In Moonclan - Arriving, Quick Discussions, and a Hesitant Departure

[Longstorm]

As the group of Moonclanners and Questers (plus one) padded into Moonclan camp, all was silent.
The camp was strange, walls of ice and stone partially protecting the camp from the biting winds.
Jace looked around, seeing the barely visible dens and taking in the frozen scents, thinking wistfully after his City home.
"Charming," he mewed cheerily, obviously being sarcastic as everything was as cold and hard as the territory surrounding it.

Leafheart and Barkfur, sitting vigil still, saw the strange cats and automatically fluffed up, Barkfur yowling a warning to the camp.
Leafheart, an orange tabby, snarled at Jace. "What are you doing in our camp," he demanded.

[Guest]

Stormstar padded in after the tom - but how had the drawl-toned tom gotten ahead of him, he'd never know.
"Peace, Leafheart, Barkfur - Sky-Moon honors your diligence, but these cats are not intruders, they are our guests. Wake your Clanmates - all of them. There is a matter of great importance that must be discussed immediately."

In the warrior's den, Raineyes had woken along with Goldenlight, and the others were rising as well. At first they were getting battle-ready, but then they heard their leader speaking of matters that needed discussing.
More awake than his mate, Raineyes padded out.
"Stormstar," he flicked his ears in honorable greeting, "we weren't expecting you until the morning's light - who are these cats?"
Sunclaw looked at him, flicking her ears in greeting to him.
Stormstar replied to his warrior, "The reason must be told not to one, but to all of the Clan."
The blue-eyed warrior flicked his ears in agreement, going to the medicine cat's den to wake his daughter and Otterpool.
"Quickly," he whispered to them, "there are many strange things happening."

[Meany]

Cloudscar went to the nursery to wake the only queen, Spottedfern. "Spottedfern," he mewed to her, "come quickly."
The lovely, older she-cat blinked sleepily. She stretched before mewing, "What is it, Cloudscar?"
"Clan meeting - we have visitors and - and, well, Endless Hunting seems to have sent these visitors a dream about us, our Clan!"
Spottedfern sat up, shaking herself. "The Tribes have come to us with a prophecy," she mewed in wonder.
The white tom with faded ginger spots shook his head. "No, my sister - they're from far, far away, where the Clans from our stories are as real as the kits you will have."
This pricked the queen's interest, and she stood, following her brother out of the den and into the clearing.

Spottedfern was amazed to see the strangers in their camp, seeing just how different they looked and catching just how different their voices were.

Whitelight, in the warrior's den, noticed the lack of her sister's pelt against the back of her own. She woke, and caught the sounds of strange voices outside of the den.
"Hey," she hissed to Windface, "get up - I hear strange voices." She whapped him with her tail and she left withour him.
She received the same explanation as Raineyes had, so she waited with her fellow warriors, looking at the strange cats in wonder, and a mite of suspicion.

Snowfeather looked at the cats of Moonclan. The first thing she noticed was their height - all of them were short.
Another fact about them was that all of them, even those with orange spots, were pale - well, all but a brown she-cat, but even she didn't look like she was out of place.
Most of them were either pale gray or white or pale ginger or a solid, very dark color. They seemed made exactly for their pale yet shadowed territory.
She caught the gaze of a yellow she-cat and nodded to her, not surprised when the nod wasn't returned.

Blackfire was fascinated with the Moonclan camp - it was so much like Darkclan's and yet it wa sthe complete opposite. Where lichen should have been there was icicles. Where a tree should have been there was a snow mound.
So very odd - yet all so wonderful...

[Longstorm]

Windface woke, looking about blearily. His eyes widened when he realized he was the only one left in the den. "Sky-Moon," he exclaimed as he scrambled out. "What..." He was speechless when he caught the sight in the clearing. All around were more than half the amount of cats in his entire Clan, all with strange appearances and strange builds, accents so odd it made his head hurt.
He joined his fellow warriors, seeing that Stormstar looked very calm.

Icepaw wasn't quite as shocked as everyone else - this camp reminded him of the Ice-Shell Willow so it wasn't a big surprise. He rather assumed all Clan camps were like this since he'd never been to one.
But he was interested all the same.
"So this is what a proper Clan camp is like," he mewed, awed. It was all so uniform, yet everything was separated and somehow chaotic at the same time - his kind of place.
He grinned, seeing how all the cats from Moonyclan looked the same even while they were different cats.
Just like Darkclan - this is so brilliant!

Barkfur realized that everyone was already waking up. "Stormstar," she flicked her ears in a nervous respectful greeting, "Our deepest apologies for breaking vigil."
"We thought they were intruders," Leafheart looked embarrassed as well.

Beampaw, in the medicine cat's den, wasn't asleep. I knew this would be happening, she thought, awed. She remembered every word Moonstar had told her, of how strangers would be coming to their Clan to bring great change.
"I'm ready," she mewed to her father, knowing that he would have no idea as to what she meant. She calmly walked past him and into the clearing.
"Oh... wonderful," she breathed, taking in the sight and scents of the strange cats.

[Runfast]

Otterpool awoke suddenly a spilt second after Raineyes had begun to speak.
"It's time," she mewed, and she exited her den quickly after her apprentice.

Raypaw was amazed how fast her entire Clan had gathered.
I guess they would find it exciting, she thought bitterly, because they don't know what's going to happen. She saw her sister and Otterpool walking through the crowd to Stormstar and realized just how different their paths were going to be.
Though she didn't realize it now, this revelation would help her on her path to becoming a great warrior.

Mosspaw looked around at all of the small yet proud cats, finding herself grinning broadly in spite of the uneasiness she felt in her heart.
She spotted a young she-cat that looked like Raypaw and knew that this must be Beampaw, the sister Raypaw mentioned.
Sinewpaw was beside himself in shock and wonder. This place is... just so... crazy.

Cold was sitting near the entrance, making sure the exit was behind him and he could see all of the cats before him.
These were the cats Abyssclan worked so hard to drive out. It wouldn't surprise him if they turned on him and Joyless if they knew their origins.
He passed a glance to Joyless.
Joy was staying near him, thinking the same thing. I need to live long enough to see my kits again - and to see the Loveless one more time. She was still entertaining the fantasy of taking her kits and leaving forever.

[Guest]

Stormstar flicked his tail dismissively to the two young warriors. "It is alright. Your vigil is finished, and many things will happen tonight." He walked past them and onto the slightly raised patch of snow, Sunclaw taking her place next to it.

"Moonclan," he called and all was silent. "I know each and every one of you have the same questions in your hearts; why has your leader allowed so many no-Moonclans to enter our sacred camp. The second, why are they here, and why am I addressing you so late?" He chuckled. "Well, it is not because I have finally gotten ants in my brain."
The crowd chuckled a bit, though the Questers didn't quite understand the phrase.
"The reason I have called you out and the reason these cats, these 'questers' are here are one and the same. Nearly a moon ago, these cats were spoken to by the Tribe of Endless Hunting."
Silence.
"These cats are from very, very far away - if you were to hear their voices you would know this to be true. They are from so very far, my Clanmates, that they, each and every one of them, are from Clans we consider to be legend."

Cries of disbelief followed this statement, Raineyes' call rising above others, "But those are mere stories, Stormstar - they must be deceiving us!" "Why would the Tribe of Endless Hunting take interest in liars?"
"It must be a trick from the Tribes!"
Cries of agreement, snarls of challenges from some to the strangers.
The wizened leader raised his front paw for silence and he got it.

"The tale that Blackfire, a cat of Darkclan, a Clan very much like our own, has told me the story. I saw Stoneteller and the Burnsky this very night - there were no lies in their eyes." He gestured to the black tom with dark eyes who had large, threatening paws.
"Please - let him speak, and you may form your thoughts and share."
All eyes turned to Blackfire.

[Runfast]

"Yes, let him speak," murmured Otterpool.

Sinewpaw saw her from across the clearing - she was a brown and ginger she-cat with warm amber eyes, yet all of the Clan cats seemed to revere her.
Medicine cat, he thought somewhat reservedly.

[Meany]

Blackfire wavered.
"Um..." He cleared his throat.
Snowfeather smirked, laughing softly, sneeringly.
The Darkclanner's eyes narrowed at her and he cleared his throat again, more purposefully.
"I received a dream," there was a "I'll bet," from the crowd. "
But not just me - cats from all over the territories. Where I live, a near moon's journey across the Sky-Stones, there are many cats, many Clans. There's Dewclan, cats of glossy coats who hunt in marshes and golden forests," he gestured to Snowfeather. "There's Tawnyclan, long-legged cats with thick claws, tree-climbers and bird-catchers," he gestured to Sinewpaw and Mosspaw. "There's Abyssclan - a Clan of shadowed trees and stealthy paws," he flicked his tail to Cold and Joyless in the far back. "Then there is those who live in the City, scavengers and quick-footed," he nodded to Jazz and Jace. "And then there is Darkclan, sky-stone dwellers and big-pawed, snow-hunters. I am from Darkclan, as is Icepaw," he flicked his tail to the apprentice.

"We are the Clans who speak to Starclan - we are the cats of these Clans who were chosen, while I don't know why, to here from the... Tribe of Endless Hunting. But it wasn't just us here - it was myself and twenty others...but... some were lost..." He bowed his head. "But we few have made it here, we few, have arrived to tell you what this Endless Hunting has told us, why we have come so very far."
He took a deep breath.
"A moon ago, in my sleep, I saw - I heard - what would govern my steps. I was told my Clan was set to die.
'Across the mountains of darkness lies the fallen moon. Return it to it's home to save all you hold true. Unite or die was the command long ago,'" Snowfeather joined in in reciting it, "'Deny this unity and all will fall to the unknown,'" Jazz joined in, "'Above, Below, Stars and Darkness, Fields of Unending; beware the traitors and those made of surrendering. Bring no more than the perfect unity or your lands will be found burning. Find ths tone in its shattered parts and find those that share the same heart.'"
The Questers fell silent, and, they found, everyone else was silent as well.

Blackfire took a deep breath. The courage he'd found with his fellow Questers speaking in unison had vanished when they'd fallen silent. "We - we found each other. 'Same heart'..."
Snowfeather joined in. "And we found all of you - you need to come back with us."

And that's where hell broke loose.

[Guest]

Goldenlight yowled, "Leave here? Stormstar, surely you're joking!?!"
Raineyes hissed, "This is madness!" The two went on, arguing their cases.

[Meany]

Cloudscar had already heard this. In his mind he'd been going over the pros and cons of his territory, and frankly, maybe a new territory would do them well.
They'd lost many cats in a recent avalanche - maybe they could find a place with less snow?
"I don't know," he mewed, "I wouldn't mind seeing the sun more often..."
Spottedfern looked at her brother, thinking about what her Clan was saying and what her brother was saying. "Maybe," she mewed uncertainly. "But my kits -" Cloudscar looked at her.
"Aren't they a ways off? And I would help you - every step of the way, I would help you. I would never leave your side, Spottedfern."
The she-cat smiled at him. "I know, Cloudscar, I know."

Whitelight looked over at her sister, Goldenlight, mother to her nieces, and mewed, "How do you know it may not be better? You can't just knock it!" Her own opinion was swayed by the recent avalanche, having lost her to-be mate.

Blackfire took a step back, intimidated by the outburst.

[Runfast]

Otterpool sighed and looked down at her apprentice, wondering when the Clan would realize what was truly in their minds.

Talltree yowled to Sunclaw, "This land is ours! We will never leave it! We will never let anyone take it away!"
Raypaw cowered to the ground, the thunderous yowling everywhere.

Barkfur looked at Leafheart, not knowing what to think.

[Longstorm]

Icepaw yowled to some of the cats, "You can't ignore it because you're afraid." He snarled over at Windface, who snarled back, "You're all just liars, I don't care what you voices sound like."

Leafheart, though, heard truth. "We're all just afraid..." The tom had power of his Clanmates since he'd done such a great deed to earn the name 'heart'. "We're all just afraid! Do you hear me - we're AFRAID!"
The crowd began to settle. "I agree - this is our home. It has been for a long time. But I remember the stories, I know what made this our home - fear."
The crowd muttered some agreement, though many were silent. "We let fear drive us one way, and look where it's gotten us - look how few we are compared to the legends we were." He looked at each of his Clanmates, one by one. "We've let fear drive us to the point that we've lost cats." Heads were bowed. "Why should we let fear keep us from something, even though it's seems so bizarre, from something that can be amazing?"
He had center stage, and it was obvious he was having great effect.

Sassypelt looked at the tom, expression unreadable.
Oh, hello, she thought. Someone like me, it would seem... how interesting.

OOC: I won a short story contest for the second year in a row.

[Guest]

Stormstar nodded, "Yes - yes, Leafheart, so aptly named, fear has kept us from all we can be, all we can do..." He twitched his ears in respect. "Moonclan, my family, my warriors - the time speak a word is here - Stay or Go?"

Sunclaw looked at her leader, then to Leafheart, pride in her heart.
"Go," she mewed strongly.
Goldenlight and Raineyes looked at each other uncertainly.
The she-cat looked at Whitelight, her sister, and caught the sadness in her eyes, remembering what she had called moments ago.
"... Go." She looked at her mate. "For a better future."
Raineyes still looked uncertain.

[Longstorm]

"Go," Beampaw called - she was an apprentice, her vote counted.

Leafheart mewed, "Go," determination in his eyes.

Windface wasn't having it. "Stay," he burst out. "I don't want to leave!"

[Runfast]

Talltree nodded, agreeing. "Yes, stay."
Raypaw was shocked that her sister wanted to go - but Raypaw's mind was set. "S-stay."

Otterpool looked down at her apprentice, nodding her approval. "Go," she mewed to Stormstar, a gleam in her eyes.

Barkfur looked around somewhat nervously - she'd trained in these fields, this frozen place, and she'd received her name here. "Stay."

[Meany]

Spottedfern looked at Talltree, her unfortunate mate, feeling torn that he'd chosen to stay.
But you've always know his heart wasn't truly with you - he's never cared for the kits you've had, his kits. It's time to get away.
"Go," she mewed firmly.
Cloudscar smiled at her, pressing his pelt to hers. "Go," he mewed, though his voice caught slightly at the end. He could feel the weight of the single syllable crash down on his shoulders.
Whitelight was on that bandwagon - "Go!"

[Guest]

Raineyes sighed heavily. "Stay," he murmured. He didn't want change - he wanted his kits to grow up and be trained in the same lands he and his father and his father before him had been trained on.
Goldenlight looked at her mate in shock, hurt in her eyes - he looked away from her.

Stormstar looked at his deputy. "Yours is the last, Sunclaw."
The yellow she-cat shook her head - "You heard the count, Stormstar - my vote wouldn't matter." There was a pleading look in her eye, and, in his heart Stormstar knew she would choose 'stay'.
He flicked his ears in understanding, and he turned to address his Clan. "The count is five noes and eight yeses. We will follow these cats to their lands - all of us."

Raineyes spoke first, as he usually did. This time, though, his was far more subdued. "When do we leave?"
Stormstar looked at him. "Immediately. You have slept, many of you - and there will be resting spots along the way. Yes - gather what you think must be brought and we shall make haste towards the Clans."
Sunclaw looked at her leader, sadness and some fear taking hold. "Stormstar," she whispered, "wait - such a journey? Now? When the snows and avalanches will return soon? And you so readily trust these stranger who you only met hours ago?"
The elderly gray tom looked at her. "Sooner the better, as the old saying goes. And I find that if you look closely, deputy, you may find everything comes to an end." There was something he wasn't telling her, but he changed the topic. "I do hope that, one day, Sunclaw, you will forgive me from taking you from your family's resting place." He twitched his ears to her and stepped off of the mound, heading towards his den for the last time.
As he walked past, he saw Leafheart. "Ah, Leafheart - would you run an errand for me?"

[Runfast]

Mosspaw felt like crying out in relief but she also felt like yowling in grief - it was all just so painfully bittersweet. Their Clans would be saves, but at the cost of uprooting a Clan?
It doesn't seem right - oh, Starclan, what have we done?
But even as she thought these things, memories floated back to her mind and her grief was gone for those moments, replaced by minor suspicion and concern for her own wellbeing.
Then it was gone, grief returned, and she went further into the Quester crowd, passing Sassypelt.

Sinewpaw had nodded, clawing the ground in his excitement. "Great," he mewed happily, "we'll be heading home!"

Cold, in the back with Joyless, nodded slowly. "If it must be," he murmured.
Joy, not sure if she'd heard what she thought she heard, whirled around. But alas, the tom looked the same as he always did, no sign of his demeanor changing nor of his mouth opening.
This is getting ridiculous, she thought as she furiously turned away.

[Longstorm]

Icepaw sighed in relief. These cats were smart - they were more like loners than a Clan he knew so far. He liked how they worked.
That, and well - he was a part of fulfilling a prophecy, and that was brilliant in itself!

Jace looked around - "Hooray," he mewed. The arrival of a new Clan in the forest would affect the City very much - in fact, it probably wouldn't affect the City at all.

Leafheart turned to Stormstar. "Yes, Stormstar?"
As he spoke, the Burnsky of the Tribe of Burning Streams padded into the camp. Leafheart looked at her in shock, jaw going slack. With her was Brush but no one else.

Windface, seeing her, exclaimed "What are you doing here!?!?" Thoughts of maybe this all being just a Tribe trick came back.

[Guest]

"Greetings, Burnsky," Stormstar flicked his ears to her. "While you are saving my warrior a trip, you're arrival here is unexpected. What brings you here?"

Goldenlight, not seeing the what was occurring by the other exit, padded up to Snowfeather. "Will the Clans accept us, accept Moonclan?"

[Longstorm]

Sassypelt looked over at the she-cat after watching Mosspaw pad past her. Burnsky - a leader?

Burnsky looked at Stormstar and mewed, "Well, I wanted to know what's become of our... visitors," she was speaking briskly, but curiosity was burning in her eyes.

[Guest]

"The decision has been made - Moonclan will no longer share these lands with the Tribes. We are leaving with the visitors. And while you may think we have been hasty in our reasoning, we have many reasons to leave, some you know and some you don't. It was a pleasure seeing you and Stoneteller and sharing news at meetings, Burnsky - please be sure to pass on the news to the Stoneteller, too." He twitched his ears in a farewell fashion and turned away, tall high in the air.
Sunclaw quickly followed his, the warriors starting to fall in.

[Loki]

OOC: Thanks a lot Runny for RPing my cats- I've been really busy working and my back is playing me up again. Glad I can count on you guys.
IC:
Joy's ears twitched and she looked bemusedly around, "That was easier than expected," she'd mewed it towards Cold but mostly towards herself, It was an open comment.

Sinewpaw's tail curled in excitement, "perfect."
The idea of getting home fast and becoming a warrior was motivation in its self to get home.
Although Sinewpaw had the idea of seeing Jackelpaw and Distortpaw, simply to boast of his massive mission.
Most of all would be the affection of Lokistar, to see the familiar wise face welcome him home...

[Longstorm]

With hesitant paws, Windface joined in the crowd that was streaming towards the far, rarely used exit.
Beampaw looked up at her mentor, a small smile on her lips and excitement in her eyes.
Leafheart twitched his ears respectfully to the Burnsky and nodded to Brush, then followed his Clanmates.

Icepaw was quick to join the flow of cats, still amazed that it had gone so smoothly.
They're one mind, but all different, but they're still one - why can't all Clans be like this?
"It'll be weird, going home," Icepaw mewed to the other apprentices. "We've been through so much."

OOC: If you go back and look, they really have... Btw, HEY LOKI!!!

Burnsky narrowed her eyes. "We're following them," she mewed to Brush that Hangs Over Stream.
Brush, a tom, looked confused - it was a very strange, alien expression on his face. "What about Burning Streams, Burnsky?"
She didn't look at him as she mewed, "We won't follow them for long - just to see if they're telling the truth... besides, Breeze and Glows will watch the Tribe."
Brush closed his mouth, flicking his ears in agreement.
The two cats started after the great group, wondering where their path would take them.

[Meany]

Snowfeather had looked to the she-cat that had approached her and mewed, "I believe they will."
She was now following the group of cats and trying not to brush pelts with Blackfire as she was still very ticked off at him.
Jazz, though, was padding alongside Jace once more. "Here and back again - haha, never knew I'd ever be a part of a great adventure, eh Jace? It's all so great."
Blackfire called back to Icepaw, "Yes, Icepaw, it will be something - and this all counts as training, too you know."

Cloudscar walked with Spottedfern step for step; he would hold true to his promise even when Talltree, his sister's mate, could not.
Whitelight followed her sister and her niece happily, though she was feeling worry and exhilaration simultaneously.

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