Chapter 21
Ripplesky suppressed a yawn as he followed his Clanmates towards Fourtrees. He had been awake all day, treating Cloudkit after the young tom had slipped and fell into the river. The kit was fine now, but Ripplesky felt exhausted. He didn't understand why medicine cats were obligated to attend Gatherings. What kind of information would be so important his Clanmates couldn't tell him?
Up ahead, Birchstar paused. The tabby leader raised his tail into the air, before dashing down into the clearing blow. ShadowClan, WindClan and ThunderClan had already arrived by the time the RiverClan cats got settled.
"Hello, Ripplesky!" Larkpaw greeted as he took a seat beside the other medicine cats.
Ripplesky flicked his tail. "Hi."
"Someone's grumpy tonight!" Larkpaw laughed.
"Ripplesky is always grumpy," Willowblaze teased, her eyes gleaming with amusement.
The RiverClan tom let out an annoyed snort. "I'll have you know I've been awake all day, taking care of a half-drowned kit."
Larkpaw's eyes widened. "Is the kit okay?" she squeaked.
He nodded. "Yeah, he's fine now. But I'm not. I feel like I could fall over on my paws at any second." As he looked at the other medicine cats, he realized Breezetail was not there. "Where's Breezetail?"
Larkpaw shuffled her paws awkwardly. "Breezetail is dying. I don't think she's going to make it to morning." Tears glistened in her eyes as she spoke, making Ripplesky feel sorry for the young apprentice.
Honeyleaf draped her tail across the WindClan she-cat's shoulders. "It's going to be all right, Larkpaw. Breezetail has lived a long and generous life, and StarClan will welcome her with open paws."
"I know, but... I don't think I can handle being a medicine cat all by myself. It's hard work!"
"If you ever need help, we're here for you. Each and every one of us would be more than glad to help you out," Honeyleaf meowed.
Don't drag me into this! I have my own Clan to worry about, Ripplesky thought irritably. He held his tongue though, knowing his sharp words would only upset Larkpaw further.
The medicine cats chatted among themselves, until finally SkyClan arrived. Flystar's eyes were full of embarrassment as he leaped onto the Great Rock. Without saying an apology he yowled, "Let this Gathering begin!"
As the clearing grew silent, Swiftstar stepped forward. "I have good and bad news this moon," the WindClan leader began. "Our medicine cat, Breezetail, is close to joining StarClan. She was medicine cat when I was kitted, so she has served us long and well. We appreciate everything she has done for us, and I hope the trip to StarClan is painless and quick." After the cats had murmured their grievances, the gray tom continued, "Now onto the good news. WindClan has two new warriors this moon: Dewclaw and Sundrop. Grassleap has also given birth to three kits, which she has named Parsleykit, Ryekit, and Sorrelkit."
When Swiftstar was done reporting, Birchstar took a step forward. "There is not much to report for RiverClan this moon. Lilypelt's kits are growing quickly, and prey is plentiful for this time of year. We are truly blessed, and for that I am grateful." Dipping his head to Redstar, he stepped back.
Compared to the other leaders, Redstar looked like a ragged rogue. His pelt was dull and thin, and he was missing clumps of fur all over his body. Even in leafbare, Ripplesky had never seen a cat look so unkempt and sick. Turning to face Flystar he yowled, "SkyClan has done a deplorable deed, with the help of RiverClan and WindClan."
Bramblestar's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"
"You don't know?" Redstar spat. "I guess I can't be surprised. Flystar, Birchstar and Swiftstar are no better than rogues. They teamed up to drive ThunderClan out of the forest, killing Ravenstar, Dovewhisker, Cinderpelt, Snowclaw and Goosewing. It was an unjust attack that should have never happened. StarClan condemns you for such treachery!"
"Why didn't you tell me of your plans?" Bramblestar asked Flystar.
Redstar's neck fur began to bristle. "You think they're right?" he demanded, his eyes blazing with fury.
The ShadowClan leader narrowed his eyes. "Stop acting like an innocent victim, Redstar. You know just as well as I do that ThunderClan has been terrorizing us for seasons. You attacked my Clan in the middle of the night for no reason, killing several of my warriors. And before that, you placed a raid on RiverClan shortly after their territory had burned down. And if my memory serves me correctly, didn't ThunderClan attack WindClan as well during the drought last year?"
Swiftstar nodded. "That's right. Burrowstar lost a life in that battle!"
"We're warriors, not kittypets. Fighting is what we do!" Redstar argued.
"You're wrong, Redstar. Warriors fight when there is a reason to fight. Rogues are the ones who plan attacks for no reason other than to make themselves look strong. Flystar, Birchstar and Swiftstar had ever right to stand up for themselves. You better thank the stars I wasn't apart of that raid, because you wouldn't be standing here right now if I had been. You and all the rest of your warriors would be six fox-lengths under, rotting right along with Ravenstar." Bramblestar unsheathed his claws as he spoke, as if to prepare himself if Redstar decided to attack.
Redstar lashed his tail back and forth angrily. "You're going to pay for this, in one way or another." Leaping down from the Great Rock, the ThunderClan leader began to gather his cats up.
As they climbed up the slope to leave, Flystar called out, "Good! No one wants you here anyways. Just look at the sky; not a cloud in sight! StarClan is on our side!"
Once every cat had calmed down, Flystar and Bramblestar made their announcements. There was nothing very eventful to talk about, so the Gathering began to break up. As Ripplesky followed his Clanmates in the direction of camp, Willowblaze stopped him. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Make it quick." Ripplesky slipped into the brown undergrowth, before taking a seat.
"Are you mad at me?" she blurted out.
"No. Why do you think that?" Ripplesky stared at her in shock. What was Willowblaze going on about this time?
The pale brown she-cat shuffled her paws in the snow. "Well, you've been acting rather cold towards me lately. I just thought maybe I had done something to make you upset."
The silver tom shook his head. "No, you haven't done anything to upset me. But how am I supposed to treat you? You're not my Clanmate, so of course I'm not going to be overly friendly with you. I'm not a very friendly cat in general, though. I'm sorry if I came off as angry, but I'm not. Now if you'll excuse me-"
"Ripplesky, wait!" Willowblaze's eyes were filled with annoyance. "I know we aren't Clanmates, but that doesn't excuse the fact you've been brushing me off. I really like you, Ripplesky. I have since the day we met. You're different from the rest of us medicine cats. You didn't chose this lifestyle. You were forced into it by a cruel cat you couldn't stand. Despite that, you didn't give up. You continued to try your best, and you're honestly the most committed medicine cat I know of. You're even better than Honeyleaf, or Bumblebee!"
Ripplesky's eyes widened. "You... You really mean it?" His heart swelled with pride as he stared at Willowblaze. No cat had ever told him something like that.
"I do," she whispered, her gaze softening. "That's why it hurts me to think you don't like me. I think so highly of you, and it would just crush me if..." she trailed off, too upset to finish.
"I've always liked you, Willowblaze. But I just can't allow myself to get involved with a cat from another Clan." His throat tightened as he thought about all the horrible things he had done. "I-I've done some horrible things in the past, and I'm not sure StarClan will welcome me anymore. Getting attached to other cats and putting them ahead of my Clanmates would just make things worse."
Willowblaze brushed against him. "You're not a bad cat, Ripplesky. I don't care what anyone says."
Ripplesky narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "If you knew the things I've done, you'd surely change your mind. I am not a good cat, Willowblaze. I just ruin everyone's lives, and I'd probably end up doing the same to you. Goodbye." Without saying another word to her, he spun around and raced towards the river.
I'm sorry this chapter took a few weeks to get up. I just haven't been in a writing mood lately. As always, thank you for reading and thank you for all the feedback and support you've given me. I will try to update again quickly, but sadly I cannot make any promises.
