Rogue Invasion

~A large number of rogues have been invading the territories, creating tension between the Clans and their members. As the Clans worry about being forced from their homes if they choose to take back their territory, they find themselves in the middle of a drought. Warriors and apprentices are becoming weaker by the day while many kits and elders have already perished. This story opens on a full-moon Gathering where some Clan leaders are concerned by a suggestion that Starclan has abandoned them. Other find themselves more concerned with how they will save their clan from their fate.


Brightstar entered the clearing with RiverClan at her heels, flicking her ears. The clearing was empty so far; RiverClan was first. "Remember," she warned. "Don't give away anything!" As murmurs of agreement sounded behind her, she turned and headed toward the Great Oak.

Ivystar woke up from her nap, remembering they have to take the journey to the Great Oak for the Gathering. She woke everyone up, and made sure everyone got a peice of fresh kill. They set off, into the heat of the desert.

Once the Tribe cats saw the forest, they were parched. The ran to the river to get a drink. Once their thirst was quenched, they set off to the Great Oak. Once they made it to the Great Oak, they noticed that Riverclan beat them there. The cTribe all sat down while Ivystar jumped up on one of the highest branches on the Great Oak. She nodded hello to Brightstar, then looked down at her Tribemates.

Lightningstar slipped out of her den, hazel eyes dark with worry. "ThunderClan, those I have chosen to attend the Gathering with me, come. We will be going now!" she yowled. Once all the cats and her son, the medicine cat along with his apprentice appeared they left, shooting through the forest toward Great Oak. Before running the rest of the way down, Lightningstar stopped. "Remember. Do not speak of what I have forbidden you to speak of." After that, the lithe gray and white leader made her way toward Ivystar and Brightstar with a friendly smile. Her hazel eyes were carefully veiling her worry with warm kindness.

(posting for my mother <3)

Petalstar padded through the forest, the rest of Iceclan on her heels. As they appoarched the hollow, Petalstar flicked her tail for the patorl to wait for her signal. "Hmm...the tribe and Riverclan have already arrived. Leave it to the forest dwellers to always come early!" Petalstar thought dryily, then she gave the signal and Iceclan padded into the hollow, their heads held high and the moonlight glittering off of their silver, white, gray, and black pelts. Petalstar nodded her deputy, Icee, off and then headed toward the Great Oak. Climbing up the Great Oak, she saw many cats surprized that she had become leader of Iceclan. Petalstar nodded a frosty greeting to Ivystar, her sister, and Brighstar, leader of Riverclan before she took her place above the leaders.

Brightstar flicked her ears coolly at Ivystar and Petalfrost. "Greetings," she said mildly. Her silver tabby pelt shone in the moonlight, and she sat on the swaying branches with ease. Her blue eyes raked the ranks of her warriors, until the rested on Iceclaw, who sat among them, half-hidden behind Rainsplash. Brightstar tasted the air, and she looked around for her apprentice, Reedpaw, because he couldn't spot his black pelt among the RiverClan patrol. Then she spotted him. He was huddling behind Fabfur, only the tell-tale gleam of his green eyes were visible as he glared around at the other Clans.

Phoenixwing sat down beside Icee, her dark gray tabby fur bristling. "I don't like how the Clans are keeping to themselves, and only to themselves today." She glanced up at the moon, apprehended to already see wisps of ghostly clouds floating on it.

"So?" Desertclaw smirked. "We're better then them anyways. I bet they're scared of us!' He looked around the clearing, his eyes gleaming with challenge. "We'd beat them black and blue if they'd dare attack." As he said the last sentence he lowered his voice to a murmur. "I wonder what's taking everyone else so long," he complained, his mind darting back and forth between ideas, too jumpy to stay on one thought for long. "FireClan isn't here, AwesomeClan isn't, neither is ShadowClan, or Windclan, or, or, hey! I'm thirsty. Anyone want to go drink some water?'

Talonstrike sat huddled at the back of the group feeling meiserable and hot. Without the cool moisture of nearby water, the heat was oppresive. even though it was already night time, the air was still stuffy. He plucked at a bunch of knotted grass with his claws, trying to tkae his mind of the stickiness of the air. "I wish they'd hurry up already," Talonstrike grumbled, loud enough for his clanmates to hear. "I wish the air wasnt so stuffy." Realizing his complaints would probably annoy everyone, he closed his mouth and endured on in silence.

Sorrelstar slunk up behind the Great Oak. She silently and quickly scurried to a low branch. "Hello," she meowed quietly to the other leaders. Sorrelstar gazed at the crowd of cats as her warriors and apprentices joined them. The clan kept to the far corner closest to their territory. She glanced up at Petalstar and shook her head in disbelief. "Petalfrost?" she meowed in surprise. "What are you doing in the tree..? Where is Snowstar.." she finished softly. Sorrelstar glared expectantly at the she cat.

Ginger blaze took her spot as Deputy, nodding her head. She curled her ginger fluffy tail neatly around her paws, her eyes nuetral. She stared in shock as she saw Petalfrost standing on the tree. "What happened to Snowstar..?" She asked the black and white IceClan deputy, confusion evident on her face by the expression on her face. She looked at the other leaders. Hmm, she thought. Not many leaders here..... She waited rather impatiently for the other leaders to show up, the tip of her tail swishing back and forth irritably. Come on already! Growled a voice in the back of her mind. "Should we just start the Gathering?" She asked the other deputies sitting around her thoughtfully.

Brightstar ignored ShadowClan's puzzled comments. She was just as confused and curious, but refrained from showing it. "There's still three Clans absent," she meowed, gazing down at the Shadow Clan deputy. It was... Gingerblaze? Flicking her ears, she added. "We shall wait for awhile more, but if they don't show up by then, we can only assume they were held up, or refused to come." Brightstar sat back again, glancing at the sky from time to time. The cloud wisps were growing heavier and darker all the while, and more clouds were inching across the sky. "Reedpaw!" she called. "Go and see if there's any Clan coming." The black apprentice flicked his ears obediently and vanished into the crowd.

Phoenixwing glanced at Desertclaw with amusement. "Shhh. You can go later."

"I am the new Leader of Iceclan!" Petalstar growled then added frostily "And call me Petalstar!!" she then raked her icey blue gaze across the clearing and she addressed all the clan cats and their leaders coldly "And if anyone in any clan has a probelem with my leader ship of Iceclan, they shall take it up with me!" she then flashed her clan mates a small nervous glance before she returned to her frosty outgoing look,

Sorrelstar flattened her ears. "I was just asking, Petalstar.." she mewed quietly. She shuffled her brown and orange paws and stared longingly at the ground. Right now the ShadowClan leader just wanted to leave. She shook her though off and turned to the crowd of cats. Her eyes rested on Gingerblaze. Sorrelstar flicked her tail in annoyance and signaled the orange and white she cat not to talk.

Maplestream sighed. She was tired of waiting, and she wished PetalSTAR wouldn't talk like that so that there wouldn't be any hostility. The rogue attacks and drought were already enough of a burden, she thought. She glanced toward the sky and saw the ominous traces of dark clouds. Maplestream tried to ignore her thirst and continued to wait. She hoped StarClan hadn't abandoned them...

Icetail sighed and flicked her tail. Now where in StarClan is Skystar? We need her! Since she felt like they wouldn't leave anytime soon, she started to groom her pelt. I would want to at least look decent if we're late for the gathering. She looked around camp for a sign of any of her friends to talk to. And where's Rainfeather?! Do I have to go to this gathering by myself?

"Petalstar, just calm down. There was no reason to talk to Sorrelstar like that." Ivystar meowed. She looked down at her clanmates, and then her children. She looked down at the medicine cats to see Lilystream, who was talking with the other medicine cats. Ivystar looked at her, telling her not to tell anyone anything.She looked at her, and nodded. Ivystar laid down and sighed, "Why are we still waiting? The other clans should be here by now! Let's go ahead and start the Gathering."

"Shall we go ahead and start the gathering even though the other clans aren't here? We're wasting moonligh." Petalstar mewed, her voice calmer. Petalstar stared out at the clearing, watching her daughter and son mingle with the tribe. Pride sparked in her eyes as she saw how much more muscular Mallownose was and how lithe and pretty Gracesong was now. Shuffling down her branch, Petalstar dipped down on her branch in front of Ivystar, her sister, and mewed quietly "How are Banekit and Snakekit?" she asked quietly, not wanting the other leaders to learn about how she left her recent kits with her sister.

"They miss you dearly, but they're fine." Ivystar replied softly, "Snowfrost is watching them right now." She looked at her five apprentices, making sure they weren't telling anyone anything about the rogues around their territory.

Brightstar surveyed the Clans calmly. They were getting restless, the night was getting old. "Very well," she said, voice flat. "Let's begin." She let a yowl, silencing the cats below. Flickng her ears, she stepped back anf flicked her tail at Petalstar. Brightstar nodded politely and sat down. It was proper, she thought, to allow a ew leader to speak first at the Gathering. Her blue eyes glowed like lanterns as the foliage of the oak obscured her from view casting deep shadows over her so only her eyes were visible.

Gingerblaze looked up at the leaders intently, her bright green eyes not wavering as she listened to them, looking for any flaws in their speech as they stood on the tree. She also examined the Clan cats, to see if any of them looked especially weak, or sick or anything of the sort. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of the RiverClan cats, fish reaking the air from their pelts. She saw a distinctive tabby pelt trying to get a spot in the front, and motioned with her tail for the small cat to come next to her. He nodded his head, and reluctantly walked over. "I'm not gonna bite," She meowed as she laid her tail on her paws neatly, letting out a soft and quiet purr at the young apprentice's sheepish smile. "Of course not, Gingerblaze," He murmured, his green eyes now veiling whatever emotions he was feeling. "Pinepaw, you'll make a great Warrior, but you need to be quiet," She purred with a small chuckle, but he knew what she was speaking was half true, and half joking. He started to say something that was probably going to be sarcastic, knowing Pinepaw, but she motioned with her tail for him to be quiet. He obeyed reluctantly, and fixed his eyes on the leaders.

CheeseStar entered rather hesitantly, noting the thick tension in the air as the moon cast silky waves on the metallic pelts of the cats. Almost slipping on a rock, she steadied herself as she joined the other leaders.

Sorrelstar dipped her head to Cheesestar. "'Sup," she whispered softly as she leaned towards her. She gestured to Petalstar. "Drama queen. Didn't know she became leader and got all fussy about it." Sorrelstar shook her head. "Doing well?"

Brightstar turned at the sound of claws scraping on the bark. "Welcome Cheesesar," she meowed. She fluffed out her thick, glossy coat and let her blue eyes sweep over the Clans below again. She felt a flash of satisfaction that RiverClan looked like one of the stronget Clans present. They were lucky when the Twolegs built an artificial stream that ran between the Twolegplace, veering into RiverClan territory for several meter and continueing back on its steady course aurrounding the Twoleg nests. The water level in it was already dropping, but Brightstar noticed that it always stayed with a little bit of water even as the other streams' water level was growing lower and lower. She twitched her ears impatiently. The rogue problem was alittle harder though. Her warriors had spotted multitudes of them around the Twolegplace, and Reedpaw had actually gotten into a fight with one of them.

CheeseStar nodded at Sorrelstar. "Well, it's not like anyone has to be friends." She smiled cheekily like the Cheshire cat (if that's even possible). She thought a moment. The twolegs and rogues couldn't quite reach the Clan's territory, although it the drought was hitting them hard. Even though the clouds were still dense with whatever rainfall left behind, it was going to dry up pretty soon due to the intense heat they were feeling at the moment.

"Enough water where you are? Drought's pretty rough. But you, like, live in the rain pretty much.." she meowed. Sorrelstar yawned and whispered softly. "Maybe you do me a favor and sprinkle a little rain on ShadowClan territory...?" she asked jokingly. Sorrelstar glanced back at the other leaders before smiling widely at Cheesestar.

Brightstar twitched her ears at the conversation going on between the ShadowClan and AwesomeClan leaders. Something going on? Hmm. She dug her claws deeper into the bark as a strong gust of wind rattled the branches of the tree violently. Tail waving to keep her balance, she crouched down, deciding to get to know some stuff about the other Clans while they all waited for Petalstar to give her report. "Hey CheeseStar," she whispered, blue eyes peering down at her old friend. "You good?"