Post by Ki on Jan 8, 2011 19:09:51 GMT -6
ShadowClan was the last to arrive in the hollow. It was the first Gathering since they'd admitted defeat to the other three Clans. Ever since the war, their numbers had fallen drastically. The majority of their remaining warriors and apprentices were there. The ones who could still walk, at least. All of them were scarred and quite a few were limping. Yet Specklestar held her head high as she walked to the rock where the leaders sat. She seemed oblivious to the malicious glares she and her warriors received from the other cats. She leapt on to the rock with incredibly grace for one who was, herself, recovering from a leg injury. Feathercloud, the medicine cat, instead of sitting with the other medicine cats (Who were all giving her dirty looks), sat beside a warrior by the name of Twistedclaw and her apprentice Tawnypaw.
"You're late." Ravenstar said simply. His tone was cold. "We thought you weren't going to bother showing up, Specklestar."
Specklestar gave him a hard look. "We would never miss a Gathering. Now, if we could proceed." It was obvious from her tone that, if they didn't move on, their was going to be trouble.
"Actually, Specklestar. We won't." Willowstar said. "Not until you and your Clan are gone."
"Are you refusing to allow us to participate in the Gathering?" Specklestar hissed. Suddenly she was on her feet, fur bristling.
"That's exactly what we're doing!" Ashstar was at Willowstar's side in a moment. "We have deliberated on ShadowClan's punishment for starting this bloody war...banishment from the forest!"
Yowls of approval ripped from the other Clan cats. The ShadowClan warriors and apprentices either hissed in rage or gasped in fear.
"You cannot do that!" Specklestar roared. "StarClan will not allow it!"
"No clouds cover the moon. StarClan doesn't seem to have any qualms with it." Ravenstar spoke calmly and evenly, his eyes on the glowing full moon above them.
Specklestar's eyes betrayed a flicker of fear. She looked sharply to Feathercloud, the medicine cat. Surely she would get some sort of vision, some sort of sign that this was not StarClan's will! But the tiny medicine cat's eyes were on the stars. She looked horrified and extremely distraught both at once. Her amber eyes were wide. The cats she devoted her entire life to had just stabbed her and her Clan in the back.
"You have till dawn to get your Clan organized and out of your territory." Willowstar said. "If you are not gone, then we will be forced to chase you out." The other cats were moving towards the ShadowClan cats now, growling and hissing. Specklestar cast one stony glance back up at the moon above.
"I see now." Specklestar mewed. "I see. We are to be stripped of our territory, chased away with nowhere to go, no way to feed our kits. And StarClan will allow this." She rose to her paws. "From this night forward, ShadowClan will not ally itself with StarClan! Now we are the enemies of all the Clans: RiverClan, WindClan, ThunderClan, and StarClan!"
Her cats gasped in horror and shock. Feathercloud and Tawnypaw looked ready to cry.
Specklestar looked sharply at the other leaders. "We will go. But rest assured, ShadowClan will return! And we will have revenge!" With that she jumped down. She marched through her warriors and apprentices, who seemed hesitant to follow even with other cats closing around them. Specklestar reached the top of the hollow and looked back. "Come!" she barked.
Her warriors and apprentices, slowly, began to follow. Feathercloud and Tawnypaw lingered. They looked pleadingly up at the leaders, then at the stars.
"Come." Twistedclaw nudged them forwards. "They've turned their backs on us. All of them." He glared at the sky.
---
The ShadowClan camp was surprisingly orderly. They ate all the fresh-kill left in the pile, leaving nothing for the cats would would eventually take over their territory. Feathercloud enslisted cats to help her carry all of her herbs. Warriors and apprentices shredded their nests and scattered the moss. What dens could be destroyed, were. Nothing was to be left for the cats taking their territory. Then they began heading north, towards the carrion place. Warriors and apprentices helped mothers carry kits and urged the elders along. They caught fresh-kill as they migrated farther than any cat had ever gone. They traveled well into the morning and stopped at sunhigh for a rest.
"Be honest, sister." Leopardheart sat down beside Specklestar. "Where are we even going?"
"I'm not sure." answered Specklestar.
"What are we going to do?" Leopardheart mewed hopelessly. Specklestar looked at her sister. Leopardheart had not been born in the Clan, just like Specklestar had not. They'd been separated by Twolegs. Leopardheart had grown up as a kittypet named Nala, while Specklestar had been raised to be a warrior. When they met, Specklestar eventually convinced her sister to come to ShadowClan and become a warrior. The thought then hit Specklestar that they might never find a place. They might all starve to death. Including her sister. All because Specklestar was desperate to have her kin in the Clan.
Specklestar nudged her sister. "We'll be ok. I promise."
"Do we still follow the warrior code? Do you even keep the name Specklestar, if we've banished StarClan from our midst?" Leopardheart asked.
Specklestar shook her head, feeling overwhelmed. All the questions were justified. But Specklestar did not have the answers to them. "I DON'T KNOW, NALA!" She hadn't called her sister by her kittypet name in many moons. It came forth now, and Nala pinned her ears back. Immediately Specklestar felt remorse, but was too proud to apologize. Instead she said, "I'm going to hunt." and walked off.
---
"You're late." Ravenstar said simply. His tone was cold. "We thought you weren't going to bother showing up, Specklestar."
Specklestar gave him a hard look. "We would never miss a Gathering. Now, if we could proceed." It was obvious from her tone that, if they didn't move on, their was going to be trouble.
"Actually, Specklestar. We won't." Willowstar said. "Not until you and your Clan are gone."
"Are you refusing to allow us to participate in the Gathering?" Specklestar hissed. Suddenly she was on her feet, fur bristling.
"That's exactly what we're doing!" Ashstar was at Willowstar's side in a moment. "We have deliberated on ShadowClan's punishment for starting this bloody war...banishment from the forest!"
Yowls of approval ripped from the other Clan cats. The ShadowClan warriors and apprentices either hissed in rage or gasped in fear.
"You cannot do that!" Specklestar roared. "StarClan will not allow it!"
"No clouds cover the moon. StarClan doesn't seem to have any qualms with it." Ravenstar spoke calmly and evenly, his eyes on the glowing full moon above them.
Specklestar's eyes betrayed a flicker of fear. She looked sharply to Feathercloud, the medicine cat. Surely she would get some sort of vision, some sort of sign that this was not StarClan's will! But the tiny medicine cat's eyes were on the stars. She looked horrified and extremely distraught both at once. Her amber eyes were wide. The cats she devoted her entire life to had just stabbed her and her Clan in the back.
"You have till dawn to get your Clan organized and out of your territory." Willowstar said. "If you are not gone, then we will be forced to chase you out." The other cats were moving towards the ShadowClan cats now, growling and hissing. Specklestar cast one stony glance back up at the moon above.
"I see now." Specklestar mewed. "I see. We are to be stripped of our territory, chased away with nowhere to go, no way to feed our kits. And StarClan will allow this." She rose to her paws. "From this night forward, ShadowClan will not ally itself with StarClan! Now we are the enemies of all the Clans: RiverClan, WindClan, ThunderClan, and StarClan!"
Her cats gasped in horror and shock. Feathercloud and Tawnypaw looked ready to cry.
Specklestar looked sharply at the other leaders. "We will go. But rest assured, ShadowClan will return! And we will have revenge!" With that she jumped down. She marched through her warriors and apprentices, who seemed hesitant to follow even with other cats closing around them. Specklestar reached the top of the hollow and looked back. "Come!" she barked.
Her warriors and apprentices, slowly, began to follow. Feathercloud and Tawnypaw lingered. They looked pleadingly up at the leaders, then at the stars.
"Come." Twistedclaw nudged them forwards. "They've turned their backs on us. All of them." He glared at the sky.
---
The ShadowClan camp was surprisingly orderly. They ate all the fresh-kill left in the pile, leaving nothing for the cats would would eventually take over their territory. Feathercloud enslisted cats to help her carry all of her herbs. Warriors and apprentices shredded their nests and scattered the moss. What dens could be destroyed, were. Nothing was to be left for the cats taking their territory. Then they began heading north, towards the carrion place. Warriors and apprentices helped mothers carry kits and urged the elders along. They caught fresh-kill as they migrated farther than any cat had ever gone. They traveled well into the morning and stopped at sunhigh for a rest.
"Be honest, sister." Leopardheart sat down beside Specklestar. "Where are we even going?"
"I'm not sure." answered Specklestar.
"What are we going to do?" Leopardheart mewed hopelessly. Specklestar looked at her sister. Leopardheart had not been born in the Clan, just like Specklestar had not. They'd been separated by Twolegs. Leopardheart had grown up as a kittypet named Nala, while Specklestar had been raised to be a warrior. When they met, Specklestar eventually convinced her sister to come to ShadowClan and become a warrior. The thought then hit Specklestar that they might never find a place. They might all starve to death. Including her sister. All because Specklestar was desperate to have her kin in the Clan.
Specklestar nudged her sister. "We'll be ok. I promise."
"Do we still follow the warrior code? Do you even keep the name Specklestar, if we've banished StarClan from our midst?" Leopardheart asked.
Specklestar shook her head, feeling overwhelmed. All the questions were justified. But Specklestar did not have the answers to them. "I DON'T KNOW, NALA!" She hadn't called her sister by her kittypet name in many moons. It came forth now, and Nala pinned her ears back. Immediately Specklestar felt remorse, but was too proud to apologize. Instead she said, "I'm going to hunt." and walked off.
---