A Debate; A Declaration [Closed]

The way the large tom stalked through the shadows of the brilliant landscape highlighted the long, flowing fur of his coat. His dark, tabby coat was magnificent. Hues of mahogany, chocolate, and deep russet comprised his pelt. At the tips of his ears were near black tufts and behind the cat streamed a flowing, feathery tail. Only his underbelly was a light, dusty brown. Any cat that glance in his direction would have felt the scorching heat of the brown inferno that was his gaze. It was obvious his paws held power, and his stride confidence and purpose.

As the tom rounded the Wishing Pool, he opted to sit, whipping his tail to cover his paws and staring at the various eyes that met him. Each was here for the same cause. Every single cat gathered knew of the filth and rot of their lineage below. This was the time to set things right, and he would waste now time in that effort, "You all know why we're here so I won't repeat it. There is not a question of whether or not something has to be done but what we are going to do. Everyone here understand. Personally, I believe there should be no mercy. Cats either follow the code or they don't. It's for their own good and for the good of the forest. How down-brained can they be." He looked away from where his gaze had been fixed on the pool before looking towards the late Shadowclan leader, "And before you say it, Brackenstar, there is no hypocrisy in my words. Your lot of clans have fallen just as far as Skyclan." In life, the pair of leaders had quarreled more than once over differences in opinion. Even if they were allies now, he was not going to allow the other tom to speak ill of the clan he treasured, despite the maggots that writhed within.

Gazing lamely at the Wishing Pond before her, the dusty and chocolate brown she-cat flickered barely flicked her ears in greeting as Owlstar finally decided to join them. The twitch of her tail signified her annoyance, not necessarily in those surrounding her but with the living members of her Clan. How ignorant they'd become to the code was abhorrent, and the leader no less. What the cats of the forest viewed as acceptable was practically completely opposite from the code... How could they be expected to rear their young in a world without the code? In a world where, despite StarClan's best efforts, the code simply existed for those who chose to abide by it, instead of everyone being held to the same standard. Despicable.

"Do us all a favor and save your bickering for another time, another day. We've got work to do." The RiverClan leader's gaze shifted to reflect that of the SkyClan leader's, meeting his brown eyes from across the wishing pool. "Showing mercy would be a sign of weakness. Those who betray the code deserve everything but." Her words were firm and proved exactly how solid her beliefs were. She didn't keep her Clan thriving for moons for it to simply be cast to the side like Carrion.

“Tut, tut, Vixenstar. As always, your vitriol is matched only by your lack of self-awareness,” a hulking tom mused in a low purr as he came around from the she-cat’s left. His yellow eyes and snowy-white maw told different stories, one of pity and the other of smugness. "So eager to change the subject. Perhaps it's shame. Jaystar and Goldeneye's... copulation... flourishes, even now. A great stain on RiverClan's history rests in two snug little nurseries in ThunderClan and WindClan. I do not blame the kit for the queen, except when two generations of Goldeneyes make the same mistake!"

The black pelted tom swept his tail around his front paws and stared forlornly into the Wishing Pond. "You see, my friends, we are all touched by the blackness. Look at my beautiful clan... positively infected with ShadowClan blood! Watch them follow like ducklings after that 'Oakstar.' Ha! Marshpaw he was named, and Marshpaw he will remain." The burly cat ran a white paw over the surface of the water, imagining the hooked claws were tearing a hole in the sky for all cats to see. "And they grant him his nine lives, a new name, this... this starborne aristocracy! When did those cats most loyal to the code become the minority? We take orders from cats who don't enforce the code they're so keen on quoting back at us."

Badgerstar sighed, woefully flicking his ears. "Yes, give prophecies to medicine cats that will do nothing with them. Take a leader's eight lives, but allow him to lead. Have no shame in your RiverClan-born mate; she'll be graciously accepted into Finchstar's collection of rogues and exiles. But we are the rabble-rousers. Hmph. We alone are the righteous few." His gaze flickered between the two cats yet to make themselves known. "Do you deny the terrible fate that WindClan and ShadowClan have found themselves in?"

Within the realm of starclan, there lay an ancient pool. One that held the visions of the real world. One that was sometimes crowded, and other times not. The mood around the pond fluctuated like the weather below, glittered like the brightest sun on a frosted marsh, but clear as a thin layer of warm ice.

Tonight, the mood was sour. The large tortoiseshell tom could practically taste the dissatisfaction among his peers as he leapt over the final log to reach the pool. His gaze met those who had already assembled, green orbs like spruce spines sharp and dangerous as the last members joined and the meeting began.

He scoffed bitterly at Owlstar’s remark.
“Indeed. My clan has fallen, but none of my clan’s leaders came into power only to die uselessly in a twolegplace filled with dogs. Not only did Rippedstar foolishly break the code, he set a precedence towards how many could be broken.” Brackenstar’s voice was hard, a gruff lingering break in it that could have been attributed to age as he looked over at Vixenstar and Badgerstar with narrowed eyes.

“That tom is a star addled fool. He should never have set paw in ThunderClan but to do as a warrior should do, to take territory, and lose it in turn. He was of terrible heritage to begin with.” Brackenstar’s lips curled in disdain. “Thrushstar would have been right to send their mother and litter to their fates moons ago… none of this should have happened, the current clans are an abomination, destroying our hard work.”

Brackenstar stood, his teeth bared in the starlit clearing. His heavy bulk glowed with stars, but they darkened as he looked at each leader in turn.

“Every single one of them deserves death. Let not even the kits be spared! For although the code tells the clan to care for them, we know only too well it will promote this disgusting show to continue!” The tom’s pelt and hackles lofted in fury as he spat. His gaze caught on the sight of Thornstar in the forest, a snark of contempt as he slashed the water. “They betrayed us.” He looked up at each of the leaders. “They mock what we stood for… now we need to make them pay.”

The silver tabby with her black stripes had remained silent, staring at the water rippling before her in disdain in disappointment. As the other four cats made their comments or bickered among themselves, Galestar merely flicked the tip of her tail, listening and watching the cats that still counted among the living. How far they had fallen since her time, WindClan had once been a great clan, strong and true. They had finally reestablished themselves as the true runners of the moor, utilizing the tunnels that had been so carefully crafted moons before even she had been born, but look at their ranks! A queen of RiverClan lay in their nursery even now, carrying the kits of her clan's deputy! Even the deputy had once turned his back on his clan in their darkest hour, yet had been welcomed with open arms. She hissed, as the final thought crossed her mind. At least his blood was true. 

Even his band of warriors, expansive as it was. WindClan held much power in their paws, but so much of it was power gained through untrue methods, accepting any cat with a story without any questions or trials. Three SkyClan cats had been welcomed not long after the RiverClan one, and they had participated in a murder. Sighing aloud as Badgerstar called out her clan, she finally lifted her hazel gaze to meet his. "You of all cats should know that I would never deny the wrongs of my clan, Badgerstar. WindClan has fallen under the command of a tom with his head so far in the stars already that he merely gives his lives for menial tasks. It's as if he's chasing after his mate with no regard for the clan he would leave behind." Galestar mewed, a scowl on her face as she regarded the tom before meeting the eyes of each of her companions firmly.

"Each of the clans have their wrongdoings, and none of them are free from the shame of breaking the code. Even SkyClan, despite Tinystar's best efforts, carried blood of traitors and rogues. They aren't worth their titles, any of them. They spit on the code created and upheld for generations, referencing it only when they deem it useful to themselves. How far they all have fallen.... And just look at Thornstar. Foolishness, all of it. We have remained silent for far too long, merely biding our time while we hoped for our successors to bring back true order. That time has run out, and I will not continue to be silenced by others who refuse to see the weight of their wrongdoings." Raising her gaze to look out into the surrounding area, she was sure that some of the most recent additions to StarClan ranks were listening. Let them, she didn't care. Her words were the truth, and the sooner they realized and recognized it the better. She was through playing their silly, rabbit-brained games. 

"The time has long since passed to do something, now is the time to make them pay for their crimes."

Owlstar's eyes bore into the pelts of each cat who spoke, particularly Brackenstar and his mention of the Windclan tom who had only further stained the name of Skyclan. If this were any other occasion, he might have pursued the conversation with his foe, however, there was a general agreement here. Each leader understood that their own clans had fallen into patterns of disgrace and code-breaking just as much as the rest. Pointing tails at other cats would solve nothing. Each spoke of punishment in their words, vehement that the clans should be turned back into what they were meant to with the urging of the stars. Brackenstar called for the annihilation of kits. He wanted to scoff at the foolishness of the tom and had to bite it back. Regardless, this was no question, or a petty ask, this was a command. The code had been written from the beginning, and while always fractured, now it was even disregarded by leaders. After Galestar spoke, the tom waited only a moment before piping up once again.

"Death of kits will only breed hatred of our cause in the clans. They are not like us, soft in their mortal word and lacking in knowledge, so... we send them home." Owlstar's eyes met each other the other clan's leaders, "Those code-breakers must go back where they belong, be with the clan they were meant to be with, and flourish as warriors there. All clans will be better off with their own kind." He left it unsaid, but in considering it, he was grateful that he had not grown up alongside any of these cats. Each possessed their own undesirable, other-clanly traits. The former leader was sure he had his own but that did not matter among one's birthclan. There was a matter that Badgerstar touched on. Of course, not even the medicine cats whose ears were graced with the whispers of Starclans listened to their ancestors now. Then who could be entrusted with the message that this righteous few had to bring? His tail flickered behind him for a moment with thought, "Forget the medicine cats. Let us find warriors, apprentices, their hearts right with the code and strong in their belief of Starclan. The choices of a foolish Starclan will not deter us."

Badgerstar's eyes darted left and right with a cool and sharp edge. Each of his comrades spoke out in adamant disapproval... as he had hoped. Truly, this was a dream in the making. Each Gathering, they sat in starlight and remained silent as the rest of StarClan chattered in their approval of these lawless cats. Kits, split across rivers and thunderpaths, away from their families and all the love a clan could provide. His heart broke for these kits, as they broke for his own, taken long ago in the clutches of their own birth. The anger that brewed in grief was a concoction not unlike wildfire. To watch sinful creatures embrace their half-bred kittens and be allowed to watch them grow pained him. They threw away the promises of starlight and doomed their young to a life of turbulence and strife. Brackenstar's callousness upset him gravely in this respect. He cleared his throat as Owlstar finished speaking. No other leader spoke. There was an air of agreement among them.

"So we all agree," he whispered softly. "They will return to whence they came, and they will be welcomed by a forgiving and grateful clan. Everything will be as it should be." Badgerstar touched his paw to the Wishing Pond, watching as the ripples pushed out from where his pad broke the surface. "Should they refuse? They shall be struck with illness the likes of which have not been seen before... to mirror the plague and disease of their hearts. A fitting fate for traitors." The black and white tom shook the water off his paw, watching as it elegantly cascaded through the air. "We will spare the kits... both those who were forced to break the code before they were taught it and those who are products of this wickedness and disarray. Brackenstar, I hope you understand this bargain and all it entails. To lose a kit... well. That is a punishment I would not even wish on RiverClan's worst warrior." Badgerstar winked at Vixenstar with a coyness that was reminiscent of when he was once a young and ambitious tom.

"It is time, my friends!" Badgerstar said with a booming voice, leaping to his paws in enthusiasm. "It is time to rise above the apologetics and spinelessness of the stars we've come to know. If they are not with us, they are against us! We are indeed the Righteous Few, and these few are mighty! I say we gather our most loyal clanmates and take to the forest. We will show them the true intent of StarClan! And I will take great pleasure in personally explaining our message to Marshpaw. Are we in agreement?"

Nodding her head at Owlstar's declaration, the elegant brown tabby took to her paws, slowly walking around the outskirts of the pond. Lifting her head as Badgerstar began, she stopped, trailing her paw pad slowly across the surface of the water. Watching as the ripples faded into the same smooth surface as before, she nodded in agreement- rolling her eyes when the tom winked at her. As kits, the poor beings had nothing to do with the unfortunate breach of code that led to their birth and had such little understanding of it at all until moons into their lives. They weren't deserving of a punishment fit for those that brought them into the world- the burden they were forced to live with was enough.

Vixenstar had been watching; observing. She held the knowledge that the quintet of leaders needed in order to carefully select those among the stars who were most loyal to their morals; to their cause. Turning to face the ring of star-pelted cats surrounding them, watching their every move, her eyes paused on a select few. "Liondawn, Stembreeze, Sunspark, and Lavenderbreeez," Her voice demanded attention, and she felt the gazes of each cat snap up to meet her own. "You are most fit to aid us in leading the forest to an era filled with respect for the code and what it means; to ensure that the Clans are lead into an age of prosperity. If you agree to this task and what it entails, step forward." Her gaze shifted between the cats that she had listed off, waiting for their response. Momentarily, she looked back to her fellow leaders, making contact with each one before letting her gaze settle on the pond. "And what of those who participate in romances strictly forbidden by the code?" Memories of the recent events her own Clan had taken part in shifted through her brain, disgust rising like bile in her throat.

Brackenstar turned to Galestar with a sneer of disdain.
“You would coddle the kits.” He growled, eyes narrowed as he took in his colleagues' answers. Cowards, the lot of them. His eyes closed for a moment as he stepped back for a moment, levelling each of them with a gaze. “They will continue to breed. Those kits we spare will only learn that a blind eye was turned to spare them, but so be it. Let it be the queens and toms who sired those cross clan abominations who suffer such illness as well, but let us make it so that they’re only hope of forgiveness lies in forging true bonds. Ones within their own clans, as it should have always been!” His growling voice broke through the temporary peace as he sat, then turned towards the starry watchers.

Cats, who lingered on the fringes of the discussion. Who were true starclan, whose intentions were to hold the true code. He huffed, head lifted proudly at the names that were called. It was time these ‘clan cats’ learned to hold true to the warrior code.

“May those kits grow to understand the code better than their parents ever did.” He growled, gaze turning to Badgerstar. “May this ‘Marshpaw’ be truer than the last.”

Galestar met Brackenstar's sneer with an indifferent expression as he growled. Her tail tip lightly twitching was the only response given for now, as she listened to the other leaders and Brackenstar speak again. Great rabbits, did that tom ever think before he spoke? The point he brought up following, however, was one she could agree with and get behind. Nodding once, the stiff, firm gesture it was, she opened her mouth once more. "At least I would not condemn innocents for a mistake that was not their own. You would think after all the moons you've had to learn, Brackenstar, you could have finally gained some wisdom in that regard."

Her eyes flashed as she tilted her head to the tom, regarding him with an almost mocking curiosity. As she turned away, she looked back to the pond at their paws. "May they all be washed clean, and become warriors to the homes they belong to. The choices we have made are final. The time for our silence and standing aside has ended, and now begins a new era of greatness for all of the clans." The water by her paws rippled, sending gentle waves across the surface as the company of starry cats closed around them. Raising her eyes to meet Owlstar, she nodded to him. "It is time. Set the plan into motion, Owlstar. I am taking my leave." With those final, parting words, Galestar stood and turned her back on the traitors and rule-breakers sheltered in clans they didn't belong in, and the ancestors who had finally decided enough was enough.

What a magnificent, glorious dawn this would be.