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EOTW: Waning Moon: Chapter Six

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Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War
Book 3: Waning Moon
Chapter Six

     Blazeheart, Ambertalon, and Snowfall were lying beside the fallen birch, swapping small talk over a shared starling. There wasn't enough for the three warriors to have their own meal. Blazeheart tried not to feel too bitter about the fierce hunger that clawed at his belly as Snowfall licked the last of the bird's meat off its feathers. It was only a moon into leafbare, and prey was already so scarce. Blazeheart was scared of just how much worse it would get further into the cold season.

     As the warriors began clearing away the feathers, a call rang out from the High Ledge. “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the High Ledge for a Clan meeting!” Blazeheart looked up to see Bramblestar standing atop the High Ledge, framed by the soft light of the setting sun. The warrior was chilled by the grave expression his leader wore.

     Snowfall sneezed as feathers brushed against the leather of his nose. He lifted his head, twitching his nose as he stared up at the High Ledge. “What's this about, do you think?” he asked curiously.

     Ambertalon and Blazeheart swapped a glance. They had decided to hold off on telling Snowfall and any of their Clanmates about the events of last night's Gathering. Bramblestar had promised to tell the whole Clan that night anyway, and they hadn't wanted to cause a panic before their leader could explain it himself. “We'll find out soon,” was all Ambertalon said. “Now come on, I want to get a good seat this time. I'm too short to see from the back.”

     The three warriors stood, leaving the birch behind as they made their way towards the High Ledge. A small crowd was already beginning to gather. Many cats were murmuring to each other, clearly confused about the reason for the meeting. But Blazeheart could see the cats who had attended the Gathering sitting in silence, wearing expressions of grim concern. Molefoot and Dovewing shared a worried glance, and Poppyfrost was staring dead ahead, as though determined not to meet the glance of any of her Clanmates. Even Silentstorm, towards the edge of the crowd beside Sparkpaw and Lightpaw, wore a grim, uncertain expression. It seemed word hadn't spread about Breeze yet, beyond the cats who had seen him themselves.

     Bramblestar waited until every cat was present before speaking. “Warriors of ThunderClan, you all know the Gathering was held last night. Your Clanmates may have told you about it, and they may have not. But what took place last night is something you all need to know about.” He paused, before announcing, “Breezepelt has returned to the lake.”

     Shocked mews rippled through the crowd. The older warriors were sharing worried glances, but the younger cats didn't seem to understand the ramifications of the tom's return. Beside Blazeheart, Snowfall muttered, clearly confused, “That WindClan tom who was exiled for fighting with the Dark Forest?”

     “And he's not alone,” Bramblestar called over the confused mewing of his Clanmates. “It seems he has gained a following in his exile.

     Blazeheart could sense his Clanmates growing more uneasy. "What kind of following?" Rosepetal asked from beside Bumblestripe. "How many cats?"

     Squirrelflight pushed her way through the crowd, coming to stand before the base of the High Ledge. Now that her kits were getting older, the deputy was more confident in leaving them longer to attend to her duties. Grimly, she told Rosepetal, "Enough to stand in battle against all four Clans."

     That set off a burst of worried cries. Warriors were sharing fearful glances, eyes flaring with panic. "Will he attack us?" Daisy called out in a trembling mew.

      "Does he want our territory?" Seedlight asked.

     Birchfall guessed, "Revenge, for being exiled?"

     Bramblestar shook his head. "It's more complicated than that," he told his warriors. "Breeze has his followers convinced that the Clans and the warrior code are corrupt, and this way of living must be eradicated. He has demanded that the Clans disband entirely, and reject the warrior code."

     Outraged yowls greeted this news, but Bramblestar didn't wait for them to stop before continuing, "He has given us until next full moon to leave our camps and our Clanmates, but has promised that if we have not left by each half moon until then, he will leave us a warning of some kind." The dark tabby looked down into the crowd, his pitying gaze falling upon Finchpaw. The young tom's ear was swaddled in cobwebs, and his eyes still held a faint trace of the terror that had blazed there the night before. "The rogues proved the seriousness of their intentions by trapping an apprentice from each Clan, and leaving them with a permanent mark on their ear." Finchpaw dipped his head shamefully. Beside him, Foxleap curled his tail comfortingly around his son, and Hazeltail gave him a swift lick between the ears, murmuring something Blazeheart couldn't hear.

     His Clanmates' shock was beginning to die down, replaced by clear anger. After the horrible way his sister had died, ThunderClan tended to be pretty protective of young Finchpaw. Blazeheart could hear warriors all around him growling. But even through their anger, he could smell fear-scent rising steadily from the cats all around him. His Clanmates knew this was a serious threat to all of their lives, and they were very rightfully afraid.

     Over the concerned cries of the gathered cats, Blazeheart heard Mousewhisker call out, "What are we going to do about Breeze's demands?"

      Ambertalon twisted her head around to look at him, gazing at the older warrior as though he'd sprouted horns. "Are you mouse-brained?" she demanded. "Isn't it obvious? We stand and fight. We can't let a gutless bully like Breeze drive us from our home!"

      Blazeheart felt a blaze of fierce loyalty - Ambertalon was right, they had to defend their home. But to his shock, he realized not every cat agreed with the bold young she-cat. Cats were glancing uneasily at each other, murmuring in low tones, full of fear.

      Bramblestar lifted his tail for silence. Amusement flickered in his eyes as he rumbled, "ThunderClan honors your courage, Ambertalon, and your confidence. But the threat Breeze poses to our Clan is very grave. We must discuss this as a Clan." His stretched his chin out, seeking something at the back of the crowd. "What do the elders say?"

      Blazeheart looked over his shoulder. The elders were all grouped together by the back of the crowd. He was startled by the indecision in their eyes. After a few moments of murmuring together, Cloudtail lifted his head. He called out to Bramblestar, "ThunderClan has survived losing one territory, it can survive losing another. The Great Journey taught us that the warrior code can survive anywhere. If we flee, we can preserve our way of life, away from Breeze and his rogues."

      The other elders nodded slowly, clearly in agreement. Only Sorreltail didn't seem to concur. She glared at Cloudtail, calling to Bramblestar, "I remember when BloodClan threatened to steal our home from us. The Clans rose up against them, and we won. We can do it again."

       "At what cost?" Brightheart countered. "We lost many good cats that day. And in the end, we lost our home a few moons later anyway. ThunderClan can survive just as well by the lake as in the old forest, and if we leave the lake and find a new home, we can still survive."

     Lashing her tail, Sorreltail argued "We lost our home to twolegs. No cat can fight twolegs and their monsters. But Breeze and his rogues are just cats. We're warriors - this is what we've been trained for, to defend our Clanmates and our home against the threat of attack. If we let ourselves be driven from our home every time there's even the hint of a threat, how could we ever call ourselves warriors? We'd just be drifters, too spineless to settle anywhere." When the other elders glanced away from her, she snorted, declaring, "Well, I don't care what Breeze and his rogues want. I've already lost one home. I'm not about to lose another."

     Bramblestar dipped his head to her, then glanced out at the rest of his Clan. "Does anyone else agree with Cloudtail?" he asked. "Who thinks we should flee?"

     Many warriors seemed to hesitate, as if unwilling to suggest a cowardly option like that. But finally, Poppyfrost lifted her muzzle, mewing gravely, “I saw the size of Breeze's following last night. We lost many cats in the Dark Battle – the Clans are still weak, and small in numbers. I truly think we don't stand a chance against Breeze. Our best bet is to run, and keep the warrior code alive.”

     “I know Breeze,” Mousewhisker added, a dark gleam in his eyes. “He hates the Clans with a passion. He wouldn't have come back until he was sure he had enough cats to wipe out the Clans entirely. We should run.”

     “But can we really outrun him?” Blazeheart was surprised to hear Daisy's hesitant mew. She gazed out at the crowd, fear flickering in her gaze as she said, “Maybe we should just do what he said.”

     Ambertalon gaped at her. “What?” Daisy flinched at her tone, but didn't look away as the tiny warrior hissed, “Are you saying we should kick dirt over the warrior code and become rogues? Or even worse, kittypets?”

     “Where's your Clan loyalty?” Spiderleg spat. “Trust a kittypet to want to leave Clan life behind at the first sign of danger.”

     Daisy's eyes flicked with hurt at the words of her former mate, but her mew grew unusually hard as she hissed, “How dare you accuse me of being disloyal? I've helped raise almost every warrior here. ThunderClan are family to me, as precious to me as my kits.” Her icy blue eyes were solemn as she mewed, “But I was a kittypet, and I know that there are other ways to live than being a warrior, perfectly good ways to live. If Breeze is truly as dangerous as Bramblestar says, he won't stop until every warrior is dead, no matter how far we run. I would rather watch the cats, all these cats I've raised from their first steps to their warrior name, leave the life they've prided themselves on to be rogues and kittypets, before I watch them be destroyed by Breeze.”

     Cats were still murmuring with shock, but Bramblestar watched with calm eyes. “Does any cat agree with Daisy?”

     There was a hesitation. “No,” Mousewhisker finally mewed. “We are a Clan, and we always will be. But I think the best way for the Clan to survive is to leave the lake behind.”

     More warriors were beginning to murmur in agreement. Others, however, were staring at their Clanmates in disbelief. “I can't believe what I'm hearing,” Berrynose hissed. “We're warriors. We're trained to fight. And you all want to run?”

     “You older cats always go on and on about the forest,” Seedlight hissed, “But the rest of us were born here. This is our home. And we will die defending it, if necessary. That's what you trained us for.”

     Molefoot lifted his head. He had been one of the cats to see Breeze last night, and the sheer number of cats who followed him. But his tone was calm as he rumbled, “Every one of us made the same oath the day we earned our names. We promised to protect and defend our Clan, and our home, even at the cost of our lives. We knew what it meant then, and we still carry it with us now, The life of a warrior will always carry the danger of death. We accept that risk, because we know that the warrior code, and the life it offers our young and old, our sick and wounded, is worth defending to the death. The oath we made calls us to fight no matter what foe we face; we must honor that oath now, and face Breeze, whatever danger he poses.”

     Appreciative murmurs broke out across the camp. Blazeheart heard Sorreltail murmur, “Well said.” The younger cats were all nodding, their gazes growing more determined. Blazeheart felt the same determination in his heart – he was born here, like all the younger warriors. This was his home, and he would defend it to the death. “Molefoot is right,” Blazeheart said, surprised at his own boldness – he rarely spoke at Clan meetings. “We know the risks, and we accept them. We can't let Breeze take our home from us.”

     Bramblestar nodded slowly. Blazeheart could see a glint of pride in his amber eyes at the courage of his warriors. But he kept his tone neutral as he mewed, “I know what my warriors have promised, but I cannot ask more of them than they are willing to give,” he mewed. “We fled the forest when the twolegs destroyed it -sometimes, a warrior's only option is to run.” He gazed down into the crowd, mewing carefully, “Ivypool? You know Breeze best out of all of us. What do you think the best approach is?”

     The utterly grim light in the silver-and-white tabby's eyes chilled Blazeheart to the roots of his pelt. “I've fought against Breeze many nights in the Dark Forest,” Ivypool rasped. “I know how determined he is, how utterly he hates the Clans. Running won't do us any good. If he's sworn to destroy the Clans unless we disband, he will chase us to wherever we flee, and he won't stop until every warrior, kit, and elder is dead. Our only chance is to stand, and fight.”

     As the warriors murmured ominously, Bramblestar glanced towards the edge of the crowd, where a certain small gray tabby sat. “Jayfeather? Has StarClan spoken to you about this?”

     Jayfeather's nose wrinkled as he sniffed, “StarClan has better things to do than decide everything for the clans,” he reminded his leader dryly. At Bramblestar's unamused glare, he amended it to, “I spoke with Yellowfang last night. StarClan knows what happened, but they're divided. All Yellowfang told me was that Breeze would bring darkness to the Clans, and no cat was safe as long as his shadow stretches over the lake.”

     Shocked murmurs broke out. Blazeheart felt a shiver run down to the very tip of his tail. Ever since the Dark Battle, StarClan had seemed like this great, invincible presence, always standing strong behind the Clans, always protecting them. If even they were frightened by the threat Breeze posed, it only showed how truly dangerous he and his cats were. For a moment, his resolve wavered.

     Even through the fearful murmurs of the Clan, Leafpool lifted her muzzle, meowing clearly, “I was the one who was given the sign that the lake was meant to be our home. When we arrived, we were only going to stay the night before moving on. We were lost, scared, utterly deprived of home and pride, and even of StarClan. All we had was each other. But I saw the light of Silverpelt reflected on the lake, and I knew that StarClan watched over us once more. They knew that this was meant to be our home, and they promised to watch over us as long as we were here.” She looked out to the cats around her, her eyes lit up with the certainty of her own words. Blazeheart was almost chilled by the glow of starlight in her eyes. “This is where the Clans belong,” she mewed clearly. “StarClan led us here, and we've made it ours, through the moons. We have defended it before, and we will defend it again.”

     In a low voice, Jayfeather added, “The pawprints of ancient cats have walked here, moon upon moon, long before we came. And now our paws walk here. We once fought with the strength of the stars behind us to defend this land – there is no threat that Breeze can offer that will ever be worse than the Dark Forest. This is a battle we can win.”

     Cats were beginning to calm from Jayfeather's earlier words. Blazeheart could see cats looking at each other, nodding slowly, as if agreeing to an unspoken question. Even the cats who had spoken of leaving were beginning to look ashamed. Bramblestar looked down into the crowd, carefully measuring the gazes of his warriors. “Those in favor of staying, yowl in favor,” he rumbled.

     Yowls began to rise from the crowd. Blazeheart split his jaws open, adding his own voice to the cries of his Clanmates. He was pleased to hear the loud, rumbling cacophony of voices that were yowling in support.

     Once their voices fell silent, Bramblestar mewed, “All in favor of fleeing, yowl in support.”

     Blazeheart felt a rush of relief at the lackluster response. Many of the cats who had spoken in favor of fleeing before were staying silent, ears and tails flicking uncomfortably. His hopes rose as he realized far, far fewer cats were yowling in support of fleeing than of staying.

     Finally, Bramblestar asked, “All in favor of disbanding?”

     Utter silence. Daisy looked back and forth between her Clanmates, clearly uncertain, but she didn't dare yowl in the face of so many loyal warriors. After a few moments, she just dipped her head, ears flattening in defeat.

     Bramblestar lifted his head head. “Very well. The Clan has spoken. ThunderClan will remain by the lake, and we will stand against Breeze, whatever he threatens.” He flicked his tail, tone suddenly brisk as he mewed, “We must prepare. Breeze has given us a full moon, but we have two warnings waiting for us for the half moons. We can't let them catch us unprepared. Squirrelflight, organize patrols to reinforce the dens and the entrance, and double the hunting and border patrols. We need our warriors well-fed if we have any hope of meeting any attacks. In the coming days, we will make this camp as protected and prepared as possible.”

     Blazeheart felt a thrill run through his pelt. ThunderClan would fight, together, as it was meant to be. As scared as he was, he almost felt oddly calm. Nothing could touch ThunderClan, not now that they stood together.

     Even as the Clan meeting began to break up, Lilyfrost called out, “What about the other Clans? Will we fight with them?”

     Bramblestar hesitated. “Normally, I would say yes. But right now, things have been tense since the flood, and the battle with Shrew and her cats. Our primary concern has to be ThunderClan – if we find we truly need their help, I will send messengers to their camps, but for now, ThunderClan stands alone.” He lifted his head, his amber eyes gleaming. “Now, let's get prepared.”
COVER: link
ALLEGIANCES: link
PROLOGUE: link
PREVIOUS: link
NEXT: link

Ugh, I stayed up way too late to finish this, but whatever. At least it's finally finished.

Here we get to see more of ThunderClan's thoughts on Breeze and his followers. I probably had more I wanted to say here, but whatever.

Next chapter will be in Blazeheart's POV again.

Still looking for help with the Echoes of the War Wiki. If you want to help add summaries to character/book articles, or help with character art, go ahead and join! If not, I'm just grateful to have readers. :D Here's the link again, for anyone who needs it: warriors-echoes-of-the-war.wik…
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missydanced2's avatar
Your story just keeps getting better and better!!! 
I love it, just totally love it