Chapter 14
"Emergency Gathering."
3/30/19 - 4/10/19 - 4/11/19 - 11/6/19 - 12/5/19 - 12/11/19 - 2/20/20 - 2/21/20 - 2/24/20 - 2/29/20 - 3/8/20 - 3/15/20
Nighttime falls as several cats approach the island. Littlestar and Finchblaze pad along the tree-bridge where Heatherstar and Foxfur were waiting. Heartbeats later, Olivestar and Silversnow appear, with Brackenstar and Hollyclaw following after.
Upon seeing Hollyclaw, the deputies greet her warmly while she nods. Littlestar notices the deep scars on the WindClan deputy's dark grey pelt, from her neck, shoulder, back legs, and her missing fur along her tail, though she keeps walking with her head high, refusing to show weakness.
"Milkpelt was told that you have one of my warriors." Heatherstar said to Brackenstar.
The WindClan leader nods. "Weedclaw is recovering in the medicine den as we speak. Softdawn is keeping him under observation due to a fever, and sustaining injuries to his flank might be infected."
Heatherstar swallows. "StarClan help him."
"I wanted to thank you for bringing Gingershine home." Littlestar dips his head to Brackenstar.
"I wish Frecklespots had that sort of help." Olivestar remarks bitterly. After receiving a few looks, she adds. "She's dead."
Brackenstar blinks and lowers his head. "May StarClan light her path."
Heatherstar echoes along with Littlestar, her mind drifting to Frecklespots' sister.
I'll have to tell Otterheart when I have the time.
Olivestar's eyes were brimming with sadness that she shakes off and turns to Brackenstar.
"You've brought us here to discuss something?"
He looks at Hollyclaw. "I can tell them if you want."
"No. I'm fine enough to tell."
Hollyclaw faces the leaders and deputies.
"Like your warriors, I was kidnapped by Dark Forest cats."
Littlestar's eyes widen with intense interest while Olivestar stares at the WindClan deputy as if she has a second head. "You mean, those cats?"
"Yes." Hollyclaw agrees. "All I remember being pulled into a small body of water, and being held in an empty tree trunk. Soon after, Frecklespots and Gingershine were put in with me, as did Weedclaw."
Hollyclaw's forelegs start to shake, even though she's trying not to.
"It was a true horror. If we ever tried to leave the tree, several other Dark Forest cats would jump us and leave us with scars deep enough, and we would be hurt too much to move. Each day we were forced to fight each of them at the same time - I believe this was deliberate. They fought like rogues, not even letting us get a breath in.
"One day, Frecklespots left the trunk and started yelling at a tortoiseshell. She started going on about Swanheart and how this cat promised her, then the tortoiseshell pinned Frecklespots down, whispered something in her ear and…"
Hollyclaw feels biles rise in her throat, forcing a swallow.
"She ordered eight cats to attack Frecklespots all at once. After that, I realized a way we could escape. Weedclaw came up with the idea to create a distraction by attacking a white tom, and Gingershine manages to escape first. I stayed to help Weedclaw with that Dark Forest cat before getting him to leave with me."
Finchblaze shudders while Silversnow murmurs. "They're truly a bunch of savages."
Olivestar looks at the three leaders. "So what's the plan? We didn't come here to relive traumatic events."
"Our medicine cats are probably going to Moonpool." Littlestar says. "We'll have to wait and see if StarClan ever decides to speak with us again."
"And if they don't?" Olivestar questions. "As far as I know, they haven't spoken to Sootdust or Specklefern in moons. We can't just wait around for StarClan to answer us while there are Dark Forest cats threatening us."
"There's more to just the Dark Forest cats." Brackenstar said, reluctantly.
"They might be using some sort of method to return to the living."
Heatherstar tenses her shoulders and looks at Brackenstar with alarm.
"What does that mean?" Olivestar asks.
"We didn't know until ages ago." Brackenstar admits. "But one of our kits, Ashkit, was said to have died during his birth, but he turned out fine afterwards. The only reason he did turn out fine was because… Lionfur's spirit took his body."
"What?!" Littlestar exclaims, his amber eyes flash with mortification.
"I know it's difficult to believe." Hollyclaw said. "But I was there. Lionfur was prepared to kill Brackenstar, but I stopped him. He is most certainly alive and out there as a rogue."
"I never heard of this." Olivestar hisses. "You never told us that Lionstar-."
"Lion-fur." Brackenstar corrects the RiverClan leader. "He doesn't deserve the name of a leader."
"Whatever! He can be named Kittypetstar for all I care! You sent a cat who's murdered others before - he murdered a medicine cat for StarClan's sake!"
"Would you have preferred if I kept him in WindClan? Where he could have killed me again, or some other innocent warrior, like Rabbitfoot?"
"No." Heatherstar says, her voice is small. "I wouldn't blame you, personally."
Olivestar's eyes widen as she turns to her half-sister.
"Did you have one of them in your ranks?"
Brackenstar gazes at Heatherstar with understanding.
"You've had a cat who was dead one heartbeat, but survived the next."
"And he changed." Heatherstar agrees. "Firekit used to be boastful, but after he recovered from being sick, he became distant. He always used his claws during training with Swiftstrike, always doing reckless things. It wasn't until Littlestar brought up the fire in WindClan's moor that I realized how dangerous he was, but that was just the tip of a claw.
"He was a cat from the Dark Forest."
"Which one was it?" Finchblaze asks.
Heatherstar closes her eyes in shame.
"We only call him Tigerclaw now. I exiled him from ShadowClan, when we found out that he was responsible for killing two of my deputies."
"Tigerstar!" Olivestar cries out. Silversnow gapes in shock while Olivestar snaps.
"This situation just became worse! It's bad enough that we have one serial killer out there, but we've got the worst of them all!"
"This piece of information was too dangerous to keep." Littlestar whispers.
"Suppose Tigerclaw was the one behind the kidnappings? Would you have kept quiet then?"
"It's very easy for you to judge me." Heatherstar growls. "Did I make a mistake of keeping Tigerclaw's existence a secret? Yes, I did. But his name has caused ShadowClan to become a scourge in the forest and lake for so long, it nearly tore my Clan apart. I just didn't want to let him ruin us."
"Lichenfur once said that a group of rogues attacked you and your two warriors, right before your kits were born." Olivestar snarls, and Littlestar thought he can hear a prick of worry in her voice.
"He could've killed you and your kits, and none of us would have known the truth! He's made himself a threat to your Clan by walking around your territory!"
"He won't do it again." Heatherstar narrows her eyes. "My warriors are on guard since then."
"But what if it happens again?" Brackenstar pushes. "You're lucky enough to be alive, but a cat like Tigerclaw won't slip up again."
Littlestar is quiet as he recalls what both the WindClan and ShadowClan leader said, and he remembers his father, Tigerflame, giving him a warning.
Both kits were supposed to be dead, but had the spirits of Lionfur and Tigerclaw take their bodies.
Littlestar's skin grows cold. Flashkit got sick, but when he recovered his behavior changed. What if… Flashkit never "recovered" but instead…?
It makes sense to him, how Flashpad never expressed any distress when Gingershine went missing, not like Cherrystem, Hollyflame, Poppyflower, and Aspenstone - especially him.
He even looked disturbed when Gingershine returned.
"Littlestar?" Finchblaze murmurs. The ThunderClan blinks out of his stupor to find the three leaders looking at him.
"You were thinking pretty hard there." Brackenstar notes.
Littlestar gives out a slow exhale.
"I think I have one in my Clan as well. Flashpad. What should I do?"
Olivestar gapes. "What should you-? Listen to yourself! Hold Flashpad prisoner and tell your Clan!"
"It's not as easy as it sounds!" Littlestar protests. "Brackenstar and Heatherstar only managed to get rid of Lionfur and Tigerclaw because they had evidence, Flashpad - as far as we know - hasn't done anything. I don't even know who is possessing Flashpad's body right now."
"It shouldn't matter if you have a name, any cat from the Dark Forest is evil, simple as that." Olivestar snorts.
Silversnow whispers in Olivestar's ear and manages to calm her down.
"In any case, there's a possibility to consider." Hollyclaw put in. "If the second Dark Battle is upon us, we need to also be aware of history repeating itself. Frecklespots spoke to that tortoiseshell as if she knew her, she might have been in communication with her."
"Are you saying Frecklespots trained in the Dark Forest?" Olivestar shakes her head. "Don't be a fish-brain! If she had been a Dark Forest trainee we would have seen scars on her pelt!"
"Is Swanheart?" Hollyclaw pushes. "She mentioned him."
"Swanheart is a loyal RiverClan warrior." Olivestar sneers scathingly, even though her eyes show conflict.
Seeing as the stubborn she-cat refuses to budge, Littlestar speaks.
"It's important that we need to be prepared. The Clans have done this before, we can do it again."
Heatherstar nods in agreement. "As before, we will send each of our warriors to our respective Clan."
"Only after the medicine cats return." Olivestar suggests. "We will discuss with our warriors the plan and no one is to leave the camp without a warrior present, this goes strictly for queens, kits and elders."
Littlestar glances at the three leaders. "So it's agreed?"
Heatherstar, Brackenstar and Olivestar nod in affirmation. The four leaders leave the island and head for their territories. Finchblaze waits until Brackenstar crosses the stream and Heatherstar and Olivestar go in the opposite direction of WindClan.
Finchblaze turns to Littlestar. "As much as I hate to say it - Olivestar has a point."
"I know she does, but so far there hasn't been any activity that shows Flashpad isn't really Flashkit." Littlestar mutters.
Finchblaze narrows his eyes at a long forgotten moment.
"It still seems too much of a coincidence that two Dark Forest cats were born inside the bodies of previously dead kits, Flashkit died but miraculously recovered after a short period of time. Did you see how he reacted to Gingershine? Flashkit was a She-Cat's Little Tom, and he didn't even look happy when she returned, not even visiting her."
Littlestar kinks his tail. "I just… What would Darkstar do?"
"Darkstar's dead, you're the leader." Finchblaze rebukes. "Our priority is ThunderClan's safety and future, and if Flashpad is beginning to threaten our safety we need to deal with him swiftly."
"... I have an idea." He murmurs to his brother. "But for it to work, I need you to trust me."
"I don't like the sound of that."
"Please?" Littlestar holds his front paw out for Finchblaze to see.
Finchblaze sighs, staring at his little brother sternly. The dark ginger tom raises his paw and touches paw pads with Littlestar. "You better know what you're doing."
~ Mapleshade ~
She didn't expect to see Hawkfrost again, but yet, here he is. Hawkfrost's true form wavers above the Darkpool.
"We have a problem." Hawkfrost growls.
"If you're referring to the prisoners." Mapleshade sneers. "Save it."
"Gingershine is getting suspicious! She's been giving me wary stares and cats are picking up on it. They think she's still traumatized by her capture but-."
"Then stop being suspicious." Mapleshade snaps. "Treat her like she's Sasha, or have you already screwed up your position? It wouldn't be the first time you couldn't follow through with a plan successfully."
Hawkfrost curls his lips. "I like to see you do better… How is Father's situation?"
"I've already contacted Tigerclaw to prepare the rogues to invade the lake."
Hawkfrost blinks in surprise. "So soon?"
Mapleshade's ungroomed tail waves arrogantly.
"This generation doesn't have any cat who can spy on us, nor walk in dreams. We lost because of those three, but we have the element of surprise if we get this right."
"Except this generation has a new Three." Hawkfrost warns her, his icy blue eyes gleaming. "The Paws of Nature, remember? I think they're planning something. Windstorm and Rosefoot are leaving at night with Hollyflame, and she always smells of smoke."
Mapleshade blinks curiously. "How long has this been going on?"
"For at least a few days now."
"Then it's nothing. Your main concern is that undersized cat they call a leader. I know that those star crossed fools have spoken to him before about the reincarnations. If you keep being oppositional it will arouse suspicion, and when he starts questioning you, every cat will follow suit. You must be ready when Tigerclaw shows up - which means no more trips into the Twolegplace from here on out."
"Hopefully he doesn't do something he will regret." She adds with a snarl.
"Father wouldn't fail." Hawkfrost remarks dutifully.
Mapleshade snorts. "I wasn't talking about him."
~ Hollyflame ~
Her blue eyes observe as Windstorm's front paw rips out a blade of grass, and his toes spark with light blue embers, Rosefoot narrows her eyes as a small spout of fire glows on his paw pad.
"You can harness fire?" Hollyflame breaths.
"Sort of. Well, to be honest, I forgot I was able to do this."
Windstorm lowers his paw for Hollyflame to see. "Pick out a blade of grass."
The black she-cat reluctantly plucks out a small clump of grass. The azure blue embers flicker off from the grass until the fire swallows it whole, leaving a little fire on her paw. But Hollyflame is flabbergasted by how the fire rapidly grows in her paw.
"W-What should I do?!"
"Breath, for starters." Rosefoot says. "Don't be so scared of your power."
The fire twitches in response to Hollyflame's anxiety spike.
"But what if it lands on something?"
"What did I tell you about the 'what if's?" Rosefoot tells her second cousin. Hollyflame didn't take her eyes off of the flickering light as it dims down and steadies itself.
"What now?" Hollyflame whispers.
Windstorm weaves his tail, his amber eyes gleaming in the cobalt blue light before him. "Keep it on your paw and think of positive memories."
Positive…
For her, it was her days sleeping by Gingershine's belly, snuggled close to Aspenkit and Poppykit. It's playing moss-ball between herself and her littermates, and exploring the forest with Raccoontail.
The blue ember flickers around before remaining still.
"See?" Windstorm purrs. "You're doing it."
Hollyflame's chest brims with pride - and the ember pops up in a tall column of fire before dying out completely when Hollyflame slams her paws down, blue eyes wide.
"I just had it!" She exclaims. She actually manages to get the fire to listen and it just poofs away!
"It actually disappeared instead of lingering on your paws, though." Windstorm reassures her.
"That's a good sign, Hollyflame. You're not in complete control, but it's a step in the right direction."
Hollyflame feels a warmth of hope in her heart. Maybe, just maybe, she has a chance to take control back and hone this power of hers.
A/N: Don't worry Windstorm, I forgot your avatar state was a thing as well.
*sweat drop* Hoo boy, The Unwanted was a weird thing to read through.
I hope everyone is safe and healthy. There's a whole lot going on in the world - with this virus spreading around.
Thank you for reading and have a nice morning. ~ Kyubi