After the War

by YoungWriterMe

Moons of fighting have left the clans broken. Twolegs have taken parts of their territory and ranks have grown small as cats were lost to starvation and wounds. But now, there is peace. The clans have made a truce to stop all fighting, but will the peace last? Will the clans be able to recover? Looking for OCs, suggestions. Rated T for violence.

1. Introduction

Note: Hello everyone! As I mention in the summary, this story follows Forestclan, Caveclan, Pondclan, and Heatherclan as they attempt to recover after spending moons at war with each other.

I would LOVE your OCs! I will take OCs for the first two chapters. Make sure to include the name, she-cat/tom, fur color, eye color, kit/apprentice/warrior/etc., and any distinguishing features/personality traits or relationships. Keep in mind that the clans are small to start, since many cats died in the fighting, so even if your OC is not used right away, I will use it when new kits are born or cats join the clans! Also, all suggestions are appreciated! As for which territory is where, imagine a map where Forestclan is in the bottom right, Caveclan in the bottom left, Pondclan in the top left, and Heatherclan in the top right. Here are the clans:

Forestclan

This clan's territory is covered by dense forest. The cats stalk prey in the undergrowth and catch birds in the trees. Common fur colors for the clan are brown tabby and ginger.

Leader:

Deputy:

Medicine Cat:

Medicine Cat Apprentice:

Senior warriors (2):

Warriors (5):

Apprentices (3):

Queens (1):

Kits (4):

Elders (1):

Caveclan

Unsurprisingly, this clan lives in a cave in the side of a mountain. Their territory is half pine forest and half mountain, with rocky terrain and occasional cliffs. The cats find prey in many places from mice and squirrels in the forest to birds on the mountain to small fish in the underground river that can be accessed from inside of the cave. Common fur colors are black and gray.

Leader:

Deputy:

Medicine Cat:

Medicine Cat Apprentice:

Senior warriors (1):

Warriors (7):

Apprentices (2):

Queens (2):

Kits (5):

Elders (0):

Pondclan

The territory for this clan has a large pond (with a river feeding it on one side and a river leading off on the other) that covers nearly a quarter of the total territory. These cats are excellent swimmers and fishers. Common fur colors are gray and white.

Leader:

Deputy:

Medicine Cat:

Medicine Cat Apprentice:

Senior warriors (0):

Warriors (5):

Apprentices (4):

Queens (2):

Kits (3):

Elders (2):

Heatherclan

The open territory that is home to this clan is mostly meadow with a bit of forest. These cats have long legs for running after rabbits. Common fur colors are tan and white.

Leader:

Deputy:

Medicine Cat:

Medicine Cat Apprentice:

Senior warriors (1):

Warriors (8):

Apprentices (3):

Queens (0):

Kits (2):

Elders (3):

Prologue

Four Forestclan kits huddled close together as the clan's only elder laid down, the warm sun a blessing to stiff limbs and aching muscles. Everything seems to be more difficult everyday, the elder thought, looking at the kits. The elder's body was worn and broken after many moons to fighting, attacking and defending, protecting Forestclan for the future generation. I can only pray to Starclan that these kits will never see what I have seen, go through what I have gone through..

An impatient kit snapped the elder from their thought. "Are you ever gonna start the story?" the kitten whined.

Another kitten tackled the first over. "Stop being rude!"

The elder chuckled, shaking their head. "Alright, alright. I promised a story and I will make good on that promise." The kittens perked up and fell silent, focused entirely on the cat before them. "Now, when I was your age-"

"You were never our age!" the impatient kitten blurted out. The other kits turned to glare at them and the kitten shrunk to the ground, ears laid back. "Sorry.."

"If I can begin.." the elder purred, amused. Receiving no response, the elder continued. "When I was your age, leafbare was hard, harder than any cat had seen in years…"

"They're invading! Heatherclan is coming!" a brown tabby she-cat shrieked as she raced into the camp. The Forestclan cats had hardly registered her words when Heatherclan warriors burst through the camp's entrance.

"Leafstar, the kits!" a gray she-cat wailed as two Heatherclan cats charged toward the nursery.

The leader ran after the invaders, his heart pounding hard in his chest. "Forestclan, attack!" His yowl could barely be heard over the sounds of cats fighting, spitting and hissing.

A large Forestclan tom let out a grief stricken cry as a small she-cat fell hard to the ground before him. "You killed my apprentice!" he roared, lunging at the Heatherclan cat.

A Heatherclan cat darted into the Forestclan medicine den, freezing when he came face to face with Forestclan's medicine cat and his apprentice.

"You can leave now," the medicine cat said slowly. "I don't want to hurt you."

The medicine cat's apprentice seemed to disagree. With a yowl she threw herself at the larger Heatherclan cat.

"Stop, Dovepaw! You can't beat him!" the medicine cat demanded.

"We have to protect the herbs!" Dovepaw shouted back, dodging the Heatherclan cat's claws. It was only a heartbeat before her mentor joined her in the fight.

"Food was scarce as more and more twolegs moved closer to the territories. Even Pondclan was affected, with twolegs taking fish from the lake. Mouths were going unfed, cats were growing thin. Tensions were high. It was at a gathering that everything started." The elder paused, looking from kit to kit. "Some cats thought all of the clans should work together, share food."

"That makes sense!" one kit piped up.

A second kit shook its head quickly. "No way! That's against the warrior code! You have to protect your own clan!"

The elder nodded. "That's how some other cats felt. Then, Pondclan's leader, her name was Minnowstar, she decided that Caveclan and Heatherclan should share their territory so that Pondclan had more room to hunt for land prey. As you can imagine, that didn't go over well."

"Heatherclan, retreat!" the Heatherclan deputy screeched as a Forestclan apprentice bit down hard on her leg. "Retreat!" Shaking the smaller cat away, she turned and ran.

"Don't let them escape!" Leafstar ordered, swiping long claws at a Heatherclan warrior. The command was met with mixed reactions, some of horror, some of understanding, some of bloodthirsty glee. But the Forestclan cats followed their leader's words, chasing down the swiftly escaping Heatherclan cats.

"Harepaw, run! Go! Leave me!" a Heatherclan she-cat snapped at a small tom.

"I won't leave you! I can't!" Harepaw wailed.

The she-cat kicked hard at the stomach of the Forestclan warrior who was pinning her down. "You're my apprentice! Listen to me! Go!"

As the cats approached the border, Forestclan's deputy yelled "Don't follow them over the border!" He prayed to Starclan his clanmates would listen. A senior warrior running nearby had a cold look that screamed revenge. It was understandable as her mate laid dead back at the camp. "Stop at the border!" the deputy repeated.

A small Forestclan she-cat tripped in the chase, falling hard and skidding from her momentum.

"Lilystep!" came a tom's panicked call as he raced to the she-cat's side. The she-cat lay very still, too still. It took a moment for the tom to notice all of the blood. "Oh Starclan, no! Please! Lilystep, please, you can't go! We just became warriors! Don't leave me!"

A larger Forestclan tom stopped beside him. "Thornwhisker. She's gone." His voice was hoarse, his pain seeping into his words. Thornwhisker ignored him, burying his face in Lilystep's fur.

The larger tom touched his nose to Thornwhisker's shoulder. "Let me help you get your sister back home…"

"The fighting lasted for many moons. So many…" The elder was no longer looking at the kits, now staring blankly into the distance, locked in memories. "So many died, from the fighting, from hunger. It was only when the clans realized they faced extinction that the fighting stopped."

"Wha's a truce?" a kit asked, tilting its head to one side. The others look equally confused.

The elder's gaze returned to the young cats. "Basically, all the cats that were left decided they didn't want to fight anymore and promised to stay on their own territory."

The kits thought this over.

"I have a question," mewed one kit who had not yet spoken. "If so many cats died, how are there any left?"

The elder smiled warmly. "In the times before the clans went to war, before territory was lost to twolegs, the clans were much bigger than they are now. When I was born, the clan had almost twenty warriors."

The kits were clearly astounded.

"But that's a story for another day," the elder decided before the kits asked any more questions. "Now run along."