The Aftermath [All of RiverClan - IMPORTANT]

It felt strange to be overlooking RiverClan camp again. Of course, little had changed since she's been gone, and yet.. It felt like so much had changed. She'd been away for an entire moon, forced to wander the lands around the barn and live virtually on her own, dodging barnyard twolegs and dogs every day. Prey was never hard to come by - the mice really seemed to like the twolegs' lands - but other than that, it'd been awful. Having to skirt the forest and watch at the skies turned black and the followers of StarClan were subdued, killed, and driven out solely for being loyal to their warrior ancestors. Fishstar had been able to do nothing about it. Had she gone back and rebelled at the wrong time, it was highly likely that she would have been killed.

Now, however, it was over. The shadowy menace had been driven out of the forest, the rightful leaders of the Clans had been put back in their places, and stars once again watched from above when nighttime came. Many had been injured, betrayed, killed, and wronged, but it was finished. It was time to rebuild, and it was time for Fishstar to address her Clan about everything that had happened, as a first step.

Rising to all fours atop the willow branch, Fishstar called for the first time in what seemed like an age, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the willow branch for a Clan meeting!"

Reedfang limped into the camp, his wounds still hurt like crazy, but they were dressed. He was glad that the dark forest was gone. He was glad that he managed to survive, and his mate survived. He was already sitting in the middle of camp and taking it easy when Fishstar called for the clan. He was happy to see her up there again. Everything felt right. It was strange coming back to the clan with his niece in charge. Though she was gone now.. and things needed to be rebuilt. He knew Fishstar could do it.

Crowpaw snarled as he followed the others into the clearing. The Dark Forest raised him and trained him, so he had every right to be loyal to them. Now that these Starclan-loyal cats were returning and invading their camp, Crowpaw knew that he'd have no choice but to do what they say. Darkfrost and Muddyfang weren't the last Starclan believers he'd kill.

Smokepaw, the newly appointed apprentice, slipped away from the spot he had been sunning himself at, his face curious about what could happen. He knew that when he had been born, the Clans had had problem with something called the Dark Forest, so maybe it will affect him, too. No way to know, he told himself as he joined Crowpaw, another apprentice he didn't know quite well, beneath the willow branch.

Willowbreeze was resting in a patch of sunlight outside the nursery when she heard her leader's call. Her rightful leader's call. She smiled as she got to her paws and stretched before making her way over to the Willow Branch. It was nice to finally see Fishstar up there again after what seemed like forever. She sat down and wrapped her fluffy white and silver tail around her paws. Her blue eyes glanced around as everyone else gathered, noticing Crowpaw's angry demeanor and she sighed. The apprentice had been raised to follow the Dark Forest, so she couldn't exactly blame him for being angry about this change, but she wished he could see that the Dark Forest only wanted to control them, not make them better or 'stronger'. She shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts before letting her now calm gaze rest on Fishstar.

Halfmoon stumbled out of the medicine den, face still bloody, almost blind. Since the Dark Forest she-cat had pierced her good eye, she could hardly see through it anymore. It was through scent and sound that she dragged herself through the crowd of cats and to her mate's side, giving a broken purr. At least he was fine, and they were together.

Ivyfall darted out of the nursery, the silver she-cat was still nursing her kits, neither of them quite old enough to leave her. But the deputy knew what was to happen in the clan meeting, and Fishstar would need her to present a strong united front. Frostfall, her daughter, she'd left the clan in quite a state, apprentices who'd grown up with the Dark Forest were resentful of change while warriors who'd been chased out were wary and badly wounded. As one of the few cats who made it out physically fine, she had a big role to play in protecting and holding the clan together. Her heart still ached when she thought of all she'd lost, but now wasn't the time for self pity. She endured, as she always did.

Cloudpaw peered out of the medicine den at the call, taking stock of what he had. The reign of the Dark Forest had left his herb supply weakened and shriveled. He'd have to look for some later.


She'd only found out in the last few days. She hadn't told anyone. Only the medicine cat knew. If she wanted it to not be in vain, she had to stay. For them. Fogheart lingered outside of the warrior's den, keeping her distance from her clanmates if she could help it. The blind she-cat listened, ears perked towards Fishstar. What was she going to say? Something didn't feel right.

Morningpaw heasitated before leaving the apprentice den. She knew that Crowpaw believed in the Dark Forest as well and that this was no doubt about them. She would have gone by her mother but, her mother hated the Dark Forest. The tabby simply sat by him, looking up at Fishstar with a held breath.

Tawnystorm padded out of the warrior's den and took her place next to her sister Willowbreeze. She smiled as she saw Fishstar in her rightful place on the willow branch. The Dark Forest was gone for now, and things were as they should be. Curling her tail around her paws, she looked up and listened attentively.

Sootkit waited until her mother was outside to quickly sneak out of the nursery to hear what was going on, knowing that she would force him back inside if he did at any other time. He may be aloof and silent most of the time, not liking to be around so many cats, but if something was causing all this commotion around the clan it surely had to be something worth listening to. He was blissfully unaware of the whole Dark Forest thing that had been happening around the clans thanks to Ivyfall’s silence about the subject while around him, saving him from falling on their cursed claws, but a mother could only keep the truth concealed from her kits for so long.

Dewpelt sat calmly in the audience, trying to forget the recent events. She let out a sigh and blinked around hopelessly, 'at least we won... For the good of the forest' She thought to herself.

Fishstar could feel a knot growing in her belly as cats gathered beneath the willow branch. The camp - the Clan - had barely changed from the last time she'd seen it all, but it felt as if so much had changed. She'd never been away from RiverClan for more than two sunrises - that being her trip to the Moonstone to receive her nine lives, as well as her trip along with Sunstar before her to accompany him on his way to the same place.  RiverClan had been under totally different leadership for an entire moon, and now that Fishstar was back following the downfall of Morningstar and the rest of the Dark Forest, no one could be quite sure how things would turn out - If everyone would accept their leader back warmly. It didn't help that Fishstar had never been any goo at planning speeches, so she would do what she always did - just start talking, praying to StarClan all the while that the right words would come to her as she went on. Now of all times, it was important that the spotted she-cat said everything that needed to be said - To reassure everyone after her absence that she was the strong leader that she'd once promised to be.

"Cats of RiverClan," she began, sea-green eyes sweeping over each and every familiar face on the grass below, "we have been through hard times. We've warred with ThunderClan, starved, been sick, lost friends and kin, and just a moon ago, we were overtaken by the Dark Forest. As difficult as life has been to us, though, we've always pulled through - Not unscathed, but still standing. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that everything is going to get better from here on out now that the war with the Dark Forest is over. I can't guarantee if it'll get worse or if things will improve, but what I am going to guarantee that I will do my very best to bring us together once more. Recent events have divided us and weakened our union as a Clan, but it is my sole duty to build us back up again as a force to be reckoned with again." Her tail swept back and forth behind her, and her gaze narrowed a degree. "But in order to do that, I must weed out the traitors among us and dole out appropriate punishments. I know that there are some standing before me as I speak. Now, as your rightful leader, I command those who turned on me and fought for the Dark Forest to step forward and admit your wrongs. If you do not, I will find out one way or another, and your consequences may be more harsh in the future."

Crowpaw's body grew rigid and his throat tightened at Fishstar's order. He didn't even know this cat, and she expected him to suddenly follow her every command? For all he knew, Fishstar and Starclan were the bad ones, and the Dark Forest were the rightful forest dwellers. Crowpaw was raised under the Dark Forest. He had been too young to remember Fishstar as the leader of Riverclan. The large, black tom stood up and padded forward, pushing to the front of the crowd. His wounds from battle were still fresh. "Fishstar, was it?" He began, locking eyes with her. "I do not know who you are or what you are doing here, only that the Dark Forest were the ones who provided me protection and strength. They raised and trained me, yet as far as I know, you have done nothing for me. Frostfall was the only leader I knew. I fought for the Dark Forest in the battle, because they told me that Starclan was the bad guys. I did not know otherwise....nobody told me differently. Now that I have seen the Dark Forest get beaten, I realize that they aren't who they say they are. I ask of you that you accept my full loyalty to you and Starclan, and my forgiveness of blindly doing evil. I also accept any punishment you have for me, though I am not sure whether a punishment is necessary or not since I did not know that I was doing the wrong thing. The Dark Forest took over just before my apprenticeship, and I do not remember much of my kithood, therefore it is hard to blame me for doing wrong when I was trained into doing so without any other option or Starclan influence in my life."

Goldpaw, much older than her two, unknowingly adopted sisters Tawnystorm and Willowbreeze, padded over. She had recently return under approval of Fishstar back into Riverclan. She knew she wouldn't be much of a warrior, and she had a wonderful amount of herb knowledge and would rather be a medicine cat than a warrior but alas it was not meant to be. The cinnamon colored swirled tabby she cat looked at the rude apprentice and sat down meowing a high to her younger sisters.