The biting chill lingered well into the next half-moon, and Splashpaw observed his RiverClan Clanmates moping about camp, their movements sluggish and listless, as if even their whiskers drooped with apathy. Look at them, wilting like frostbitten leaves, the voice hissed in his mind. Is this the best RiverClan can offer?
Splashpaw had to admit, as counterproductive as it was, he couldn't entirely blame them. It wasn't just the abnormally low temperatures that kept his Clanmates huddled in camp, avoiding the small stretch of forests in their territory and the lake beyond. Ever since strange things had started happening in the past moons - StarClan's troubling silence, ThunderClan's leadership struggles, and dark but vague prophecies - every cat could distinctly feel that something was wrong, and whispers of foreboding snaked through through the camp like wildfire.
They were glad that the leaf-bare was over, of course. This season had been unusually harsh, and the streams had frozen so badly that RiverClan hadn't tasted fish for moons. But even now that spring's thaw eased the ice and filled the streams well, a heavy lethargy still lingered in the air, thicker than the chilled mist. Oddly, the medicine cats still had no way to contact StarClan, and everyone was tripping all over their tails about it. Even Mothwing, whose skepticism in StarClan was common knowledge by now, wore a permanent crease of worry between her eyes whenever she discussed the topic.
Not to mention the leaders of the respective Clans, who spoke as if they had not a clue how to handle the situation, and as if the Clans were in deep, unknown trouble. Danger, disastrous, dire - words that were thrown around like pebbles into a still pond during the recent Gatherings. Those "emergency" Gatherings, once rare, had become way too commonplace, adding fuel to the simmering panic.
In Splashpaw's humble opinion, the situation could not have been more vastly overblown. Until everyone started acting rationally, instead of getting their tails in a twist and blaming each other whenever something happened, the panic would obviously only get worse. They need a strong paw to guide them, the voice interjected, sharp and decisive. A paw that isn't afraid to cull the weak.
And so he had refused to let let the grim news around the camp ruffle his fur, instead choosing to maintain his normal routine. With one exception - he'd often sneak away under the guise of night, sometimes hunting in the forests, sometimes fishing on his own by the stream. But he wasn't truly alone. The voice, once a grating presence in his mind, had become familiar to him now, woven into the fabric of his thoughts. It gave advice on his training, its tone sometimes sharp as claws, other times a mere murmur against the rustling leaves, content to fall silent.
It was there as he stalked prey - Faster. More silent. Imagine it's not a vole, but Bramblestar you're hunting. Would you let him hear your approach? - and when he occasionally practiced his fighting technique, shadowboxing against the trees - Crouch lower. Strike with more force. Anticipate your opponent's movements. It was good practice for Splashpaw. Each night honed his skills, each successful hunt boosting his confidence. He was sure he would pass his next assessment easily.
Then came Bramblestar's accusations at the last Gathering…
Bramblestar's gaze fixed on the young ShadowClan medicine cat. "Are you sure you've heard nothing?"
Shadowsight stared at his paws, his fur pricking around his shoulders. "I'm sure," he mumbled.
Bramblestar swept his gaze around the Clans, eyes narrowed. "Perhaps StarClan is angry at us for not following the code."
"Not this again!" Splashpaw heard a collective groan rise from the assembled cats, some agitated, some annoyed. "He's harping on that again? He brought this exact same thing up last Gathering too." Splashpaw heard a warrior mutter beside him. "Like a badger chewing an old bone."
"That's nonsense!" Dovewing exclaimed angrily. "StarClan would never choose to turn their tails on us. Something must be stopping them from making contact."
Bramblestar stared fiercely back at Dovewing from the Oak. "You just don't want to believe that StarClan is angry with us for breaking the code," he snapped. "Because you're one of the cats who broke it."
Tigerstar bristled beside the ThunderClan leader. "Don't talk to her like that—"
Mistystar stepped between them. "Getting angry won't help."
Bramblestar puffed out his chest. "If we'd gotten angry earlier, we wouldn't have so many codebreakers in the Clans." His accusing gaze swept around the cats below him. "And StarClan might still be speaking to us."
A brief silence, then more murmuring started, only this time it was filled with hesitation and doubt.
"Could he be right?" "We need to find the codebreakers, StarClan bless the warrior code!"
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Codebreakers? Really? Any cat with half a brain wouldn't believe what this Bramblestar was saying, would they? Yet here they were, some of the cats in the congregation now taking in Bramblestar's words as if he was their savior, their expressions shifting from doubt to dawning belief. He looked at the Clan leaders, at Mistystar perched on the branch above - Say something! Tell him he'a raving fool! - but their expressions were clouded with concern and pensiveness, as if they genuinely considered Bramblestar's ravings to be profound wisdom.
Finally Mistystar looked up with a flick of her tail. "It is possible that you're right, Bramblestar." The words landed like blows on Splashpaw's ears. "We all need time to think about this. We should call it a day and discuss again at the next Gathering."
And, predictably, Bramblestar was now continuing his asinine theory at the next emergency Gathering—
"You've all heard about Shadowsight's vision by now," Bramblestar started, skipping the formalities. The gathered cats glanced warily at each other, probably aware of what was coming again. "What I've been saying all along is true. StarClan is angry that so many warriors have broken the code. They've even given us a list of the worst offenders."
Splashpaw grimaced. So many cats had been on that list, you'd begin to think that StarClan really hated everyone - if the vision was even legitimate, which he doubted.
"I have a plan." Bramblestar narrowed his eyes and glanced around the Gathering island solemnly. Pausing for dramatic effect, Splashpaw noted wryly. "The codebreakers must publicly take responsibility for their wrongdoings. They must atone!"
Amid chaotic outbursts from the cats, Bramblestar doubled down, calling for exile of the codebreakers once again. Nothing new, Splashpaw thought, but somehow the warriors seemed to be taking him seriously this time.
"In ThunderClan, we've already begun giving out stricter punishments to cats who break the code. You'll notice that Lionblaze is not here…"
Splashpaw barely held back his gasp. What tyrant was this, who had kicked out one of his most loyal warriors? "He has not yet returned from his exile," the ThunderClan leader went on. "But he betrayed the code, and he accepted that he had to pay a price. Spotfur, too, was very grateful to be ignored by all her Clanmates for a quarter moon. Weren't you, Spotfur?"
His voice trailed off as he turned back to the Great Oak, seeing Harestar step warily forward to the edge of the branch, and meet the impostor's gaze. "How do we know what sort of punishment StarClan wants?" he asked nervously.
Idiots! A snarl in Splashpaw's head. They lap up his lies like thirsty kits. Can't they see he's manipulating them? Call these Clan leaders?
"StarClan clearly trusts us to decide," Bramblestar told the WindClan leader.
Mistystar narrowed her eyes in slight disbelief. "Are we sure this vision came from StarClan?"
"Of course it did!" Bramblestar looked directly at Tigerstar, his expression shifting towards impatience and something darker. "Your son wouldn't lie, would he?"
"Of course he wouldn't!" Tigerstar's fur ruffled.
Bramblestar turned his gaze back to Mistystar. "A medicine cat has brought us a vision from StarClan. Would you deny that?"
"No," Mistystar told him. "But I want to be very sure of what we're doing before we start punishing cats."
Before we start punishing cats? Splashpaw repeated the words in his mind, his brown tail twitching with unease and anger. Is my own leader considering exiling RiverClan cats? Which of my Clanmates will go? Is anyone safe anymore? Behind him, angry protests sounded from several of his Clanmates, including Curlfeather, only to be drowned out by the leaders' discussion, as if washed away by a flood.
"They broke the code, didn't they?" Bramblestar stared at her. "What good is a code if it's not enforced?" He didn't wait for an answer. Instead he looked at Leafstar. "You've been very quiet. Are you going to object to upholding the warrior code too?"
Mistystar bristled. "I didn't obj—"
Bramblestar cut her off, still staring at the SkyClan leader. "Leafstar, do you agree the codebreakers should be punished?"
Leafstar curled her tail around her paws. "SkyClan has not been accused of codebreaking. What the other Clans do about their codebreakers is up to them."
Look at them, squabbling over meaningless rules while their Clans crumble. They're pathetic. Weak. They don't deserve to lead.
A sinking feeling emerged in his chest. Worse things were coming; the leaders were going to ruin the Clans. Their indecision, their fear, their adherence to outdated traditions - this slow poison was weakening the Clans from within. Bramblestar with his evil manipulation and tyrannical grip on ThunderClan was perhaps the worst of the lot, but the others weren't much better. Mistystar's cautious approach was nothing more than veiled weakness, Harestar seemed perpetually bewildered, and Leafstar's detachment reeked of cowardice. He looked around the gathered Clans, at the worried faces, the fearful glances, the hushed murmurs. They were lost, lost like fallen leaves on the wind.
Amid all his thoughts, Splashpaw hadn't realized that the Gathering was over. "They're right," Mistystar mewed, sounding tired. "Let's return to our camps and talk about the best way forward. This Gathering is at an end." Judging by the deeply dissatisfied looks on his Clanmates faces, he hadn't missed anything but insignificant talk. He turned to leave, shaking his head in disgust - when his ears pricked up at the soft mew of an apprentice beside him.
"We're not here to talk about that." Stemleaf, a ThunderClan warrior, glanced furtively over his shoulder, though Splashpaw suspected it was more for show - the warrior had missed him though he was standing, half-concealed, just a few tail-lengths away. "We just wanted to tell you that we're planning a secret meeting."
"What does that have to do with me?" It was Rootpaw - the SkyClan apprentice who'd abruptly shouted "shut up" to Bramblestar just now. Interesting.
"It's for cats who are worried about the way things are going in the Clans," Stemleaf dropped his mew to a whisper. "We thought you might be interested. We're going to see if we can stop Bramblestar from trying to punish so many cats."
"We're meeting at the greenleaf Twolegplace," Spotfur whispered.
"Three nights from now," Stemleaf added. "At moonhigh."
Go for it, the voice compelled, but Splashpaw hardly needed the advice. He was already leaning forward, ears pricked and curiosity burning, but the cats had turned away to head off towards their own camps. He would wait then, and sneak off to the meeting when the time came. This was exactly the kind of secret gathering that could change everything.
AN: THANK YOU SO MUCH lunamoth for the review! The first review on this story yayy :)
As you suggested, I included some exposition at the start of this chapter - hope it makes the setting and the timeline clearer!
Sorry for the wait - quite a bit of stuff has been going on… Though quite a bit of exciting stuff is happening in the next few chapters, so that's something to look forward to!
Some fun facts!
I had to reread the TBC arc books to figure out the timeline, events, etc. while writing this chapter and it makes me kinda nostalgic :)
In TBC my favorite POV is Bristlefrost!
And in ASC my favorite POV is probably Frostpaw! (although it will soon be Splashtail winks)
aaaaand so far I've written most of this story at 11pm *stares*