A Broken Forest

Display title taken from the Coding Shop.

*A Broken Forest* is an upcoming fanfiction by MoonTabby! It takes place long after *A Light in the Mist,* and will not include any major events that may occur in *A Starless Clan* arc. Several characters from the canon arcs are still alive in this fanfic.

Blurb:

Many seasons after the battle with Ashfur, the Clans have become divided. ThunderClan and WindClan have merged into one, and the former RiverClan and SkyClan have been conquered by ShadowClan. The Code has been shattered, and the only law that remains is to obey your leader at all costs; their word is law, but not every leader's word is meant to follow... Hate is mounting between the two mega Clans, and war could break out at any moment. In the midst of this turmoil, however, come two apprentices, each from a different Clan: Tinypaw, the medicine cat apprentice of ThunderClan; and Moonpaw, a warrior apprentice of ShadowClan. While Tinypaw struggles with a terrifying vision hanging over her head while her Clanmates shun StarClan as a myth, Moonpaw is living under the merciless rule of a tyrant - and this dictator has his eyes set on a path toward conquering ThunderClan as well. Is it too late for these young apprentices to save StarClan and their homes? Or have seasons of hate and mistrust shattered the laws of mercy for good?

Questions: (Have a question? Ask it in the comments below this page please!)

Below is the Allegiances, which is currently a work in progress. At the moment, only ThunderClan is showing until I get ShadowClan organized. Please *DO NOT* edit this.

# **ALLEGIANCES**

## **THUNDERCLAN**

LEADER     **Rainstar**—gray-and-white she-cat with a shredded ear

DEPUTY     **Gorsefoot**—skinny pale brown tom

MEDICINE CATS     **Whistledove**—gray tabby she-cat

*Apprentice, Tinypaw*

        **Russetwind**—dark red she-cat with amber eyes

WARRIORS   (toms and she-cats without kits)

**Sparkpelt**—orange tabby she-cat

**Hootwhisker**—dark gray tom

**Shellfur**—tortoiseshell tom

**Leafshade**—tortoiseshell she-cat

**Thriftear**—dark gray she-cat

**Slightfoot**—black tom with white flash on his chest

**Appleshine**—yellow tabby she-cat

*Apprentice, Heatherpaw*

**Woodsong**—brown she-cat

**Bayshine**—golden tabby tom

**Myrtlebloom**—pale brown she-cat

*Apprentice, Dewpaw*

**Stemfall**—orange tabby tom

**Grayspeckle**—white tom with gray spots

**Stripedawn**—gray tabby tom

**Brookstorm**—black-and-white tom

*Apprentice, Skypaw*

**Nightlace**—small black she-cat

**Berryflame**—dark ginger tom with black ears

**Dapplelight**—tortoiseshell she-cat with tufted ears

**Stoneshatter**—large black-and-cream tom

**Fluttersong**—light brown she-cat with long legs

APPRENTICES

**Heatherpaw**—sleek, dusky brown she-cat

**Skypaw**—light brown tom

**Dewpaw**—gray tom with crystal blue eyes

**Tinypaw**—small pale gray she-cat with white paws and amber eyes

QUEENS   (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

**Bristleheart**—orange-and-white tabby she-cat (mother to Bayshine's kits: Curlkit, a ginger tabby she-kit; Jaykit, a black tom; and Poppykit, a pale yellow tabby she-kit)

**Finchlight**—tortoiseshell she-cat (mother to Brookstorm’s kits: Applekit, a ginger-and-white she-kit, and Seedkit, a white tom with black patches)

**Featherstripe**—gray she-cat flecked with silver hairs

ELDERS   (former warriors and queens, now retired)

**Finleap**—brown tom

**Spotfur**—spotted tabby she-cat

**Oatclaw**—pale brown tabby tom

## **SHADOWCLAN**

LEADER **Birchstar**—huge, muscular light brown tom

DEPUTY **Rowanbird**—dark gray tabby she-cat with green eyes

MEDICINE CATS **Shadowsight**—gray tabby tom

**Frostshade**—light gray she-cat

*Apprentice, Beanpaw*

MEDIATOR **Tree**—yellow tom with amber eyes

WARRIORS

**Turtlecrawl**—Old tortoiseshell she-cat with pale green eyes

*Apprentice, Specklepaw*

**Lightleap**—brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

**Hollowspring**—black tom with bright amber eyes

**Pigeonfoot**—gray-and-white she-cat

**Sunbeam**—brown-and-white tabby she-cat

*Apprentice, Snowpaw*

**Sunnypelt**—ginger she-cat

**Gorseclaw**—white tom with gray ears

**Nightsky**—dark gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Breezeheart**—brown-and-white she-cat

*Apprentice, Moonpaw*

**Beetleshine**—gray tabby tom

*Apprentice, Featherpaw*

**Mistspark**—tortoiseshell-and-white tabby she-cat

**Graymoon**—silver tabby tom

**Firneedle**—brown tabby tom

*Apprentice, Poolpaw*

**Streamfall**—gray tabby she-cat

**Whisperleaf**—gray tom

**Ridgefur**—reddish she-cat with a white nose

**Duskcloud**—white tom with brown paws and ears

APPRENTICES

**Specklepaw**—speckled reddish-brown she-cat

**Poolpaw**—tortoiseshell she-cat with a white chest

**Snowpaw**—gray-and-white tom

**Beanpaw**—cream she-cat with brown and white markings; blue and green eyes

**Moonpaw**—black-and-white tom

**Featherpaw**—silver tabby she-cat

QUEENS

**Wrenflight**—golden tabby she-cat (mother to Hollowspring’s kits: Grasskit, a dark gray she-kit, and Bubblekit, a pale yellow tom)

**Beeclaw**—white-and-brown tabby she-cat

ELDERS

**Conefoot**—blind white-and-gray tom

**Rootspring**—yellow tom

# PROLOGUE

A light sprinkle drizzled the WindClan clearing; all cats were tucked away under the gorse bushes and brambles, too restless to sleep, but too weary to leave. From the entrance of the medicine cat den, Whistledove gazed out at them sorrowfully. *By tonight, we may lose our leader,* she grieved. *And it’ll be my fault…*

Beside her, the deputy, Emberfoot, shifted his weight. “You can save him, right?” he asked in a low tone. His eyes were pleading and unnerving in the dim light.

Drawing in a breath, Whistledove said, “You know I’ll do the best I can.”

Emberfoot sniffed. Clearly it wasn’t a good enough answer.

The medicine cat turned her paws toward a pile of herbs in the corner; they lay next to a dark lump of fur which was black in the shadows. *I’m worried as it is, without Emberfoot breathing down my neck!* she thought. “Uh,” she said, trying to break the silence. “There’s, um, some wet moss over in that corner. Can you get it, please?”

Emberfoot nodded, but just as he rose to his paws, there was a noise outside. Something cracked and rustled, bringing a wave of strange new scents over Whistledove’s tongue. But one stood out to her. “Appleshine is back!” she sighed with relief.

As the yellow warrior poked her head inside, Whistledove came to greet her. “There you are. Where’ve you been?” She checked the warrior over for any signs of chills, fever, or other illness from being out in the rain.

Appleshine’s chest was heaving. “Crowstar,” she panted, “they’re here.”

“Who’s here? Tell them to—”

“Wait.”

Whistledove turned around. Crowstar had sat up in his bed of moss; though weak, he looked wide awake and as alert as he could possibly be now. His dark gray fur, greasy and matted, was flecked with herbs. “Appleshine,” he croaked. “Bring them in.”

The tabby warrior nodded, zipped outside, and mewed a few words to someone. *What on earth is she doing?* wondered Whistledove. But when the warrior returned, she brought with her the last cat Whistledove had expected to see.

“Rainstar!” exclaimed Whistledove. She hopped onto her paws. “What are you doing here?” *Why has she come? All the way from ThunderClan? Why did Crowstar ask her to be brought to him?* A million questions, as countless as the night stars, flashed through her head.

Two more ThunderClan warriors squeezed in behind Rainstar: Finchlight and Bayshine. Both looked extremely uncomfortable, barely acknowledging Whistledove and Emberfoot.

Rainstar coolly nodded in Whistledove’s direction. Hard muscles flexed under her gray-and-white coat, crossed with battle scars; one of her ears was shredded—from a battle with ShadowClan, if Whistledove remembered correctly. “Greetings,” said the ThunderClan she-cat. “I believe Crowstar called for me?”

Emberfoot shifted himself closer to block Crowstar from view. “Why would he? Don’t you have any respect, not to barge in on a sick leader? He—”

“Emberfoot.” Crowstar coughed and rested his tail on his deputy’s back. “It’s all right.” He gazed at the ThunderClan leader. “I want you all to hear this.”

While the others anxiously gathered around him, Whistledove held up a sweet-scented herb to Crowstar’s mouth. “Chew this. It’ll help your breathing—”

“No.” Crowstar wheezed again, though he held a paw in front of his medicine cat. “There’s no time. Listen…” He huddled up, tucking his forepaws under his chest, and croaked, “ShadowClan grows stronger by the day. They’ve already conquered SkyClan and RiverClan; it’s only a matter of time until WindClan or ThunderClan fall, too.”

The cats exchanged nervous glances.

“If Birchstar could have had his way, he would’ve already overwhelmed WindClan. But ThunderClan was the only thing that stood in his way; he knew they would jump to our defense. ThunderClan has always been good to us, since the days of Firestar… At times I’ve failed to realize that completely.” He met Rainstar’s unreadable eyes and said, “I was good friends with Squirrelstar since we were both young. I mourn her passing; she was a noble leader. I trust you will be, too.”

Rainstar bit her lip and murmured, “If I could be even a whisker of the cat she was, I’ll be proud.”

Crowstar leaned forward as far as he could to touch his nose to her shoulder. “I know you’ll be. Which is why I have one last thing to announce.”

Whistledove flicked an ear nervously. *Where is this leading?* she wondered, a knot squirming in her stomach.

With a shuddering breath, Crowstar rasped, “I say these words before StarClan—” Emberfoot growled under his breath. Whistledove shot him a fierce look. Hardly any cat believed in StarClan anymore; their lack of faith had caused their starry ancestors to grow miserably weak. Many spirits were even fading, Whistledove recalled from what Jayfeather, ThunderClan’s old medicine cat, had told her a few moons ago. *I’m not even sure I believe in StarClan anymore, either… They haven’t sent me a vision since I was an apprentice.*

Crowstar ignored his deputy’s scoff, only closed his eyes and continued, “—that their spirits may hear and approve my choice. My final wish is to submit the cats of WindClan to be led and protected by ThunderClan.”

A horrified silence, like the crackling energy before a storm, met his words. Then Emberfoot yowled, “Are you out of your mind?” while Appleshine wailed, “Never!”

“If you have any respect or love left for me,” slurred Crowstar, his head drooping, “honor my decree. That… that is my… final… will.” Then his body slumped to the side, his head lolled back, and his eyelids closed half-way.

The leader of WindClan was dead.

Whistledove let out a long, mournful wail. “My leader!” Breathing raggedly, she bent her head over Crowstar’s hot pelt. *I’ve healed countless cats before*—*from the most common diseases to the most severe illnesses. But I couldn’t save Crowstar.*

After an agonized silence, Emberfoot raised his head to lock eyes with Rainstar. His tail slowly lashing, he hissed, “You will never rule us! I swear it on Crowstar’s body.”

Rainstar’s jade green eyes glittered with remorse. “I’m so sorry, Emberfoot. I never wanted to accept Crowstar’s offer in the first place. But he was persistent. I promise—” She reached out her tail to rest it on Emberfoot’s back, but the furious tom shoved it away. “My current deputy is weak and dying; I chose him for his wisdom, but I should’ve looked for longevity too in a deputy. I promise you, on the spirit of Crowstar, that if he dies one day, I’ll appoint a WindClan cat to take his place. Deal?”

Emberfoot was still shaking from head to toe, seething with fury. Before he could yowl back at her, though, Whistledove lifted her head and mewed tiredly, “Crowstar wanted us to honor his last wish.” She turned her eyes toward Rainstar and growled, “You are our new leader, Rainstar. May StarClan light your path.”

Rainstar stiffened, but nodded gratefully. Whistledove knew she was one of the young radicals who didn’t believe in StarClan, either, but at least she had the sense to not sneer at the medicine cat’s comment.

Appleshine looked fearfully from Emberfoot to Rainstar, whose expression was almost pleading. Finally, the yellow tabby warrior bowed her head and mewed, “Our Clan is yours, Rainstar.”

Out of his mind with rage, Emberfoot hissed and stormed outside. Finchlight and Bayshine had to dive out of the way of the seething deputy; the two warriors exchanged apprehensive looks.

Whistledove drew in a shuddering breath. *StarClan, if you’re out there, do light our paths.*

Stay tuned for more Allegiances and chapters!