#she was always ''tigerclaw should be deputy when the time comes. hes more passionate than i am. i just want to document things''

[yuridovewing]

Now I think Tigerclaw was actually a family man to some extent in this au... I think he genuinely loved Goldenflower and all of their kits together, they were childhood friends, I think he mourned Swiftpaw and Lynxkit's deaths, I think he was overjoyed when Tawnypaw came to ShadowClan because he was glad to know one of his kits would be safe. He cared deeply for his mother and sister and originally doted on his sister's kits before Ravenpaw saw him murder Redtail.

Granted, is he a GOOD dad? ... No not really. He got his own son killed (albeit as collateral damage), Tawnypelt has ptsd from what she witnessed in TigerClan, Bramblestar has a complex, and tbh he just treats Mothwing and Hawkfrost like dogshit. But there's some conflict there, they all have fond memories of him and he tries to appeal to that to get them to join him and conform to his ideology. Tawnypelt has this worst of all because she's now the only living kit who spent the most time with him and saw him at his best and his worst.

He also easily turns on them, his love comes with conditions.

#i like giving villains traits like this. particularly ones who dont seem to get many humanizing aspects in canon #i like humanizing the villains it makes their despicable actions all the more horrifying to me #like... hes a dad. he knows what losing a child is like. he knows the agony of it #and... he still kills gorsepaw in front of his mother. he still believes halfclan kits should be wiped out. #because his hatred is more powerful than that love. love wasnt enough. #also ive been thinking- would he turn on nightdapple and dustpelt to get a higher chance at being deputy? #... nah. the dynasty can be loose at times. thats why bluestar's leader now. no one else was eligible for the position at the time #and dustpelts an inexperienced warrior most of the time and nightdapple just never wanted the position #she was always ''tigerclaw should be deputy when the time comes. hes more passionate than i am. i just want to document things'' #oh also he abuses his own nephew. his love is conditional. #i think at first when he mentored him. he was strict and tried to push raven when he could #cause even if thats his nephew. hes got no backbone. that wont do and tigerclaws the tough love type #and raven knows that at the end of the day his uncle cares about him #... and then he sees his uncle kill redtail. and tigerclaw sees his nephew run away #and thats when the silencing attempts start. suddenly the uncle hes known and loved his whole life- his only kin left really- #-is a murderer. and that murderer is now trying to orchestrate his death and he KNOWS it #and hes suddenly so much crueler with him during training and hes becoming more and more isolated from the clan... #aughhhh its fucked up.. tigerclaw is a nasty man #razorverse

[warriorsredux]

Chapter Thirty

“So it’s really dead, huh?”

Cinderpaw stared blankly at her crushed leg, which was still raw and partly hairless. Willowpelt was sniffing it over carefully, seemingly checking for any dirt or new blood, while Swiftpaw tapped his tail nervously at his mother’s side. Yellowfang stood by Cinderpaw’s head.

“Looks like it,” Yellowfang said. Her usual caustic casualness was gone, replaced with simple, almost kind quietness. “Unless it heals perfectly.”

Cinderpaw heaved out a sigh. Her tail was still on the ground, carefully positioned for the broken tip to be laid straight. She twitched her leg and grimaced.

“Well,” she said, “it’s a good thing I’m not a warrior, huh? Otherwise I’d be useless.”

“You would not!” Willowpelt snapped, jerking her head up. “WindClan has a cat with a crippled foot as their deputy. You’d do just fine.”

Cinderpaw’s eyes twinkled with a faint mirth. “Oh, yeah. Dragging a leg on the ground actually brings the prey directly to you, you know. It’s hypnosis.”

Swiftpaw snorted. “That’s stupid.”

“You’re stupid,” said Cinderpaw.

“He’s not the one who ran into a car, fool girl,” Yellowfang said, with an affectionate paw-prod at Cinderpaw’s head. Cinderpaw made a complaining noise and swiped at her mentor.

“I don’t know how she does it,” Raventhroat said softly.

Fireheart looked at his friend. They were sitting nearby the family and Yellowfang, watching their conversation. “What do you mean?”

“She must be in total agony right now.” Raventhroat shuffled with a look of second-hand pain. “Her leg, her tail. Yet there she is, joking around like her bones aren’t completely shattered.”

“She’s tough, I guess,” Fireheart said. “Tougher than we are.”

Raventhroat didn’t look convinced, but he said nothing more.

Two days after her accident, Cinderpaw had woken up. She had been loopy with the pain and shock, and it took a slow mental recovery for her to really be able to acknowledge her injuries. Yellowfang had kept watch over her the entire time, with Willowpelt and Swiftpaw almost completely forsaking their duties to check on Cinderpaw constantly. It had been a relief to everyone when she had regained consciousness and a proper sense of where she was and what had happened.

Fireheart stood up. It was nearly morning, but he felt wide awake. “Should I go tell You-Know-Who about this?”

Greystripe was stationed outside of camp in a bush which was barely covered by the trees overhead. The last time Fireheart had seen him, he was soaked through and shivering violently, entirely silent. It was hard waiting for his punishment to be over.

“He’ll be coming back tomorrow,” Raventhroat said. “You can tell him then.”

“Well, I need something to do.” Fireheart stretched. “You wanna go hunting?”

“I was about to go sleep, actually...” The sentence broke off into a yawn and Raventhroat blinked blearily.

“You can come with me.”

Both toms’ heads twisted to Tigerclaw. He was squeezing out of the nursery with some obvious difficulty.

“I need to catch something for Goldenflower,” he elaborated. “You can come help me.”

Raventhroat tensed up. Fireheart gently touched his back with his tail to calm him.

“That’s fine with me,” Fireheart said. “Are we going now?”

Tigerclaw nodded.

Raventhroat looked at Fireheart, eye twitching. Fireheart gave him a little purr and walked up to Tigerclaw, taking care to make his steps causal and loose.

“Shall we?” he said to Tigerclaw.

Tigerclaw turned and walked for the entrance. Fireheart trotted after him, purposely not looking back to see Raventhroat’s reaction.

 Tigerclaw was not much a conversation partner - in fact, he hardly said anything, other than a monotone order to hunt here or follow that scent over there. Fireheart followed his directions, one eye on the deputy at all times, trying to think of a way to test the waters and see if he could get anything that would confirm Raventhroat’s theory.

“This is nice,” he said at last, after he’d caught a mouse. “I don’t get to talk to you very much, or hang out with you at all.”

“Our paths don’t cross very often,” Tigerclaw said. “You seem to do fine on your own.”

“Right, but still.” Fireheart started digging a hole for his prey. “You’re the deputy and I hardly even know that much about you.”

Tigerclaw made a noncommittal noise.

“I remember that I didn’t know what to think when you first spoke for me to let me into the Clan.” Fireheart chanced a full look at Tigerclaw. “I mean, I wasn’t sure what to make of you. You were really mysterious to me.”

Tigerclaw’s response was decidedly neutral. “And what do you think now?”

A number of responses passed through Fireheart’s mind. He chose to be mostly honest. “I think you’re a good warrior and deputy. Hard to tell how you feel on certain subjects, but I wouldn’t call that a bad thing.”

“Mm,” said Tigerclaw, and then after a pause, “Thank you.”

Things were silent for a little while. Fireheart looked over at Tigerclaw, tail twitching out of nerves.

“Can I ask you something?” he said.

Tigerclaw lowered his head, sniffing the ground. “Go ahead.”

“Why did you speak for me?”

Tigerclaw paused.

“I know I wasn’t very impressive when I first showed up,” Fireheart said. “And, well. The Clans don’t really like house- kittypets. I didn’t get the impression that you did either. I still don’t, really.”

Tigerclaw stood up straight. Slowly, he turned to Fireheart, his head tilted in contemplation.

“You’re not incorrect,” he said after a moment. “I knew about you from the patrols. You were always staring into the forest. Even if you didn’t see us, we saw you.”

“Right,” Fireheart said. “I didn’t even know you were watching me.”

“Yes,” Tigerclaw said. “Any other cat, I would have disregarded for that reason alone. But...”

He stopped.

“...But?” Fireheart prompted, nervous of the answer.

Tigerclaw was quiet for a heartbeat longer before saying, “I could see your potential growth, and what you could give to ThunderClan.��

Fireheart didn’t know what to say to this, so he said nothing.

“You weren’t much to start with, it’s true,” Tigerclaw went on. His eyes drifted upwards. “But you were determined to keep up with us. You never complained.”

“I complained a little,” Fireheart mumbled, bashful now.

“Not where I could hear you,” Tigerclaw said.

“That’s good, I guess.” Fireheart sniffed around for more prey-scents. “Go on about how cool I am.”

Tigerclaw’s whiskers twitched and he looked back down at Fireheart. “I won’t say too much more, except that you’re a contrast. Both a benefit and a detriment, sometimes at the same time.”

“Huh?” Fireheart looked up at him.

“What I mean is that, despite your impulsiveness, you have a drive to help this Clan, and you work hard for what you believe in. You never back down on your morals, and you’re not afraid to stand up for yourself or others, no matter where they come from.” Tigerclaw’s face masked itself again. “And... when I walked up to you, you showed no fear. Even Darkstripe cowers around me sometimes.”

Fireheart chose not to make a comment on the last remark, though a few ran through his mind. “I suppose it was your approval I really needed to make it into the Clan. You have a lot of say here, even before you were deputy. Good thing you ended up as one anyway, right?” He gave Tigerclaw a sidelong glance. “Assuming you wanted to be one, I mean.”

Tigerclaw said nothing for so long that Fireheart started to wonder if he’d said something rude on accident. He was about to apologize when he was interrupted.

“You should understand, Fireheart,” Tigerclaw said slowly. “This Clan means more to me than anything. I love my kits and I love Goldenflower, but ThunderClan has always been closest to my heart, ever since I was an apprentice.” Actual warmth seeped into his voice. “I consider it a great honor that Bluestar chose me as her deputy. Anything I can do to serve ThunderClan, I will do. Being deputy means that I can serve it better than as a warrior, where I could only lend my claws to a fight or mark the borders every morning.”

Fireheart stared at him. Tigerclaw looked genuinely happy throughout his stream of thought. It was a startling shift of appearance - even the scars on his face seemed to fade. He looked younger, more energetic.

“Wow,” Fireheart said quietly. “You really care about your Clanmates, don’t you?”

“Them and everything ThunderClan stands for.” Tigerclaw looked pleased. “Our territory, our prey, our stories and our way of life, I will serve and protect to my highest ability until my last breath.”

Seemingly satisfied with his speech, Tigerclaw turned away again and started on a squirrel’s trail. Fireheart watched him go, mystified. How had any of this never shown up before? He never would have picked Tigerclaw to be so thoroughly dedicated, or even emotionally invested in anything; and yet here he was, almost glowing with passion about ThunderClan.

Knowing what he knew now, Fireheart could only hope that Raventhroat was wrong. Everything he’d talked about... it had to just be coincidence.

It had to be.

#warrior cats #warriors redux #redux #wr #chapter #chapter 30 #arc2