To Be Among Allies... [Closed]

Flintstar kept a weary eye out as he stepped into the clearing, the grass still slightly soaked from the torrential downpour that had ended the Gathering a few moonhighs before. He rarely made the trek out here for nothing other than the clearing but Ivystar did speak true - they had to discuses where their alliance stood. He had been faintly aware of the fact that they were technically allies, recalling one night where Thornstar had left to try to...Speak things out with Torrentstar. He...Had a feeling he knew how that night had ended but he had never learned where the two Clans still stood and things had seemed...Sour between the leaders before their demises. He huffed at the thought, shaking his head as he took in the sights.

The sun was just starting to rise, his eyes narrowing against the harsh brightness that lit the clearing. He wasn't used to being out in such...Light. The darkness was their ally, their safety. It hide them from the dangers and allowed them to strike first. It was rare for him to see the sunrise, often hiding in his den at such hours. But...He couldn't deny the beauty of it, painting the skies in ways that he had not expecting. He settled down, curling his tail around his paws as he kneaded and watched the strange shifting colors of the sky as he waited for Ivystar to make her appearance.

The bold magenta and peach tones the sunrise painted across the sky had an undeniable quality of beauty among them, but it was something that Ivystar didn't often take the time to admire. Her mind was usually elsewhere at such times- ensuring the patrols that Stormbringer had organized were departing on time, and that there was enough fresh kill in the pile to last the rest of the day. Duties she'd taken directly from her predecessor, who had left her... quite a mess to clean up, though she'd never say so out loud. One such thing was the tentative alliance between her Clan and Flintstar's- after such tension between the two, the silver she-cat was left entirely clueless on where they stood with one another.

And so, here she was. Fourtrees was a place she'd never ventured during the day, so seeing in bathed in hues of gold and orange was an interesting sight. It was beautiful, really, but it wasn't why she was there, so she didn't waste her time admiring it. Getting straight to the point, she padded directly to where the fluffy black and grey leader stood, her smaller paws settling a few tail lengths from where the tom sat. "I prefer to skip the formalities, so let's just get to it." She said, drawing in a breath. "Both of our predecessors left us with... Things to figure out, to discuss together. The most prominent being the state of our alliance," Curling her tail over her paws, the silver tabby wasted little time decorating her words, unlike the ginger WindClan leader who'd stood here just sunrises ago. "I personally would like to uphold the peace between our Clans, and I believe an alliance would serve both Clans well. If RiverClan can count on ShadowClan during uncertain times, then you have our word that we will stand by you if and when the need arises." Her gaze was unwavering as she locked eyes with the tom in front of her, awaiting his response to what she had to offer.

At the sound of pawsteps, Flintstar turned his gaze to watch Ivystar stalk from the shadows. He dipped his head in greetings, whiskers twitching with relief as she got straight to the point - less words he would have to worry about. He straighten up as she went on, noting that they were left with a mess and that she would prefer peace. "I am glad to hear it, as I to would prefer to keep the alliance," he said as he met her gaze. It had been something he had dwelled on since he had become leader, but most importantly in the last few nights since Ivystar had requested this meeting. ShadowClan had been on uneasy terms with SkyClan at least, with the situation unknown on how it stood with the others. That wasn't something he could stand for - if he wanted ShadowClan to be seen in a new light, a better light, and having at least one ally would be a good start. "This is not a time to be making enemies, I want to keep ShadowClan safe among all else and to have others to count on would be...Nice. We are in similar situations, with how we...Became leaders. There is just a single thing I wish to know, Ivystar. ...Where do you stand on what StarClan has done? How do you plan to move forward? I feel like this is one situation that we must at least be...Somewhat agreed upon."

Nodding her head, she let her muscles relax a bit. Unknowingly, they'd tensed up- but for good reason, she supposed, as before she didn't have an inkling on how this meeting would go. Her gaze remained locked with Flintstar's as he spoke, inquiring about the odd and quite sticky situation at paw. She wasn't even entirely sure how she felt about it all... But she knew where her morals were, and she knew that she would put her Clan above all else, no matter the costs. "My sole purpose as a leader is to keep my Clan safe. What StarClan has done at this point has not and will not change that. We have such little knowledge at the moment, but we know that StarClan is angry. Justifiably, I suppose, as many cats have simply... ignored the Code." Shaking her head slightly, the RiverClan leader's tail twitched at the thought of StarClan's actions. "What StarClan did to Thornstar and Torrentstar was in no definition of the word acceptable, but that is in the past. The only thing that has changed in my Clan in regards to the situation is the safety of my Clan members. No cat is allowed to leave camp alone on account of the starry warriors that seem to keep a watchful eye on our lands. For every apprentice on a patrol, there must be at least one warrior present, and Mistlesh... Spiderpaw must be accompanied by a warrior when he escorts our apprentices to Highstones."

Ivystar faltered a bit when it came to mentioning Mistleshine's name, with the injured she-cat being... Out of commission. The two definitely had things to discuss, but she wanted to give the she-cat time to rest and heal before they talked about such a difficult situation. Shaking her head, she returned her focus to Flintstar. "I hope that answers your question well enough. At the moment those are the only measures I've taken, but if StarClan sees fit to take further action... For the safety of RiverClan, I may be inclined to do the same. My warriors know the Code by heart, and I expect them to follow it closely. StarClan should have nothing to punish them for." Shaking out her fluffy pelt, Ivystar blinked as she looked at the tom, her emerald eyes reflecting the bright hues above them. "And you?"

Flintstar listened intently as the focus had shifted back on Ivystar as she discussed her...Feelings on the current matter, of how she planned to take things. The fact that she was not...Happy with StarClan was a start - while he was in no hurry to stand against them as...Vocally as Finchstar seemed to have been, it did not mean he accepted the slaughtering of his mother. She was not blindly following StarClan but did not fully oppose them either, a good start. Common ground. He nodded as she listed the different rules she had set in place to keep her Clan safe, half wondering if it would be wise to do the same. He had hopes that simply agreeing with StarClan would be enough to spare their wrath from ShadowClan but he did suppose he could never account for how his Clanmates would truly react.

"...The safety of ShadowClan is all that is important to me," he said as the question was turned back on him, ears twitching as a soft sigh escaped him. "I do not...Agree with StarClan's actions against our old leaders as well. I saw them strike down my mother with no hesitation. ...She just had kits. Torrentstar's kits. I had to tell them that our mother was dead," he added with the slightest snarl. They were strong but he couldn't understand what such a thing would do to them - they were so young...And he already didn't understand emotions as it was. He just knew that it was something that they shouldn't have had suffered through, not so soon. "...But you are right, that is in the past. StarClan has made their threat clear, to uphold the code or suffer their wrath. To do so will protect my Clanmates, and so I shall. I imagine StarClan has come to see that fear is a good enough force to...Align us with their goals when others would stray so easily. ...It is good to hear that we are both agreed - the safety of our Clans above all."

There was a long pause before he spoke again. "...I am...Sorry you had to find out the truth of Torrentstar's demise like you did. It was not easy for I to understand and I witnessed it when it came to Thornstar. It must be...Harder to grasp when you have only my words to go on."

Relief yet again settled in Ivystar's chest as Flintstar spoke about his own beliefs, and she noted that they practically shared the same views on the situation. "I do hope that you are correct in that assumption, though my past moons have revealed to me that StarClan rarely stops at the minimum when it comes to things like this. I wouldn't be surprised, to say the least, if the forest were to suffer more consequences. There will always be those who stray from the code, and StarClan has chosen to punish more than just those who participate in such wrongdoings in the past." Bitter memories flooded back to when Lichenmask was in power, of the bloody battle that had taken place when she was simply an apprentice. Those were a horrid few moons, and she didn't wish to revisit them... But StarClan was in charge here, as she was well aware.

Ivystar went stiff when Flintstar mentioned the previous gathering, something she tried her hardest not to dwell on too much. "I trust your words, as you have no reason to lie. Of course, that doesn't make the concept any easier to come to terms with." Her whiskers twitched as she imagined how everything had gone down, and she shook her head. She preferred not to think of the details... Having to come upon Torrentstar's mangled, bloody pelt at the border was enough for the silver leader. "I was afraid it had been ThunderClan, as that was where... That was where I found him, and if it weren't for his wounds it would've seemed like he was simply sleeping... I'm not sure if the truth of the matter is much better than that, though."

Flintstar nodded his head - he was certain that this was only the start of StarClan's attempt to reinforce the Warrior Code. There was no telling what would happen to those who willingly bent the rules or looked the other way - Thornstar and Torrentstar were examples to be certain, but were they a special case? Would StarClan truly strike down so casualy those who refused to listen? Or was the fact that they were both leaders with their actions so soon and known to all the Clans that made them an easy target to hope to strike such fear into the Clans? It was impossible to say until more would transpire, but this was only the start. That much was certain. "That I can agree, but as long as ShadowClan may be spared of those consequences that the forest may suffer...Then I suppose I will stand aside and watch," he admitted. "And hopefully RiverClan will be spared as well."

He was relieved that she seemed to trust him - it had been in part a guess after all. He couldn't say for certain that Torrentstar had been struck down by StarClan but her explanation seemed to fit with what he had seen himself with Thornstar and they were both the guilty party in the birth of his siblings. StarClan had been disappointed with both and had done fit with them as they wished. "Is the truth of the demise of a love one ever better?" he questioned, thinking back himself on when his father had explained that Flintstar's own apprentice had seemingly been the one to murder Poppyheart. "It is always better to hope that they suffered quickly and with mercy. That they are at peace now. I am truly sorry for how things turned out for both of our...Past leaders. But there is only the future to look forward to - and it seems that forward holds an alliance between our two Clans if that is still agreeable after what we have discussed," he said, standing up.

"If so, then I pledge the strength of my warriors to be of aid to you and your Clan if you ever see fit to call upon us - as long as the same can be expected of you. Our paths seem aligned, the future we both want is something that can be achieved together. We both need allies in this trying times, and it would be our honor to be seen as such to RiverClan."

Ivystar couldn't say she was surprised at the mention of Flintstar simply letting things fly if StarClan did decide to take action among the other Clans. He'd never struck her as the type to rebel, to take action on such things, such as Finchstar seemed to at the last gathering. "As for myself... In the event that RiverClan is put into harm's way, that is when I will bring my paw down. Otherwise, I will let StarClan do as they see fit." She shook her head lightly at Flintstar's comment, unsure how she felt on the matter. "At least there is peace between RiverClan and ThunderClan, for the time being." Ivystar simply nodded her head at Flintstar's condolences, not wanting to dwell on the matter for too much longer.

"Nothing has changed, personally." She remarked, standing up as the tom began to speak again. Nodding her head as he finished, she confirmed the alliance. "RiverClan will do everything within its power to be of aid to you and your Clan, with the same expected of your own. We greatly appreciate the knowledge you've brought forth, and if there is anything we can do for your Clan, you know where to find me. Is there anything left to discuss?" The tabby she-cat stepped forward, looking to the tom to see if he was ready to go back to their respective homes.

He was...Hopefully the same - he had surrounded himself at least by others who would push him to stand against StarClan if those in ShadowClan would to gain their wrath for no wrongdoing of their own. He had his fears, could anything truly be done to stop StarClan? But it was only for the safety of ShadowClan he cared for - if that risk was there, he had to do something in an effort to stop it. He didn't voice these concerns out loud - it wasn't for Ivystar to hear. It would change nothing...Hopefully. They would focus on their own Clan and only reach out for help if need be and so he only nodded as she pledged herself to stand against StarClan if their wrath would fall upon RiverClan.

And it seemed their alliance was agreed upon. As Ivystar returned the pledge and questioned if there was anything more to discuses, he paused to think upon it. They both seemed aligned in their beliefs, they knew what had transpired with StarClan and how they would move forward with such knowledge. They were allies now, reconfirming the alliance that had been questionable for so long. "...No, nothing more to speak of. I think our purpose here has been done. Our alliance is standing. I do hope that we will not have to call on each other for aid for a long while thought," he said, starting to turn away before he paused to look back at her. "I suppose I'll see you at the next Gathering, Ivystar. May your paws find the stones."

With that, he lumbered away into the shadows cast by the rising sun and left the RiverClan leader to her own devices.

Simply nodding her head as Flintstar acknowledged that the pair had gone over everything that they needed to, Ivystar flicked her tail lightly, signaling that she was preparing to take her leave from the clearing. "May the coming moon do ShadowClan well. See you then, Flintstar." The tabby she-cat fluffed out her fur, shaking off anything that had clung to her pelt on the journey there and for the time she'd spent speaking to the fellow leader. She would be happy to tell Stormbringer that the meeting had gone well, and hoped to find Honeytongue and the deputy still sleeping in the nest that the three shared... It may be well into the morning, but the silver leader still wanted to spend it next to the two she-cats.