Karma's Gonna Come Collect Your Debt [OPEN WIDE]

Jaystar entered the camp with his warriors by his side, being guided by a Thunderclan patrol. It wasn't a surprise entrance. He already discussed with Leopardstar that he would be coming to his camp soon after the Gathering. However... he knew that the gazes of the ThunderClanners wouldn't be actually welcome ones. He imagined his mother, walking in here with fire in her eyes as she came to claim for the spilt blood of her clanmates. Now it was his turn to do the same.

The young leader had never been here before and it was way different than his camp. His tail flicked, uncomfortable by the strange, unknown place he was in. He looked back at his clanmates and ordered with a sign of his tail to stay still and quiet. The large leader took a deep breath and then finally spoke, breaking the tension that was starting to form in the air. "Leopardstar! I've come to talk to you and your clan about my vision." He spoke, searching immediately for the leader or the deputy.


Unlike the last time, Silverfang did not show aggressive to the Thunderclan cats. Instead, she stayed by the two apprentices' sides, keeping an eye on the impulsive Hillpaw. She knew that the young apprentice was like her and it wouldn't be a surprise if she snapped back these squirrel-munchers. Lowering her head a bit to reach the tom's ears and she whispered to him. "Look, I know you're eager to punish and attack these nasty ThunderClanners but we're not here to fight. Stay still and wait for your leader. Don't be a fool or you might end up making this situation worse than it is." As she spoke, she said those words as she was speaking to her younger self. The apprentices shouldn't commit the same mistakes she did...

Heronflight followed Jaystar to ThunderClan camp.  The gray tabby tom watched as he saw ThunderClan’s camp.  He didn’t want to be aggressive to ThunderClan; he just wanted Rowanpaw’s death to be avenged.

OOC: Short

Newttongue and Rainpaw had been sharing a rabbit, enjoying a quiet moment. Between Newttongue training Snowpaw and Rainpaw dealing with his own duties, there hadn't been much of that time left to sit and relax with family. Wildfire didn't seem to try much, when she did, it was clear she at least wanted it to work. It just wasn't something she was good at. The two discussed plants mostly, both having an interest in them. Newttongue envied his son for getting to collect herbs as his duty but he was nevertheless proud of him. At Newttongue's side, Wildfire was complaining about the pigeon she had missed because of an apprentice on her patrol blurting out about a snail they stepped on but her speech was cut short by the sound of Jaystar's voice.

She drew her lips back in a snail, lashing her tail and putting herself firmly at Rainpaw's side, practically covering him in her fur.

Snowpaw was munching happily on a small pile of mushrooms she had luckily been able to find growing somewhere in ThunderClan territory when she heard the call of an unknown cat, just after she scented RiverClan. She looked up to see Jaystar, RiverClan's leader, padding into camp with many other cats, looking as if they owned the place, and she gulped down her mouthful of fungi nervously. She pressed herself closer to Beetlepaw. "This looks like trouble..." she murmured softly.

ooc; short because i could leave any second now bro

ic;
Torrentstorm padded in after Jaystar, his head held high as he proudly still behind him. He had to admit, on the inside, he was a bit nervous. They were surrounded by all of Thunderclan, after all. Still, they weren't here to start a fight. Just to get justice for a clanmate's death. He remained still as he waited for instructions from his leader.

The former leader of ThunderClan walked out from the nursery rather slowly. If her brother hadn’t told her about the kits she was carrying, she probably would’ve rushed to Mapleleaf’s den several days ago, wondering why she was starting to look fatter than the spoiled kittypets that sometimes could be seen beyond the fence in their border.

She lowered her head as soon as she saw the leader of RiverClan in polite greeting, she was probably between the only somewhat calm cats in camp, after all, she knew they were coming and was sure their intentions weren’t those of war. However, deep inside, she still couldn’t get rid of that small seed of worry.

What could be so important that Jaystar himself had to come to their camp? What message had StarClan delivered to him?

Dewshine padded silently behind the two apprentices. Her pelt prickled in unease at being in ThunderClan territory. She looked at one of the warriors escorting them sheepishly before she looked at Jaystar and Silverfang. She trusted Jaystar to have something important to tell them, her trust in the son of the former leader was absolute. Her mind wandered to Flamepaw, a brief thought flashing through her mind, what if StarClan asked him to return her? That would be a waste of training, but perhaps she would get some peace from it.

It was Silverfang, who she regarded warily. The brash, angry battle scarred she-cat had shown her colours with the murder of poor Sweet. It hardly mattered that she had been a rogue at the time, it was the simple fact that she had gone well out of the way to commit it. Had hunted her down like little more than prey according to Shadefang. Her eyes hardened as she watched the older warrior carefully, to make sure she didn't do anything brash.

Scarletsong walked out warily when she heard the RiverClan leader's meow. Why are they here? The last time she remembered RiverClan coming to the ThunderClan camp was when two of her Clanmates had killed RiverClan cats. Before she had shouted impulsively at the RiverClan cats, but now that she was a warrior now, she was much more mature. Calm down, she told herself. She stared hardly at the RiverClan cats who had entered the camp. There were some cats she did not recognize, but she did recognize Jaystar, the new leader of RiverClan, and Silverfang. She found Jaystar to not be as intimidating or scary as Ivystar. She hoped inwardly that RiverClan did not have any bad news to give to them.

“Fine, I won’t attack them if you say so. But don’t expect me to act nice to these mouse-brained codebreakers, or like we’re equals. That would be shameful to RiverClan’s honor,” Hillpaw reluctantly mumbled in reply to Silverfang. Why couldn’t they just fight? There was hardly any chance weak old ThunderClan could ever win, and he would love to claw the pathetic expressions off of these foolish cats. But senior warriors from his own clan were telling him not too attack, so he figured they had som sort of clever plan in mind. They were RiverClanners, after all. Maybe Jaystar would trick them into creating their own downfall by turning clanmates against each other with the news of murder. The murderers would get the death they deserved, and would have to watch their families suffer from the Dark Forest. No other punishment could be that perfect. Well, chances were that his leader had already thought up something even better, so he couldn’t call his own ideas perfect. Looking around at the ThunderClanners, he saw most of his them regarded the RiverClanners properly with respectful nervousness. One warrior seemed overly protective and angry. Oh, how he would love to get his claws on her. An apprentice seemed overly scared, and he realized how easy of a target she would be if a fight broke out. Grinning, he waited for Leopardstar to appear.

Lichenpaw, who was currently trailing alongside Hillpaw and Silverfang, regarded the pair's words with a discontented grimace. Getting their ears chewed was the least of what ThunderClan deserved for creating such a mess! How was any of this fair? Tail giving an agitated lash, the young tom sullenly tore his gaze away from the scarred pelt of Silverfang, unwilling to listen to his mentor any longer. Why was she of all cats one to believe that this was the right thing to do? Gnashing his teeth silently, the young tom regarded the dense woodlands of ThunderClan's territory with unabashed disinterest. He had gotten his fill of this place when he had first encountered the pair of ThunderClan apprentices.

Ears pricking at Jaystar's words, Lichenpaw's narrowed gaze drifted across the many faces of the cats who milled about in the clearing, absently searching for the familiar features of Alderpaw and Thornpaw.

The soft moss of his nest cradled the leader as he napped, unaware of the incoming patrol, captured by dreams...

Not as much a dream, as so, a memory.  Almost as vivid as the night the moment had occurred, the golden spotted tabby stood in the glowing fields of StarClan, surrounded his kin and ancestors long lost.  Before him stood Specklefang, brown tabby fur wild and bristling, as she once again spoke the words he had been contemplating over.  “Leopardclaw, I will not tell you now, but very soon the truth will be revealed...Take heed of the jay who nests by the river, for it knows all.”

The jay...

it knows all...

the truth...

the truth will be revealed...

"What truth?!"

With a jolt, Leopardstar awoke.  Something in the waking world had managed to break through his unconsciousness and come to his attention.  The sound of many cats speaking in the clearing...half of them unfamiliar.  Scolding himself for being asleep at a time like this, the large tom scrambled out of his nest and gave his pelt a few hasty licks to flatten down the wildest patches, before trotting out into the clearing.  What was there to greet him almost made him skid to an unceremonious halt.  "J..Jaystar."  All in a rush, he remembered the tom's request at the previous Gathering...it seemed that the time had come.  In a heartbeat, the tom's face sharpened into an expression of seriousness; whatever the RiverClan tom had to say, he would face it.

As he padded across the clearing towards Jaystar and his entourage, the whispers of his dream began to float in his mind.  Would he learn 'the truth' today, whatever that might be?  What did the jay know that he didn't?  A worried curiosity drew him forward until finally, he stood before the tom.  Though Jaystar was taller than him, Leopardstar squared his shoulders and stood a little ways back from the rival leader, so as to not have to look up to him.  This was his camp, his cats, and a meeting he had agreed to.  RiverClan was not dominant here, and they never would be again.

"Welcome, Jaystar."  His voice was tense, but not hostile.  For a moment, his eyes wandered to the group of RiverClan cats who had accompanied him; a couple he recognized, most of them he didn't.  There were even two apprentices, both looking to be quite young.  With a slightly dubious expression glinting in his eyes, he met Jaystar's gaze questioningly.  "I had assumed that this would be a conversation between leaders."  Hazel eyes narrowing slightly, he let his pointed statement hang in the air between them.  The fishy scent of RiverClan was almost overwhelming and left a sour taste on his tongue.  The last time there had been this many rival cats in their camp it had not ended well, and the leader was determined not to let chaos such as that happen ever again.

The dark tabby form of Marshstorm stalked around his clanmates with a frown. He watched as Leopardstar's golden pelt reached the tabby pelts of Jaystar and stood at his leader's side. His eyes narrowed in distaste. First, they had Goldeneye their medicine cat come to their camp. Now, a whole patrol. He bit back a growl, instead he straightened up his body and let his size help be a deterrant. His former Shadowclan body was bulkier than his clanmates, wider but no less fit.

He glanced at Leopardstar, tempted to say a word of encouragement at getting rid of them, but knew this was something Leopardstar had to do. All he could do, was be there for him, and protect his clan as nessecary. Dustcloud. The thought of the she-cat made him glance among the gathering cats. Where was she? Was she safe? He desperately hoped so. As words were spoken, his attention returned to the matter at paw.

A nod of agreement was his action towards Leopardstar's words. His glance flicked over to the golden tom but he restrained himself from the temptation to mock Jaystar for his choice in coming here, let along bringing a whole patrol. Instead, he looked at Jaystar.
"I wonder what the reason is behind the full patrol." He questioned seriously to Leopardstar as his amber eyes looked over each cat. A couple seemed disinterested or nervous about conflict, but a couple others seemed all too happy to be in an enemy camp.

The tom greeted the tom with a respectful nod before gazing at his deputy with sharp green eyes. However, he said nothing and just fixed his gaze on the other leader. "I'm sorry for disappointing you but I believe your clan needs to know this as much as you do. I hope you can agree with me about this but believe me, I'm not here searching for war. My clanmates are just here to be my escorts, just a formality."

The large tom gave a quick glance at the gathered cats around him and his patrol. He flicked his tail, uncomfortable, but remaining with an expressionless face and determined eyes. "Specklefang is in Starclan and she visited me during my ceremony. A murderer can't be walking among the stars and she made clear my doubts when she confessed that she wasn't the cat who murdered Rowanpaw, one of our apprentices but a cat of your clan who's living here without punishment." His expression hardened. He was not afraid to speak his mind. The truth had to be revealed. "She did not say me who the murderer was... but Ivystar did. I'm here to claim justice, Leopardstar. Not only for Rowanpaw, a tom who was barely made an apprentice a few days after his ceremony but for your former clanmate, Specklefang. I didn't know her but I'm sure that she didn't deserve all these moons being remembered as a vicious murderer who was punished by Ivystar's command." His voice was clear and loud enough for any cat in the camp to hear him. Jaystar did not hear the voices that came out after his declaration. He wasn't done yet. He lashed his tail and looked at the former eyes, showing up a sorry expression for his next words. As hard as they sounded... it was the truth. "I feel terrible for saying this but... Ivystar and... Blizzardshine... condemned an innocent cat while the true murderers have been sleeping tightly in your camp."

The blue-grey tabby faced the other leader, with unshakeable determination. He stood up straight, his tail up and his muscles tensed. "Starclan sent me here for justice... to make them pay for all the death and suffering they have brought to my and your clan. I want the cats who go by the names of Wildfire and Sharptooth to be judged for the murder of Rowanpaw and Specklefang."


Beetlepaw, who was standing by Snowpaw's side, hissed softly. He hated the idea of welcoming the Riverclan's leader here in their own camp. But what he disliked the most was that two of his clanmates were code-breakers, killers. He, who had a high value of the Warrior Code, immediately turned his face to the real murderers. "As much as I hate to say this... Jaystar is right. Wildfire and Sharptooth don't deserve to be called warrior but to rot in the depths of the Dark Forest. They let a clanmate die to save their own skin!" He mewed to his white-furred friend as he lashed his tail violently. He hoped that Leopardstar would have enough common sense despite his rogue origins to be wise enough to punish those two properly.

Sharptooth flicked her tail, stepping forward. Her time had come- she knew it was coming for a long time. Her paws shook slightly, and there was a strange ringing in her ears. Still, she brushed past her clanmates and strode towards Jaystar, her deep green eyes narrowed. Specklefang's sacrifice was not in vain; she had given her daughter what she needed most: Time. Time spent with her loved ones, watching them live and grow and die. Time spend changing, watching her clan grow and heal despite the harsh winters. Time spent living, loving, caring.
That was why, when she reached Jaystar, she didn't cower. She didn't crouch. Like Specklefang, she held her head high, turning away from him to address her clanmates.
"What Jaystar says is true." Her voice didn't shake. She felt oddly still. Her chest rose and fell with every breath. "But only partly so. It is true that I killed a Riverclan apprentice trespassing on my territory, and it is true that I said nothing, allowing my mother, Specklefang, to take my place and be murdered for a crime she did not commit." Her heartbeat was strong in her ears, her fur prickling. It had been the only way; she knew that now. Specklefang wouldn't've been able to bear watching her die. Perhaps she had known back then. Sharptooth hoped that was so- somehow, oddly, the most cowardly act Sharptooth had ever committed had in turn saved the very cat that had died protecting her.
Maybe that was now why Sharptooth was admitting everything. Her mother was safe in Starclan, free from wars and sickness, hunger and pain.
Sharptooth let her confession sink in before continuing, watching the disappointment in her clanmate's eyes.

"However, Wildfire had no part in Rowanpaw's murder. I was the only witness- I made sure of that." Her eyes flashed as she spoke, and her claws dug deep into Thunderclan soil. Did Specklefang feel the same empty feeling when she faced Ivystar all those moons ago?
"I know what I deserve; I'm well aware of how Ivystar handled codebreakers, and can only assume that you will offer me the same punishment. However, if I may make one last request," Her voice rose, clear and strong. She wouldn't die like a coward. She owed her mother that. She could only hope that when she finally joined the stars, her mother would take a moment and bid her farewell before Sharptooth was cast into the Dark Forest.

"I would like to die in battle, rather than poison, if it's all the same to you." She spoke directly to Jaystar now, ignoring Leafstorm's desperate gaze and her children and grandchildren's confused stares. Specklefang had died for her, and she would die for Wildfire. She could only hope that her daughter wouldn't make the same mistakes she had.
I'm coming home, Mama...
"If that can't be arranged, I would like to pass away in peace, like my mother before me." Starclan, if only that were true. She had seen what Deathberries did to a cat; Her mother had been strong, but she had barely made it out of camp.


Leafstorm started forward, his graying muzzle twisted in a snarl. "Jaystar." He hissed, doing his best to push past his daughter. "You and your wretched clan took my daughter, younger than Rowanpaw had been. Your lack of skillful leadership has resulted in the deaths of my sons, my mate. You have denied my clan food, aid, and protection. You've watched as we've starved, forced to starve our queens and kits. It's a shame that Otterleap, the cowardly excuse for a warrior who took my baby daughter's life without pause, died before I could bring justice to him. And don't think for a second that Ivystar wasn't well aware of Otterleap's actions. She stood by and watched as he struck her down in battle, ripping out her throat as if she wasn't anything more than a squirrel. But was he punished? Did Blizzardstar lead a patrol into Riverclan camp and demand justice? And if she had, do you really think Ivystar would've tolerated the punishment she chose for Specklefang?
"I think we can call our damage even, Jaystar. An eye for an eye, a kit for a kit. Sharptooth's actions may have been unjust, but this merely the last of a long and bloody trail of revenge, set in motion by a heartless mange-pelted leader and a pathetic, murderous Riverclan warrior."

Finally, Leafstorm let himself be pushed back by Sharptooth, willingly stepping back into the crowd. If Sharptooth died today, Jaystar would feel his wrath. He would march into Riverclan's camp himself if need be. Starclan willing, his whole scum-filled clan would be cast into the Dark Forest where they belonged.

Darkflight's fur was raised, and by StarClan was she starting to look like her mother more and more as each day passed by. The old she-cat's tail lashed and she stalked out of the warrior's den, but not with the aggressive intentions as Specklefur and Specklefang would have; her heart was heavier than lead. She found herself beside Blizzardshine, head bowed. "StarClan is more fallible than they think. Why have they been silent up until now?" Although it could have been because of her missing leg, she seemed to have trouble staying on her paws. She had a snarl on her face, though she was just acting like an adder without its venom.

"RiverClan has already taken my granddaughter, Jaystar. I know she wouldn't die without a purpose. How much more of ThunderClan do you think you can punish?" She wasn't sure how to feel. On one paw, she prayed that he was wrong, that Wildfire and Sharptooth were innocent after all. But that would mean Specklefang was truly a murderer. On the other, Specklefang was innocent, but that meant she took the punishment by her own accord. Though now, Sharptooth declared herself guilty and Wildfire clear of guilt. She... she needed to lie down. Was this how her mother felt, near the end? Was she this tired of bad news?

----

"What are they doing here?" Sneered a young tom from the apprentice's stump. Young Poppypaw had his lip curled the instant the fish-pelted cats entered their camp. Their leader's mentions of murder did not strike any memory of his. He'd heard of Specklefang before, a particularly prickly she-cat that had been executed for the murder of a RiverClan cat. What nonsense was going on now that they came all the way to ThunderClan?