#spikeclan

He quickened his pace and pushed through the undergrowth. It was a perfect night to spend with…

“Sunbloom?” He whispered. He recognized their scent, but they were nowhere to be seen. “Apologies, I’m late.”

“Oh, what a gentletom,” A teasing voice meowed from the treetops. He looked to a branch above, and there they were. The familiar ginger pelt and blue eyes. Almost violet, like iris flowers. “Come, the view up here is worth seeing.”

He sighed but obliged. The cats slowly climbed through the branches– until they were at the highest point.

Although the moon was as thin as a claw, it covered the forest in a soft, mellow glow. The stars twinkled above, and the cool Newleaf breeze brushed past them. A moment of peace, from all the bustling activity in the clans.

“How have you been?” Beetail meowed softly.

“You sound like we’re from different clans,” His partner let out a soft purr. “Like we haven’t seen each other in moons.”

“But you haven’t left the healers’ den all day.”

Sunbloom sighed, and rested their head against Beetail’s shoulder. He could feel their soft fur and steady breathing.

“Sunbloom?”

“...The sickness seems more complicated than we thought,” They meowed, no longer hiding the weariness in their voice. 

“What happened?”

“The remedies for aching joints have done nothing. Gravelpelt can barely move. Nectarkit might not make it tomorrow.” 

“I thought the kit visited you for bruises…” Beetail tried to suppress the dread building up in his throat.

“Ghostflood had shared prey with Gravelpelt,” They continued. “She hasn’t shown any symptoms, but maybe passed it through her milk. Even Rimethorn has told me to be careful around Fogstar’s reopened wounds. The blood could pass it.” 

Beetail curled his tail tighter around Sunbloom.

“But I’m being careful, don’t worry.”

“That doesn’t change how dangerous this all is.”

“I know, but we can’t stop and do nothing,” Their blue eyes met his yellow ones. “StarClan gave us a prophecy. There will be a cure...”

================================

“Beetail?”

Windstar’s voice snapped the senior warrior out of his thoughts. He was no longer in the forests of IrisClan. Here and now, these were the meadows of ChimeClan.

“Can you repeat that?” Beetail flicked his ear, annoyed at himself. All this talk about StarClan was getting to him. 

“Did you visit StarClan at the Moon Falls?” Windstar meowed as he padded along the border. 

“...Nightsplash did,” Beetail finally meowed. “I don’t intend to visit until I drop dead.”

“But things are different now. Don’t you even want to see your mate again?”

Windstar’s met them?

“No.”

Beetail could feel Windstar’s gaze on his pelt. Although they were once from different clans, the journey made the leader familiar with his mannerisms. Including his shifting paws and shortened responses when he lied.

“Beetail…”

“It was their fault they died!” He spat. “So righteous… Thinking they were some invincible prophecy cat, then left to slowly die from the Rotting. I would’ve preferred if a monster had taken them!”

“It was Sunbloom’s choice–”

“A mousebrained choice!”

He didn’t want to leave his clan to die, but he couldn’t keep watching Sunbloom’s slow death. No, he didn’t even get to watch it. 

After moons of toil, Sunbloom’s final moments were spent alone. Despite the pain from their bones, the blood dripping from their muzzle, they marched deep in the forest. A final desperate search for the strange herb StarClan had promised.

It was never found. 

“I don’t know what StarClan was thinking back then,” He hissed. “I don’t know what Sunbloom– what anyone was thinking! None of it made sense. I don’t–”

Both cats stopped the moment they heard barking in the distance.

“GULLPAW!”

Their fur prickled as a cat screamed in pain. The small body of an apprentice was thrown out of the jaws of a dog.

With a nod, Windstar jumped across the SpikeClan border. Beetail shook his pelt and all his thoughts out. It was time to focus.

“Paws off him, mutt!” A brawny she-cat slashed at the dog’s muzzle. 

Before it could retaliate, Windstar had landed and dug his claws into its back. It turned, trying to buck him off, but the she-cat swiped at its hind legs.  

Beetail ran past them to check on the poor apprentice. The brown tabby’s eyes were wide with fear, and his leg had been mangled.

StarClan, he looks like he just turned six moons. I need to stop the bleeding.

“W-who… Who—”

“Don’t worry,” Beetail meowed as he searched the nearby trees for cobwebs. The battle between the dog and the two cats continued, but Beetail knew what Windstar was capable of. “I’m here to help.”

A soft breeze tugged at his fur and guided his gaze. He jumped and dug his claws into the tree trunk. He wanted to relish the familiar feeling of his claws in the wood, but a cat needed help.

The cobwebs were now in his mouth, and from above, he could spot the forest floor below. He leapt to where the stalks of a plant laid.

“Eat these,” He ran back to the apprentice. “Thyme will help with the shock.”

“T-Time? Am I–” “The leaves.”

The apprentice obeyed as Beetail patched his leg with the cobwebs. The sounds of battle had died down, and two cats now approached them.

“Oi!” The brawny SpikeClan cat yelled. She, like Windstar, was lucky to avoid any injuries, and could run at full speed. “Is Gullpaw alright?”

“His condition is stable,” Beetail meowed. “But be careful bringing him back to camp.”

“You ChimeClan cats had no business bein’ here,” She meowed. “But. Uh. Thank you. As the deputy of SpikeClan, my clanmates will hear of this.”

She approached her apprentice who, with Windstar’s help, clambered onto her back. 

“T-Thank you…” Gullpaw meowed softly. “ChimeClan…”

As the SpikeClan cats disappeared into the forest, Beetail suddenly sat down. The adrenaline had dissipated, and his aged muscles started to complain.

“Beetail?”

“...I’m alright,” He sighed. “I think… I’ll need a break from patrolling.”

Previous Moon Event - An Annoying Kitten

His border patrol had come across the lone SpikeClan leader earlier in the moon. She was friendly, and even said that StarClan sent an omen to be kind to their new neighbors.

Now on the way to the gathering, he and his cats had walked on what seemed to be a tiny thunderpath. Up ahead was a twoleg den without a roof. A stream flowed around it, and curved rocks laid scattered through the island.  

“We’re sure this isn’t a trap?” Nightsplash whispered to Windstar.

He pricked his ears. There was the chatter of cats inside. “If it was, they’d be more quiet.”

“StarClan had also confirmed the older clans meant no harm to us,” Swanstreak said. He had visited the Moon Falls after Windstar reported his patrol.

“Windstar! There you are!” A black tabby rushed out from the entrance. She was only slightly bigger than Beaverpaw, but scars littered her pelt. This was the leader of SpikeClan. 

“Greetings,” A white and silver cat followed. “You’ve already met Bonestar; I’m Halfstar, leader of NutClan.”

“Nice to meet you,” The dark blue tabby dipped his head. “Thank you for inviting us.”

“No thanks necessary. Although StarClan assured us about your presence, it’d be best to know our neighbors,” Halfstar meowed as she led his cats inside. “Welcome to the Four Walls.” 

Inside, there was a sizeable number of cats– more than three times the size of ChimeClan. Their heads soon turned to the new group, exchanging looks of curiosity, wariness, or welcome.

Windstar turned his gaze elsewhere, observing the ruined twoleg structure. While it did indeed have four walls, the holes in them were tall and unnatural. Several long rocks were scattered through it, but the most notable was the pile in the middle. Bonestar called it the Echoing Stone.

“Is that actually a clan?” A white tom with purple eyes meowed. “They look like a bunch of rogues— one even looks like a kittypet!”

He was looking at Dancingtree, whose ears and legs were a dead giveaway. The former housecat tried his best to look small. 

“Lavenderpatch!” Halfstar meowed sharply. “Do you not remember the omen our healer told us about!?”

“What if they’re the wrong cats?”

“Even I can see StarClan’s mark on the other’s forehead.” A senior… No, an elder sat on the Echoing Stone and stared at Windstar. “Introduce yourself, leader of...”

“ChimeClan,” He did as he was told, and looked to the other cats gathered. “I am Windstar of ChimeClan. We’ve journeyed from beyond and set up camp by the foot of the mountains. We hope you’re willing to let us stay and… later, negotiate borders.”

“Indeed, these are the right cats,” The cat on the Echoing Stone nodded. “I, Dappledstar, leader of BugClan, welcome you all, ChimeClan.”

“As does NutClan.”

“And SpikeClan.” Bonestar grinned. “Come and take your place, Windstar.”

As the leader hauled himself up, the foreign cats cheered their clan name. Streakswan carefully joined the other healers, and Nightsplash bounded up to the other deputies. She sheepishly turned back when she realized those were a group of BugClan warriors who simply sat nearby.

“We are now complete,” Halfstar flicked her tail as the halfmoon’s light shone down upon them. She slammed a paw on the rock beneath them, which gave a resounding ring. “Let the gathering begin!”

As Bonestar had described, the leaders spoke in order of the clan’s age: NutClan, BugClan, SpikeClan, and lastly, ChimeClan. All had reported a prosperous first halfmoon of Newleaf; Windstar couldn’t help but think that truly, StarClan led them to the right place.

“Now, onto border discussions,” Halfstar meowed. “I’m sure you’ve explored the land nearby your camp, correct?”

“Until the thunderpath, and until we detected another clan’s borders.” Windstar nodded. “We’d like to have a side of the river near the foot of the mountain, and a patch of the forest for herbs.” 

Dappledstar hummed as she gathered her thoughts. “No.”

Before Windstar could negotiate further, the strange cat stared at him.

“Our StarClan likes to sit there. You can have the side farther down. Close to here.”

“That’s… Reasonable,” Windstar tried to suppress the shiver he felt. “Thank you.” 

“The forest is far from your camp, and NutClan has many mouths to feed.” Halfstar said. “Our land is not worth your time.” 

“With all due respect, Halfstar,” Streakswan meowed from below. “Only certain herbs grow in the forest.”

“No, we still need our territory. The forest around the Four Walls is neutral ground,” She said firmly. “And you have the land across the thunderpath. Just take from them.”

Windstar turned to Bonestar, who shook her head.

“We don’t have any forest to offer because of…”

“Like I said,” Halfstar narrowed her eyes at the she-cat. “We need our territory.”

“Oh, yes yes,” Bonestar lashed her tail. “Say that one more time, would you?”

“Well–”

“I understand and agree with these arrangements,” Windstar interrupted before they could bicker further. “We, ChimeClan, are grateful for your kindness.”

The leaders nodded, and Halfstar slammed a paw on the Echoing Stone again. 

“The Gathering is over.” She yowled. “You are free to mingle until your leader says so.”

She jumped down and led her clan back to camp.

“They’re all a bit stubborn,” Streakswan whispered to Windstar as he landed next to the healer. 

“It wouldn’t be wise to press further,” He meowed. He turned to look at his other clanmates; at least they were having fun.

Nightsplah had thrown herself into a conversation with the other deputies, while a friendly BugClan cat had a chat with Dancingtree. Badgerpaw was engaging the other apprentices with a tale from the journey; from his movements, Windstar guessed it was about the wolves.

“Any plans for the rest of the moon?” Bonestar sat beside the leader. 

Hunting, gathering… Not to mention, the caves and land across the thunderpath hadn’t been explored yet. 

“I suppose we’ll settle in,” He simply meowed. “Simply get some rest. We’ve been searching for a new home for too long.”

“I understand,” She nodded. “Back then, SpikeClan had done the same, too. We’ve been here for… 600 moons, give or take.”

“Honestly,” She continued. “It’s interesting to see a new clan form. I feel like I’m watching the old tales unfold in my time instead. And for that, you have SpikeClan’s full support!”

“Thank you, Bonestar,” He dipped his head, but he didn’t take her words to heart. While her excitement was clear, her intentions weren’t. “Do you know anything about the other clans?”

“Oh, NutClan has been here forever. That’s why they hate every new clan,” She said with an annoyed flick of her tail. “They’re so… Traditional.”

“My, watch your tongue, young one,” Dappledstar meowed. Her deputy was helping her down. “When BugClan was formed, NutClan welcomed us with open paws. They had no interest in taking the plains, and they once aided us with various herbs. Stories say that during the war–”

“Oh, yes yes. How noble of NutClan,” The she-cat replied dryly. “Well. Look at the time. We should get going.”

BugClan’s deputy narrowed his eyes, but seeing his leader unphased, he chose to say nothing. Dappledstar agreed that they will be leaving, too. 

“We’ll do the same then,” Windstar meowed. “See you at the next Gathering.”

Previous Moon Event - Moss and Directions

The Heads of the Nearby Clans

Clan Territories