I look back on all the people I've seen come and go over the years who are into Warriors. I remember the first warrior cat youtube video I ever watched was either Darkkokiri's AMV Frontline or Allykatnya's AMV Bones Shatter. Jeez, that was in 2009 and I still have both songs on my iPod at five stars. It's the most precious things in our lives that we carry with us forever.
The joke of the week is: Did you hear about the cat who swallowed a ball of yarn? She had a litter of mittens!
Their patrol didn't run into any mishaps as it made its way through the forest. Jayfeather padded a few steps behind the elders making sure the older cats' breathing remained steady. He didn't know if Purdy had eaten his share of traveling herbs or not, but he seemed to be doing fine either way.
As Jayfeather slowly navigated his way after the other cats, he wondered what activities Onestar and the rest of WindClan had planned. Memories of the first time the Clans had joined for a celebration flashed through his head. He had stayed in camp that time, but after receiving an ominous sign that his brother was in trouble, he had raced to aid him. He had managed to get there just in time to save Lionblaze and Breezepelt, a WindClan cat, from a collapsed badger set. They were just apprentices then and they survived because of his actions. And a few moons later, Breezepelt tried to kill me at the Moonpool. Ungrateful little mouse-turd.
The gurgling of the stream interrupted Jayfeather's thoughts. They had reached the WindClan border. Squirrelflight led them to where the river was thinnest and they crossed one at a time.
As he stepped over onto the cool grass on the other side and flicked the water from his paws, he pricked his ears for any sound traveling across the moor. All he could hear was the wind and his Clanmates as they splashed across behind him carrying the kits over safely. The water was icy cold from all the melting snow so Jayfeather couldn't wait to be moving again so he could warm his freezing paws.
"Okay, down you go," mumbled Sandstorm through a mouthful of fur, placing a kit in the grass. Jayfeather could hear her heart thumping fast and a tiredness he had not noticed before clung to her pelt. She's one of the oldest cats left in all the Clans, but she is still strong. She will be with us for many more seasons.
He opened his mouth and tasted the air. He could detect the faint scents of the first patrol Bramblestar had lead ahead of them; they must already be at the WindClan camp. The WindClan scent markers were weak so it was clear they were trying to appear friendly and welcoming to the other Clans.
"Now remember what I told you back at camp," mewed Daisy to the kits as they scrambled away from the edge of the river. "There will be kits from every Clan so make some friends and behave yourselves. If you disgrace ThunderClan in front of the other Clans, I will personally make sure none of you ever become apprentices."
"We will!" the kits mewed in unison, terrified of the idea of never becoming warriors. Did they even know that Daisy's threat was just a bluff?
They headed off, Squirrelflight in the lead, across the moor. The sun wasn't at its peak yet but Jayfeather welcomed the warmth on the wind as it ruffled his fur. He kept his ears pricked the entire way. He had been on the moors several times in the past and of all the rival Clan territories, he felt like he could adapt to their land the easiest. He would never get used to the water of RiverClan and the strong sappy scents of ShadowClan's pine forest sometimes disoriented him.
"Welcome, ThunderClan!"
A cat was running through the tall grass towards the ThunderClan patrol and the smell of WindClan grew stronger. "All of the other Clans are already in the camp. Onestar sent me to fetch you."
Jayfeather recognized Crowfeather's voice as the warrior's paws pounded across the ground towards them. Jayfeather detected a small spark of emotion flash between the WindClan cat and Squirrelflight, but it was gone before he could analyze it more deeply. Did either of them share even the slightest bond of friendship anymore? There was a lot of history between them.
"Come on, we don't want to keep everyone waiting," Squirrelflight meowed.
The senior WindClan warrior guided the patrol of cats across the moor. It wasn't too long before they reached the WindClan camp, which wasn't much more than a dip in the ground dispersed with rocks and gorse bushes. "We were digging throughout all of yesterday to make the camp large enough for all four Clans to fit, so make yourselves comfortable."
Jayfeather heard cheering of cats of all ages as he approached the camp behind his Clanmates. The scents of all four Clans flooded his head and he suddenly felt lost among the different smells as he stepped down into the divot of earth. There were cats everywhere, sharing news and greeting each other with purrs and laughter. He realized there were many more cats here than any normal Gathering since it included almost every member of each Clan instead of just a paw-full of warriors, apprentices and elders.
His Clanmates scattered to join in the plethora of conversations that filled the camp. Purdy hobbled over to where some other elders sat and instantly broke into one of his signature tales as a young cat. Cherrypaw, Molepaw and Lilypaw found a group of other apprentices at the fresh kill pile, daring each other to eat some of the other Clans' kills like frogs and fish. The three ThunderClan kits and Daisy were escorted by some WindClan cat to the nursery where Jayfeather could hear more kits tussling and squeaking within.
"Now that all of ThunderClan is finally here, we may begin!"
Jayfeather turned towards the speaker. It was Onestar. The leader's strong confident cry reached over the heads of every cat- he must have been standing on a rock just like the leader's ledge in ThunderClan.
"WindClan welcomes you to join us in celebration of the defeat of the Dark Forest and a merciful leaf-bare!"
Many cheers greeted the WindClan leader's words, though Jayfeather could tell a few of them were a little nervous. It felt odd staying in another Clan's camp, and odder still when there were cats from all four Clans. But Jayfeather pushed aside his uncomfortable feelings and raised his voice in approval. An unfamiliar joy filled his chest that he hadn't felt in a long time. Maybe the Gathering won't be so boring after all.
Once the cheering had died down Onestar raised his voice again. "All the Clans have deposited their fresh kill by the warrior's den, so feel free to try anything. Also, in the nursery, Swallowtail and Heathertail have volunteered to plan activities for the kits for the day while we are out."
Jayfeather was impressed with how confident and friendly the old leader sounded. Onestar had once been hostile to ThunderClan but none of that hatred seeped into his voice now. It was as if the Dark Forest invasion had shown him who his real enemies were.
"I want each of you to have some time to get comfortable and make use of our large camp," Onestar continued. "If you have any questions where something is, feel free to ask a WindClan warrior"
"You didn't gather us all here just so we could gawk over how big your camp is now, did you?" came Blackstar's skeptical meow from among a group of ShadowClan cats. "What is the real reason you asked every Clan to come?"
A tiny flicker of anger flashed from the WindClan leader's pelt, but his voice remained calm. "I'm glad you asked, Blackstar. At sun-high, we will be splitting the Clans into two teams to compete in a mock battle across the moors. Every cat old enough to catch their own prey is welcome, and all claws will be sheathed. I will explain the rules when that time comes."
Bramblestar made his way to the front of the crowd and all eyes fell on him. "ThunderClan appreciates your hospitality, Onestar," he meowed loudly enough for every cat to hear; subtly warning Blackstar not to try and cause any problems. "Expect our full cooperation."
"Our ancestors will be pleased!" added Mistystar from somewhere among a group of RiverClan warriors.
Blackstar snorted, unimpressed, but he didn't say another word.
It sounded like the meeting was over, but Onestar suddenly cleared his throat again. "I have one more important announcement before we all disperse. I want to make a change to the Warrior Code."
"A change to the Code?"
"What's he talking about?"
"Can he do that?"
Jayfeather remained silent, every single hair in his body was riveted with curiosity. What kind of change did Onestar have in mind? The Warrior Code has served us well enough for many moons, what more could be added to it? But then he thought about the portion of the code that dealt with medicine cats. I guess there is always room for improvement.
Onestar leapt down from the high-rock and the other cats shuffled out of the way as he padded towards the center of the clearing. "There was a time, many moons ago, when my Clan was beaten- driven out- and without any hope that we would ever return home. I'm talking of course about when Brokenstar chased us out of our old territory long before we moved to the lake."
Curious mews and whispers broke out among the surrounding cats. Most cats had heard the stories of Brokenstar and the horrible things he had done, but only a few of the gathered cats had been alive at the time to witness it. Jayfeather could only think of a paw-full of cats who had been there; Onestar, Blackstar, Mistystar, and some of the other senior warriors and elders.
The WindClan leader waited for the murmuring to die down before speaking again. "When my Clan was driven out, we were sleeping in the muck and surrounded by twoleg monsters. I thought WindClan had been forsaken and destined to die alone. But one day, two Clan cats found us and gave us hope again. Fireheart and Graystripe of ThunderClan."
Many sets of eyes turned to look at Graystripe who stood proudly among a group of elders by the warrior's den.
"I vowed to never forget how these two young warriors from ThunderClan had brought us all home. But after I became leader, I tried to ignore the debt WindClan owed them."
"Get on with your story!" came Blackstar's impatient call.
Another flicker of anger erupted from the WindClan leader's pelt, but this time it ignited. "Blackstar, if I recall correctly, you were among the ShadowClan cats who drove us out. How dare you speak to me in contempt with the amount of cold blood on your paws."
The ShadowClan leader prickled with surprise at Onestar's sudden change of tone and only mumbled something Jayfeather couldn't hear.
"As I was saying," Onestar continued, trying to cool the fire that threatened to shake his meow, "I tried to forget how Fireheart and Graystripe had saved my Clan- saved all of our Clans on more than one occasion- because I was stubborn. But after Firestar lost his last life fighting against the Dark Forest, I couldn't forgive myself for never showing him the appreciation he deserved. That is why I called for this daylight Gathering and why I want the Warrior Code to include a daylight Gathering one moon after the end of every leaf-bare. The full-moon Gatherings are important, but it is too easy for us to enter as enemies and still leave as enemies."
More murmuring broke out among the cats as they discussed the proposition Onestar had made. A mandatory daylight Gathering?
"I think that's a great idea!" boomed Bramblestar's approving meow over the heads of the cats. The ThunderClan leader stepped out of the crowd until he stood in front of Onestar. "You make a strong point of how Clans can remain hostile even when they go to a Gathering because nothing is at stake and they can leave whenever they want. This daylight Gathering would help keep long lasting peace in a way no ordinary Gathering could."
"But sometimes peace isn't what the Clans need."
Jayfeather spun around. Mistystar was padding forward to stand with the other Clan leaders.
"I know seasons of peace are good for the Clans, but so is battle," the RiverClan leader meowed thoughtfully. "Without challenging one another, we can't stay strong and sharp."
"But that's what the competition of the daylight Gathering is for," Onestar countered. "We can keep honing our skills in honorable combat without risking loss of life. Maybe even in the future, we could settle disputes this way too."
Blackstar growled, shouldering his way to the front. "We aren't soft plush kittypets. Warriors become stronger through real claw-to-claw fighting. And what would stop real fights breaking out during a daylight Gathering?"
"I know I sound like a brute, but I have to agree with Blackstar on this," Mistystar meowed. "The Clans have always fought, and I don't see what a pretend battle can do to make us stronger. Especially in a time of war, a mock battle could easily turn turn bloody if the cats already hate each other and then are forced to pretend to fight."
Bramblestar stepped forward. "We all know what evil looks like- we've all seen what war can do. Nobody was made stronger when our loved ones were torn apart by the Dark Forest. No cat benefits when one Clan is chased away from its territory. We become more than we are now when we are at peace and I think it's time for a change in what it means to really be a warrior. Yes there will always be battles, but I want our kits, and their kits after them to live in a place where no matter what, we can join together and forget our differences for one day. That is what true warrior's strength looks like."
Mistystar let out a curious grunt but didn't say another word. Blackstar however didn't seem convinced.
"I don't need your decision right now," Onestar mewed before any other cat could speak. "After the mock battle at sun-high, you can decide for yourselves if you think this competition is real enough- or if it really is just for soft kittypets."
