Conflagration [A Warrior Cats AU]

Chapter Thirty-Two

Bluestar leapt up onto the great rock and dipped her head to Thistleclaw. Cats gathered below the four Clans, sharing tongues and stories. Thistleclaw's eyes narrowed. 

"You've gone to the moonstone?" She asked, staring at Thistleclaw's emotionless eyes.

Thistleclaw nodded curtly. "I am Thistlestar now," he replied. He leaned in close to Bluestar.

"How about you just give up RiverClan now? It'd make things a lot easier," he whispered into her ear.

Bluestar took a step back, looking at him scornfully. "Congratulations," was all she said.

Thistlestar growled, turning back to the crowd. His tail twitched two and fro. "Let's start the gathering!" He yowled. 

Immediately there was silence and cats turned to the ThunderClan leader. Tallstar gave Thistlestar a smile and stepped forward. "WindClan is well. Onepaw is now Onewhisker and Mudpaw is now Mudclaw."

"Onewhisker! Mudclaw! Onewhisker! Mudclaw!" Cats cheered for the new warriors. Bluestar saw them nearby Oakheart. Onewhisker looked at his paws with a shy smile and Mudclaw stood up straight and puffed out his chest, grinning.

Tallstar dipped his head after the cheering ceased. "Bluestar, you can go next."

Bluestar stepped forward, tail tip twitching from Thistlestar's suggestion earlier. "RiverClan is well. We hope ThunderClan is alright after the fire," she meowed, glancing at the leader. She hesitated, before adding, "Willowpelt and her kits have joined us because she felt abused and mistreated in ThunderClan."

Cats voices rose. Some yowled at her and some at Thistlestar. 

"How dare you make a queen and her kits feel mistreated in her clan!" ShadowClan's medicine cat snarled. 

Bluestar snuck another glance at Thistleclaw, satisfied. "Right now she is a prisoner but is being looked after. I suspect she will soon prove herself as a RiverClan cat."

ShadowClan's leader scoffed. "RiverClan seems to be taking in more of ThunderClan's traitors," he meowed, broken tail lashing. His flat, broad face was twisted in a sneer.

Bluestar's eyes widened and she hissed at the new leader, not saying anything in reply and just staring at him with an enraged gaze. She looked back at the cats in the crowd, seeing some look uneasily at Whitestorm and fixing him with hostile eyes. Whitestorm raised his chin. "If Willowpelt left because she was upset I didn't love her, then good riddance," he meowed strongly from the front of the crowd.

Bluestar recoiled in disgust and cats began to hiss and snarl at the white tom. Whitestorm didn't care, only glaring up at Bluestar. 

"I'll go next," ShadowClan's leader snarled, almost knocking Bluestar over as he stepped forward. "I am now Brokenstar, leader of ShadowClan."

Cats gasped once more, staring up at him. "B-but Raggedstar was only made a leader a few moons ago!" Bluestar stammered in disbelief.

Brokenstar silenced the RiverClan leader with a fiery glare, making her flinch back. "Raggedstar lost his nine lives to a WindClan patrol-"

Thistlestar's eyes flashed and he got to his paws. "Let's not have an argument," he meowed coolly. "I will report what's happened with ThunderClan."

He nonchalantly licked a paw, staring at the cats of all four Clans. "We all seem to have had a lot of drama going on lately and sadly I have more to contribute. ThunderClan feels bad for your loss, Brokenstar, and-"

"Get on with it!" A cat meowed from the crowd.

Thistlestar scowled. "Of course," he meowed through gritted teeth, faking a smile. "Our former leader, Sunstar, died of smoke inhalation in a fire. We thank RiverClan for help when we needed it in the fire, but they couldn't help Sunstar's death."

He glanced at Bluestar, his look clearly saying you couldn't have stopped me.

"We all miss him so much and he was such a great leader. But I, Thistlestar, promise to be a leader like him. Our new deputy is Whitestorm."

"Thistlestar! Thistlestar!" Cats cheered.

Bluestar recoiled slightly. Whitestorm?! She thought in surprise. Thistlestar's reign would never be over now.

"We were also very worried about Willowpelt," Thistlestar meowed slowly. "But I'm glad she and her kits are safe in RiverClan. We have two new apprentices, Firepaw and Greypaw. Firepaw might've once been a kittypet but he's one of our fiercest cats!"

"Firepaw! Greypaw! Firepaw! Greypaw!" The Clans cheered once more. Some sounded reluctant to be cheering for a kittypet. 

Bluestar nodded curtly and opened her jaws to say something, but Thistlestar interrupted her.

"We are very glad to have a forest healing so fast after the fire and we are strong!" He meowed. 

"Is the gathering over now?" Bluestar asked impatiently, claws digging into the rock. 

Thistlestar's eyes narrowed. "Not completely," he murmured. "I'd like to talk to you three."

Brokenstar yawned, looking like he had heard this many times. Tallstar leaned in with interest and Bluestar scowled at the bossy ThunderClan leader. 

"I was thinking of ThunderClan merging with one of your Clans? We would become one, become TigerClan from the ancient days! Wouldn't we all be so much stronger if this happened?"

Brokenstar snarled. "ShadowClan have told you already: no. We are fine how we are and we don't need ThunderClan and their kittypets helping us."

Thistlestar's eyes flashed and for a second he looked like he was going to leap at the tom. Then he inhaled and exhaled deeply, nodding. "Alright. If you ever change your mind, we will be willing to co-operate."

"StarClan has always said there are four Clans in the forest!" Bluestar protested with a hiss, staring into Thistlestar's amber eyes.

Thistlestar ignored her and looked at Tallstar. "And you?"

Tallstar shook his head. "No," he replied simply. "There are four trees and four seasons, just as there are four Clans. We will stand alone."

Thistlestar nodded, looking like he was only just controlling his anger. Through gritted teeth, he continued.

"If any of you want to become part of TigerClan, the offer is still open," he meowed, leaping off of the great rock. "ThunderClan, let's go."

Seething, the tom flicked his tail for his Clan to follow him, walking out of the gathering hollow.

Bluestar watched, her fur bristling and a snarl on her face.

We're safe for now. But now I know that Thistlestar truly wants control, she thought with narrowed eyes. 

But I will do anything to stop him.