and dug into the prisoner den floor. "Fireheart is a problem. A fire that needs to be put out. But he's only a symptom, not the main problem. The real problem is a leader who has forgotten how to rule with strength."
"So..." Brokentail tilted his head back, showing his throat—a rare sign of submission from a cat who had once caused great bloodshed in the forest. "Why are you really here, Tigerclaw? You don't groom a blind prisoner out of kindness."
Tigerclaw moved closer, lowering his voice to a whisper that barely stirred the dust. "I am going to take over ThunderClan. Not after Bluestar dies of old age or whitecough, but soon. I have allies in ShadowClan who are tired of Nightstar’s weakness. I have friends in RiverClan who remember what it was like to hold the Sunningrocks proudly. But I need a distraction. I need a force that ThunderClan won’t expect."
Brokentail’s tail flicked. "You want my rogues. The ones still loyal to me, hiding on the edges of the territories."
"They are hungry, angry, and bored; any of that can make a cat do the most mouse-brained things," Tigerclaw confirmed. "If they attack the camp, it will create complete confusion. In the heat of a battle against 'mysterious' attackers, accidents happen. Leaders can fall. And a deputy must step up to save his Clan."
"And what do I get in return?" Brokentail asked, his voice becoming sharper. "I'm only a blind prisoner. I can't lead a battle patrol as I used to."
"You will be freed," Tigerclaw promised, his voice thick with dark, convincing warmth. "I will not leave a comrade to waste his life away in a moss nest. Once I take over, I'll make sure your 'exile' ends. ShadowClan will need a strong leader soon—Nightstar is on his last life, and Cinderfur doesn't appear to be a strong successor. We will rule the forest together. Two Clans, one goal. No more boundaries. No more soft kittypet feelings."
Brokentail sat in silence for a long moment. He reached out a paw, feeling for Tigerclaw’s shoulder, and gripped it with surprising strength.
"Fireheart will die," Brokentail hissed.
"Oh, he'll be the first to fall," Tigerclaw promised, his amber eyes gleaming. "I’ll make sure he sees exactly who is killing him before he dies."
Brokentail smirked. "I won't get to see it happen, but I bet it'll be quite the show."
With that, the ThunderClan deputy resumed grooming Brokentail, a stark contrast to the violence they had conspired together.