The Darkest Night [closed, PLOT]

The moon shone bright as Pumapaw entered the clearing. Her heart was buzzing with excitement, it wouldn't be long now. Her eyes glanced upon the gathering cats, her former senseless hatred for other clans lessened by them, she needed them and they needed her-- the feelings were probably the mutual. Most of the cats were probably warriors by now, but she was still a measly apprentice. She let out a huff then settled down.

The siblings had been broken up. His brother's physical state made his stomach turn with horror, revulsion, and fury. He and Aspenpaw, they'd never been close, but they were still brothers. If he saw that fox-hearted cat that'd taken his eye, Stonepaw didn't think he'd stop at an eye for an eye. Though he followed Brushgaze into the clearing, Stonepaw wasn't nearly as close as he had been the first night they'd congregated. The tom couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of his sister, and missed her too, since she was a warrior with a full name now. 'Ah, but even a blind kit could see how much smarter she is compared to me. Even Littlestar.' Breaking away from her, he moved to walk with Fallowpaw instead. They were about the same age, and well, they were both here at the meeting, right? That meant they were passionate about the same things; that ShadowClan was for pure ShadowClan cats and pure ShadowClan cats only. The fluffy grey tom gave her a gentle nudge with his shoulder. "We'll be warriors soon enough, Fallowpaw. It can't be long until even Littlestar can see how worthy we are." He'd noticed how drawn he was to her occasionally, even though she wasn't exactly the sweetest cat in the forest. It was odd.

He looked upwards, toward the RiverClan tom up on the Great Rock and felt a growing fever in his veins. If their plans succeeded, then the forest would return to its natural state. To its rightful state. Then they could tear ThunderClan apart without worry that some of their warriors' loyalty might be put into question.

Darkpaw padded after Lichenmask, his name no longer fitting as his once pitch dark pelt was now of a bright amber color. He was already warrior-aged, but a sudden illness had prevented him from training and getting his ceremony on time. He didn’t have to worry though, he was going to make sure that time came soon.

That, however, wasn’t the reason he was there nor anyone else. They knew why they were here, of their sacred mission. Under Lichenmask’s wise guide they would finally purge the clans of the filthy impure blood that corrupted them, spreading like a disease that almost everyone was stupid enough to ignore or even support. He just snorted at the thought. Those times would be over soon, he just knew it, StarClan themselves supported them.

The faultless surface of the Great Rock was lightly dusted with faint crystals of early evening frost, dazzling sparks of silvery light igniting upon the stone with every parting of the frothing clouds. Reclining back ever-so-slightly, so that his weight rested heavily upon the hip that was sprawled across the stone, Lichenmask's thick fur was once more ruffled by the frigid breath of the chilly breeze. Gaze briefly parting from the shapes that sulked about in the darkness of the clearing below, the young tom's narrow muzzle was then promptly turned skyward. Despite the fact that the Gathering had come and gone with the previous rising and falling of the sun, the moon was still as full and luminous as ever. Even despite the clouds, one could not refute the presence of a promising favor. If StarClan held any inhibitions about going through with their plan, clearly they would not show such. The gentle plumes of the breeze brought forth chopped up bits and pieces of conversation, none of which lessened the weight that laid upon his conscious. The frenzied sense of anticipation, fueled by the carnal sense of satisfaction that arisen with each inevitable conflict, drummed anxiously within his veins- it was making him restless, much too focused upon the opportunity at paw.

The breeze, which probed his fur with cold teeth and ruffled his bristling whiskers, brought forth a new sound. It was only faintly discernible above the low hum of his Clanmates and companions conversing, but it was there nonetheless. A flicker of interest flickered upon Lichenmask's features, his bright amber eyes going wide with a youthful sense of anticipation as he strained slightly to hopefully catch a glimpse at the special event of the evening. Slowly rising up from his half-sprawled position atop the Great Rock, the young tom's whiskers fluttered as though he had just successfully cornered a piece of prey after quite a long chase. Feathery tail giving occasional sporadic twitches that worked their way up his spine, the young tom's large ears were perked into a stature of complete attention. Once he was certain that the pawsteps were close enough to pin their location upon the ridge that gave way to the clearing, he finally spoke.

"I brought guests." Lichenmask's voice, still retaining that honey-like sweetness, rang out strongly in the ominously still night air. Steaming breath billowing leisurely in the cool night air for several heartbeats, the young tom's muzzle was nodded in the direction of where he knew they'd be coming from.

The leader entered the clearing with a bitter taste in his tongue and a heavy heart. Why it had to be this way? Lichenmask was getting exactly what he wanted and he wasn't able to stop him alone. However... now the other leaders knew what this was about after he told them in the Gathering. Even if Goldeneye was missing, the other clans were going to help him to avoid the rise of this prophetized danger.

Jaystar took a quick glance at Scorchclaw, who was following closely. He explained to him why he had to come. Mainly because Lichenmask was the cat that Goldeneye saw in her vision of death and destruction. However... he couldn't tell him about what he used to blackmail him to come. He knew he wouldn't be able to stay silent for too long... but it was too painful to imagine how he would see him after he knew how he broke the rules. "We're closer... Be careful and stay sharp. We don't know what he's capable of." He mewed with a low voice without emotion.

When they stepped into the clearing, the Riverclan leader took a proud, impassible stance and he made his way to the brown and white tabby. He took a quick look at the other cats there, noticing that some of them were his own clanmates. He let out a small snarl but he kept his head cool. Right now, he had to find a way to stop him... but he also feared it might be too late. This cat already gathered a bunch of followers that were likely willing to fight for Lichenmask's cause. With no fear, the tall tom faced the younger warrior. No matter what, he was ready to take the consequences of his actions but to also do whatever it was in his paws to protect his clan from this cat... even if that meant that the truth had to be told.

It was a particularly ominous night. With leaf-fall creeping up on the forest, the weather had been steadily growing cooler. The last time the temperature had dipped this low seemed too long ago. After moons of enduring the heat of greenleaf, the difference was almost surprising. Emerging from the shadows, the large brown tabby stepped out behind his leader. Scorchclaw's pale-green eyes shone faintly in the dark, and they narrowed as he caught sight of the other cats in the clearing. A new season was about to begin, and based on what happened tonight, it might not be the only thing to change.

At Jaystar's warning, Scorchclaw twitched one ear. His gaze drifted to the tall gray leader ahead of him. "I understand." He replied quietly. Although he tried to keep his tone devoid of emotion, it still contained a certain stiffness. To think that Lichenmask had been the cat of the prophecy. Among the gathered cats, he caught sight of Hillfire, Frostpuddle, and Darkpaw. In silent frustration, he ground his teeth together. First Shade, now this nonsense. How many of his clanmates could he actually trust? Were each and every one of them secretly plotting against the forest? As troublesome as the three RiverClanners could be at times (mainly Hillfire), he had thought better of them than this. He clearly didn't know anything about his clanmates.

Scorchclaw drew to a halt beside Jaystar. The deputy's fluffy tail swept a low arc through the air. Eyes glinting with unveiled hostility, he looked up at Lichenmask atop the Great Rock. As if he belonged there. The audacity of the thought caused anger to surge through Scorchclaw like a wave. It was almost unthinkable that a single warrior would be able to gather followers from all five clans. Nevertheless, the brown and white tabby had pulled it off. To have done so, he must be a cat with considerable charisma. So this was the cat that had been enough of a threat for StarClan to send a prophecy.

Making his way into the clearing with his tail low, Tinystar looked around. Several cats from what seemed to be each clan sat bellow the Great Rock, and on top sat Lichenmask, the cat who'd summoned them all here. Turning to Mistyrain and Mintwhisker, the small leader looked up to the two she-cats. "No matter what he says, remember to stay true to yourself and StarClan," he mewed with a firm nod. No matter what the RiverClanner was planning to lie to them about during this odd meeting, Tinystar promised himself to stay loyal to StarClan and SkyClan above all else, even if it meant completely disregarding what Lichenmask and his band of followers had to say. 'He has to be wrong about what StarClan said, he just has to...' he thought to himself, a worried feeling beginning to settle deep in his gut.

Turning back towards the group of cats, the abnormally short leader made his way through the crowd of glaring eyes and stood beside Jaystar where he looked up at Lichenmask, who stood up on the Great Rock. While he guessed that the tall leader was trying to hide it, seeing as though this presumptuous warrior was from his own clan, he assumed that Jaystar's blood was boiling with rage towards the whole situation. Having a cat bring un-welcomed news to each clan, gathering all the leaders together with blackmail, it was all a bit much to wrap one's head around. He personally wasn't angry at all that had been happening, but even so, he was still a bit worried at what would go down tonight. Hopefully, only words would be shared and no claws would be unsheathed...

Perhaps under any other circumstance, Brindlestar would've absolutely reveled at the sight of Jaystar helpless against another one of his Warriors, but not on this eve. Stiffly stalking through the heat-brittle fronds of grasses that rimmed the clearing, a stinging mix of apprehension and rage throbbed through her being. It was always RiverClan, The fuming rage singed the back of her throat during each and every shallow breath, They raided her territory, they killed her Warriors, they stole herbs and prey. Whatever Lichenmask was holding above Jaystar, she hoped it made him absolutely miserable. Lightly flicking her tail against Swiftstep, who was just a pace or two behind, she couldn't help slide further into the depths of her confusion riled fury. Several familiar features, pelts, and forms were visible as she pressed deeper into the unnervingly hostile Fourtrees- even her own Clanmates were blindly following after this overgrown Apprentice? "You'd be wise to not show your faces in WindClan's camp." She snarled quietly as she caught the gazes of Thornleap, Mothpaw, and Darkpaw, the stinging sense of betrayal only lending strength to her anger. Whatever transpired, at least her anger would keep her confusion about the entire situation at bay. Halting a short distance away Tinystar and Mistywater, the fur atop Brindlestar's nape and spine bristled sharply as she realized that Lichenmask was atop the Great Rock.

(okay I had a whole good post, and then I lost it, so I'm just gonna kms :))

Littlestar padded side-by-side her deputy as they quietly made their way to Fourtrees. Littlestar had filled Scorchfang in on everything that had happened, and now for whatever mouse-brained reason, they were headed to meet with him. She honestly would rather be in camp dealing with more important things, but Lichenmask made her skin crawl. She couldn't understand how or why he knew what he knew, and she wasn't sure what kind of game he was playing at. All she knew was that she would do whatever it took to keep her clan safe from whatever it was.

Not too long after they left camp, the pair entered Fourtrees, and narrowed eyes immediately landed on four of her apprentices. Her suspicion grew the moment she noticed Lichenmask atop Great Rock. Her gaze flashed indignantly up at the haughty tom as she settled nearby Tinystar and Brindlestar. "Who does he think he is?" She grumbled irritably under her breath. This whole mess was really testing her patience, which she usually had tons of.

Normally, Scorchfang was a rather docile cat, especially for a deputy -- and, going by other Clans' opinions, especially for a ShadowClanner. But what Littlestar had told him... that a RiverClan cat had the gall to threaten her... That was something he would not take likely. No cat right in their mind would dare threaten his leader! Unfortunately, there was very little he could do about the whole situation other than follow Littlestar to the meeting place. When he spotted Lichenmask, he subtly bared his teeth at the arrogant, overconfident, and downright stupid tom, but it was gone before anyone could really notice. He had to bite into his tongue to keep a rising growl of fury from escaping his throat.

(occ: this is a craaaaap post, forgive me)

Leopardstar's golden form emerged from the bushes, but he did not yet enter the clearing.  His face hardened and burning with fury, he turned back to look at his deputy Marshstorm, who followed him, ever loyal.  Before they had left, he had filled him in on the basics of what was going to happen tonight...except for the threats.  "Stay vigilant.  We don't know what we're walking in to."  Turning around, he walked forward with as much confidence as he could muster, and was greeted with a sight that chilled his very bones.  Lichenmask stood on the Highrock, surrounded by cats from all clans...even ThunderClan.  His eyes widened as his gaze fell upon the pelts of Snowdrop and Beetlemask, a snarling beginning to try and edge past his tongue.  "Wh...what is this?!"

Marshstorm followed Leopardstar. His dark pelt helped to nearly melt him in the shadows, his amber eyes serious and concerned. Leopardstar wasn't a cat to get riled up easily, the golden tom was usually calm. But he had been told the barest bones of what was to come, and it didn't sound good. He acknowledged Leopardstar's words with a nod and ghosted silently behind him into the clearing. The sight of a young warrior on the great-rock made his eyes narrow. His nose caught the scent of RiverClan as he expected, but what he didn't expect was the cats who sat beneath him.

He spotted the pelts of Snowdrop and Beetlemask. His mind raced as he thought about the implications, though he didn't say anything. His amber eyes glared seriously at the pair of cats and his head lifted slightly in warning. They would be discussing this at camp tonight. They would be lucky to keep their apprentices. Following a Riverclan warrior... his gaze travelled to the other gathered cats. The leaders of every clan, their deputies. He nodded in solemn silence to the cats closest to where he and Leopardstar had emerged from. His gaze catching briefly on each leader as he waited in anticipation as Leopardstar began to snarl. Claws unsheathed slightly into the soil, and muscles ready.

ooc) Proceeding without Ruskavelle + Middy since we can't spare the time to wait around any longer for them.



A drifting cloud obscured the steady light of the overly full moon, effectively swallowing Lichenmask's form within the ravenous shadows. Phosphorescent eyes gleaming in vivid sparks of unnatural hues, the young tom remained motionless as the Leaders and their Deputies finally made their entrance. Even as the spindly cobweb of a cloud was finally dragged free of the moon's reach and as imperceptibly small crystals of frost arose around his paws, he remained as still as the stone below his paws. The previously roaring sense of urgency that shrieked somewhere deep within the unseen fathoms of his being had strangely died down, leaving behind only a peaceful sense of patience. They would see, they would understand. Perhaps salvation was possible. Invisible rays of white light bled freely from the exposed full moon, illuminating the very tips of the young tom's thick fur- making him appear as though he was slowly burning within the grasp of a strange silver fire. Unseen to the mere eyes of a mortal, a restless ghost stirred behind him, frigid talons of a chill not belonging in this life tearing through his being. "You're so close," Sparrowleaf urged, her voice only perceptible when as the breeze rattled the decaying leaves within the Four Oaks, "There is so little time left." The shared hostility and hisses that shimmered between the Leaders did little to hasten his lacking sense of urgency.

"I trust that you all know who I am, but if you do not- I am Lichenmask and I ask you to listen to me. I plead with you to look beyond what lies and inaccuracies they've forced you to swallow down, to waste not your energies upon pleasing the past, but to look to the horizon with hope." Feathery tail comfortably winding its way across his nimble paws, Lichenmask remained silent for a moment in hopes of quelling the stubbornly lingering mutinous murmuring. "Your ancestors have abandoned you and the stars no longer guide your paws. Those who walk amongst the stars have grown complacent, they no longer care for what fate befalls you or the Clans which you guide. They hasten the imminent demise that trails after your Clans like crows follow the dying. The death of the stars draws near, and only the most painful of truths will offer you salvation in the wake of what comes next." Eyes drifting shut with a slight frown creasing his features, he could recall the terrible visions of utter destruction that had crept into his dreaming mind. The dying screams of anguish, the pleas for salvation falling upon deaf ears, the stifling and choking darkness, the steady decay of an ancient life reduced to nothing but smoldering ashes. A sensation akin to physical torment, sharper than the claws or teeth of any living being, wracked his being with unseen tremors. He wouldn't let this happen. He would hunt every last creature down himself if it meant that those visions of unadulterated suffering would never see the light of reality.

"Many seasons ago when the earth was still young and the forest was a lawless, archaic land, our ancestors forged this way of life for us with the blood within their veins. And now, the time has come for us to protect what they've passed on with blood of our own. If you wish to ensure that your Clans prevail against the everlasting darkness, then you must be willing to lead with strength not eclipsed by something as futile as emotions and personal morals. Survival will only be found when you cast the impure from within your ranks, when you drive those who break and demoralize the code into whatever eternity awaits them, when you fight only for those who deserve protection." Suddenly looking seasons older than just the mere young Warrior he truly was, Lichenmask's piercing gaze fell upon the shifting figures of the Leaders and Deputies who were flanked by many of their Clanmates- their Clanmates who were on the right side of the coming war, Clanmates who were willing to sacrifice a few others for the survival of many. True Warriors, not only because of the faultless blood within their veins, but for their willingness to unite in the fact of immense destruction and death.

"The choice before you is a difficult one, but no good thing in this life has ever been accomplished without killing or cruelty."

Brushgaze listened attentively to every word that came out of Lichenmask's mouth, only mildly surprised when all the leaders arrived. He had said they would, and so they did. As the tom explained what their purpose in being here was, however, she was taken aback for a few moments. Drive out every impure cat? Abandon all emotions? But then she realized, with dawning comprehension, that she already believed in every tenet of the statements. In fact, she seemed to have been built for this. No more codebreakers and half-blood abominations, no more mouse-brained leaders and skirting around decisions. No feelings to muddle things and get in the way. They could save the forest!

"I'm with you, Lichenmask," she called out passionately, not caring anything for what Littlestar and Scorchfang thought. Impure cats like them would be completely irrelevant in this new age of glory.

OOC: Sorry for my lateness! I rushed to post this now before heading to school! XD

IC: Swiftstep had stayed silent the whole way to Fourtrees. He was ready to defend his leader if this was an ambush. The night was tense and it was growing worse. The brown tom had never left Brindlestar's side and didn't plan to. His amber gaze swept over to the Windclan cats who were blindly following Lichenmask foolishly. He shot back a quick glare after having been given one by Darkpaw. His attention then focused up to the "leader" of the group.