Chapter Text
Hawkfrost had spent his entire life imagining what a father was like. He had a mother, one that he loved deeply, and RiverClan could never be said to be lacking in maternal energy. Despite that, it had never felt like enough. Like something, somewhere deep inside was missing and unfulfilled.
Tigerstar was just as he’d always been described to him. A dark tabby with a missing eye, the differences between Brambleclaw and his father imperceptible at a glance. Hawkfrost couldn’t help his slight pang of jealousy that they shared the same eye color even. He quickly squashed it, reminding himself it was a blessing to look like his beautiful mother.
”Do you know why you’re here?” Tigerstar asked Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw. Hawkfrost exchanged a glance with his half-brother, hoping he had the answer, but found a similarly confused expression.
”It’s not a trick question,” Tigerstar purred after the silence stretched on. “And I didn’t summon you with ill intent. I simply wish to see my progeny succeed- no, better than that. I want to see the two of you thrive!”
Hawkfrost felt his heart leap at the prospect. It was no secret that he intended to be the best warrior he could be, and part of that included (at least from his perspective) becoming leader of RiverClan. If Tigerstar was willing to help, the least he could do was listen to his advice.
”I’m not so sure,” Brambleclaw was the first to respond, looking down at his huge paws in the foggy gloom. “I remember what happened when you were alive. You hurt a lot of cats.”
”A mistake, truly,” Tigerstar meowed solemnly. He averted his eyes in deep shame. “I would handle things… differently a second time around. Which is what I intend to do with the two of you.”
”Differently how?” Hawkfrost finally got over his excitement enough to force out the words. The small part of him that held misgivings was completely silenced in the face of his emotions at the meeting.
”I should not have broken the Warrior Code as I did,” Tigerstar meowed. “My plans were great, flawless even. But I broke the law of the land, and so even the cats who might have respected me otherwise saw me as trouble.”
Tigerstar sighed in a heavy, misunderstood way that reminded Hawkfrost of himself. He was a strict follower of the Warrior Code, but he knew better than most what it was to be judged as trouble when that wasn’t the case. Perhaps Tigerstar wasn’t the monster the clans had claimed him to be.
”I would advise you in your sleep,” Tigerstar continued. “Help you learn from my strengths, as well as my flaws. I see leadership in the future for both of you, and perhaps even more beyond that. It is up to you, but know that there is nothing I treasure more from the afterlife than you, my sons.”
That was all Hawkfrost needed to hear to know this was the right thing to do. He dipped his head to his father respectfully.
”I would follow you,” he meowed. Brambleclaw hesitated for several long moments before giving his assent as well. Tigerstar’s eye gleamed in the soft glow from the moss of the dream forest.
“We will meet again then,” Tigerstar purred as the light of dawn started to prick Hawkfrost’s eyes behind the closed lids of his dreaming self.
He found himself waking with a start, disturbing some of his nearby clanmates in the process. But the soft complaining didn’t reach his ears, too preoccupied with his own thoughts.
My father, he thought, almost dreamily. I’ve finally met my father!
-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
The coup was Tigerstar’s idea. Hawkfrost was hesitant until he heard Brambleclaw’s own doubts about Onewhisker’s leadership ability- and more importantly, about how the ceremony to name him deputy had gone.
“And Firestar covered it up?” Hawkfrost asked hotly. He paced, the fog breaking before him like water against a rock. Brambleclaw eyed him wearily, but simply shrugged in response.
“Firestar has always had a soft spot for Onewhisker,” Tigerstar meowed amicably. “I’m sure he was ecstatic at the prospect of such a… friendly face at his border. Indeed, I see none who would benefit from this more than Firestar himself. Only…”
Tigerstar trailed off before sighing dramatically. Hawkfrost paused his pacing to give his father his full attention.
“Forgive me,” Tigerstar meowed suddenly, his head sunk low. “It seems I’ve fallen on old habits. It is not right of me to doubt the great Firestar.”
“I don’t think that’s true,” Hawkfrost argued. “No cat is above criticism. Firestar could have ill intent the same as anyone. I think it’s important we cover all angles.”
“I don’t like thinking poorly of my leader,” Brambleclaw added thoughtfully. “But Hawkfrost is right. No cat is above criticism."
Tigerstar raised his head, his remaining eye twinkling.
“Such wise sons I have,” he meowed. “But the question of what to do... It doesn’t seem right, simply waiting for things to work themselves out. Perhaps, Hawkfrost, you should talk to Mudclaw about what has happened.”
“Me?” Hawkfrost asked, more than a little surprised. Brambleclaw was far more popular and friendly with the other clans than Hawkfrost himself.
“Yes,” Tigerstar meowed decidedly. “It will mean more coming from an outsider. I leave this task to you, Hawkfrost. Don’t disappoint me.”
A shiver ran through Hawkfrost at the prospect of letting his father down.
“I won’t,” he promised.
-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
The plans were in place, everything perfectly accounted for until Hawkfrost met Longtail in the dream space Tigerstar had called the Dark Forest. The ensuing conversation was strange enough to give him pause and reconsider, both in reference to Longtail’s claims of having lived more than once and Mudclaw’s ultimate fate.
He found himself hesitant to seek his father’s guidance on this matter. Hawkfrost had grown up hearing of what Tigerstar had done to Longtail when he was alive, and having met the tom himself… It didn’t conjure an image of Tigerstar’s innocence.
He’s changed, Hawkfrost told himself as he considered his options.
Yet he still found himself calling off the plan with Mudclaw without consulting his ghostly parent. Mudclaw was furious, thinking Hawkfrost had intentionally caused trouble. He had been willing enough to believe him when he’d spoken of Onewhisker’s unfit nature, but now that Hawkfrost was leaning the other way he was untrusting.
“This isn’t over,” Mudclaw hissed before darting away from their meeting abruptly. Hawkfrost kept his eyes and ears open after that day, and when Cinderpelt arrived with news of a connecting place to StarClan, he knew it was time to act.
“Leopardstar!” he called through the chattering of the RiverClan camp. “I insist on leading a patrol to WindClan. A total injustice is taking place as we speak. I have it on the word of Longtail himself, the Prophet!”
Hawkfrost slyly knew that mentioning Longtail would be all it took to sway Leopardstar to his side. She agreed to send him five warriors, and two to the other clans to warn them of what was happening. And, most surprising of all, Leopardstar herself was deigning to jump into the fight.
“It’s RiverClan’s turn to save the day!” his leader crowed as they crested the ridge into the WindClan camp.
Just as expected, the whole camp was already in turmoil. Clanmate was turning on clanmate, family on family, and blood on blood. Hawkfrost knew at that moment what a terrible mistake he’d made even suggesting such an idea.
This is not right, he told himself. He would remember it should he survive the night.
Hawkfrost let himself get lost in the battle, protecting queens and kits and clawing the traitorous lot that he might have called allies in another life. As the battle dragged on, rain fell upon them, making the camp ground a muddy mess.
It was the slick environment that allowed Mudclaw to escape Leopardstar’s furious grasp, running right past Hawkfrost. He immediately followed in an all out sprint, but the difficult terrain was slowing him down.
A blessing, he realized only after the tree fell a whisker length from his nose, crushing Mudclaw beneath it. It took him only a moment, even in the pouring rain to understand what had happened. StarClan had spoken, and killed Mudclaw for his insolence. They had given the clans a Gathering place, completing their new home. But the most important part wasn’t any of that. No, what struck Hawkfrost wasn’t the near death experience or awe of his ancestors. Although awe might still be the right word.
Longtail was right.