Warriors: Shattered Dawn

Chapter 9

"Come on everyone, we're almost at the gathering place." Berrytail meowed as they padded through the cold night. Fenclaw sniffed. "I don't feel right." He rumbled. Mossfang touched her tail to his flank. "We'll be gone as quick as we came." She purred.

Lilacfoot was padding by Berrytail's side. "Do you believe they'll give in to our denands?" She asked her leader, curiosity in her mew. On the HavenClan leader's other side, Thorntalon flexed his claws and growled deep in his chest, "Not without a fight."

"Let us put our demands froward first," Berrytail meowed gently. "Then we'll offer Robinpaw for them if they comply."

Snakestrike walked alongside Creamflame. "I say we do what we've trained for, and teach those Clan cats that we're stronger than they think!" He hissed. Briarpaw followed at his heels, apprehension fluttering in her belly. What if we really have to fight? She looked at Softpaw, who was following Pinethroat closely.

"I smell cats!" Larchpaw declared. Fenclaw nodded his head. "Those are the other Clans. EchoClan, FogClan, and MorassClan." He meowed, his voice carrying a hint of a snarl.

Softpaw looked at Webpelt, Turtleheart, and Cloudpaw as they all walked together, all nodding to each other. They seemed to be close, but not as close as she was to her mentor. Briarpaw's eyes suddenly dart over to Robinpaw, who was with Clearpaw; anger slowly burning inside her like a flame. But why was it?

Pushing the needless feeling away, she stared up at the indigo sky, feeling the wind of the three push against her pale gray fur. The Great Cats were watching them and she suddenly felt more at peace with that knowledge, but that bit of that feeling she thought she pushed away was still there.

"What are you doing here?" An enraged voice broke her thoughts. It was Flailleap of FogClan; standing guard at the gathering. A large black tom with white patches was by his side. This must have been Robinpaw's mentor he talked about.

"So, you coming here just admits you've taken Robinpaw!" He spat. The cats of the gathering all looked over.

"Intruders!"
"It's the traitors!"

Violetstar narrowed her eyes. "Didn't I say," before she could finish, Dewstar stopped her. "My Clan's apprentice!" She yowled.

"Why yes it is Dewstar," Berrytail meowed. "We found him unconscious on our territory and nursed him back to health. Treating his wounds, giving him prey, but then again you don't know a thing about compassion do you?" She hissed. Before anycat could reply, she continued. "HavenClan has come with one simple thing, raise one claw to us, or something unfortunate happens to Robinpaw."

"No!" Mottleflank yowled. A small white she-cat with a gray belly broke away from beside a dappled gray she-cat. "Robinpaw!" She yowled to him.

"Give in to our demands or the apprentice dies." Lilacfoot growled. Stormmist stared up at her leader from the other two deputies. Dewstar deliberately made her way down the stone and through the gathered cats to Berrytail. "What is it that you want?" She asked lowly.

Berrytail whisked her tail. "A place at the gathering, our borders not to be bothered, and respect." She replied.

"These demands are easy to follow. Do so, and he lives. Break them anytime, we can flay your cats, and make sure you never do it again. Agreeing saves his apprentice remember, perhaps it would make you feel better if we could," Lilacfoot whispered something into Robinpaw's ear then she ripped off a small piece of it. "Here." She tossed the small bit at the Clan leader's paws, who looked shocked.

Briarpaw remembered it was all part of the plan to get the Clan cats to agree, as Robinpaw said that she could take off a bit of his ear and she made it quick, which didn't hurt him too badly.

"Are you going to stand there and let these brutes harm my apprentice?" Mottleflank screeched, scratching snow with his claws. The pale blue tabby leader turned to face him. "No!" Turning to Berrytail and her gathering patrol, she calmed herself. "Fine. But on one condition. Stay away from us." She mewed.

"No need to tell us twice," Pinethroat growled. Berrytail nodded her head. "Briarpaw." She meowed. The pale gray apprentice walked over to Robinpaw and make sure he was walking beside her. When they both reached Mottleflank, she stepped back and walked back to her Clanmates.

"There. Was that so hard?" Beerytail mewed. Withhout waiting for a reply, she flicked her tail. "Now," she made her way through the gathered cats and up the Gathering Stone. "Who is first?"

Marshstar growled at her, and Violetstar rolled her eyes. "Well since we're waisting moonlight I will go." She hissed and gave a yowl that signaled the beginning of the gathering. When the murmurs died down, she meowed, "Cats of all Clans, welcome to the Gathering. Tonight we are joined by Berrytail...and HavenClan." She added more hesitantly.

Dewstar glared at her, but said nothing. Lilacfoot took her place beside the other deputies. While the rest of the HavenClan cats took their place in the gathering.

Briarpaw sat by Snakestrike. "Just because you sit here, that doesn't make you real Clan cats." Snarled a voice. Briarpaw looked at a pale brown she-cat next to a small tortoiseshell MorassClan cat. Briarpaw remembered that she she-cat was named Lizardclaw. She had an apprentice with her.

A black apprentice with orange eyes drew near. "Hi." He meowed in a friendly tone. "I'm Antpaw, and this rude furball is Palepaw." He mewed. She gave him an offended glare.

"Hi! My name's Briarpaw. It's nice to meet you." She meowed. The black tom looked happy. "Likewise. I don't get why the Clans are so grumpy at each other though. We're all cats here. We eat, hunt, and sleep." Antpaw mewed. Palepaw cuffed him lightly over his ear. "Shhh! Marshstar is talking!" She mewed.

"I agree, our Clan just wants to be like the others. We only came here to earn respect. We only do what we need to, just like any of the others," the whispered to Antpaw.

The orange eyed cat shurgged. "I can see that. I wasn't Clanborn like Palepaw or Waterpaw or the other grown cats. They actually found us and took us in a few moons ago. They said we had to make up for the cats that turned their backs on them." He mewed softly. Briarpaw's eyes widened at how much this cat knew.

"Well don't worry. I see you as a friend. Clanborn or not, we have cats like you in HavenClan." She purred. Antpaw smiled, his tail flicking from side to side in happiness.

"I'm happy you don't judge us." She went on. Before she could speak again, her mentor stopped her.

"Time to go. The gathering is over." Snakestrike meowed. "Say your good-byes if need be."

Throughout the clearing, cats were preparing to leave. Lilacfoot trotted away from the other deputies and Leafsong walked away with Flowerpaw alongside him.

"I never smelled so many cats before!" The apprentice mewed. Leafsong blinked at her fondly and Briarpaw felt a pang of sympathy for the blind young cat who would never be able to see the things others could. But the young apprentice who had been interested in herbs, bounced along as if her blindness never bothered her.

"I liked Rosestrike. She smelled like moss, and she said that I would be a great medicine cat," suddenly, the young apprentice fell on her face, but she got up before anycat could help her up. Leafsong purred in amusement and walked along with his apprentice who was following his flicking tail.