August Gathering 2019

The Riverclan leader said nothing but listen and watch. Sure, this was not his clan's business but still... it was something to think about. The silver tabby tom just watched the chaos, how everyone started to take sides, how most of the clans stood against Tinystar. How did his warriors even feel about it? Was the Skyclan she-cat being true when she said the rest of the clan had nothing to do with it? Yet, they ALLOWED it. And if they truly considered that Oakstar spoke with Sparrowpaw in his ceremony... that meant she was on Starclan, not in the Dark Forest. She was innocent.

When the small leader jumped off, Jaystar stood up on top of the rock, facing at the small white shape of the older tom as he drifted away, escaping from a crime it would be never judged. "You're right, Tinystar. What's done is done and this might not be the clans' business but there's an undeniable fact here: you broke the Code, abusing your power and you were never judged. I've made mistakes too but I've paid for them long ago. Now, you, on the other side, hid this from the clans, kept as a secret from us because you probably knew... Sparrowpaw did not deserve to die. The large, scarred leader lashed his tail highly, lifting his chin with disapproval. Unlike him, he had never killed a cat, not even once. He could never imagine killing one who was not really a threat to the clans. Jaystar looked around to all the clans, his gaze with fiery determination and anger for Sparrowpaw's unfair death. "Are you blind or mouse-brained, Tinystar? Sparrowpaw was sent to STARCLAN! She was in Finchstar's ceremony. You killed an innocent one, Tinystar, one deserving of joining our ancestors and you hid it because you, deep inside, you know what you truly did. The least you should feel is guilt for her and the least you deserve is to be judged by your clanmates. But probably, they are scared to stand up against you, since you take treason with such incompetence that you can consider anyone's deserving of executions, even the ones who are good. Just like Sparrowpaw."

The Riverclan leader looked at the Skyclan cats before they could leave and this time, he addressed them directly. "Skyclan cats! Sparrowpaw was your clanmate, one who could become a great warrior. But her chance was taken away by the paranoia of one cat: your leader. It's in your paws to give him a trial, in honour of her unfair death or do nothing and support her murder. Starclan already decided Sparrowpaw was deserving of joining them... now it is time for all of you to decide if this is the cat you want as a leader or if he deserves punishment for his actions."

OOC: Edited because a whole paragraph got lost in the process.

Dismay grew in Oakstar’s chest as he listened to Tinystar’s answer, or rather, his refusal to answer. Amber eyes narrowed as the smaller white tom dismissed the gathering and leapt down from the rock as though what he had done was far less than accused. His tail flicked as Jaystar spoke up. Every point the RiverClan leader brought up was valid.

If Sparrowpaw had truly been evil… if she had been a threat, StarClan wouldn’t have accepted her. She would have gone to the dark forest. Instead, she was in StarClan, told her story to Finchstar, likely in the hopes the little tom would know his error. The dismissive attitude however, told Oakstar more than words could. Tinystar, didn’t really care.

His gaze turned down to the SkyClan cats that were still gathered, watching their leader as he prepared to leave. He paused long enough to take a deep breath. This couldn’t go without a consequence. The little tom could claim it was for the good. He could have given a reason, or at least tried harder. Instead he deflected and hid, and even began to run away.

"Tinystar!" Oakstar stood from his place on the great rock. Face dark with clear displeasure. "In light of this news, and that you are choosing to run away, instead of being honourable and answering the questions to your murder, ThunderClan will not seek to form any alliance with SkyClan." He paused for a moment, to let his words properly sink in. He’d have to double patrols at the SkyClan border… for now. His gaze turned to the cats of SkyClan themselves. "We may speak of potential alliance once your actions have been judged by StarClan or your own Clan." He paused, a steady blink smoothing out his expression.

"Furthermore, in light of this news. If any SkyClan cat feels like their lives are endangered by Tinystar's policy, you may seek shelter from ThunderClan." His gaze lifted to Tinystar’s form one final time. "Peace cannot reign in the forest, if the leaders aren’t willing to be examples of it."

Finchstar's expression remained level as the clearing erupted in chaos. It was a storm, a necessary one before peace could emerge. However Tinystar did not show remorse. He fell on the defensive side, small white pelt hostile as Fourtrees folded in on itself. Through the roar, WindClan's leader caught sight of Aspenpaw, of Rabbitpaw and the rest of the forest's inhabitants. Sparrowpaw was gone, yes, but Tinystar remained. SkyClan was in danger, their very lives hanging by a thread from their leader's selfish claws. "My quarrel is not with your clan, Tinystar. But with you. You have spilled blood, killed an apprentice, this is not a mistake to ignore." All of SkyClan below, and Finchstar feared for them, tail flicking in the slightest bit of agitation.

---

The words that fell from the Great Rock were normal, purposeful, and then they weren't. The trees whistled with a night breeze as the forest came crashing down. Tinystar? A murderer? Leaftwirl ducked away from Grousefrost and Vinepaw, ears roaring with blood and for a moment, she wondered if she was dreaming. Reality now seemed more surreal than her sleeping hours. Finchstar had to be mistaken. He had to be wrong. He was young, anyway, Tinystar had moons of experience on the tom. And yet the other leaders seemed to think the same. Leaftwirl sucked in a breath as the realization hit her. The angry yowls that echoed around her drummed at her heart as she stood numb in the middle of the clearing. Her mentor and counselor. Her leader. Why hadn't Tigerleaf told her? Why hadn't Amberdawn? And Sunflower? Was she even safe with him? The branches seemed to quake, grass shifting ominously. She didn't know where to go, where to hide. There was no cat to bury her muzzle in, as their paths strayed too close to the bloodbath that was now exposed. Had the she-cat known what her morals were, then perhaps the blow would have been softened, but how did a good warrior react? Leaftwirl opened her mouth to defend her leader, then closed it a moment later, feeling sick. How could the little tom have done this? When it was so blatantly against the code? More yowls, more confusion, and all Leaftwirl could do was to follow Tinystar as he led SkyClan from Fourtrees, cheeks moist with the embodiment of fear. Oakstar's call was drowned out. Jaystar's accusation cut her to her core. Finchstar spoke more agonizingly calm statements. She wanted to screech at the clearing to be silent. Just long enough to find her head. But Leaftwirl had lost her sense of direction long ago in Tigerleaf's death. Now she only followed numbly as the emotions inside her danced with themes of life and death.

---

And their hearts shattered as Oakstar's call demanded a choice. Stay with a toxic king, or leave for a foreign one. Finchstar's yellow eyes narrowed in concern. He wondered if the judgement meant to fall on SkyClan's leader would find him late. The WindClan leader reminded himself yet again that he was only the messenger. Peace would come in time. Claws nicked the rock as Tinystar called for SkyClan's dismissal. The warriors left the clearing one by one, an eerie silence following. The tom sighed, bowing his head in exhaustion. The forest would prevail, and yet those wonderful souls across the river sat prisoner to the laws imposed on them. Finchstar let his head drift to the stars and thought of Brookclover. His mate would demand justice. It only seemed right. And yet fate was fickle. It would come in time. For now, WindClan's arms would remain open. A safe haven for those lost. Tinystar would find his reckoning soon, and in the meantime, the forest would mourn those trapped. A waiting game, no matter now strenuous. Finchstar remembered his mate's frame and sighed as he imagined her starry figure around his. Stubborn optimism was naïve. Sometimes peace called for more direct measures. Only time would tell.

Unlike Tinystar, Spottedleap couldn't keep his cool under all of the eyes staring him and his clanmates down. Neck fur raised and claws sliding from their sheaths, the SkyClan warrior couldn't resist the urge to hiss as Jaystar, Oakstar, and Finchstar mocked his leader and patronized his clan. "Our leader's word is law, fishface! Putting him on trial is trying to condemn StarClan itself. They'd do something if they had a problem, you stars-cursed hypocrite!" He yowled at Jaystar, working his way to Tinystar's side once the small leader joined them on the ground. "SkyClan doesn't want your pity." He hissed, his amber eyes burning and lip drawn back in a snarl. To watch Oakstar and Finchstar look at his kin and clan like helpless kits was infuriating; they'd always been smaller and weaker than the traditionally large clans, and Spottedleap couldn't stand their high and mighty attitudes for a second longer. The leaders on the rock disgusted him, even if their intentions were good. He'd been opposed to Tinystar's actions, but he was loyal and wouldn't betray his leader because the outsiders thought they could wrest control by using the SkyClan warriors for their own gains.

Fur ruffled and ears pinned back, Spotteldeap turned to leave the clearing with SkyClan. These others weren't worth a moment of their time.

--

Harefoot shrank back when Tinystar's secret was revealed. Suddenly he saw the small white tom in a completely different light. How could anyone do such a thing, and to an apprentice of all things? The lanky tom could sense the tensions rising among the crowd, and the air was filled with gasps and outbursts across the clearing. Everything felt dizzy. The ThunderClan warrior looked back at his apprentice and decided that things were getting too tense for his liking. He moved through the crowd and pressed close to Houndpaw, giving him and his new RiverClan friend a short glance. "Let's try to keep calm, now," He attempted to sound soothing, but the nervous energy was audible in his meow. When a loud SkyClan warrior's outburst rang through the air, Harefoot wrapped his tail around Houndpaw and stared at the spotted tom with an incredulous look. "Great StarClan, they've all gone mad!"

For the most part, he'd been trying to ignore what happened on top of the Great Rock, but when Finchstar's voice rose, Minkpaw couldn't help but listen. Immediately, all thoughts, all schemes and plans were flung away by a sudden howling gale of voices and crackling emotions.

Tinystar had killed an apprentice?

He twisted from Batbite to look up at the rock in disbelief, his gaze catching the small warrior as he icily deflected the claims and leaped down. He could feel everything slipping out of his paws like water streaming across a duck's back. What... what just happened? Glancing back at Batbite, he met her gaze. After this... it would be nigh on impossible to continue their mission, especially since most of SkyClan was filing out of the clearing even as Jaystar and ThunderClan's new leader also spoke up. They could only hope some had heard.

"I have a feeling no one's going to be thinking about some cats staying at the abandoned barn for a while," He murmured to her, searching her gaze. A sinking feeling seemed to drop right into his paws as he realized that after all this there might not be many cats following them, if any. Still, even if it was just the two of them, it would be worth it. It had to be. "But before everything breaks up, what time should we set?"

Burningsun let all of the words of the Gathering sink in to her body. This didn’t seem right. There had to be something done. When Finchstar originally spoke of Tinystar’s misdeeds, she had resigned herself to remaining quiet and deal with the situation later after speaking to Lightfang or Sandblaze about the situation. She was a little embarrassed about lashing out at Aspenpaw, but knew it was the least of her worries at that point.

But when Tinystar reacted the way he did, she felt numb. How could he just be brushing off all of this like it means nothing? He just taunts the other leaders and leaves? All the other leaders wanted justice. When Tinystar dismissed the Gathering and called for the warriors of SkyClan to follow him, Burningsun didn’t budge. Her paws kept her there, and her multi-colored gaze stared at the remaining leaders as they spoke.

” It's in your paws to give him a trial, in honor of her unfair death or do nothing and support her murder.”

Jaystar was right. If she sat here and said nothing back at camp, said nothing about what Tinystar did, she was supporting a tyrant. Finally, the emotions she so hated but craved hit her. A burning flame in her chest. Narrowing her eyes, she glanced to Finchstar. If he spoke to Sparrowpaw, why couldn’t she? Finally, her gaze looked to Oakstar as he spoke.

” "We may speak of potential alliance once your actions have been judged by StarClan or your own Clan."”

So not only was Tinystar himself a danger, but he was isolating them from the other clans. She had seen the beauty of the Clans working together. If she sat and did nothing, she was literally harming her clan. By isolating them, by supporting a tyrant. Her mind flashed to Lightfang. Lightfang wouldn’t speak up, she needed to protect him. She did not realize that Sandblaze did not cross her mind- she was too focused on Oakstar’s final words.

[i]"Peace cannot reign in the forest, if the leaders aren’t willing to be examples of it."

Oakstar was right. If Tinystar didn’t know justice and wasn’t willing to accept an ounce of it, she would impose it for herself. For the safety of SkyClan.

Finally, Burningsun stood and turned to follow her clanmates, hanging at the back of the group.

Burningsun would do anything for her clan. Including taking down a tyrant.