Chapter 9

Flowerheart padded forward, her paws sticking to the cold pine needles shed by the light above her. Cold as night shift was, she could always stop and appreciate the cover going out at night gave her. During the day, like now, it was difficult to go around without feeling overly conspicuous. She had dark tabby fur. It wasn't as though that was easy to hide.

She bristled, thinking longingly of her warm nest. Last night she had done night post and now, she was on dawn patrol. Why couldn't she just lie down and sleep? It wasn't as though MoonClan didn't have enough warriors to spare. With all the new warriors joining the Clan, they should all be able to play their parts without pulling double shift.

It wasn't hard to see where the backbone of the Clan lay. She wasn't the only one pulling double duty. Sharpfang, Greenshade, Tanclaw, Lilypool and many of the senior warriors were also pulling more than their own weight. Good ole Cometflight, Twitchstep, and Blacktail weren't doing a whole lot to help the Clan. Even Darkclaw, who had begged to be an asset, was lazing about a good bit these days. She hissed inwardly. If she were leader none of these things would be happening.

Flowerheart stopped those thoughts right there. No matter how annoyed she felt with those new warriors, she couldn't criticize Jetstar's leadership. He was a good leader, and shouldn't be blamed for his warriors' failure to act.

Thinking about it, a lot of things had happened recently that Jetstar simply wasn't paying attention to. For instance, Cloverpaw and Roughpaw had both attained beautiful amounts of catmint, and nobody seemed to know from where they had gotten it from. In fact, he hardly ever came out of his den except for when Greenshade moved into the nursery expecting his kits, and he wanted to make sure her nest was perfect.

Several of the cats were upset now. The Clan felt a little hollow. The other Clans were hostile as ever, warriors from within were starting to slack in their duties, and an overall feeling of chaos boiled over the Clans. Something was very wrong. But Jetstar wasn't leading them. Without him, MoonClan felt a little less.

Another Gathering was approaching. Flowerheart didn't think she could take the pressure of going to this Gathering where all the other Clans would be staring at them as if they were Citylegs again. What she needed was some peace of mind. This was not something she would get with all the turmoil. And yet, that feeling of impending darkness would not lift. Somehow, she knew that the answer to her problems lay in the coming darkness, but she didn't know how.

The night of the Gathering came quickly. Nervous and tired, Flowerheart joined the crowd of cats going to the Gathering. Her eyes took in the cats lined up to go. They were bigger and stronger than many of the cats in StormClan, Flowerheart thought. Then there were others who were not bigger. In fact, some of them looked downright scrawny. Sapfur was an older warrior, looking to retire. Inkfrost was beginning to look more boney as well. Blacktooth seemed to have a permanent limp now, his fur clinging to his scrawny frame. Even Sharpfang, the deputy, was thinner than Flowerheart could remember him growing up.

Jetstar appeared in his den and gave a nod. Quietly, the Clan gathered and pounded out of camp.

Flowerheart brought up the rear as they crossed the small thunderpath, up the divide between HillClan and WaterClan territories and out of the forest. Up the hill they climbed until they got to the Circle Quad. There, horror met their eyes.

Smashstar, Silverstar, Sunstar, and Mistystar were already on the Flat Rock. The Clans were already gathered around, the medicine cats and deputies in their separate clumps. Flowerheart saw Rufflepelt and Daisypetal sitting close together intermittent with a few cats from WaterClan. They didn't even look at her when her Clan arrived.

Jetstar bristled, but padded calmly up to the Flat Rock and jumped up with the other Clan leaders. Flowerheart watched Blacktooth limp over to the other medicine cats, but sit a little ways back. Sharpfang didn't even approach the deputies.

"What is this?" Jetstar asked once he was with the other leaders. "Why have you started the Gathering without all Clans present?"

Silverstar opened her mouth to respond, looking decently regrettable, but Smashstar beat her to it. "In accordance with SoulClan, all Clans were present." Around her, Flowerheart felt her Clanmates bristling in anger and indignation. She herself felt frozen. "There are only supposed to be 4 Clans in the forest, not 5. At first. HillClan agreed that you could be because SoulClan had granted you nine lives and a leader's name. But all you have done since your formation was stir up trouble and steal land from both WaterClan and HillClan. You're not fulfilling any purpose to our forest."

Jetstar had never looked more furious. "And what purpose do you fill, any of you?"

Smashstar did not look abashed. "HillClan serves as the climbers of the forest. WaterClan are the swimmers, FireClan the runners, StormClan the fighters. We each round each other out. What does MoonClan possess?"

"We provide night hunting," Jetstar answered readily. "And hunting skills you've never before seen."

Flowerheart didn't know what made her say it. Maybe the smug look on Smashstar's face, perhaps? All she knew was that moment she was listening, and the next, she was talking. "And compassion. MoonClan provides a home for those who couldn't find it in their own Clan. And loyalty, to ourselves and each other." At her words, several hisses resounded. She tried very hard not to look at her littermates. "When we each left our homes, it was with a heavy heart and much grief. We did not want to leave everyone we had grown up with! But Jetstar promised a home to us that we simply didn't have in our various Clans. Our skills simply weren't that of our Clans, or any other for that matter!"

Her paws carried her forward until she stood at the center of the Circle Quad, something she'd never seen any cat do before unless they were very important.

"We understand why you're upset, and we're sorry that many of you were hurt, but we're not asking for your understanding. All we want is acceptance. How is it that I can't look at my siblings at a Gathering? Or talk to my old Clan leader? Or talk to anyone in any other Clan? How can you ignore the friendship we'd had in our old Clans? MoonClan does not mean to cause any of you harm. We just want the peace we couldn't find anywhere else but with each other."

To her surprise, there were various nods and friendly murmurings at her words. The Clans were listening! When she glanced over, she saw her siblings looking at each other with a sad look in their eyes. How had she done it? Was she really going to change their minds?

Now that she'd spoken, she felt drained. She couldn't go on. Jetstar picked up where she'd left off. "My warrior speaks wisely. Hear her words, my brethren, and believe them. We are not here to harm you."

Flowerheart padded to the edge of the Circle Quad as Jetstar stepped forward to speak. Before he could give his report, however, Smashstar cut him off.

"Be that as it may, there is only room for 4 Clans in the forest, not 5. SoulClan designed our forest the way it is for a reason. I understand that you guys are looking for your own peace, but you're upsetting the balance set down by generations before you." She looked at the other Clan leaders, none of which seemed willing to speak up but were nodding. Flowerheart felt rage in her heart when she saw Silverstar nodding along with them. What was wrong with her old Clan leader? How could even Silverstar not see the good in MoonClan?

Jetstar hissed as Smashstar's smug face looked right at his. "I think it best that you leave, Jetstar. We just don't have room for you up here."

The Clan leader looked around at all the warriors in at the Gathering and bared his teeth. "You want to challenge MoonClan? Fine. But don't think that we're leaving just because we can't come to Gatherings."

With that, he leapt down from the Flat Rock and called his Clan to him with a roar befitting the ancients. Flowerheart raced to join him, not daring to look back at the old Clans she had once thought of as friends.

Flowerheart and Tanclaw sat together at the edge of the Clan, waiting for Jetstar, Blacktooth, and Sharpfang to emerge from Jetstar's den. Never before had they looked so furious. In their eyes was an anger Flowerheart hoped to never in her life feel. While a good many of her Clanmates around her were definitely angry, she herself did not feel anger. She felt a sort of sadness, hollowness, that caused her heart much pain. What on earth could possess the other Clans to treat them this way? And a bigger question that nagged at her paws: What if they were right? What if MoonClan simply didn't belong in the forest with the other Clans?

She could not voice this out loud at the moment. The Clan was not ready to hear it. But the nagging continued. If MoonClan could find a home outside the forest, perhaps it would be best to live there instead. After all, cats before had left the forest and found homes. Thinking of this brought the image of her mother to her mind. Moonshade had found a home in CityClan, well away from her Clanmates in StormClan. If se could do it, so could they.

Right then, Jetstar appeared in his den. Behind him followed Sharpfang and Blacktooth. To her surprise, Blacktooth started the meeting.

"MoonClan! We have been shamed and shamed again. Our own families have rebelled against us and are trying to drive us out! We have talked it over and mulled about it, and decided to consult SoulClan! In the meantime, I am announcing that my apprentice, Crystalpaw, will be made into a full medicine cat tonight at the Light Camp, and I will be retiring in the eyes of SoulClan."

There were surprised murmurs and a few cheers, but no real ease. No one felt the justice.

Jetstar took over. "In the meantime, to keep our strength, I have decided to name a new deputy. Sharpfang agreed that his time has come to retire." His red eyes, strange but powerful, seemed to flicker in the sunlight. "Sharpfang, you have served as deputy very well since the beginning. I hope you rest peacefully in the elder's den."

Sharpfang dipped his head as the Clan cheered. "Thank you."

Jetstar looked up and continued. "In the name of SoulClan, I name the new deputy- a strong, passionate warrior who will keep the Clan standing in the hardest time- Flowerheart."

"Me?" Flowerheart whispered, feeling suddenly as if she'd been hooked and dragged. What was going on? Why in the name of SoulClan would Jetstar have picked her? It must have been her speech at the Circle Quad. But that had been a fluke! She had literally spoken without thinking, and it could have gone very wrong.

Around her her Clanmates were cheering. Tanclaw nudged her forward. She padded forward to stand on the ledge next to Jetstar. Her Clanmates were looking up with the same fire that Jetstar had.

"Now what?" Blizzardfoot called, looking scarier than ever before.

Jetstar smiled wickedly, not looking pleased at all but rather excited. It sent Flowerheart's fur on end. "Oh don't worry, I have a plan. But I'm going to need absolute loyalty from all of you."

Her Clanmates cheered, but Flowerheart only felt uneasy.