Chapter Text
“May the summer leaves light your path, Littlefang.” Ebonyclaw whispered to her mate, nuzzling his body. He’d fallen due to the absurdity of the weather-killing cats with diseases nobody could name. Trees looked like storms looking over them, terror would glaze their eyes. The warriors moved on from Littlefang, but Ebonyclaw remained silently, watching Littlefang. Her eyes rested on him. He lay still on his side.
“Ebonyclaw is mourning, sitting vigil. Shouldn’t we too?” Cindersand said, watching back and forth toward the traveling mass of her Clan-and back to Ebonyclaw, who didn’t move. Her gaze was glittered with pure sorrow, and a tear had begun to form. The Clan watched, silent.
“He rests peacefully in the sky. May he live a brighter path.” Nettlenose-the medicine cat agreed, she turned to her Clanmates, “he was a great warrior of true passion, and toward Ebonyclaw, and all others.” She turned back, joining the mourning warrior, the she-cats’ eyes lifted for a heartbeat, before staring back down at her mate. “He lives in hope. He lives in peace in the skyline.” Littlefang’s littermate, Sootwing joined in. Regret pierced her like a warrior’s claw. Though none wanted to stay because of the terror that struck them during a battle of nothing but sickness, they couldn’t help but too be hurt by the limp and rolled back eyes Littlefang beheld.
“We can’t simply stay idle like fools watching,” the Clan leader, Plumstar flicked her tail, and the Clan followed, close behind. “We shall all sit and call to the ancestors of stars, they live in purity and peace. All warriors survive in one way or another. We hope you join the path of starry lights.” She touched her nose to the limp body. The Clan stood. Others left to hunt, gathered and led by the second deputy-Rustledtwig. He dipped his head to the fellow Clanmates, as the silence grew as the party had left toward the forest. “We hope WinterClan, SpringClan, and FallClan do not fall in the same paws as us.” He whispered, and off he went. Plumstar’s whiskers twitched and just nodded in silence capturing a few sympathetic looks at her. Why? I did no wrong, what relation do I have with those fools?
***
“Cats of the Seasonal Clans!” Roared the SpringClan leader, Pondstar, “We join you today in the first gathering of our new territory! Where borders align and sickness stays far. We will work our way to the top of the best warriors!” Pondstar yowled, twitching his ears in amusement as his Clan yowled with him, shouting in agreement. The leader of WinterClan, Flatterstar, lashed her tail to silence the group.
“All prey is lost thanks to you!” Flatterstar hissed at them, a glistening amusement held in her eyes. “But yes-we excite truly because of it. We thank the stars to light our path, with glittering hope we avenge ourselves!” She mewed. Her deputy-Lilystream, shifted her paws. She held her head high, her mouth opening to speak.
“The Clans truly believe in SunClan’s journey to bring us here! We thank them!” She yowled, her heart put into her words. The Clanmates below yowled and shrieked with excitement.
“Silence! We must establish our boundaries, may we see each other tomorrow.” Plumstar added, looking at the other leaders. They nodded quietly.
“FallClan, follow me,” Crowsong said, deputy of FallClan. His gaze caught Plumstars’ but she looked away-fidgeting. They whisked away beyond on the bushes, where openings were all they could see-until the large Clan became nothing but a few blobs in the distance. Mintstar, leader of FallClan, stayed on her branch, trying to comfortably position herself.
“Go- take your Clans I have business here, with Plumstar.” She flicked her tail toward the purply she-cat. Her paws almost lifted and she almost fled. Plumstars’ ears flattened. Her fur rose. “I will comply-” she’d turn to her Clan, “go, Applestone. Rustledtwig is waiting for you.” Applestone-the first appointed deputy nodded, bounding off into the thick growth. SummerClan dipped their heads to Plumstar, and left, shuffling through fallen trees and bits of fallen leaves. Pondstar jumped off, his deputy, Boulderingtree followed, staying closely behind, with a huge Clan behind him. They traveled into the trees, gone in a few heartbeats. Flatterstar nodded to the two leaders, and took a strong leap onto the ground, traveling toward a few marshlands with few trees around them, the final tail had disappeared.
“Couldn’t you have just sent a warrior to call for this meeting?-that was embarrassing!” Plumstar started, flexing her claws. She’d marked the branch. It might as well split in half.
“As it should,” Mintstar replied, relaxing her muscles, “cats like you don’t deserve such a spot!” Plumstar wanted to lunge at the gray she-cat, her green eyes narrowing toward her. Plumstar lashed her tail, jumping off her branch. “Wouldn’t that include you?” She hissed back, preparing to run for it. Mintstar licked around her muzzle for a bit. Plumstar couldn’t read it correctly, be it dismay? Is the FallClan leader being smug? Mintstar snickered.
“Don’t include me into this, you realize mine is my origin but yours is a willingness to break a code? Would our ancestors appreciate us?” Plumstar backed off, lifting her paw and her ears gently raising in shock. Shock is a supposed feeling I had assumed from reading myself. It’s true, many ago, the ancestors of old versions of the Clans, were very close. Amongst the older FallClan and SummerClan, they were as if they were their own kind. Even if outraged bloodsheds may drip on to soured borders. Mintstar had her eyes closed for quite a few heartbeats. With a quick glance, she knew very well she hit a soft spot in the SummerClan leader. Her memories seemed to be in a jumbled timeline. The current FallClan leader showing no signs of joy, or even dismal, purred, hiding a deep fiery anger both she-cats could smell within one moment of being near.
“Stay out of FallClan, berry-bur! You’re lucky I don’t gossip.” Mintstar landed and fled toward her camp. Plumstar narrowed her eyes toward the she-cat, her fur bristling, “I’ll stay out as should you, Invaderstar.” She’d hiss back, leaping toward her Clanmates. The fury to leap at the leader had driven to her paws-and in a few moments, the borders and SummerClan scent had arrived. The fallen trees and bracken wall greeted her. She tried to flatten her fur-quickly walking toward her den.
“May the sky light our paths, Crowsong.” She mumbled, the sun falling below the land-and so did her eyes. All she dreamt-was of the handsome black and white tom, deputy of FallClan-and mate of Plumstar.