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forestclan-clangen · 2 months ago

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MOON 10 (Final)

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Despite ForestClan's best efforts - the Living Tendrils appear when Cloudthunder gives birth. The tendrils steal two of Cloudthunder's five kits. Redstar latches onto a tendril and tried to sacrifice herself to save one of the kits. She can only return to camp with a body. Redstar now has 7 lives left.

(Redstar, leader, female, 68 moons. Strict.) (Cloudthunder, warrior, female, 43 moons. Adventurous) (Shiverpaw, medicine cat apprentice, female, 10 moons. Loving) (Windfur, medicine cat, male, 24 moons. Lonesome) (Living Tendrils. Gnashing, shifting roots. Without age. Cruelty incarnate.) (Warblerkit, male, 3 moons. StarClan cat.)

---

ForestClan tried. They really, really did. It's why it hurt so much when they failed.

They piled cold snow around their walls. They lit fires, and preserved them with pine resin. They even gave a crash course to the former outsiders on how to use half-burned sticks that were still white with ash and flashing red with the heat of cinders. Windfur had given Shiverpaw detailed instructions on how to assist a queen's delivery, and even used a dummy made of deer hide, dried straw and newborn-sized stones to let her practice. They were prepared, and ready to be quick and efficient with repelling the dangers.

It hurt so, so badly when it was not enough.

Cloudthunder thought she had mentally prepared herself for this. For three moons, she desperately tried to pretend she wasn’t pregnant. If she could pretend she was never going to be a mother, then she wouldn’t get attached. After all, it was true. It was fully possible that she was never going to be a mother, and that was alright. This was an accident, anyway. She expected nothing, and if she ended up with something - well, that was a pleasant surprise. She talked to Iciclepool, and Olive, and even Riversnow offered a few words of support. Sure, she had to ignore the shards of worry that scattered their expressions every now and again, but that was alright. Of course they'd be worried - she was their Clanmate. But it would be alright, no matter what happened.

This was a complete failure.

She gave birth to five kits. Five. It took everything in her to not grow attached to every single wriggling kit that Shiverpaw and Windfur helped her deliver. She saw the mounting dread in their eyes as she gave birth to her third kit, and yet she wasn't done. Cloudthunder felt terror surge through her as she heard violent yowling and the crackling of roots snapping the ice off of their ends.

She yowled in despair when Windfur and Shiverpaw were assaulted and thrown to the back of the nursery, and then she found herself with two less kits.

Her heart was carved in half. She wailed, and wailed, and wailed.

*******

Redstar's jaw was locked on one of the tendrils like a bear trap.

She refused to let go.

Not even when she knew it was too late. Not even when she felt her leg shatter again. Not even as the tendrils started retreating, and the vine in her jaws writhed and hissed and pulled her with the strength of rabid dogs. She barely heard the cries of Iciclepool and Hopechase as her body was dragged over the camp walls and through the cold woods. She was filled with indomitable fury. Her claws flailed as she sought to grasp anything to stop its movement.

She grasped on a tree's trunk, and felt her claws rake across the bark uselessly as the tendrils pulled her. She snarled as she felt twigs and snow pelt her eyes. The tendrils wrapped tightly around her muzzle, and grasped for a way to wrench her mouth open to free itself.

It would never find a way. Its disgusting attempt reminded her of Lakestar begging for her life before her death. Ruthless murderer, pleading for mercy. Redstar bit down harder until her gums went numb.

It had no right to demand mercy.

She felt pain surge through her as her broken leg was now mangled thanks to the forest floor. She wouldn't be able to use her body to slow herself down - she had to trap it. Force its hand. Her eyes darted as she saw other tendrils retreating in the distance, coiled around the stolen kits. She could do it. She could force them to choose her. She just needed -

She grunted as her head hit a branch. She hissed, then felt her body moving…at an incline. Her eyes widened. She frantically tried to readjust her eyes. She was being dragged down a hill, down a center path, towards a Woodcrawler den she was all too familiar with.

That's it! Redstar knew where a large oak was - that was how she'd do it. She held her breath and shifted her entire weight towards the right, forcing the tendril's path with her. Her eyes narrowed and her body tensed as they approached the tree, and she braced herself. The tendril hooked itself around the oak tree, and Redstar's weight prevented it from untangling itself, pulling taut. Redstar raked her claws around the tree's trunk, anchoring herself to it. The tendrils thrashed as something from the den was desperately trying to retrieve its appendage. Its writhing became more and more desperate, like a fox bleeding out in a fox trap, and Redstar had no mercy.

She glanced to see one of the coiled tendrils in the distance buckling and writhing in the snow. It twitched like an insect's dying throes.

Come on, she thought. Kill me. Let it go and kill me. Do it!

The last thing she remembers is the coiled tendril releasing its former prey, and diving towards her. She felt the tendrils wrap around her neck, and she wanted to gasp as the air was stolen from her lungs. But no. She would not. She could not release it. She would die. She had to die. She allowed her heart to beat with overwhelming terror, and she felt her vision leave her as nothing could enter her body. Then, she felt surprised when the pain was instantly gone, replaced with blackness.

Redstar gasped and felt air return to her lungs. She swallowed the oxygen around her as relief and life coursed through her again, and she found herself lying on pale, blue grass, painted over an endless sky of stars. He allowed her heart and lungs to slow, and she slowly turned her head around.

Her eyes fell on a grey and white kit, his hazel eyes twinkling with starlight.

"Warblerkit," she rasped.

"Hi Redstar," he meowed. "Icypaw told me that you're losing a life. I, um…I didn't know you could do that." Warblerkit's eyes beamed excited awe. "That's really cool."

If Redstar hadn't been filled with adrenaline, she might've laughed. But instead, she just swallowed.

"How…is my body right now?"

"Um…" Warblerkit stared out into the distance, and his starry eyes glowed. He winced. "Well…the tendrils slowed down. I think you made them really tired."

"Good," she huffed. "But my body, Warblerkit, please."

"I think it's trying to heal your leg. I can't really tell. And your eyes."

"Eyes?"

"Um…tendrils went in it," Warblerkit winced again. "I-It's out now, but…"

"That's alright. Thank you, Warblerkit," Redstar sighed. So that's why she didn't suffocate to death.

"Oh, hello!" Warblerkit chirped. He pranced behind Redstar suddenly, and when she followed him with her gaze, her heart dropped as she saw the truth. Two small, newborn kits, the center of their lucid bodies bright and compact like dense, forming stars. They let out confused mews, and yet their cries went quiet as they found each other and huddled together with security and comfort. Wablerkit pressed his nose against their pelts, and said cheerfully, "It's okay, you'll be safe here. You can try again some other day, okay?"

"Warblerkit," Redstar breathed, confusion and grief filling her.

"There's this really nice molly named Whiteflower that said newborns haven't fully lived, so sometimes, their stars go in other kits when they're born." Warblerkit looked up at Redstar, his hazel eyes flickering. "...I, um…I know you wanted to save one of them." His ears folded sadly. "I'm sorry."

Redstar felt her heart sink. She knew that it was too late. Deep in her heart, she knew.

She hated that she hoped she was wrong.

"You're waking up, Redstar," Warblerkit mewed. "Good luck!"

Redstar's vision turned black, and the next moment, her eyes flew open.

Warblerkit was right. The tendrils were dragging her body very slowly towards the den, like a snake trying to constrict its prey. But the speed it had while trying to escape their camp was spent. Redstar remained still, playing dead to not alert the tendrils. Her gaze darted around. She saw that they were wrapped around her active legs…and they left her broken one alone. A mistake, as it had now healed.

Redstar took a deep breath, and slowly dragged her back paw to her other, and unsheathed her claws.

She yanked the tendrils off the back and scrambled up, pulling her front legs out of the wrappings before dashing up the hill, and looking back.

Just like that time last newleaf, she watched as the tendrils grasped more firmly around a fading, grey echo of her former self, and dragged it more aggressively into the den, until it was wrapped in roots.

Redstar let her heart beat rapidly. She stood, and waited, until everything fell quiet, and only the leaf-bare gale remained.

She stood still for a short while, until she jumped back down the hill and rushed towards the direction of the bundle that the tendril released. Her pawsteps slowed as she found what she knew she would, and she felt tears well as she saw the limp, suffocated form of a white and silver kit.

Redstar stared up at the stars and released an angry caterwaul, then buried her nose in the pelt of the tiny kit.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I'm so, so sorry. I failed you. Please forgive me."

******

It didn't take long for Tree and Hopechase to find Redstar. When Hopechase saw the limp body of the newborn being carried by her leader, she glanced at Redstar's now-healed leg, and her gaze softened.

Tree was solemn, and somewhat wary at Redstar's now-healed form. Their tail flicked once, and that was enough for Hopechase to quietly explain.

"Redstar has nine lives, blessed by StarClan. We spoke of it before."

"...And StarClan can heal injuries like this?" Tree's voice was trembling.

"If she dies…yes."

"...Can they…" Tree trailed off, staring at the small body. Hopechase's ears folded back, and she shook her head sadly.

Redstar's gaze remained distant and exhausted. She gently put down the body, and kept her head bowed. "...I tried. I tried to save them. I'm sorry."

Hopechase sighed deeply and brought her nose to Redstar's head. "No one expected you to, Red."

"But I should have. I should have done better."

"Redstar." Hopechase's tone forced the calico tabby to look up. Hopechase's blue eyes were firm, then softened with kindness. "You did more than any cat could've ever done. You retrieved a body. Denied the woods another catch. I know it'll never be enough, in your eyes." Hopechase placed her tail on her leader's shoulder. "But I promise that it means something."

Tree nodded slowly. "...The roots take everything. But Cloudthunder can grieve this kit, at least."

Hopechase purred in approval. She paused, then asked, "It's only this one you retrieved, yes?"

Redstar nodded weakly.

"Let's not be here for longer than needed," Tree meowed.

When the three returned back to camp, Redstar felt her stomach turn to stone again as she saw Cloudthunder's eyes widen with hope from the nursery, until she looked closer, and her heart broke all over again. Windfur trotted across camp, prepared to treat Redstar, only to stop and his expression faltered when he saw her walking. He looked down at the dead kit, then sighed.

"...I'm sorry, Redstar," he said glumly. "I thought…I thought I could work faster…"

Redstar merely shook her head. The world around her moved as Iciclepool gently took the weight from her. Shiverpaw tended to Cloudthunder, sympathetically pressing her head against the queen's. Windfur quickly treated everyone's injuries. Barleywave and Hopechase started gathering larger branches, preparing a small funeral pyre.

Redstar went through the motions as her clanmates gathered around the pyre. Cloudthunder forced herself to walk out of the nursery and sit vigil for the body of one of her two kits. Redstar recited the Rite of the Lost, partook in the ritual meal, and allowed cats to grieve in silence. Branchkit seemed distraught, and Perchkit was staring vacantly at the fire, her pupils mere slits. Redstar felt her heart sink for the two kits. Was this...their first experience with death? Yes. It had to be. This would've been so hard for them both, especially after the noise and the chaos.

Riversnow's cream pelt was grey with mud and soot. She must've tried to grab the hot cinders when her stake broke in the battle. A heavy emptiness rested in her eyes. She didn't touch the funerary food before her. It was only when Barleywave quietly sat beside her and whispered something, did she reluctantly bite off a corner of the jerky.

Iciclepool's expression was distant. Hopechase sat next to her gently. The white molly let out a sigh, and pressed her head against Hopechase's shoulder. Hopechase rested her chin on her head in response, her blue eyes filled with sympathy.

When the ritual was done and the body was burned, Redstar helped Windfur gather the ashes, and carry it to the graveyard. The process was heavy on her heart. But she bore it. It was the least she could do.

By the time she returned to camp and cautiously approached the nursery, she heard Shiverpaw and Cloudthunder speaking.

"...The other was a white and light grey one. It…it had a white patch over its ears and eyes," Shiverpaw said quietly.

"...Like flower petals?" Cloudthunder's meow was small.

"Yes…I would say so." Shiverpaw's voice tightened.

"Magnoliakit." Cloudthunder said, wavering. "Thank you, Shiverpaw. It hurts. But…" Her voice tapered into a sob. "I can't forget. I just can't. Never, ever, ever…"

Redstar closed her eyes tightly as she fought back her own lump in her throat. She named her lost kits. Oh, StarClan, she named them. How she wished she brought them back alive. She wished she was stronger, more powerful. Why? Why this?

"Redstar?"

Shiverpaw must've seen her. Redstar swallowed down her sorrow and gently peered into the nursery. Cloudthunder and Redstar's eyes met, and there was a shared understanding of pain between them.

"I'm sorry," Redstar said.

The gray and white molly shook her head sadly, wordlessly grooming her still-living kits. After a long moment of silence, she said, "...At least, I'm still a mother…right?"

"You always would've been one."

"...I understand that now." Cloudthunder looked back up at her leader. "...Thank you for trying. Thank you for bringing…for bringing Bearkit back," she whispered. "So I could say goodbye."

"He should've been with you," Redstar retorted. The words held no teeth.

Shiverpaw stared at the floor during this exchange, until finally, she uttered, "I'm sorry that I didn't work faster. I learned as much from Windfur as I could. I didn't know it would be…"

"No, Shiverpaw," Redstar interjected. She rested her tail on the apprentice's shoulder. "No. This isn't your fault. You did what you could."

Shiverpaw took her blue eyes to her leader. There was an innocence and a level of wisdom that Redstar couldn't identify. "...So did you."

---

Redstar retrieving one of the bodies of Cloudthunder's kits provided her with some closure. She names her stolen kits Bearkit and Magnoliakit, to not forget them. Then, she names her living children, praying that they outlive her tenfold.

(Cloudthunder, warrior, female, 43 moons. Adventurous) (Deerkit, kitten, female, 0 moons. Brown and high white tabby. Know-it-all.) (Cottonkit, kitten, female, 0 moons. Chocolate tabby. Fearless.) (Airkit, kitten, male, 0 moons. Grey and white tabby. Polite.) (Bearkit, male, StarClan cat.) (Magnoliakit, male, StarClan cat.)

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forestclan-clangen · 3 months ago

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MOON 7 (Part 1)

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Hopechase has a big fight with Olive, pushing her to actually name her kits. She tells her that they're asking Hopechase to give them names, because Olive refuses. Hopechase sympathizes with her fears, but she begs her to give her kits this grace. Olive finally breaks down and names them.

(Hopechase, warrior, female, 89 moons) (Olive, mediator, female, 62 moons) (Branchkit, kitten w/ brown pelt, female, 2 moons) (Perchkit, kitten w/ lilac pelt, female, 2 moons)

Barleywave spends time with Perchkit and Branchkit. He still misses Warblerkit, but he vows to do what he can to protect them.

(Barleywave, warrior, male, 36 moons) (Branchkit, kitten, female, 2 moons) (Perchkit, kitten, female, 2 moons)

Redstar surprises Talonpaw with something nice, as a thank you for doing his apprentice hcores without complaint. Talonpaw wants to be just like Redstar when he grows up!

(Redstar, leader, female, 65 moons) (Talonpaw, apprentice, male, 11 moons)

Iciclepool spends some time with Shiverpaw on patrol, happy to be with her and watch her skills grow. Shiverpaw is just glad to have her mom by her side for a while, especially after everything that happened the moon prior.

(Shiverpaw, medicine cat apprentice, female, 7 moons) (Iciclepool, deputy, female, 63 moons)

Hopechase asks Iciclepool if she'd like to spend some time together. Hopechase asks if Iciclepool ever thought about mates after Cliffstep's passing. She pauses before saying she was very stressed after his passing, but she does miss the support and comfort of a partner. Hope asked if, hypothetically, she ever DID want a partner, what kind of traits would she be looking for? Hypothetically.

(Hopechase, warrior, female, 89 moons) (Iciclepool, deputy, female, 63 moons)

The Plentiful Gathering is hosted, with Cloudthunder cooking and Redstar and Hopechase teaching stories and history. During the festival, Redstar timidly shows an idea for a new Clan symbol - the ideal future she hopes they can reach together: a gentle home, ringed in spears.

(Talonpaw, apprentice, male, 11 moons) (Redstar, leader, female, 65 moons) (Olive, mediator, female, 62 moons) (Cloudthunder, warrior, female, 40 moons)

---

Redstar hoped that the Clan would love this. She really, truly did.

When she was an apprentice, she imagined that these types of festivals would be massive, filled with so many cats willing to show their chosen foods to the Clan, with everyone trying a bit of everything. She was quickly brought back down from her daydreams by Hopechase pointing out that the Clan consisted of eleven members, two of which were kits, three couldn't leave camp without a warrior, and two more were restricted to the medicine den.

"It used to be only one person was in the medicine den, but..." Hopechase eyed Redstar's bandages and splinter stabilizing her back leg.

Redstar's pelt turned hot. She groomed her front paw to hide her shame. She stayed quiet as she thought about what Hopechase said. She admitted that she had a point. Only five cats were capable of hunting the required food on their own - and that's only if she forced Windfur into doing so. The more she thought about it, the most unreasonable it seemed for the Gathering to be grand.

It broke her heart...but she had to be a better leader. Too much all at once would do nothing but stress her Clan.

"Do you have any suggestions for a smaller scale event?" Redstar asked.

Hopechase tapped her tail on the ground pensively. "Well, the celebration was originally to remember the culinary works from the lost clans," she mused out loud. "Unfortunately, many of the preserved recipes were lost with the death of Flametwig."

Redstar's heart sank as she fondly remembered the old gib. Their bushy face lit up with wonder at every spice Chicoryglint would defeatedly surrender. They made the greatest steamed birds and jerky.

She wished she had spoken to them more.

"What I'd recommend," Hopechase started slowly, "is to start with just one Clan this year. When our Clan has more members, we can expand to remember the rest of them."

"But - what if something happens to you? What if we lose that knowledge?"

Redstar's objection was sudden and despairing, and she knew it. She felt guilty the moment Hopechase looked at her quizzically.

"I'm not saying we don't talk about the other three Clans. I'm saying that we choose one Clan to make a dish for, and we could share stories or history of the other Clans during the celebration. You and I could talk about what we know, and explain our plans for future seasons. We're a small Clan now, Redstar. Starting small is the best we can do."

Redstar paused for a while, then sighed. "Very well. You're right. I just...don't know where to start. How could I be made to choose?"

"What about LakeClan?" Hopechase suggested. "They were known for their fish and roe. Cloudthunder has developed quite an adventurous streak over the past year. She's been coming back with all sorts of new things to cook and taste test." Hopechase's whiskers twitched in amusement. "She's always enjoyed working around a fire since she was an apprentice, and I'm sure she'd be glad to see what she could do with some fresh fish, if we can manage."

"But none of us are apt at swimming. How can we catch fish from the lake?"

"Well, it doesn't have to be from the lake..."

****

Redstar and Hopechase had spent more than a week's worth of time preparing for this. When they had announced to the Clan together their plan for this year's revived Plentiful Gathering, there was an anxious excitement in the air. Cloudthunder wanted to try drying out minnows, and Windfur offered to give her some spare rosemary to spice them with. Barleywave offered to rake some fallen leaves for the kits to play in during the festival, and Talonpaw was eager to help with any fishing endeavours. Only Morningpaw seemed hesitant to step outside of camp, and Iciclepool redirected her to keeping Olive company and playing with Branchkit and Perchkit.

Redstar hoped that now, during the second full moon of leaf-fall, she and her Clan had done enough to honor their ancestors.

The sun vanished and the sky had darkened enough for the stars to glitter above. Not a single cloud was present, and Redstar took it as a sign that StarClan was watching over their revived Gathering with interest.

She brought her sights back down to the camp before her. She slowly crawled down from the High Rock, careful not to put weight on her broken leg.

Cloudthunder had made a small cooking fire in the middle of camp, and built it up rapidly with the help of Twoleg matches she stole. The smell of roasted bass invaded her nostrils as it was being cooked over the flames. Redstar's whiskers twitched in amusement as she remembered how Talonpaw acquired it. He wrestled the catch out of the beak of a young heron - much to Iciclepool's dismay and subsequent lecture. Redstar couldn't help but feel a tinge of pride for the tom. Maybe, in another time, an ambitious LakeClan apprentice also ambushed a heron for the prey in its beak. Redstar decided to sit down by the cooking fire, basking in its warmth. She glanced around the rest of camp, admiring her clanmates.

The apprentices took it upon themselves to decorate the camp with Hopechase's guidance. The dark warrior regaled them with stories of the other clans, and they decided to make little decorations for each Clan. Morningpaw and Talonpaw taught Shiverpaw how to make rope from pine roots, and all three of them made frames out of sticks in the shape of cat heads. In each head, they used pine sap as glue to put symbols of the other clans within them.

"But how am I supposed to stick water on this?" Redstar heard Talonpaw complain.

"You could do MountainClan instead?" Morningpaw offered.

"But I wanna use the heron feather I snagged the other day! Using it for LakeClan makes sense!" The black tabby tom grumbled. "It would look really cool if I could make it look like it was floating on water. You think the transparent stuff Twolegs have might work? Like, the things they put food and trash in?"

"You want to leave camp in the middle of the night to steal from Twolegs?! No! What if something bad happened?" Morningpaw protested.

Shiverpaw worked quietly on her piece as the two warrior apprentices bickered. She put a simple bit of a pine branch facing upright to create ForestClan's symbol before putting it aside, and weaving a few more sticks again to make another frame. Redstar suppressed a purr of amusement. She knew Iciclepool was keeping an eye on them from the camp gates - she trusted her deputy to make sure they were safe.

Redstar glanced at the nursery, and saw Windfur helping Olive to her feet. He had spent the past moon pushing her into gentle physical exercises. She still needed assistance to keep her brace intact, but Redstar noticed the steady recovery - and from a molly that recently gave birth, at that. Windfur helped her move outside and settle on a firm bedding near the campfire, next to Redstar. Windfur noticed the leader sitting at the fire, and frowned.

"I thought I told you not move from your den until I came to get you."

"I'm fine, Windfur. I know how to climb down a rock."

"You have a broken leg. One wrong move and your healing process will need to restart." The tom's eyes narrowed. "I'm serious."

Redstar sighed. She didn't like being confined, but she decided not to argue back at this time. "Understood."

Windfur stared at Redstar for a moment before walking away from the fire and towards the medicine den.

Olive, meanwhile, looked around the camp. Her green eyes had been filled with apathy and emptiness for the past two moons, and although she had nursed her kits willingly, it took much longer for her to name them. Redstar watched as the mother's eyes fell on Barleywave and her kits near the apprentice's den, where Branchkit squealed and threw herself into a pile of leaves. Perchkit let out a playful yowl as she jumped in after her. It wasn't long before the kits tumbled out, biting at each other's ears and leaving leaves scattered around camp.

Redstar glanced back at their chef for the night, and couldn't help but snicker. Cloudthunder's pupils were dilated with excitement as she stared intently at the marinated bass.

"This is going to be so good. I can feel it in my bones, Redstar," she said.

"I don't doubt it. It smells wonderful."

"Hopechase told me that LakeClan used to have other spices thanks to trading with MountainClan, like salt and spicebush. Couldn't find any of that, but rosemary will do great!" Cloudthunder started scattering a few dried herbs over the fish's meat.

Olive stared at the food for a while. "...I've never met any cats with the ability to do what ForestClan does," she murmured.

"To do what?" Redstar asked.

"Create fire. Cook food. Cats do not need to do that. We can eat raw meat just fine." The gentle fire was reflected in Olive's eyes. An unknown emotion spread through her. "...Your walls, your gates, your baskets and herbs. I've seen cats play with string and colorful toys provided by their Twolegs. I've seen them steal Twoleg food and pelts. But you...can do what Twolegs do. Not on a large scale like they can. But enough to be an echo."

Redstar waited quietly. Outsiders often had these kinds of feelings towards ForestClan. She assumed Olive had more to say.

"...And still, you choose to live here."

There it was. Redstar braced herself ahead of time, preventing her fur from bristling. Cloudthunder wasn't prepared for it, however, and the grey and white molly's expression darkened. A tense silence fell around the fire as it continued to crackle.

Finally, she found a retort. "Have you ever considered that if there was a territory free of all danger, we would've already gone there?"

"Free of all danger? No. You'll always have to live in places with some danger. But you live here. Where something evil has claimed the territory as its hunting ground." Olive turned to meet Cloudthunder's gaze. The two mollies regarded each other steadily. Cloudthunder saw no hostility in Olive's eyes, just fatigue. The younger molly forcibly relaxed. She misread Olive's intent. She licked her paw and started grooming herself.

"...I know that this place has many evils. We've all seen them," Cloudthunder said. "But, the Clans have been here far before the Woodcrawlers have."

"But there's just one Clan now, is there not? Why stay in this place?"

Redstar's tail tapped against the ground. "Those are reasonable questions to ask, Olive. And ones that many cats have asked themselves. There is a reason why ForestClan has such small numbers."

Olive glanced at Redstar from the corner of her eye. "...Small?" she echoed.

Redstar suppressed a mrrow of amusement. "Yes, we are much smaller than we used to be the year before. A Clan is a society, a culture..."

"....And maybe something we can teach you more about tonight!" Cloudthunder interjected as she started shuffling the bass onto a cold serving stone. The light returned to her words. "It's easier to show you why we value our home and Clan than to tell you."

Olive didn't reply. She took her gaze back to her kits, and watched them play.

The full moon had reached its apex when the cats finally all gathered around the cooking fire, with Iciclepool helping Cloudthunder serve the bass and dried minnows. The apprentices hung their makeshift clan symbols below weaved branches around the High Rock, and Hopechase started to regale them with the history of the Plentiful Gathering.

Redstar listened as Hopechase explained the cultures and renowned traits of the four lost clans - LakeClan, FieldClan, MountainClan and MarshClan. Redstar looked around the campfire, and felt a soft joy as Perchkit and Branchkit listened with wide-eyed awe, questions dancing impatiently on their tongues. Her warriors were focused on Hopechase in between mouthfuls of fish, and the three apprentices listened in varying levels of interest, to Redstar's amusement. Shiverpaw was attentive, Talonpaw was half-listening, distracted by food, and Morningpaw looked almost too focused, as though worried she was going to be quizzed on it later.

"...And so, for this year, we will start small. The Plentiful Gatherings involved the preparation of food found outside our immediate borders, near territory the former clans would've lived. This year, we're starting with one Clan, and we will increase the dishes we will make each year." There was a hint of pride to Hopechase's voice. "Tonight, we have dried minnows and roasted bass, food that would've been a staple to LakeClan meals. LakeClan was thought to be well-fed, as fish were in no short supply near their riverbed home. Salt might've been used as seasoning, if they could trade with MountainClan. But today, we're using rosemary."

"What's trading?" Perchkit asked.

Redstar answered. "It's where one clan would offer up food or materials found on their territory to another clan, usually in exchange for something they couldn't find on their own territory."

Olive's ear twitched. "...And they didn't just try to steal the materials?" she asked.

"Well, that, we don't know," Hopechase admitted. "I have to assume that the Clans weren't completely free of strife - especially in the colder seasons. But what we do know for certain, is that in the end, the clans valued each other." She continued with more solemnity. "In their greatest hour of need, ForestClan housed every cat that escaped from the great monster that rampaged over the territories so long ago. The Wretch was a creature more horrible than we can describe. It cared little about the camps of the other clans, and...it was known to absorb cats into itself," Hopechase said more cautiously as she glanced at Perchkit and Branchkit. They seemed upset, but not horrified, and they remained quiet. "But the Wretch could not breach ForestClan's defenses. The walls of tall pines that cascaded our landscape halted its advance, and prevented it from hurting more cats. Within our camp, the other Clans sought protection and refuge."

"...What happened then?" Branchkit asked meekly.

"I think Redstar is more qualified to answer that one, as a historian," Hopechase meowed as she glanced at Redstar with a glint of affection. Redstar licked her chest a few times, bashful. She cleared her throat, then spoke.

"Well, historically speaking, when the Wretch disappeared, the Woodcrawlers and Nature's Mockeries started appearing around the territory. One of the clerics of ForestClan, whose name has been lost to time, received a vision from StarClan. They dreamed of a large, sprawling camp, housing cats of every background, shape and size - even former kittypets and loners. The cleric stepped outside the camp, and saw that the walls were ringed in sharpened spears, with points of starlight. The light repelled the shadows of monsters. No matter what they did, they could not breach the walls."

Redstar couldn't help but smile as her clanmates listened intently, their eyes flickering. "The vision came with four words. Some saw it as a prophecy, and for others, a mantra. Loyalty. Bravery. Sacrifice. Death. Many cats could not make sense of this sign. Clerics and leaders debated its meaning for many seasons, choosing to follow their own interpretations of the vision. I think - or rather, I hope - that I can share my thoughts with the Clan about these words." Redstar glanced at Hopechase and Iciclepool for encouragement, who nodded at her in response. Redstar took a deep breath as she stumbled to her feet, careful not to put weight on her broken leg.

She felt a tinge of nervousness as her clan watched her. She had never been...this vulnerable with them before. This was something that mattered to her. She only hoped that they treated her kindly.

"I believe that the night the clans almost died, we were sent a message of hope, and peace," Redstar began. "That one day, it was possible to build a sanctuary. Not just for clan cats, but perhaps, one day, all cats who sought refuge against the woods. But, it could not be done without effort." Redstar slowly limped towards the base of High Rock, and picked up a cat head frame that she had made in private, long before the start of the Gathering. As she brought it back towards the circle, she hid it from view, waiting for the right moment to reveal it. She sat back down, and continued. "The words that were shared with us, I believe, had meaning. Loyalty. Loyalty to each other. To this cause, and this faith in a better world. We had to be united against the Woodcrawlers.

"Bravery. We had to be brave. The world was cruel, and dangerous. There would be monsters in our home now, trying to overwhelm us, frighten us away. But in a world where there is loyalty, there will be bravery to remain loyal to our friends, family and cause.

"Sacrifice. No change came without sacrifice. Unfortunately, I would be lying if I said this did not lead to many eras of pain and strife in ForestClan." Redstar's voice lowered. "Many thought this meant collective sacrifice. We would need to sacrifice wants, needs and safety, to guarantee survival of the whole. But I don't believe in this. I believe that in our acts of bravery - there will be sacrifice, no matter what. A parent protecting their children."

Iciclepool's eyes brimmed with sorrow.

"Cats fighting to protect newborns."

Barleywave's head hung low.

"Our love for one another, as clanmates, friends, and family," Redstar meowed. "Love drives sacrifice. We find something we are so willing to be loyal and brave for, that we are willing to sacrifice parts of ourselves for it. Which leads me to the final word."

All eyes were focused on her now. Even Talonpaw had sat up and was now watching her intently.

"Death. I know this has been construed as an omen of fear, especially after how many cats we've lost to the woods for years and years on end. In the past, it was used to justify apprentice trials, and to accept that kits would always be at risk in the woods. But I believe, with all of my heart, that it was always a message meant for the leaders, blessed by StarClan. Why else would our ancestors gift leaders nine lives, if not to use them to protect their clan? It is the embodiment of all the remaining tenants. We must sacrifice, and die, and be brought back again and again. Because that is the burden we must carry. As leader, I will take the lives I'm given, and I will fight with all I have to make sure you are safe. I am one cat. I cannot prevent tragedy." Redstar felt her heart tighten with sorrow as she remembered Warblerkit, and the lives of her former clanmates so long ago. "But I will die trying. Until StarClan calls me one final time."

Perchkit and Branchkit stared at the leader with wide eyes. Had they not been told about the lives Redstar was given? Olive's ear also twitched at this, her expression unreadable.

"I know that for as long as ForestClan has stood, our symbol has been the sturdy pine tree. I come offering a proposition - something to truly separate us from past leadership. A new beginning, and a sign of my commitment to you all."

Redstar pulled the frame she crafted, and held it up for her clan to see. Everyone's heads bobbed to forward to see, and admired the bent branches and lashing knots that took the shape of an arch, with pointed spikes on its outside. On its inside, was a small rectangle with pointed ears - a cat.

Hopechase's whiskers twitched in amusement. "A gentle camp ringed in spears?"

"As I said, I am only offering it as a proposition," Redstar said hastily, the heat rising to her face. "I'd rather leave it to a vote."

"Well, in that case, let's vote," Cloudthunder said with a twitch of her tail. "I like this symbol, Redstar, but I think the pine tree makes us humble. It reminds us of what saved ForestClan during the attack of the Wretch - our defenses, made of pine trees. By that notion, the pine tree itself is both the wall and the spear, no?"

Redstar bowed her head in response. "That is very true. The pine tree is the symbol of our home, and the sign of what we have always been. Regardless of the adversity we face, we will always be ForestClan, and the trees will always be there for us." The leader's tail brushed the ground lightly. "I will abstain from voting, as I believe that this should be a decision made by the clan members themselves."

"Very well. All those for the ringed camp?" Hopechase declared as she raised her tail. Redstar couldn't help but feel her heart race. She looked and saw Barleywave, Talonpaw, and the two kits raise their tails excitedly, but felt deflated when the others didn't.

"Those for the pine?" Cloudthunder asked. Iciclepool and Windfur raised their tails, but the nervous Morningpaw and Shiverpaw abstained, shuffling on their feet. Redstar swallowed down her feelings to be a good leader. Yes, she wanted the ringed camp, deep down. But the pine was also the spear. It was not wrong to keep it.

"Morningpaw, Shiverpaw? It's alright if you wish to keep the pine tree. It's been a symbol for your home ever since you were born."

Morningpaw didn't meet Redstar's gaze, but she hesitantly lifted her tail. "I'm sorry Redstar," she meowed quietly. "I just...I remember my first day out of camp. When Iciclepool and Barleywave taught me how to climb a tree. From the top of a pine, I saw home." She lifted her head, her amber eyes flickering with feeling.

A few of the cats purred at that answer, and Redstar felt empathy for the young cat. She blinked slowly at her in reassurance. "That is a wonderful perspective to have, Morningpaw. I wouldn't ask you to feel any less." The leader looked at the youngest apprentice. "And you, Shiverpaw?"

Shiverpaw looked away, shuffling on her feet. Redstar noticed that Shiverpaw had become more withdrawn since the last half-moon, and she knew why. She felt a pang of sympathy for the poor kit. Being tasked with carrying StarClan's greatest secret was a burden she knew very well - one that Redstar had chosen to put aside. She could not help StarClan when she was alive - only when her soul was accepted above could she help them fight the Iris. For now, she could only control what happened here. But it seemed like that knowledge weighed on Shiverpaw's decision, which saddened the calico leader.

"I...I don't know," Shiverpaw mewed. "I...I feel like it's...a heavy task. To ward off everything. To...be responsible for protecting everyone." She swallowed. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Shiverpaw." Iciclepool, her mother, touched her nose to her kit's ear. "While I do love the new symbol, I think we need more time to grow like the forest." The deputy gave Redstar a kind look, and Redstar nodded. She understood her position.

"I dunno, I think you're all overthinking it," Talonpaw scoffed. The young tom's tail flicked with anticipation. "Like, yeah, ForestClan has pine trees. But that's not the thing that defines what we do, or who we wanna be! Maybe the pine tree was a good symbol when the other clans were here, but they aren't. We need to make a new symbol - one that represents not just ForestClan, but the other clans too. They didn't just die for nothing, right?" Talonpaw took his gaze towards Redstar, seeking approval. Redstar couldn't help but feel her heart warm with affection. Someone understood what message she wished to convey - and she was happy.

"That's my reasoning as well," Barleywave spoke. "The other clans came to ForestClan for protection, but it sounds like they simply conglomerated into ForestClan. If we became a clan ringed in spears, we'd be making them a promise to never forget them. We're not just ForestClan - we're all the Clans. That's why you made four points, right? One for each lost clan?"

Redstar looked at her symbol again. Yes, she did make four points on the arch.

That was completely unintentional.

"Yes, of course that was a part of it," Redstar lied. "I didn't want to sway anyone's opinion based on it, however, so I kept quiet."

"Well I like it!" Branchkit piped up. She jumped to her feet excitedly. "It means that anyone who sees it knows they're safe!"

"Yeah! And I like the little cat," Perchkit added. The older cats purred in amusement.

Cloudthunder seemed pensive. "Well, in that case, without your vote Redstar, it means we're tied." The young she-cat looked at Olive, who had remained quiet. "What about you, Olive?"

Olive looked at her with wide eyes. "Me?"

"Well, yes. You're a part of the clan."

Olive looked like she wanted to hide behind her whiskers. "I don't know about that," she mumbled.

"Olive, you've been here for half a year," Barleywave snapped. "Don't try to tell us that we shouldn't see you as a clanmate, because we won't believe you."

Cloudthunder suppressed a mrrow of amusement at Barleywave's comment. "It's true, you have been with us since newleaf. Your voice matters to us."

Olive blinked rapidly, as though caught off guard. After a few moments, she asked, "Has it really been that long?"

"Since the end of newleaf, yes," Windfur confirmed. His dark blue eyes softened. "I know it hasn't been pleasant for you."

"And yet, you would spend your resources to help a loner like me. A cat with a broken back, pregnant, in these woods. And I haven't been able to repay a single thing in return."

"But mama, we love you," Perchkit mewed as she stumbled towards her mother with wide eyes. "Branchkit and I wouldn't be here without you."

"And we really like it here!' Branchkit added.

Redstar bowed her head. "Helping vulnerable cats is the right thing to do, Olive. There's nothing to repay."

Olive looked at the innocent eyes of her two kits, then lifted her head to meet Redstar's gaze.

"...Please vote for the spear camp?" Branchkit blurted.

The clan laughed and Perchkit shoved her sister roughly. "Stop it, Branchkit! It's her choice!"

"But it's so cool!" Branchkit whined and rolled around on Olive's paws. "Pleeeeease?"

Olive huffed lightly. She lifted her paw and put it on Branchkit's face, causing her to squeak in protest.

"Nooo! Stop!" Branchkit whined in between trying to playfully bite her mother's paw.

Redstar then saw something from Olive that she had never seen since the molly was first brought into camp. After months of pain and sorrow, Olive smiled.

"Redstar. You said that in the vision, the camp housed outsiders. Is that true?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"I didn't understand why you stayed in these woods at first. And a part of me still doesn't. But I think I understand a little better what you are trying to do. It's...kind. Almost too kind to seem true." Olive removed her paw from her kit, letting the little kitten scramble and dash away giggling. "But if that's truly what your shared goal is, exemplified through your treatment of me, even if I can't ever return the favor," the queen's green eyes softened with kindness. "Then it feels like the ringed camp already exemplifies everything you've been to me."

At this, Branchkit and Perchkit squealed with delight and tackled each other in their joy, barrelling towards Talonpaw.

"Hey, hey! Careful! Watch the plates!" Talonpaw protested as he pushed aside the flat stones.

Redstar purred deeply at the sight. Joy swelled in her heart. She could not express the gratitude in proper words. But still, she felt like if half the clan wished to keep the old symbol - she could not simply ignore that.

"I've decided on a compromise. The pine tree has always been ForestClan. Like Cloudthunder said, it keeps us humble. It is our home. We've always relied on the safety of the pines, and it's only right to honor it. So, the ringed camp will represent all clans. The ones of the past, StarClan, and ForestClan's future. The clan we wish to become, together."

At this, Iciclepool and Morningpaw visibly brightened, and Windfur nodded sagely.

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Cloudthunder exclaimed with her chest fur puffed out. "We're making history today with a new symbol! We'll have to find a way to tell this story to future kits, wouldn't we?"

"Didn't you vote against it?" Windfur asked, his head tilted.

"I can still be excited that we're making history, beebrain!"

Redstar purred in amusement, and watched as her clanmates started chatting among themselves with the warmth of fire surrounding them.

She took her eyes to the night sky. The stars flickered brilliantly above, as though showing their approval. She twitched her whiskers, and hoped that she made them proud.

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