Chapter 27: Smokepaw

Smokepaw looked around. They were on the shore of ThunderClan territory, but it looked… different. She was standing next to Hollowpaw, and all of the Clan cats appeared faded, as if they weren't actually there.

"This is the lake in ancient times," she heard a cat say, but couldn't identify the voice, or its speaker.

It took her a moment to spot the group of cats gather around two piles of stones, and she could see Jayfeather push a final stone to a row, making it longer than the other.

"So it's decided," one of the cats said. "We're leaving."

"What about Fallen Leaves?" another cat yowled with the despair of a mother who had lost her kits.

Before another cat answered, Smokepaw and the other Clan cats found themselves in a cave, with a roaring waterfall at one end. There was also an old, white she-cat facing away from them, and what appeared to be an older version of Lionblaze walked up to her.

"Half Moon," he greeted, settling down beside her.

"You shouldn't call me that, Lion's Roar," she protested with a faint mrrow of amusement. "I've been the Teller of the Pointed Stones for many seasons."

"I don't care how long the others have called you Stoneteller. You'll always be Half Moon to me." After a pause, Lion's Roar continued. "I was born in this cave, but my mother, Shy Fawn, told me about the time before we came here – when you lived beside a lake, sheltered beneath trees."

As the scenery changed again, Lion's Roar's voice echoes, "Hunger might kill us all before the sun shines again, and there's no more room in the cave. Something must be done."

The visions continued with the Tribe in mourning after one of the few kits dies, the cats debating about whether and who should go, and the Tribe having another vote. A black-and-white cat stared at them and said, "We will follow the path to the rising sun, but we will always carry the mountains, and all of you, in our hearts."

The cave blurred around the Clan cats as they were dragged through time, following the cats that left through the mountains, fields, and to a place with territories like those around the lake with four giant trees in the middle.

"That's Fourtrees!" Smokepaw heard one of the Clan cats say.

"It's the old territory!" another one exclaimed.

The vision ended with everyone back on the islands, the StarClan cats still staring at them. "This territory is not new to you," Skystar said. "You have merely returned."

"That's what I was saying!" Smokey hissed.

"But wait," Beetlepaw's brother asked, "what happened to SkyClan?"

Smokey snorted at that. "They left."

Skystar answered, "Twolegs tore down their territory and they were driven out; forced to find a new home."

"It's all your fault, you know," Smokey hissed at Skystar. "It's your fault there was this Clan nonsense. You are responsible for so much bloodshed."

Skystar flattened his ears. "So maybe I am, but the past is the past. It can't be changed. The Clan's history is the way it is, and there's nothing to be done about it."

"Yes, and they must pay for the mistakes the live in their blood with their blood," Smokey growled at them, bushing up her fur. "I know the past can't be changed; I don't care about there. I've come to change what's happening now." The white she-cat glared at the assembled Clan cats. "And things with definitely change."

Before any cat could stop her, Smokey turned and disappeared into the brush, leaving for the tree-bridge. After a moment's hesitation, Hawk and Sparrow followed her. The StarClan cats disappeared as well.

Boots sighed, "Well, that certainly could have gone better."

"What was that, exactly," Blackstar growled at the rogue leader.

"Did you not see for yourself?" Ginger hissed.

"Ginger, we came to help the Clans, not antagonize them." Boots stared at the she-cat until she backed away to the rest of the rogue group.

"Help us how?" Onestar stared at them through narrowed eyes.

Boots shrugged. "The history of the Clans is extensive, and features a lot of travelling. Not every cat likes the changes that moving territories bring, and cats get left behind when the group moves on. There's a lot of bad blood because of that."

"And Clan blood flows in cats who aren't born in Clans," a white she-cat with silver patches added. "When SkyClan was driven from their territory, they found a new territory. However, the Clan still collapsed. They didn't all die off, but many of them became rogues and kittypets instead." She ignored it when a couple cats hissed in contempt at the mention of kittypets. "This allowed Firestar, many moons later, to travel to SkyClan's territory and rebuild SkyClan with cats who have Clan blood in their veins."

"So you're cats with Clan blood?" Blackstar clarified.

"Yeah, actually," Boots answered. "We all had visions, as it were, which is how we know this."

"Some of us found it fascinating, and many wanted to find the Clans. They either wanted to join them or just see how their cousins were doing," the she-cat continued.

"However," Boots took over again, "there were some who viewed this revelation with distaste and wanted revenge for whatever reason their mind provided them with." His tail flickered to indicate the direction Smokey and the others had disappeared to. "They are a mix of cats descended from all Clans, and there are many of them. Those of us that didn't feel this way decided they wanted to aid the Clans against them."

After a pause, Onestar hissed out, "So you came to, what, join us? With the excuse that we need your help to fight off a bunch of rogues?"

Bramblestar interrupted whatever Boots may have said in response. "There is truth in his words," the ThunderClan leader pointed out. "Regardless, we have stayed long in this Gathering. We must really be getting back. This is not the time to discuss this."

"Then what is the time to discuss this?" Mistystar pointed out.

"A quarter moon from now," Jayfeather said. "A small patrol from each Clan, including the leader and medicine cat, should come back to the island in a quarter moon."

"I believe this is fair," Blackstar said.

Onestar agreed reluctantly, "It will give us time to think this matter over."

"So it's decided," Bramblestar said to Boots. "Come back to the island in a quarter moon, and we shall discuss this issue in more depth."

Boots dipped his head in acknowledgement. He turned and beckoned to his group to follow him off the island. After they left, the Clans began to leave as well.

"See you in a quarter moon, hopefully," Blazepaw said as he paused her.

"What makes you think we'd be here?" Smokepaw asked him.

Blazepaw shrugged, turned, and left with the rest of ThunderClan.

Smokepaw sighed and shook her head as she followed her patrol back to their territory. It's a mess, she thought. This is not how things were supposed to happen.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I definitely won't take so long in posting the next chapter!