Chapter Text
ALLEGIANCES
ShadowClan
Leader: Smokestar, smoky grey she-cat with big blue eyes.
Deputy: Needlefang, grey tabby tom with green eyes and a sliced ear.
Medicine Cat: Sloefur, big black tom with amber eyes.
Warriors:
Owlflight, light brown tom with darker points and amber eyes.
Hazelcloud, fluffy black she-cat with hazel eyes.
Toadpelt, grey and brown tom with amber eyes.
Blazewind, ginger tabby tom with amber eyes.
Rosyshade, reddish brown she-cat with a fluffy tail and amber eyes.
Curlspot, black she-cat with blue eyes.
Apprentice: Stonepaw.
Copperclaw, dark ginger tabby tom with amber eyes.
Songheart, calico she-cat with amber eyes.
Bluespark, blue-grey tom with blue eyes.
Lizardfang, light brown tabby tom with hooked teeth and amber eyes.
Littlebird, small ginger she-cat with amber eyes.
Apprentice: Silverpaw.
Dustyspot, brown spotted tom with green eyes.
Apprentices:
Stonepaw, thick-furred grey tom with long fangs and amber eyes.
Silverpaw, grey tabby she-cat with amber eyes.
Queens:
Shadefrost, grey she-cat with blue eyes.
Gingerstem, calico she-cat with amber eyes (Mother to Redkit, a reddish ginger she-kit, and Houndkit, a cream and brown tom).
Elders:
Lilyshine, grey tabby she-cat with green eyes.
ThunderClan
Leader: Oakstar, large, dark brown tom with amber eyes.
Deputy: Beetail, dark brown tabby striped tom.
Medicine Cat: Cloudberry, flat-faced smoky white she-cat with yellow eyes, formerly of RiverClan.
Warriors:
Bloomheart, grey tom with amber eyes.
Mumblefoot, large brown tom with amber eyes.
Mistpelt, grey she-cat with blue eyes.
Flamenose, ginger tom with amber eyes.
Apprentice: Rookpaw.
Harepounce, light brown she-cat with amber eyes.
Stagleap, grey tabby tom with amber eyes.
Larksong, tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes.
Eaglestorm, grey tom with green eyes, formerly of WindClan.
Doefeather, light brown spotted she-cat with amber eyes.
Nettlebreeze, scruffy ginger tabby tom with green eyes.
Apprentice: Flashpaw.
Fallowsong, light brown she-cat with yellow eyes.
Littlestep, black and white tom with blue eyes.
Apprentice: Daisypaw.
Apprentices:
Rookpaw, black tom with blue eyes.
Flashpaw, ginger and white she-cat with amber eyes.
Daisypaw, grey and white she-cat with amber eyes.
Queens:
Sweetbriar, light brown tabby she-cat with white paws and green eyes (Mother to Pinekit, a reddish-brown tom).
Squirrelwhisker, dark brown tabby she-cat with long whiskers and amber eyes (Mother to Windkit, a grey tabby tom).
Elders:
Rabbitfur, grey tabby tom with green eyes.
Deerdapple, grey mottled tabby she-cat with blue eyes.
RiverClan
Leader: Darkstar, night black she-cat with blue eyes.
Deputy: Spiketail, dark grey tom with amber eyes.
Medicine Cat: Echosnout, black and white she-cat with yellow eyes.
Warriors:
Rainfall, black tom with blue eyes.
Milkfur, white she-cat with yellow eyes.
Splashfoot, grey tom with yellow eyes.
Eeltail, grey tabby and white she-cat with green eyes.
Perchdusk, blue-grey tom with blue eyes and short paws.
Rippledawn, silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes.
Grasstuft, brown tom with tufted ears and green eyes.
Goldenfrost, golden spotted she-cat with amber eyes.
Nightleap, black she-cat with yellow eyes.
Whitenose, black tom with a white spot on bridge of nose and amber eyes.
Apprentice: Breezepaw.
Bouldershade, grey tom with amber eyes.
Wingspeckle, grey spotted she-cat with green eyes.
Apprentices:
Breezepaw, thick-furred grey tom with amber eyes.
Queens:
Reedshine, red she-cat with green eyes and soft fur.
WindClan
Leader: Woodstar, light brown tom with tabby legs and amber eyes.
Deputy: Tumbleclaw, black tom with green eyes.
Medicine Cat: Larkwing, grey tabby tom with amber eyes.
Apprentice: Chivepaw.
Warriors:
Swiftflight, pale grey tabby tom with amber eyes.
Midgepelt, patch-furred brown tom with amber eyes.
Gorseflame, dark brown tabby she-cat with green eyes.
Wildbreeze, light brown tabby she-cat with broad paws and amber eyes.
Dartwhisker, sleek black tom with amber eyes.
Apprentice: Whitepaw.
Cloudeyes, fluffy white tom with blue eyes, Deaf in one ear.
Galeheart, grey tabby she-cat with green eyes.
Apprentice: Birdpaw.
Dogtooth, brown tabby tom with amber eyes.
Brackentail, brown tom with green eyes.
Apprentice: Flailpaw.
Sparrowhawk, light brown mottled she-cat with green eyes.
Apprentice: Jerboapaw.
Stormtuft, light grey tom with darker points and blue eyes.
Flamepelt, dark ginger tabby tom with amber eyes.
Apprentices:
Chivepaw, dark brown tom with yellow eyes.
Birdpaw, grey spotted she-cat with green eyes.
Jerboapaw, light brown spotted she-cat with amber eyes.
Whitepaw, small white tom with yellow eyes.
Flailpaw, black tom with green eyes.
Queens:
Feathernose, grey tabby she-cat with green eyes.
Elders:
Lightspring, thick-furred grey tom with amber eyes.
Dustripple, rich brown tom with amber eyes.
Ousiders:
Patchkit, ginger, black and white tom with green eyes.
Petalkit, fluffy light brown she-cat with amber eyes.
Larchkit, soft-furred dark brown tom with amber eyes.
Smokestar sat perched on the high rock at fourtrees, waiting patiently for the other clans to arrive. The full moon hung high in the clear starry sky and the air was warm, but not stiflingly so. Some of her concerningly few warriors talked among themselves in hushed tones, so she was unable to eavesdrop on their conversations.
“Beautiful night, eh Smokestar?”
The leader turned around to see a leggy brown tom with stripes on their tail jump up to the stone alongside her. Woodstar, the leader of WindClan, looked relaxed, slightly tired, but cheerful.
“Indeed, Woodstar. Though that is not ideal for my marshes, they have lasted longer than usual, so prey is fine.”
“Most of my warriors are still out chasing hares on the moor, because they’re all out to enjoy the lack of a gale. Just as well, because the new litter in the nursery is…” Woodstar yawned. “Loud.”
“I assume that’s your main announcement for tonight then?” Smokestar asked.
“Hardly, plenty good has come to WindClan this moon.” He purred, closing his eyes.
A she-cat with a pelt darker than night hopped onto the rock next to Smokestar, nodding and not saying much else. Darkstar had never been a cat of many words, and her mind looked elsewhere. Her expression was almost unreadable.
Shadows of cats revealed themselves as ThunderClan, with Oakstar leading them, head high. Smokestar subconsciously tensed. Oakstar had always seemed a little too set in his ways, and he reminded her of someone who made their choices with complete certainty and then regretted it later. ThunderClan was a big clan, but not one looked with pride at Oakstar on the stone.
Once everyone was settled, Woodstar finally opened his eyes and shook his fur. “Shall we begin?”
Darkstar and Smokestar nodded in agreement. Oakstar simply shrugged. “You go first, if you wish.”
Woodstar, pleased, faced the masses below. “WindClan has welcomed three new healthy kits into the clan, two tons and a she-kit, named Heatherkit, Harekit and Hawkkit, and we have a new full Medicine Cat, Chiveclaw! I trust that Larkwing has trained him well. We have two new apprentices, Birdpaw and Jerboapaw, and prey is running very well for greenleaf, as the hares are very active.”
The -claw suffix was very unusual for a Medicine Cat, due to them almost always staying out of fights and healing their clanmates later. However, Woodstar had announced at a previous gathering eight-something moons ago that Chivepaw had been apprenticed as a medicine cat, so he had not trained as a warrior before either to show his past. It was something interesting, and Smokestar hadn’t ever heard of a Medicine Cat that had that suffix.
“Darkstar? How about you?” Woodstar asked.
The black she-cat nodded. “Reedshine has had three kits as well, all she-kits named Shykit, Willowkit and Applekit, after her late father. We also have a new warrior, Perchdusk. The river is full of fish, and the land prey is running well.”
“And Smokestar? How about you?” Woodstar asked.
“We’ve no new kits, but two have started their apprentice duties. Their names are Stonepaw and Silverpaw. May they serve ShadowClan well. Despite the heat, the marshes remain, and the prey is extremely plentiful.” Smokestar reported as honestly as she could manage without making her clan seem weak. Though she had no enemies, she saw nasty looks be given to her warriors from other cats.
“That leaves me,” Oakstar said. “ThunderClan has two new litters, born to Squirrelwhisker and Sweetbriar, my own mate, and two new apprentices, Daisypaw and Flashpaw. The prey is running well as greenleaf reaches its peak, and we can easily feed these new kits.”
Woodstar leaned over to Smokestar and whispered “They’ve got two kits, Eaglestorm told me before he left. One kit is his, one kit is Oakstar’s. I say that’s unlucky.”
Smokestar held back a snort. So that was why Oakstar hadn’t specified how many kits had been born. It had been only two!
“However,” Oakstar’s voice boomed across the clearing. “Our deputy Beetail has retired. I have chosen Doefeather as his successor. She is a well-trained warrior and has trained apprentices, and I believe she will serve the clan well if I am to die before her.”
Slightly morbid, Smokestar thought to herself. But who am I to say so?
A few cats from the other clans already started readying to leave, WindClan especially, as Woodstar had mentioned they were spending most of the night hunting.
“Rabbit chasers.” She murmured to herself, but her remark had no bitter bite to it. Woodstar had always been a friend of hers, even back when they were apprentices.
She signalled with her tail for Needlefang to lead their clan out. Sometimes when she was tired she liked to hang at the back, generally where the younger warriors and apprentices went. Her own kits Stonepaw and Silverpaw were not at the gathering tonight, so there was no need for her to be here. But she liked it. The younger warriors were quiet around her, even though she had repeatedly assured them it was fine.
Craning her neck over the crowd, Smokestar saw Needlefang check over the Thunderpath, then behind them, before eventually diving under the small hole under the Thunderpath. This was a tunnel big enough for a large warrior to crawl under, flat in their belly, but small enough to be inconspicuous to the other clans. It was part of the reason why kits were so heavily watched to make sure they either didn’t run for the Thunderpath and get themselves killed, or go blabbing to the other clans if they did get across. It was a prime invasion spot.
However, violent tremors often occurred when a monster rolled over it, scaring anyone not experienced. According to some of the elders, there used to be ground above it that collapsed and killed a cat that wasn’t fast enough to escape the cave-in. The story gave her shivers until she went into the tunnel herself and realised the Thunderpath was made with something far sturdier than dried ground.
Smokestar flattened out on her belly and crawled through, Dustyspot’s tail almost making her sneeze, but fortunately the trip was short, and she managed to sneeze outsider of the crammed tunnel.
Then there was a gasp.
Suddenly, the group of cats burst into calamity, gasping. Some made sympathetic cooing noises like they would to a kit with a cold.
“What’s going on?” Smokestar demanded, pushing her way to the front of the group.
Huddled together, fur bristled with terror, were three small kits: a dark tabby, a paler brown, and a small white one with ginger tabby and black patches.
And they looked like they were fearing for their lives.