March Gathering 2022

"You knew about this?"  Scarletriver said to Aspenblaze with a very shocked expression.  "Why didn't you do anything to stop it?"  The shocked expression remained on her face as she looked the tom in the eyes with complete innocence.  Then, she began quietly laughing.  "I'm kidding.  Of course I knew about this."

She paused a moment and thought about this.  She had never been able to talk with anyone about what was coming or about what she was doing to help it.  Lying became a nearly subconscious reaction of hers.  "I do not know Vixenstar.  I trained under Slatethroat."  She laughed a little again, but it was quiet as to try to not make herself noticeable.  "I can't believe Jaystar knows Dark Forest cats also.  This whole time I was so afraid of him figuring it out and me being in trouble.  Guess I don't have to worry about that anymore." Then, she thought, well, at least not with the Dark Forest thing...  She shook her head, trying to forget about some thoughts that still haunted her.  "What did you think about the 'dreams' at first?"

Suddenly, her face turned to a very serious expression.  "I'm telling you this because you seemed to have been going through the same thing as me.  If anyone else asks, I have no idea what is going on."

Softpaw spun around seeing his sister Cinderpaw... She had seen what he had done her eyes reviled that almost instantly. "Riverclan deserved this Cinderpaw... dont tell me you truly belive differently after all they have done to us!? They starve us and push us further and further. stealing our land steal our only food source! " he wanted to reason with her as best he could, of all his siblings he and Cinderpaw had always been the closest wavelength. During his outcry at the deputy ceromony she was the only one to take his side... he hoped she would at least see where he was coming from

"... you did not see me here understood? You tell no one" he said wiping the rest of the blood off him.



He tilted his head as he listened to what she said Apple told. He nodded "mkay... I trust Appledapple and Cinderpaw???.... I trust you too. So I will do as you say" He said before darting off to try and find any other of their siblings

The usually, angry and short-tempered she-cat was caught off-guard by Rainpaw's cries. Usually, she would hiss and spat at someone who would cry so loudly and be so touchy with her. She would probably call them cowards, to get over their weakness and be a true warrior. But their sibling was different. It may be hypocritical, but the Abyssinian she-cat had a soft spot for all of them. Though the molly didn't usually show her affection, she cared deeply for her littermates and she reciprocated Rainpaw's head bump. A raspy and deep purr could be heard from her throat, in an attempt to comfort Rainpaw as she embraced them with her tail.

When Rainpaw started talking about their brother, her gaze turned back to where Softpaw was. Her piercing, sharp gazed eyes looked directly into Softpaw's eyes, as they were trying to understand what was going on inside the tom's mind and soul. Though no words came of her mouth, she nodded at his brother. Yeah, she agreed on the fact that Riverclan had been unfair to their clan and that they didn't share precious hunting ground with them in one of the harshest seasons of the clans' history. And though that inner anger and resentment Cinderpaw felt was directly to Riverclan as a whole... she knew the blame was on their leadership, not in a fellow apprentice. However, she wasn't going to fight Softpaw over this. He was her dear brother and they were family. She would be there for him, even if she didn't agree completely with his actions. Cinderpaw gave him a reassuring nod and although she didn't mew a word, she motioned with her lips: I understand... be safe brother...

The molly's attention returned back to Rainpaw and she mewed low enough so only their ears could hear. "Is okay... we are together now. Mom told me she knows these cats and that they have promised strength and power. She is going to protect us and all we have to do is do what they say. We will be safe as long as we don't do anything reckless." Cinderpaw paused and looked from the corner of her eyes at Softpaw, getting lost into the crowd probably in search of another victim. "I saw what he did. He is our brother and I still love him but... we gotta be careful around him from now on. Stay with me, I will protect you. And don't argue with him about what happened. We don't know how Softpaw may react... Let's just hope to the stars we can get him into the good path one day... but not tonight."

Cinderpaw talked to Softpaw but is currently staying by Rainpaw's side and speaking to them.

Rainpaw nodded with a tear going down their face, Cinderpaw made good reasoning in a Stressful Situation, and they appreciated that their sister could calm them so easily, They had begun to breathe carefully again, Like during the trip. "Thanks, Cinderpaw, You've helped so much by just Being here." Rainpaw admitted, Taking in the fact that they needed to stay calm, And just.. When Starclan comes back, Let Softpaw realize what he had done. As long as they just.. Don't 'Fall out of line' They'll be fine. When Starclan comes back, They can finally go back to normal. "Okay.. Got it, Thank you so much." They said, Before thinking about nicer stuff, To get their mind off of the situation.

Lunged into by a sudden attack, the she-cat grunted, snarling at the Dark Forest cat. "Of course you'd try to protect a crime! You're teaching this cat foolishness, to betray their loyalty plea to their clan, The Warrior Code, to think it's fine to kill a mere apprentice if it's from another clan!" Hollyleaf hissed, turning herself to bite the tom's tail, pulling it sharply in an attempt to knock him down. Once he was temporarily stunned, she turned to Pinepaw, ears flattened. "Run, Pinepaw! Get to your mentor or any clanmates of ours that's able to protect you!" She stared back at her opponent— eyes narrowed briefly at the ThunderClan apprentice behind, whom she was able to hear the name 'Softpaw' of by two other approaching apprentices, yet still assuming it was RiverClan who deserved to suffer.

You're so foolish, apprentice. Every clan is constantly battling to survive in these conditions, not just your own.

Hollyleaf used Tail Yank, dealing 8 damage and using 15 SP. Viperfang is stunned for 1 turn!

Hollyleaf
40/40 HP
85/100 SP (-15)

Viperfang (stunned)
92/100 HP (-8)
180/180 SP

---

Emberleap.. was once a rouge? Duskflight blinked. Perhaps that was why when they trained, his fighting styles were so much more different than most ShadowClan warriors. Nonetheless, he still appreciated his mentor. Even many of his clanmates were once outsiders as well, though now they stood with ShadowClan. For a while, he stared at the supposed leading cat of this whole mess— Dawnhawk. "He betrayed his own clan..? For Asylum?" Though the tom spoke, most of it was mutters to himself, anyway. There seemed to be more to what he knew of.

As Tawnyflare spoke again, he widened his eyes. So what he'd been suspecting.. all of these cats, they're.. dead?! "But how? How are you still standing here, then?" Had all he knew of been just a lie? Was there more than just StarClan? Duskflight furrowed his brows (if cats could even do that), jaw slightly opened as he wanted to continue asking, but— he wasn't sure if he'd have enough time to understand everything now. And Brick, or, well, Harebounce.. was Tawnyflare's sister? Duskflight gently brushed his tail against Emberleap's back, not entirely sure if he should've asked more, or kept silent.

Duskflight is speaking to Raisha, Emberleap, and Harebounce! (And is quietly offering Emberleap comfort)

---

Vixentooth roared as the young cat clawed at her toes, though that only had made her grip even tighter. She was convinced she'd need to end this cat's life quickly— until Morningstar arrived. She'd hiss at the grey-furred apprentice, furiously, though aimlessly clawing her side. She pushed the young she-cat away, feeling no need for attention. However, as the pale tom continued, she paused, slightly loosening her hold on the apprentice. His.. son?! His mate?! She knew from the moment she launched herself onto the young apprentice it would turn messy, but.. this? Vixentooth narrowed her eyes at the chimera cat, writhing underneath her claws for a moment.. before giving a quick nod, getting off him. "I suppose so," She spoke firmly, though kept it enough to not come off as challenging.

"Any other cats related to you that I need to keep an eye out for, Morningstar? Don't want to accidentally mistaken again." As the rise of drama continued between the black she-cat and Morningstar, Vixentooth sharply flicked her tail, eyeing the cats for a moment.. before leaving, in an attempt to find another victim. This time, she'd need to be more cautious.

Vixentooth has left and is finding another victim! (Feel free to PM me)

There was a violent flash of claws, blood that stood out seemingly impossibly bright against Bearspirit’s pale fur as he crumpled. "N- No! Bearspirit!" Swiftspirit’s eyes widened in horror as she stumbled backward. Bearspirit had thrown Dawnhawk into a tree. He’d fought dogs. Had fought her at the gorge, even. And all it had taken was one blindingly quick, savage swipe from the dark creature in front of her. Something neither of them would have ever been able to dodge. Gone, in the span of a heartbeat. Swiftspirit shook her head, vision blurring as the horrid tabby thing rushed towards her.

"Run, Magpiesight. We can’t-" She hissed out, "We can’t fight them." With how many there were, Swiftspirit wasn’t exactly sure they could run either. She needed to keep Magpiesight safe. She couldn’t lose anyone else, especially not her. Not her daughter, not her only family that remained after everything. Panic drove Swiftspirit to attack, lashing out with her claws. Anything, anything to buy Magpiesight time to get away from this monster.

---

Atalante closed her eyes for a moment, relieved that at least Aoife was here. Blinking her eyes open, she tried to scan the fighting cats for any of her other siblings, breath coming in ragged pants as she stared wide-eyed at the fighting. Starlingflare, where was her mentor in all of this? It took a moment to catch sight of him, and when Atalante finally did, she flinched, cringing back towards the bushed the lined the edge of the hollow. Why was he laughing? Who could possibly find any of this funny? All around him cats were being attacked by these monstrous creatures, and Starlingflare was laughing. Atalante was disgusted and scared, but above all she did not want to be here.

--

A low chuckle escaped Whitesnake as the Riverclanner made a feeble attempt to shoulder check him. Whitesnake didn’t even flinch, and his body remained perfectly still for a moment as he eyed the silvery tom, bright amber eyes seeming to glow with delight and malevolence. The Riverclanner had chosen to fight. So a fight he would receive, however one-sided it would be. A shame that, but it wasn’t Whitesnake’s fault.

"You really think you stand a chance, kitten?" A wide smirk crossed his face, and with the same suddenness that the moon had vanished, Whitesnake lunged forward with all the speed and aggression of his namesake, every bit as quickly as Morningstar had taken down the Skyclan leader. Foolish mortals always thought they stood a chance at fighting. They were always wrong. He would subdue this one just as he’d subdued many cats before him. The Dark Forest had already conquered the realm of the living, and all this pathetic resistance was doing was delaying the inevitable.

Whitesnake aimed to sink his fangs into the back of the tom’s neck, throwing his muscular, heavy weight into pinning the tom to the ground. Long, sharp claws extending, Whitesnake viciously raked them through the Riverclanner’s pelt.

He wasn’t going to kill him... Just rough him up, a little. Or maybe a lot, depending on how one viewed it. Whitesnake enjoyed the feel of hot blood on his tongue and beneath his claws, and it had been so long since he’d been able to interact with the living... So very long...

If the she-cat wanted to interfere, he would gladly turn his attention to her as well.

Beechfang's reply will come tomorrow.
Mistyfalcon is still engaged with Whinchatcall.
Swiftspirit is desperately trying to keep Rainstrike focused on herself rather than Magpiesight, and is distraught over Bearspirit’s death.
Ata/Featherpaw is talking with Aoife, panicking, and has noticed her mentor’s... behavior.
Whitesnake has attacked Moon and is hoping that Tinypool will interfere.

Pinepaw looked back at Hollyleaf, After her command he nodded and dashed off, Going after Robinpatch, He would've loved to go to Petalpaw, but she didn't come, So he ran off, He then spotted his mentor next to another cat and trotted over to Robinpatch and his friend. "Ro- Oh.. uh.. am I interrupting something..? I'll be close-by, I was asked by.. ehh.. Her, To go find somecat else to be near.. She's being attacked right now.... So.. I'll just be.. Around." He said, Pointing in the direction of the She-Cat.. Come to think of it she never said her name reply.. Oh well.. It's not like that's going to be important information that's going to save his life, Right? It's not going to be important.

Snowpaw shut her eyes tightly, still against the Greatrock, as the chaos roared on. “It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine,” she whispered over and over to herself. Finally, a particularly loud yowl rose from somewhere. Snowpaw cringed. “It’s not fine.”

——



In the midst of the chaos, Mintpool felt herself begin to panic. What in Starclan’s name is happening? An eerie, sudden dimness surrounded the Gathering — punctuated by shrieks of terror and cries of pain. Ruthlessly, she bit back any of her own; that would be ridiculous — even if ugly, fetid creatures lurked in the darkness. Instead she gathered herself, tightly reigning in that feeling, and forced herself to breathe.

One breath. Two. Better.

With a clearer mind, she tried to make out the cats around her. There were flashes of lighter fur, a cry that… was that her Mom’s voice—? No, she didn’t... But Mintpool wouldn’t mistake it for anything. “MOM!” she yowled. “MOM! Flurry! I’m here!

Several cats bruised past her as she tried to follow the voice, and she hissed, jostling around them. Something in the air stank, like rotting fish and crowfood, and it made her even more urgent. It smelled like blood.

But it was so dark.

’Don’t move,’ came a voice, harsh and demanding. Her ears, sensitive and tuned to low voices, immediately zoned in, and carefully — consciously — Mintpool froze. Green eyes flashed and met blue. ’Comply and you will be safe.’ “And how, exactly,” she said quietly to this stranger that approached her, “—can you say this?” Are they yours?

She was not someone Mintpool had seen — Riverclan, Thunderclan, or Gathering — and the warrior would have remembered. Her fur was gold and white, visible even in the dim; and she seemed… uncertain. And not hostile. But she told Mintpool to freeze as if she knew what was happening.

The sky was dark, the stars were gone. And her heart was in a fluttering state of fear, for her Mom and littermates. But still she nodded, self-possessed, and waited for an answer.

At least… if I know, I can do something.

——




For a moment, Ratrunner felt a powerful sense of relief — he heard Forestpaw’s voice! He’s coming. And Icepaw, too. If something was happening, he wanted them close. Anticipating them, Ratrunner tried to see through the fearful cats.

And then… a scent filled the air. Something rancid, foul-smelling; so suddenly and distinctly he flinched. But when Forestpaw pressed against his side then, Ratrunner stood firm, and looked at he and Icepaw. “It’s alright, you two. Just stay close.”

I’ll protect you. And a moment after the thought, he heard something: a sickly sweet voice, the sounds of a brief, aborted struggle. Ratrunner turned sharply, and felt only a cold horror as a cat stood over Loudnose. What—?!

But it was too late. Fangs sank simply, viciously, into a tabby-golden throat — and Ratrunner let out a strangled scream. “NO!”

Blood pooled and he felt nothing but that terrifying, horrified disbelief. It happened so quickly. Is this a dream? He shifted closer to his apprentice, tense and prepared to fight, in case it wasn’t. “Starclan!”

The cat who was Loudnose’s murderer — filthy, reeking of blood, eyes swirling with malice — straightened then, and her eyes shot to a small white figure, recoiling in shock and grief.

“Swiftheart!” he yowled, but it was too late — the young Shadowclan warrior was in the cat’s grasp. And he didn’t know he was moving, but he was — only for another cat, slinking and yet calm, to stand in his way. He looked up, and Ratrunner felt an anger and grief, curling and burning in his heart.

“You’re in my way.” And for once his voice was low — and cold. Unfriendly. And yet from beside him, Icepaw accepted demurely (startlingly uncharacteristic), and Ratrunner felt himself still.

The tom before them offering protection… He’s one of them. Yellow, serious eyes flashed to stare intensely at the bloody molly holding Swiftheart. Claws dug into white fur, and he could see the warrior close to his heart struggle… calling for Basilbloom to stay away. The voice hurt him — and he needed to be there.

I won’t let you die. Not you. He promised it, and felt a sharp longing for Nightstalker — anyone — at his side as he turned his gaze to the tom blocking him.

“I don’t know who you are,” Ratrunner said abruptly. Or what you are. His gold eyes cut into the strange, foul-seeming tom, but after a moment he shook his head. “But if you’ll protect them, then… so be it. We accept. Icepaw, Forestpaw, look after each other — and find Mistyfalcon, if you can.”

His tail lashed as the small warrior once again looked into the tom’s eyes. Eerily, Ratrunner felt they weren’t of this world. He knew my name. He forced himself to calm, to speak rationally.

“I would do as you say,” he began. “Only right now, someone very dear to me is about to die, and if you can’t help me,” he said clearly, briskly, but with a ferocity — I’m coming, Swiftheart, I promise — brimming beneath, “—I need you to get out of my way.”

It felt dangerous to hold this tom’s gaze; Ratrunner didn’t flinch.

——



The moment Dawnhawk had returned — truly nightmarish, with gruesome throat injuries that didn’t make him blink at all and icy, glowing eyes — Holly had gotten this sinking, crazy feeling.

She’d been teetering on the edge of it this whole time. The lack of cats she knew, and being forced to stay in the Starclan-forsaken mountains for some… well, reason she didn’t know, but that certainly wasn’t family bonding… and the cold ground, and the thorned bindings, and being starved, and just everything... Hollyshine felt worse than she’d ever in her life, and so, so tired.

And she felt crazy. Did I really see that? Did my murder-uncle say he was dead?

Maybe from the back… where Hollyshine had been forced to trudge, in the rush of the murder-patrol to the Gathering… Yes, maybe from the back, where his fur looked more or less normal, Holly was just imagining everything. Right? Maybe this whole thing — about the Gathering, and killing, and the Dark foxing Forest — it was just in her head. My head does come up with these things. It’s that or they’re plain, completely crazy. Bees in their murder brains.

Being kept alive so they could make her mom cry, and maybe so Bloodstar couldn’t kill them outright, it… made sense. (She wished it didn’t.) Her aunt (and here at the thought, Holly’s heart stung, though it shouldn’t) got away, and told Skyclan everything. They should’ve been scared. Holly hated and resisted the whole fleeing-to-the-weird-barn, even if it wasn’t any use — but that made sense too.

But this? Now she was limping, bedraggled and thin, on some crazy quest to kill — and led by a villain from a kit’s story. (As a hostage.)

And with the moon just gone, and the skies dark, as black as a bat — like every star had flickered and died.

Somehow, even MY kit stories weren’t anything like this. With a blink, Hollyshine did remember a time when the sky was like this — was it really so bad? — but… she hadn’t paid so much attention. Is it really ‘cause… Starclan’s gone?

Besides. As, um, creepily strong and murdery as her uncle now seemed, his plan was crazy. Trying to murder everyone at the actual, bonafide Gathering, against all four Clans? They couldn’t seriously win this. It wasn’t possible! He had a lot of kids, and legit they were scary, but… half had something seriously wrong with them, and altogether they were half a Clan.

A murder Clan. But still, half a Clan — plus whatever her Murder-Uncle was.

And yet they’re so confident. It was inspiring and like, really disturbing. She wanted to blurt out, “Are you guys serious?” to the whole party, but her own growing sense of hope kept her from doing so. (Lest they get any ideas.) She had… well. Accepted somewhere in her heart that she was going to die. It… was hard not to. But on this mission?

She still might die — given they were bringing her. But at least if I do, it won’t be there. It was a cold comfort, but she felt surprisingly okay with this. When you know you’re going to die, you don’t worry about it so much. Right. Right. She kept her head up, even on trembling, weak paws.

When they finally arrived — the tips of the four great trees in sight — she was shaky and sick with hope, and trying not to lean on Aoife. That is… she was until they got closer, and heard the screams. And it wasn’t just that, either: it all smelled sharply of blood and reeking, rancid fur. With a sinking feeling of dread, she realized they weren’t the attack force.

But who is? she wondered, fearful and nauseous and also a little like she might faint. Her chief guard, silent and always-there, kept close, and didn’t push them forward — not that Holly could have. She was painfully thin and she got here on sheer, stubborn will and hope.

And she DID still have some. She did! Because… it was a battle, and she could help. And Mom is here, she thought, with rising emotion. For the first time in forever, she was so close — to Wasp and Mom, to Dawn and Muddy, to Raven and her Grandpa and Hollyleaf and freedom! To home.

It made tears pool in her eyes. She’d shut them off for so long, or they just had to be, that the longing was overwhelming — and it must have shown. Aoife whispered harshly in her ear, suddenly looming and close, and Hollyshine… felt… ANGRY.

For the first time, Holly just. Broke. With a strangled hiss, she lashed out — claws flashing.

“‘STUPID’?! ‘Don’t be stupid’? YOU’RE the stupid one!” she yowled, and felt her cheeks wet with tears. She didn’t hate Aoife, even if the molly starved her and made her stay in that camp she hated, and that made it all worse. “You go ROT, Aoife! My MOM is here, my friends are here, my SIBLINGS are here! I’d rather die with them than be here with you!”

She screamed it, hoarse and choked with tears. Her cousin cared — maybe not really about Holly, but about her dumb brothers, and that sister, and her whole murder FAMILY! She staggered to her feet, and glared through tears. “I can’t live like this anymore. So if you’re gonna kill me, just… just do it.”

Holly couldn’t beat her cousin. Not… not now. And more than that, she didn’t really want to. Holly felt so tired, she didn’t know anymore, and maybe it was more her than Aoife, but… I don’t think she wants to either. “But if not, just let me go. I’m probably gonna die anyway.”

Viperfang was surprised at how vicious this pathetic RiverClanner was, to think he'd gone easy on her since she looked so weak! If he'd known she had the stones to actually attack him, he wouldn't have gone so easy on her. Oh, he was going to make her pay.

Viperfang is stunned for one turn.

He couldn't believe he was doing this. But his paws carried him to Hollyshine and Aoife anyway.

None of this was right, and he wanted to get out of here. He was scared. But he didn't want to be alone either.

"Aoife, leave her. We can get out of here. This isn't right, and I'm scared. I don't want to be here anymore. You'll come with me, right? They'll let us go! Morningstar won't let them hurt us, he wouldn't do that. But this is all too scary. Please, Aoife. I don't want to be alone. And I don't want to be here."

Part of him hated that he was even thinking of abandoning everyone. He had made a promise to Morningstar. No, he had made a promise to the cat he had called Pa. That word alone just didn't feel right anymore. None of this felt right. The smell was making him want to gag, and he felt weak, he couldn't stop shaking. He just couldn't do this anymore.

Aether is doing a no-no

Murkystar had begun to speak and his tail had flickered. She mentioned that his clan had one of the cats who had attacked hers. If one of Dawnhawk's kits had been involved in that attack, he was unaware. Regardless, it had happened before their time in the clan. There were much larger factors at work than rogues who had abandoned their vicious father. Although words budded on his tongue, they were quickly nipped away.

The unpleasant odor that wafted through the air across a lazy breeze caused Stoatstar's fur to prickle. It was now that a brief flicker of fear welled up in his chest - not for himself but for his clan below. To sit as leader, to be above it all, meant he was helpless to watch. This time it was a physical thing, rather than the metaphorical worries that often flitted through his mind. His claws unsheathed briefly to grip the rock as the scene exploded below. Eyes darted across the clearing as he sought to pick out the pelts of his clanmates. At the moment, it was near impossible to sight them all as undead beings flooded the clearing.

One of them had slithered through the crowd, stopping at the base of the highrock and addressing him. As much as Stoatstar wanted to look away, this clawing dread was slowly twisting into a resigned realization - this was a battle that could not be won. Starclan was gone. Fighting back against these monsters would be certain death. They would have to surrender, for the safety of Thunderclan. As he fought to form the proper words along his tongue, Bloodstar lashed out. No, you mousebrain! Only a matter of seconds before, the leader had been twitching his whiskers in amusement at Bloodstar, along with Riverclan's leader. Now, he watched in horror as blood poured from fresh wounds.

Bloodstar was dead and Jaystar was greeting the Dark Forest like old companions.

He struggled to get a grip on the many things that raced through his thoughts. Thunderclan was his priority. Their safety. Blinking in slow surprise as Appledapple leaped onto the high rock, he found himself refocusing. Her dreams had been with the Dark Forest; she knew this was coming. Stoatstar felt sick and centered all at once. The desire to curse was overwhelming but her speech had also helped him to become decisive. A slow nod followed as soon as the warrior finished speaking and he offered the same gesture to Smokefang, "Thunderclan has been growing in strength and will continue to do so with the Dark Forest at our side. Let our clan retire back to camp, we will take whichever warriors belonged to Thunderclan in the past."

Silently, he prayed this would be easy, that the Dark Forest would accept and let them journey back to the camp as one. And then, the waiting game would begin. Before waiting for a response, he lifted his maw to yowl for the first time in addressing his clan so that he might be heard over the chaos, "Thunderclan, stand down! These are not our enemies! We will return to camp with them!" Flicking Appledapple with his tail, allowing a flicker of a frown as he met her gaze, a gesture meant for just her... the little brown and white leader leaped down to stand next to Smokefang, "Together then. Thunderclan will enter into a new era with your guidance."

Thunderclan has been ordered to return to camp after asking for the blessing of the Dark Forest.

___

Slatethroat kept his pelt rather close to that of the self-proclaimed Morningstar. Admittedly, he found the whole thing more and more amusing. Drowning out the stench of the Awakened cats was easy, he'd forced himself to become accustomed to their presence but he had never imagined how useful doing so would become. The terror and chaos that tore through the clearing was glorious, much better than he ever could have imagined. He relished in their fear and the power that ripped through his renewed frame. Glory would be restored to the forest now, and to Windclan as cats fell easily underneath their paws and those who fought back died at a mere whim.

"Skyclan, Riverclan, and Thunderclan are under our paws. Let them go. We've won, Morningstar. The forest is ours. If Windclan and Shadowclan wish to resist, we will take them down as well too." The grey and white warrior's eyes briefly met Scarletriver's with a smirk and landed on Ashfall with an even stare. He willed her to hold her rank and not lash out. A order had gone out to show Goldenstar a lesson and she stalked in the direction of the leader, green eyes shining as he looked upon her, "I won't let anymore harm come to our clan, Goldenstar, I'll protect the clan and help lead us into the new era. Give me the chance to show you what the Dark Forest has to offer."

Morningstar watched Vixentooth back off of his son, which the two-toned tom sprang to his feet and raced behind Waterlily. He glanced down at the she-cat... he assumed his daughter... that had the gall to attack a Dark Forest cat. Hopefully she'd settle down now. He could only do so much if his family foolishly fought against his new companions. His eyes finally went back to Waterlily and he saw the hurt and betrayal behind her anger. Furthermore, he saw that she hesitated to strike him. That was all the weakness he needed to see in her.

"I never stopped caring, or you'd be in pieces and Vixentooth would be standing over your body." He paused a moment to let that realization sink in. He was speaking very calmly. "Thunderclan is starving, I can tell. So can everyone else. I want to help, but unfortunately all of this is necessary in order for me to get enough power to do that." She was still angry and hurt and he didn't blame her. He stepped forward quickly, a bit of supernatural swiftness in his movement, before he rasped his tongue on her forehead and rested his chin on the back of her neck. He was decent enough to keep her on the left side of him away from his ever-bleeding wound. He wasn't going to cover her in blood to add insult to injury.

"Lean into me. At least give it a chance." He would keep her there if she'd let him before he continued to talk. He hoped that his warmth and the offering of a strong shoulder to cry into or yell into would soothe her enough that he could make her listen.

"The cats that have been loyal to me are in the middle of my army, protected and safe. I don't betray those who have not betrayed me. The clans betrayed me first, Waterlily, and I would be happy to explain it all to you once this calms down. They betrayed me and now they are dying. I am showing them the same mercy they would have shown me if the situation was reversed: None. This is justice. It's ugly, but sometimes it has to be. I'm not the only one who has been wronged by the clans... look at how many Dark Forest cats there are. No one is born violent like this, they are molded into it. Molded by paws that are outside of their control like I was. Listen to their stories, when everything is calm. Let them tell you why they are so hurt and angry and lash out like this."

He had used a similar line on Ashstorm too, when the Asylum came. It had proved to be quiet effective. Maybe Waterlily would listen to him. He hoped so, because he couldn't watch her like a hawk all of the time.

Then Stoatstar announced that he was embracing the Dark Forest. He was listening, but he never looked in his direction. "At least your leader has more brains than my father did. You'll be safe now, and so will our kits. I'll fix the food problem as soon as I can." He pulled her in closer with his chin. Slatethroat spoke next and Morningstar's fur bristled a bit. He didn't answer and didn't move. He finally got to Waterlily... he wasn't about to answer anyone's call so soon. Especially not the cat that would still be trapped in his abyss of hopelessness without his help. You have made a huge mistake if you think you command me, Slatethroat. He didn't say it, but it was on the tip of his tongue to do so. He was more interested in what Waterlily had to say, if anything.

---

Darkpaw sprang to his feet and raced behind his mom the instant the Dark Forest molly released him. He didn't know what to do. He listened to the words back and forth between his alleged father and Waterlily. He flinched when the pale tom suddenly moved toward her, but he was grateful that his mother was not injured. There was a sudden, slight burst of rage within the young tom to see someone holding his mother like that.

He had imagined what his dad may have looked like so many times and what it would have been like if he and Waterlily were together. This was not what he pictured. Despite having just been saved by Morningstar, he had a sudden urge to lash out against him to protect his mom. That said, he still couldn't quite do it.

"Get away from my mom..." He growled lowly under his breath, but it was doubtful that anyone heard him. When Stoatstar announced that he was accepting the Dark Forest, he blinked, stunned. Did... Did Thunderclan just surrender to this? The bravest clan in the forest??? Darkpaw's ears pinned back and he glared in the direction of Stoatstar. He wasn't about to leave without his mom, and Morningstar didn't seem too eager to let her go.

Webshadow had taken up his usual spot near the back of the Gathering, allowing Frostgaze to venture to the base of the Great Rock. The air quivered with unusual tension, and it didn't take long before chaos had exploded around him. The dark tabby hadn't panicked when all their light slipped away; he had, though, when Morningstar and his army of the undead spilled into the clearing, caged them in.

"Frostgaze!" He roared over the shrieks of battle, trying to shove his way through the crowd. A mixture of blood and muck from the individual fights around him caught the fine ends of his pelt, and the warrior growled as a stray claw caught against his leg. The heart of the Gathering pulsed with violent energy as cats rolled through the dirt, but he raced on, trying his best to push through them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Ratrunner and– was that Loudnose, splayed out on the floor? But a cat reared up to aim a decisive blow to the head, blocking off his line of sight. Webshadow bit back against the churning in his stomach and turned away. He would be relentless in his pursuit of his mate. Stars, tell me something has not already happened to him.

He was close, close enough to the rock to see the death twitches of SkyClan's leader in between the audience ringing the scene. Close enough, too, to have his paws ground to a halt, so close to his goal. A large, ginger she-cat, coated in shadows and blood, blocked his path. His fur bristled, and his whiskers quivered with fear.

"I advise you not to stand in my way for long," Webshadow snarled, lip curling to bare teeth. There was a tremor in his voice, but fierce intensity was written across his features. He would kill this cat and kill her again if he needed to.


When Vixentooth had thrown herself onto his brother, Daypaw had been too scared to do anything. He wheeled away from the scene, back closer to Comfreypaw and Eveningpaw, shivering through his sobs. But Morningstar– Dawnhawk? Klaus? whoever's speech was enough to scare the large molly off. She didn't seem eager too, but she stepped off Darkpaw and disappeared into the crowd as quickly as she arrived, allowing Darkpaw the chance to scramble back behind their mother.

Morningstar went on talking, and Daypaw couldn't swallow back the yelp that left him. Forcing his voice to a whisper, he looked between his three siblings, mumbling, "We should... we should be careful. We– we don't want him to hurt us, or mom." But seeing the way Morningstar wrapped himself around Waterlily, how he kept going on about his love for her, for his family–

"You're not our father! Daypaw cried out, breaking his own issued rule almost immediately. But he shrank back into the earth just as quick, ears pinned and gaze focused on his own toes. The haunting resemblances Morningstar shared with him, with his siblings, especially considering Waterlily as their mother... It was too much to not be true. But still, the lanky tom just muttered, "Mo- Mom would never pick you. And... we can't be related to you. We– my family would never do something like this... right?"

Then Stoatstar's voice echoed above the sound of his own beating heart. They were surrendering, ThunderClan was giving in and leaving. A shiver worked through his tail. "Come on, we should just– get mom and go find Stoatstar." Daypaw's voice was low, for his siblings to hear. Maybe Stoatstar was right, and this was for the best, but... Pale eyes flashed with emotion when he looked to Morningstar again. Are we really just... letting a cat like that take us?

Cloverheart reply will come later.

As the white-furred tom approached him, Scorchtalon shuddered at the sight of the gaping wounds, still soaked with blood. He'd heard the nursery stories, as all kits had, about the dark, cold place where evil souls were sent to rest, instead of enjoying the plentiful, peaceful lands of starclan. To think that this cat who'd died moons before he was born had come back to terrorize the living made him cold with fear. As the cat spoke, Scorchtalon grew more and more uneasy with each word. He didn't want to believe it but... the Starclan he knew would never have let their descendants suffer at the claws of these undead horrors... Would they? Had something really happened to them? The more he thought about it, the lower his spirits sunk. Still, he refused to let this thing have the pleasure of seeing him defeated.

"S-starclan or no starclan, I won't allow you to hurt my clan!" He raised his chin, trying to look intimidating.





OOC: Sorry this is short, I'm in class rn