A Light in the Dark

Chapter Three : The Gathering

Blossomtail woke up that morning to remember that it was the Gathering tonight. The old cat walked outside, wondering who would Goldenstar take. She sighed when the answer was clear that the only ones going were herself, Goldenstar, Frostedshoe, Tigermask, Briartooth, Lightningmoon, Shrewbreeze, Wildpaw, and Brushjaw. Hardly a warrior would be left with the queens. Sometimes, Shrewbreeze, the youngest of the elders, would stay behind to help guard the nusery if anything were to happen.

Goldenstar leaped up on the Meeting Rock, and he didn't have to call out the meeting call. Blossomtail and the others have already settled near the bottom to hear what he had to say.

"As you all know, the Gathering is tonight," he meowed, pausing some to let the crowd take in his words.

"Like we couldn't guess that already," Brushjaw muttered. Tigermask shushed him.

"Those i will be taking with me are Brushjaw, Lightningmoon, Frostedshoe, Wildpaw, and Briartooth," he meowed.

Blossomtail was surprised that he was not taking Tigermask. But then she knew it was obvious why: if Tigermask showed up at the Gathering and Goldenstar announced Sunpaw's exile, everyone would be questioning her what she did to her apprentice. It happened every time an apprentice was exiled that their mentor was not allowed out of camp until Goldenstar was certain they would not say why.

"Meeting dismissed," Goldenstar dismissed. He leaped down from the Rock and walked inside his den. Blossomtail knew he spent the most part in his den nowadays.

The old medicine cat walked away from the meeting place, hearing Brushjaw meow to Tigermask, "Better luck next time, Sis. It is for the best." She didn't know where her paws were taking her until she found her way to the elders den. She sighed, knowing she should have retired ages ago. And yet, due to the fact that they were so short of warriors now, Goldenstar would appoint Greenkit to a warrior, despite the fact if he showed a slight interest in herbs.

Blossomtail sighed, thinking back to when before Goldenstar's leadership. She was just a kit with her sister, Frogkit, and they were carefree under Treestar's leadership. They were like any other clan, no worries about exileing apprentices who could not show their worth at 9 moons. Her deputy was Yellowfang, a rusty yellow tom who was great with kits. Their clan was surviving, and they had the most warriors of any clan.

A few moons later, Blossomtail remembers how she was apprenticed to the medicine cat, Cloudfeather. He had grumpy looking features, which didn't really set well with her sister, Frogpaw. Blossomtail knew though that he was kind underneath his rustic looking face. She learned well underneath his gentle teaching.

It was until that fateful day that everything was grand. Until... Goldenheart, the white furred and yellow-eyed warrior, grew tired of being like every clan. Blossomtail hardly remembers the events, but she knew that Frogpaw was on the patrol with Treestar, Yellowfang, Goldenheart, and Brambleleap, her mentor. She sat down by the entrance of the elder's den, thinking about that day. It was sunny, with hardly a cloud in the sky. Cloudfeather was showing her how to make a marigold poultice, when her sister Frogpaw ran into camp, screaming.

"Treestar is dead!" she had yowled, which gathered the clan. She started sobbing, and everyone was crowding around her, trying to figure out how Treestar died.

"Give her room to breathe!" Cloudfeather had ordered, shoving his way through. "She is in shock!"

At that moment, Blossomtail remembers how her heart clenched at the sight of the mangled Treestar Yellowfang dragged into camp. The whole clan mourned their loss that night.

 Yellowfang refused to get his lives until the clan felt better. When questioned about Treestar's sudden death, he always replied in the same dead and confused voice: "I don't know... all i know is something hit me in the head and i was out cold. When i woke up, Goldenheart was yowling about Treestar, and i saw she was dead..." No one knew how Treestar died.

It was a few moons later though, Cloudfeather went to check up on Yellowfang, and he was found dead in his nest. The whole clan was chaotic, wondering who could kill their leader. Blossomtail sat far back from the chaos, and she remembered how she sobbed almost uncontrollably over the fact that they had lost two great leaders. Cloudfeather later stated that Yellowfang died of heart failer. How, he could not answer, because Blossomtail knew the cat had a few seasons left in him.

She remembered how at the vigil, Goldenheart stepped forward and talked about they needed to decide a leader now. He also had stated that Yellowfang was too bubble headed to have chosen a deputy, therefore his fault that the clan was leaderless, and he should have known about his medical issues. Blossomtail had failed then to see the gleam in Goldenheart's eyes. He knew something they did not.

The clan had decided that Goldenheart should be leader, because he seemed the type. Blossomtail wished she could have changed her vote then... it was a bad idea to choose him. Now leader of the clan, he changed CanineClan to something she hardly recognized anymore. Their large clan was almost reduced to nothing. She sighs.

"You okay, Blossomtail?" comes a voice. She jumps and turns to see Shrewbreeze.

"Oh, hey, Shrewbreeze. Yeah, i'm fine..." she meowed.

Shrewbreeze looked at her. "You don't look fine," he commented. "What are you thinking about?" He sat beside her.

She sighs. "I was thinking about how life was back then, before Goldenstar became leader," she meowed. "It was all so easy then... why did we choose him??"

"We had no choice," Shrewbreeze answered lightly. "We needed a strong leader, and we didn't think then of who else could have led the clan. I still have my suspiciouns, as i am sure you do too."

She nods. "I do, and i wanted to speak them out at the Gathering, yet no one would believe me," she meowed sadly. "Since i am no longer that young cat, they would think i have lost my mind. Then Goldenstar would make me retire, and he would choose someone who knew nothing about medicine in my place."

Shrewbreeze nodded. "We will have our chance," he meows. "We will see this through, and we'll find a way to get rid of these awful rules."

Blossomtail agreed. "Hopefully it is soon," she meows.

She hears Goldenstar calling the clan, apparently it was time to leave already. She had been so lost in thought, she had not realized that the sun was starting to set. She felt her stomach grumble, and she quickly scarfed down a mouse before running after. She looked behind to say goodbye to Shrewbreeze, and he was not there. She shrugged, and she kept running.