A full moon shone down the island on the night of the gathering. Lionstar, the leader of RiverClan, scented the air. "Looks like we're the last to arrive." He announced to his Clan. With a flick of his golden tail, he gave the signal to join the gathering. With Lionstar in the lead, RiverClan crossed over the log and onto the island.
As they entered the clearing on the island, the WindClan cats there stared at them with hostility. Some even growled or hissed as they passed. Why are they acting like this? This is supposed to be a peaceful time! He wondered.
Lionstar climbed up the Great Oak, choosing to sit on a branch that stuck out from the tree.
Fogstar, the silver furred leader of ShadowClan, let out a yowl to signal that the gathering was starting. At once, the cats below them became silent and their gaze shifted to the leaders.
"So," she meowed, turning to the other leaders. "Who will report first?"
Without hesitation, Leafstar, the leader of WindClan, stood up. "Three of our kits were found dead out of camp." She announced. Murmurs of sympathy rose from the cats below Great Oak, and Lionstar dipped his head.
"I'm so sorry to hear that, kits are the next generation of warriors." He replied.
Leafstar lashed her tail furiously. "Interesting you should say that Lionstar, because we picked up a scent on the kit's fur. RiverClan scent. One of your warriors killed those kits!" she accused.
Shouts and gasps of horror came from the assembled cats. Lionstar's eyes widened. What? How is this possible?
Boulderstar, leader of ThunderClan, shook his head. "Kit stealing is low, but kit killing? I thought you were better than that." He criticized.
Lionstar turned to Leafstar, confused. "Leafstar, I have no idea how that scent got there. Are you sure it was RiverClan scent?" he asked.
Leafstar narrowed her ice-blue eyes. "I know what I smelled, Lionstar." She replied harshly.
Boulderstar stood up. "Leafstar, ThunderClan would gladly help with any revenge you might me planning." He offered.
Leafstar nodded her head. "WindClan thanks you, Boulderstar. Fogstar?" she meowed, turning to the silver leader, who had been watching the conversation play out in silence.
"ShadowClan wishes not to get involved." Fogstar said casually.
How did RiverClan scent get in their territory? Lionstar wondered. "Look Leafstar, no cat from RiverClan would ever harm a hair and those kit's pelts." He insisted, shaking his head in confusion.
Suddenly, the moonlight faded. "Look StarClan has sent clouds to cover the moon! They must disapprove of the arguing." A cat from the crown called out.
"Or maybe they disapprove of Lionstar and his kit killing." Another cat retorted. Yowls and snarls or anger rose from the RiverClan cats, which provoked growling and hissing from WindClan.
Fogstar stood up. "Either way, StarClan has spoken. The gathering is over." She announced, jumping down from the Great Oak. The other leaders soon followed and lead their Clans of the island.
Leafstar shot him a hostile glance. "Keep your eyes open, Lionstar, because we will be back. For revenge." She snarled before stepping off the island.
"Lionstar?" Pebblefur, Lionstar's deputy asked. "Are you going to stand there all night? We need to go back to camp."
Lionstar shook his head. "No, I need to stay here and think about what just happened." He replied. Pebblefur flicked an ear to show that he had heard and lead RiverClan of the island.
After every other cat had left, Lionstar began to pace below the Great Oak in deep thought. If Leafstar really meant what she said, then what will happen to RiverClan? Two Clans against one, that can't end well. He sighed and decided that he would answer those questions tomorrow. He slowly walked on the log, off the island, and back to camp.
"Intruders! WindClan is attacking!" Lionstar woke up in his den sometime in the middle of the night to the guards shouts. He leapt to his paws and ran out of the den. Darkness engulfed him, but he could hear the yowls of terror from his Clan.
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see that WindClan cats were flooding in through the camp entrance. The rest of the Clan had already woken up and were fighting them off. Lionstar spotted Leafstar, who was leading the battle patrol, and tackled her.
He pinned her to the ground. "Leafstar, I told you, we did not kill your kits!" Lionstar roared.
"Then how do explain that scent?" she retorted. Lionstar gulped, he had no answer. Leafstar narrowed her eyes. "I thought so." She shouted, slashing at his eyes. Momentarily blinded, Lionstar loosened his grip on Leafstar. Taking the opportunity, she wriggled free of his grasp.
Lionstar opened his eyes and looked around for the WindClan leader, but she was nowhere to be seen. Even though there was many WindClan cats in the battle patrol, there was still more RiverClan cats in camp.
A loud snarl came from the elder's den. Frostpool! Lionstar sprinted of to the large bush where the elders slept. Frostpool, possibly the oldest cat in the Clan, was being attacked by a strong, blue-gray, she-cat.
With a yowl, Lionstar leapt at her, claws extended as far as they could go. The she-cat whipped around, just in time to dodge the attack. He recognized her as Blueclaw, a renowned fighter of WindClan. Lionstar crashed into the ground, and Blueclaw bit down on his ear. She jerked back, ripping it slightly.
Lionstar hissed in pain. He turned around and clawed her right above her eye. Blood trickled down into her eyes, blinding her momentarily.
Lionstar slashed his claws down her side. Blueclaw shook her head, clearing her vision, and ran out of the elder's den. He looked behind him to see a scrawny white tom sneaking into the nursery. One of the queens, Cherryfall, saw him and jumped on him. She raked her claws down his face, her eyes blazing with fury.
The tom raised one of his front paws to attack, but the tortoiseshell queen chomped down on it hard. The WindClan tom yowled in pain, and she let him go. The tom got up and ran away, stumbling at first.
"And don't ever come back!" Cherryfall snarled. Lionstar ran up to her.
"Great job, Cherryfall." He praised.
She turned around. "I'll do what I have to do to defend my kits." She replied. Lionstar nodded.
"I believe the nursery is what they're after, that's why I'm going to help defend it." He meowed.
Very slowly, RiverClan began to force out WindClan out of their camp. When the last WindClan cat was gone, Lionstar looked around.
His Clan was breathing heavily, exhausted from the fight. Dawncloud, RiverClan's medicine-cat, ran out of her den with Rainpaw, her apprentice. Both of them carried mouthfuls of herbs. Dawncloud set hers down.
"Who out of all of you is the most injured?" she called out. Lionstar felt blood trickle down the side of his face from his torn ear, but he knew that it was a minor injury compared to the ones his Clan mates might have.
"Ripplepaw is hurt bad!" Eaglepaw called from the center of camp. Lionstar's gaze shifted to where the apprentice had called out. Sure enough, Ripplepaw was laying on the ground one of her front legs was sticking out at an awkward angle. Lionstar didn't have to be a medicine-cat to tell that it was broken.
Dawncloud picked up her herbs and rushed over to where Ripplepaw was laying. "Definitely broken." She muttered grimly. She turned to Rainpaw. "Get some poppy seeds, she's in a lot of pain." Rainpaw nodded and rain back to the medicine-cat's den.
"Is she going to be okay?" Eaglepaw asked.
"She'll be fine in about a moon." Dawncloud said without taking her eyes of Ripplepaw.
Lionstar walked over to Eaglepaw, who was trembling. "How did this happen?" he asked. Eaglepaw looked at him, eyes wide.
"Some WindClan brute smashed her leg against a rock." He explained. Lionstar shook his head in anger. If Leafstar thought she could just go and tell her warriors to go and critically injure his cats, then she would pay.
He stormed back to his den, lashing his tail. From there he watched as Dawncloud fed Ripplepaw the poppy seeds Rainpaw had fetched. A bird landed on a willow tree above camp, as is it sang out to signal the rising sun.
As the day went on, Lionstar thought more and more about Leafstar's intentions. How did RiverClan scent get on the kit's fur? He wondered. Looking around at his Clanmates, he realized. Maybe one of them would have the information he was looking for.
In a flash, Lionstar had jumped onto the wide willow stump right outside of his den. "Let all cat's old enough to swim gather to hear my words." His call rang throughout camp, summoning cats from their dens.
Lionstar looked down at his Clan. "As you know, RiverClan scent was found along with the dead WindClan kits. If anyone knows how the scent got there, come to my den." He announced. Somewhere in the crowd, a anxious shuffling of paws could be heard. "Meeting dismissed." He meowed, jumping off the stump.
His Clan went back to their normal lives as entered his den.
It was around Sun-high when a black-and-white tom appeared at the entrance of his den.
Lionstar stood up, his tail tip flicking in a greeting. "Hello Splashtail! Come in." he invited his son. Splashtail took a deep breath and reluctantly stepped in. Lionstar's eyes flashed. Does my son have information that he might not want to tell me?
"So, what brings you here?" he asked already knowing why.
Splashtail bit his lip. "I… Know how the scent on the kits got there." He said quietly.
"How?" Lionstar prompted.
Splashtail didn't reply, he just looked down at his paws.
"Nothing's too terrible you can't tell me. I'm not just your leader you know, I'm also your father." Lionstar told him.
"You won't like it." Splashtail warned.
"I might not, but knowing how that scent got there is very important." The golden leader reminded him.
Splashtail shuffled his paws. "I-I… have been meeting a she-cat in WindClan." He admitted.
Lionstar's eyes widened in surprise. Splashtail, the brave, loyal, RiverClan warrior, and his son, was breaking the code? "I'm surprised, Splashtail. How long has that been going on?" he asked.
"A few moons. I met her at a gathering." He confessed.
Lionstar shook his head. "I'm disappointed, but that doesn't explain why WindClan thinks we're kit killers." He meowed.
Splashtail sighed. "Yes well, a few nights before the gathering, I had just met her at the border when suddenly, we heard a kit cry out for help. We ran toward where we heard it, and when we got there, a fox was standing the three kits, and they were badly injured. She fought off the fox while I curled around the kits to keep them safe. They died anyway, though." He meowed.
Lionstar looked at him thoughtfully. "Well, that does explain the scent." He sighed. "Thank you Splashtail, you have helped a lot." He meowed.
"It's the least I could do after breaking the code." Splashtail muttered. The black-and-white warrior then left his den. Lionstar watched him go, then curled up into a ball. This could solve our problem with WindClan. Lionstar thought drowsily, falling into sleep.
When he woke up, the sun was sinking in the sky, turning the clouds pink and gold. Remembering his conversation with Splashtail, Lionstar sought out his deputy.
He found Pebblefur dozing outside of the Warrior's den. Padding up to him, Lionstar gently prodded his side. The deputy opened one eye. Realizing that it was his leader waking him, he immediately sat up.
"Hello Lionstar." Pebblefur yawned. Lionstar smiled.
"Come, let's take a walk." He suggested. Pebblefur followed him out of camp. They walked in silence until they reached a patch of reeds by a stream. Lionstar sat down, his deputy soon copied.
"Splashtail has told me something that could change Leafstar's mind about RiverClan being kit killers." Lionstar meowed. Pebblefur's ears pricked up. This clearly got his attention.
"What did he tell you?" Pebblefur asked. Lionstar shook his head.
"I'll reveal that when we talk to Leafstar." He meowed.
Pebblefur nodded. "Okay, when are we going to tell her?" he asked.
"Now." Lionstar replied.
Pebblefur's eyes widened. "Now? How are we going to do that?" he meowed.
"I was thinking that we would catch the attention of a border patrol." Lionstar shrugged. "Let's go, before the last one is sent out." He added, glancing at the setting sun.
Pebblefur shook his head. "I don't think that is such a great idea. WindClan would shred us before we even started to talk to them. Are you sure we should do this?" he debated.
"The alternative is being attacked again." The golden leader pointed out. The deputy sighed and followed him to the border.
As they reached the border, the maze of streams and reeds gave way to large hills with long heather that rippled in the breeze. Soon after arriving, Lionstar spotted several lithe WindClan cats racing down towards them. The leader of the patrol, Blueclaw, saw the RiverClan leader and deputy and led her patrol straight towards them.
"Lionstar!" she hissed, barring her teeth. "Why are you here? Have you come to kill more kits?" Blueclaw taunted.
Rage boiled inside of Lionstar, but he kept calm. He dug his long claws into the ground. "We come peacefully. We wish to speak to Leafstar." He meowed.
Blueclaw snorted. "Let you into our camp? After what happened? Yeah right." She responded.
Lionstar bit his lip, and he could hear Pebblefur fidgeting nervously. "Please Blueclaw, let us speak to Leafstar. I promise no harm will come to your Clan." He begged.
"What could be so important that it can't wait until the next gathering?" she challenged.
"That's for only Leafstar to hear." Lionstar said.
Blueclaw lashed her tail. "Fine, But one slip-up and you're crowfood." She growled. "Follow me." She meowed, turning around and running towards the top of the grassy hills. Lionstar and Pebblefur followed, trying to keep up.
Lionstar sprinted through the long grass and heather, surprised at his own speed. As they reached the peak of the moors, Lionstar looked down and saw a shallow dip in the earth where WindClan made their camp. A barrier of gorse was surrounding it, and two guards sat alert at the entrance.
As they approached, one of guards scented the air and looked at Lionstar and Pebblefur, his fur bristling. "Lionstar! What are you doing here?" he spat.
"He wants to speak to Leafstar." Blueclaw explained. Leading him, his deputy, and her patrol, she walked into camp. Lionstar and Pebblefur were greeted with growls, hisses, and hostile stares. Leafstar stepped confidently out of her den towards them.
"Lionstar, what a surprise." She jeered. "Care to explain what you're doing here?"
Lionstar gulped. "I'd like to talk to you about what happened to the kits." He meowed.
"Okay then," Leafstar replied. "Talk to me."
Lionstar shook his head. "Not here, in private." He said quietly.
Leafstar narrowed her ice blue eyes. "Fine. Follow me." She ordered, stepping into her den. Lionstar followed her, chilled by the dark shadows that engulfed Leafstar's den. Pebblefur had only taken his first step in when Leafstar glanced at him.
"Not your deputy. He can wait outside." She commanded. Sticking her head outside of the den, she called to two of her warriors. "Blueclaw! Cloudfrost!"
Blueclaw and a white tom were at her side in a flash. "Yes Leafstar?" she asked.
"Guard Pebblefur outside of my den." Leafstar ordered. Blueclaw nodded. She and Cloudfrost sat on either side of Pebblefur outside of their leader's den.
"So," the brown tabby began. "What do you want to tell me?"
Lionstar gulped. "I know why you smelled RiverClan scent on those kits." He meowed.
Leafstar rolled her eyes. "I already know. One of your warriors killed them." She hissed.
The golden tabby shook his head. "No, that's not what happened. One of my warriors has confessed something to me." He revealed.
Leafstar smiled triumphantly. "What did he confess? That he was the one who killed him?" she asked.
"Not quite." He growled. "He told me this." He meowed. As Lionstar told Splashtail's story, Leafstar occasionally rolled her eyes.
When he was done, Leafstar reached out and clawed his face. "That's impossible! For that to happen, a WindClan cat would have to betray me, and that would never happen, because WindClan is the most loyal of all Clans!" she snarled.
Lionstar shook his head. "That's what happened." He insisted.
Leafstar bared her teeth, growling. "Come with me I'll announce it to the Clan." She meowed. She padded with her tail held high to a tall cliff at the edge of camp which Lionstar guessed must be WindClan's version of the willow stump back in RiverClan camp.
Leafstar climbed to the top of it. "Let all cats old enough to hunt gather at Tallcliff." Leafstar called. WindClan cats began to gather beneath the cliff, as Lionstar stepped out of the den to join the meeting. Blueclaw and Cloudfrost let Pebblefur follow.
Once everyone had gathered, Leafstar begun. "Lionstar has come to tell us how the kits really died." She meowed. Lionstar smiled and flicked his tail happily, glad that the truth about the kit's death was coming out.
"But he lied!" she yowled. His eyes widened. "Between his kit killing and lying, I've had enough." She announced, now pacing back and forth. Looking at her Warriors, she commanded, "Kill him!"
At once, Blueclaw sprang at his throat. Lionstar dodged and slashed her side. Soon, more warriors crept towards Lionstar and Pebblefur. I can't fight this many warriors at once! He realized. Backing away, Lionstar turned and ran through the camp entrance, Pebblefur close behind.
He and his deputy ran down towards RiverClan territory, only to find a line of angry WindClan cats waiting for them at the border. Lionstar turned and ran the only other direction, towards ThunderClan territory.
This is my last life! If I die now, I'll join StarClan forever! Lionstar started to panic as he entered ThunderClan territory.
He and Pebblefur dodged trees and jumped over boulders as Blueclaw and Leafstar chased them. As they rounded a tree, they came face to face with Boulderstar.
"Lionstar!" he snarled. Lionstar's eyes widened as he leapt up a tree clumsily. He saw Pebblefur had done the same in a nearby tree. Boulderstar climbed up the tree that Lionstar was in almost instantly. Blueclaw and Leafstar stayed at the bottom.
Boulder star climbed onto the branch Lionstar was on. The large gray tom swiped at him, forcing Lionstar to the end of the branch. Boulderstar stalked forward. Lionstar placed his back paw behind him, only to slip. He quickly pulled his paw back and saw leaves falling.
I know the odds are against me, but I'm in this to the bitter end. Lionstar thought.
"This ends now, Lionstar." Boulderstar growled. With a flick of his large gray paw, he had pushed the RiverClan leader to his death.
"Lionstar, no!" Pebblefur yowled.
The last thing Lionstar remembered was falling.
So how did you guys like it? Was it Okay? Great? Terrible? Anyways, I was thinking of writing a story, and this being a prequel of sorts. What do you think?
Please review!