Woah, I just realize in the original Jayfeather's Conclusion, Jayfeather met cats in the mountain at chapter 22 but took until chapter 28 in the new version. I really really REALLY like the newer version more. I can't get over how terrible the old one was... but I do kinda miss having the number one most followed and favorited Jayfeather story on all of FanFiction...
Mistlion nothing slips past you... it's like you are actually reading the rubbish I pump out, haha. Thank you sooo much for the review!
"Every able Pack cat to me now!"
Briarlight stiffened as Flora's screech echoed through the cave and cats dashed from the shadows to join their leader by the entrance. Fear scent tainted the air as the snarling cats crowded together, their damp pelts spiking in all direction as they puffed themselves up. Their silhouettes were like jagged mountain peaks against the dim light that shone from outside.
Briarlight wasn't sure what she should do. Did the Pack cats expect her to fight with them? She didn't want to upset them but she also couldn't fight the Tribe when they had been allies to the Clans for so long. Thankfully, Jayfeather hurried to her side and reassuringly pressed his pelt against hers.
"Stay calm and don't get involved," he told her. Though he spoke softly, there was an urgency in his voice that hinted things could go wrong very quickly. "The Tribe have probably been waiting a long time for a reason to attack the Pack and the stolen mice was just the excuse they needed to invade. Things are moving more quickly than I had hoped."
Briarlight didn't ask him what he was talking about because she feared if she tried to speak, all that would come out of her mouth was a squeak. Jayjay and Cash gathered close to them as a rumble of growls and hisses began outside. It sounded like a lot of angry Tribe cats had trekked through the rain to find them. Even Sol had woken up from his nap and lifted his head to glare in the direction of the noise.
Briarlight couldn't see much past the crowd of furious Pack cats that filled the gap between the stone walls. The fighting hadn't started yet and hopefully it wouldn't at all. She reached up to Jayfeather's ear. "Don't you want to do something about this?" she whispered hopefully, trying to keep her voice steady. "You are friends with the Tribe. Maybe you can speak with them and convince them to stop."
Jayfeather didn't speak, his blind gaze fixed on the other cats. For a moment she thought he would ignore her completely but then he spoke. "I doubt there's anything I could do to prevent it at this point. The Tribe and Pack have hated each for as long as they have known of each other's existence. But I can try," he added as she stared into his eyes.
"I'll come with you," she meowed. She flashed a warning glance at Jayjay and Cash, telling them to stay there. If a fight broke out between the Tribe and the Pack she didn't want her new friends to get involved. Once she was sure they wouldn't move, she followed Jayfeather towards the wall of Pack cats.
"You aren't welcome here!" rose Boulder's voice above the snarls. Briarlight couldn't see who he was talking to but she could see the ears and faces of some Tribe cats outside standing in the rain. Their hostile eyes flashed like lightning.
"Let me pass," Jayfeather growled, shouldering his way through the Pack cats and Briarlight followed him in the small gap he created.
The Pack didn't seem to notice the two Clan cats, their eyes fixed on their real enemies. It was only once Briarlight had squeezed past that she saw them all. The Tribe must have sent every able cat they had because a long line of wet and furious creatures was amassed among the rocks. Their soggy pelts clung to their skinny frames and she was almost surprised the gushing water didn't sweep them all away. They were almost as thin as the Pack.
One of the Tribe cats broke away from the line and took a step closer to the cave. "We've tolerated your presence in the mountains for too long!" he yowled, his words carrying over a distant rumble of thunder. "The Tribe of Rushing Water has lived in the mountains for many seasons, but you rogues are thieves, raiders, and murderers. You do not belong in these sacred lands."
"And who's going to chase us out," snarled another voice and Flora stepped forward. "My cats say they chased your patrol off of those two mice without a fight. If your Tribe is so strong, why would they give up fresh-kill so willingly?"
At her comment, a couple of Pack cats growled in agreement. As hungry and weak as they were, every single one of them was itching for a fight.
Briarlight felt a shiver ripple up her spine as she realized just how high the tensions were. No force from here to StarClan could make these cats see eye-to-eye. The Tribe and the Pack will be enemies until one of them wipes out the other.
But Jayfeather showed no fear and walked past her until he stood in the rain between the quarreling cats. "Excuse me, but before you rip each other to pieces, I'd like to have a word with Stoneteller."
No cat spoke for a moment as all eyes focused on the small cat. Compared to the others, Jayfeather's slim frame seemed plump.
"Jayfeather?" a voice from the Tribe cats rose up. "What are you doing here with these savages?"
"That doesn't matter, Stormfur," the blind cat meowed hastily, identifying the cat by name and clearly aware of how quickly everything could go downhill. "Take me to the Cave of Rushing Water. I must speak with your healer."
Even in the darkness cast from the black clouds, Briarlight could see the surprise on the face of the Tribe cat. "But I- we- the rogues-"
"That doesn't matter," Jayfeather repeated firmly, interrupting him. "Two stolen mice aren't worth wasting precious lives over. Let me speak to Stoneteller before you decide to fight."
Briarlight was shocked. Her body felt like a tree rooted to the rocks as she watched her slender mate stand defiantly between two groups of fiery cats about to fight to the death. I know he doesn't have a plan yet. He's risking his life just for a chance to delay the big battle. Where does he find his courage?
Neither the Pack nor the Tribe immediately challenged his request but Briarlight noticed Flora's suspicious gaze scorching Jayfeather's pelt.
"I'm not betraying the Pack," Jayfeather meowed, turning to face the she-cat as if he had felt her watching him. "But I need to know a few things before I let a war start between the two of you. I'm trying to help."
Flora was caught off guard by his words, but she lifted herself to her full height. "How do I know you aren't just trying to escape before a fight breaks out so you won't get hurt?" she growled. "If you are such good friends with the Tribe, keeping you and your friends here would be valuable when negotiating territory."
Jayfeather stared straight at the Pack leader, his blue eyes unblinking even as rain water washed over them. "I am not your enemy unless you want me to be," he meowed as coldly as the dark sky. "But the future you want for your cats does not begin with holding other cats hostage. Allow me and my friends to leave with the Tribe now and I'll be back once I have the whole story."
Murmurs of surprise rose up from the cats on both sides as Jayfeather stood as still as stone with the rain drenching his fur.
"Did the Tribe of Endless Hunting send him?" whispered one of the Tribe cats to the cat beside her.
"Maybe the StarClan sent him to help us," murmured another.
"We can't trust him! The Clans always side with the Tribe!" growled Boulder loud enough for his leader to hear. "This is a trap!"
"But he and his friends seemed friendly enough," argued Flick who was crouched nervously beneath the shelter of the cave. "And he said he's not a Clan cat anymore anyways."
Flora's eyes seemed to glow as she stared at Jayfeather, ignoring the voices around her. Only after what felt like a moon did she nod to him and flick her tail for the Pack to stand back.
"Really?" Boulder spat, spinning around to glare venomously at his leader. "He is our enemy. They all are!"
"I've made my decision," Flora growled darkly, warning the Pack member to be silent. "If the Tribe will accept the temporary truce, then my cats will stand down- for now."
The Tribe cat who had spoken earlier stared at Jayfeather in confusion. A flash of lighting lit up the sky momentarily and Briarlight noted he was a brown tabby tom who's pelt was laced with battle-scars. "I accept the truce," the tom growled after a few moments. "Jayfeather is a friend to the Tribe and Stoneteller will listen to what he has to say."
Jayfeather turned to Briarlight. "Get the others," he ordered.
She flinched in surprise, releasing the breath she had been holding with apprehension. She spun around and squeezed back into the cave as a wave of relief flooded over her. Jayfeather has delayed the battle for a short time at least. But the peace won't last unless he thinks of something better. She stumbled into the darkness again, her wet pads slipping slightly on the rocks.
"Are they going to battle soon?" asked Jayjay excitedly as she approached them.
"What's happening out there," hissed Cash, his green eyes round as moons over the Gathering. "Is Jayfeather okay?"
Sol was with them too, but his cool gaze gave away nothing.
"There's no time to explain it all now," Briarlight hissed quickly, knowing Jayfeather's delicate truce could shatter at any moment. "The Tribe has agreed to take us with them and Flora is letting us go. Move!"
Cash and Sol stood up to follow, but to her surprise, Jayjay didn't budge.
"I'm staying with the Pack," the young tom meowed resolutely. "I feel like I could learn from these cats and I can help them."
"What?" Cash cried in shock. "These cats were on the brink of tearing us apart when we first met them. Plus you probably won't be eating anything here for a long time!"
But Jayjay only shook his head. "I don't care about any of that. These cats are free. They might go hungry sometimes or fight too much, but what they do is their own choice. I want to be like that, too."
Briarlight's eyes grew wide and she opened her mouth to protest, but then she remembered Jayjay was just her friend and not her Clanmate. He was free to choose whatever life he wanted even if she would miss him. It wasn't like he would be very far away since she knew where the Pack's cave was. When Jayfeather comes back, he might be able to talk him into returning to us. She just nodded her head and turned to go.
"Wait!" Cash meowed desperately. "You have to make him come with us!"
"I'm not his mother," Briarlight sighed simply, even though her heart ached at the sadness in Cash's voice. "Come along now while we still have a chance to leave." She padded towards the cave entrance with Sol close behind. She looked over her shoulder to see the two young cats embracing each other. Jayjay was whispering something into Cash's ear but she was too far away to hear. After a moment, Cash turned and raced after her.
The Pack cats were still clustered around the cave opening and even though their spiked pelts seemed to have flattened slightly, their eyes were still bright with loathing for the Tribe cats that stood threateningly right outside. Briarlight rushed past them to stand beside Jayfeather. Her mate hadn't moved from where she had left him, his eyes still fixed on Flora.
"Why isn't Jayjay with you?" he grunted to her, his mouth barely moving as he spoke through his teeth.
"He wants to stay with the Pack," she informed him quietly, blinking the water from her eyes as the rain fell steadily on her head. She felt like every single cat was staring at her and she just wanted the moment to end. Sol and Cash joined her and it was only after a brief moment of hesitation that Jayfeather turned his head to the Tribe cat who stood in front of the others.
"Please take us to the Cave of Rushing Water."
The Tribe cat obliged, and slowly, the Tribe turned away from the cats gathered beneath the cave. Their eyes were still bright with hatred and they growled a warning for the Pack to stay away. Briarlight feared someone from either side could suddenly let loose a battle-cry and send both sides screeching into war, but no cat made a sound. She followed Jayfeather and the others up into the mountains, her head bowed against the freezing rain.
A very short chapter, slightly more than half as long as the previous one, but it is still loaded with information.
