If You Must Mourn, Don't Do It Alone [CLOSED]

He had come alone despite the dangers. The leader couldn't risk the lives of his clanmates during times like this and it was him who had to do something here. The travel had been a long one and he was exhausted yet he was finally here. It was his first time yet he wasn't unfamiliar to a wet ground. The marshes were quite different from his own home but it was not actually an awful place to live.

Jaystar had entered the territory with the hope of finding a patrol. When they found him, he told them that he had come to speak to their leader and he came with only peace to offer. They didn't attack him and guide them to their camp where he waited at the entrance for Schorfang to appear. He was tired and sad. Littlestar had been a good ally and it pained him to know that the clan was still mourning that death of the former leader. As his partner in the alliance, the least he could was to say his condolences to her deputy and actual leader, even if they hadn't spoken much before in the past. Just a few exchanges of words.

Once he was alerted of the presence of RiverClan's leader in camp, Scorchfang looked up from the mouse he feasted on in surprise. Of course, he knew why Jaystar would be visiting ShadowClan, he just didn't expect it to be so soon. Nodding, he stood up and shook out the moss from his bushy pelt. As he was to be leader once it was safe enough to leave his Clan without their leader or medicine cat, he had to get used to sleeping in the leader's den. It was big enough to accommodate his rather large body, but it was still lonely sleeping all alone without his other Clanmates. Not to mention the utter heartache it had on him -- the den still smelled faintly of Littlestar.

Once he had made himself presentable, he slipped out from under the roots of the large oak tree that stood next to Jaggedrock, and he plastered a smile he hoped would be convincing on his muzzle before approaching his guest. "Welcome, Jaystar. I... I think I may know why you are here. Would you like me to take you to where Littlestar was buried?" The smile quickly fell. It was hard to even say her name after all that had happened. He quickly took notice to how tired and frazzled the RiverClan leader looked, and he added, "Would you like something to eat before you travel back to RiverClan? Even in the middle of leaf-fall, we still have plenty to share with our allies."

The tom could see the exhaustion of loss in the amber eyes of the tom as he could see his own reflection... losing your leader was not easy, not either to become the leader so suddenly. The Riverclan tom could empathize with that and that was why he greeted him with a gentle, respectful nod. When he assumed his purpose here, he nodded again as a yes. As her ally, he had the responsibility to at least pay respect for the former leader and that was why he had been holding a flower in his jaws, waiting to deliver it on the top of her burial place.

Jaystar smiled a little by the kindness of the new leader yet he refused. "Thank you for your generosity, Scorchfang but I've eaten my share of prey before coming here... But I'm glad to hear that even in these difficult times, we can still be in good terms. Shadowclan has always had a special place in my heart even before I was a leader. But we can discuss clans politics later... what's important now is, how are you with all this?" He mewed as he started to follow him with slow steps, steady steps. He was tired but he could still walk and talk especially knowing how much pain the ShadowClanner had to be going through.

Scorchfang held back a heavy, tired sigh as he led his ally through ShadowClan's marshes towards the burial grounds. "Well... for starters, I'm not going to lie, despite everything that's been going on for the past few sunrises a small part of me is, well, ecstatic that I've become leader of ShadowClan. I was a very troublesome tom back in the day, and to see that my Clan has forgiven me for my past misdeeds and has entrusted me to lead them really does make me feel happy." He smiled softly, but it quickly fell. "I just wish I could've become leader a little differently. When Lichenmask cut Littlestar down that night, it felt as though he had torn out a piece of me. He definitely tore out a piece of ShadowClan. You should've seen the looks of confusion and distraught and fear on those cats' faces... And now with this strange phenomenon up in the sky with the sun and the moon, and with Lichenmask and his followers still out there, I fear for the safety of my Clan, so much so that I've banned Moonstone journey travel until all is right again. And... And Shade is still out there, too..." He turned his head away from Jaystar, falling silent. The pain of knowing his seemingly harmless affair with Sweet all those moons ago actually turning into the cause of many innocent cats' deaths and maimings was almost too much to bear, even to this day. To think his own flesh and blood, regardless if he knew they were related or not, would tread down the path that will one day lead him to the Dark Forest... It was very unsettling.

The tom heard the words of the young leader in silence, keeping a respectful expression. So he wasn't afraid of leadership... that was good. Confidence always made others trust in you but, more importantly, was that he could recognize his own past flaws and accept them. Jaystar, who had known about his past with Sweet and what their relationship had cost him and his clan, could not blame all the fault on him. Of course, his mistake caused the birth of Shade but in the end, that rogue's personality and actions were all his fault. Scorchfang didn't make him that way... his absence just influenced him.

He dipped his head shortly, as he closed his eyes for a few seconds. "I understand your fears, Scorchfang because I'm living them myself. But it's not my first time. And, as a more experienced leader, I can say you won't have many problems being a good leader to your clan. You can admit your failures and do something about them... those are signs of a good cat, a cat that is worthy of following." He looked into his amber eyes and even though some of his traits reminded him of the monster who killed his brother, Tuftkit and Duckpuddle, Jaystar could only see a reflection of his younger self. The one who had to take his mother's place in turbulent times as well. "You're not alone on this, Scorchfang. You have your clan... and you have my clan's support as well. Now, more than ever, we need to be together as leaders to defeat both the killer of your former leader and your son. Littlestar's death won't be left without the proper payback..."

The large black tom heaved a shaky sigh, struggling not to tear up. It would be embarrassing for another Clan leader to see him cry, even if he was the leader of his allied Clan. Blinking a few times to keep the tears at bay, he nodded respectfully to Jaystar. "ShadowClan cannot thank you enough, Jaystar, and neither can I. I have always valued our alliance, and now I value it even more."

It wasn't long until the two toms arrived at the burial grounds for fallen warriors of ShadowClan, and he approached a freshly dug up and buried hole nearest the front where Littlestar had been laid to rest. He lowered his head down to where his leader had been buried, struggling again not to cry.

The older tom watched silently how Scorchfang paid his respect for the burial place of the former leader. He waited patiently for him and when he stepped away, it was his turn. As he slowly approached the fresh dirt, Jaystar remembered every event of the night the she-cat died. Her scared eyes... how her small body was attacked by his former clanmate... the blood that came out as a flood of her throat. That image tormented him in his sleep... Littlestar didn't deserve such a thing. She was a good leader and Shadowclan remained strong and healthy during her reign. It was a shame she had to go that way...

The large leader lowered his head and dropped the purple flower over the pile of dirt before laying down in front of it, touching it with his nose slightly while he closed his green eyes. "Littlestar... I pray for your soul to be welcomed in Starclan as you well deserve it. As your former ally, I can't thank you enough for your partnership, for being by my clan's side even after Ivystar was gone. For me you were not only my ally... you were the leader I respected the most and I always thought we could have been good friends. I hope you can find the rest you need in the starry fields of the Silverpelt, so you can hunt freely and reunite with your clanmates and loved ones once more..." He didn't expect he would cry but he did. From his closed eyes, the small shine of a dropped tear could be seen but the tom didn't stop. The RiverClanner needed to do this... "I'm sorry I couldn't save you... But I promise here, where your body was buried, that I will do whatever it is my paws to avenge you. As long as our alliance persists, I will look after your clan as well... I won't forget you and won't let you be forgotten, at least not in Riverclan. I hope you're in peace now..." He muttered, ending his small words of mourning. They could be meaningless considering that Starclan didn't speak with them right, yet it was something he had to do for Littlestar's memory. Jaystar owned her at least that thing... If a battle was going to happen, he would not only fight for his clan but for Shadowclan as well, as a way to make up for her sudden death... That was the only thing he could do for her.