Water dripped from every plant the next morning as it always did once the thaw had set in.
Gray Wing waited outside the camp that very morning. He was waiting for his brother and Jackdaw's Cry to expedition into the ThunderClan forest. Gorse Fur had volunteered to go as well, but there was no sign of any of them.
He remembered Fire Heart, Shattered Ice and Dappled Pelt coming back from their herb hunting the other day. They had been soaked and weary.
The flood is really that bad…
Just as these thoughts went through his head, pawsteps sounded behind him.
He turned to see Jackdaw's Cry and Gorse Fur padding side-by-side towards him.
"Morning." He nodded at them.
"Morning," Gorse Fur replied. "Is Skystar here yet?"
"Not yet." Gray Wing shook his head.
They waited in silence.
Suddenly, pawsteps pounded behind them and they turned. River Ripple.
"Hello," Gray Wing greeted.
"Hey," River Ripple purred. "I was just…visiting camp."
Gray Wing wondered why he had hesitated like that, but shrugged it off.
"What're you all up to today?"
The three toms exchanged looks before Jackdaw's Cry answered. "We're gonna speak to Thistlestar."
River Ripple stared with wide green eyes and opened his mouth, but before he could say a word, Skystar finally arrived.
"Hello," he meowed, dipping his head amicably to River Ripple before turning to his clanmates. "Ready?"
"As ready as I can be going into ThunderClan camp," Gorse Fur muttered nervously.
"Ready," Gray Wing mewed calmly.
"Isn't Shattered Ice coming?" Jackdaw's Cry asked instead, looking the most nervous. The young warrior had been hoping either Fire Heart, his best friend, or Shattered Ice, his former mentor, would have come, but both toms had insisted they go with Dappled Pelt again to get more herbs.
And they looked jittery for some reason…
Thunder had also wanted to go, but Skystar hadn't wanted him to, of course, especially after he had run from them.
Thistlestar wouldn't want to see Thunder again. Even more so than Skystar himself.
Maybe Rainswept Flower should have come too. And Jagged Peak. After all, it was their idea, too.
He shook his head as they made their way to ThunderClan, waving their tails in farewell. Every twig cracking or bird chirping set their fur bristling in fear.
When they reached the entrance, the black-and-white tom, Swiftclaw, and senior warrior, Bluefur were guarding the entrance.
Swiftclaw immediately darted through the gorse tunnel into camp, fur bristling, but Bluefur stayed put, watching with calm eyes, yet her tail tip twitched in a nervous manner, making Gray Wing feel worse.
Soon Swiftclaw reappeared and jerked his head, indicating they could enter.
"Ready?" Skystar asked and the others nodded, apprehensive.
They followed the ThunderClan warriors into the camp and immediately Gray Wing's eyes landed on the big form of Thistlestar with his menacing air.
He was crouched on the Highrock glaring balefully down at them. When they entered he rose to his paws as the ThunderClan cats watched from the edge.
"Well, well, well," he sneered. "I've been expecting you."
What?
Fire Heart followed Shattered Ice, Dappled Pelt and River Ripple into the forest as they looked for prey.
The loner had been waiting for them at the camp entrance and Fire Heart had been nervous one of their clanmates might question him, but no one had glanced at them twice as they left.
"Hey, Fire Heart!"
The four cats jumped and turned to see Cloud Tail scampering after him.
"Why the hell is your nephew so nosy?" Shattered Ice growled.
"StarClan knows."
"But do they?" Cloud Tail asked, blue eyes twinkling. Dappled Pelt stared at him with wide eyes as if she couldn't believe him. "What?" The kit asked, noticing her expression. "It's true. Turtle Tail said they've never talked to SkyClan before, so why do you still care what they think?"
Dappled Pelt shook her head. "It's more than that…"
"That's what Pebble Heart says," Cloud Tail mewed, rolling his eyes in an amused manner.
"Cloud Tail…" Fire Heart groaned, but Dappled Pelt looked interested at the mention of the kit's foster brother.
"Cloud Tail!" Another voice yowled and Turtle Tail appeared. The kit raced over to her and she bent to lick his head. "What're you up to?" She purred.
"Just saying hi to Fire Heart," he squeaked.
Turtle Tail nodded at them. "Well, let's leave them to hunt." She led the kit back to camp.
The quartet continued and soon they had all collected a good amount of land prey before they headed towards the river, quickly, so as to avoid any ThunderClan cats.
As they crossed, River Ripple paused to catch a fish, but he took a while to methodically pick a good fish.
"Have to make sure it isn't poisoned," he mumbled around the water creature as he joined them on RiverClan's shore.
"But how could you tell?" Shattered Ice asked, looking genuinely curious, not his typical drawling mew and sarcasm.
"Poisoned fish would be more lethargic and swim about as if they were to sink to the bottom any minute. Meanwhile, healthy fish would dart about fast as usual and their scales would shine," the silver tom explained.
Even Dappled Pelt looked interested, but Fire Heart didn't get it at all. "I thought fish scales shined all the time."
Leopardfur appeared at that moment and stared at River Ripple with barely concealed impressiveness. "Hello." She also sounded way more friendly than usual.
Fire Heart was scared.
The spotted deputy led them through some reeds and into their camp which was being rebuilt so far.
"Heya, guys!" Voleclaw called, waving his tail in a friendly manner as he helped Mallowtail repair a den.
"Is that more food?" Loudbelly skidded into the clearing.
"We need to feed Mosspelt and the elders first, mouse-brain," Silverstream mewed, padding after him.
Robinkit, Woodkit, and Dawnkit tumbled out of the nursery and brightened at the sight of the SkyClan cats and the loner.
"Can we have the fish?" Robinkit asked as they raced over.
"Of course," Shattered Ice purred.
Okay what's up with everyone? Fire Heart was startled by Shattered Ice's kindness. It had only been a couple of days of feeding them and he had warmed up to them? He still wasn't as friendly with Fire Heart himself sometimes.
"About time!" Blackclaw muttered, but his orange eyes glittered good-naturedly.
"Consider it payback for stealing your vole that one time," Shattered Ice joked.
Dappled Pelt was conversing with Mudfur, of course, and River Ripple was talking with Crookedstar and Leopardfur.
It's like the three of them are their clanmates, Fire Heart thought, feeling out of place. He kind of wished he had gone with Jackdaw's Cry and the others to ThunderClan now. At least, he would have his best friend with him. I hope they're okay.
He flexed his claws anxiously and mewed, "we should hurry." The urgency of his voice snapped the others out of their friendly conversations.
"He's right," Shattered Ice said, voice tense again. They all helped to divide the prey and made sure every cat got some before they bade goodbye and headed away.
"Bye, thanks!" Voleclaw called after them. Fire Heart purred and hurried after his friends.
Skystar kept his gaze on his worst enemy.
Thistlestar hopped down and stalked towards them, circling them. He's trying to make us scared, Skystar thought and pressed against his brother willing him to stay calm. Gorse Fur eyed the spiky tom nervously, but Jackdaw's Cry was barely refraining himself from trembling.
"Keep back!" Jackdaw's Cry hissed, pressing to his companions closer.
Thistlestar smirked at the young tom's fear and Skystar wanted to claw him for trying to mess with his clanmates.
Tigerclaw, Darkstripe and some others watched them with narrowed eyes, surprising Skystar. He knew some of them never really agreed with Thistlestar's ways, but the way they looked at them…like they were a threat…
That was new.
No one ever thought of SkyClan as a threat. They were just the Clan anyone could bully along with WindClan now.
Jackdaw's Cry ducked behind Gray Wing, blue eyes sparkling with fear. The deputy ran his tail along the young cat's spine. Maybe they should have left him. He had a family to take care of instead of being here and being threatened.
"Stop that." Skystar snapped, voice sharp. "If you don't want to talk, we'll leave."
"You'll leave when I say you leave," Thistlestar retorted.
Skystar had expected this. Could they fight their way out? Would all of ThunderClan fight them?
"Actually, you know what? I'll hear you out. I wanna know what you have to say." Thistlestar sat down and curled his tail over his paws. "Get talking."
"We want to meet you at Four Trees in three moons to discuss a truce," Gray Wing blurted when Skystar stayed silent.
Thistlestar cocked his head innocently. "Whatever for?"
Gorse Fur growled. Skystar nudged him warningly.
"To discuss your unfair hatred against us," he grunted. "We never did anything to you."
Anger flashed through Thistlestar's amber eyes. "Yeah, right. We're not stupid." He stepped closer. "You're Clan is not innocent, Skystar!"
What does he mean? We didn't do anything!
"We only ever wanted peace when we first got here," Gray Wing insisted. "We only want to survive like you."
"ThunderClan was fine until SkyClan came along and stole half of our forest! You're a threat!" Thistlestar yowled.
"We didn't mean to hurt anyone, we just wanted to fit in! It was our ancestors' will!" Skystar snapped. "And maybe you aren't flourishing because you send cripples and kits out to die!"
Some cats gasped and Thistlestar's gaze darkened. Skystar tensed, prepared for him to leap at him, but instead Thistlestar loosened his muscles and backed off.
"Fine. We'll meet at Four Trees in a moon for a…peace meeting."
Skystar blinked.
"But…Jackdaw's Cry has to stay," Thistlestar meowed, nodding at the black tom.
"What?" They all said simultaneously.
"Yes. Because if you don't follow your word he'll die. It'll be a clanmate's blood on the line."
"Fine, I'll do it," Jackdaw's Cry spoke up for the first time.
"No." Gray Wing turned to him.
"If it's what it'll take to go through with this then I will," the black tom insisted, bravely. "It'll be fine."
Skystar hesitated. Now things were more complicated with one of his clanmates' blood on the line.
"Okay," he sighed after a moment. He nodded at Thistlestar and flicked his tail, leading the other two out of the camp.
He turned once more to see Jackdaw's Cry being herded away by Dustpelt.
This couldn't end well.
The stuff about what a poisoned fish looks like aren't real facts, I just made it up.
And now the drama has truly begun.