Chapter 12
A moon had passed since Willowcloud's exile. During the last moon, she'd spent much of her time searching for prey and scouting the edge of DuskClan territory. Most of the Clan had been quiet since the previous Gathering. She wondered if Rainstar was just biding her time, or waiting for Ghostwind to make his next move. She knew that a full moon would rise above the sky tonight. If she could she would sneak away from her own territory and listen to the Gathering. She wanted to see what would happen at the next Gathering. It would give her a chance to find out if anything had happened to her former Clan. She wanted to know how Redflower's relationship had gone with Ghostwind, and if Nettlesplash's kits were ready to become apprentices yet.
If anything, it will give me a chance to see which Clan is weakest, she told herself. Getting back to the Clans would be great, but I'm better off living as a loner.
She actually preferred living as a loner. She didn't think she would after hearing so many stories about loners. Now she knew how to make a living in this territory. The caves and fields were her home. No cat dared challenge her for territory or for hunting.
Her motions had become graceful during her time spent alone. She could move without getting noticed by enemy cats. A fox would occasionally check out the caves, and she would scare it off by sneaking up on it. She'd learned those moves by watching the DuskClan cats. They didn't seem to notice her constant watching. In fact, the DuskClan cats seemed more comfortable with other cats watching her.
Willowcloud kept her head low and looked around like a snake as she crept through the undergrowth. This was the path that led to the Gathering place. She knew it well. Many cats used this path to meet one another, and she had seen Daisytail and a brown tom with a white chest meeting one another during the night. One time she had seen Ruststripe meeting with Embertail, the medicine cat from PebbleClan. The two had seemed very discreet at the time. She wondered if Embertail was worried about what would happen to her Clan.
Ferns were brushing against her belly as she approached the place where Gatherings were held. She could already hear cats talking to one another or purring as they greeted one another. Her eyes narrowed as she recognized the scent of DuskClan cats. She knew that they would not see her as she kept her pawsteps silent and movements unnoticed.
"I wonder how LeafClan is doing," a light brown tabby tom meowed. Willowcloud was stunned when he turned his face. His eyes were a sky-blue color. She'd never seen a brown cat with blue eyes before. "Rainstar wanted to hold back her forces because of Thornstar's threat."
"Shut your yap Wildsky," a creamy brown she-cat hissed. "The last thing we need is for the Clans to know what Rainstar is planning."
"But don't you want to know what Rainstar did with PebbleClan? She sent Aldertail to keep an eye on them," Wildsky replied.
"Hush," another cat ordered. "Quit sticking your nose in things that it doesn't belong."
Willowcloud blinked when she heard a cat yowling in the distance. She knew that it was Thornstar's cry she heard. The younger warriors stiffened in surprise at his sudden intrusion. She spotted Rosefang sitting amongst the crowd, giving annoyed looks at what must have been her kits.
"Greetings Thornstar, have things gone well this past moon?" Willowcloud flinched when Fogwhisker asked the question.
"News of what has happened shall be revealed when the time comes," Thornstar replied tartly. Willowcloud wasn't surprised to see Ghostwind at his side. Her brother was grinning as he watched Fogwhisker duck his head in embarrassment.
Silence followed the gathered cats as the LeafClan warriors filtered into the clearing. Willowcloud stared at the cats that had arrived. She recognized Sparrowpaw and Ruststripe. Mistybird wasn't among the crowd. Willowcloud blinked as she wondered what could have happened. She noticed that Thornstar's muzzle was now covered in cobwebs and herbs that Ruststripe must have put on. A purr of amusement rose in her throat as she realized that her mother must have taken care of Thornstar personally.
Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Sparrowpaw approaching her hiding spot. The medicine cat's apprentice's eyes were dark as she eyed the bushes cautiously. She cast an anxious glance at Thornstar before taking a cautious step forward.
"W-Willowcloud?" she whispered. When Willowcloud remained silent, Sparrowpaw took another step forward. "Willowcloud, StarClan it is you!" Sparrowpaw gasped as she tried to remain calm, but excitement was easily spotted in her eyes.
"Sparrowpaw, I don't want to be caught," Willowcloud murmured warningly. "I'm glad to see you though."
"My name isn't Sparrowpaw. It's been changed to Sparrowfur." Her voice was filled with pride as she puffed out her chest. "I got my medicine cat name at the last half moon."
"Congratulations," Willowcloud purred. She'd seen them meeting with the other medicine cats at the paths that led to the Moonstream. Sparrowpaw had been with Ruststripe at the time, looking eager to get started with their StarClan meeting. "You must be excited."
"It would be more exciting if Ghostwind wasn't always trying to order me around," Sparrowfur huffed. "He's getting worse day after day. Thornstar's been listening to all of his lies. The rest of the Clan has...well accepted everything he says. Even Mistybird has changed."
"Mistybird?" Willowcloud blinked in shock. "But she...hates Thornstar."
"She may hate Thornstar, but she's turned her attention on Ghostwind," Sparrowfur replied scathingly. "All she does is follow him around like a love-struck apprentice. Redflower's moved into the nursery and is now expecting his kits." Her voice had risen at this point, and cats were beginning to look at her in confusion.
I'm not surprised, Willowcloud thought. Ghostwind would want more kits to control as they get older.
"Where are you staying, exactly?" Sparrowfur asked when she noticed the silence between them.
Willowcloud stared at her sister for a few heartbeats. If she told Sparrowfur her sister might use the information against her. Instinct told her to lie. Lying was the best way out of trouble if one was a loner.
"I'm staying near the clearing," she replied. "I've built a den nearby."
Sparrowfur was about to ask more when a yowl sounded from where the leaders sat. She gave Willowcloud a longing look before joining the medicine cats. Embertail was still alive, as Willowcloud could see, but she didn't look well. Bones were beginning to stick out, and she cast anxious looks whenever a cat spoke or moved. Stonefang looked like his normal grumpy self, as Willowcloud had always seen him at the Gatherings. Everything seemed normal as far as Willowcloud noticed.
"It is time for the Gathering to begin," Rainstar yowled as a hushed silence fell upon the gathered cats. "I believe Aldertail would like to begin."
Willowcloud's eyes narrowed when gasps of shock rose from the crowd. Aldertail merely dipped his head respectfully and rose to his paws.
"PebbleClan cats are still surviving, but their numbers are dwindling," he meowed. "Hazelwind and her kits were moved to DuskClan's nursery for better protection." He paused when Rainstar nodded in approval. "We have also moved the apprentices to DuskClan so that they may have better mentors." Willowcloud noticed that Mudpaw and Woodpaw weren't part of the group that Aldertail had brought with him.
"I shall continue," Rainstar announced when he was finished. "Life in DuskClan is thriving. We have three new apprentices; Grubpaw, Beetlepaw and Lizardpaw are all here. I have also named five new warriors during the past moon. Suntalon, Mothfire, Snailfur, Ivyfeather and Wildsky are all here as well." Rainstar's announcement made every cat feel uneasy, especially after what Aldertail had said. "Speckledove has moved into the nursery, and is now expecting Dustcloud's kits." Rainstar took a step back, yellow eyes bright as she waited for Thornstar to speak. The LeafClan leader gave her a mutinous look before stepping forward.
"LeafClan has suffered a terrible blow during the past moon," he said. "Brightfur, my loyal deputy, has joined the rank of StarClan. Over the course of days, we discovered that one of our own wad behind her death." Willowcloud's fur stood on end. Once again he was lying through his teeth. "Willowcloud has been banished from the Clan for her traitorous crimes. I suggest that you all stay on the lookout for her. She may just kill someone else in the other Clans."
Willowcloud wasn't surprised to see Ghostwind exchanging grins with Rainstar. The DuskClan leader had already known what Ghostwind did.
"Those are high accusations to throw at one of your warriors, Thornstar," Stonefang remarked. "Are you sure you weren't putting your faith on something that was not real?"
"Keep your mouth shut!" Thornstar spat. "What I say is true. Willowcloud's fur was seen between Brightfur's claws when Ruststripe examined her body."
She'd heard enough at that point. Thornstar's voice had droned out by the time she was at the path medicine cat's took to visit the Moonstream. Anger and frustration coursed through her as she tried to calm down. Thornstar had not changed since her warning. He was only getting worse, as she had feared the most.
"Running won't make it any better." She jumped when she heard an achingly familiar voice. She whirled around to see a dark-furred cat standing between two thorn bushes. His green eyes were bright with sympathy as he watched her reaction. "I should know. I've run from many of my problems in the past," he whispered.
A/N: Gasp, who is this mysterious cat? And I wonder where he could have come from...We shall find out soon. Also, this was a fairly long chapter too. More will be coming out tonight, seeing as I'm in a writing mood. I may even write a one-shot for my one-shot book ^^