Post by Dragon on Sept 5, 2009 4:15:21 GMT -5
Badgerstar padded crossly, on his rock. His piercing green eyes looked at the cat below him. They began to mull about, their paws kneading the ground anxious to go. But they waited for two warriors that were out for a late night hunt. "Where are they?" He hissed under his breath.
The sleek warrior stretched beneath the great rock, stifling a yawn as he looked up at his uncle with yellow eyes. "Don't worry, my brother and his friend won't be long, I told them to hurry myself." Ratwhisker gave his paw a lick, and drew it over his ear. "Hey, Hawkstrike, you were out lately did you see them?"
The young she-cat padded toward the two older warriors, her dark fur ruffled up against the strong wind the rolled off the distant hills. Her green eyes squinted against the breeze. "Well, I didn't see them but I smelled them." Hawkstrike meowed softly, "I hope they get here fast, I don't want to miss the gathering." She sat near them, her tail over her black striped paws.
His lips curled upward, his fur being moved by the wind. "Its awfully windy today, I feel like I'm on MoonClan turf." He grumbled, giving his body a shake. He didn't want to admit that since his mother was from Moonclan he didn't really mind the breeze as much as most of the other warriors. His dead sister was even mates with a MoonClan warrior. He settled down on the cool stone, "If they stay out any longer we'll have to sprint the entire way."
"All the way?" Morninggale piped in, her eyes brightening with interest. "Won't we all be tired by the time we get there?" The new warrior's gray eyes were wide with interest.
Turtletail wheezed softly, lying on his side a little bit of distance off. "I'll be lucky to make it there with my heart still beating." He raised himself slowly, his head lowered and he limped up next to Hawkstrike giving her head an affectionate lick before looking at the group of warriors. "Can't we get this show on the road?" He hissed, green eyes flaring.
Daydream stumbled into the conversation, her blue eyes dreamy and unfocused. She slowly licked her chest fur, "Calm down, Turtletail..." She drawled, her voice like butter. "Lets just... wait a few... more moments..." The calm she-cat seemed to not be able to get out anymore the three words before pausing and looking off into the distance.
"Oh! What use are you?" The orange elder snapped, his fur bristling. "You can't go two words without losing your attention. How did you get made a warrior?" Turtletail growled, his voice carrying a no-nonsense tone.
The blue tortoiseshell growled under her breath, suddenly her voice not as laid out and dreamy as before as it was focused by anger. "Turtletail, you do not understand how well some deep thought helps the mind and body." Daydream growled, her voice still airy but much more pointed.
"Hush you two!" Badgerstar snapped at them from above. "I know you two don't think the same but can we not argue. We will wait just a few more minutes then we shall go." His white tipped tail lashed at the childishness. He didn't need their little fights right now.
The argument died down between the warrior and the elder but they stilled glared at one another with a cold hate that only moons of knowing eachother could benefit from. He stared at the entrance with a dull groan.
Creektail slid into the camp, his fur still wet in patches from his little dunk in the river. He stalked in slowly, trying not to be noticed by anyone. His white tail was tucked underneath his legs, he was already grimacing from his friends display that he would be degrading himself to do.
Rockclaw trotted in, his soaked head held high for everyone to see. His black spotted pelt was splashed with water that was made even colder by the howling wind. The branches rattled behind him, and leaves rustling. "Forgive us, for being so late. We got held up." The big warrior gave his wet fur a rough shake before he trotted up to Morninggale and giving his daughter a heavy lick.
"Finally!" The elder snapped, heaving himself up onto his paws. "If we hurry we'll be there by sunrise!" He guffawed at himself, and trotted up toward the camp entrance.
Amberfang came up behind him, a smile on her lips. Her dull amber eyes glimmered with pleasant hurmor. "Oh, they were just hunting for us." She meowed softly, tail twitching, even the most gentle of elders wanted to go.
"Alright!" Badgerstar called to them, "Lets get going before someone else decides to vanish under our noses! We'll have to be brisk!" The ginger tom leaped down from his perch and as he landed he was already running.
Ratwhisker stood and followed after his leader. "Come on, Lunarshine! Don't want to leave you behind!" The slim warrior raced through the entrance shadowed by the other warriors.
The white she-cat poked her head out of the den. She hadn't realized that the gathering part had already set off. She bundled out of the den, her white fur bristling with surprise. Lunarshine bolted after the warriors tagging alone at the end.
Before following the other warriors, Creektail cut Rockclaw off. His green eyes were blistering with fury. "I hope MistClan doesn't bring this up at the gathering! We'll be cleaning elder's dens for moons!" His white tail lashed, "And you didn't even try to dry off!"
Rockclaw spat at the ground crossly, "We would have lost more time that way! Now, we have to get going or we'll be left behind. We'll talk about this at the gathering." The bulky warrior twirled around and he raced after the party, trying to catch up with them.
* * *
Silverclaw bowed her silver head, her tail twitching in a sharp silent motion. Her crystal blue eyes glinted in the light of the full moon, her ears against skull. "I cannot attend the gathering this evening." She meowed softly. "Heronflight is to far along for me to leave her this evening."
Shrewstar looked at the healer and gave her a curt nod. "Understood, Silverclaw." He growled, he turned in one quick movement toward the nearly black warriors, his yellow eyes gleaming in the darkness. "Would you like to stay with your mate tonight, Wolfmist?" The DarkClan leader asked quietly.
The dark warrior dipped his head, yellow eyes glowing in the moonlight. He turned around and trotted up to his mate, her belly round with the unborn kits. Wolfmist licked her over the ear before sitting beside her.
"Jetstorm," He beckoned the young warrior toward him with a jerk of his head. "You come instead of Wolfmist. We are wasting moonlight."
Jetstorm trotted up to his leader, his pale green eyes glinting in the moonlight. He hadn't gone to a gathering for such a long time, it was going to be a fun night for him. He shot a superior glance as Wolfmist, for a moment glad he had no mate or kits.
Shrewstar's tail lashed, and he stood at the entrance of his clan. "Come on, all! Its time for us to get going! Hup hup!" The DarkClan leader raced out of the camp leaving his cats behind him. You weren't a true warrior if you couldn't keep up, and this was his challenge to them all.
The elder stretched out on the ground, his brow creased in an angry scowl. "I don't see why I can't go." He grumbled, and then let out a chest shaking cough that racked his scrawny frame. Cloudsmudge rested his chin on his gray paws.
Silverclaw chuckled at the elder, but her voice was serious. "If you learned to sniff your prey before digging in, you would be able to go. But you ate bad prey so this is you paying." The gray healer's whiskers twitched in amusement.
Outraged snarls came from around the camp, already the rumors had spread of two SerpentClan warriors thieving from their river. Willowstar's tortoiseshell fur bristles and she yowled with anger. "Our pride shall not be hurt!" She called out to her clan mates.
Molefur snarled his teeth bared, "We will not stand for such a disgrace!" The brown warrior stood, his fur making him look much larger then he really was.
The hyped warrior leaped forward, his tail bristling furiously. He yowled with the rest of his clan mates. Hungry for blood like the rest of them. The entire clan was in an uproar over a few fish.
Solarpaw watched with wide amber eyes, everyone seemed so angry. He wondered if a fight was going to result. The apprentice tucked beside his mother, Dewberry. "Whats going to happen??" He asked softly.
The shy she-cat gave her son a gentle lick over the ear. Dewberry's head shook slowly, her pale green eyes have closed. "I don't know, my dear, but if Willowstar has her way it'll be war before we have peace." She hunkered down watching them, she was not even minded going to this gathering. Her mate was to remain here and guard camp, it made her a little more nervous by the moment.
Willowstar hissed through her teeth, her fur bristling. She leaped down from Mighty Stone, her green eyes glinting. "Onward my warriors! This may be a night of peace! But blood shall be heated! Come!" The thick leader reared onto her hind paws for a moment before charging out of the camp.
Seahawk chuckled, his teeth etching lines into the soft turf. "If only I could go. I'd show them what us elders used to do to prey stealers in the old days." The brown and white warrior laughed sardonically and padded into the elder's den.
Redstar crouches low trying to escape the wind. It was getting worse and worse as the evening went on. Even as a MoonClan cat he didn't enjoy his face getting so wind swept. Even the kits thought better then to run out into this dreadful storm.
"This is madness!" Icethorn hissed through his white teeth. If this kept up no one would be going anywhere. Luckily, the deputies thick white pelt helped him stay a little warmer then his thin pelted clan mates. His ice blue eyes squinted, his eyes watering slightly.
He shivered quietly, his teeth chattering. "I faster we get out of here, the sooner we get some forest cover." The leader buries his chin his chest trying to conserve his warmth. His claws etched lines into the hard ground. "Acornfur!" He barked over near the healer's den.
The nervous she-cat skittered out of her den, her small paws barely brushing the ground. Being a small cat, as a gust of wind lashed across the camp she had to stop and brace herself so she didn't get toppled over by nature's force. Acornfur slid forward silently, "What is it Redstar?"
"Is there a reason for all this blasted wind, I mean, the kits can't even come out to play because of this." He growled, a burst of wind flattening the fur on his face. His tail lashed, the wind was grinding on his nerves. Not even stupid rabbits dared to come out.
"No, not that I know of. Its probably just a seasonal occurrence like floods and thunder storms." Another rage of wind clashed against the small cat's side that made her stumble slightly but she righted herself. "We should probably go before it gets any worse."
The calico tom cat stood up, giving his thin pelt a shake before addressing his deputy. "Get together the gathering party and quickly. I don't want to stand out here very long." He took a few leaps forward and waited near the clan entrance.
The big white warrior stood up and yowled to his clan mates. "Come on, you guys! The wind isn't that bad!" Slowly, the disgruntled cats crawled out of cozy, under ground dens hissing as icy wind struck their face. Icethorn looked over at Acornfur, who was trembling in the wind. "You can follow right behind me, I'll break up the wind."
Willowstar crouched in the shadows, her clan shuffling behind her. Their thick growls of outrage were muted by the foliage. She turned her head around, her green eyes like hard chips of emerald. Her shadowed face was the picture of rage, but in a moment she muted it over with one of no expression. "Remember, Mistclan, we are not to show our anger until we make announcements. We are the first ones here, calm yourselves, and act normal. Lets head out!" Her ear flicked and she leaped into the clearing, her tail waving. The big tortoiseshell scanned the deserted clearing before stalking over to the big tree.
The deputy followed his leader carefully padding on the well used clearing. His thick fur barely felt the howling wind on his flank. He padded so close behind Willowstar that his whiskers brushed her tail. "Willowstar, they deserve more then those Serpentclan cats are going to get from you. I suggest we attack them at daybreak." He growled in an undertone.
"Day break? Molefur, your out of touch. We'll be exhausted from tonight. Its clear that we will wait a day and then attack. Shame, I would have thought out would get then for sure." The she-cat leader meowed slyly, in the needs of war fare her gentle side was gone with the wind. Willowstar jumped onto a root. "Now, go watch for Serpentclan."
Molefur nodded solemnly and took a high spot on the roots, scanning the clearing that was filled with MistClan cats. He scented the whirling air and scented DarkClan coming quickly. He wasn't looking for them. His tail twitched as he looked on.
Dewberry padded in slowly, bracing her muscles against sharp gusts of wind. Her gray and white fur parted as wind slapped against it. She say Molefur sitting stiffly on a root. The shy cat let lout a small sigh, he was clearly watching for Serpentclan. Her gray tipped tail rested on Solarpaw's back. "Stick close to me, this could get ugly."
The young apprentice hunkered closer to his mother. His bright amber eyes were glinting as he waited for the other clans to arrive. Despite himself he was excited to meet the other clan cats. In his few moons of training he had only gone to one other gathering and he was excited to chat with his old friends.
Moonfire stifled a bored yawn. Her gray eyes flickered around aimlessly. "This is so boring." The black and white she-cat groaned. Her claws ground into the soil without much care. She glanced around looking for something to maybe gossip about but there was nothing to be interested about. "Wavecrest, when are the other clans coming around?"
The gray tom cat scented the air. His face getting brushed by the wind. "Well, I don't know." Wavecrest scoffed, his tail flicking, "I have a terrible nose. Hey, Dewberry you got a good nose on you how about you check it out?"
Dewberry raised her nose to the wind trying to pick up any scents from the other clans. But all she got was a blast of air in her face. The queen let out a disgruntled sneeze followed by the laughs of her clan mates.
"You're not going to smell anything. The wind is against us tonight." The spotted she-cat sat down near them, her amber eyes searching silently in the trees, as if she was waiting for someone. She looked at her clan mates quickly, "What?" Seedpelt demanded her brow creasing into a frowning scowl.
Wavecrest's ear flicked, "Who're you looking for? Honestly, the other clans haven't even gotten here and your like walking on pine needles." The gray tom scoffed at her, giving his paw and airy wave. He hunkered down and began grooming his blue-gray pelt. The wind was making him all ruffled, and he didn't enjoy the feeling of messed up fur in green-leaf. It was simply unacceptable when you were a grand warrior.
"Yeah, do share." The indifferent she-cat's Grey eyes were suddenly alive with a thirsting interest. She ceased her meticulous grooming just to stare at Seedpelt for a moment, prying for answering that could possibly be the moons juiciest piece of news since Hazelfire was temporary exiled from her own clan.
"Its nothing, really, it would make a terribly poor piece of gossip even if you spruced it up with a thousand different things that you believe makes it more interesting. Like the one about Hazelfire, growing a limb and she had to cut it off before returned to her face." Seedpelt snorted in disbelief, but she put in her itinerary to check Hazelfire for scars if she was at tonights gathering. "Who would believe that? And another thing is- Oh! Look! DarkClan has arrived!" The warrior quickly changed the subject as DarkClan's shadowy leader stalked across the clearing his rough looking clan breaking off.
Shrewstar stalked through the clearing, his mind a storm of dark energy. In that one trip alone, the elements had succeeded in having him spin out in a patch of mud, followed by a gust of wind spraying leaves all over his pelt. Still, leaves clung to him as if he actually cared about what they thought. He glared at a few MistClan cats that laughed at his appearance. "Yeah! Go rot in the Dark Forest!" He snarled at them, before joining Willowstar at the tree. "Hello, Willowstar." He spat.
The MistClan leader took one glance at Shrewstar and let out a laugh muffled by her paw. The leader looked like he had gone through hell just to get to the gathering. His fur was ruffled, mud smeared all over his pelt. And most of all, leaves were stuck to him all over. "Had a little trouble getting here, Shrewstar?" She snickered, her green eyes flickering with amusement. This would be a story to tell the kits back at camp, along with standing up to Serpentclan.
"I hate this wind!" The leader snarled, shaking a leaf off of his ear. At this rate all the animals within a 100 mile radius would know about his predicament and call him a weak goofball that couldn't even save himself from a slick stretch of mud or a pile of leaves. His ears flattened, his fur getting off with embarrassment. He couldn't believe his luck.
Froglegs scowled at Molefur. "Hello, Molefur. How is it MistClan, eating your rotten little fish?" He sneered, his lip curled baring his superior fangs at his enemy. This was the usually at the gatherings, meet up together, insult a few, boast, tell news, go home. It was nearly the same every moon, except when there was a little excitement shoved in with it. Frogleg's claw kneaded the bark crossly.
Molefur curled his tail over his paws, a smug expression on his face. "I am quite satisfied with my fish, but I do hope you enjoy feasting on that rotten crowfood that you feed you kits. I would rather die then live in a dump like that!" He chuckled, at the defeated expression on his fellow deputies face. He liked to win, but depending on the moons a fight could go either way.
Mistclan's healer's white tail twitched in the dirt, looking at Froglegs with an odd expression mixed with innocent curiosity and suspicion. "Where is you Healer?" He inquired in a demanding tone. Most of the time all healers were required to attend unless a cat was injured or ill and not to be left for awhile. Stingtail's amber eyes flickered with interest at a possible weakness in DarkClan's cats.
"Silverclaw has to take care of a queen tonight, she is soon to bear kits you realize." Froglegs smirked, a clan with an expectant queen was always looked over carefully. They were to have new members soon and were to gain strength from that one cat. He ruffled his fur against another gust of wind, "I bet you wish you had her in your clan right now." The deputy gloated. '
Stingtail's mouth curled into an merciless smile, his eyes glinting coldly. "We have no need for DarkClan kits. Our nursery is full of kits, we couldn't handle another queen in there." The black tom laughed heartily before turning around to wait for the other leaders to arrive with a cool expression.
Solarpaw nudged his mother nosily. "Hey, can I go and talk to Honeypaw and Brightpaw. They both got to come tonight and I don't want to be stuck chatting with just warriors." The apprentice groaned, trying to work his way out of the throng of MistClan cats. But his only exit was blocked my his mother. "Come on...!" The golden tom cat complained.
The white, gray speckled she-cat sighed in defeat. All kits were bound to grow up and go off by themselves. She licked his head, "All right, but be careful! Don't talk to a cat that wants to rip your ears off!" She advised him, but he was already off and running toward his friends in playful bounds and leaps. Dewberry smiled, and turned around to speak to Wavecrest and Moonfire but they had already left to chat with Darkclan warriors. Even Seedpelt was off.
"Hey, Solarpaw!" Brightpaw called to him, her voice was as upbeat as always. Carrying a silky smooth tone to it that just screamed that she was gentle, caring and wasn't going to hurt you. But she just let everyone think that so she could slaughter them in battle at her own free will. Her bright blue eyes blinked sweetly, "So, how is training going?"
"Amazing, as usual." He lied through his teeth, for the past quarter moon he had been cleaning out the elder's den and cleaning them for ticks. But he found a whole lot more then just ticks, he found part of a mouse's foot in Cometblaze's fur. It was probably the grossest thing he had seen in a long time. "How about you two?" Solarpaw questioned, trying to keep the disgust out of his voice.
"Its going well." Honeypaw said in a pleasant enough tone, but her face distorted to utmost rage and fury. " But I had to clean the elder's den! That sucked!" She growled, her teeth bared but suddenly she mellowed out and a smile was on her face once more. "I'm glad Shadowcrush keeps his den fairly clean, or we would've been in there forever." Her white tail swished across the grass, but as soon as a wind hit her face she was furious again. "I HATE THIS WIND!" She snarled.
The orange and white tom cat enjoyed the presence of the two she-cats but Honeypaw's moodswings always caught him off guard because they seemed to appear at the most random of moments. He looked at Brightpaw who just shrugged. "Well, come on, lets go into the woods maybe we can escape the wind that you hate so much, Honeypaw!" The three apprentices leaped away from their elders and slid into the cover of the brush.
Fallenhawk stretched out on the ground giving her fur a good licking before raising her head to see the three approaching Mistclan warriors. She smiled at them, her dull green eyes holding a glimmer of interest. "Hello! Moonfire, Wavecrest, and Seedpelt! How is prey running?" The gray tabby asked, righting herself so she sat up straight. The DarkClan queen narrowed her eyes sensing a slight difference in their faces from the last time they met.
The Bengal tom twitched, standing up in one quick motion. Jetstorm went around in a circle then sat down again, his tail lashing wildly. It could have passed for a snake having a seizure if a cat looked at it the right way. He just couldn't sit still for the life of him. His charged green eyes looked at the Mistclan cats.
"Hey, Fallenhawk! Have any gossip to share with me? I'll have it around to all the clans in a heart beat!" The black and white she-cat grinned wolfishly, eager to hear the news of the day. Moonfire crouched low, her tail curling over her paws.
Wavecrest prodded his clanmate in the shoulder with his tail, his gray face playfully severe. "You shouldn't be begging for gossip like that, its so unladylike. Shame on you, Moonfire." The warrior chuckled, a playful smile on his battered face.
The DarkClan queen leaned in slowly, her green eyes glittering with intensity. The other cats stared at her, their eyes widening as the warrior just smiled. "I have some brilliant news for you three. Now, this is all over DarkClan but its time for the news to start spreading. Here it is... Shrewstar likes-" Suddenly, she got cut off by a loud yowl on the horizon.
"MoonClan has arrived!" Redstar yowled loud and clear for everyone in the clearing to hear. His black tipped tail was kinked over his head in a kind of a salute to the other clans. Behind him, his clan followed looking very bedraggled and beaten by the storm they had to go through. Even Icethorn, who was larger then most of them looked tired and wind-swept. But none were more worn then the apprentices and their small healer who seemed to have gained a limp from the trip. "Forgive us for being late! The wind was terrible!" The leader called to them apologetically.
"Its no problem at all!" Willowstar called back, Shrewstar was too caught up in his dark mutterings to care a thing about a few windswept cats. She smiled openly, her slyness dragged back to the darkest corner of her mind. "But we are just waiting for SerpentClan now." She tried to bite back the hiss that came with the word.
Redstar leaped up and climbed up the tree to join the other two leaders. He shook his short calico fur, enjoying the lack of wind in the tree protected area. For once the embrace of the woodlands was much more welcoming then the treeless moor where you were hopelessly battered by the wind.
"This wind is simply horrid!" Icethorn exclaimed, his long fur looking very messy and disheveled. It seemed that he was more of a ball of fluff then a cat at all. His icy blue eyes glimmered as he felt considerably less wind here. "You other clans are lucky to live in forests with this wind storm, kits can't even come out to play without being completely blown away."
The MistClan deputy licked his chest. "Thats unfortunate. I always enjoy watching the kits play outside, it makes me a little happier inside." Molefur meowed affectionately. He was telling the truth seeing their faces bright with joy brought him away from his clan duties. It was better that way. He wondered how a kit-less Clan could put up with the stress.
"Kits." Shrewstar sneered, his nose wrinkling as if he smelled something wholly unpleasant. "Loud, obnoxious things they are. Always attacking tails with no respect for their prey or senior warriors." The gray cat snorted as if anyone who could like something that horrid was completely insane.
"You shouldn't be so harsh with them, they are just learning." Acornfur murmured, her voice was so quite one could hardly hear her with the wind howling all about her. Her creamy amber eyes looked down at her paws. Even if she was a healer she could hardly look such severe cats in the eye would quaking with fear.
The deputy paused in his grooming to stare at the slim she-cat. Her ears were laid back as if she was threatened, and he slightest shake in her shoulders that she tried to hide. Molefur's head tilted to the side. He didn't want this she-cat to be afraid of them, especially of him. He felt a pull towards her, but he tried to shake it off. They were from different clans. But he wanted to stare into her amber eyes, and not have them wasted on the ground.
"Fallenhawk!" The spotted warrior pressed, her eyes amused slits. Moonfire and Wavecrest were frozen in anticipation as the DarkClan warrior was cut off by Redstar's loud entrance. "Come on, tell us what you were saying! These two will just die right here if you don't." Seedpelt chuckled, they were always up for some good gossip.
"Oh right!" The she-cat purred in amusement. "Well, like I said. Shrewstar likes Fawnstep right here." The gray tabby turned to nudge the younger warrior behind her. A sleek looking she-cat with seal points with crystal blue eyes.
Fawnstep smiled bashfully, a small twinkle in her blue eyes. "Oh, its nothing, really." She purred, but it sounded more then nothing in the sound of her voice. The slim she-cat stole a glance at Shrewstar who seemed to sit in a cloud of darkness with his mud smeared fur bristling.
"Shrewstar?" Came a husky voice, of a WindClan warrior padding up towards the group of warriors. Voletooth's green eyes glimmered with good humor but he was serious and well understood to his clan-mates. Following behind him were, Nightsoul, Rockflame, Petalpaw, and Hollowpaw. "I thought he didn't like anyone, I don't think he liked his mother very much either." His tail swished across the grass, he also had an amiable smile on his windswept face.
The DarkClan she-cat looked up at MoonClan warrior, she smiled at him. She liked his humor, and he seemed confident in everything he did. Why couldn't all toms be like him? Fawnstep purred in amusement. "Oh, he's all right once you get to know him. A real sweetheart." The warrior saw a flicker in his eyes, but she let it drop.
Nightsoul padded next to Voletooth, a grimace on her sharp face. Her tail curled over her small paws as her ice blue eyes looked them over. "Quite something, huh?" She murmured, her ears twitching slightly. "I've been around since Shrewstar was a new leader, he has never been very pleasant." The senior warrior stared at Fawnstep. "How did you get through to him?"
Voletooth chuckled at their enthusiasm. He flicked his tail at them, his green eyes glittering with amusement. The warrior gave his sleek body a sharp shake. "Now, everyone. Give the she-cat some air, I guess Mr. Grumpy is very sweet to her." The Bengal smiled sweetly at Fawnstep, and he turned to the sibling apprentices behind him. "You two, go find the other apprentices. Us oldies can't stand the youth!"
Petalpaw's head bobbed up and down, "Ok!" She said in a sprightly voice, before pounced forward and freezing. She lifted her muzzle and scented the air. The thickly furred she-cat plunged into the undergrowth at the scent of other young cats.
The reserved ginger tom didn't move from his spot to run after his sister. His dark amber eyes glanced to where his sister had leaped through the bushes. "I don't really want to do with the other apprentices." He laid down, tucking his paws beneath his paws. "I like to listen to my elder warriors talk." Hollowpaw smiled bashfully, and watched them.
Voletooth laughed a bright smile on his face. He swatted the apprentice's ears playfully and turned around giving the mature apprentice room to see what they were talking about. "If only I was like that as an apprentice! Things would be so much easier!" The warriors laughed around them, Rockflame's gruff laughing piercing through the rest of their lighter ones. Then, they fell into conversation.
Willowstar's nostrils flared at the scent of upcoming cats. Her fur bristled at the nape of her neck. "Serpentclan." She hissed, her green eyes narrowing. Her body tensed as the slap of paws on the forest floor resounded toward her. The she-cats claws slid into the bark, ripping away at the tree's flesh with a cold viciousness. Her pride had been injured at this, and it was time to take revenge to the ignorant warriors that pressed MistClan's border.
"They here?" Molefur growled, looking up at his leader with glowing amber eyes. The moon was glowing fiercely above. The deputy looked up at the clear sky, wind shrieking through the trees with a wild intensity. "It seems like SilverClan has no argument to our decision." His brown fur was beginning to bristle aggressively.
Badgerstar let out an aggravated sigh, his white tipped tail lashing through the chill night air. His clan trumped behind him, their tails lashing crossly. Their averted their eyes from the other clans trying to keep themselves from the piercing stares at them being late. "Hurry up!" He snapped at the cats behind him, obediently they picked up the pace slightly even the elders took to themselves to rush a little bit. The ginger cat leaped up toward the other leader, not even taking notice to Willowstar's hard stares. "Redstar, Willowstar, Shrewstar." He dipped his head to all of them in turn, panting softly.
Shrewstar grunted with caring what his brother's son said or did. He blinked his amber eyes with cold indifference. "Can we just start the gathering?" He growled.
The Calico tom flicked a paw. His green eyes gleaming. "Let the late warriors at least get familiar with the other cats at least. We can chat, for one thing, why are you late?" Redstar said in an interrogating ton, his eyes narrowed at the leader.
The MistClan leader let out a low growl watching Badgerstar for guilt of what he did to her clan. Willowstar's lip curled up into a vicious smile and her fur bristled with indignation. She glared at Badgerstar with a hatred that would almost for sure melt away after the deed with righted.
"Well, a couple of our warriors were out hunting late, but we got it all sorted out." He narrowed his eyes at the other leaders, "It was nothing really, they were doing it for the good of the clan." The dark tabby growled looked at them as if they didn't believe him.
Ratwhisker leaned toward his leader, his amber eyes looking over the clearing. "Badgerstar... Can I go speak to someone from another clan?" He asked his leader, not looking at him. It looked like he was preoccupied with looking for someone else in the masses of cats. He also seemed very edgy to get going.
"Of course. But just hurry before the meeting starts." Badgerstar grunted, his green eyes glinting coldly, searching every where else at once.
Seedpelt peered through the SerpentClan cats that mulled around, looking around awkwardly since they were the last ones to appear at the gathering. She tried to pick out Ratwhisker's face in the crowd, she hadn't seen him for such a long time. The golden warrior stood quickly, as she saw his lean spotted face. A wide grin took territory to her face, but she had to hold down her emotions has she leaped toward him.
"Seedpelt!" He whispered as they came together, he looked over his shoulder, making sure no one noticed their exchange. "Its been so long!" He longed to press against her soft fur and just breath in her sweet scent. "But I've been so busy, but now that my apprentice is a warrior, we'll have more time for us." He purred softly, keeping his voice hushed.
The she-cat breathed in, "But, my dear, MistClan is going to accuse SerpentClan of prey theft. I don't know when the next time we'll meet is." Seedpelt quickly embraced Ratwhisker, and drew back her nose pressed against his. "I fear war is going to be bad, Willowstar's has been hurt."
"This is going to be very rough for us, but-" Ratwhisker was interrupted by a high pitched cry of a younger warrior. He crossly looked over his shoulder at Morninggale who was rushing toward him.
"Ratwhisker!" She panted, her tongue sticking out of her mouth. Her spotted pelt was ruffled in different directions as she looked at her mentor. "When is the meeting going to start?" She demanded, her brow creasing. But when she was met by only an annoyed stare by both of the warriors she decided to stay out of it.
"Rockclaw." Creektail hissed as they found a secluded spot to speak of what happened at the river. His white tail was bristling with fear and anger, he could see in Willowstar's posture by how angry she was. "Don't you know the pride of MistClan? They'll have all of SerpentClan gutted before they get over this!" The tabby and white tom was looking around as if any of the enemy warriors were going to leap out at them.
Rockclaw seemed the picture of peace as he responded. "Be calm, Creektail. Everything will be just fine." He lied through his teeth, he was older then Creektail and had experienced MistClan anger head on. He just hoped that a few fish wouldn't mean the death of any warriors. The spotted tom stood rigid, just waiting for the meeting to start.
The timid warrior's eyes widened as he looked at the leaders. "But, Rockclaw!" Creektail exclaimed, his green eyes bright with fear.
"But nothing!" Rockclaw spat, his Grey fur bristling with anxiety. The SerpentClan warrior stared up silently at the leaders, his blue eyes caring the slightest amount of fear.
"Let the meeting begin!" Shrewstar yowled from the tree, his mud streaked fur bristling slightly. His yellow eyes gleamed in the moonlight, putting out a eerie glow. "Since I brought the meeting together, I shall make my first announcements. One of our queens will have her kits any day now, and prey is running like water!" The DarkClan leader yowled to all the clans, other of his clan murmured together. As Shrewstar motioned for Redstar to make his announcements.
"Everything is going correctly in MoonClan!" Redstar announced, his calico tail lashing though he had nothing to be angry about. "A new litter of kits was born, and our apprentice's training is going splendidly. And those rabbits are running and above around. The only problem is this wind storm that we hope passes quickly!" The tom cat yowled to everyone as a wave of icy wind ruffled the cat's fur. Many of the smaller cats crouched lower trying to escape the force of the wind. Redstar beckoned for Badgerstar to continue.
Badgerstar stood with his chest puffed out, trying to make up for his smaller size. His dark green eyes gleamed in the moonlight, and he stared at the clan cats with a harsh intensity that his father had possessed before him. "During this moon, we made a new warrior!" He flicked his tail toward Morninggale, her chest puffed out in pride. And a few warriors around her, congratulated the new warrior. "And prey is running smoothly! All we can do is hope this storm stops!"
The tom looked over at Willowstar, "You haven't said much..." He murmured not letting the rest of the clans hearing what he said.
Willowstar grimaced, her lips pursed as she carefully looked at Badgerstar. She tried to take control of her anger and hurt pride. "Well... The fish have been swimming for us, and all of our clan is doing well... except for one thing..." She paused, letting the clans whisper in confusion. Many of her own warriors looked up at her in anticipation. It was many moments before she even moved, and in one quick movement she lashed out at Badgerstar. "Your clan has been stealing prey!" Willowstar snarled, her teeth bared.
The SerpentClan leader was aghast, her mouth dropped open in shock. "My clan did no such thing!" Badgerstar countered, his face livid with fury. SerpentClan roared in agreement, except for two warriors in the back with guilt ridden faces. "How dare you accuse us of something like this!"
"Mistclan does not lie!" Willowstar raged, her tail slicing through the night air with a unfathomable fury that could only be defined by the look on her face. "If you want to tempt fate with us! Bring it up in battle!" The she-cat roared, her tail bristling to twice its size. Her green eyes were the size of the moon in the sky. "Silverclan has not covered the moon, we are doing right here by protecting our pride!" The tortoiseshell's muscles flexed as she prepared to dive into battle right at this moment.
"We will not stand for this! SerpentClan! Lets get out of this nut house!" The ginger leader launched himself from his leafy perch into the midst of the cats, from the crowd, the SerpentClan cats pealed away and they massed into a mob. They hissed and spat at the other warriors as if this humiliation was their fault.
Ratwhisker hesitated near Seedpelt, stroking his long tail on her shoulder. She let an anguished sigh, "Goodbye, Seedpelt!" He meowed softly, and ran to catch up with his clan that was already half way across the clearing.
"Bye..." Seedpelt whispered, her amber eyes wide and longing, wishing that she could just stay with him forever.
"Come on!" Willowstar snarled to her clan. Her tail lashed and she whirled around leaping from the high tree. Her dark fur was even shadowed in the moonlight as she stalked through the cats. Shoving them out of her way. MistClan cats packed around her, they were equally angry and aggressive as their leader despite a few of the warriors that didn't support the violent activity.
Redstar nudged Shrewstar, who recoiled from his touch. "I though you were the mean one Shrewstar, but after that freakshow, your just a timid daisy." The leader laughed and leaped down from the tree. "Come along MoonClan! We should hurry so we don't get caught in this crazy storm."The MoonClan warriors separated from the DarkClan cats. They were already discussing the gatherings events in hushed tones as they disappeared into the woods.
"I guess that leaves us. Come on! Lets get going before some other crazy thing starts happening." Shrewstar jumped from the tree, shaking his muddy fur gruffly. He looked over his shoulder seeing his entire clan behind him. For a moment he waited, shrugging off the events of the day before charging into the darkest part of the woodlands where they quickly vanished.
The sleek warrior stretched beneath the great rock, stifling a yawn as he looked up at his uncle with yellow eyes. "Don't worry, my brother and his friend won't be long, I told them to hurry myself." Ratwhisker gave his paw a lick, and drew it over his ear. "Hey, Hawkstrike, you were out lately did you see them?"
The young she-cat padded toward the two older warriors, her dark fur ruffled up against the strong wind the rolled off the distant hills. Her green eyes squinted against the breeze. "Well, I didn't see them but I smelled them." Hawkstrike meowed softly, "I hope they get here fast, I don't want to miss the gathering." She sat near them, her tail over her black striped paws.
His lips curled upward, his fur being moved by the wind. "Its awfully windy today, I feel like I'm on MoonClan turf." He grumbled, giving his body a shake. He didn't want to admit that since his mother was from Moonclan he didn't really mind the breeze as much as most of the other warriors. His dead sister was even mates with a MoonClan warrior. He settled down on the cool stone, "If they stay out any longer we'll have to sprint the entire way."
"All the way?" Morninggale piped in, her eyes brightening with interest. "Won't we all be tired by the time we get there?" The new warrior's gray eyes were wide with interest.
Turtletail wheezed softly, lying on his side a little bit of distance off. "I'll be lucky to make it there with my heart still beating." He raised himself slowly, his head lowered and he limped up next to Hawkstrike giving her head an affectionate lick before looking at the group of warriors. "Can't we get this show on the road?" He hissed, green eyes flaring.
Daydream stumbled into the conversation, her blue eyes dreamy and unfocused. She slowly licked her chest fur, "Calm down, Turtletail..." She drawled, her voice like butter. "Lets just... wait a few... more moments..." The calm she-cat seemed to not be able to get out anymore the three words before pausing and looking off into the distance.
"Oh! What use are you?" The orange elder snapped, his fur bristling. "You can't go two words without losing your attention. How did you get made a warrior?" Turtletail growled, his voice carrying a no-nonsense tone.
The blue tortoiseshell growled under her breath, suddenly her voice not as laid out and dreamy as before as it was focused by anger. "Turtletail, you do not understand how well some deep thought helps the mind and body." Daydream growled, her voice still airy but much more pointed.
"Hush you two!" Badgerstar snapped at them from above. "I know you two don't think the same but can we not argue. We will wait just a few more minutes then we shall go." His white tipped tail lashed at the childishness. He didn't need their little fights right now.
The argument died down between the warrior and the elder but they stilled glared at one another with a cold hate that only moons of knowing eachother could benefit from. He stared at the entrance with a dull groan.
Creektail slid into the camp, his fur still wet in patches from his little dunk in the river. He stalked in slowly, trying not to be noticed by anyone. His white tail was tucked underneath his legs, he was already grimacing from his friends display that he would be degrading himself to do.
Rockclaw trotted in, his soaked head held high for everyone to see. His black spotted pelt was splashed with water that was made even colder by the howling wind. The branches rattled behind him, and leaves rustling. "Forgive us, for being so late. We got held up." The big warrior gave his wet fur a rough shake before he trotted up to Morninggale and giving his daughter a heavy lick.
"Finally!" The elder snapped, heaving himself up onto his paws. "If we hurry we'll be there by sunrise!" He guffawed at himself, and trotted up toward the camp entrance.
Amberfang came up behind him, a smile on her lips. Her dull amber eyes glimmered with pleasant hurmor. "Oh, they were just hunting for us." She meowed softly, tail twitching, even the most gentle of elders wanted to go.
"Alright!" Badgerstar called to them, "Lets get going before someone else decides to vanish under our noses! We'll have to be brisk!" The ginger tom leaped down from his perch and as he landed he was already running.
Ratwhisker stood and followed after his leader. "Come on, Lunarshine! Don't want to leave you behind!" The slim warrior raced through the entrance shadowed by the other warriors.
The white she-cat poked her head out of the den. She hadn't realized that the gathering part had already set off. She bundled out of the den, her white fur bristling with surprise. Lunarshine bolted after the warriors tagging alone at the end.
Before following the other warriors, Creektail cut Rockclaw off. His green eyes were blistering with fury. "I hope MistClan doesn't bring this up at the gathering! We'll be cleaning elder's dens for moons!" His white tail lashed, "And you didn't even try to dry off!"
Rockclaw spat at the ground crossly, "We would have lost more time that way! Now, we have to get going or we'll be left behind. We'll talk about this at the gathering." The bulky warrior twirled around and he raced after the party, trying to catch up with them.
* * *
Silverclaw bowed her silver head, her tail twitching in a sharp silent motion. Her crystal blue eyes glinted in the light of the full moon, her ears against skull. "I cannot attend the gathering this evening." She meowed softly. "Heronflight is to far along for me to leave her this evening."
Shrewstar looked at the healer and gave her a curt nod. "Understood, Silverclaw." He growled, he turned in one quick movement toward the nearly black warriors, his yellow eyes gleaming in the darkness. "Would you like to stay with your mate tonight, Wolfmist?" The DarkClan leader asked quietly.
The dark warrior dipped his head, yellow eyes glowing in the moonlight. He turned around and trotted up to his mate, her belly round with the unborn kits. Wolfmist licked her over the ear before sitting beside her.
"Jetstorm," He beckoned the young warrior toward him with a jerk of his head. "You come instead of Wolfmist. We are wasting moonlight."
Jetstorm trotted up to his leader, his pale green eyes glinting in the moonlight. He hadn't gone to a gathering for such a long time, it was going to be a fun night for him. He shot a superior glance as Wolfmist, for a moment glad he had no mate or kits.
Shrewstar's tail lashed, and he stood at the entrance of his clan. "Come on, all! Its time for us to get going! Hup hup!" The DarkClan leader raced out of the camp leaving his cats behind him. You weren't a true warrior if you couldn't keep up, and this was his challenge to them all.
The elder stretched out on the ground, his brow creased in an angry scowl. "I don't see why I can't go." He grumbled, and then let out a chest shaking cough that racked his scrawny frame. Cloudsmudge rested his chin on his gray paws.
Silverclaw chuckled at the elder, but her voice was serious. "If you learned to sniff your prey before digging in, you would be able to go. But you ate bad prey so this is you paying." The gray healer's whiskers twitched in amusement.
* * *
Outraged snarls came from around the camp, already the rumors had spread of two SerpentClan warriors thieving from their river. Willowstar's tortoiseshell fur bristles and she yowled with anger. "Our pride shall not be hurt!" She called out to her clan mates.
Molefur snarled his teeth bared, "We will not stand for such a disgrace!" The brown warrior stood, his fur making him look much larger then he really was.
The hyped warrior leaped forward, his tail bristling furiously. He yowled with the rest of his clan mates. Hungry for blood like the rest of them. The entire clan was in an uproar over a few fish.
Solarpaw watched with wide amber eyes, everyone seemed so angry. He wondered if a fight was going to result. The apprentice tucked beside his mother, Dewberry. "Whats going to happen??" He asked softly.
The shy she-cat gave her son a gentle lick over the ear. Dewberry's head shook slowly, her pale green eyes have closed. "I don't know, my dear, but if Willowstar has her way it'll be war before we have peace." She hunkered down watching them, she was not even minded going to this gathering. Her mate was to remain here and guard camp, it made her a little more nervous by the moment.
Willowstar hissed through her teeth, her fur bristling. She leaped down from Mighty Stone, her green eyes glinting. "Onward my warriors! This may be a night of peace! But blood shall be heated! Come!" The thick leader reared onto her hind paws for a moment before charging out of the camp.
Seahawk chuckled, his teeth etching lines into the soft turf. "If only I could go. I'd show them what us elders used to do to prey stealers in the old days." The brown and white warrior laughed sardonically and padded into the elder's den.
* * *
Redstar crouches low trying to escape the wind. It was getting worse and worse as the evening went on. Even as a MoonClan cat he didn't enjoy his face getting so wind swept. Even the kits thought better then to run out into this dreadful storm.
"This is madness!" Icethorn hissed through his white teeth. If this kept up no one would be going anywhere. Luckily, the deputies thick white pelt helped him stay a little warmer then his thin pelted clan mates. His ice blue eyes squinted, his eyes watering slightly.
He shivered quietly, his teeth chattering. "I faster we get out of here, the sooner we get some forest cover." The leader buries his chin his chest trying to conserve his warmth. His claws etched lines into the hard ground. "Acornfur!" He barked over near the healer's den.
The nervous she-cat skittered out of her den, her small paws barely brushing the ground. Being a small cat, as a gust of wind lashed across the camp she had to stop and brace herself so she didn't get toppled over by nature's force. Acornfur slid forward silently, "What is it Redstar?"
"Is there a reason for all this blasted wind, I mean, the kits can't even come out to play because of this." He growled, a burst of wind flattening the fur on his face. His tail lashed, the wind was grinding on his nerves. Not even stupid rabbits dared to come out.
"No, not that I know of. Its probably just a seasonal occurrence like floods and thunder storms." Another rage of wind clashed against the small cat's side that made her stumble slightly but she righted herself. "We should probably go before it gets any worse."
The calico tom cat stood up, giving his thin pelt a shake before addressing his deputy. "Get together the gathering party and quickly. I don't want to stand out here very long." He took a few leaps forward and waited near the clan entrance.
The big white warrior stood up and yowled to his clan mates. "Come on, you guys! The wind isn't that bad!" Slowly, the disgruntled cats crawled out of cozy, under ground dens hissing as icy wind struck their face. Icethorn looked over at Acornfur, who was trembling in the wind. "You can follow right behind me, I'll break up the wind."
* * *
~ The Gathering ~
Willowstar crouched in the shadows, her clan shuffling behind her. Their thick growls of outrage were muted by the foliage. She turned her head around, her green eyes like hard chips of emerald. Her shadowed face was the picture of rage, but in a moment she muted it over with one of no expression. "Remember, Mistclan, we are not to show our anger until we make announcements. We are the first ones here, calm yourselves, and act normal. Lets head out!" Her ear flicked and she leaped into the clearing, her tail waving. The big tortoiseshell scanned the deserted clearing before stalking over to the big tree.
The deputy followed his leader carefully padding on the well used clearing. His thick fur barely felt the howling wind on his flank. He padded so close behind Willowstar that his whiskers brushed her tail. "Willowstar, they deserve more then those Serpentclan cats are going to get from you. I suggest we attack them at daybreak." He growled in an undertone.
"Day break? Molefur, your out of touch. We'll be exhausted from tonight. Its clear that we will wait a day and then attack. Shame, I would have thought out would get then for sure." The she-cat leader meowed slyly, in the needs of war fare her gentle side was gone with the wind. Willowstar jumped onto a root. "Now, go watch for Serpentclan."
Molefur nodded solemnly and took a high spot on the roots, scanning the clearing that was filled with MistClan cats. He scented the whirling air and scented DarkClan coming quickly. He wasn't looking for them. His tail twitched as he looked on.
Dewberry padded in slowly, bracing her muscles against sharp gusts of wind. Her gray and white fur parted as wind slapped against it. She say Molefur sitting stiffly on a root. The shy cat let lout a small sigh, he was clearly watching for Serpentclan. Her gray tipped tail rested on Solarpaw's back. "Stick close to me, this could get ugly."
The young apprentice hunkered closer to his mother. His bright amber eyes were glinting as he waited for the other clans to arrive. Despite himself he was excited to meet the other clan cats. In his few moons of training he had only gone to one other gathering and he was excited to chat with his old friends.
Moonfire stifled a bored yawn. Her gray eyes flickered around aimlessly. "This is so boring." The black and white she-cat groaned. Her claws ground into the soil without much care. She glanced around looking for something to maybe gossip about but there was nothing to be interested about. "Wavecrest, when are the other clans coming around?"
The gray tom cat scented the air. His face getting brushed by the wind. "Well, I don't know." Wavecrest scoffed, his tail flicking, "I have a terrible nose. Hey, Dewberry you got a good nose on you how about you check it out?"
Dewberry raised her nose to the wind trying to pick up any scents from the other clans. But all she got was a blast of air in her face. The queen let out a disgruntled sneeze followed by the laughs of her clan mates.
"You're not going to smell anything. The wind is against us tonight." The spotted she-cat sat down near them, her amber eyes searching silently in the trees, as if she was waiting for someone. She looked at her clan mates quickly, "What?" Seedpelt demanded her brow creasing into a frowning scowl.
Wavecrest's ear flicked, "Who're you looking for? Honestly, the other clans haven't even gotten here and your like walking on pine needles." The gray tom scoffed at her, giving his paw and airy wave. He hunkered down and began grooming his blue-gray pelt. The wind was making him all ruffled, and he didn't enjoy the feeling of messed up fur in green-leaf. It was simply unacceptable when you were a grand warrior.
"Yeah, do share." The indifferent she-cat's Grey eyes were suddenly alive with a thirsting interest. She ceased her meticulous grooming just to stare at Seedpelt for a moment, prying for answering that could possibly be the moons juiciest piece of news since Hazelfire was temporary exiled from her own clan.
"Its nothing, really, it would make a terribly poor piece of gossip even if you spruced it up with a thousand different things that you believe makes it more interesting. Like the one about Hazelfire, growing a limb and she had to cut it off before returned to her face." Seedpelt snorted in disbelief, but she put in her itinerary to check Hazelfire for scars if she was at tonights gathering. "Who would believe that? And another thing is- Oh! Look! DarkClan has arrived!" The warrior quickly changed the subject as DarkClan's shadowy leader stalked across the clearing his rough looking clan breaking off.
Shrewstar stalked through the clearing, his mind a storm of dark energy. In that one trip alone, the elements had succeeded in having him spin out in a patch of mud, followed by a gust of wind spraying leaves all over his pelt. Still, leaves clung to him as if he actually cared about what they thought. He glared at a few MistClan cats that laughed at his appearance. "Yeah! Go rot in the Dark Forest!" He snarled at them, before joining Willowstar at the tree. "Hello, Willowstar." He spat.
The MistClan leader took one glance at Shrewstar and let out a laugh muffled by her paw. The leader looked like he had gone through hell just to get to the gathering. His fur was ruffled, mud smeared all over his pelt. And most of all, leaves were stuck to him all over. "Had a little trouble getting here, Shrewstar?" She snickered, her green eyes flickering with amusement. This would be a story to tell the kits back at camp, along with standing up to Serpentclan.
"I hate this wind!" The leader snarled, shaking a leaf off of his ear. At this rate all the animals within a 100 mile radius would know about his predicament and call him a weak goofball that couldn't even save himself from a slick stretch of mud or a pile of leaves. His ears flattened, his fur getting off with embarrassment. He couldn't believe his luck.
Froglegs scowled at Molefur. "Hello, Molefur. How is it MistClan, eating your rotten little fish?" He sneered, his lip curled baring his superior fangs at his enemy. This was the usually at the gatherings, meet up together, insult a few, boast, tell news, go home. It was nearly the same every moon, except when there was a little excitement shoved in with it. Frogleg's claw kneaded the bark crossly.
Molefur curled his tail over his paws, a smug expression on his face. "I am quite satisfied with my fish, but I do hope you enjoy feasting on that rotten crowfood that you feed you kits. I would rather die then live in a dump like that!" He chuckled, at the defeated expression on his fellow deputies face. He liked to win, but depending on the moons a fight could go either way.
Mistclan's healer's white tail twitched in the dirt, looking at Froglegs with an odd expression mixed with innocent curiosity and suspicion. "Where is you Healer?" He inquired in a demanding tone. Most of the time all healers were required to attend unless a cat was injured or ill and not to be left for awhile. Stingtail's amber eyes flickered with interest at a possible weakness in DarkClan's cats.
"Silverclaw has to take care of a queen tonight, she is soon to bear kits you realize." Froglegs smirked, a clan with an expectant queen was always looked over carefully. They were to have new members soon and were to gain strength from that one cat. He ruffled his fur against another gust of wind, "I bet you wish you had her in your clan right now." The deputy gloated. '
Stingtail's mouth curled into an merciless smile, his eyes glinting coldly. "We have no need for DarkClan kits. Our nursery is full of kits, we couldn't handle another queen in there." The black tom laughed heartily before turning around to wait for the other leaders to arrive with a cool expression.
Solarpaw nudged his mother nosily. "Hey, can I go and talk to Honeypaw and Brightpaw. They both got to come tonight and I don't want to be stuck chatting with just warriors." The apprentice groaned, trying to work his way out of the throng of MistClan cats. But his only exit was blocked my his mother. "Come on...!" The golden tom cat complained.
The white, gray speckled she-cat sighed in defeat. All kits were bound to grow up and go off by themselves. She licked his head, "All right, but be careful! Don't talk to a cat that wants to rip your ears off!" She advised him, but he was already off and running toward his friends in playful bounds and leaps. Dewberry smiled, and turned around to speak to Wavecrest and Moonfire but they had already left to chat with Darkclan warriors. Even Seedpelt was off.
"Hey, Solarpaw!" Brightpaw called to him, her voice was as upbeat as always. Carrying a silky smooth tone to it that just screamed that she was gentle, caring and wasn't going to hurt you. But she just let everyone think that so she could slaughter them in battle at her own free will. Her bright blue eyes blinked sweetly, "So, how is training going?"
"Amazing, as usual." He lied through his teeth, for the past quarter moon he had been cleaning out the elder's den and cleaning them for ticks. But he found a whole lot more then just ticks, he found part of a mouse's foot in Cometblaze's fur. It was probably the grossest thing he had seen in a long time. "How about you two?" Solarpaw questioned, trying to keep the disgust out of his voice.
"Its going well." Honeypaw said in a pleasant enough tone, but her face distorted to utmost rage and fury. " But I had to clean the elder's den! That sucked!" She growled, her teeth bared but suddenly she mellowed out and a smile was on her face once more. "I'm glad Shadowcrush keeps his den fairly clean, or we would've been in there forever." Her white tail swished across the grass, but as soon as a wind hit her face she was furious again. "I HATE THIS WIND!" She snarled.
The orange and white tom cat enjoyed the presence of the two she-cats but Honeypaw's moodswings always caught him off guard because they seemed to appear at the most random of moments. He looked at Brightpaw who just shrugged. "Well, come on, lets go into the woods maybe we can escape the wind that you hate so much, Honeypaw!" The three apprentices leaped away from their elders and slid into the cover of the brush.
Fallenhawk stretched out on the ground giving her fur a good licking before raising her head to see the three approaching Mistclan warriors. She smiled at them, her dull green eyes holding a glimmer of interest. "Hello! Moonfire, Wavecrest, and Seedpelt! How is prey running?" The gray tabby asked, righting herself so she sat up straight. The DarkClan queen narrowed her eyes sensing a slight difference in their faces from the last time they met.
The Bengal tom twitched, standing up in one quick motion. Jetstorm went around in a circle then sat down again, his tail lashing wildly. It could have passed for a snake having a seizure if a cat looked at it the right way. He just couldn't sit still for the life of him. His charged green eyes looked at the Mistclan cats.
"Hey, Fallenhawk! Have any gossip to share with me? I'll have it around to all the clans in a heart beat!" The black and white she-cat grinned wolfishly, eager to hear the news of the day. Moonfire crouched low, her tail curling over her paws.
Wavecrest prodded his clanmate in the shoulder with his tail, his gray face playfully severe. "You shouldn't be begging for gossip like that, its so unladylike. Shame on you, Moonfire." The warrior chuckled, a playful smile on his battered face.
The DarkClan queen leaned in slowly, her green eyes glittering with intensity. The other cats stared at her, their eyes widening as the warrior just smiled. "I have some brilliant news for you three. Now, this is all over DarkClan but its time for the news to start spreading. Here it is... Shrewstar likes-" Suddenly, she got cut off by a loud yowl on the horizon.
"MoonClan has arrived!" Redstar yowled loud and clear for everyone in the clearing to hear. His black tipped tail was kinked over his head in a kind of a salute to the other clans. Behind him, his clan followed looking very bedraggled and beaten by the storm they had to go through. Even Icethorn, who was larger then most of them looked tired and wind-swept. But none were more worn then the apprentices and their small healer who seemed to have gained a limp from the trip. "Forgive us for being late! The wind was terrible!" The leader called to them apologetically.
"Its no problem at all!" Willowstar called back, Shrewstar was too caught up in his dark mutterings to care a thing about a few windswept cats. She smiled openly, her slyness dragged back to the darkest corner of her mind. "But we are just waiting for SerpentClan now." She tried to bite back the hiss that came with the word.
Redstar leaped up and climbed up the tree to join the other two leaders. He shook his short calico fur, enjoying the lack of wind in the tree protected area. For once the embrace of the woodlands was much more welcoming then the treeless moor where you were hopelessly battered by the wind.
"This wind is simply horrid!" Icethorn exclaimed, his long fur looking very messy and disheveled. It seemed that he was more of a ball of fluff then a cat at all. His icy blue eyes glimmered as he felt considerably less wind here. "You other clans are lucky to live in forests with this wind storm, kits can't even come out to play without being completely blown away."
The MistClan deputy licked his chest. "Thats unfortunate. I always enjoy watching the kits play outside, it makes me a little happier inside." Molefur meowed affectionately. He was telling the truth seeing their faces bright with joy brought him away from his clan duties. It was better that way. He wondered how a kit-less Clan could put up with the stress.
"Kits." Shrewstar sneered, his nose wrinkling as if he smelled something wholly unpleasant. "Loud, obnoxious things they are. Always attacking tails with no respect for their prey or senior warriors." The gray cat snorted as if anyone who could like something that horrid was completely insane.
"You shouldn't be so harsh with them, they are just learning." Acornfur murmured, her voice was so quite one could hardly hear her with the wind howling all about her. Her creamy amber eyes looked down at her paws. Even if she was a healer she could hardly look such severe cats in the eye would quaking with fear.
The deputy paused in his grooming to stare at the slim she-cat. Her ears were laid back as if she was threatened, and he slightest shake in her shoulders that she tried to hide. Molefur's head tilted to the side. He didn't want this she-cat to be afraid of them, especially of him. He felt a pull towards her, but he tried to shake it off. They were from different clans. But he wanted to stare into her amber eyes, and not have them wasted on the ground.
"Fallenhawk!" The spotted warrior pressed, her eyes amused slits. Moonfire and Wavecrest were frozen in anticipation as the DarkClan warrior was cut off by Redstar's loud entrance. "Come on, tell us what you were saying! These two will just die right here if you don't." Seedpelt chuckled, they were always up for some good gossip.
"Oh right!" The she-cat purred in amusement. "Well, like I said. Shrewstar likes Fawnstep right here." The gray tabby turned to nudge the younger warrior behind her. A sleek looking she-cat with seal points with crystal blue eyes.
Fawnstep smiled bashfully, a small twinkle in her blue eyes. "Oh, its nothing, really." She purred, but it sounded more then nothing in the sound of her voice. The slim she-cat stole a glance at Shrewstar who seemed to sit in a cloud of darkness with his mud smeared fur bristling.
"Shrewstar?" Came a husky voice, of a WindClan warrior padding up towards the group of warriors. Voletooth's green eyes glimmered with good humor but he was serious and well understood to his clan-mates. Following behind him were, Nightsoul, Rockflame, Petalpaw, and Hollowpaw. "I thought he didn't like anyone, I don't think he liked his mother very much either." His tail swished across the grass, he also had an amiable smile on his windswept face.
The DarkClan she-cat looked up at MoonClan warrior, she smiled at him. She liked his humor, and he seemed confident in everything he did. Why couldn't all toms be like him? Fawnstep purred in amusement. "Oh, he's all right once you get to know him. A real sweetheart." The warrior saw a flicker in his eyes, but she let it drop.
Nightsoul padded next to Voletooth, a grimace on her sharp face. Her tail curled over her small paws as her ice blue eyes looked them over. "Quite something, huh?" She murmured, her ears twitching slightly. "I've been around since Shrewstar was a new leader, he has never been very pleasant." The senior warrior stared at Fawnstep. "How did you get through to him?"
Voletooth chuckled at their enthusiasm. He flicked his tail at them, his green eyes glittering with amusement. The warrior gave his sleek body a sharp shake. "Now, everyone. Give the she-cat some air, I guess Mr. Grumpy is very sweet to her." The Bengal smiled sweetly at Fawnstep, and he turned to the sibling apprentices behind him. "You two, go find the other apprentices. Us oldies can't stand the youth!"
Petalpaw's head bobbed up and down, "Ok!" She said in a sprightly voice, before pounced forward and freezing. She lifted her muzzle and scented the air. The thickly furred she-cat plunged into the undergrowth at the scent of other young cats.
The reserved ginger tom didn't move from his spot to run after his sister. His dark amber eyes glanced to where his sister had leaped through the bushes. "I don't really want to do with the other apprentices." He laid down, tucking his paws beneath his paws. "I like to listen to my elder warriors talk." Hollowpaw smiled bashfully, and watched them.
Voletooth laughed a bright smile on his face. He swatted the apprentice's ears playfully and turned around giving the mature apprentice room to see what they were talking about. "If only I was like that as an apprentice! Things would be so much easier!" The warriors laughed around them, Rockflame's gruff laughing piercing through the rest of their lighter ones. Then, they fell into conversation.
Willowstar's nostrils flared at the scent of upcoming cats. Her fur bristled at the nape of her neck. "Serpentclan." She hissed, her green eyes narrowing. Her body tensed as the slap of paws on the forest floor resounded toward her. The she-cats claws slid into the bark, ripping away at the tree's flesh with a cold viciousness. Her pride had been injured at this, and it was time to take revenge to the ignorant warriors that pressed MistClan's border.
"They here?" Molefur growled, looking up at his leader with glowing amber eyes. The moon was glowing fiercely above. The deputy looked up at the clear sky, wind shrieking through the trees with a wild intensity. "It seems like SilverClan has no argument to our decision." His brown fur was beginning to bristle aggressively.
Badgerstar let out an aggravated sigh, his white tipped tail lashing through the chill night air. His clan trumped behind him, their tails lashing crossly. Their averted their eyes from the other clans trying to keep themselves from the piercing stares at them being late. "Hurry up!" He snapped at the cats behind him, obediently they picked up the pace slightly even the elders took to themselves to rush a little bit. The ginger cat leaped up toward the other leader, not even taking notice to Willowstar's hard stares. "Redstar, Willowstar, Shrewstar." He dipped his head to all of them in turn, panting softly.
Shrewstar grunted with caring what his brother's son said or did. He blinked his amber eyes with cold indifference. "Can we just start the gathering?" He growled.
The Calico tom flicked a paw. His green eyes gleaming. "Let the late warriors at least get familiar with the other cats at least. We can chat, for one thing, why are you late?" Redstar said in an interrogating ton, his eyes narrowed at the leader.
The MistClan leader let out a low growl watching Badgerstar for guilt of what he did to her clan. Willowstar's lip curled up into a vicious smile and her fur bristled with indignation. She glared at Badgerstar with a hatred that would almost for sure melt away after the deed with righted.
"Well, a couple of our warriors were out hunting late, but we got it all sorted out." He narrowed his eyes at the other leaders, "It was nothing really, they were doing it for the good of the clan." The dark tabby growled looked at them as if they didn't believe him.
Ratwhisker leaned toward his leader, his amber eyes looking over the clearing. "Badgerstar... Can I go speak to someone from another clan?" He asked his leader, not looking at him. It looked like he was preoccupied with looking for someone else in the masses of cats. He also seemed very edgy to get going.
"Of course. But just hurry before the meeting starts." Badgerstar grunted, his green eyes glinting coldly, searching every where else at once.
Seedpelt peered through the SerpentClan cats that mulled around, looking around awkwardly since they were the last ones to appear at the gathering. She tried to pick out Ratwhisker's face in the crowd, she hadn't seen him for such a long time. The golden warrior stood quickly, as she saw his lean spotted face. A wide grin took territory to her face, but she had to hold down her emotions has she leaped toward him.
"Seedpelt!" He whispered as they came together, he looked over his shoulder, making sure no one noticed their exchange. "Its been so long!" He longed to press against her soft fur and just breath in her sweet scent. "But I've been so busy, but now that my apprentice is a warrior, we'll have more time for us." He purred softly, keeping his voice hushed.
The she-cat breathed in, "But, my dear, MistClan is going to accuse SerpentClan of prey theft. I don't know when the next time we'll meet is." Seedpelt quickly embraced Ratwhisker, and drew back her nose pressed against his. "I fear war is going to be bad, Willowstar's has been hurt."
"This is going to be very rough for us, but-" Ratwhisker was interrupted by a high pitched cry of a younger warrior. He crossly looked over his shoulder at Morninggale who was rushing toward him.
"Ratwhisker!" She panted, her tongue sticking out of her mouth. Her spotted pelt was ruffled in different directions as she looked at her mentor. "When is the meeting going to start?" She demanded, her brow creasing. But when she was met by only an annoyed stare by both of the warriors she decided to stay out of it.
"Rockclaw." Creektail hissed as they found a secluded spot to speak of what happened at the river. His white tail was bristling with fear and anger, he could see in Willowstar's posture by how angry she was. "Don't you know the pride of MistClan? They'll have all of SerpentClan gutted before they get over this!" The tabby and white tom was looking around as if any of the enemy warriors were going to leap out at them.
Rockclaw seemed the picture of peace as he responded. "Be calm, Creektail. Everything will be just fine." He lied through his teeth, he was older then Creektail and had experienced MistClan anger head on. He just hoped that a few fish wouldn't mean the death of any warriors. The spotted tom stood rigid, just waiting for the meeting to start.
The timid warrior's eyes widened as he looked at the leaders. "But, Rockclaw!" Creektail exclaimed, his green eyes bright with fear.
"But nothing!" Rockclaw spat, his Grey fur bristling with anxiety. The SerpentClan warrior stared up silently at the leaders, his blue eyes caring the slightest amount of fear.
"Let the meeting begin!" Shrewstar yowled from the tree, his mud streaked fur bristling slightly. His yellow eyes gleamed in the moonlight, putting out a eerie glow. "Since I brought the meeting together, I shall make my first announcements. One of our queens will have her kits any day now, and prey is running like water!" The DarkClan leader yowled to all the clans, other of his clan murmured together. As Shrewstar motioned for Redstar to make his announcements.
"Everything is going correctly in MoonClan!" Redstar announced, his calico tail lashing though he had nothing to be angry about. "A new litter of kits was born, and our apprentice's training is going splendidly. And those rabbits are running and above around. The only problem is this wind storm that we hope passes quickly!" The tom cat yowled to everyone as a wave of icy wind ruffled the cat's fur. Many of the smaller cats crouched lower trying to escape the force of the wind. Redstar beckoned for Badgerstar to continue.
Badgerstar stood with his chest puffed out, trying to make up for his smaller size. His dark green eyes gleamed in the moonlight, and he stared at the clan cats with a harsh intensity that his father had possessed before him. "During this moon, we made a new warrior!" He flicked his tail toward Morninggale, her chest puffed out in pride. And a few warriors around her, congratulated the new warrior. "And prey is running smoothly! All we can do is hope this storm stops!"
The tom looked over at Willowstar, "You haven't said much..." He murmured not letting the rest of the clans hearing what he said.
Willowstar grimaced, her lips pursed as she carefully looked at Badgerstar. She tried to take control of her anger and hurt pride. "Well... The fish have been swimming for us, and all of our clan is doing well... except for one thing..." She paused, letting the clans whisper in confusion. Many of her own warriors looked up at her in anticipation. It was many moments before she even moved, and in one quick movement she lashed out at Badgerstar. "Your clan has been stealing prey!" Willowstar snarled, her teeth bared.
The SerpentClan leader was aghast, her mouth dropped open in shock. "My clan did no such thing!" Badgerstar countered, his face livid with fury. SerpentClan roared in agreement, except for two warriors in the back with guilt ridden faces. "How dare you accuse us of something like this!"
"Mistclan does not lie!" Willowstar raged, her tail slicing through the night air with a unfathomable fury that could only be defined by the look on her face. "If you want to tempt fate with us! Bring it up in battle!" The she-cat roared, her tail bristling to twice its size. Her green eyes were the size of the moon in the sky. "Silverclan has not covered the moon, we are doing right here by protecting our pride!" The tortoiseshell's muscles flexed as she prepared to dive into battle right at this moment.
"We will not stand for this! SerpentClan! Lets get out of this nut house!" The ginger leader launched himself from his leafy perch into the midst of the cats, from the crowd, the SerpentClan cats pealed away and they massed into a mob. They hissed and spat at the other warriors as if this humiliation was their fault.
Ratwhisker hesitated near Seedpelt, stroking his long tail on her shoulder. She let an anguished sigh, "Goodbye, Seedpelt!" He meowed softly, and ran to catch up with his clan that was already half way across the clearing.
"Bye..." Seedpelt whispered, her amber eyes wide and longing, wishing that she could just stay with him forever.
"Come on!" Willowstar snarled to her clan. Her tail lashed and she whirled around leaping from the high tree. Her dark fur was even shadowed in the moonlight as she stalked through the cats. Shoving them out of her way. MistClan cats packed around her, they were equally angry and aggressive as their leader despite a few of the warriors that didn't support the violent activity.
Redstar nudged Shrewstar, who recoiled from his touch. "I though you were the mean one Shrewstar, but after that freakshow, your just a timid daisy." The leader laughed and leaped down from the tree. "Come along MoonClan! We should hurry so we don't get caught in this crazy storm."The MoonClan warriors separated from the DarkClan cats. They were already discussing the gatherings events in hushed tones as they disappeared into the woods.
"I guess that leaves us. Come on! Lets get going before some other crazy thing starts happening." Shrewstar jumped from the tree, shaking his muddy fur gruffly. He looked over his shoulder seeing his entire clan behind him. For a moment he waited, shrugging off the events of the day before charging into the darkest part of the woodlands where they quickly vanished.
