Hey guys... sigh I am so sorry and you don't even have to say it, I know this is sooooo late. Like it's embarrassing. I'm sorry. And I know I probably say this all the time but I really am going to try harder to update more. I'm setting a goal for a new chapter once a week. Now that I'm done with college apps (yay!) it should be a little easier. Bear with me, guys, and thanks for staying with me for so long and through my awful lack of updating :( But this story will continue and I will finish it just like I planned :)
Recap: Snowcloud announces at the Gathering that Willowfall killed Graystar and Emberheart. Willowfall realizes that this is what Badgerkit meant when he told her to make sure Snowcloud didn't come to this Gathering. Minnowstar dismisses the claim, but Olivepaw and Ratpaw step up, supporting Snowcloud. Minnowstar is furious that Willowfall killed her mother, and begins to fight her, but Blacktail steps in and stops them. Willowfall explains that she was just trying to protect her kits and would do like any other mother would do. But Minnowstar exiles her, and Willowfall runs off.
Chapter 31
Thunder
[Olivepaw]
The island was silent for an uncomfortably long time. Ears were pricked, heads still turned towards where Willowfall had just disappeared completely. A cold wind swept by, rustling the dead branches of the trees. No one spoke.
Olivepaw blinked slowly, ears flattened, realizing what had just happened. Willowfalll... She was gone. She was exiled.
She glanced over at Ratpaw; he was looking down at his paws. He glanced up at her, and they shared a look for just a second, both of them knowing that if they hadn't spoken up, this wouldn't have happened.
But they'd done the right thing, right? Everyone had to know the truth about Willowfall and who she had killed. But after what she had told them all about her reasons, about protecting her kits and doing what any mother would do, the situation seemed to have changed a bit. Olivepaw thought of her mother, Bramblestripe, and lowered her head when she became certain that she would have done the same thing. Had Olivepaw been wrong?
She blinked, lifting her head and looking over her shoulder. Snowcloud was standing there, completely still, expression impossible to read. How did Snowcloud know about all this? Olivepaw thought she and Ratpaw had been the only ones. She narrowed her eyes slightly; what exactly was going on?
Turning back to Ratpaw, she saw that he was now comforting Frostpaw. The white she-cat was standing, staring at the spot where her mentor had left, eyes huge, mouth open slightly, trembling a little. She had looked up to Willowfall so much. Ratpaw pressed himself against her, wrapping his tail around her, whispering something in her ear that Olivepaw couldn't hear.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, somebody spoke up.
"Well, now."
Heads turned back towards the great tree; Blossomstar was still sitting delicately on one of the branches, mismatching eyes glinting in the light of the full moon overhead. She was smiling. "Wasn't that a show?" She laughed lightly. "Who would have thought that even your own medicine cat would turn against you, Minnowstar?"
"Shut up, Blossomstar," growled Harestep from the roots, looking up at her with distaste.
"I don't think it's your place to tell me what I can and cannot do, Harestep," Blossomstar replied smoothly, licking a paw. "Now, Minnowstar. There is something we need to discuss."
Minnowstar was still on the ground, standing rigidly still, watching where Willowfall had left. She still seemed shaken up, but what she was really feeling at that moment was impossible to tell. Flattening her ears, she turned and lifted her head to look at Blossomstar, a frown on her face, eyes surprisingly calm. No, not calm, just... emotionless.
"What is it, Blossomstar?" she asked quietly.
Blossomstar grinned widely at this, her teeth glinting.
"If you'd recall the last Gathering we had, I believe I offered for your Clan to join mine," she mewed. "And it seems that your Clan and ThunderClan have instead combined to form some sort of resistance against me, is that right?"
Minnowstar glared at her, but she didn't respond. She seemed angry, of course, but it was something more than that. Olivepaw could sense a deep sadness in her.
Blossomstar ignored her lack of response and continued. "Even so, however, RiverClan is currently much larger and stronger than what ShadowClan has become. We gave you a moon to consider your position, and now I'm going to extend my offer once again. Minnowstar, will you agree to join your Clan with mine and become one?" She smiled widely, eyes gleaming. "Think of everything we can accomplish. A time of peace and equality for everyone... Doesn't that sound nice?"
Minnowstar still couldn't respond; instead, Harestep got up and rushed to his leader's side, glaring up at Blossomstar, lips pulled back.
"You know as well as we do that if that were to happen, there wouldn't be any equality," he growled. "You just want power over all four Clans. What are you talking about this peace foxdung? That isn't what you want!"
The grin on Blossomstar's face suddenly disappeared, and her eyes twinkled darkly. But a second later, it was over, the smile returning to her face.
"Don't talk about things you don't know about," she purred in a sing-song voice, straightening up and focussing back on Minnowstar. "Minnowstar, this is your last chance. Join our Clans together. Under my leadership, every single cat in this land will thrive. If you refuse, then I will have to resort to... different means," she purred.
Minnowstar didn't speak. She looked at Blossomstar for a long time, frowning. Every cat on the island was watching her, holding their breaths. No one could predict her answer. Olivepaw swallowed and shared a worried glance with Ratpaw. The wind ruffled their pelts.
Finally, Minnowstar lowered her head, ears flattened. Olivepaw felt her heart stop. This was it. She was giving up. She was going to give all of her power to Blossomstar, who would rule over all of them. ShadowClan was over. It was dead. Blossomstar won.
But after a moment, Minnowstar murmured, just loud enough to hear, "...Never."
Olivepaw pricked her ears in surprise; glancing around, she saw that cats were murmuring anxiously to each other, eyes widened in surprise. A few RiverClan cats were glaring at her, lips pulled back.
Even Blossomstar seemed surprised; she blinked a few times, a puzzled frown on her face. But she quickly covered it up, returning to her old smile.
"...What did you say, Minnowstar? I couldn't quite-"
"Listen to me, Blossomstar," Minnowstar suddenly hissed, ears flattened and fur prickling. "I have lost almost everything. My mother... My father... And now my medicine cat. And there have already been too many deaths of Clanmates this Leafbare. If you don't think that I'd give anything to protect my Clan- the ones that I have left- then you'd better think again. I would die for them, and if that's the price I have to pay for their freedom, then fine. But if you think I'm just going to give up, then you're wrong, Blossomstar. Because whether or not you know this, StarClan is on our side. And StarClan will not let you do this."
"How gallant of you," purred Blossomstar, lashing her tail. "But do you not realize that if you refuse my offer, there will be even more deaths? And it will all be your fault. You are sentencing every one of your Clanmates to death by refusing. You think that what you're doing is what's best for them, but it's not, Minnowstar. It's what's best for you. For your pride. Because the truth is, your cats are going to die, and you would have been the only one who could have stopped it."
"Don't you dare make that threat," snarled Minnowstar, her eyes now burning with anger. "StarClan has surely turned its back on you, for everything that you've done. There were always meant to be four Clans."
"And how do you know that?" Blossomstar shot back, her smile once again fading and now seeming quite defensive and irritated. "How do you know that it wasn't the will of StarClan for change to happen? For evolution?" The white she-cat then straightened up and made her way down the trunk, jumping and landing neatly on her paws. The cats all around were shifting restlessly, exchanging glances and murmuring to each other as they stared at the two leaders, waiting for whatever was about to happen.
Minnowstar narrowed her eyes to slits, but she stood her ground. She seemed like her old self again.
"My Clan means more to me than anything," she growled, resolution in her voice. "I am not letting you take that away from me."
"I see," murmured Blossomstar, turning away. "If this is how you want it to go, then so be it."
Silence filled the island, the tension so high that it could be cut with a knife. Olivepaw flattened her ears, waiting for what seemed inevitable.
And then, with a flick of a tail, a look over her shoulder and a small smile, Blossomstar said calmly, "...Attack."
Everything began to happen so fast that Olivepaw could barely see. One minute, everyone had sat in silence, no one uttering a word. And now, snarls and screams and hisses filled the air as cats lunged forward, lips pulled back and claws flexed, ready to attack. Most of the RiverClan cats had seemed eager to fight, and now they had their chance.
Everything became a blur. Cats were yowling and screeching as they dragged each other to the ground. Blood began to splatter, staining the snowy ground. Olivepaw's head pounded as she quickly looked around, trying to snap out of it.
Icewhisker and Ravenheart were fighting side by side against Thornfang and Sunnyheart from RiverClan; they looked about evenly matched. But some of the others... Antfur was fighting off two RiverClan cats by himself. So were Rainspot, Ferretheart, and Briarclaw. Bluepelt was guarding her son, Brokenpaw, who was trying to help her mother against two ShadowClan she-cats. Swallowflight was looking around nervously, but soon began to help Bluepelt. Meanwhile, Bumbleclaw was face to face with Sagewhisker, whose promised role of leadership had been taken away from her. She was muttering something that Olivepaw couldn't hear before she sprung at him, bowling him to the ground.
Glancing to her left, Olivepaw saw that Ratpaw was leading a still distraught Frostpaw away from the fighting and into the cover of the bushes, where Bluebird and Forestwind, RiverClan's medicine cats, where already waiting to help the wounded. Elsewhere, Harestep was fighting beside Minnowstar against three RiverClanners. Where was Blossomstar?
Olivepaw flattened her ears. The fight had just begun and she could already tell that they were losing. They were outnumbered, and Frostpaw was their only medicine cat now that Willowfall was gone and Onepost was back at camp.
She quickly shook her head. She couldn't think like that. Right now, she just had to help her Clanmates.
But before she could even move a paw, she suddenly felt a weight crash into her, knocking her to the cold, icy ground with a thud.
Wincing, Olivepaw looked up to see who her attacker was. She recognized Tanpaw, the small, light-brown she-cat from RiverClan that she had fought during RiverClan's attack on ShadowClan over a moon ago. The she-cat's green eyes were glowing brightly, a smug smile on her face.
"Remember me?" she mewed with a smirk.
"Yeah," Olivepaw grunted. "You're that obnoxious kit from last time who thinks she's so smart and strong when she's actually just a pain."
An angry frown filled Tanpaw's face, but it was quickly replaced with a smirk. Olivepaw flicked an ear, wondering if she and Blossomstar were related.
"Don't act all tough," she purred. "Remember what I told you last time? I was right, wasn't I? Wasn't I?" She grinned, pinning Olivepaw onto her back and digging her claws into her shoulders. The older cat hissed and kicked out her back legs, pushing Tanpaw off.
"What are you going on about?" grumbled Olivepaw as she got to her feet, eyes narrowed. "You were right about what?"
"I told you that there wouldn't be four Clans for long. That ThunderClan would fall, and then ShadowClan. Look around you!" she laughed, glancing about, a look of pure joy on her face. "We're destroying you! Oh, what's that...? It looks like one of your cats is dead already!"
Olivepaw's eyes widened and she quickly looked around. "What?" she breathed. "Wh-..." She paused, seeing the mangled form of a cat, lying in the snow in a bloody heap, not moving an inch. Olivepaw nearly felt her heart stop. She took a small step forward, trying to see who it was...
"...Rainspot," she murmured, shaking her head, ears flat. Already one of their cats had been killed. How much longer did this need to continue? How many more lives would be taken tonight?"
"...See?" chuckled Tanpaw, licking a paw. "This is what you get for disobeying Blossomstar. It really was a stupid move of Minnowstar. She could have saved her Clanmates. But now, she has to watch them all die-"
"Shut up!" snarled Olivepaw, suddenly blinded with anger. Without thinking, she lunged at the smaller cat, easily knocking her to the ground. Without even pausing, she raised a paw and lashed it against her stomach, blood splattering across the snow as Tanpaw let out a loud, course screech. But Olivepaw couldn't even hear her. She just kept dealing more blows, one after the other, until even her own pelt was stained with Tanpaw's blood. The RiverClan she-cat kept crying out, struggling under the weight of the dark brown tabby, but she was growing weaker and weaker, her yells fainter and fainter. Soon, Tanpaw wasn't making any noise at all. But Olivepaw kept lashing out, blind by anger and sorrow and fear, the only thing that she knew to be completely true was that Rainspot wasn't going to be the only one to die tonight. Tanpaw was right. ShadowClan was being destroyed.
Finally, Olivepaw stopped. She was breathing loudly, her vision still hazy. Swallowing, she looked down at the battered figure of Tanpaw. She was covered in blood and wounds. Her mouth was open, and so were her green eyes, which were now gazing out into space, motionless.
Olivepaw took a few steps back, turning her head away. But she couldn't find remorse for what she just did. All she cared about was protecting her Clan.
She pricked her ears when she saw that Ratpaw had come back into the throng of fighting; he was fighting a ginger tom that Olivepaw recognized as Flamepaw, the brother of Russetpaw. Russetpaw had kept Olivepaw company when she'd been held prisoner in RiverClan.
She rushed forward to help Ratpaw, but they had paused and were now talking. She blinked and pricked her ears, trying to hear what they were saying.
"...I've been waiting for an opportunity to do this," Flamepaw was growling, eyes on fire. "To get back at you for what you did to my sister. You broke her heart."
Olivepaw's eyes widened slightly; had Ratpaw and Russetpaw been together...?
"This isn't the time for that," Ratpaw murmured. "Right now, I have a duty to fight for my Clan. And I will give every last ounce of my strength to do just that."
When Flamepaw hissed and raised a paw to strike, Olivepaw ran forward, skidding to a halt when she was at her brother's side.
"If you want to hurt Ratpaw, then you're going to have to go through me first," she growled, fur fluffed out and eyes narrowed to slits. Flamepaw curled his lip in distaste, but just when she thought he was going to attack, he turned and fled, disappearing into the crowd.
"Coward," she called after him, lashing her tail. She looked over at Ratpaw, who smiled slightly. He had a few slashes across his dark gray pelt.
"Thanks," he mewed.
"You okay?" Olivepaw replied, frowning.
Ratpaw nodded. "Yeah. Just a few scratches, nothing serious... What about you? You're covered in blood..."
"It isn't my blood," Olivepaw muttered. "Ratpaw... Rainspot's dead. I saw her."
Ratpaw frowned, lowering his head. "So is Antfur."
"How long is this going to go on?" Olivepaw breathed, shaking her head. "At this rate, our entire Clan will be wiped out!"
"I know," murmured Ratpaw. "We just-"
"No!" came a sudden squeal, causing Olivepaw to jump. She and Ratpaw exchanged a glance and looked around for the source of the cry.
And then, Olivepaw saw Brokenpaw, his blue-gray fur spotted with blood, blue eyes glinting in the moonlight, wide and shining. He was standing over the shape of a cat lying in a heap in the snow...
"Oh, StarClan," whispered Olivepaw when she realized who it was. She ran forward, Ratpaw right behind her.
On the ground was Bluepelt, Brokenpaw's mother. She was covered in gashes, blood dripping from her wounds and staining the snow. She lay on her side, breathing shallowly, her mouth open and eyes dull and half-closed. She was alive, but barely.
"Brokenpaw, what happened?" Olivepaw rasped.
"Olivepaw, we need to take her to Frostpaw," Ratpaw said quickly. "Help me carry her. She'll be fine-"
"S... Stop," rasped Bluepelt before she began to violently cough. She blinked slowly, a faint, tiny smile spreading across her face. "D... Don't... She can't... help..."
"Yes, she can!" insisted Ratpaw, shaking his head. "She can, I know it!"
"Ratpaw, stop," murmured Olivepaw quietly. They shared a long look before he finally looked away, silent.
"M-Mom," whispered Brokenpaw, eyes wide as he looked down at his mother in horror. He was trembling. "D-Don't... I... Everything's going to be okay, I-I..." He shook his head, looking like a little kit who was lost. "You can't leave me..."
Bluepelt looked up at her son, a small but warm smile on her face. She let out another cough, weaker this time, before saying, "You... have Little...paw... You're going... to be fine..."
Brokenpaw just shook his head, looking scared, not knowing what to do.
"Don't... worry about... me," rasped Bluepelt, her voice growing quieter. "Besides... Now I can... finally see... Icepaw again..."
"Mom," breathed Brokenpaw before pressing his face against hers, shaking. "Please..."
"I... love you, Brokenpaw..." whispered Bluepelt, her voice now barely audible.
"Mom...!"
And with that, the she-cat slowly closed her eyes, her breathing coming to a halt. She was still.
Brokenpaw shook his head again, nuzzling his mother before taking a small step back, staring at his paws.
"...She died to save me," he said quietly. "A bigger tom was fighting me... He would have killed me if she hadn't come to save me... Oh, StarClan..."
Olivepaw frowned, bowing her head. Ratpaw did the same.
"She'll be happy in StarClan, Brokenpaw," Olivepaw assured him. "I promise."
Brokenpaw didn't respond. He just lowered his head, murmuring something softly under his breath.
Olivepaw straightened up, looking around. Fighting was still going on all around them, and the scent of blood was stronger than ever before. She could see the dark shapes of several still bodies lying in the snow in heaps, but she couldn't tell who they were.
But before she could do anything, another yowl rang out.
"Blossomstar!"
Olivepaw flinched and looked quickly around. A few others had stopped fighting, too, to see what was going on.
"Come on," Ratpaw whispered in Olivepaw's ear, and the two hurriedly shoved through the crowd to get to the front.
Spotting Ravenheart, they ran to his side.
"Ravenheart, what's going on?" Ratpaw breathed.
The sleek black tom sent them a sideways glance before flattening his ears.
"See for yourself," he muttered.
The two apprentices crept forward a few steps and then halted, completely still. Before them, Minnowstar was standing, panting, blood splattered all over her pelt, her head low. Another cat lay at her paws, almost unrecognizable by the amount of blood that had coated its pelt. But whoever it was, they weren't moving.
Olivepaw narrowed her eyes, taking another tiny step forward to get a closer look- it took her a few seconds to realize that the cat laying mangled and bloodied on the ground, not moving a muscle, was Harestep.
"StarClan," Olivepaw breathed, stumbling backwards. By now, the fighting had mostly stopped, and everyone was now crowding around Minnowstar, anxious and confused mutters filling the clearing. The RiverClanners watched silently, some of them with small, satisfied smirks on their faces.
Finally, Blossomstar lifted her head; her blue eyes were narrowed to slits, burning brightly with anger and hatred and sadness.
"Who did this?" she hissed loudly, so aggressively that Olivepaw flinched. "Who did this? Who did this to Harestep!?"
"What a shame," an all-too-familiar voice said softly, calmly. Olivepaw blinked, and cats raised their heads to see Blossomstar standing on a branch of the big tree, looking down at the crowd with a grin, her mismatching eyes glimmering. "Don't worry, Minnowstar. Harestep will be remembered."
"You did this," growled Minnowstar, taking a step forward. Her ears were flattened against her skull, her fur fluffed out as she lashed her tail furiously. "You killed him, didn't you?"
"And what if I did?" Blossomstar replied calmly. "He's not the only one who's died tonight, is he?" She laughed lightly, shaking her head as if Minnowstar were a kit. "Didn't I tell you, Minnowstar? That if you didn't comply to my wishes, there would only be more deaths?"
Minnowstar pulled her lips back into a snarl, but she didn't say anything. For a few seconds, the island was completely silent.
"...Come down here," she finally muttered. "Come down, Blossomstar. I swear to StarClan, I'll-"
"You'll what?" laughed the RiverClan leader, raising her eyebrows. "Kill me? Is that what you'll do? Because I'd really like to see you try, Minnowstar, I really would."
"Please, stop," called an anxious voice. Heads turned to see Bluebird and Forestwind coming forward, side by side.
"The fighting needs to stop," Bluebird breathed, shaking her head. "StarClan is already furious. Look at the sky."
Olivepaw lifted her head; the full moon had disappeared, and dark, thick clouds were now covering the skies. In the distance, she thought that she could hear traces of thunder.
"Haven't enough cats died tonight?" Forestwind murmured. "We're only destroying ourselves."
"I am in full agreement, Forestwind," Blossomstar purred. "And really, none of you can blame me for any of this. I offered peace. It was Minnowstar who turned it down and decided to fight, instead." She looked down at Minnowstar, who had lowered her head. "Well, Minnowstar? What do you say? This has gone on long enough. If you want to come peacefully, then we'll forget this little scuffle ever happened. And if you still insist on fighting for your Clan..." She grinned. "Well, RiverClan can finish its job easily enough. So, what do you say?"
Olivepaw flattened her ears and peered over at Minnowstar. For the first time, she looked completely and utterly defeated.
"...Yes, Blossomstar," she said quietly, just loud enough to hear. "ShadowClan will go with you."
No one said anything in response. Several ShadowClan cats lowered their heads or murmured prayers under their breath, but it seemed as if everyone had expected this from the very beginning. A few RiverClanners grinned, lashing their tails.
"Excellent," purred Blossomstar, looking happier than ever. "In that case..." She straightened herself up, puffing her chest out and raising her head high. "From this day forward, there shall only be one Clan- RiverClan. It shall be under my rule, and everyone will follow my orders. Isn't that right, Minnowbrook...?"
Olivepaw blinked several times, sharing a glance with Ratpaw. Minnowbrook must have been Minnowstar's name before she become a leader.
Minnowstar- or, Minnowbrook- didn't reply. She just hung her head, refusing to look at her Clanmates.
Blossomstar smiled, flicking her tail. "Today marks the start of a great new era," she called out, her voice louder. "An era of power, of strength, of greatness... For the first time, RiverClan rises above all the rest. And it shall be this way forevermore."
At this, several RiverClan cats began calling out, cheering, yelling with excitement and pleasure. Their cheers echoed throughout the night. And as Olivepaw closed her eyes and lay her head on her brother's shoulder, she could hear the thunder in the distance growing louder.
Again, so sorry for the lack of updates ugh I'm gonna be way better from now on.
Thanks so much for reading :) Leave a review and I'll love you forever and give you virtual hugs~
Till next time!
Pearly