#(I presume since Shadowclan elders brought him up)

[stus-warrior-designs]

Mentioned once then never again

[puppypaw-wc]

so since the @10leftau generator’s pretty easy to edit (here), i made a tnp version for the great journey, which is here.

let’s go through the results i got!

this is mostly kept to tnp’s events, so i didn’t give millie a description at all. graystripe’s there though. daisy and her kits aren’t listed, but they still join.

THUNDERCLAN 

graystripe

family: willowpelt (mother, deceased), whitestorm (father, deceased), sorreltail (half-sister), darkstripe (half-brother, deceased), rainwhisker (half-brother, deceased), sootfur (half-brother, deceased), feathertail (daughter, deceased), stormfur (son, deceased), blossomkit (daughter, not born), briarkit (son (mtf), not born), bumblekit (son, not born)

mates: silverstream (riverclan, deceased), millie (former kittypet, expecting his kits, qpp)

rank: leader

graystripe had been taken by twolegs not long before the great journey took place. with help from his new friend, millie (yes, i will be adding millie), he managed to find his way back to the clans... only to find most of the cats he knew dead. his half-sister was his only remaining kin. he wondered how long thunderclan had gone without a leader, but ignored that thought and took the position. due to not yet having an equivalent to the moonstone, he was unable to receive nine lives or a leader name, but he’s more then determined to lead the clan.

ashfur

family: brindleface (mother, deceased), redtail (father, deceased), runningwind (father, deceased), whitestorm (sire, deceased), ferncloud (sister, deceased), tulipkit (brother, deceased), elderkit (brother, deceased), sandstorm (sister, deceased), cloudtail (foster brother, deceased)

mate: none

rank: deputy

ashfur had already experienced loss many times. from the death of his brothers, elderkit and tulipkit, to the death of his mother, brindleface, he was well acquainted with it. when squirrelpaw, his niece who he was quite close to, came back to the clan with news of new territories, he was ecstatic. his niece larchkit had already died of starvation, and he was hopeful that his sister’s remaining daughter and sons would be safe in the new territory. but nothing went according to plan. even before the journey, hollykit and shrewpaw both died, which brought great pain to ferncloud’s family. but what brought even more pain was the journey itself. birchkit, sandstorm, squirrelpaw, spiderpaw, cloudtail... ferncloud... all of them were dead. once graystripe came back and heard all of this, the choice for deputy was clear.

cinderpelt

family: frostfur (mother, deceased), lionheart (father, deceased), brightheart (sister, deceased), brackenfur (brother, deceased), thornclaw (brother, deceased)

mate: none

rank: medicine cat

her apprentice being taken by twolegs wasn’t enough, it seemed, as now she’d lost her apprentice once and for all. leafpaw had so much potential. but she ignored that. surely one of graystripe and millie’s kits would have the same amount of potential. during the badger attack, she got quite injured, but the clans were much closer to one another due to the pain of the great journey, so she was saved. she was determined to make yellowfang, brightheart, leafpaw, everyone, proud.

sorreltail

family: willowpelt (mother, deceased), whitestorm (father, deceased), rainwhisker (brother, deceased), sootfur (brother, deceased), graystripe (half-brother), darkstripe (half-brother, deceased)

mate: mothwing, had a former crush on brackenfur

rank: warrior

losing her father as a kit was rough, as was losing her mother as an apprentice, but losing most all of her family was terrible. she’d never been close to darkstripe - in fact, her half-brother tried to poison her - but rainwhisker and sootfur were her best friends. graystripe had been taken by twolegs, and it worried sorreltail to no end. what if he was dead? but finally, after seasons of worry, graystripe came back, with a new clanmate in tow, who was pregnant with his kits. with sorreltail’s nieces. and she had mothwing. life was getting better.

SHADOWCLAN

russetfur

family: cinnamon (mother, status unknown), hal (father, deceased), boulder (fraternal brother, deceased), raggedstar (half-brother, deceased), scorchwind (half-brother, deceased)

mate: none

rank: leader

a former kittypet who joined shadowclan with her brother boulder, russetfur was blackstar’s deputy prior to the great journey. during the journey, after seeing her fraternal brother boulder and clan leader blackstar die, she knew that she had to lead shadowclan once they got to their new home. before she could do that, she had to go back for runningnose, she needed a medicine cat. while most of the elders were dead or near dead, runningnose somehow was not, perhaps due to his herbal knowledge. regardless, after staying in the tribe for a bit, the two went to the lake, meeting up with graystripe on the way (dawnflower had been taking care of toadkit) and reforming shadowclan once they arrived.

runningnose

family: lizardstripe (mother, deceased), mudclaw (father, deceased), tangleburr (sister, deceased), deerfoot (brother, deceased), brokenstar (foster brother, deceased)

mate: nightstar (shadowclan, qpp)

rank: medicine cat

runningnose was never confident in his medical abilities. as much as he wanted to be a medicine cat, he couldn’t cure his own running nose, or nightstar’s sudden sickness. however, he was always eager to do good, and hoped that yellowfang was proud up in starclan. when the clans left for the great journey, he wanted to rest, but knew he could not when russetfur came in need of a medicine cat. temporarily staying with the tribe and learning herbal skills from stoneteller, the two left and reformed shadowclan. runningnose just hopes he can do good enough.

toadkit

family: tallpoppy (mother, deceased), dawnflower (foster mother, riverclan), unknown father, applekit (sister, deceased), marshkit (brother, deceased)

mate: n/a

rank: kit (six moons old, awaiting apprenticeship)

toadkit was eager to go on the journey, as were his siblings and crush, birchkit of thunderclan. however, the journey didn’t go so well. it was as if starclan had left them. his mother tallpoppy died first, the journey too tiring for her in her old age. next went applekit, in the darkness of the night. no one knew what happened to her, the cats who’d gone on the first journey presumed that a sharptooth had come, but no one knew for sure. next went marshkit, much like his mother, too tired. it had come full circle, and toadkit hoped that it was over... but it clearly wasn’t, as birchkit died as well, joining his siblings in starclan. by the time they got to the lake, only one of toadkit’s present clanmates was left, and she soon left to find runningnose, leaving dawnflower of riverclan to raise him. awaiting apprenticeship, toadkit just hopes he won’t succumb to the same fate as his mother, siblings and birchkit.

WINDCLAN

ashfoot

family: wrenflight (mother, deceased), stagleap (father, deceased), morningflower (sister, deceased), onewhisker (brother, deceased), crowfeather (son, deceased), eaglekit (son, deceased), downkit (son, deceased), hillkit (daughter, deceased)

mate: deadfoot (windclan, deceased)

rank: leader

having her mate die a few seasons prior to the journey, and all but one of her kits, ashfoot was well acquainted with loss. when her surviving son, crowpaw, came back with promises of a new home, ashfoot was hopeful. but the journey was far more tough then anyone could’ve thought. yes, they knew that a few cats would die, but no one expected the clans to go near extinct. once tallstar died, mudclaw took place as leader, but his time was brief, and without nine lives, he soon died as well, leaving his appointed deputy ashfoot as leader of the remaining windclan cats. as if her siblings and leader dying wasn’t enough, her single surviving kit died as well, leaving her alone. but she had her clan. maybe everything would be fine?

barkface

family: brackenwing (mother, deceased), redclaw (father, deceased), shrewclaw (brother, deceased), thistlepaw (adopted daughter)

mate: none, had a crush on tallstar

rank: medicine cat

apprentice: thistlepaw

barkface had always been a friendly and optimistic cat. when crowpaw came back with news of a new home, most windclan cats were doubtful, but barkface was optimistic, sure that they’d survive. the tragedy that came on the journey couldn’t have been anticipated by anyone. windclan had few cats as is, only having fourteen cats when the journey began, but by the time they arrived at the lake, they only had three: ashfoot, barkface himself, and thistlepaw, whose mentor had died. taking the apprentice as his own, both as an apprentice and as a father, barkface hopes that his clan will thrive, with additions in the other clans hopefully helping out.

thistlepaw

family: whitetail (mother, deceased), onewhisker (father, deceased), weaselpaw (brother, deceased), barkface (adopted father)

mate: none

rank: medicine cat apprentice

mentor: barkface

(as thistlepaw only appears in the allegiances, i had to give her a personality and description; here, she’s a solitary yet energetic black and red classic tortoiseshell she-cat with hazel eyes. i used this generator and a name dictionary!)

thistlepaw had never had very many friends. she was close with her brother, weaselpaw, but windclan didn’t have very many apprentices, or cats in general. thistlepaw thought that the journey would be good, and that she could maybe bond with the other clans’ apprentices, but the death of shadowclan’s smokepaw was seemingly a bad omen. her parents both died, her mentor died, her brother died, all but two of her clanmates did as well... by the time they got to the lake, thistlepaw didn’t want anything more to do with death. her clan needed a medicine cat apprentice anyways, so she did what she must. and now, barkface is like a father to her, and she’s happy.

RIVERCLAN

mothwing

family: sasha (mother, status unknown), tigerstar (father, deceased), tadpole (brother, deceased), hawkfrost (brother, deceased), brambleclaw (half-brother, deceased), tawnypelt (half-sister, deceased)

mate: sorreltail, formerly was dating leafpaw of thunderclan

rank: medicine cat and leader

mothwing had never felt like she belonged in the clans. she didn’t have any parents to go to when life was rough, and most of her clanmates seemed... afraid of her and her brother. was tigerstar really that bad? she and her brother hawkfrost got their warrior names, but something still seemed... off. as if she was doing the wrong thing. she asked mudfur to apprentice her, and once an omen of a moth’s wing was found outside the medicine cat den, she was apprenticed to him. had starclan really put it there, though? when she found it, she swore she saw her brother’s tipped tail right there... regardless, the journey went badly. her mentor died, and she seemed to be left as both medicine cat and leader of her clan. she never wanted this, but at least she has sorreltail.

dawnflower

family: mosspelt (mother, deceased), frogleap (father, deceased), willowkit (half-sister, deceased), minnowkit (daughter, deceased), tumblekit (daughter, deceased), pebblekit (son, deceased)

mate: swallowtail (riverclan, deceased)

rank: queen (nursery helper)

dawnflower had a normal life. born with no siblings, she became a warrior with no real setbacks, and became good friends - and eventually mates - with swallowtail. accidentally mating with an unknown tom, she gave birth to minnowkit, tumblekit and pebblekit not long before the journey took place. her kits died on the thunderpath, not even getting to be apprenticed, and her mate died as well, both devastating her. by the time they got to the lake and all of her kin was dead, she decided that she didn’t want to be a warrior any longer. so much had happened in the past few moons... but dawnflower still had a normal life.

loudbelly

family: ottersplash (mother, deceased), timberfur (father, deceased), sedgecreek (sister, deceased), reedtail (brother, deceased)

mate: none

rank: senior warrior

loudbelly’s parents never really cared for him, as was clear through them naming him loudkit, while his siblings got actual good names. named loudbelly as a warrior, he felt like his life was all a joke, but he ignored it and was happy to get an apprentice in silverpaw. however, not very long after silverpaw was apprenticed to him, they disappeared. loudbelly truly felt like his life was all a joke, and by the time the journey came, he truly wished to just stay in the forest territories, but mothwing insisted he come. so, he did. his leader died. his deputy died. all but two of his clanmates died. and now, loudbelly felt like a bad omen and just wanted to retire. but his clan needed a warrior, so he was that warrior.

jfc that got angsty. o_o

i have lots of ideas for this, including for po3!! since i know most of you are probably wondering, “who’ll be the three if leafpool’s dead?” well, you’ll see!

[pleckthaniel]

Why the accomplice is Darkstripe

some more thots tm by me :^)

broken code spoilers obviously!

OK, so everybody thinks the accomplice is Spiresight, which seems pretty obvious given Bramblefake straight-out states that he has an accomplice who is a ‘skinny black cat with yellow eyes,’ which fits Spiresight’s description. I never actually read Tigerheart’s Shadow so I know virtually nothing about Spiresight, but a lot of people have also mentioned that he was acting off/suspiciously, so we are definitely meant to think the accomplice was him!

But there’s a couple reasons I think this can’t possibly be true:

Spiresight still tracked Shadowsight down and helped save his life, and helped him learn how to utilize his ghost while he was semi-dead. Shadowsight was only in this position because of Bramblefake. Why would Spiresight, if he was working with the imposter, want to help Shadowsight in any way, let alone saving his life and teaching him how to retrieve valuable information about how to bring down the imposter?

We actually read from Spiresight’s point of view in the prologue and he explicitly has no idea who Bramblefake is, which doesn’t seem realistic if they’re working together.

Unless the authors want to retcon Ashfur into having literal mind control powers, there’s no way they can justify Spiresight switching sides just like that, especially when it would betray the living cats he’s closest to (ShadowClan & co.)

So who else could it be? Well… back when it was possible that this wasn’t Ashfur, there was one guy who kept being brought up, just to be dismissed because he frankly doesn’t have the balls for something like this-

Darkstripe.

(conveniently, a skinny black cat with yellow eyes.)

The piece of evidence that most comes to mind is the way Bramblefake tried to kill Sparkpelt with the dog trap. For Ashpaw, this event happened when he was very young (~7 moons) and his mother was killed by it. I find it honestly unrealistic that he would want to repeat Tigerstar 1′s tricks because, and this is key, Ashfur thinks he is a good person. He went to StarClan. Presumably he fought on StarClan’s side in the Great Battle. He only ‘loved too much.’ He genuinely believes - like so many ‘nice guys’ - that he is in the right, and Squirrelflight is literally evil for rejecting him, so all of his actions against her are then justified reactions.

Darkstripe has no such illusions. He went to the Dark Forest. He has explicitly known that he is a bad person since the second arc (when he realizes he hasn’t gone to StarClan), and embraced it at least since arc four, if not earlier. He knows fully that he is irredeemable, and acknowledges it in the text. This, then is where the dog trap idea comes from. 

Not that he ever would have even attempted something like this on his own…. because he wouldn’t. The only thing he’s ever attempted on his own in canon is various sneering and attempted murder of a literal kitten, which he still managed to fail at. But so long as Darkstripe is being ordered around by some other cat, he basically has no personal limitations whatsoever. And it’s not just Tigerstar’s orders that drive him - he fights on the side of BloodClan in that Great Battle, so it’s clear he just needs someone with a strong personality to give him instructions.

Another thing is Bramblefake’s habit of breaking the code in ways that benefit him - eating before the elders, etc. While I don’t think it’s necessarily unrealistic for Ashfur to do this (again, he thinks all his actions are justified in the pursuit of “justice” for Squirrelflight) it also seems like a callback to a certain semi-canon story in Code of the Clans. In it, Darkstripe encourages Longpaw to eat on a hunting patrol instead of bringing food back for the Clan, insisting that they will hunt better on full stomachs - only to return to camp and learn that Poppydawn (I think?) literally died of starvation while they were gone and if only they had brought their pheasant back to camp, she might have lived. Ashfur might not come up with this sort of idea on his own, but with some encouragement from Darkstripe, he would probably not be opposed to it either.

This all being said, I don’t think Darkstripe is ‘sharing’ the body or something like that - just encouraging certain bad behavior, coming up with ideas, and providing resources (like giving Ashfur access to the Dark Forest). There’s no evidence that the body has ever been possessed by someone other than Ashfur, given the descriptions of his voice, appearance and behavior being fairly consistent.

Finally, I think this makes sense not just based off of the evidence that we have, but thematically. As I’ve mentioned before, I think the theme of this arc is obsession. Obviously one of the major themes is obsessive love - such as Ashfur’s for Squirrelflight or Bristlefrost’s for Stemleaf - but also obsessive loyalty despite all evidence that it is unwarranted. Examples of this in the arc include Mistystar’s and Harestar’s insistence on staying loyal to Bramblefake’s ideas even after he is revealed, and Berrynose’s loyalty to Bramblefake even after he is exiled, resulting in his own death. 

But possibly the best example of this kind of obsession in the series is Darkstripe. He literally threw his entire life away because of his obsession with Tigerstar, who he genuinely believed to be the greatest cat in the forest. In prologues from arcs three to four, he repeatedly shows up with helpful information and resources for Tigerstar, only to be dismissed or even literally, physicall thrown aside, only to come crawling back again and again and again. And because TBC has established the Dark Forest as 1. still accessible and 2. imperative to the plot, it would honestly be a huge waste not to utilize Darkstripe given the themes of this arc.

TL;DR Spiresight is 100% a red herring unless they give Ashfur mind control. Darkstripe’s ideas seem apparent in many of the imposter’s actions, though I don’t think he gets any ‘body time’. It would also be pretty stupid of the authors not to bring him up given his great fit into arc themes.

[oldwarriors-fireandwater]

Chapter One

Fireheart sighed happily as he slipped into the river. The cool water was a welcome relief. It had been two moons since the downfall of Brokenstar. Late summer brought hot days and plenty of fresh-kill. Tension on all borders had relaxed, even with ThunderClan—since Ravenpaw was being trained by Yellowfang and Mudfur, it would be foolish for Thistlestar to even put a paw wrong over the border. RiverClan had been able to resume their relaxed ways, and they were thriving.

Most of the Clan was in or alongside the river. Mallowtail and Brambleflower were watching their kits splash in the shallows, while Reedtail and Skyheart shared tongues in the shade. Minkpaw and Grasspaw were diving in and out of the water, splashing each other playfully while others looked on. Crookedstar was sharing a story with Frogleap, Graypool, and Weaselfoot, his tail thrashing as he vividly described some battle he had been in. Even Whiteclaw and Beetleclaw seemed content, which was a rare sight.

Fireheart flipped around to float on his back. Across the river, RiverClan cats were flopped around on Sunningrocks. Beechflower was snoring loudly, draped over a flat stone, while Silverstream was stretched out beside him. Fireheart smirked as he saw them. Though the pair hadn’t made things official, it was plain as day to all that the two had feelings for each other. His gaze slid towards Dawnwhisker and Leopardfur, who were sunning themselves together. It had been no surprise to any cat when Leopardfur finally asked Dawnwhisker to be her mate. Fireheart was still unnerved by the intimidating deputy, but Dawnwhisker seemed to be in high spirits whenever Leopardfur was by her side, and he was happy for his old mentor.

Crookedstar called out a greeting as a patrol returned, padding along downstream to join the Clan. Silverthorn, Shadefang, and Voleclaw had all been patrolling along the gorge. Shadefang twitched her whiskers in amusement as she gazed over the Clan. “I see everyone else is having a fun afternoon,” she commented.

Leopardfur lifted her gaze. “Anything to report?” she called.

Silverthorn shook his head. “All quiet on the border.”

“Too quiet,” Petalstream meowed. “I’ve hardly seen a hair of a WindClan cat since the battle.”

Blackclaw flicked his tail. “There were barely any of them at the last Gathering,” he grunted. “Think they’re doing alright?”

Fireheart turned himself in the water and paddled back towards the shore. I wasn’t at the last Gathering, he thought. But I thought WindClan would be doing better now that Brokenstar is dead.

“Could ShadowClan he pressing the border again?” Reedtail wondered.

Mosspelt shook her head. “Russetstar said she wanted peace at the last Gathering,” she said. “She seemed like she meant it.” She flicked her tail. “Ferretstar didn’t mention any fights.”

Crookedstar sat up slowly and flicked an ear. “The matters in WindClan are their own,” he meowed. “Speculating won’t solve their problems, whatever they may be.”

Whiteclaw shrugged. “Who cares if WindClan isn’t at the border?” he asked. “Not everything is a bad sign.”

Petalstream sighed. “It’s just been too peaceful,” she said. “It’s hard to not expect the worst.”

Too peaceful? Fireheart wondered, as he padded out of the river and gave himself a good shake. I’d rather it stayed that way!

“One can never be too careful,” Voleclaw agreed. “But it’s not exactly something we can do anything about.”

Crookedstar shrugged. “We will go on as we have. Patrol daily and mark our borders.” The old tom seemed hardly affected by Petalstream’s concern. He turned back to the group he was with. “Now, where was I?”

Weaselfoot’s eyes gleamed. “You’d just thrown a ThunderClan warrior into the river,” he reminded him.

Crookedstar grinned. “Aha! Well, I jumped in after him…”

Fireheart twitched his whiskers and glanced towards the queens. Brambleflower had given birth shortly after the battle. Her kits were nearing two moons old, and they had more energy than any one cat could keep up with. Mallowtail’s litter had grown greatly as well, and they were nearly twice the size of Brambleflower’s kits. Fireheart purred in amusement as Maplekit dunked Shellkit in the water. They must be close to being apprentices, he thought. Could they be about five moons now? They look more like apprentices every day.

Whiteclaw padded towards Mallowtail and purred as he butted his head against her shoulder. The pair flopped down together and began to groom each other while Brambleflower kept a sharp eye on the kits.

Fireheart sighed softly and stretched out on the warm shore. Crookedstar is right, he thought. If WindClan was in real trouble, we’d have heard of it. We should enjoy the peace while it lasts. He rested his chin on his legs and closed his eyes. It was a blissful day—no reason to ruin it with worries about a problem that may not even exist.

The sun set, and the evening became cooler. The Clan headed back into camp, and Crookedstar hurried to jump up upon the fallen log that he used to make announcements. “The Gathering is tonight,” he called. “Come here for a moment so I can announce who’s going.”

That’s tonight? I’d forgotten all about it, Fireheart thought. He padded towards the stump and sat beside Beechflower and Minkpaw.

“Wait,” Beetleclaw meowed. The black tom padded towards the log. “I have something I’d like to do before you all go.”

Crookedstar narrowed his eyes curiously. “Oh?” He seemed almost wary—it was no secret that he and Beetleclaw rarely got along.

Beetleclaw dipped his head. “I’d like to retire. I’m getting old, Crookedstar, and I can’t deny it any longer. Losing Sunwhisker—” his throat tightened at the mention of his deceased mate. “It took a lot out of me. Now that things have calmed down and there doesn’t seem to be a war on the horizon, I feel it’s the right time.”

Fireheart blinked in surprise. Beetleclaw turned to face the Clan, and Fireheart looked him over. He had never really noticed before, but he supposed the tom did look like he was getting on his seasons. His dark muzzle was flecked with gray, and when Fireheart looked closely, his whiskers seemed to be fraying at the ends.

“Never thought I’d see the day that Beetleclaw retired,” muttered Beechflower.

“He told me he was going to,” Minkpaw whispered. “But it’s weird to think about.”

Crookedstar seemed surprised, but nodded in understanding. “Very well. Beetleclaw, is it your wish to give up the name of a warrior and go to join the elders?”

Beetleclaw dipped his head. “It is.”

Crookedstar nodded once more. “Your Clan honors you and all the service you have given us. I call upon StarClan to give you many moons of rest.”

“Beetleclaw!” called Reedtail.

The Clan took up the cry. “Beetleclaw! Beetleclaw!”

Minkpaw raised her chin and called out, the loudest voice of all. “Beetleclaw! Beetleclaw!”

“Beetleclaw,” muttered Fireheart. He had no ill-wishes for the now-elder, but Beetleclaw had certainly never said a kind word his way.

Beetleclaw sighed quietly and padded off towards the elders den. He sat down beside Graypool, who nudged him and smiled warmly.

At least Graypool won’t be alone anymore, Fireheart thought. The kind old queen had been lonely since Snowfang’s death, despite how much of a grump the elder had been.

“Is there anyone else who wishes to retire?” Crookedstar asked, with a meaningful glance towards Voleclaw and Petalstream.

Voleclaw shook his head. “I’m beginning to feel my age, but I’ll give it a few more moons before I quit.”

Petalstream just snorted. “As if.”

Crookedstar looked amused, before he cleared his throat. “Well, with that out of the way… the cats attending the Gathering shall be Petalstream, Whiteclaw, Weaselfoot, Beechflower, Fireheart, Mosspelt, Shadefang, Silverthorn, Dawnwhisker, and Grasspaw.”

Fireheart straightened up. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a Gathering, he thought. I guess we’ll really see how WindClan is tonight.

Fireheart padded down the slope to the Gathering place, tail twitching. WindClan and ThunderClan were already present, but there seemed to be more of the latter. Fireheart scanned the clearing as he followed his Clanmates in. He recognized Twistedfoot talking to Tigerclaw. I’d talk to Twistedfoot, but not while he’s around Tigerclaw. He flicked his tail and split away from his Clanmates. There was Lionheart and an older WindClan molly, Grasspaw was already greeting a few WindClan apprentices, and—

“Hey!” a sharp voice snapped, as Fireheart stepped on a tail. “Watch where you’re going!”

Fireheart glanced over and lifted his paw. “Sandpaw!” he meowed. The pale ginger molly was glaring at him. “We’ve got to stop meeting at Gatherings like this.”

Sandpaw flicked her tail and curled it around her paws. “More like you need to watch where you’re going,” she growled. She sniffed loudly and smoothed her pelt. “Anyway, it’s Sandwhisker now.”

Fireheart sat down. Well, she’s not exactly the most friendly face, but… Better than Tigerclaw, I suppose. “Congratulations,” he meowed. “Are Graypaw and Ravenpaw here too?”

“Ravenpaw is,” Sandwhisker meowed, with a nod towards the Great Rock. “Since he’s our medicine cat. He’s going to be here every time.”

Ravenpaw was seated with a lean brown tom, presumably the WindClan medicine cat. Mudfur and Yellowfang padded up to them and meowed a greeting, and Ravenpaw looked pleased to see his mentors.

“Graystripe is home,” Sandwhisker went on. “He had a bellyache or something.” She flicked her tail. “Is Beechflower here?”

Fireheart nodded. “Yup. I don’t know where he got off to, though.”

Both cats looked up as a line of cats appeared on the slope behind the Great Rock. ShadowClan, Fireheart thought. After a moment, they hurried down the slope and joined the Gathering.

“Think Russetstar actually wants peace?” Fireheart asked, leaning a bit closer to Sandwhisker.

Sandwhisker shrugged. “Doesn’t matter if she does or not. Battle breaks out eventually. It always does. Our Clans would be at war right now if your medicine cats weren’t training Ravenpaw.” She twitched an ear. “That’s just how it is.”

Fireheart watched as Russetstar leaped up to the Great Rock. “That’s a morbid way of looking at things,” he meowed. “Why not just enjoy the peace?”

Sandwhisker rolled her eyes, though she looked more amused than annoyed. “Not everyone spends their days lazing around like you fish-faces,” she meowed. “Some of us have real problems to handle.”

Problems? wondered Fireheart. He shook his head. “RiverClan isn’t lazy!” he retorted. “We just know how to enjoy ourselves.”

“Sure sounds lazy,” muttered Sandwhisker.

Before she could say anything else, Fireheart felt a paw touch his back. He glanced over his shoulder to see a tortoiseshell molly standing before him. He was confused for a moment before he recognized her—they had fought off the old ShadowClan deputy together in WindClan. “Oh, hello!” Fireheart purred.

The queen smiled warmly at him. She looked lean, and her hips and rubs poked out at odd angles. “It’s good to see you again,” she purred. “I never got introduce myself. I’m Morningflower. My son, Gorsekit, isn’t here, but he talks about you often. He saw you fighting from the nursery.”

“I’m Fireheart,” he replied. “I’m glad to hear he’s well.”

“You know each other?” Sandwhisker asked, with a curious twitch of her whiskers.

“Not exactly,” Fireheart meowed. “We fought together for a heartbeat in the battle.”

“Ah.” Sandwhisker leaned back. Her eyes narrowed curiously. “Why send a nursing queen to the Gathering?” she wondered aloud. “Weren’t there enough other representatives?”

Morningflower huffed suddenly. She muttered a goodbye to Fireheart before she strode off and disappeared into the crowd. Fireheart glanced sharply at Sandwhisker. “What was that about?” he demanded.

Sandwhisker flicked her tail. “It’s good to keep an ear out on what goes on in the other Clans,” she meowed sagely.

Before Fireheart could reply, a yowl came from the Great Rock. He turned his gaze towards the top of the stone. The four leaders were perched on top. Russetstar began to speak first.

“Welcome,” she meowed. “ShadowClan is growing strong once more. We have two new apprentices—Rowanpaw and Cedarpaw, the kits of Darkflower.” There were a few welcoming cheers after she paused.

Thistlestar shot her a sly look. “They’re old enough, I hope?” he rumbled. “We all know how eager Brokenstar was to train kits before their time.”

Russetstar drew back her lips. “Of course they are,” she snapped. “We have purged ShadowClan of Brokenstar and his sympathizers. We follow the code.”

Crookedstar cleared his throat, and Russetstar shook herself and returned to her announcements. “Dawncloud has given birth,” she meowed. “Unfortunately, one of her kits was stillborn. The other, Snakekit, is a healthy young tom.” Russetstar sat down. “That is all we have to report.”

Crookedstar was next to speak. “RiverClan is doing well,” he purred. “Summer has been kind to us, and we have more fresh-kill than we could wish for. Beetleclaw retired today and has joined the elder’s den.”

Once more, a few cats cheered for Beetleclaw. Crookedstar dipped his head to Thistlestar. “There’s not much else I can say,” he meowed. “That’s all.”

Thistlestar dipped his head. “ThunderClan is mighty as ever,” he declared. “We are proud to announce three new warriors. Graystripe, Dustpelt, and Sandwhisker have received their warrior names.” He paused to allow for cats to cheer. Fireheart have Sandwhisker a good-natured shove, and she rolled her eyes.

“Additionally, we have two new apprentices,” Thistlestar carried on. “Cinderpaw and Brackenpaw. Our prey runs well and our warriors remain strong.” Russetstar snorted quietly, and he shot her a glare.

Ferretstar rose. The black-and-white tom was skinny, far more so than Morningflower had been. “Well!” he coughed out. “If you’re all done boasting about how well-fed and well-off you all are… I would like to speak.”

“Of course,” Crookedstar meowed. “That is why we’re here.”

Ferretstar lashed his tail. “My Clan is starving!” he spat. A few WindClan cats cried out in protest, but he growled loudly. “I will not put my pride before our survival!” he declared, clearly speaking to his bewildered Clanmates.

They weren’t expecting this, Fireheart realized. It takes guts to show up to a Gathering and go on about how weak your Clan is. But why is he doing it?

Twistedfoot stood. “Ferretstar, please—”

“No, Twistedfoot!” Ferretstar snapped. “If I do nothing, WindClan will perish.”

Cats of all Clans began to whisper. Sandwhisker turned to him, eyes narrowed to slits. “I swear, if he asks us all for territory…”

Ferretstar turned to face the other leaders. “I am making a great risk by admitting my Clan’s weakness,” he meowed. “But I must bring my plight to you.”

“Get on with it,” Thistlestar snapped. His thick tail lashed.

“WindClan starves,” Ferretstar declared. “We have so few warriors that we cannot properly patrol our borders and hunt. Our warriors are exhausted and some need to retire, but can’t.” He bowed his head. “That is why I come here to ask you lend WindClan warriors until we have recovered.”

“What?” Thistlestar drew himself up and bristled. “I beg your pardon?”

Crookedstar looked confused. “What exactly do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what I say,” Ferretstar meowed. His tone was desperate, and Fireheart felt a pang of pity. “We don’t need much. Even just one warrior from each Clan would be a great relief. We simply need more paws to ensure our borders are safe and our kits are fed.”

Russetstar looked thoughtful. “How long would you need them?”

Thistlestar whirled around to stare at her. “Surely you’re not considering this?”

Ferretstar ignored him, seemingly spurred on by Russetstar’s question. “Just a moon or so,” he said. “Long enough for our cats to rest and for our kits to be apprenticed. We have two kits who are nearing six moons. We simply just don’t have enough paws to keep our Clan fed until then.” Quickly, he added, “They could return by the next Gathering.”

Russetstar dipped her head. “Very well,” she meowed. “I want to right my Clan’s wrongs against you. If this is what you ask, I will help.” She frowned. “Though I cannot spare many cats. We are short on cats since the battle… though not as much as WindClan.” She closed her eyes and was quiet for a few moments. “I could only offer one.”

Relief sparked in Ferretstar’s eyes. “That’s all I need,” he breathed. He looked to the other leaders. “What about you?”

Thistlestar had seemed to have calmed in the few moments that passed. He looked thoughtful, before he made the smallest of smirks. “Very well,” he meowed. “I suppose I have a cat up for the job.”

Fireheart narrowed his eyes. What’s he up to? he wondered. He doubted Thistlestar would do anything for another Clan unless it benefited him in some way.

Crookedstar shook his head. “I will not force one of my warriors to spend a moon among an outside Clan,” he said. He leaned back, ears flat. “Though if a cat wishes to volunteer, I will let them go.”

Silence. Fireheart looked around. Every RiverClan cat seemed to have become very interested in their own paws. Surely someone will do it? he thought. Petalstream? Mosspelt? Dawnwhisker, maybe?

But no cat spoke.

Fireheart set his jaw. Then I will. He stood up. “I volunteer!” he called.

Crookedstar looked shocked. After a heartbeat, though, he narrowed his eyes. “Fine,” he growled.

Ferretstar heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you,” he meowed. “WindClan thanks you all. May I bring them with me tonight?”

Russetstar nodded. “I’ll send my cat to you when we disperse,” she meowed.

Crookedstar lashed his tail. “Do what you want.”

Fireheart swallowed. Uh oh. Did I do something wrong?

Thistlestar shrugged. “She isn’t here. I’ll send her to you when we return.”

Russetstar glanced around. “Does anyone else have anything else to share?” she asked. After a beat of silence, she nodded. “Very well! This Gathering is over.” She leaped down from the Great Rock and vanished into the gathered cats.

Sandwhisker whirled around to stare at him. “Why would you offer yourself?” she asked. “A moon of starving in WindClan and hunting for the enemy?” she scoffed. “You’re one weird cat.” At Thistlestar’s yowl, she started. “I’ve got to go.”

Fireheart snorted. “See you.”

Sandwhisker flicked him with her tail before she padded off. Fireheart watched her go.

“Frog-brain!”

Fireheart flinched. Silverthorn… can’t you ever shut up? He turned to face the tabby tom.

“What were you thinking?” Silverthorn snapped. “Crookedstar obviously didn’t want anyone to go. You’re only helping the enemy by working for them!”

Fireheart shook his head. “It’s not like that,” he retorted. “Cats shouldn’t have to die. RiverClan won’t miss one warrior.”

Silverthorn curled his lip and stomped away. Fireheart rolled his eyes. He hesitated for a moment. What do I do? he wondered. WindClan was gathering up. I suppose I should talk to Crookedstar first.

Fireheart crossed the clearing, heading for RiverClan’s group. Leopardfur was speaking to Crookedstar, but as she spotted Fireheart, she stopped and jerked her head in his direction. Crookedstar turned to glance at him.

Fireheart steeled himself as he padded closer. “So…” he meowed. “Should I go join WindClan?”

“Go,” Crookedstar snapped. “Do not give away RiverClan secrets. Tell them as little about us as possible.”

Leopardfur narrowed her eyes. “Keep your eyes and ears open, Fireheart,” she meowed. “Learn what you can.”

Fireheart blinked. Shut up and spy on WindClan? he thought. That sure sounds like what they’re saying. He nodded anyway. “Okay.”

Crookedstar turned away, and Fireheart’s heart sank. Have I disappointed him?

Fireheart turned away. I don’t have time to mope, he thought. I’ve got to go see WindClan. He padded away from his Clanmates with a final glance over his shoulder.

Ferretstar was speaking to Russetstar, who had a young white-furred molly at her side. Ferretstar leaned in to touch noses with the younger cat.

“Thank you, Russetstar,” Ferretstar was saying. Fireheart stood by and waited. “I… apologize for my misgivings about you.”

Russetstar shrugged. “I understood it,” she assured him. “Brokenstar was a tyrant, and our Clans have a bloody history between them.” She brushed her tail over the other molly’s back. “Work hard, Snowtail. I’ll see you at the next Gathering.”

“I will!” Snowtail promised. Her blue eyes were wide, and she flicked her tail eagerly.

Fireheart frowned. Tail? he wondered. She’s a warrior? Snowtail was short, and she looked younger than Grasspaw and Minkpaw. He flattened his ears. She must have been one of the cats made a warrior early because of Brokenstar, he figured.

Ferretstar turned to look at Fireheart. Fireheart straightened up. “Hello,” he meowed. “I’m—“

Ferretstar’s eyes went wide. His jaws parted slightly. He began to tremble. “Jake?”