Tigerheart’s Shadow

Tigerheart stared at the healer, his thoughts whirling. Below there was pain and struggle and responsibility. Everything that had weighed his paws while he was alive still waited for him. But so did Dovewing and their kits. Was a life with them worth the hardship of living? Tigerheart pushed away the beguiling murmur that whispered of the prey-rich forest behind him and the sun-drenched meadows ahead. Comfort was for kits. Pouncekit, Lightkit, and Shadowkit deserved to be safe, warm, and well fed. I am a warrior. It is my duty to suffer for them. He dipped his head. “You’re right,” he breathed. “It is not my time. I want to go back.”

As he spoke, the forest shifted and blurred. Shadows engulfed him, lifting him up until he was spinning among the stars. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for pain and cold, and drifted down onto chilly stone.

He opened his eyes. The exposed rock beneath his paws stretched toward a night sky on every side. He blinked in surprise as he saw starry cats moving around him. “StarClan?” Their pelts glittered like fire and ice, and they carried the scent of the seasons, stone-cold snow mingled with sweet blossom, leaf musk tinged with sharp sap tang.

“Tigerheart.” Rowanclaw stepped forward.

Countless eyes reflected starlight, watching as Rowanclaw padded toward Tigerheart.

“My son.” He stopped in front of Tigerheart and gazed with eyes brimming with love. “We knew this day would come.”

Tigerheart frowned, puzzled. “You knew I was going to die?”

Rowanclaw tipped his head, blinking gently. “Do you know what happens now?”

Tigerheart shifted his paws, self-conscious under the gaze of so many cats. “I’m… I’m being sent back. But how?”

“There is only one way a cat may receive another life.” Rowanclaw paused as Tigerheart struggled to understand.

A leadership ceremony! His pelt prickled with anxiety. “I’m not ready!” he blurted. “I’m not strong enough to lead a Clan.”

“Really?” Rowanclaw gazed deep into Tigerheart’s eyes. Memories shifted as though woken by his father’s gaze. He’d persuaded Scorchfur and Juniperclaw to stay with ShadowClan. He’d journeyed to the city to find Dovewing and his kits. He’d helped the guardian cats learn how to defend what was theirs. And he’d led his family and his friends home. Rowanclaw broke their gaze with a blink. “You will never be more ready than you are now.” He leaned forward and touched his nose to Tigerheart’s head.

Fierce heat seared through Tigerheart’s pelt. Flame seemed to burn away his fur like grass in a prairie fire, but he could not flee. His paws were weighted like stones.

“With this life I give you strength. Don’t let softness sway you from what must be done for your Clan.” Rowanclaw broke away, and the fire subsided, leaving determination burning in Tigerheart’s belly.

He opened his eyes, trembling. StarClan watched in stillness, and Tigerheart began to recognize some of their faces. Pinenose, Kinkfur, Flametail. His brother looked so young and strong, his broad shoulders squared as he gazed proudly at Tigerheart.

As Rowanclaw turned away, Kinkfur padded forward.

The ShadowClan elder looked sleek and young. He hardly recognized her. Only the knowing flash in her eyes betrayed her long life. She pressed her nose to his head. “With this life I give you courage. Fear will always pull at your tail, but the courage I give you now will always draw you on.”

His body was seized by a hard, fierce agony that stiffened his muscles and left him shaking with shock.

Pinenose was beside him now, touching her nose to his head. “With this life I give you compassion. Love your Clan as you love your kits. Forgive them their flaws and love them even when they fail you.”

Warmth flooded his heart and reached deep into his belly. It snatched his breath with its intensity, and as Pinenose pulled away, he met her gaze and saw the deep affection he’d seen in Dovewing’s eyes on the night Pouncekit, Lightkit, and Shadowkit were born. He returned her gaze, hoping she could read the promise in his. I will.

Another cat padded from the ranks of starry cats, a familiar face he hadn’t spotted yet. A familiar face he had hoped to one day see again—just not in StarClan

Dawnpelt! His sister’s eyes shone like stars. Tigerheart wanted to greet her, but he couldn’t move or speak. You really are dead. He’d suspected, but hadn’t been sure until now. Joy and grief seemed to fight within his heart as she touched her nose to his head. “With this life I give you hope. As long as hope burns in your heart, it will burn in the hearts of your Clanmates.”

Energy fired through Tigerheart. In his mind he was running, skimming the earth, pines blurring beside him. His heart beat so fast that the breath caught in his throat. As his body shivered in spasm, Dawnpelt padded away, and a ragged she-cat took her place.

“I am Yellowfang, once of ShadowClan.”