Stormpaw retraced his steps, heading down the familiar path to fourtrees. The ThunderClan apprentice trailed behind his clan, leaping down the bush-covered slope that dipped into a smooth clearing. Four great oaks rustled in the wind, and cats of all colors were collected in the full moon's glow.
"Still no sign of Cricketwing?" Dawngaze meowed somberly to Leopardhawk, the clan's deputy. "None." He was bathed in cold light as he walked on, not giving her a glance. The golden tom didn't make an effort to hide his disdain for the tabby or her sister.
Stormpaw knew where Cricketwing had gone. He only wished he'd had the courage to go with her.
"There's Deerstar!" Littlewish muttered excitedly to Hollowflame, who grunted. The great ShadowClan leader sat at the base of a jagged rock, licking her paws. She had a short, clean dark tortoiseshell coat, and her pale green eyes shone. Littlewish shivered with anticipation, amusing Stormpaw. His older sister was always as excited as if it was her first gathering. "Reedstar doesn't look too well." Hollowflame snickered back to her. The ginger and black leader was kneading the ground with his paws, looking anxious and flighty. Cloudstar was the last to arrive with her clan. The elegant white cat looked stressed as she took her place beneath the great rock.
On top of the boulder, Deerstar cleared her throat, silencing the watching crowd. "Welcome to cats from all clans. I will speak first tonight, to express my righteous anger at ThunderClan, or, more specifically, its leader." She hissed at Stripestar, who flattened his ears, as if offended. Stormpaw could see the laughter in his eyes, though. The black tabby was enjoying himself.
"For four moons now, we have been without SkyClan. They were attacked by one of us. It's likely that every rule in the warrior code was broken in that battle. And for what? Territory? Pride? What happened to all the noble cats that once called the heights of the forest their home?" Deerstar glared furiously. Her voice was clear and passionate.
"Cloudstar." The ShadowClan leader looked at her expectantly. The white she-cat looked to the strength of ThunderClan, then to her own collection of cats, and shook her head miserably.
"Cloudstar?" A grey and white dappled she-cat from WindClan stood up, a pretty calico apprentice Stormpaw had never seen standing beside her. "Please." The younger spoke the single syllable, her startling forest-green eyes staring into her leader's.
"Stripestar, we can't stand for what's happening." Cloudstar squeaked. "You've gone against StarClan, gone against everything we all stand for." She swished her tail.
Stripestar stood up calmly. "Oh, no. I'd hate to do that. What are we establishing here, Deerstar, Cloudstar? Reedstar's too terrified to even talk. You're not going to change my mind. Why are we here, just to prolong your moons?"
Deerstar's eyes flashed. "Is that a threat? Because you don't know what's coming if you continue."
"Don't I?" He lay on the edge of the stony surface, letting his striped tail hang downwards in shadows. "I think I can handle anything you think up perfectly fine, Deerstar." His voice sounded bored.
The dark tortoiseshell leader was furious. "Whatever you do, Stripestar, you'll never win. We are a group of noble cats, and you're a murderer."
For the first time, Stripestar's calm composure broke. "What did you say?" He crouched low to the ground, looking for all the world like he was going to attack her. Stormpaw felt a pang of fear flow through him for the ShadowClan she-cat. To her credit, Deerstar didn't move. She looked into his eyes with a wry expression. "A murderer."
Anger flashed through his gaze. "Depends on who's telling the story. If you don't like death, then surrender. We'd be better as one clan, free of wars and battles."
"And you'd be the leader?" Deerstar snapped back incredulously. "Oh, there'd be death all right, Stripestar. You've proven you can't handle power."
Calmly, the black tabby stood back up and licked his ruffled fur. "Tsk, tsk. Deerstar, I'd say you're more than a bit biased. Now, I don't see the point of continuing this discussion, unless anyone else would like to speak up?" He perked up his ears, as if prepared to listen. "No?" He leaped off of the great rock, slowly turning his head forward and bearing his teeth. He stalked back off into the forest, and Stormpaw realized he didn't want to follow.
The apprentice was a self-described coward, but he knew he could be brave. In a moment of courage (or was it stupidity?) he wove through the RiverClan cats' sleek, glossy pelts into the WindClan crowd, who were thin and wiry.
"Oh, sorry- who are you?" The bright-eyed WindClan apprentice who'd spoken earlier gazed at him, confused.
"Um- Stormpaw." He murmured uncomfortably. She was quite beautiful, and her many-colored coat gleamed in the moonlight.
Her eyes widened. "You're from ThunderClan. Why are you still here?"
Because I'm an idiot, he thought. "I just didn't feel like leaving." He licked his raven fur carelessly, not wanting to seem overly worried.
Deerstar resumed her position in the center before they could continue the conversation. She was noble, and likely the wisest out of the four who'd stood in the clearing that night. "Reedstar, Cloudstar. We need to end this." She meowed passionately, and the other two ducked their heads. "If we give up, he wins, and we lose everything. Are you even going to fight him, or surrender like he says, Reedstar."
The RiverClan leader looked offended. "I don't want to put my clan at risk. Like you said earlier, has anyone seen a SkyClan cat since his attack? You're reckless, Deerstar, and Cloudstar's far too young to even be leader."
Cloudstar lashed her tail. "I had excellent training from Froststar, and she trusted me. I am ready, Reedstar."
He snorted doubtfully, and Stormpaw could feel the rising tension in the clearing. "This isn't helping anything." The she-cat beside him whispered into his ear. "It might even be making it worse."
Deerstar was shocked. "You're all cowards. ShadowClan will be fighting for what's right, even if we're alone." She stormed off, retreating to the marshes as darkness captured them.
"Deerstar's right, you know." His new acquaintance murmured, before remembering who she was talking to. "Forgot you were from ThunderClan…" Her voice was low. "Don't worry, I agree. Stripestar is not a good thing for the clans." He feld bold saying that, but knew he was right. "What's your name?"
"Wishpaw." She purred, and her eyes lit up. "Stormpaw, do you think you could help me?" Wishpaw meowed quickly and excitedly. "...Sure." Stormpaw was uncertain, but this she-cat was quite a bit nicer and less bloodthirsty than Lynxpaw and Vinepaw.
"This is a lot to ask of a cat you just met, a lot to ask of anyone, but do you think you could," she hesitated, looking him in the eye "tell me a little bit about ThunderClan's plans every once and a while? Just- rats- there's no proper way to say it." She fidgeted nervously. Stormpaw understood.
"You want me to spy?" The idea seemed outlandish. Wishpaw nodded.
He hesitated. Half of him was screaming at him not to, he liked to be a forgettable cat who would die an elder sleeping peacefully in his den. But there was also the part of him that wanted Stripestar out of the forest, that wanted to be as brave as Cricketwing.
And there was the insane lovestruck part of him that wanted to impress Wishpaw, even though he'd literally met her five minutes ago.
"I- okay. But, only a few times, and if it gets too dangerous I'll stop."
Wishpaw twitched her whiskers, surprised. "Really? Great StarClan, Stormpaw, thanks!" She gave him a friendly lick, like a cat might an old friend. His (stupid) heart fluttered.
Happily, Wishpaw meowed "The leaders may have gotten nowhere, but we've gotten a little closer to saving the world right here."
Credit to one of my good friends for helping me write this! She doesn't have an account on here, but is very good at what she does. Hope you enjoy, and feel free to leave a review if there are any mistakes.
Also, I'm being my normal self and have already had another idea (you're only 5 chapters in! C'mon, Misty!) I may or may not publish that alongside, but if I do, future chapters of this story will be coming a bit slower.
