Got nothing to say, except that I read Winds of Change and Mudclaw still sucks, so no surprise there. Interesting to see from his perspective though. If you ask me, he really shouldn't have made it into Starclan just cause he got an epiphany seconds before he died.
I stole stuff from the books again. Erins I don't have enough money to tank a lawsuit thanks.
Reviews are appreciated!
A faint three-quarter moon showed over the tops of the pine trees as the cats filed across the treebridge to the island. Dovewing stayed close to Ivypool, trying to comfort her sister without saying anything. Ivypool walked with her head high and her tail kinked confidently over her back, but Dovewing knew she was scared of what might be said at this meeting. Bramblestar and Jayfeather led the Thunderclan patrol, and Birchfall, Thornclaw, Mousewhisker, and Blossomfall brought up the rear. The four cats radiated tension and the fur bristled along their spines.
Blackstar was already seated at the foot of the oak tree, flanked by his medicine cat, Littlecloud. Both cats looked frail and thin against the sturdy trunk. Their clanmates Tigerheart and Ratscar sat a tail-length off, ears twitching. Bramblestar stopped halfway across the clearing and gestured with his tail to his clanmates, inviting them to sit down. "We'll stay here," he mewed quietly.
Onestar arrived before the Thunderclan cats had finished settling. He was accompanied by his medicine cat, Kestrelflight, and Breezepelt. The black warrior's eyes flashed defiantly.
The three clans waited in silence, listening to the rustle of ferns as the last cats approached. Mistystar emerged first from the bracken followed closely by Mothwing and Icewing.
Bramblestar seemed to guess what his clanmates were thinking, though held his own doubts about the number of survived Dark Forest trainees within the other clans. "The other clans lost cats who fought with the Dark Forest," he murmured. "All of you survived, which is why there are more of us here."
Onestar spoke first. "Why are Lionblaze and Dovewing here?" he asked. "They weren't part of the Dark Forest, were they?"
"No," Bramblestar replied. "But they know as much about the involvement of our clanmates in the Dark Forest as I do." He stepped into the space between the four clans and looked around at the other leaders. "We must pay attention to the truth of what happened and why these cats behaved as they did. The battle is over; they are no longer our enemies."
In spite of what he'd said, he was troubled by the presence of so many Thunderclan cats. Whatever penalty was chosen, Thunderclan would be the most affected. The atmosphere in the clearing crackled with tension. It felt strange to have the leaders standing among the other cats, and the warriors who had been associated with the Dark Forest bristled as if they were ready to defend themselves with tooth and claw.
The tension within the clearing was strained further by the sound of beating wings and the feel of intense winds blowing into their faces. Some cats yowled with shock as Firestar descended onto the island, slitted eyes roaming the clearing to judge where to land. The winds finally died down as his claws touched land, digging into the earth as if to stabilize himself, his wings folding themselves up onto his back. His tail lashed out to block the way to the treebridge, where Onestar and Breezepelt had subtly tried backing away to. "I do hope you weren't trying to run away, Onestar," Firestar rumbled.
"Firestar," Mistystar breathed. "My warriors had told me that you had changed, but..." she trailed off. It was one thing hearing about his supposed transformation, it was another seeing it.
Bramblestar glanced over at Blackstar, the Shadowclan leader's fur bristling. "You did tell them about Firestar, didn't you?"
"I just... didn't realize how big he was up close," Blackstar rasped.
"Isn't this what you all wanted though?" All the cats looked up at the dragon. Some puffs of smoke escaped from Firestar's maw, his eyes fixed on Onestar. "You thought me to be a monster, and now I am one. Isn't this what you tried convincing yourselves that this is what I was?" he uttered.
Onestar looked down, not wanting to meet any cat's eyes. "At least you were still half cat then," he muttered.
"Being half-cat didn't stop you from calling me such did it? Regardless..." His eyes began trailing over the Dark Forest trainees. "I'll say my piece after this is all sorted out," he said, carefully laying down.
There was a tense, awkward silence, and Bramblestar glared at them all as if to say "get on with it". Mistystar awkwardly cleared her throat. "As you know, Beetlewhisker and Hollowflight were killed in the battle, so they cannot answer for anything they have done. Icewing knows her loyalty was tested by the Dark Forest, and that she failed. But she has learned from this and I do not doubt her now. She has always been a good warrior. I would like to give her the chance to be one again."
"The same goes for Breezepelt," Onestar declared. "We suffered great losses during the battle. Why should I want to punish one of my few remaining warriors? We need Breezepelt on patrol, not wasted because of something that has finished."
"But they broke the warrior code!" Blackstar protested. He looked at Tigerheart and Ratscar, and his eyes were full of sorrow. "They betrayed the Clan, their leader, and themselves. How can this go unpunished?"
Onestar let his gaze rest on the Thunderclan cats. "I suppose we have to face the fact that some of our clanmates were recruited by the Dark Forest, for whatever reason. Some clans more than others," he added meaningfully.
Bramblestar opened his mouth to speak but Mistystar interrupted him. "There must be a way to move forward without further weakening our clans," she meowed. "None of us can spare more warriors, so exile is not an option."
"Clearly," Firestar let out. "I seem to remember the last time exile worked out so well for us," he reminisced. Tigerstar's name went unspoken.
"You have to tell them what happened," Dovewing whispered in her sister's ear. "How Hawkfrost recruited you. You weren't being disloyal to your clan! They have to understand that!"
Bramblestar overheard and nodded. "Go on, Ivypool. Please."
The gray-and-white warrior looked daunted as she moved into the center of the clearing, but when she spoke her voice was steady. "I think it would help to understand why some of us joined the Dark Forest," she began. Onestar and Blackstar bristled but Ivypool kept talking. "It wasn't because we hated our clanmates, or didn't believe in the warrior code. We thought we were learning more skills that would help the clans. Cats from the Dark Forest sought us out in our dreams and . . . and used our most personal reasons for offering a different way to train." She glanced at Dovewing, who blinked. Around her, Birchfall and the others were nodding.
"Hawkfrost approached me," Ivypool went on. "He made me believe that the best thing I could do for Thunderclan would be to train with Dark Forest warriors. I would be braver, better at fighting, more loyal to my clanmates. He made me feel . . . important." She paused for a moment, then continued. "I overheard Hawkfrost and Tigerstar planning to attack the Clans. I told my clanmates, and became a spy, reporting everything I learned about the Dark Forest. I knew other cats from the clans were being trained, but to avoid suspicion I didn't say anything to them." She looked over her shoulder at her father. "Only when the battle began did I tell them the truth, and they instantly followed me back to our clanmates to fight alongside them. They never intended to be disloyal. Like me, they thought they were being given a chance to be better warriors."
Firestar eyed Breezepelt through Ivypool's explanation, the tom looking smug.
Blackstar heaved himself to his paws. "You have spoken well," he rasped. "It's Ivypool, isn't it?" He peered at her, his eyes cloudy. "But I saw my own clanmates attack each other. How was that being loyal, or a better warrior?"
"We were promised a different way to serve our clan," Ivypool insisted.
"I believe you," Mistystar meowed.
"Thank you, Ivypool." Onestar traced his forepaw in the dust. "I don't need to know why Breezepelt made his choices. I only need to trust him from now on. Which I do."
Blackstar shook his great white head. "I don't know if I can agree with this." He avoided looking at Tigerheart and Ratscar, who were staring at him in dismay.
"It seems we all feel differently about these cats," Blackstar went on. He sounded confused, as if he couldn't understand why the alliance between the four clans had melted away.
"With good reason," Bramblestar meowed. He looked at Breezepelt. "There is at least one warrior here who attacked Thunderclan cats alongside the Dark Forest warriors. I cannot see that as anything but a betrayal of the warrior code."
"Breezepelt never turned against his own clanmates," Onestar mewed. "That is the essence of the warrior code, surely? And he is my warrior, so it is up to me what happens to him."
"Oh? So that's it then is it? The clans were fighting united against the Dark Forest but apparently any cat was fair game to go after as long as they didn't attack any cat from their own clan?" Firestar's angry growl sounded above them. "Would you both agree that this was fair if Breezepelt went and attacked a Shadowclan or a Riverclan cat?"
Blackstar lashed his tail. "He's right, that wouldn't be fair," he hissed.
"But shouldn't we each be responsible for our own clanmates? We know our warriors best, after all." Mistystar added.
Blackstar flattened his ears. "But we must follow a single course of action! Otherwise how will it be fair?"
"Shadowclan does not get to decide anything on behalf of Windclan!" Onestar spat.
"Although... I find it hard to believe that all the other Dark Forest trainees were killed," Firestar suddenly said, his gaze going back to Ivypool and the other trainees, who all bristled in alarm.
"Of course they're all dead-!" Mistystar tried protesting.
"Does that mean Minnowtail is dead?" Mousewhisker's weak mew voiced over her. Her eyes widened in shock and confusion.
"I- Minnowtail? She's alive!" Mistystar glared at him.
Mousewhisker shrunk back. "I mean, we trained together in the Dark Forest. You only brought Icewing here, and Hollowflight and Beetlewhisker are dead, so I assumed..." Mistystar's head swerved over to Icewing, who was avoiding her gaze.
"Is Breezepelt really the only cat who survived from Windclan? What about Furzepelt, Harespring, or Whiskernose, stars even Larkpaw!" Tigerheart voiced his complaint. Everyone stared at Onestar and Breezepelt, both suddenly looking uncomfortable.
"I can forgive Mistystar for genuinely not knowing that one of her warriors kept their training a secret, but you're clearly trying to defend your own warriors. Did you only bring Breezepelt here because you couldn't hide the fact that he attacked Thunderclan cats during the battle?" Blackstar hissed furiously. Mistystar and Bramblestar lashed their tails, becoming irate with Onestar.
Mothwing hastily walked out from behind Mistystar and stood in the center of the cats with starlight gleaming on her pelt. "I suggest that each of these cats swears a new oath of loyalty to the warrior code," she meowed quickly, trying to diffuse the situation. "They walked a different path for a while, but now they must return to the way things were. They do not need to be punished—none of our clans should suffer more pain—but we deserve to have some clear sign that we can trust them again."
Ratscar flicked his patchy brown tail. "This oath . . . do we have to swear it now? In front of cats who have nothing to do with us?"
"No," Bramblestar meowed. "I think this is a matter for each clan to deal with on its own, since Onestar seems very intent on protecting the Dark Forest trainees within his clan. What do you think, Blackstar?" he added.
The old cat waited for a moment before replying. "I will see that it is done as soon as we return to our camp," he mewed.
Onestar dipped his head. "As will I."
"Sure you will," Mistystar muttered sarcastically.
"I suppose we're done here then?" Bramblestar meowed, glancing at Firestar.
"Since that's settled then... I guess it's my turn," Firestar said, keeping his tail in place in front of the treebridge. The cats below him looked up at him nervously.
"I'll get to the point then. This lake, and everything around it, is mine," he declared. "I'm just letting you all live here," he said, more to the other three clan cats than to the Thunderclan cats. Startled and furious hissing and growls emerged from most of the cats. Bramblestar waved his tail nervously, looking up at Firestar with startled confusion.
"You-! Nothing here belongs to you!" Onestar screeched at him.
"And what's stopping me from killing you all and taking everything for myself?"
At this point, most of the cats looked like they wanted to run away.
"Firestar, what are you doing?" Bramblestar hissed worryingly.
"Protecting you," he bluntly stated. Bramblestar's jaw hung open for a moment, before snapping it closed. The rest of the Thunderclan cats looked on in confusion. "Now I don't need to tell you all how powerful I've become. You've seen for yourselves what I'm capable of. You won't have anything to worry about from me as long as everyone sticks to their side of the border. If anyone attempts to hurt what I deem mine..." he barred his fangs at the non-Thunderclan cats, leaving the threat to speak for itself.
Bramblestar's ear tips turned red, figuring that he was one of the things that Firestar deemed his.
"You really have changed," Mistystar muttered.
Firestar snorted. "You all did this to me. I was just trying to protect my clan. Because of you all, I wasn't there to protect my hatchling, and now she's dead. The only reason why I haven't burned everything to the ground yet is because my treasures wouldn't want it," he growled angrily. He wanted so dearly for these cats to understand the pain he went through for all these moons.
Even now, the stone was beginning to burn brightly, urging him forth as he growled out his terms. Finally being able to bite back at these cats instead of letting them trod over him like when he was a normal cat trying to keep the peace was cathartic.
But above all, he wanted them to leave him alone. He wanted them to leave Thunderclan alone. As he voiced those thoughts out loud, he felt fur brushing up against his claws. He could tell his hatchling was trying to calm him down, though subtly.
It worked.
He was done. He just wanted to go home already. He withdrew his tail and allowed passage through the treebridge.
He had never seen Windclan cats run away so fast in his life.
He blocked the Thunderclan cats from leaving though. "Oh please, I have a much faster way of getting back to camp instead of walking all the way there through the night," he huffed. He lowered his claw onto the ground. Bramblestar let out a surprised chirp, before climbing onto it, gesturing for the rest of his warriors to follow.
"Is this safe?" Lionblaze voiced out the one thought everyone seemed to have.
"Probably not," Firestar answered, and everyone dug their claws into his harder. "But I can assure you that it will at the very least be a fast way home," he laughed.
He just wished that some of them hadn't screamed as he took off towards Thunderclan territory. His hearing was too sensitive for this.
Fires is still angry over Leafpool. He still has his mate and two hatchlings thankfully, so the clans won't be burning down anytime soon.
Although Firestar being angry over Leafpool's death and his transformation in general could make for a nice alternate ending where he does end up destroying everything(barring his treasures of course). I'll think that one over.
By the way, canon says all the Dark Forest trainees from Windclan survived except for Sunstrike. And Minnowtail survived too. Wonder why Misty and One didn't bring them all to the island. Hhhmmmm
Is Firestar's declaration of ownership over the lake OOC for him? Not really, he's a dragon now. And dragon's are super greedy and guard what they think is theirs very selfishly. Any other cat turned dragon would have given into those instincts by now. But Fires is special so you know...
Tell me how I did.