Hope Fails
A small silver tabby she-cat with a white chest and white paws padded through the trees, her emerald eyes flashing. The forest still smelled of blood from the war. Her snow white paws turned red as she entered the former ShadowClanClan camp, which had small pools of blood scattered through-out it.
What will become of us now? she thought. It is obvious that the clans will end, but what shall we do? Will we try to start over again, or will we scatter and kill each other off, becoming nothing more than rogues?
"Larkwing?" came a voice behind her. She turned, teeth bared, claws unsheathed. "Are you all right?"
She let her fur lie flat again. "Its you, Thornclaw. You can't be to careful these days. I thought you were one of Brezepelt's rogues." The former WindClan she-cat sighed. "WindClan territory belongs entirely to them now. Do you think our ancestors are still watching out for us?"
"I'm sure they are. But the clans are gone now." mewed the former ThunderClan tom.
A golden tom raced into the clearing. "They've taken the ThunderClan side of the stream. We are all doomed!" the resistance cats gathered around. Breezepelt's cats had set up their base in WindClan,, while they had camped in the ShadowClan camp after the final battle.
"Tell us everything, Lionblaze." mewed Dovewing.
"They killed three of us as we defended the stream. We were forced to flee. Firestar is now on his last life." he mewed as the former ThunderClan leader limped into the clearing.
Larkwing's eyes widened in horror. All four clan leaders were slowly loosing their lives. Onestar had three left, Blackstar four, and Mistystar somehow had escaped with eight. And now Firestar was on his last. If Breezepelt had all of WindClan territory, as well as the stream and the ThunderClan bank, there was no way that their cats could become full leaders and recieve nine lives. And they needed that more than anything else now. A connection to StarClan.
"They now call themselves BreezeClan. No doubt after Breezepelt, who apparently is now Breezestar." mewed Lionblaze, scorn obvious in his voice.
"Then its useless. We may as well die!" yowled a cat in the background.
"Otterwhisker is right! We have lost!" another cat yowled.
"No! You're wrong! We have not lost yet, we cannot give up hope! Our ancestors would never abandon us!" mewed a she-cat that Larkwing recognized as Heathertail.
"You're the one who's wrong. We have failed. There is no hope left for us. Those who are unwilling to succumb to the coming massacre follow me. They'd never follow us away from here. We should go deeper into the forest, away from the known territories. We'll be safer there." mewed Otterwhisker.
Seven cats followed. Twenty-five were now left standing in the clearing. Firestar, Blackstar, Mistystar, Onestar, Lionblaze, Jayfeather, Dovewing, Sandstorm, Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw, Cloudtail, Brightheart, Thornclaw, Reedwhisker, Rowanclaw, Tawnypelt, Crowfeather, Heathertail, Gorsefoot, Petalfur, Ivytail, Icepaw, Lakepaw, Darkpaw, and Larkwing. They were all that was left.
Breezepelt had more cats than they did, no, he was Breezestar. Why would StarClan give him nine lives? No, it was most likely the Dark Forest that had given him nine lives.
We are all doomed, it will take a miracle for us to survive. What will we ever do now? The clans have ended, that much is certain. We will never be clan cats agian.
"It is over then. The clans are over." mewed Blackstar. "We may as well face it. We can't fight Breezepelt, or Breezestar as he is now called aparently."
"It can't be over, not yet." snarled Firestar. "We have the three, the cats with the pawer of the stars."
"Firestar, you must listen to reson. Breezestar out-numbers us, espescially now that eight of us have left." mewed Onestar. "We have lost our connection to StarClan, we have no allies other than each other, and there could be traitors amongst us. We may as well face it: the clans have ended, we have failed."
"Well, two of us leaders have spoken. Mistystar, what do you think?" asked Firestar.
Mistystar's vote would either tie, or decide the end of the clans. She looked nervous at the amount of pressure placed upon her. In the end, she held her head high, and cast her vote.
"Those who are willing to start over as a new clan, can come with me and Firestar. Assuming he is still determined to continue the clans?" she mewed.
Firestar nodded. The two cats set off with Sandstorm, Cloudtail, Brightheart, Jayfeather, Dovewing, Lionblaze, Reedwhisker, Rowanclaw, Tawnypelt, Heathertail, Squirrelflight, Bramblecaw, and Lakepaw.
Ten cats remained in the clearing.
"Then it is over for us. We may as well stay here for the rest of the night. Tomorrow we shall disperse and become rogues." mewed Blackstar, his voice heavy with defeat.
Larkwing and Thornclaw sat together as everyone else began to disperse to sleep. Rogues. I will now be a rogue, we all will. How can this be the will of our ancestors? Have they really abandoned us? Those words echoed in her mind as she sat there.
"Maybe the clans will be reborn someday," mewed Thornclaw.
"Perhaps. I have faith that they will be. The sun will shine again on the clans," mewed Larkwing. "I know it will."