Chapter 6

A New Plan

A loud yowl split the air as the patrol marched a lone cat into the ThunderClan camp. Echostar leapt down from the rock she'd been sunning and advanced on the patrol, her fur bristling, "What have we here?"

"We found him crossing the border from ShadowClan territory," Blackfoot sneered, swiping a paw at the loner.

Tigerheart, just waking up from a nap after his vigil, sat outside the warrior's den. "That's Talon," he murmured to Feartherfoot, who appeared at his side. "He's a loner who lives around here somewhere, they've seen him before. Why are they acting like he's the enemy?"

Echostar put her face in Talon's and snarled, "Why are you in our territory, are you spying for ShadowClan?"

Stonehenge watched from his perch in a tree and flicked his tail unsurely. 'What is Echostar doing?'

"No, of course not! I don't live in a clan, you know that!" Talon mewed desperately, his short white and black coat bristling in fear.

"How can we trust you?" Blackfoot growled, "Only clan born cats are trustworthy!"

"He's right," Echostar hissed. A gasp went around the camp, they had several warriors who weren't clan born.

Stonehenge jumped down from his tree, "You can't be serious Echostar! After all, I wasn't cl-"

Echostar's tail lashed impatiently over the deputy's mouth. "You would stay silent Stonehenge, if you knew what was good for you," she whispered, and then turned to the clan. "No longer can we trust those who are not clan born. They have not received StarClan's blessing by having warrior parents." Echostar yowled, a mad glint in her eyes. Her gaze swept her own warriors, resting briefly on Tigerheart and Featherfoot before returning to Talon.

"I've done nothing wrong," he pleaded desperately, wriggling to free himself from Blackfoot's grasp.

"He could be a spy! Kill him!" A warrior hissed from within the small group sitting by their leader.

Echostar glared coldly at Talon, "He doesn't belong here, he's not a loyal clan born cat. In these troubled times, we would be foolish to let him go." She turned to the patrol that'd brought him in, "Take him out to the forest and kill him."

Blackfoot grinned and snapped his jaws at Talon as the patrol lead the struggling black loner away.

Tigerheart leaned into Featherfoot, his brown eyes watching sadly as Echostar jumped onto a large rock.

"The time for tolerance has passed! We must weed out those whose loyalty is questionable," the sandy orange she-cat snarled.

Stonehenge stalked through the forest; he stopped, waited and then pounced, a large rat caught between his paws. For a moment he let is squirm and squeal, "What a challenge you were," he chuckled sarcastically, snapping his teeth around the animals mid-section. The sudden snap of a twig caught his attention, slowly he raised himself, letting the dead rat drop to the ground, and climbed up a tree.

A grey tabby she-cat padded cautiously through the forest, two others stopping abruptly. The she-cat stopped, "I know we've crossed into ThunderClan territory, but don't be afraid." She mewed and kept walking, the kits following slowly.

'Catching three little intruders would certainly please Echostar,' Stonehenge thought with a delighted purr.

The grey tabby stopped, her ears swiveling. She opened her maw, catching the strong scent of another cat and a dead rat. "Hide," she whispered, ushering them into a bush.

"Come, stay, good kitty, bad kitty," the pale brown kit muttered under his breath as the tabby left.

The leopard spotted young she-cat beside him snorted, "Better do what your aunt says."

"Oh yeah, if you always do what you're told then why didn't you stay back in camp? Bah, why would a goody-four-paws, I-share-with-StarClan apprentice want to leave anyway?" The pale kit retorted haughtily.

"Like I'd ever tell you," she growled.

"Whatever, you should have stayed with ShadowClan Leopardpaw, and then I wouldn't have to deal with your complaining all day."

Leopardpaw winced, "You don't really mean that, do you Lazerkit?" she whispered.

'Perfect, they're from ShadowClan. We haven't heard much about what's been going on with them since StarClan made their prophecy.' Stonehenge thought, his claws digging into the tree branch as he steadied himself and leapt in front of the tabby. "Although the rest of the forest may fall out of balance, I'll have you ShadowClan scum know that ThunderClan's borders are still very much in-tact and stronger then ever. You would leave if you know what's good for you," he said, his tone steady with a threatening edge to it.

Fallenheart smiled pleasantly and dipped her head respectfully. "We are sorry to be trespassing, however ShadowClan no longer exists and we have no home," she replied just as steadily.

Lazerkit rolled his eyes from the bushes, "and we don't want one with ThunderClan scum either," he mimicked softly.

Stonehenge flicked his ears and thought for a moment, "What do you mean by ShadowClan no longer exists?"

"I mean they're all dead."

"How?"

Fallenheart paused a moment, 'I have to lie or at least be vague,' she thought. "The clan fought over who should be the leader. They killed themselves. We," she looked at the two kits padding to her, "are going to make our own clan, a sort of rebellion." She sat and waited.

Stonehenge watched silently as the pale kit proudly went to sit next to the grey-tabby, "Echostar is turning against all non-clan born cats. She wouldn't want rogues or even a kittypet in the clan- or our boundaries- even if they swore loyalty," he growled to himself more than the small group of intruders.

"You have three choices," Stonehenge compromised with himself, speaking to the grey tabby now, "do you want to be killed now, killed later, or leave quietly."

"Well, well, well," a smug, female voice tutted, "Stonehenge, I would have thought you'd have more backbone than that," Echostar purred, slipping out of the brush where he'd tossed the dead mouse. "I want you to kill them; they are not clan born and obviously traitors. StarClan does not what them in their forest."

Stonehenge growled irritably, "Excuse me, but I believe it is you who do not want them in your forest."

Echostar's eyes flickered angrily from Fallenheart to Stonehenge, "Must I remind you that I have spared you; you were not clan born either. But so help me I will not hold back the next time you disobey an order or speak out of place. I will order them to slit your throat." Her eyes flicked back to Fallenheart, "Do not forget to kill them." With an agitated and angry flick of her tail she left.

Stonehenge waited till he was certain she'd left and was out of earshot, "Her time is dwindling," he growled.

"Wow," Lazerkit mewed with an air of sarcasm, "maybe he thinks he should make the choices instead of his leader."

"Maybe apprentices from another clan should mind their own business," Tigerheart purred, slipping down from his perch in a pine tree. "Sorry for the intrusion, but you've woken me from my nap and well, I can't help but over hear."

"Not our business? If it's not our business then it's so not your business. Besides, everyone knows about the StarClan message so I think it is our business. The forest is changing, once great leaders are falling to their paws. You know the clans are destined for ruin when cats watch their own kits die without even trying to save them." His words were twisted with bitterness and cold bravado.

'Where did that come from?' Fallenheart sighed, giving Lazerkit the slightest of sympathizing nudges. "Where do you stand with Echostar?" she asked, skipping to her only interest with the warriors. "I can see the tension between you and Echostar," she nodded to Stonehenge, "and I think you should get out before she turns her back on you."

Tigerheart let out a long breath, "I watched Echostar, a leader I have been loyalty since kit-hood, order a reasonless kill. She's cracking up and I would be foolish to stay in any clan of hers." He looked at Stonehenge hopefully, "We may not have agreed in the past, but I'll stick with you and talk to Featherfoot… StarClan willing, she'll come with us."

Stonehenge grimaced, "I understand that what you're offering is wise Fallenheart, but… to give up my position- the respect, honor, and power I've worked tirelessly to earn- I think not," he huffed, sitting with thump on the forest floor. 'I didn't kill a few nights ago just to give up my power like Fallenheart suggests…unless there's more to gain.'

With a flick of her tail, Fallenheart stood up, "You'd stay in a clan, fearing the day when you become useless to Echostar? Simply for the power of being a warrior," she scoffed. Her eyes shifted to Tigerheart, "If you, noble warrior, would spread word to others who you think would sympathize with our cause, we would be grateful."

Lazerkit gave Fallenheart a knowing look as they turned to walk off, "You know, I don't think the new clan will have a leader, a deputy, or even a medicine cat. I think one of the firsts in our little rebellion will be leader though," his voice carried behind them as they walked, "Wow, just think, I could be the leader of the most powerful clan in the forest!"

"I think it's a good thing Stonehenge didn't come along," Fallenheart purred with a roll of her eyes, "he looked a little scrawny to me."

"I don't even think an attack from him would hurt me," Lazerkit retorted, his tail high in the air.

"Yes, too bad he's so scrawny." Fallenheart said with exasperation. 'And should he attack, he would attack me.'

"Hey! How are we supposed to find the ShadowClan camp? I've never been there before!" Tigerheart called after them.

"I've been there before," Stonehenge mewed, staring after them. 'I've no doubt that once she has a taste of power she will declare herself leader of her followers. But, she will have the strength and sharpness needed to win this war.' Curious, he padded back towards the camp with Tigerheart. 'I will meet her at ShadowClan's camp, but with followers of my own.'

Tigerheart stopped in the fringes of the forest. Echostar, standing tall on the TallStone with her back to him, was giving an angry speech. "We can no longer let the impure weaken our clan! We cannot tolerate those, like Tigerheart, who were born of kitty pet mothers! The other clans would rip us apart for this alone. And our former medicine cat has further disgraced ThunderClan by having kits! I will not tolerate traitors!"

"What do you think of all this?" The panic in Tigerhearts voice was clear.

"All I can say is," Stonehenge purred, "I can smell the blood now." He sat and cleaned a paw, "Bring loners, rogues, anyone as long as they're clever and respect us. Cats we could still kill if they turn against us." He ran his paw across his ears, "Meet me by the owl tree with your cats, if anyone asks, tell them off. If anyone follows-" He stood and stretched, his claws digging in the dirt. "I don't want anyone knowing about our little rebellion until they have to, do I make myself clear?" He shot Tigerheart a stern look.

"I get it, I'll be there."

"Be where?" Featherfoot interrupted, picking her way through a patch of brambles.

"I'll leave you too it," Stonehenge smirked, slipping past the she-cat and into camp.

A young warrior, and Tigerheart already know his loyalty lay with his mate more than it did with his clan. "Feather, do you trust me?"

"Absolutely."

"Listen, I've heard rumors of an uprising. I have no family or friends here, none but you. And you, you've lost both of your mothers, if… if we left… if we joined this uprising, we could be together."

Featherfoot thought for only a moment, "Echostar has made herself clear on where she stands, and you know where I stand with you. I would follow you anywhere."