May Gathering 2020 [Sitewide Plot Finale]

Flintstar blinked as the tom started to speak. Scorchstar, of course. That was why he had felt he had known the tom - Thornstar had told him stories about the leader who had died so shortly before their birth and Asterspark had also shared a pawful of stories from time to time. He listened carefully as the tom spoke, although he quickly found the words to respond drifting away. He...What exactly was he to say to these compliments? He had done everything he could to keep ShadowClan safe and it was...Nice to be told that at least one cat that Thornstar had looked up to appreciated his efforts when he had feared of giving into his...Well, fears so often. And so he said nothing as Scorchstar turned to speak to Sparkfire, taking the moment to once again try to gauge where the rest of his Clan was. It didn't take long to locate the remaining forces of his Clan, relieved to see that all of them were standing although it looked like a pawful of them had been injured but they were at least moving.

He attention was grabbed once again as he heard his name being spoken, turning to look at Scorchstar as the tom gave his parting words to the two siblings before he stepped away to share more final words with Daisyflame and Ravenmist. The leader watched in silence, a little unsure of what to say or do. He hadn't even said a word to the fallen leader but still yet any idea of what to say. It...Didn't seem to matter, Scorchstar had since moved on from speaking to him and there was little point to dwell on what he should have said. He shook his head, turning to glance at the ShadowClan cats that were still gathering themselves from where they were scattered about the clearing. "ShadowClan! Its time we head home. If you have strength still, make sure to help those who were injured - I want us moving as a group. Nobody left behind," he ordered as he turned, padding over to where Mothglow was still tending to Smokepaw. His gaze softened at the sight of his injured brother, leaning down his head to study Mothglow at work. "If you think you've done all you can for now, Mothglow, I'll carry him home. You have a lot of work still and I think it would be better done with Eveningpaw at your side."

He watched in amusement as Raventail briefly attempted to defend himself before suddenly realizing he actually did look as bad as Murkpaw had stated. There was something... freeing about just being able to talk. Half the other cats in StarClan tended to approach him like a badger, and Finchstar, well, he'd gotten even wordier with overflowing sentiments since he died, if that was possible.

Speaking of Finchstar.... When Raventail asked after the hunting in Silverpelt, Murkpaw gave a wry shrug. "It's alright. The rabbits are weird, and they never go away. Finchstar's up there, and we hunt sometimes. When he's not spewing poetry, anyway," He grunted, adding, "Brookclover's there too. She thinks I'm weird, but she tolerates me."

Which was true. He'd found it a little lonely before Finchstar came up. So the hunts, even if they could be a little frustrating between Finchstar's boundless vocabulary and Brookclover's slightly aloof manner, were... good. No predators threatened, no cats fought battles over territory for no particular reason... It was so peaceful it was almost... boring.

The voice of the big golden cat came from further over, and Murkpaw's ear twitched in that direction as a bunch of rabbit-brained idiots came up to tell the last cat from the Stupid Few how much they liked her. She might've taken down the barrier. That doesn't mean she didn't kill anyone. Some cats just... didn't make sense. But if they wanted to forgive someone evil, at least that meant they weren't as bad as her. He glanced with narrowed eyes over at the scene. "Good. Finchstar might be happy, but he's a rabbit-brain. You needed him. If that idiot hadn't torn down their stupid barrier, it would have been the Dark Forest." He snorted. "But the Mist is good enough."

He nodded when Raventail spoke up again, feeling a slight heaviness drop to his paws. The other tom had responsibilities, a Clan to take care of - one of which happened to be a down-brain, but she still needed help. He couldn't stay, just like Murkpaw couldn't.

A glimmer of reluctant acceptance tinted Murkpaw's eyes as he attempted to return the expression. His stupid mouth refused to obey, a twitch of his maw all he managed to summon. Smiling was harder than some cats made it out to be. "We will. Just like we did." A thought poked at the edge of his mind, and he nearly spoke up again, but Raventail turned, gathering his Clan, and Murkpaw stood where he was, silent.

Around him, other StarClan cats continued to talk, nuzzling the living ones they'd left behind, and he sat, watching the living cats of WindClan, none of which he knew, leave. But he didn't fade. The golden spotted tom had given them until dawn. For now, he felt like... lingering, feeling the breeze of the territories in all their realness brush his fur.

There would be time to leave later.

---

Minkstream closed his eyes as the last of the Righteous Few that had made his life the Dark Forest so recently vanished, a quiet breath leaving his chest. He couldn't pretend to like her, or forgive her so easily, but a feeling of relief swept through him, his body sagging slightly. It was truly over.

He felt like he could sleep for a moon, but a familiar voice caught at his ear, and he glanced up again to see Batbite step forward to embrace the large, starry-pelted golden tom - the old leader of ThunderClan, Leopardstar. In spite of himself, a bittersweet ache lodged itself just below his throat as he watched them. At least she got to see someone she knew. He took in a quiet breath, let it out just as quietly, and forcefully pushed the melancholy-tinged envy from his mind, a slight, wavery smile curving at the edge of his maw instead as he watched them.

And then stiffened as Leopardstar turned a narrow-eyed gaze on him, a prickle running down his spine. Wait a heartbeat. Leopardstar was technically Bat's father, wasn't he? Did he... disapprove of his daughter taking a half-RiverClan cat as a mate? Minkstream felt the water in his mouth drain to his paws, leaving his tongue dry as the thought shot through his mind.

But he needn't have worried. After barely a half-beat, the tom's expression softened slightly, and he nodded across the distance. Minkstream started breathing again, barely realizing he'd stopped in that moment, and returned it a slightly hesitating heartbeat later, watching the tom turn and pad away, casting one last glance back, a glimmer of a tear in his eye.

He cast one glance at Rainstrike. Dark Forest take her. With a flick of his tail, he padded away from her, his paws coming up to Batbite. A slight stirring of something oddly hesitant swirled beneath his fur. She'd just seen her father again, reunited with him after moons of being apart. A smaller cousin of the lump grew in his throat as he gently let his pelt brush hers, resting his chin on the back of her shoulder.

Maybe it was better he hadn't met anyone he knew. If he had, he would have had to say goodbye again. No, it was better this way.

---

Swansong watched Leopardstar step forward and touch his nose to Galestar's, the other leader fading. Despite all she'd done... Swansong couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. Enough cats had lost their lives, their friends. They had fought to keep these "Righteous Few" cats from using the Code as a tool to keep them in line and destroy their lives without a qualm. It seemed just slightly hypocritical to doom this cat to a misty existence when she had essentially freed the rest of StarClan to help them.

But it wasn't her place to judge. Not in this.

She shook her head slightly with a sigh. There was no black and white, it seemed. No clear-cut path. Like reflections on the fog....

A voice cut through her ruminations, and she turned to Redpaw, her face softening at the troubled tone behind his words. "Yes, I believe we should." She glanced up, searching for Wolfcall in the crowd for a moment before shaking her head. "He'll call for us when it's time to leave."

Turning her gaze back to Redpaw, she gently rested her tail-tip on his back. "You fought well, Redpaw. Like a warrior." A soft smile curved up her maw, her head tilting just slightly. "I do believe it's almost time for you to become one. This battle has driven that fact home to me more clearly than ever."

Oakstar’s gaze followed Beepaw’s. To where a she-cat lay, tortoiseshell pelt covered in blood and dirt. His heart clenched and ached painfully in his chest. To see his own daughter like that… to see Lichenmask’s daughter like that. For moons, he had believed that he had done great good when he brought her and her brother to ThunderClan to raise as his own. Now, he was forced to question it all. Had it been inevitable? Could it have been stopped? His head turned further, to watch the cats around him. Another cat plainly in his sight. Rainstrike… he could see other members of ThunderClan were upset… that she had joined the other side.

All of this damage was his own fault. When Leopardstar approached, he bowed his head to the great golden tom.
"You say that, but we know it was my fault. In part at least." He murmured, the golden tail felt heavy on his shoulders. He forced his head to lift, to look at Leopardstar directly. "I will make it right, and go back to leading ThunderClan… but brother. Change must come. I must do something, so this never happens again." His words were hard. A cold feeling nudged at his chest, but he had to do something, or the cycle would repeat. ThunderClan needed peace badly now. They were so fractured and torn… the clans as a whole needed time.

They wouldn’t get it here. Slowly, he stepped away from Leopardstar and padded to Dustcloud. He let his head rest on her shoulder for a moment while tears slipped down his face and onto the dirt below. What had happened… would be avoided, one way or another. His throat still felt choked, but it was more than time. He drew away with great reluctance and looked around before he breathed in the breath he would need to end this horrible night.
"ThunderClan! We are heading home." He yowled. Flinched slightly at the volume of his voice, but he padded towards the forest that lead into ThunderClan’s part of the forest with a steady beat.

He’d deal with Rainstrike at home… but Dawngaze… his head turned towards her body on impulse. He wanted to bring her back… to give her a funeral. Yet, what she had done… it wasn’t redeemable. She had turned her back on family and murdered him in cold blood. The words hurt to utter, but he forced himself to do it.
"Dawngaze will not receive a warrior’s funeral. In her final moments, she declared herself an enemy to the clan… and taken one of my lives." He looked around at the cats about to head home. "Say your farewells if you’d like, two warriors should take her body and bury it on the edge of Fourtrees. Perhaps her spirit will find more peace than she did in life." He added, his gaze fell to Dustcloud as he wrapped his tail around her. "The rest of us will head home. I will call a meeting at dawn." He looked towards the body one final time before he lead the way. Back to ThunderClan.

At Flintstar's call to return home, Redwolf felt her shoulder sag in relief. The exhaustion from battling and taking so many wounds had drained her energy more then she cared to admit, and she sought out Briarpaw, wrapping her tail around the apprentice.
"Let's go. You can lean on me if you'd like."

---

Now that the commotion had died down and that there were only two Clans remaining in the clearing, the still form of Dawngaze grabbed Cherryblossom's attention. She hadn't seen what had killed the one-eared warrior, and it came as a shock to her that Dustcloud had killed her, and what shocked her more is that Dawngaze had actually taken one of Oakstar's lives.
Nodding solemnly, she rose to her paws as Oakstar called for ThunderClan's leave, and she began to follow her Clan out of the clearing.

Echofrost emerged from under the bush. He had hidden the entire time. He felt ashamed, he had seen his Clanmates battling, had seen Oakstar fall... And yet, he did nothing. Echofrost lowered his head in shame, following behind his leader as he called for them to leave. He saw the StarClan cats, the true ones, come and help fight, but Lilyflower was not among them. Maybe... Maybe If he had fought, had shown courage, then she would have come. She was probably so ashamed of him, loosing his faith and all that. But at least, now he knew that she was out there somewhere.

As soon as Leopardstar touched noses to Galestar, regret came rushing forward.

Wait! she wanted to call out, Will I see you again? she wanted to say. But no such words left her muzzle. Instead, two simple words were left in their absence. "Thank you." With that, she turned, locked eyes with her father, and dashed like a hare to his side.

"Oh, dad! I-I missed you so much! I'm sorry, so, so, sorry! I-I.. I should've been there... I-I sh-should've... I could've... I-I... Oh, dad!" Whatever she wanted to say, needed to say, begged to say to him, were all drowned out in the sea of her sobs, face buried into the tan pelt she adored.

---

Despite himself, Downpaw cracked a wry smile at his father's joke. "Dad... That sounded as stupid as it did in your head.." He mumbled, half broken up by a hiccup caused by his sudden onset of tears. He rubbed his face on the pelt of his father, not wanting to let him go. When Raventail called the signal to leave, Downpaw's pelt bristled in alarm. "But.. But..! I can't leave you! Not again, not so soon!" Alarm and a determination to stay settled in Downpaw's emerald eyes, and he pushed closer to his father. "I am not leaving!"

---

Stormpaw would never follow Oakstar again. His call did little to bring her, adn instead, her gaze rested on Dawngaze. Dacedream's mentor. Stormpaw did not know of her past or the complications with Oakstar. To her, Dawngaze's reasonings were simple. She'd wanted revenge for Dacedream. Oakstar had let her die, and failed to deliver justice, and so Dawngaze had delivered it herself by taking a life from Oakstar, just as Dacedream had died. An eye for an eye, a death for a death.

Dawngaze was Dacedream's mentor. Dacedream was, simply put, the best cat in the forest. If Dawngaze had mentored Dacedream, she was worthy of a burial. Coming up to the she-cat she lay beside her, sitting a short vigil. She would leave after burying her, but first, she'd wait for the other Clans to leave. Then Stormpaw would bury Dawngaze, the proper burial a noble warrior deserved.

The starry ThunderClan leader stepped forward and pressed his nose to Galestar's, and then she was gone, turning to starlight and then nothingness like mist disippating in the morning light. Clovertwist watched with awe and apprehension; Barleytuft's eyes were dark and difficult to read. Leopardstar gave the starry warrior the opportunity to stay and mingle with their loved ones. The living had experienced enough on this night, though; they were weary and bedraggled, and they wanted to return to their camps and nests to sleep - not visit long-dead and forgotten warriors. No sooner had Leopardstar declared that StarClan could stay and visit than did the living leaders - Raventail included - call their Clans to go home. Barleytuft turned his head to look at the dark tom across the clearing, watching him for a moment from the distance. Get some rest, my friend. I'll see you soon enough, I'm sure, the warrior mused. His attention was swiftly drawn back to his kits surrounding him.

Downpaw was still pressed into the cream tabby's soft starlit fur. Softpaw had returned to his side after her somber, heartfelt farewell to Galestar. Barleytuft's tail-tip flicked, and he pulled the pale tabby into his embrace once more. "Some things are out of our control, little moonlight," he replied softly. He considered whether to try to comfort her more, but he had had several moons in the stars to think and... well... Softpaw would never learn anything in these few heartbeats he had left with her. Nothing he could say would reassure her. She was flawed the same way her mother was, certain that everything that had gone wrong was caused by her own faults. Barleytuft had been powerless to help Graybriar, and he was powerless to help Softpaw as well. Whether for luck or misfortune, Downpaw cried out in protest, smooshing against Barleytuft and refusing to leave with Raventail.

Clovertwist's pale amber eyes narrowed where he sat pressed against Goldengale, watching his father comforting his two young siblings. He'd heard his leader's call, and he stared sadly at his starry father. "Downpaw," Clovertwist murmured, "he can't stay forever. We can't stay forever. We have to go home. Our Clanmates are hurt, and the ones back home..." Clovertwist grimaced and lowered his head, thinking grimly, They're going to be worried. At least we made it through. We'll make it home to tell them what happened.

Barleytuft nodded once, touching his muzzle briefly to Downpaw's head. "Your brother is right, Downpaw. WindClan needs you all back at home... You all need to rest and recover." His dark hazel eyes were shining as he looked into each of his kits' eyes in turn. "You have fought so well - tonight and always, and not only in battle. You each have strong spirits... Spirits of love and courage, of faith and strength. Do not lose that, my loves, no matter what you face. Things may never be easy, but there is always a way forward." There was a sudden flash of pain and sadness in his eyes, and he looked to his oldest children with an uneasy expression. "Tonight... I am sorry, my kits, but there is one more sorrow in store for you this night. There is... one more death at the paws of the Righteous Few." Clovertwist met his father's gaze, and his pelt crawled at the sight of that dark sorrow there.

The living warrior suddenly sucked in a short, sharp breath. "No," Clovertwist whispered, a feeble protest - if it could be called that.

Barleytuft lowered his head, but not his gaze. "Yes," he confirmed quietly, sadly. He looked between his children again. "Your mother, Graybriar, is waiting for me in Silverpelt. She knows how bravely you fought for her - with herbs and claws alike. She has fought for you, too, but the Righteous Few... they wasted away what strength she had. She will never be weak ever again."

Clovertwist's head dropped, his eyes squeezing shut. A few silver tears spattered to the earth. He murmured numbly, "Thank you for telling us." He wasn't thankful - not really. He didn't want to know. He didn't want it to be true. The dark-striped tabby tom stood, raising his tired eyes to meet Barleytuft's gaze. "It... It was.... I've..." he stammered, his chest tightening. He whispered, "I miss you. I've got to go." He sucked in a sharp breath and reached forward to shortly touch his nose to Barleytuft's shoulder. Startled, the pale tabby tom tried to lean back to return the gesture, but his muzzle brushed through empty air. Clovertwist had already slipped away, padding silently and numbly through the crowd towards WindClan's territory where there leader and Clan was gathering.

Barleytuft stared sorrowfully after him, feeling the heartbreak radiating off his son. He looked to his other kits. "I'm sorry," he rasped to them again, reaching out to touch his muzzle to Downpaw, Softpaw, Goldengale, and Briarthorn in turn. "You are all so brave and strong. I know this was terrible... It is terrible. But please, never give up. This isn't the end; it's only the beginning." The tom's starry form began fading, and it surprised him - he'd had Leopardstar's permission to stay, after all. But perhaps it was for the best...The longer he stayed, the harder it would be to leave his loved ones. He dipped his head, and as he disappeared he murmured, "I love you. Try to love yourselves, too."

The weight in his unbeating chest was cold and could not be removed.  As he stood and watched Oakstar walk away, the rest of ThunderClan falling in line, Leopardstar felt as if he had been slapped across the face, though he did not know why exactly.  His old friend's words had been simple and true, but there was a hidden meaning he did not yet fully understand...though he had a good idea what it might be.  That reality, the very idea of it made him tremble.  Had his mistakes and losses all been in vain?  Maybe the effort to chase after an ideal future had been his to waste, just as the tom had always feared.  Memories raced by; Rockthorn's madness, the grand deception of Wildfire and Sharptooth and Specklefang's untimely death, his own son...and now her.  

Dawngaze, the daughter of Lichenmask.

His beloved clanmates had vanished into the trees.  Despite his offer to StarClan, the living clans had chosen to return home and nurture their wounds, which made sense.  Of course they would be tired, their wounds sore and bleeding; being unable to bleed himself anymore, that basic fact had slipped his mind.  StarClan warriors were leaving as well, vanishing into clouds of stardust and light back to their heavenly home.  They were free now, no longer tortured by sights unable to be controlled.  It was all over.  Leopardstar knew though, for him, and for ThunderClan, that this was only the beginning.

Heaving a long sigh, the great golden warrior walked slowly towards the body of Oakstar's adopted daughter, the formerly respectable warrior of ThunderClan...now just another traitor to add to the list.  A young ThunderClan she-cat was beside her, who he recognized as Stormpaw.  Standing beside the calico form, the old leader bent and touched his nose to Dawngaze's stiffening cheek, hazel eyes shutting to elicit a prayer.  "May you find good hunting, swift running, and shelter where you sleep...your mistakes are nothing compared to ours."  Falling silent, it took a long time before he once again looked at the world.  Meeting the gaze of Oakstar's granddaughter, he tried to smile but failed.  The words were too dismal.

"We will never escape the worst aspects of our kind.  Lying, cheating, hating and stealing...killing.  I tried to create a haven for those who despised such things, but I was a fool...a mouse-brained idiot.  Dark clouds will follow us always, it's not something that cat be avoided, I've always known that.  However..."  With a flexing of muscle, Leopardstar looked to the sky, watery moonlight reflected in his eyes.  "We can still try."  Turning to face Stormpaw, Leopardstar dipped his head, bowing.  "I hope in the coming times ThunderClan will choose the path it wants for itself.  I forged one I believed to be right and just, but I'm only one cat among thousands.  My time is past in this world, now I can only watch as it passes me by.  If someday my name is gone, the elders don't tell my stories with the same accuracy...I hope the moral remains.

If an unwanted rogue kit can rise to become a leader than you can do anything you put your mind to and be anyone you want to be...as long as you remember what truly matters in this life."

In a flash of starlight, he was gone.  The breeze whispered the tom's last words as the very first rays of dawn began to peek over Highstones, a new day for the clans.

Goodbye, ThunderClan.  I will watch over you until I have nothing left to give...just as you did for me.