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MOON 19 (FINAL)

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DAZED. REELING. ABOUT TO BREAK. The Gardener attack left many, many cats stressed. Riversnow, Owlpaw, Daffodilpaw and Shiverstep are impacted more than others.

(Riversnow, warrior, female, 68 moons. Adventurous.) (Daffodilpaw, apprentice, female, 6 moons. Careful.) (Owlpaw, apprentice, female, 6 moons. Adventurous.) (Shiverstep, cleric, female, 19 moons. Loving.)

Redstar calls a Clan meeting. She makes a change to the Law of Informed Risk, re-emphasizing teaching youth details about the Deep Roots, and makes a new law to the Warrior Code - the Law of Fire, to teach and make more active use of fire in their combat and defensive measures. A faint hope blossoms.

(Redstar, leader, female, 78 moons. Strict.)

---

Redstar stood vigil all night next to a large fire stationed by the wreckage of their broken wall. She was used to it anyway. The only difference was that she didn't have a Woodcrawler den at her back.

The pyramid-like shape they constructed for the fire burned tall all night long, warding anything that dared to look in ForestClan's direction. Cats joined and left over the course of the night. Perchwatcher, staring at the fire with narrowed eyes, lost in thought. Tree, who stared out into the forest for a few hours, but said nothing. Windfur, who stared up at the stars. Cottonpaw, who added more wood to the fire as prior ones burned into cinders. Barleywave, whose gaze stared at nothing and everything; distant and present all at once. Hopechase, who tried to convince Redstar to try and nap for at least an hour. Morningspot, who stared out into the woods for about as long as Redstar did while others came and went - until she physically couldn't stay awake and fell unconscious by the fire. By the time she woke up again, a look of guilt plagued her vision. Every single cat that came eventually returned to Redstar's den, finding dreamless sleep with the rest of their clanmates. Redstar felt like an oak - standing firm while animals and insects spun around her vicinity, taking comfort in familiar stalwartness. When Iciclepool came down before dawn, Redstar told her what she wanted to tell the Clan. Changes she wished to make. Hoping that her decisions were right. Iciclepool listened intently, and when Redstar finished, she nodded, and agreed.

Dawn came. Not that it mattered. Cats were up in the blue light before sunrise anyway.

Redstar spared them from thinking on empty stomachs. She cooked them leftover birds and mice to share - prey she was grateful was spared from the damage. Some cats ate. Some felt obligated to take a few bites, but couldn't stomach much more.

Redstar had spent the night mulling what to say to her Clan. She recited her words over and over again. She wasn't good at inspiring hope. That was Hopechase's strength. It was the very reason Redstar renamed her from Lightfoot to Hopechase.

She closed her eyes. Took a deep breath.

When she was young, the story of the spear-ringed camp brought her hope. She wished for so long that she could be a gentle cat. Someone that brought others a gentle place to live in. She thought that just trying to sacrifice herself alone would do it. A naive thought. In between those feeds, what then? Was she supposed to trust the woods to leave them alone? No. This devastation was proof.

She should've known that she was never going to be a gentle leader, gifting cats of all ages and walks of life a peaceful, stress-free life where the mockeries of nature never tried to take more than they were given. She was a spear. She was always a spear-maker, a bush made of thorns, a ravine of spikes below a cliff. She was a weapon of magnicide. She could never be anything else.

So the least she could do is teach others how to wield those same spears. Redstar organized a coup, once. If she could convince a small group of cats that they were stronger than a StarClan-blessed secret keeper, then she could convince them that they could terrify a Gardener.

When Redstar finally walked past them, she stood on the High Rock and spoke.

"Let all cats - regardless of age or status - gather below the High Rock for a Clan meeting."

It didn't take long for every cat to gather below. The exhausted Shiverstep and three outsider kits included. Redstar briefly looked at her Clan - exhausted, afraid and helpless.

Not anymore.

"I don't need to speak of what happened the night before. We all know what happened. There are a few cats I want to speak to privately after this."

Redstar said this first for the sake of stifling conversation about Owlpaw's actions for a few minutes. She saw Branchsnarl, Deerpaw and Shadekit shift a little in their spots. Riversnow's tail wrapped around Owlpaw, eyes fierce. Owlpaw's gaze was locked to the floor, as it had been since she woke. Shiverstep also kept her gaze on the floor - but for a different reason. Redstar wanted to speak to her as well - but after Owlpaw.

"First. I wish to apologize for my failures."

There were a few confused mrrps that came from the crowd. A single "what?" came from Cottonpaw. Redstar continued.

"For a long time - I had hoped to make ForestClan a gentler place. I didn't want to raise terrified kits and nervous apprentices. I didn't want to expose cats to the horrors of the woods. I wanted…" Redstar swallowed. "I wanted to be a…a wall from that. If only I had to be exposed to the Deep Root entities regularly, then I could protect cats from staring them in the face. I could protect ForestClan from…this." Redstar scanned her gaze sadly over her home. A broken west wall. Broken warrior's den. Chipped walls. Broken pulleys, dug out ground and a dented apprentice den. A few cats murmured. Tree was brave enough to chirp in, their voice leveled.

"That was never going to be possible. At the very least, Living Tendrils would always get past."

"And kits don't stay kits forever." Perchwatcher seemed spurned by Tree's bravery, her blue eyes sharp with carved memory. "Apprentices and warriors would be exposed to them too on patrols."

"I'm…pretty sure Redstar's not being literal, guys," Barleywave meowed.

Redstar felt a needle through her heart as her Clan started to bicker. She fought every urge to retort as she remembered her place on the Rock. She remembered the golden and brown face of an enraged cat screaming down at them. She closed her eyes, and tried to allow the needle to go through her back. It hung on. Hurt.

"Quiet, please."

Redstar turned her head to see Iciclepool stepping out from the crowd and calmly sitting down at the base of the rock. She curled her tail around her paws and stood straight. Cats stared at the deputy.

"I know you have a lot of feelings and unspoken thoughts. A lot of resentment and pain. We are all frightened from the Gardener attack. If there is one thing I can implore of you this morning, please," Iciclepool's copper eyes were filled with a rare softness. "Listen to Redstar for just a few more minutes. I was consulted about this announcement before it was made. I think it is a good change. A necessary one."

Redstar stared down at her deputy. Iciclepool met her gaze with a smile. For a second, Redstar felt the urge to cry as she remembered the kit who was three moons younger than her in the nursery. She remembered teaching her the best way to crunch leaf-fall leaves. That's what she wished she could preserve, and she felt like maybe she was giving up on it with this announcement.

But maybe not. If Iciclepool, the cat who loved being a parent, believed this was right - then she had to believe that.

Redstar straightened and continued. "I hear your criticisms. And I understand. I will not pretend that my idealism did not result in a culture of misunderstandings and a source of pain. For this, I take all responsibility. That is my greatest failure."

Perchwatcher blinked, her ears flicking with attention. Tree relaxed, their eyes softening.

"My attempts to shield others about the horrors of the woods did not help. I am claiming responsibility for this coddling." Redstar omitted the fact that the rest of ForestClan's adult founders - Cloudthunder, Iciclepool, Hopechase, Barleywave and Windfur - contributed to their budding culture of reluctance as well. It didn't matter. She refused to let others cast resentment on them. "Because of my reluctance, a Gardener was allowed to follow our clanmates home. I was ill equipped to address it with the urgency it needed. It is thanks to Hopechase that we survived."

Hopechase's ear flicked.

"I never want this to happen to ForestClan again. So, I am seeking to make changes to the Code we follow. I call upon our warrior ancestors to witness these changes, and approve of my choice."

All eyes were on her now. She stared out beyond the walls. A fire burned in her chest as she resented every Woodcrawler, every Fake Being, every Infected Predator, Gardener and Nature's Mockery that grew and festered in ForestClan's woods.

I'm making weapons. You will regret ever letting me live. I'm coming for you.

"I seek to revise the Law of Informed Risk. It is not enough for the names, hunting methods or rarity of Deep Root entities to be emphasized. Lockdown procedures will be taught from a young age, and knowing how to deal with each creature will be taught before apprenticeship, not during. This process began with our newest members," Redstar glanced at the outsider kits, who stared back with wide, blue eyes. "But I am re-emphasizing it for official records, and it will cover all known creatures. For the sake of spoken record, the known Deep Root entities we are addressing are as follows; Woodcrawlers, Fake Cats, Fake Twolegs, Infected Predators, Nature's Mockery, Luring Lights, Living Tendrils, Gardeners, and the Wretch. "

A few murmurs erupted from the crowd, Deerpaw murmuring a bit too loudly, "Hasn't the Wretch only ever appeared once…?"

"Yes. That doesn't matter. Rarity should have zero influence on whether or not we have procedures against it. And we will practice these procedures, in every season. Iciclepool and I will discuss these revised processes before announcing and teaching them to the Clan. Second - I wish to introduce a new Law to the code."

More murmurs. She waited for the crowd to die down a bit before continuing.

"Ancestors of StarClan, as my witnesses, I am adding the Law of Fire. Fire use and management will be considered as vital as knowledge about the Deep Roots. From three moons old, kits will be taught about fire safety and fire management. They will learn how to maintain and tend to them with supervision from adults. Every apprentice and adult will be taught how to craft torches, create fires, and use them as weapons against various monsters. This applies to all Clan roles - clerics, healers, mediators and elders included. Any cats patrolling at night for any reason will require a cat to bring a torch."

There were a few meows of concern - Olive in particular raised her tail to speak, but spoke out regardless.

"That seems dangerous. There would be an increased risk of forest fires - something that could kill all cats very quickly."

"I am aware of the dangers of fire. Hence, the fire safety training. We will teach it as something dangerous, to be used with care and respect, not without thought. We will also create a procedure for escaping the forest in case of a forest fire - something that we should've always had in the first place, given how often Twolegs create and improperly extinguish them to begin with. In addition," Redstar raised her tail, "fire will not only be used as a weapon. I wish to find a way to establish standing torches around the camp, if possible. My reasoning for all of this is because of what Tree found the night prior. Iciclepool, if you could."

Cats watched as Iciclepool padded away, then came back with a linen bundle. She placed it in front of the small crowd, then unwrapped the linen. In the middle was the claw-like foot of the Gardener - half-charred, its dead, red tendons curled like the legs of dead spiders. Cats leaned in to inspect it - with Shadekit meowing loudly, "What's that?" and bouncing up to it. Half the Clan gasped and Shadekit was yanked back by Riftgorse.

"Do not touch it!" Riftgorse growled.

"Why? What is it?"

"You may remember the sound we heard before the Gardener fled. A loud crack. That night, we were saved by the cinders of the cooking fire. And that," Redstar gestured with her tail, "is its foot. The cinders blew it clean off. That is how weak they are to fire. We've used fire against Living Tendrils before, but now more than ever, we need the Deep Root entities to fear you. Because they should. It took a few pawfuls of cinders for the Gardener's foot to sever." The leader's eyes burned with intensity. "Fire is not a universal solution. Woodcrawlers are ambushers - too fast. Fake Beings are better isolated and avoided entirely until they naturally perish. But Infected Predators, Gardeners, Living Tendrils? We will teach you how to use it against them. We will make them hesitate. We will make them fear the weapon you wield. We are cats - hunters. They will respect that."

ForestClan stared up at Redstar attentively. A few were wary, some were unreadable. But more seemed quietly emboldened, tails flicking and shoulders straightening. Good enough. Wariness was understandable, given the night before and a lack of sleep. Redstar slumped, then sighed. She wasn't looking forward to this next part.

"That's all the major changes. But, now I have one final request." She paused for a bit, mentally preparing herself. "I know that there has been a lot of hesitation to share our thoughts and feelings with each other. We are all entitled to privacy. I am not here to force anyone to talk. However." Her eyes narrowed as she looked down at the Clan. "Refusing to disclose vital information that could save someone's life, and bottling up our feelings towards Clanmates out of unspoken resentment, is not helping. I am not here to accuse or demean, but here is an example. Deerpaw," Redstar looked at the brown and white molly, and the apprentice seemed shocked to be called on. "Last greenleaf. When Cottonpaw spoke her intent to leave camp, what would've helped more? To wake up a warrior and tell them what happened right away, or to join her?"

Deerpaw shuffled meekly, staring at the floor. "I…I should've said something."

"Correct. Daffodilpaw, you said Owlpaw told you in the morning her intent to leave at night. What would've happened if you told Cloudthunder much earlier?"

Riversnow bristled, but Barleywave pressed his tail on her back. Daffodilpaw avoided Redstar's gaze, eyes glued to the floor. After a dozen seconds without any response, Redstar decided to spare the young apprentice.

"Cloudthunder could've talked to me, or your mother, or Iciclepool. We could've talked to Owlpaw."

Daffodilpaw finally squeaked. "I promised her not to…"

"Owlpaw could've died. I know you want to respect your sister, but yesterday could've ended very differently." Redstar scanned her gaze over the Clan, whose solemnity and anxiety rippled back into them. "So before we disband, I want to clear the air. As a Clan, right now. If there's anything that you are keeping from your Clanmates that you believe is very important, or if you have any feelings, apprehensions or unaired grievances you wish known, speak now."

A tense silence fell upon the Clan. As the rays of dawn began creeping up over the horizon, the songs of chickadees filled the quiet. Redstar curled her tail around herself. "...I will give it a few minutes. We all need time to think."

And so there were. Cats stared at the Gardener's severed foot. At their paws, at the ruined corners of camp. Redstar noticed Brackenfreckle gently raking her claws in between blades of grass, her eyes narrowed with thought. Cloudthunder glanced at the sky before darting her eyes elsewhere, clearly trying to formulate a sentence. Blackkit and Nectarkit stared at the floor. Shadekit stared up at Redstar, then finally raised one of his paws.

"...Yes, Shadekit? You wish to say something?" Iciclepool beckoned gently.

"Can I learn how to make fire now?" Shadekit asked.

A few cats broke down their wall of nervousness, a few mrrows of amusement erupting between them. Redstar's whiskers twitched, her eyes narrowing with mirth.

"Not right at this moment. But perhaps if we have time today, we can. There's a lot of work we have to do."

"...Can I insist someone else speak a secret?" Hopechase asked. Redstar tilted her head at her, confused by the wording.

"Elaborate?"

Hopechase glanced at Iciclepool, serious but compassionate. "Honey."

Iciclepool bristled. "Hopechase, not right now."

"That's alright. But before the end of this meeting, please."

"I…I…fine."

"...Should we be concerned?" Redstar asked, tense.

"I would've said no a few days ago, but…" Iciclepool sighed.

Airpaw stared at his mentor. After a few moments, he said calmly, "I guess I have a question."

"Yes?" Iciclepool pressed.

"Are you pregnant?"

Iciclepool bristled and choked back a squeak. Hopechase couldn't help but burst with laughter. Cottonpaw, Deerpaw and Cloudthunder all frantically tried to shush or glare at Airpaw, who seemed unfazed.

"Airpaw, come on, don't comment on someone's weight!" Deerpaw hissed.

"It's not that. It's fighting practice," Airpaw clarified politely. "I haven't learned rolling recoveries yet. I asked about it, but you were reluctant to show me 'cause of back pain. For…uh, two weeks straight. And, yeah, fine, the weight gain. It was fast."

"Your apprentice is a sharp one, Iciclepool," Hopechase said with a smirk.

"Hopechase, please," Iciclepool groaned.

"You're pregnant?" Shiverstep rasped with wide eyes.

"That surprises me too," Windfur tilted his head. "Why didn't - I mean, how long?"

Iciclepool winced, but seemingly gave up and slumped sadly. "Since last moon."

"What?" Redstar exclaimed. Oh my stars, what was her deputy doing? Why was she still active? "You've been pregnant for an entire month?"

"I was doing fine with my duties, really, and I wasn't quite sure how to break the news. I was going to do it soon, really, but then, well…"

"Mom, you need herbs! You need borage and herbs that are better for queens - " Shiverstep cut off her own complaint with a cough.

"Uh…This was a secret?" Riftgorse asked, head tilting.

"...Rift, what?" Brackenfreckle uttered, staring at her brother.

"Well, yeah! She wasn't, like, eating all of our food. We'd notice that. It's not a winter coat coming in, trust me, I have a winter coat, I know what that looks like, so I just figured Iciclepool already told everyone important, and nobody was talking about it. Actually, I was waiting for you to tell me," Riftgorse said, frowning at his sister.

"I didn't know shit, brother," Brackenfreckle hissed.

For a minute, the Clan fell into chaos yapping about Iciclepool's pregnancy. Iciclepool looked mortified. Redstar felt frustrated that her deputy didn't tell her anything. She had a suspicion, but she assumed that she'd tell her if it was something that important.

Oh StarClan. Assumptions and silence. This…all of this had to stop.

"Alright, alright, settle down please," Redstar yowled. "So, Iciclepool is pregnant. That is good to know. Let's move on. Does anyone else have something to add?"

"Actually, Iciclepool's pregnancy brings up a possible danger. The west wall collapsed," Perchwatcher piped up, gesturing with her tail at the broken gap. "Living Tendrils can easily slip in if this isn't repaired as quickly as possible."

"Actually, I can help with that," Barleywave spoke up, tail twitching. "I've had to repair a broken log on a wall before. This is…er…several, granted. But it should be the same process. We'll have to see how bad the damage is on individual logs to see if we need to replace it or caulk it."

"I suppose I should also ask," Olive interjected calmly. "Why are the procedures being set solely by you and Iciclepool? I believe it would be wise to set them as a group, publically."

A few cats meowed in agreement to this. Hesitant, Redstar's tail flicked.

"I suppose we could. I simply want to avoid confusion or conflict during the setup phase, hence why I wanted to keep it restricted."

"Why not make a temporary council? I think it's very important that we add multiple voices to the creation of these safety protocols. Redstar, you're headstrong, loyal, and determined. But the current lockdowns rely on every cat being where they should be - in your eyes, that's by your side. In reality, as seen yesterday, cats can be out there instead. We must have procedures to protect them, too, without endangering everyone else."

Olive's words stung, but Hopechase nodded sagely and gave Redstar a knowing look.

"I think that's a wise policy."

"Very well," Redstar meowed. "Anything else?"

For the next few minutes, Redstar watched as her clanmates spoke up, and added their voices, bit by bit. Some were ideas. Some were questions that desperately needed answers.

"I'm still not sure about wanting to put torches outside of camp. That sounds like a dangerous idea."

"I'm not okay. I don't understand why we're acting like a beast with the light of a star didn't just try to kill us all. I don't want to die."

"Redstar, I want to reach out to my father, Lucifer. Maybe he'd be willing to help us."

"...Fine. Look, I need to know something. I think, before I joined the Clan, I was…maybe given misinformation. Some of it might be true, but I don't know what's real or not. So tell me straight, and be honest. Don't pussyfoot around this. Has ForestClan, at any point in its history, spoken to Woodcrawlers?"

"Redstar, I…I met Endless, once, back last leafbare…b-but that's it, I promise, s-she was injured, so…so I gave her some of our horsetail. I haven't seen her since, I promise."

"...Morningspot is trying to cover for me. She didn't give the horsetail. I did. Morningspot asked me for help. Endless didn't want to come to camp, and I couldn't force her. I gave her the best treatment I could with what I had, and she left. Last time I saw her was…the moon Brackenfreckle and I came back with Blavignad's kits."

"...Can we like…raid the Twolegplace? No, no, I'm serious! Have you seen what Twolegs have? They have like, these colorful sticks that if you hold them near wood, they catch fire? It makes a 'click' sound when it happens. That could be helpful, right?"

"I…I want to say something specific, but I'd like to say it in private. I don't know if anything can be done about it."

"I'm mad. I'm just mad and upset and I want to blame someone but I don't…I don't feel like I'm allowed to."

"I, uh…hm. Mousedung, I forgot what I was going to say. Sorry."

"Can I learn how to make a fire now?! I want to kill the Gardener!"

"I'm really scared about the broken wall. I don't know how long it'll take to fix it, and I'm scared something else might come through."

"I just want to make the offer that if anyone wants to talk about what happened last night - whether you're scared or don't know how to feel - I'm willing to listen without interruption. I don't just mediate disagreements. Sometimes it's good to just…speak."

Redstar at some point had to call the meeting short. But hearing the voices of her clanmates, and listening to their words, for once, felt humbling. She was grateful, at least, that they had enough courage to say how they felt. Ask difficult questions.

The only one remained quiet the entire way through, was Owlpaw.

Redstar would have a long talk with her in private shortly. Plans were made to create a council once time-sensitive repairs were complete. Redstar told Iciclepool to come see her after she assigned groups to help rebuild the walls and start working on the dens. She watched with some quiet awe as cats slowly started picking up branches, covering up holes, and gathering broken pieces of equipment.

It was a start.

---

Redstar has an extremely difficult conversation with Owlpaw, who is still clinging - perhaps out of fear and shame - to a defiant attitude. Redstar scares her straight and punishes her for her actions.

(Redstar, leader, female, 78 moons. Strict.) (Owlpaw, apprentice, female, 6 moons. Adventurous.)

----

Getting Owlpaw into Redstar's den was the easy part. Getting her to speak was not.

"Owlpaw. Please answer the question."

Owlpaw stared at the floor.

"Did you hear me?"

"...Yeah," she mumbled.

"...Did you need a minute to gather your thoughts before answering?" Redstar decided that this was probably something Iciclepool would say to a seemingly stubborn apprentice. Redstar really, really, did not want to play a disciplinary villain. She assumed, given the horrifying events of the night before, that Owlpaw would've recognized how badly her actions affected the Clan. Perhaps shown remorse, like Cottonpaw did for her own actions before. But that was the problem - Owlpaw had to actually show it.

But Redstar wasn't a mind reader. An apprentice with her eyes glued to the floor and giving one-word answers wasn't a sign of anything except stonewalling.

Owlpaw said nothing.

Redstar's tail twitched. She scowled.

Owlpaw was always difficult. She did not listen to adults well, defied direct orders and lashed out at her peers easily. The fact that she didn't believe Deep Root Entities were real completely blew Redstar's mind when Daffodilpaw said it - Owlpaw kept that belief extremely well-guarded for a kit, and her refusal to express it led to her doing something extremely dangerous. Given that the worst possible thing that could have happened - minus the Wretch burrowing out from beneath them - actually happened, she needed to hear from her directly that she no longer held that belief, and that she would listen to camp procedures and safety protocols now.

"Owlpaw, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Right now, you are choosing the hard way. I do not want the hard way. It'll be frustrating for you, not for me."

Owlpaw's tail flinched, but still - nothing.

"I'll ask only one last time. Do you believe us now when we say that there are monsters in the woods?"

Owlpaw scowled, closing her eyes tightly. Her claws dug into the ground. Finally, after a long moment, Owlpaw…nodded. Almost imperceptibly, as though it physically hurt her to do so. Redstar suppressed a sigh. Good enough.

"Do you understand now why we have the rules we do?"

Long silence again. Redstar scowled, her patience wearing thin. She did not have time for this, she had to get through speaking to Iciclepool, then Shiverstep.

"Owlpaw, you're taking the hard way again. I don't want that for you."

Owlpaw opened her eyes. They swirled like grey storm clouds. She finally cast her gaze on the leader, and they were glazed with resentment.

"I don't care what you want."

A switch flipped in Redstar's head, and for a brief second, there was regret. Disappointment.

I'm sorry, Riversnow. I know you were worried how I'd react. I tried.

"Do you, now? Very well. Then let me make this easy for me, and get straight to the point." Redstar's gaze hardened, and for a moment, she could've sworn an iota of fear passed through Owlpaw's eyes like a shooting star. Redstar didn't raise her voice. She didn't want to. "You almost destroyed everything and everyone you knew and loved because of your arrogance. For moons, we told you about Deep Root entities because they were real, and they were dangerous. Never in my entire life have I seen a cat actively try and find a monster, just to prove themselves right."

Owlpaw opened her mouth to retort, but Redstar interjected with a snarl, snapping at the air. Owlpaw flinched. "I wanted to have you acknowledge your mistakes, and apologize for your actions. But you didn't care what I wanted, so you've lost that privilege. You will have to earn that forgiveness now. You will have what you asked for instead."

Owlpaw began loudly, "I didn't ask for - "

"SILENCE!"

Owlpaw froze, her ears flattening. The world outside Redstar's den froze. ForestClan clearly heard her. Redstar continued with a hiss in every word.

"You could've died. I need to emphasize just how lucky you are to be alive right now. Daffodilpaw says you think they're just boogeymen to scare children? Then I will give you the rare gift of my complete honesty. Let me tell you about the adult-scaring boogeymen.

"Woodcrawlers aren't just 'spider-like creatures that disguise as brambles'. Woodcrawlers are wood mimics. Absolutely anything that takes the appearance of bare branches can be a Woodcrawler. Every single bramble, every thorn bush, every pile of dead, curling wood, small tree, lifted roots, and dying shrub could be a Woodcrawler. They purposefully hide in dense foliage where you're likely to miss them, or huddle into patches of roots, waiting for you to do a regular border patrol. You could've grazed past one without even knowing in the middle of the night, and then died. You would've felt their limbs wrap around your legs and neck, and be powerless to stop them from dragging you into the depths of their tunnels.

"Fake Cats aren't Woodcrawlers disguised as cats. They are the reanimated bodies of their victims. You could've heard a cat screaming for help, and in a flicker of compassion, or even morbid curiosity, approached the sound of a crying cat. And the second you get too close, it will unravel and seize you. It will try to kill you like a Woodcrawler. Perchwatcher almost died to one as an apprentice, her jaw broken from its tendrils. If you die to either of these entities, you become a Fake Cat. Your loved ones will hear your voice screaming for help for days, and they will not be able to save you - because you are long gone.

"But last night, you encountered a Gardener. A thing so rare and horrible that I've never seen one until last night. I have no interest in finding out how it kills you. But you almost did. You were out there that night, and led it straight back to camp, nearly killing everyone you knew and loved. And situations like this, Owlpaw, is why we had archaic rules like 'if a cat vanishes at nightfall, and does not reappear in the morning, they are dead'. Sending out a search party in the middle of the night was a suicide mission. It was considered for the greater good to let one cat die, than risk anything else being lured back to camp.

"I've given you the truth. Do you feel better now? Does this make them more believable to you? Do you feel vindicated from this?"

Owlpaw's expression morphed as Redstar spoke. There was still anger, still resentment, a childish rebuke clearly boiling at the surface. But Redstar knew better from Owlpaw's long fur bristling on all ends and tears welling up in her eyes. Shame. Hurt. Anger rooted in fear.

"You almost killed ForestClan. And instead of apologizing for the fact that you almost killed twenty cats, you wanted to sit in front of me and say foxdunged-all, and then dared to tell me that you don't care what some other cat wanted."

"...That's not what I meant."

"Owlpaw, when a cat says, 'I don't want you to take the hard path', and your response is, 'I don't care what you want', there is no other meaning. Nobody can read your mind, nor are they going to waste their precious time trying to do so. When you talk, they will trust that you actually mean exactly what you say. If you didn't actually mean this, then why say it?"

"I…I don't know."

"All I asked was for you to talk to me. That's it. After we just spent over an hour at a meeting, with all of your clanmates opening up about things they never voiced before, I thought that maybe, just maybe, you would've grown up from this experience."

Owlpaw stared back at the floor, ears pinned back. For a second, Redstar thought she was trembling. The leader's tail flicked.

"Since you evidently haven't, here's what's going to happen instead. First, you're going to tear your eyes off the ground and look at me."

Owlpaw did so. The corner of her eyes were red.

"You're going to look around the camp, look at every single broken den and wall, and you're going to ask Barleywave how you can help with repairing them. You led the Gardener here. So you're going to take responsibility helping to fix the damage. Then, starting tomorrow, Morningspot is going to come up with a suitable punishment for you to fulfill for an entire moon. Then, and this is incredibly important. I will not force you to do this, but it would be beneficial." Redstar closed her eyes and sighed. "...I want you to actually talk to someone. It doesn't matter if it's your mother, or Morningspot, or Olive, or whoever. But we're not your enemy. We're your clanmates. We cannot have situations where cats run off on their own, not after last night. Am I understood?"

The two mollies glared at each other, until Redstar's seriousness won out, and Owlpaw reluctantly nodded.

"Say it."

"I understand."

"Good. You're dismissed. Go talk to Barleywave. I've told him to expect you."

Redstar couldn't catch Owlpaw's face as she briskly left the den, and jumped down from High Rock. Redstar exhaled, forcing herself to groom her back. The spike of anger fuelling her adrenaline crashed, and Redstar realized just how tired she felt.

And she still had to talk to two more cats. StarClan, please.

---

Shiverstep has an honest talk with Windfur and Redstar about her trances. She does bring up her nightmare about Endless, and how it was similar to what Cottonpaw saw. To her relief, there's a term for cats like her before - dream walkers. Shiverstep's still not quite sure if that's what's actually happening, but she takes the scapegoat.

(Redstar, leader, female, 78 moons. Strict.) (Windfur, cleric, male, 33 moons. Lonesome.) (Shiverstep, cleric, female, 19 moons. Loving. SKILL REVEAL -> DREAM WALKER.)

---

The meeting with Iciclepool went smoother than she was expecting. In the end, it boiled down to fear. Iciclepool wanted this, Hopechase wanted this, they found a sire out eastward and everything - but the moment it became real, she froze in all aspects. Thoughts plagued her relentlessly - she was the Clan deputy, she'd be giving birth close to winter, she had an apprentice to mentor, and perhaps above all, the memory of failing to actually be a mother that could watch her children grow hurt. All Redstar had to do was reassure her and promise to protect her and her kits as best as they could, and with the new Law of Fire, cats would be more comfortable and prepared to ward off threats. And Hopechase, of course, would be defending her staunchly. And she was still ForestClan's deputy, even if she was a queen for a few moons.

The real revelatory conversation was with Shiverstep.

Meanwhile, Shiverstep was internally panicking.

Iciclepool told her that she said some very concerning things when the Gardener knocked at the den. Shiverstep didn't remember any of it, just like alleged trances she had as a child. It was several moons since anything similar happened to her, and there was no way to pretend it didn't happen - not anymore. What was she supposed to say? The greatest thing that frightened her was having to talk about Rootgrove.

Because Rootgrove was...something true horror was made from. She tried to reflect on how to tell someone, as the voices on the waves from beyond suggested. But the longer she thought about it, the more horrifying it became. Yes, dear friends, there is a very old cat that was consumed by the woods, and instead of killing him, something happened that kept him alive. She had no idea how. But if what she said was true, then when they died, when their kits and children and friends and family died, there was a chance that the woods would take their spirits and trap them, and that not even StarClan could save you if it did. And from how Rootgrove spoke over the Silver Box, the process was pure agony, constant pain, misery and wailing and screaming to a universe that responded with apathy. Oh, stars, she couldn't. She couldn't, couldn't. She...how could she? How could she tell Iciclepool that her dead kits might've suffered fates worse than death? How could she tell Hopechase that every dead clanmate she ever knew might've become monsters?

Rootgrove is the only one she ever saw in this state. In her horror, she had no idea if he was the only one. StarClan implied that he was. But she couldn't prove that to her Clanmates. Not all of them spoke to StarClan. Not all of them even believed StarClan was real. But Rootgrove wasn't a concept, something to have faith in. He existed physically. He was living evidence that you could die, and still be conscious. Rotting. Stretching. Carved and husked as a shell for something else. And feel all of it.

How? How was she supposed to explain her ability to...to receive messages? And that she was hearing the messages from...from this monstrosity?

Redstar's ear twitched as she saw the sickly molly nearly tremble in fear. "...Shiverstep? Are you alright?"

"...I...I don't know," Shiverstep spoke, her voice a mere squeak.

"...Were you told what happened last night?"

"...I...I said...concerning things," she meowed.

"Were you aware of it?"

"No."

"Then yes. I would call this concerning." Redstar's tail twitched. "Has this happened to you before?"

Despite her terror, a part of Shiverstep...wanted to be honest. And...she felt if Redstar was determined, all she had to do is prod Windfur or Iciclepool to ask if she was telling the truth. She shuffled uncomfortably. "...Yes."

"When?"

Oh, StarClan, please.

"I...I don't remember."

"...But it has happened. Has someone spoken to you about this before?"

Shiverstep felt her heard racing. She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to talk about all the times Windfur regarded with suspicion. Avoided her. Oh, stars. He must've thought she was speaking to the Iris. She wasn't. She really wasn't. She didn't want Redstar to think so too. She wasn't a monster. She wasn't a herald. She wasn't trying to receive -

A small crack of light broke through the haze of her illness. She felt herself sniffling. She felt a burst of fresh air enter her lungs again. For a brief moment, she...she remembered one of your spoken sentences. And in the haze of her sickness, it somehow became shifted sideways.

"If you're ready to, tell Redstar and Windfur about us. They'll be more receptive than you'd hope, I'm sure."

You. You. But what were you, exactly? You were just - just messages, just voices on electromagnetic waves that she openly received without choice -

Something clicked.

Wait.

StarClan's explanation. Of her ability, of how she kept receiving messages on waves on all fronts. Pieces started falling together and for a moment, she felt delirious.

"...Shiverstep?"

Hold on. Wait. StarClan told her that dreams were how they used to communicate with the Clans. StarClan used electromagnetic waves to do so. Endless. If Endless was somehow emitting waves, then that could explain how Cottonpaw received the dream about the crow-footed tree, and also explains how Shiverstep received a similar nightmare a few days ago. That - wait, that explained how she saw Rootgrove in her nightmare as well - he was screaming for help, and his waves were caught on her dream. Rootgrove could transmit messages - that's how she heard him at the Silver Box. But Endless. Endless had to have gained that same ability. Maybe as a result of Rootgrove's attack on her - she didn't know how, but that was the only explanation.

If she was going to be seized by foreign messages on waves in times of stress, and if Endless was communing with the Deep Root entities...the Clan had to know. Shiverstep's eyes widened.

"Shiverstep, are you alright? You seem pale. Do you need - "

If they had to know about Endless...then they had to know about...the Woodcrawler she made a bargain with.

The Clan didn't need to know about Rootgrove the cat. But they did need to know about the monstrous, corrupted Woodcrawler.

Relief. Freedom.

Shiverstep started crying.

She doesn't really know what happened. She remembered apologizing repeatedly and trying to push Redstar away from her, suddenly remembering that she still had greencough and felt absurd levels of horrible. A coughing fit. The relief of being able to tell someone about the horrible monster in a way that benefitted the Clan instead of jeopardized its sanity overwhelmed her choices. Because somehow she ended up asking for Windfur, and now to her partial regret, the three secret holders were gathered in this den while she was having a coughing fit.

Finally, after regaining herself, she managed to start.

"A few moons ago," she sniffled, "StarClan...told me something important. I...I asked them about Cottonpaw's dream. I also...realized that at sudden points in my life, when I was stressed, I would lose my memory sometimes. I think...I think Windfur, you might've thought it was from the Iris. So did StarClan."

Windfur bristled, but stared at the ground in shame. Redstar, meanwhile, had her tail and neck lifting, a genuine stare of dread on her face.

"I-It wasn't the Iris, it wasn't, Redstar," Shiverstep suppressed a cough. "B-But...after observing me for a few moons, they concluded something strange. StarClan...before the Wretch...used to freely communicate with cats through dreams. They used...um, they called it 'waves'. Waves are...invisible forces in the air that emit off of living things. Sometimes, though, if you're capable of emitting waves strong enough, you can put messages on them. For cats, we've been able to receive those messages through dreams."

"Wait. Time out." Windfur raised his tail, his eyes shut. He took a deep breath, as though letting this fact sink in. "Just...let me make sure I understand correctly here. StarClan has the ability to send messages through a...specific tool. But that tool is also just an energy that passively emits off of everything."

Shiverstep nodded. "Yes. They...refine the energy around themselves, and direct it towards someone with a message."

"And to receive the message, we need to be dreaming."

"Yes."

"Okay," Windfur sighed. "Continue."

Shiverstep turned to Redstar for permission, who nodded, intently focused.

"As I said...waves emit off of...everything. We were only able to receive messages from StarClan for the longest time, but...they told me that I was...odd. I could...receive messages from other sources, as long as that source wasn't impeded. I was safe from the Iris, because StarClan was intervening with it. But...other things have the ability to send messages. And...I think I'm...receiving messages from those...other things. From the recent experience I guess...that implies I can receive them while I'm asleep or awake. But I can't send my own, which...I don't really know what that means, but that's what StarClan said. I don't know how much of it is relevant, or just random, but..."

"What you said the night of the Gardener attack - it was both...relevant and irrelevant at the same time." Redstar commented.

"...What did I say?" Shiverstep partially dreaded to know.

"More significantly, 'Do not answer the knocking at the door.'" Windfur's tail tapped the ground, his dark blue eyes flickering with unknown emotion. "But, then you said words that didn't...sound cat-like. I think the best I can compare it to are kittypet names."

"Like?" Shiverstep pressed.

Redstar's ear twitched. "Adam Lev itch? Barry John's son? It was...hectic. I'm sorry, Shiverstep. That wasn't really a priority. The Gardener...was hitting at the roof of the bunker."

Shiverstep's heart sunk deeply into her chest. She was told the Gardener stepped on a fire and ran away, but before that...

Stars, that's horrifying.

"...So, you receive random messages emitted from...the same tools StarClan used to communicate to cats in their dreams. Is that...not concerning?" Windfur asked, his voice tight. For a moment, defensiveness curled in Shiverstep's chest, remembering his actions towards her in her apprenticehood.

She retorted, "Twolegs know how to use them too. That's how the Iris targets them."

A heavy silence fell. Shiverstep's eyes became glued to the floor.

...She had to go on. She had to get this information out before she lost her nerve. With a tightness in her chest, she proposed what she believed was the source of Cottonpaw's dream. Endless. Because she saw something similar as well, in a nightmare a few days before. And if that was the case, Endless was able to emit those same waves, somehow. And if she could do that - if she could call to beings in their dreams, to anything receptive enough to receive it, then it was a possible danger to ForestClan.

During this explanation, Redstar's gaze intensified. Slowly, as time went on, her pupils dilated.

Shiverstep looked concerned. "...Redstar?"

"I understand now. Shiverstep, it's alright. You're alright." Redstar pressed a paw on the cleric's shoulder, and Shiverstep was taken aback from the softness in the leader's eyes. "There's a historical basis for cats like you. I was a bit lost from your explanation, but when you explained your dreams, and how you saw the same one Cottonpaw did - Shiverstep, you're a dream walker. You can walk into dreams not intended for you. Messages not intended for you. Cats like you have existed in ForestClan's history before. It's exceedingly rare, but it's a gift."

Shiverstep froze. "It....it is?" A trickle of doubt wrestled in her. She wasn't...quite sure if that was what was actually happening. But as she caught Windfur from corner of her eye suddenly having a look of realization, she decided...perhaps that was easier. A...a word to explain in simple terms to others what was occurring. Especially if something similar happened like the night before.

"...Redstar, there's one more thing I think I need to tell you, if I can tell you in private. It's...it's about the Woodcrawler Brackenfreckle and I were threatened by, last greenleaf..."

----

Redstar finds Cottonpaw trying to be helpful around camp. She's...digging a hole between the leader's den and medicine den? After hearing her reasoning, she agrees it's something they should discuss. While Cottonpaw is still likely to act before thinking, Redstar is proud of Cottonpaw's progress.

(Cottonpaw, apprentice, female, 9 moons. Bold.) (Redstar, leader, female, 78 moons. Strict.)

Windfur reaches out to Lucifer. He brings various items wrapped in a tarp - hay for burning or linen work, a few mice, and some glass containers.

(Cloudthunder, warrior, female, 52 moons. Adventurous.) (Lucifer, loner, male, 84 moons. Confident.) (Windfur, cleric, male, 33 moons. Lonesome.)

Branchsnarl comes back to camp with a strange Twoleg objects. It's an axe. Barleywave notices the sharp edge, and has an idea.

(Branchsnarl, warrior, trans male, 14 moons. Ambitious.) (Hopechase, warrior, female, 101 moons. Playful.) (Barleywave, warrior, male, 48 moons. Playful.)

Barleywave and Branchsnarl find that the Twoleg object cuts wood well when dropped. It's not perfect, but they could reuse some of the broken logs by flattening the broken ends, and stacking them on top of each other. They congratulate each other for a job well done.

(Branchsnarl, warrior, trans male, 14 moons. Ambitious.) (Barleywave, warrior, male, 48 moons. Playful.)

Olive works overtime to try and talk to everyone about their worries - especially the apprentices and kits. Windfur admires Olive's dedication.

(Olive, mediator, female, 75 moons. Calm.) (Windfur, cleric, male, 33 moons. Lonesome.) (Blackkit, kitten, female, 4 moons. Shy.)

Riversnow is surprisingly competant at repairing tanning and drying racks, but goes a bit too long without eating. Barleywave urges her to take a break. As it turns out, near-death experiences tend to result in more honesty.

(Riversnow, warrior, female, 68 moons. Adventurous. SKILL REVEAL -> CAMP KEEPER) (Barleywave, warrior, male, 48 moons. Playful.)

All the apprentices and kits avoid Owlpaw. Although they won't say it out loud - they blame her for bringing the Gardener to camp. Except for Cottonpaw. Owlpaw hasn't spoken since the night she saw the Gardener.

(Deerpaw, apprentice, female, 9 moons. Righteous.) (Airpaw, apprentice, male, 9 moons. Charismatic.) (Cottonpaw, apprentice, female, 9 moons. Bold) (Owlpaw, apprentice, female, 6 moons. Adventurous.)

Redstar is frustrated when she starts coughing and her nose starts running. Brackenfreckle confines her to the medicine den, telling her that Shiverstep still has greencough, and she doesn't want to risk her whitecough becoming something more than that.

(Redstar, leader, female, 78 moons. Strict.) (Brackenfreckle, healer, female, 17 moons. Grumpy.)