Springtime Flight [closed]

Eaglepaw nodded. "Yes, that would be nice." she said with a little bit of laughter in her voice. "I would like to see Fourtrees before the gathering so that I am not wandering around like an idiot when I first get there?" she asked her mentor. She wasn't sure if cat's were allowed at Foutree's while a gathering was not going one. She would rather explore there first and not be an idiot, or at least looked like an idiot while there.

Clovertwist chuckled and shook his head slightly, mrrowing, "Oh, everyone wanders like an idiot at the Gathering - that's how we make friends!" He laughed a little more heartily, then picked up the rabbit he had killed and trotted (a bit haltingly due to the extra weight) back to where they'd stored their previous catches. He looked down on it proudly and looked aside at Eaglepaw to do the same. "Look at you; first training patrol and you've caught a bird and a rabbit. That's not something every cat can do," Clovertwist praised warmly. With that, he turned and began to cross the moors towards Fourtrees.

On their way, he explained more about what it was like to be on the moors: watching the ground for holes, watching the sky for predatory birds, and watching the horizon for enemies. Eventually the moors began to slope down and begin to grow thicker foliage. Clovertwist lead the way along a well-used path through the brush until they were at the top of the clearing peering into the place of the Gathering. "Here we are, Eaglepaw: Fourtrees." The four great oaks loomed above them, and down in the hollow the Great Rock stood strong and sturdy. Clovertwist immediately felt an oppressiveness in the air as his mind considered the last time he'd seen this clearing. Finchstar died here.

Eaglepaw opened her eyes in wonder. "Whoa!" she breathed and looked all around that the fourtrees. "Is this where Finchstar died?" she suddenly asked. She had still be a new apprentice when he had died, but she had heard while she was a kit that some cat named Finchstar had died here.

Clovertwist glanced aside to hide from the thought, and for a moment he was grateful to be distracted by Eaglepaw's awe. She breathed with wonder as she looked around, taking in the surroundings, but then, as if she'd heard the whispers of Clovertwist's thoughts, she asked the dreadful question that twisted claws in his heart. Clovertwist swallowed and nodded solemnly. "Yes. It was... only half a moon ago." The silver tabby tom began to descend into Fourtrees, flicking his knotted tail for Eaglepaw to do the same, and he looked aside to her and asked, "What did you hear from your Clanmates, Eaglepaw?" He wondered if the thread of the Righteous Few had yet been revealed to her. If not, he'd need to be the one to break it to her. She had to know what was at stake.

Eaglepaw flicked her tail. "Well, as a kit you know we hear all kinds of stuff no matter who much the warriors, apprentices, or the queens tried to hide it, I knew something was happening around the camp." she flicked her tail. "I did a little digging because no one would tell me what was going on. I heard whispers of dead cats coming to life, but I am not really sure. The warrior's would whisper and then would suddenly switch to talking about dawn patrols and hunting patrols, but never border patrols. I was too scared to listen, so I stopped listening for a while." she paused looking at Clovertwist and then at Fourtrees. "However, I think I truly deserve to know what is going on." she said bluntly. "I am part of this clan and my clanmates are suffering." she closed her eyes for a moment. "I have noticed that some fall ill for no reason or that Softpaw has been running around barely getting any sleep nor communicating with Starclan. Clovertwist, what is going on with Windclan?"

Clovertwist nodded, well aware that news traveled fast, and it didn't care what ears heard it. It also wasn't surprising that a nosy Eaglekit - or any kit, really - would have tried to get answers from whatever sources they could find. Clovertwist had been the same. When Eaglepaw stated she deserved to know what was going on and demanded to be told, Clovertwist's eyes widened with mild surprise at her sternness. Then he nodded, explaining first, "Of course you deserve to know. You said you were scared at first. That fear's why the Clan's been trying to be subtle about it with the kits." Clovertwist looked at her, hoping she would understand. He continued, "You're not a kit anymore, though. You're an apprentice now, and that means learning how to be a warrior - including dealing with the issues of warriors. I'll tell you what I can."

Clovertwist stopped walking, and by now he and Eaglepaw were at the base of the Great Rock looking toward it. "It's a bit of a long story, so if you get tired or confused you'll have to say something." Clovertwist turned his back to the Rock and sat, looking at Eaglepaw dor permission to begin.

Eaglepaw flicked her ears at the surprise that had flashed through her mentor's eyes as she demanded to know the truth. He was right, she was no longer a nosy kit, but an apprentice of Windclan. She seserved to know what has happening to her clan and why all the cat's were suddenly falling ill. "Clovertwist-" she said and then shut her mouth. "You may begin. Please start the at very beginning." she sat down opposite of her mentor, wrapped her golden tail around her paws and looked at him; waiting for him to start talking.

Clovertwist tipped his head as she said his name, feeling briefly confused when a moment later she cut herself off. He blinked and straightened up when she gave him permission to begin. He nodded and cleared his throat. "Alright. So during this past leaf-bare, we were all at a Gathering when suddenly there was a storm; there was wind out of nowhere, the stars were covered in dark clouds while the moon shone on, and there was a great red star that fell and burst in the distance behind the leaders. The medicine cats were forced to speak about a vision or prophecy or something that they’d seen, and they revealed that the leaders of ShadowClan and RiverClan - Thornstar and Torrentstar at the time - had committed the ultimate crime against the code by being mates.” Clovertwist shook his head, still in disbelief at how any sort of intimacy could’ve come from their clearly horrendous behavior towards each other.

”Thornstar was pregnant with his kits, even though only a few moons before that Torrentstar had chased Dappleshine - you know Dappleshine, Raventail’s mate - out just for admitting she was having feelings for a cat from another Clan, and moons before that he’d forced his grandkit to decide in the middle of a Gathering whether she was going to be in ThunderClan or RiverClan.” The silver tabby’s eyes flickered aside to Eaglepaw, and he added briefly, ”I’m, uh, not really sure what happened there, to be honest. I wasn’t involved in whatever that was.” Clovertwist’s kinked tail twitched, and he continued, ”Anyways, the point is, half forest was furious with them - mostly Torrentstar because of what a badger he’d always been and how two-faced it was for him to have done something like that.

“Oakstar, ThunderClan’s leader, and Finchstar both agreed that what the other Clans did wasn’t their business, but more importantly Finchstar believed it shouldn’t matter. He thought love should be what we followed - what we fought for - and that the code agreed with him. Torrentstar’s deputy, Ivy… uh… Ivy-something, was furious. She led RiverClan away and ended the Gathering, and at the next Gathering she was still leading them because RiverClan didn’t believe they could trust Torrentstar,” Clovertwist explained. His face darkened with thought, remembering what had happened after that Gathering. ”After that, well… Things got a lot worse. There was greencough in WindClan, and Aspenheart and Softpaw were fighting at the time. They’d received visions at the Moonstone that StarClan demanded the impure and the outsiders and the code-breakers be thrown out of the Clans or worse. If we didn’t, then punishment would find them anyways.”

Clovertwist deflated slightly, looking sad as he rumbled, ”Softpaw defied StarClan right in front of the Moonstone, and Aspenheart apparently freaked out and struck her to try to keep StarClan from doing anything to her or to WindClan. Downpaw found out and attacked him for it - that was when all of WindClan found out about StarClan’s demands, and where Aspenheart got that jagged scar on his muzzle. He’ll notice if you’re looking at it, so try not to stare. Anyways, Finchstar still refused to obey StarClan’s demands. He’d caught whitecough and lost a life to it when it turned to greencough, and apparently one of the Righteous Few came to Finchstar himself and told him to obey and send the loners and Clan-hoppers home. Even though he lost a life, he said that none of that was in the warrior code, and that he would defend their right to choose.”

He sighed and said much more softly, grief in his voice, "My father died of greencough before he could see what The Righteous Few were starting to do." He paused to look at Eaglepaw, wondering if she was understanding everything alright. There was more to say, but he wanted to give her a moment to ask questions if she had any.

Eaglepaw twitched her tail. "That makes sense. Please, continue." she said flicking an ear. She had caught the part about Clovertwist's father, but he didn't seem like the type that like sympathy.

Clovertwist nodded in acknowledgment and returned to the tale. He took a deep breath. "The next Gathering, Torrentstar and Thornstar had both been killed. RiverClan's new leader, Ivystar, had found Torrentstar's body at the border, and her Clan couldn't figure out what had killed him, but then Flintstar - the new ShadowClan leader - told Ivystar and the whole forest that StarClan had killed Thornstar, and most likely Torrentstar, too. Flintstar said he saw them with his own eyes. He and Thornstar had been on patrol together when one of the Righteous Few came on behalf of StarClan and took all of his leder's lives at once." Clovertwist shook his head at the injustice.

He went on, "Flintstar was afraid for his Clan, and he told every Clan he was going to obey the code and make his Clanmates do so, too, and that the other Clans should do the same. Finchstar was furious. He said StarClan had no right - that they were dead and had no respect for living cats, and that their time had passed. He said we should live to love, not to serve some dead tyrants." Clovertwist winced, both at the memory and at his brazen statement - even if it had been Finchstar's sentiment. "Lightning struck and StarClan ended the Gathering with a storm. Everyone went home. Aspenheart was pretty furious with Finchstar for making WindClan such a big target, but… I mean. I think Aspenheart was as afraid for Finchstar as for the Clan. They were like brothers.

The medicine cats were cut off from StarClan then. No one heard anything at the half-moon meeting, I guess. It was like our ancestors had all just cut us out completely. Then the… the last Gathering came." Clovertwist glanced aside at Eaglepaw. He nodded solemnly, continuing, "Finchstar died that night. At first it seemed clear, and maybe it was a little tense, but at first it really felt like it was just any other Gathering. But then… well, all the leaders but Finchstar had spoken, and before he could say anything, there was a flash. I wasn't right next to where they appeared, but the Righteous Few - or so they call themselves - appeared in the middle of the Gathering."

Clovertwist thought for a moment on that night, however painful the memory, to consider what he'd seen. "There were five. In life, they were leaders - one for each of the Clans. In death they're… convinced their way is the only way. They came to the Clans and said to everyone that they'd tried to warn us - tell our medicine cats, I guess - what would happen if we didn't obey the code. They had told us that we'd need to cast out all the cats who ever broke the code, even if they apologized and tried to make it right, and to send all the Clan-hoppers to their birth homes regardless of how they came to be in WindClan. They wanted us to abandon our Clanmates." The tom's pale amber eyes were pained. "They decided they'd take it into their own paws, and so they interrupted the Gathering to threaten the Clans. Worse, they blamed Finchstar for letting WindClan get as bad.

The Righteous Few demanded that the other leaders strike Finchstar down to prove their loyalty and prove that they'd do what they were told to purify the forest, but none of the leaders would do it." Clovertwist looked out over the clearing, remembering the chaos that had exploded at the demand. He stated, "Nearly everyone protested - Morningpaw first and loudest, as usual - but it… it didn't matter. Finchstar said he would let them kill him so long as they left his Clan alone. The dead WindClan leader, Galestar, she… she jumped onto the Great Rock, and she touched his nose to his, and sh-she took all of his lives." Clovertwist's voice quivered as he got near the end. He looked at Eaglepaw and meowed, "Maybe Finchstar let too many loners in and bent too many rules, but killing leaders is just… just too far. I don't understand how StarClan could do this. That's why everyone's afraid; we've never experienced our ancestors this way."

Eaglepaw looked thoughtful for a while and then smiled sadly. "I understand and now I know why Raventail has a warrior name although is the leader for now." she said with a gleam in her eyes. She then blinked and the gleam was gone, to be replaced with a type of comforting look in their amber depths. "Covertwist, I understand now why everyone was hiding these things from me and the other's while we were still kits."

Clovertwist nodded his head once at Eaglepaw's mention of Raventail. He added in agreement, "Yeah. We're pretty sure WindClan hasn't earned the favor of the Righteous Few, and we aren't willing to risk Raventail to whatever they might have planned." His eyes widened in mild surprise at his apprentice's next comment, and he dipped his head deeply. "It's been kinda hard to know what to say to the kits because... well, even I'm scared. If leaders aren't safe, I don't know what it means for any of us. But that doesn't mean we can give up hope. It's not what any of our loved ones would want." Clovertwist shook his head as if trying to dispel the worries like water drops on his whiskers. He stood and gestured to the empty clearing. "Do you wanna walk around for a bit?"

Eaglepaw nodded her head. "yes please. I don't want to look like a mouse-brain in front of the other clans this coming gathering! I am so eager to attend!" she said with happiness in her voice. "This will be my first gathering as an apprentice!" In her excitement, Eaglepaw forgot that Clovertwist would already know that since he was her mentor and she was his apprentice. "Clovertwist, can you tell me what the gathering's are about? I want to be prepared."

Clovertwist nodded, his whiskers twitching with mild amusement, and he meowed, "Have at it." He gestured to the towering stone behind them and explained, "This is the Great Rock. The leaders of each of the five Clans sit on top of the rock during the Gathering. Right now we have Raventail, of course, then there's Oakstar of ThunderClan, Flintstar of ShadowClan, Ivystar of RiverClan, and Spottedstar of SkyClan. Their deputies and medicine cats each sit at the foot of the rock away from the rest of the Clans. We regular cats all just sit out here wherever." He waved his crimped tail vaguely at their surroundings. "There isn't anywhere specific you're supposed to sit, but if you're ever unsure you can always just stay with your Clanmates. It's a night of peace, so the worst that'll happen if you talk to an unfriendly cat is they might growl at you."

Eaglepaw nodded soaking all of this information up like a little sponge. "Alright, but what happens if some cat's to happen to fight? Surely there have been fight's to break out at the gatherings." she said twitching her tail and straining to see the top of the great rock. One day, I might be up there.