"No more than you can bear" - A Froststar AU

“Berryheart.”

Berryheart’s eyes fluttered open at the sound of that all too familiar voice that flowed into her ears like the soft lapping of the placid lake. Her eyes stung with the sun shining blindingly above. How could the other clans ever get used to that… brightness? She thought, longing for the shade of pines over her head once again.

Hollowspring and Sparrowtail pressed closer against her sides protectively, and she could feel their bones poking through their pelts. Of course, she was no better off… Gathering her breath and focusing her reeling mind, she spoke. “It’s not Sunbeam… is it?”

“Guess again.” A handsome tabby fixed their grey eyes on her, looking down. “You look terrible, old friend.”

“What do you want, Splashtail?” Berryheart heaved a sigh. “I’ve got no time for your clan business anymore…” Her voice rattled as the dull ache of her wounds smouldered with infection.

“It’s Splashstar now. You should be thanking me. I’ve decided to give you a second chance. Even though you don’t deserve it… But I’m not like StarClan. You may have another chance at destiny, at my side.” Splashstar meowed in his mockingly gracious way that always drove Berryheart up a tree.

“We need your help.” Another voice added wheezily.

“Keep your mouth closed, Podlight!” Splashstar snarled. The other cat retreated, ears folded deferentially. “In any case… you need us. You don’t have long to live… or have you already given up on your life?”

“Of course we haven’t.” Sparrowtail meowed softly.

“That doesn’t mean I need to grovel at your paws, thank you!” Berryheart spat derisively. Even so, she couldn’t ignore her condition. If there really was a second chance for her, she had to take it. If only she could drive away these clan-swappers and traitors corrupting her ShadowClan, her warrior code, her very own kits with a sweep of her paw. And to do that… It looked as if her only way forward was under Splashstar.

“I will come.” She grimaced at the statement, as if it tasted of crow-food. “But, you must make me your deputy.”

“We already have one, if you haven’t noticed!” Splashstar scoffed.

“Don’t take me as a flea-brain, Spashtail. I know you need me. You need my cats. Puddleshine may have betrayed me, but there are plenty more just as ready as I to defend our code. “ Berryheart hissed. “Unless you want Tigerstar and ThunderClan to crush your little Clan again.”

As Splashstar went silent, Sparrowtail and Hollowspring glanced at her with nervous eyes. “What are we doing?” Hollowspring whispered. “I thought we were leaving the clans behind!”

“No, my work… is far from over, my son.” Berryheart winced as she attempted to get on her paws with the help of Sparrowtail. “We will come home, eventually, I’ll see to it.”

“You may be my deputy, if you serve RiverClan.” Splashstar announced. “I hardly have a need for that coward Harelight, anyway.” He spun around to Podlight. “Get Berryheart to Mothwing. And tell her, no more questions. I won’t hear her whine about my orders a third time.”

---

A few sunrises later, Berryheart padded shiftily through the reeds of RiverClan’s camp, keeping to the centre of the camp. She’d never gotten used to the river, never gotten used to this wretched swamp. Not after Darktail’s reign. It didn’t help that the eyes of the RiverClan cats glinted at her with a familiar hatred. Yowls pierced the air as claws tore fur, the scent of blood occasionally spilling into the cloud of fear and the stench of fish that hung over the camp.

“Come on, Icewing, are those slashes, or kitten-blows?” Splashstar watched with a fire in his eyes as the she-cat struggled against Minnowtail, both of them with their fighting claws extended. “Keep going, Minnowtail! Will ShadowClan shred themselves?”

Berryheart swallowed back her nerves. “Remember who’s supporting you, Splashstar.” She meowed under her breath.

“Berryheart.” Splashstar’s eyes narrowed. “Just the cat I was thinking about. We must talk.” He stalked off into the leader’s den.

“Just what do you think you are training them like that for, Splashstar?” she growled, her pelt spiking on her back.

“That doesn’t concern you, Berryheart. My only goal is to serve RiverClan. We both want to help our clans. Sometimes.. that means sacrifice. You understand that more than anyone, don’t you?”

“Yes…” Berryheart meowed testily. As much as Splashstar’s ambivalence to becoming the code and his insistence on harsh battle training put her on edge, it was just as necessary as her own actions for ShadowClan.

“They’re plotting against us, Berryheart.” Splashstar remarked. “All of those leaders… I saw it on their faces when I was at the gathering. They’re scared, I’m sure of it.”

“Of course they are. They know their warriors won’t stand for their ridiculous new code. Everyone can tell they’ve lost their claws, now that they can’t tell a rival clan’s warrior from a truly loyal clanmate.” Berryheart’s resentment rushed beneath her pelt. “They’ve gone soft. I doubt that they’d raise their paws against another clan for anything now, even their new code.”

“That’s why I wanted you by my side, Berryheart.” Splashstar meowed. “You know me. I’m bringing RiverClan back to what they should be. A strong clan… and in time, we can bring back every clan.” He swivelled his head back towards her. “And those traitors that tell us that StarClan wants us to allow clanswappers onto our territory to eat our prey and hide in our borders? Well, we will deal with them like traitors used to be dealt with.”

“And they’ll call that breaking the code, I suppose.” Berryheart huffed in agreement with Splashstar. “As if they know anything about the code at all.”

“If defending our clan from traitors is breaking the code, then it’s time to break some rules.” The brown tabby’s thick tail swished. “Let StarClan strike us down if they wish!” He purred, as if it were a joke, but quieted quickly. “We’ve been led astray all my life, I know this now… peace with the clans… it’s made us weaker.”

“We are being made soft, I know.” Berryheart nodded. “But don’t attack needlessly. Maybe you’re too young, but I remember what life can be like without the warrior code. There are rules to be followed.”

Splashstar bristled at this. “I don’t care how some dead mouse-brains told us we should live! Following their words made RiverClan a clan of weak tailickers!”

So it’s like that. Berryheart thought, her eyes narrowing. “Then follow common sense. You want to be a clan of true warriors, act like them.” She meowed briskly. “The most important thing you have to do is to stay strong and protect your clan.”

“Is that what you’re doing here, then?” Splashstar sneered.

“I’m showing ShadowClan the way. Lead by example, Splashstar. True warriors will come to our side.”

“Good answer.” Spashstar hissed. “Bring me those warriors, and I’ll make you my deputy… and your dreams, I’ll make them happen. We’ll show everyone we don’t need a new code, and we don’t need StarClan to carry us by the scruffs.”

“You better.”

Berryheart padded out of the den, new questions looming in her mind. She wouldn’t trust Splashtail with watching a dead toad, but that's besides the point. She sat on her haunches, her wounds now reduced to a dull ache by Mothwing. Warriors trained roughly around her. Whatever Splashtail’s intentions, passion filled the camp. RiverClan was reborn from the shell of a clan it was just moons earlier. Berryheart felt a strange sense of comfort in this. Was it that she felt at home in RiverClan? No. It couldn’t be. It had to be that fire in the hearts of their warriors, their pride. Soon, ShadowClan would have it too.

Berryheart wasn’t at home, not at all. This place carried too much sorrow for her. It was the very root of her desire to protect the code with her life. Gathering her courage, Berryheart crept to the shore, looking outwards into the darkness of the lake in the chill of late Leaf-fall. Soon, the Clanswappers and traitors would be cast out, soon, every clan would know the truth of the warrior code.

“Needletail… ShadowClan will rise again, you’ll see.” She rumbled, her throat tightening up. “Your sacrifice will not be in vain. I am making sure of that.”