Oak trees and Marsh lands (Open)

Flintstar watched as all of ShadowClan listened to his rallying cry, voices speaking up in agreement. Redwolf, Mothglow... There would be punishment for this from The Righteous Few - there was no denying that. But in the end, they had their freedom to follow what was truly expected of them, that loyalty was all that mattered... Then it would be worth it, he supposed. His ears twitched as a new voice spoke up. Oakstar was struggling to stand to his paws as he apologized, explaining his history. The leader was silent as he listened, before he twitched his ear as the ThunderClan leader finished and slowly laid down.

"...I see," he said as he mused it over. He...Didn't quite understand but he knew the allure of family was...Strong. His family meant everything to him - and he had quite the respect for the ones that didn't live in ShadowClan and both Dacedream and Dappleshine had shifted Clans. No, he didn't quite imagine leaving ShadowClan for one reason or another but...He suppose it only mattered to where their true loyalty lied. And for Oakstar, that was in ThunderClan. "Then ThunderClan you will return to, in due time. I will admit to not fully understanding but... The pull of emotions, the...Strength of them tend to allude me. But this is not the first tale I have heard like this - Dappleshine told me just as much when I met her at the WindClan border one day. She joined WindClan for love and...If she is happy and loyal to WindClan, I suppose that is all that matters in the end," he mused with a shake of his head.

"Blood does not define us - not everybody in ShadowClan was born in this Clan or carries only our blood. But they are all loyal to ShadowClan like you are to ThunderClan... And that is why I cannot stand for The Righteous Few's ways, because they do not care for us, not truly. They would remove anybody who does not fit their vision no matter how loyal they truly are."

Ebonypaw tilted her head curiously. She was too young to know what had happened to Oakstar, but she understood Oakstar. If it was her, she would have gone to her relatives too. “We’ll get you back to ThunderClan.” Ebonypaw said, determined. “You belong there.” She looked worriedly as Oakstar gasped in pain. [i]They must have attacked him...[i] Ebonypaw thought.

Eveningpaw couldn't help but listen, padding to the front of the crowd. "Oak- Marshpaw, so you were born here?" Her eyes glared at him. She looked at Mothglow. "Mothy..." Her head tilted slightly. "I- I want to fight too, Starclan made me a medicine cat apprentice but... They turned their backs on us, you said so, I'll fight like a warrior's apprentice if I- I have to." She shuffled beside her mentor, her eyes gleaming in a mixture of excitement but also worry. "B-But you saw what they did, at the gathering and all..." She looked down... Before glaring again at Marshpaw. "E-Even you, I'll fight with you."

Mothglow nudged her apprentice gently, her tone taking on a stern quality that was rarely seen. "Now, Eveningpaw. Oakstar might not be a ShadowClan cat, but he's still a respected leader, and deserves to be treated as such. And I was trained as a warrior, you weren't - if I'm forced to fight, I'll need you to help with healing. Cats will need healed whether StarClan cares or not, after all - they didn't call me to the path of a medicine cat; I chose it on my own because someone had to do something. I'll not have you believing you need to listen to them, now - choose this path because you want it, not because they want you to."

She fixed her gaze on the ThunderClan leader once again. "As for you, you followed your heart," she murmured, thinking of StagClan and Silent Snows. How Thornstar had nearly had to drag her away; how that rift had never fully healed. It was for the best, in the end, that she could live on though her sister did not - if they had never separated, she was sure her loss would have killed her - but she could wish that rift wasn't there, could wish they'd had the chance to truly make peace. "That's admirable in itself. I would have done the same, if I were in your place. You may have been born here, may have been raised here - but your home will always be the place you feel at peace. If that place is ThunderClan, then it's ThunderClan you'll return to."

Shadestrike found herself in the middle of the crowd of cats. She was trying to get a glimpse of the cat that had come into Shadowclan's camp. Her ears caught most of the conversation until she heard her own daughter's voice, answered by Mothglow's. Mothglow's right, but where's Eveningpaw? She pushed through until she spotted the tortoiseshell. "Eveningpaw, Mothglow is right. You have to stay and heal your clanmates." She padded over and curled her tail around her kit. "And you can be sure that I'll fight." She whispered in the Apprentice's ear. Eveningpaw looked away from Shadestrike. "It's the best you can do for the clan at this time, cats will die without you here." Her voice grew louder but her daughter just glared at her. "Cats will still die with me here." Came a sad mumble from Eveningpaw. "And who can help that? Starclan wont, I'm sure you know that. Plus, you're the best medicine cat I know." She mewed, shooting an apologetic glance towards her aunt. "Starclan wasn't the one who made the decision, you did." Turning back to Eveningpaw, she touched noses with the upset apprentice. "Warriors get to fight and stuff while all I can do is stay here and be lazy!" "Don't say that! Healing is the bravest thing you can do and it takes alot of effort, I know." The queen answered, her expression revealing pride only a mother could feel. "How do you know?" Shadestrike eyes grew round with affection. "Mothers know everything."