xx.among the .stars.

[Roxie !]

The glimmering forest of StarClan seemed shadowed that night, as if reflecting the restlessness of the ghostly warriors that lived there. Everything seemed unusually still, causing the fur along the she-cat's spine to bristle. The tension in the air confirmed her feelings of ill-ease: something was coming to the forests of the earth below. Something beyond StarClan's power, beyond even their comprehension. The she-cat hated feeling powerless; she hated watching the Clan she had once belonged to--and all of the others around it, have to face the threat alone. It was time to act, time to rise against the upcoming threat. Though of course, whatever the warriors of StarClan did, there were only certain living cats that would ever stand a chance of turning the fate of the forest Clans away from the path of destruction they now faced.

Her ears twisted backward as the pawsteps of another approached, and she turned to glance back at the newcomer silently. A tall black tom with silvery stripes rippling down his shadowed pelt was stalking toward her, his pale orange eyes flickering as he came to stand beside the she-cat. Together, they looked down into the starlit pool below, although they were not gazing at their reflections. No, the two were gazing down into the only window they had of the world below, where their beloved Clans roamed the forest. Silence hung uneasily in the air as the felines looked on, their expressions grim.

"Your Clan is in danger, Nightstar." The she-cat mewed at last, curling her bushy golden tail over her slender paws. She turned her emerald gaze away from the pond to look up at the former ThunderClan leader, her expression bearing a wordless challenge. Would Nightstar realize the threat that approached like a storm cloud; would he sense it like she had? It seemed impossible not to, especially for StarClan cats who had grown accustomed to watching over the cats below them.

Nightstar did not look at her. He merely lowered his head, almost as if he were tempted to touch the delicate surface with his nose. "ThunderClan may be in the gravest immediate danger," He told his companion quietly, "But if something is not done, the rest of the Clans will soon follow. Even ShadowClan." The black tom gave his sister a sideways glance, and Goldenstar flickered her ears in reply. Her gaze clouded and she let out a brief, wistful sigh.

"I never claimed that ShadowClan was invincible." She agreed. "The fate of all four Clans is stringled together like a spider web." The distress in Goldenstar's voice was no longer hidden as she stood up, quivering slightly. "We must do something."

Nightstar brushed his tail along her sunlight-colored shoulder, his gaze softening. "But we can't." He reminded her firmly. "You know as well as I do that this lies in the paws of a chosen few. All we can do is warn them, and hope that they heed our warning." He flicked his tail, and the water rippled and shook for a moment, to reveal a familiar tabby pelt. This was a warrior they had seen and worried over many times before, for her fate seemed shrouded in mystery. Goldenstar's eyes widened as she took in the scene.

"You don't think...surely not...her?" Goldenstar asked in mild incredulity, glancing from her brother to the waters surface and then back again. "Nightstar, she's too close to the threat the forest faces. If she is tempted--"

"If she is tempted, and remains true, that will only make her spirit stronger." Nightstar cut off the former ShadowClan leader as he raised his head proudly. His eyes narrowed, and he shifted his paw to push the slightest amount of dirt into the clear water. The image shimmered and was gone. "But before we decide anything, we must discuss this. A meeting must be called."

Goldenstar met his gaze one more, determination slowly growing in her gaze. Any former leader had a right to call the warriors of StarClan together, although this privledge usually wasn't used unless the gravest emergency prompted the need for it. Right now, she could think of no bigger emergency than this. And so she dipped her honey-colored head, and together the two siblings padded toward the large rock that towered over the clearing, big enough for all of the leaders that ever roamed the forest to stand upon it. Nightstar padded to its edge with Goldenstar close behind him, and looked down on the clearing.

"Cats of StarClan!" The former ThunderClan leader's yowl rose and echoed across the forest. "Our descendants are in danger, and I call you together to defend them."

Slowly, cats began to appear from the edge of the forest , and crept toward the rock slowly. Flamefur, a ginger striped ThunderClan she-cat was among the first. Meetings summoning the whole of StarClan were very rare--she guessed that the sense of disaster that had been hanging over them all had finally caught the attention of the higher ranking cats. She sat down without a word, her eyes wide as she stared up at the two leaders. This didn't look good--though she loved Nightstar and trusted him more than anyone else she knew, she couldn't help but wonder exactly what was going through the black tom's mind right now. Two ThunderClan toms padded up and settled down behind Flamefur as she shook herself from her thoughts--one was a black and white tom, while the other was a mottled brown one. Flamefur recognized them as Shadowfur and Stormheart, and they gave their former clan-mate a brief nod. She returned it, and then twisted around to gaze ahead again.

A few other former ThunderClan cats followed, scattering around the clearing silently. Among them were Morningsong, the daughter of Lionpelt, and a brown-and-black tom known as Batclaw. Leafwhisper and Darkshadow were also present. Leafwhisper's tail flicked uneasily as she sat down. She'd always been a bit more restless than most of the StarClan cats, having died before her time. Darkshadow brushed her tail lightly over the other she-cat's grey shoulder before padding foreward and laying down with her paws tucked beneath her.

Former RiverClan cats were also present: the silver queen called Shadeheart padded across the clearing carefully, with her daughter Daisypelt at her heels. The two she-cats said nothing as they neared their ThunderClan kin, Flamefur. Shadeheart merely nosed her mother lightly and settled down, her gaze troubled and far-off.

Following them was a golden spotted she-cat and a small mottled brown tom. Leopardheart and Pepperfur did not so much as look at each other, and the moment they entered the clearing, they sat as far away from each other as possible. As apprentices, the two had once been friends, but before Pepperfur had been brain-washed by FireClan, they'd gotten into a particularly nasty fight. Even when Pepperfur had returned from FireClan and redeemed himself, thanks to the warrior Trixiepelt, Leopardheart had never trusted him again. He supposed that was the way things would stay...and their inseperatable friendship would never be restored. Some things could not be forgiven, even in StarClan.

Next, a gentle light brown queen slipped into the clearing. Her light green gaze was bright as she gazed around, not bothering to hide her foreboding curiousity. Behind her was an almost identical she-cat with a slightly more reserved air about her. There could be no doubt to any speculators that the two were kin, though Coyotesong's daughter, Coyotespirit, had also been one of the unlucky warriors that had died so young.

She'd always remember the fateful night that a forest fire took her life as the Clans fled to the Moonstone. But even more traumatic for Coyotesong was seeing her daughter's death at such an early age. Something had gone terribly wrong with her kitting. There had been many times when she'd spotted Coyotespirit looking wistfully down on the ShadowClan cats, where her kits had recently been made apprentices.

A crowd of WindClan cats sat nearby--even in life, Coyotesong had been closer to WindClan than most, seeing as her mate had been among their ranks. She gave a friendly nod to Ratspeckle, Sparrowwing, and Drover, which they each returned. Sparrowwing still looked rather uneasy among the many cats. Though she had been a member of StarClan for awhile now, she'd spent the later days of her life as a loner. She was honored to be accepted into StarClan, but being around so many cats still made her nervous. Ratspeckle gave her friend a gentle nudge, and Sparrowwing forced herself to relax.

"They look grim tonight." Sparrowwing whispered to the other warrior, her yellow eyes shifting from Goldenstar to Nightstar as everyone crowded around.

Ratspeckle flicked her ears and smiled. "You know the leaders. They get worked up when so much as a two-leg sets foot into the Clans' territory." She said easily. Her words were light-hearted, but the expression in her green eyes seemed troubled. She wanted to keep Sparrowwing calm, but she had her own doubts. There was definately something wrong, and it seemed as if even the leaders had decided that they could no longer go on ignoring it.
Nightstar and Goldenstar watched the cats assemble in silence. They all seemed to understand the grave nature of the meeting. But it was inevitable, and they would face it together.