She entered the dark forest as so many before her had done, muscles so small they could hardly be seen and white coat gleaming in the sickened yellow light that curled among the pines. Her paw steps were light and dainty, replicating the sounds of rain when they drove against the floor of leaves and pine needles. The tempo increased steadily until the young female was flying through the forest, breathe panting and fear scent flowing in prolonged waves off of her pelt. She had left the hollow with daylight streaming into each crevice, the tension that had plagued the Thunderclan members finally beginning to ease off in the face of new leaf. But what they didn't know, and what knowledge only she and Applestar shared, was that the true battle had already begun up here. But such thoughts would hardly help her deepening fears here, and so loud was her verbal exertion that at first she did not register the other voices surrounding her. Then there was a misty gray form in front of her nose and a crash head on that hardly ever happened when lurking among the realm of the non-living. She had found the allies.
"Peace, Mintleaf. What has gotten into you?" Bluestar's deep navy blue eyes struck her, piercing her own emerald corneas until it seemed she could see into her soul. It was Yellowfang that responded, her voice barbed and tough as a claw dragging through brambles.
"So you taught her how to come here too, did you Jayfeather? You always were an apt mentor…Perhaps a bit too thorough." Her rusty purr was mingled with the tom's exulted snort. She spun around and gently touched noses with the one that had stopped her panicked flight, still stifling a pang of regret that he was not down with her among the clans.
"Of course I did. She has to be ready." He replied stubbornly. His stout voice drifted towards a melancholy tone when he added, "Everyone needs to be now a days." She saw him visibly stiffen after this remark, startling blue eyes cast towards the darkened tree canopy in anger. He wanted revenge.
"You've got to let it go, what has happened is in the past, and we must all adjust accordingly." Spottedleaf had obviously caught this gesture too, trotting up to her friend and lightly tapping his shoulder with a lithe dappled tail. The four gathered before her turned to look at Mintleaf, starry forms shaded gold in the light.
"Still, we need him." Mintleaf muttered in discontent, "Thunderclan fell into disarray after he, Dovewing, and Lionblaze died. It was just the final straw when Ivytalon was killed as well."
"Don't even mention those names." Jayfeather muttered, "How were we supposed to know that when one of the Three died we all lost our powers." He shifted. "With Ivytalon evil all along, that trap was too easy to fall into. We had to take our revenge." Mintleaf shut her eyes, wishing he would stop talking, stop conjuring any images of what had happened the day of the Dark Forest's first triumph.
--
The trees shadowed Thunderclan enough to where even Dovewing could walk through the woods comfortably, her light gray tabby pelt merging flawlessly with the burnt golden ground. Her former mentor and constant companion Lionblaze padded next to her, his ruff fluffed, and golden eyes hard. It was hard not to notice his lengthy talons flexing into the leaf mold but she tried to ignore it to the best of her abilities. Enough thoughts of war with Ivytalon without him falling into the trap too. He was more distanced from his emotions than Dovewing would expect this far into the war, seeing to how Cinderheart was pregnant with his kits.
"Do you think Bramblestar meant us to go this far into Shadowclan territory?" She hissed, casting her senses beyond the wall of pines in front of them. A few apprentices sparring, a patrol taking time to lounge for scenery on the lake's shore. Some harmless kits sneaking a bit too far out past the camp's borders. Nothing entirely sneaky, nothing that prompted any signs of attack.
"He meant for us to find answers. Why else would we be here? We'll do what it takes, or else Firestar's death would have been in vain."
"Should we have brought Jayfeather?"
"He's out gathering herbs. Best not to disturb him, he's been focused a lot with Starclan lately. Something's brewing up there." A sudden rustle in the bracken drew both of their attentions back to the matter at hand just before Tigerheart slid from the brush. His large, brutish tabby coat was both a relief and an angering thing for Dovewing to admire. Lionblaze drew up his shoulders, obviously not interested in hiding their presence any longer and stoutly refusing to talk to the betrayer. But Tigerheart had a wish to talk to him, and purred quietly.
"Where's your brother, Lionkit?" The golden tom balked, and Dovewing felt in that same instant a rush of blood and fury and surprise. Both she and Lionblaze were transported into Jayfeather's vision, feeling his pain as he was jumped from behind. As talons curved into his scarred neck fur. As mint leaves flew up into the air in front of him. As blood curdled from the gash in his skin and his nose drew in one gasping breath before all was still.
And, as one, the Three collapsed to the ground.
--
They had all been brought back limply, carted between the broad shoulders of fit Shadowclan warriors. Mintleaf had still been Mintpaw. And Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovewing had most certainly still been needed.
"I didn't know Ivytalon had been following me," he said, lost for a moment in his memories. Her gentle green eyes met his blue ones, startled as ever to know that the sharp knowledge within them meant more than just the fact he was intelligent. Here, in Starclan, Jayfeather could finally see.
Bluestar watched them with her eyes guarded, not remarking on anything with her wisdom of the ages. They had not come here to reminisce and time was running out. Valuable time before Mintleaf returned to the hollow and they could not waste it with chit chat of the past when such large news was ahead of them. Her ears twitched, scarred muzzle contorted in a gentler variation of a snarl.
"We should tell her why we met her, yes?"
"Oh, yes." Spottedleaf responded instantly, becoming excited once more. The four medicine cats and leader stayed in hollowed silence for another moment before Yellowfang finally took it upon herself to tell the petite white she-cat the information she had come for.
"We have brought the moonstone."
"What?" Intrigued, Mintleaf leaned in slightly.
"You cannot communicate with us during this drought. With the combined force of all of Starclan we have brought you the gem that those in the old forest used to use to speak with their ancestors." Bluestar explained.
"Send out patrols to each of the clans and have each bring their medicine cat and leader at moon-fall tomorrow. Two the way will show." Spottedleaf muttered quietly.
"But…why?" She asked curiously.
In an even quieter whisper, Jayfeather replied "Because the clans need us now more than ever."
And the forest faded away, taking her starry friends along with it.
--
Mintleaf jerked back into herself, but was not in the hollow as she had anticipated. The meadow was dark and the sky unnaturally bright. Another visit in Starclan? But she had not brought herself here, so then who did…?
"I summoned you here."
She spun, nimble and light on her feet in case the need to flee arrived. A tom stepped from the shadows, skinny and black as the night itself. Mintleaf began to relax.
"Thanks for the warning, Crowfeather."
"There was no time for proper warning," he muttered, disgruntled. Even in Starclan the male was temperamental and unhappy, his coat patchier and duller than many of those she had seen. "I've been working." He grunted, as though he could read her thoughts. "Blackstar told me to give you an update, so follow me." The Windclan cat sped away across the grasses, with Mintleaf buoyed on the air behind him. They crossed many lands and unique terrains that passed like the wind beneath them.
He finally stopped, neither of them out of breath but both panting anyway. They peered through the glossy holly leaves, gazing down at a well organized, military defended camp. Oakheart and Crookedstar sparred at the far end of the clearing, while a group consisting of Longtail, Tawnypelt, and Tigerheart conversed with Leopardstar and Jaggedtooth before speeding away into the forests.
"Us spies run a tight shift" He whispered, gesturing to the patrol. "They're headed to the dark forests; they supply us with leads and ways to thwart their actions. But it's hard." He sighed, watching while another group of cats, this one led by Rainwhisker followed them out. Leafpool was among them, her short tabby stature turned silver in the moonlight. "She should be with the medicine cats." He muttered, practically to himself.
"You're all preparing for war, then?" Mintleaf hissed into his ear.
"Yes, of course. Can't you see? Now you better go. An apprentice with a thorn in his pad calls for your attention. Do not forget about the Moonstone, young one." He hissed back, and was gone.
--
"What happened?" Mintleaf asked Rainfurrow gently, digging her teeth into the thorn driven deep into her apprentice's pad.
"We were hunting and he stepped on the butt of a fox trap. Hardly watchful stalking," the dark brown she-cat meowed with a hint of amusement in her voice. Claypaw yowled in protest, smiling between his pained grunts.
"You're the one who said, 'go get the thrush' and 'it will feed so many'. It was small!" The apprentice growled one last time when Mintleaf pulled the intrusion from his pad.
"Thanks!" he burst and sprinted towards the apprentices den on more of a totter than he had before.
"He needs to learn respect for his prey," Rainfurrow murmured, "Even though the thrush was small, we need all the prey we can get during this draught."
"He'll learn" Mintleaf reassured her clanmate, pushing her small nose into her shoulder fur.
"He better!" the she-cat meowed, humor returned, yelling after Claypaw as he tottered away, "What makes you think you get the rest of the day off?"
Mintleaf sighed in relief, dipping her head to Rowanhawk as he began to lead a patrol out of camp but not stopping to chat. Now to find Applestar…
--
{The Dark Forest}
Tigerstar hummed, not an alien sound in the forests now that the lands were alive with the work of building the fortifications. Until recently, the dark forest had no need for a camp but due to the recent influx of members, he had taken it upon himself to build an abode for his lovely loyal little toys.
"Back to your work, Lostface." He snapped, watching the disabled she-cat closely when she began to again shoulder the load of rocks. He laughed, a cruel, mirthless thing, when Cloudtail's head shut up, blue eyes darkened in fury. Ah…Darkstripe had been so smart to suggest that the capturing of the snowy male's lame mate would benefit them. For once. The former Thunderclan warrior swallowed, looking about ready to leap at the leader's throat. "Breezepelt." Tigerstar called dismissively, and gestured for the wiry black tom to show Cloudtail exactly what they did to protestors in this place. Though, of course, he already knew.
Mudclaw held him down, unusually sturdy limbs for a Windclan warrior wrapped tightly around the Thunderclan warrior's abdomen. Breezepelt slid up to his partner and flicked out one claw, parting the color-less neck fur for a second before bringing his lethal point slicing between Cloudtail's forelegs. The tom held his tongue, causing Tigerstar to hiss in displeasure at his refusal to marinate the air with sweet sounds of justice.
"Take him," he growled to Longtail and Tawnypelt. They erupted from the forests and dragged the male away, ignoring the pained gasps of his mate, Lostface.
"Tigerstar, Dovewing and Ivytalon request a council with you," Tigerheart muttered, the two gray she-cats tactfully avoiding eye contact with all, especially their mother and father.
"Of course, grant them the pleasure," He meowed, cavernous mouth stretched wide in a yawn that greatly contrasted his silky vocals. "Hawkfrost, you may want to hear this too. And you, Tigerheart, stay."
"You all know that the clan's haven't been able to talk with Starclan lately," Dovewing began. "Well they've found a way, Tigerstar, Starclan have found a way to relocate the moonstone. They have asked the clans to bring their elite tomorrow night at the peak of the crescent moon."
"Well…we can't have that." He purred, stunned but reconciled with the fact. That explained the power surging through the roiling lands across the sky. He had to admire their resilience, and certainly their skill.
He cast his amber gaze about, touching on Dovewing, Tigerheart, Hawkfrost, and Ivytalon in turn. "Fetch Spiderleg," he growled at the latter, "It's time for a meeting of the war council."
--
So I hope you like! I'll update ASAP, and the story will grow into a story line, I promise. It's all figured out. I'm all open for constructive criticism, but flames aren't really appreciated. I'm on here cause I'm bored, not cause I want you to start cussing my story. Pleases and thank yous.
Reviews make me happy, hope you enjoyed :)
-LO'L