The night of the gathering was upon them.

Dawnberry sat in the clearing as the sun dipped behind the trees, twitching her tail anxiously. Her and Rainstar had already notified those that were going, and they were now scattered around camp, eating and murmuring quietly.

As much as she didn't really want him to, Kestrelpaw was coming along. There was no doubt in her mind that DarkClan would show up at the gathering, and she wanted him safe in case they decided to try something. However, if she left him in camp she would have no way of knowing if he was safe if DarkClan ambushed them while they were gone.

It was best for him to be with her, so that she could keep an eye on him.

Wrenfeather was left in charge while she and Rainstar were gone. They needed to keep the camp well protected, and he was the most capable warrior for the job. Dawnberry almost wondered if Wrenfeather should've been deputy instead of her. In her opinion, she was only chosen because Wrenfeather hadn't had an apprentice yet. Rainstar insisted that that wasn't completely true, and that ultimately Dawnberry was the better choice anyway, but she didn't believe him. The grey warrior would've served his Clan with patience and a level head. Bramblepath had taught him well, and it only made sense for him to follow in her pawsteps.

"Are you ready to go?"

Dawnberry looked over to see Rainstar. He looked strong and confident, a far cry from how Dawnberry was feeling.

She got to her paws slowly. "I suppose," she sighed. "I can't help but feel like we're walking into a trap. And even if it isn't, I'd rather have DarkClan stay far far away from us."

Rainstar nodded, flicking his tail towards the entrance in a silent command for her to follow. As the pair walked across camp, the other cats noticed and gradually gathered by the gorse tunnel.

"I know you're worried," he murmured, "but we are strong. We won't let them walk all over us again. Besides, Nettlestar is gone, so we can fight this time."

The cream deputy nodded, yet she was still troubled. She knew it showed but she didn't care. Let her have this time to be afraid before she had to slip on a mask of fearlessness at the gathering.

Softpelt, Darkwillow, Mistlefur, Webpaw, Kestrelpaw, Smallflower, and Mosstail were all gathered, ready to leave. It seemed that they were as antsy as Dawnberry was, and silence coated the group like slime to a frog. Even Kestrelpaw, who was normally bad at reading the mood, was silent, his eyes darting from cat to cat.

"DewClan! Let's move," Rainstar announced, leading the way out of the camp.

They bounded through the forest, heading for the cave nestled between BlazeClan and BreezeClan territory.

Founder's Cave, aptly named for being the first shelter for the cats that founded the clans, ended up becoming the neutral gathering place for them as well. It also doubled as their connection to StarClan, with a small tunnel that led to another cave filled with small crystals. Water flowed from a hole high up in the wall, creating a small pool. The cave was comfortable, and during times of need it wasn't uncommon for cats to shelter there.

Almost too soon, they reached the cave. Sniffing the air, Dawnberry could make out the scents of BreezeClan and BlazeClan. No sign of MudClan, or DarkClan for that matter.

Good, she thought. They needed to warn the other leaders.

The group entered the cave, quickly dispersing to speak with their friends. Rainstar, Dawnberry, and Mistlefur made their way to the back, where the top three of each Clan sat on the sloped path that led up and around the cave to the announcement spot.

As the trio approached, the cats quieted, turning to greet them. 

"Rainstar," Honeystar rumbled, dipping her head. Webstar followed suit, and their deputies, Larkspring and Poppystalk, and medicine cats, Skysong and Nettlebranch, murmured greetings. 

"Honeystar, Webstar," the brown leader responded. "We have something important to discuss, and you aren't going to like it." He wasted no time, glancing towards the entrance and then leaning closer to the group. "DarkClan is back, and I fear MudClan has already fallen."

Honeystar's ears flattened and her eyes narrowed. "Why am I not surprised? How do you even know this? Are you helping them take over the Clans again?" she hissed. 

Rainstar stiffened. "That was Nettlestar's mistake," he meowed coldly. "When it came down to it, we fought as hard as everyone else to drive them out."

Larkspring, the deputy of BreezeClan, shifted her paws, darting a glance at Honeystar. "He's right," she murmured. "And don't pretend you didn't know."

Honeystar immediately turned to snarl at her deputy, but Webstar shouldered himself in front of her, murmuring a few words that made her sit back down.

Dawnberry eyed Larkspring, who had turned her attention to Rainstar. The tabby was younger than her, so she hadn't experienced the battle. It seemed, however, as if she knew the gravity of the situation. Did they try and hit BreezeClan too?

"We saw a patrol of them at our border with MudClan. They killed Sorrelthorn." Her voice broke on the last word, and Dawnberry remembered that Sorrelthorn was her sister. She had spoken to her a few times at gatherings, and the calico she-cat was always lively and upbeat. It was hard not to feel happy around her. 

"I'm sorry for your loss," Rainstar meowed, dipping his head.

"She was a good cat," Dawnberry whispered. "Always brought the mood up." 

Larkspring nodded, staring at her paws. They sat in silence for a moment before gasps and yowls filled the cave.

Immediately, the stench of Darkclan filled Dawnberry's nose. She staggered, her legs weakening, and then collapsed. Memories filled her mind, and her breathing came shallow and fast. She couldn't breathe. 

Her eyes darted frantically across the group crowded at the entrance. Redripple was standing smugly at the head with his apprentice, Gravelpaw. His gaze met hers, and he instantly perked up, his tail waving a greeting.

She felt like throwing up. 

Someone nudged her shoulder, and she broke away to see Larkspring beside her. The younger she-cat's eyes were filled with confusion.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Dawnberry responded hoarsely. "Those cats, they're evil. Especially that ginger one. His name is Redripple. No matter what he says, you need to stay away from him." She didn't bother explaining why, but she hoped the warning was enough. 

Thankfully, Larkspring didn't press the matter, just nodding and helping Dawnberry to her paws. The cream deputy leaned on her friend gratefully, and looked to her leader for instruction.

Rainstar stood still, staring at the group. They were surrounded by hissing and yowling cats, yet they remained silent. His expression was unreadable, but he exuded a type of strength that only a clan leader would have. 

"Quiet!" he commanded. The cave fell silent. "Darkclan, why are you back here? We made it very clear that you were not to be seen back in this forest."

A dark grey female stepped forward, the cats moving to create a space around her. "My name is Shadestar, leader of WhisperClan." Her voice was strong but respectful. "I am aware of how my clan has acted in the past, but we have reformed and are here to claim our ancestor's land, as is rightfully ours. If you would just give us a chance, there can be five clans in the forest again, like it is supposed to be."

"Where's Finchstar?" Larkspring whispered. "I can see Mudclan, and Leafgaze, but not Finchstar."

Now that she mentioned it, Dawnberry could see the cats of MudClan almost hidden beside WhisperClan. Despite what Shadestar said, Dawnberry didn't believe her for a minute. Something was not right. 

Rainstar turned, murmuring quietly with Honeystar and Webstar. After a moment, Webstar stepped forward.

"We will continue this gathering as normal, and you are welcome to join us. If you truly have changed, then we will discuss your situation at the end of the night."

Shadestar dipped her head. "Thank you." She padded forward to join the leaders, flicking her tail. Three cats, a brown tabby tom, a lighter brown tabby tom, and a black she-cat trotted away from their clan and approached the deputies and medicine cats.

"Greetings," the lighter tom meowed. "My name is Hollowwhisker, and I'm WhisperClan's medicine cat. This is my apprentice, Darkpaw."

Dawnberry dipped her head. "Hollowwhisker," she said. She knew the tom, although he was just barely a full medicine cat and she a new apprentice when they met. He was always kind to her, and she almost considered him a sort of father figure. 

"Dawnberry!" he purred. "How have you been?"

Before she could answer, Darkpaw interrupted, looking up at the deputy with large yellow eyes. "You're Dawnberry? Hollowwhisker always talked about you when he was teaching me about the other clans. I almost didn't believe him, because I had never met any other clans before now and I always thought he just told me kit-tales to get me to sleep instead of talking his ear off!" the energetic apprentice babbled.

Dawnberry purred, feeling slightly more at ease now. She may not trust WhisperClan as a whole, but at least there were still good cats in it. 

The other brown tom stepped forward, his face laced with annoyance. "I'm Pinecloud, WhisperClan's deputy," he stated, flashing a glare at Darkpaw. The apprentice immediately shut down, stepping back behind her mentor and staring at the ground. 

Dawnberry immediately decided that she didn't like him. "Oh, speaking of deputies." She turned away, facing Leafgaze who was padding towards them. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Pinecloud lash his tail as he glared. Good, cry like the kit you are. 

"Leafgaze! Where's Finchstar?" Larkspring asked, her eyes brimming with concern. 

The usually upbeat tom glanced at Pinecloud before turning his attention back to the she-cats. "Oh, he's sick," he muttered. "But-but he's fine, totally fine. He was sleeping before we left, Quickdapple gave him some herbs. She says he's fine, right Quickdapple?"

He got the attention of the grey and white lynx-point she-cat, who was sitting nearby. Her gaze darted between the cats, who were staring at her expectantly. "Yeah, of course. Finchstar just ate a bad frog, but he's fine."

"All frogs are bad," Larkspring muttered.

Dawnberry stifled a laugh, but she couldn't help but agree. Frogs were slimy and tasted like mud. Nothing like the rich, sweet tones of mouse meat. 

A commanding yowl drew their attention to the ledge across the cave. The five leaders stood tall, and it shook the cream deputy how familiar it felt.

"Let the gathering begin!"

~~

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