Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long, guys! I just had finals week and school and didn't have any time to work on the Last Star. I appreciate your patience, and all of your kind reviews and feedback! Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Lionpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Lionsky. StarClan honors your courage and your wisdom, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan."
"Lionsky! Lionsky!" The Clan chanted the name of their newest warrior, and the mottled tom flicked his tail modestly. Briarpaw did her best to cheer for her friend, but her mind was still on the events of the patrol.
As soon as they had arrived back, they had found Lionpaw had returned and passed his assessment, and the Clan was waiting for their patrol to return before they started the naming ceremony. Not wanting to disrupt Lionpaw's big moment, Doespring and Palefire had met briefly with Tawnystar and told him what had happened, while Spotfur had discreetly limped off to Mossfoot's den, before continuing with the ceremony. He would have to tell the Clan soon, however. She could practically feel the curiosity pricking the pelts of her Clanmates.
Lionsky pushed his way through the throng of cats towards her, Smolderpaw following close behind.
"Congratulations!" she purred. "Lionsky's a great name!"
Lionsky acted as if she hadn't even spoken. "Briarpaw, what's going on?"
"What?"
"You know what I'm talking about. What happened on that patrol? Spotfur was badly hurt! You don't get that kind of injury on an ordinary hunting patrol."
"And don't think we didn't see Doespring and Palefire heading off to converse with Tawnystar in his den," Smolderpaw chimed.
"It can wait," she pushed. "You're what's important right now."
Lionsky ignored the comment. "It was something big, wasn't it?"
She shuffled her paws. "I really don't know how much I should be saying, Tawnystar should be the one to decide what to tell the Clan."
Apparently this was the wrong thing to say, as the two toms exchanged apprehensive glances. "It had something to do with the sheep, didn't it?" Smolderpaw leaned forward, sniffing her pelt. "Are you ok?" He recoiled as he spotted the scratches. "You're bleeding!"
She shied away. "I'm fine! It's just a scratch!"
"Briarpaw! What happened!?"
Smolderpaw dropped into a crouch, baring his teeth. "Who hurt you?"
"Look, I don't know what Tawnystar is planning on telling us," Lionsky meowed, "but we deserve the truth." He paused, meeting her eyes. "You can trust us."
"It… it was the sheep. The dogs." Her voice breaking, she pushed forward, burying her head in the pelts of the two toms. Her voice was a hoarse whisper. "It's getting worse."
Smolderpaw pushed closer to her, his pelt bristling protectively, while Lionsky stared blankly ahead. "How much more of this can we take?"
…
Briarpaw pushed through the bushes, Smolderpaw and Ripplepool at her sides, Lionsky and Duskpaw speaking in low whispers a few paces behind them.
She felt butterflies in her stomach. Thistlevine's death had occurred only a couple days after the last Gathering, so this would be the first one they attended without him. Normally, the information would've been leaked by then, by passing border patrols, but ever since the twolegs had killed Thistlevine, border patrols had been more rushed and had taken place at less active times of the day. She wondered if Mossfoot had told the other medicine cats at the half-moon meeting. Looking around, she saw the other Clans shooting surprised looks as Mintfur as he walked towards the great oak tree with Tawnystar and Mossfoot. If she had told her fellow medicine cats, they obviously hadn't passed the information on to their Clanmates.
Glancing around the clearing again, she realized that Mintfur wasn't the only one collecting stares. The RiverClan cats had distanced themselves from the rest of the Clans and were shooting the WindClan cats hostile looks as they pushed their way into the clearing.
What's going on? What did we do to them? She exchanged a glance with Ripplepool and Smolderpaw. Smolderpaw shrugged, and Ripplepool shook his head, looking bewildered. Forcing herself to look past the confrontational RiverClan cats, she glanced at the ThunderClan and ShadowClan cats, hoping to pick up some hints from them, that perhaps RiverClan had shared the reasons for their sudden animosity at WindClan with them, but the other Clans looked just as baffled at the tension sparking between the RiverClan and WindClan cats.
As the cats uneasily settled into place, the leaders made their way towards the oak tree. Mudstar was already hauling himself up, his dark, almost black pelt blending into the bark of the tree. Tawnystar began to follow, but Shellstar made a point of brushing past him. Tawnystar shot a questioning glance at the tan and white tabby, but RiverClan's leader refused to even look at him, and he fell back, letting her take the lead. Smokestar trailed behind, keeping his distance from the RiverClan and WindClan leaders.
As Mintfur approached the tree, he gazed tentatively at where Snowleaf, Sandfur, and Juniperclaw sat atop the roots, and Briarpaw felt a pang in her chest as she realized that never again would Thistlevine sit among them. Evidently, Mintfur was thinking the same thing, as when he climbed up beside the other deputies, he gazed down at his paws sadly. Mossfoot was solemn too, walking over to the other medicine cats and touching noses with them with a worried look on her face.
The crowd silenced as they waited for their leaders to speak, although there had been much less chatting than normal for a Gathering, and the clearing had been quite quiet already.
Tawnystar and the others glanced expectantly at Shellstar, guessing that she would want to speak first after the way she and her Clan had addressed WindClan, but she remained silent, her eyes narrowed and her tail tucked tightly over her paws, the tip twitching.
The air crackled with tension as Tawnystar, Mudstar, and Smokestar glanced at each other. Finally, Mudstar cleared his throat, getting to his paws. "This…. this season has been good to ShadowClan." The young leader's voice was anxious as he glanced back at Shellstar, as if he expected her to attack him at any moment. "Prey is running, and our Clan is thriving. Lakepelt has moved into the nursery and is expecting Thrushtail's kits, and Ferretpaw and Acornpaw have been apprenticed to Fidgetfoot and Thornear. Twoleg activity has picked up along the lakeshore and ThunderClan border, as it does every greenleaf, but it's nothing we can't handle." He sat down quickly, unable to resist another glance back at Shellstar. She barely acknowledged he had spoken, just continued to glower at Tawnystar.
Smokestar went next, and although he was much more confident than ShadowClan's leader, it was obvious that Shellstar was putting him on edge too. They all were uneasy- it was unsettling to see the hostile side of the usually kind leader. Briarpaw hadn't realized how intimidating she could be.
"ThunderClan has been faring well also. We chased off a couple of foxes without too much trouble-"
At this, he was interrupted by a sharp hiss from Shellstar. He jumped slightly, looking back at the leader, but apparently that had been all she had wanted to contribute, as she fell silent again. Hesitating for a moment, Smokestar continued on. "Our young warrior Pebblenose just recently surprised us with the news that she is expecting Hawkflight's kits."
There were purrs from the crowd, and Briarpaw craned her neck to see a young tortoiseshell she-cat sitting amongst the ThunderClan warriors, a dark brown tabby tom standing proudly next to her. The she-cat wrapped her tail around her belly protectively, although it was hard to tell she was expecting. She must have just found out about it recently.
As Tawnystar got to his paws, he took a deep breath, and Briarpaw felt a pang of pity for him. It must have been difficult, deciding what to tell the other Clan's about WindClan's predicament- and Shellstar's mysterious hostility wasn't making things any easier.
"In the earliest days of the Clans, StarClan instructed us to hold Gatherings so that we may peacefully share our triumphs and our struggles with one another. I wish to honor this commitment, so I will not lie to you now- the last moon has been difficult on WindClan. We've faced threats unlike any we have experienced before-"
Finally, Shellstar broke her silence, leaping to her paws. "Like foxes?"
Yowls of support and anger came from the RiverClan warriors at their leader's outburst.
Tawnystar gazed at her, bewildered. "No. Foxes are one of the few threats we haven't had to worry about. We've hardly seen hide nor hair of them since the last attack on our camp."
"Because you drove them into our territory!" Shellstar hissed, her fur bristling so she looked twice her size. Briarpaw had never seen the RiverClan leader so mad. "Without so much as a warning! Nearly a dozen foxes, overwhelming our warriors, invading our territory! Three warriors have died over the past moon, Tawnystar! Three! And many more injured!"
Murmurs of shock broke out among the Clans, and the glares of the RiverClan cats seemed to grow even more intense, so that Briarpaw felt as if her pelt was smoldering from the heat.
"I'm really sorry to hear that, Shellstar. I can't imagine how hard that must have been for you and your Clan. But I assure you, WindClan is not responsible for the foxes intruding in your territory. We drove many of them out of our camp over a moon ago, but that is all. We haven't chased any over your border.
"Well, someone did. Those foxes haven't so much as touched our territory for as long as I've been alive. They've always lurked on the fringes of the moor, close enough to the Twolegplace to scavenge off their scraps, but far enough to avoid contact with them. They wouldn't just leave now. And as far as I know, there's no secret Clan hiding in your territory. If you're going to blame this on someone else, so be it, but your Clan has the responsibility to drive intruders off your territory. You're not sheltering anyone, are you Tawnystar?"
Tawnystar bristled. "Never! WindClan has been nothing but respectful towards you for moons, how dare you accuse us of such things?"
Yowls of agreement sounded from the WindClan cats, and Briarpaw caught sight of a few cats unsheathing their claws. She glanced worridley up at the moon. The truce couldn't be broken! It couldn't!
"You want to know what has driven the foxes into your territory?" Tawnystar spat. "Fine! It was twolegs! They have come to the Horseplace, and invaded our territory with their vile sheep! They have brought dogs to chase us off our own hunting lands and have brought deadly weapons to attack us with! Why do you think we have a new deputy tonight, or haven't you noticed?"
Shocked whimpers and cries from the ThunderClan and ShadowClan cats spread throughout the clearing. Even some of the RiverClan cats glanced at each other uncertainly.
A few of her Clanmates exchanged nervous glances, and she guessed they were surprised at how much information Tawnystar had given away. It had gotten to a point where he had to say something, it was too serious of a problem to keep quiet. And Thistlevine, although being one of the older warriors, had still been fit and healthy. Tawnystar had needed to explain his death somehow. Yet she understood why some of her Clanmates would be worried that he had given away a little too much- ThunderClan had good intentions and rarely took advantage of other Clans, especially in times of plenty like greenleaf, and her Clan was fortunate enough not to share a border with ShadowClan, but she wouldn't put it past RiverClan to exploit this newfound weakness, especially after their sudden grudge with WindClan.
But perhaps it was just better to tell the truth. They couldn't hide it forever, and if things got much worse, they might have to turn to the other Clans for help. She knew her Clanmates would react poorly to the notion, but Tawnystar would have no choice if it could save lives.
Shellstar's nose twitched. "Twolegs? That's nonsense, they never go far from the Horseplace. And I'd hardly think them capable of killing a cat. Any warrior with common sense would stay well away."
Tawnystar bolted upright, so quickly that the branch swayed. Around her, she could hear her Clanmates yowling furiously at the RiverClan leader.
"How dare you speak that way about him!" Tawnystar's eyes were alight with something that made Briarpaw cower to the ground, her pelt prickling, even though she knew the anger wasn't directed towards her. He dug his claws into the branch beneath him, and if they hadn't been in a tree, Briarpaw doubted he would've been able to restrain himself from leaping at her. "Thistlevine was a noble deputy! He only wanted to honor his Clan! Not that you know anything about that."
Shellstar shrieked, lunging forward, and Tawnystar scrambled backwards, unbalancing the RiverClan leader. As she fell, she whacked Tawnystar in the flank, sending the leader tumbling down after her. The deputies scrambled out of the way as the two leaders hit the ground. Mudstar, who had been the closest to the other leaders, dug in his claws as the branch swayed beneath him, his ears flattened. Smokestar let out a low hiss, his eyes wide.
Brackenflower took a pace forward, her tail twitching nervously. She let out a breath as both leaders got to their paws, unharmed by the fall.
Briarpaw didn't relax so easily, though. She felt her heart pounding, half expecting the leaders to start fighting. She didn't think of Tawnystar or Shellstar as being cats who would dare to break the truce, yet both had fury written in their eyes.
Even so, they seemed to realize that breaking the truce would be a step too far, and both backed down, glaring at each other.
"I will not break StarClan's truce, Shellstar, but I will also not sit around while you mock the memory of my honorable deputy."
Shellstar shifted her paws slightly, looking uncomfortable for the first time. But her pride prevented her from backing down. "And I refuse to sit here and let you get away with passing over my Clan's suffering and giving all the blame to the twolegs!"
"I will not take the blame for something my Clan or I did not commit! Come on, WindClan, we're leaving." Not even hesitating, he bounded past the leader, Mintfur hurrying after him. Mossfoot hovered by the sides of her fellow medicine cats, uncertainty shadowing her eyes.
"Mossfoot!" Tawnystar called sharply, and, with a last glance over her shoulder, the tan and brown she-cat hurried towards him.
Her Clanmates began to stream after him, some turning quickly and sharply, with pointed glances at the RiverClan cats, while others followed more slowly. Briarpaw glanced back at the clearing, where the other Clans watched them leave, ThunderClan and ShadowClan with shock and pity, and the RiverClan cats with guarded or aggressive gazes.
Can we really just leave like this? Before the Gathering is over? She glanced up at the moon. A gauzy cloud formed a film over it, but its light still shone down brightly, illuminating the clearing. In any case, she could hardly disobey Tawnystar, his orders had been clear. Turning, she followed her Clanmates towards the tree bridge.
As they made their way, they passed through the throng of RiverClan cats. The tension between the Clans was so thick she could've cut through it with her claws. She held her breath, half expecting the warriors to leap at each other, but although pelts bristled all around her, the WindClan cats kept moving forward.
She tried to keep her eyes forward, focusing on her Clanmates, but she couldn't resist a glance up as she caught a blur of gray at the edge of her vision.
"Mistypaw!"
The young she-cat glanced away, avoiding her gaze.
"Look, Mistypaw- you don't really believe everything Shellstar says, do you? We didn't chase the foxes on your territory!"
Mistypaw finally looked up, her ears flattened against her head. "They killed my mentor, Briarpaw! Driftleaf was killed while defending me from a fox!"
Briarpaw blinked at her, speechless. "I… I'm so sorry, Mistypaw. I had no idea."
Mistypaw looked down, shaking her head. "Look, Briarpaw- I can't honestly believe this whole ordeal is your fault. And I'm sorry about Thistlevine- and everything else your Clan is going through… but maybe it's best if we just don't talk for a while."
"Mistypaw, please…"
"I'm not mad at you, Briarpaw. I just need a little time to myself to figure things out." And before Briarpaw could protest, she was gone.
Oh, Mistypaw. I'm so sorry. She remembered the bouncy, naive attitude her friend had expressed at previous Gatherings and it was rather startling to see how much had changed so fast. What's going to happen to us?
What's going to happen to our Clans?
Just when I think things can't possibly get any worse, they do. Oh, StarClan, what next?