A ShadowClan tom jumped onto Goldenpoppy from behind. Goldenpoppy hissed in anger and tossed the tom off. He quickly got back onto his paws and charged at her. Goldenpoppy raked his ears as the tom took a swipe at her neck. He barely missed. A slight growl erupted from Goldenpoppy's throat. "Just go back to your territory" she hissed and clawed at his flank. "Mind your own business ThunderClan cat!" he yowled. Goldenpoppy charged this time with her anger flashing in her eyes. The tom flipped her a fox length away and ran over to attack her exposed underbelly. Goldenpoppy flipped back over before the tom had the chance. "This is nonsense" she hissed. "No cat asked you for your opinion. This isn't your fight anyways mouse brain." Goldenpoppy hissed back "Acting like a kit with your name calling? Deal with the way things are like a true warrior." The tom yowled fiercely at Goldenpoppy's insult.

OOC: thanks for beating the crap out of Blackclaw everybody.

Blackclaw jumped on dawnheart and bit down hard on her shoulder. He dashed behind her and bit hard on her foreleg and then dashed to the front and give a scratch above the eye.
"You had no need to come here!" Blackclaw yelled. He charged and blew her across the field bumping into some of her clan-mates. Satified he looked around for Lionclaw and found him pinned down by the two who helped him. They raked his belly until he ran back to get healed a little.
He looked around for Wildstar and saw him fighting Crookedstar again. Blackclaw went back to fight Dawnheart.
"Ready for another lesson soft hearted warrior?" He mocked.
She charged but missed when Blackclaw dodged. He backed-kick and sent her flying four fox lengths away. She got back up and grabbed his scruff he played dead(Weak) until she losened her muscles a little. He bolt up then raked her belly. She wacked him two rabbit lengths away.
-----
Wildstar was locked in battle with Crookedstar again. Not knowingly they began to get near the edge of the gorge. This time no one saw them right on the edge. Wildstar wacked Crookedstar.
"Help!" He cried. he was only holding on by his paws. Wildstar rushed forward and tried to grab his scruff.
"Crookedstar!" Wildstar screamed. His cry stop all the fighting when they looked at Crookedstar falling.
Wildstar jumped after the Riverclan leader.

Streamfeather felt her heart break as she saw Crookedstar fall over the side of the gorge. She yowled in rage.
------
'In the blink of an eye, someone can die, and put you in the leadership position.'Moonstar thought.
"You have to stop them, Moonstar, this fight can't go on."Heatherpaw whispered in her ear before she lept over her and started battleing an apprentice.
'What good will anything do now?'Moonstar thought as she looked around her,'They understand nothing but the tooth and claw now. They've forgotten the Warrior code.'
Moonstar landed a well aimed claw swipe at the ShadowClan warrior, and wished desperately that StarClan would make ShadowClan realize their mistake.
-----
Streamfeather found her way to the bottom of the gorge, forgetting the battle going on above her. As she rounded a large rock, her fears became true. Crookedstar had landed on the rocks, and Wildstar was listening to what Crookedstar was saying. She couldn't hear what he said, but Wildstar nodded gravely and then turned and went back to the battle.
She lept towards Crookedstar, slightly slipping on a rock, but caught herself in time.
"Crookedstar, come on, you still-"
"No, Streamfeather, this is my last, my ribs are shattered, lead RiverClan wisely, Streamfeather, lead them well, do not seek revenge, for the will only seek revenge back, and we will be thrown into a vicious circle of death."
"How come you didn't tell me?"
"Because you would be over protective, you wouldn't have told Heatherpaw to get me."
"But- what did you tell Wildstar?"
"To stop the battle. For the clans fates are intertwined, follow your heart, Streamstar, for StarClan will show you the way."
With that, he took his last trembling breath.
-----
Moonstar yowled in rage,"What is with you! Why do you not remember the warrior code?"
The cats stopped only momentarily, looking at Moonstar with quizzical faces.
"Do you understand nothing but the tooth and claw anymore?"She yowled,"Stop this now!"
She dodged a swipe at her head. "What will it take for you to realize that this is not the will of StarClan? A death?"

Goldenpoppy looked up at Moonstar. She was right. This battle had to stop for the sake of the clans. Goldenpoppy froze at the word death. 'Did that mean a cat had already died in this foolishness? Which clan had the unfortunate cat?' Goldenpoppy looked around trying to see if anyone she knew was missing. 'Where are Wildstar, Crookedstar, and Streamfeather' she thought wildly. She hated death. It only brought suffering.

From somewhere in the crowd of cats someone yowled "Moonstar is right! What is even the purpose of us fighting?..ShadowClan why have you come here?"

Goldenpoppy noticed most of the fighting had died down to hear what cats were saying. 'Please let this be the end of the battle, StarClan' she prayed as she turned her attention to Blackclaw since Wildstar wasn't in sight.

Dawnheart dodged a blow to the head and kicked out with her back claws. Dawnheart saw Crookedstar falling over the edge, she went to help but Blackclaw stood in her way.

"What are you doing!?" She screeched louder than any battle cry. "Crookedstar is falling over the EDGE!" When Blackclaw turned to look she slammed into him and sent him into the mass of cats.

"You are mouse-brained!" She screeched. Dawnheart grabbed him by the scruff and shook him she grabbed his leg and bit down with all of her might. Blackclaw yowled in pain, she saw her brother pinned down and ran to him, "You two again?" she looked at the two Shadowclan cats they had fought off before. She lunged for the larger one's tail and bit down drawing a massive amount of blood.

"Ack!" he screeched and turned to face her. But she was to quick for him, she reared up and slashed his nose with unsheathed claws.

"Your mouse-brained, coming and thinking you could ever beat Thunderclan!" She yowled. Dawnheart saw him charging and somersaulted to get behind him, she slashed his back and bit his tail again. That sent him into the brambles. When she tuned Lionclaw had already fought off the other one.

But around them, the battle was standing still.

"What happened?" Lionclaw asked,

"I think Crookedstar has fallen off the edge." Dawnheart sighed inwardly. She could of helped him... but she chose to help her brother instead.

'No, it's Blackclaw's fault!' she yowled inside her mind, but she knew she could not have prevented it, even if she had been there.

"Oh no. What mouse-brained cat threw him off!?" Lionclaw exclaimed. They saw Streamfeather coming up from the cliff, they soon saw Wildstar after them.

"Wildstar!" she snarled "Did you kill Crookedstar?"

"We were fighting too close to the edge..." he sighed as if he was sorry. She went over to Streamfeather but she didn't want to talk.

"I'm sorry, I need to think." Streamfeather replied. Dawnheart backed away, and went back to Lionclaw.

This message was edited by mg on Aug 20 2007.

Streamfeather walked quietly over to Moonstar,
"Crookedstar is dead, He fell over the edge of the gorge. His body lays at the bottom, Take your warriors home, We'll leave Wildstar."
Moonstar stared at Streamfeather for a minute, then nodded. "ThunderClan! Disperse! Go back to camp."
Streamfeather turned to RiverClan,"RiverClan, Go back to camp."
Some of the cats started to yowl in protest.
"Go!"She yowled with such force, she surprised herself, as the cats started back to camp.
"Wildstar, I will not seek revenge if you keep your paws on your own territory."Streamfeather meowed with determination. She turned away and started to run back to camp.
When she got there, they all turned to look at her.
"Where is Crookedstar?" an apprentice yowled.
"Why were you down in the gorge?"A warrior meowed.
"Hush, and I shall tell you."Streamfeather said.
-----
Moonstar felt...nothing, just an emptiness, not sorrow or joy, not even the physical pain from her wounds.
She lept upon the Highrock, and told the clan Crookedstar had died.

"What? How?" meowed an elder angrily. "Leaders don't just die! Who killed him?" Goldenpoppy looked at the elder sharply. That wasn't the way to speak to a leader. Espically now that Crookedstar had died. "The clan has to recover from the battle and here you are snapping about something in another clan!" Goldenpoppy meowed fiercely. "Simply mouse brained if you ask me. We need to care for our own clan first!" Goldenpoppy never spoke out like this before in her whole life especially to an elder. Maybe it was because Wildstar and Streamfeather had come up from the gorge...maybe she was trying to defend him in whatever way she could.

Greypaw sat quietly. She was shocked her mother was talking like this. It wasn't like her at all. Something was bugging her. Most any cat could tell, but Greypaw felt it like a torn in her paw.

When Dawnheart and the rest of their patrols returned to camp, all of the other cats were asking what happened.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, join here beneath Highrock for a clan meeting!" Moonstar yowled above the apprentices asking questions. The words were familiar but dull with pain.

"You all want to know why those at the battle look so upset." She spoke quietly so that those listening had to strain. "Crookedstar... has died falling into the gorge." Gasps of surprise and sadness filled the air. An elder snapped something that Dawnheart couldn't hear, she was too busy wondering if Crookedstar was watching them now. He had always been fair and he didn't deserve to die like that, it would have been more painful than any death she could think of.

Once the meeting was dismissed she asked Winterfern to take a look at her side and leg.

"Blackclaw, however mouse-brained he is, thought he could beat me... but he only left me with a few scratches." She mewed proudly.

Winterfern let out a Mrrrow of laughter, "You sound like an apprentice after her first battle. Now hold still while I put this poultice on you." Winterfern meowed taking a poultice made of Golden Rod out of the storage.

"Thanks!" Dawnheart sighed, injuries always felt better after you visited the Medicine Cat.

"As for your leg," Winterfern began "A cobweb should do, it doesn't look very deep." As she meowed, she came out of the herb storage and placed two cobwebs on her leg.

"Thanks, see you later." Dawnheart meowed over her shoulder as she walked out of the den.

She breathed in the Thunderclan scents, it always calmed her no matter how upset she felt. Her brother was sitting in the shade by the warriors den.

"So quite the shock, huh?" he asked her as she sat down.

"Yeah, are you still 'very good friends' with that she-cat from Shadowclan?" She asked lightly.

"Of course!" He exclaimed "She had nothing to do with that fight, and you know it as well as me."

"I still think your mouse-brained to do such a thing." She replied coolly.

"Yeah well think what you want. I'm going hunting." He mewed over his shoulder.

"To where?" She asked "I might like to come."

"So you can watch me like a hawk?" He asked angrily "Not a chance."

"Well I want to come for the hunt of it!" She mewed disbelievingly, her brother always trusted her. Then Ashfur walked up to her and asked,

"Would you like to go on patrol with me Brambleclaw, Sandstorm, and Greystripe?"

She looked at her brother walking away. "Sure." she replied and followed them out the camp entrance. She guessed Lionclaw was going to find Darkflower.

This message was edited by mg on Aug 20 2007.

After the clan meeting Greypaw slowly bounded over to Goldenpoppy. "What's wrong?" Goldenpoppy looked down at Greypaw. "The battle is still fresh on my mind that's all. Don't worry about it...Now go have Winterfern or Cinderpelt look at your wounds." "I'm fine!" Greypaw mewed defensively. "Go" Goldenpoppy snapped. Greypaw backed up a step. She was surprised her mother talked to her in such a tone. 'Something must really be bothering her.' Greypaw padded over to the apprentice's den. A yawn escaped her. She was tuckered out from her first battle, and yet the excitement of it all still rang through her body.

--

Goldenpoppy walked over to the warrior's den to wait for treatment like all the other cats. She felt bad about yelling at Greypaw, but Goldenpoppy wasn't ready to explain everything to her just yet. She didn't even have everything figured out. Goldenpoppy laid down on the fresh moss and looked at all the other cats. 'Where does this path lead?'

As soon as Wildstar and Shadowclan got back to camp he went to his den right away not wanting to answer questions. He paced around and scented their medicin cat Runnningnose coming with poppy seeds.
"Go give them to other cats." Wildstar ordered. He left some for him then headed out.
Wildstar tried to sleep at night. He tossed and turned as he saw the vision of Crookedstar fall over the edge.
Wildstar woke up and headed into the clearing. The clan was asleep while Wildstar headed to the gorge.

Wildstar sat there looking down the gorge. Not noticing a rustle in the bushes behind him. He scented a Thunderclan cat but didn't bother to look behind him.

((Okay..wow this is going to be looong.))

Goldenpoppy had been one of the last to be treated. She had done a lot of thinking since then, so she fell asleep in the warriors den. When she awoke, all the other cats were still sleeping. Goldenpoppy knew it would be useless to even try to go back to sleep. She padded out of the den and into the clearing. Goldenpoppy sat and gazed up at the Silverpelt glowing above her. 'Soon it shall be the Gathering..Perhaps then all of this would be sorted out.' Goldenpoppy decided to take a walk.

For some strange feeling she just felt like running. Goldenpoppy had no idea why, she simply did. The sandy colored she-cat began to slow to a walk. She soon found herself at the battle scene. Goldenpoppy knew why her paws had led her here. It became even more obvious when the scent of a familiar ShadowClan cat reached her nose. "Can't sleep?" she meowed as she sat by Wildstar. He shook his head. Goldenpoppy saw the hurt in his eyes from the loss of a leader today. "He hunts with StarClan now" she meowed quietly. "It could have been me that fell..The both of us were so close to the edge and..w-we didn't notice.." Goldenpoppy bowed her head. "I'm glad it wasn't you...Cinderpaw needs his father..Greypaw, too, for that matter." "Have you told her?" Goldenpoppy shook her head. "Not yet.."

The morning light began to poke through their surroundings. "I better go" Wildstar meowed. Goldenpoppy paused. She knew she shouldn't be here much longer either. "I'll see you at the Gathering then" she mewed and gave him a quick lick before dashing off to the ThunderClan camp. "At the Gathering" Wildstar meowed and bounded off towards his own camp.

On the way back to camp Goldenpoppy realized she smelled like ShadowClan. A few fox lengths away was a badger's den. 'Thank StarClan!' She sniffed the area realizing the badger's scent was stale. Goldenpoppy walked into the den, getting her fur soaked with the badger scent. "Disgusting" she meowed distastefully and began her way back to camp again. The familiar scent of ThunderClan cats rose to her nose. 'Dawnheart!' Goldenpoppy really didn't want to bump into the ThunderClan deputy on her way back to camp from her meeting with Wildstar, but it was too late now to change her direction. "Goldenpoppy is that you?" she mewed. 'Drat!' "Yea it is, Dawnheart." Goldenpoppy padded up to the deputy. "What are you doing out here?" "I couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided to take a walk." It wasn't all a lie. "And you found a badger?" "I checked out that badger's den. The scent is stale." Dawnheart didn't seem satisfied, but didn't ask any more questions. "We're heading back to camp anyways, care to join us?" "Sure" Goldenpoppy meowed.

--

Greypaw awoke filled with energy. She stretched her sore muscles and padded out into the clearing. "Ready for a patrol?" Moonstar asked. "Yea!" Greypaw mewed excitedly. The patrol soon set out after Lionclaw came along.

--

Goldenpoppy looked around at the Gathering for Wildstar. 'Stop it!' she scolded herself. She shook her head. Goldenpoppy felt Dawnheart had been eying her all day. 'Maybe Moonstar has told her?'

The Gathering looked like it was about to start. Goldenpoppy spotted Greypaw and Cinderpaw chatting again. 'Probably about the battle' she figured and perked her ears up to hear what the leaders had to say about the past moon.

OOC:How come this is so difficult? Maybe its because no one else is in RiverClan? And there aren't many Warriors to choose from? Other wise WOO! the Gathering!yay! OOOH YEAH! hehe! Never gonna see it coming! IC:
The newly named Streamstar lept upon the Great Rock, as Moonstar and Wildstar and Tallstar joined her. Her deputy, Runningbrook was in her former spot. She looked at him with envy in her eyes. She wished that she was still Deputy, and Crookedstar was still alive. 'Why did he have to fall over that mouse-brained gorge?'
Tallstar stared at her with curiosity, but said nothing.
Streamstar seemed to know his mind was swarming with questions, why all the clans but his own were battle scared.
"Crookedstar fell over the edge of the gorge during the battle."Streamstar meowed quietly to Tallstar just as the meeting began.
-----
Moonstar looked at her sister, Streamstar seemed uneasy still, not yet aware of her clans need for leadership.
"Just act like you know what you're doing, Streamstar your clan needs strong guidance now."Moonstar whispered so only Streamstar would hear, putting emphasis on star.
Streamstar grimaced in return then shook herself, a look of determination on her face.
And so, the meeting began. Moonstar couldn't help feel a sense of pride prod her heart as she saw her sister taking leadership in stride.
-----
"Crookedstar has died, he fell over the gorge, during the battle. Runningbrook has taken the deputy position."Streamstar yowled so every cat could hear.
-----
Moonstar decided to tell them now, then show up not at all next gathering.
"I have something of importance to say, and know that this is for the best."
The cats at the gathering looked at eachother quizically, especially the ThunderClan cats.
'Now or Never' Moonstar thought
"I have decided to retire my leadership position, for Dawnheart to take my place-"Moonstar was cut off sharply by ThunderClan cats yowling in protest, they've never heard of a leader retiring. They led until they died.
Moonstar yowled now above the growing murmurs between cats.
"I have kits, growing inside my belly,"Moonstar allowed herself a smile,"and I want to be able to give them a chance in this world, I beg of you, as this one last time as leader of ThunderClan, Do not fight amongst yourselves. Honor the code."
OOC:*waggles eyebrows* Dawnstar lead ThunderClan well, you have my kitty blessing.

This message was edited by HavensRaven on Aug 20 2007.

OOC: TOTTALY SAW IT COMING

Wildstar listened to Moonstar carefully.
"Wait a moment," Wildstar said to Moonstar only, "Your on your last life then? No wonder your breaking up the battles."
"And for the sake of the clans." Moonstar whispered. The meeting continued with not much news from Windclan or Shadowclan. Soon the meeting was over and clans were starting to leave. Wildstar sat down quietly tail over his paws. Blackclaw came and sat by him looking at Wildstar's gaze.
"What are you looking at?" Blackclaw asked.
-----
Blackclaw was looking at a Thunderclan she-cat that Wildstar was looking at.
"Nothing. Come lets get back to camp." Wildstar said.
Blackclaw knew there was something wrong with him. Every gathering he looked at that cat.