August 2021 Gathering

Rogues, huh? And kits? He found himself slightly amused - that wasn't exactly something SkyClan was known for, with their penchant for being xenophobes. On the other paw, he hadn't really expected an answer about Wolfstar, but if he were dead he had a feeling Bloodstrike wouldn't have hesitated to make it clear. He gave an amused snort to the question, a lopsided smile tugging at the edge of his maw. "Leaders don't appreciate getting reminded of their mistakes," He replied dryly. If Wolfstar was anything like Torrentstar had been, he could imagine the ice-cold glare that would've followed.

At the other's explanation of SkyClan's... thistles, though, he had to fight to stop himself from cocking a brow, keeping his face as straight as he knew how and allowing his gaze to briefly flick over said Clan, with its ruffled fur and suspicious glances - the clear tension between its cats and those of WindClan. "Ah. Maybe you should try keeping your claws sheathed," He suggested flippantly, a slight smile taking any edge out of his tone. Training regimen. Sure.

A slight grimace flickered over his maw at the following question, one that reminded him of his own still-healing wounds. "Just a couple of badgers in our own training regimens. Predators are loving the boom in Green-leaf activity - I swear half the problem is those slapping twolegs crashing around everywhere." His ear twitched as ShadowClan's leader stepped forward, and he added, "Still, it could be worse."

Smokepelt... can't say I've heard of any strange ShadowClanners on our territory. He made a note to himself to tell their patrols to keep an eye out for any signs of strange cats - or rather, to tell Thrushnose so she could remind them. You'll have to remember first. He listened to the rest of the report, not exactly in any particular hurry - Bat was in good paws back at camp, and she would appreciate a more complete picture of events, rather than him rushing through everything to run straight back.

Sunpaw perked up as he recognized his friend's familiar voice. "Oh, h-hi Brookthistle...! Who was that you were talkin' to? I...haven't met anyone new yet, but I'd like to..." He shuffled his paws in the dirt, giving her a shy smile. Since Brookthistle had become a warrior, he had seen less of her. Maybe now they would get a chance to talk outside of camp.

Frostpaw had entered the gathering silently, sat down, and stayed as far away from the other clans as possible. He was not interested in idle chatter, simply the announcements from the other clans. Did Skyclan and Windclan always look so... beaten up? His first thought was no, and that this was seemingly a special case. Perhaps there had been large predator fights on either side, or perhaps they had fought each other? So many curiosities, so little time. Flintstar spoke first, which made Frostpaw vaguely proud. His clan seemed the most level-headed so far, and Frostpaw even thanked the stars for that. All of what he'd seen told him that the other clans were much more prone to fighting, or having issues. While rogues were no easy deal, it seemed like they could deal with them simply, and efficiently.

Frostpaw is open to talk to!

There was an underlying feeling of dread in Dayspring's stomach as she twisted her head and lifted her gaze to stare up at the Great Rock from where she was positioned below. Lilacstar's predicament had made it hard for the she-cat to bring herself to speak, and honestly, the deputy completely understood. The past few moons hadn't been the greatest for WindClan, but that was an inappropriate thing to share.  Any leader or deputy with common sense would never dare to make their Clan seem weak in the presence of the other four Clans by sharing nothing but their troubles and tribulations. Well, then again, it was almost as if there was nothing but trials and tribulations to share in the first place.

Warriors and apprentices alike carried scars, scratches, and injuries, Lilacstar had lost a life, and Dayspring had a broken leg. How was she possibly supposed to twist such tragedies into something positive? Besides, the she-cat had no desire to speak in the first place. Speaking at Fourtrees was incomparable to holding an ordinary Clan meeting. There were four times the amount of cats here that she was used to addressing, and to make matters worse, she would have to give the announcements from the bottom of the rock.

How humiliating was that? With the leader down for the count and the deputy down on the ground, the remaining Clans were sure to sense some sort of weakness. She decided to get her turn over with instead of being the last one to speak. Perhaps that would soften the blow.

"Um, well, WindClan has been faring well..."

What a blatant lie.

"...o-over the past moon, we've been blessed with a multitude of new apprentices and many cats have earned a warrior name such as Brookthistle..."

What a vague statement. She was sure that every Clan could say the exact same thing. The most important event of the past moon had been the battle, and it was right on the tip of her tongue. Mentioning it would give an explanation to every cat in the clearing as to why SkyClan and WindClan both looked like they had been torn apart. However, she was unsure if it would be the wise thing to do. Her point of view on the battle was extremely different from SkyClan's, and the last thing that Dayspring wanted was a Fourtrees showdown between the two deputies.

"...and I'm sure that the end of Greenleaf will bring more fortune and prey to the Clan. That is all." She finished.

It was hard for her to focus on her volume as she spoke, so it was possible that the first couple rows of cats and those on the Great Rock were the only ones who were able to hear her clearly, but Dayspring was just glad to be finished... no matter how embarrassing it was.

Brookthistle smiled as Sunpaw perked up. Surely he'd be receiving his warrior name any day now. After all, he'd been every bit as ferocious and brave in the battle as she had. "Oh, Henpaw? She's one of Tawnyflare's kits." She mewed, sitting down and wrapping her tail over her paws. "I haven't really talked to anyone since, either. Well except Downtuft and you!" The she-cats whispered twitched in amusement, when Dayspring's voice caught her ears.

Especially at the mention of her name.
The confident she-cat instantly corrected her posture, which was loose, and stood tall, her chin held high. If only Dayspring sounded a bit more confident while saying her name, though... Either way, she was sure her confidence gathered some respect from the other Clans.

Her soft blue eyes turned back to Sunpaw. "Im sure it'll be your turn soon enough."

Bloodstrike smiled and even gave Minkstar a chuckle. Badgers in the training regimens? "If Thunderclan has somehow obtained battle badgers I doubt you'll have trouble from other cats anytime soon." It was all he would say to humor the other leader. Dayspring suddenly spoke up and made the announcements for Windclan, something Bloodstrike had not been expecting. He looked long and hard at Lilacstar now, wondering just what in the world she was doing. Once Dayspring finished and had made no mention of the battle, he trusted that Ivystar would keep her maw closed on the matter as well.

Good.

Bloodstrike stepped forward, his head high, his shoulders back and his green gaze sweeping fearlessly over the clan cats gathered before him. This was too important of a moment to mess up. The giant tom took in a great breath and projected his voice out across the clearing from the pit of his gut. This would be the first indication to all of the clans that once Bloodstar sat upon the Great Rock, Skyclan would never be known as weak again. It all started now, with his stance, his posture, his tone of voice and the volume of it.

If everyone assumed Bloodstrike hadn't been practicing for this moment since he was first named deputy so many moons ago... they were about to have those beliefs completely shattered.

"Skyclan is doing well. We welcome two new warriors, Spottedfrog and Shadewing." Nighthaze had been murdered, but he wasn't about to tell the entire forest that. It was exactly at this moment that Bloodstrike's eyes could have burned holes into the earth's core as he scanned every member of every clan's faces for a reaction. Starclan save anyone who even suggested guilt.

"We also welcome new apprentices to our ranks! Bumblepaw, Rainypaw, Pippaw and..." Another sweep of the crowd... another twitch of his claws behind his toes. Any reaction at all that suggested anything but surprise or confusion by the name of this new apprentice... and Bloodstrike would find them later. "Dawnpaw! We trust these warriors and apprentices to serve Skyclan well! A rogue she-cat named Sapphire has been accepted into Skyclan's ranks. We trust that her kits will be excellent additions to Skyclan as well! That is all."

So many traps had just been laid... so many nets had been cast. If there was even one guilty cat here, they were already caught before they knew it. Did the other clans here think this was just another gathering after everything Skyclan had been through? No. This was an interrogation. This was just a small taste of what things would be like with Skyclan under Bloodstar. The other clans would know reason or they would know fear, and it didn't matter to Bloodstrike which one they chose.

The giant tom stepped back and waited for either Minkstar or Ivystar to step up next.

"Ivystar, Lilacstar... or Dayspring if she'll be standing in for you," His tone suggested that he looked down on such an action after what the other deputy had gone through... but he didn't let his voice stop long enough for her to respond. "I'd like to speak with you both once this gathering is over. It's... relevant and fairly important." His tone betrayed nothing of what the message would be about. There were many questions flying around the gathering at this point more than likely.

Bloodstrike purposely made no mention of Wolfstar, or Nighthaze's death, or made any indication that Dawnpaw was in fact... a she-cat and not at all the cat they might assume upon hearing the name. If they thought he had accepted Dawnhawk back into their ranks, good. He wanted them to wonder.

There was a rustle in the ferns at the edge of the hollow. A golden head poked through the leaves. Dawnpaw gasped in amazement at the assembled cats, more than she’d ever imagined in her short life. She didn’t see Prima, or Smokema, but she did see her mentor on top of the… Bigrockthingy. Why was he up there? Dawnpaw sat under one of the trees, wondering what exactly she was supposed to do. Maybe she’d better wait until somecat spotted her or SkyClan started to leave. Yeah. She’d do that. She probably shouldn’t talk to anycat until she knew what she was supposed to say (or not say). Maybe her mentor would notice her? She waved her tail at him, wondering why he was on the BigRockThingy. Maybe she could sit on the BigRockThingy? She’d have to ask him, later. Hopefully somecat would notice her. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to be doing right now, but she hoped no cat would get mad at her.

"Where's Wolfstar?"

A petulant voice rose above the murmur of the crowd. Cloverpaw had left her spot wedged between her two bodyguards, dragging herself forward to stand just in front of the deputies circling the Great Rock. Silently, she cursed Bloodstrike for sitting above with the leaders when she realized how much she had to crane her neck to look up at him, and how much the simple action made the scars there ache.

Now, the pain did not matter to her. Her pale eyes burned with righteous fury as she stared up at the hulking deputy, her gaze briefly flicking to Flintstar and Minkstar. If they didn't already know, she would be the one to tell them.

Bringing her attention down to look at Dayspring, she paused, then turned to face the crowd with a deep breath. In the corner of her vision, she saw the flash of a golden pelt emerge from the trees. Distantly, she remembered the passing descriptions of Dawnhawk. If it was him, SkyClan would have already noticed and they would descend on him sooner than later. She had to use her time well.

"SkyClan led an attack recently that left many cats injured," she started, voice rising in volume. Fear had gripped her already-trembling heart now. If Bloodstrike wanted to leap off that rock and onto her back, or if his warriors wanted to flood through the crowd and drive her into the earth... there was nothing to stop any of them. But she could not stop.

This was right. This was just.

"Wolfstar mauled me. Bloodstrike and Beechface did worse damage than he." Only distantly was Cloverpaw aware enough not to name the injured, even if every cat at Fourtrees could see the wounds WindClan and RiverClan now carried. Her vision was starting to cloud, red and foggy with rage. "Their higher ranks are vicious. They act like nothing but rogues." Her tail was lashing, and she was desperately wishing she could sit. Her legs had started to tremble, but she refused to let herself relax. She had marched up here with a purpose. She would not back down.

"They kindly left their criminal nature out of their report, but you can see it in the cats around you! They're hardly warriors. They are bloodthirsty and cruel." A dull voice in the back of Cloverpaw's head wondered if she was doing this for anyone else other than herself, if she really cared about the damage done by anyone other than Wolfstar. She shook away the thought and lifted her chin, fighting back a wince. She felt like she might fall over.

She was doing the right thing. They had been the victims, SkyClan the aggressors. They deserved to face justice; the forest deserved to know.

Half-turning to look at ShadowClan and ThunderClan's leaders again, she stared at them for a long few heartbeats before slinking back into the crowd where she could slump down and let her shaking legs rest, out of sight of the leaders. Of Bloodstrike.

And just like that, Turtlefur was eating his words. StarClan wasn’t stopping Wolfstar from being cruel if the open reveal of the cause of Cloverpaw’s injuries was any indication. Of course he and the rest of RiverClan knew of the fight, but the reason and the true damage had been obscured. Cloverpaw was silently pleading with ThunderClan and ShadowClan to do something, but what could be done? SkyClan had already lost. It wasn’t even the most important response. Bloodstrike’s wrath was at the top of Turtlefur’s mind, and gave a sharp glance to Flypaw. “Stay back.”

Stars, his apprentice was hurt enough, and so was Cloverpaw. So was WindClan and several of his Clanmates. He just wanted everything to calm down. Turtlefur wove his way through the crowd to her side. He nudged her shoulder with his muzzle, amber eyes wide and nervous. “You’re very brave, and you’ve gone completely mad.” He meowed. But he hadn’t gone over to her to say that. He wanted to be right there in case something broke out—indeed, he was planted firmly between Cloverpaw and the Great Rock. It was his responsibility as one of the healthier members of the Clan, and he’d protect his friend no matter what chaos might come of her actions.

Ashfall's plan to stick close to the deputies to ensure Dayspring's comfort had fallen apart faster than she could run... though to be fair, that wasn't very fast currently. Firstly, Lilacstar was unable to find the words to address the gathering, forcing Dayspring to speak in her place. She shot Windclan's deputy a sorry glance. Dayspring wasn't prepared, no wonder she was nervous to address all the clans. Dayspring was fairly soft-spoken anyway, it just made Ashfall feel bad for her.

Then, it looked like Skyclan's medicine cat and Riverclan's medicine cat apprentice were not having a great time together. Even going as far as the smaller cat having to back away from the larger. Originally, Ashfall hadn't thought it would escalate. This was a gathering, Starclan would have their tails for fighting, they were medicine cats after all. Then the smaller came in front of the deputies, and Ashfall knew that this would end up being a very long gathering. She began talking about the fight, after both Skyclan and Windclan had neglected to mention the battle. Ashfall wasn't thrilled with that decision, but she did not blame Dayspring for not mentioning it. She likely didn't want to cause waves, and Bloodstrike followed suit. This one though... she was being a bit unwise. Her speech wasn't wrong, and the other clans deserved to know what Skyclan had did, how they had fought.

Ashfall nearly moved between Cloverpaw and the Great Rock, before she watched her slink away. Good, Bloodstrike couldn't leap from above and maul her. Her gaze followed the medicine cat apprentice until she was out of sight, the head of another warrior joining her. Riverclan would protect their own. If Skyclan made any move to injure that poor cat, she'd hurt them in turn. Wolfstar already mauled that cat, no need for her to be injured further. Besides, she was already collecting scars, what was one more defending another. Muttering, "At least all the clans know now...", she turned her gaze on Bloodstrike, watching him carefully. If he made one move to injure that apprentice, stars help him.

As soon as RiverClan's medicine cat challenged Bloodstrike, Spottedfrog was on her paws. She didn't move immediately, didn't make any advances towards the scarred apprentice, not yet, but she was ready. The audacity of Cloverpaw to speak out of turn, to make accusations against SkyClan, was enraging. We didn't start that war, you did, when you lied about Dawnhawk. Her eyes flicked briefly to Bloodstrike, and then back to Cloverpaw, and silently, she dropped into a half-crouch, moving slightly at an angle to get closer to the Great Rock, but behind the WindClan cats that were now gathering around the medicine cat. Her yellow eyes were narrowed, her fluffy tail lashed back and forth, and she just watched, and waited for a signal. If violence was to break out here tonight - though she hoped it wouldn't - Spottedfrog would be ready.

Smallbean watched the gathering in silence. As usual, he sat along the clearing's edge, but was still within earshot of the leaders and medicine cats. Anxiety churned in his stomach, especially because of the past war. Tension was running rampant through the crowd and he wanted to be no part of it. The medicine cat noticed how Bloodstrike had taken Wolfstar's place. Had he stepped down like Lilacstar had? No, surely not. The Skyclan leader was probably just sick. 'And he probably deserves it.'

Cloverpaw's voice caught Smallbean's attention. 'Oh no.' His mismatched gaze flickered over to the apprentice, then up toward Bloodstrike and over to Beechface. They wouldn't dare attack her again, would they? And especially not at a gathering. The tom had spent a good amount of time with Cloverpaw following the battle. A part of him was silently rooting for Cloverpaw for exposing the cruelty of Skyclan's higher ranks, but another part of him wished that Cloverpaw would keep quiet to avoid any arguments, Starclan forbid anything worse.

[Smallbean is open for conversation?]

A light huff of laughter answered the larger tom, Minkstar twitching his whiskers in amusement. If only. Though from the looks of things the other Clans needed trained badgers more than they did. It'll be interesting to hear what the other Clans have to say. He flicked a glance in Lilacstar's direction, noting the tension that seemed to exist mainly between her and SkyClan's deputy.

But when a WindClan cat spoke to bring up the news, it wasn't the leader.

His ears stiffened in surprise, a frown flickering over his maw as he looked down to see their deputy - whatever her name was, he'd forgotten - splint and all, giving the announcement, her voice cracking and stumbling. His eyes flicked from her to Lilacstar, noting the way the leader was shrinking at the back. What in the stars? Something wasn't right here. These cats had been beyond wounded; he could sense it in the way the deputy's voice quavered, in the way Lilacstar hid. A feeling between sympathy and a growing wariness bloomed in his chest, claws twitching in their sheaths to tap gently against the stone beneath him. Whatever happened, it's worse than I thought. It couldn't have been just a skirmish.

Even as his thoughts buzzed, SkyClan went next. He let an ear twitch as Bloodstrike stepped forward and delivered his news, forcing his mind to quiet for now and listening keenly for anything he might announce to all the Clans in general that he wasn't willing to spill to one curious cat alone. A list of new warriors and apprentices was all he got, whiskers twitching slightly at the mention of a Dawnpaw. That murderer's name had been Dawn-something, hadn't it? He doubted they'd let him back in after ordering his execution, but why in Silverpelt some mother would name her kit after the exile was beyond him. Is he going to say anything about WindClan? In terms of the tom's words, he was disappointed, but in terms of everything else.... The hair on the back of his neck tingled at the way Bloodstrike looked over the cats below, his voice powerful and commanding, and somehow setting Minkstar's teeth on edge. This was a cat bent on sinking his claws into anyone who showed an emotion he didn't like, not a leader peacefully addressing the Clans to share his own's news.

He kept his face expressionless as Bloodstrike stepped back, not missing the words he directed at both WindClan and RiverClan, despite the latter not being in as bad condition. I have a bad, bad feeling about this.... A muscle in his jaw twitching, he stepped forward to set his paws where the SkyClan deputy had just vacated, forcing other thoughts to the back of his mind for now as he prepared to go over the rehearsed announcement.

Instead, he found his eyes flicking down to a heavily scratched little white she-cat, her shrill voice ringing out indignantly. Stars, how could their medicine cat let her out here with wounds like that?

A memory flicked through his mind of another WindClan apprentice who'd always had to have her say as the molly continued, and he felt his muscles tensing. Was every cat in WindClan like this? Wait.... He drew in a subtle breath, her scent hitting his tongue. RiverClan? His eyes widened, flicking to Ivystar as the accusatory words spilled out to taint the air. They had attacked RiverClan? Mentally reeling, he found his limbs stiffening, fur bristling in shock. Then... WindClan wasn't...?

His teeth clenched, eyes turning back down to catch the little apprentice staring up, her gaze flashing and chin lifted with all the pride an absolute fishbrain could muster. Obviously she expected some sort of reprimand from him and Flintstar at SkyClan's supposed savagery, or expected that he was foxing blind. A low growl rumbled quietly in the depths of his throat, though a part of him knew it wasn't quite anger at her, his eyes flashing as he opened his maw and announced simply, "ThunderClan is doing well - apparently better than most other Clans right now. But I am postponing ThunderClan's announcement in favour of discussing this new information a RiverClan apprentice has brought forward."

He turned his head briefly, eyes cold, body eerily still and relaxed, though he could feel the blood rushing in his ears. "Her opinion is obviously biased, as I don't see SkyClan looking much better than the rest of you, but I'd like an explanation why SkyClan felt it was necessary to attack RiverClan."

As soon as brave Cloverpaw spoke, the apprentice who'd been mauled to shreds by Wolfstar, Brookthistle stiffened. She desperately looked to Sunpaw, "I'm going to stand near her, in case some SkyClan brute decides she doesn't have enough injuries. Come with me, if you want, but I'd feel better if you did." She mewed, sincerity in her last sentence.

Brookthistle began padding forward swiftly, beaten only by another RiverClanner; he wasn't in the battle, but he smelled like fish. She stood directly beside the apprentice, and glared with hatred at the SkyClan leader. "Don't worry, Cloverpaw. RiverClan came to our aid, and you were injured enough in that battle. If he or any SkyClanner tries to get you, I'll claw his eyes out." Brookthistle whispered, tail lashing behind her.

It didn't take long for someone in Riverclan to part their yowling squawker and give Bloodstrike exactly what he was waiting for. Was it ideal? Not necessarily... but it would work for his given situation. He'd planned this weeks in advance, and Cloverpaw willingly waltzed right into one of the many nets Bloodstrike had laid out. Thank you, medicine cat apprentice, for weakening your clan's position so beautifully for me. He watched with amusement as cats ran to defend their mouthy apprentice. As if anyone could stop him from killing Cloverpaw if that's what he wished to do. They might eventually bring him down, but that apprentice's skull would be crushed between his jaws if that's what he set his mind to.

Bloodstrike allowed Minkstar to speak and then casually stepped forward, back onto the rock. If Ivystar wasn't going to quiet her impulsive, mouse-brained apprentice, he was whole-heartedly going to take full advantage of it.

"Clover... paw was it?" He paused a moment, making sure the apprentice was reminded of their rank, before continuing. "I allowed Windclan's leadership to speak first for a reason. If they had wanted to bring up the battle, they could have done so. Seeing as Dayspring had not... clearly it wasn't something that they wanted every clan to know, as you have so impulsively decided for yourself that that wasn't good enough for you and you alone. I was willing to oblige and keep it between our clans as well, but since you have come here with some false sense of righteousness and took it into your own paws, without permission from your leader or even waiting for her announcements... I now have to defend my clan against half-truths and blatant lies thrown my way. Were you hoping to recruit Shadowclan and Thunderclan into this conflict as well? Was that night of bloodshed not enough for you?"

Bloodstrike spoke loud enough for all to hear, but reclined calmly onto his haunches to show that he wasn't going to attack anyone here. Still, it tickled him to see how other clan cats reacted. He'd gotten at least one thing that he'd wanted so far.

"Alright clans... remember our war criminal, Dawnhawk, that we have repeatedly warned you all about for the passed several Gatherings? He has murdered many cats which was why we were warning you all about him to begin with. Well, we had an informant finally come to Skyclan to tell us that Dawnhawk was being harbored in Windclan this entire time. Windclan cannot claim ignorance, as they were all present when Wolfstar gave his warnings. Maybe I need to be very clear with his crimes, and I apologize to Ivystar, as this announcement will not be a fast one." He looked at Ivystar and gave her one nod, hoping a dip of his ears would be enough of an apology. He had to defend his clan, though this time with words. He turned his attention back to the crowd.

"Dawnhawk lead the Asylum to Skyclan's camp on that night that they all came for us. He had been training with them in secret for moons, actively betraying his clan. To prove his loyalty to the Asylum, he was ordered to kill one of his own and bring the body back as proof. We lost Swansong that night, though we previously believed it was to a fox. That was the first of seven of Dawnhawk's victims. Yes... seven. Possibly soon to be nine, as two of our warriors are still in critical condition. I was imprisoned during Asylum's reign, so a lot of what I am saying is not what I witnessed with my own eyes but are accounts taken from other members of my clan."

He scanned the crowd again for reactions and his claws kneaded the edge of the Great Rock.

"Dawnhawk rose to the rank of the Standard Captain I believe at some point, and Stars knows what he did to get such a high position in the Asylum in such a short amount of time. Shortly after that, he approached my former mate in the nursery and demanded that she help persuade the last remaining resistance in Skyclan to fully comply to the Asylum's rule. When she refused, he lashed out in anger and killed his three moons old sister in front of his mother to intimidate her to get what he wanted. When Beechface tried to defend the other kit, Mountainheart as you all know her now, he fought with her and threatened to skin her alive in front of Smokefeather. An Asylum guard tried to stop him and then he was killed too, purely so Dawnhawk could mar his body with claw marks. He wanted to make it look like that he had actually saved Beechface, Smokefeather and Mountainkit from a crazed Asylum guard and threatened to go after the rest of Smokefeather's children, his own siblings, if the truth of this story was to ever come out. So for several weeks, he looked like a hero, while Smokefeather and Beechface were under strict gag orders about what they had witnessed and endured."

Bloodstrike's eyes went to the Windclan side of the gathering, curious to see who was surprised by this news and who was not.

"Shortly after that, the Asylum was overthrown, and the truth of what had happened in that nursery finally came out. That was why we had a strict kill on sight order for Dawnhawk. At first we limited it to our own territory, but Dawnhawk had come back over the border, found Smokefeather hunting alone, and permanently maimed her. My former mate is now in the elder's den, though she is younger than me, because Dawnhawk gave her a permanent injury. So the kill on sight orders were now forest-wide, where ever he may be. In my fury I took it upon myself to hunt him down and find him. Tigersong and Lichenmask, Lichenpaw at the time, came with me. We found Dawnhawk in the twoleg place and we chased him... but we lost Tigersong that day and he escaped. He split Tigersong from belly to throat to send us a message to stop chasing him."

He waited a moment for the clans to process his words. If any of them didn't look horrified by now, then there was no hope at all for this forest.

"That was the last time I physically laid eyes on Dawnhawk... and clans if you're paying attention you will know that there are three more who have died that I haven't told their stories yet... and these are the most recent." Now Bloodstrike's facial expression changed. His face wrinkled up to reveal both of his fangs and his ears lay flat.

"We went to battle with Windclan the night after the last gathering, as they had heard our warnings over the course of many gatherings and still kept Dawnhawk in their clan. Minkstar... Skyclan did not attack Riverclan. Riverclan attacked Skyclan when they assisted Windclan that night. They assisted in protecting Dawnhawk, also despite our warnings over many gatherings. I don't know why. That is something Ivystar will have to address. Once Skyclan reached Windclan territory and the battle had begun, we were informed that Dawnhawk had left."

Bloodstrike raised his voice even more, beyond just projecting his voice to be heard.

"WINDCLAN ALLOWED DAWNHAWK TO ESCAPE FROM US! There was no messenger sent to Skyclan to inform us that he was gone the day before, a task that was easily doable. No. They allowed Skyclan to make the journey there and had the audacity to think that just because Dawnhawk wasn't in Windclan territory at the time that we would just turn around and go home. This is not how warfare works. We didn't travel all of that way with all of our capable warriors to be turned away at the entrance. So fighting ensued, resulting in the injuries you see before you."

He took a breath to calm himself down. He needed to deliver the final news with clarity.

"Now... the final three who died... Skyclan lost Cloudmane, an elder that was an apprentice when Tinystar became leader. We lost an apprentice who was too sick to come fight with us, my daughter, Maplepaw. Blossomstep, my mother and Wolfstar's mate, was found dead as well. Dawnhawk, the criminal that Windclan had released rather than just hand him over to us at the entrance had gone to Skyclan camp and slaughtered all three of them while we were out fighting. Even if we had turned around and went back home rather than fight, I could tell by how cold and stiff their bodies were that Dawnhawk waited for us to leave then attacked shortly after. We would never have made it back in time."

Bloodstrike's claws made a scraping sound against the Great Rock as he flexed them out over and over.

"So. Windclan. Why didn't you send a messenger to us the day before the fighting? Dawnhawk was apparently already gone by the time we got there... I dare say you had time to send us one of your swift-footed warriors and we could have avoided all of this. More importantly, why didn't you keep him there for us and then just hand him over? Skyclan and Windclan could have parted ways on much better terms if you'd done that and no one in Windclan would have been hurt at all. But no, you allowed him to run free. How do I know that Lilacstar didn't tell Dawnhawk to go attack our camp? How do we know Dawnhawk isn't secretly back in Windclan camp right now, fattening himself up on a hare and spending time in the nursery with a new batch of his kits? After everything that has happened... why should any clan trust Windclan? Why should anyone come to your aid? You certainly don't care for the plights of others... unless they're rogues or war criminals apparently."

Bloodstrike turned his attention to Ivystar again. His tone was calm, far calmer than even he felt it should be.

"Why, Ivystar? What did Lilacstar promise you for this? I highly doubt anything she has offered you, Skyclan could not also make that offer... and you'd not be defending a murderer on top of that."