Return- Hawkfrost x Ivypool

Chapter Nineteen

The cold air of leaf-fall wafted around the cats as they murmured to one another at the Gathering, hardly feeling its cold touch. ShadowClan was still absent.

"I was out hunting," Rainfoot, a blue she-cat told Hawkfrost, her yellow eyes bright with fear as she recalled the day Poppyfoot had died, "And I heard some birds cawing, so I turned that way... and there they were, picking at her dead body."

"I'm sorry," Hawkfrost said softly to the WindClan cat. It wasn't the first time he had said that during the Gathering. There was so much to apologize for- cats he had killed, problems in the Dark Forest, and the deaths of friends.

Rainfoot sighed, shaking her head. Next to her, her friend Sunwhisperer looked at the ground as if remembering the dead medicine cat. 

"She was our only other friend," Sunwhisperer told Hawkfrost. "And she'd only just gotten her full medicine cat name."

"I'm sorry," he repeated, wishing that the words could numb their pain. But they were meaningless, especially with their constant repetition.

Just then, he caught a faint scent of ShadowClan. Ivystar was making her way over to the ShadowClan warriors, of which there were shockingly few.

Hawkfrost excused himself from the grief-stricken warriors and silently padded over to Ivystar to hear her say to Flintstar, "Why so few?"

In a hushed tone, Flintstar replied, "I don't know who to trust."

"Hawkfrost can help you with that."

"Oh, yes, Hawkfrost," Flintstar meowed. She caught a glimpse of him and beckoned to him with her tail. "I'm sorry about how I reacted to... you know what. I've spoken to Sootspot, and I think I understand."

"You attacked us under a truce," Ivystar accused.

Flintstar glanced away, ashamed. "Yes, I know. I wasn't thinking rationally. I'm sorry."

Ivystar stared her down for a moment, and then nodded. "Come join us and start the Gathering."

The ShadowClan leader relaxed a little and followed her to the other two leaders. Hawkfrost made his way back to his Clanmates as the leaders began to speak.

"RiverClan is well fed," Mistystar announced. "And our cats are all healthy and alive."

The other leaders reported on how well-fed their Clans were as Hawkfrost rolled his eyes. Why do we care? If we wanted to attack them, we would!

Then Ivystar turned to all of the Clans after what felt like a moon's worth of "our Clan is fine." She took a deep breath. The cats beneath her muttered to themselves.

"Cats of all Clans, I'm sure you have all either heard the stories of the Dark Forest, or fought against them yourselves. Today, I must inform you that somehow, they have risen again." She paused to allow the information sink in.

The Clans kept their composure, somehow. Flintstar's searching gaze sparked with relief when she saw that all of the cats she had brought all looked surprised.

The four leaders glanced out at their Clans. Hawkfrost hoped they were noting which cats stood straight and firm, no surprise lighting their gazes, as if they already knew about the Dark Forest coming. Which, of course, they did.

"Surely you didn't think we would stay gone for long?" A sinister mew sounded.

Cats moved away in shock from the newcomer that had appeared in their midst. Some trembled, looking like they were about to run and hide. Some glared. Some bristled and snarled.