Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Warrior characters, books, or anything else that has to do with Warriors.
A/N: Happy holidays everybody!! Merry Christmas Eve to those of you that celebrate Christmas, can you believe Christmas is tomorrow? Yay! Here's Chapter 9…
Chapter 9
"Sorreltail! Brackenfur! Rainwhisker! Hurry up, you three, we're about to leave!"
"Sorry, Firestar!" Sorreltail replied hastily. "We're coming!"
It was the night of a full moon, and ThunderClan was about to leave for the very first Gathering in their new home. The four Clan leaders had previously agreed that Gatherings would be held by the horseplace until a more suitable spot was found, and so once Sorreltail, Brackenfur, and Rainwhisker caught up with them, the ThunderClan cats sped off toward WindClan's territory. They would be able to cross through this territory safely only on the night of a full moon so that they would be able to reach the Gathering place. Similarly, ShadowClan would be able to cross through RiverClan's territory to reach it as well.
Brambleclaw could feel the excitement in the air crackle like lightning above his Clanmates, but he could also feel their anxiety as well. There had been no word on MudClan since the day Firestar and Leafpaw came with news of its existence, and every cat was wondering what had become of it. No one knew where Mudclaw and his followers were living, and whether or not they would appear at the Gathering. Although Firestar still didn't believe Mudclaw would try to attack ThunderClan, he had left more cats behind than usual during the Gathering to guard the camp.
They slowed their pace as they crossed into WindClan territory, warily scanning the grassland to make sure that no WindClan cats would break the agreement and try to attack them. Brambleclaw did not spot any, however, and the traces of their scent in the air were faint, so he figured that they had already left for the Gathering.
At that moment his attention was drawn away from WindClan's territory, though, when Squirrelflight bounded up to join him. Her eyes were bright with anticipation – not only would this be her first Gathering in her new home, it would also be her fist as a warrior.
"Do you think Firestar will announce at the Gathering that he made Spiderleg and I warriors?" she asked him eagerly. He will, won't he, because he'll want to show strength in the Clan?"
Brambleclaw nodded. "He probably will. It would be a good idea to announce it. Like you said, it'll show that our Clan is still as strong as ever despite everything that's happened recently.
Squirrelflight waved her tail happily. "Good! Oh, and don't forget to say hi to Tawnypelt for me! I haven't seen her since the Journey!"
"I will. Although if ShadowClan has heard about MudClan by now, they've probably left a large amount of cats behind to help protect it. She might have stayed behind to watch over their camp."
Squirrelflight wrinkled her nose. "I don't see why everyone's so worried about MudClan," she scoffed. "It's like Firestar said - they're most likely to attack WindClan, not us, and there's only six cats in their Clan anyway. If they tried to attack us we could easily fight them off."
"I don't think it's likely that they'll cause a problem either," Brambleclaw agreed. "But I think it's just the small possibility that they could attack us that has everyone worried. Living in a new home has already given us enough challenges – no one wants another."
Now Leafpaw had appeared to join the conversation. "I don't think it's just the possibility that MudClan could attack us that has us nervous," she added. "We also have to worry about what they will do in the future. They could try to steal our prey or territory, or they could take over part of WindClan's territory and cause them to try to take over part of ours for lack of space and food."
"I suppose that's true," Squirrelflight mewed, although her expression showed she was still not convinced. "But I still don't see how'll we'll have any problem with them. I mean, how long is MudClan going to last anyway? No Clan would allow them to share their territory or their food, so where will they find a camp? And without a medicine cat and a deputy they won't be able to have a real Clan."
Squirrelflight suddenly broke off her rant mid-sentence. "Wow, we're here already!"
They were the third Clan to arrive at the horse barn. RiverClan and WindClan were already there, the later looking fairly normal despite their loss of Tallstar and the threats from MudClan. ShadowClan, as usual, was late.
Leafpaw immediately bounded away to find the other Clans' medicine cats, while Squirrelflight found Crowfeather and decided to go tease him. Brambleclaw spotted Tawnypelt sitting with two RiverClan cats, and he padded over to greet her.
"Hey Brambleclaw," Tawnypelt mewed as soon as she approached her. "How are you?"
Brambleclaw assured her that he was well and politely nodded at the two cats she was sitting with. One was a petite, dappled-colored she-cat, while the other was a dark brown tom with ice-blue eyes that held a large resemblance to Brambleclaw himself.
"You remember Hawkfrost and Mothwing, don't you?" Tawnypelt flicked her tail toward each of the two cats.
"Of course." Brambleclaw bit back the burn of distrust that entered his stomach when he turned to face his half-brother, Hawkfrost. He had always been suspicious of the RiverClan cat and whether or not he could be trusted. "How's the prey running in your Clan?"
"Very well, thanks." Hawkfrost met his gaze evenly. Brambleclaw noticed that although he gave a first impression of being very confident in himself, Hawkfrost's erect posture and raised head showed that he worked very hard to earn the respect of those around him. Despite his earlier distrust, Brambleclaw felt a rush of pity for his half-brother at this thought – he knew how hard it was to gain the trust of your Clanmates and every other cat in the forest when your father had been known as a murderer. They both had always been prejudged and blamed unfairly for something that had happened before they were born.
"So what do you think of this MudClan?" Hawkfrost asked him directly as Tawnypelt and Mothwing began discussing another topic. "I, for one, think that Mudclaw has gone about creating his new Clan in completely in the wrong way. I believe that if I were trying to start a new Clan, I would gather more supporters before I did, including a suitable deputy and medicine cat. Without those MudClan definitely will not do very well."
"And he also should have found a territory in advance for them to live in," Brambleclaw added. "Without one they're much too vulnerable."
Hawkfrost nodded. "Exactly. MudClan just wasn't very well thought out." He smiled at Brambleclaw. "Now, if you and I started our own Clan, we would do things the right way. We would become powerful enough to take over all four Clans!" he mewed jokingly.
Brambleclaw couldn't help but mrrow with laughter at this suggestion. "I'm sure we would." He then dipped his head politely to his half-brother. "It's been good talking to you, Hawkfrost. I hope we'll see each other more at future Gatherings."
Hawkfrost returned his gesture. "I'm sure we'll see a lot more of each other."
Brambleclaw bid goodbye to Mothwing and Tawnypelt as well, and then padded over to sit beside Squirrelflight as the four leaders prepared to start the Gathering. The bright orange cat was now sitting by herself, staring in the direction from which Brambleclaw had just come with her eyes narrowed and a distrustful look on her face.
Brambleclaw followed her gaze to none other than Hawkfrost, who was now talking with another RiverClan cat.
"Why are you staring at him like that?" he asked, immediately taking offense. The tabby tom didn't like the look of mistrust that he saw in her eyes.
Squirrelflight frowned, a puzzled look on her face. "I don't trust him," Squirrelflight mewed. "And I thought you didn't either. Didn't we agree that he seemed too hungry for power?"
"That was before I knew him," Brambleclaw replied haughtily. "But now I've realized that he's very nice once you get to know him, and he's also my brother. So don't judge him before you know him, will you? There's nothing wrong with him."
"I'm not saying that there is," Squirrelflight retorted, flinching at Brambleclaw's harsh words. "You don't have to get so defensive." She stared at the ground, looking hurt.
Brambleclaw immediately felt guilty. "Squirrelflight, I didn't mean…"
Squirrelflight shook her head, her hurt expression clearing. "Forget about it."
Suddenly the loud rumble of cats thundering across the ground caused all of the Clans to fall silent. Every cat whipped around simultaneously to try to glance the source of the noise, and a shiver of shock shot down Brambleclaw's spine as he realized that MudClan was racing across the ground toward their Gathering. Without thinking he immediately leapt to his feet, teeth bared and claws unsheathed. Assuming there was going to be battle, Brambleclaw prepared himself to attack. However, it was then that he realized that Mudclaw and his followers were beginning to slow down as they reached the large group of cats, rather than speeding up to launch themselves at the four Clans. The gleam of battle was not present in their eyes, their hackles were not raised, and their claws were sheathed. They were not racing across the grassland to attack the cats at the Gathering - from the way it looked they were simply coming to attend it.
Brambleclaw hastily sheathed his claws and let his fur lie flat – he didn't want to appear hostile if MudClan meant them no harm. He was, however, not the only cat that had jumped up in alarm; all around him cats from every Clan were on their feet and ready to fight. They soon saw that there was no visible threat, though, and most sat back down again, looking sheepish. However, the large majority of WindClan cats remained standing, still defensive. They remained like this even as the MudClan cats came to a stop in front of them, their tails held high in the air in a message of peace.
It was this peaceful gesture that surprised Brambleclaw. Although he didn't expect MudClan to try to attack any of the Clans directly, he certainly didn't expect them to act this friendly, much less even come to the Gathering. He felt that attending was a very big risk, considering how hostile each of the Clans felt toward Mudclaw and his followers at the moment. However, Brambleclaw did remind himself that the Gathering was supposed to be a time of peace, and most likely no cat would dare stir up trouble while StarClan was watching them.
Mudclaw did not seem bothered by WindClan and the other Clan's reaction to their appearance. He too must have known that no cat would try to hurt them while they were under a full moon. He hardly even looked at Onewhisker or the other WindClan cats' direction, but instead walked past them without making eye contact. He did not do this as a rude or shameful gesture, but rather a polite, quiet one. Overall, Mudclaw seemed to be doing everything he could to make himself not appear as a threat.
At this point the standing WindClan cats had no choice but to accept the fact that MudClan posed no danger toward them. They sat back down, and although they let their fur lie flat, none of them lost the gleam of anger and distrust they held in their eyes.
Even though the other Clans did not dislike MudClan as much as WindClan did, Brambleclaw could still feel the tension crackle in the air as Mudclaw passed through them. The rows of cats on either side of him slid back to let him pass like waves being pulled by the ocean. Everyone watched him suspiciously, wondering what his motives were for coming to this Gathering and what he was planning to do there.
Mudclaw padded up the path that had opened in the middle of the four Clans and then walked over to where Firestar, Leopardstar, Blackstar, and Onewhisker were sitting on a small hill in the grass. He nodded respectfully to each one of them and then sat down beside them. The other members of MudClan followed his lead and settled themselves next to the other Clans.
A moment of silence followed this proceeding as every cat tried to make sense of what exactly was happening, but then Blackstar cleared his throat loudly and the Gathering suddenly began.
"Well," Blackstar started, throwing an uneasy glance toward Mudclaw, "today ShadowClan has some good news to report. Smokepaw has recently become a warrior and is now Smokefur."
He paused to let the mews of congratulations float up into the air. The small, smoke-colored tom beamed with pride as his accomplishment was recognized.
"Other than that, there is not much to say. Luckily, the prey is running well and there have been no Twoleg sightings on our territory at this point."
"ThunderClan also has new warriors," Firestar mewed as soon as Blackstar had finished speaking. "Both Squirrelpaw and Spiderpaw are now Squirrelflight and Spiderleg."
Squirrelflight glowed with pride beside him. Various meows of, "Congratulations, Squirrelflight!" and "Great job, Spiderleg!" were chorused around them.
"The prey is also running well in ThunderClan. We are having no problems in our new territory and are as strong as ever."
Firestar was wise to emphasize the strength of their Clan, especially since Mudclaw was there. It would make his and all the other Clans think twice before trying to provoke or attack them.
At that point Leopardstar stated that her Clan was doing fine, as did Onewhisker. He made no mention of MudClan, their threats, or even the fact that WindClan was now six cats shorter. He only mewed quickly that Tallstar had passed on to StarClan and that he was now the new leader of the Clan, although Brambleclaw doubted that any cat did not already know that.
At this point all of the Clan leaders except for Mudclaw had shared their news. A heavy silence fell over the clearing as every pair of eyes turned to Mudclaw, waiting.
The brown tom cleared his throat, his gaze resting upon the crowd of cats for a moment. "The prey," he began, with a cool confidence in his voice, "is also running well in MudClan. We have found a camp in the hills beyond WindClan's territory, and have marked our territory accordingly. Any cat that trespasses will be severely punished."
He paused to let the words sink in. Brambleclaw found them to be quite ironic, since Mudclaw had implied that he was planning on invading WindClan's territory sometime in the future.
I have appointed Ashfoot as my deputy. MudClan is getting stronger every day, but we still need more warriors, and a medicine cat. Because of this, we would like to offer any cat that is willing, no matter what Clan, a place inside of our Clan."
Brambleclaw watched as the eyes of all four leaders widened in shock. So that was the reason Mudclaw had come to the Gathering – he was trying to get more cats to join his Clan! But to try to not only persuade WindClan cats to join him but also the cats of the other Clans was not a wise choice, at least not to Brambleclaw. He knew that no ThunderClan cat would accept his offer, and he didn't think anyone else would either.
"What?" Squirrelflight whispered beside him, also in shock. "He's asking us to join his Clan?"
She wasn't the only one who had taken offense to this offer. Angry whispers broke out in the entire group of cats, all wondering why Mudclaw would think that they would want to join his Clan.
"Yeah right!" Cloudtail mocked arrogantly from where he was sitting beside Brightheart, despite her hushed mew of warning. "Like any of us would want to join your Clan! We all know you're just a bunch of stupid, greedy furballs!"
A low growl escaped the throat of an apparent MudClan cat Brambleclaw didn't recognize.
"Look who's talking! What do you know, kittypet?"
Anger flashed red-hot through Cloudtail's eyes. Before anyone could stop him he threw himself at the sneering MudClan cat with a howl of fury. Landing on the tom's back, Cloudtail ripped his claws down his side, causing the MudClan cat to screech with pain. In revenge he whipped around and sank his teeth straight into the ThunderClan cat's tail.
As soon as two more MudClan cats leaped to the first's defense, Dustpelt and Thornclaw jumped in to help Cloudtail, and suddenly, right before their eyes, a battle had started at the Gathering.
"Stop!" cried Firestar angrily. "All of you stop!"
Cloudtail, Dustpelt, and Thornclaw all backed away hastily from their opponents, looking ashamed. Luckily, none of them seemed seriously hurt – Cloudtail's tail was bleeding, and Thornclaw had torn a claw, but other that that they were fine.
The MudClan cats hadn't gotten away unscathed either – one's ear was torn, and the other two had large scratches up their side.
"You should be ashamed of yourselves," Firestar mewed, his voice cold with disappointment, as if he were reprimanding a young apprentice for sneaking out of camp. All of you – especially my warriors – should know better than to start a fight at a Gathering!" Firestar turned to glare at Cloudtail, who couldn't hide his smug expression as he appraised the MudClan cats' injuries. "This is a time of peace, and StarClan is watching over us!"
"But are they?" Mistyfoot interrupted nervously. "Look – the moon is still clear! If StarClan was watching, they would have covered the moon with clouds to stop the fight!"
Meows of alarm rippled through the cats. Mistyfoot was right – the full moon was still shining brightly, and there were no clouds in sight. Did this mean that StarClan did not care about the fight, or even the fact that a fifth Clan had been added? Or were they not there to watch over the Gathering at all? Brambleclaw found himself questioning yet again whether or not StarClan had followed them to their new home by the lake. He glanced over at Leafpaw, who was sitting on the other side of Squirrelflight, to see what her reaction was. The look on her face told him that she was also questioning this although she did not want to.
Once everyone had calmed down, Blackstar began to speak. "Even if StarClan is not watching us, I'm sure that does not mean that they are not with us. They too need time to adjust to their new home. Now, we might as well get on with the Gathering. The six cats can be punished further as their Clan leader sees fit. As Mudclaw has asked, would anyone like to join MudClan?"
The cats of the four Clans shook their heads silently, without anyone else objecting out loud. Both the fight between the ThunderClan and MudClan cats and the lack of StarClan's interference seemed to have captured their voices.
Mudclaw stiffened slightly at the news that no cat wanted to join his Clan, but still held nothing but a quiet calmness in his expression. Although Brambleclaw thought for a moment he saw a spark of anger ignite in the brown tom's eyes, it was gone before he could be sure that it was ever really there. "Very well," he mewed. "I guess none of you will be welcomed into MudClan tonight, but perhaps with time the thought of joining us will become more appealing. I'll make sure to ask again at the next Gathering and will give you time in the present to think it over."
Blackstar nodded, masking his expression of doubt with a look of feigned agreement. "And I guess that wraps up tonight's Gathering." He turned to the other leaders. "We agree to meet here once again next moon?"
The four other leaders nodded in agreement, and with that each one, including Mudclaw, leaped down to join their Clan and lead them quietly back to their camp.
Thanks for reading Chapter Nine! Now, pleaseplease click that pretty button beneath this and review my story! Please guys, it'd be a great Christmas present for me :)
