March Gathering 2022

Bloodstar's vision was beginning to fade. He closed his eyes, not wanting to use even an ounce of his remaining strength that wasn't going to his legs in defiance. He would stand until he died. He could feel himself begin to slump forward despite his best efforts... until Spottedfrog slipped under his chin to support him. He only knew because he could smell her... and Driftcloud on his side. A single tear wet one of his eyes as his breathing became shallow. How grateful he was that he had such amazing clanmates... He only wished he could do more for them than just die.

Darkness embraced him, the familiar slip from this world to the next. Only this time it was colder and darker. There was no starry field... not this time. Had Dawnhawk actually done it? Was Starclan dead? So be it then. He would embrace the void and fade into naught but memory. Bloodstar, the proud leader of Skyclan took one final, agonized breath and exhaled slowly.

"Goodbye Skyclan. I'm proud of you all, no matter the outcome." His words were breathy and weak, but they were there. Maybe only Spottedfrog would hear him, maybe Driftcloud could too. It was his last words before pure darkness enveloped the soul of his being. The weight of his body seemed to increase somehow and was no longer supported by his thick legs. He finally sunk to the ground, lifeless.

---

Bearspirit couldn't react fast enough... and for once he was overpowered. He'd been a very strong tom all his life, even for his size. But against a supernatural being it didn't matter. He struggled beneath Rainstrike's claws and lashed out, though it proved to be useless. She leaned in to whisper to him and all she got was a spit to her face. Then teeth... far too powerful to be a normal cat's teeth, sank deeply into his neck. It was over. He knew that it was. Even as his strength left him he fought anyway, clawing and clawing no matter how little damage it did. Slowly, finally, his limbs went limp. Darkness closed in around Bearspirit and the only hope he had was to see his parents again, including Ivystar. But there was only blackness. There was only void. There was no family. There was no Starclan.

Heaven was gone.

Bearspirit has died!

---

Morningstar heard Waterlily yell for him and his head snapped in her direction. There were others yelling too, at him, for him, whatever. He spotted Vixentooth by Waterlily... and the black molly herself was surrounded with young apprentices. Before he could say anything, the Dark Forest molly had lunged and pinned down one of the apprentices. He continued his casual walk forward, not entirely sure if that one was his son or not... but probably, given the proximity to Waterlily. The others were without a doubt his, looking so similar. As he got closer, he could see that the duo-toned apprentice looked a lot like... Bloodstar... actually. The ginger fur along his stripes... ironic.

"Vixentooth," He spoke calmly, but loud enough for her to hear him. He stopped beside her, an unreadable expression plastered to his face. "That is my son you have your paw on. I don't care about Thunderclan, but my family is off-limits. The black molly is my mate too. Do whatever you wish to anyone else, but it would be unwise to have any in-fighting at the moment. Wouldn't you agree?" The warning was subtle, but it was there. If she left his son alone, he would forget the whole thing. If she refused... well... that would turn out ugly.

He broke eye contact with Vixentooth for just a moment to look back at the leaders. Goldenstar was there... his eyes traveled to where he saw Swiftspirit fighting with that rogue that he fought ages ago. Now knowing where Windclan's ranks were, he looked finally to Ares. "Ares! To make up for what you did earlier, kill that apprentice. Remind Goldenstar how powerless she is here." He had gestured toward Sootpaw standing nearby. Satisfied and with a smug smirk, he returned his attention to Vixentooth and his other children. This was going to be their life. They may as well get used to it.

"Don't ever show weakness," He said to the apprentices. "This is what happens when you do." He gestured toward the duo-toned tom before raising his eyes to Waterlily. There was a moment of silence that passed between them before he finally spoke.

"You would never have accepted me if you knew I was Dawnhawk. Only by taking the name Klaus would I have ever had a chance to start over, as I did when I went by Nightwind." He didn't expect forgiveness, but he did expect acceptance. What choice did she really have, especially now? He was tired of running and hiding. He was out in the open about everything including his lack of concern for the lives of those he saw as below him. She could either adapt to this with time, because again, what choice did she have? Or she could hate him all she wanted, but he would have access to these apprentices or he could fight all of Thunderclan over it.

Tawnyflare's loud mouth and empty-headedness was heard by him as well. He looked in her direction too, listening. One of his children in Shadowclan? It had to have been Moonshine. He'd had one single interaction with his oldest daughter... and she made it very clear that she didn't want him around, nor he her. Truth be told, he'd nearly forgotten of her existence until just now. With a dismissive tail flick, he returned his attention to the family he was more interested in. Eosphorous had been a friend, but in the end, even he intended to use her as a shield. Tawnyflare was mistaken if she thought she would get a reaction out of him over that. Maybe at one point, yes, but now? Morningstar had been through a lot more since his only name was Dawnhawk. It would take more than that to licit any kind of ire from him than killing a daughter he met only one time and they parted ways on unfortunate terms.

---

Darkpaw yelped as the Dark Forest she-cat pinned him down. Heart thundering in his chest and a nasty hiss escaping his maw, he writhed beneath her paws. His claws shot out  and he began to swipe furiously at her toes, particularly the cuticle where her claws were. She couldn't claw him if he declawed her. Then the pale and gold tom approached and began to speak. Finally... finally Darkpaw made that connection. There was no way this was his father... It was a trick! A trap! His mother was kind and would never accept someone so heartless as a mate. Would she? He kept listening and realized that she had been lied to. So that was it? That was the real story?

Darkpaw wasn't sure what to say. Morningstar was telling Vixentooth to let him go... did he still care about his family despite all of this? But how could he? He'd just killed his own dad.

.... Wait.

He was related to Bloodstar too then... that had been his grandfather?! He had Skyclan blood in him... It was too much for the apprentice. Too much to take in right now. He looked to his mother, hoping for more answers... and he hoped Vixentooth would back off and leave them alone.

Emberleap bristled further as Raisha spoke. It wasn’t a stretch to believe she was capable of murder. Maybe he had always known it, though he’d attributed that belief to his own bias against her. And yet. “Why?” His ears flicked back. It would be useless coming from him, he knew, yet if there was one thing he’d never learned, it was how to shut his mouth when she jabbed at him. It wasn’t even at him this time; he’d known Moonshine well enough to faintly envy her, nothing more. But that hardly mattered. “Moonshine was ShadowClan through and through, she wasn’t like him!” Wasn’t like any of them, really. Moonshine had settled into ShadowClan much faster than Emberleap, not because she’d been stationed there, but because she just fit in. She’d earned a warrior’s name, made friends, forged a family with her mate and a pack of newborn kits—and then those rogues had killed her over ShadowClan’s refusal to give up Batglow. Or so he’d thought until now.

When he blinked, he found himself staring at the back of a hare. Brick. Harebounce. Some of the steel left Emberleap’s posture. As horrible as—as everything was, there was no mistaking the spark of gratitude in his chest. His shoulders slumped, though he didn’t dare step away, and he flinched preemptively as he turned to peer at his former apprentice. Concern had joined the bafflement on Duskflight’s face. Not judgment, yet. Emberleap closed his eyes. No matter the risk of being overheard, no matter the fresh blood-scent punching through the stale rot in the air, the reality was that, if he didn’t explain what all of this meant, Raisha might.

He began haltingly, his voice barely a whisper. “Asylum was a bunch of rogues. They took over the Clans a few seasons back, and…and they raised me. Us. Br—sorry, Harebounce, Shira…Raisha. There were others, too, but…” They were dead. Though he'd accepted it as fact moons ago, he couldn’t force the words off his tongue. He gave a half-shrug. It didn’t mean anything compared to the walking corpses flooding Fourtrees, anyway. Moreover, Raisha already had claws and teeth lodged behind his ribs; he wouldn’t bare his belly to her as well. “Asylum took us from our homes and trained us. That’s how we know each other. And Dawnhawk. He betrayed his own Clan to them—to Asylum, I mean. Among other things.” At some point during his explanation, Emberleap's gaze had slipped to his paws. He cast a furtive glance at the golden-furred tom in question, who, fortunately, seemed more interested in tormenting a cluster of ThunderClan apprentices than eavesdropping. It was easier than watching Duskflight.

"Softpaw." Viperfang rolled the name around on his tongue, what a coincidence, the same name as his grandmother. Softsong, yes, Softsong had been her name, at first glance she was a kindly warrior, gentle mother, but behind that all was steel, a vicious fighter that slew those that dared to harm their clan. She'd abandoned her home clan of SkyClan, guided by her dreams that her destiny was beside her mate, Duskfall. Like his great, great grandmother, it seemed this Softpaw was no helpless kittypet, how delightful. StarClan tried their best, but this one, this Softpaw was theirs, a warrior untainted by weakness.

"Viperfang is my nam-" Out of nowhere, a warrior pounced onto his kin, a black she-thing that smelt of fish and oil. Viperfang's mouth salivated for her blood, how dare she lay her filthy paws on his kin, the true heirs to ThunderClan and the Forest itself! Outraged, the Tom pounced onto Hollyleaf, claws outstretched.

Viperfang has jumped onto Hollyleaf in an attempt to remove her from Softpaw.

The dark loner looked at her for a lengthy moment, and Cloverheart blinked back at him, the patchy fur along her hackles bristling. But a response came soon enough– first, a quip that made her nose wrinkle, then a proper answer. Poetic, and a bit roundabout, but... it was an answer. "This... this is just one night, though." She couldn't put the words together, but she knew that this couldn't be right. The stars would be back the next day, wouldn't they? Dawnhawk-Morningstar couldn't take the heavens forever.

But the loner seemed convinced. The crowd of panicked cats seemed convinced. SkyClan, probably, was convinced that this torment would last.

Wet warmth had seeped into her pads since she took up her stance in front of her old friend, but Cloverheart suddenly became acutely aware of it. She side-stepped away, looking sick, until she'd wheeled around to stand directly at her friend's side.

The mention of Twolegplace made her ears twitch back up, and a look of near-life crossed her expression as she twisted herself to look back at her companion again.

"It is you!" Cloverheart cried out, voice wheedling. "Yo- you. T-t– Twolegplace. I was just there!" Sudden energy coursed through her, glassy eyes wet with an unreadable emotion. "I knew it was you. That told me about it. I-I thought of you, while I was there. I saw the stars, they were... they were so close, and so beautiful."

The rattle of a death-cry went up above the cacophony. She wished, desperately, that she could return to the stone forest. It was so far, and the threat of starving dogs and rogues loomed over them there, but... she wanted to return.It would be... easier. Than this. Whatever this is.

The loner offered his services, either in the way of information or a comforting presence. The medicine cat issued a somber nod, shaking her head slowly. What did she want out of him, when she approached?

Cats were wrestling beside them, rolling each other through the dirt in a flurry of blows and screeches. Cloverheart winced away. This was quickly turning into a battleground. A real war, like Tarot had said–

The name came just as suddenly as everything else, a crashing wave of turmoil rolling up along the length of his spine. The words burst out of her just as unexpectedly, eyes wide as she howled, "I don't want to be here!" She was standing as tall as she could, fur twitching to stand on end, claws fixed into the earth to keep her from spiraling into the atmosphere. Her heart kicked up to an unsteady one-two, panic flooding all of her senses.

"I don't want to be here! I want to leave, I want- I want to go home, and I want to know how you did this! I wa-ant to know what's going on! You took the stars, and- and now look what happened! Why?! How?!" Despite her screeching, she was near motionless except for the whipping of her tail. A little quieter, but still just as fraught, "I want you to fix this. You know so much. Please make this stop."

The Vixentooth stepped forward, and Comfreypaw hissed in return. It was clearly hostile, just deciding which of her family to attack. The apprentice held her ground firmly. She was unsure how to attack. Was it even able to be touched? Her question was answered as it quickly pounced and pinned down one of her brothers. "Piece of dung!" she shouted with fury while pushing into the attacker's side. Claws and teeth didn't seem to be working, probably just a minor annoyance to the powerful ghost. But Comfreypaw didn't know what else to do. She was just a new apprentice, this old hag probably trained for generations! A moment between the angry scratching and gnawing, she felt helpless. In the background of her feeble, untrained attempts was the cream tom talking, though she cared little to what he said. Maybe she didn't want to know...

Pinepaw had Tears running down his Face, Sobbing more than ever before, A poor Riverclan apprentice, dead, because of Softpaw, His father. HIS FATHER. WAS ALSO KILLED. He almost wanted to give the apprentice, Softpaw, what he deserved, a kill to the neck, But he couldn't, He couldn't be him. He couldn't be Softpaw. He couldn't yet kill the Horrible Dark Forest cat who had killed his father, He felt tired, But he had to stay Strong, But as he was about to speak, Hollyleaf was Leapt onto by a Dark Forest cat, Viperfang. He was conflicted, He didn't know if he should fight and possibly die, Or stay out of the fight and let another cat die, He didn't know what to do, So he just... Sat there. With his fur puffed up and tears running down his face.


As Softpaw murdered the Riverclan cat, Rainpaw felt ashamed that THIS. Was what one of the cats of Thunderclan would do. They backed away from the front, And looked for a cat to be with who would keep them near, Who would keep them safe, Who would make sure they were fine, Who would make sure they would.. Minnowfin. Or.. Or their parents, Appledapple and Stoatstar.. They looked at the Greatrock to scan for Stoatstar before looking behind them to see.. Just more cats.. None of them looked like Appledapple.. They just wanted their siblings at least, Their parents would be ideal.


Darkheart was a bit Upset to not get Responses, Testing the Warriors like this during a Stressful situation wasn't going to work. He looked at the Bloodied cats around, and remembered Softpaw existed, So, With his tail down low, He padded to the apprentice and stared at him, Softpaw had killed that dusty Apprentice? He was impressed "Hey kiddo, Good job there. I see a little bit of me in you... Y'know.. You'd do great with us." Darkheart said Slyly, Before continuing his chat. "How would you like to join us? You could get revenge on everyone who Wronged you, Filthy.. 'Starclan' Is just a bunch of Pompous Fat Cats who are only there who did the 'Right' Thing by killing cats, Us, Who were only doing what was truly right! What do you say, Pal? I can teach you my way of doing stuff here.." He finished, Attempting to use his Persuasion again, While Grinning Widely, Too wide for any Mortal cat to Accomplish.

"Yes, I am dead, Brick. I have been for a while. Had you never questioned my lack of appearances at gatherings? You knew I was in WindClan. Not that they cared about me. You know what I got kicked out of the Clan for? Fighting. But not any of my Clanmates, no. I was helping fight off the SkyClan invaders that had attacked us, to keep them from harming my kits, and they shunned me for it! You wanted to know why I am with these cats? I had nowhere else to go. I wish things could have been different, I really do, but this is all that is left for me, maybe what is left for any of us. Look, I promise no cat is going to hurt you, ok? They won't even hurt Pyrik. I won't let them. Just, give us a chance?"

It was almost as though she was pleading with her sister. She desperately wanted her to understand.

Then Pyrik spoke up.

"Moonshine? You think I killed her because of who her father was? I may have disdain for him, but not enough to kill over. No, the cruelty in her voice, the way she judged before even knowing the truth, she got that from her mother. The reason I was stuck in a thorny prison for trying to save my own tail! Hey, Brick, did they ever tell you why I killed Shrikefrost all those moons ago? Did they tell you how he treated me? I was hardly any older than some of their apprentices! I didn't even know what I was doing, and when I did find out what was wrong? He attacked me! He tried to kill me! They didn't tell you that part, did they? No, they only care about the Asylum cat that was a ruthless killer, bearing a heart of stone. And the cats that raised us, promising they would take care of us? They just stood back and watched."

She tilted her head, anger boiling up. "Even you, my own sister, stood back and watched. Were we not family? Did we not look out for each other? Where were you when I needed you?"

Even through the anger, for some reason, something Morningstar had said had caught her attention. She turned to see him gesturing to.....Sootkit?! He wanted to kill him?!

"Morningstar! Do not kill him! He isn't resisting us, there is no reason to take his life! Wouldn't it be better to kill one of the ones that are actually fighting us? There is Swiftspirit, literally right over there, fighting one of your cats. Why not kill her? Leave my son alone!"

Raisha is looking to protect her son after her conversation with Pyrik (whom she refuses to call Emberleap) and Brick

Mistysky is still looking for Rosepaw

Aether is still on the outskirts of the gathering, looking very unhappy

Moon smirked as Whitesnake stepped forwards and tried to shove him in the shoulder. Instead of toppling like the tom expected he shoved back and shoulder checked the tom. "You think that I am weak." he sneered. "I am not. Although I might be clan I am much more than that. The fact alone that you would attack a she-cat tells me that your name of 'snake' is an accurate representation of you." As he was saying that he stepped in front of Tinypool in order to protect her. Unlike many cats, Moon had many sides to him just like the moon in the sky. Sometimes he would be bold and aggressive and other times he would be chill and just relaxed. Moon looked Whitesnake up and down and saw the broadness of the shoulders. He guessed that in life he was used to getting his way as a muscular tom that was tall and handsome.

The silver furred tom wasn't scared at all for his safety and didn't care whether he lived or died...he did however care about Tinypool and that was his downfall and his weakness.

Magpiesight eventually found Swiftspirit amongst the darkness and shouting cats. She was a few fox-lengths away, with her mother in sight, when a new group of cats arrived. Just like everyone else, she turned to watch and listen. She raised her eyebrows at the tom's wild claims, about to laugh at them until the stench of death surrounded the clearing, and the bleeding gash on the cream warrior's throat became clear. Clearly this was much bigger than she thought. Once again, there was another surge of chaos as shadowy figures surrounded them, and Magpiesight lost sight of Swiftspirit in the shouting.

She pushed her way through pelts, both living and not, trying to reach her mother. Now and again, she would catch a glimpse of her white pelt, standing beside an unfamiliar Riverclan tom. They were being attacked by a dark forest warrior, making Magpiesight hesitate slightly. It was two against one, surely they would win? There was no need for her to get injured in a battle she didn't need to fight. However, she underestimated the strength of these undead warriors.

The Riverclanner was killed briskly, and Magpiesight was slightly confused at how hurt Swiftspirit was. It was painful to see a cat die, but he was just some stranger at the gathering. Why did he mean so much? Personal feelings aside for now, she tried to help instead. "Mum! I'm here!" She didn't make the first move against the one-eyed she-cat, but waited ready. Maybe her philosophy with the Thunderpath would apply here too.

Magpiesight is helping Swiftspirit defend against Rainstrike

Ashstorm could only watch in fear as Dawnhawk entered the camp with blood pouring from his wounds.  She could not move.  She had no idea what to do.  Her mind was not in reality.  Her first guess was that it was honestly a bad dream, which clearly was not true.  She did not do anything... and then she immediately regretted that decision.

She watched intently.  Seeing him trotting proudly towards Bloodstar, him and Bloodstar having a screaming at each other (most of which she hardly heard because most of her emotions clouded what was really happening) and Bloodstar lunging at Dawnhawk or "Morningstar" if that was his new name... and Bloodstar falling to the ground almost instantly.  At that she felt like she could not breathe.

Morningstar strode over to a new place, looking as if nothing had happened.  Ashstorm took a few sharp breaths and then it occurred to her that she needed to go up to Bloodstar.  She rushed over... not fast enough.  Bloodstar was limp on a warrior trying to help him stay up.  By the time she got there... it as too late.

She looked at Bloodstar a few moments, surveying for any sign of movement.  Of course, there was none.  Her heart skipped a few heartbeats.  He will wake up soon. She told herself.  He hasn't used many of his lives yet he's okay... he's going to be okay. Then her mind finally comprehended all of what Morningstar said.

"Starclan is dead!"

What did that mean for Bloodstar?  "No, no, no, no, no," She whispered to herself.  That was not true.  It could not be true.  Tears threatened to pour from her eyes, but she would not let them.  Her clan needing to know what to do and right now she was the one who had to be the one to tell them.  She shook her head and kept telling herself that he would wake up soon.  That this could not be it.  It couldn't be...

She turned toward Skyclan.  Her mouth opened and then closed again quickly, not knowing what to say.  How could she try to lead them when she could not even pull herself together?

Morningstar needed to be stopped.  She had no doubt.  The one excuse that even made him think he was okay during the Asylum days was that he was actually saving Bloodstar, now that clearly was not the case.  Anger, rage, sorrow, and confusion all ran through her thoughts.  For all the lies Morningstar spoke, he was right about one thing, he is a new cat, no longer Ashstorm's friend, mentor... or brother.

"Skyclan!"  She called to all of her clanmates.  She had an impossible decision to make.  Fight and possibly have much of the clan die for potential freedom or retreat and look like cowards running away with their tails between their legs and new vicious cats ruling over them.  She took a deep breath.  No matter what choice she made it would end poorly.  She saw some cats fighting already taking place between clan cats and Dark Forest cats.  "Don't fight!  Not because we're cowards, but because our clan needs to stay together.  The last thing we need is more bloodshed."

If she had not had just witnessed what happened to Bloodstar, she would have done the exact same thing and launched herself at Morningstar, preparing to snap his neck herself.  But they literally were fighting an army of the dead coming back to get revenge, how could they defeat that?  She would not make the same mistake as Bloodstar.  There was not another deputy that could take over if she died and she could not handle her clanmates and more of her family dying today.

If any of you dare attack my clanmates for no reason...  She started thinking, but did not let herself finish that thought.  She shook her head and looked towards Morningstar who now was inside of the crowd.

I'm not playing your game.  You're not getting a war right now but trust me... It will happen soon.  Then, I'll fix the mistake I made at the river and figure out how to destroy you forever, so not even your little Dark Forest friends will be able to protect you.  And, eventually, you will spend the rest of eternity staying, rotting in the Dark Forest like you should have been right after you died.

Ashstorm has given Skyclan a command.
______________________________

The stars vanished from the sky, and Scarletriver smirked.  The smirk vanished immediately however, for, in the eyes of her clanmates, she guessed she was still innocent as she appeared to be.  This new cat came, one she had heard about a lot, and with him an army of the wonderful Dark Forest cats.

She had never gotten the pleasure of meeting Morningstar- or Dawnhawk- or Klaus- or whatever, stars Scarletriver guessed he must go by a new name every week, but she bet that they would have become fast friends when he was alive.  She watched as everything unfolded, hiding the smile and excitement that threatened to go across her face and instead replaced it with as much of a concerned look as she could put on.  When seeing one cat in particular that she recognized, she tilted her head quickly when everyone else was too blinded by confusion.

All these cats were so nervous and angry.  Strange.  Personally, she was very excited to see how this would change things.  It seemed very fun.  The clans were due for something new anyway.  Why not just let the story unfold and enjoy the chaos?

Scarletriver is open to talk to.
_____________________________

A moment after Waterlily yelled at the weird rogue, apparently that rogue thought it would be a good idea to launch forward and attack her innocent kit.  "What the fox!"  She screamed and lunged toward them, ready to attack the rogue before Klaus instructed them to stop.

"Don't pretend that you all of a sudden care about me,"  She told Klaus.  Her head turned and eyes looked at her kits for a moment again.  "Get behind me." She instructed her kits again sharply.  She was not ready for any of them to get really hurt.  Then she changed her tone to softer and kinder, "I'm so sorry. I'll try to explain later."

Then she turned back towards the pale tom.  Eyes squinted and filled with betrayal, ears back, and heart beating fast.  A moment later he instructed some cat to kill an apprentice and seemed like he was trying to teach her kits about survival.  Clearly, she did not need that.  Her eyes went wide with surprise, still trying to figure out how Klaus, one of the few cats whom she trusted, could be so cruel and heartless.

"What are you doing?  Stop it!" She wanted to strike him, but her claws would not move, not because she was afraid, but because, unfortunately, she still loved him.

"'You would have never accepted me,' yep, that is completely true.  And, clearly, it would have been a smart decision on my part.  Why should did I even accept you?  That was definitely a poor decision.  Why was I so stupid!

"And, wow, did you really want a chance to start over?  Because it seems to me that your stuck in the same pattern as always.  I was a rogue when Dawnhawk, or you, "Morninstar", was part of the Asylum, but I've heard about it.  It's basically the same thing as now.  A little idiotic tom wanting too much power so he decides to betray anyone who has ever cared about him to get whatever power he can.  You don't want to start over, you just want to find some new cats you can use and betray!"

Anger flew through her.  Her claws were unsheathed, her fangs showing.  He did not love her, she knew that now, he probably never did.  She felt like such an idiot.

Waterlily is screaming talking to Morningstar.

Her response to him mentioning the stars made him hum. "Perhaps, Perhaps not. Who can know? That's what's driving the clans to fear, really, the unknown. They don't know if the stars are truly dead, nor do they know what the future now holds. It's a frightening thing, the unknown, even I can admit to that." He honestly doubted the ostentatious fools in the stars were killed, Morningstar had only claimed they were because the sky had blacked out, claimed it as his work. But Tarot had witnessed a lack of stars in the sky above the twolegplace near-constantly. Over there, oft the only stars at night were the ones the twolegs had created.

He watched as the molly noticed the blood now soaking into her paw pads, and as she swiftly moved to his other side, he stayed put, now effectively shielding her from the pool of red. Suddenly, something occurred to her, her exclamation of 'it's you', and her following words made him look down at her, a gentle smile on his muzzle.  "I'm sorry I couldn't be there to witness them with you as I promised, it's been... a long time, since I've witnessed that breathtaking sight..." He let out a disappointed sigh, the feeling actually genuine, he often felt homesick for the twolegplace, but his duties as the Serpent, and the history happening around him, all kept him in the forest.

As the medicine cat winced away from the violence nearby, he shifted closer to her side, tail softly brushing her back as if attempting to comfort her stress. This molly truly had been through a lot, worked to the bone by her clan near-constantly, and now dealing with such unfamiliar chaos around her. Despite his seemingly genuine empathy on the outside though, on the inside, he was ever-unbothered by it all, this was his element, he was born into a world much like this, it was not unfamiliar.

His tail lowered as she began to speak though, another memory seeming to return to her, bringing her abruptly to stand, panic filling every fibre of her frame, a desperate yell, a cry for help. He rose to his feet as well, a few centimetres taller than her at the shoulder. Her next words made him take a few steps forward to meet her verdant gaze with his own calming violet one.

The tom grew a bit closer, a sad frown on his face as he saw the emotional pain and panic in her gaze. "Shhh, my dear Clover, you give me far too much credit for this. I didn't do any of this, in fact, I only learnt of what had happened recently, at the abandoned barn." He looked over at Morningstar, "I Never expected Klaus..." He sighed. Yes, he was answering her, but he was keeping the details vague, he wasn't actively trying to get the molly to despise him. "I didn't take the stars." he let out a chuckle of subdued humour,  "I'm just a loner. I didn't even know Starclan, the Dark Forest, any of that existed when I first arrived here, my dear. And that was a mere ten moons ago." A rough estimate.

Her next question, why, that was one he could give a bit more of a satisfying answer for.  "As for why?" He looked out into the crowd,  "Some moons after meeting him, Morningstar, known as Klaus then, he told me of his past, it... well let's just say, most clan cats only get Skyclan's side of that particular story, a very biased opinion." His ears twitched, and he looked back to her, face solemn,  "You know, he was actually trying to make up for his past crimes for a while, actively attempting to help the clans under different names. He genuinely wanted to help them, it baffled me." He sat down, gaze distant with memories.  "But each time, when they learned of his true identity, he was cast down with sneers and snarls, all his good deeds forgotten due to the bad." He shook his head.  "A cat can only go so long being scorned before they give up trying to be 'good'. So he gave up, forced into a corner by the clans, he finally decided to become the monster they all saw him to be."

The tom stood, gesturing to everything around them with a sweep of his plumed tail.  "That decision, lead him to become Morningstar, led him to this." He held his head higher, looking to the pitch back sky.

"'Why', 'how' You question? In truth, dear Cloverheart, not one single thing led to all of this, from all I've observed, from all the stories I've gathered of this forest, all of it, every little action of every cat in this forest, led to a shift in forming history. All of it set them on this path, a path towards destruction, bloodshed, war. It stretches far beyond even your life, when taking the Dark Forest into consideration." He looked back at her sadly, "That is the natural course of things. No one cat could've stopped this, not when so many paws were involved in the making of this story. In truth, it started before even I arrived at the forest, I am just witnessing the turning point in this tale."

He gave her a subdued smile, "I can't fix this. I can't shift the very sands of the future, I... am just one loner." He glanced out to the churning mass of the living and dead, hearing his old friend call for the death of an apprentice.  "And even if I wanted to, I couldn't raise a claw to stop Morningstar. It would be the end of me, and as someone who's clung to survival for all my life, I can't throw it away." He looked to Clover solemnly, "Because you would never see me in Starclan, my dear. Even seeing me in the Dark Forest is a stretch. I am not a clan cat, I'm an outsider who stepped into the story of this forest. My life compared to that of your ancestors, is a speck in the wind, a brief flickering flame, that, once snuffed out, will never return. I have no afterlife after this one, and no second chances like your clan leaders."

Faced with his own mortality, Tarot's mouth downturned sombrely, the feeling genuine as he gazed with envy at the shades around them. He looked away though, continuing to speak. "Take heart though, Clover, all things come to an end, whether it be lives or stories. This dark moment in your clans' lives will end. How all of you come out on the other side is up to each individual clan cat. There will be peace again, but always keep in mind, it's a cycle. Unless things change, something like this... will happen again." He smiled slightly, despite his words, tilting his head. "But that may end up being beyond your lifetime as well, dear Clover."

The loner sighed, "As for you wanting to leave. If you try to I fear you'll be struck down, but Morningstar doesn't plan to hold the Gathering hostage forever, as long as everyone listens to his orders, at least for now, that is, the murk will settle, and all will be released. The odds aren't in your clanmate's favour right now, that is likely why your leader is not resisting. He wishes for Riverclan to survive this, I suspect... I'm not sure what will happen with the Dark Forest cats after all of this though."

He glanced over to her, brow furrowed in slight concern. "Until then, my best suggestion would be for you to stay by my side. I can keep you safe from the...more erratic and violent of these shades." He doubted Morningstar would be pleased if he was attacked by a Dark Forest cat while he's protecting his new companion. Perhaps that would be enough to keep any bolder spirits at bay. "But I won't force you to remain here. I've given you what knowledge I can, what you do with what you've learned is up to you." His violet hues met hers in all seriousness. Trying to impart his own forged desperation for her survival.

He tried to salvage what he could of whatever they had, but he wouldn't be crushed if she turned away despite that. She was the first polite clan cat he met, he traded stories with her, told her of his adventures, even revealed some of his immoral nature to her. She accepted all of that, but, ah, this might be the limit.

Well, he could say he tried, he was interested in the molly, enjoyed telling her stories of his life... but it never went further than that. Truly, the only cat he was closet to in this entire gathering, was Morningstar. Cloverheart, was second to that, but with only two cats being the sample size that might not be saying much...

For a brief moment though, his mind was cats back to Morningstar's once-namesake. What would Klaus do in this situation...?

... In all honestly, his deceased friend would likely be trying his best to assist the clan cats by comforting them, protecting the young ones. A faint, flash of fond amusement struck him at the thought. Truly, that loner had been a strange cat, far softer than most loners one would find on the streets of the Twolegplace.

But Tarot was not Klaus. He was a monster, he was just better at hiding it than Morningstar was.

Licking her lips, the molly stalked forward, edging in on the clearing that had begun to break out in fights and the acrid tang of blood and the smell accompanying Morningstar's army. Her death wound, a neat little bite wound by an ill-tempered fox allowed crimson streams to continue staining her fur, trickling down slowly as she crept forward, each pawstep dragging on the ground for a heartbeat. Her job was simple; she lacked any continuation of bloodline - it had, sadly ended with her - and so she didn't have a specific enemy to taunt, instead choosing to beat down any stragglers and diminish any chance the clans had at rebelling against the enemy forces. Almost as if on cue, a warrior begun to struggle through the crowd; bashing aside throngs of cats as he made his way towards his destination, looking as if he was ready to start a fight.

Elegantly and quietly, she dipped through the gathering, setting her sights on the tom. In her moment of opportunity, she stepped forward and effectively cut him off, straightening up in an attempt to appear taller. Cloudjumper bared her teeth, before swiping her claws out and tearing through the fur on his chest, satisfaction blooming as blood trickled away from the inflicted injury.

"That's a warning," the molly purred, sitting back to watch him bleed, beginning to groom the forepaw in which she had struck him with. "Do not interfere. As Morningstar said, you will comply, or you will die." Her voice had grown cold towards the end of her speech, furthering the warning.

--

The initial panic had subsided. Aspenblaze had no need to worry, as the Dark Forest cats appeared to give him a wide berth, choosing to target those who had opposed them in their own times, or target rebellious figures. Morningstar himself had gone after a ThunderClan queen, and the RiverClan warrior mostly just found himself wondering when this would be over, especially as Bloodstar keeled over and stopped moving within his direct line of sight. Now that- that did make him shudder a little, but his thoughts were rather quickly shelved as the tom surveyed his own clan and caught sight of another warrior showing similar amounts of indifference to the horrors in front of them.

Getting to his feet, he weaved through the crowds, quietly taking a seat next to the molly. He hesitated a moment, before turning to her to speak. "So, I'm going to take a wild guess and assume you also knew about all of this? I'm uh- I'm learning a lot today. I didn't realise Jaystar, my former mentor, also knows Vixenstar, my other mentor, so this is a bit of a thing. Did you know her too? Or did you train with someone else," The tom was rambling, his suspicions unconfirmed but his words tumbling out before he could think to stop himself from revealing everything.

His brain clicked back in to place, and he sat there in silence for a moment. "You uh.... you did train with them, right? Otherwise this is about to get really awkward," Aspenblaze sat there in dead silence, staring straight ahead, praying the molly would know what he was talking about.

Cloudjumper has smacked Batglow!
Aspenblaze has approached Scarletriver!

Cinderpaw's eyes remained widened as she looked at the chaos unfold. She didn't move, she didn't even flinch. All the apprentice could do was to remain by her mother's side with her ears flattened against her skull and claws unsheathed. She barely even cared for Flurrypaw's insult and her body was immobile but tense. One harmful touch would trigger all the emotions inside her to burst like a flood, making her attack. But not her mother's embrace. Confused, the apprentice looked up to Appledaple and what she said... was strange. Her hazel eyes looked around and there was no doubt in her mind: this was the Dark Forest, the Dark Forest the elders warned all kits about. These cats were murderers, traitors, code-breakers and insane dead corpses raising from the ground to torment the clans in life. Why would Appledapple trust them? The young, feisty she-cat didn't quite understand but... she trusted her. She wouldn't do anything to hurt her, wouldn't she? After a few seconds of hesitation, the young molly's muscles relaxed a bit and she nodded. "Okay. I will go tell my siblings."

The brown-and-grey she-cat left the deputy's side in search of her littermates. She quickly found Softpaw covered in blood. The she-cat rushed to him worried he would have gotten himself hurt. However, the molly quickly realized the blood wasn't his. Behind him, the body of a Riverclanner laid on the ground. Despite the she-cat's eagerness to fight, Cinderpaw would have never thought of actually killing someone and seeing her brother doing such an act, shocked her. Sure, Riverclanners weren't exactly her favourite neighbour clan but this seemed extreme. She shook her head and tried not to think much about it. "Softpaw. By your looks, I assume you already know but mother said we have to trust these cats... She said they talked to her and if we listen, no harm will come to us." She mewed calmly to her littermate hiding the fact she was still in denial of him murdering another cat. "Tell our to the rest of our littermates this. That's what Appledapple said." With a friendly but rather rough bump of her shoulder, Cinderpaw said her goodbyes to her brother and entered once again into the chaos of the crowd.

Her green eyes spotted their sibling Rainpaw by the Thunderclan's deputy. She rolled her eyes by how cowardly they were being, hiding behind the deputy's back instead of facing reality. The green-eyes she-cat made her way to them, but the crowd was too big and many cats stepped in her way. "Look where you're going!" She hissed frustrated, about to claw someone if they kept stepping into her toes. However, the screams of a clanmate interrupted her.

Cinderpaw fixed her eyes on Waterlily, who was shouting to the supposed leader of this Dark Forest raid. The conversation and aggression of the former queen surprised her but most interestingly... intrigued her. As silent as she could, the apprentice approached the couple staying hidden into the crowd of cats. As she watched them, she quickly realized the two of them knew each other in more than one way... Then, the revelation of the father of Waterlily's kits was obvious. With her eyes squinted, she took a look at the half-blood apprentices the Thunderclan warrior was trying to protect. A deep yet low hiss emerged from her throat as she thought. Why is Thunderclan filled with traitors and codebreakers? Having kits with someone outside of the clan and moreover, that someone is the cause of all this mess!? Disgusting... No wonder they are made to each other... Waterlily and this Morningstar should just leave together and live in the Dark Forest with their half-blood kits. Why bring their dysfunctional family drama to the clans? With an angry lash of her tail, the apprentice left the scene. She didn't need to see anything else. Once again, she tried to make her way to Rainpaw and continue her mother's task. The she-cat could deal with Waterlily's betrayal and her kits later.

Cinderpaw left Appledapple's side, talked to Softpaw and is trying to reach Rainpaw. However, she was interrupted by listening to Waterlily and Morningstar arguing.

Dovefrost flinched away from the sudden voice beside his ear. He had been so caught up in the fear of the moment that he didn't see that one dark forest come up to him. Had he forgotten his warrior training already? To be snuck on like this? Stars.. The large white tom stood to his paws, stepping away from the dead warrior. He sunk his claws into the ground, trying to keep himself steady. He didn't like this.. Even with Starclan forsaking him with the death of his mentor and his former leader, this.. this just wasn't right.

The large tom couldn't help but flinch again once the spatter's from the cough had hit his pelt. Green eyes looked at the dead cat, remaining rather impassive even if on the inside he was reeling. He didn't know what to say to this creature. He wasn't sure if he should say anything at all.

--

Starlingflare had watched it, he watched it all, but that wasn't really his focus. While it was a glorious sight to behold, to watch all of these weak cats try and fail, try and fail to overcome these powerful cats before them. There was nothing else like it. Oh how he dreamed a day like this would come, but he didn't think it would be so soon! They were truly blessing him with such a show!

Even as chaos unfolded all around him, he remained in his spot, listening to everything. All the sounds of violence were great.. but oh.. The cries of pain, and anguish was music to his ears! How he could listen to this forever! A sharp grin appeared on the tom's face. Oh how he wanted to keep his loyal clanmate cover, to step in and protect those that were part of Thunderclan, but he couldn't! The sounds were just too good! A chuckle escaped the tom before turning into full on crazed laughter.

Oh how sweet this all was! The only thing that would make this better is if some of these sounds were cause by his own claws. If he was the one causing these glorious sounds of pain. Maybe.. just maybe he should look for his own target. After all the fourtrees was full of chaos! Who would even see? Maybe he could finally relish in the sounds of pain from another cat for once.

--

Batglow hissed as a she-cat jumped in his way, quick to strike at his chest leaving a nasty wound in it's wake. Green eyes narrowed, as his tail lashed behind him. "So you are okay with this? To watch all of these cats die, and lose more followers?" He hissed out, trying to play into this cat's side. "Like I get your dead, but if cats keep dying then there will be no one to follow you in the end, then what?" He knew that if things continued like this then... well.. What should they do? What would Shadowclan do? He needed to get his wound treated if he didnt... Stars.. Where was Starclan when they needed them? They weren't really dead were they?

Rainpaw looks and sees the familiar Cinderpaw nearby, They ran up to her, nearly sobbing about what Softpaw had done. "Th-THANK THE STARS THAT YOU'RE ALIVE! H-Has Softpaw.. Did you see.. I can't believe.. I didn't think.. Where's Reedpaw?? Is he okay?? I bet I'm worrying too much, I.. He should be back at camp if not here.. I'm.. glad you're okay.." Rainpaw spouted out, Being worried out of their mind for their sister, They lightly head bonked Cinderpaw, They couldn't believe that Softpaw would do such a thing, Not in front of the clans.. Softpaw.. Did he seriously just murder an Innocent Riverclan cat?? They had heard his monologue, About Riverclan taking Thunderclan territory, Did he mean the Sunningrocks? The poor Riverclan apprentice didn't do Anything to deserve to be killed, All the apprentice did was exist and reside in Riverclan, If That was enough for Softpaw to shatter his soft facade and betray the Warrior code, What other things was Softpaw repressing? What would Softpaw do to them if they triggered something like that..? They stopped thinking about it, They were just happy to be with their Sister.