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Chapter Text

Robinwing looked up from his half-eaten fish, butterflies dancing in his belly. All around him RiverClan waited nervously for the coming attack. Some cats were making last-minute additions to the camp walls, piling branches and brambles over the already strengthened barrier. Others paced in the camp or whispered quietly to each other. Willowshine and Mothwing moved around in the medicine cat’s den, getting herbs together. The air was thick with anticipation, and Robinwing could smell fear-scent, even though the whole of RiverClan was trying to act brave.

His head spun as he tried to understand the situation. The news he had heard - that evil warriors were coming back from the dead to fight the Clans - was almost too much for him to comprehend. Yet here he and his clanmates were, preparing for the battle of their lives. 

“Hey Robinwing!” A voice next to him startled him out of his fur.

“Great StarClan, Mallownose, you scared me!” Robinwing sputtered, his nerves thoroughly shaken. The light brown tom somehow always managed to surprise him with his loud voice, much to his annoyance.

“Sorry, you just looked like you were really worried about something.” Mallownose looked at him with concern.

“Worried?” Robinwing gave a nervous chuckle. “What isn’t there to be worried about?”

“Well, if you’re worried about those Dark Forest cats, don’t be. We’ll beat ‘em so bad they’ll regret ever coming near us!”

I wish I shared your optimism, Robinwing thought. Truthfully, he was concerned about his missing clanmates. Beetlewhisker, Hollowflight, Minnowtail, Icewing… Where are they? He felt Mallownose bump his shoulder with his nose.

“You’re worrying again!” he warned playfully. Robinwing felt irritated by his upbeat personality.

“Look… it’s hard for me not to be,” Robinwing began, trying to keep his rising temper down. “This is the most important day in the clans’ history, and I’m going to make sure it isn’t their last day as well.” 

“Well so am I!” Mallownose sounded indignant. “I’m just trying to be a little more positive about it. Seems we could use some of that around here.” He gestured with his tail to the nervous, tense clan around them.

“I get that. Just…” Robinwing was cut off by a rustling sound near the entrance to the camp. Is it here yet? He unsheathed his claws as the rest of RiverClan jumped to ready themselves. The entrance ferns swished aside to reveal three ThunderClan cats-- Foxleap, Toadstep, and Rosepetal. Robinwing relaxed.

Mistystar emerged from her den to meet the ThunderClan patrol, mewing, “Welcome to RiverClan. Where are the other clans’ patrols?”

“They aren’t here yet?” Foxleap responded.

“No, not yet.” Mistystar’s eyes flicked nervously around the camp as if expecting Dark Forest warriors to emerge. Robinwing thought he could see fear in her eyes. If even Mistystar is afraid, this is going to be bad. He thought to himself. He glanced over at Mallownose, who seemed to finally realize the weight of the situation and kept his mouth shut.

Mistystar then seemed to gather herself up. “In the meantime, prepare yourselves. The fresh-kill pile is over there if you’d like to eat,” she meowed, flicking her tail over to the pile of prey and fish.

“No, thanks. We, uh, ate before we came,” Foxleap mewed, wrinkling his nose. Robinwing suppressed a snort at the tom’s reluctance.

Mallownose whispered, “Finally something they don’t want to stick their noses into.” Robinwing couldn’t help but agree.

Suddenly Robinwing heard rapid splashing beyond the walls of the camp as pawsteps sounded across the streams encircling RiverClan. 

“Here they come! Fight for RiverClan! This is our moment of glory!” Mistystar yowled as Dark Forest warriors broke through the camp barriers and entrance.

The camp erupted in screeches and battle cries as the two forces clashed. Robinwing came face-to-face with a large black tom who, he was startled to discover, he could see through. The tom snarled and jumped, claws extended, at Robinwing, who quickly sidestepped to avoid him. As he came down, Robinwing pounced on his back, shredding his fur. The black cat yowled in pain and threw Robinwing clear off, sending him skidding across the clearing. 

He landed on his head and his vision spun with stars. Shaking his head, Robinwing looked up in shock at the sheer number of Dark Forest cats in the camp. Grasspelt struggled under two she-cats and stumbled to the ground. The elder Dapplenose snarled defiance from the entrance to the nursery as three cats tried to force their in. Robinwing was startled to see Pouncetail lying next to her dead, his eyes clouded and his mouth opened in a soundless cry.

Where did Mallownose go? He was right at Robinwing’s side when it started. He quickly found him near Mistystar’s den, holding his ground against two advancing warriors and bleeding from a gash in his flank. As Robinwing rose to help him, he was knocked off his paws and slammed to the ground. He felt his breath get squeezed out of his body, and his head rang as it collided with the ground.

“Gotta move faster than that, filth,” A raspy voice growled into his ear. Before Robinwing could react, he felt claws tear deep along his flank, and he cried out in pain. StarClan, not like this! He thought, desperately trying to break free from his opponent’s hold.

Suddenly the weight was lifted off his back, and the stinging claws were torn away. He felt something warm flowing against his side, and he knew instantly what it was. Blood.  

“Willowshine! Get him to the medicine cats’ den!” Robinwing recognized Troutstream’s voice as Willowshine grabbed his scruff, dragging him off the battlefield. Robinwing cried again as his vision began closing in around him. 

“Come on Robinwing, don’t die on me,” Willowshine’s voice sounded from far away as she placed him in the medicine cats’ den. Robinwing could barely feel as she put herbs and cobwebs in his flank to stop the bleeding. He only knew searing pain and heard the pounding of his own heart in his ears.

“That’ll have to do for now,” she muttered to herself, turning around to head out of the den. “Stay here.” 

Stay here? I can’t! Robinwing shook his head, trying to clear his blurry vision.

“Wait!” He meowed. “I’m coming!”

“Robinwing, you’re in no position to fight. You will live, but you need to lie back down.” Willowshine looked back from the den entrance, anger in her gaze.

“But I have to! I need to… protect...” He struggled to get up; his legs collapsed beneath him, and he fell back down.

“No…” he murmured as his vision closed in around him. He could still hear screeching cats as the world around him went black.

Chapter Text

Robinwing felt something cold hit his nose and roll off. Slowly, he opened his eyes to find his den was dripping water on him.

Great. Cold fur - just what I needed. He thought as he rose from his nest, stretching out his sore muscles. A sharp pain jabbed him in his flank and he gasped in shock, suddenly remembering what happened. 

There was a battle! Willowshine put me here… but where is she? Where is everyone?

“Hello? Anyone there?” Robinwing meowed as he crawled out of the bramble den. “Did we win the -”

His voice cut short and he stared in shock at the tragedy before him. The RiverClan camp was completely destroyed. All the dens had been torn apart, and the camp wall lay shredded and broken across the ground. There was little evidence that a clan had ever lived there, aside from - oh no. No…

His clanmates lay strewn across the clearing; unmoving, soaked pelts that dyed the muddy clearing red.

“This isn’t real...” he whispered as he wove between them, checking every one of them for a heartbeat, a breath, anything . He found Troutstream lying at the entrance to the nursery next to the elders, her head bent at an unnatural angle. He couldn’t bear to look in her clouded eyes, and he didn’t want to enter the nursery. Grasspelt lay where Robinwing had seen him last, his brown fur matted and bloodstained. Mallownose - where is Mallownose?

Turning towards Mistystar’s den, he couldn’t hold himself back and yowled his grief to the cold, gray sky. There Mistystar’s bloodied body lay, with Mallownose splayed out beside her, his fur so torn that Robinwing barely recognized him. Slightly behind them, he spotted Mothwing’s body, herbs still in her mouth, as if she tried to heal them but was slain in the process. 

Robinwing padded over to Mistystar’s soaked body and buried his nose in it, grieving for her and the rest of his clan. His paws reddened with blood, and he felt the cold rain pierce his thick fur. Despair filled his thoughts, and he struggled to think clearly.

Well, at least they’re all in StarClan… unless StarClan isn’t even there anymore. A weight dropped in his stomach. What am I going to do? There’s no clan here anymore! It’s all gone!

“Wow, it stinks over here!” A voice exclaimed outside the camp. Robinwing scrambled to his paws, anger coursing through his fur. If you’re going to mock my clan, you’ll pay for it! Before he could think of what to do, he heard another voice.

“Yeah, RiverClan weren’t the best smelling cats by a long shot!” a voice responded.

Is that Breezepelt? Robinwing thought, confused. What’s he doing near the RiverClan camp? He remembered hearing rumors about how some of the clan cats had betrayed the clans; was Breezepelt one of them? He realized he couldn’t win against both of them, and looked around for an escape route. He quickly found a hole torn in the camp wall and ran towards it. 

Pausing in the opening, he looked back at the ruined camp and all his beloved clanmates in it. Fresh grief choked his throat as he realized none of them would receive the proper burials they deserved. When their bodies rotted - he cringed at the thought -, there would be no more RiverClan. No more fishing in the lake, no more listening to the elders’ stories, no more battle training, no more of the closeness that Robinwing had come to take for granted, even with the annoying furball Mallownose.

He was the only one left.

With a choking sob, he ran out of the barrier, away from his home.

Chapter Text

Robinwing ran as fast as he could, breaking through brambles, swerving around trees, jumping over creeks - anything to get away.

There’s no way this is happening - the bodies, oh StarClan, the bodies - no, no, just keep going. Keep running. 

Eventually, though, he couldn’t take another pawstep and collapsed on the ground, his lungs begging for air. Ow. The wound in his flank had begun to sting again, and his nose was filled with the scent of… pine?

Robinwing looked around and found to his surprise that he was lying in a forest of pine trees - ShadowClan territory. The rain had washed away their border scents, and Robinwing ran straight through them without even knowing. 

Suddenly Robinwing had an idea. Maybe it’s just RiverClan that’s gone. He thought, hope rekindling in his chest. If I can just make it to ShadowClan, I’ll be safe from the Dark Forest warriors.

However, the closer he got to the camp, the more uncertain he became. Here and there he could see fur lying on the ground as if there were smaller skirmishes that happened outside the camp. He prayed he wouldn’t have to come across any more bodies. Countless pawprints led his way to the campsite, so numerous that the rain hadn’t washed them all away yet.

The hope he had felt earlier began to slip away, replaced by dread. Did ShadowClan get overrun like RiverClan did? He began running faster, hoping that what he feared didn’t come true. As the trees blurred by him, he suddenly heard a vicious snarl and was sent flying into a tree. Dazed, he looked up to see a blurry gray figure padding towards him. 

“Don’t make a sound, or you’re a dead cat!” Robinwing heard it hiss. It was a tom, and one that Robinwing thought he had heard before. 

“Emberfoot?” Robinwing mumbled, still disoriented from his collision with the tree. He had talked with the WindClan tom at the last Gathering, and Robinwing remembered him as a calm and quiet cat, nothing like the fury that stood before him.

“Robinwing. You dare to side with those disgusting excuses for cats?” Emberfoot snarled, ready to pounce on him.

“What? No… I… I needed somewhere to go after RiverClan was destroyed.” Robinwing stammered back. He had never seen Emberfoot this angry before, and he didn’t want to know what the WindClan warrior would do. 

“RiverClan’s destroyed?” Emberfoot whispered. The flame in his eyes died and he relaxed his stance. “It’s all gone, then.”

“What,” Robinwing hesitated, “...what do you mean it’s all gone?

“I mean all of it’s gone. WindClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, ThunderClan, everything. The Dark Forest won.” Emberfoot meowed, his head down. 

“So ShadowClan isn’t-” Robinwing started but was cut off as Emberfoot slowly shook his head.

“I’ve tried to find survivors, but they’re all either with the Dark Forest or dead.” Emberfoot raised his head. “You’re the first one I’ve seen that’s neither of those.”

“I saw Breezepelt close to the RiverClan camp,” Robinwing meowed. Why did I say that? Now he’ll -

“You did? Was he okay?” Emberfoot meowed quickly, interrupting his thoughts.

“Well, I didn’t exactly see him, but I heard him with a Dark Forest cat -”

Robinwing was cut off again by Emberfoot’s furious hiss. Really shouldn’t have said that.

“I knew it! He was planning against the clans all along! How I wish I could sink my claws into his throat!” Emberfoot snarled loudly as Robinwing looked around, realizing how exposed they were in the pine trees where little undergrowth grew.

“Keep your voice down,” he warned. “We’re in Dark Forest territory now.”

“If I could get my paws on that mangy - what?” Emberfoot snapped his head back to Robinwing as if he was shoved out of his own thoughts.

“I said, we should be quieter. There may be more Dark Forest warriors around,” Robinwing repeated, wanting nothing more than to get out of whatever possible danger they were getting themselves into.

“We should leave now, then.” Emberfoot meowed. Robinwing nodded, and the two padded away, weaving through the thin pine trees until they finally left clan territory.

Chapter Text

“Aah!” Robinwing gasped in pain as he sat up. Sunlight shone through the dense bush he and Emberfoot had quickly made shelter in after escaping ShadowClan territory. It offered some protection against dogs, badgers, and other unfriendly things, but it was hardly anything close to his old RiverClan nest. All Robinwing wanted to do was go home.

He had begun to feel worse ever since he left the RiverClan camp, and he suspected it was the wound in his flank. The days-old poultice Willowshine had put on it was barely more than a smudge now, exposing the raw skin. Robinwing was worried it had become infected and wished, not for the first time, that he had her or Mothwing around.

For now, all he had was Emberfoot. The WindClan warrior had been very quiet for the past few days, and Robinwing couldn’t blame him. Neither of them was willing to bring up what had happened, but Robinwing was sure he felt the same missing gap in his heart, an aching reminder of all they had lost.

I wonder if he’s coming back soon. Robinwing thought. The WindClan tom had been gone since sunrise and it was now sunhigh. 

Robinwing put it out of his thoughts as his mind drifted back to RiverClan. He still held a little flame of hope in his heart, that RiverClan wasn’t really gone and this was surely all just a bad dream. But why haven’t I woken up yet then? His thoughts darkened. I should be dead in that clearing with the rest of my clan. He thought bitterly. Instead, I’m stuck out here with no clans or friends to go back to. 

At that moment he heard approaching pawsteps and tensed up until he recognized Emberfoot’s scent. Finally, he’s back. Robinwing realized his stomach had been rumbling the whole time he was awake. 

“It’s not much, but it’ll help us keep going.” Emberfoot meowed as he pushed his way into the bush, dropping two mice.

“Thanks. Wait, we’re moving already?” Robinwing looked up from his nest. It’s too soon! I don’t want to leave.

“Yes. We’re too close to the clan territories to be safe, and I think it’s safer to keep moving.” Emberfoot responded, crouching down to eat one of the mice.

“But… are you sure we need to leave?” Robinwing protested. “We haven’t seen any Dark Forest cats out here yet.”

“I’m absolutely sure,” Emberfoot meowed instantly. “You have no idea how many Dark Forest warriors there are. There isn’t enough land around the lake for them all, so where will they go? Out to us.”

Robinwing took a deep breath. He’s right . “That makes sense to me. It’s just… I never thought I’d ever have to do this.” 

“I didn’t either. But after seeing our situation, it’s obvious to me that we must leave for our safety.” Emberfoot had finished his mouse and sat up.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something since we’ve been here,” Robinwing began cautiously, unsure how Emberfoot would handle his question. “Why were you in ShadowClan territory? Were you in the WindClan patrol?”

Emberfoot nodded. “We tried our best to protect their camp, but there were too many of them. I...” he hesitated. Robinwing thought he saw guilt flash in his eyes, but he continued. “Once I saw the ShadowClan camp was beyond saving, I slipped away to get back to WindClan, but I was too late. I was making my way around the lake to leave when I saw you.”

I shouldn’t have made him relive that. Still, Robinwing was surprised at his honesty. I don’t think I would’ve told any cat if I did that. “Did WindClan send a patrol to RiverClan?”

“Of course we did,” Emberfoot replied, caution edging voice. “What happened to it?”

“I don’t know, exactly.” Robinwing felt sorry for Emberfoot. “They never made it to our camp. Only ThunderClan’s patrol made it.”

“They must have been ambushed along the way, then.” Emberfoot lowered his head. 

“I still had hope that maybe they survived the battle, but now it seems no cat from WindClan survived.”

“You don’t know they’re gone, though.” Robinwing protested, trying not to let Emberfoot get lost in his emotions.

“It doesn’t matter what I know. I have a feeling they are, no matter how I wish they weren’t.” Emberfoot looked up at Robinwing. “Surely you know what I’m talking about.”

“Yeah, I do,” Robinwing murmured, remembering the bodies of his clanmates, his friends in RiverClan. At least I had the chance to see them one last time.

“We cannot give up hope for the living, however.” Emberfoot looked more resolute now. “Our clanmates may be gone, but perhaps cats from the other two clans survived.” He shook out his pelt and stood up. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Robinwing replied, wincing as he got to his feet. His flank protested against any movement he made, no matter how small.

“What’s wrong?” Emberfoot glanced at him with concern.

“Nothing, just a small wound from the battle giving me some issues.”

Emberfoot looked doubtful, but he didn’t say anything else, and the two began walking through the forest again, hopeful that they would eventually come across some friendly faces.

Chapter Text

Robinwing trekked through the forest after Emberfoot, his paws sore. They had been walking for days, yet they kept getting lost and didn’t travel very far. All these woods look the same to me! he thought, frustrated. 

“Fox dung,” Robinwing heard Emberfoot mutter underneath his breath.

“Have we made it anywhere?” Robinwing asked, already knowing the answer.

“No, and it doesn’t seem like we ever will,” Emberfoot responded with a huff, sitting down in a depressingly familiar clearing.

“How’s that wound looking?” he asked, turning to Robinwing.

“Getting worse,” Robinwing admitted. Eventually, his exhaustion and pain forced him to reveal the seriousness of his infection. Emberfoot hadn’t been happy that he had hidden it, but it didn’t matter much anyway. Neither of us knows how to treat it at all. Robinwing realized, fear edging into his thoughts. I don’t want to die this way, wandering endlessly without a clan! 

Emberfoot growled. “We need to find you some help, or you may be in serious trou -”

“Hello? Hello? Is there anyone there?” a bright voice cut through his words. Emberfoot cautiously rose to his paws and unsheathed his claws.

“We’re here. Who’s there?”

Bushes shook on the other side of the clearing as a black and white tom bounced out of them.

“You guys look lost. Are you from around here?” he meowed calmly as he approached the traveling cats.

“Stay back,” Emberfoot snarled, his tail lashing back and forth.

“Okay, okay, no need to get your fur all knotted up,” the tom meowed, sitting on the other side of the clearing. Robinwing admired his unnerved attitude.

“Have you seen any other cats move through here recently?” Robinwing asked him. 

“Well, I’ve seen plenty of cats come through here; seems like the whole forest is packing up and leaving,” the tom responded. “There were a few cats who came through here meowing on about some destroyed clans and then after them there were more cats who said they were looking for clan cats - they looked pretty scary, if I’m honest -”

“What did the first few cats look like?” Robinwing interrupted, hoping to possibly hear about his clanmates.

“Oh, there were three - no, two - she-cats about two sunrises ago - one was light gray and the other I think was ginger…”

Robinwing’s heart beat faster. The first description matched Willowshine! Maybe she did survive the RiverClan battle. I hope we can find her. He thought, glancing at his inflamed flank. I sure could use some magical healing herbs about now.

“Thank you for helping us, but we must be leaving now. Which way did you see them go?” Emberfoot meowed.

“They went in that direction,” the tom meowed, pointing with his tail. “Said they were going to someplace called the… horseplace, I think it was.” 

“Horseplace? Oh, I know where that is! Thank you, we’ll be off now.” Robinwing meowed, excited that he and Emberfoot were finally on the trail of clan cats.

“No problem, strangers. Take care!” The tom bounded off into the bushes again, leaving Robinwing and Emberfoot alone.

Emberfoot rose to his paws and turned to Robinwing. “Can you make it there with your,” he gestured at Robinwing’s side, “injury?”

Robinwing hesitated. “If we can get there fast enough, it shouldn’t be a problem… one of the cats that tom mentioned sounded just like Willowshine. Maybe she can help me when we get there.”

“Hm. Hopefully.” Emberfoot didn’t seem convinced. Then he shook his head as if to clear his thoughts.

“Well,” the gray tom meowed, getting to his paws, “Let’s go find our clanmates.”

Robinwing couldn’t agree more, and the two began the journey to horseplace through the forest.

Chapter Text

"Robinwing, come on. We have to keep moving.”

Robinwing heard Emberfoot’s voice next to him, urging him onward. He didn’t know why the WindClan cat kept pushing him.

If he would just stop prodding me, I could take a good, long nap. He thought, dreaming about lying underneath a lush, green tree and never having to get back up. It would be so nice… 

His vision got darker around him and he welcomed the relaxation that came with it.

“Robinwing!” Emberfoot’s voice shoved itself into his head, pushing away his dreamy thoughts. He opened his eyes to find himself leaned over on one side, against Emberfoot.

" I know you’re tired, but we must move. It can’t be much further to the horseplace.”

Although his body fought all it could against him, Robinwing forced his paws forward, leaning on Emberfoot for support. 

He remembered little after that, except for the constant, heavy breath of Emberfoot and the sweltering sun above them. Emberfoot guided him through brambles, over logs, and around twoleg camps. Finally, they came to a stop on a hill overlooking the lake. Emberfoot let out a cry of joy.

“I can see it! We’re almost there.” Robinwing lifted his head to see what Emberfoot was talking about, but he could only see blurry shades of green and blue, and he felt more exhausted than ever. His pads were on fire and he was dimly aware of the smell of blood coming from them.

“Come on, Robinwing. Let’s get you some help.” 

Every step felt like moving a mountain. The pain in his flank had spread all the way into his chest, and every breath sent a stabbing pain throughout his body. He stumbled over roots that he could’ve avoided, and ran into branches that were easy to dodge before. Emberfoot seemed to notice this and forced Robinwing to pick up his pace.

    Eventually, it was too much for Robinwing to bear. Even though he could see a blurry red something in the distance, he couldn’t bring himself to take one more step. His legs, sore and shaking from having walked so far, fell out beneath him, and he only saw black. 

" Robinwing! Robinwing, wake up!” He heard Emberfoot’s pleas and felt him shake his body, but he could only groan in agony. 

There was a moment of silence, as Robinwing heard Emberfoot’s paws racing away.

Then he heard the rushing pawsteps of other cats and their quick, whispered mews as they surrounded Robinwing. He felt his body being lifted up and carried a long, long way, but after that, his hearing dimmed and he fell into a comforting sleep.

Chapter Text

Robinwing opened his eyes slowly, wincing as bright light shone in his face.

He looked around to find to his surprise that he was no longer lying in the grass. Instead, he was lying in a hay nest in some kind of twoleg structure. Sunlight beamed in from a large opening in the top.

This must be the horseplace. He thought, smelling a new, strange animal scent. His head still hurt and his legs felt about as strong as sticks, but… I’m alive! This realization was interrupted by a loud mew from behind him.

“Hey, everyone, Robinwing finally woke up!” He recognized that voice instantly.

“Willowshine!” he mowed, turning around in his nest to see the medicine cat bounding towards him, joy shining in her eyes.

“We thought we lost you so many times,” she whispered. “Do you know how long you’ve been asleep?”

“No,” he responded, his heart still beating rapidly. “But it feels like it’s been a long time.”

“Two whole days, Robinwing. I don’t know how you survived, but you did. We’ve all been watching you closely.

“We?” Robinwing tried to sit up, but couldn’t. “Are more than just you and Emberfoot?”

“Oh, right. You wouldn’t know. There’s the two barn cats that live here, Smoky and Floss. And,” she added with excitement, “Sandstorm from ThunderClan is here too. We found another clan cat, Robinwing!”

    “Another clan cat?” Robinwing echoed. “That’s amazing! And I’m glad you’re here too!”

H e heard pawsteps quickly approaching behind Willowshine.

“Robinwing?” Emberfoot’s voice came up.

“Emberfoot?” Robinwing responded.

“Robinwing! You made it!” Emberfoot came out from behind Willowshine purring loudly. Behind him three cats looked on, looking equal parts surprised and glad.

“I’m so glad you’re still here. Is there anything you need right now? How do you feel?”

“Some prey would be nice. My stomach is practically eating itself!” Robinwing meowed jokingly.

“I’m on it,” Emberfoot responded, disappearing behind the onlooking cats.

Robinwing shifted in his nest, looking back at the remaining cats. Working on the stories he had heard from his elders, the big grey-and-white tom was Smoky and the smaller white-and-grey she-cat was Floss.

The last light ginger cat, Sandstorm, he knew as Firestar's mate and a legend among the clans. As he opened his mouth to speak to her, she meowed, “Well, thank StarClan you finally came around. You gave us a scare.”

“Oh,” Robinwing meowed awkwardly, “sorry about that.” 

“Robinwing! Got you a nice, plump mouse!”

Emberfoot’s voice came up from somewhere down below. Robinwing watched as he jumped up and placed it at his paws.

“Thanks,” he meowed as he tore into the mouse, eating it quickly.

As Robinwing finished his mouse, Willowshine rose to her paws. “Should we tell them both about your plan now, Sandstorm?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Your plan?” Robinwing looked up, confused. Are we moving again so soon?

“Yes, what plan did you keep from me until now?” Emberfoot echoed, tipping his head to one side.

“Let her speak,” Willowshine meowed. “It was easier to tell both of you at the same time. Sandstorm, go ahead.”

Sandstorm took a deep breath and began her story.

“Before either of you were born, and before the clans made the journey to the lakes, my mate Firestar had a vision from StarClan."

She paused briefly, pain flashing in her eyes.

“He was told by a long-dead leader that he must travel far away from the clans to restore a fifth clan, SkyClan.”

“SkyClan? I’ve never heard of it,” Robinwing meowed.

“They were banished from the old forest long ago when twolegs moved onto their territory,” Sandstorm explained. “Noone else knows about them except for us now. Firestar asked me to travel with him to find this long-gone clan, and I did.

“We traveled for days until we found a gorge where an old SkyClan warrior still lived. Together, with his help, we were able to create a functioning clan again.”

“So, what does that mean for us?” Emberfoot asked, looking skeptical of her story.

“It means we aren’t the only clan cats still alive. There’s another clan out there, we just have to find them.” Sandstorm replied.

Robinwing could scarcely believe what he was hearing. A whole nother clan out there, waiting for them! The clans aren’t gone forever, then. He thought, hope spreading over him like warm sunshine.    

“Do you know how to find them?” Emberfoot’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“I believe so, yes. I still remember the route Firestar and I took to get there.”

“When can we leave?” Robinwing cut in excitedly. He could hardly contain himself at the thought of returning to somewhat normal clan life.

“Not so fast, Robinwing,” Willowshine came up next to him. “You’re still far too weak to travel, and we can wait here until you’re ready to go. Maybe other clan cats will come through here before we leave.

“Oh, okay.” Robinwing meowed, sinking into his nest. I don’t want to stay here! I want to find SkyClan!

“Don’t be so downtrodden. You’ll only be here for a few days and by then you’ll be strong enough to travel.” Willowshine meowed cheerfully.

" A few more days?” A low rumble came from the grey-and-white tom who Robinwing thought was Smoky.

“Yes, only a few days, and then we’ll be out of your fur, Smoky.” Willowshine looked at him. “You’ll still have to worry about those Dark Forest warriors after we leave, though.”    

“We can handle them.” Smoky meowed, flexing his claws. What a nice cat. Robinwing thought with amusement.

“Anyway,” Willowshine turned back towards Robinwing, “All you have to do for now is sit still. I don’t want you opening your wound back up, especially with how weak you are now."

Robinwing let out a sigh. “Alright then. If you ever need something, you know where to find me.” 

“Good,” Willowshine meowed. Turning back to the gathered cats, she added, “With that out of the way, I think it best if we all let Robinwing get some rest. He deserves it.”

When all the cats had left, Robinwing felt a wave of tiredness roll over him. However, it wasn’t the kind of delirious, sickening exhaustion he had felt on the journey.

Instead, he felt a joyous calm. The clans weren’t gone forever, he had clanmates close to him, and the sun fell comfortingly on his fur. He closed his eyes and instantly fell asleep.

Chapter Text

“Hey, Robinwing, you up for hunting? We could use some fresh-kill around here.” 

Robinwing glanced down from the top floor of the barn to find Emberfoot looking up at him.

“Sure! I’m always ready for some hunting.” Robinwing replied, getting out of his nest.

It had been a few days since he first made it to the horseplace, but he was already feeling much better. It’s like I’m a different cat. He thought, reflecting on his harrowing close call with death.

“Are you sure you can handle it?” Willowshine looked up from her herb pile at him, concern etched into her face.

“Of course I’m sure! I haven’t felt this good in days.” Robinwing responded cheerfully.

Willowshine looked like she was about to refuse him, but then she let out a sigh. “Fine, but take it easy. Your flank is still healing, and I don’t want to have to save you again.” 

“You won’t, don’t worry!” Robinwing jumped down to greet Emberfoot. “So, where are we hunting?”

“I think that corner of the barn looks good. We haven’t tried there for a few days and there ought to be at least a few fat mice waiting for us.” Emberfoot meowed, flicking his tail to a side of the barn where twolegs had gathered a large hill of hay.

“Okay; you take the left side, I’ll take the right. I’ll drive them out towards you.” Emberfoot continued.

Robinwing nodded and began to slowly make his way around to the left side of the pile of hay. On the other side, he could hear Emberfoot snarling and raking at the hay, which erupted in the squeaks of many terrified mice.

Robinwing got ready to ambush them when suddenly a cascade of mice came rushing out from the hay. He easily trapped one beneath his claws and bit into its spine, then turned around and did it again. The mice were so scared of Emberfoot that they ran straight into Robinwing’s claws.

This is nothing like fishing! Robinwing thought as the number of mice he killed began to grow.

Eventually, the flow of mice stopped, and Robinwing looked down at the pile he had caught with pride. There was more than enough to feed everyone in the barn for a while.

Suddenly Robinwing heard a scrabbling noise, just next to the hay pile. A lone mouse was quickly making its way across the barn, hugging the wall. Robinwing instinctively crouched and pounced at it, his claws outstretched.

A searing pain lanced up his flank and he yowled in pain. Crashing on his side, he could feel warm blood running through his flank fur. No, not this again! He thought, lying on the floor of the barn as Emberfoot and then Willowshine rushed up to him.

“Oh for StarClan’s sake… do you have any common sense?” Willowshine meowed angrily, stuffing cobwebs into his side.

“I didn’t think it would hurt like this again…” Robinwing gasped. Willowshine was not being gentle with him this time.

“No, of course you didn’t. Can you walk?” Willowshine asked him.

“I think so...?” Robinwing wasn’t sure.

“Emberfoot, help me get his back up to his nest,” Willowshine ordered, and Robinwing felt himself get lifted off the ground and placed in his nest again.

“Sorry about that, Robinwing,” Emberfoot meowed as Willowshine fixed Robinwing’s flank again. “I shouldn’t have let you do something that could’ve hurt you so easily.”

“It’s not your fault. I was just being a mousebrain.” Robinwing replied. Fox dung! Why can’t I be more careful? Now I’ve wasted everyone’s time. He silently fumed as he was resigned back to his nest by Willowshine.

He lay there quietly for a long time, wishing that he could already be on the way to SkyClan.

Chapter Text

The rest of the day was quiet. The barn cat Floss was grateful to Robinwing for the mice he had caught, but Smoky seemed upset when Willowshine told him they’d have to stay there a little longer.

Emberfoot and Sandstorm talked quietly in the corner of the barn for a while, and Robinwing guessed they were discussing the journey to SkyClan. Either that, or they were reminiscing on clan life like he was.

Robinwing would’ve joined them, but Willowshine had kept a close eye on him all day, determined to keep him in his nest. It was only now, as the setting sun shone orange light in the barn, that she had finally given him some space.

Robinwing lay curled in his hay nest, nibbling on a mouse. His thoughts still simmered about his wound, and the mouse had long ago lost its appeal. Sighing, he pushed it away and lay with his head on his paws. His excitement about the journey was diminished now that he knew that many long, boring days lay before him. 

As he continued to mope, he heard angry voices outside the large wooden entrance to the barn that he hadn’t heard before. Clan cats? He wondered, even more confused as Sandstorm bounded up to his nest, her fur spiked up.

“There’s a Dark Forest patrol here,” she whispered to him, eyes wide.

“A Dark Forest patrol?” Robinwing’s fur spiked with alarm. “Are they here looking for clan cats?”

Sandstorm nodded. “Smoky and Floss are trying to stall them, but I think they’re going to search the barn. We need to hide.”

“What about Emberfoot and Willowshine?” Robinwing meowed quickly.

“Already hidden. We need to throw hay over ourselves, and wait until it’s clear.”

“What if we’re found? We’ll have to fight and I… I still can’t fight.”

“Then we’ll hold our ground as best we can. Now stop asking questions and go!”

Robinwing and Sandstorm quickly went to the hay piled in the corner of the barn and threw themselves into it, covering themselves but leaving enough room for Robinwing to see what was happening down below. 

“I can smell clan scent! How can you tell me there’s no clan cats here?” An outraged meow came up from below.

“They might have come through here a long time ago, but they’re not here now.” Floss’ timid voice responded.

“Uh-huh. It smells disgustingly fresh in here, not like they passed through here ‘a long time ago.’” The rough voice yowled, mocking Floss.

“If you tell us where you’re hiding them, we’ll let you go,” A she-cat added menacingly.

Now Robinwing could see the patrol in the dying sunlight. There were five of them, most of which he couldn’t recognize except for the black tom he had fought in the RiverClan battle. A couple of them had that same see-through look that he remembered with a shudder.

Wait. Is that… oh, StarClan, no…

Robinwing’s heart seemed to fall out of his chest as he recognized the last cat to come into the barn. It was Minnowtail, the senior warrior he had always looked up to. She was always the perfect warrior to him; loyal, smart, and dedicated to RiverClan.

And now she was grouped with the vicious cats that tore apart his clan!

Robinwing gritted his teeth, his vision pulsing with anger. How in StarClan's name could she betray RiverClan?

He looked over at Sandstorm, who slowly shook her head at him. He took a deep breath to clear his thoughts and then studied her closer. Her dappled grey-and-white fur was bushed out and she wavered near the back of the patrol as if she didn’t really want to be there.

Maybe she’s… their prisoner? Robinwing thought, confused. If she didn’t want to be with the Dark Forest warriors, why was she on a patrol with them hunting for clan cats?

“What’s this?” The Dark Forest patrol leader, a white tom with a torn ear, walked over to the pile of mice Robinwing had caught. Robinwing felt dismayed as the tom turned to Smoky and Floss, meowing, “This is quite a lot of mice for just the two of you. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll help you make it manageable.”

The tom picked up a fat mouse and began to devour it while the rest of his patrol stared down the two barn cats.

“Ahh,” He finished, licking his jaws. “That was a good mouse. Are there any still left around in this barn? Perhaps hiding in the corners somewhere?” Robinwing watched his gaze sweep over the floor of the barn, stopping at the dried blood Robinwing had left next to the hay pile. 

The white tom flicked his tail, and the Dark Forest patrol began sweeping the bottom area of the barn. Robinwing felt helpless watching them, knowing whoever was hiding down there would be found eventually. Minnowtail seemed to hesitate but joined them after getting glared at by one of the other warriors.

Robinwing looked next to him at Sandstorm, whose eyes were still wide with alarm. She looked back at him and whispered, “If they find anyone, I’m going down to fight. You need to stay here."

“But you’ll need my help!” Robinwing quietly protested, only met with a shaking head from Sandstorm.

“You injured yourself hunting a mouse. What do you think will happen when you have to fight a trained warrior?” Her eyes burned into his, forcing him to answer."

“I… I don’t know. Fine. I’ll stay here if you think that’s safest.”

Sandstorm nodded. “You should be hidden enough in this hay. If we’re defeated, wait for them to leave and then run.”

She opened her mouth to speak again but was interrupted by a yowl from below.

“I knew it! You’re hiding clan cats in here!” The white tom’s furious voice screeched from below. “Dark Forest warriors, kill them all!”

Chapter Text

The barn suddenly erupted into fighting as the Dark Forest warriors attacked. One of the warriors turned and jumped at Smoky, clawing at his face. Robinwing saw Emberfoot leap from underneath the hay pile and collide with the white tom, sending both rolling across the barn floor. Floss was holding her own against a much bigger black tom, hissing and swiping at his face. Something moved in the hay lying on the floor above them and Willowshine landed on top of a brown she-cat, sending her crashing into the floor. Robinwing looked to his side to find Sandstorm had already jumped down and was helping Willowshine shred the trapped cat.

Robinwing could see that the Dark Forest warriors were outmatched and surprised by the number of clan cats that ambushed them. Smoky sent his opponent reeling across the barn with a well-placed blow to the head. The she-cat Willowshine and Sandstorm were attacking let out a screech and fell still, blood pooling around her.

Robinwing searched for Minnowtail and was relieved when he saw her crouching in the corner of the barn, eyes wide with fear. Maybe she isn’t a traitor after all. Robinwing thought hopefully.

When he brought his attention back to the fight, his fur spiked with alarm. Willowshine and Sandstorm were helping Smoky and Emberfoot beat back the remaining warriors, but they had forgotten about Floss. She was being pushed across the clearing by the black tom, who relentlessly went for her throat. Blood dripped from one of her front legs, and she had a pronounced limp.

If they don’t help her, she’ll die! Robinwing thought with alarm. She was getting pushed close to where he was hiding, and a plan formed in his head. Alright. Okay, this is probably going to hurt.

Dropping into the hunter’s crouch, he waited until they were right below him and jumped, falling in between the two.

Robinwing felt the tom’s claws puncture his throat, and he let out a cry before being slammed into the ground. 

“Robinwing!” Sandstorm’s cry came from across the clearing, and as Robinwing lay in excruciating pain, he watched her bowl the black tom over, digging her teeth into his neck. The tom flailed for air as blood gushed from his neck, making a horrible choking sound. He soon quieted and his body disappeared, leaving a red pool of blood. Sandstorm stood over it for a moment, her flanks heaving, before running to Robinwing’s side, her eyes widening as she saw looked over him.

“Oh no, this is bad… Willowshine! Quickly!” Sandstorm called as the rest of the clan cats ran over to Robinwing. He saw with alarm that blood was seeping into the corner of his vision, and he felt someone press their paws down on his neck in an effort to stop the bleeding. His throat was burning, and he couldn’t help coughing up blood with every ragged breath.

“Robinwing, you’re going to be fine, you hear me? You’re going to be okay,” Emberfoot meowed, a slight tremor in his voice. Robinwing saw Willowshine run up with cobwebs in her mouth, her eyes widening with dismay when she saw his neck.

“Ok, it’s not as bad as it looks. You’re going to be fine.” She began to press the cobwebs into his neck, but he knew it was no use. He could feel his strength slipping away like dew in the sunlight. Every breath was agony and he knew he didn’t have much time left.

“No…” He croaked, spitting out blood. “It’s not going to save me. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t say that! You will be fine!” Willowshine nearly screeched. Robinwing saw Smoky and Floss pad up behind her, exchanging worried glances. Further behind them , he also saw Minnowtail slowly pad up to the huddled cats, her tail down and her shoulders hunched. So she did stay behind. Sandstorm followed his gaze and leaped up to confront her.

“And you! Why are you still here, traitor?” Sandstorm snarled. She crouched, getting ready to attack the RiverClan cat.

“Wait!” Robinwing meowed, managing to lift his head up. “She didn’t attack us during the fight. She isn’t an enemy.”

“Then why did she come here with them in the first place?” Emberfoot asked, looking equally angry and confused. 

“I was forced to come,” Minnowtail meowed sadly. “After the Dark Forest won, I couldn’t leave because they kept such a close eye on me. I was going to use the patrol as a way to escape, but I didn’t mean for it to end this way.” Robinwing noticed that she didn’t look as groomed as she used to, and he could see her ribs from beneath her pelt. 

“Bring her with you,” Robinwing pleaded, coughing up more blood. “I know you can trust her.”  

“We’ll see about that. First, let’s get you up again.” Willowhine meowed, still trying to stop his bleeding throat.

“I told you, it’s no use,” Robinwing couldn’t hold his head up any longer, and he fell back to the ground. If I close my eyes, I’ll fall asleep and die. He realized, forcing his eyes to stay open. As the clan cats came closer around him, Minnowtail also approached.

“Robinwing, I’m so sorry for betraying you and the clans. It was a horrible mistake.” Minnowtail meowed, slowly padding up to Robinwing’s bloodied body.

“It’s okay,” he whispered. “I forgive you.”

“Thank you, Robinwing. You saved my life.” he barely heard Floss meow somewhere to his right. He had trouble keeping his eyes open as he continued to weaken, the blood now pooling under his face. 

“Robinwing,” Emberfoot sat in front of him, blood staining his paws. My blood. Robinwing thought. “It was an honor to know you, and I hope that your memory will live on past us as a sign of a true warrior.”

“Emberfoot, he’s not going to die!” Willowshine’s panicked mew came up. She was still pressing cobwebs in his neck in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding. Robinwing could scarcely draw in enough breath to speak and every effort engulfed him in pain. 

“Willowshine, we both know I’m in StarClan’s paws now,” Robinwing murmured slowly. “There’s nothing to be…” He broke off with a rasping cough. “...afraid of.”

“Robinwing…” Willowshine finally stopped and licked his head, her whole body trembling. “We’re going to miss you.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be right here with you, the whole time…” Robinwing meowed, allowing his eyes to close to darkness.

The pain mercifully receded, and he knew no more.

Chapter Text

“Hey, Robinwing! Get up!”

“Wha…” Robinwing slowly opened his eyes. What happened? Looking up, he came face-to-face with a familiar cat. But… he’s dead!

“Mallownose? Is that you?”

“The one and only! Took you long enough to wake up.” The light brown tabby looked over his shoulder. “Hey, guys! Robinwing just woke up!”

“I woke up? What do you mean-” Robinwing cut himself off as he looked down at himself. “...oh.”

His dead body still lay where it had fallen, dusty and torn. When he stood up, it remained still. He could see straight through his fur to the dusty barn ground and noticed that none of the living forest cats noticed him get up. I’m a dead cat now. He thought with a pang of sadness.

“Welcome to our little group of dead, traveling clan cats.” Mallownose meowed.

“Group of dead cats?” Robinwing meowed, looking over Mallownose’s shoulder. He let out a little gasp of shock.

The barn was filled with transparent cats, all milling around or looking sympathetically at Robinwing. Many of them he instantly recognized. Reedwhisker, Troutstream, Dapplenose, Pouncetail, Duskfur… it’s my dead clanmates! There were cats from WindClan and ThunderClan as well, but they were paying more attention to their living clanmates. Then his eye caught one long-furred she-cat, who padded out of the crowd towards him. 

“Mistystar! It’s good to see you again!” he meowed, padding forward until the two stood face to face.

“And you as well, Robinwing. Though I wish we could meet under different circumstances.” The she-cat looked bone-weary, Robinwing thought, but he didn’t say it out loud. A more concerning question instead came out.

“Mistystar, why aren’t we in StarClan?”

The question seemed to deflate Mistystar, and Robinwing had to wait a moment for the answer he dreaded the most.

“StarClan is… gone.” she meowed flatly.

“Gone? But there’s no way! It’s always been there!” Robinwing couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Without the clans, there is no StarClan. Since the clans no longer exist… StarClan doesn’t either.”

“But the clan cats still do! There are clan cats alive!” 

“Do they still uphold their clan traditions? Will they remember the brave warriors that died before them? Will any of them ever be able to get their nine lives as leaders, or travel as medicine cats to the moonpool every half-moon?” Mistystar’s eyes now burned into Robinwing’s. “They are no longer the four clans; they are scattered and broken.”

Robinwing couldn’t hold her gaze and looked away, his eyes welling up. “So is there no hope left?”

“Not here, around the lake.” A strong voice came up. Robinwing looked up to see the ThunderClan leader Firestar had taken a spot next to Mistystar, pity reflecting in his eyes.

“Is SkyClan our only hope?” Robinwing asked. Firestar nodded.

“When Sandstorm and I rebuilt the clan, we found all that we needed, including - very importantly - a connection with StarClan. That may be our only remaining path to StarClan if any exist still.”

“So we must travel there to find the path?” Robinwing knew he was asking a lot of questions, but it felt like all this new information was pressing down on him.

“Yes. We’ll follow our clanmates to SkyClan and find whatever may be there.” Robinwing thought Firestar looked a little annoyed that he was asking so many questions, but he had to know one last thing.

“Firestar… there’s a lot of cats here, but it doesn’t look like all the clans. Where is ShadowClan?”

Firestar sat down and took a deep breath. Clearly, he had explained this one too many times. “These are all the cats who chose to follow your group to SkyClan, either because they were close to one of the cats or because they think this is StarClan’s last hope.” His eyes sparkled sadly. “For some, it’s both.”

“So there’s more dead clan cats? Where are they?”

“I imagine many of them are following their other clanmates. Some of them don’t share our hope that StarClan can be saved.”

“And ShadowClan? Where are they?”

“ShadowClan… have decided they don’t want anything to do with us. They blame the other clans for their defeat and most of them have already left the lake territories.”

“But that’s insane! They weren’t the only ones who lost everything!” ShadowClan’s always been wary of the other clans, but it hasn’t outright left them before! 

“Indeed. But they have always been shortsighted. Maybe one day they’ll realize their mistake. For now,” Firestar sat up. “We will focus on the living. There’s not much else we can do.”

Robinwing turned back to the circle of living cats surrounding his dead body, looking over every one of them. Sandstorm, sitting resolutely as support for Willowshine, who leaned sobbing on her shoulder. Emberfoot, as unmoving as a boulder, sitting with his eyes turned towards the sky. Robinwing thought he almost looked regretful. Smoky and Mint sat together a little further away, Smoky with his head down and Mint with her eyes fixed on Robinwing’s body. Finally, Robinwing came to Minnowtail, who sat much further away from the other cats, still wary to approach closer. What enticed her to join the Dark Forest?

“She was afraid.” Mistystar padded to his side.

“Afraid of what? I don’t understand.”

“When she trained in the Dark Forest, she was taught that everything she did was for the betterment of her clan. Once she realized her mistake, it was too late.”

“But she’s learned from her mistake now, right?” Robinwing asked.

“She has, but it will be a long time before she can forgive herself for it. Perhaps longer than it will take her companions to.”

The cats sat around Robinwing’s body until the sun gave off its last dying rays and the moon appeared above the hills. The living cats stood up then, and Robinwing strained his ears to hear what they said.

Willowshine padded forward first, giving Robinwing’s head a final lick. “Goodbye, Robinwing. May you find good hunting and shelter when you sleep in StarClan.” Robinwing winced at the words, even though she had good intentions. No more good hunting to be had here. As she stood back, Emberfoot leaned into Robinwing’s ear and whispered, “You were a good and noble warrior. Your memory will live on with us.”

Smoky and Floss seemed hesitant to speak, but finally Smoky rumbled, “I must thank you, Robinwing. You saved my mate’s life, and we cannot repay you for it. May we someday meet again.”

Sandstorm spoke up after them. “I never knew you well, but I will echo what every one of us knows. You were a loyal RiverClan cat, and you died worthy of the title of warrior.”

Robinwing felt honored and overwhelmed that these cats, some of whom he hardly knew, were giving him such high honor. I just did what was expected of me, yet they act like I singlehandedly saved StarClan or something. Robinwing held his breath as Minnowtail padded toward his body, ignoring the glares some of the other cats gave her.

“Robinwing…” she managed to choke out before falling sobbing into his body. The other cats looked at each other uncertainly as her body was wracked with uncontrollable grieving.

“This is all my fault! You could be alive, Robinwing!” Her cries pierced Robinwing’s ears, and it took all his strength to continue watching.

“Minnowtail!” Willowshine called with alarm, rushing to her side to comfort her. “You couldn’t have prevented this. It was his destiny.”

Minnowtail looked up at her, tears welling in her eyes. “But he could be here , with us…” She broke off again, shaking her head. Willowshine stroked the she-cat’s back with her tail.“There’s nothing we can do now.” she soothed. “Come on, you can help bury him.”

With that, the cats carefully picked up his body and carried it outside. Robinwing followed and sat at a distance as they dug his grave. Just like the elders would’ve done in RiverClan. He thought, remembering his old home with a pang of longing. He noticed that Minnowtail had joined them, concentrating only on digging even as some of the cats gave her suspicious looks, particularly the barn cats. I hope she finds her place with them. 

Finally, the hole was finished, and Robinwing winced as he saw his body disappear and heard it thump on the ground. As the cats filled in the hole, Robinwing looked to see the transparent cats file out of the barn behind him. We’re getting ready to leave. He realized. 

The living cats finished their work quickly. Robinwing couldn’t bring himself to walk any closer to watch as the strenuous work was finally completed, leaving only a mound of dirt to mark the location. Sandstorm was the first to stand and speak, meowing, “Our time here has come to an end. We must leave now.”

Slowly, uncertainly, the living cats all stood and padded away from the barn, the ghost cats silently following. It wasn’t long before they came to the crest of a hill overlooking the lake, its rippling water gleaming white under the moon’s bright beams. Robinwing could almost see all of the clans’ territories - WindClan’s sloping hills, ThunderClan’s wooded forests, ShadowClan’s open pine trees, and RiverClan - he had to stop himself mentally from getting overwhelmed. The grief seemed to erupt from his chest, flowing over him like cascading water. Around him, he could hear muffled sobs as both the living and the dead mourned their terrible loss. Even the barn cats, he noticed, looked almost equally as downcast as the clan cats. They’ve been driven out of their home too. He realized. Did they have kin in the clans?  

For a long while, they all sat silently, gazing at the beauty that had been so violently stripped away from them. Our home. Robinwing missed it so dearly - all his hopes, dreams, accomplishments - ground into dust and blown away in the wind. No kin, no clan, nobody to remember him by - no, that’s not right. My clan is here , and I am not alone. He felt comforted by the thought. A little more at ease, his thoughts calmed until he heard a small voice in the back of his head, repeating over and over again. 

This is not the end.

He was surprised by the intensity with which the voice spoke, but before he could dwell on it further, Sandstorm rose to her paws and looked around at the living cats, meowing simply, 

“It is time.”

At her words, both the living and dead cats stood and reluctantly padded down the opposite side of the hill, away from the clan territories. Robinwing was alarmed when some of the clan cats walked into the ghost cats until they passed right through them. They really don’t know we’re here. He took a final, parting glance at the glistening lake.

Guess this is it. 

With a flick of his tail, he disappeared over the side of the hill.