On the way to camp from the Gathering, Bearfrost could hear his Clanmates whispering among themselves.
"Rainstar must be mad! Us against three Clans; we don't stand a chance!" Peachblossom whispered to Cherryfang.
Honeyripple looked uneasily around at their surrounding territory, and told Pigeonwing, "What if they're hiding in our territory right now? I bet they are hiding in the shadows like the cowards they are, waiting for the right moment to strike!"
"Maplefern, prepare healing herbs, for we will need them in the coming days." Bearfrost herd Rainstar tell their medicine cat. "Take Dewpaw as your temporary apprentice. Teach her how to heal battle wounds."
Dewpaw? But she wanted to fight in the battle so badly… After the Gathering, Dewpaw had bounced around her littermates, boasting about how she would be the cat to kill the most warriors. She had earned a scolding from Willowtwig on how warriors didn't need to kill to win battles.
"The Clans are going to drive us out of our territory, or kill us all." Bearfrost heard Pikefoot whisper to himself.
The Clan doesn't think we stand a chance. What will happen in the midst of battle…
He didn't know if he should comfort the Clan, or join them in their despair. They reached the camp, and immediately the warriors who had been to the Gathering began telling all the cats who had been left behind what had happened. Bearfrost heard many gasps of surprise, hisses of outrage, and groans of distress.
"Why would all the other Clans accuse us of stealing prey, even though we haven't set paw on their territory!" Pigeonwing called to the Clan. Many shouts of agreement came from the warriors' den, and Patchpaw called out, "What do we do if they drive us out?"
A hushed silence came from the cats, and no one dared to speak, until Rainstar jumped up onto the Wetrock and announced that they were not going to be driven out easily.
"It'll take more than the Clans to drive RiverClan from our home!" The leader announced, earning a cheer from the cats below him.
"What will happen if we do get driven out? Will we scatter? Will RiverClan be no more?" Silverleaf asked, fear edged her voice, along with anger, and sadness.
"Trust me, it won't happen." Spiderstrike assured her.
"But what if the Clans ally with cats from Twolegplace and-" Silverleaf was cut off by Bearfrost, who could not take hearing all of the possibilities anymore.
"The other Clans are too proud to team up with kittypets. And if we are driven out… we'll survive."
"The battle will take place exactly at the half-moon." Aspenstar announced. Cheers came from the crowd, as it was already the quarter-moon.
Only a quarter moon left… What will RiverClan do… Bearfrost thought drearily. Now that the battle was imminent, Bearfrost could think of nothing but what would happen if they lost the battle.
"Where will the battle take place?" Marshstar growled. He looked over the Gathering, his eyes resting for a moment on every RiverClan cat he saw. The ShadowClan cats stared around themselves, and like their leader, they growled and stared at all of Bearfrost's Clan.
"How about here, on the Gathering island?" Rainstar suggested.
"No, the island is too small. What about WindClan territory? There is plenty of open space to fight, and the RiverClan cats will be at a disadvantage." Suggested Rabbitstar, who became the leader of WindClan after Kestrelstar died peacefully in his nest.
"ShadowClan and ThunderClan cats will be at a disadvantage too!" Aspenstar objected, sending murmurs through each of the Clans.
"What about ShadowClan territory? There is no undergrowth, so WindClan and ThunderClan cats won't get tangled up, and there are many trees that are to RiverClan's disadvantage." Marshstar looked at the WindClan and ThunderClan leaders, who murmured their agreement.
"How about we just cancel the battle all together." Rainstar suggested. The three other Clans hissed in anger, and Rainstar lifted his chin indignantly. "If you truly want a battle, be prepared to lose."
All the Clans scoffed, and a few ShadowClan apprentices laughed at Rainstar's ominous words.
"Oh, I assure you. We will win. RiverClan will be no more." Aspenstar let his warning ring through the hollow, before shouting, "This Gathering is over." The ThunderClan leader flicked his tail in signal for his cats to follow him, and the ThunderCan warriors streamed out of the clearing. WindClan followed suit, and soon only ShadowClan and RiverClan were left in the clearing.
"I suggest you leave the Clan territories before we destroy you. Leave and don't come back." Marshstar stared into Rainstar's eyes for what seemed like moons, then departed with a flick of his tail. RiverClan sat in stunned silence, and Bearfrost thought they were going to stay in the clearing all night.
When the pale light of dawn crept through the branches of the trees surrounding the Gathering island, Rainstar motioned for them to leave. They began the short walk home, and when Bearfrost reached his nest, he collapsed and immediately fell into a deep slumber.
Bearfrost awoke to find himself in a familiar gloomy forest. He looked around, to see Poisonmist crouching in a tree overhead.
"You're back, I see." The evil tom said, glee in his voice.
"I never wanted to ever see this place again!"
"Ah, but you cannot deny your destiny." A new voice said from behind Bearfrost. He whirled around to see a new face staring back at him.
"Who are you?" Bearfrost stared at the black and white she-cat sitting in front of him, staring with huge, piercing amber eyes.
"My name is not important, but if you must know, it's Typhoon." Typhoon took a paw step towards Bearfrost, and he took one back.
"I don't know what you want with me Typhoon, but if you're in the Place of No Stars, it must be something bad!"
Typhoon grinned, and flicked her tail for Bearfrost to follow her. He hesitantly obliged, and trotted a tail-length away from the strange she-cat.
Poisonmist hung back for a moment, then followed them at some distance.
Why would her name be Typhoon? That sounds like a kittypet name. Surely a kittypet wouldn't be allowed in the Dark Forest?
"This way." Typhoon flicked her tail, leading Bearfrost to a thick wall of clouds, seemingly reaching forever into the sky.
"Where are we?" Bearfrost knew that they were still in the Dark Forest, but there was a border of trees at the wall. Where the wall was, green grass grew where the normal Dark Forest dirt would be, and small wildflowers dotted the surrounding area. Right then, Poisonmist caught up to them, and stared up at the giant thick wall of shimmering clouds.
"This is the border between StarClan, and my home." Typhoon grinned evilly, and said, "I want you to bring StarClan cats across the border. Only a living cat can cross it, but they can bring dead cats across. If you don't bring a StarClan warrior, I will kill you and you will stay in the Dark Forest forever."
"Don't disappoint Typhoon. She is true to her word." Poisonmist tried to look solemn, but instead looked sheepish. Typhoon glared at her companion, then pushed Bearfrost into the wall of clouds. He felt a warm, tingling sensation in his stomach,and a moment later, he was on the other side of the wall. Bearfrost was standing in a grassy field dotted with small blue and purple flowers, and a light breeze stirred the air.
Is this StarClan? Where are all the StarClan cats? Where is my sister? Bearfrost began wandering through the fields, forgetting that Typhoon was waiting on the other side of the wall.
He found a dip in the field, and saw a small white cat sitting at the base of a tree, grooming itself. Sapphire blue eyes stared at Bearfrost, as he slowly approached the cat.
"Hello." He said simply.
"Hello to you." The white cat replied. Bearfrost could tell this cat was a tom.
"What's your name?" Bearfrost asked cautiously.
"Snowkit. What's yours?"
"Bearfrost." Snowkit looked at Bearfrost for a moment, and said, "I used to be deaf, you know."
"Oh, isn't that right?" Bearfrost tried to be polite to the tiny white kit, but it was hard not to chuckle as Snowkit stood up, and showed him his comically large ears.
"I couldn't hear a thing. Then, a hawk took me from Speckletail, and now I can hear again!" Snowkit bounced up and down, as if overjoyed to be dead.
"But that's horrible! Don't you miss Speckletail? Don't you miss living?"
"Not really. Speckletail and I have been in StarClan for many moons now. She died after the Clans moved from the forest to the lake." Snowkit looked pleased to have someone to talk to.
"Wait… You were alive when the Clans lived in the forest? What was it like? Have you ever met Firestar?" Bearfrost learned about Firestar from old nursery tales, and he had wanted to meet him ever since.
"When I died, he was still called Fireheart. I was a ThunderClan cat, and Bluestar was my leader. And… I never really got to see the forest because I died when I was a kit." Snowkit looked a bit sad for a moment, and continued.
"Why are you here? Are you looking for someone?"
I'm not going to bring a StarClan warrior into the Dark Forest. Never.
"I was actually looking for Shiningblaze. Have you seen her?" Bearfrost looked around in search for his dead sister, but all he could see was grassy rolling fields. Bearfrost knew that StarClan was not divided like the Clans were, so Snowkit was bound to have seen her.
"I think she's over by the river." Snowkit flicked his ears in the direction of the sound of running water nearby, and he stood up and stretched.
"I'm going to the forest to catch mice. See you around!" The tiny white kit hopped away into a thicket of trees.
Strange… I wonder if this Dappletail cat has ever seen her kit in StarClan. Well, I guess I have to go find Shiningblaze now.
Bearfrost started off in the direction that Snowkit had pointed at, and eventually found the river that the tiny tom had told him about.
"Shiningblaze? Are you here?" Bearfrost called out, and no reply came. Bearfrost walked a bit farther, and he found a she-cat crouched by the riverside, appearing to be fishing.
"Shiningblaze?" The she-cat turned around at the sound of her name, and she looked surprised to see her brother. She rushed over to him, and touched her muzzle to his. Bearfrost reveled in his sister's familiar scent for a few moments, and sat back on his haunches.
"Bearfrost! Why are you here? You didn't die, did you?" A spark of horror entered Shiningblaze's eyes, as she too sat down.
"No, I'm not dead. I'm here to talk to you. A kit named Snowkit told me that you were here."
"Oh, Snowkit is such a nice kit, isn't he? Snowkit once gave me wildflowers from the field over there. The way he died is such a tragedy. He was carried away by a hawk. His mother had grabbed onto him, but her kit was torn from her grasp."
Bearfrost scuffled his paws. "Yeah. He told me. I feel so bad for him. At least he doesn't seem too sad about it. But, I came here to ask you something. I was sent here from the Dark forest to bring a StarClan cat across the border."
Shiningblaze gasped. "You wouldn't though, right?"
"Of course not. I'm here to ask you what to do. Typhoon says she'll kill me if I don't bring a StarClan warrior to the Place of No Stars tonight." Shiningblaze looked thoughtfully at Bearfrost, and looked puzzled for a moment.
"Who's Typhoon? And why is she in the Dark Forest if she is a rouge?"
"I honestly don't know. She didn't tell me much; only that she wanted me to bring a StarClan cat to her." Bearfrost heard a rustling in the bushes nearby, and Mothstar emerged, along with another cat Bearfrost didn't recognize.
"Hello, Mothstar." Bearfrost dipped his head in respect for the fallen leader, despite the surprised look on her face.
"Bearfrost? What are you doing on StarClan's hunting grounds?"
"I need to talk to you. A cat named Typhoon-"
"Typhoon spoke to you? I can't believe that wretched old she-cat hasn't faded away yet!" Mothstar hissed in anger, and lashed her tail.
"Do you know Typhoon? Who is she? Why does she want to bring a StarClan warrior to the Dark Forest?"
"She wants to bring a StarClan warrior to the Dark Forest?" Mothstar hissed, her voice barely a whisper. "Hawkbelly, go fetch all the leaders." Mothstar addressed the brown and beige tom standing next to her.
"All of them?" Hawkbelly asked hesitantly.
"All of them." Mothstar confirmed. Hawkbelly raced away, his long beige belly fur streaming out behind him as he ran.
"I get why he's called Hawkbelly." Bearfrost joked. "Who is he?" Mothstar began to reply, but Bearfrost cut her off. "Never mind; you can tell me later. But who is Typhoon?"
Mothstar settled down, and gestured for him to do the same. "This is a long story. You may want to get comfortable."
Shiningblaze quickly got up from where she was sitting, and crouched by the river. She stuck her paw in with lightning speed, and hooked out a large salmon. Shiningblaze carried the heavy fish to where Bearfrost and Mothstar were sitting, and settled down next to them, offering them the salmon.
"No, thank you." Mothstar shook her head, but Bearfrost accepted the fish, forgetting how hungry he was.
Mothstar began speaking. "Now, when Typhoon was a kit, she lived in a thing called a barn. It's a large Twoleg nest that keeps mostly hay, but most barns are overrun by mice, making good hunting. So, Typhoon's mother was named Dart. Typhoon's father, Bristle, died before Typhoon was born. Dart never really liked Typhoon, so when Typhoon was a kit, Dart left her at the border of WindClan territory. The WindClan cats didn't accept Typhoon, so they gave her to ThunderClan. ThunderClan turned her away, so finally, Typhoon was sent to ShadowClan." Mothstar stopped to take a breath, and Bearfrost found this as a good time to interrupt and ask a question.
"Why has no cat ever talked about Typhoon coming to their Clan?"
"Because the Clans have an unspoken promise not to speak about Typhoon. Did that answer your question?" Bearfrost nodded, and his former leader continued. "ShadowClan took in Typhoon, and raised her to be a formidable and honorable fighter. Her warrior name was Typhoonfang, but everyone called her Typhoon. She was accepted as a full member of ShadowClan almost as soon as she started her training as an apprentice. She acted like a true warrior should, until…"
"Until what?" Bearfrost couldn't help but ask.
"Until she killed Tuskstar. The former ShadowClan leader." Mothstar shuddered, and Bearfrost could see why.
"Why would she do that? She wasn't deputy, was she?" Shininblaze asked.
"No, she wasn't. But the deputy back then, Marshflame, now known as Marshstar, was thinking about choosing her when Tuskstar died. But instead of being chosen to be deputy, Typhoon was banished. A cat had found her fur in between the claws of Tuskstar's dead body. Typhoon had taken his last two lives. She was banished, and she's always hated the Clans since. Although, she believed in StarClan, so when she died of sickness early in her life, she went to the Dark Forest. Every Clan knows about her, and every Clan fears her return from the dead, to attack the living."
Bearfrost sat in silence as Mothstar let the ominous words sink into their hearts like a stone sinking into the deep river.
"And now she's back and wants revenge…" Shiningblaze whispered. "Bearfrost, we need to get you as far away from her as possible."
"Why?" Bearfrost was confused at his sister's words.
"Because now that you know her story, and refuse to bring a StarClan cat to her, she is going to track you down, find you, and kill you." With those words, Shiningblaze's ears perked up at the sound of many approaching pawsteps.
"The leaders are coming." Mothstar stood up, and groomed her ruffled pelt. Hawkbelly crested the rise of a hill, and bounded towards them, hundreds of battlescarred leaders thundering behind him.
"No cat is faster than Hawkbelly. Look at how hard Ivystar is puffing trying to keep up!" Mothstar purred at her own joke, as many cats flooded into the clearing beside the river.
"What is this all about?" Called a tom from the front of the crowd.
"This had better be important…" Muttered another.
"Beestar. Stripestar. This is about Typhoon." Mothstar leaped onto a fallen tree to get a better view of all the cats. "Typhoon has asked Bearfrost to bring a StarClan warrior to the Dark Forest, who she will most likely hold in ransome." There was a rumble of voices throughout the crowd, and Bearfrost spoke up.
"She told me that if I didn't bring a StarClan warrior to her, she would kill me."
"Surely you wouldn't!" A voice came from the back of the group of cats.
"Of course he wouldn't. He's a loyal RiverClan cat." A voice came from the front of the crowd. Bearfrost assumed that it was one of the former RiverClan leaders.
"You are correct, Dandelionstar. Bearfrost would never betray his Clan." Mothstar locked eyes with the former leader, and Bearfrost knew that they knew each other well.
"How do we know if Typhoon is staying true to her word?" Yowled a tom.
"Tuskstar, you know as much as any cat that when Typhoon makes a threat, she goes through with it."
It's Tuskstar, the cat Typhoon killed to become deputy! Bearfrost barely restrained a gasp, but he gazed at the ShadowClan leader with interest.
"It is true, Typhoon is a treacherous, vengeful cat. She will do anything for power, and she is willing to kill any cat that gets in her way." The old ShadowClan leader rasped.
"Bearfrost, I believe it is time for you to wake up." Mothstar said abruptly. "Wake up now."
Mothstar's words began to ring in his ears.
Wake up!
Wake up!
Wake up!
"Wake up!" StarClan faded into darkness, and Bearfrost awoke with a jolt as paws shook him awake.
"Wake up! We're under attack!"