Proposition

  Pro posit ion

Written by: Blazey

Pilot c: hope you guys like this.

Proposition
A pale, round moon floats in the inky sky. It drifts between the wispy grey clouds, bathing Fourtrees in its light. The great oaks stretch their branches upwards, allowing the silver light to pour through them and pool at the feet of four shadowy figures.

These four cats sit side-by-side, yet there is great animosity between them. The silver female sitting the middle, looking at none, swam here. Across from her, a hefty male smells of pine needles. He ran through forests to come here, and his neighbor, a male of narrow build, raced across the moors. The one sitting farthest from the others, the ginger female, trekked through her marshes.

All raise their heads as the moon breaks through the clouds.

Silence falls over the cats gathering below. Eighty pairs of eyes turn upwards. Their owners do not seem to sense the increased tension on the tree, where all four leaders turn to face each other in apprehension.

The silver female casts a wary glance at the crowd in front of her. “ He would not dare.”

With a grunt, the large brown male shifts. “ Do not pretend to understand him, Minnowstar. Your misjudgment cost us much last time.”

Minnowstar turns, eyes glinting. “ You dare-” but she is interrupted by the ginger female.

“ Stop bickering. They are becoming anxious,” the ginger female hisses, looking at the cats gathered below them. “ If he shows, we will take appropriate measures. Let us not worry unnecessarily.”

Minnowstar snorts. “ Remember your place, marsh spawn,” she hisses before stepping forwards on the branch. “ Cats of all Clans! Thank you for joining us today. Even during wartime we must remember that we are one.”

The three other leaders stare in silent disgust. Hypocrisy, at its finest.

“ RiverClan has been flourishing, despite the threats at our borders. The rogues have retreated from several western areas of our territory,” Minnowstar calls, and her cats clamor in triumph, “ yet we could not have done it without aid from our marshland kin,” the leader says, nodding to the ginger female. “ Please, thank Featherstar for her generous support.”

A thrumming rises from the ranks as cats drum their paws on the ground. The ginger female steps forwards and nods once. As she steps backwards, her ears flatten and her lip curls in dislike.

“ The future is looking bright for us, Clans!” Minnowstar calls, but steps back at the rumble of dissent rising from the crowd.

“ If that’s true,” a yowl comes from the ShadowClan ranks, “ why is RiverClan not sharing resources with us?”

A loud yowl of agreement rises. “ Where is our water, when we are dying of dehydration?”

“ Where is the support you promised?”

“ Silence!” Minnowstar yowls, and the crowd obliges darkly. “ I understand your concerns, and I intend to act on them. Clans, I promise you,” she says, pausing for emphasis, “ that when RiverClan recovers, we will send out resources and warriors to you. I say that we can only win this war together, and RiverClan intends to support you all. We can only win this war if we stick together, if we stay strong, and if we live by the ideals we have always valued. Our honor, our courage, and our valor!”

Silence, but less unfriendly than before. Just when it seems approval is to be born, another call comes from the shadows.

“ You idiots!” the voice yowls. “ Do you really believe this nonsense?”

Minnowstar’s breath hitches and she turns her head in the direction of the voice. It sounds again, but from an entirely different direction. “ Show yourself!”

“ Bah!” the voice snorts. “ What you say is as backwards as the code you squeak on and on about!”

A ripple of murmurs comes through the crowd. The three other leaders exchange glances. Minnowstar seethes.

“ You impertinent-” she snarls, but the voice shouts again, this time closer to her.

“ Impertinent? Me?” it says incredulously. “ You are the impertinent one! If you had let me help you, if you had listened, you wouldn’t have lost the resources you promised them in the so called ‘victory’.”

A shocked gasp runs through the crowd.

“ Yes, she didn’t tell you about that, did she?” Featherstar says, leaping forwards. “ Or how I lost four of my own lives saving her wretched Clan in a battle she could have prevented!”

“ Silence, Shadow Lurker!” the voice shrieks, and several crowd members jump back in surprise. “ You’re no better than her- you’re worse! You didn’t listen, and you killed your warriors so the rogues would return supplies they stole from you!”

Featherstar flattens her ears as cats shriek in horror.

“ Oakstar, Harestar, come out from where you’re hiding!” the voice demands from even closer. “ You have your share of crimes as well! You didn’t listen, none of you listened, when I could have helped!”

Oakstar, the brown male, raises his hackles but it is in vain. “ I-”

“ What? You what?” the voice demands, now right at the foot of the tree. “ Tell them! Your loyal little Clanmates. Tell them how my help could have saved their dead friends, their dead mates, their dead children.”

“ What is the meaning of this?” outraged cries call from the crowd. The four leaders retreat as the angry yowling intensifies. “ Hush!” the voice calls, and the crowd quiets. “ Go home, I need to talk to your leaders in private. I’m sure they will explain everything when they get come. Go!”

Reluctantly and slowly, the cats leave the gathering area.

The four leaders stand and make to leave the tree before a scraping noise comes from behind them. They stop and turn. The silhouette of a massive cat is engulfed in shadow. Despite the fact that the face is obscured, unease ripples through the leaders.

" Odin," Minnowstar snarls, but her voice has the slightest tremor. " You are not welcome here."

The huge figure moves closer. " Why is that, proud little Pond Swimmer? Because I am right and you are wrong?"

Minnowstar steps forwards, eyes flashing. " Watch your tongue, you vile creature. Do you do nothing but cause trouble and strife?"

The shadow appears to be affronted. " But, my dear! I do nothing of the sort. All I do is wish to help. Something you said in your charming speech- something, oh yes- your ideals of honor, valor, and courage. How far have they brought you? All of you?"

Featherstar steps forwards beside Minnowstar. " What are you trying to say?"

Odin clucks his tongue. " So defensive, Shadow Lurker. What I am trying to say is this- your precious code and ideals have crumbled into ruin. Your warriors, bah! They are so corroded and vile I can see parasites living within them!"

Featherstar snarls. " How dare you insult our honor!"

" Ah! But you see, that's the crux of it. Your honor is gone, your courage is gone, and so is your valor. Those warriors of yours, they take bribes, they betray, and they lie. Don't pretend you haven't noticed. Yes, you have," Odin snarls, and the heads of all four leader drop slightly. " That, River, Wind, Shadow, and Thunder. That is why you are loosing this war, and yes you are loosing. Admit it."

There is defeat hanging over all four leaders. " Fine," Oakstar says, sounding worringly weary. " What- what do you propose?" he forces the words out painfully.

Odin, although masked by shadow, brightens. " Finally you ask! To tell you the truth I have been thinking about this for quite some time. I have a plan, you see, a very detailed program intended to combat immorality. I'll spare you most of the details, but here's the idea. Your corrupt, nasty warriors come into my program. When they leave, they come to you noble, gold-hearted soldiers ready to protect and die for your cause."

The leaders stare, turning his words over in their head. " And you think we can win, if we do this?" Harestar says quietly.

" Absolutely!" Odin cries. " Guaranteed."

The leaders speak in muffled tones, and Odin smiles quietly to himself. He's done it, they're convinced, and now he'll just have to work around their silly complications.

" Okay," Minnowstar says, coming forwards from the group. " We are interested, but we are not readily going to hand over our warriors to you for an untested, unreliable program."

Odin senses there is more, so he waits.

" We have a test for you," Featherstar speaks, and Odin's head turns to her. " You say this program helps the immoral. Well, we want proof it works. You are to find the most immoral, most deplorable cats in the forest. By the end of this season, so in four moons time, we want to see these lowlifes made into heroes."

Odin's ears straighten.

Minnowstar continues. " Your challenge is to prove that the most immoral of cats can become heroes. If they can, we'll adopt your plan. If not, well, say goodbye."

He's incredulous. A challenge? And an interesting one, for once! Odin has no concern for their petty threats, they will always come back to him because they need him, although they never admit it.

He bows his head. " A fair challenge, Lurker. I will do it. By the end of four moons time, these cats shall be shown to you- and the rest is up to your...jurisdiction."

There is a moment of silence before Odin bounds away.

He races across the ground, mind spinning and turning, his intellect seperated from his body and floating in a different dimension. He sees them, his beautiful corrupt ones.

A tortoiseshell, Amanda, who dwells by the Pond Swimmer's nest.

A blinding white female, Frostwing, who- what a treat!- prowls within Forest Hunter's lair.

A grey female, quite beautiful. ''Ibis. ''She is flitting constantly from place to place, but he can find her.

Finally, a male... brown and tabby. ''Nolan. ''He too, is a wanderer.

Last, but perhaps the most complex is Helios, gold like the sun, running, running, from his past.

Odin snarls in triumph as he skims across the ground, grappling and winding their fates together, making them his

~