Becoming Death [PLOT]

OOC: For all those selected to be "heroes" in the site plot. If any of you want to drop out of this, go ahead. I get the feeling you're all still mad/butthurt at me and everything Elea is involved with goes up in flames anyways.

IC: Leaf-fall was the season of dying.

Leaves withered, the sun faded away, and the world became gray and dreary. A blanket of dead brown leaves carpeted the clearing and crunched wetly underneath her paws. The rain that morning had woken and ripened a hundred sleeping smells from the earth. The wet fur of squirrels, damp soil, tree sap and pine needles, rain and grass. The Great Rock stood as a glistening gray monolith in the center, jagged and huge, looming over everything. Somewhere in the distance, a raven shrieked.

Elea flicked her tail. Tendrils of morning mist snaked between the four Great Oaks with their browning crowns, as if they were reaching out to her. They would be coming soon. Maybe not all... but enough. They'd all received a dream that night, of Fourtrees, a light, and whispered voices telling them to meet here if they wanted to save the dawn. Today she'd tell them.

The sun was hidden behind a sea of gray cloud, but she knew it couldn't be that long until Sunhigh. The dawn patrols had already made their rounds, and they'd all be able to sneak here unnoticed if they were smart. So she sat in front of the Great Rock, amber eyes flashing, and curled her tail around her paws.

This was most likely a mistake. A soft sigh escaped from Ryefur as he slowly pushes himself forward, his paws not making a sound as he drew close to Fourtrees. But, to save the dawn? The dream he had still rung fleshly in his mind, his eyes flicking. He had to save the Clans, save his Clanmates. He took in a deep breath as he stepped into the large clearing, his eyes landing on the she-cat that sat there. Elea...He wasn't sure he still trusted her, but if she was right and that they had to listen to her to save the Clans...He shook his head. It was simple, he would listen to her once the others arrival...If they did, and if he didn't like what she had to say he could simply leave and try to forget this whole thing. He sat down without a word, his gaze remaining on her as he waited.

Morningpaw entered the clearing shortly after, her gaze flicking around nervously. She had simply left the camp without a word once she had the dream to meet at Fourtrees. If anybody had dared question where she was going, she had left to gather herbs. Who would question that now that she was Nightfire's apprentice. Nightfire...She hadn't seen if her mentor was following her, or even was awake when she had left camp. Surely he had also gotten the dream, she could see a RiverClan cat sitting there in the clearing so she wasn't the only one, and she recognized him from the dream they had before. She hoped her mentor would follow thought, surely he cared about saving the...'dawn' also, right?

Emerging from behind Morningpaw, Nightfire's huge form towered over the two cats that had already appeared. Brushing against her fur, he flicked his dual colored gaze at her and flicked it back to Elea. Why he came, he had no idea. He had watched his apprentice leave camp, and he already knew what it was about. He wasn't just about to let her face this alone, so he followed suite and came along.

OOC: quick post//shot busy.

The dream had not woken him in a cold sweat. Not with a jolt, nor a sound of surprise. Deernose seemed to have woken just as if it was any other day. He knew where to go. The brown tom had left immediately, unchallenged. Who would deny he, one of the oldest warriors of Windclan, the right to leave camp?

His dark paws followed the well-worn path to Fourtrees, the tall, dying heather whispering against his pelt. A few others had already arrived, and the lanky cat padded slowly down the slope, in no hurry. It appeared the 'meeting' was not beginning for a while.

Although she was sure that she had eaten something funky the day before, there was something telling Cinderfur that she needed to follow the dream that she had the previous night. It was a terrible dream and she couldn't unsee the visions that invaded her mind while she dreamed. And although she kind of felt like she was off to the side in the whole thing, she still felt like she was called into following the other unfamiliar faces that she had seen. At this point, though, she didn't even know where exactly she was going or who was going to be wherever it was her paws were leading. She just happened to be moving and she didn't fight it. She just wandered before finding her way towards Fourtrees. She couldn't exactly remember why she needed to be here until she saw Elea not far in the distance. Scoffing almost immediately, she wanted to turn back around until she saw some of the unfamiliar faces from her dream last night. What were they doing here? She recognized each strange face as she looked around at who at gathered so far, so maybe there was a reason she was dragged here. Reluctantly, the queen made her way over silently, glancing at each face over and over trying to figure out who they were.

There was only one reason he was here: strategy, pure and simple. Eaglethorn didn't trust Elea in any way, and he didn't trust the other clan cats either, but for the sake of his clan, he felt obligated to keep close to this event, in order to figure out what was happening and relay it to Falconstar as soon as he could. A familiar shiver of disgust went down his spine as he saw Elea and some other gathered cats, forcing himself to keep from hissing their way. This was for WindClan, though. He couldn't care less about these rabbitbrains.

OOC: So I'm waiting one more day for people to post before I just get this thing started. So if you've just been holding off posting here, post soon please.

Simutaniously, two more cats appeared from opposing ends of the clearing. On one was the ShadowClan warrior, Tigerclaw, who appeared that morning only from his own curiosity. He pondered whether or not to go at all, and if he did go - if he should ask his dear Besrmask to go with him. He came alone though, thinkong this might be trouble that she wouldn't like being involved in. He didn't want to be here, but ever since the dreams, he felt compelled to.
At the other end from RiverClan's side appeared Breezetail, the new deputy still recovering and still walking with an exhausted limp. It'd taken some trouble to make it there and arrange the patrols so he'd have the morning free. He hoped it was worth it. At first he considered staying at camp, as Morningbreeze seemed to have wanted to - though neither of them mentioned a word of their strange dream, buthe decided whatever was to be said, it had to be important. He only felt more assured seeing the others there.

The cats all crept into the clearing one by one. Most were silent. It wasn't the normal peaceful tranquility you'd expect from sleepy days like this, but a tense quiet, like the calm before a storm. All were just waiting for the moment that everything broke loose. Ryefur, Morningpaw, Nightfire, Deernose, Cinderfur, Eaglethorn, Tigerclaw, Breezetail... That will be enough. Not all had showed up. Whether that was because they were delayed, held back, or were just afraid of the visions they'd seen, she couldn't say. But little of that mattered now. Elea straightened up as they all approached, sitting up tall and straight in the face of all their caution and distrust. It's wise to fear.

She looked at them all in turn, unblinking, before finally speaking. "Good day," Elea mewed in simple greeting. "Would you like to hear a story?"

"A story?" Eaglethorn stepped forward, an angry scowl plastered on his face. He knew that dream had been worthless! All of this for a story? How ridiculous! "You bring your kind to our forest, disturb our peace, then invade our dreams with your nonsense, and now we're called here to listen to you tell a story? I hope it's a darn good story too, or I'll make sure it's the last one you ever tell." His claws unsheathed menacingly as he eyed Elea with an angry stare.

Elea purred. "I forget how short-tempered and direct you warriors are. Harsh lands breed harsh cats. It is easy to forget your disdain for frivolities." She bowed her head and met Eaglethorn's eyes again. "But stories teach valuable lessons, especially to the young. It's why your elders tell you fables and tales as a kit. There's much you can learn from a story. Words aren't worthless if you can seek the meaning behind them." She cocked her head, taking no heed to the WindClan tom's unsheathed claws. "Where I come from we tell this story about a group of mice. These mice lived hard lives. Every day was a struggle for survival, as they had to compete with all the other creatures for food and shelter, and they were constantly hunted by cats and hawks." Her gaze drifted past Eaglethorn, and toward the others. "Until one day they were granted a wish by the gods. They wished for a life with no predators. The cats left them alone, the hawks ignored them, and the mice grew fat and happy and prosperous."

She shifted in place, twitching her tail. "But living creatures are beings of conflict. Without a common enemy, the mice began to divide and turn on each other. In the end they destroyed themselves. The gods give us hardship and conflict so we do not become the vessels of our own destruction. Without a common enemy to bind us together, we begin to make enemies of each other. And when we fracture, we fall, and we die." She locked them with that fiery gaze of hers. "Do you love your Clanmates?"

In a lazy post matter, Tigerclaw tilted his head at her words. It was easy to see the looks of confusion on the faces of the others, but it was an idea that he - and his clan - knew all too well. At one time, when he was young; and his dear Bearmask only a kit, the entire forest had united against them... The common enemy. Since that day, it had merely been ShadowClan against the world. It was the idea of hate and fear that tied them together, to protect their family, and those closest to them. "Of course." He muttered.

Breezetail, on the other paw, wasn't sure what to make of this story. He'd spent almost the entirely of his life clinging on to his mother and his brother, knowing very well sometime he'd have to leave them both, and they'd be lost in the future. Sticking together was an unfamiliar concept. You were always alone. Most didn't even stay with their mates. It was a lonely life, for certain. That's why he'd followed Silentstar in the first place, for hope of a peaceful life amongst others.
That feeling of belonging was what kept him glued to StarClan, not the fear of enemies or predators.
Yet, he still answered her with a sigh. "More than anything."

Hmm. Eaglethorn being... prickly? ba dum tish. Amber eyes flickered towards the 'black sheep' of Windclan. The tall cat wanted to laugh, but that would certainly cause a reaction from the other tom.

At the mention and telling of a tale, he watched, and he listened. Stories, Deernose had always loved a good story. No matter how old he was, nor whether he or someone else was the storyteller. He understood that many were fiction, but he also knew that they could stand for something more- they had a moral, a teaching. The Windlcan tom; though he did not trust this she-cat, listened, and could practically see the mice and their enemies throughout the story. The sudden question caught him by surprise. Did he love his Clanmates?

That was a difficult question to answer. There hadn't been someone he truly loved in Windclan for many moons. But the clan, to love as a whole? Deernose said nothing, and half-closed his eyes, looking vaguely at the hard packed dirt.

Looking uncertainly at the other cats that had gathered, it took Cinderfur a moment before she finally answered. It wasn't that she didn't love her clanmates, she just had no idea what Elea's intentions were with this. Could she really trust this strange cat? "Of course," she mewed, giving her head a small nod as well. She basically sounded like an echo of the Shadowclan cat standing there, but it was really all she could say. She knew without a doubt that her loyalty and love was to her clan. It was a silly question, really.

Morningpaw had remained silent though the whole story, staying close to her mentor's side. Her head titled as Elea gave them that simple question, a small frown flicking across her face. There was a simple answer to that question; yes. But she wondered what reason Elea had to question their trust and love for each other. "Of course I do," she said with a flicker of her tail. ThunderClan meant more to her then anything, they were the only home she knew and if she was a warrior, she would protect them with her life. But now that she was a medicine cat apprentice...She would make sure that they wouldn't die and that ThunderClan would strive. She would be the caretaker for the Clan as they all cared for each other.

----

Ryefur was also quite confused at this question. His held titled slightly as he stared at the she-cat as meows of 'Of course' and 'More than anything' echoed around him, which only left Ryefur wondering what could be said that hadn't been said then anything. RiverClan was important to him, he adored them with all of his hearts. Never could he image betraying them, they were everything to him.  Finally, he sighed softly as he came up with words to say. "Of course I love them; they are my family and I can picture myself nowhere else other than with them."