A Border Meeting

     Back at camp cats bustled as they followed Ghoststar's orders to prepare for the rouge attack. Brambles were being woven into the camp wall and dens strengthened, mentors were out with their Apprentices refreshing and securing their fighting skills, warriors had mock battles with each other, and herbs were sorted and resorted. Ghoststar had spent her day weaving brambles into the dense foliage that made the camp wall. Her white paws stung from being pricked and there was a good scratch across her nose. She now sat in her den taking a break from the cold and physical exertion.
      For the most part she was satisfied with the work that was being done. The camp was looking stronger and more fit for defense, cats were beginning to refresh and solidify their battle moves. Still, Ghoststar couldn't help but worry. The snow had killed most all the herbs in the forest and their stocks were running low. She could only prey they would have enough to heal cats after a deadly battle with rouges. Not only that, but the snow also affected the prey pile. Hunting had been a tough job in the past moon and the cats had only caught enough to keep off the edge of hunger. Will we be strong enough to fight for our lives? "Ghoststar?"
      The white she-cat jumped at the sound of her name. Featherstorm stood there with a mouse between her jaws, ears pricked. She dropped it at her leader's paws and took a paw step back. "I didn't mean to startle you, I just thought you'd be hungry. We had a successful hunt today actually." The silver she-cat purred, giving her cold paws a lick. Ghoststar purred gratefully, taking a bite of the warm creature. It was refreshing to have something warm in her belly.
       "Thank you, Featherstorm. You've turned out to be a very good warrior." She praised, tucking her paws in tighter beneath her. Her thoughts were swamped with images of cats pelts being torn and screeching in the air. The snow drifted by lazily, chilling the air and giving no comfort to the worried cat. Featherstorm puffed up her chest at the compliment, then noticed her leader's anxious behavior.
        "Ghoststar, are you okay?" Her ears swiveled back as she asked, blue eyes filled with concern. Ghoststar was about to answer that she was fine when there was a yowl from the Nursery. The white she-cat was on her paws in a second. The rouges have attacked! They've gone straight for the Nursery! She bolted toward the den, ignoring the numbness of her paws. The buzzing of her nine lives filled her body with energy and she was ready to defend the expecting Dawnflight against any and all rouges that dared show their claws. She felt Featherstorm hard on her paws.
         "Dawnflight are you okay!?" Ghoststar growled as she pushed into the den, her white fur bristling and claws unsheathed. The ginger and white Queen lay on her side, her plump belly tensing then relaxing over and over again. She let out another painful wail. Ghoststar realized what was happening. There was no scent or sign of rouges. Dawnflight was going to have her kits. Now? Of all times? When we're waiting an attack! Ghoststar felt a new rise of anxiety but pushed it away.
        "Featherstorm, fetch Scorchtooth now!" She snapped, beginning to lick the pain stricken Queen on the head. "Shh, its okay. You're going to be fine." Dawnflight's eyes were filled with anguish as she claws the den's bedding and quivered with effort. Scorchtooth hurry! 

***

   Outside of camp Spade, Snakefang, and Thistlefur continued their patrol. Snakefang had been lucky to catch a squirrel and dug in the hard snow to bury it to fetch later. The air was chill and quiet, the only sound was the soft crunching of the cats as they padded on through the trees, shadows being dappled across their pelts as weak sunlight shone through the branches. Spade suddenly stopped when a familiar, yet foreign scent met his nose. Roseclan. It was too strong to just be a old border scent mark. This was fresh. There was a patrol nearby. His green eyes searched the thinner trees across the border, narrowing when he caught sight of calico, black, and ginger fur. 

   Three cats were chatting happily as they remarked the border, kicking up snow as they went along. Snakefang noticed Spade had stopped and padded over to him. "Whats the matter? Snow froze you solid?" His tone was slightly lighter than when they fought in camp. The brown tom flicked his nose ahead to where the Roseclan cats were. Snakefang followed his gesture to see them, and his hackles immediately rose. Thislefur came beside them as his clanmates watched with narrowed eyes. "They better not cross the border." 

     Snakefang recognized Almonddash, their deputy. He was taking his clanmates dangerously close to the thin line of scent that separated the two territories. 

   

    Almonddash lead his patrol at a trot through the snow. They mewed about a good hunt they had yesterday when suddenly he stopped, raising his thickly furred tail. "Wait..." His nose twitched and his eyes began to scan across the border. Fresh Twilightclan scent. The calico tom's heart began to thud as he imagined Darkmoon crouching in the thick brush in Twilightclan territory. 

   Tension crackled in the air. 

The Plan

      Ghoststar had waited a few days to make the announcement of what would be done about the travelers, the rouges, and Streampaw. She wanted things to die down and the clan to fall back into normal routine, but with cold weather and lack of prey hanging over the clan there really was no normal.
      "How did patrols go?" Ghoststar sprung through the snow over to Darkmoon as she entered camp, shaking off frost. The black she-cat greeted her leader with a respectful nod before speaking.
      "No sign of rouges."
      "Yet." Ghoststar reminded her. Darkmoon looked at her skeptically but didn't argue. There were cats that didn't trust the traveling tribe cats and didn't believe their ominous warning of rouges coming to destroy the clan. "Im going to have a meeting today about whats the best way to prepare for an attack. Keep everyone in camp." The black Deputy nodded.
       "Ill have to go get Spottedpaw and Redclaw, they're out training." Ghoststar gave Darkmoon a flick of her tail and the she-cat ran back out into the cold of the thick forest. Ghoststar didn't like how things looked in leaf bare. The trees were bare and white or dark brown and twisted in tangles of branches. The ground didn't have its usual thick foliage and all the cats of Twilightclan felt hopelessly vulnerable. They had grown used to slinking through thick undergrowth and tangles of trees. It was like a totally different forest in the cold season. And the rouges would choose to attack at this time, of course. She sighed heavily, heading toward Twilight Rock.
        Leaping up in one bound, she settled down on the stingingly cold rock. The clan was moving slow as the cold stung bones and joints. Weak sunlight beamed down on everything, offering little warmth or comfort. Ghoststar watched warriors share what little prey there was and Apprentices changing dens beddings to try and keep things dry for the clan. Queens kept their kits inside focusing on fighting off sickness and cold. Dawnflight was close to having her kits. Ghoststar hoped it would happen in new leaf, but life didn't seem to be working in the clans favor these past few moons.
       Darkmoon finally got back with the Warrior and Apprentice and Ghoststar wasted no time yowling for a meeting. Cats gathered in front of the rock, pressing close together to stay warm. She was glad her clan seemed close despite the hard times. "Cats of Twilightclan! I know you've all been waiting to hear what the decision is on the news we have been given." She watched as gazes were cats back to the travelers. The two strange cats had been staying with the clan as guests, or more so prisoners, since they'd given the warning. They hadn't tried to escape and had respected the cats assigned to guard them. Ghoststar had spoken to them more than once since their arrival, and they seemed like good cats just as much victims of the rouges as Twilightclan would be without them.
     "I do believe Ash and Honey on their warning about the rouges. They've told me about their tribe and the danger of these ruthless cats and we would be fools not to prepare for an attack." Their were grumbles from the cats below. "Even if this attack never comes, at least we were prepared. Id rather be safe than sorry." The clan quieted and waited to hear about the plan.
     "I want to strengthen our patrols. There should be one out at every point of the day. We need to keep our scents strong through the snow. I also want training to be amped up as well. That includes warriors. Our fighting needs to be at its best." She felt a knot tightening in her belly. "Streampaw will be put to the task of making the camp more impenetrable. She can have warriors and apprentices help her. Lastly, we need to stalk up on herbs. If anyone sees any plants they might recognize or think are herbs tell Silverpaw or Scorchtooth." The cats in the clearing nodded, looking tense and worried at the prospect of battle. This would be the first time the clan prepared for a big battle. Hopefully it would be their first big victory.
    "Ash and Honey will be staying with us until new leaf comes. Its not safe for them to travel in this weather." She heard some hisses of protest but shot the cats fierce glares to silence them. "This will be respected." Ghoststar lashed her tail in warning. Ash and Honey nodded gratefully from the back of the group, yet they pushed close together with worried looks at the rest of the clan.
    "Dismissed." Hopefully this will be enough. I can't let our clan be destroyed its first leaf bare. That just can't happen. 

Long Overdue

        Cats were huddled against one another as harsh winds billowed through camp. The air was white with snow and all the formerly thickly leafed trees were now bare, reaching toward the sky like sickly claws. The snow banks were thick, filled with holes and paw prints where young Apprentices and even Warriors had been playing in them when the weather was better. Now, cats dreaded having to leave their dens and brace the snow. The prey pile had been heavily stocked up before the first winter storm, and had brought the clan this far into leaf-bare, but now it was running low and hunting was scarce.
         Ghoststar had been rather enjoying herself at first. Her pure white fur blended perfectly with the glistening scene and she had hunted a good amount of plump weasels and mice just before they went underground to wait out the season. Even she prayed for the frigid weather to lighten up now. Cats came to Scorchtooth constantly, complaining about a cough, stiff limbs, or frozen paws. The sarcastic old tom hadn't lost his swiftness of the tongue despite the dull scene, but it could be seen in his eyes he too was worried. He'd already been unable to save one life.
          Deep in the forest, his grave now covered in at least a tail length of snow, a newly appointed warrior had given his last breath only a few sunrises ago. His thick orange tabby fur had been groomed, the scent of green cough lifted from him, and he had been mourned for. Scorchtooth wasn't too worried any other cat would catch green cough. He figured it was the young tom's distinct flat face that had made him more susceptible to the sickness. Still, the death of Talonpaw gave him reason to keep his catmint carefully stocked at the back of his den and away from frost. The black tom had Silverpaw on over time looking for herbs close to camp, the young apprentice did her best.
           That wasn't the only loss the clan had experienced. Boulderclaw and Snowpaw had mysteriously vanished after the first few snows. Ghoststar had a search party sent out, but their tracks were already covered by the powdery flakes, and no bodies were found. The white she-cat wasn't surprised. She had heard them mumbling to each other often: this clan is weak, I'm starving and they feed the worthless elder and Queen first, its too cold here and we have to sleep on the edge of the dens. She summed it up to the others that they weren't fit for clan life and probably left by choice.
          Ghoststar was concerned she would have more cats abandon Twilightclan as the sweetness of green-leaf faded from their senses, and the hopes of it returning grew more and more dim. Her greatest suspicions were cast toward Silverpaw, Spade, Featherpaw, and Spottedpaw. The three apprentices for the reason that she knew they all had kitty-pet roots and was uncertain they would hold up in the new harsh environment. Spade for the reason that she was still unsure where his loyalties lied. Despite her worries, now other cats had left. And thankfully, no other cats seemed to be ill enough to join Starclan.
         Despite these losses, Twilightclan had gained two members. Shadowpelt and Whitewhisper had been lost in the storm and taken refuge in camp. A half moon later, they decided to become permanent clan cats.
         As the clan's spirit dwindled with the icy breeze, Ghoststar had decided something needed to be done to keep them united. She had made Featherpaw and Owlpaw both new warriors. Featherpaw was now Featherstorm and Owlpaw was now Owlflight. Snakefang had beamed proudly and cheered the loudest at the ceremony. Ghoststar was supremely proud of her Apprentice, Owlflight, as well. That had temporarily brought the clan to a pretense of happiness, but as the cold winds blew this soon faded.
          Ghoststar was in her den, her bushy tail tucked up over her nose as she tried to stay warm. All the patrols had attempted to go out, but the blizzard was too much now. They would have to wait until it quieted down. The white she-cat was surprised when Darkmoon stumbled into the den, almost unrecognizable with her black fur plastered with white snow. "What is it?" Ghoststar was on her paws, her ears pricking. She could tell something wasn't right.
          "Two strange cats are here. They say our clan is going to be slaughtered."




(So that was a lot. I had to sum up what had happened since I haven't been on in forever and I had to refresh somethings. So there you go. Now the plot is moving again and we can all role-play! Yay! You can have your cats do whatever (trying to hunt or patrol, sleeping in their dens, checking out the strange cats and whats going on, ect). Whatever you think will be most entertaining. 3,2,1 go!)