It was a quite peaceful evening, the sky had a pretty orange glow as the sun set, the crickets were chirping which signaled that dusk was near. The wind was blowing steadily with a cool touch to it signifying that leafbare was near. A bright full moon hung in the sky turning the lake a beautiful silver.
The RiverClan camp was buzzing with activity as they prepared to leave for the gathering. Apprentices were buzzing around the camp saying their last goodbye's to everyone that was staying behind. Young kits sulked beside sleek pelted queens, as they watched their clanmates preparing to leave, looking forward to the day when they would get to attend a gathering.
Ivyspirit sat near the Warriors den, her black shiny tail wrapped neatly around her paws. Her ears were pricked forward as she listened to the quiet conversation among the other Warriors. "Ripplestar says there might be a battle." A brown tabby whispered. "With whom?" A young apprentice asked. Her ears flattened with worry. "All the Clans!" The brown tabby answered. "Tensions are running high."
The young apprentice's gaze filled with worry. "Will we have to fight?" She asked, her voice started to waver a little bit. "Don't be ridiculous, Troutspirit, there isn't going to be a battle." Ivyspirit meowed sternly trying to reassure the young apprentice. She gave the older warrior a stern look. "Don't scare my apprentice anyway. I don't want her in the den tonight waking us up because she had a nightmare over your ridiculous notions."
Ivyspirit felt a pang pierce her heart. She shared Troutspirit's worries. But a scared apprentice would only spread fear among the Clan. "Willowpaw, come join me." Ivyspirit added as she beckoned the apprentice over with her tail. "We will be leaving soon, and tonight since it's your first gathering I would like you to remain with me."
Willowpaw nodded, but didn't speak. The fear hadn't left her gaze yet. Ivyspirit did not think that Willowpaw would have any problem with sticking close to her. The young apprentice would probably stick to her mentor like a burr on her pelt.
"RiverClan let's go!" Brightstar yowled, as she gathered her Clan together. The RiverClan leader looked grim and angry. ShadowClan scents had once again been scented in their territory. The RiverClan cats were about to snap. Ravenstar had been warned time, and time again. But he had denied it every time.
Ivyspirit gathered Willowpaw close to her, and the two cats set out towards the entrance. "Ivyspirit?" Willowpaw's trembling mew broke into her silent thoughts. "I would like to remain here, if that's okay." Ivyspirit turned and met Willowpaw's wide gaze. "Willowpaw, I assure you that you have nothing to fear. If something were to ever happen, I promise to keep you safe. I wouldn't let anything happen to you. And that's a promise!"
The strong words seemed to reassure Willowpaw. She purred and rubbed against Willowpaw. "You're the best mentor a cat could ask for." She murmured happily. "I will come if you promise." Ivyspirit purred. "I promise you Willowpaw nothing will ever happen to you, while I have breath in my body. I would come down from StarClan to protect you, if that is what it takes."
"Ivyspirit, Willowpaw!" A lithe gray tom was staring at them. "We're leaving, let's go!" Greyspirit, the RiverClan deputy meowed. Ivyspirit exchanged one last reassuring look with Willowpaw, and the two cats set off towards the island that would hold the gathering.
Willowpaw started to cling to Ivyspirit once more, when they started to near the island where the gathering was to be held. Ivyspirit wrapped her tail around Willowpaw's shoulders pulling the apprentice close.
The island was buzzing tonight. Cats of all Clans were gathered their. Ivyspirit felt a claw rip her heart when she realized that the Clans were not all in their usual friendly groups. Tonight all the Clans sat separate with their own Clans. Hissing angrily if a cat from a separate Clan strayed to close.
Ivyspirit directed Willowpaw to the middle of the RiverClan patrol. If something were to happen she would be the safest there. Greyspirit hissed angrily and bared his teeth at two ShadowClan toms. "Prey stealers." He snarled loudly at him. The two ShadowClan cats jumped to their paws. "What did you say to us?" They hissed furiously. "Stop it now!" Hawkheart, WindClan's medicine cat stepped in front of the three cats. It is StarClan's command that you do not fight here. This is a gathering, not a border skirmish.
Greyspirit snorted. "Don't let me catch your stinky pelts on RiverClan territory, or i'll rip your fur off!" The ShadowClan cats hissed back at Greyspirit. "Not if we do it first!" They snarled. "I said to stop!" Hawkheart commanded. "Or do you think you have the power to contradict a medicine cat?" Hawkheart hissed quietly.
The three cats sprang away from each other and rejoined their ranks. Hawkheart's plea had finally gotten to them. Ivyspirit sighed in relief. "Tomcats." She whispered to Willowpaw. "They think they are always so strong and mighty!" Willowpaw purred in amusement. The two cats finally found a place to sit. Ivyspirit sat down and wrapped her tail neatly around her paws, as she waited for the gathering to begin.
"Let the gathering begin!" Tinystar, WindClan's leader yowled. The cats turned and looked at the four Clan leaders who were sitting together. "I will speak first!" Brightstar snarled savagely as she shoved the other leaders aside. Ravenstar hissed angrily as he was pushed aside. "ShadowClan has been stealing our prey!" Brightstar screeched.
"What!" Ravenstar turned angrily towards Brightstar. "What did you say?" He hissed. Ravenstar's voice was quiet with rage. "I said ShadowClan has been stealing our prey!" Brightstar hissed even louder.
Angry snarls met Brightstar's proclamation below from the ShadowClan's side. "We have done no such thing!" One ShadowClan she cat hissed. Her eyes were narrowed in fury.
Ravenstar turned and glared at Brightstar. "You are a liar!" He hissed. "A dirty fox faced liar! ShadowClan will never forgive you!"
"What did you call me?" Brightstar hissed quietly, her ears were flat against her head. Brightstar's eyes were shining with hate. Ivyspirit could see that Brightstar's claws were sliding in and out. There was going to be a battle, there was no way it would be avoided this time."
"I called you a liar." Ravenstar snarled back. "Go ahead attack me! You dirty kittypet!" Brightstar let out a wild screech of pure rage, and hate. She had reached the end of her patience. Brightstar flung herself at Ravenstar knocking him off the tree stump. "ShadowClan! Attack!" She yowled loudly.
Ivyspirit flattened her ears. All around her the other clan leaders were rallying their clans together as they took sides. "Stay close to me!" Ivyspirit hissed at Willowpaw. As a mangy ShadowClan cat tackled her to the ground.
Ivyspirit hissed and unsheathed her claws. "Get off of me, you mangy brute." As she lashed out with her hind legs. The two cats started to roll around the clearing as the battled raged around them.
Ivyspirit grabbed the tom's ear and bit it, the tom screeched in agony as she bit harder and harder. This wasn't some border skirmish. The Clan's were at war! And the fighting was fierce. Ivyspirit sprang to her paws and threw the tom off of her. The tom yelped and scrambled away as he hit the ground. Ivyspirit whirled around only to be tackled by two ThunderClan she cats.
Ivyspirit had gotten a quick glimpse of the entire clearing before she had been overtaken. It appeared that WindClan had taken RiverClan's side in the battle, as Tinystar was helping Greyspirit battle a couple ThunderClan, and ShadowClan warriors.
Ivyspirit hissed in pain, as a bracken colored she cat bit her shoulder. Blood started to well around the wound. "Oh you will pay for that weakThunderClan scum!" Ivyspirit hissed. Ivyspirit freed herself and neatly slid between the two she cats. She shot a blow at the bracken colored she cat's front legs, knocking her over. Ivyspirit bit the she cat hard on her shoulder returning blow for blow. The she cat hissed and leaped at Ivyspirit knocking her off her paws, and onto her back.
"Who are you calling weak scum now?" The ThunderClan cat snarled. Ivyspirit stared into the cat's eyes, this wasn't going to end well. Ivyspirit closed her eyes as she waited for the inevitable. The weight suddenly vanished. Ivyspirit opened her eyes, Willowpaw was bravely fighting the ThunderClan warrior. Her ears were flat with rage. "I won't let you hurt my mentor! She's my friend! I don't care who you are Ivyspirit will not die today."
The bracken colored she cat's jaws parted into an evil grin. "Brave words for a young apprentice. To bad you won't be carrying them out!" The she cat leaped at Willowpaw. Ivyspirit eyes widened in horror. "The ThunderClan cat wasn't going to let her apprentice off with just a warning bite. She was going to seriously injure her. "Willowpaw run!" Ivyspirit wailed. "But she yowl was lost among the screeches of fighting cats.
Ivyspirit raced forward to help her brave apprentice. But she was tackled by another cat. "No!" She wailed loudly as she was knocked off her paws, away from Willowpaw. The cat that attacked her was a lot bigger than Ivyspirit's other opponents and he was pushing her away from Willowpaw. "Get away from me!" I have to go help my apprentice!" Ivyspirit wailed as she struggled to get away from the large cat. The tomcat simply raised his paw, and whacked Ivyspirit throwing her backwards, causing her to strike her head on a tree stump.
A ringing noise pieced Ivyspirit's hearing. Ivyspirit struggled to get to her paws, but darkness swallowed her whole. Ivyspirit opened her eyes, she was no longer in a clearing full of screeching and snarling cats. Instead she was in a star lit clearing. "Ivyspirit, wake up. Please wake up!"
Ivyspirit glanced around. "Where where am I?" She stammered. "You're in StarClan." A quiet mew answered. Ivypirit's vision cleared, starlit pelts shimmered around her. Ivyspirit's glanced at her paws, they weren't covered in stars. Maybe just maybe she hadn't been killed. But the cat that was speaking to her, it sounded so so familiar. Then a pang of horror pierced Ivyspirit's heart. It was Willowpaw! "Willowpaw?" She meowed her voice was trembling. "Is that you?"
"I'm afraid so, Ivyspirit." Willowpaw murmered. Sadness edged her mew. Ivyspirit jumped to her paws. "No! Why StarClan why!" Ivyspirit wailed. "She wasn't supposed to die!"
"Ivyspirit stop you must listen to me!" Willowpaw hissed urgently. "You must stop this battle. The fate of the Clans rests in your paws!"
"But what about you?" Ivyspirit meowed, her voice rose to a wail. "Maybe it's not too late. I could get you some help!" Willowpaw shook her head, the stars shimmered around her silver pelt. "I'm afraid it too late Ivyspirit, I'm so sorry. But it's not too late to save the Clans. Stop your grieving, you can do that later. Now snap out of it and go save the rest of the clans."
Willowpaw started to fade. "No Willowpaw come back!" Ivyspirit screeched. Ivyspirit awoke with a gasp, the fighting was still going on around her. Ivyspirit jumped to her paws, and raced over to the large tree stump where the leaders usually spoke. Ivyspirit leaped up and faced the fighting cats. "Stop!" She yowled. "Just stop!" Ivyspirit's voice echoed across the clearing. The fighting cats paused and stared at her.
"This is silly! Cats are dead because of this unnecessary battle. This battle was never needed!" Ivyspirit added loudly. "I command you to end the nonsense now!" Hawkheart, Icespirit, Rushingspirit, and Freckledash joined Ivyspirit. "Yes StarClan is angry. This battle must end now!" The four medicine cats growled.
The Clan leaders narrowed their eyes at each other and broke apart from each other. "Let's go ShadowClan." Ravenstar hissed, as he gathered his Clan together. "Ivyspirit?" A quiet mew broke into Ivyspirit's thoughts. Dappleleaf, RiverClan's medicine cat apprentice was staring at her looking sad. Her paws were covered in blood. "It's Willowpaw. I tried to save her, but it was to late. I'm so sorry!"
Ivyspirit glanced around the clearing. A small silvery grey body lay under the moonlight. Ivyspirit let out a terrible wail and raced over to unmoving body. "Willowpaw, Willowpaw! Wake up!" Ivyspirit wailed hysterically. I promised you, that you would be okay!"
"This battle should never have happened!" Ivyspirit yowled. Her anger, grief, and rage all pouring out of her at once. "Ivyspirit are you alright?" Greyspirit asked. His gaze was filled with concern.
"Do I look okay? Do I look okay? Willowpaw is dead! This battle should never have happened! I will avenge you Willowpaw. ShadowClan will pay!" Ivyspirit raced off into the trees her black pelt disappeared into the shadows.