Dawnstar's Message

Chapter 44

CHAPTER 44

The EarthClan cats poured into the Gatheringplace. Every cat was silent. Moonlight glinted off the trees and grass.

Dawnstar padded with Skypelt into the clearing. EarthClan was the last to arrive. Cats from other Clans looked at them with sympathy, or pity, seeing their healing wounds and their tired eyes. The EarthClan cats were silent and stayed in large groups even as they mingled with rival Clans. Finchpetal slipped away straight to the edge of the clearing with the other medicine cats, whose heads were hung with grief. It had been only a few days since the battle.

Skypelt hopped up on the rock with the other deputies, and settled down awkwardly by Tigerstep. Tigerstep looked at him with overwhelming sympathy. It was the kind of look you gave a lost kit. Skypelt looked away.

Dawnstar clawed his way up the tree, past Sharpstar and up to his branch. He felt the other leaders' eyes on him. His fur grew hot. He looked at Icestar. Her eyes were on his tail.

The cats below grew silent though none of the leaders had called for the Gathering to begin. "FieldClan is doing well," Icestar began. "Dashpaw became Dashtail. Thunderclaw and Beeflight took on Shadefur's kits, Fallowpaw and Quailpaw, as apprentices. Twolegs have taken their dogs onto our fields to play but we have been able to keep them well away from our camp." She nodded to Sharpstar.

"Prey is running well in BeachClan," he began slowly. "StarClan has blessed our lake so that there are plenty of fish to go around. Lichentail is expecting Salmonrun's kits, and Minnowpoppy's kit Yellowpaw was apprenticed. My mate Blackwing is expecting kits as well," he said proudly. Sharpstar nodded to Dawnstar. His eyes were full of pity.

Dawnstar bit back a growl. He hated all this sympathy; EarthClan could take care of itself! Even at the loss of two cats. The other Clans must have noticed that they were gone.

Dawnstar cleared his throat. "EarthClan was.... ambushed, by rogues who live in the farmlands sharing our borders." The clearing erupted in frantic mews. Many EarthClan warriors shrunk down.

"How does that happen?" Icestar meowed. She was incredulous. "How can a couple of untrained, flea-bitten rogues ambush a Clan?"

"Well, they were-"

"In the farmlands," Skypelt interrupted Dawnstar. "Cats have a different way. There's only really one place of shelter out there, and that's the old barn. They were like a Clan, that they had a leader and cats in authority, but of course they had no code. And they didn't value their elders or queens, but brought them all to ambush our territory and take our camp. They were oddly organzied for a rogue band."

Icestar blinked. "In all my moons, I've never heard anything so mouse-brained as that." Her deputy Jaggedheart shook his head.

"It's true!" Finchpetal bristled in the back. She must have finally snapped, Dawnstar thought to himself. "There were too many for the warriors to fight off! The TreeClan warriors came and helped us drive them off! But every warrior came off with a wound anyway. Did you notice a few warriors missing? Brindlepelt? Cherryfoot?" Every cat was silent.

Finchpetal turned on Haileyes, who was touching her shoulder with his tailtip. "Well they're dead! They are both in StarClan now!"

The Gatheringplace erupted in yowls. Mintstar and Icestar bowed their heads.

"Cats!" Sharpstar shrieked. His fur was on end. The clearing fell silent. "Every cat be quiet!" he huffed. "EarthClan has lost cats and the forest has gained a new enemy. But StarClan is watching above the full moon and we must remember to stay calm, because we are wasting moonlight!" He looked at a flustered Mintstar. "Please report on TreeClan so we can end this Gathering."