(Note: Posting a bit late today, but never fear! This chapter is a GOOD ONE, and it furthers the plot a lot. Enjoy!)
The time seemed to fly by, and before Thorncloud could blink, it was the night of the Gathering. Such a night would normally be exciting, but Thorncloud's excitement doubled at the thought of speaking with her kin. Even if Bumblestripe had no idea of their true relationship, it brought a whole new significance to their meetings. Now talking to him wasn't just about their shared dream – it was also about spending time with the brother she never knew she had.
Thankfully, Thorncloud was chosen to attend. Tigerfang, she noted, was not among the cats that gathered to wait by the tunnel – though she could have guessed as much. Blizzardpelt was attending, which made her smile. It was nice to see the elder up and out of the den. She stuck by his side as they waited for the last few cats to gather.
"Can we go with you?" Leafkit meowed, dancing around Foxtail's paws a few tail-lengths away from Thorncloud.
"Yeah, we're almost six moons old now!" Daisykit chimed in.
"Once you're apprenticed, you'll be allowed to go," Foxtail promised.
"Leafkit, Daisykit! Come back here!" Barktail called from the nursery.
"Aww!" the kits said in unison. They bid goodbye to Foxtail – who Thorncloud suddenly realized was their father – and tumbled over their tiny paws to go join their mother. Thorncloud knew that it was a good thing those two were nearly ready to be apprenticed, because Rosewhisker wouldn't be happy having them disturbing her newborns.
Foxtail watched them go, a loving gaze in his eyes, before coming over to join the rest of the group. Ever since discovering that Mottledfur was her father, Thorncloud had been a lot more attentive to the relationships within the clan. She was glad that all of the current SnowClan kits had both of their parents.
At last, Windheart and Ivypaw joined the group, and they were ready to depart. Thorncloud kept towards the back of the group as Rainstar led them to the Gathering. Thankfully Copperfur wasn't coming, but Springfoot had also stayed back, so the only cat she felt comfortable talking to was Blizzardpelt.
"It's nice to be out of camp again," he commented, falling back with Thorncloud. They chatted idly all the way there. Blizzardpelt looked exceptionally happy to be going to the Gathering that night. He must be lonely, Thorncloud thought. To go to the Gathering and see old faces must be nice.
For once, SnowClan arrived first to Fourtrees. Rainstar didn't bother to wait before plunging down into the clearing. She leapt up onto the Great Rock, while the rest of the SnowClan cats milled about below.
It didn't take long for RainClan to show. Thorncloud was grateful to see them pouring over the top of the ravine. Goldenstar didn't look as happy, she noted. The tom had a cold air about him, and didn't even look at Rainstar as he jumped up on the Great Rock beside her. There were clearly still a lot of bad feelings about Brookpelt's death, and Thorncloud couldn't say she blamed him. There was an air of hostility in Fourtrees as they waited for the other clans to show up. A few cats mingled, but for the most part, the clans stayed separate.
Mottledfur lingered at the base of the Great Rock. Thorncloud sent a silent thank-you to StarClan as she saw Bumblestripe and Cloudstorm near him. She headed over, and waved her tail hello to them. Mottledfur glanced over as she approached and left the rock to come join them.
"Greetings, Thorncloud," the RainClan deputy said casually. "How's the prey running in SnowClan?"
"Great, thank you," Thorncloud said, trying not to show too much excitement at talking to him.
"You know each other?" Bumblestripe asked, visibly surprised at the friendly interaction.
"A good deputy keeps track of all the other clans' warriors," Mottledfur said, as if this should be obvious. "Thorncloud was made a warrior a few moons ago, isn't that right?"
Thorncloud nodded. She sensed the anxiety in Bumblestripe's eyes; if Mottledfur was there, they couldn't talk about the prophecy. "Congratulations on being named deputy, by the way. How are things in RainClan?" she asked, directing her question at all of them. "Trust me when I say that nobody is happy with what happened last time our clans met."
Cloudstorm narrowed her eyes. "We're doing just fine," she said sharply.
"Goldenstar will address it during the Gathering," Mottledfur said. "But nobody blames all of SnowClan, I promise you that. Sunningrocks has been an age-old dispute for our clans. That won't change anytime soon."
Cloudstorm abruptly turned and left. She stalked away to speak to another cat from her clan, turning her back to Thorncloud, who frowned.
Bumblestripe leaned in to speak quietly. "Brookpelt was her former mentor," he murmured.
Thorncloud's heart twisted in her chest. "I'm so sorry," she sighed. "Her death was unnecessary. I wish things could have ended differently."
"We all do." Mottledfur smiled softly. He glanced around as the scent of CloudClan filled the air. Galestar was leading her clan down the slope. "I should go speak with the other clan deputies. Duty calls. Enjoy the Gathering, you two." With a parting smile, he returned to the base of the Great Rock just as the CloudClan deputy, a silver tabby tom named Duskfur, greeted him.
"He's so friendly," Thorncloud commented, watching her father converse with the other deputy for a few moments.
"He's popular in all the clans," Bumblestripe said proudly. "One day I hope to be as great a warrior as him. Maybe even deputy."
"You will be," Thorncloud said, resting her tail on his shoulders. Though she couldn't say it out loud, she was proud to be his sister.
Bumblestripe purred at the compliment. "Thank you," he said. He glanced around, and then leaned in to speak in a hushed tone. "Did you manage to make the journey to Highstones?"
Thorncloud shook her head, and moved her tail to curl around her paws. "I injured my shoulder and it got infected, so I had to stay in camp," she said. Bumblestripe deflated slightly. "I'm sorry, I would've gone if I had the chance."
"No, that's alright. You were right to take care of yourself!"
Just then, StormClan arrived. Thorncloud said a quick goodbye to Bumblestripe and moved to sit beside Blizzardpelt, who was conversing with two CloudClan elders she didn't know. Blizzardpelt introduced the elderly tom whose body was riddled with battle scars as Scarpelt, and then the she-cat as Whitewhisker.
She only had time to hear them reminiscing about how young warriors these days were "irresponsible and disrespectful" before Ravenstar's yowl silenced the clearing. Goldenstar stepped forward to speak first. A few SnowClan warriors around Thorncloud bristled in anticipation.
"I'll begin this Gathering by introducing RainClan's new deputy, Mottledfur," he said. The usual yowls of congratulation that came with a new deputy were somewhat muted. A murmur rose up from the other clans who were unaware of Brookpelt's death. "RainClan lost our old deputy, Brookpelt, in a fight over Sunningrocks with SnowClan. She served the clan well, but she now hunts with StarClan."
He raised his gaze to look up to Silverpelt as the news sunk in. Near Thorncloud, a StormClan warrior muttered, "Just like greedy SnowClan to kill another warrior for more territory." Thorncloud raked her claws in the dirt to stop herself from having an outburst.
"Nevertheless, I know Mottledfur will serve us well," Goldenstar said. He went on to announce a new litter of kits from a queen named Flamefur – a tom named Russetkit and a she-cat named Peachkit – and finished by saying that the clan is well-fed with the coming of newleaf and are recovering well from all of their losses.
As soon as Goldenstar had finished, Ravenstar stepped forward. "I'd like to speak next," the sleek black tom said, narrowing his eyes at the other leaders, as if challenging them to protest. When no one said a thing, he raised his head and said, "It's not surprising to hear that RainClan is doing so well. In fact, StormClan have noted the presence of RainClan on our territory." The clearing erupted with outrage from the RainClan cats. Ravenstar lashed his tail and directed his gaze at Goldenstar. "Is your clan doing so well that you believe you can set foot on other territories as well, Goldenstar?" he challenged, raising his voice over the noise.
"I assure you, Ravenstar, that I have encouraged no cat to set foot on your territory," Goldenstar said calmly, though his muscles were rippling under his fur, as if he could break the truce and strike out at Ravenstar any moment.
"Actually," said Galestar, stepping forward to join the conversation, "I was going to wait to say this until I gave CloudClan's news, but my warriors have noted strong RainClan scents on our territory as well. Not just from across the border that we share, but in other areas, too."
More outrage came from the RainClan cats. Goldenstar was frowning deeply. "This troubles me," he said quietly, so that Thorncloud had to strain to hear him over the din. "My clan has been occupied with rebuilding ourselves this newleaf. I have made no attempts to cross borders, and no cat from my clan has expressed wanting to encroach on other territories. I swear by StarClan, we have no desire to steal your territories."
"You think our senses of smell are wrong, then?" Ravenstar demanded.
Goldenstar shook his head. "No, Ravenstar. May I ask where you picked up these scents?" he asked, keeping his voice impressively civil for being the target of so much hostility.
"Near Carrionplace, in the part of our territory closest to the Thunderpath that runs between us and Highstones," Ravenstar said, his eyes narrowed. "But I think you already knew that."
"Galestar?" Goldenstar asked, ignoring the jab.
"The part of our territory that borders the Thunderpath," Galestar answered promptly.
"And what purpose would RainClan have to be in either of those areas?" Goldenstar asked politely. "We have the river to fish in. Ravenstar, my clan shares no borders with yours. It wouldn't make much sense for us to hunt that way. And Galestar, we already share one border with you. Why would we venture so far as the Thunderpath when, if we were trying to expand our territory, the logical place to start would be where our territories already meet?"
An uncomfortable silence fell over the clearing. Even Ravenstar didn't look so convinced now. But Goldenstar was smiling. "I understand the confusion, and I have an idea of what might be the cause," he said. His smile fell away. "It has only been a few moons since we lost our traitorous deputy Sunstream. It would make sense for Sunstream and his allies to have held onto their RainClan scent. Perhaps that's where the scent came from."
"You think they would stay so close to the territories?" Rainstar asked, speaking for the first time. She had spent the whole argument watching silently, but now her curiosity was piqued.
"It's possible," Goldenstar said. "We warned them to stay out of RainClan territory, and so far they have kept to that. But the forest is familiar to them, and I doubt they would want to leave right away, especially with the amount of Twoleg nests surrounding all of our territories."
"Perhaps they're sheltering near Highstones," Rainstar said. Thorncloud's eyes widened as the leader continued, "It would be an area they're familiar with, but that belongs to no clan. They are so few in numbers that it's a large enough area to support them, as scarce as the rocklands are for prey. If they're along your clan borders, they may be trying to establish their own territory."
"Would they dare settle so close to such a sacred place?" Galestar asked. "Highstones belongs to StarClan!"
"Sunstream may not see it that way," Goldenstar said. "I fear Rainstar may be right. It would make sense for them to settle there."
A white-furred StormClan she-cat cleared her throat. "When the medicine cats ventured to Highstones at the half-moon, we didn't see any evidence of other cats," she said.
"The rocklands are vast, and they could be hiding anywhere," Goldenstar pointed out. "But thank you, Icefang. Perhaps RainClan should send a patrol of cats to check out the area, and see if any cats are hiding there."
"Just RainClan?" Ravenstar said. He didn't look happy. "I don't think so. If what you think is true, this is a threat to StormClan more than you. My warriors should go."
"The rocklands border CloudClan, too. I'd like my warriors to be involved," said Galestar.
Rainstar stepped forward. "Leaders, you all make important points. However, this is not the problem of a single clan. This is a problem for all clans," she said. "I propose each leader selects cats from their own clan to travel to Highstones, and for all to go together as one group."
"We are not allies, Rainstar!" Ravenstar hissed.
"Every full moon we come together in peace – why shouldn't we be able to do the same for one journey?" Rainstar responded coolly. "Two warriors from each clan, at least one of them a senior warrior. Eight cats should be enough to threaten Sunstream and his allies, while remaining small enough to be discreet. This is my proposal."
Goldenstar was the first to agree. "Rainstar is right. This is a threat to all clans. We must work together."
Galestar nodded. "In order to preserve our territory, I agree. But it should be soon, to ensure safe travelling for any medicine cat or leader who wishes to meet with StarClan at Highstones."
The three leaders looked to Ravenstar. He sat, still as stone, for several long moments. Finally, he looked at his fellow leaders. "Fine. But if this quest isn't successful, StormClan will take matters into their own paws."
"Fair," Goldenstar said. "Then it's settled. On the night of the quarter-moon, two cats from each clan will meet here at Fourtrees and make the journey to Highstones. Leaders have until then to select their warriors and prepare them for the journey." The four leaders nodded. An excited murmur rippled through the clearing.
But Thorncloud was frozen in shock. Images from her dream flashed vividly in her mind. Running through the rocklands near Highstones, and the ominous words: A sapling grows at Fourtrees.