The leaving

Disapeerance

The cats were roaring, each louder than the other. Claws sliced pelts and mews rang loud. Tigerstar hit a blow stronger than the one before onto acornstar who stumbled on her tail. Quickly he picked up the small she-cat by the neck and threw her. Emberclan always had either a quarrel or peace with mapleclan, nothing in between. Acornstar hit the thick stone and laid lifeless. The cats went silent and jayclaw rushed out to help her. He froze for what felt like moons just staring at her until her deputy, lionheart ran over and picked her up, putting her on his back. She was a small cream colored cat. Lionheart waved his tail in retreat of the mapleclan cats to return home. No cat spoke on the way home, soon enough they entered the thicket of bushes which guarded the entrance to the camp. Cats gasped and dipped their heads in respect for this short lasting leader. Jayclaw overheard some elders talking, "Of course, one of these battles sooner or later would get an important cat killed." This wasn't any important cat, jayclaw and acornstar had been mates. Jayclaw himself was a Siamese, smaller cat with a slimmer build, but still as strong as any of the bigger warriors.

Lionheart, minnowstep, and finleap had came into the world just four seasons ago when roseshard and toadstar, the leader  of emberclan had an secret relationship. Supposedly he got aggressive toward her and she backed off. She returned to mapleclan but soon enough she was expecting his kits, she loves her kits but it hit her like a stone. Toadstar came into mapleclan  searching for the kits he "had rights over" and roughed roseshard up easily until minnowstep killed him, right in the medicine den. Everyone knew it was minnowstep but  lionheart covered for him. toadstar deserved it anyway. Then jayclaw were born with his brother stormfur. Stormfur was the bigger, fluffier and more projective of the two but jayclaw was definitely smarter.

Cats showered the mapleclan leader in maple leaves that were in the above trees, soon enough the leaves were taken by the wind. According to legends, if the leaves fly high the night of a loss, then the cat has returned with starclan, if not, then.. well.. the cat's soul would go to a darker place, one that wasn't taken lightly. Moons passed and jayclaw was never really his same happy self, most cats moved on though lionheart was now lionstar and jayclaw was deputy. jayclaw had been having nightmares seeing his mate die sunrises before the battle, and even after the battle the image never left his mind. Finleap was talking to minnowstep In the shade, away for the highest sun mark, while sparrowear and nightcloud were sharing tongues, and rowanclaw was making fun of the prey goldenslate caught. Lionstar stepped out of his den and nodded to jayclaw, wanting to speak with him. Lionstar began "I have spoken to the other leaders and we have all had the same vision. We are meeting at the highest stone at moon high. I'm asking you to lead the clan while I'm gone." Jayclaw bristled, "What? It's a trap! Can't you see that?" Lionstar silenced him quickly, "I will do what's best for my clan, you do what you must do to lead." He mewed quieter. Jayclaw could tell he wasn't trying to put fear into his clanmates, so he nodded "I will take three cats with me, just in case. Two warriors and one medicine cat." Moments passed and lionstar had told the clan. Some cats worried while others sparked their tail up in excitement to go. Finleap bounded right next to jayclaw, "Me! Let me go!" She exclaimed. Jayclaw looked beside him to see the go-lucky she-cat who bristled in excitement. He often found her optimism annoying but other cats didn't seem to mind so he just ignored it and was nice to her when he needed to be. He noticed finleap and goldenslate get closer and closer each day, it reminded him of acornstar. Lionstar lifted his tail "I will take minnowstep, roseshard and spiritbreeze. I leave at moon high, after that jayclaw will be in charge until I return. Meeting dismissed." Jayclaw felt hot on his pelt, he was typically an awkward cat in front of others but many cats enjoyed his company. Sometimes lionstar annoyed jayclaw, maybe he felt like lionstar could've saved acornstar but he tried to not hold it against him. He overheard lionstar speaking something to minnowstep about being as great as acornstar, he bristled. Quickly getting up he meowed loudly across the camp "You will never be like her!" He kept his gaze strong as he stared at the surprised leader, how dare he compare himself to jayclaw's mate. Lionstar got up and went face to face with the smaller warrior. He said something and then walked off. Finleap stared at minnowstep who stared at his paws, minnowstep was a quiet cat with his own views, but both tom and she-cat agreed lionstar was becoming like their father slightly everyday. Moon-high came and lionstar left with minnowstep, roseshard and their medicine cat spiritbreeze. Finleap walked up and pressed her warm pelt against jayclaw's, "I hope they'll be okay. They're great warriors but I don't trust the other clans." She mewed quietly. He nodded silently as he stared into the dark camp entrance, he turned and headed for the warriors den. Sunrises went by as jayclaw grew weary but sent out daily patrols and hunting parties. One sunrise jayclaw was enjoying a bird he had caught earlier that day on the highrock when a finleap came in with a white she-cat and two toms. This she-cat was pure white with crystal blue,  mysterious eyes, shorthair and lean but well fed. The toms were a ginger color but kept quiet. Greypool bristled and went to get up as jayclaw mewed. She stopped and crouched down, "Who are you?" Jayclaw's mew rang through camp. The she-cat smiled, "I'm mist and these are my.... friends.." there was an edge in her mewed, "Who might you be?" She questioned him, sitting right below the highrock. Jayclaw thought for a minute, "I'm jaystar." His mew was confident but he knew deep down he shouldn't be saying that since he hadn't received his nine lives and lionstar wasn't dead. She began again "We have no where to go.. would you mind if we stay here for the night?" He hesitated and then nodded.