“What news?” she asked, looking around at the other leaders.
“I’ll go first, if you don’t mind,” Thunderstar mewed. “We have a lot of news in ThunderClan.”
“Starting with your new kits, I assume?” Shadowstar asked with a purr. There were meows of excitement and congratulation from the cats of all five Clans.
“Yes,” Thunderstar said, warmth creeping through his pelt. “Violet Dawn and I welcomed four healthy kits, two toms and two she-cats. They’re all doing really well, and so is Violet Dawn.”
“I’m very happy for you, and I know all of RiverClan is, too,” Riverstar mewed, and Windstar and Shadowstar chimed in with their own congratulations.
“Give Violet Dawn all our best wishes,” Windstar added. “Maybe in a few moons she’ll come to a Gathering again.”
“I can’t wait to meet the kits.” Skystar’s blue eyes were shining. “My own kit with kits.” He draped his tail across Thunderstar’s. “I only wish Gray Wing was here. He would have been so proud of you.”
Thunderstar felt unexpectedly touched by the sincere happiness in Skystar’s voice. Part of me still wants Skystar’s approval, he realized. And it would be good for the kits to have kin in his father’s Clan, if they ever needed SkyClan’s help.
“I have sad news, too.” Thunderstar waited for the Clans to quiet, every face turned up to him attentively. “We sent word that the dogs were no longer a threat, but I didn’t tell you that we paid a terrible price. Lightning Tail was killed fighting the dogs.”
There were murmurs of dismay from every Clan. Every cat had liked and respected Lightning Tail.
Windstar bowed her head in sorrow. Lightning Tail had been born and grown up in her group on the moor, and she knew him well. “WindClan will mourn Lightning Tail,” she mewed, and the other leaders agreed.
“I kept vigil over his body through the night after he died,” Thunderstar added. “It gave me a chance to remember him, and to say good-bye.”
“Did it give you peace?” Riverstar asked solemnly.
“It did,” Thunderstar mewed. “And it felt right. It felt like a way to honor all he’d done for me.”
Riverstar nodded. “It’s a good idea to show respect to our dead,” he said.
The other leaders agreed, murmuring thoughtfully.
“Perhaps we can all honor our warriors by spending a last night with them before they pass on to StarClan,” Shadowstar added solemnly.
“Have you chosen your new deputy?” Skystar asked. “You can’t leave your Clan without one. What if something happened to you?”
Shadowstar agreed. “And you need a cat to help you run the everyday life of the Clan.”
Thunderstar looked around the hollow. His gaze sought out Skystar’s deputy Sparrow Fur; Windstar’s mate and deputy, Gorse Fur; Riverstar’s deputy, Night; Shadowstar’s deputy, Sun Shadow. All cats who were absolutely trusted by their leaders, who had proved themselves good friends and wise advisors. They were all admired and respected by their Clans.
Thunderstar looked over his own Clan: generous Pink Eyes, brave Snail Shell, clever Blue Whisker, strong hunter Leaf. They were all fine cats. None of them were Lightning Tail. No cat was.
A breeze ran through his pelt, almost like the brush of a tail across his back, and for a moment Thunderstar almost thought he heard the purr of his oldest friend.
If Lightning Tail were here, he would tell me not to be a mouse-brain, he thought. The Clan needs a deputy, and there’s one cat who’s right for the job. I decided the night the kits were born; I just haven’t been able to bring myself to tell the Clan.
“Thunder Clan’s new deputy will be Owl Eyes,” he announced. His mew felt rusty and stiff to him at first, but his voice rose and got more confident as he went on. “He’s proved himself more than deserving.”
“Hooray!” Apple Blossom burst out from the crowd below, and there were mrrows of laughter from all around her. “Sorry, Thunderstar.”
All the ThunderClan cats looked pleased, and the cats of the other Clans were nodding in approval. Thunderstar caught sight of Owl Eyes himself, looking stunned and happy, near the base of the Great Rock.
He’s the obvious choice, Thunderstar thought. Now I just have to be fair to him. He’ll be a great deputy and I can’t hold it against him that he’s not Lightning Tail.
After the meeting, Thunderstar caught up to Owl Eyes. “I’m sorry to spring that on you,” he mewed. “I hope you do want to be deputy. I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and I think you’ll be great.”
“I do. I do want to be deputy,” Owl Eyes answered quickly, tripping over his words. His round amber eyes were shining with emotion and excitement. “I just—I won’t let you down, Thunderstar.”
“I know you won’t.” Thunderstar was surprised to find that he meant it.
Owl Eyes suddenly looked solemn. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be as good a deputy as Lightning Tail was. He always knew what to do. But I’ll honor him by trying my best every day, I promise.”
Thunderstar purred. “You know, even Lightning Tail didn’t always know what he was doing. Remember when he was playing with Clover and Thistle when they were kits and he slipped and sent the whole prey pile flying?”
Owl Eyes twitched his whiskers in amusement. “I had forgotten that.”
“Lightning Tail made mistakes sometimes,” Thunderstar told him. “Every cat does. But he tried his best to take care of his Clan, and that’s all I can ask of you.”
Talking about Lightning Tail made Thunderstar’s heart lighter. He pressed his flank against Owl Eyes’s. “I know you’re going to be a great deputy.”
Back in camp, Thunderstar went into the nursery to check on Violet Dawn and the kits. “I made Owl Eyes deputy,” he told her, lying down next to her and sweeping up the smallest of the kits to cuddle into his side.
“About time,” she replied sleepily. “I told you he was the right choice.”
“Remember that your mother is always right,” Thunderstar instructed the kit, and the kit looked up at him with sleepy blue eyes and yawned, showing sharp white kit-teeth.
“Of course I am,” Violet Dawn mewed contently. “I am also right that you need to name that kit and his sister. I already named Shell Claw and Feather Ear. I can’t go on calling the other two the gray one and the tabby one, especially not now that their eyes are open. They need names.”
“I know,” Thunderstar nuzzled her cheek. “I will before we sleep tonight, I promise.”
He got up and wandered to the door of the nursery, looking out at the camp and watching his Clan settle down to sleep. He saw Owl Eyes bring Milkweed a piece of prey, then distract her kits so she had a moment to eat it. All was well.
In the nursery, there was a tiny mew behind him, and he turned around, feeling the pleasant swell that filled his chest whenever he thought of his kits. Three of the kits were sleeping, nestled against Violet Dawn’s side. But the third, the tabby she-kit, stared up at him with amber eyes that blazed like fire. She was only a quarter-moon old, but he could already see intelligence and courage in her eyes. She was going to be something special; he knew it.
The she-kit rolled over and stretched, showing the lightning-shaped splash of white on her belly. Of course, Thunderstar thought, something special.
“What do you think about Lightning Stripe for her name?” he asked Violet Dawn, and she purred in approval.
“It’s perfect,” she said.