Life in the Forest

Journey to the Gathering

In the morning, the clan was tense and short-tempered at the anxiety of going unguarded into wolf territory. As the sun broke over the treetops and into the cats' camp, Goldenstar and the rest of the cats slowly made their way out of their dens and into the clearing, stretching and yawning and pacing agitatedly around the camp.

Goldenstar surveyed her warriors from her perch on the high rock, sun outlining her fur in a golden halo as her mind wandered to her worries from the night before. What if it was a trap? Then what would she do? She was confident yesterday, but that was only before she had really weighed each option. If she and her cats got ambushed at the meeting, any injuries or even deaths would fall on her shoulders, all because of her wanting to see what a bunch of flea-brained wolves wanted to bother her about. But... if she didn't go and it did turn out to be important, she would be under-informed or even excluded from anything the other leaders would discuss at the meeting, and if terrible things happened to her Clan because she didn't plan with the wolves to fight back, the blame would fall to her anyway.

So that was a waste of time, she thought resignedly, all of the options could end us in a bad spot one way or another. At least if we went, we could prove to the wolves that we aren't scared of them.

She heard someone scrambling up the rock behind her, and turned around to see Snowfur hauling up onto the stone next to her.

"Your rock is pretty steep," he commented, stretching his neck to see to the ground a few tail-lengths below them.

"Mhmm..." Goldenstar murmured, still lost in thought.

"I have complete confidence in you," Snowfur meowed, brushing her shoulder and apparently reading her mind, "whatever you chose to do, I'm with you all the way."

"Even if we're ambushed?" she asked dryly, swinging her tail back and forth over the edge of the rock.

"At least we'll know we tried," he said, "I'll see you when you decide what we're doing. And don't worry, I'm sure whatever you choose will be the best option for the Clan." He nosed her ear and jumped over the edge of the rock, disappearing into the crowd that was congregating around Goldenstar, waiting for her to tell them what they were going to do. Goldenstar cleared her throat and found Snowfur in the crowd, nodding her on.

"May all cats gather for a meeting!" she called, and the rest of the clan made their way to the base of the high rock, conversations coming to a close. Silence descended over the clearing as Goldenstar made her final decision. "In ten minutes, we will depart for the gathering spot," she called as the cats below her exchanged apprehensive glances, all wondering what the wolves' true motives were. "All of the clan will attend this gathering, as the information conveyed there will be important to every forest resident. Prepare in whatever way you need to, and we will depart shortly." She waved her tail for the cats to disperse, and anxious conversation filled the air as she jumped down the rock and into the crowd, coming to stand near the entrance tunnel of the camp.

"Good choice," Snowfur mewed behind her, "I didn't think the wolves would betray us like that anyhow."

"I hope not," she murmured, looking over the clearing at cats eating the breakfast that was hunted last night and rounding up kits for the journey to the meeting. Slowly they grouped around the entrance tunnel, waiting for everyone to be ready. As the last few cats filed into the crowd, Goldenstar waved her tail at the front of the clan and made her way down the tunnel, cats following in a line until they were all on the other side of the camp's protective tree barrier and walking through the forest. The early morning sun illuminated green leaves, gold just tinting their edges while the wind blew slowly between trees, a hint of chill in the breeze.

Leaf-fall's almost here, Goldenstar thought, looking up at the trees, soon there won't be as much prey in the forest. Maybe we should figure out how to store it for later in the year.... Her thoughts turned away from the gathering briefly, setting her mood lighter as she led the cats through the territory.

On the way through their stretch of forest, Snowfur trotted up to her, and the two cats strode side by side under the changing leaves above.

"You know Goldenstar," The solid white tom said, "I've been thinking..."

"Oh no," Goldenstar meowed jokingly, "Alright then, what have you been thinking about?"

"You know, the wolves and other animals are pretty good hunters, and they've survived leaf-falls and leaf-bares just like we have, only with different strategies." He glanced up at the yellowing leaves in apprehension. "If we worked together, we would be a lot more successful, sharing prey and ideas without fighting over land in the cold months, when we can barely survive even without battles every other day. It's about time someone decided to have a meeting like this. Even if it weren't for the exact reasons I want it to happen, it's a step in the right direction."

"That's actually a pretty good idea," Goldenstar meowed, "no fighting, working together. But would the other leaders agree? There is a lot of history between some clans, for a few groups even more than we have with the wolves. Some leaders probably don't want to work with people they've been fighting for years, even if it means a better life in the cold seasons."

"Maybe, but it's worth a shot. You never know what some animals will do until they do it," Snowfur meowed.

"Yes, it definitely is worth a shot. I'll talk to the leaders about it if there's time at the gathering."

"Thanks," he meowed, brushing her side with his tail. They walked in silence for a few minutes, listening to the leaves rustle above them, until leaves weren't the only sound they heard.

"Hey, doesn't that sound like voices?" Snowfur asked.

"It does indeed. The gathering spot is probably up ahead," she replied.

The voices got louder as they moved on, until they were only separated from the clearing by a line of bushes and trees that obscured their view of the meeting place. Goldenstar stopped in front of the clan before they pushed through the bushes and raised her tail, turning to face them. They stopped in front of her and the murmuring quieted as Goldenstar prepared to speak to her cats.

"Even though we are united under a truce, these are still our enemies." she began. "Do not say anything that could betray any weaknesses of our clan or raise any tempers higher than they already are. Keep in mind that this may be an ambush, and stay on your guard at all times. We may be under a truce, but these are still the enemies that we fight and get fought by in turn. Be cautious and wary of anything that doesn't seem right." The cats nodded shortly and paced along the treeline, anxious to get this over with. Goldenstar turned towards the clearing and swished her tail, and in a single movement the cats streaked down into the early morning sunlight illuminating the animals.

It's time, she thought, no going back now.