𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘴: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘛𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 (BOOK 1) (ROS)

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 18

The next day(?).

MurkClan is struggling. The sickness had passed by but only left them with lesser warriors. But now they may be a target of Ice'star's beliefs.

Without a leader to set them straight, without a medicine cat to guide them, they are forced to move.

Pond'hollow struggles to find ways to control her clan now that she is a temporary leader until Marsh'star's return. But he hasn't been there for a while. They can't even tell time, and it almost felt like it had been moons. The darkness has taken everything, and nowhere is safe. The only thing that's left in this land is to leave.

The winds were silent, and the clouds were dark. The queens and elders are urged to be inside their dens at all times. Pond'hollow makes her statement by getting up onto the high stump in preparation for the meeting. "If you're old enough to travel across the murky waters, gather beneath the high stump for a meeting!" She called. Only a few warriors and apprentices came from their dens and sat before her. Pond'hollow sat down, and she stared at the cats before beginning her short announcement.

"We will be moving from camp. This place is not safe for us to be around." She spoke. "With the destruction of our resources..." She looked out at the ruined camp and the lack of prey.  "We no chance but to leave." 

A black and gray tom raised his paw, requesting to speak. Pond'hollow saw his paw raised and nodded at him. "You may have your permission, Sage'spark." 

"I don't think we should leave." The tom said, this had raised confusion to all the other cats. The tom stood up, his eyes glaring at the deputy. "What?" Pond'hollow became puzzled.

"I said we shouldn't leave. If SaguaroClan can become allies with CavernClan, then we can join with BeachClan. If we leave the islands, we will die. StarClan has given us the time to prepare ourselves, and I'm not letting that get into waste." Sage'spark's tail lashed behind him. It seemed that he did not want to leave nor let IceClan take over the entire island. Another she-cat named Meadow'rain chimed in; her eyes appeared to be upset of that idea. 

"We are weakened!" She spat. "How are you a warrior if you lead us to our doom?" She stepped forward at the tom. Her way is blocked by another tom named Mangrove'pool. "I say that I believe what Sage'spark is saying." He added in, guarding the warrior away from Meadow'rain. "The darkness has consumed everything. It would've been foolish if we just deserted our home to die in starvation!"

"We are dying in starvation! If we stay, we'll die anyway!" The dark gray she-cat yelled at her. She then tried to walk to the exit of the camp. This caused Mangrove'pool to sheathe his claws and block her way. "The warrior code forbids us to desert our home, not without a fight. You stay right there where you belong." The tom threatened, this caused Pond'hollow to deescalate the situation before it could get worse. All the other warriors and apprentices murmured in concern.

"Calm yourselves!" She snapped. "We are in this together, and you two are acting like kits!" 

She then took her time to breathe. The two went silent. The deputy raises her head, her eyes blinking slowly from how exhausted she was, mentally. "We will settle an agreement of what we can do, for now we must face our differences the right way, and not with violence!"

Mangrove'pool and Meadow'rain backed down, in deputy's orders, everyone will be needing each other in the end, no one is different. Moss'paw who stayed right beside her mentor, Sage'spark, noticed something in the corner of her slit pupils. A tortoiseshell cat caught her attention as it loomed over the trees, the cat's claws sheathed as it focused on Pond'hollow's neck.

"Pond'hollow!" The apprentice yowled. "Watch out!"

The deputy immediately turned around, and she batted the tortoiseshell cat, Kestrel'shade to the ground in front of all of the warriors. A cry is heard from cats of other clans, a cry of battle.