Jayfeather walked beside his brother as the clan passed through WindClan territory on the way to this moon's Gathering. Since he missed the last one, Lionblaze was catching him up on all that had happened.
"The clans are doing pretty well, they've recovered from the storm," Lionblaze was telling him. "ShadowClan has new kits, prey is running well in both WindClan and RiverClan. Oh and Bramblestar mentioned that Crane's Wing arrived and that you were missing. That actually kind of turned into a big deal. I heard some cat say that was the most interesting news in moons and it triggered a ton of gossip."
"Great," Jayfeather groaned. He was never a fan of drama and he never liked it much when warriors or apprentices came up to him. It was strange and out of place. They never did that for other medicine cats. Nearly every apprentice asked their mentor who he was when they went to their first Gathering. The allure of medicine cats, his eyes, his scars, the way he always seemed so distance... it kept cats from leaving him alone.
"Don't worry, I can scare them off for you," Lionblaze offered sensing his brother's discomfort.
"Thanks."
"I actually spoke to Crowfeather."
"What?" Jayfeather asked in alarm. He'd been back with ThunderClan for a quarter-moon and Lionblaze hadn't told him he spoke with their WindClan father. "When? How? Why?"
"Last Gathering obviously, mouse-brain," Lionblaze said. "There were a bunch of cats crowding me, they actually pushed Cinderheart away, and Crowfeather came over and made them back off. We talked, it was kind of awkward at first but it got better. Nightcloud and Breezepelt seemed upset about it though."
"Why?" Jayfeather rasped. "Why did he speak to you?"
"You were missing, all the clans were freaking out," Lionblaze said. "I guess he just decided it was time for us to talk. He was worried about you."
"He shouldn't have been," Jayfeather grunted.
"I thought about it a bit, I never really thought about the situation from his perspective," Lionblaze went on. "He loved a cat from another clan. He couldn't be with her and when his clanmates found out, they shunned him for it."
"So you forgive him?"
"We forgave Leafpool and Squirrelflight," he pointed out. "I tried to imagine what he went through. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't be with Cinderheart. You're a medicine cat so I don't think you'd really understand it but at least try."
Jayfeather did understand it. He couldn't remember if Crowfeather had any siblings or not but if he did, the black tom wouldn't have been able to tell his brother either for the same reasons that Jayfeather couldn't tell Lionblaze about Half Moon. He felt the pain everyday of being without her and he wished he could be with his love with everything he had but he couldn't tell Lionblaze that. "Maybe."
"That's the spirit," Lionblaze purred. "We're at the treebridge, our clanmates are crossing. You go first."
It always bothered Jayfeather when Lionblaze said that. He wanted to be behind him in case he fell. He knew Lionblaze was just looking out for his younger brother but Jayfeather had crossed the bridge dozens of times and he had done it without any problems.
But he decided to let it go. He hopped up on the fallen tree and walked across with Lionblaze on his tail. He walked over it pretty quickly and dropped off onto the island at the end.
His sharp ears were filled with the bustle of interacting cats. ThunderClan had been the last clan to arrive.
"Tigerheart!" Dovewing called. The tom bounded over.
Jayfeather began making his way to the spot where medicine cats sat. Lionblaze was at his side and Leafpool was close behind but she kept her distance. They'd been arguing a lot and she didn't want to make a scene at a Gathering.
The two medicine cats sat beside their comrades. Lionblaze didn't intrude and began speaking with a nearby RiverClan elder without straying too far. As promised, he was keeping an eye on his brother in case any unwanted cats approached him.
"Is that Jayfeather?" Pouncefoot said after a while. Jayfeather stiffened as he felt gazes fall upon him. The air was flooded with voices speaking his name.
"It is Jayfeather!"
"Where has he been?"
"I thought for sure that he abandoned the clan!"
"Why would he leave the clan now of all times, mouse-brain?"
"Did StarClan send him on a journey?"
"How did a blind cat survive on his own for so long?"
"Why is every cat making such a fuss? He's just a cat!"
Jayfeather ducked his head to avoid the stares. His pelt flushed with embarrassment but that heat soon turned to anger. He flattened his ears and glared at the ground, his head still ducked. Why couldn't cats just leave him alone? Lionblaze stepped protectively in front of him and hissed at the other cats.
"Let the Gathering begin!" Mistystar called, saving him. The cats turned their attention to the RiverClan leader. She looked to the ThunderClan leader. "Bramblestar, I believe you have something to share."
"Yes." Bramblestar stepped forward. "As you can see, our medicine cat, Jayfeather, had returned."
The cats below erupted into questions.
Bramblestar waved his tail for silence. "Jayfeather has his reasons for leaving. They were important and I'm sure he would appreciate if no cat pestered him about them."
"If they're so important, shouldn't they be shared with the other clans?" Onestar asked.
"Yes,," Rowanstar agreed. "If StarClan has shared something that important with Jayfeather, the rest of us should know."
Jayfeather felt his pelt get hot again. He did not like speaking at Gatherings but he knew every cat was looking at him, including his own clanmates. He knew he had to say something. "It does not concern you."
"You are a medicine cat, clan boundaries do not affect you due to your code," Rowanstar said.
"This has nothing to do with ThunderClan nor any of the other clans," Jayfeather said, "and that includes StarClan. My fellow medicine cats do not need to know of this either so please respect them and do not question them because they do not know either. This only affects a small number cats and they are well aware of it."
The surrounding cats broke out into discussion again until Harespring yowled for them to quiet.
Jayfeather could still feel the gazes of many cats on his pelt but he lifted his head and kept his head up strong and kept his own defiant gaze locked on the leaders. "If I learn of anything that you should know, I will tell you but this is a private matter for the cats who this affects. I will not speak on this anymore."
Rowanstar looked annoyed but ruffled his pelt and sat back down. He looked back to Bramblestar so he could continue.
"ThunderClan has nothing left to report," Bramblestar said and looked to the other leaders. Mistystar stepped forward.
"Icewing has had her second litter of kits. RiverClan has two new she-kits," Mistystar said. Icewing, obviously, wasn't there but cats of all clans murmured congratulations to her mate, Mintfur. Mistystar looked to Onestar.
"Twolegs have come onto the moor and let their dogs loose," Onestar said. "I would like to acknowledge the bravery Emberfoot showed when when he lead the patrol that drove them away from our camp. No cat was injured thanks to him."
"Emberfoot! Emberfoot! Emberfoot!" the clans chanted. Emberfoot gave his chest fur a few embarrassed licks but pride shone in his eyes.
"WindClan has nothing else to report," Onestar said. Rowanstar stepped forward.
"I am sorry to say that our elder Ivytail has moved on to StarClan," Rowanstar said sadly. The island was filled with sorrowful murmurs. "She died peacefully in her sleep and Littlecloud made sure she was comfortable. She was my own apprentice and a fierce and loyal clanmate. She will be missed. We also drove a young fox off our territory. It went in the direction of RiverClan so I suggest you look out. ShadowClan has nothing left to report."
With the announcements over, the cats broke into conversations amongst themselves. A couple of apprentices tried to talk to Jayfeather but Lionblaze pushed them away and ended up being pulled into conversation with them leaving Jayfeather to speak with the other medicine cats.
"What did you mean by this has nothing to do with StarClan?" Littlecloud demanded.
"I have asked him the same thing many times," Leafpool muttered under her breath. Jayfeather glared at her.
"StarClan has sent me no prophecies or omens," Jayfeather told him. "I did speak with one of our ancestors on the matter. She isn't exactly a part of StarClan but she is very close with them. She said that they don't know anything."
"An ancestor that isn't StarClan?" Willowshine murmured.
"StarClan hasn't existed forever," Jayfeather pointed out. "We have ancestors that came before them. I speak with them often."
"You've never mentioned this," Kestrelflight said.
"Did Barkface not tell you?" Littlecloud questioned. "On the Great Journey, man medicine cats spoke with the Tribe of Endless Hunting but I didn't know they reached the clans. You should have told us, Jayfeather."
Jayfeather shrugged. Littlecloud had reached closer to the truth than any other cat. "It didn't seem important."
"You should've at least told me that," Leafpool hissed in his ear. He responded with a wordless hiss back.
"Is everything alright between you two?" Mothflight asked.
"Fine."
"Peachy."
Mothwing shot the two of them a weary look but didn't say anything more as Rowanstar called to his clanmates. Littlecloud said goodbye and darted off after his clanmates.
"You will tell us if StarClan tells you anything?" Willowshine asked Jayfeather.
"If StarClan wants you to know anything, they'll tell you," Jayfeather said. "But if I think you should know about this, I'll tell you."
"Thank you," Willowshine said.
"RiverClan, we're leaving!" Mistystar yowled. Mothwing and Willowshine nodded goodbye and went after their clanmates.
Lionblaze appeared at Jayfeather's side. "You good?"
"Of course," he said. "How were those apprentices?"
Lionblaze groaned and Jayfeather laughed.
"Apparently I've got a reputation among the other clans," Lionblaze said.
"Any cat could've told you that."
"Then why didn't you warn me then?" Lionblaze whined.
Jayfeather stopped laughing but still had a faint smile on his face.
"Is this your brother?" Kestrelflight asked. Jayfeather looked back at him and nodded. "I don't think we've ever met other than that one meeting between the clan leader, medicine cats and the three. I'm Kestrelflight."
"I'm Lionblaze," Lionblaze greeted. "But I think every cat knows who we are."
"The great Lionblaze who fought the Dark Forest single-pawed," Kestrelflight mocked with a gleam of amusement in his eyes.
"Do they really say that?"
"Yep."
"I don't know how I feel about that," Lionblaze grumbled. Jayfeather shoved him lightly with his shoulder.
"ThunderClan, we're leaving!" Bramblestar yowled. ThunderClan cats looked up and began following their leader to the tree bridge. Leafpool and Lionblaze said goodbye to Kestrelflight while Jayfeather merely waved his tail.
"Why are you suddenly in a good mood?" Lionblaze asked his brother after they had both crossed the tree bridge.
Jayfeather shrugged. "I had a dream last night."
"From StarClan?"
"No, I'm just telling you about a normal dream," Jayfeather said sarcastically. "Why would I tell you about a dream if it wasn't from StarClan?"
"That sounds more like the sharp-tongued Jayfeather I know and love," Lionblaze purred. Jayfeather, who was walking in front of him, flicked his tail in the golden tom's face. Lionblaze spat, trying to get it away from his mouth. "And this is even more like the Jayfeather I know in love."
Jayfeather gave his brother's face one last swoosh then retracted it with a smug look.
"So what did StarClan tell you?" Lionblaze asked.
Jayfeather hesitated. Half Moon had visited him the previous night.
"They didn't tell me anything," Jayfeather meowed.
"Nothing? At all?"
"Not anything new." That was true. She didn't tell him he didn't already know; that the Astral Plane was a realm for the spirits above StarClan. Well, she did tell him that cats who couldn't fade went there and that the only cats in StarClan who knew much about it had faded long ago but he didn't think Lionblaze would want to know that.
"Then why are you in such a good mood?"
"I saw a cat that I don't talk to very much," Jayfeather responded cryptically.
"By any chance is this cat called Half Moon?"
"Where did you hear that name?" Jayfeather demanded in shock. How does he know about her? Does anyone else know? He couldn't know.
"I don't know, I've heard it before but Crane's Wing mentioned her the other day," Lionblaze explained. "He said to ask you who she is, he felt like it wasn't his place to tell me."
Jayfeather relaxed a bit. Lionblaze didn't know anything. He opened his mouth to speak then stiffened as he suddenly became aware of his surrounding clanmates. "I'll tell you later. There are too many ears here."
Lionblaze nodded. "When?"
"I don't know, when the time is right," Jayfeather shrugged.
Lionblaze accepted this and the two walked back to camp in silence.
Author's Note: Another Gathering. Jayfeather doesn't like them much, other cats are annoying. Turns out Half Moon visited him between chapters with what Jayfeather asked her to find. She didn't find much. Any cats who know anything about the mysterious Astral Plane have faded or are hidden in some deep corner of StarClan's hunting grounds.
Reviews-
Wolfjem- Indeed they are. I think Briarlight has already noticed that something is wrong but understands Jayfeather well enough to know he'll open up when he's ready and pressuring him about it will do more harm than good.