Poisonberry's Vengence

A Gathering Gone Wrong

The four leaders of the Clans, (Left to Right), Quailstar of MeadowClan, Flickerstar of EmberClan, Ospreystar of RippleClan and Adderstar of BleakClan. Art by me!

Night air flowed through Hopepaw's fur like water as she raced alongside her Clanmates, keen to reach the Sacred Willow. It was the meeting place for the Clans, a giant, ancient willow, surrounded with large, pearly-white stones, where each leader sat to talk. 

A path had been established through the territories, where cats could travel to the Sacred Willow, a neutral area where you could walk without fear of being attacked. Hopepaw's chest ached with the strain of running- BleakClan cats were not built for speed- but she managed to keep her pace, side-by-side with Tumblesoar and Screechpaw. 

As she weaved through large, old trees, marked with burns and scorch marks, she realized that EmberClan's territory was very close. A pang of dread thudded in her chest as she remembered Bluepaw and Emeraldpaw's theft. She glanced back and saw the two apprentices, running near the back of the group. 

Suddenly, Adderstar slowed to a halt at the front, stopping the Clan fast behind him. Excited, but a bit nervous to see the other Clans, enjoy gossip and meet new cats, she quickly slicked down her wild fur and stood as tall as she could beside her mentor. Screechpaw was pressed close to Frostedmoss, eyes wide. Adderstar beaconed his Clanmates with a flick of his black-tipped tail, and they began to pad through the last trees. 

As they were walking into the small clearing that held the Sacred Willow, Tumblesoar bent down and whispered in her ear. "Don't do anything stupid. Don't fight, don't share secrets, and please, for The Stars' sake, be civil." Hopepaw nodded, and the Willow came into view. Instantly, her jaw dropped open, as she struggled to take in everything. Pelts mixed with pelts, eyes of all different colours and sizes flashed in the moonlight, and the scents of four different Clans filled the air, heavy as early-morning fog, as cats milled around everywhere.

For the first time, she felt almost...shy to greet so many different cats. But the Clan was already streaming down into the clearing, and she had to follow. Hastily, she glanced around, seeing a large group of apprentices conversing near a stump, and heading in their direction.

 A sleek, tall tortoiseshell cat with a white belly sat closest to the stump. They had the build of a she-cat, but the voice of a tom, and Hopepaw was slightly confused. She thought they might be a MeadowClan cat, judging by their thin fur and long limbs. 

Two she-cats, probably siblings standing in a clump of ferns, with thick, glossy fur laughed at something the tortoiseshell feline said. One was a black and white tabby, and one was black, covered in white rosettes. She reminded her of Emeraldpaw. Perhaps RippleClan cats?

Further into the shadows, a tom and a she-cat, both looking like they could be warriors, crouched low to the ground. The tom, a beast of a cat with long charcoal and black fur gave her a hard stare with cold, aqua eyes. The fiery ginger she-cat at his side clung to him-not in a romantic way, more of a clingy way- her snubbed muzzle displaying a scowl. Disturbed by his intense gaze, she looked away and quietly greeted the tortoiseshell cat. "Hi!" They called back, with a broad smile. "I'm Fallenpaw! I'm from MeadowClan. What's your name?"

"...Hopepaw. I'm from BleakClan." 

"Cool! That's Swanpaw and Shiverpaw from RippleClan," Knew it. "And over there in the shadows is Rubypaw and Obsidianpaw, from EmberClan." He gave a wary look at the two apprentices, shrouded in darkness. "Between you and me, they scare me a bit." Hopepaw smiled in agreement, while Shiverpaw looked her over. "I just love your eyes! They're so cool." 

"Thanks! Yours are nice too." She started to feel more comfortable with the five apprentices and found that all except the two EmberClan cats, were kind and friendly. "Oh! I should have mentioned this earlier, but I'm a tom and a she-cat at the same time." Fallenpaw confessed. "Guess I got the best of both worlds." Seeing Hopepaw's confused look, they continued. "I was born with the body parts of a tom and a she-cat. It's strange, but it doesn't bother me! I like to think of myself as a tom." He finished, flicking his tail good-naturedly.