Finchstar shifted in her den. She was still uncomfortable in the rocky hole, even after a moon. She didn't have a reason to be uncomfortable, it was just a slightly smaller- slightly lonelier- version of the warrior's den. She didn't have any reason to be scared, Cloverclan was on good terms with Flameclan, and their and Ivyclan's borders didn't touch.
Maybe she was so scared because of all the recent events. Last moon, before she had received her leader name, the clan had caught an awful bought of greencough. Cloverclan always was small, and now they hardly had two warriors and four apprentices. The leaf-bare had taken the leader, Finchstar's first apprentice, and the apprentice of her's who had only gotten out of the nursery days before. Then Foliagefur, their only medicine cat, was brought into camp drowned and stained in his own blood.
She didn't even realize she was up and kneading until she heard a loud yowl. She immediately shot out of her den, leaping to the center of the clearing and yowling her loudest. Quickly, the five cats Cloverclan had left were pouring out of the warriors den, and Fishpaw, the cat who had sounded the alarm, leaped down from the Higher Ledge.
Finchstar pressed her ears flat to her head and nodded for him to explain. Before he could, she heard heavy fern crunching from above. She shook her head and sweeped her tail toward the backup exit of the deep hollow. Branches, roots, and stones above the hauntingly empty medicine den. She watched her cats climb up slowly, bound in absolute depression and anxiety.
Finchstar watched as five cats rushed down the curved ramp, leaping the steps, only to watch them escape. In the head, a dark tabby with a strange tail Finchstar couldn't quite make out, yowled out and the cats rushed back up. So many of the cats were large, larger than Blacksong, Cloverclan's strongest warrior.
They were trying to kill them, Finchstar realized, and they stood to chance.
"Trees," she hissed to her warriors, "Climb and hide like your lives depend on it- they do."
She saw Spiderpaw and Ashleaf, his mother's, eyes widen in horror. Finchstar didn't have the time to register the reaction, leaping up to the nearest tree she could see and climbing as high as she could. She soon felt Brackenpaw press beside her and saw Blacksong, Spiderpaw and Honeypaw on a branch close to her. Ashleaf and Fishpaw, her other son, were on a branch not very far below.
She watched cautiously as the cats made their way under the tree, looking around. Hissing and spitting, they ran on. Finchstar never let go of her breath and never spoke. None of Cloverclan slept the rest of the night, knowing they were unsafe.
Eventually, just after daybreak, the clan climbed down and, knowing full well they wouldn't have their camp back, checked it out anyway. Big, buff rogues were making their way about. The hollow was full of colorful Nofur pelts and other strange things. Finchstar, unable to bear the sight and heavy-pawed, stalked away. Her head was low and her eyes were wide, terrified her anxieties had caused this.
"Finchstar," called Blacksong, the deputy, "What do we do?"
Finchstar shrugged and shook her head. "Wait at the island until tonight's Gathering, hope they can't swim, won't find us. Ask Stoatstar and Milkstar for help and sanctuary."
"Will they help?" asked Ashleaf, defeatedly. Her sons looked just as uncertain. Finchstar couldn't answer and made no effort to flick her tail for them to follow her to the coast.
(...)
"Finchstar," called Stoatstar, looking higher than ever on the leader's branch of the old willow tree, "What is this?"
Finchstar dipped her head respectfully. She had no strength to climb up onto the tree. "We were kicked out of our camp and it has been taken over by rogues. We ask for help to drive them out and shelter while we get our strength up."
Stoatstar's face shifted in considering. Finchstar looked around. She felt her heart beat hard when she saw it. The dark blue tabby tom, sat between the two large gray-and-cream warriors who'd tried to kill them. She turned back to the tree and looked at the cats under Stoatstar. His deputy and mate, Mallowheart, who had come along with the big cats, and the medicine cat Yewleap who Pebblewing had said killed Foliagefur.
Stoatstar cast a glance down at Mallowheart, a wicked smile on his face, and shook his head.
"No, Finchstar," he mewed curtly, "If your clan isn't strong enough to fight off rogues, maybe you don't deserve your camp anyway."
Finchstar felt her heart skip a beat. She turned her gaze to Milkstar. Milkstar had always been kind to her. The fluffy molly, eyes filled with water, shook her head as well.
"If the rogues are too strong for you," she said shakily, crying, "Ivyclan cannot afford to risk it's own warriors."
Finchstar felt time freeze, frantically looking around for any help. Then her gaze landed on that fink of a tom, and she realized just how much he looked like Fishpaw. She faintly saw Ashleaf turn his direction too. The hair on the back of the gray cat's neck stood up and she gained a fighting stance.
"You!" she hissed, "You did this!" her voice shook in a sob, "Fishtail, I thought I loved you!"
The tom flicked his tail, clearly showing the two tufts at the end that Fishpaw shared. Both Fishpaw and Spiderpaw froze, gazes shifting between Ashleaf, Blacksong and Fishtail.
"...mom?" whispered the small black tom, "Wh-what do you…"
"But he's…" Fishpaw joined, neither able to come to terms.
"You rotten badger-hearted piece of mousefodder," Ashleaf swore, "You leave me and my kits on our own and then try and end the clan we were in?"
"You fink," Blacksong spat.
Stoatstar let out a yowl to silence the ordeal and the muttering cats around, but neither Ashleaf or Fishtail removed their gazes from eachother.
"Drama between kin does not change my decision," Stoatstar announced. "Finchstar, rally your clan and drive out the rogues yourself or leave."
"Mallowheart, Fogstorm and Thunderblaze helped," Blacksong shot angrily in Finchstar's place.
"And they will be punished," Stoatstar shot back, "It is not the duty of the clan to repay their mistakes."
"Why would you want the cats who chased you out to help anyway?" asked Milkstar softly, making Finchstar realize this really was all Flameclan's doing. No, she thought, Flameclan cut the first wound but both Flameclan and Ivyclan refused to heal it.
Finchstar regained the stance of a prideful leader, "Yes," she snarled, "But you will regret this, all of you. Cloverclan will have its revenge." She swept her tail for her cats to follow.
"Starclan be with you," Milkstar mewed.
"Starclan has betrayed us."