Chapter Nine

"Will anyone old enough to catch their own prey, sit beneath the high rock for a clan meeting!" Thistestar roared throughout the clan.

In a matter of moments the whole clan sat under the highrock to wait for the clan meeting to begin; everyone sat with who they belonged with: Blackpaw's mentor Ripplefang that he never practiced with, Firepaw sat with Icepaw with their tails intertwined on the ground where no one could see, and Hawkpaw sat with Minnowpaw.

So, Blackpaw sat with Hawkpaw, but the brown apprentice hissed at him with fury.

Minnowpaw sighed, "Why are you here."

Blackpaw scrambled to his paws, "Uh, nothing..nevermind, I just thought I could sit with my friend-"

"My clan, today is darker than I thought.." Thistlestar announced over everyone, "But last night, I was given a vision from Starclan. Unfortunately it was a warning about death and inescapable destruction that was going to hit the forest by force.." He went on, his tail drooping near Sandpelt who had no idea of this at all until now, "This prophecy was given to me by no other than Brindlestar who had been killed by an attack by Solarclan last night, instead of her cough, it was by the claws of Cedarstar. So, today we are going to enter Jadeclan to help rebuild their clan and to welcome the deputy Dawnflower as their new leader."

"We are not from that clan, why should we care of something that is not our problem?" Reedtail lashed, from usually being quiet he finally said something against his own leaders wishes.

All of Riseclan agreeable chittered and chattered with each other.

Sandpelt watched his clanmates, but he looked over at everyone to gaze foolishly at Moonsong.

Thistlestar scrapped his claws ontop of highrocks face to create an ear-piercing sound that made everyone, including Sandpelt to even break from his fantasy to be with Moonsong again, to only stare up at his leader.

Blackpaw's ears flattened afterwards.

"Jadeclan like us, is a good clan. They fight for what they have to, but because Brindlestar was originally ill from a sickness, they nearly perished by Solarclan." Thistlestar explained, his tail swaying left and right as he calmly sat down on the rock, "Thankfully now Dawnflower will become Dawnstar in order to keep her clan alive.because now and forevermore, there will always be four clans in this forest."

Blackpaw looked around his clanmates to find his mother that he had not seen in a long while, sitting with Moonsong, and Moonsong's other daughter Bluepaw.

So, he got up to sit next to her..he felt safe finally..

"Blackpaw, what are you up to now?" Bluepaw asked, her brown tail swaying, "Has my sister still been after you all this time?" She joked.

Blackpaw shook his head, "No, I think she doesn't love me anymore.."

Mothlightl curiously looked to her young son, "Maybe the both of you shouldn't know what love is until you're both a few moons older."

Bluepaw giggled at Blackpaw.

Did I even love Icepaw honestly? Sure, seeing her right now with my brother makes me very angry, but not so much that it hurts me like it did yesterday when I found out.. Blackpaw thought to himself, Maybe, I don't love anyone..

Thistlestar hopped off the highrock, "My clan, we are going to help a clan in need to keep the forest a whole; there are four seasons, four trees, four leaders of four clans. As long as I'm leader, no one is going to have say over my laws.." He flashed a look at Reedtail because of his comment from earlier.

And so, the clan meeting was over and another handful of cats were meant to walk out of Riseclan to go repair Jadeclan from the battle with Solarclan.

There was a force shifting the fragile scales that weighed the clans of the forest; a balance that shifted unpleasantly from the force lightly hitting it now.. But one day, the whole scale would be broken, a long with the balance of four clans.

The cats that were sent to leave to Jadeclan were; Thistlestar, Sandpelt, Reedtail, Ripplefang, Minnowpaw, Hawkpaw, Firepaw and luckily Blackpaw.

All of them dug their claws into the down hill part of Jadeclan's entrance, no one slipped thankfully.

The whole way was quiet to Blackpaw because Hawkpaw hadn't been very kind to him ever since he had taken the eye out of Minnowpaw, but that was fine to Blackpaw because he wasn't left guessing why.

Minnowpaw though, was taking glances at Blackpaw; he was sometimes swaying his tail where Blackpaw was accidentally going to step that could had made him roll all the way down the hill in possibly a painful manor..it was odd to Blackpaw, but he decided to not think much of it.

The only cat he cared for was obviously Firepaw, who had stayed true to them no longer being brothers..

Though, Blackpaw did hope that Firepaw would glance over his shoulder at him every now and again, but the fiery apprentice never did the whole time they treked to then be inside Jadeclan.

Jadeclan's awful stench of fish hit Blackpaw pretty hard as his eyes began to water, he looked around at the cats he had never seen before.

To his surprise he could not find Shadepaw, who he thought would be able to sense his own Riseclan scent, but then thought it would be hard due to the Jadeclan's scent being so thick.

"Riseclan, thank you for coming.." Dawnstar greeted them, "I hope your journey here was easy to you, and that my guards on top of the hill did not give you any trouble.."

Blackpaw's ears went back at this charmingly beautiful she-cat that was apparently the new leader of Jadeclan, meaning she was older than him.

Nevertheless, his senses kicked him to tell him he was a Riseclan apprentice and that she was a Jadeclan leader.

So, age and clan were major factors that Blackpaw was never going to look at this particular she-cat in any natural way he would had wanted, but instead would think of her as a leader of duty for her clan.

Thistlestar nodded his head, he rested his muzzle lightly on Dawnstar's shoulder to show that he was capable of caring in front of the handful of Riseclan cats he brought along to

prove this to them all.

Dawnstar took kindly to this eternally, she lifted her head high to signify she was full of strength for her clan with also pride to herself.

"Jadeclan is thankful for your arrival.." She continued with a low sigh from missing her leader Brindlestar, "Brindlestar would had also been thankful too if she had not lost her last life from that awfully wretched Solarclan leader..I cannot wait to see the fear in her eyes when she sees my clan fully fed and strong on the next gathering."

The Riseclan cats nodded their heads in respect for this new leader that they all thought were going to hate because well, she was not their leader.

But, they all respected her because she was strong.

Although, Blackpaw did find it odd at how fast Thistlestar's personality changed from how long he'd known him, which was unpleasant enough.

Yet, he did find that the Riseclan leader was trying too hard in front of his own clan..

Thistlestar lifted his head, "How did Solarclan attack?"

"Like blood-thirsty animals," Dawnstar growled, "They all attacked near first, then dug their teeth in to grip as much as they could. It was a disgusting sight.."

Blackpaw's ears flattened respectfully for those that may had passed and those for whom actually did from what he saw at the river. Especially for the innocent Breezeleaf dying in vein because he was a medicine cat that would had only tried healing his own clan, but was instead killed off so that he wouldn't. This disgusted Blackpaw that he still considered the idea of being Twistedfoot's medicine cat apprentice one day just to honor the Solarclan medicine cat he had never met before.

Dawnstar's ears were twitching uncontrollably from being so cautious if ever an attack was going to happen again, "Starclan gave Brindlestar, or even Larkfur no sign that there was going to be an attack; not even any of my clan knew, no one said a word."

"That's not true!" Blackpaw protested, raising his head with his ears pointed straight, "Our medicine cat, Sootpelt said that a Jadeclan black apprentice told him and Larkfur about the attack!"

Disgusted, Dawnstar hissed at him from Blackpaw's contradiction, "No, I did tell one of my apprentices to warn them, but it was because Solarclan was attacking us right then and there. No one warned us at all, and it is rude of you to say otherwise from whatever any cat says about the truth."

Blackpaw felt numb again, why had Shadepaw not warned them?