"Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing."
- William Shakespeare

The tides of war are rising.

It was inevitable with ThunderClan's crimes. The relationship between their Clans had soured when Snowstar accused his warriors of murdering one of her Clan-mates at the border, and now Blazingstar was at a breaking point. ThunderClan had stolen from them for the last time, and he would be condemned to the Dark Forest if he let Snowstar get away with it. At the Gathering, he will accost her, expose her in front of the rest of the Clans, and if she refused to apologize and repent for her actions .. he will declare war and put ThunderClan in their place.

----

Snowstar never wanted it to escalate this far, but now she can't back down. When she initially confronted Blazingstar about the murder of her warrior, she only sought justice for her fallen Clan-mate. She was always aware of the tension between the two Clans, and stealing from them had only been a last resort. Her Clan had been starving and ShadowClan's territory was fruitless - what else could she have done?

She was certain she was never in the wrong, and she will not tell Blazingstar otherwise. If he felt his Clan was aggrieved, that was his problem.

----

The Dusk Syndicate is restless. All of their efforts to recruit more cats seemed to have been in vain, and they cannot continue to sit back and let the Clans push them around.

They need to do something. They need to make a statement that the Clans were their victims once more, not the other way around.

At the Gathering, under their precious truce, they will strike. The five Clans will not be expecting an ambush in the night.

It will be so easy.

----

Unbeknownst to them, the Dusk Syndicate is drastically outnumbered. Their small forces stand no chance against the gathered Clans, and while they seem to have the upper paw at first, the Clans recollect themselves and crush them.

Halite surrenders to the Clans, knowing they will not be able to escape intact - they're surrounded, and at the mercy of their enemies. He is stripped of his power and the Dusk Syndicate is dismantled, leaving the former members to scatter to the wind.

SkyClan patrols are sent to frequently check the newly abandoned territory, ensuring they cannot return and reassemble. Leaving an open piece of land up for grabs has left all the Clans wanting it, but ThunderClan and WindClan have their priorities elsewhere for the moment.

They will meet on the battlefield, with or without their allies.