A Meeting at Midnight

[♫ E§he ♥]

O wild and wondrous midnight,
There is a might in thee
To make the charmed body
Almost like spirit be,
And give it some faint glimpses
Of immortality.
-James Russell Lowell, Midnight

O come thee charmed forebodingness.
~Pantheress~
I am a raven in your skies.

At the peak of darkness, the moon lay upon the ferns of the forest. It's light shined straight through the spirits of the trees, allowing you to glimpse their dancing figures as they travel through the night. Pantheress glided down the side of the hollow, her paws just touching the earth: lifted by invisible wings. Milking the sweet midnight air into her lungs, she drifted onto a lap of grass like the final spiral of a fallen leaf. Her gaze shinned emerald - a treat to the eyes - and reflected her surroundings through her soul.
Wrenstar and the other leaders should be here soon, Pantheress voiced without speaking. Her Jade-stained windows scanned the bushes for the familiar white pelt of her companion.

***

Wrenstar padded lightly through the forest, her amber eyes two golden orbs hovering over the forest floor. Once or twice, moonlight would hit her fur and receive a dazzling golden light quite out of place in the night. Behind her ambled Longstride, Darkslash, Lostwolf, and Copperfur.
When they reached the Stone Hollow - how odd it seemed to be meeting when the moon was not full - Wrenstar detected no other Clan scents. Echoclan was the first to arrive.
After pausing for a moment or two, Wrenstar flicked her tail and descended down into the hollow. An umbrella of stars expanded above her head as the great golden fela perched herself upon the top of the largest stone in the clearing. Never had she felt so close to StarClan, the size of the stars left her in awe. She wondered if they were listening too.

[Silver]

Cinderstar padded through the forest, Willowears at her heels. "I stil think it's strange for Wrenstar to call a meeting like this, Willowears," she mewed to the older tom. The elder's olive eyes glittered in the night, reflecting the stars. He trotted along slowly beside his daughter, knowing he'd feel this journey back home. "Don't think about it too much. So what did Dogbite want a day or two ago?" he asked, dismising Cinderstar's worries. "It seems you're finally going to have someone else in the Elder's den with you. Dogbite has requested to retire," she answered loftily, looking around warily. Willowears nudged her, pointing ahead with his tail. Cinderstar nodded, and the two plunged into the clearing like they had Mistclan streeming behind them. Willowear's gaze caught Wrenstar's and her patrols gaze, while Cinderstar's flicked to Pantheress. So, she thought, gazing intently at the she-cat as if they could talk through their minds. Both cats settled, their eyes flicking this way and that, watching Wrenstar's patrol with curiousity.

[Måø§†]

Clouded with snow
The cold winds blow,
And shrill on leafless bough
The robin with its burning breast
Alone sings now.

A crescent moon pooled its light of guidance onto the misting earth below like compassion in times of darkness, in truth. Glossy silver fur parted towards the frivolous winds, Silverstar danced across silent feilds and through dense trees. Her elegance regal in many ways but tarnished by worry clouding in her eyes. Night crept into the undergrowth, hiding in the forest that night yet the murmers of cats ahead encouraged her to move forward. Her medicine cat shuffled behind her, what was met tonight was of importance to Sunfall as much as every member of her Clan. Spiritstep, Snowstorm and Mountainheart flanked at her sides. She could hear their steady breathing as a cloud of warm breath blossomed from their lips through the cold air.

The rayless sun,
Day's journey done,
Sheds its last ebbing light
On fields in leagues of beauty spread
Unearthly white.

Entering the hollow she studied what Clans were already their. She did not doubt what Copperfur had told her, she was concerned only with what other surprises would crawl through the unknown to their forest, what details and amount of danger Bloodgang posed, how many cats would die for their Clans? Surely less than if she did not align she knew.

Thick draws the dark,
And spark by spark,
The frost-fires kindle, and soon
Over that sea of frozen foam
Floats the white moon.

[bella]

WaterStar was uneasy. I wish FrostFur had come, she thought. She walkediinto the dark woods with only the stars to guide her. She began to pick up the cents of the other two Clans. Her stomach knotted up, she felt as if she could hurl. She walked into the Stone hollow and smiled at the other leaders. "Hello," she whispered. SHe looked around her and noticed that WrenStar had other warriors with her. She sat trying to calm herself.

[Torn]

The moonlight reflected in his eyes as he gazed around the clearing. A stunning black she-cat who was unknown to him looked around. Cinderrstar and Willowears represented Mistclan, talking quietly. Silverstar led Spiritstep, Snowstorm and Mountainheart, with the grey Sunfall at her side. With a pang of guilt, he saw Waterstar at the edge of the clearing alone. He'd been wrong... Darkslash only wished he could have gone back and told her again once he learned that Echoclan was taking warriors. It would seem very suspicous to her. What if she left? It would be his fault... He turned away and studied the new she-cat. Her ebonite pelt sparkled in the moon's rays, lighting her up.

Darkslash trotted forward for a second or so, and whispered to Wrenstar.
"I told Waterstar she wouldn't need warriors. I'm so stupid..." It was almost to himself really, but his ears flattened in shame.

Let it all go smoothly StarClan...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sunfall walked serenely at his leaders side. The moon was still a few days off the time the medicine cats would meet at The Cavern Of Stars. The silver tom's mind wandered. What would StarClan show him? They had given him small glimpses of flashing claws and darkness, but nothing major until the end. A face with red eyes had stared into his head, then a voice had whispered things like darkness and death to him, then he had woken.

He had told Silverstar, but it still worried him. Something was coming, but he just didn't know what. Maybe the odd she-cat in the corner held the answers. Her beauty was over-whelming... too over whelming if you asked him. It was like she was a brilliant light, shining so hard it blinded.

Dawnclan was here in the form of Waterstar. Cinderstar and Willowears represented Mistclan. Echoclan was led by Wrenstar, followed by four warriors. Why had she bought so many? They were all senior, so he hoped it was because she thought they needed to know, like Silverstar had reasoned as she chose the warriors to accompany her. He glanced back at the three warriors of his Clan, and smiled to them. It seemed they were all here.

"I guess we're all here then Silverstar. Do you think that black she-cat or Wrenstar will start?" He was trying to ease the silence in his words, looking over at Wrenstar who was listening to Darkslash as he whispered to her. Then he looked at the she-cat. She looked as though she was from StarClan, with the moon shining on her coat.

Is this what StarClan warned me about?

[♫ E§he ♥]

The future is called "perhaps," which is the only possible thing to call the future. And the only important thing is not to allow that to scare you.
-Tennessee Williams

I know not what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.
-Unknown Author

The ceiling will always be above the floor.
~Pantheress~
That is, unless you stand on your head.

Pantheress patiently let the time pass as the cats of The Resistance filed into the clearing. The alliance made tonight - it there was going to be one - would effect the future of every cat who had managed to escape the BloodGang's gripping talons of death. She shifted from paw to paw, her elegance and beauty catching many eyes. These cats seemed to think she was the leader. She felt like slipping away into the shadows, invisible to the blindness of eyes, but stayed put. How much she had changed. Would Cinderstar even recognize her?
A silence fell upon the clearing like a chilly blanket of snow. But the snow melted as soon as Wrenstar's standing form caught the moonlight, and turned night into day. Her eyes that trapped the sunshine danced like candle flames in the night.

"Welcome Silverstar, Cinderstar, Waterstar," Wrenstar nodded to the other three leaders respectfully and with gratitude. "I am glad you have come, for I, and all the cats in this clearing, ask for your help. The BloodGang has been growing stronger beneath their mysterious leader like a plague building in our bodies - invisible - until the day it strikes. But we must become aware of this rising threat. The Resistance is all that's left of the loners and rogues who used to inhabit the land around our territories. All the other have been captured by Seth and the BloodGang. His numbers are large and fierce. To defeat the BloodGang, we must join together. The Resistance will fight alongside us, for they wish to fight for their own freedom. And I assure you, all the cats are more than trustworthy. But I will let you decide for yourselves."
Wrenstar sat and nodded to Pantheress, the words of her speech a distant echo through the trees.

Pantheress stood, her form a living shadow. "I cannot speak for The Resistance alone, for there is one cat who has stepped forward to lead us. Bandit," Pantheress nodded to the albino tom resting in the crowd like a white silhouette against the darkness. "I have known for only a short time, but I would trust him with my life as much as a cat I had known for all the moons of my life."
Her melodious voice sounded like a song, spiraling though the air with the fragrance of violets and peppermint. "But before Bandit speaks, I would like to share the prophecy that we have gathered from ally sources. It goes like this: When the moon shines red, a new alliance will be formed, and a leader will rise. Those who live beneath the oaks, among the rolling hills, between the tall pines and murk, and among the darkness, shall be threatened. First will come the jaws. Then will come the claws. Any resistance must align with the trees or both will suffer beneath the rule of crimson eyes. Nothing is as it seems. Fear is the root of all evil."

[Silver]

Cinderstar in turn nodded to Wrenstar and the other leaders, especially Waterstar. She had brought no others with her; she wondered if her own choice to bring Willowears was wise. But if I feel that he needs to attend this meeting to advise me along the way, so be it, she thought, her eyes roving over Wrenstar's large party of warriors. Odd that she was prepared for an ambush even though she had arranged this meeing herself. Quietly, she listened to Pantheress' and Wrenstar's words, soaking in the information. Willowears seemed to be concentrating just as hard as the leader herself.
"I do not mean to contridict anyone, but didn't we doubt the exsistance of BloodGang before? If I recall, we rejected this idea after that tom attacked Longstride. What made you have such a change of heart, Wrenstar?" she mewed, careful to avoid Pantheress' gaze. Many toms in the clearing were watching her, as if she was a mirical of StarClan. She herself inspected the former warrior from the corner of her eyes. She seemed more confident and wiser than the last time to the two had met. She really has changed, she thought, relaxing. Willowears beside her still seemed to be concentrating instensly, though the clearing was silent after Cinderstar's words.

[♫ E§he ♥]

Silence is golden, but ductape is silver.

Some come from the sun.
~Wrenstar~
Some come from the moon.


'I do not mean to contridict anyone, but didn't we doubt the exsistance of BloodGang before? If I recall, we rejected this idea after that tom attacked Longstride. What made you have such a change of heart, Wrenstar?'

The petite lioness considered Cinderstar's words. Her reply swirled thyrough the air like the melody of winds.
"I began to believe that the BloodGang existed when a kittypet came to our camp, begging for help. Something was capturing the kittypets. I sent some of my warriors to help her, but they came too late. Whatever took the kittypets had disappeared into the Twoleg Rubbish-forest, and smelled of carrion and crowfood. I allowed the kittypet to stay with Echoclan, but she instead came here withy the other non-Clan cats who have managed to escape.
I began to believe when I overheard a battle in the Gnarled Forest as Swiftrunner and I crossed through. The same scent - carrion - and the frightened yowls of loners being captured.
I began to believe when I scented the carrion on the edge of our territory, a trail of escaped loners leading to the Stone Hollow: desperate for escape.
And I believed in the threat when Bandit, an old friend of Echoclan, came to me with a proposal for alliance this very sunhigh.And I trust Bandit. And I can assure you, Cinderstar, that the Clans can too."

[Torn]

Mimi's luxurious cream pelt immediatly set her apart from the tough Clan cats in the clearing. She would stick out like a sore thumb in the depths of the forest, whereas these subtle tabbys and golds blend into the bracken like chameleons. It made her feel kind of vulnerable as she stared with wide blue eyes around the clearing. Lean, but obviously powerful cats littered the clearing, their coats shining with health. A pang of envy rippled through her as she watched a grey she-cat murmer to an older tom who looked much like her - her father? The Clans stuck in close groups, their scents clear as each stood in the clearing, a leader at their head.

Her mind wandered as she listened to Pantheress. As she was mentioned, Mimi shrank. This only seemed to draw more attention. A long-haired dark tabby looked at her, turning gazes from others. Echoclan... he was the tom that had come with her to try and save her friends in the battle against BloodGang back in Twoleg place. She looked at the cats she'd come back to and purred. She knew all of their names already... Smiling, she sat up straighter and waved her tail.

My new family.

[bella]

The soft wind hit WaterStar's fur like warm water hitting a cold surface. She shivered. The autumn wind was here. She smiled at the other leaders despite her disbelief. "We have always have problems getting along. We have killed each other," she began, "we have to many grudges against each other. She licked her pink lips with her sand paper tongue. "We may be able to bind together, but it will not last. You cannot say that we all will only fight the Bloodgang. There will be warriors that will tussle with other warriors. By doing this we may be killing our on kind. I know it is the right thing to do, but is it really worth the risked?" she asked. She looked at the other leaders. Their gaze met hers. Again, she licked her lips, savoring the last taste of her supper.

[Måø§†]

Remember you are born to live.
Don’t live because you were born.

Take my words
And unravel their silvery threads
And sow them into wings
Take flight
Until the moons tender rays
Have bathed them
Within the golden rays
of Forever

Silver fur like dew against the mornings gentle rays, he cast a solemn gaze over the many fragments of all four Clans. Voice slicing through the shifting air below him, silencing it to captivated stares.

Bandit's words cut through those of Waterstars, thin strands of warmth slipping from his lips into the cool night air, "Do not take risks, make them. This forest does not realize the danger Bloodgang poses. That they could turn this earth into rivers of blood. Do not doubt yourself, your Clan, they don't deserve to be killed because of your decisions. This is a matter of how many cats you want to walk out of this battle, this war. The Resistance and our alliance will prepare you for the terrors that could strike at any moment. How do you know they are not attacking your Clans at this very moment?" he watched for the anxious glances shared below him, "Yes. Cats will die, and a great many of them. They will die to win, for what's right. You can win, will win. The Resistance will fight along side you, but it is up to your decisions and trust to lose a few cats, or lose the entire forest. This is not my battle, it is yours."

The Clans did not know, however, that within the shadowy depths two sillhouttes observed. Fire against coal. And they were more than happy to happen upon this gathering of cats than the grimy inhabitance of Bloodgang.

[bella]

She looked at Bandit, what he was saying was true and thoughtful. "Sorry, you have made your point," she meowed. She looked at the other leaders. , then looked at the ground, embarrassed.

[Silver]

Cinderstar glanced at Willowears, but he still seemed lost in thought. She was on her own for a while. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward. "I will accept your help, the Resistance's help, if it means more lives will be spared," She announced. Willowears looked up, as if startled. He looked around, realizing the meeting was still going on. "Bandit. You tell us BloodGang is a great and powerful force. But if I am to prepare my Clan, I need to know more. What exactly are we up against here?" she asked, her voice ringing clear in the starry night. Willowears nodded, quickly scanning the clearing. It seemed clear to him what he had missed; the Clans were questioning this cats, still unsure of what to choose. "These cats speak wisely," he said, his gaze smoothly sliding to each cat in the clearing."I would listen carefully to what he has to say, even if you are still doubtful. Apart, we are weaker than together," he finished, lapping back into his respectful silence. Cinderstar nodded to her father, her ash colored tail sweeping out behind her.

[Måø§†]

It's easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.


Bandit nodded, his silvery fur glinting tenderly off the smoky darkness around him.

His voice was sturdy, ringing through the night like ripples creasing over the water, "Cinderstar, we are up against far more than we can handle. More cats than you have every seen, cities and forests worth of them. They will be blood thirsty and merciless whether they were for or against Bloodgang in the beginning. The camp finds ways to spin situations and make empty promises until they are so blinded with rage they do not see the danger they are inflicting upon themselves.

"We are up against death. Blood of both their cats and our cats will be shed in numerous amounts. Survival. Bloodgang does not care about their own deaths, only revenge, or so I've heard. For us we must try to survive and win. Defeat Seth as soon as possible, but even still, fighting may not cease.

"There will be many. More than all four Clans and The Resistance. But I believe it is possible to win without fighting each cat to their death. Train your cats strongly in defensive techniques, but not only this. Train them orally. Many of Bloodgangs members have been captured and forced to fight, convinced with only a few small lies to fight with them. It may be a promise for fame, food, or revenge against the wrong group of cats. Our job is to talk to them, to tell them the truth and envoking strong words of truth through their minds. Bloodgang may gradually lose members, and if StarClan is on our side, we may gain some."


Art is never finished, only abandoned.

[♫ E§he ♥]

~Wrenstar~

"Then it has been decided." Spoke the cat. Golden lioness. Whispering dove. Song of fate.

"When the BloodGang attacks, we shall stand together. Let StarClan hear and understand our decision." Spoke the cat. Golden lioness. Whispering dove. Song of fate.

The Stars nodded in approval.
Let come the war.
For now there is one versus one.
Who will win?
Wait and see.
Spoke the moon. Bleeding light. Signal of death. Song of fate.

OOC: Sorry for the weird layouts of my writing. I'm trying to practice different styles.