
All four Clans filled the clearing, staring up at the great rock that did not hold their current leaders, but the ones of their past. All of the leaders of each Clan stood amongst them, the light from Silver Pelt shinning down in great balls of light, hitting the rock, and then merging to form their pelts. Amongst the large group of cats stood the founding leaders, Thunder, River, Wind and Shadow. The emotions that floated around the gathering were ones that have never been breached before, wonder, awe and confusion. All of the living cats had never seen these four before, but recognised the others that stood behind them. The pitch black pelt of Shadow made the she-cat’s figure almost unseen in the night, though her blazing green eyes gave away her presence. She was the first of the founders to step forward and look down at the bewildered faces of the forest cats. Her voice was strong and loud as it echoed with great wisdom, ringing in every cat’s ears. “We have come to an agreement, one that concerns you, though not your opinion.” The cats could not conjure up enough courage to glare, or speak up in the presence of the great warrior in fear that she would kill each and every one of their warriors with a single swipe. It was now the silvery-grey pelt of River to step forward next to Shadow, holding the prime position with her. His flaming green oculars locked with the gaze of the current leaders as they began to instruct them on what it was they were doing. “You are to leave the forest, leave everything behind, and travel past the land that touches the sky.” His instructions came as a shock to all warriors, though their expressions did not change, as the appearance of these four were the biggest shock one could ever receive. Next, a tom with a flaming ginger pelt, one like autumn leaves stepped out to stand with the rest, his snow white paws breaking up the ginger colour. His amber eyes quickly caught Shadow’s, before he turned to face the present cats. His gaze landed mainly on Thunder Clan, as he listened to them whisper his name, Thunder. As he tried to push his emotions aside, he began to raise his voice. “Once you past this land mark, you are to keep traveling until your paws drop off. Here, you will find a forest, one that is unoccupied, one, that you will now call your home.” The other cats where twitching with anticipation, though also dread at the fact that they were to leave their home. It was a tortoise-shell tom, amongst the crowed of cats that had the courage to speak up. “What about the week? How will they manage the journey?!” Thunder parted his jaws slightly to answer, but before he could manage an answer, a pretty, wiry brown she-cat stepped forward to stand next to him. Her voice was soft and gently, one which was much like a queens. “Star Clan will give them the strength to see the journey through.” She stated simply, before sitting down. She watched as the tom sat down, not quite persuaded by her words. She gave him a small smile before continuing on what it was she really did need to say. “The Clans shall no longer be named after us. Wind Clan shall be no more, River Clan shall be no more, nor Shadow or Thunder. It is time for us to change.” Just when the cats did not believe that anything else could change, they were blown away, outraged gasp escaping their maws. Though before they had a chance to object, River spoke up once more. “Star Clan believe that this is for the best.” Shadow nodded her agreement, before speaking quickly after him. “The Clans shall now be named after the times of day.” Suddenly her voice grew louder as her tail extended high into the air. “Blackstar!” She called, watching as he leapt up onto the rock. She touched her tail tip to his, and then expertly raised her front paw to rest on his head, how they had originally performed ceremonies. “Shadow Clan shall now be known as Twilight Clan.” She then silently murmured a few words to the warrior before he nodded, and leaped of the rock. Once he had left, she took a single step back, and Wind replaced her spot. “Onestar!” She called sweetly, watching as he leapt upon the rock quickly. She took up the same position that Shadow had, touching her tail tip to his, and placing her forepaw on the large tom’s head. He lowered it slightly so that she could reach, and listened as she chuckled softly at his gesture. “From this day on, Wind Clan shall now be known as Dusk Clan.” She placed her paw back down onto the smooth rock, and then licked the top of his head for good measure. They murmured a few words, and then he leapt off of the rock. She took a step back to join Shadow, only for River to take her place. “Mistystar!” He called, purring as the pretty warrior leapt up onto the rock. They looked almost identical, related if you would. He touched his tail tip to hers, and placed his forepaw on top of her head. After a lot of thought, he spoke up. “From now on, River Clan shall be known as Dawn Clan!” They exchanged a few words before she eagerly jumped down, wanting to feel the comfort of her own Clan once again. He slowly took a step back, and then turned to watch Thunder as the warrior had yet to step forward. Thunder starred down at his paws on the stone, remembering all of those years that had passed since he had stood on top of this land mark. Eventually he stepped forward, locking eyes with the Thunder Clan leader before calling his name. Once he had, Firestar stood in front of him, matching his height. Both of the cats eyes glowed with admiration, and before Thunder spoke up, he muttered words that only Firestar could hear. Firestar’s eyes shone with delight as he was taken aback by the warriors praise. Thunder then spoke up, so in order to help him speed things up, Firestar lowered his head, and touched his own tail tip to Thunder. The previous leader let out a mrrow of laughter before placing his paw on top of the young cats head. “From here on in,” He began, his voice booming, “Thunder Clan shall be known as Sun Clan!” Once they had finished, Firestar leapt of the rock to join the present leaders, his eyes continuing to glow with pleasure. The previous leaders of all of the clans began to retreat, slowly walking away from the gathering, through the bracken and over the hill, back to Star Clan. Before Thunder, Wind, River and Shadow joined them; they all stood up tall, forming a semicircle amongst themselves, making sure to face to the clans. They all faced their own glads, happy to see them once again before, in unison, they spoke up. “Good luck on your journey, and know that Star Clan will always be with you.” As the cats began to fade, Firestar swore that Thunder was still watching him alone, with pride.
As the cats began to leave the clearing, Mistystar wondered over to him, wishing to speak him alone. “Firestar, if you do not mind me asking… What is it that Thunder had told you?” Without hesitation, the warrior spilt out what it was he had been told to his friend. “He had told me that he had never thought that a kitty-pet had as much strength and courage that I have shown,” He whispered eagerly, thinking of his words once again, “And that I am a better leader then he could’ve even asked of himself.”
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It had been centuries since the gathering that had made history amongst the cats. Since there was no longer a cat alive that had been to that gathering, or lived in the previous territories, they had all wondered if it was real, or if it was just a story told to the kits by the elders. The elders deny that the story that their parents had told them was made up, and instead continue to share what it; restoring hope to all cats alike.