[TB] DAWN -- Chapter 6

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Dawn was brightening the sky by the time Russetstar led the way through the fern-and-rush tunnel into ShadowClan camp. Stoneheart’s shoulders did not feel lighter by the rays of the sun – he only felt sapped of energy, tired and hopeless as the Twoleg monsters roared to life in the distance. How could the meeting have gone so badly?

Russetstar wasted little time. She trotted across the camp - ignoring the curious mews from ShadowClan cats who clearly had a hard time sleeping – leaped up onto the Clanrock and raised her voice:

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey come beneath the Clanrock for a Clan meeting!”

Instantly, Stoneheart felt the mood in the camp shift from sleepy curiosity to alert worry. He made his way into the swiftly-forming crowd as his Clanmates took up their positions, shuffling and shivering together in the leaf-fall morning.

“How do you think it went?” wondered Pinewhisker to Nightwing, who was settling on her haunches beside him.

Nightwing’s whiskers twitched. “Not well, from the look on Russetstar’s face!”

Stoneheart swallowed. He felt Finchsong squeeze in beside him, pressing her pelt against his in the throng. “What happened?” the queen asked, her voice hushed in Stoneheart’s ear.

“You’ll hear about it,” Stoneheart murmured back. He felt drained, and wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep through this meeting. He didn’t know if he could take hearing of Leopardstar’s belligerent defiance again.

Russetstar certainly spared her Clan no preamble: “Last night, Blackfoot, Littlecloud, and I met with the leaders of the other three Clans to discuss how we ought to proceed. Unfortunately, only three of us were in agreement on the necessity of leaving the forest – Leopardstar was insistent that the Twolegs posed no threat to RiverClan, and refused to consider leaving.”

“Typical fish-head,” muttered Orre. “She’s always been difficult.” Many of the older warriors, cats who had known Leopardstar longest, nodded in agreement around the golden tom.

“Where does that leave us?” Oakfur wondered, raising his muzzle. “RiverClan might be closing their eyes to the issue, but the rest of us haven’t. Whether it’s to the lake or not, we cannot stay.”

Tallpoppy bristled, and she wasn’t the only one. Cedarheart raised his voice: “I still say that we needn’t leave forever – the Twolegs will find whatever it is they want and then be on their way.”

Stoneheart glowered at his Clanmate, who avoided his eye – or, perhaps, Cedarheart was avoiding his mate, who had already thrown in her lot to go to the lake. Finchsong made no move to counter Cedarheart, but she certainly didn’t move away from Stoneheart to go to his side.

“Either way,” Oakfur pointed out, “we need a plan for the meantime.”

“Agreed,” Russetstar meowed. “I plan to take the senior warriors to counsel in the training area. Oakfur, Cedarheart, Wolftooth, Blackfoot – all of you meet me there, and bring your ideas. We need a plan, and we need it before sunhigh.”

From within the crowd, Littlecloud rose up on his hind legs. “You intend to ignore StarClan?” he asked. “They chose Stoneheart and the others for a reason, that much has been made clear!”

Ripples of worried mews followed the medicine cat’s statement. Having him state outright that he believed that Stoneheart’s message came from StarClan made Stoneheart feel a little better, at least – it would certainly make the doubters and dissenters like Cedarheart and Tallpoppy look more unreasonable.

Russetstar herself, though, frowned. “I do not intend to ignore their message,” she replied, “but I cannot put aside that it was given to all four Clans – if we are not all in agreement, it may be possible that our destination, this lake, would not be open to us. Right now, I need to explore our options in what little time we have.”

Littlecloud sank, his brow furrowing. “I suppose,” he mumbled.

“Tallstar has already given up on his territory and moved in with ThunderClan,” Russetstar went on, turning to the rest of ShadowClan. “The uplands, he says, are barren of prey, and cannot support his Clan. ThunderClan has moved camp near the river. ShadowClan might be next – we need a plan for the now.”

Stoneheart sighed, looking up at his leader. She's assuming that we’re on our own, he thought grimly, as we always are.

Perhaps she’s right.

Russetstar raised her tail and ended the meeting. She leaped down into the crowd, while Blackfoot gathered the senior warriors she had called out around him. Swiftly, they made their way to the training area, dodging curious questions from their Clanmates.

“Incoming,” Finchsong warned.

Stoneheart blinked, confused, before he realized that Russetstar was approaching. The dark ginger she-cat stopped before him and jerked her head, indicating that he should follow.

Surprised, Stoneheart got to his paws. “What’s going on?” he wondered. “Aren’t you going to meet with the senior warriors?”

“I am,” Russetstar meowed, leading the way around the Clanrock. “We are.”

Stoneheart was shocked. “Me? What use am I? I already know where we’re meant to be.”

“I know.” Russetstar paused at the tree branch that bridged the stream between the camp and the training area. She nodded her head to the cats already clustered in the open space beyond. “You’ve far more experience than most with the world beyond our borders, though, and we need that.”

Stoneheart swallowed. She was right about that, at least. Russetstar padded over the branch, and Stoneheart followed. On the other side, he meowed, “Russetstar, there’s one more thing – about the cats that were taken...”

“Oh?” Russetstar turned to him, one paw still raised in a half-step.

“One of them was Tawnypelt,” Stoneheart reminded her.

“I know that.” Her tone was thin, impatient. Her tail twitched, and she glanced at the cats she had summoned. They were looking towards Russetstar and Stoneheart, eyes flickering with confusion at a conversation they couldn’t hear. “They’re all waiting, Stoneheart; get to the point.”

“Feathertail mentioned that if we somehow got Tawnypelt back, Leopardstar might reconsider,” Stoneheart explained. “If we can--”

Russetstar lifted her tail to interrupt him. “That's a big if, Stoneheart – we have no idea where our own missing cat is, or have you forgotten?”

“I haven’t.” Stoneheart felt his fur lift. How dare she think I’ve forgotten my own mate! “But Tawnypelt was taken by Twolegs, too – maybe she and Rowanclaw are together, wherever they, and the others, are?”

That idea seemed to give Russetstar pause, and she frowned. Then, she decided, “It’s worth considering; but we still don’t know where they might be, and it’s looking like we might not have the time to search. I agree that Tawnypelt might have been able to sway Leopardstar, but I still think we need to face what’s before us right now.”

Stoneheart opened his jaws to protest – Rowanclaw! The prophecy! - but he knew Russetstar would not hear of it right now.

Russetstar’s gaze on him softened. Stoneheart realized he must have been pulling a rebellious face, because she touched her nose to his ear and meowed, “If ever you are leader of this Clan, Stoneheart, you will come to learn just how difficult a job it is. You cannot please everyone and, sometimes, regrettably... you cannot save everyone.”

Stoneheart felt a lump in his throat, and he struggled to swallow around it. He hated that what she said made sense – putting himself in her paws was an overwhelming thought, though perhaps not as overwhelming as it had been before his journey to the lake.

Russetstar moved away, crossing the empty training clearing and settling down on her haunches beside Blackfoot. Glumly, Stoneheart followed, trying to keep his paws from dragging in the soft earth.

“Where are we, then?” Russetstar asked, curling her tail around her paws. Stoneheart settled down a pace away, ears forward to listen. “I want ideas.”

“There’s always Twolegplace,” Blackfoot pointed out. “We have plenty of cats who know the terrain, and it might be the best bet we have for a place to stay... or a place to wait out this madness.”

Wolftooth curled his lip, clearly offended by the notion. “It’s a worse idea than you think, Blackfoot – Twolegplace is where organization goes to die.”

Russetstar frowned at her warriors. “It is an option, though. And the only one we’ve got, unless someone else wants to chime in?” She looked to the rest of her small council, eyes flickering with interest.

“I say we just go to this lake without the other Clans,” Wolftooth grunted. The gray tom nodded at Stoneheart. “I believe him, and we’re likely to spend a long time searching for another suitable place.”

Stoneheart might have been warmed by Wolftooth’s approval, but Cedarheart was not a fan. He bristled, glaring at Stoneheart: “I still think this lake business is ridiculous! Why would StarClan send him, above all other cats they could have chosen?”

“It’s not like it was up to me,” Stoneheart grunted back, glaring across the group at Cedarheart. “I dreamed what I dreamed, saw what I saw, and did what I did – it was all for ShadowClan, whether you believe me or not. The lake is where we’re meant to be.”

“Where the four Clans are meant to be,” Russetstar reminded gently. “We aren’t all exactly in agreement on that, and who knows what that might mean for the prophecy?”

Oakfur put in, “Perhaps we could make our way to the lake on our own and try to find someplace else along the way? The lake might be made for the four Clans, but we likely won’t be four Clans when we leave.”

Stoneheart reeled. The idea of the four Clans that had stood together for as far back as anyone could recall splitting apart was unreal – but even Fourtrees clearly could not withstand the Twolegs. Perhaps that meant the four Clans weren’t meant to, either?

Then why send us at all? I cannot believe that the four Clans aren’t meant to be together, Stoneheart told himself. Even if it seems like they’re falling apart.

“It would be a risky journey,” Russetstar meowed, frowning. “We’ve got young, and old as well – but it may be necessary.”

“And Twolegplace?” Blackfoot wondered, raising his brow. He ignored Wolftooth’s snort of derision. “I think that, too, is still an option.”

“As do I,” Russetstar admitted.

“You can’t be serious!” Wolftooth hissed. His tail puffed. “I’m telling you, Russetstar – there's nothing there for us!”

“Agreed,” Stoneheart meowed. He got to his paws, shifting over to Wolftooth to stare squarely at his leader. Part of him felt a little foolish, taking a stand as the youngest warrior in the group, but he’d been invited here, same as them. “Russetstar, Twolegplace is the last place we should settle – especially after what the Twolegs are doing to us now!”

Russetstar blinked at him. “I don’t agree fully with the idea, but it is an option, and one we can explore right now – it may even bear some helpful fruit, Stoneheart. For all the Clans.”

The way she was staring at him made Stoneheart pause. Before he could ask what she meant, Russetstar got to her paws and announced: “Wolftooth, I want you and Stoneheart to explore the Twolegplace. Take another warrior with you – Pinewhisker has experience with Twoleg spaces as well.”

Wolftooth was bristling. “Do you have cotton in your ears, Russetstar? Haven’t you been listening?!”

“I’m wondering if you are listening to me,” Russetstar retorted coolly. “We have little time, and few options – ShadowClan is going to do what we can to explore what lies before us, preferably without uprooting our entire Clan before we must. So, Wolftooth, when can I expect your patrol to return?”

Wolftooth’s tail lashed, bristling as Oakfur, Cedarheart, and Blackfoot looked on with some measure of amusement in their eyes. Stoneheart would have purred, if he weren’t being sent with him – Russetstar certainly had a way of brooking no argument from her warriors.

“Before the half-moon.” Wolftooth deflated, still looking cross but clearly accepting Russetstar’s judgment.

“Good,” Russetstar decided. “Set out immediately. May StarClan watch over you.”

Wolftooth did not respond, stalking back towards camp with a lashing tail. Stoneheart gave Russetstar one more hopeful look, wondering if she intended to elaborate on what she thought was so useful about the Twolegplace – but her head was already bent down, talking quietly with her deputy and their remaining council about prey rationing.

“Stoneheart!” Wolftooth yowled, “Come on!”

Stoneheart jumped to his paws and hurried after Wolftooth, forgoing the tree-bridge entirely and splashing through the stream to meet him beside the Clanrock. He already had Pinewhisker beside him, attended by a worried-looking Nightwing.

“Be careful,” the black she-cat was saying. “The monsters... What if the Twolegs take you, too?”

That’s it! Stoneheart felt like a mouse-brain. Twolegs had taken Rowanclaw and Tawnypelt and the other Clan’s missing cats – Russetstar thinks we might find them in Twolegplace! Hope filled his chest, driving away his uncertainty and worries for the first time since he’d returned to the forest. Russetstar hadn’t dismissed his idea! The missing cats had to be there! Where else could they be – and if they weren’t there, there ought to be some clue as to their whereabouts.

“We can handle it,” Pinewhisker insisted. He looked as if he were still processing this mission, which he’d been suddenly chosen for.

Wolftooth grunted, “We’ll get some traveling herbs from Littlecloud and be off.” The big gray tom was already stalking off towards the medicine cat’s den, tail-tip twitching with annoyance. Pinewhisker followed, but Nightwing hung back with Stoneheart.

“Why can’t I come?” Nightwing wondered, staring after Pinewhisker.

“Russetstar wants us three,” Stoneheart told her sympathetically. Clearly, she had some fondness for Pinewhisker. “The fewer cats running around a Twolegplace, the better; trust me.”

Nightwing didn’t look entirely satisfied, but she turned away, heading for Tallpoppy and  
Skipnose. Stoneheart split away, heading for Littlecloud’s den after Wolftooth. He thought of Rowanclaw, and it gave his steps purpose.

I’m coming, my heart, he thought. For you, and for all the Clans!