Oh my goodness, has it really been two whole months since I last updated? o.o That's so not like me. But, in a shred of good news, I decided that I can, and will, update every Thursday. Today's chapter counts for this week, since I'm going to be quite busy on the 30th and 31st, working on a project for school. Nevertheless, I will try to update next Thursday if I am not busy. ^^ Anyways, this chapter contains about 4,119 words which is my longest chapter for this story, excluding both A/N's, that is. ^^
Springflower - ^^ Thanks.
Captain Scar - They'll be helping each other a lot throughout. That's about the only "spoiler" I'll give for now, though.
Anyways, enjoy Chapter 13!
Chapter 13:
As quickly as night-fall had descended on the StormClan cats, the black veil was pierced by streaks of golden-yellow rays of the rising sun as it began to appear on the horizon in all its blazing glory. The morning sunlight bathed the tree-tops of the lush woodlands in a warm yellow color that signaled the start of another long day in the life of the Clans.
The still air was broken by the tired yawns of apprentices and warriors alike as they began to pad sleepily out of the individual dens, hastily trying to blink the grogginess of sleep away from their eyes. A dark-grey she-cat soon broke away from the mass of cats that were gathered around the warriors' den, starting to yowl loudly to get their attention.
"Alright! Alright, I'm going to name the cats who gets to be on the first border patrol. The cats are as followed: Maplecreek, Ashtail, Ripplepaw, and Blackstone. Maplecreek will be in charge for the patrol. Leave immediately once the other three are all assembled," Jaycloud added to the white she-cat to which she nodded in reply.
Glancing back up, Jaycloud continued on with the list of cats who should be going on the hunting patrol. "Shadefrost, Breezeblossom, Thistlepond, and Ivypaw, you will head out after the dawn patrol has come back, understood?" The cats whose names were called out nodded their heads in acknowledgement before Jaycloud resumed calling out cat names to stay in the camp and "spruce" it up a little or to go out on more border and hunting patrols respectively.
The dawn patrolling cats gathered at the front of the camp entrance, a grey she-cat looking over her shoulder seeming to be waiting for another one of their members. A flash of white-grey mottled pelt flashed in the sidelines of the dispersing crowd before racing up to the waiting patrol. "Ripplepaw, finally!" Ashtail exclaimed as the she-cat skidded to a halt before her. "We were just about to take off without you."
The apprentice's ears were flat against her head in embarrassment, her mouth quirked in a sheepish grin, "Sorry, Ashtail, Maplecreek. I was just talking to Ivypaw about something and guess I forgot about being on the dawn patrol."
Maplecreek gave a harrumph of disapproval before stating, "Come on. We're late enough as it is. We'll head by the RavenClan border before heading on over to DuskClan's border that we share with them." The assembled cats nodded their consent before following the senior warrior and leader of this particular patrol. Ashtail was walking amicably by Maplecreek's side with Blackstone and Ripplepaw taking up the rear.
Meanwhile, before the dawn patrol had set off, a she-cat who lurked by the warriors' den was watching through half-closed eyes. It wouldn't be long before the patrolling cats returned from refreshing the border markers before the next patrol set off. Sure, she was a little surprised when she heard her name called out for the hunting patrol, but she, overall, was nonplussed. Just keep focusing on doing your duties and you'll be fine, she kept telling herself.
Now, even the StormClan leader headed out of his den and was conversing quietly with Jaycloud to whom she nodded every once in a while. The pair seemed oblivious to the cats milling around them as they continued their discussion. With a final nod to sum up whatever was said, Stormstar turned around and headed back to his den, obviously needing the peace and quiet to ponder on what was bothering him.
As the sun began to rise higher and higher into the sky, the dawn patrol returned with Maplecreek telling the others to go and do whatever they would like of which was met with nods of agreement before they all dispersed. With the white she-cat left behind, she proceeded to head over to the deputy who's back was facing the senior warrior, talking to one of the warriors quietly. After a few moments, with Maplecreek waiting patiently, the cat nodded before he stalked away to another part of the camp.
Jaycloud watched the warrior go with keen blue eyes before turning around and facing Maplecreek. "Glad to see that you returned safely, Maplecreek," she greeted. The she-cat nodded faintly, smiling lightly before she reported that they didn't see any sign of trouble, but they did catch a faint scent that wasn't one of theirs or that belonged to their neighboring Clans. "Stale, I would estimate about a few days or so. Other than that, the borders seem to be clear."
By this time, the deputy was frowning thoughtfully before she nodded, pushing her conclusions and dark thoughts away from her mind just for the moment. "Alright, thanks Maplecreek." The warrior dipped her head slightly before moving to where Ripplepaw was lying beside the fresh-kill pile, muttering to her softly before stalking away.
Jaycloud, however, was looking around the camp for a familiar pair of eyes. Upon finding her target, the dark-grey she-cat walked over to her, her dark pelt blending in easily with the shade cast by the warriors' den. "Shadefrost, gather your patrol. I assume you already know that Maplecreek's dawn patrol had already returned?" The dark-brown she-cat nodded her head faintly in response, keeping her silence as Jaycloud continued, "Good. The others should be waiting for your signal to head out. Feel free to leave whenever, but I do suggest you leave immediately."
"As you wish, Jaycloud," the she-cat answered smoothly to the deputy's content before she returned to her earlier position. The dark-brown she-cat glanced around the camp for a brief moment, spotting some of her patrol members and with a faint flicker of the ears, padded over to them. "Hunting patrol. Though, I presume that you are already aware?"
"Of course we are. I'll get Ivypaw," the grey tom added cordially, already padding to the apprentices' den which wasn't that far of a walk from their current position. The two she-cats waited quietly, though Breezeblossom had attempted to talk with the dark-brown she-cat, she gave up sensing that the she-cat wouldn't be too much of a talker.
Not too soon, the warrior and the apprentice respectively made their appearance, Thistlepond leading the way to the front of the camp. With a sweep of his amber eyes, the grey-furred tom examined the patrol quietly before flicking his tail, signaling that they needed to set off, already starting to pad out into the forest. The others trailed after him silently, not daring to break the silence that had enveloped the group.
As the hunting patrol departed, the camp seemed a little bit more emptier than usual. Some of the dens were being reinforced with brambles even though it was the height of greenleaf by most of the remaining warriors. Fernripple and Fleetpaw were outside the medicine den with Fernripple instructing that Fleetpaw should rest instead of being up and about. "It'll only aggravate your wounds further. Do you want to stay in the medicine den for at least another moon?"
"No, but I just can't stay in one place for that long, Fernripple," Fleetpaw retorted, her face a mask of pure boredom.
"Ah, come on, Fernripple, let her walk around the camp. It'll help her when her wounds have finally healed so she doesn't have to exercise later on," Ripplepaw interjected calmly having walked up to the bickering pair.
The tortoiseshell medicine cat finally gave in, sighing as she did so. "Fine, but only a short walk. Then you rest, understood?"
"Thanks, Fernripple!" Fleetpaw smiled before turning around and walking slowly by Ripplepaw's side, her steps hesitant, but nevertheless was excited to be out of the medicine den. The medicine cat watched them head over to the nursery, no doubt wanting to visit the new queen, quietly before she returned to her den.
Finally, the hunting patrol returned to the camp, their individual jaws full of prey. They carefully picked their way over to the fresh-kill pile and were greeted by the deputy as the four cats set down their catches. "Alright, you can either go rest or help with the others fix some of the dens," Jaycloud offered.
Dipping or nodding their heads respectively, the cats dispersed, some of them disappearing into the warriors' den while the rest walked over to their Clanmates who were currently repairing the apprentices' den. The dark-grey deputy watched the former hunting patrol members for a few moments before turning her attention to a cat who had just trotted up to her.
The day passed by quickly and was rather uneventful. The patrols were all sent out accordingly, border patrol cats reported that there was still no sign of trouble, hunting patrols always brought back plenty of prey to stock up the fresh-kill pile. Therefore, StormClan was thriving in the midst of green-leaf. As the sun began to inch toward the western horizon, Stormstar and Jaycloud appeared from the leader's den.
Jaycloud proceeded to yowl loudly to gather the cats in the clearing's attention. "As you most of you may know, tonight is a Gathering night. Stormstar and I have been discussing the cats who will go tonight and they are as followed: Blackstone, Ashtail, Ripplepaw, Shadefrost, Maplecreek, Pebblestone, and Ivypaw."
Small smiles were exchanged to one another as the cats who were chosen on the Gathering patrol turned to the cat beside them and started to talk amiably. Most of the murmurings were about how the Gathering is going to go while the rest were mostly about how they would tell the others that weren't chosen, how the Gathering went.
One argument rose up above the rest as Fleetpaw stood in front of the tortoiseshell medicine cat, retorting to whatever the placid she-cat had said. Ripplepaw, noticing this, trotted over to the pair and intervened with a comment of her own. "Fleetpaw, calm down. Your wounds have just started to heal ever since you were brought in and walking long distances would only aggravate them. And besides, when we return, I'll tell you how it all went. That sound fair?"
Fleetpaw lapsed into a somewhat thoughtful silence before nodding reluctantly much to the medicine cat's relief. "Thanks, Ripplepaw," Fernripple said as the grey-and-white apprentice padded into the den behind her dejectedly.
"It's no trouble, Fernripple. She's stubborn as a rock, but a great cat nevertheless," Ripplepaw replied, smiling slightly as she glanced pointedly at Fleetpaw's retreating back.
"That I can agree with you sincerely," Fernripple nodded in assent.
"Well, I better go rest up before the patrol heads out. Don't want to fall dead on my paws before we even get to the clearing," the apprentice remarked calmly, dipping her head prior to padding away from the tortoiseshell she-cat to the apprentice's den.
As some of the StormClan cats milled around in the clearing, the sun's rays began to turn into hues of orange and yellow as dusk approached and the sun began to set. The senior warriors glanced at the camp entrance, then back to Stormstar's den from which he and the deputy disappeared into when Jaycloud had finished naming the cats who were to attend the Gathering. Cats started to murmur to each other again, once in a while, nodding their heads occasionally and pointedly toward the camp exit from which the sun's rays were beginning to dim as the night began to take over.
In just that moment, the stormy-grey leader and his faithful deputy appeared in the entrance to the leader's den. "The cats who are attending tonight's Gathering, we will leave now," Stormstar stated, already padding to the front of the camp. The seven cats who's names were called out earlier surged forward, halting in front of Stormstar respectively.
Stormstar nodded as the Gathering patrol members were all accounted for before he beckoned them with his tail to follow him. If they were going to arrive on time at the arranged place where Gatherings were usually held, they needed to swing around to the back of their territory before walking along the border line that they shared with RavenClan.
Skirting around the edges of the camp walls, the patrol followed Stormstar and Jaycloud as they led the way to the trail used by StormClan cats in order to arrive at the Gathering place safely and quickly. It was like this for a few minutes, the mood having been set ever since they left the camp behind: quiet, but interspersed with some chatter. Stepping onto a worn-down forest trail, the StormClan representatives continued on their trek through their territory as Stormstar increased the pace after he had glanced upwards at the quickly darkening sky.
At last, the StormClan patrol reached the strip of land that lay at the end of RavenClan territory and was bordered by OwlClan to the south. Stormstar halted the cats behind them with a single raise of his white-and-grey tail, looking down upon the Gathering land on a slight incline. RavenClan was already there, the cats milling around in one spot.
"We're the second group to have come in. RavenClan's the only Clan there. But I'm sure that DuskClan and OwlClan should be arriving soon," Stormstar informed his cats, swiveling his head back to look at them.
"Well, let's head on over there, don't want to keep them waiting for much longer," Jaycloud remarked, still by her leader's side as always.
Stormstar affirmed her remark with a slight nod before beginning to pick his way down, the mass of StormClan cats patiently following behind their leader and deputy. RavenClan cats had already gathered to where StormClan was heading to, welcoming them with mews of warm greetings and smiles. Ravenstar, himself, had come to pleasantly welcome Stormstar and exchanging nods with the StormClan deputy.
"Greetings Stormstar, Jaycloud. Was DuskClan with you when you first set out?" Ravenstar greeted, smiling lightly as he walked with the StormClan leader and deputy to the Great Oak.
"No, but I assume they are on their way now," Stormstar answered promptly, turning his head to look at the black-furred tom as they neared the gnarled knobs of the roots that showed through the earth.
"Ah," Ravenstar sighed, nodding in acknowledgement as they reached the base of the Great Oak with Jaycloud heading over to her usual position among the deputies' spot.
"Ah, here comes OwlClan," Stormstar noted, looking toward the western slope where a mass of cats were filed behind a single she-cat who, even from the distance, held herself in a regal way. Suddenly, the line of cats began to dash forward only slowing their pace once they reached the bottom of the clearing where RavenClan and StormClan cats alike started to greet them warmly.
The new arrivals started to mix with the other two Clans that were already there and a low murmur of chatter began to rise as the cats began to talk amiably, their hostilities forgotten for the night. A light-brown tabby she-cat soon caught up to the conversing two leaders. "Ah, Owlstar. Glad you could join us," Ravenstar smiled, nodding toward her in welcome.
"Glad that the Gathering hadn't even started yet," Owlstar replied coolly, dipping her head to the two leaders.
"We're just waiting for DuskClan to arrive. Usually, they're the second group to have come in by now, but I suppose that they got held up by something," Stormstar remarked, glancing at the slope that the DuskClan cats usually entered in from. Ravenstar nodded his agreement while Owlstar followed the stormy-grey leader's gaze before giving a soft murmur.
The three leaders then fell into a silence, their eyes gazing at their individual cats who mixed in happily in a mass of cats, different colored-pelts swarming like a horde of bees. Soon enough, the full moon rose higher into the night sky, signaling the start of the Gathering. As if on cue, a line of cats near the eastern slope appeared, all crowded around two cats who obviously were of high rank. With a single fluid movement of the first cat, the others followed her, another pacing beside the first.
"Just in time, I see, Duskstar," Owlstar greeted, her eyes flitting over to the brown she-cat who stood by the leader. She proceeded to dip her head to Duskstar's deputy who replied with a curt nod of acknowledgement before stalking off to where the other three deputies were already gathered. Mews of welcome erupted out of the threesome, all smiling lightly at the new arrival.
"As always, Owlstar," the creamy-furred she-cat replied with a light smile, her dark blue eyes twinkling in the moonlight that shone down upon the clearing. "Now, I believe we must start the Gathering if we are to return home before sunrise?"
"You thought correctly," Stormstar answered, already preparing to leap up toward one of the lower-hanging branches with Ravenstar following suit. Owlstar rolled her eyes faintly, the move directed to the two toms before she climbed up deftly, her unsheathed claws making claw marks in the bark of the Great Oak. The DuskClan leader smiled lightly before following Owlstar as they both caught up to the two leaders who were already settling down in a sitting position.
Owlstar, the last cat in the line of four, rose up and let loose a loud yowl to capture the cats' attention, most of whom, in unison, turned their heads upward as they began to sit beside one another, their tails flicking slowly from side to side. "Cats of all Clans! Now is the time to gather beneath the full moon in a night of truce and peace," she began, letting her glittering yellow eyes sweep over the mass of cats down below. "I will start tonight, I presume."
"OwlClan has been thriving in the wonders of Greenleaf season. However, one of my patrols earlier this moon, have caught a faint scent that smelled of cat. I would guess that it was a loner and by the direction the scent, it was headed for your Clan's territory, Stormstar," Owlstar nodded her head to the stormy-grey leader who politely inclined his head back in acknowledgement of the warning.
At that, Owlstar dipped her head to the gathered cats below before stepping back a pace and sat down, her tail wrapped partly around her paws. Her turn was over, it seemed, and the next cat to rise from his position was Ravenstar. "RavenClan has also been thriving in Greenleaf. Our warriors are prospering, prey is plentiful, the warmth of the sun shining down on our backs and in the midst of this, a queen of ours has recently given birth to a litter of two kits. We gladly welcomed the two new additions to RavenClan."
Now he paused as the cats of the four Clans murmured quietly in welcome to the new additions to the forest. Kits are always a welcome thing, showing that even in the direst of times, new life and miracles can happen anytime. As the ripple of soft murmuring stopped, Ravenstar took this as a cue to continue on with his announcement. "There has also been a stale scent reeking of dog on our land a few sunrises ago, but they have appeared to move on toward your territory, Duskstar." Now he did the same as Owlstar had done to which Duskstar replies quietly, "Thank you, Ravenstar, for the warning, but we have already dealt with the problem."
The black-furred tom narrowed his amber eyes faintly in the moonlight, coolly dipping his head in silent response as his eyes flitted around the cats seeming to be trying to identify the DuskClan cats to which he noted mutely that a few of them had ruffled pelts. He stepped back after letting his gaze wander around the clearing and resumed his earlier position.
The next leader rose from her sitting position, the leaves rustling quietly as they were disturbed by the leader's paws as Duskstar began to speak, plunging into the explanation with no preamble, "A few sunrises ago, DuskClan had been attacked by a mass of dogs. We managed to fend them off for a while, even resorting to retreating into the deepest part of our territory; they pursued us with no intention of relenting. We finally drove them off of our land, but have suffered minor casualties."
The DuskClan leader sighed quietly, her gaze dark with sorrow as she continued retelling the tale. "However, we have had one of our warriors die from their wounds and one cat unaccounted for. We can only assume the worst has happened." In unison, the cats below the Great Oak, bowed their heads in a moment of silence to grieve for those who have been felled by the savage dogs' claws.
Duskstar nodded quietly, her turn to speak now over as the final leader arose from his position. Padding forward with a single step, Stormstar then took over, his voice ringing from the Great Oak and all across the clearing. "StormClan is flourishing in the Greenleaf season. One of our kits has recently become an apprentice and for this we welcome Ivypaw of StormClan."
Cats all around the brown she-cat muttered their congratulations, looking at her with sparkling, warm eyes. The she-cat ducked her head in embarrassment, feeling the tips of her ears growing hot from all of the attention. Feeling a nudge in her side, she looked up to see Blackstone smiling lightly to which she smiled back before directing her attention back to Stormstar who was starting to speak again.
"We have also made a new warrior. We welcome Shadefrost to StormClan." A low murmur of praise and congratulations rose from the cats gathered around the dark-brown she-cat as the warriors from all of the Clans turned to look at her. Shadefrost flicked her ear faintly, aware of the numerous pairs of eyes turning to look at her, their eyes shining in welcome. She sat still, however, her gaze still fixated on the leaders above.
Stormstar continued after the low muttering had subsided, telling of how they welcome Speckwind to the nursery as she is soon expecting kits any time now. A few of the cats, the most from RavenClan and OwlClan, nodded their congratulations to the white she-cat who still resided in the nursery back at the camp.
"Does anyone else have anything they want to add?" Stormstar asked suddenly, having finished his announcement, turning his blue gaze to the other three leaders. They shook their head 'no' before Stormstar nodded and concluded, his attention now back at the cats gathered, "This Gathering is now deemed over. May we meet again at the next full moon."
The four leaders then dipped their heads to each other before leaping off of the branch one by one. Each leader gathered their Clan before Stormstar padded into the open, his cats following obediently behind him and Jaycloud who had darted to the stormy-grey tom's side. DuskClan cats had gathered behind StormClan for they would be traveling together for a little bit before DuskClan moved onto another trail as StormClan arrived back at their camp and would no doubt be welcomed by the remaining cats that had yet to sleep.
RavenClan and OwlClan had long since left the clearing, leaving the Great Oak and the clearing to be bathed in the dimming moonlight as the moon began to slip farther away from this earth, its reign over the sky over for now as the blazing sun began to arrive. StormClan had finally arrived at their camp having left the DuskClan cats to pick their way around their territory to their own. Fernripple was the first to greet the returning cats before herding Stormstar and Jaycloud away from the rest of the group.
Then, the other warriors who were still out in the open clearing rushed forward to greet the others with warm mews before they finally turned in for the night. One apprentice, a blue-grey she-cat, broke away from the warriors crowding around the Gathering patrol, padding quickly to the medicine den to see if Fleetpaw was still awake to tell her of how the Gathering had gone. The warriors outside in the clearing still, then decided to rest up for the night and conserve their energies for yet another long day tomorrow.
Within a few minutes, the StormClan camp was dreadfully still and silent, various cats having gone to their dens, lightly snoozing away. With a last twinkle and another beam of moonlight burst forth, the moon slipped away, nighttime's clutches cut off as the sun began to rise, the rosy pink streaks of sunlight beginning to dot and color the sky hues of rosy pink, orange, and yellow. Thus another day begins and a new chapter in StormClan's life unfolds.
Heh, I just had to include this Gathering in this. Since I've mentioned it a few times in the other chapters, I just had to do it. This is kind of a filler chapter, I noticed, but hopefully in the next one, it'll be much more interesting than reading about a Gathering and leaders talking. ^^ Don't forget to review your thoughts, opinions, ideas, etc. They really just brighten my day and keep me going.