Chapter 23
Excitement tingled in Bramblestar's paw pads as he pushed his way through the undergrowth.
Tonight was another Gathering, and for once, Bramblestar was actually excited about it. Glancing back at his Clan mates, he could tell they were too.
However, as soon as he entered the clearing, his excitement faded.
The other Clans seemed to have a scared look on their faces as they stared at the ThunderClan cats.
"Good evening," he mewed as he walked past a group of RiverClan warriors.
In return, the RiverClan warriors just stared at him funny, causing Bramblestar to grow uncomfortable. "Well... all right then. It was nice talking to you?"
Not wanting to embarrass himself any further, Bramblestar hurried over to the oak tree where the other leaders were waiting. Once he had climbed high enough, he took a seat beside Rowanstar, who didn't even bother to look at him.
"I'm afraid ShadowClan has devastating news this moon," the ShadowClan leader began. "Pinekit was unfortunately taken by an owl."
Several gasps broke out from the cats below.
"...and one of our warriors, Scorchfur, was killed by group of foxes." Rowanstar took a step back and didn't say anything else. Bramblestar could tell that announcing these horrific events must have been painful for Rowanstar.
"You go next," Whitestar whispered from the branch above Bramblestar.
Bramblestar glanced up at her, and nodded his head in thanks. Standing up he mewed, "ThunderClan has five new warriors this moon: Lilyheart, Seedwhisker, Snowfeather, Dewfrost and Amber-" Bramblestar paused, feeling an angry gaze burn into his fur. He gingerly looked over to see Rowanstar glaring at him, "claw. We also have some sad news this moon: While out on a patrol, a group of foxes attacked our warriors. Dovewing was wounded in the attack, but fortunately she survived. Leafpool and Jayfeather are keeping a close eye on her and are doing everything they can to keep her alive."
Mistystar spoke next. "RiverClan has lost two cats as well. While it was expected, Pebblefoot has passed away due to old age. We mourn him deeply, and we honor him for everything he has done for us. One of our apprentices has also gone missing this past moon. We do not know what happened to Havenpaw, but we assume she has been taken by Twolegs. We have had extra patrols out for the past half-moon, but there has been no luck finding her or a body." Mistystar stepped back for Whitestar to speak.
"This can't go on any longer," Whitestar murmured, just loud enough for the other leaders to hear her.
"This can't go on any longer," Whitestar repeated, this time loud enough for all the assembled cats to hear. "For the past couple of moons, we have been losing cats left and right. If something isn't done about this, we will only continue to lose more. My greatest fear is that come new-leaf of next year, there will be no more Clans."
"Perhaps we should have listened to Kestrelflight's vision after all," Rowanstar commented. His green eyes were filled with worry as he looked over at the other leaders.
"Willowshine received the same vision," Mistystar admitted.
"So did Leafpool," Bramblestar mewed.
"Now I'm convinced that vision had to mean something! StarClan wouldn't have sent it to all four Clans if it weren't important. Perhaps we do need to leave the lake and find this 'SkyClan'?" Mistystar looked at the other leaders and waited for them to respond.
"SkyClan will be so far away though," Bramblestar argued.
"The lake was far away from the old forest, but that didn't stop us from leaving. Look, Bramblestar. We need to leave as soon as we possibly can. Like Whitestar said, if we stay here any longer, we will just lose more and more warriors." Mistystar stared into his eyes.
Bramblestar glanced at Rowanstar, hoping he would say something. To his surprise, Rowanstar just stayed silent.
Maybe Mistystar is right... maybe we should leave after all. "All right," he finally mewed. "ThunderClan will leave."
"Let all cats gather for a Clan meeting!" Bramblestar yowled. His stomach churned nervously as he waited for every ThunderClan cat to assemble. How am I going to say this? And what if they don't want to leave?
"As you all know, these are perilous times for ThunderClan - for all the Clans. The other leaders and I have decided that if something is not done about this, the Clans will end up being wiped out. So..." he took a deep breath, "we have decided that in three sunrises, all four Clans will be leaving the lake in search of another home."
"What? Are you mouse-brained? We can't leave the lake," Berrynose argued, lashing his stubby tail.
"What about my kits? They will never make it on such a long and dangerous journey," Cinderheart whimpered.
"My bones are too old to carry me to a new home," Dustpelt grumbled.
Soon the entire hollow was filled with complaining cats.
Just as Bramblestar opened his mouth to address their worries, Ivypool yowled, "Bramblestar is right. We can't go on living like this. We're barely scraping by as it is... just imagine how things will be come the cold seasons! We would stand no chance whatsoever. Tell me, Cinderheart, would you rather leave the lake and go some place you know your kits would be safe, or force them to stay somewhere where they won't? Because if we stay here, your kits will not stand a chance through leaf-bare. None of us will."
The hollow grew silent at that harsh reality.
"She's right," Cherryfall whispered. "We will starve to death if we stay here... unless the foxes pick us off first."
Cinderheart looked over at Lionblaze, who was nodding. "What do you think, Lionblaze?"
"I think Bramblestar is right. I want our daughters to have a successful future, and I know they can't have that here. The journey to our new home will be dangerous, but in the end it will be worth it. Our kits will be safe, and that's the most important thing, right?" Lionblaze draped his tail over Cinderheart's shoulder, and gave her a comforting lick on the cheek.
"You're right," Cinderheart breathed.
When no other cats voiced their worries, Bramblestar yowled, "We will be leaving in three sunrises, so be prepared." He turned and padded into his den. With a sigh, he flopped down in his nest, hoping to get some sleep.
Right as he closed his eyes, Graystripe's voice sounded from the den entrance. "Bramblestar? Can I come in for a moment? I would like to have a word with you."
"Come in," Bramblestar yawned.
Graystripe shuffled into the den and took a seat a couple of spaces away from Bramblestar's nest. Suddenly he blurted, "Do you think... we could visit the Tribe one last time? I understand if we can't, but I would just like to see Stormfur. He's my son, and I would hate to never get to tell him goodbye."
"I imagine that we will travel through the mountains, but I will have a word with the other leaders just in case." Bramblestar smiled at Graystripe. I would like to say goodbye to the Tribe as well. They've helped us so much, and it would only be right if we stopped in for one last visit.
"Thank you, Bramblestar. You have no idea how much this means to me," Graystripe purred. Dipping his head, the elder backed out of the den, leaving Bramblestar alone once again.
The sun was just beginning to rise in the sky as the ThunderClan cats climbed the hills that made up WindClan's territory.
"I'm nervous," Squirrelflight whispered to Bramblestar.
He nodded. "I am too. It'll be worth it though." I hope.
"Do you know where we're going?" Squirrelflight wondered.
"We're going to travel back to the old forest, but after that I'm clueless. We will just have to let StarClan guide us." When he looked up, he could see the silhouettes of the other Clans up ahead.
When the ThunderClan cats had gotten close enough, Mistystar yowled out, "Greetings, Bramblestar!" The blue-gray leader ran up to him and touched noses with him.
"Greetings, Mistystar. Is every cat ready?" he glanced at all of the Clan cats and gasped. Their numbers were so small that it looked as though this were just one or two Clans assembled. We're lost more than half of our numbers.
"We are ready," Rowanstar meowed.
Bramblestar nodded. "Great. Shall we get going then?"
"Yes. The sooner the better!" Whitestar answered. The WindClan leader flicked her tail for the cats to start following her.
Bramblestar made up the back of the group. As the cats started to climb the last couple of hills, Bramblestar paused at the top. He reluctantly looked back at the lake and sighed. So many memories had been made at the lake, both good and bad. Despite everything that had happened though, Bramblestar was sad to be leaving. Goodbye.
The Clans have finally decided to leave... do you think they will be able to find SkyClan without any problems? Or do you think they will end up losing a cat or two on the way? Also, I meant to have this chapter up earlier, but I didn't have much time to write as I was busy. Also, don't worry. Tigerheart and Dovewing's relationship was only OOC in the last chapter due to the circumstances. Dovewing was very close to dying, so both cats were extremely scared and didn't know what to do. Their relationship is going to be more in character from later on. :)