Ironheart’s eyes flew open, a sense of foreboding sending him out of dreams that he could no longer remember. He blinked sleep-crusted eyes, wondering why it was he felt something was wrong. A heartbeat later he got his answer.
“Goldenstar is gone!” Someone cried, and everything seemed to freeze. Ironheart closed his eyes briefly, fear and anger and a host of muddled emotions swelling like a wave over him. Goldenstar had not told him that he was going anywhere, much less why he was leaving, where he was headed, nor when he would return - but Ironheart knew his leader and friend. Goldenstar had been fixated on something outside of the clan for moons, his paws and tail always seeming to turn away, into the forest.
[readmore]
‘Why couldn’t you at least tell me before vanishing?!’ Ironheart silently demanded of his missing clan leader. ‘I thought you trusted me. Maybe you assumed I’d be alright, that I’d somehow guess what you were up to.’
Ironheart snorted quietly. ‘Harebrained idiot’. Despite the trouble Goldenstar had caused, the thought was still fond.
Ironheart shook his head and pushed away the thoughts and sleep-cobwebs in his mind, getting to his feet. There was no precedent for what to do when your leader vanished but was still - hopefully - alive. Still, the clan needed someone leading it, and as loath as Ironheart was to be that cat, he knew what he’d signed up for when he agreed to be Deputy. He could admit that, being the practical cat he was. Traditionally a Deputy took over when the previous Leader died, but Goldenstar was not dead. ‘Not if I have anything to say about it.’ Ironheart couldn’t help that mousebrained thought. He didn’t have much say, of course, in whether his missing leader lived or died when he was further than a tail length away.
Hopefully he could hold off for long enough that it wouldn’t be an issue. And hopefully their fool of a leader would return sooner than later! He wished Starclan would give him some advice, but a journey to the moonstone was not happening anytime soon, if Ironheart could avoid it (and that was the most direct way to interact with the starry cats). He wasn’t meant to be a leader, he definitely wasn’t ready, and -- he cut off the panic that was building, taking a breath and scenting the clan around him. The nests around him were empty - he was the last warrior to stir this morning, apparently.
Ironheart emerged from the warriors’ den and stretched quickly, taking a heartbeat to enjoy the warm sunshine before hurrying over to where a gathering of agitated cats was growing in front of the Highrock.
“What do we do?!” Spiderpaw, Ironheart’s apprentice, meowed, his brown fur fluffed up like a kit’s with his fear. He brushed against the younger cat, hoping to calm and reassure him.
“Ironheart, do you know anything about what has happened to Goldenstar?” Hawkeye asked, appearing less agitated than some of their clanmates, but still visibly concerned. Ironheart shook his head, ears twitching.
“I can only speculate, but I do think that he left voluntarily, and that Goldenstar will return. But I don’t know where he’s gone, or when that return will be.” He worried that he was disappointing his clan, that they wished he knew more than he did. Taking a breath to steady himself, Ironheart got to his paws and padded over to the Highrock, leaping up to look over Birdclan from a midpoint - not where Goldenstar usually stood, at the highest point of the stone. The rock was sun-warmed and smooth beneath his paws. Ironheart looked down at his clanmates, gathered his thoughts, and then spoke.
“If he has not returned by the next Gather, then I will go to the moonstone. Until then, I will be acting as Leader while Goldstar is - not here.” Ironheart gazed at his clan steadily, trying not to let his expression or body language betray his fears. He caught Cherryleaf and Stoneflight’s eyes briefly and could sense their approval. His clan seemed worried, but calmer, and hopefully his apparent confidence and direction would reassure them long enough or Goldenstar to get his furry behind back to Birdclan. “I will choose an acting deputy today, once I have time to consider the options,” Ironheart added. He knew that Darkbelly, who had mentored him, would probably expect to be chosen. However, Lionwing would also make a good choice of deputy, as would Stoneflight, one of his closest friends. Cherryleaf or Falconleap would be good for the clan, as well.He had some considering to do, and the feeling of not being capable of this was threatening to swallow Ironheart whole.
