Aurorastar's eyes flashed open. She was surrounded by darkness, her eyes blind to the world that lay before her.
Where am I?
She suddenly remembered what had happened, and let out a low growl. Nightglow set me up. She attacked Rainpaw herself, but how did she get a tuft of my fur? Aurorastar suddenly remembered when she caught her fur on brambles during the walk she had earlier, though it felt like moons ago.
Nightglow must have been following me the whole time. Now the Clan is in chaos, and I don't even know if Rainpaw will wake to tell us the truth.
White light suddenly flashed before her. She squinted, allowing her eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness. When she looked around, she suddenly realized she was back at camp.
Where is everyone? she thought. Her deep blue eyes searched the clearing, but it was empty, dead, abandoned. It felt cold, but no snow covered the area before her.
"Hello?" she meowed, looking around in confusion. "Is anyone here?"
The only thing that answered her was the silence.
A chilled wind blew through the camp, ruffling Aurorastar's fur and causing it to stand on end. She dug her claws into the hardened ground as it grew stronger.
She gazed up at the gray sky. "StarClan? Are you trying to tell me something?"
A sharp, foul scent caught the wind, catching Aurorastar's nose and causing her to stiffen.
That's strange. It almost smells like...
A loud crack behind her caused her to spin around. Before her was a huge badger, lumbering towards her. Its tiny, black eyes gleamed with hate, and its jaws were wide open in a ferocious snarl.
Aurorastar backed away, her paws skimming the ground. Great StarClan, help me!
Her eyes widened with horror as more badgers began to charge out of the shadows. The white streaks along their body seemed to glow next to their night-black pelts. As they moved closer to her, they seemed to grow larger and larger.
If I die here for my Clanmates, where ever they may be, so be it. With a snarl, she unsheathed her claws and raised her paw to deliver a blow.
"Aurorastar!"
The leader's eyes snapped open. She was lying in her nest in Starwhisper's den.
It just just a dream! She thought, gasping with relief.
"Are you okay?" Birchleaf stood before her. Her pelt was prickled with concern. "You were writhing around in your sleep."
"I'm fine," Aurorastar replied, surprised by how quiet and raspy her voice sounded. I must not have used it for a while, she realized. "How long have I been asleep?"
"Two days," Birchleaf meowed, sounding as if it wasn't a big deal. "You went unconscious during all of the chaos with Nightglow. Some of the Clan thinks it's a bad omen."
Aurorastar let out a low growl. I must seem like a weak and cowering fool.
A light of realization flashed through her mind. "The kits! Crystalclaw's kits! I told her a few sunrises ago that I would have her kits' apprentice ceremony be shortly."
Birchleaf looked resentful. "I'm not sure you performing an apprentice ceremony would be a good idea."
Aurorastar tilted her head. "Why?"
Birchleaf shuffled her paws. "Well, while you were asleep, the Clan made a vote."
The SunClan leader narrowed her filmy looking eyes. "What happened, Birchleaf?"
"I'll tell you what happened," a new voice spoke, and Starwhisper padded into the den. "While you were asleep, the Clan decided to keep you confined in here until you are proven guilty of not attacking Rainpaw. You are also temporarily stripped of your role as leader of SunClan."
Aurorastar felt her blood turn cold. "What? How can this-" she sputtered as a cough broke out "-be?" she finished.
"The Clan voted on it. Most cats wanted this to happen," Starwhisper said simply, though her eyes were distraught.
"I didn't attack Rainpaw."
"And I believe you," Starwhisper meowed, and Birchleaf nodded in assent. "But most of the Clan doesn't."
Aurorastar dug her claws into the feather-soft moss. "Nightglow set this all up."
"I know that as well, but right now I need to focus on getting Rainpaw better so she can tell us the truth." Starwhisper bounded down into the back of the den. "Oh, and Aurorastar." The medicine cat turned her head around to fix her reflecting green eyes on her leader. "There is a Gathering tonight."
Aurorastar flicked her tail. "I assume I am not going."
"You assume correct," Starwhisper replied. "Nightglow will be taking your place. Though even if you weren't confined, I still wouldn't want you to go, given your condition."
Aurorastar growled, wincing as another cough rolled over her. "May StarClan guide us all."
A/N: Again in this second part of the chapter, I will be switching the point of view to Eclipsewing. Otherwise it would have been a really short and boring chapter :)
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Brightledge for a Clan meeting!"
Eclipsewing pricked her ears. I thought Aurorastar was confined to Starwhisper's den! Spinning around to face the Brightledge, she eyed the pale gray rock intently.
Standing on the ledge's smooth, pale surface was Nightglow. Her eyes were gleaming, bright as ice chips. Cold, heartless, ice.
Eclipsewing flattened her ears, but forced herself to sit down under the rock. Aurorastar should be up there, she thought with defiance. But as far as the Clan is concerned, Nightglow is our leader now.
"As you all know," Nightglow started when every cat had gathered. "There is a Gathering tonight. I will be going as SunClan's leader."
A few murmurs of unease rose into the air, but they were quickly silenced by Nightglow's challenging glare.
"Bluefire, Leopardsun, Redpalm, Eclipsewing, Rainfall, Stoneclaw, Ravenecho, Swiftwing, Stormsky, and Moonbreeze will come to the Gathering with me," Nightglow called, her voice powerful and slightly menacing.
Eclipsewing flicked her tail. The patrol was filled with many of Nightglow's followers. However, she was pleased to also join the patrol's ranks.
"Eclipsewing!" a voice called. Eclipsewing flicked her gaze around until she found where the voice was coming from. It was Rainfall, and a plump mouse was at his paws.
"Care to share with me?" the gray tom meowed. "You should get something to eat before the Gathering."
Eclipsewing let out a soft purr at Rainfall's friendliness. "Sure, thanks." She bounded over, crouching down next to him so she could share his mouse.
"So how do you feel about Nightglow in Aurorastar's place at the Gathering?" he asked around a mouthful of mouse.
"Nervous," Eclipsewing admitted, swallowing. "Who knows what she will say about Aurorastar's absence."
"I feel the same," Rainfall mumbled, fixing his narrowed eyes on Nightglow. "I've never trusted her."
"I'm so scared for Aurorastar," Eclipsewing let out, suddenly hoping she hadn't said too much. She stiffened, however, when she felt Rainfall's pelt brush against her own comfortingly.
"Aurorastar is one of the strongest cats I have ever known," Rainfall stated. "If anyone can get through this, she can."
Eclipsewing starred at the icy snow that had built up on the camp ground. "I hope so."
"Let the Gathering begin!"
Lightstar's call had echoed through the night air, causing Eclipsewing to flinch. She felt Rainfall's cautious stare beside her, but didn't bother to look back at him.
Clan cats had already begun to question Aurorastar's disappearance. Since Aurorastar had not been leader for long, it was rather suspicious, knowing that she couldn't have been dead.
"We will begin," Lightstar meowed, casting Loststar, who was sitting next to him, a nod. "StormClan is doing well despite this harsh season. Our outbreak of greencough has finally left us." The tom shot a glare to the SunClan cats below.
Loststar moved forward. "StormClan has two new warriors: Emberstorm and Sorrelheart." She waited as the cats below began to cheer the new warrior's names. "That is all," she finished, giving Cosmicstar a nod to take the lead.
Eclipsewing wasn't paying attention to the NightClan leader, however. She was more focused on the conversation she was hearing behind her. Judging from the foul scent, she realized it was two ShadowClan cats.
"Where do you think Aurorastar is?" The first cat asked, its deep voice suggesting that it was a tom.
"I'm not sure," the second cat asked. This one sounded like a she-cat. "Though I heard a rumor that she was expecting kits."
Eclipsewing forced down a growl. How did that 'rumor' start?
"It seems unlikely that a Clan leader would miss a Gathering just because they were expecting."
"I agree," the she cat whispered. "Something else must have happened to her."
There was a long silence from them before the tom whispered, "do you think she did it?"
"Who?"
"Nightglow, of course."
Eclipsewing pricked her ears. What?
She heard the ruffle of fur as the she cat shook her head. "No, it's too early in the plan. Besides, Nightglow would have told us."
Eclipsewing glanced over at Rainfall. His hackles were beginning to raise, and his eyes were wide. He exchanged a look with Eclipsewing, and she realized that he too had heard the ShadowClan cats.
Eclipsewing ruffled out her fur and focused back on the Gathering when the ShadowClan warriors stopped talking. The ShadowClan leader, Tawnystar, was now speaking.
"ShadowClan has nothing to report, other than that there has been a strong scent of badger around the area of the SunClan border."
Nightglow narrowed her eyes. "Thank you for sharing this, Tawnystar." She stepped forward, casting her blazing eyes on the cats below. "I will now speak."
"Where is Aurorastar?" one cat Eclipsewing did not recognize asked from below.
"I am temporarily taking Aurorastar's place as leader," Nightglow called. "Due to recent events, Aurorastar's loyalty to SunClan has been... questioned, so she now is confined at camp."
Gasps of alarm sounded around the clearing. Eclipsewing let out a growl, and was pleased to hear many others echo her's.
"What happened?" Loststar asked, her gaze more curious than shocked.
Nightglow flattened her ears. "It was a rather unfortunate event concerning-"
"Nightglow!" Rainfall called. "Shouldn't what happened to Aurorastar be just SunClan's business?" His voice carried a challenging tone.
Nightglow narrowed her eyes, but gave a brisk nod. "Of course. The Gathering is now over!" She leaped down off the Great Oak, calling all of the SunClan cats.
"I'm glad you did that," Eclipsewing whispered into Rainfall's ear.
"I was just saying what needed to be done," he said without looking back at her.
As they bounded on towards camp, Nightglow suddenly jumped to their side. Her eyes blazed with outrage. "Don't you dare ever question me like that again!" she snarled, shoving her muzzle into Rainfall's face.
Rainfall let out a hiss. "You aren't the leader of this Clan!"
"Not yet," Nightglow growled, padding away into the shadows.
Eclipsewing watched her disappear with wide, scared eyes. What is happening to our Clan?
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I am guessing that some of you noticed that the timing of the Gathering was wrong. It was a full moon, but in a couple previous chapters Aurorastar said that the half-moon was the night before, so that was a mistake. I needed to put the Gathering in to add in some key details that wouldn't have fit together if I waited any longer. So I hope that wasn't a terrible mistake to everyone who read and noticed that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D
Question: What do you think the "plan" was that the ShadowClan cats were talking about? Let me know by leaving a review please! :)
WillowWhisper: Thank you, friend! And I very good guess! I can't wait for your next update of Lightstar's Promise! :D
Before I sign out, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has viewed this story. It has about 1,000 views now, and it just makes me so happy to see that. Thanks so much! ^.^
~Lunar