Lakeheart lashed her tail. “Right, is ShadowClan even a Clan anymore?”
“They chose rogues as their campmates,” Podlight snarled.
“I didn’t.” Rowanstar stared back at the RiverClan warrior.
Podlight held his gaze. “But your Clan thought Darktail would be a better leader than you!”
“What sort of leader loses the faith of his Clan?” growled Crowfeather.
“If the rest of us have lost Clanmates, their blood is on your paws!”
Alderheart’s breath caught in his throat as he realized that was Molewhisker’s yowl.
“We suffered losses too,” Rowanstar spat back.
Alderheart glanced at the ShadowClan cats. There were so few of them now. And yet they looked as surly as ever, chests puffed, pelts prickling. He wondered suddenly if they held their leader responsible for the deaths of their Clanmates. Tigerheart’s gaze was unreadable as he sat beside the other deputies. Tawnypelt gazed up at Rowanstar with pity in her eyes. Of course they wouldn’t judge Rowanstar; Tigerheart was his son, Tawnypelt his mate, and both had remained loyal to Rowanstar the whole time. But how did the others feel?
Their Clanmates shifted uneasily, avoiding one another’s gaze and the gaze of the Clans. Alderheart felt their shame. They had chosen to follow a rogue. Their decision had almost destroyed their Clan. But if Rowanstar had been a better leader, would they ever have followed such a dreadful path?
Bramblestar’s stern gaze swept over the gathered cats. “There is no use in blaming. What is important now is to remember that we came together to drive out the rogues. We would not let them destroy the Clans then, and we must not let them tear us apart now. Together we are strong. If the events of the past moons have taught us anything, they have taught us that.”
The cats murmured indignantly, but no voice yowled out.
Bramblestar went on. “We come here tonight to remember our dead and to plan a way forward.” He glanced at Leafstar encouragingly, shifting a little as though making room on the branch beside him. She gave a quick shake of her head as if to tell him not yet. Alderheart understood the SkyClan’s leader’s reluctance to face the Clans now. Pelts were still bristling.
“Rowanstar.” Bramblestar dipped his head to the ShadowClan leader. “I am sorry for your lost Clanmates. Let us remember them here.”
Rowanstar blinked at him gratefully. “Many disappeared under Darktail’s rule,” he began. “We don’t know what has happened to them, but I fear the worst. We’ve lost Mistcloud, Birchbark, Cloverfoot, Lioneye, Slatefur, Berryheart, Rippletail, Sparrowtail . . .”
Alderheart felt shock freeze him as Rowanstar continued to list the names of his missing Clanmates. So many! He hadn’t realized the full extent of their loss. No wonder there were so few ShadowClan cats at the Gathering.
“If only we knew what happened to them . . .” Rowanstar’s mew trailed away.
“They probably went with the rogues!” Lakeheart snapped.
“No!” Rowanstar’s eyes sparked with rage as he returned the RiverClan warrior’s gaze. “It is true we lost some warriors to the rogues. Sleekwhisker, Yarrowleaf, and Spikefur chose to follow them, and ShadowClan will never forgive them. But the others were lost trying to escape Darktail.”
“It’s true!” Snowbird wailed. “I persuaded Berryheart and Beenose to go to ThunderClan so they’d be safe. But they never arrived!”
“Birchbark and Lioneye told me they were planning to leave the rogue camp,” Puddleshine called out. “I haven’t seen them since.”
Violetpaw’s eyes rounded with grief. “Needletail died standing up to Darktail. She saved me and her Clanmates!”
Rowanstar lifted his gaze to the Clans. “You judge us, but you don’t realize how much we have suffered. If we made a mistake, then we have paid for it with our own blood.”
“Our blood too!” Mistystar lashed her tail. “Your Clan chose its own path, Rowanstar. Our suffering was forced on us by your Clan’s actions. We lost Clanmates because of you. Shadepelt, Foxnose, Petalfur, and Heronwing were killed fighting the rogues.”
Rowanstar looked solemnly at the RiverClan leader. “I know,” he meowed. “And I hope one day StarClan will forgive us. I do not expect you to.”
“We will never forgive!” Icewing yowled.
Angry hisses rose again from RiverClan, spreading quickly to the other Clans.
“ShadowClan nearly destroyed us all!”
“Rowanstar has no right to be leader!”
What’s happening? Fear lurched inside Alderheart. Were the Clans going to crumble just as they’d found the missing part of themselves?
Harestar stood and lifted his tail. “You blame Rowanstar and forget that it was Onestar who brought Darktail’s vengeance to the Clans. Onestar was Darktail’s father, and Onestar rejected him. But Darktail chose his path. He chose cruelty and murder. And Onestar died putting an end to that cruelty. We have all suffered. But we must listen to Bramblestar. He is right. Let us not blame. Let us remember the dead and the missing. Let us remember Onestar and his courage. He faced up to his past mistakes and he gave his last life to destroy Darktail, his own son.”
His words seemed to sweep over the Clans like a cooling wind. The cats settled, their anger turning to solemnity. As calm seeped like water through the clearing, Alderheart realized he was shaking. But hope sparked in his chest. Sense would prevail. He remembered Leafpool’s words. Trust StarClan to guide their paws.
Mistystar faced the new WindClan leader. “You speak wisely, Harestar. WindClan chose well in making you their leader, and I’m glad StarClan blessed you with nine lives, for you will need them.” She looked around at the Clans. “I wish you well. I wish you all well.” Alderheart’s paws pricked as her tone darkened suddenly. “But this is RiverClan’s last Gathering for a while.”
Harestar blinked in shock. “What do you mean?”
“We will stay on our land and rebuild what was destroyed by the rogues,” Mistystar told him. Alderheart stared at her, his mouth dry. She seemed to have given her words much thought. Had RiverClan only come here to share this news? Why hadn’t Mistystar spoken earlier? Had she wanted to see first what ShadowClan had to say? “But the Clans can make decisions without us for now. RiverClan needs time. We need peace, and we need to look inward to heal the wounds that have been inflicted on us. From tonight, I am closing our borders.”
She leaped down from the branch and signaled to her Clan with a nod. They crowded forward, following her as she headed for the long grass.
“But we must decide about SkyClan!” Bramblestar called after her.
Mistystar glanced back. “Decide what you like. But I warn you to think twice about letting more strange cats onto your land. You have seen what strangers bring.”
“You can’t go!” Rowanstar called. “Look what happened to the Clans when WindClan closed its borders. We must work together.”
“We are not WindClan,” Mistystar answered. “If there is trouble, you may send a patrol to ask for help. But for now, RiverClan follows its own path.” She slid into the grass. Her Clanmates followed.
Alderheart stared after them, hardly believing his eyes as the grass closed over them like water. “They can’t go.”
Leafpool shifted beside him, her fur pricking. “Perhaps it’s for the best.”
Alderheart blinked at her. “How can you say that?”
She didn’t answer. She was watching the Clans shift and murmur, their mews edged with disbelief.
“This isn’t like RiverClan.”