Lakefeather awoke with a start and glanced around the warrior's den quickly. There were a few sleeping forms gathered around her, their soft snores bringing some peace of mind. Over the last couple of nights her dreams had been plagued with nightmares of screeching cats and claws that glinted in the high moon's light. Her gaze settled on Breezefur who was snoring softly beside her, then it moved to Sandfoot, Crowwhisker, and Nightstripe. The warriors all seemed to be at peace in their dreams; Lakefeather couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy towards her clan-mates, but quickly smothered the feeling with a flick of her ear. She longed for a decent night of rest.
After a while of tossing and turning, and being prodded in the back by a dreaming Sandfoot, Lakefeather realized that she truly would not be able to sleep again and stood before leaving the warriors den. Once in the open she lowered the front of her body to stretch out her legs and back. There weren't many cats out at the moment. The sun was beginning to set, meaning most were turning in for the night. Lakefeather's gaze traveled to the high stone where the leader's den was. She recalled their earlier conversation and blinked back her feelings of frustration. She was only trying to help him, but there was only so much she could do if he wasn't willing to listen. Beneath the high stone sat Cloudshine. Her gaze was also settled on the leader's den, but there was a look of sadness lingering in her eyes. It was obvious the two had feelings for each other, to Lakefeather at least. However, it wasn't very bright of a leader to take a mate. Given how many lives the leader has, there is a big chance that they may outlive their mate as well as their kits if they have any.
Lakefeather stalked towards the kill pile and picked a plump mouse for herself. The prey dangled from her jaws, its limp form only slightly heavy with a lack of life. Lakefeather was about to lay down in the tall grass near the nursery to eat when she heard the familiar yowl that signaled a clan meeting. She was tempted to stay in her spot to eat and listen, but thought better of it. The meeting was more important and required her full attention. Brushing some blades of grass over her meal, Lakefeather then turned and made her way to the gathering of cats who looked warily up to their leader. Brownstar stood tall with an angry gleam in his eyes, and beside him was Cloudshine and WeevilFang. WeevilFang was a curly-haired chocolate tom with fierce golden eyes. He was staring down at the clan with anger, but it didn't seem like his anger was directed at whatever issue Brownstar was going to speak about.
"Cats of IvyClan, WeevilFang has come to me with some troubling news." Brownstar bellowed as the last of the cats trailed into the open. The leader glanced to WeevilFang and nodded, giving him permission to speak from the leaders ledge. WeevilFang took a step forward, almost passing Brownstar, and glared down to the cats below. Something flashed within his eyes and Lakefeather grimaced. She was never truly comfortable around the tom, and seeing him where Brownstar always stood gave her a sense of dread.
"I'm sure by now you all have heard what has happened to Flamepelt. Heatherclan took her life without a second thought and had the audacity to taunt us after they broke the warrior code!" Yowls of anger and sorrow met LakeFeathers ears, and WeevilFang seemed pleased with that reaction. As the voices of his clanmates died down, WeevilFang continued. "Well, it seems that taking her life wasn't enough! I have returned from a solo hunting trip, and as I passed their border I caught the scent of those filthy Heatherclan cats well across our border! I have spoken to Brownstar about this and he wants to wait and speak to the-" More yowls of anger arose from the clan. Lakefeathers ears dropped as the various voices screeched out, she would never expect her clan to show such disrespect towards a leaders decision. Not aloud, anyway.
"Wait? Why should we wait when they've killed one of our own!" The voice of Rowanpelt rose above the others. Lakefeather turned her head to glance at the tom and huffed. Rowanpelt was a dark Tom with one white paw. He was known for his angry outbursts and attempts at solving everything with violence. He often got into trouble for instigating fights with the other clans, the "V" torn into his ear was proof of this, and he was recently told by Brownstar that if he doesn't shape up he will only be allowed to hunt in the center of the territory away from the borders.
"They could be taking our prey and our territory as we speak!" Sandfoot wailed, her yellow eyes wide with worry.
Egretstorm, one of Ivyclan's more recent queens, growled and dug her claws into the soft ground. "What about our kits! If they are okay with breaking the warrior code and taking another life, who's to say they won't go after our young!"
WeevilFang was watching the commotion from the high ledge with a look of satisfaction. It was clear to Lakefeather that he intended to cause this panic, but she wasn't sure why he would do such a thing. Lakefeather noticed Bramblepaw, a blue-grey tom with copper eyes, sitting nearby. His small body was trembling and his gaze was fixated on the floor. Aware that the onset of panic could shake any cat, Lakefeather felt a pang of pity for the apprentice and quietly moved to sit by him. Bramblepaw was a shy apprentice in comparison to Bramblestar - the cat he was named after - and she often saw him eating alone rather than with the other apprentices. Her tail wrapped around him and she purred softly in hopes of bringing him some comfort.
"Everyone just listen, please!" Bramblestar yowled out, gaining the attention of the cats once again. The leader sent a dark look to Weevilfang who only scoffed before taking a step back. Pleased with this, Brownstar looked back to his clan and sighed before speaking again. "I know this is troubling news. I know you are all frightened and angry after the loss of one of our own, I am too!" Lakefeather heard the murmurs of some cats and sent them a look to quiet down. Breezefur, having been caught, fluffed up his fur and looked down in embarrassment. "The gathering is in two days. I have decided to bring up the border skirmish as well as Flamepelts death. Hopefully the other leaders will talk some sense into Heatherclan, but if nothing works.. We will have no choice but to take action." Some cats meowed their agreement while others merely grumbled to themselves. Before Brownstar became leader, Ivyclan was known for instigating fights and eagerly going into battle. This only came to a halt when the clan lost more than a few cats during one fight, it took a while to bounce back from that defeat. Since then, Brownstar has been trying to calm his clan and introduce more peaceful methods of dealing with things. Unfortunately, not many cats agreed with his ways.
Brownstar raised his tail to signal the end of the meeting and walked back to his den with Cloudshine following close behind him. Bramblepaw left Lakefeathers side after touching his muzzle to her flank in gratitude. The she-cat glanced around for a moment in thought. If ChervilStar, the leader of Heatherclan, denied any accusations, Ivyclan could be seen as their old, violent self. It wouldn't take much for the other clans to side with Heatherclan, Lakefeather knew her clan's history wasn't the best.
But times are different now, hopefully others would realize that as well.
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Yay, chapter two is done! ~(^w^)~
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LakeFeather's Fate
Fanfiction"The forest will be bathed in blood as the storm ascends. The lake will rise in battle, and four shall become three." LakeFeather, a newly appointed warrior, discovers that her clan is under attack while she is out on patrol with her deputy and thre...
