Quarter Moon Meeting [June 2024]

Badgermask's mood had shifted with the disappearance of Heatherberry, closing herself off from most of her Clanmates. She had no words to share with them - not unless any had answers about where her sister had gone. Something was wrong, it had to be - she wouldn't just...Leave them! ...Would she? Her gaze flickered up as her mother called out to the Clan, picking up the heated energy that the leader carried. She hardened her gaze as she pushed herself to her paws to join the gathering crowd - her mother wouldn't allow Heatherberry's disappearance to go unaddressed...

Rookfire stepped into the gathering crowd, watching intently for this quarter-moon meeting. Heatherberry's disappearance was the most obvious topic of discussion, but there were rumors spreading around the clan about another confrontation with WindClan, and Rookfire wondered if Leopardstar would touch on that as well.

Sunflare took his place near the Jaggedrock with a slight limp. His back was still damaged, but the fire in his eyes was undimmed. Leopardstar looked upset, so perhaps the council would be called on tonight. He was ready. Familiar faces filled the camp, his father, Badgermask, Quillsplash… still no Heatherberry though. Another of his kin was gone, and Sunflare’s heart ached. Quillsplash had moved to comfort Nightpaw, he noted. The poor thing, losing his mentor so soon. Sunflare settled awkwardly and waited for the meeting to begin.

Hedgepaw didn't really like attending the Big Meetings. Instead of ceremonies which were happy, the Big Meetings sometimes had arguing and they used lots of big words and complicated terms that she didn't understand. With a shiver, she remembered the time that Lilyvalley and Nettleweaver had gotten into a whole fight. Usually she preferred to steal away with some other apprentices and run around in the territory or play hide and seek with someone else who didn't want to attend. But this time she decided to be brave and go to the meeting. Even though Leopardstar seemed angry. She had to start being a big girl eventually, if she ever wanted to be in the warrior's den with Silverhawk and Hawkmist and her brothers when they finally got their names. If things got too loud, she reasoned, she could always run away and hide in the apprentice's den instead.

So for the first time Hedgepaw listened to the summons and joined the thronging group of her Clanmates beneath the Jaggedrock. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a shadowy form by the entrance of the medicine den. She glanced over briefly to see Nightpaw, looking all stooped and unhappy. Right... he'd been having a pretty hard time lately. After always being so kind to her and helping her out in her time of need, what had she been able to do for him when Heatherberry vanished? She didn't want to bother him, though, especially when Quillsplash was already going to sit with him. So instead she locked her green eyes onto his gaze and deliberately offered him a big, warm smile. "Hope you feel okay soon," she mouthed to him. Then she blinked slowly and turned back to the crowd to find somewhere else to sit.

Where should she sit?... There was no shortage of cats she knew around. She probably shouldn't bother any of the senior warriors 'cause they all had to talk about important stuff at the meeting. Since she'd heard Silverhawk bragging about his new position as a council member--and she was proud of him! He certainly deserved it--she probably shouldn't sit by him either. So instead, after deliberating for a few seconds, Hedgepaw trotted her way over to where Fishpaw sat. The small she-cat plopped down into a sitting position next to him, and turned to give him a grin. "Hey Fishpaw," she whispered. "You prolly don't know what this kinda meeting is, right? We have these every moon. Leopardstar and the senior warriors--that's the older and smarter cats--talk about important things like war an' where we should hunt an' cats that go missing. Boring stuff like that. I don't usually go, but... since I'm here, we can sit together. If you don't mind."

The news of Heatherberries disappearance was painful. She had been a very close friend to the medicine cat and had done everything in her power to protect her and her closely guarded secrets. As the days passed of not finding her Swiftheart knew from experience that she might never see her friend again, it was something she had experienced time and time again.

She did her best to keep looking forward knowing the clan needed her in the present. Nightpaw was taking it very hard and she felt for him lots.

As the call for the meeting rang out from their leader she pawed slowly over to Rookfire, one of her most long lasting friends and someone she trusted dearly.

"Rookfire" she purred in greeting quietly as she settled in by his side to join him.

"Nightpaw ... he may need you now more than ever" she whispered to him glancing in the direction of the med den - she had not seen much at all of the apprentice - Rookfire's herb knowledge would be critical in the next few moons.

As she settled into the meeting her ears flickered at the news - her sister and former apprentice both attacked by windclan??

She blinked angered and concerned by that news. Lilyvalley was a queen , what warrior would harm a queen?

A sense of instinctive wanting to protect both of them was her immediate reaction. However she remembered all too biter what happened in the past with windclan. When communications broke down and the war broke out lots of her family died or was outcasted as a result of it ... and for what?

Still, a blood-thirsty windclan warrior willing to harm a queen was not something that could be overlooked either.

As sweet, kind and thoughtful as she was, it was times like this that she was very glad she was not in leadership roles. The stress of having to make those calls was not something she envied and she applauded Leopardstar's cool-headedness and ability to think things over and ask the clan for input.

She looked at her paws deep in thought. Calling Windclan out at the gathering was certainly a way to get the point across to Tigerstar - but with it would it bring all to similar what happened last time?

"Attacking a queen and our warriors unprovoked is unacceptable, but at the same time the last thing I want is another war or battle with them." she meowed in response.

As Leopardstar gave her speech, Rookfire turned to Swiftheart. "Already on it," he said with a smirk. "I'm doin' my best to help Night learn, guide him like Iniko did me, and I can be our de facto meddie until he feels ready for it." He was surprised that Leopardstar didn't seem to mention his name - he felt it would be useful for ShadowClan for him to be taken off regular duties and spend more time training Nightpaw. "As soon as Leopardstar gives me the foxing chance to," he added, venting his frustration to his close friend.

As Leopardstar mentioned a confrontation with WindClan, Rookfire sighed. Not again, he thought. A WindClan cat attacking two ShadowClanners, injuring one and 'fighting with the intent to kill' - what kind of cat would do such a thing? Rookfire noticed himself snarling, so he quickly composed himself and wrapped his tail around his paws. Leopardstar wasn't the cat he wanted to be mad at.

"I agree with Swiftheart," he said. "We all know how last time went when we fought WindClan, so I'd like to be careful about accusing WindClan of anything. At the same time-" he shifted his gaze towards Lilyvalley and Nettleweaver - "if Lilyvalley and Nettleweaver would be willing to look for the cat who attacked them, and ShadowClan mentions that we were attacked by a WindClan cat at the Gathering, I would be okay with it. That lets us talk with WindClan privately about it, and to discuss that warrior's punishment." Perhaps their old grudges against each other could even be buried at that meeting, if it went especially well.

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Nettleweaver was happy to point out the cat that had attacked Lilyvalley, he was happy to be in Leopardstar’s good graces, but at the gathering? That was quite a public affair, and he wasn’t looking for that kind of attention. His eyes shifted from the leader atop the Jaggedrock to Lilyvalley, and each of his friends. Still he felt conflicted, not with what he wanted, but with how to get his desired outcome. The cats that spoke up didn’t give him any more closure, and just as he’d been beginning to find the calico she-cat less annoying, she had to open her mouth. Their brief alliance was very much over. The white tom huffed, shuffling dirt between his paws as he mulled over the delicate words he would use to get his way. “I am not against pointing out the cat who attacked Lilyvalley, she should be punished, but what happens next? I do not want to cause a rift between ShadowClan and WindClan more than the one we already have.” he mewed, pausing as he collected his thoughts again ”The word ‘war’ is being tossed around, is it wise to call for that? WindClan’s numbers are much larger than ours and I don’t want my clanmates and friends harmed if that is what we rush to. Lilyvalley’s attacker should be brought to justice, but I worry for the knock on effect.” his gaze settled on Lilyvalley again “Bringing a war upon ourselves that we cannot win is not ‘standing up for ourselves’, it is suicide. I would rather ShadowClan survived, personally.”

Rookfire hissed at Lilyvalley’s comments. She had the right to speak, and she had experience fighting against the cat in question, but it didn't mean she wasn't wrong.

"I’m not saying to be all lovey-dovey with WindClan, Lilyvalley," Rookfire said. "What their warrior did to ShadowClan was unacceptable, and we will tell it to their face. Privately. Maybe we could even negotiate control of the Outcropping back as payment for the grievous harm their warrior caused to us, hmm?"

"If that WindClan cat denies it all — which is possible — WindClan will most likely align with their clanmate than a clan they don't trust, and diplomacy will be out the window by that point. But stars, I don’t want a war if there’s even a sliver of a chance to resolve this peacefully, so can we at least start diplomatically?" Nettleweaver brought up a really good point, too — WindClan had been growing fast, faster than ShadowClan, so a war at this point would definitely not be in ShadowClan's best interest.