Memorable Battles

by Amasis Isis-Ra

Here is another field guide to The Chronicles of the Messengers series. In this book, the reader gets to see all of the famous battles that the Clans fought over the seasons. The reader also gets to learn more about each of the six great Clans.

37. The Gathering

The Gathering

Pounceheart: What have we here? HouseCats at a Gathering? Ah, Nightstar, they're with you. That's all right then, I suppose. Make yourselves comfortable – no, not there! That's Fallowwind's favorite spot. Come sit beside me on this log. My name is Pounceheart; Fallowwind and I are from WaterfallClan. Over there are Clovernight, Breezetail, and Needlenose of LeafClan. Don't take any notice of them; they're always making faces. I could outrun them when we were Warriors, so they don't scare me. Yes, I could Breezetail! The black tom is Ravenclaw of LightClan. I haven't seen him at Gatherings for many moons, poor old thing. His Denmate, Longnight, died last moon when a tree fell into the camp. Treat him gently, if you speak to him. The bitter scent that clings to him is grief.

You want to know the last battle that I fought in? It was when all six Clans met in SunClan's territory. Not a proud time for any of us. Did you hear how HeavenClan stopped it? They made the sun disappear! Terrible, very terrible indeed. We thought the world was coming to an end. Even after the sun came back, we were scared for a long time that it would vanish again. If you can't trust the sun to be in the sky, what can you trust?

But not all of that battle was shameful. Fallowwind will tell you the story if you ask him nicely enough. He was pretty much the only cat who brought honor to WaterfallClan that day…

Ah, I see Moonwhisper is here tonight. You see that thin she-cat under the thorn tree? She has a tale that will haunt your dreams, if you dare to listen. I've heard from her Clanmates that her sleep is haunted, and she wake shrieking about rivers of blood and the taste of enemy fur in her mouth. She has seen too many battles alongside Thundernight I fear.

But not all of our battles were against the other Clans, you know. We united more than once against a common enemy – there was even a time back at the lake when wolves caused so much trouble, that it took all six Clans to drive them out. Maybe Brackenfur will tell you more about that later. Listen well, young HouseCats. The history of our Clans is alive around you, preserved in the memories of every cat.