Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. Now on with the show~
The tortoiseshell molly blinked at the tom's words and sheathed her claws and covered her fangs, backing away from Tigerclaw, allowing him to get to his paws. She blinked again before lowering her head, staying silent. Tigerclaw tilted his own while taking a step forward towards the molly, sniffing her.
"You are a WindClan cat, aren't you?" he asked, wondering if he was wrong. But she certainly smelled like a WindClan cat.
"I...I am...or I was." she muttered at last, still not looking up at him. Tigerclaw's ear perked at that and he looked even more at the molly in front of him. While WindClan cats were always skinny, Tigerclaw was able to see her ribs and her spine. Her paws shook as she stood and the tabby could smell a deep hunger and sickness on her. She was worst than what Yellowfang looked like when Firepaw first found her. That, and Tigerclaw noticed, she had the scent of cat blood on her. Something like that could only one thing. Tigerclaw closed his eyes and after a moment, he made his choice, he only hoped he was right.
"Stay here," he ordered softly, quickly turning tail and rushing towards the edge of the forest. He didn't see the molly collapse where she stood with a pained sigh.
XxXx
Tigerclaw sprinted the edge of Twolegplace, sniffing the air and hoping to find even a scrap of scent of a normal cat. That WindClan molly needed fresh meat and she needed it now!
He headed further and further into Twolegplace, the various scents would always throw him off when he came here. It always made hunting a chore. But the large male shook his head, he couldn't think about that now. He had to hurry!
There! The scent of fresh blood! Tigerclaw stopped in his tracks and looked around, wondering where the scent was coming from. It seemed to stem from all directions. Just as he was turning around, he caught the sight of a small molly, dark as night, limping forward. She seemed to be wounded, he didn't question why, Tigerclaw only thanked his good fortune and went into a hunter's crouch.
With a powerful leap, Tigerclaw slammed his body against the molly, she was only able to struggle for a moment before Tigerclaw swiftly took her life. He stood panting for a while, his mouth watering from the fresh kill but with a shake of his head, he picked up his prey and carried it back to the forest.
The WindClan molly was still where he left her thankfully and he dropped the slain cat close to her. She only stared at him and from that, Tigerclaw could see that his hunch was right. In her left eyes was flecks of red among the amber. She was half-demon. She stalled for only a second more before pouncing on the other feline, tearing into her and gulping her down, barely chewing at all.
Eventually, she finished her meal and laid down, licking her paws and grooming the blood from her fur. Tigerclaw waited for a while before opening his mouth to speak, something she said earlier had been buzzing in his ears.
"What did you mean by you "were" a WindClan cat?" he asked softly, giving her a minute to gather herself as she sighed and closed her eyes.
"WindClan is no more." she said quietly, almost too quiet for Tigerclaw to hear. But he managed and his eyes widened in horror.
"What?!"
His outburst caused the molly to flinch and she bowed her head, closing her eyes once more. Tigerclaw blinked and muttered a soft apology, scuffing his paws.
"...Yes. WindClan is dead. We...we were starving! It had been so long since we had proper food." Tigerclaw immediately realized what she meant by that and felt a shudder go through him. Looking at her, it was clear to see that she had not fared any better from that time to this. He then nodded, allowing her to continue.
"We turned on our Clanmates, the normal cats, we...went into a frenzy, killing and eating whoever we got our claws on! After so long...their blood tasted so sweet! We couldn't stop! We even turned on each other! Tallstar tried to stop us but he was a demon too! There was only so much he could resist. When we all blacked out and came to our senses, we were horrified at what we had done. Tallstar took it the hardest, he said that we betrayed our Clan and we had to try to atone for what we did and disbanded WindClan. He told us to go whereever we liked and most of us split apart. I didn't mean to come here, I didn't care where I ended up. My Clan is dead and gone, what does it matter what happens to me?"
The molly then fell silent, wretched sobs racking her body as her claws scored the ground. Tigerclaw lowered his head, his ears flat as his paws worked the ground. Hesitantly and very unsure of how this broken molly would react, he pressed his body against hers and started to groom her pelt.
At first, the tortoiseshell female stiffened but eventually she relaxed enough to allow Tigerclaw to continue though she still wept. Eventually, what little strength she had waned and she slid to the ground, her eyes closing. Tigerclaw stood over her, making sure she was okay before picking up his head and wondering what to do.
He didn't have long to think as soon enough the bushes began to rustle and the big cat stood over the WindClan molly, hissing out a challenge. Yet there was no need, soon it was revealed to be Heartseeker and Firepaw, both holding a good haul of prey in their jaws. Heartseeker saw the WindClan cat and her eyes widened before calming herself and placing her load of prey on the ground.
"So. Where is the rest of your Clan? Are they nearby...or perhaps the "love" of your Clan has run out?" there was a slight edge in her voice and the other molly flinched but didn't answer. Tigerclaw took a step forward.
"Enough, she has told me what happened to her Clan but she will not repeat it here. Bluestar will need to hear of it. Can you make it to our camp?" he added softly, giving the WindClan female a gentle nudge.
She said nothing but struggled to her paws and looked up at him, waiting for him to lead the way. Tigerclaw nodded and went forward, Firepaw and Heartseeker following close behind the female to make share she wouldn't fall.
XxXx
All four cats made it back to the camp with little problem. Heartseeker and Firepaw dropped their catches in the fresh-kill pile and soon rejoins the others. Though by the end of the small journey the WindClan molly had used the last of her strength to get to the camp and she collapsed in a heap at the entrance, panting heavily. Tigerclaw signaled for the siblings to continue on while he carefully carried the starving female on his back. His arrival would not go unnoticed.
Lionheart was the first to notice him and his eyes widened upon seeing the female being carried inside the camp. He stood blinking, unsure of what to do before Darkstripe came out from the medicine den, and it was clear he smelled the molly, because he came straight to Tigerclaw.
"What is going on? Who is that, Tigerclaw?" his voice was calm, Tigerclaw breathed a soft sigh of relief. At least he wouldn't have to deal with a raging leader. Maybe.
"This cat is in need of looking over. I'll tell you everything I know but first, we need to help her. Will you let me take her to Yellowfang?"
Darkstripe looked over the emaciated female and his eyes softened, he gave a small nod and was about to open his jaws to speak when another voice cut in.
"Why do I smell WindClan in my camp? What is happening?" Bluestar's voice cut through to them and Tigerclaw narrowed his eyes, his claws coming out to dig in the hard packed dirt. He gently moved the molly off his back and stepped in front of her protectively.
Tigerclaw lifted his chin in challenge, his tail lashing as he stared right out Bluestar, until the leader was forced to look away, scowling. "She was starving, wounded and sick. I couldn't leave her alone. She is part of the lost WindClan. She might be able to tell us what happened to her Clan. But first, she needs looking after. Yellowfang has to see to her!"
Bluestar stared down at the wretched molly and curled her lip, sneering. The other molly opened her eyes to stare at the ThunderClan leader and Bluestar reeled back. hissing.
"More demons?! Doesn't ThunderClan have enough of you running about?! Do I really need more to worry about!?"
Lionheart narrowed his eyes and huffed, stepping forward until he was nearly nose to nose with Bluestar. "You don't have to worry about anything. We will look after her and make sure she knows how things are done here. You needn't be bothered, Bluestar."
His words were dripping with scorn and before the leader could say anything, Lionheart turned to the WindClan molly, helping her to the medicine den where Yellowfang sat watching everything. Tigerclaw watched them go before moving to follow them but not before snarling at Bluestar, his anger still at its peak.
Bluestar stayed where she was until the rest of the Clan started dispersing, all muttering to themselves about what just happened. Soon, only one cat was left; Heartseeker. The ThunderClan leader hissed softly at her, but the younger cat was not moved, only taking a deep breath before moving towards her.
"Stay away," growled Bluestar, her claws coming out but she could still feel the throb of her wounds and she unintentionally took a step back.
"I'm not going to hurt, just calm down." Heartseeker grumbled, shaking her head and sighing. Bluestar growled again and tok another step back, but other than rolling her eyes, Heartseeker did nothing.
"If not to torment me, what do you want?" the leader said, her voice tight with agitation. Heartseeker closed her eyes for a moment before opening them, looking at Bluestar for as long as she could before turning away.
"I've seen that cat before. I know what happened to WindClan."
Bluestar was all for ignoring Heartseeker until she said that, now the demon had the blue-gray molly's complete attention. Seeing this, Heartseeker smirked then turned around, heading for the entrance of the camp. "Come on. Let's take a walk."
Bluestar hestitated for a moment, her fur rising but Heartseeker did not wait for her and if the leader wanted answers, she had no idea how long it would take for the WindClan molly to recover, she would have to follow Firepaw's sister.
XxXx
Heartseeker led the way towards the RiverClan border and here Bluestar stopped in her tracks. She growled at Heartseeker eho looked back innocently before realizing why Bluestar was suddenly antsy and smiled a little. "Relax, I'm not planning anything. It's just...my father used to take me to the edge of this old lake. It was always so calming there. Little...Firepaw wasn't born yet, so it was just Jake and I. I miss the sound of the water so this area is very dear to me."
Bluestar watched Heartseeker, seeing her sit and gaze out into the water, it calmed her and the ThunderClan leader felt herself relaxing a little. She listened to the sounds of the river splashing over the pebbly shore and her eyes misted over, thinking of her lost kits and the family she could have had.
Heartseeker glanced over at Bluestar, noticing that she was putting all her weight on her uninjured shoulder before wordlessly moving over to lick her torn limb. The action caused Bluestar to jolt awake and spring away from her, making a lance of pain run up her leg.
"What...are you doing?" Bluestar snapped her jaws, glaring at Heartseeker, thinking this was some sort of a trap. Heartseeker only stared for a moment before sighing in slight annoyance.
"You were putting a lot of weight on your uninjured leg. I was just trying to help, that's all."
Bluestar said nothing at first but continued to glare, snorting before slowly, carefully sitting down and watching Heartseeker closely. Well, at least she didn't try to run, the tabby demon thought with an inward huff.
"Right, better get to the point before you try to rush off, eh?" Heartseeker groused before getting on with it.
"I've met WindClan before coming here, and despite what I witnessed, I've seen them or at least their cats a few more times before moving on. That molly over there is Morningflower. She looks in even more rough shape than before. When I met them, they were starving. I shared some words with Tallstar and offered to help them. But then they turned on their normal Clanmates and started eating them. I left after that but I bumped into a few of them and they told me that Tallstar disbanded the Clan."
Bluestar was sitting while her whole body poised, ready to dart away if the tabby tried something but her words made her sit still and her eyes widened in mounting horror. "WindClan...disbanded?! We have to find them and bring them back to the forest!"
Heartseeker's ears perked up at that, her own eyes widening a bit. Of all things that she expected Bluestar to say, it wasn't that. "I'm sorry, what? You...want WindClan to return?"
Bluestar opened her mouth to defend herself but then she surprisingly thought about who she was talking to and cleared her throat. "I don't care about the the demons of WindClan but Brokenstar drove them from their home, they were made to wander for however long and their Clan fell apart. No Clan should have to suffer that. Brokenstar is gone but his evil doings still ripple through the forest. WindClan deserves their place in the forest. It isn't right that they are forced to die out, not if something can be done about it."
"Do you think your Clan will agree with you? After all, with WindClan gone, it means more food for you and your family." Heartseeker muttered, looking at Bluestar thoughtfully. To her surprise, the leader shook her head. "Whether they agree with me or not, it's what's right. WindClan has to come home!"
Bluestar then got up and turned away, possibly to tell her Clan what she thought. Heartseeker hung back for a moment, looking out towards the river before following after the ThunderClan leader. Maybe there was something inside her besides anger and bitterness after all.
XxXx
"I have no idea where the others have gone. Tallstar left us the very next dawn. We didn't try to stay together, not with how guilty we felt with what we did to our Clan. I don't even know if WindClan can be rebuilt." Morningflower was saying to Bluestar, who was careful to not look her in the eyes. The leader closed her eyes for a moment, she had tried questioning Morningflower on the whereabouts of her Clan, but that proved useless.
"So, it would be a cold search. No matter, windClan must be found! They must return to their home!" Bluestar looked at the cats around her, trying not to wince. Darkstripe, Lionheart, Sandspirit, Yellowfang, Heartseeker, Morningflower, Ravenflight and Firepaw all stared back with varying thoughts going on in their heads. They were all sitting together outside the medicine cat den, their tones low and careful so no other cat could overhear. It was Darkstripe who spoke.
"While I agree with your sentiment, Bluestar, do you really think it can be done? Morningflower here is our best choice and even she doesn't know where the rest of her Clan has gone. It would be very hard to pick up such a cold trail."
"Once Morningflower is fit again, perhaps she could guide us to where WindClan was last together." Sandspirit spoke, feeling rather important to be in this meeting with her leader and deputy, even if she was aware of Bluestar's attitude towards her kin and that she was only sitting close by to Lionheart and Darkstripe when this meeting happened.
Yellowfang was shaking her head, her expression grim, she was looking right at Bluestar, despite seeing the leader's head starting to nod and her body going slack, she only shifted her gaze at the last possible moment. "In Morningflower's condition, it will take weeks for her to recover." she rasped, giving the younger half demon molly a surprisingly tender nuzzle. "If we are to find what remains of WindClan, time is of the essence. We must head out as soon as possible."
"Okay, that's all well and good, but who will go?" Lionheart called out, his tail twitching as he felt he knew what the answer would be and his claws came out, scraping into the dirt before Darkstripe placed his paw on top of his, calming him in seconds. The golden tabby took a deep breath and smiled at the smaller tom in gratitude.
Bluestar noticed and knew what the demon was thinking and she wasn't going to change her choice because of it. While she was slightly annoyed that Morningflower couldn't be used as guide, she still thought to go along with her next plan. "We will need a party that is strong and can move fast. But at the same time, the Clan will still be able to function reasonably well without them." Bluestar paused at this, her gaze going towards Heartseeker. She then smiled.
"I propose Heartseeker, Sandspirit, and Ravenflight to go on this mission."
"What?" All the assembled demons cried out in unision while the named travelers remained silent, stunned by her words.
"Bluestar, Ravenflight and Sandspirit are brand new warriors, and Heartseeker is a new arrival. To put so much pressure on them isn't right!" Darskstripe said, standing up for his warriors and giving the trio a worried glance. However, the two mollies cats didn't share his worry, in fact they all sat straighter and looked at Bluestar with determination in their eyes. Ravenflight, while not objecting, looked a little more subdued.
"We would be honored to search for the cats of WindClan and bring together and back home. We won't fail you!" Sandspirit spoke for all of them, her fur fluffing up in excitement.
"Now hold on a minute!" Lionheart gave the three younger cats a sympathetic look but he seemed determined in his resolve. "I don't think you should be going out there! There's no way to tell what waiting outside the Clans' territory! You could be killed!"
Heartseeker snorted and got to her paws, her tail waving in mild irritation. "Morningflower was able to survive by herself for who knows how long."
"Yes, and now look at her." Yellowfang cut, a slight edge in her voice, she remained sitting but her own tail was starting to twitch. "I know you think you can do it, but we have to think carefully on this. No good will come of rushing out into the unknown."
Sandspirit and Heartseeker both lowered their heads but it was clear that both wanted to go. Ravenflight stayed silent, not knowing how to respond. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to go, but he didn't want to stay behind after Bluestar recommended him either.
Bluestar took a deep breath, things weren't going as smoothly as she thought, perhaps the demons really wanted things to thought out more carefully. But she couldn't see how else to put this, what more could be said.
As sensing her thoughts, Yellowfang raised herself to her paws, getting all eyes on her. "We should think things over, perhaps the ones you want to go aren't suited for this venture and I think this is something that needs to be announced at the Gathering. That would give all Clans time to think of what needs to be done and also so it won't seem like ThunderClan only wants WindClan back for thier own gains.
Bluestar snorted softly, giving the older molly a certain look before shaking herself. "Fine. We will wait for the Gathering. Though I really don't see the other Clans being keen on helping us."
XxXx
The night of the Gathering had finally arrived, during that time, Yellowfang had her work cut out for her keeping Morningflower from death's door. The demons of ThunderClan welcomed her and treated her kindly enough, it made her feel like part of a Clan again after so long. Bluestar kept mostly to herself, she was still antsy of Heartseeker, even after her wounds started to heal. Heartseeker didn't turn away though, even after seeing how Bluestar healed. She didn't know why but something was pushing her to check on the ThunderClan molly, even is she was acting like a sun maddened rushu.
To the Gathering, Bluestar selected Mousewhisker, Longtail, Runningwind, Smallear, Sandspirit, and Ravenflight. All the demons and Darkstripe noticed that Bluestar only really picked Sandspirit and Ravenflight because they were new warriors and pretty much had to go. But none felt like arguing and just let it be.
Bluestar was quick in leading the way towards Fourtrees, her increased pace proof that her wounds were nearly healed. Bluestar herself couldn't resist giving a tiny bounce in her step, smiling a little to herself as her legs didn't buckle under her.
They were the last to arrive and both ShadowClan and RiverClan cats all looked to ThunderClan, giving them room while Bluestar went ahead and jumped Great Rock without a problem. She nodded to Crookedstar but took a step back when seeing Nightpelt, who merely dipped his head to her. Crookedstar let out a yowl to begin the Gathering and Nightpelt was the first to step forward.
"Welcome, everyone to the Gathering! I would like to start by saying that ShadowClan is recovering well after having driven out the tyrant Brokenstar with the aid of ThunderClan. I have taken it upon myself to lead ShadowClan and have chosen Cinderfur as my deputy. Tomorrow I will journey to Mothermouth and commune with StarClan to receive my nine lives. I shall then be known as Nightstar!"
Crookedstar waited until Nightpelt stepped back to give his report, he then tooka step forward and opened his mouth to speak. "Now that ShadowClan has a new leader, the agreement to allow them access to the river is now over. The river belongs to RiverClan only once again!" Cheers broke out from the RiverClan cats, while Nightpelt did look vaguely surprised, he said nothing.
Crookedstar seemed to notice this and smirked, shrugging his shoulders. "There's no reason to look upset, Nihtpelt. After all, we have a whole other territory to hunt in. With WindClan gone, there will be plenty food for all of us."
Nightpelt's eyes widened but before anything could be said, Bluestar jumped forward, shaking her head. "No! WindClan must return home! There has always been four Clans in the forest! What Brokenstar did must be undone, he had no right to run a whole Clan out of their territory!"
Crookedstar snorted at that, his expression mildly irritated. He turned to Nightpelt, wondering how the older cat felt. The demon leader at first said nothing but surprisingly went to stand with Bluestar, turning his head to sweep over all cats present. Most was unable to hold his gaze for long and Nightpelt was quick to angle his head away.
"Brokenstar has done much to hurt ShadowClan and his evil has shamed us deeply. If there is any way to atone for his crimes and bring ShadowClan into a new age, then will start here and now! I agree that WindClan must return home! I was actually thinking of sending a cat or two to search for WindClan and if ThunderClan is willing, then perhaps we can help one another!"
Crookedstar looked from one leader to the other, visibly stunned. His claws came out but he controlled himself and took a deep breath before turning his back on the others. "This Gathering is over! We should all return to our camps now." he growled softly then leaping down towards his warriors who gathered around him before they headed to their home.
Nightpelt and Bluestar watched him go before the new ShadowClan leader nodded to Bluestar, a small smile on his face. "It seems like we need to be careful around RiverClan, but if you truly meant what you said, Bluestar, I will be seeing you in a few days time. I meant what I said, ShadowClan does want to bring WindClan home. I want to prove that the shadows does not always harbor evil within them."
A/N: Whoo~ New chapter! And what's this, ShadowClan wants to help in bringing WindClan home? I told you guys things will be different. Let's see how ShaodwClan's involvement with this part of the story help to change things. Until then, as always, enjoy!