Shattered Streams/Part 2

Chapter 5

'Time of ?????? - Thrushflight'

Thrushflight stared after Snowstorm, who was increasing her speed as she padded away from camp. She was already on ThunderClan’s side of the border.

What will happen now?

“StarClan, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Slashwhisker muttered. “She’s just leaving us without a leader or anything? What happened?”

Thrushflight didn’t say anything. He didn’t think Snowstorm had wanted him to tell everyone why she was leaving.

“And what are we going to do?” Yellowclaw added. “How are we supposed to decide who the leader is?”

Gracklepaw padded over to him from where she had been sitting beside the High-boulder. “How about we find out who the candidates for leader are. Then, we can vote or something.”

“That’s a good idea,” Slashwhisker agreed. Yellowclaw nodded.

I’d better take charge, Thrushflight thought. The medicine cat is third-in-command, right?

“Uh— Cats of RiverClan!” he called. “We need to decide who will lead our Clan now that Snowstorm is gone and Jadestar is dead. Any cat who wishes to become leader, step forward!”

He hoped with all his heart that less than five cats would come forward.

His wish was fulfilled, but only just. Slashwhisker and Yellowclaw both joined him beside the High-boulder, along with Rosethorn and Streamfrost’s brother, Elmleaf.

Thrushflight’s mind raced. How will we decide now? he thought in despair. Gracklepaw nudged him with her tail, giving him a “don’t worry, I’ve got this” look. He sure hoped so.

“Let each cat give a speech about why they wish to become leader,” his apprentice meowed, “and then we can take a vote.”

This proposal was met with yowls of agreement from the Clan, including the four candidates. Yellowclaw stepped forward. “Excuse me, may Slashwhisker and I have just a moment?” he asked quietly.

Thrushflight nodded. “Yes, of course,” he responded, wondering what they were going to talk about. The chestnut-brown and black toms stepped aside and began to converse in low tones.

After a few minutes, they came back. “Yellowclaw and I have come to an agreement,” Slashwhisker meowed calmly. “We both wish to be leader, but if one of us becomes leader, the other will become his deputy. We want to be voted on together, as a pair, and we will decide amongst ourselves which of us will be deputy and which leader.”

Thrushflight nodded to himself. “Yes, that makes sense,” he muttered. “But how will they decide…?” There was no time to dwell on it now; everyone wanted to listen to the leaders’ speeches.

“May we speak first?” Slashwhisker asked.

Thrushflight looked to the other candidates; there were no contradictions. “Go ahead,” he meowed.

“I wish to lead RiverClan because I believe I am a strong and caring leader,” Slashwhisker told the listening cats. “I would always put the Clan first and make sure every cat has enough prey, clean bedding… all those things. I would make sure to never forget apprentice or warrior ceremonies and to give every young cat their names at the right time. I would also remember that every cat is different. Some apprentices are ready for their assessments the instant they reach six moons; other ‘paws have to wait longer. I would consider that, but I would never call unwanted or embarrassing attention to it. Apprentices need to learn independence and dependence when living in a Clan.”

There were meows of approval as Slashwhisker finished talking.

“I support many of Slashwhisker’s views,” Yellowclaw began, “but I know that I would not be the same leader he would be. Deputies and leaders need to be different, so that the deputy can really advise the leader and not just repeat and support everything the leader says. Cats should not follow their leaders’ orders without question. Then again, they should not contradict the leader, but they need to know, cats are not perfect. Leaders are guided by StarClan, but StarClan does not control our lives. I am telling you now, none of you should expect me, Slashwhisker, or any of us—” he glanced at Rosethorn and Elmleaf — “to be perfect leaders. No cat can be a perfect leader.”

Again, cats purred their support, but Thrushflight noticed that they were not all the same ones that had agreed with Slashwhisker.

“May I speak next?” Elmleaf requested.

Rosethorn didn’t object, so Thrushflight nodded.

“I think I would make a good leader for RiverClan because I would not fear the other Clans nor the dangers that the forest houses,” the cream tabby tom meowed. “Nor would I be careless and rush into battle without any thought. Battles are necessary to keep our borders safe, but no intelligent warrior would fight first. Words come before battles. I would also never give the impression that we are weak, but sometimes we must ask other Clans for help. Doing that is not a shameful thing, because if a proud leader dies, a humble one survives.”

This was answered by several cheers, including, Thrushflight noticed, Elmleaf’s sister, Streamfrost.

Rosethorn stepped forward; she was the only candidate left. “I want to make sure every cat in RiverClan is strong, not just the warriors and the apprentices,” she told the Clan. “Queens, kits, elders, and medicine cats all need respect and care — even though the medicine cats can look after themselves,” the fawn she-cat added, to general purrs of amusement. “I believe that medicine cats should have basic battle training so they can defend themselves if our camp is ever attacked. I believe the same should be done for the kits, elders, and queens — they may not fight well, but they can fight. Queens will do anything to defend their young — I have never been a queen, but I have seen them; they will give up their lives for their kits. Our energetic youngsters will also never pass up a chance to practice their battle skills, and our elders, the wisest cats in our Clan, may be getting old, but their bones can still handle basic training.”

The final candidate also received hearty yowls from the Clan below.

“Now we will begin the voting,” Gracklepaw announced. “Gingerpaw, Turtlepaw, go find some stones. Enough for every cat to vote.”

Something had just occurred to Thrushflight. After Gracklepaw had gotten every cat organized with stones to vote with and created a line of cats, he pulled her aside. “How’s Peacekit?” he asked urgently.

“I watched her all night,” Gracklepaw whispered. “Something very strange happened. Just after moonhigh, she suddenly coughed and her eyes popped open. I asked her to talk and there was no sign of a rasp or cough at all.”

“So she’s better?” Thrushflight asked.

“Yeah. There’s absolutely no sign she was ever sick at all.”

“Well, that’s good,” Thrushflight said vaguely, but his mind was elsewhere. Gracklepaw, sensing this, moved away to keep the voting cats in order.

Absolutely no sign she was ever sick at all. It sounded like — it sounded like losing a life. A leader’s life.

“Give them to some other cat,” Snowstorm had said. “who is more willing to take responsibility of this Clan.”

“Snowstorm, we will not stop you from choosing this path.”

Give them to some other cat. The words kept echoing in Thrushflight’s mind. Some other cat. Could it be— was it possible—? It was unheard of—

But that didn’t mean it couldn’t happen.

“Every cat is done,” Gracklepaw announced. “Let’s count the stones.” She whispered to Thrushflight out of the corner of her mouth, “The piles look about the same.”

Gracklepaw and Thrushflight each took a pile. “Slashwhisker and Yellowclaw have nine votes,” Gracklepaw told the Clan.

“Elmleaf has nine votes as well,” Thrushflight added, triggering much muttering among the warriors. He pounced on Rosethorn’s pile before Gracklepaw could get to it. “One, two…”

“Eight,” he announced.

Yowls and meows broke out in the gathered cats. “Quiet!” Gracklepaw hissed, and, amazingly, RiverClan grew quiet.

Rosethorn stepped forward, a determined look on her face. “Just so you know,” she called to the Clan, “I’m not giving up just because I got one less vote than the others.”

“Me neither,” Slashwhisker, Yellowclaw, and Elmleaf said all at the same time.

“There’s only one thing to do,” Rosethorn meowed. “We must split up, into three groups.”

Thrushflight gasped in horror. Thankfully, no cat heard him, because they were all too busy agreeing.

Agreeing?

Oh, no.

Oh, StarClan.

~ ~ ~

Thrushflight now knew how Snowstorm had felt when the warriors approved Jadestar’s battle plan. How could RiverClan split up? What was happening?

With a jolt of shock, he remembered what Applestar had said at the Moonstone to Snowstorm: ''“If you leave your Clan, the river will split. If the paths continue to stray farther from one another, the water will dry.”''

Was she saying that RiverClan would disappear?

He had to do something.

But what?

Suddenly he realized that Leafwhisker and Mintflower were standing off to the side, away from the gathered cats. Thinking back, he couldn’t remember seeing either of them step up to vote. He hurried toward the two she-cats. “Are you against this?” he whispered.

“Of course!” Leafwhisker said, lashing her tail. “RiverClan is supposed to be one Clan, not three!”

“We must do something,” Mintflower hissed, her blue eyes gleaming with worry. “StarClan wouldn’t have wanted this.”

“They didn’t,” Thrushflight meowed. In hushed tones, he related to the she-cats what Applestar had said at Snowstorm’s refused leadership ceremony.

Mintflower’s eyes got even wider with horror. “No, that can’t happen!” she whispered urgently. “We can’t join any of the sides, but we can’t force the Clan together again. They’ll never listen to just us.”

“I think Gracklepaw’s probably with us too,” Thrushflight meowed. Even though the black apprentice had organized the voting, he felt sure that she wouldn’t support three RiverClans.

Thrushflight hurried back to the gathered cats. They were planning how to split the territory up. “Actually, let’s wait until the Gathering, it’s tonight,” Slashwhisker meowed. “Maybe we can convince Lightstar to give us Sunningrocks; that’ll make everything much easier.”

Elmleaf spat. “As if that mange-fur will give us anything no matter what’s going on!”

“You never know,” Yellowclaw responded calmly. “Anyway, let’s stay in the camp for now. Just until tonight.”

With some grumbling, the rest of the cats agreed.

~ ~ ~

Over the next few hours, Thrushflight, Gracklepaw, Mintflower, and Leafwhisker went on a mission: figure out exactly which cats were going with which of the candidates. (In his mind, Thrushflight was calling them the Four Representatives, or just the Four for short.)

Gracklepaw came back quickly, with the information that Gingerpaw, Sweetpaw, and Turtlepaw were all going with Rosethorn. “I suspect that Sweetpaw has a certain reason for going with Gingerpaw,” Gracklepaw told him. Thrushflight didn’t have a clue what she was talking about until he saw her wink. From then he thought it was safe to think that Sweetpaw had, er, fallen for a certain someone. Maybe a certain blue-eyed someone.

Leafwhisker learned that the warriors Reednose, Honeyfoot, and Sunfoot were with Slashwhisker and Yellowclaw. Rustlepaw, Slashwhisker’s apprentice, was also going, “out of loyalty to his mentor, I think,” Leafwhisker told Thrushflight. “Plus Grasswave.”

Mintflower figured out where the rest of the apprentices’ loyalties lay: Brownpaw was following his brother to Slashwhisker and Yellowclaw’s side, Creekpaw was going with Reednose also to Slashwhisker and Yellowclaw’s side, and Nightpaw and Stripeypaw, the last two apprentices, were allying with Elmleaf.

Thrushflight himself discovered that Streamfrost, Crocusbud, Mousestep, Pinebranch, and Petalrain all wanted Elmleaf to become leader, and Tulipbloom agreed. That only left the rest of the warriors, who Thrushflight presumed were all on Rosethorn’s side, because if he added up the cats they already knew were allied with Slashwhisker and Yellowclaw and Elmleaf, each side had nine cats already (if he was doing his math correctly). That was… Icewater, Cloudshadow, Rockpad, and Beesting, he thought. Coincidentally, Cloudshadow and Rockpad were discussing something over by the warriors’ den. Thrushflight crept closer, trying not to be noticed. He seemingly succeeded, and he heard Cloudshadow meow, “Yes, I’m great friends with Rosethorn, as you might know. I wouldn’t dream of not supporting her.”

“Of course,” Rockpad agreed. “I’m going with Rosethorn too. I honestly believe she will be the best leader. Slashwhisker and Yellowclaw might make good leaders, but I don’t see how they’ll figure out which one of them will receive nine lives, and no matter what Elmleaf says, he’s too hungry for battle for my taste.”

Gracklepaw and Leafwhisker each came back to the medicine den, where they’d been meeting, right after Thrushflight left Cloudshadow and Rockpad to their conversation. “What did you find out?” he asked. “Cloudshadow and Rockpad are definitely both on Rosethorn’s side.”

“Icewater too,” Leafwhisker said. “Honestly, I think he’s, er, become a little more friendly toward her than before. You know what I mean, right?”

Thrushflight and Gracklepaw both nodded. I wish him good luck, Thrushflight thought. Last I heard, Rosethorn swore never to take a mate or have kits!

“And what did you discover?” he asked Gracklepaw.

“Beesting totally supports Rosethorn,” she said, confirming Thrushflight’s suspicions. “The votes add up exactly right. It seems that no cat has changed their decision.”

“I wonder if that’ll stay the same,” Leafwhisker wondered.

Don’t count on it, Thrushflight thought.

~ ~ ~

“We have to figure out where to go until the Gathering tonight,” Thrushflight meowed. “It will be harder to find a hiding spot after the three sides have divided the territory; then we’ll have three groups of cats to avoid instead of one.”

“That makes sense,” Mintflower agreed. “It would be easier if we just picked a place now and then we wouldn’t have to move after the Gathering.”

“But what if we pick a spot too close to the camps?” Gracklepaw worried. “Better to just take our chances in the camp. It’s already sunhigh; there won’t be much more time until the Gathering. Mintflower, you and Peacekit can go back to the nursery; not many cats should bother you there. Try to avoid Slashwhisker until RiverClan gets ready to go.”

“I can go with her,” Leafwhisker added. “I can tell the Clan that I am keeping Mintflower company and that we don’t want to be bothered because Peacekit needs to take a nap.”

“But I’m not tired,” Peacekit meowed.

“It’s okay,” Mintflower soothed her kit. “You won’t actually have to take a nap. Unless I see you getting tired,” she added.

The light blue-gray she-kit brightened. “You won’t!”

“Anyway,” Thrushflight interrupted. “Gracklepaw and I— we can take turns going out to gather herbs. The groups will need a good store of herbs anyway if they’re going to split it among the three sides. Now that I think of it… what will the groups do without a medicine cat…?”

“Thrushflight, you can’t be thinking of staying!” Leafwhisker meowed, alarm in her green eyes.

“No…” Thrushflight’s soft brown eyes seemed worlds away. “I have a plan.”

Gracklepaw, Mintflower, and Leafwhisker saw that it would do no good to press Thrushflight. The brown tom was very friendly, but he was sometimes secretive when he needed to be.

“I’ll tell you at the Gathering,” Thrushflight meowed quietly.

Mintflower nodded. “We know you will,” she said.

~ ~ ~

“RiverClan!” It was Rosethorn who yowled, Elmleaf, Slashwhisker, and Yellowclaw standing next to her. Cats’ heads turned from the clearing and poked out of dens. Past a deep olive sedge in a shadowy, calm den, two heads turned to face each other.

The smaller of the two, a black she-cat, pricked her ears toward the clearing in what seemed like a question to the other cat. The brown tom nodded, and they padded out of the den together. At the same time, two she-cats, one brown, one black, and a light blue-gray she-kit were coming out of a branch-and-reed den surrounded by sedge. The group of three cats turned toward the pair and locked eyes.

The brown tom nodded again, but this time, it was almost indiscernible. However, the she-cats saw it and turned to move toward the clearing.

“It is time to go to the Gathering.” This time, it was Elmleaf who made the announcement.

“We will each be taking separate groups to the Gathering,” Yellowclaw meowed.

Oh no, the brown tom thought, shooting a panicked glance toward the she-cats.

“However, we will be traveling via the same paths,” Slashwhisker continued.

The brown tom inwardly sighed in relief. Thank our warrior ancestors. StarClan knew what would have happened if cats had realized that they weren’t walking with any group.

The four leaders began to list the cats from each group that were coming to the Gathering. It was a larger number than usual, given that each group’s leader wanted to make a point that they were strong.

After the Gathering ended, the smaller black she-cat approached the brown tom. “Thrushflight!” she whispered. “I think, instead of us—” the tom addressed as Thrushflight knew what she was talking about— “all sticking together, we should be spread out, pretending that we are with a group, but not really engaging with any side.”

Thrushflight nodded. “That’s a good idea, Gracklepaw. I’ll tell Mintflower and Leafwhisker.” He padded silently over to the black and brown she-cats, standing together but not really together at the edge of the group of cats dispersing.

“Thrushflight!” Leafwhisker greeted the medicine cat.

“Gracklepaw had a thought,” Thrushflight began, and informed her and the black queen of his apprentice’s plan. When he was done, the two she-cats nodded.

“Yes, we’ll do that,” Mintflower responded. “Now we’d better go, or one of the leaders will spot us hovering suspiciously over here.”

Thrushflight stifled a purr. “Of course.”

~ ~ ~

Under the shine of the full moon, RiverClan (or should I say RiverClans? Thrushflight thought) streamed down the hillside to the dip that made the Fourtrees clearing. WindClan was just arriving with the white she-cat Splashstar at the head; the blue-gray patch on her back shone in the moonlight. ThunderClan, led by Lightstar, a yellow tom, and ShadowClan with Ravenstar, a black tom, were already seated beneath the Great Rock.

“Wait.”

It was Elmleaf who said this, and he was talking to Lightstar. He whispered something to the large tom, who nodded warily and stepped to the base of the Great Rock. Rosethorn was meanwhile informing Splashstar of the same thing, and Slashwhisker and Yellowclaw were telling Ravenstar.

The white she-cat and black tom weaved their way through the crowd of cats to sit with Lightstar. Meanwhile, the four who had established themselves as “leaders” of RiverClan jumped up to the Great Rock; not simultaneously, Thrushflight noticed, but separately, as if they wanted to communicate their rivalry before they even announced it. All except Slashwhisker and Yellowclaw; they jumped perfectly in unison.

Odd.

When the Clans saw four representatives from RiverClan bounding up to the Great Rock, they began to mutter and hiss in confusion, disapproval, and anger. Rosethorn called for silence with a loud meow. “We can explain!” she yowled. “Listen, and you will hear why this is happening.”

Slashwhisker stepped forward. “As you may know,” he growled, sending a furtive glance at ShadowClan, “our leader, Jadestar, was killed in a battle just a sunrise ago.”

The Clans’ annoyed, unaccepting mutters changed to grieving murmurs.

“Our deputy, Snowstorm,” Elmleaf continued, “did go to the Moonstone.”

“However,” Yellowclaw took over, “she refused to become leader, and left RiverClan to become a loner.”

Some cat below hissed; Thrushflight recognized her as Ashwing, WindClan’s deputy. “And you let her go?” she yowled.

“Of course not!” Rosethorn responded. “But she was too fast and too elusive. She must have hidden her scent somehow.”

Thrushflight thanked StarClan that they had not recalled that he must have known about Snowstorm’s escape before given that he had been at the Moonstone with her.

Meanwhile, Ashwing let out a low growl and retreated back into the crowd of cats.

“Four of us stepped forward,” Slashwhisker continued, “to become leader. The four cats you see on the Great Rock at this moment.”

“Slashwhisker and I decided to merge as one,” Yellowclaw added. “If he became leader, I would be deputy, and vice versa. We held a vote. However, every cat received an equal amount of votes.” Thrushflight could tell he was trying not to look at Rosethorn, and the fawn tabby was holding her gaze at the Clans, not letting herself reveal that she had gotten one less vote.

“And we decided that if RiverClan cannot decide who should be leader in a democratic way, it must split.”

Rosethorn’s final words caused an eruption of caterwauling from ThunderClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan below. Only the leaders at the base of the rock stayed silent.

“We are wondering.” Ravenstar spoke for the first time. “Wondering whether RiverClan can survive split into thirds?”

“Are you calling us weak?” Slashwhisker bristled.

“Not your Clan, no,” Ravenstar responded smoothly. “A third of your Clan, acting like a Clan.”

“We will do it,” Elmleaf responded. Thrushflight could imagine, almost hear, him muttering to himself, “We have to.”

Ravenstar stepped back, Thrushflight knew, with unease, but he yielded anyway.

“And now RiverClan has something to ask of Lightstar,” Rosethorn meowed.

The large yellow leader did not change his expression even a smidge, but Thrushflight knew his mind must be racing.

“It would make it easier, much easier,” Yellowclaw stated, “if Lightstar would consent to give us Sunningrocks.” When the cats below, most of them from ThunderClan, started yowling again, this time Splashstar silenced them. “We need to hear what he has to say!” she snapped.

“Much easier,” Yellowclaw continued, “to split our territory between the groups.”

Lightstar had to raise his voice over the muttering that had erupted again, despite Splashstar’s words. “I will agree to RiverClan’s proposal—” He then had to give an earsplitting screech to quiet his own Clan, taking a deep breath afterwards. “I will agree to RiverClan’s proposal if they agree that they won’t make this ‘war’ the business of ThunderClan.”

“Make that WindClan as well,” Splashstar added.

“And ShadowClan,” Ravenstar meowed.

Elmleaf stepped forward with a hiss. “Who said it was a war?”

“No one,” Lightstar meowed calmly. “Every cat here — except for your Clan, obviously — knows that it will become a war if you continue this. It may not be a fighting war,” he added when he saw the Four’s looks of outrage. “It may be a war of words, of trust, of loyalty. But it is a war in essence.”

When the RiverClan leaders continued to look angry, Lightstar sighed. “I said I’ll give you Sunningrocks, didn’t I?” he growled, a look of annoyance in his eyes.

Though the Four didn’t say anything immediately, Thrushflight could see Slashwhisker’s mouth forming the words ''Oh. Right.''

“Yes, fine, fine,” Slashwhisker meowed. He gestured with his tail for the leaders to jump down from the rock.

“Wait,” Rosethorn said. “I think we should give our groups names. We are no longer one Clan, and we need to distinguish our groups.”

“Yes, that makes sense,” Elmleaf agreed. “I will name my group ElmClan.”

This triggered a yowl of support from Elmleaf’s group. “ElmClan! ElmClan!” some cat shouted. Thrushflight believed it might have been Streamfrost, Elmleaf’s sister. The rest of Elmleaf’s group picked up the cheer.

Splashstar waved her tail for silence. “Let’s get through this quickly, okay?” she suggested. “WindClan, ThunderClan, and ShadowClan still haven’t given us their news.”

With a little grumbling the Clans meowed their agreement.

“My group will be called RoseClan,” Rosethorn quickly announced, causing a short burst of cheering from her supporters below.

Both Rosethorn and Elmleaf have named their Clan after themselves, Thrushflight recalled. I wonder what Slashwhisker and Yellowclaw will name their Clan.

Just as he finished his thought, the chestnut-brown and black toms stepped forward on the Great Rock. “Our Clan is now named JusticeClan,” Slashwhisker declared.

Like Rosethorn and Elmleaf’s groups had, Slashwhisker and Yellowclaw’s newly named JusticeClan cheered loudly.

Splashstar hastily yowled for silence. “May I make a suggestion?” the white she-cat asked.

The Four nodded.

“I believe each of you should go to the Moonstone,” WindClan’s leader proposed. “Then StarClan can decide which of you is the rightful leader.”

Elmleaf nodded, his dark blue eyes shining with — Thrushflight couldn’t quite tell. Excitement? Agreement? Confidence? “That is a good idea,” the pale cream tabby meowed. “I will go tomorrow night.”

Yellowclaw, Rosethorn, and Slashwhisker didn’t exactly look pleased at Elmleaf’s claim of the first night. Slashwhisker said quickly, “Yellowclaw and Rosethorn can go before me.”

Yellowclaw stepped back to admit Rosethorn forward. “You can go the second night,” the black tom meowed.

The fawn tabby nodded. “Thank you.” Something flashed in her eyes; Thrushflight was sure she was sending the message to the JusticeClan leaders that just because her Clan was one cat smaller than the others, that didn’t mean she got special privileges.

“Now can the other Clans make their announcements?” Splashstar hissed. Thrushflight was pretty sure that every cat in the Clans, not just him, knew that Splashstar was extremely annoyed at the long wait. “We’ve been here for ages, so I will just make my announcements very quickly.” She leaped up to the Great Rock, not even waiting for the Four to jump down. This caused a hasty scramble to the ground that Splashstar didn’t seem very sorry about.

While the white leader made her announcements about new kits, a new warrior, etc., etc., Thrushflight realized that he hadn’t had time to tell the Clans about his idea. ''Oh, well. I guess I’ll have to catch the other medicine cats after the meeting.''

During Lightstar and Ravenstar’s hurried reports, Thrushflight weaved his way through the crowd of cats to find Sweetpool, the ThunderClan medicine cat. “I have a plan for the RiverClans,” he hissed. “None of them has a medicine cat, and I’m worried they will get injured or sick. The medicine cats should check on them every quarter moon or so so that the RiverClans don’t… you know.”

As Thrushflight had expected, the tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat didn’t agree that easily. “I thought you weren’t making it the other Clans’ business!” she whispered. “ThunderClan has enough to do without taking care of the other Clans.”

“Yes, it’s not ThunderClan’s business,” Thrushflight concurred, “but we are medicine cats. Isn’t it our responsibility to take care of all the Clans, not just ours?”

Sweetpool growled. “Fine, but only if the other medicine cats agree.”

~ ~ ~

To Thrushflight’s surprise and delight, Birchstripe, the silver-and-black striped ShadowClan medicine cat, and Sunnyheart, WindClan’s ginger tabby healer, both consented (after some argument) to check on the RiverClans every so often. Thrushflight hurried this news back to Sweetpool, whose Clan was already beginning to leave. “I’ll have to tell my leader about this,” she warned.

“Okay, that’s fine,” Thrushflight meowed. “But would you please try to convince him that this is for the good of all the Clans?”

“Yeah, but he’s not going to like it,” the tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat responded, turning and bounding away.

“We’ll still meet at the half-moon!” Thrushflight called after her. Sweetpool gave a flick of her tail in response.

Chapter 6

Sweetpool

Sweetpool sighed as they reached ThunderClan’s camp. What was RiverClan thinking? There were supposed to be four Clans, not six! She couldn’t imagine how splitting the territory would work out.

Wait — she’d just realized something. What group is Thrushflight allied with?

Could he have chosen a side? Or was he against the splitting up after all? He hadn’t said. But — Sweetpool remembered — he had said something.

“None of them has a medicine cat.”

That was it, then. He wasn’t with any of them, and neither could his apprentice, Gracklepaw, be.

Oh, why did I agree to this crazy plan? Sweetpool regretted. Thrushflight was nice, but he sometimes had ideas that… in short, didn’t work out so well. She was sure this was one of those ideas. ''Won’t the RiverClans realize that he’s not with any of them? And where are he and Gracklepaw staying, anyway?''

I bet the RiverClans are calling this the time of Justice, Rose, Elm, whatever their Clan is called.

I’m calling it the Time of Disorder in RiverClan.

~ ~ ~

It was surprising, Sweetpool reflected, when Lightstar called a Clan meeting the next morning to say that he was indeed calling it the Time of Disorder. “Clans have never split before, and I don’t see any reason why they should now. RiverClan is delusional if they think this is going to work.”

This was met by a cheer of support from the ThunderClan cats below the Highrock where Lightstar was standing. “RiverClan cannot survive split in three!” a dark gray, white-patched she-cat — the deputy, Flashcloud — called out.

“It cannot! It cannot!” The cry was picked up by the rest of ThunderClan, and with a sinking feeling, Sweetpool realized that she agreed.

~ ~ ~

A half-moon passed, and it was time for the medicine cats’ meeting at the Moonstone. Sweetpool met Thrushflight and Gracklepaw at Fourtrees; they were coming from the direction of the old RiverClan camp, which was now, as she learned, JusticeClan’s camp.

Thrushflight explained how RiverClan had split up the territory: RoseClan was occupying the meadow north of the old camp, ElmClan had taken the territory of Sunningrocks, and JusticeClan had the rest of the territory. The border between RoseClan and JusticeClan was the Twoleg path leading over the river and the border between JusticeClan and ElmClan was the river.

Sweetpool sighed. “And where are you staying?”

Thrushflight appeared not to have heard her, but Sweetpool knew he was avoiding the question. “If you want me to do your… plan, you better tell me,” she warned.

“I’ll tell you at the meeting, when the other medicine cats are there,” the brown tom countered.

Sweetpool blew out threw her nostrils. “Fine,” she meowed.

As the three of them crossed WindClan territory, Birchstripe, ShadowClan’s medicine cat, approached them. “Hello,” he meowed. “Cold, isn’t it?”

Thrushflight shivered. “I think it’s only another half-moon ‘till newleaf.”

“Sure hope so,” Birchstripe agreed. Sweetpool nodded.

It wasn’t long before they spotted Sunnyheart of WindClan and her red-brown apprentice, Hawkpaw. “Greetings,” Sunnyheart meowed. “Are we going to talk about Thrushflight’s plan?”

“When we get to Highstones,” Thrushflight responded. “It’s too cold to stand outside talking.”

“Is it any warmer in Highstones than outside?” Gracklepaw muttered. Sweetpool wondered if she’d meant any cat to hear her; if any of the medicine cats other than Sweetpool had heard the black apprentice’s comment, they didn’t show it.

Finally, when Sweetpool thought her pelt was going to freeze off, they reached the magnificent pile of stones that housed the Moonstone. Sunnyheart pushed her way in first, with Hawkpaw right behind her. Birchstripe went after her, followed by Thrushflight, Gracklepaw, and Sweetpool.

Once they reached the cave with the glowing white Moonstone in it, Thrushflight turned to the other medicine cats. “I have a few important things to tell you,” he meowed.

First, the brown tom informed Sunnyheart, Hawkpaw, and Birchstripe of the new borders in RiverClan territory. Second, he told all of them the way this ‘war’ was working out:

Each Clan would send cats to the borders with the other Clans — called the War Boundaries — and try to convince each other to join their Clan. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. Even if it did work, cats usually left their Clan in the middle of the night to avoid being caught. Even if they were caught, the Clan didn’t usually stop them, sure that they would rejoin their Clan soon enough. And they were right. Cats were switching Clans over and over and over again.

Third, he talked about his plan. “All we have to do is check on them every quarter moon or so — all at the same time,” he added, “because otherwise the Clans will accuse us of favoritism. Alternate which group you go to — again, they might think you are favoring one Clan. We don’t all need to go each quarter moon — only one medicine cat, maybe, and if you have an apprentice you can take your apprentice. Gracklepaw and I can go to JusticeClan tomorrow — some cats will have to volunteer to go to RoseClan and ElmClan.”

“I’ll go,” Sunnyheart offered. “RoseClan would be easiest, since it’s closest to WindClan.”

“And I’m going to ElmClan,” Sweetpool sighed. “I guess it would be easier that way. But you still haven’t told us where you and Gracklepaw are living!”

All heads swiveled toward the RiverClan medicine cats. “That’s right,” Birchstripe meowed. “Really, you should have told us first thing.”

“I was busy with other important things!” Thrushflight defended himself. “Alright, fine, I’ll tell you, as long as you promise not to let any other cat know.”

“We have to be loyal to our leaders, though,” Hawkpaw piped up. “What if one of them asks us where you live?”

Thrushflight sighed. The red-brown she-cat brought up a good point. “Fine, you can tell them, but can you please ask them not to tell the whole Clan? If one of the RiverClans finds out that we aren’t part of any Clan…”

All heads nodded. They knew what would happen.

“We are sheltering in the Twoleg barn southwest of RiverClan territory,” Thrushflight revealed. “Two RiverClan queens are with us too, along with a five-moon-old kit. Don’t give them away either,” he added.

Sweetpool nodded. “We would never, unless our leaders ask it of us.”

“And I have one last thing to share with you,” Thrushflight meowed. “I wish Gracklepaw to receive her full medicine cat name.”

The black she-cat perked her ears up in excitement; Sweetpool could tell she had known about this before.

“I, Thrushflight, medicine cat of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help she will serve her Clan for many moons.”

There was an awkward silence at this point. Sweetpool knew they were all thinking, ''Is there a Clan for her to serve? Or three?''

“Gracklepaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?” Thrushflight continued.

“I do,” Gracklepaw meowed, pride shining in her amber eyes.

“Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Gracklepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Gracklewing. StarClan honors your cleverness and your sense, and we welcome you as a full medicine cat of RiverClan.”

“Gracklewing! Gracklewing!” the medicine cats cheered.

Thrushflight rested his head on Gracklewing’s shoulder, and the black apprentice licked his shoulder.

“Congratulations,” Birchstripe meowed.

“Great job, Gracklewing!” Hawkpaw purred. Sweetpool could sense no resentment in the red-brown apprentice’s eyes; she admired her for not being jealous of her fellow medicine cat apprentice.

Just like Thrushflight told me Gracklewing wasn’t jealous of her brother, Crocusbud, when he became a warrior.

“Now, we will share tongues with StarClan,” Sunnyheart instructed. The six medicine cats lay down, their noses touching the cold Moonstone. There’s still moonlight shining on it, Sweetpool thought. Thank StarClan.

When she opened her eyes, she was no longer at the Moonstone, but in RiverClan territory. She seemed to be standing in the river, the part between Sunningrocks and the RiverClan camp, but her paws didn’t sink beneath the water. She was floating.

“You must listen to the newly named,” a voice whispered. Sweetpool looked around, but she couldn’t see any cat, dead or alive.

“You must listen to the newly named,” it repeated.

“Newly named, newly named.” The voice’s words echoed around Sweetpool. Who is the newly named? she wondered. Then she remembered and wanted to claw herself. Gracklewing, of course!

“Newly named…”

With a whoosh, she was back at the Moonstone. Sweetpool realized she was the first one awake. I wonder what Gracklewing is dreaming… it must have something to do with what StarClan told me.

She waited impatiently for the others to wake up. It seemed like an eternity before Sunnyheart raised her head.

“What did you dream?” Sweetpool whispered.

“I was in a big meadow — I think it was the one bordering WindClan territory, the one that’s part of RiverClan’s territory. Some cat kept saying, ‘You must listen to the newly named.’”

“That’s exactly what I heard!” Sweetpool gasped. “Except I was floating on the river near Sunningrocks.”

“Do you think—” Sunnyheart leaned closer to Sweetpool. “Do you think ‘the newly named’ is Gracklewing?”

“Yes, I believe so,” Sweetpool answered.

Just as she said this, Birchstripe groaned and stretched. “What did StarClan tell you?” he asked.

Sweetpool and Sunnyheart told the story of their dreams. The silver-and-black striped tom’s eyes widened. “That’s almost the same dream as I had! I was on the Twoleg bridge from Fourtrees to RiverClan territory, though.”

When Hawkpaw awoke, she informed them that she’d had a similar dream, except she was on the edge of the gorge dividing RiverClan and WindClan territory (the RiverClan side). Next to wake up was Thrushflight, who had been in the middle of the RiverClan camp when he’d heard the words.

The five of them waited expectantly for Gracklewing to wake up.

Finally, the black she-cat yawned and opened her eyes. “Why is everyone staring at me?” she asked.