The River Protects [P7]

ShadowClan's scent was heavy in the air. The patrol had found the bodies of the rogues in Twolegplace. It was undeniable now; the Deomilites were real, and they were heading for the four remaining Clans.

Reedheart stood at the entrance of camp, ears pricked. It was his vigil. It had been a quiet night; the stream surrounding camp was lazy and crickets sung their songs. The night sky was clear, and the moon hung in the sky, illuminating the camp in a pale silver light. Reedheart's breath billowed in the cold. Leafbare hadn't been as cruel to the Clan as it was to the others. The river was a source of life, and StarClan had blessed them with fish. But Reedheart had been contemplating his place in the Clan now that he was a warrior. The ceremony had been delayed for far too many moons. The aches and pains of the badger attack so long ago had only began to fade. That's when strange scents hit him. He was startled for a second, standing up. His fur bristled as he thought about calling out and breaking the silence. The crickets and frogs stopped their noises, so only the gentle movement of the stream was all he could hear. He opened his jaws and the strong and the scent of ShadowClan hit the roof of his mouth.

Fish-faced... Reedheart began before shaking the thought away. By the smell of it, there was more than one. Uncertainty and fear tainted the air.

"Who goes there?!" Reedheart called out, unsheathing his claws. The tom dipped a white paw into the icy cold water, ready to leap in at the first sign of trouble.

The tom couldn't help but try to suppress a shiver as he stepped out of the cold water, the wind finding the perfect time to roll by and send him shaking in his thin coat. It was something he was somewhat used too, there being a great deal of water in his land as it was, but those ponds were thick and still - these streams were fresh and lively; how RiverClan padded through them everything was a bit difficult for him to understand.

But those thoughts were extremely irrelevant at the moment. His mind was still clouded by the image he had seen at two-leg place; bodies cast aside and left to rot, throats slit without mercy - made worse by the fact that some of those cats he had seen before - somewhat knew. He could only imagine what happened to SkyClan.

Slipping through the reed-woven entrance, with Cedarfur and Mallowpaw at his tail, he was greeted by a fierce looking, young warrior. Sagestar simply blinked, though. It was hardly the worst thing he had seen tonight. "Greetings." The gray tabby meowed blandly and formally, trying to mask the urgency in his tone. While he was trying to keep up appearances, he wasted no time cutting to the chase. "Where is Froststar?" He asked the vigilant, "I must speak with her at once."

Cedarfur followed closely behind his leader, ready to protect the cat if Riverclan was to be hostile. He had doubted it, for Riverclan and Shadowclan held an alliance countless moons old, but anything could happen. Would they sound crazy preaching about a group of evil rogues?
Cedarfur shook his head. Sagestar was as sane as any other cat, and Froststar knew that. They would be fine. He was surprised, though, to spot his friend from the Fourtrees. He almost said hi to him, but stopped when he realized who he was with.

Reedheart ignored the tom's demands, lashing his tail. "What are you doing here?" he questioned urgently, baring his teeth a little. He looked up at the bigger ShadowClan leader without fear, all his thoughts about the Code and the Clans temporarily forgotten in the face of these foreign cats walking into their camp.

The young warrior's eyes spotted Cedarfur for a moment, but he held his tongue and focused back on Sagestar. Three cats. He could take them on... Right? Reedheart yowled loudly for all of the forest to hear, hoping for back up.

"Mousebrain! A leader's matter's don't concern you." hissed Cedarfur, and tightened up his muscles. Surely the camp will get the wrong idea of their arrival because the young warrior's yowl. His tail lashed with annoyance, for battling would be pointless.

Berrysplash's ears perked up, and she managed to find her way to Reedheart. The smell hit her before she even reached him. She blindly leaped in front of Reedheart, not caring if she couldn't see the other cats. "If you lay a single claw on him, you'll have to answer to me!" She growled.

The gray tabby said nothing, simply flicking his ear in irritation at Reedheart, looking back at his warrior and medicine cat, making a quick motion - a silent order for the two of them to stay calm. He held no fear of this cat, or of RiverClan - as he came to do them a favor, and in the end, he knew that Froststar would hear him out. He did, though, appreciate Cedarfur's words. At least his clan knew their places.

The ShadowClan leader shook his head as the young cat gave the alarm, making him sigh. Lovely, now the entire clan would be getting the wrong idea - this frog-brain waking them all out of their sleep. Really, Sagestar couldn't blame him, but they had no time for games. He eyed Berrysplash as she approached with a bit of curiosity, noting the way she moved was quite strange, as well as the scars on her face. ... Was she blind? "We aren't a threat." He growled under his breath, still having faith in peace - but bracing for the worst. "And if you don't have bees in your brains, you'll take us to see your leader at once. It's of great urgency."

Redpaw padded sleepily out of his den, glaring at the Shadowclan cats. "Did you have to come in the middle of the night? Some people are trying to sleep!" He lashed his fluffy tail, glaring at the stinky warriorss. They said we smell bad... Redpaw stalked up until he was nose-to-nose with Cedarfur. "It kind of is our business, fish-brain. Shadowclan being in our camp at night."

Reedheart was grateful for the elder and apprentice's help. He hissed at the ShadowClan cats, but the more he thought about it he began to trust the cats. ShadowClan in kit tales were a ruthless bunch. But there was only three of them. The apprentice didn't look like he could put up much of a fight. And they were outnumbered in RiverClan's camp. He relaxed his fur, staring coldly at Sagestar. "Come on, Redpaw. They don't pose any threat" he said, not daring to take his eyes off of the ShadowClan leader before backing off, sheathing his claws. "But if this is important for RiverClan, then all of RiverClan should hear what you have to say." Reedheart added. To think that earlier that day he couldn't find any pride in his Clan or leader. But it wasn't the Clan that Reedheart was defending, but rather the members. He cast a nervous glance at Berrysplash and the nursery, before the fierceness returned to his eyes.

Berrysplash flicked her ear at Reedheart, and slowly backed away, sheathing her claws. She still felt uneasy, but decided to trust the warrior's judgement.

Redpaw still didn't trust the warriors. "You put one paw out of line..." he hissed. He forced his fur to lie flat but flexed his claws. He sat down to wait for Froststar. His amber gaze was locked on Cedarfur's. Digging his claws into the ground he cast a glance at the medicine den then the warrior den. Just because he couldn't put up a good fight, doesn't mean he would try.

The tom would have been amused by the haughty apprentice, hadn't it been for the situation. "My apologies. It slipped my mind how other clans hate the night so, nor did I consider that you all would be so threatened by two warriors and a medicine cat." He meowed, a sharp tinge to his otherwise subtle teasing. He said nothing as the three cats stepped back, watching as they all glanced back in various places - one being the nursery, judging by the sweet scent of milk that wafted from the den.

"How all of RiverClan is told is not up to me. I'd prefer to tell the leader, not an elder and a few apprentices." Sagestar answered the warrior's challenge. He wasn't sure how they all would react to such shocking news. He wasn't even sure how his own clan would handle it when they had heard the rest of the story. It wasn't in his place to tell them, and therefore, this would be for Froststar's ears only.

Silvershade stepped out of her den. "Mmh?" she mumbled. She blinked, and then saw who was at the camp entrance. She padded forth, brushing Berrysplash and Reedheart out of the way. "What is this 'important matter' I heard about? Is it something that concerns RiverClan as a whole or does it concern you?" Her ears were perked and her eyes were filled with alarm. Something isn't right here.

"Ey, why is everyone prancing around like a bunch of badgers with thorns stuck up their pads? Seriously. You couldn't sneak up on a tree if you tried." The only somewhat joking voice sounded from the roots of a willow tree as Froststar pulled herself up and out of bed. Her fur was askew and unkempt from sleep, and she hastily licked down clumps of white and black. Her dreams had been filled with blood and sharp claws, and she couldn't help feeling like danger was as thick as blood in the air. The loud sound of conversation stirred her from sleep just as she drifted somewhere without dreams.
Just great.

The leader recognized her own clanmates voices, and that didn't bother her, but the others made her uneasy. Especially since she picked up Sagestar's right away. What could ShadowClan possible want, and at this unearthly hour? She grumbled inwardly. "Sagestar! Froststar's hissed, her voice a whisper, as if she was trying to protect the slumber of the rest of her clan. Although, with everyone already awake, she didn't see why. "You've better have a well and good reason as to why you're prancing around my territory at night! You'd think you'd be more subtle, for a ShadowClan cat." She mumbled that last sentence under her breath as she studied the small group. Why had they come? Now curious, Froststar sat up and started towards her den. "You three, come. It better be important. You too, Silvershade. And oh.. Reedheart. Your vigil can end now. You come too." Call it idiotic, but she didn't feel comfortable with just herself alone with other clan cats. Her deputy would need to know anyway, and she'd end up telling her clan.. eventually.

She sat down in her nest, thankfully still warm, and looked up, waiting for someone to speak and explain what in the name of StarClan was going on.

Reedheart nodded at Froststar and stood up to follow, all ill feeling towards his leader temporarily forgotten. His thoughts during his vigil, and Froststar's apology at his ceremony, had given Reedheart a new respect for Froststar and the hate he held had begun to wash away. But it wasn't entirely gone. Not yet, anyways.

Reedheart cast nervous glances at the other cats as he slipped underneath the ancient willow roots. The den suddenly felt crowded, and Reedheart braced himself. The RiverClan warrior had only begun to relax, but having Froststar and Silvershade in such an enclosed space with the ShadowClan cats made him tense again. He tried his best to keep his hackles down, studying Sagestar curiously. It'd be a lie if Reedheart said he didn't want to know why Sagestar was there. What could be so important? Reedheart tried to calm himself, remembering his encounters with other Clan cats. They weren't so different from RiverClan. Surely they wouldn't use such trickery in an attack.