Hey hey, I've been pretty good with this new-chapter-every-week thing ;)

Recap: The next morning, Willowfall is wandering through the woods when she comes upon a strange tom. He offers to bring her somewhere warm, but she's wary of him, so she keeps going. She runs into a a badger, and tries to fight it, but is knocked out by a blow. She wakes up in a barn, under the care of the same tom, who calls himself Leo. Willowfall realizes this is the same loner that came onto ShadowClan territory a while ago, learns that he knows quite a lot about her. He tells her that he receives visions of the future, but claims he doesn't know what will happen to ShadowClan when she asks. He tells her he can spend as much time as she wants here.

Chapter 33

Across the Lake

[Ratpaw]

Ratpaw slowly walked through the dark forest, his head lowered, ears flattened. Dark clouds had completely covered the skies, and in the far distance, thunder was still rumbling lightly. Flurries of snow fell from the sky as owls hooted from above. He walked alongside the other apprentices- Frostpaw was close to his side. Olivepaw and Cedarpaw were walking together, neither of them speaking. Grasspaw stayed a bit distant from the rest of them; he kept his gaze in front of him at all times. Littlepaw and Brokenpaw were behind them; Littlepaw was trembling, and Brokenpaw was trying to comfort him, though he looked just as distraught. After all, their mother had just been killed.

Bluepelt wasn't the only one who had been killed during The Battle of the Full Moon, as some ShadowClanners were already beginning to call it. Harestep, Antfur, Rainspot, Cinderblaze, and Ferretheart... They'd all been murdered. Bumbleclaw had just escaped being killed by Sagewhisker, but he sustained serious injuries, and as the huge group of cats now walked through the forest, Onespot and Icewhisker had to support him to keep him from collapsing. Many expected him to die at any moment.

Briarclaw, Cedarpaw's mentor, was in a similar state. Somehow during the fight, he had twisted his leg, leaving him practically immobile. As he followed behind the other cats, Darkstorm and Furzetail helped him walk.

On RiverClan's side, there had only been one death- a she-cat apprentice by the name of Tanpaw. Ratpaw knew that it had been Olivepaw who had killed her, and he feared what would happen to her if Blossomstar found out. Perhaps she already had.

The ex-ShadowClanners all followed behind the RiverClanners, many of which were talking and laughing amongst themselves as Blossomstar leaded them to her camp, a satisfied smile on her face.

Ten minutes ago

Blossomstar led her Clan through the trees; many ShadowClanners were still bleeding, leaving trails of red behind in the snow. Some of them had to be supported by friends. On the back of one cat lay the body of Tanpaw, the apprentice that had been killed by a ShadowClanner. But the bodies of the others, the ShadowClan cats that had died, were still laying on the island. It wouldn't be long before they'd be covered in snow.

Ratpaw stayed close to Snowcloud, Olivepaw, and Frostpaw as they walked. Blossomstar was taking them back to ShadowClan camp, where they would tell the cats who hadn't gone to the Gathering what had happened before they'd all return to RiverClan camp. None of them spoke to each other. Frostpaw brushed against Ratpaw; she was shaking. Frowning, he rest his tail on her back. He looked away.

A few minutes later, they reached ShadowClan camp. Blossomstar lashed her tail, bringing everyone to a halt. Her mismatching eyes glimmering, she looked at a silver she-cat.

"Minnowbrook," she mewed, addressing Minnowstar by her warrior name. "Go ahead. Tell your Clan exactly what happened- that six of your cats are dead because of you, and now, you are no longer their leader." She smiled broadly.

Minnowbrook didn't say anything. She didn't even look at her. She looked completely worn out, and her pelt was still sticky with blood. Flattening her ears, she made her way down the slope. No one followed her; everyone simply watched her from the top of the hollow. Ratpaw saw that a few cats, like Furzetail and Darkstorm, were already out in the open.

"Minnowstar!" Furzetail breathed, running over to her before stopping in her tracks. She was staring up at the mixture of ShadowClan and RiverClan cats at the top, her eyes wide with confusion.

"Minnowstar," she murmured; Ratpaw could just barely hear her. "What happened...?"

Minnowbrook looked at her, a deep frown on her face, before walking past her. She paused, staring up at the Tallstump; she looked hesitant for a moment, but after a few seconds, she climbed up; this would probably be the last time she'd ever stand here.

"Attention, ShadowClan cats!" she called out, lashing her tail. "Everyone, come outside! I have an announcement to make."

After a few seconds, cats began trickling out of their dens; Weaselfoot, Redwhisker, Spotfur, and Lightclaw emerged from the warriors' den, looking around in confusion. From the apprentices' den came Grasspaw, Littlepaw, and Cedarpaw. Ratpaw thought he could see Olivepaw catching Cedarpaw's gaze. Then Ratpaw and Olivepaw's mother, Bramblestripe, appeared from the nursery, along with Lightstream and Grayfeather. Clawstrike and Silvermist, the elders, slowly lumbered out of their den; they were muttering to each other as they looked around suspiciously. Onespot appeared from the medicine den, a deep frown on his face and a look in his eyes that suggested he already knew what was going on.

A second later, everything turned silent, and all eyes were on Minnowbrook. She let out a long breath of air. Despite how defeated she looked, she stood up straight and puffed out her chest, the last thing she could do to still make her look like the leader she was supposed to be. Everyone waited for her to speak.

"...A lot happened at tonight's Gathering," she spoke, looking around. "And I want to explain everything to you now, but I can't. But first I must tell you that Willowfall has been exiled."

There was a stunned silence among the cats who had remained behind. They quickly exchanged wide-eyed glances, whispering to each other.

"What...?" Onespot mewed, taking a few steps forward. "What do you mean, Willowfall's been...? She's your medicine cat! What could possibly be your reasons...?"

"She committed murder," Minnowbrook said simply, a deep frown on her face. "She killed Graystar and Emberheart."

"That's preposterous!" Onespot spat, shaking his head furiously. "She was framed! Somebody framed her!"

"She admitted to it, Onespot," Minnowbrook murmured, looking away. "...I'm sorry."

Onespot stared at her in disbelief as he kept shaking his head. He no longer seemed able to speak.

Minnowbrook let the silence settle in the air for only a moment before she continued.

"However, that is not our chief concern at the moment," she said quietly. "There was a battle tonight. Several have died. Bluepelt, Ferretheart, Antfur, Rainspot, Cinderblaze, and... and Harestep."

Once again, there was a shocked silence. But this time, it only lasted for a fraction of a second before Littlepaw cried out, "No...!"

Ratpaw frowned and looked at his paws.

"Mom!" Littlepaw cried. "She... She was...!?"

Furzetail hurriedly made her way over to the apprentice to try to comfort him, but he quickly pulled away.

"What in StarCan's name happened on that island!?" Littlepaw demanded, his voice rising and scratchy with emotion. His eyes were wide and he was trembling; he looked as if he were going to fall over at any moment. "How did this happen...?"

"I will explain it all later," Minnowbrook said, her voice low. "But right now, you all have to listen to me."

"Minnowstar," breathed Bramblestripe, shaking her head in horror. "What...?"

"My name," the silver she-cat responded, bloodied fur ruffling in the cold breeze that swept by, "...is no longer Minnowstar. Because ShadowClan... no longer exists. We are now under Blossomstar's rule." It seemed to have taken every ounce of her strength to utter those words, and when she was finished, she hung her head low.

There was a long, empty silence as another cold wind swept by.

Present time

Ratpaw narrowed his eyes as he stared at the ground, walking amongst the others. None of the ex-ShadowClanners had said anything since they'd left their former camp. Nothing could be said. Six of their cats, including their deputy, had just been killed. Minnowstar had been stripped of her warrior name, and Blossomstar had erased ShadowClan. Not to mention Willowfall, their own medicine cat, had been exiled...

Ratpaw lifted his head, glancing over at Snowcloud. The white she-cat was walking silently, the expression on her face impossible to read. It had only just occurred to him; how had Snowcloud known about Willowfall? He'd thought it had just been him and Olivepaw. He wanted to ask her, but he felt that he should wait.

The cats broke out of the forest and were now walking across the snowy open ground, the lake to their left. Ratpaw gazed over at it, almost in disdain. It usually sparkled so beautifully at this time of night, but now, the waves seemed dark and cold and ugly.

It wasn't long before they reached the small island that was RiverClan's camp. It was nestled between two streams and surrounded by rocks and dead trees and bushes. The RiverClanners began to herd their new Clan members across the stream, shoving some of them or spitting at their paws. Ratpaw stepped into the water, a chill immediately traveling down his spine.

"Hurry up, kit," hissed a tom, Thornfang. Ratpaw sent him a glare, but he kept walking.

In their camp, the RiverClanners who hadn't gone to the Gathering greeted their Clanmates warmly as they were told what had happened. Ratpaw could sense several stares; he bitterly turned his face away.

In the darkness, Blossomstar was swiftly trotting over to a large, dead tree at the edge of the camp whose branches loomed over the cats. She climbed up and settled on a branch, wrapping her tail around her legs and looking down with a wide grin.

"Now that we're all here," she called, "I'd like to have everyone's attention, please."

Ratpaw exchanged a dark glance with Olivepaw. Beside him, Frostpaw pressed closer to his side. She hadn't said a word since Willowfall's exile.

The ex-ShadowClanners all grouped closely together, but Minnowbrook sat a bit further away from them. She seemed almost ashamed to even look at the cats she had once led. She had a dull expression on her face; Ratpaw wondered if she was thinking about Harestep.

"This," Blossomstar called out with a flick of an ear, "is now the permanent camp of every cat here. But now that the Clans have become one, our territory extends throughout the entire lake territory. However..." She lashed her tail, looking around the crowd with a calm smile. "Anyone who was not born into RiverClan must ask for permission to leave the camp, and mustn't leave without an escort of my choosing."

None of the ex-ShadowClanners said anything. They were all either looking away, or glaring at Blossomstar with a distaste that they couldn't do anything about.

"Blacktail remains to be my deputy," she continued, "and you will all respect him as such. I also expect our newcomers to listen to orders and do whatever they are asked to do without any questions." Her smile widened, exposing her white teeth. "Am I understood?"

When no one said anything, she tried again.

"Am I understood...?"

"Yes," several cats muttered. Some of the pureblood RiverClanners snickered and whispered to each other.

"Very good," Blossomstar purred, straightening up. "In that case, it's been a long day, has it not? Everyone, get some rest."

The crowd began shuffling as cats moved towards their dens. As Icewhisker approached the warriors' den, however, Blossomstar called out, "And where do you think you're going...?"

Icewhisker glared up at her.

"The warriors' den."

"Oh, no, no," Blossomstar purred as she made her way down the tree, jumping and landing neatly on the ground. "All ex-ShadowClanners sleep outside. There's simply no room for all of you to fit, you see."

"What are you talking about?" Icewhisker hissed. "There's plenty of room, the dens are huge-"

"Did I not just tell you to sleep outside?" Blossomstar cut in, her voice rising dangerously. She shook her head, laughing lightly. "I suggest that you do as I say, Icewhisker, or you may get into some trouble."

The tom flattened his ears and turned away, rigidly curling up in the cold snow with a shiver. Ratpaw settled down beside Frostpaw and the other apprentices. Snowcloud lay close by. All the warriors curled up as close to each other as they could so they'd at least be a little warm. Ratpaw wrapped his tail around Frostpaw, resting his chin on her back. She was shivering.

Ratpaw lay like that for a long time, unable to even close his eyes. Most of the other cats seemed to be asleep. He wondered, vaguely, how they could be. After everything that had happened tonight, how could anyone sleep...?

He sighed, lifting his head as he glanced around the camp. This little island, surrounded by tall, unfamiliar trees with the sound of the streams trickling nearby... It was so different from the pine tree forest he was used to. He flattened his ears, once again remembering all the cats they had just lost. Not to mention Willowfall...

Flicking an ear, he blinked when he spotted the silhouette of a she-cat sitting at the edge of the island. She seemed to be looking out at the little patches of lake one could see through the branches of dead bushes. Her fur was ruffling in the cold breeze, but she stood stone-still. Ratpaw frowned, looking away. It was Minnowbrook.

No, he thought bitterly. Her name is Minnowstar.

Resting his head back on Frostpaw's back, he tried as hard as he could to empty his mind. Physically and mentally, he was exhausted, and despite himself, he wanted to sleep.

By the time he finally could, the sun was just beginning to rise across the lake, in the mountains.

Yeah sorry that chapter was kind of uninteresting. I needed there to be some sort of transition between the battle and the ShadowClanners suddenly being part of RiverClan.

In other news my messanger is freAKING OUT so if you like get a PM meant for someone else don't shoot me k. Also I like can't PM certain people for some reason sooo idk ._.

Anyway, thank y'all for reading (:

TNT,

Pearls