Desertrain

Warrior of Windclan

For a cat who had mercilessly slaughtered many, his touch was surprisingly delicate, gentle, even, and as Renly trailed a paw lovingly down her cheek, their eyes met. Desertrain stared up at him, heart fluttering in her chest. Normally his eyes were entirely black and devoid of life, yet she watched intently as they flooded with warmth as soon as he looked at her. The way he looked at her was different from the way he looked at everyone else, and in his gaze, she recalled the day that they met. He had angrily confronted her after she’d made a kill, scolding her for being so sloppy and using his name as a coverup, sullying his reputation with her amateurism. She remembered how she bared her teeth and attacked him, thinking he was there to kill her, and finding herself pinned beneath him and taking in his ridiculously perfect visage of a chiseled jaw, broad shoulders, and deep, amber eyes. Desertrain smiled to herself at the memory. From that moment on, she found herself returning to the moorland at dusk to wait for Renly to come find her. She began to let down her guard, telling him stories from her kithood, sharing pieces of her that she had thought were long dead. He was scary, he was a monster, and yet she never felt more safe in his presence. All she’d ever wanted was to feel protected, to have someone love her unconditionally and tell her that everything would be alright, and now, she had all of that and more.

Renly the Ripper.

While his gaze was towards Auroraskies, his dark ember eyes narrowed slightly when suddenly a ginger Maine Coon had moved her away from him, an amused snort escaped him as the Skyclan leader made his way towards the Ripper until they were face to face. It was almost amusing, playing the hero. Tilting his head up, Renly wasn’t clearly intimidated by Firestar and it showed. Letting out a soft hum, Renly watched as Thunderclan and Hawkstar retreated before his emotionless gaze returned towards his mate “I thought you had mentioned that all five clans would have the guts, but in reality it appears there’s only four.” Renly observed, clearly not impressed with Thunderclan. It seemed like he shouldn’t need to take the clan seriously, as he was aware of how quickly they fled into the shadows. Moving towards Firestar, he was sizing up the ginger leader. The Skyclan leader was all bark with his words, but was he truly bite?

“It won’t be long until the rest of you lot will end up running in fear… I just need to add a little more..” Renly said before lowering his face until his dark eyes met Firestar’s bicolored gaze. At the corner of his eyes, he quickly saw Juncostar leaping off the high rock and onto the ground in search for Aspenpaw. Clearly the Shadowclan leader took the Ripper’s threats seriously. “Pressure.” Renly said before turning around and padding towards his mate, rolling his eyes before addressing the other felines around him “Witness your titans as they flee, for their thoughts are only of themselves.” Renly called out to the cats within the island, his gaze towards the direction of where Thunderclan had left and Juncostar leaving his own deputy to fend for Shadowclan as their sole protector. How could the clans count on felines like them when they couldn’t even think of others but of themselves and their home clan?

Watching Auroraskies as she brought her daughter in closely to her, the black and golden molly had clung on to Scarletpaw as if life depended on it. It was almost a mockery to see how much the Skyclan Queen had changed from her previous days. “The Ongoing Storm had settled, how disappointing.” Renly said as he knew Aurora had flinched when her old nickname was mentioned. While his tufted ears perked at Firestar’s heroic words, a sense of irritation had overcome him. Renly didn’t like that, the Skyclan leader was giving hope. One thing for certain, The Ripper was always unpredictable with his actions. “My beautiful Rain.” Renly suddenly purred loudly, facing his mate. His dark ember eyes were softened at the sight of her as one of his paws went up to slowly caress her cheek.

Words couldn’t describe how much he loved her, Desertrain was his weakness.

“Tick Tock…” Renly said, his dark ember eyes suddenly darkened once more as the paw that was caressing the small Bengal’s cheek moved within a flash. A loud shriek escaped the Shadowclan Elder, Leafstorm as Renly had stuck his long black curved claws into the foreleg of the older cat. It was a low blow, but Renly never played by any rules nor morals. Noticing Firestar taking a step forward while Auroraskies brought her daughter in closer to shield her from the horrific view, Renly smirked as his huge sharp teeth came into view. “Not another step from you, Titan.. Otherwise He’ll be lying in his own blood in a couple of hours.” The mountain cat said, letting out a soft hum when his black claws were sinking more into Leafstorm’s leg. The elder let out a cry of agony as Renly’s claws began sinking into the flesh and into the raw meat, Renly knew arteries, he knew how to make a feline easily bleed out if he ‘accidentally’ popped one.

At the corner of his eye, he finally saw Mercuryrose jump off the leader’s rock and began shoving past everyone in order to reach himself and Leafstorm. Bingo, she fell into the trap. It wasn’t until Renly heard a loud voice nearby “Papa?!” Aspenpaw’s panicked voice echoed the air as the gray tabby tom was being sandwiched between felines that were trying to back away from the serial killer. “Papa! Help!” Aspenpaw called towards Juncostar, as he was trying to prevent himself from being stomped and trampled on. The Shadowclan Apprentice was properly in danger. Looking up at the leader’s rock, a smirk appeared on his face when looking towards Desertstar and the pure devastation on her face before turning to look at his mate, Desertrain “I won’t let anything happen to you, as I’ll let the world burn first.” Renly promised her, his gaze finally on Copperstar before baring his fangs at the Riverclan leader “Why don’t you come down here, I see you’ve been awfully quiet.. You weren’t when you were in that cave”

This confirmed, Renly remembered Copperstar.

“Tick Tock…” Renly said, turning towards Firestar once more. It appeared that the Skyclan leader was the clans’ champion. He didn’t like that, it gave them hope. Letting out a low growl, Renly released Leafstorm from his grip. The brown tabby elder collapsed in pain as others began surrounding him. The Ripper got what he wanted, Mercuryrose was coming towards him. If the black and rose-gold deputy made it to him, there was a possibility that she wouldn’t make it out alive. “Do you really want more blood on your paws? For you to attend more funerals and watch more stars appearing in the sky?” Renly challenged Firestar and the other leaders. Something popped into his head, as he let out a purr “Since I’m in a good mood, I’ll give you a choice.. Bring me a sacrifice from each of your Empires, doesn’t matter if it’s your youngest or oldest.. Bring them to me and I’ll leave your empires.” Renly said, as he heard the gasps and cries of the others. The Ripper was playing mindgsmes, ensuring in others’ minds that their leaders would sacrifice them.

Noticing that Mercuryrose was near, his bloody claws came out. This was it.. He would be able to finally kill her just as he wanted.

Sleekfeather

Warrior of Riverclan

Sleekfeather sucked in a breath, the color draining from his face as he stared up at the trees. Seeing the bodies hanging overhead unknowingly struck an old, still open wound. Swanpath. The Ripper. His surroundings began to spin violently and the ground felt unsteady under his feet. Stiffening as he struggled to catch his breath, he tried not to remember how he found his dear mother decaying in the river after endlessly searching for her, or how he and Edgefrost never avenged her. Panic flooded his body as those memories swallowed him whole, eating him alive. He trembled, his breaths coming out in short, tiny pants. All the memories. All the pain. Shame, anger, and guilt washed over him in waves, threatening to drown him. He was reliving it all in the span of just a few, short minutes.

Distantly, though, he heard Renly’s voice, rough and cruel, as he uttered Auroraskies name. ‘Why is he saying her name? Where is she? Is she okay?’ his thoughts raced, pulling him from his panic attack. He slowly blinked his eyes, coming to, and the first thing Sleekfeather registered as he slowly became aware of his surroundings was that The Ripper was walking towards her. He felt his heart drop seeing the cat he had come to care about so deeply in danger, and without thinking, Sleekfeather stepped forward to put himself in front of Auroraskies until Firestar could be there. When the flame-colored tom finally made it over to them, he moved out of the way. Even though Auroraskies would always hold a special place in his heart, he knew that she belonged to Firestar, and he had no intention of coming between them. Instead, he stood nearest to Firestar, ready to defend his friend’s mate— even though he likely wouldn’t need to. Firestar was a big guy, and unlike Sleekfeather, he had extra lives to spare. Still, he would throw in his only life and fight the ridiculously large mountain cat if he needed to.

Juncostar

shadowclan leader

(he/him)

His fight with Hawkstar broken up far too early, Juncostar batted weakly toward the other tom as he was pulled away. He was ready to spring back toward the other tom, but the look on Mercuryrose's face as she shouted, reprimanding him, was enough to cause his shoulders to slump and his head to hang low in shame. To many it might seem that she was the one actually in control within ShadowClan, even. He just knew he was going to be grounded to his den again when they got home; he didn't know if he could count on any-cat to sneak him moss balls to play with, either, now that Ravenclaw was a warrior and had other things to worry about. Maybe Aspenpaw would help...

His sulking was cut short, however, as Mercuryrose seemed to notice something he hadn't yet. Looking in the direction she was trained on, Juncostar gave a toothy grimace, side-eyeing Hawkstar. "Well there's your smitin'," he commented under his breath, ears falling to his skull as he slowly began to back up, as though hoping to fade into the surrounding cats. If this guy knew he was important, he might come after him next. After all, isn't that what he'd done to Copperstar?

Panic struck him as he realized he'd lost track of Aspenpaw, and he began making his way through whatever open spaces he could to find his son. If they were lucky, they could slip away entirely unnoticed. Of course, they wouldn't be able to come back home, but Aspenpaw would be safe-- and Juncostar would remain in one piece, as well. He elected to stay out of the action, devoting his energy to his search as his ears rang with each word the cats spoke. Betrayal? Torture? Desertstar's daughter?! His head was spinning.

Venomrose, Medicine Cat of RiverClan

Too much was happening all at once, the dark feline didn't know where to begin to look. They wanted to look nowhere, but they couldn't bring theirself to close their eyes. Where was Spottedpaw? Toxic green eyes scanned the frightened faces around them until they finally found her. She looked absolutely horrified, and they didn't blame her. She didn't need to be seeing all this.

The lanky feline quickly left the other medicine cats behind, enveloping the she-cat with their tail and drawing her closer to them. "Don't look anymore, just close your eyes and follow me," they muttered, carefully leading Spottedpaw back to the medicine cats, saying any comforting words they could think of as they walked. When they reached the collection of medicine cats, though, they noticed the group was down one. Where in the world was Little-

Their stomach dropped when they spotted the small tomcat face to face with one of the monsters that had caused all this. If it had just been the WindClan traitor alone, whatever her name was, Venomrose wouldn't have been too worried for his fellow medicine cat... but that freak of nature standing beside her? The black feline turned to the cat closest to him, who just so happened to be Waspsight, mouth agape. "Is he crazy?!" the young cat hissed quietly to the ShadowClan medicine cat. They wanted to call for the patched tom to come back to where he was safer, but they stopped when they noticed the frightened face of Copperstar. It was then that they realized that if it had been the ginger tom where Desertstar stood, being threatened like that... they'd be standing in Littlewoods' place. If it had been any of their clanmates, or even one of their fellow medicine cats, they'd be standing at their defense.

Maybe they were crazy too.

Firestar

Leader of Skyclan

Firestar sighs softly as he knew that his announcement would cause unease among the five clans, but he knew that he could not hide such information, not when he knew that the killer has killed several felines before Granitemask. The Ripper had deliberately used other body parts of fallen warriors when placing Granitemask’s torso strategically in front of skyclan camp. Fire knew the killer was toying with them, wanting to install fear within them all. Well the bastard had certainly succeeded. It was a dangerous game The Ripper was playing, a game that everyone else was hilariously 10 steps behind on. The leader settles back down next to Desertstar and Juncostar, signaling that he was done talking for now, yet his attention never wavers from those below. His bi-colored gaze studying every single feline, noting their reactions to the fact there was a serial murder lurking in the shadows. He especially studied Mercuryrose, noticing the shift within her posture and the way her eyes flittered around as if waiting for something or someone to appear. Furrowing his brows as seeing the usual calm and collected Shadowclan deputy seemingly rattled definitely made the fiery ginger tom feel the need to be on high alert. He could tell that he was not the only one having noticed her change in behavior as most of Shadowclan who paid her enough attention noticed. He barely paid attention to Juncostar’s announcements, only caring to know if Shadowclan had any run ins with The Ripper.

Brows furrowing as it seemed that Shadowclan was never personally targeted by the ripper, though in a way it made sense. Auroraskies had informed him that Mercuryrose and Grimrose were sadly very familiar with the killer. So the ripper had purposely avoided Shadowclan, meaning he knew just who to avoid to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Huffing as he tunes in when Hawkstar begins to childishly argue with Juncostar—something about kits, he did not particularly care about their argument. All he cared about was that the five clans needed to put aside all of their differences in order to put an end to all of these killings. Taking note from Copperstar and Desertstar’s leader announcements that they too had sadly encountered murders happening within their clan. How was The Ripper doing this? He was making it seem so easy to cause mayhem. Snapping out of his thoughts as Junco plays dumb and innocent when it was clear that he wanted to push Hawkstar’s buttons, and it certainly did not take much. How did they get stuck to listening to two grown leaders fight like kits? Now he understood what Wolfstar, Wisteriastar, Hornetstar, Hollystar, and Blazestar had gone through when Kass and himself had caused a scene years ago..

Feeling a headache come on at the bickering, wishing he could just shove them both off the large boulder to shut them up. Giving the two leaders an unimpressed look as their arguing turns physical. “Just great. Exactly what we need at a time like this” Firestar mutters in irritation as he glances over at Desertstar, smirking as he could tell that she was as fed up as he was with this whole situation. He could only imagine what Shadowclan and Thunderclan were thinking at watching their leaders fight idiotically. Hearing Mercuryrose’s booming voice as she commands the two stooges to break up their fight. The sudden shift in the air causes the fur along his shoulders and spine to rise with unease. His intense gaze flickering over to the large black mountain cat that stalks through the clearing. The whimpers, screams, and cries for the fallen as several mangled bodies hang limply within the trees, the horrid stench of blood and decay wafting through the Ghostly Flats as the Ripper makes his grand entrance. Tensing up as he notices the murderous cat making his way towards Auroraskies, letting his instincts and protectiveness guide him as the fiery ginger Maine Coon quickly rises to his paws. Without hesitation he leaps down from his perch as strides to his mate, gently ushering her behind him as he stands before Renly.

Jaws clenched as the two large toms stare one another down, both sizing the other, determining just how dangerous the other was. Refraining from wrinkling his nose in distaste at seeing the matted blood on The Ripper’s maw, tensing up as the large mountain cat addresses Auroraskies while mockingly looking over at a horrified Grimrose. Narrowing his eyes into dangerous slits as the intruder continues to spill the villainous nonsense of why he was here. Though he found the speech to be the typical bullshit of ‘You took something from me, now it’s your turn’. If it weren’t for the severity of the situation, Firestar would have laughed in Renly’s face, but knew that such an act would set the already unstable feline off. No now was not a time to make a scene, not with so many young apprentices about that could easily become an unexpected target in a sporadic killing. Scowling down at Scarletpaw, now was not the time to act brave and into harms way. “Scarlet, stay behind your mother” Firestar mutters firmly, what is she thinking? Sighing to himself as he hears the faint sobs of his daughter as she presses against her mother. Features hardening even more when Desertrain steps forward, her mask slipping until it falls off completely. He could only imagine what Desertstar was feeling in this moment of betrayal, after all he knew how she was feeling in that moment. Turning his head slightly as Hawkstar orders his clan away, wanting to get the thunderclan bystanders out of harms way as soon as possible.

He could not blame the Thunderclan leader, but he could not order his clan away during a crucial moment. Not with their common enemy right in front of him. Glancing subtly over at Desertstar and Desertrain listening to a mother’s heart breaking for a child she once had. Tensing as the young warrior mentioned mutilating only those from Sandadder’s group. So she had killed the ones from Windclan? It would seem that the ripper did not only have an admirer but an accomplice as well. “Now this chat is lovely and all. Very enlightening to say the least , we have gotten your message loud and clear. One wanting to cause chaos and one wanting petty revenge because of something out of mother’s control” Firestar drawls out, he has had enough of the dramatics. “You speak of empires…but there is a reason why that system fails. It is flawed. You may think you can weasel your way in, try to topple and crumble us within ourselves” Taking a step closer to Renly, his eyes blazing with fury as the two large felines stand head to head.

He would not let this feline intimidate him, while he was certainly caught off guard that Renly the Ripper decided to invite himself to their gathering, he would not let fear grip his heart. “There will always be some of us left standing. Just when you think you are at your highest—is when you will hit your lowest….When that happens you know damn well that I will be part of the reason for your empire falling” Firestar seethes, the anger and promise radiating from his words as his tone remains level. If Renly and Desertrain could declare war upon the clans, then Firestar could only think of one thing: ‘Bring it on.’

Desertstar could barely hide her revulsion as Renly The Ripper spoke, both rage and disgust twisting in her stomach, though her golden eyes widened in alarm when she noticed her daughter walking towards them. “Desertrain! Don’t get too close to him, it’s not saf—“ her voice trembled with fear and desperation. She’d nearly jumped off the rock in order to protect her daughter, though she soon skidded to a halt, small stones tumbling over the edge once she realized that Desertrain wasn’t in any danger at all. Renly was expecting her. The leader’s thoughts whirled in confusion. She watched Desertrain stand beside The Ripper as though they knew each other, and an immense sadness gripped her heart, the likes of which she had never felt before. “Why..” was all the could manage to say, barely able to formulate thoughts, much less a full sentence. Maybe it wasn’t what it looked like.

Desertrain’s smile widened at the myriad of emotions on her mother’s face. “Why?” she scoffed, then chuckled, the sound somehow conveying both amusement and slight annoyance that her mother would even have to ask. “There are so many reasons why, but let’s start with the fact that you allowed the same cats who aided in my capture back into our clan; the same cats who either stood by or took part in the unspeakable torture my siblings and I endured,” she growled, her voice dangerously low. With a heavy heart, she recalled the day when their camp was attacked, and she and her siblings were whisked away. She remembered fighting against her captors with every ounce of determination she could muster, but she was rendered powerless in the endless cycle of torture and soon lost all hope of ever escaping. The memory itself weighed heavily on her shoulders, but Desertrain bore the familiar sting with only a slight twitch of her lip. “What happened to us was horrible and yet you, our mother, let them sleep and hunt right beside us,” she told them, and though her tone was harsh, she felt a grim sort of satisfaction in the way the Windclan leader paled at her revelation, surprise rippling amongst the clans.

Desertrain let out a short laugh, her blue eyes flickering like a cold flame. “Seriously, how did you fail to notice that every cat I mutilated was a part of Sandadder’s group?” she asked, tilting her head in mock confusion. If it weren’t for the keen, predatory sharpness in her eyes she would almost look innocent staring up at Desertstar. After a moment, she heaved a disappointed sigh. “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised that you didn’t notice. There were a lot of things you didn’t notice,” she admitted, and then when her mother still looked confused, she rolled her eyes and said, “Oh, please. Try to imagine how hard it is to look like you, have the same name as you— and be nothing like you. I wasn’t fast, brave or strong. I was clumsy, terrified and weak,” she explained with a sneer, a quiet power now emanating from her. Hardly any trace of the soft, sweet-natured feline remained. All of the light within her had been viscously stomped out, and now, she was the monster. “I have only ever lived in your shadow— so I thought, maybe instead of being inferior and afraid, I could become something to fear.”

It didn’t take long, however, for someone to shove themselves between her and her mother, and to her surprise, it’s Littlewoods. Admittedly he was the last cat she expected to bare their fangs at her, and she stared at him in awe before narrowly avoiding a nasty swipe to the face. Desertrain looked momentarily taken aback, realizing now that she’d clearly underestimated the tom, but soon her attention was redirected to Scarletpaw, who had scrambled on top of the highrock to stand by her parents. Desertrain smirked at the young apprentice, unaffected by her insults. In truth, if she weren’t so loud, she would have barely noticed the little thing shrieking from the highrock. “Life is unfair and power comes to those who take it, kid. The quicker you learn that, the better off you’ll be.”

The ground was unforgivingly hard when they landed. Hawkstar, being the one on the bottom, absorbed most of the shock with his bare back which twinged painfully. But the adrenaline pounding through his veins drowned it out as he beat at Juncostar with a flurry of paws. Hardly any time seemed to have passed before something lifted his opponent away from his reach. Mercuryrose, the ShadowClan Deputy, was hauling Juncostar away like a misbehaving kit. For a brief moment Hawkstar’s paws chased him, still trying to claw at any hair within their reach.

But a blood-curdling cry split the night, and tore him from his rage.

Corpses hung like puppets with cut strings, draped unevenly across the snow-covered branches overhead. What remained of the bodies, some of them brutalized beyond recognition, oozed dead blood that crept down the branches and dappled the hollow floor in a rainstorm of red. It was a vision straight out of hell.

For a moment Hawkstar thought he was dreaming. Since finding the bodies of Alderpaw, Spiderpelt and Lilywing his sleep was marred by ghastly visions such as these. But when others began to cry out, he soon realized this was no nightmare. His blood ran as cold as the snow beneath his feet.

It’s him. This ‘Ripper’.

And what an apt title it was, too. Ripped was what these bodies were, torn from life and those who loved them. Hawkstar watched as the large tom made himself known. He’s an ugly bastard, he thought distantly, as he remained rooted to where he stood with fear and shock. The tom was ignoring himself and the rest of the hollow, seeming intent on one cat. What was her name again? Another of those longer ones– she was Firestar’s mate, he knew as much. And she seemed to know this beast, for he spoke to her with an air of familiarity. Hm, a family affair I suppose, Hawkstar thought.

His jaw fell open with shock as many others did when a WindClan cat strode over to stand beside the serial killer.

A Warrior aided in these tragedies?! He could hardly believe what he was seeing. A small part of him was thankful that it was not a Warrior of his own Clan, but it was still a cat who lived by the same code. Or had at least pretend to, all while committing those unspeakable acts.

His mind turned to his own Clan but Hawkstar himself refused to play that game. He could not expect that any Clanmate of his would have had anything to do with it. Going down the rode of pointing fingers was useless.

When the two took off he was freed from his state of shock, he turned on his heel planning to rally his Warriors, but it was clear that the Ripper could move unnaturally fast– perhaps due to his oversized body. Hawkstar bit his lip, deciding it might be best to regroup before attempting to deal with the problem. He turned to his fellow Leaders.

“We must confront this creature, as a united front. I will send an envoy with a meeting time and place– those of you who wish to lend your Warriors to this cause, we will decide then what we must do.” He was looking at Mercuryrose when he spoke. He neither knew nor liked her, but she clearly knew about this ‘Ripper”. Her intel would be valuable.

“THUNDERLCAN, TO ME. We are heading home, apprentices, Queens, and Elders will travel in the middle. I want a circle of Warriors guarding them.” And with that, he signaled with his tail for his Clan to follow him out of the hollow and back home.

Littlewoods

Windclan Medicine Cat

It was sick. The entire thing was sick. Littlewoods was a medicine cat, and to protect and serve his clan ran through his veins stronger than his blood itself. His heart ached for those he couldn't save. Clanmates or not, the suffering of any cat was something that he couldn't bear to witness. He cared little for the ripper, he cared about the suffering he had caused. What he cared more for was Desertrain. The little tom's pelt spiked with fury as Desertrain revealed herself as the traitor she truly was.

The normally docile tom puffed his entire pelt up, and with a flash of multi-coloured fur he stood protectively in front of Desertstar. His hackles bristled, and he bare his teeth in an open-mouthed snarl.

"Keep away from her!" His heart thumped in his chest, pumping red-hot rage throughout his entire body. The fact that one of his clanmates could help concoct something so sick was enough to bring bile into his throat and make him feel queasy. He lunged forward threateningly, swiping a paw toward Desertrain, showing that if she even tried to lunge that he would be ready to meet her. Protecting his leader was more important to him than protecting himself.

~Copperstar The Fledgling Leader of Riverclan~ Copperstar swore his heart came to a complete standstill within his chest as Renly the Ripper made his way through the crowd of cats, the Riverclan Leader all but leapt to his paws. The fur on the ridge of his spine bristled rapidly, and his claws sheathed and dug into the surface of the boulder, he could feel fear flowing through his veins and turning them to ice. Everything that had happened that night in the cave returned in crashing tidal waves to the tabby, and he wondered how in the name of Starclan that he had gotten away from this colossal mountain cat without losing a single life.

Renly was one of the largest felines he’d ever seen in his life, and he had seen a great many of large cats before in his time. But they all paled in comparison to Renly. Copperstar’s long and fluffy tail curled around his front, as he lowered his body, attempting to keep his pregnant belly out of sight from the disturbed beast of a feline before them. He tried to keep his sights off the bodies in the trees, for he knew that he’d end up losing his mid-day meal from earlier if he continued to stare.

Copperstar’s wounds burned with the memory of Renly’s claws raking them into his pelt, and he felt as though he’d faint then and there. However, he knew he couldn’t spare to show any weakness, all of the Clans were in danger, his clan was in danger, his kin were in danger, and his unborn kits were in danger. He had to remain focused on the Mountain Cat, lest the tom target him once more.

Copperstar knew he was a victim that got away, and he was certain that Renly did not like leave loose ends untied. The tom understood he had a target on his back, and as long as Renly remained, he would likely never know peace again.

And when it was finally revealed that Desertrain, Desertstar’s own daughter, had a paw in orchestrating this bleak ballad, Copperstar could do nothing but stare on in pure shock. His mind racing as he began to wonder if anyone else was aligned with Renly...

Chills curled round his spinal cord, and a little voice whispered a grim thought within his mind.

What of Riverclan? Are there members of my own clan that have been working alongside this monster?

___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Oasismist, The Fractured Mind of Windclan Chaos, pure and rampant, descended upon the clans as Oasismist soaked it all up. Though they were by no means a dangerous feline, they were certainly not as moral as others believed. As the crescendo of hysterics rose in shocked shrieked and piercing wails of woe about the Gathering, Oasismist stayed silent. They relished in the pandemonium; it was the only way in which they felt any solace anymore.

See, after being taken hostage as a young apprentice, and having lived underneath the bitter edge of Rootfrost’s curved and deadly claws... it had changed Oasismist in ways that no one could have foreseen. Their turbulent and toxic relationship with Rootfrost had tainted their very mind, body and soul and Oasismist doubted that even Starclan would welcome them once they left their mortal coil.

Nothing but chaos brought the respite anymore. Peace was torment, and chaos was freeing. Oasismist felt their heart flutter with elation, as they stared wide-eyed and intent at the bodies in the trees. Oasismist’s breath was taken away, and they couldn’t get enough of the view. Delight danced up and down their spine.

Oh, those bodies...

Beautiful.

Utterly enchanting, the way they pained the leaves and branches a rose petal red, Oasismist was rather fond of the color red. In fact, it was their favorite.

Then within the erupting bedlam, Oasismist’s eyes caught sight of Renly through the crowd and suddenly they couldn’t look away from the massive mountain cat. Oasismist took note of how his paws were stained with the rose red and their paws tingled, and they took in the rest of the tom. His black mane, and the way his shark-tooth necklace dangled around his throat.

It was as though they were looking at Rootfost all over again, and their heart skipped one singular beat.

And if their clanmates thought them insane for beaming a bright and twisted smirk as they gazed at Renly, then they would think them utterly psychotic when their smile only grew when Desertrain revealed her treachery to the clans.

It’s not as though Oasismist harbored any ill will, but their mind was fractured beyond repair.

Death, destruction and war made sense to them...

Living, creation, and peace did not.

___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Ratshadow, The Broken of Shadowclan

This wasn’t real. This wasn’t real. This wasn’t real. He was dreaming, he had to be. This was a night terror. This would go away when he blinked his eyes, it had to. Yet, no matter how many times the tom blinked, once, twice, thrice and more- it didn’t go away, and he didn’t wake. A thousand-yard stare possessed the Shadowclan tom, and the entire forest began to spin faster and faster, his stomach churning violently, and his chest throbbing with razor-edged devastation.

Though the corpse was mangled, and nearly unrecognizable, missing limbs and coated with dark dried blood- he knew one of the cats on the branches.

It was Thistlebite, the tom of his secret affections, strung up between two branches, as though a putrid prize for Renly. Thistlebite had only just been alive this very morning, and now by nightfall he was deceased. Ratshadow hadn’t worried when the tom hadn’t returned to Shadowclan camp, for why would he?

The majority of his clan knew nothing of Renly the Ripper, and there would have been no need for Ratshadow to even have an inkling that Thistlebite would have meet with a terrible fate such as this.

All Ratshadow could do was stand, frozen, unable to move... unable to breathe.

Unable to think.

He was a petrified statue among the crowd of terror-filled and grief-stricken felines.

___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Scarletpaw, The Skittish But Loyal Soul of Skyclan Scarletpaw’s entire world was turned upside down in a matter of moments, as she hid herself away among her clanmates. Her heart beating wild and fast within her chest, the dread threatened to drown the Skyclan apprentice, and she wanted nothing more than to turn tail and vanish into the night. Every last nerve inside of here was shrieking at her to run, to escape from this place and never return.

To find a remote place to hideaway and live out the rest of her days safe and secure, without the threat of Renly looming over her head. Her belly burned and loathing leaped from its depths and into her chest, cursing herself for being such a mouse heart. She despised just how terrified she was of everything, and it caused her nothing but heartache and misery. She yearned to be brave, to be like the rest of her family, who faced things head on.

She was so useless, she was nothing, a nobody.

She had nothing to offer, she had no value. Her clan would be better off if she had never been born at all. A spineless cat such as herself had no place among the clans, she would fare better off as a kittypet at this point.

As Scarletpaw continued to berate herself, trying to keep her eyes off of the bodies upon the trees, she caught the sound of her mother’s name coming from Renly. The Skyclan apprentice snapped to attention as the Mountain cat addressed her mother, and something inside of her sparked to life.

Suddenly there was a fire in her belly, and it wasn’t the burn of self-loathing that had settled there prior, but it was one of a protective nature.

She also caught the revelation that Desertrain was a traitor, but she wasn’t focused on the Windclanner at the moment, all her attention was on Renly and her mother Auroraskies and father Firestar, who had protectively placed himself besides Auroraskies.

Something in the way that Firestar stood there, it made Scarletpaw’s paws start to itch, and suddenly she was pushing through the crowd. Everything inside of her driving her forward, telling her to get to her parents and stand with them.

She finally broke through the crowd of panicked cats, and rushed over to her mother’s side, and turned around, pressing herself her. Scarletpaw had no idea what came over her in this moment, but something else had taken over her and though her voice shook with undeniable dread she spoke up.

“You, stay away from my mom and dad!” She stared directly into Renly’s eyes, her fur puffed up, stance rigid. “Why...? Why did you do this? All this....” She flourished her tail, gesturing to the bodies at the trees. “Why would you do something so abhorrent? What is the reason? Life is precious, you monster. Go away and leave us alone. What did we ever do to you?” She could feel her eyes sting with unshed tears, and her heart ached for the lives lost.

“And you!” She looked over at Desertrain, “Traitor! You’re a traitor to your clan, to your kin, to Starclan! How could you?” Her body tremored violently as tears rolled down her cheeks and she pressed herself harder against her mother’s side. “It’s wrong! This is wrong. You’re a monster too! These cats had kin that loved them, and they loved their kin, and you just took their lives away! The Darkforest has a special place for cats like you!”

She turned her head away and buried it into her mother's side and began to break down into sobs.

A concoction of terror and of heartbreak.

Desertrain

Warrior of Windclan

Screams of terror filled the air, inciting a hum of adrenaline just beneath her skin. Smiling, she breathed out a gentle sigh and relaxed against Scorchedbones, enjoying his warmth and the way his heart began to nervously pound in his chest upon seeing the bodies. She looked up at the night sky, at the stars and the fresh corpses dangling overhead, and spoke softly so only he could hear her. “I’m sorry that it has to end this way,” she apologized, feeling a bit guilty for stringing him along, “A part of me wishes we had met before of all of this, before this life ruined me,” she quietly confessed, her voice carrying with it an odd note of sadness as she turned to look at him, something vile and depraved lurking within those seemingly innocent blues, “maybe then we could have been something.” As far fetched as it seemed now, she wondered if maybe he had met her before, when she was still pure and loving, that they could have possibly had a normal life together. Perhaps they would have fallen in love, had children of their own, and retired to the elders den together. Not that it mattered now.

Head on Scorchedbones’ shoulder, she studied his features, eyes roving over him appreciatively. The hysteria around them poured over her like a summer rain, and the soft light of the stars overhead bathed him in a silver glow that made him seem almost ethereal. She sat there, soaking it all in. As much as she’d love to stay by his side in his warming presence for just a little while longer, listening the to panic around them, she knew she could not as she had promised her heart to another— someone who did not fear the darkness within her, and loved her for exactly who she was.

But did you think I could really could do this whole thing alone?

Desertrain stood, a bit of warmth flashing in her icy gaze as looked over her shoulder at Scorchedbones one last time. “In another life,” she whispered, then turned to walk away. Just like the tide receding into the oceans, the icy prickle of Desertrain’s true nature took over. The ‘scared little good girl’ act fell away, quickly replaced by shark-like indifference. No more having to fake her old stuttering problem. No more pretending to be a sensitive, little crybaby. She strode across the clearing with her head held high to stand next to the Ripper and look up at her mother with defiance. They say that the hottest fires burned blue, and her eyes were no exception— raw, burning and wrathful. The look on their faces were priceless. Loud, fearful screams and gasps echoed around them, but in that moment, all Desertrain felt was victory. She felt proud for fooling all of them and to help cause so much destruction within the clans. After all, it’s what they deserved.

“Hello, mother.”

Renly

The Ripper

A low growl was rumbling softly within the bushes, a pair of dark ember eyes staring at the group of felines. Watching the blood dripping from the bodies that were hanging on the trees, a couple of shrieks echoed around the group of felines along with gasps of horror. Everything was going according to plan, just as he had wanted. The dark brown and gray tom was crouching in the bushes, observing the Gathering since the first clan had entered. The massive Mountain Cat began making his way out of the bush and towards the entrance of the island, Renly’s steps were slow and almost haunting. On his paws, signs of fresh blood were spotted along with his teeth that seemed to stick out. Feeling all eyes were on him, Renly let out a soft hum and turned towards the leaders “I apologize for being so late, I had taken a detour towards the moors and..” Renly said with almost a wicked smile on his face, tufts of white and ginger fur were almost stuck in his teeth. Standing there for a moment, Renly’s expression was almost unreadable for a moment before spotting Mercuryrose on the leader’s rock

For a moment, the mountain cat was tense while his ember eyes had darkened at the sight of the Shadowclan deputy. Renly’s amber gaze turned to look towards the familiar faces of Orion and Aurora, both siblings sitting nearby Sleekfeather and Edge, both of their expressions were full of dread. His dislike for the kin of Twilightfoot was strong, but those stubborn siblings had unbreakable spirits, even at their lowest moment that occurred years ago due to him. “Aurora.” Renly said with a low hum, suddenly making his way towards her. Felines from all five clans began quickly clearing the path so Renly could approach the black and golden Maine Coon molly, the massive tom noticed how the ginger Maine Coon quickly shot up from his spot on the high rock and was making his way off the rock while shoving everyone out of his way and towards the direction of Aurora, quickly stepping in front of the smaller Maine Coon before Renly was nearby. It was quite obvious that the ginger tom was Aurora’s mate. Aurora’s violet-amber gaze looked at the massive tom with an unreadable expression, but the small Maine Coon molly was preparing for anything. “Tell me Aurora.” Renly chuckled before his gaze turned towards Grimrose who was watching the serial killer in horror, Ravenwatcher had his tail wrapped around her protectively while giving the serial killer a warning look

“Does your brother’s widow still weep for him?”

Before Aurora could react, Orion suddenly came into view as he shoved the Mountain Cat away from his sister and brother-in-law. A smirk appeared on Renly’s face when looking at the black Massive Maine Coon tom, he knew that he hit a raw spot, especially with Orion. Knowing that reminding his enemies about his past actions, they knew how capable he could be. Turning his gaze towards the direction of the leaders, deputies and medicine cats, it warmed his heart to see the many looks of hatred, anger and sadness coming from them. “It’s almost amusing, you see.” Renly began, approaching the high rock. A smirk appeared on his face when watching the leaders were remaining in their spot, of course they didn’t want to pick a fight with him.. Look at the damage he had caused around the territories. One wrong move from those leaders and he would start snapping the necks of felines nearby him, Renly always resorted to violence. “Watching your Groups, how you manage to function as a society and living together in somewhat peace.” Renly observed, the shark tooth necklace was dangling and hitting his chest.

The fall breeze had went through his black mane, his dark eyes were looking at all the faces that were looking back at him. “In my traditions and upbringing, we call these kinds of groups.. Empires.” Renly said, moving carefully towards the leader’s rock that Mercuryrose had stood at the edge, ready to leap down Incase Renly started an attack. The mountain cat was challenging the leader and deputies, almost wanting them to come down the rock to fight them. With a relaxed expression on his face, The Ripper turned away to look back towards the swarm of felines. How could one cat that caused so much damage in so many lives look almost peaceful and content? “An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumbles from within? That's dead... forever.” Renly observed, looking at the confused expressions that were surrounding him. Clearing his throat, Renly looked around with a smirk on his face when turning to look up at Mercuryrose whose facial expression remained cold while her tail was lashing from side to side.

“An eye for an eye… A heart for a heart, you took away something that mattered to me.. But did you think I really could do this whole thing alone?”

Mercuryrose

Shadowclan Deputy

Closing her eyes for a moment, a sense of annoyance had entered her. Feeling a migrane overcome her, it wasn’t until Waspsight was shouting at her that caused her to open her eyes. The Shadowclan Deputy had enough of this conflict. “ENOUGH!” Mercuryrose snapped as she moved towards the direction of the leader’s rock and leaped onto it, moving towards the fighting leaders. Grabbing Juncostar by the scruff, she began dragging him off the Thunderclan leader. Mercuryrose turned and gave both toms a death glare, causing them to both fall silent. The black and rose-gold molly was giving Juncostar a disappointed look, biting the inside of her cheek as she wanted to knock both of their heads together before pushing them off the rock all together. This wasn’t a time for conflict, but for them to come together for a common purpose.

“I won’t be repeating myself when I tell you this, but we have a common enemy ahead of us.. One that doesn’t take mercy on anyone, if you keep fighting amongst yourself, you might as well kiss your clans goodby-“ The deputy was cut off with a screech of fear below from the felines, Mercuryrose couldn’t pin-point where it came from but soon the source.

‘The Trees!’

Squinting her eyes for a moment, it wasn’t until Mercuryrose’s facial expression had fallen at the sight. On six of the trees, there were dismantled bodies of felines that hung on the branches, blood dripping from the benches and onto the ground. The deputy’s breathing was hard, the black and rose-gold molly went towards the edge of the leader’s rock. Suddenly dread had filled the air, the cries and screams of felines were echoing the area. It was nearly impossible to keep everyone calm, as panic had finally set in.

It wasn’t until the black and rose-gold molly had looked over at the entrance, Mercuryrose’s face had lost all it’s color. A lone figure was standing there, dark ember eyes were staring right back at her. It was impossible to miss the figure, due to his massive size and blood covering him. Feeling her breathing had stopped, it was incredibly rare to see Mercuryrose spooked, but when that happened.. It was serious. In that moment, she knew that the clans were too late, they had run out of time.

“He’s here.” Mercuryrose said, her voice was barley a whisper.

Juncostar

shadowclan leader

(he/him)

Glowing eyes on Desertstar, Juncostar could see the dissatisfaction in her own at his interaction with Hawkstar. He dipped his head, preparing to answer her thanks when suddenly the ThunderClan leader was shouting again, throwing accusations that-- of course-- were entirely accurate. "Every-cat here knows that's not true," he joked at the other tom's announcement that Juncostar wasn't dumb. A giggle bubbled at his lips, but was quickly cut off with a girlish shriek as he was smacked. Eyes widening, the grey tom stared in horror as Hawkstar stepped forward, lowering his voice with a threat.

The ShadowClanner lifted his paw to his cheek at the feeling of stinging wetness there, and pulled it back to see a couple pitifully small drops of blood from where he had been swatted. Horror turned to unbridled rage as he immediately began to fear it would scar and maim his truly gorgeous features. Tail lashing hard and pelt bristling, Juncostar stepped forward himself, standing nose to nose with Hawkstar. "Oh, no, you did not just hit me," he snarled, "That's my face! My favorite part of me!" And with that, he launched himself forward, bowling Hawkstar over. The pair of them toppled right over the edge of the boulder, Juncostar flailing pitifully against the larger tom with spits and hisses.

Desertstar

Leader of Windclan

“Do not blame Littlewoods, Figheart,” Desertstar quickly intervened, not wanting her fragile-hearted medicine cat to take the blame for this in front of all the clans. Though he handled the situation perfectly with grace and diligence, he did not deserve to feel guilt over something that wasn’t his fault. “The fault is mine. I did not want him traveling on his own with a killer roaming the territory, and I truthfully didn’t think the other clans were being targeted. I should have organized a patrol to come check with the other leaders, so if you’re going to blame someone, you can blame me,” she told the Thunderclan medicine cat, an apologetic expression on her slender face.

At Juncostar’s response, though, Desertstar resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the Shadowclan leader. As much as she wanted to call him out for being childish, she held her tongue. Getting the clans to cooperate was much higher on her list of priorities. “Windclan thanks you for your participation,” she responded in a clipped tone, her normally abundant patience wearing thin. Soon after, she shot a look at Hawkstar, leveling him with a withering glare as if to strongly advise him not to engage. The last thing they needed was two leaders hashing it out and angering Starclan over a custody battle when cats were dying left-and-right.

Sleekfeather

Warrior of Riverclan

Although he wasn’t facing her, he immediately recognized Auroraskies voice and felt his face grow hot. Heart pounding, he whipped around, quickly disguising his initial surprise with his signature smirk. ”And miss seeing you? I would never,” he answered her sweetly, though when his turquoise eyes flicked over to Cometchaser, his charming smile faded slightly. Narrowing his gaze, he asked, “Another sibling?” and eyed the rather large, disturbingly cheery Maine coon. ‘Their parents certainly stayed busy’, he thought.

At Cometchaser’s poorly executed joke, the dark tom stifled a groan. Normally he wouldn’t hold back but Auroraskies was there, so because of her, he chose to be polite. “Charmed,” he forced a smile, trying not to sound annoyed, though his attention was soon redirected to the gathering when he heard his sister mention his name. Reddening under his fur, he locked eyes with the golden leader, deciding to awkwardly dip his head in response to her thanking them. He stayed in that position with his face pointing down. Looking at the ground, he could feel everyone turn their gaze, and it wasn’t until he no longer felt any eyes on him that he rose from the unfamiliar gesture. With wide eyes, he turned to look at Edgefrost as though he wanted to jump off the nearest cliffside— which, surprisingly enough, there was one nearby.

Desertrain

Warrior of Windclan

“Oh— y-yes! Where are my manners?” she began, obviously flustered. She had completely forgotten that her friend had no idea what was going on. Even though Scorchedbones hadn’t been born in their clan, she sometimes felt like she’d known him her entire life, so it was easy to forget that he wasn’t clan-born. “All five clans meet h-here on the night of a full moon to share news and d-discuss significant events. Many use t-this chance to meet their friends and family from other clans a-and exchange information and stories,” she looked up at Scorchedbones, blue eyes twinkling beneath the starlight as she hurriedly explained everything to him, “It is considered a-a great honor to be chosen by a leader t-to attend a gathering,” she told him, her voice growing quiet when the gathering began. Normally everyone stops talking once the leaders do, but she wanted to explain everything first— and what was the harm if no one else could hear her? None. “The s-start of the gathering marks a time of truce between the five clans,” she whispered, scooting closer to him so he could hear her better, “If the peace is b-broken, Starclan will send clouds to cover the m-moon to show their d-displeasure, in which the gathering ends a-and each clan returns to their r-respecting territories.”

W A S P S I G H T

The shared news that had been given from the Clan leaders regarding the gruesome deaths of cats within their territories had understandably ruffled pelts. Cats of all origins were scowling and muttering their discomfort and dissatisfaction on how the circumstances had been handled- but to say that he was surprised when Figheart spoke up and turned on Littlewoods was an understatement. He had never known the oriental tom to be the slightest bit abrasive, not to mention how close the medicine cats usually were with one another. Perhaps that’s all the more reason why the ThunderClan healer was upset to find out the news now? Waspsight didn’t know, but as he watched the two, he found himself becoming more and more unsettled as the Gathering commenced.

Figheart’s comment seemed to create a wave among the cats near them who had overheard his incredulousness, for bitter murmurs followed nearby. The ShadowClan medicine cat’s ears flattened as he heard this. We need to be coming together now, not cursing each other! He thought desperately. Surely, deep down, his fellow Clanmates understood this too. “I know you meant no ill will, Littlewoods,” Waspsight soothed, hoping to ease tensions before they hit their peak, “Besides, I’m sure the last thing you wanted was to imply a murderer was among the other Clans.” He added, casting a glance among his fellow healers. Given that such an implication would have in fact not have been the case, he for one was grateful for the WindClan healer’s hesitations.

Feeling as though he was helping to ease the wounded egos of his peers, Waspsight relaxed a little. Maybe now we can get back on track, he thought. Unfortunately, this proved to no longer be an option, as his leader Juncostar began provoking the ThunderClan leader. The calico tom’s jaw went agape in disbelief. What are you doing? He thought exasperatedly, finding himself pleading internally that some other leader up on the rock would silence them before it went too far.

Unfortunately, no one did anything. Except for Hawkstar, that was. Before their very eyes, the black tom all but back-slapped the somali, earning incredulous gasps from the crowd. Unwilling to be one of the spectators that did nothing as they watched, Waspsight was on his feet immediately, abandoning his post with the other medicine cats to reach where the deputies perched.

“Do something! Stop them!” He urged Mercuryrose with a hiss. He didn’t care if she and Juncostar were at odds right now, they couldn’t let the Gathering erupt into chaos over wounded egos between Clans.

It had been a nice night, up until now. Hawkstar had spent the afternoon with his younger children, hearing about their training and checking in with their mentors. There was a nervous undercurrent about seeing cats from ShadowClan, but he had not been very worried at the time about an incident occurring.

The best laid plans, and whatnot.

The evening might have gone on quite amicably, had Juncostar not gently prodded Hawkstar’s already-inflamed temper. His loaded comment about the kits had been bad enough. But when he proceeded to play dumb, as though he didn’t know that he was being provocative, that was when Hawkstar really lost it.

“DON’T play dumb, because I know you aren’t.” He snarled, only vaguely caring that he had the eyes of all Clans on him. “And I won’t have you hide behind the tradition of peace, either. Do you really think you can insult a cat with impunity merely because some ghosts are watching us?” He added sarcastically, his once-sleek tail now a bottlebrush of bristling black hair.

He then reared back, and brought his paw paw down across Juncostar’s smug face with a decisive smack. He let his claws slide out, just barely. So as not to tear the poor tom’s face off, but still score him deeply enough to let him know that Hawkstar meant business.

A beat of silence followed.

“Oho, seems as though the ghosts have yet to smite me? Do you think they’re napping right now?” He laughed loudly. "Or maybe...." He lowered his voice so that only Juncostar and perhaps the other Leaders might hear.

"They know I'm right."

Littlewoods

Windclan Medicine Cat

The small tom flushed beneath his pelt upon feeling eyes turned toward him. It was always embarrassing to be singled out in front of all five clans- he still remembered the utter horror he had felt when he was announced as an apprentice, and when he met the other clans' medicine cats for the first time. But he still smiled sheepishly and dipped his head in response to his leader's praise.

However, Figheart had quickly turned his smile into a frown.

"It wasn't a deliberate effort-" He started, turning to face the younger medicine cat fully. "The last thing I wanted to do was to spread fear among all of the clans- I was pretty sure it was just an us problem..." He hung his head, a sense of shame crawling beneath his fur now.

"But... that should not have stopped me. Figheart, Peachblossom...all of you. I apologise for my mistake. Next time, I will make sure to warn you as soon as something comes up. As long as you do the same." Twitching his whiskers, he begged for the other medicine cats to understand. He was a loyal Windclan cat, making his clan seem like an easy target could be dangerous. As much as he would want to tell them... he had a feeling Desertstar or Hailgaze would have complaints.

Juncostar

shadowclan leader

Thoroughly pleased with himself as Hawkstar reacted angrily to the jab, Juncostar could barely contain his giggles as the other tom made a scene. It was everything he was hoping it would be, and smugness settled over him. He was content to just leave it at that, until the other leaders drew attention to the little quarrel. The ShadowClanner was quick to turn wide, innocent eyes on Desertstar as she suggested that they put aside their differences to figure out this murderer business.

Lifting a paw to his own chest, Juncostar released a gasp of disbelief. "I want nothing more than to help you all out, Desertstar; believe me," he pressed, almost as though he was begging the other leaders to see his side. "I dunno how an announcement of kits could'a made my buddy Hawkstar here start shoutin'," he went on, throwing a grin in the other leader's direction. "We're s'posed to have peace at gatherings, right?" he challenged, "'Would'a been nice to keep that. Just tell us what ya need, and ShadowClan is here for you. We haven't seen this guy; we don't know what we're goin' up against."

Figheart Medicine Cat of ThunderClan

Figheart smiled at the WindClan healer's words, "I feel just the same! Just tonight I was telling Peachblossom that perhaps we should keep more apprentices and elders at home during winter gatherings. No gathering is worth green cough," he responded, nudging his mentor as she fell in line beside him.

Soon, everyone had arrived and a seemingly impatient Firestar began the meeting. When SkyClan hosted, Firestar always seemed to put on a little bit of a show. The young healer listened intently. His fur bristled. They'd found similar bodies in ThunderClan over GreenLeaf but nothing had come of it. A known murderer? And SkyClan had neglected to inform the rest of the clans?

Then ShadowClan went, and ThunderClan answered in a roar. Figheart had been torn on the matter. He understood the wants of the father for the kits to return to ThunderClan, but what if this was StarClan's wish?

As RiverClan's newest leader began to speak, a clear pattern was forming: there was a murderer within their midst, and the leaders involved did absolutely nothing to ensure the other Clans didn't fall into the same fate. "You think they would tell the other clans before the gathering, I mean, it's against the warrior code to kill another cat outside of battle." He mumbled to the other medicine cats.

WindClan went next, and revealed more than just a civil war, but they had been visited by the same monster. Figheart eyed Littlewoods, "You didn't think to mention this to us?" He asked incrediously, a little louder than intended. For them, it had been random, but it seemed the other clans knew more than ThunderClan did.

After hearing Skyclan’s announcements, the look in Firestar’s eyes suddenly made sense, and as she listened to the rest of the leaders finish their announcements, a small shiver ran up her spine at knowing just how many had died at the paws of The Ripper. Her growing concern was quickly replaced with irritation, though, when Hawkstar and Juncostar began bickering amongst themselves. She sighed. As if they didn’t have bigger problems to worry about right now. Deciding to tune Hawkstar out, she followed Juncostar’s eyes to Mercuryrose, who looked as though she expected someone to jump out at her at any moment. Squinting her eyes in thought at the anxiety-ridden deputy, she quietly wondered if she knew something, then remembered that she was kin to Cometchaser and realized that she most likely did. It wasn’t just Mercuryrose, though. Desertstar could sense the panic building up all around her. It came from every cat, filling the darkness with a suffocating dread that she could hardly ignore. I do believe it is now your turn to speak, Desertstar. The Riverclan leader’s voice startled her from her thoughts, her attention snapping back to the gathering. “Thank you, Copperstar,” she meowed appreciatively, dipping into a slight bow before walking passed him to take his place.

Looking over the edge of the stone at the many eyes that looked up at her, she took a deep breath. “There is much to say for Windclan but I will try to make it quick so we can discuss more serious matters,” the golden leader announced, her silky voice echoing thinly of the rock, “Goldenrose and Cometchaser’s kits— Novapaw, Meteorpaw, and Moonpaw— are now apprentices, and Wolfpaw and Airpaw will be warriors shortly after the gathering. My own kits— Cactusbloom, Tumblestride, Rockymountain, Desertrain, Goldensun, Oasismist, and Dustrunner— have been made warriors as well,” she declared, a hint of pride in her voice as cheers of congratulations to filled the air. Even after the tragedies her clan had faced, she was glad they could still find joy in the little things. Then, only after the commotion died down, she cleared her throat to speak again. “Quiethawk stepped down as medicine cat and Littlewoods has taken his place as our sole healer, and with everything that has happened, we have been grateful to have such a skilled and reliable medicine cat,” she looked over at the gentle tom, her golden eyes praising him with a cheery glint. Even though she missed having Quiethawk as their medicine cat, Littlewoods had worked hard to serve his clan, and she’d admittedly grown very fond of him.

However, remembering the circumstances in which Littlewoods had worked so hard in, her face took on a more serious look. “Speaking of what happened, there was a war that split Windclan into two over differing opinions, and we lost many warriors fighting over prey and territory,” she revealed, looking out over the crowd with stormy eyes,“Three of my children— Desertpaw, Cactuspaw, and Oasispaw— were taken during a raid and held captive. The agreement was that I would come alone and trade myself for their lives, but, as expected, Sandadder was not true to his word. After Desertpaw managed to free her sister, Cactuspaw pushed through her injuries to run for help and found a nearby Riverclan patrol. If it wasn’t for Sleekfeather and Edgefrost coming to our aid, I don’t think any of us would be standing here,” her eyes quickly found the pair sitting next to each other in the crowd, and she dipped her head to them in respect, wanting everyone to know the good they had done. Even if they didn’t want that kind of publicity, they deserved to be seen as honorable warriors. “Windclan thanks both of you for your bravery and selflessness. Riverclan is lucky to have you.”

Now with her usual announcements over with, she wanted to finally address the elephant in the room. Desertstar squared her shoulders. “However, it wasn’t long after the war ended that bodies started turning up; badly mangled and nearly unrecognizable,” she told them, eyes darkening as she listened to their murmurs of alarm growing louder. Bodies had been torn apart, beheaded, and left to rot out in the open moors. Fear and dread choked her clan, and even if she hadn’t set a strict curfew, no one would even dare venture out after the sun had set. “One of my warriors, Cometchaser, who is familiar with ‘The Ripper’ is the one who made me aware of him— though after seeing the bodies for himself, we suspect that there might be more than one ripper,” she added, her golden eyes flashing in the moonlight. Then, she turned to face the other four leaders, still speaking loud enough for everyone to hear her. “And after hearing all of your announcements, I strongly suggest that we temporarily put aside our differences and discuss this as five clans. I believe the lives of our clanmates are far more important,” she insisted, having no interest in seeing the terror-filled, dead stare from a mangled corpse ever again.

Mercuryrose

Shadowclan Deputy.

“Idiots.” Mercuryrose couldn’t help but mutter at watching the Shadowclan and Thunderclan leaders throwing jabs at each other, her dark green gaze was focused on Copperstar, Firestar and Desertstar..who also didn’t look amused with the bickering match. The black and rose-gold Maine Coon instead got up and began moving towards the swarm of felines, more focused on them. Juncostar didn’t want her involved, so she was simply staying out of it.

But also Mercuryrose was keeping her eye out because there was a much more dangerous thing lurking within the shadows. The leaders were foolish enough to suddenly be caught of guard and start fighting within each other.. Juncostar noticed the change of behavior earlier with her, the leader knew something was wrong. Biting the inside of her cheek, the deputy almost looked desperate at that moment as she was looking around. No one was safe, He could strike at any time with no remorse.

It wasn’t until she remembered the cries of Grimrose and Silhouettefeather when they saw Twilightstrike’s deceased body when he had been murdered by the Ripper.

Looking towards Auroraskies, the black and golden molly looked more concerned with her mate. Mercuryrose couldn’t help but feel frustrated, she felt powerless as the deputy had no other options but to await the darkness that was looming. A sense of dread filled her, Mercuryrose’s eyebrows furrowed for a moment. “Come on you Bastard, come out,” She couldn’t help but mutter softly to herself. He was playing the long game, and the fact that two clans were fighting with each other… It was something that he would want.

~Copperstar, the fledgling Leader of Riverclan~ Copperstar could barely keep tabs on what was being announced, the tom was far too focused on trying to gather his scattered thoughts together. He knew that it would be his moment to announce the happenings of Riverclan soon. The tom could feel anxiety prickling through his pelt like thorns from a bushel of roses, leaving behind red and irritated lines all over the skin underneath his fluffy orange coat.

He attempted to calm himself by taking in steady and silent breaths, decided it would be in his best interest to perk up his ears and tune in on what the other leaders were speaking of. The Riverclan Leader regretted his choice the instant he picked up on Firestar’s voice, he knew he had completely missed the beginning of his speech, and that he was only catching the tail-end of it- but what he heard made a chill settle deep into his bones.

As Firestar announced the presence of the Ripper, memories began to flood back in violent crashing tidal waves, flowing through his head mercilessly. The Riverclan leader had known that there was someone out there, targeting them, but he didn’t have a name to put to the face of this unknown enemy- and now he did. Now he had a name for this deadly terror that had been stalking his clan and killing in the shadows just at the edge of their borders.

Copperstar felt a swopping sensation of shock zip through his stomach as it tore into him, and in the fractured frays of his splintered memories, he caught the faintest of glimpses of what he knows now to be the Ripper. The cat that had attacked him before, back in that cave, when he had lent his efforts in the search for Edgefrost’s son, Galepaw.

The tabby tom had come across blood scattered about in sticky droplets and trails all over the sand dunes on the beach at the edge of their territory, and Copperstar had followed it, because he recognized the scent. It was not Galepaw’s scent, but it was the scent of one of Riverclan’s finest warriors, Pebblenose.

Copperstar recalled it all too clearly now, he had discovered the body of Pebblenose in that cave, or rather... what was left of her. Just mangled bits of mushy flesh and broken bones, and heaps of frayed fur. The tom had all but forgotten about it, because he was soon attacked therein after discovering Pebblenose.

As the leaders continued to announce the occurrences within their clans, Copperstar focused on stilling his mind, knowing that it would do him no favors two dwell upon what he had found in the cave. Nor would it do for his mind to wander to the other Riverclanners that had been found deceased in the most remote reaches of their territories.

He barely even caught wind of the quarrel boiling between Juncostar and Hawkstar, something about cross-clan kits or rather. He didn’t know, and honestly, he couldn’t bring himself to muster up the energy to care.

As soon as Copperstar was able to bury his emotions deep down into the darkest parts of his mind, locking it away, and there was an opening for him to speak, he took a deep breath and then cleared his throat. Suddenly the fidgety leader had pulled himself together within the blink of an eye, as he stood tall and gazed out into the crowd of cats congregated below.

“As I do not like to dwell upon the sad tidings of Riverclan’s affairs for longer than need be, I am choosing to take this time to get them out of the way. Riverclan has also felt the claws of this Ripper. I encountered this cat myself, though in a dark cave, while on the search for Galepaw. I was unable to see this cat, however I urge you to take the utmost caution, I have felt the claws of this enemy first pawed. As you can see from the scars that this Ripper has left behind upon my pelt. Fortunately, by the grace of Starclan, I was able to slip away without parting with any of my nine lives.” Copperstar paused, his expression twisting into something somber and mournful, with a low sigh he shook his head, “Alas, I cannot say the same for a few of our clanmates. With a heavy heart I must inform you all of the deaths that the Ripper has brought to our shores. From what we’ve discovered, we have lost Pebblenose, one of Riverclan’s finest warriors, Flurrypaw, a promising young apprentice who would have made a fine hunter. Finally, though they might have lived a long and worthwhile life, we have lost one of the wisest among our ranks in Riverclan, Lilycloud.”

If only Copperstar had been there for them, when the Ripper’s shadow had loomed over them, if only he could have given one of his own lives to spare them such a tragic end. The Riverclan leader would have done so within a heartbeat, none of them had deserved a fate so cruel and cold, so... callous.

All these senseless deaths, and for what? For the thrill of a disturbed mind? Copperstar just couldn’t wrap his head around the why of the matter. Why would anyone do such a thing, especially to members of their own kind?

Copperstar let his grave words settle over the clans, so they could have time to swallow the information, and take in the gravity of the situation they were facing. He also needed some time to allow his emotions to settle down, as they surged forth with vengeance, and he could feel unshed tears sting the surface of his emerald hued eyes. Blinking the salty and stinging liquid away, he let the ripple of guilt and regret wash over him and ebb, before he spoke once more- this time taking the riverbend to more serene and content waters.

“Despite this series of tragedies, Riverclan still remains strong. We have also seen a shift within our ranks, our Medicine cat Rainysky retired and was called away by Starclan themselves. I do not know what our ancestors have in store for Rainsky, but may they guide him safely. With the retirement of Rainysky, comes the rise of Venomrose, who has taken up their mentor’s mantle. They have learned much under Rainysky’s mentorship, and I trust in their abilities to keep Riverclan strong for moons to come.” He dipped his head towards Venomrose, flashing their new Medicine Cat a trusting smile, allowing for the other Clans to give their congratulations to the newly anointed full medicine cat- before he continued. “We also welcome new warriors, my very own kits have now earned their warrior names. Please welcome Bubblebreeze, Shellstorm, Sandshark, and Streamsplash to our roster of warriors! May they serve their clan for many moons to come. That is not all, several of our young kits have finally reached their six moons and have earned their apprentice names. May they one day become respected warriors of our clan, everyone welcome Tundrapaw, Drizzlepaw, Smudgepaw, and Stormypaw!” Once the applause for the new warriors and apprentices died down, Copperstar moved onto his final announcements for the night. "I am also currently expecting a litter of kits and am excited to welcome them into our Clan when they are born. And last but not least, please give a warm reception to Riverclan's new deputy, one of my most trusted and loyal warriors- Lavendermoon! I trust that after my reign is completed, that they will keep Riverclan strong and prospering." With that the Riverclan leader stepped back and settled down into a sit, “That concludes Riverclan’s announcements, now...” He turned his head towards Desertstar, “if everyone would take the time to still their tongues for just a few minutes-” He didn’t point any paws, but he was most definitely referring to Juncostar and Hawkstar. “I do believe it is now your turn to speak, Desertstar.” He bowed his head in respect to the Windclan leader and fell silent.

Hawkstar listened somewhat impatiently to the preceding announcements. He fidgeted and looked around like an impatient kitten, his pelt bristling at Juncostar’s blatant slap in the face about the kits. No sooner than the other tom had finished speaking, Hawkstar shouldered past him to take the stand. The pre-prepared speech he had been working on flew out of his head as his temper surged, pushing out rational thought.

“What Juncostar neglects to mention,” He declared in a loud voice. “Is that these so-called orphaned kittens have a very alive father in ThunderClan. Opreyshadow of ThunderClan stands barred from seeing his own offspring outside of gatherings such as this. And I think all of us who are parents would prefer more time with our children than one night out of each month.”

“As Juncostar said himself- their mother has passed away. Yet ShadowClan maintains custody of the kittens and refuses to allow their father to raise them,” His lip curled at the memory. That day had been a disaster, but the unfairness in his eyes still stood.

“I seek no assistance from the other Clans, but neither will I silently let this injustice pass as ThunderClan works to unite the kits with their father.”

He stood, breathing heavily as his words settled in the silent hollow. As quickly as it had come, the chief portion of his anger ebbed away after he’d said what he felt he needed to say. Though a small part of him knew Chanterellefrost was down there shaking her head. He’d likely get his ears cuffed when they returned home.

The silence stretched on as he realized everyone was still looking at him. Oh right….other announcements.

He cleared his throat and put on his best neutral voice. Though his tone still shook with an undercurrent of anger.

“Prey runs well in ThunderClan, despite the weather. We too have been struck with mysterious and disturbing killings. It is with a heavy heart that I report the deaths of Alderpaw, Spiderpelt and Lilywing..” He paused to let the somber news sink it. The eyes watching him were dry, but hardened by the pain and grief that every cat felt at the hands of these tragedies.

“In lighter news, life continues. Peachblossom welcomes a new daughter, Peachkit, to our Clan. Hazelface has joined the Queens expecting she and Figheart’s first litter. Figheart, you will have known as Figpaw in the past. He has earned his full title as Medicine Cat.” With these glad tidings Hawkstar’s face bore a hearty smile. He was immensely proud of how ThunderClan pushed onward, almost in spiteful adversity to the horrors they’d witnessed. This shadowy stalker could cleave flesh from bone, but he could not diminish their spirits.

Juncostar

shadowclan leader

Briefly bristling at the arrival of Hawkstar, Juncostar was surprised to notice that Firestar also didn't seem too fond of the other tom at the moment. He wasn't sure if this was an ongoing issue, or if perhaps Hawkstar just took a liking to making enemies recently, but he found it almost funny that he wasn't the only cat to have an issue with ThunderClan. He made it a point to stay out of other Clans' business, but that didn't stop his curiosity. He flashed a goofy grin at the other tom in response to his dry comment, deciding from that moment that they'd be the best of friends. It was only natural, after all.

He gave a nod to each leader as they leapt up onto the boulder, before settling back as Firestar stepped forward to make his announcements. All was well and good, until his final announcement. Juncostar had been, admittedly, a little bored listening to the string of new warriors and apprentices, finding a little amusement in how quickly the ginger tom and his mate were populating their Clan, until the chilling reveal. He stared back at the other leader in horror at the graphic details he gave, wondering if it may have been better to leave those bits out. He sent a fretful glance in his son's direction, praying that this news wasn't going to upset him too terribly.

He was silent for probably too long, struggling to collect himself before he'd have to make his own announcement. He swallowed hard, painfully aware of the silence that had settled over the cats below them. If there was a serial killer running around in the forest, then what was there to say that ShadowClan wasn't next? He turned his eyes on Mercuryrose, noticing the dark look in her eyes. She looked like she knew something about this, and he made a mental note to bring it up to her later. Despite how she might feel about him right then, they would need to work together to be sure that their Clanmates were safe.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, Juncostar struggled to find a way to transition into his own speech. He had to forcefully remind himself that now was not the time to be cracking jokes. "Well that sure is one way to open a gathering," he attempted, ears falling to his skull as he realized how ill-timed that comment probably was. "ShadowClan, thankfully, hasn't seen anything from this guy. We've been blessed with an easy moon, and we've got some new warriors and apprentices ourselves. Ravenclaw has earned his warrior name, along with Creekroar, Lilyfall, Flintsmoke and Hollystorm. My own son has become an apprentice!" he announced, chest full with pride. "Aspenpaw has started his training, as have Almondpaw and Bogpaw. Our Hareflight has retired from her healing duties, and I'm proud to say that she and Crashingtide are expecting kits!" He was beaming as he told this, his eyes glowing brightly with his happiness for the pair.

"We also have welcomed kits into our nursery. My late niece, Nightsong, welcomed Lightkit, Squirrelkit, Owlkit and Acornkit this moon. They are comfortable, well-loved and thriving in our very own nursery," he concluded, a smirk touching his lips for his secret jab at Hawkstar and ThunderClan. With his announcement over now, he settled back into his previous spot to await the next leader's own. He looked once more to Mercuryrose, feeling the dread seep back into his belly.

W A S P S I G H T

Soon, the ShadowClan healer was joined by the medicine cats of the other Clans. Littlewoods of WindClan approached their circle, seeming as friendly as always and noting Hareflight’s absence within his offer to assist if it was needed. Waspsight offered a meek smile. “Ah, yes. Hareflight has retired to the nursery, so it’s just me from now on, I’m afraid.”

Next to arrive were the ThunderClan healers, Peachblossom and Figheart. They did not appear to be as surprised as Littlewoods that Hareflight was not present. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had told them at the last meeting that she was planning on retiring, he thought to himself when he glanced at the cream molly. After all, Peachblossom and Hareflight were close friends. “Greetings, Peachblossom, Figheart- congratulations again on your full name.”

He wished that he could have exchanged pleasantries with his fellow medicine cats longer, but it seemed as though Firestar had other ideas. The SkyClan leader began the gathering, giving the Clans an update on how his Clan was thriving, as most leaders did. It was their chance to boast about how well they were doing, after all. However, near the end of his announcement, things took an abrupt change.

A serial killer? The small tom thought, the hair on the back of his neck rising despite his best wishes to seem calm in front of his peers. ShadowClan had been blessed enough that they didn’t have the same encounters SkyClan had, but the thought sent shivers down his spine.

Firestar

Leader of Skyclan

Within the span of 30 minutes or so, the Skyclan Leader had watched Shadowclan, Thunderclan, Riverclan, and lastly Windclan filter into their gathering spot. Arching a brow as he takes in every leader, most newly appointed, yet there was a few he recognized. Firestar still wondered deep down how Juncostar became leader, not because he was not a good warrior! But from his brief interactions with the leader showed Firestar that Juncostar often enough did not take serious situations seriously which could cost the Shadowclan Leader dearly in the future. He was soon proven right as the Shadowclan Leader attempted to lighten the mood. Arching a brow in slight amusement as Mercuryrose barely gave her leader a reaction before nodding in greetings before heading off to socialize. “Hmm not as much as with others” Fire hums out to Juncostar as his attention is drawn to the new Thunderclan Leader, distaste filling his mouth at the sight of Hawkstar—remembering how his narcissistic daughter, Oceanstorm murdered his son. It still pained him even though he had learned the truth of the mask Copperheart had been wearing, but that did not mean he forgave Oceanstorm.

Tearing his sharp gaze away from the dark colored tom before taking note that Riverclan as well had a newly appointed leader. What was with all these leaders? He had never seen so many clans go through leaders like fresh-kill. Firestar hums at the thought, not knowing nor particularly caring to know who the new leader was—expect for the fact Copperstar appeared to be heavily pregnant, hopefully they had a capable deputy while the leader is on maternity leave. At least Windclan’s leadership remains intact, though he could sense a shift within Windclan. He had heard rumors of a civil war that broke out with the clan, but from the looks of it Desertstar remained standing. Out of all the leaders standing before him, he trusted and felt the most comfortable with Desertstar. Which the Maine Coon found amusing as he knew of the love/hate relationship Skyclan and Windclan held for each other. Giving the other four clans several minutes to find their place and settle. His facial expression remaining neutral while on the inside he was impatient to get his announcements over with. “Let’s get started shall we?” Firestar suggests, even though he technically was not asking.

Rising to his full height, taking a few steps forward, standing in front of the other leaders to address the five clans below. Noticing the whisperings of clans catching up decease upon noticing his presence. “Firstly I just want to thank everyone for making the journey during Leaf-Bare. Especially those who have to travel farther than others” Firestar begins, it hadn’t gone unnoticed by the perspective leader that the clans were not their usual cheery selves, and he could only assume why. “Skyclan has been blessed with a mild leaf-bare this season. The Snow storm caused minor difficulties but nothing we could not handle” nodding his cranium in respect to his clanmates, pride in how efficiently his clan handled the crisis. “I would like everyone to welcome several new warriors to Skyclan! Silverwolf has proven herself to be a force to be reckon with, and I am pleased to have her in my clan” Firestar gives a subtle nod in the silver and white tabby molly’s direction next to Wildbear. Former kittypet or not, she proved to be a warrior.

“Ryecatcher, Finchsong, Coyotestrike, Cranewhisper, and Acornpounce have earned their full names and place as warriors!” He announces with a small smile as his bicolored gaze flickers to each one, knowing the hardships they had to go through with the passing of their parents and their missing sister, Laurelpaw. Turning his attention now towards his first litter with Auroraskies, grinning in pride at the warriors they have become. Deciding to give them their own moment without being associated to being the children of a leader he continues. “Thornheart, Primrosethorn, Tumblewave, Cosmosong, Beedrop, and Scorchmountain have joined the ranks of warriors of Skyclan, they have proven themselves wholeheartedly!” His deep voice booms throughout the Ghostly Flats. He was still honestly surprised that Thornheart and Scorchmountain had made it this far, as he could remember it as if it was yesterday just how much of an handful they were. Then he looks down at the dark warrior, one he had taken in as his warden, promising to raise him as if he was his own. The troublemaker certainly matured into a fine warrior, “And lastly Sootpath! He has put everything into becoming the warrior he is today! They all have earned it!” Firestar waits for a brief moment as the clans congratulate the newly made warriors before he continues.

“With new warriors come new apprentices! My second litter with my mate, Auroraskies have received their apprentice names! Welcome Northpaw, Ebonypaw, Sterlingpaw, Lotuspaw, and Scarletpaw!” He might have given his oldest children a moment to themselves, but he could not pass the opportunity to embarrass his second litter. “Auroraskies and I have also welcomed our third litter: Solarkit, Magmakit, Geodekit, Lavakit, and Monarchkit!” After he finishes announcing the newly warriors, apprentices, and kits does his posture change. Tensing up as his expression becomes more subdued at what he was about to reveal. “Though with life comes with death” Firestar says, his tone lowering in anger but he could not tell if he was angry at the Ripper or himself for not being able to protect one of his own.

Steeling his resolve, clenching his jaw tightly before managing to continue. “One of our own has perished in a horrific death. Granitemask was an honorable warrior that would have done anything for his clan. For that reason I feel that I owe him to share just how he died” he could feel the stillness in the air, the clans below restless at the sudden turn of his announcements. He could also sense the intrigue and curiosity of the other leaders behind him, wondering what he would say next. “He was murdered! Brutally by decapitating him and tossing his body in front of our camp. His body barely recognizable due to the fact his paws, tail, and head was horrifically removed and replaced with parts of two felines, one was black and the other ginger. They remain unknown but it told me this feline has murdered before…” trailing off at the numerous gasps and sobs echoing around him.

Closing his eyes briefly in a moment of silence, respecting one of his fallen warriors before opening his eyes. His one ember and one emerald eyes blazing in defiance, “My mate Auroraskies informed me that she has seen this work before, this pattern. During her time in the city this signature was connected to a psychotic killer called 'The Ripper'.”

Peachblossom

Thunderclan

It was nice to be able to march into the gathering with a leader she could be proud of, her leader, the choice she got to make. Hawkstar wasn't perfect by any means but he was Kass’ prodigy and a fine warrior himself, he could protect Thunderclan and that's all she cared about. Peachblossom glanced up at her now fully named apprentice, Figheart, surprised that he was able to convince Hazelface to stay home, cold winter nights weren't good for an expecting mother. “Don’t worry Figheart, Thunderclan is well protected even on a cold night like tonight.”

Not seeing Hareflight sitting with the rest of the medicine cats didn't feel real to Peachblossom, she knew why Hareflight made the decision she did but they had started their journey together and she thought they'd stay together until the end of their days. Approaching the group of healers Peachblossom gave them her respects before moving to sit in the back of the group, without Hareflight there she felt more alone than she had in a long while. Figheart was old enough to converse with the rest of the medicine cats without her direct supervision allowing her to step back into her shell for the gathering. While her little family back at Thunderclan was growing and thriving her little medicine cat family was slowly falling apart, Hareflight and her were the last ones from the older days left and now its just Peachblossom left to carry the torch and light the way for next generation of medicine cats alone. It was heartbraking but the clans were left with some fine healers of their own for many seasons of practice under their pelts now. Maybe her time was going to be up soon as well.

Scorchedbone

Windclan

Scorchedbones lithe frame strided closely to Desertrain, his bi colored gaze ever so often glancing down at the molly offering her side smiles when he could. She always seemed to be tied at his hip since she found him injured on the outskirts, not that he was complaining. Desertrain was cute and fun to be around, not to mention the glares he caught her mother Desertstar tossing him from time to time it entertained him. It had been a long while since he had seen so many cats gathered in one place before when he was a young kit himself back when the gang had its greatest numbers. His ears swiveled when the mollies' voice reached his ears, flicking in acknowledgment to her words while his gaze followed their leader to a large boulder with a few other felines. I guess thats where the other clan leaders hang out. “Come on I should be thanking you, I’ll need someone to explain to me what is happening here.” A deep rumbling purr following his words.

He could help but let out a small brief chuckle as the molly swiftly tried to correct her words by covering her muzzle. Trying to reassure Desertrain he draped his ember speckled tail over her casually, “I hope they didn't have to experience such tragedies but I think we’ll find out soon enough.”

~Sleetswan The Silent Dreamer~

Sleetswan, though he did not voice it, concurred with his brother Edgefrost. The off-white tom with emerald eyes would rather be back at camp, instead of squished together between the clans like this. He wanted to turn tail and march back the way he came and return home, or rather, he wanted to be at camp with a certain molly as pretty as the sun that had caught his fancy.

He had never felt so drawn to another cat outside of his kin before, not even the few friends he had in his circle were ever this interesting to him. They didn't pull him in like Morningsun did, and the tom found himself thinking about her often, perhaps far too often. He had yet to speak of this to his family, that he had found someone that could turn out to be special to him.

Sleetswan was a rather reserved feline, so he did not often speak of his personal affairs, not even to his own family. He also hadn't spent much time with them, mostly due to the fact that well - a majority of them were deceased and... the others?

They had their own lives, and he dared not interrupt too often. Not that he didn't love his family deeply, he did, he loved them more than he'd ever be able to express. It's just that.., Sleetswan had deep-rooted issues in dealing with loss and his family was no stranger to it.

The loss of his mother Swanpath was particularly harsh on him, especially since he had been so young when she had passed on to Starclan. Sleetswan shared a lot in common with his nephew Tundrapaw, he had also lost Snowstar very young, the former Riverclan leader having vanished- leaving behind Sleetswan's brother Edgefrost to continue raising him and his siblings as a single parent. The both of them were reserved and also crippled by the loss of their mothers. Perhaps that is why Copperstar had chosen Sleetswan to mentor young Tundrapaw, due to their similar nature and pasts. Sleetswan had barely just settled by his brothers, when Auroraskies and another feline seemingly popped in out of nowhere, causing the off-white tom to startle ever so slightly, but he regained composure as swiftly as he had lost it. He hadn't been expecting anyone to approach him or his brothers this evening, so it was a surprise, was it a pleasant one? That remained to be seen. When Auroraskies introduced the other feline, Sleetswan's interest was piqued- she told them that his original name was Orion, but his clan given name was Cometchaser. Sleetswan stared at the tom, his expression unreadable, and when he made a joke that fell flatter than a fish flopping out of the river and onto the bank of the river- Sleetswan took in a deep breath and released it in the form of a sigh. "A real charmer, isn't he?" He directed his comment towards Auroraskies, with a chuff.

Littlewoods

Windclan Medicine Cat

"Good evening!" Littlewoods eagerly greeted Figheart as he joined the assembled medicine cats, waving his tail in greeting. As the other tom settled amongst them, he tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. "Well, our stores have been as well-stocked as they can be for nearly-leafbare." He mewed softly, "I have found the same... some of my herbs have become brittle because of the cold, and the morning frosts lately..." He twitched his whiskers in mild frustration.

"But the cold is nothing we aren't used to! I've insisted on our warriors and apprentices helping every cat weave anything soft and insulating we can find into the walls of the nursery and elders' den mostly... our kits and elders need the extra protection." He puffed out his chest with a little wholesome pride. "We may be used to it, but there's no harm in protecting our young and old from the elements."

Figheart Medicine Cat of ThunderClan

"Its so cold tonight, maybe we should have told more people to stay back," Figheart fretted to his mentor Peachblossom, glancing behind him at the rag tag group of felines in their care. ThunderClan was no doubt thriving under their new leader, but that didn't stop him from worrying about his clan mates. He'd barely been able to convince Hazelface to stay home, the love of his life who was so passionate and so stubborn, but also so very pregnant. Normally he wouldn't be able to sway the passionate she-cat, but the reminder of their impending family and the warm nursery waiting for her seemed to be enough to keep her home- as long as he updated her immediately when he came home of course. He was grateful she stayed home, it was one less thing for him to have to worry about. Figheart had mixed feelings about gatherings. He saw the good in them, the joyful chatter between old friends, the reminiscing on the past, but he also saw the leaders, who seemed to always put on this tough facade. The tension between the leaders, no matter their personal feelings on each other, was always so sharp you could claw it in half. They wanted to prove themselves, that they represented the best clan- but that wasn't what the clans were supposed to be for! The clans were supposed to help each other and live in harmony with each other. One wrong move and they could upset StarClan, and whatever disaster would follow would essentially be their own faults. The combined chatter of clan-cats and celestial beings grew stronger as they neared the gathering point. When they got there, it was almost unbearable, the mixture of sounds. Beings he couldn't even see, the ancestors of the clans, all seemed to have come to watch their gathering. Not that he could see them, but from the sounds of it, most people were just happy to see their families alive and well. Figheart approached the boulder the leaders were to stand upon, gulping at the sight of the leaders against the full moon. Would they behave? He glanced at Hawkstar, unsure what was to come from the night ahead.

He turned to look at the other healers, suddenly realizing this is the first time he's seen any of them since his ceremony. "Good evening," Figheart greeted formally, dipping his head. "It's nice to see you all, how are your stores? I've found the late change in seasons this time has made some of our herbs dry unevenly. " He chattered away, happy to be able to speak to other cats who spoke his language: herbs. "Littlewoods, how is WindClan? I hope its not too cold this year on the mountain," he asked the WindClanner with a smile.

Littlewoods

Windclan Medicine Cat

Following behind his leader and deputy, the little tom easily kept pace with the other cats, glancing over his shoulder occasionally to ensure that his clanmates who had been chosen to come to the gathering all remained in line. Occasionally, the medicine cat ducked to the back of the cluster of Windclan cats to nudge a paricularly nosey apprentice back into the throng of cats, much to their chagrin. The last thing he wanted at this point was for his clanmates to end up in danger on their way to a gathering of all places. With the Ripper's terror spreading among the clans, he felt a much bigger burden to keep his clanmates safe.

Perhaps it would be time for him to take on an apprentice soon- but he was still so young. He was almost thirty moons old, but at the same time he knew that if anything happened to him, Startledcrow wouldn't want to take over for him once more. He had a new life with his family. Speaking of his family, Quailpaw had been determined to cause problems the entire journey, and Littlewoods had to nudge her away from the edge of the crowd and into the other cats, despite her protests.

Once he was satisfied she wouldn't try to escape again, he padded toward Waspsight, dipping his head politely to the other tom, sitting down and curling his fluffy tail over his paws. Ducking his head, he lowered his voice to speak to his fellow medicine cat without interrupting the leaders.

"How is Hareflight?" He asked, having noticed that the tom arrived on his own- Littlewoods was of course interested in how Waspsight's former mentor was doing. "If you need anything at all, you can come to me any time." He gave the tom a reassuring blink- "It's always hard, the first time without your mentor."

------------

Quailpaw

Windclan Apprentice

It was Quailpaw's first gathering, and unlike most apprentices she would rather be anywhere else. With the goings-on in the clans as of late, the normally cocky and bratty young apprentice had been shivering the entire time. After hearing of what the Ripper had done to cats, she didn't want to end up as one of the victims. Sticking her tongue out at Littlewoods as the medicine cat caught her trying to head out back to camp, she pushed her way into the group of cats- she was searching for cats her own age to introduce herself to.

Edgefrost

Riverclan Warrior

“I would rather be anywhere but here.” Edgefrost grumbled, rolling his dark green eyes at Sleekfeather’s words. The black and gray Maine Coon looked over at Oceanstorm for a moment, nodding to the dark grey Bengal for a moment before looking at Hawkstar, the Thunderclan leader seemed on edge for some unusual reason. Dipping his head towards the leader in greetings, Edge let out a small shurg before turning back to his eldest brother, it wasn’t his business anyways.. He retired from interfering with other clan’s businesses after Sandadder.

“You know if you simply don’t like going to these things, you can simply refuse to go.” A familiar voice said, a couple of moments later Auroraskies had appeared with Orion behind her. The Traveler of Windclan was catching up with his older sister, both of them were discussing important issues before spotting Edgefrost with his other siblings. Scrunching her nose playfully at Sleekfeather, Auroraskies shook her head in amusement “Come on, time to socialize, He’s been wanting to meet you.. Loves the grumpy types.” Aurora said, as it wasn’t a secret that Orion loved interacting with others. Stars, if Orion had managed to get Hailgaze and Firestar, the two most serious high ranks to at least grin.. Orion would certainly be able to get Sleekfeather, Edgefrost and Sleetswan smiling.

“This is Orion, his name clan is Cometchaser.. He’s our brother!” Auroraskies introduced Cometchaser to Sleekfeather. The massive black Maine Coon tom watched the black Bengal with an arched eyebrow for a moment, observing the other tom. Between keeping an eye out on his daughters and finally meeting Desertstar’s brother, it was certainly an interesting night so far. It seemed like the children of Twilightfoot and Sandadder were always meant to have their paths intertwined, the friendship between Sleekfeather and Auroraskies, Orion and Desertstar along with Sleekfeather and Edge’s brotherhood was important.. Orion couldn’t help but wonder what the next generation held, he already noticed how his daughters had an incredible bond with Desertstar’s kits.

“Pleased to meet ya.” Orion said with a boyish grin, his dark green eyes lit up. There was always something about the former loner that everyone had found more charismatic than anything, it was because Orion always knew how to please an audience. “Mrs couldn’t make it tonight, she does send her well wishes,” The black Maine Coon said, acknowledging that his mate wouldn’t make it tonight. With Heatherpetal’s kits arriving soon, Goldenrose and Startledcrow were by her side more than usual. Narrowing his eyes at the serious expressions of Sleekfeather, Edgefrost and Sleetswan.. Orion cracked a grin

“Have I told you three that your faces are like stars, they shine like the night sky?” Orion said, which caused Aurora to groan before shaking her head. It was going to be a long night with all four toms.

Mercuryrose

Shadowclan Deputy

The black and rose-gold Maine Coon molly had remained silent as she was next to Juncostar, feeling a couple of glances that were looking at her and the Shadowclan leader. Mercuryrose hadn’t uttered a word to Juncostar, not even looking towards him ever since their argument that caused the Shadowclan deputy to be side-tracked from her usual duties. Looking behind her, it wasn’t until her dark green gaze caught the sight of her son Ravenclaw with Mintstrike along with Widowsting, all three of them in a deep conversation. While her gaze softened slightly, the molly turned away and looked ahead. It wasn’t until Shadowclan had finally arrived, that her eyes narrowed. Mercuryrose had always hated gatherings, the molly hated socializing with others that weren’t worth her time.

Letting out a soft snort at Juncostar’s words, she turned the opposite direction and padded off. It didn’t matter if there was a gathering, Mercuryrose was too stubborn enough to speak to him. Flicking her feathery tail in dismissal, she watched everyone in Shadowclan breaking off to speak with the others. Heading towards the direction of where the deputies sat. Looking up, she met the bicolored eyes of her brother-in-law, Firestar. The Shadowclan Deputy and Skyclan Leader had encounters at the border previously, starting when Auroraskies and Firestar had courted each other during the events of the Horde. The two felines respected each other, Mercuryrose had liked how the ginger Maine Coon treated her sister. Nodding to the Leader in greeting, it wasn’t until she heard a loud squeal of excitement before the smaller and leaner form of Auroraskies suddenly collided into the much larger female.

“Mercy!” Auroraskies greeted warmly, rubbing her cheek against her sister’s. Mercuryrose had a small smile on her face with almost a bashful expression as well. The two sisters had two different personalities and structures, while Mercurose had inherited their father’s large size and sharper features, Aurora inherited their mother’s smaller size and fuller face. A couple of moments later, Ravenclaw had approached the two females and Auroraskies went towards her nephew and brought him into a tight hug. It wasn’t until she looked at Ravenclaw and a gentle smile appeared on her face “Thornheart and the others are nearby, and it’s time for you to meet my second litter.. They’re with Beedrop and Cosmosong.” Auroraskies said, asking her daughters from her first litter to look after their little siblings tonight. Ravenclaw nodded and excused himself to find his cousins, excited to meet the newest apprentices. While the sisters were looking at him leaving, it wasn’t until Auroraskies looked towards her younger sister with a small frown on her face.

“There is something we need to speak about.”

Within that, Auroraskies had led Mercuryrose to a quiet area so the two could speak privately to each other.

Ten minutes later..

Mercuryrose had an unreadable expression, her dark green gaze was looming around her surroundings. Truth be told, the Shadowclan deputy felt paranoid as she was trying not to give a reaction that would be seen as unusual by others. Making her way towards the deputies’ spot, the black and rose-gold molly had taken a seat nearby and only acknowledged the other deputies with a simple nod. However, she ignored Briarstep’s existence altogether. Mercuryrose could tell that Shadowclan knew something was wrong with the deputy’s blank expression, biting the inside of her cheek as she kept quiet. It was as if Mercuryrose was a completely different feline. While she was listening to the others, her dark green gaze was looking towards the crowd of felines.. As if waiting for something.

W A S P S I G H T

He was a bit nervous, his heart thumping anxiously in his chest like a caged bird. As he left camp with Juncostar and Mercuryrose, the calico tom-cat couldn’t help but look over his shoulder at his mentor as he left her behind. Or should he say, his former mentor. Hareflight had retired from being a medicine cat and had chosen a new path for herself in the nursery with her mate, Crashingtide. As happy as he was for her, for them, a part of himself greatly panged for her companionship at his side. The bobtail healer had long been the one to guide him to gatherings and to medicine cat meetings but now… Now he walked without her. Now he was the Clan healer.

Waspsight knew he wasn’t a child anymore. He wasn’t the same meek kit that was afraid of the world and needed to be protected. But to say that he was prepared to advance in the stage of life without Hareflight at his flank would be the farthest thing from the truth. He chewed the inside of his mouth restlessly, keeping pace with his leader and deputy as they formed the head of the group of cats that headed to the ghostly flats.

He was grateful for Scorpionthroat, who had been his largest support system in this time of change and uncertainty. His mate had been nothing but kind and understanding and he felt incredibly relieved that he had someone that could be there for him at the end of the day. Even without his mentor, he wasn’t alone.

Change aside, the ShadowClan medicine cat hoped that things could progress smoothly tonight… Ever since Hawkstar had come to ShadowClan camp, their borders had been tense. He could only imagine how out of paw the gathering could turn with tempers high.

When ShadowClan arrived to the ghostly flats, Waspsight quietly dismissed himself from Scorpionthroat’s side and made his way to join the medicine cats, for the first time by himself.

The full moon hung directly overhead, casting everything beneath it in a soft, silvery glow. Desertstar walked beside her deputy, Hailgaze, silently leading her clanmates into the clear night. She slowed to a stop when she reached the edge of The Ghostly Flats, where the trees gave way to the flat, windy hill where the five clans gathered. Ahead, the large stone from which the leaders sat rose towards the sky, wind blowing through the dead, brittle leaves. “Looks like everyone is already here,”she pointed out, the light from the moon flashing a pale yellow in her golden eyes as she observed the busy clearing. “Is everyone ready?” she asked the group following behind her, then when everyone had nodded, she took a deep breath and signaled for them to follow. As her clan dispersed into the crowd, she made her way towards the large rock, gracefully leaping to the top to find a seat amongst the other leaders. Once there, she realized that she didn’t recognize any of the other leaders— well, except for Firestar. He’d been leader longer than she had been. Carefully arranging her expression into one of composure, she dipped her head. “Greetings,” she addressed them all in a formal tone, her eyes landing on Firestar when she opened them. She’d planned to tease him with a joke or two, but in a flash of moonlight, she could see that his eyes were bloodshot from grieving and wide with fury, and decided against it. Instead, she quietly took a seat beside him and said nothing more.

Trying not to tremble, Desertrain sat next to Scorchedbones nearest to the front of the gathering, her blue eyes softening when they met with his. “T-thank you for sitting with m-me,” she purred, favoring him with a hesitant smile before adding, “It might not be under the best of circumstances but I’m happy t-to be here,” she admitted sheepishly, wondering if it was even right to feel happy in this moment. Given everything that had happened, most would find it difficult to find joy in anything. Then, a look of curious speculation passed over her features, and she clumsily blurted out the first thought that came to her: “Do you think t-the other clans are experiencing the rippers’ terror, too?” she stuttered uncertainly, and though her voice was hardly above a whisper, she clasped a paw over her mouth, afraid that what she’d might have been considered insensitive.

“Why are we always the ones that get roped into going to these things?” Sleekfeather asked in a bored tone, yawning loudly. Now that he didn’t have any reason to come here, he dreaded being chosen to participate in gatherings. From the corner of his turquoise gaze he spotted his sister’s familiar dappled pelt, turning his head just in time to see her jump atop the stone with the other leaders. The smallest of smiles brightened his normally annoyed expression. For once he felt happy to see her, and even more happy to see that she’d healed from her injuries.

~Copperstar of Riverclan~

Copperstar felt like a fish out of water as he hobbled his way to the gathering, his chosen clanmates trailing along after him. His deputy Lavendermoon to his right and their newly named medicine cat Venomrose to his left. It had been a while since Copperstar had been ruthlessly attacked within a dark cave, unfortunately he did not see his attacker, and therefore was left rather paranoid for a few sunrises and sunsets that followed.

The Leader had been out and about conducting his own solo-search for a few missing Riverclanners, mainly Galepaw, and he had been caught unawares and ambushed.

Unfortunately, the Riverclan leader couldn’t recall much else other than that he was nearly maimed, he was lucky that he didn’t lose a life, and luckier still that nothing untoward had happened to his kits. Of which he had no idea he was harboring until after the attack.

He was still in the tail-end stages of recovering from the attack and his attacker had struck again not too long ago, but not at him.

Instead, his attacker had slaughtered a few of his clanmates without a shred of mercy. It was a day of unrelenting mourning and heart ache for the entire clan, so many bright and wonderful youths had their tales cut short so tragically. However, not all was grim, for his first litter of kits had finally become warriors, some sooner than others- but that was beside the point.

The fluffy orange tabby-tom finally breeched the edge of the Ghostly Flats and padded awkwardly through the clearing, his pregnancy was surely visible by all, it wouldn’t be too long before he kitted perhaps in the next week or two. Though that wasn’t the only thing that would be noticed by the other clans present, surely the horrific scar running from underneath his right eye, down his neck and just between his shoulders would be seen by all as well- along with his tattered right ear, and shallow scars across his chest.

Copperstar ignored the burning stars of the other felines around him, many apprentices from the other clans gazing at him in horror, no one had seen the Riverclan Leader as of recent and now they all knew why. The Riverclan Leader poured every ounce of his concentration on keeping himself from limping due to the burning ache still settled deep within his shoulders, and he forced his head to remain high. It was rather difficult for him to move, but he managed it, because he had to be strong for his clan, to pick up the pieces that were shattered when Snowstar vanished.

Finally, the orange tom had closed the distance between himself and the large rock and took a deep breath. He lowered himself to the ground, his big belly and throbbing pain between his shoulders making his weight shift oddly. However, without missing a beat, his muscles bunched up and he launched himself up and onto the rock. He landed quite haphazardly against the surface, and flailed for a moment, but he regained his pawing and pulled himself up and onto the rock. He clawed his way up the side of the rock and then turned around and plopped down into a sit.

The Riverclan leader wishes he could be anywhere else but here right now, he was not in the most pleasant of moods, especially when his kits were moving about inside of him, as if they were fighting battles in his belly already.

“Good evening.” He addressed the other Leaders already present, despite his dower demeanor, he may as well attempt some formality.

Hawkstar padded into the ancient hollow. He was always blown away by how abruptly the tangled wilderness opened up to the well-worn clearing in which the gatherings took place. He could feel the old earth under his feet, slicked down by generations of steps before his own. The magnitude of the chain of cats linked to him was unnerving, to say the least. In moments like this, he pushed away those feelings and resorted to sarcasm to evade the anxiety they provoked.

“Be on your guard, and best behavior.” He instructed his Clan with a flick of his long raven-feather tail. He himself did not have a great many friends in the other Clans. There was Edgefrost, a handsome RiverClan tom, but from where he was Hawkstar couldn’t see if he was in attendance tonight. I hope his children are well, he thought, making a note to make a few passes by the RiverClan border in hopes of a chance encounter.

As for himself, Hawkstar made a beeline for the place where the Leaders gathered. He was not particularly friendly with most of them, certainly not Firestar after the incident with his daughters. His gaze rested conflicted on Juncostar as well, who had just spoken.

“Oh I don’t know about that.” He grunted.

Juncostar

shadowclan leader

It wasn't long after SkyClan had gotten to the Ghostly Flats that Juncostar and ShadowClan came to the edge of the clearing. There was the ever-present bounce in the tom's step, his tail held high despite the churning in his belly. With tensions rising between himself and Hawkstar, he wasn't looking forward to being so close to a large group of the other Clan's warriors tonight. What was there to say they'd respect the rules of a gathering, if they couldn't respect another Clan's privacy in their nursery? Even so, he still had some hope that this would go smoothly. The alarm bells that normally rang when trouble was coming weren't sounding behind his ears, and so he was ready to go into this thing blind.

With an easy wave of his tail, he motioned his Clan forward, approaching the boulder standing at the head of the clearing. He noticed that they were only the second Clan to arrive, and that SkyClan seemed to be on edge. He didn't make a habit of keeping up with the happenings in other Clans when they didn't directly affect him or those he loved-- a bad habit, probably, considering his position in his own-- and so he was caught off guard on seeing that. He paused briefly before leaping to the top of the boulder, turning amber eyes on Mercuryrose. "Some-cat must'a stuck ticks in all their nests," he joked, offering an awkward grin. He wasn't unaware that she likely hated him at this point, especially given her recent silence, but he was desperate to get some kind of reaction from her.

With that, he made the leap up to where Firestar stood. Giving a small nod in the other tom's direction, flashing a smile in greeting, the ShadowClanner eyed the other tom. It was always unsettling being so close to some-cat so much larger than he, even if he was used to a good chunk of his own warriors standing nearly a head taller than he did. He didn't know if he was intimidated by or attracted to the SkyClan leader-- or both. Whichever it was, he couldn't hold his tongue and decided right then was the perfect time to crack a joke. "'Can't be that disappointed to see me, are ya?"