The months grew crisp with the first tendrils of autumn, most noticeable on this night above others. The sky was clear and alive with hundreds of millions of glimmering stars as Bramblestar led ThunderClan to the gathering. Three winters, nearly four, had passed since Firestar joined StarClan in the fateful battle that had stolen away the last of his nine lives. Many warriors still missed their leader, especially his mate, Sandstorm and his kits, Leafpool and Squirrelflight. Still, Bramblestar had to push the memory of his mentor to the back of his mind; Leaf-bare was just around the corner and the Clan needed him.
His mate Squirrelflight brushed her tail along his spine and nuzzled his shoulder warmly. She had done the very same thing every gathering since Firestar died. Though acting as his deputy formed tensions within the Clan, there was no one he trusted more than the she-cat who risked becoming a warrior in order to go on a far-fetched journey to save their Clans. The strangest things form the tightest bonds; Jayfeather had told him that while explaining that, though oak leaves are fragile to a cat, they hold herbs delicately enough to keep them preserved for moons and boasted that an oak leaf-wrap never broke during a battle. He could have sworn he had only asked for moss.
The warriors crossed the tree-bridge with confidence, even the blind medicine cat, Jayfeather, causing his newly named apprentice Larkpaw to murmur his shock and subsequent admiration. Bramblestar leapt up the Great Oak and settled down next to Rowanstar on a thick bough, forgetting for a moment in his reminiscing that he was a leader and no longer a deputy. How he longed for such carefree times. Mistystar, her voice raspy with old age but equally as determined to stand tall, was the first to speak.
"RiverClan has flourished this leaf-fall, and we have two new warriors; Jaggedtail and Furledclaw!"
The clans erupted into a chorus of exited yowling, chanting the names of the two new warriors. Bramblestar looked at the base of the tree to see two toms; a dark grey tabby and a sleek, solid black warrior gazing proudly up at their leader. Furledclaw flicked his obsidian ears back in embarrassment- Bramblestar smiled slightly at the memory of his own warriors ceremony back in the old territories- and Jaggedstripe averted his eyes and bent down to groom one of the sleek, black rivers that lined his body, his eyes clouded with the weight of his new responsibilities. However, as Bramblestar peered down at Jaggedtail, he was replaced by another cat; a cat he had to dig through his memory to see; a cat who had died before he could understand the weight of his crimes; a cat he hoped he would never have to see again.
Darkstripe!
Bramblestar shook his head, and the cat was Jaggedtail once more, risking a glance up at his leader once the cheering had ceased. He quickly dismissed the image as a trick of the light and prepared to report ThunderClan's news. It was the usual, a thriving Clan, a new apprentice, the scent of fox along the ShadowClan border. However, just as he opened his mouth to address the Clans, he heard a furious yowling.
"Great StarClan, no!"
All of the Clans turned around to see Jayfeather wailing at the sky, his blind eyes fixed on the moon as the other medicine cats tried desperately to calm him. Then there was a bright flash as one of the stars leapt from SilverPelt and hurtled down towards the earth.
"A StarClan warrior has fallen!" Willowshine's shrill cry joined Jayfeather's.
The cats screamed and ran about; queens huddled close to their mates and wailed; apprentices hid behind their mentors. Rowanstar fell out of the Great Oak as a group of ShadowClan warriors rushed to calm him while attempting to hold on to their own nerve. The clearing quickly erupted into chaos.
A RiverClan elder stumbled towards Willowshine, beckoning the younger cat to jump into the water and swim away. Shrieks could be heard from the mainland as a frantic WindClan apprentice charged through the bracken, his fur laced with scratches, to ask his leader what had happened. His breathing was laced with fear and a deep scratch on his eye marred his vision with its crimson waves.
A flash lit the sky again as the StarClan warrior landed beyond the horizon. Jayfeather was silent.
"End the gathering." He mumbled before losing consciousness.
Mistystar and Ashstar leapt down from the tree to herd together their startled clanmates. Rowanstar struggled to his paws while Littlecloud supported him feebly. Lionblaze and Larkpaw picked up Jayfeather and carried him towards the tree bridge.
His eyes opened one more time before closing suddenly again. They darted about, as if searching for some unseen foe. Confused tears poured from the corner as though an infection had settled in. His chest fluttered as he fought to breathe. Mothwing screamed for herbs while Squirrelflight roared for the Clans to stop crowding him.
Weakly he sputtered, and despite having fallen unconscious long before, he opened his mouth in a low, menacing snarl.
"StarClan will walk among the Clans once more".