Henlo I'm back again yippeeee

Okay so a couple things I forgot to say last chapter: I won't be including an allegiance for the Clans because they don't really show up for that long and they are not important. I might create one for myself so I can keep track of background characters however, though whether it gets added here I don't know.

Secondly, occasionally the chapters will start with song lyrics which I think fit to the chapter. Credits will of course be listed with them, and I'd also be happy to see lyric suggestions in the reviews, so feel free to comment some!

Now, thank you to everyone who favourited and followed and I hope you enjoy this first chapter!

All Sunnydawn had ever known was the warrior code.

Since she had been a young kit, she could remember her mother reciting it to her and her siblings, making them remember it with a hidden fearful look in her eyes and quizzing them each night before they fell to sleep. Back then it had been innocent, boring even, but it wasn't until they left the nursery that she realised just how important it had been.

And by StarClan did she wish that she had never aged, that she could just stay in the comfort, safety and warmth of the Nursery forever, playing with her two brothers eternally. But no, there was no safety anymore, not through her apprenticeship and not now when she was a warrior, either.

"Wrenwing, I want you to take a border patrol out containing Rabbittail, Softsong and Featherpaw!"

Sunnydawn looked up from her morning meal to see Icestorm, the deputy of WindClan, stride out into the centre of camp, calling cats to attention and giving them their orders.

"Be back at sunhigh sharp, and do not let our borders slip in markings, I want them to be laid precisely, do you understand?"

"Yes sir!" Wrenwing responded immediately, getting to her paws and raising one in a saluting gesture. All four cats gathered at the entrance to camp before setting out briskly. Sunnydawn watched them go, nerves pricking beneath her skin.

Though it had been this way for seasons before she was born and she had known nothing else, listening to her deputy assign the morning jobs always scared her. She never knew which of her Clanmates she would be put with nor what her task would be, and the idea of messing up terrified her more than anything.

"Tansytail, Shorewhisker, I want you to go to the Medicine Den and gather whatever herbs Lastmoon requests of you. I will be checking with her later to make sure she is satisfied so do not let me down!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

More tasks got set out, more cats buzzing around to follow the orders, and Sunnydawn waited anxiously until her name was called.

"Finally, I'll be leading a hunting patrol containing Dewwhisker and Sunnydawn. The rest of you set yourself guarding the camp and the prison and aiding in the Nursery and Elder's Den. Do good and maybe you can come to the Gathering tonight, alright? Now GO!"

Sunnydawn startled to her feet as her name was called and hurried over to the camp entrance to where Icestorm was now waiting. He stared between her and Dewwhisker hard before turning sharply on his paws and leading them out of the camp.

Icestorm was a white tom with sharp blue eyes that constantly seemed to see everything that happened around camp. He had a slender build and carried himself extremely well, though Sunnydawn occasionally saw a flick in his tail that signified to her that he was nervous. Of what exactly, she didn't know, but everyone around knew his ambition. He had to work as hard as he could to stay deputy so he could someday take over WindClan. Maybe then he would get a bit of a break.

Dewwhisker was a long-furred grey she-cat with white belly fluff and black ears. She had pale blue eyes and was quite quiet, though a very intelligent and loyal cat. She had been one of Sunnydawn's just older denmates when she was a kit, and had always been better at memorising the warrior code than she. It seemed she picked up on the urgency longed before she did.

Sunnydawn liked to consider them friends, so she was relieved to have been brought with her out on patrol. She wasn't sure if she could handle Icestorm alone. She looked over and smiled at her and received one back, though not a word was dare spoken in the presence of the deputy.

All stopped as the white tom turned his muzzle to the sky and sniffed the air, closing his eyes as though concentrating. Sunnydawn took the moment to look about herself. It was a cool day in the first moon of greenleaf, the sun slightly pale with clouds, and a tailwind ruffled her fur and chilled her slightly. She glanced around, taking in the rolling green hills of their territory. This was her home, where she had been born and raised, yet somehow she felt it didn't quite fit. Of course, she loved the thrill of running fast and free for as long as she felt like, and of course her family and friends were here, but it didn't feel right. All she could associate this place with was the rules, the punishments, and the memories of…

No, no, she shouldn't think about that.

But she didn't like it, to be short. And she never truly felt free, like at any moment there was someone of authority looming to tell her to stop, and she couldn't do that, and she needed to report to camp for her next duties before she was put into prison for a day for laziness and disregard of rules. There were times when she lay awake at night wondering if she was the only one who felt like this, if she was really built for Clan life, or if this was how any cat was supposed to feel in their home. What did it mean? Was she a bad Clanmate? If anyone somehow found out about all these internal thoughts and anxieties, what would happen to her.

She shuddered suddenly as she remembered something she had tried hard to forget, one of the many sights burned into her mind forever. It had been six moons or so ago now, in the middle of leafbare. A senior warrior -Dustbreeze- had begun yelling in the middle of camp, challenging Dragonflystar on his rules and ideals, speaking to the whole camp, anyone who would listen about how Clans were supposed to be run, and this wasn't it. Icestorm had wrestled him to the ground, and Dragonflystar had executed him with his own claws right then and there for blasphemy. The body had then been dragged out for the buzzards. There had been no funeral.

Dustbreeze had spoken about the original Clans, how things used to be run and how betraying the rules had benefited many cats before them in certain situations. Stories of the old times had been banned long ago, and though Sunnydawn hadn't known how he'd known about them, she had been desperate to listen to him. It wasn't often a cat had this type of information, and it was even less so shared. His words had been inspiring, no matter how short they'd been cut. She knew it would be risky to try asking around for any more stories, but someday she hoped she'd learn more.

For now, though-

"Most of our patrols have headed North-West," Icestorm announced suddenly, turning back to the two she-cats, "towards ThunderClan territory. Therefore, to avoid overhunting in one area or running into another patrol, we'll head down towards RiverClan territory. Do you both understand?"
"Yes sir."

"Good, well follow me. And don't get too close to RiverClan territory! There will be serious allegations made if you cross over the border, and I'm sure they won't be happy either."

Icestorm led the way with his nose in the air all the way down their territory, so much so that Sunnydawn wasn't actually sure if he was checking his surroundings. She glanced up at the sky and saw a flock of swallows gliding around, too high out of jumping-range. As cats on the open hills of WindClan, most of their prey came from small burrowing mammals, rabbits they could outrun and birds that landed or came too close to the ground. It could be tough going a lot of the time, especially in leafbare, but they always found a way to survive.

They had crossed halfway to the RiverClan border when Dewwhisker stopped and announced quietly, "I can smell a rabbit."

Icestorm stopped so suddenly in his tracks he nearly tripped and whirled around, audibly sniffing the air in a rather offputting way, "Ah, yes there I can smell it too. Everyone quieten yourselves and follow my lead, we'll try to spot it…"

He led the way in the slowest, most unnecessarily exaggerated quiet fashion ever, to the point where Sunnydawn exchanged a look with Dewwhisker even despite her fear of being caught. All three stayed on their guard, hearing for the patter of footsteps and scanning the sparse undergrowth of the windy hills, only to duck behind a bush as they spotted the rabbit. It was nibbling on a patch of grass, its ears swivelling around to listen out for birds above or other predators around.

From there, instinct and rigorous training took hold. Icestorm stayed in place as Sunnydawn and Dewwhisker began slowly moving around into different positions, waiting for the chase to begin. Sunnydawn could feel a tremble of anticipation shiver through her, her whiskers twitching with delight. In one silent signal between them, Icestorm sprang out of the hunter's crouch and launched across the grass towards the rabbit like a hurricane whipping up dust. Despite his…personality, Sunnydawn couldn't help but admire his speed and quick feet. He was a very skilled hunter.

The rabbit startled up and began to bolt, and he gave chase. It swerved to one side and Dewwhisker darted out, causing it to panic and change directions again. It began to run towards Sunnydawn and she grinned and leapt out of the bush. The rabbit stumbled again and turned direction a final time, and all three cats ran after it, paws practically gliding across the hills like they were on wings, and at any moment the ground would fall away beneath them as they leapt into the sky…

She was grounded back to reality as Icestorm pounced and landed straight on the rabbit, the blow snapping its spine with a crunch and causing it to go limp immediately. He hmphed in satisfaction and picked it up in his jaws. Dewwhisker dipped her head respectfully, "Good catch."

Sunnydawn nodded in agreement.

"Thank you," he replied, "and for your help. Both of you may come to the Gathering tonight."

Moonlight highlighted the surroundings in a silver hue as Sunnydawn emerged from the Warrior's Den. She'd only got in a brief nap after her second duty that day, which had been the evening patrol along the ThunderClan border, and she knew that tonight would be a long night. Still, excitement and nerves thrummed through her; this was her first Gathering! Well, on one paw this would be her first proper interaction with cats from other Clans and her first trip outside WindClan territory, but on the other paw, the Gathering location was known to be…interesting, to put it short. There was a reason apprentices weren't allowed to go.

Dragonflystar sat on one of the rocks surrounding the camp, scrutinising the gathering warriors with a certain paranoid look in his eyes as his tail swished from side to side. He was a mighty tom with long, dark grey fur that had both darker and lighter stripes running through it. His eyes were a deep blue and seemed constantly narrowed in thought.

A decently-sized group of warriors had gathered beneath him, sticking closely with tight groups of trusted friends. It was important to find close people within the Clan: people who trusted you and you could trust. Those who would back you up in case you were caught outside the rules and those who could cover for you in case of emergency. Currently, Sunnydawn wouldn't say she had any particularly close friends, though she did have Dewwhisker, Gorseflower -one of her brothers- and a young apprentice who was quite fond of her called Littlepaw. Maybe one day they'd be a clique like everyone else. Maybe by then she'd be numb to the rules and restrictions that bound their paws' every step.

Icestorm did a headcount and then nodded to Dragonflystar, and then like birds taking flight for a migration the warriors moved out of camp and ran swiftly over the hills of WindClan territory.

The night air was cool and ran through Sunnydawn's fur like airy water, and she smiled to herself as she lost herself to the thrill of the run. Of nothing being able to stop her, and nothing getting in her way. She opened her eyes once more and saw her Clanmates around her, though the dissociation she felt between her and them seemed stronger tonight. It was still a strange sensation, when everything she'd ever known was this place and its people. She shook her head and peered over the top of the group. Still far away from them but close to the glistening lake that reflected the cloudless night sky, a group of cats she could only assume were ThunderClan were racing along behind them. They were far slower than WindClan, but she knew they prided themselves on their strength. She might be able to outrun one by miles, but she would probably not be able to overpower one in a fight. She wasn't much of a fighter anyway, to be entirely honest.

They arrived quickly at the Island to see they were the second to last Clan there; ThunderClan would of course be as late as she heard they usually were. She gripped to the worn log bridge with unsteady claws as she crossed it for the first time, the sound of the lake water sloshing beneath her making her feel uneasy. It reflected a dark sky full of stars, and she shivered to think of all her ancestors looking down on her right now, watching her struggle to cross the fallen tree bridge and seemingly knowing she didn't feel at home in the Clan they had laid down for her.

She yelped as her back leg slipped suddenly, but she righted it before it touched the surface of the water. Taking deep breaths to calm her heart, which was racing from the shock, she regained her balance and hurried across the rest of the way, muttering apologies to the impatient warriors behind her.

The Gathering Island was a vast space illuminated by the full moon which hung directly above them. Cats of all colours and builds milled around, looking alien in the silver tinge of the light, talking in hushed voices with one another. No one wanted to seem too friendly with another Clan in case it looked like treason. No one wanted to be too disdainful in case it seemed like they were trying to pick a fight. It was a precarious balance of polite tones and undeniable tension, the type Sunnydawn could cut with her claws. It stifled and choked her, and she felt like soon she would struggle to breathe amid this spider's web of perfect politics. Shaking her head, she pushed into the crowd, searching for familiar scents among all the Clans gathered.

As her paws touched a tree root, she finally took the courage to look up; to stare at the great tree from which the Clan leaders would sit and give their reports. It towered above her, reaching into the sky, mighty and imposing, casting great shadows down on all sides. Everything about it radiated power, and she could see why it had been chosen all those generations ago. But no, that wasn't the worst bit.

The sight that caused her heart to drop to her stomach and her breathing to snag in her throat were the woven cages hanging from it, tied by expert claws to house the prisoners of all Clans that remained here for public humiliation every Gathering. Faces peered out from gaps in the walls, some fearful and others enraged, covered in wounds that had been left to bleed from when they were subdued and dragged here. Their daily food and water was delivered by warriors from various Clans monitoring them, though Sunnydawn knew it must be meagre scraps from their gaunt, hungry faces and the way they eyed the birds around them.

She didn't stare at a prisoner for too long, not wanting to elicit a reaction from them, instead working her way around to find a specific one. There were more prisoners here than she'd suspected, though none of them were too familiar faces. There only seemed to be one from WindClan that she found at the back in a deserted location: a sleek-furred golden tabby tom with green eyes that seemed more tired than she could remember. His head stuck out of the side as soon as he heard footsteps, and then brightened at the sight of her as her heart softened and then wrenched with an awful and unknown sensation of anger.

His name was Ferretcoat, and he was her other brother, imprisoned here for giving WindClan food to a starving rogue whilst on patrol. While the rogue had been killed on sight -which Sunnydawn thought was even more of a "waste of Clan food"- Ferretcoat had been charged with all kinds of crimes- treason, thievery, conspiring with the enemy, etc. She'd watched, horrified, as he'd been dragged back to camp and run through on trial before being taken away to the Island for imprisonment. She had not slept at all that night.

It was forbidden to talk to the prisoners, so she made sure to check no one was around or at least watching her before calling up to him.

"Ferretcoat! I was so worried about you!" her voice was hushed but full of emotion.

"StarClan's kits, I was worried no one would come to me!" he replied, swaying the cage slightly as he tried to get a better view of her, "How are you, Sunnydawn? Where's Gorseflower?"

"I'm alright, and Gorseflower didn't get invited to the Gathering," she replied, glancing around again, "more importantly, how are you?"

"Eh…a bit cut-up and hungry but I'm alright," he looked over himself, "I'll be better once I'm out of this, though…"

"I can imagine…"

They both paused to listen as ThunderClan reached the island with a proud yowl and merged with the crowd. She might not have much time left to talk to him…

"How's mother?"

She looked up again, wondering what to say. Their mother, Daisyfoot, had caught greencough the previous leaf-bare and was still struggling with the long-term effects of it. She…wasn't well, Sunnydawn knew that. It scared her to admit that, but was she to lie to her brother, who might not even get a chance to see her again? His sentence lasted a whole ten moons…

"She's…still the same," she sighed in the end, "no progress."

Ferretcoat's ears dropped, "I…see…well, give her my love, won't you? Tell her I'm alright. And Gorseflower."

"I will, don't worry."

"Ah, speaking to the prisoners, are we?"

Sunnydawn felt her heart drop to the ground as her stomach went cold with dread and horror. Ferretcoat dipped back into his cage immediately as she slowly turned around to meet the gaze of an old-looking grey she-cat with patchy fur and green eyes clouded by cataracts. She had a nicked ear, a scarred muzzle and yellow, probably loose, teeth which were visible from the way she was grinning wryly at Sunnydawn.

"N-No!" she stammered out immediately, her tail between her legs, "I-I was just curious, I- uh- I came back here to-!"

"Relax, dear, I'm not gonna tell on ya'," the grey cat mrrwed in amusement, "nah, all of them rules are fish-brained anyway. They had nothing like this in the old days."

Sunnydawn's ears pricked, does she know something about the past?

Her intrigue must have been obvious by the way the elderly she-cat's eyebrows raised, "Caught your attention, have I? Well, you seem like a promising young cat, let me tell you something."

She hobbled slowly towards her and sat down with a relieved sigh, "Well, my name's Pebblestream, but most of the Clan just calls me Greypelt now. You?"

"Oh, I'm uh Sunnydawn…" she replied, interested but still wary of her surroundings.

"Great. And who's this guy up here?"

"That's Ferretcoat," she replied, looking up to see his eyes peeking out from the gap in the cage, "my brother."

"Ah, good, your brother." Pebblestream nodded, "she-cats like you are far too young to be chasing toms."

"Ah…thank you?"

"Now…what was I going to say…ah right."

Sunnydawn leaned a little closer, curiosity taking her over. From the name and the lingering smell of fish on her, she could guess that Pebblestream was from RiverClan, but she didn't know why she'd come back here, nor why she'd chosen to speak to them.

"Way back when, before all of this nonsense about crime and punishment, the Clans didn't have these cages here."

"Really?" her eyes widened.

"That's right, and there were no prisons, either."

"There were no…but what about when they needed to punish people?"

Pebblestream cackled, "Well, they just got put on tick duty, or got confined to camp for a while."

Sunnydawn blinked. She'd guessed that surely this system hadn't always been this strict, but never that it had been this lenient either!

"And the warrior code…?"

"Eh…well it was still there, but it was a loose thing. Cats had cross-Clan romances all the time, there was always a system of sharing medicine cats going on as well I mean, uh…you could cross the border to get your kits back in line, talk back to your leader, anything, really."

"And they just…got away with all this?"

"Uh huh." Pebblestream stretched out, "Very few consequences. Still got into StarClan. Perfect life."

"And giving food to hungry rogues?" Ferretcoat asked, poking his head out again, "What about that?"

"Well I mean, you'd probably be punished, but it would be minor. And it's probably the better thing to do. Why?" she tilted her head, "That what you in for?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "so you're telling me I'd get off scot-free for this?"

"Pretty much."

Ferretcoat mumbled something to himself and disappeared back into the cage again. Sunnydawn watched him, feeling bad for him hearing this during all he was going through. She turned back to Pebblestream and asked, "How do you know all this?"

"My mother told me, she had her head screwed on right. And her mother before her told her this too, and probably hers did too, all the way back to the times before this," Pebblestream looked up to the sky, "bless their souls, they probably got barred from StarClan."

"You think they went to the Dark Forest for telling you this?" she asked, a chill sweeping through her fur. She'd heard stories about the opposition to StarClan, it was one of the few that was encouraged to be told.

But to her surprise, Pebbelstream shook her head and replied, "No. I don't think they went anywhere. I think they're still stuck down here with us."

"Oh…"

Well, now she felt even colder. Were there spirits around her now? When she died in the future, would she be among them for not feeling at home in the Clan with all their rules? Or…would that be the better option?

"So why is it all like this?" she asked, facing Pebblestream head-on once more, "What caused such strict rules to be put in place?"

"No one can say for certain, it wasn't an immediate change, but I can remember my mother telling me about a certain cat…" she closed her eyes, seemingly trying to remember, "...Wolfstar, I believe his name was. A ThunderClan leader many generations ago. They say he was more ambitious than any before him, and that he wasn't satisfied with being leader of one Clan. One by one he took over all the other Clans, killing their leaders and forcing their deputies to bow down to him. His reign encompassed the whole lake for countless seasons until finally a rebel group managed to take him down, ending him immediately, banishing his followers and allowing the Clans to return to their original settlement, but tensions were high. Leaders were paranoid. Cats cracked down on rules for fear that another cat like him would rise to power and try to take over again like Wolfstar did seemingly effortlessly. Eventually punishments grew harsher, prisons were made in camps, executions became a thing, and it all grew worse and worse until we reached the point we're at today. Wolfstar may be long dead and practically unknown to all in history, but…the effects of his reign still linger," Pebblestream shook her head, "Eh, that's my take on it, anyway."

Sunnydawn remained silent for a long time, processing everything. Her head spun from all this new knowledge and forbidden stories, the stuff she'd wanted to know since she had become an apprentice. She didn't know how to respond. And, more than anything, she found she wanted to know more.

"That's quite the story," Ferretcoat replied in the silence, leaning out again.

"Tis," Pebblestream nodded, her tail flicking from side to side casually.

Sunnydawn opened her mouth to start asking questions, but before she could a loud yowl pierced the silence, signalling the start of the Gathering. She looked towards where a crowd began to gather below and then back up at her brother who nodded.

"Go, I don't want you in this predicament too. Tell mother and Gorseflower I say hello, though!"

"Of course, stay safe!" she replied before beginning to make her way into the crowd.

To her surprise, Pebblestream followed her, taking her slow, steady sit down again beside her. She didn't recognise anyone else near her and felt uncomfortable in unfamiliar crowds, so she took this with unspoken gratitude.

Four leaders stood atop the tree, spacing themselves from the hanging cages around them. There was Dragonflystar, of course, and around him were Duskstar of ShadowClan, Reedstar of RiverClan and Oakstar of ThunderClan. At the base of the tree were the deputies: Icestorm with his chest puffed as usual, Frogpelt of ShadowClan, Marrowclaw of RiverClan and Cinderspark of ThunderClan. She only knew them by name, of course, she'd never met them before in person, but one look at each could tell her why they had earned their positions.

"Alright, now that we are all gathered together, we may begin this moon's Gathering," Duskstar began, his voice monotone and collected, "I'll go first, ShadowClan is doing well this moon, four healthy kits have been born to…"

The voices faded out quite quickly to Sunnydawn as her mind raced to process everything Pebblestream had told her. How was she supposed to focus on generic Clan news when she'd just learned all that?

She didn't know how long she'd zoned out for when Pebblestream nudged her shoulder and whispered, "You're not alone, you know. There are other cats like you who want to get out of this endless cycle."

Her ears pricked again, and she glanced sidelong at the elder so she didn't get caught talking during the Gathering, "You're sure?"

She nodded, "Me, for a start, though I'm far too old to get these bones far anymore. Nah, I'm grounded now, the best I can do is give young 'uns like you advice. But I have spoken to others, warriors just like you with free minds and proper goals. Cats who want their own, true lives instead of this unnatural, law-ruled hellscape."

"But what are we supposed to do about it?" Sunnydawn replied, "There's not enough of us to stage some kind of revolution, nor do we have the capabilities to meet up and plan. Plus we would just seem like a passing thing or something, just more cats trying to disrupt Clan life. There's no escape."

"Except there is." Pebblestream smiled, showing her teeth, "You can't change anyone's minds here, not now at least, but there is a place you can run to, to see if anything there is still waiting for you, to see if it's livable."

"Where?" Sunnydawn leaned in closer.

The elder's eyes glinted.

"The Old Forest."