Chapter Text
The half-moon shone down on the land below, illuminating the sitting silhouette of a feline. Her dark tortoiseshell and white fur shone in the moonlight, the light specks on her pelt resembling stars in the sky. The tip of her tail flicked back and forth, amber eyes flicking back and forth across the horizon as if looking for something. The sound of pawsteps drew her attention, and another moonlit figure stepped forth.
“You’re late, Runningnose,” the she-cat mewed, though her tone was teasing rather than upset.
The newcomer, a grey and white tom with crust around his nose, dipped his head apologetically. “Spottedleaf. Excuse my lateness, Wetpaw had a minor scuffle with Littlepaw which ended up in some scratches,” Runningnose finished with a defeated sigh.
The tortoiseshell chuckled, pushing herself to her paws and signaling with her tail for the tom to follow. “Come, we should make our way down. Barkface and Mudfur are already there waiting for us.”
The two cats made their way into the mouth of a cave, walking down a path that had been carved many moons ago. As they descended deeper the tunnel grew darker, the beams of moonlight lighting the entrance no longer able to reach the depths they traveled. They could no longer see much of anything, but they continued with confidence in the familiarity of the cave.
Soon, the tunnel opened up to reveal a cavern, with a massive blue stone illuminated by the moonlight shining in through a crack in the ceiling. The rock– the moonstone, as it was dubbed by the cats– reflected the light throughout the space, illuminating two new figures that turned to face the newcomers as they approached.
“Ah, there he is. I thought you would never arrive.” one, a light brown tom with gold eyes, quipped.
“Yes, yes,” the other, a dark brown tom with yellow eyes, butted in. “Now that we’re all here, can we get on with it? We’ve already wasted quite enough moonlight.”
“Oh Barkface, we have more than enough moonlight,” Spottedleaf mewed nonchalantly as she gazed at her companions. “But you’re right, we should commence. Is everyone ready?” Once a nod was given from the other three cats, all four stepped forward and touched their noses to the stone.
A freezing sensation jolted through their bodies, and for a moment they felt like they were falling– and then their eyes opened, and they were in a meadow. The four of them gave each other a confused glance, it wasn’t common that they shared a vision at one of these meetings. For a few moments nothing happened, and they began to wonder if perhaps they would get nothing of note tonight, before four bright flashes of light appeared before them.
As their eyes adjusted, they could make out the features of four cats, cats that they had only heard of in legends but recognized immediately: Thunderstar, Riverstar, Windstar, and Shadowstar.
“Woah…” Spottedleaf uttered under her breath, eyes wide as she gazed at the founders of the clans. A look at her peers showed similar reactions.
“We have an important message for you to relay to the clans,” Thunderstar began, his voice booming throughout the meadow as if he were everywhere around them. “One that will bring great change. We have decided it necessary to make an addition to the Warrior Code.”
One voice became four as the spirit cats continued, their voices echoing, “Any death that is potentially spawned from malice must be investigated and taken to a trial. The accused may plead their case and both sides must provide evidence of their claim. If found guilty, the accused will be punished accordingly.”
The words echoed around the dream meadow, the living cats sitting in stunned silence. As quick as they appeared, the four clan founders vanished. Spottedleaf turned her head and opened her mouth to speak, but just before she could, the four medicine cats were yet again plunged into darkness.