CLANLIFE

This is an account of all the stories (in correct order) that have happened to the cats of ThunderClan. These tales will begin just after a great flood that has destroyed most of ThunderClan and RiverClan. In these times the Clan leader Greystar was sick with greencough and sent his deputy, Lionheart, to the gathering instead. That day the Clan was struck with a massive flood and the cats could not return from the Gathering. When they finally were able to get back they found everyone who was left in the camp to be dead.

THE ELIXIR OF LIFE - ShadowClan Camp - Moonset

Greyclaw was scared, but he refused to show it and kept his features stony, which actually made him look petrified, but Metalstar seemed to enjoy it. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

The BoneClan leader smiled, waving her claws through the fire so that they changed colors in the intense heat, then she swung the four metalic blades across Greyclaw's side. At first he felt nothing, but pain shocked through his body as he saw the blood welling up in the four perfectly straight lines Metalstar had cut in his side.

When the ThunderClan warrior finally managed to tear his gaze from his bleeding wound he looked up at Metalstar, who was staring at her paw in disbelief. The claws on the paw she had scratched him with were golden, bright and dazzling in the earth-glow. "He... was right." She whispered.

The white she-cat took a step back, her eyes still locked on Metalstar in awe. Slowly she shook her head as if that would clear the image, but it was real. Her gaze finally moved back up to Greyclaw. "Who are you?" She breathed.

Greyclaw was stunned. Amberheart was stunned. Smoothwater was stunned. Riverstar was stunned, even Liquiformash, Rigidpaw, Metalstar and the white she-cat could not believe what had happened. Those who were not from BoneClan didn't even understand it.

Amberheart watched as Greyclaw slowly and unsurely replied to the question, explaining that he was the son of Stormfur, son of Graystar and Mistyfoot, daughter of Bluestar. Since they had both descended from ThunderClan cats, Greyclaw's parents had given him to ThunderClan while keeping his siblings, all of whom had died in the flood.

Metalstar nodded. "True blood." She said softly, knowingly. "It runs in your veins. Your body is the sacred cup, the dish we will drink from and have eternal life."

Greyclaw turned his head, lapping up the blood from his side. It was horrible; the scent of his own blood filled his mouth, at first, but then it faded and was replaced by sweetness. He heard Amberheart gasp and utter a soft sob and Metalstar stop abruptly, but he didn't understand. It didn't matter, though, the drink was delicious. He lapped up more, forgetting it was his own blood and if he still knew he wouldn't care. But now he didn't know about anything, just the blood, the delicious, sweet drink that he was drinking. The true blood, the real blood. Finally, something was real.

Amberheart watched in despair as Greyclaw lapped up his blood. Metalstar stopped in her tracks, shocked. The grey tom was glowing with the earth-glow too, his feet rising slightly off the ground though he appeared unaware of any change. Her beloved friend was lost, lost in himself. He was drinking himself! It was horrible, not just this but everything. Metalstar was horribly, Liquiformash was horrible, Rigidpaw was horrible, and the two vegetable cats staring dumbly at Greyclaw were horrible. The white she-cat staring at him was also horrible, and Amberheart herself was horrible for not being able to bring herself to do anything to stop him.

The earth-glow was getting brighter, thought Greyclaw hardly noticed, but now he did notice that he was rising. He tore himself from the wound which was still gushing blood.

Through the barrier of blinding white light surrounding him, Greyclaw could make out the forms of Metalstar and Amberheart, watching in awe as he rose.

"Greyclaw..." Amberheart's pained whisper reached him, making him wish he could go back down to her. But he was rising, floating upwards towards the sky. He looked up. Above him lay the forest in the sky, the tops of the trees stood out as clearly as the cats gathering below them. They were waiting for him, Greyclaw realized.

"Amberheart!" He called, twisting around. The ground was farther away now, and every moment he was getting closer and closer to the sky. "Amberheart! Oh, StarClan help me!"

He felt himself stop abruptly, then slowly continue his voyage upwards. Turning his grey head, the ThunderClan warrior looked back up at the sky. It was close, too close to do anything about it. He couldn't stop. Greyclaw squeezed his eyes shut, wiling this to be just a bad dream. But it wasn't a bad dream, it was real. It was as real as the forest sky above him and the cat with the metal claws beneath him. It was as real as Tigerstar and the Hellcats and BoneClan. It was as real as the white she-cat, as him, as Amberheart. It had all always been real, he realized, but it was different and shouldn't be real. It was magic. There was no purely logical explanation for it, yet it was true, it was real. This magic was wrong, though; it wasn't supposed to be, yet StarClan was part of it. Perhaps there was more to this ancient Clan in the sky. The cats in Silverpelt.

"Silverpelt..."

Again he stopped in mid-air, the light around him weakening slightly. Something was happening, he though, but when he looked back down Metalstar and Amberheart were still staring at him with the same amazed expressions as before. Maybe it was Greyclaw who had done something, then.

He felt himself begin to move again. "Silverpelt." The light flickered, but it kept moving this time. The HellCats, he thought, they must be afraid of StarClan; they were opposite forces, good and evil. Of course!

"Starclan!" He hollered. "Silverpelt! Moonstone!"

The light around him was flickering, giving him quick glimpses of the long fall back to the glowing earth below.

I can't die, he reminded himself, twisting to lick the blood from his side. "Starclan..." Lick. "Mothermouth..." Lick. "Fourtrees..." Lick. "Silverpelt..." Then he fell. The ground zoomed at him, as if it was reaching up to meet him. He landed hard with a lock crack as his ribs, legs and back snapped. His skull collided hard with the ground and there was another smash. An attempted ragged breath told him his broken ribs had torn his lungs. Greyclaw closed his eyes and waited. The pain sank away and he felt his bones moving beneath his skin, replacing themselves properly in his body. Opening his eyes, Greyclaw heaved a breath and glanced down at his side. The wound Metalstar had given him was gone, though a scar ran down his side.

Slowly the grey tom got to his paws and stood to face Metalstar, who was staring at him incredulously. Her eyes shifted suddenly to look past him and Greyclaw stumbled to the side towards Amberheart, who immediately pressed her muzzle against his fur.

"I was so worried." She sobbed.

Greyclaw calmly groomed her fur, though he stopped as he realized it was getting brighter. Much brighter, in fact. The earth-glow had intensified so that it was almost as radiant as the sun. Glowing shapes were now rising from it, floating upwards towards the forest-sky.

"StarClan..."

One of the shapes stopped on the surface and turned towards Greyclaw. It leaned forwards and touched it's nose to Greyclaw's.

"Well done, son." He purred.

"Greystar- Dad!" Said Greyclaw, turning away from Amberheart. He looked around. The shapes rising everywhere were the forms of the cats of StarClan, cats who had formerly fought for and under the cats of Silverpelt. "Don't go..."

Greystar smiled and turned to watch a cat approaching him. He glanced quickly back to Greyclaw and smiled at his son for one last time. "I have to go fight my battle. You fight yours."

The other cat padded over to them. It was Jumppaw, as young and beautiful as she had been in life. "I'll miss you, Greyclaw."

He nodded weakly. "I love you both."

They purred and looked at each other, their feet rising off the ground. Greyclaw took a step forwards as if to stop them, but then stopped and smiled up at them.

"We'll see you again, someday." Said Jumppaw.

Greyclaw nodded, but couldn't trust himself to speak.

-----

Tigerstar hissed and the conection broke, Shadowpaw felt as if some invisible force was pressing him hard against the ground. Around him cat spirits were rising towards the sky, breaking through the barrier that had blocked them from entering before. They descended to the ground in the sky and turned on the cats there.

One cat glowed like fire as it landed beside Tigerstar, who swung around to face it. The former ShadowClan leader's voice still echoed in Shadowpaw's head when he next spoke, "Firestar!" He spat, "I though I'd seen the end of you."

Firestar smiled bravely. "You might've, if you hadn't forgotten one very important thing."

"And what is that?" Demanded Tigerstar, advancing on the cat who had been his mortal enemy in life.

Firestar would have laughed if this hadn't been such a serious situation. "Why, I'm Firestar!"

With a particularly ferocious growl, Tigerstar leaped at Firestar.

Shadowpaw turned and fled from the sight of the two cats fighting. Outside Carrionplace the WindClan cats seemed to be noticing the battle in the sky as well. They were falling away from the RiverClan and ThunderClan cats, looking around nervously and unsurely. Redclaw was dead and now StarClan had returned and was battling with these cats. Though they had never heard the name before, a word suddenly sprang into the head of every cat present at the battle.

"HellCats."

This was Metalstar's version on StarClan, and was just as real as they were. This was what separated Metalstar from Scourge; belief. While she did not believe in StarClan she trusted in a more sinister Clan, though it was just as powerful.

Below the conflicting religions in the sky, the WindClan cats seemed to realize that they had been going against everything they had believed in their lifetime. They had done the worst to break the ancient warrior code; not betraying only their Clan, but every Clan there ever was. They had betrayed StarClan.