Code Eleven

A Gathering of all six Clans will take place on Gathering Island once a month during the Full Moon. This is the night of Truce and there will be no fighting.

Even though Gatherings began in the beginning of the Messenger Code, the Full Moon Truce was not added until much later.

Now the Truce is respected by every cat, whether they enjoy the chance to exchange news in peace with their neighbors or because they are afraid of what HeavenClan might do if they broke the Code.

Come with me to Gathering Island, when our Ancestors first looked down upon the Full Moon Gathering and bound the cats by the Full Moon Truce. This Code was brought forth because of what Redstar of LightClan pulled.

The Moon Disappears

The six Great Willows cast thick shadows across the moonlit clearing as Snowstar crouches at the crossing bridge on CloudClan territory. "Come on, CloudClan!" Snowstar said. Snowstar stands up and begins to run across the tree bridge, her tail held high so her Clanmates can follow.

"Good…" Mothpelt said as she runs alongside Snowstar. "If I had stayed still any longer, I might have become an icicle." Snowstar bounds up to the Highstones next to the first four Leaders.

"How's the prey running, Snowstar?" Reedstar asked.

"Very fast since it does not like being in this weather any more than we do!" Snowstar replied.

"Our rabbits run so fast that they're all muscle and bone when we do catch them. So hard to chew!" Cloverstar said. Jumpstar and Glowstar don't say anything.

"LightClan is not here yet. It's not like Redstar to be late!" Snowstar said. Cloverstar stands up briefly and then sits down again with her tail curled up.

"I'll stick to this stone if we don't start soon. It's colder than ice," Cloverstar said. Jumpstar shifts sending her shadow over the stone, crisp in the glowing moonlight.

"Maybe the frost has slowed them down," Jumpstar said.

"Something is wrong. My fur has been itching all day," Reedstar said.

"Maybe you have fleas," Glowstar said. Snowstar glares at Glowstar.

It's the Full Moon, the one night that we put aside our rivalry and share news for the good of all the Clans. Snowstar thought. There is a hiss of wind at the edge of the clearing. Glowstar pricks his ears and stares into the trees' shadows.

Is that a branch waving in the breeze or something more? Glowstar thought.

Why does Gathering Island suddenly feel unsafe? Jumpstar thought.

"LIGHTCLAN ATTACK!" Redstar yowled. The shadows explode with hissing and spitting LightClan cats. The cats in the clearing turn around to face them, but before any can brace themselves, LightClan Warriors fall on them.

Within a few moments, the clearing is filled with hissing and spitting.

The Clan Leaders stand at the edge of the stone staring in utter horror. Reedstar, Cloverstar, Jumpstar, and Glowstar jump down. They give orders to their senior Warriors, to split them into battle groups to defend the Elders and Apprentices who came to the Gathering. Mothpelt's face flashes up at Snowstar from the fight at the foot of the huge Stones.

"Help us, Snowstar!" Mothpelt howled. Mothpelt whips around and claws Nightclaw's ears. Snowstar crouches down ready to jump into the clearing when a shadow falls across her. She looks up and sees Redstar standing beside her on the Highstone, his ginger eyes glowing as he watches the battle.

"I bet you didn't think that I would do it," Redstar said quietly. The screeches from the battle below are so loud that Snowstar can hardly hear him.

"Do what; attack five Clans when they came in peace to the Gathering with Elders among them? No Redstar. I never thought you would be as cowardly as that," Snowstar said.

"Hardly the actions of a coward to take on all five Clans at once!" Redstar said. Snowstar unsheathes her claws and jumps on Redstar bringing him down on the Highstone with a muffled thud. Redstar squirms until he is on his back and rakes Snowstar's belly with his hindpaws. Snowstar sinks her claws deeper into Redstar's scruff feeling the bones underneath.

"Call your Warriors off! This attack is all wrong!" Snowstar yelled.

"I wouldn't call and easy victory wrong. Look at your precious Warriors now!" Snowstar looks sideways. The battle is slowing down; many cats are slumped on the moonlit grass, bleeding and motionless. The LightClan Warriors pad among them, ready to lash out if anyone so much as moved.

"NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Snowstar jumps at Redstar but her hindpaws slip on the icy rock and Redstar steps easily out of the way.

"So you keep telling me, however I have already done it, haven't I? It looks like I don't have to listen to you, Snowstar." For a heartbeat, a bright light fills the clearing as lighting flashes. Snowstar and Redstar fling themselves down, clinging to the stone as it trembles beneath their paws. Snowstar presses her face to the cold surface and waits for the roll of thunder to fade.

A storm in autumn? However, there are no clouds. The moon was out… Snowstar thought.

"Snowstar!" Redstar whispered. Redstar's voice is drowned out by another clap of thunder shaking the whole of Gathering Island. Snowstar forces herself to lift her head, her eyes are still unfocused from the first flash of lightning and she has to blink in order to see clearly.

The clearing is much darker than before; so dark that Snowstar cannot see Redstar. The moon has disappeared. The sky is covered in thick black clouds. Snowstar shakes her head waiting for her eyes to adjust. She can make out the trees now and the shape of the Highstone beneath her. However, there is still no sign of Redstar.

"Help me…!" Redstar said. A scratching sound comes from the edge of the stone. Snowstar can see Redstar, blue eyes staring over the top of the stone and his dark ginger paws.

"Hold on!" Snowstar said. Snowstar hurls herself across the stone reaching out with her forepaws to grab Redstar's scruff and pull him to safety. Snowstar is a tail-length away when lightning strikes again filling the air with a blazing white light. She hears a thin terrifying cry as Redstar loses his grip and plunges to the ground below. The clearing grows silent. The cats still on their paws are staring at something that Snowstar cannot see, at the base of the Highstone. A LightClan Warrior rushes forward.

"Redstar! No!" Squirrelfur said. Snowstar bows her head.

Redstar must have been on his ninth life. He was young to die as a Leader, however maybe his battle-hungry ways had used up the rest of his lives too quickly. Snowstar thought.

"Murderer!" Owlwing, the LightClan Deputy, said as he glared up at Snowstar.

"I didn't kill Redstar!" yelled Snowstar. The fur along Snowstar's spine begins to rise.

"Then who did?" Nightclaw challenged. Snowstar looks up at the clouds that are hiding the moon.

The Truce had been broken the moment Redstar told his Warriors to attack the unsuspecting Clans. Then the moon disappeared and a storm came, bringing thunder and lightning that shock the island to its core. Snowstar thought. "HeavenClan killed him," she said. Will my Ancestors forgive me for calling them cold-blooded murderers? The sky stays quiet. "HeavenClan punished LightClan for breaking the Truce and attacking on the night of the Full Moon. There is no clearer message they could send."

"HeavenClan please forgive us all for fighting!" Oakheart said.

"From now on, the Full Moon will be honored by every Clan!" Jumpstar said. Snowstar steps forward and raises her voice for every cat to hear her.

There will be time afterwards to tend to the wounded and carry them and the dead home. For now, I have to make sure this will never happen again. Snowstar thought. She then looks at the cats off all six Clans. "There will be a new rule added to the Messenger Code! There will be no fighting at the time of the Full Moon. The Truce is sacred and will be protected for every Gathering!" she said loudly. HeavenClan, please forgive us!

This is Code Eleven