A/N: Sorry this took so long to come out with; I've been pretty busy.
Disclaimer: If I did, why would I be so excited about the fact Dark River's coming out in a few days and that Harper Collins posted the whole prologue and allegiances and the first few pages from the first seventeen chapters of Dark River also?
WindClan
"Hi! My name is Falconpaw! What's yours? Drizzlepaw? You're from RiverClan, aren't you? I can tell 'cause of your scent – my mentor showed me when he was showing me around our territory! I have a great mentor – he's strong and really good at fighting, and he's making me strong and good at fighting too. One of the other apprentices even said I could probably beat a ShadowClan at the rate I was going!"
"What clan am I from? You must not have gone on patrol very often or something, cause I am a WindClan, after all, I border your –"
"Hey! What's that you said about WindClan? Don't murmur it under your breath, tell me. We WindClan aren't mousebrains, you know."
"What? What did you say? Just 'cause I'm a WindClan doesn't mean I'm weak or anything – we can be strong, real strong! For instance, our leader Onestar – what do you mean he's weak too! He's a great leader! Just cause he's nice, unlike some leaders…"
"You're just what the other apprentices warned me about! Believing all those stupid misconceptions that every cat believes in! So Tallstar liked to be allied with ThunderClan – so what? So we were driven out of their territory by Brokenstar once, long, long ago – so what? So it was ThunderClan who brought us back – so what? That was then and this is now! We're a strong clan now, very strong! It's not like we're the only clan that's ever needed a bit of help once in a while. Your clan has needed help, too, and so has ShadowClan – even ThunderClan has! This isn't just weight from eating too much freshkill, you know. It's muscle, and there's power behind it too – I wasn't lying when I said cats think I'm a really good fighter. And if you keep up with this, I'll prove it…"
"All right, that's it, you're just asking for it, aren't you? I bet you're goading me to do this, or something – maybe one of your friends dared you too so the little WindClan apprentice would – yeah, it's obvious. So I won't attack you. I was right, wasn't I? I heard you say 'Foxdung!' under your breath! So, if I'm not going to attack you…and I guess that would have been wrong anyway, since this is a gathering and not a patrol or something. Hmm…"
"Now I remember! Onestar even told us – me and the other newest apprentices – that some cats would be like this. He told us how everyone thinks WindClanners are weak and insignificant, that everything we do is with the help of another clan, and that with how 'useless' we are, we could leave the forest or all be killed and it wouldn't matter a bit! I didn't really believe him, but I guess I was wrong, if an apprentice even thinks that, someone who didn't even really witness the events from which these thoughts came from."
"Yes, I do believe that you can't think mouse brained stuff like that unless you were actually witnessing it! How do you know they weren't wrong, or that what happened was not what how everyone told it – isn't that what happened with Tigerstar's first move to get power?"
"See! I saw the uncertainty that flickered in your eyes, I saw it as clear as day! You must see I'm right if you've been swayed over to my side somewhat, and you can't deny it! But…that's it exactly, you've only been swayed to my side somewhat. And it would be even harder for others to be persuaded from what they think of WindClan – I'll need to think of something else – wait, is that Blackstar calling the Gathering to its official start? Yeah, it is. I guess I'd better go – but I'm not forgetting about this, so don't count on it."
----eight moons later----
"Well, hello. You don't remember me, do you? Well, I'm not surprised; it's been eight moons."
"How about this: smell me. Yeah, WindClan scent. Ring any bells?"
"You still don't remember? Oh well – I guess I shouldn't have expected you to; you've probably met lots of other WindClan apprentices since our encounter."
"You still don't remember? I thought the word encounter seemed like a rather fierce word, and I think how I reacted to you had been rather fierce and angry. Okay, how about this: weak. Insignificant. You can't judge since you didn't witness the events."
"Ah, you remember now, don't you? The shadow that crossed your face, the gleam of remembrance; I suppose what had happened is all coming back quite clear to you now, isn't it?"
"It appears you have; you even remembered my name – I'm skilled at reading lips, and I saw you mouth 'Falconpaw'."
"You seem pretty surprised, with your mouth hanging open, gawping at me. I wasn't kidding eight moons ago – I'm skilled. And even stronger and better at fighting than I was back then; it's been eight moons after all, and surely you guessed that would mean I wouldn't be an apprentice any longer? Been a warrior for a bit more than a moon, to be precise, with the new name of Falconswoop. I expect you've been made a warrior too, because you looked older than me those eight moons ago when we were apprentices."
"Drizzlecloud? Nice name, I guess. RiverClanners seem to have a thing with giving all their cats water related names; just because they're RiverClan doesn't mean they have to do so – er, just commentary, not mean to be offensive. I have better things to insult and offend than the naming tendencies of RiverClan – or Mistystar, since she's the one who names. And better things to do than insult and offend in general."
"Don't say mousedung about my 'snide insults' – I believe all I said was something about insulting and offending – anyway, I believe I just heard your leader, Mistystar, calling the Gathering to its official start. Hmm, that was almost the same exact thing I said to you for the last time when we met eight moons ago. No doubt it will be the same words I'll say when we meet again."
"Yes, I am a lot different than I was eight moons ago. Isn't that expected? I can't be jumping around like a mousebrained squirrel all my life. Now, as I already said, your leader has already called the Gathering to its start and I believe I must leave. I'm sure we'll meet sometime again – I wonder what you'll think of me then…"
----three moons later----
"And so we meet again. If I wanted to be polite, I would say 'How's the prey running?' but that's also usually a greeting for friends – something we rather aren't."
"So, this time you have no trouble remembering our other encounters, eh? Well, the time passed beneath this time and the other was only three moons, and not eight – much smaller, in my opinion."
"So, how's your life going? Still believing us WindClanners are weak, insignificant mousebrains who can't even defend their own territory?"
"Ugh, StarClan help me. Some cats never learn – especially stubborn RiverClanners. Mind you, you will be proved wrong some day, Drizzlecloud. Some day, whether it be the next sunrise or a hundred moons from now. And I'm not just speaking some fancy, hoped for lie, I'm –."
"What is it, Patchedpaw? Excuse me for a moment, Drizzlecloud..."
"Yes, Patchedpaw, you are allowed to talk to apprentices of the other Clans – that's one of the main points of the Gathering besides sharing news. Look, there's an apprentice over there – yes, it's RiverClan. You're just getting better and better at identifying scents aren't you? Now, why don't you go and talk to that apprentice – you might even meet more apprentices that way."
"Yes, that was my new apprentice, Patchedpaw. I'm very happy that I have him – in more ways than one. But that's a different discussion for a different time and a different place – and a different cat, or at least one with their mind changed about WindClanners."
"What? That apprentice was your apprentice that I pushed him over to? Hm. I don't particularly believe in coincidences of any sort."
"Anyway, speaking of your biased thoughts toward WindClanners, I do believe there was a battle between my Clan and yours a moon and half moon ago? Now, this seems to have escaped my mind somewhat – who won? I couldn't participate, as I was out training my apprentice."
"Yes, that's right, WindClan won, the weak, insignificant WindClan who can't defend its own territory without allies won a battle against the brave, strong perfect RiverClan which never needs any help – except for that it does. No doubt WindClan will be winning many more battles, and especially if its future goes the way I hope it will…well, I was right."
"Right about something else I mean – I just went off topic. I was about to say that I heard one of the leaders calling the Gathering to its start, and that I'd better leave – which I predicted I'd say as a farewell three moons ago. Odd, isn't it? Well – not really, I suppose."
----nine moons later----
"Why, hello again, Drizzlecloud. Now if you excuse me, I don't have much time to talk; I'm busy this Gathering and probably will be for all the rest you ever see me at – which will be a lot."
"I don't need to answer that – you'll find out soon, very soon. Besides, it is rather pleasurable to watch you hanging on my every word because you're so curious to find out why I'm saying what I'm saying. Now, if you excuse me, I need to go and meet with my leader."
"I think you've caught on rather, haven't you? Something like a flicker of understanding glinted in your eyes – and a bit of anger if what I mean turns out to be what you think it means."
"Correct, wasn't I? Well, I just love how suspenseful you seem to feel about this, and I simply cannot wait for you reaction any longer, Drizzlecloud, so I guess I'll tell you. Ashfoot, who had been suffering wounds from a battle that would not heal, caught greencough, and the combination was too malignant for her. She died last sunset."
"I think you know now, don't you? Yes, I can see by the annoyed scuffling of your paws and angry tail thrashing. But it would be rather anticlimactic if I just left it unsaid, wouldn't it, Drizzlecloud? So I'll say it: Onestar decided I was the best choice for deputy, and so gave me that position. Good choice, if I must say myself, but my opinion would be biased, as I'm the one he chose, no?"
"You don't think the same as I do, though – I suspect RiverClan will not be talking so much anymore about WindClan the weak, WindClan the insignificant with me as deputy – you very well know I will now have considerable influence on what cats may be saying out WindClan."
"Now, I really have to go – and remind my newest apprentice, Thicketpaw, not to tell anything secret about WindClan to prying warriors, that he can talk to cats from the other Clans, just not to fall in love with them or become close friends with them and such – the works. And go over to the tree where deputies sit at the foot, as the Gathering will be starting soon. Look, there's Thicketpaw running for my help now – Thicketpaw, I'm coming! I'll be here at every Gathering to greet you, whether you're there or not – just a little sharing of news…"
----fourteen moons later----
"It is with my great regret that I inform every cat here that Onestar died three sunrises ago, earlier than his time. A moon and a half previously, he lost his seventh life in a battle between WindClan and ThunderClan. Two moons after that, he caught a particularly bad form of greencough, losing his eighth life and almost losing his ninth. Soon after Kestrelflight healed him, though Kestrelflight attempted to stop him, Onestar insisted to go on patrol, saying he had to go around WindClan's territory after being ill with greencough for so long. While patrolling the border to ThunderClan, we bumped into a patrol of ThunderClanners, where some confusion and argument about the borders and scent marks ensued. A small skirmish began, but soon it turned into more than a mere skirmish. WindClan appeared to have been winning the battle, when one cunning ThunderClan warrior started to battle Onestar. Onestar would have won if not for that he had only just recovered from greencough, leaving him rather weak and not as adept at his fighting as he could have been. Just as the battle was drawing to an end, the ThunderClanner struck him with a clever move, injuring Onestar badly. With our leader injured heavily, the WindClan patrol had to rush back to WindClan camp, where Kestrelflight immediately began giving Onestar an assortment of healing herbs. Sadly, Onestar's injuries were to many and too heavy, and shortly after moonrise, he died, losing his ninth life and leaving me as leader. Now, after visiting the Moonpool, I have shed my old name Falconswoop, and become Falconstar, leader of WindClan. But please, before we proceed, may I request a moment of silence for Onestar, previous and honored leader of WindClan?"
"You would like to go first, Mistystar? Okay…Cats, Mistystar would like to tell us the news from RiverClan first…"
-----
Falconstar led WindClan for many long moons, making it one of the strongest and most successful Clans, almost always winning its battles and flourishing, with apprentice, warriors, and kits. One of the first actions Falconstar did as leader was show the other Clans that WindClan was definitely not a weak, insignificant Clan that could always be pushed around without there being any complaint from the WindClanners. In fact, though they lacked the cruel, dark hearts that ShadowClanners were said to have, they were still feared because of their expert battle skills and cunning. However, they were also respected, and Falconstar was long remembered as one of the best leaders WindClan ever had, and also the fiercest.
There weren't many misconceptions about WindClan after him.
A/N: So ends that second chapter of Misconceptions, about WindClan. In case anyone was confused, all the talking was made by Falconpaw/swoop/star. You never hear (well, see) anyone else talk. I know when one person talks, and a new paragraph comes, there aren't quotation marks at the end of the paragraph, but since there were others talking between what Falconpaw/swoop/star was saying, I didn't think that was necessary.