Warriors of the Sea Challenge: What If?: Sky Song
At the dawning of the Clans, when Tall Shadow, River Ripple, Clear Sky, Wind Runner, and Thunder roamed the old forests, and the Clans had not yet been spurred into existence, tensions were high. Clear Sky, the leader-to-be of SkyClan, was fierce and aggressive, with Tigerstar's ideas of strength and Brokenstar's lust for power.
When the Clans were founded, his attitude enveloped his Clan. SkyClan, the lost Clan, was eventually driven out of the forest by the other four. Their home was destroyed, their territory effectively razed, and they were scattered, forgotten in a mere few generations.
At least, until the leaders who had banished the forsaken Clan made an appeal to the greatest cats of StarClan. Those four leaders, who had doomed the Clan to die out until Sandstorm and Firestar had managed to rebuilt it, pled with all of StarClan to give SkyClan a second chance. Surely there was a way to change the past, to let SkyClan stay?
The leaders of StarClan refused. Such a thing was impossible in the way that the four guilt-ridden leaders wished, but they showed them something else instead.
Looking out over the Moonpool sat Bluestar, Firestar, and Cloudstar, along with the leaders who had denied SkyClan their territory. The latter five were nearly faded, transparent, their voices soft as a forest breeze.
Cloudstar touched his nose to the pond. "Look," he directed his four fellow leaders, his face void of any emotion.
There, rippling on the surface, was his mate, Birdflight. She had long since faded, reunited with her mate with her last starry breath. She was kitting, the medicine cats soothing her and helping her.
There were two kits, glimpsed for an instant before a change of scene which showed them grown and strong, living in ThunderClan. One was a dark tabby tom with amber eyes, and the other a dappled tortoiseshell she-cat whose appearance nearly took Firestar's breath away.
Then the flame-colored tom touched his nose to the water, and Spottedleaf appeared in the reflection beside her ancestor, Birdflight's daughter, named Spottedpelt. The resemblance was all too clear in the water.
"As you can see," Bluestar mewed softly to all the leaders. "SkyClan never did truly leave." She touched her nose to the pond. More cats appeared: Tigerstar himself, Brambleclaw, Tawnypelt, Hawkfrost, Mothwing, Sorreltail and her kits, Graystripe, Feathertail of RiverClan, Stormfur of the Tribe and his kits, Bumblestripe, Briarlight, Blossomfall, Sandstorm, Leafpool, Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, and Squirrelflight and her kits.
"There are others," she continued, whisking her tail over the water. The small ripples lapped at the vision in the water, which was fading with each wave. "We cannot name them all. Some are forgotten; others still live, descendants of Spottedleaf's brothers and sisters, their lives led believing they have always been of ThunderClan, or even the Tribe," she added, referring to Stormfur and his lineage.
Cloudstar stepped up. "I am willing to forgive our past heartaches," he mewed, his once-strong voice soft and weak with ages of being forgotten, "If you will help these my descendants to know who they truly are. What they do with such information is of no importance, only let them know that they are the last of the lost Clan."
Bluestar and Firestar watched, Firestar's gaze lingering on the pool where Spottedleaf's shape had appeared. Since her Fading, he had wished with all his heart that he could tell her how grateful he was to her for saving his mate's life. He had to content himself with the fact that she would know, undoubtedly, wherever she was.
Bluestar only watched as the four leaders hastily and anxiously agreed, giving heartfelt apologies.
"We will," they assured Cloudstar. "We promise we will."
Cloudstar only let out a sigh, one of relief and resignation. "Thank you." He was disappearing before their eyes. Only his desire to see his blood know where they came from had held him this long. "Thank you."
The ancient leader faded, and the four guilty of his first death were quick to speak with his kin. Three sped off to ThunderClan, one to the Tribe, to tell them of their lineage. Some were proud of their heritage, at the resilience of their blood Clan, while others shied away from the thought of being mixed blood, or kept it to themselves. But, one way or another, they knew, and their kits, and their kits' kits, that they were SkyClan warriors as well as ThunderClan warriors.
This led to conflict. ThunderClan split, more than half claiming SkyClan ancestry and shunning those of only ThunderClan blood while only associating with others of SkyClan descent, and the other half trying to get their Clanmates, friends, mates, and kits to stay as ThunderClan. But alas, they would not listen; ThunderClan was cut in under half its previous size, and weakened severely.
And that is how ThunderClan was driven out of the forest, kin against kin, for the vengeance of a long-dead Clan newly resurrected, but with all the fiery spirit of their ancestors. They were as proud as Clear Sky, as fierce as Tigerstar, and as stubborn as Sandstorm. They became the strongest of the Clans, and ThunderClan was a legend used to warn kits to stay clear of SkyClan warriors.
