Gathering Numero Dos!

[Roxie !]

OOC// Lying about the phases of the moon? What have we come to? -dramatic sob- Anyway, gathering, etc., etc., leaders, bring whoever you want. Anyone in RiverClan can come, I don't mind.

The night was still young, but the full moon was clearly visible in the cloudless sky. All four of the forest Clans knew what this signal meant: it was time for a gathering. Once a month(or every six months, if you're on a time-challenged rpg), Four Trees would fill with cats of all Clans, exchanging news and gossip under StarClan's one night of peace. But seeing as it was still relatively early, the clearing below was currently empty. It seemed that RiverClan was the first to arrive. Their leader, Badgerstar, gazed silently down at the sacred place, her expression contemplating. This would be her second gathering as leader, and while she had secured her position to the other three Clans last time, she couldn't help feeling a bit nervous once again. After all, she was expected to represent her entire Clan here--one little mistake, and she could give away every one of RiverClan's weaknesses. It still felt unreal.

Pushing her doubts aside, Badgerstar cast a glance over her shoulder. She surveyed her Clan-mates behind her briefly, before giving them a meaningful swish of her tail. This was the signal to send them into Four Trees, and without a word, the black-and-white she-cat plunged down the slope. She raced quickly into the clearing below, and then slowed her pace once she had reached her destination, finally coming to a stop. Her blue eyes flickered around the clearing. It wouldn't be long until the other Clans arrived as well. She padded towards the Great Rock, and seated herself under its shadow to wait.

She knew her clan-mates would immediately begin conversing--that was what Gatherings were for. But Badgerstar would hold back. The time had long passed when she could converse freely with the warriors of other Clans. Now, as leader, she had to watch everything she said, and show no emotion to anyone of another Clan. With a soft sigh, she wrapped her tail around her paws, and waited.



On the other hand, a certain RiverClan apprentice had no such sense of caution. She skidded into the clearing with the biggest of grins on her face, barely able to keep her balance at the speed she was going. Once again, Jitterpaw had been chosen to come to a gathering. They quickly became an event that the flame-colored she-cat looked forward to every moon. The cats from other Clans were so different, but at the same time, they were so interesting. The apprentice's mind was filled not with wariness and plots to trick another cat into revealing their Clan's secrets, but of excitement and eagerness to converse with her friends outside of RiverClan.

"Wow! No one's here yet! You'd never think this place was this big when it's not filled to the brim with tons of furballs!" Jitterpaw purred aloud, to no one in particular. A mischievious glint entered the she-cat's autumn-brown eyes. Hit with a random burst of energy, she took off across the clearing, doing a wild circle before skidding back to the place she'd started in. Giggling, Jitterpaw glanced around for any sign of her sister, Honeypaw. As spontaneously hyper as she was, she knew she wouldn't have much fun without the other apprentice. As she waited impatiently, her thoughts drifted to the two ThunderClan apprentices she'd met last Gathering, Smokepaw and Rabbitpaw. Were they warriors yet? Probably not, for they'd looked about the same age as her and Honeypaw. But that meant that by next Gathering, they'd probably all be warriors!



Brighteyes was a bit more collected upon making his entrance. Of course, it wasn't exactly hard to be more 'collected' than Jitterpaw was, but even so. His orange gaze followed the she-cat as she bounced uncontrollably around the clearing, and then he sighed and shook his head. Apprentices. Sometimes the black tom was certain that they possessed no common sense at all. Of course, his own apprentice, Honeypaw, thought things through a bit more than her sister did. But ever since the battle, things had been a bit tense between the mentor and apprentice. Brighteyes flicked his ears, a bit guiltily. He knew he'd hurt the young golden she-cat by saying the things he'd said after the Sunningrocks battle, but he just didn't know how else to get her to see sense. And Brighteyes had never been good at apologizing.

But in the end, he sighed and shook these thoughts from his mind. It was time to focus on the event at hand. Anyone who looked at Brighteyes could tell that he was wary...he always had his guard up at Gatherings, even more than usual. But at the same time, though is expression gave no sign of it, he'd actually been looking forward to this. Gatherings were the one time when he could speak freely to his best friend, and one of the very few cats he truly trusted.

Though Hazelstripe was from ThunderClan, Brighteyes felt that she was the only cat he could really open up around. It'd always been that way, since his sister's death. And while the recent battle had put RiverClan and ThunderClan at odds with each other, the tom was less concerned about that than what had happened during the battle. His gaze flickered to his leader, who sat under the Great Rock deep in thought. If Badgerstar hadn't said anything to RiverClan about what Hazelstripe had done, he doubted that she'd announce it publicly at a Gathering. But even so, the incident had clearly upset his best friend. And after everything, Brighteyes hadn't had a chance to speak to her since. He needed to make sure she was okay.

Turning around, he swept the hillside for any sign of ThunderClan.

[Otterpaw]

Lakebreeze strolled into Fourtrees confidently. He looked around at the other cats, who were all from his Clan, and smiled to himself. RiverClan was the first to arrive! He padded past a couple of RiverClanners and sat down. Lakebreeze then looked up at the sky, the light of the full moon shining down upon him. Tonight would be an interesting gathering. Not that he liked being around cats from other Clans, he really didn't. But gatherings were part of the warrior code, and who was he to challenge that? He began washing his paws. The other Clans were taking ages to get here. Or at least it seemed that way, just because he wanted something to do. But they had all night, so it wasn't a problem.

***

Rimestar crept quietly up to the edge of the ravine. He didn't like to make his presence announced. If the other Clans really needed a warning before ThunderClan approached, well then that was their problem. He looked down at Fourtrees. There were already a few cats there, but only enough for one Clan by his guess. He caught RiverClan's scent on the air, and nodded to himself. He was not looking forward to going down there with them, but he wasn't scared. But if they tried any boasting about the territory they had stolen form ThunderClan, Rimestar would have something to say about it.

He looked back at his ranks. ThunderClan seemed to be weakening every day. Some members had even dissappeared. It really worried Rimestar, but hopefully the other Clans wouldn't notice. He nodded to them, and then led the charge down the hill.

Once down there, Rimestar walked past the RiverClan warriors with the pride of a Clan leader. This would be the first time he would appear as ThunderClan's newly appointed leader, but he had enough experience before that to ensure that he was confident now. He saw the white and black shape of RiverClan's own leader under the Great Rock, and he went over to talk to her. "Hello, Badgerstar." He said with quiet authority, while maintaining respectful posture. They were equals now. But, he had never met Badgerstar before. He regarded her with mild interest, just trying to pass the time until the gathering could start.


***

Otterpaw followed Rimestar down the ravine at his command. She watched him go over to Badgerstar, and then she looked around. RiverClan cats didn't interest her much. But, she had to try to be polite. She saw spotted Lakebreeze and Brighteyes, who were two warriors, but she steered clear of them. They probably thought they were too high and mighty to speak to an apprentice. She shrugged and walked over to a young ginger cat, who looked young enough to be an apprentice.

"Hello." Otterpaw greeted calmly. She frowned a little when she noticed the apprentice's bouncy attitude. This cat seemed a little too energetic for her own good. The ThunderClan apprentice continued to watch her in confusion.

[Roxie !]

Stirred from her dream-like state, the she-cat blinked and glanced up at the tom who has just approached her. She'd been caught up in her own thoughts, and had hardly noticed ThunderClan entering the clearing. Regaining herself quickly, Badgerstar narrowed her eyes a fraction as she surveyed the ThunderClan tom. This was a warrior she'd previously known as Rimeheart, though she'd only known him on sight. But now, he had left the rest of his Clan to come and speak to her under the rock, and the edge of authority to his mew was unmistakable. This cat must have been chosen as ThunderClan's new leader.

She frowned at him, almost critically. She hadn't known much about the tom before, seeing as he hadn't been deputy, and so she had never sized him up as a potential fellow leader. She supposed that this, being a Gathering, was the perfect time to learn more about the tom and analyze him accordingly. With a slight nod of her head, Badgerstar offered him a distant little smile. "Good evening, Rimestar." She replied, purposefully calling him by his leader name. The RiverClan leader knew that ThunderClan had gone without leadership for some time, and she wondered how and why Rimestar had been chosen. Deciding that it was none of her business and that he'd tell the Clans if he wanted to share, however, she let it drop.

Her greeting was pleasant and polite enough, though there was just a mere hint of coollness that probably wouldn't have been there had she been talking to one of the other leaders. ThunderClan had never been Badgerstar's favorite Clan, and even though RiverClan had won the recent battle, her dislike of them had been heightened. But as a leader, she would only earn respect from the other Clans by being civil. So, her unusually business-like smile still in place, she forced her tone to become a bit warmer as she asked, "All's well in ThunderClan, I hope?"



Still giggling to herself, Jitterpaw gave a slight start as she found herself face-to-face with another apprentice. It wasn't Honeypaw, however. It wasn't even a RiverClan apprentice. This she-cat had pale brown fur and a snowy white chest, and Jitterpaw blinked several times in an attempt to recognize her. She couldn't place a name. ThunderClan must have arrived! She gave a slight squeak of excitement, and darted forward to get a better look at the ThunderClan cat. The fiery she-cat stopped short, nearly bumping into the tabby and grinning all the while.

"Hi! How's life in ThunderClan? The forest just as prickly as ever?" Jitterpaw babbled over-excitedly, her fluffy orange tail waving in the air happily. She gazed brightly at the other apprentice, but was unable to hold her tongue long enough to wait for an answer. That was Jitterpaw for you. "I'm Jitterpaw!" She purred proudly, puffing up her chest as if her name was some sort of title that every cat in the forest would know about. "Betcha can't guess why I'm called that. They tell me it's 'cause I never stand still." Her eyes glittered in amusement, poking fun at herself in that way she had that made most cats think she was doing it unintentionally. "And what name did you get saddled with?"



Foxtail trotted quickly behind Rimestar, one of the first of ThunderClan to make his way into Four Trees. He followed Otterpaw a ways into the clearing, before branching off to stand on his own. He didn't have much interest or time for the ball of energy that called herself Jitterpaw. Instead, his golden gaze swept the sandy scenery in an expression of guarded hopefulness. RiverClan had already arrived, and seeing as Rosebloom was their deputy, she was bound to have come. He searched for the beautiful ebony form of his mate among the other sleek shapes of the RiverClan cats. He spotted her sister, Badgerstar, speaking with Rimestar a ways over by Great Rock. In his thoughtless anxiety, he almost went over to her and asked her where Rosebloom was, but dismissed the thought almost immediately. Not only would that be foolishly obvious, but he got the feeling that the black-and-white leader didn't like him much.

He gave a slight sigh and sat down, keeping a watchful eye out. It felt like forever since he'd seen her, and though at Gatherings they had to be extremely careful not to reveal themselves, he couldn't wait to see his mate again. Foxtail stretched to lick the ruffled fur on his shoulder, where faint traces of the wounds he'd recieved from falling into the river were still visible. The encounter had almost taken the warrior's life, but moons had passed since then, and for the most part, he'd recovered.



Smokepaw was more slow to enter, moving languidly as if he had all the time in the world. The dark gray apprentice glared with cold disdain at the RiverClan cats who'd already scattered around the clearing. He was definately one to hold a grudge, and he hadn't been as quick to forget the Sunningrocks battle as some of his Clan-mates. The other Clans needed to get their tails in here, before these RiverClan flea-bags contaminated him. Bristling grumpily, he stalked over to Otterpaw to see who she was talking to.

And who was it, but the sister of his very worst enemy. It figured. Smokepaw sneered at her icily, his claws digging into the soft earth. He glanced around, but Honeypaw's golden pelt was nowhere in sight.

"Hey Stoneface!" Jitterpaw teased him once more with the nickname she'd dubbed him with last gathering. The ginger she-cat was smiling at him innocently, but Smokepaw was less than amused.

"Where's your precious sister? Is she safe back in the nursery, hiding from all the big, strong, warriors?" Smokepaw mocked in a smirking baby-voice.

Jitterpaw stared at him, rather skeptically. "Like you, you mean?" She almost laughed at this, but maintained her cheerful grin as her gaze switched from Smokepaw to Otterpaw. "Do you know this grumpy fuzzball?" She asked the other apprentice lightly.

Smokepaw snorted, and turned to Otterpaw, quickly losing interest in Jitterpaw's eternally chipper personality. "This is stupid. Why are you wasting your time with a RiverClan cat?" He growled irritably.

[Otterpaw]

Rimestar didn't miss the edge to Badgerstar's voice. He gazed at her blankly, giving no real reaction. He did not know whether or not she would openly challenge him at such a time as this, but if she did, he was not going to stand down. RiverClan were too proud for their own good. Although Rimestar had definately not forgotten what had happened between their Clans, he did not mention this now. They would play this game of pretense if she wanted to.

Rimestar didn't break eye contact, and the tension cracked between the two felines that stood under the rock. The gray male raised his chin proudly, and his eyes gave away nothing when asked how his Clan was doing. Actually, ThunderClan wasn't at their greatest right now. Things were starting to happen, and Rimestar was trying to get to the bottom of them. So far he had had no such luck. But he would be mad to tell this to another Clan leader, especially RiverClan's. So he smiled amiably. But his eyes were cold and calculating when he said:

"We are doing well. Green Leaf is spoiling us. And RiverClan?"

At least that much was true. The woods was full of food.

***

Otterpaw gawked openly at Jitterpaw. This cat was almost a blur for how much she kept moving. She was very surprised at this RiverClan's congeniality, and her insane hyper-ness. How did one react to someone like this? Well, if Otterpaw had been any other cat, she probably would have been very amused by the happy-go-lucky she-cat. But this ThunderClanner was way too somber for her own good, and all she could do was stare.

"I'm Otterpaw." She informed Jitterpaw finally. Otterpaw was amazed that she could actually get a word in after the rambling that had just burst out of the other cat's mouth. Before she could say any more, another cat joined them. It was Otterpaw's clanmate, Smokepaw. He was staring at Jitterpaw with open hostility. She was very taken aback by Smokepaw's attitude. What did he have against this cat? Otterpaw was bewildered and wearied by her, but certainly it wasn't possible to dislike this spirited apprentice, even if she was from RiverClan?

Instead of answering Jitterpaw's jesting inquiry, Otterpaw turned to Smokepaw. "For StarClan's sake, Smokepaw, this is a Gathering! You could be nice." She suggested, exasperated. She knew that Smokepaw wasn't very friendly, but he couldn't even enjoy a gathering?

[Roxie !]

There was nothing truly wrong with the conversation they were having, and neither leader was being openly unpleasant. Even so, Badgerstar couldn't shake the rising feeling of hostility that was threatening to surface within her. Although she refused to allow even a glimpse of this to shine through into her expression, the tense coldness between the two leaders was strikingly apparant. She knew as well as any one that there had been this sense of rivalry between RiverClan and ThunderClan for moons before she'd even been born. It all came down to Sunningrocks, the piece of land which they bitterly fought over time and time again. However, the she-cat had never before witnessed this undeniable iciness. Had she drove the wedge deeper between their Clans by ordering the Sunningrocks attack?

Badgerstar gave a hint of a frown, her fur practically fluffed up with pride. She would not show remorse for her actions just because ThunderClan had been too weak to defend themselves. RiverClan needed the extra land as much as they did, and besides, Sunningrocks had belonged to her Clan in the first place, if what the elders said was true. If Rimestar would carry a grudge, then so be it. For now, as she stood her ground before the ThunderClan tom, she got the feeling that he definately hadn't taken a liking to her.

Great. The black-and-white leader thought bitterly. It's only my second Gathering as RiverClan leader, and I've already made an enemy out of one of the other leaders. Gritting her teeth, she realized that she had barely been listening to what Rimestar had been saying, and that he was waiting expectantly for an answer. Badgerstar blinked at him, and then shook herself out of her trance. "RiverClan is doing well also. But we don't take Green-Leaf as an excuse to soften like kittypets." She retorted, surprising herself with her own sharpness. Her nervousness tonight was clearly making her attitude rather snappish, and the hostility between their Clans wasn't helping things any. Badgerstar upheld her glare, but twitched an ear towards the slope, half-hoping that the arrival of one of the other leaders would diminish some of this tension.



Smokepaw's smirk faltered slightly upon hearing his Clan-mate's chiding tone. His eyes snapped to Otterpaw's, his expression indignant. Was she taking a RiverClan cat's side over his? Gatherings weren't an excuse to forget everything their individual Clans stood for. He hated seeing the cats around him act as though their friends from other Clans were practically their littermates. His tail lashing, he cast a withering glance at Jitterpaw, as if it were all her fault that Otterpaw disapproved of his actions. Then he shook his head. The tabby she-cat would have no way of knowing his fierce hatred of Honeypaw, which had unsuprisingly carried over to her sister.

"I could." He snorted coldly, his eyes narrowed into slits. "But that would mean reducing myself to the level of pondscum."



Jitterpaw rolled her eyes at the poorly hidden insult, but her claws remained sheathed. She narrowly avoided opening her mouth to make a remark about Smokepaw still being sore about the Sunningrocks battle, refraining from doing so only for Otterpaw's sake. She was in ThunderClan as well, after all, and would have reason to take offense from such a statement. Shrugging it off, she decided to ignore the silver tom(much to his fury), and glanced disinterestedly around the clearing in search of a new topic.

Her eyes landed on Badgerstar, the RiverClan leader, and then shifted over to the mottled gray tom she was speaking to. Jitterpaw's expression perked up in interest, upon realizing that she'd never met this cat before. But there was only one explanation for why he was over there conversing with Badgerstar, and it sparked her curiousity immediately.

"Ooh! Is that the new ThunderClan leader?" The flame-pelted apprentice asked Otterpaw eagerly. "What's his name? He looks strict. Is he strict? Badgerstar can be, sometimes. But I guess any apprentice would say that." She considered as an after-thought, her mind wandering off-topic once again.

[{ tessa }]

Fleetfoot pads into the Gathering quietly. He doesn't really feel like conversing with the other Clans right now, so he wanders over to where Jitterpaw has engaged a couple apprentices in conversation. He recognizes the other two from ThunderClan, but he does not greet them. Instead, he sits down nearby and begins to wash his paw casually. His ears turn back towards the conversation, though. He knows that Jitterpaw almost never stops talking, especially at Gatherings. He just wants to make sure that she doesn't say anything that could endanger RiverClan.

Shadewhisker walks in cheerfully behind Smokepaw. He gives the apprentice a good-natured nudge as he passes, seeing the apprentice's attitude. Smokepaw doesn't look too happy to be here, but Shadewhisker hopes he'll learn. These meetings are important, and they help keep the peace between the four Clans. Personally, he has always enjoyed them. He can still remember how excited he was when he was an apprentice, coming to a Gathering for the first time. Shadewhisker smiles fondly at the memory.

He pads over to a RiverClan warrior, who he remembers is called Lakebreeze. Shadewhisker nods a greeting to the other tom. His gaze is friendly as he mews, "Hi Lakebreeze, how's the prey running?" He has always been one to put aside Clan rivalries when it comes time for a Gathering.

Mistystar leads the ShadowClan group to the edge of the hill. Two other Clans have already arrived, ThunderClan and RiverClan. She nods and takes note of this. It's still early, so they have gotten here in plenty of time. She glances at the moon, and then leads her Clan down into Four trees.

Mistystar stares around at the other cats with mild interest. Warriors are scattered all over the clearing, and a group of apprentices is gathering at one end. She half-smiles at them vaguely. She has always had a soft spot for apprentices, but right now she's more focused on something else. She needs to find the other leaders. That is customary. But the sight of the apprentices reminds her that perhaps they can exchange training techniques tonight.

She sees Badgerstar and Rimestar, the respective leaders of RiverClan and ThunderClan, over by the rock. Mistystar slips over to them calmly, and joins them with a flick of her tail. "Badgerstar, Rimestar. How are you both doing?" She greets them smoothly. Mistystar looks from the black and white she-cat to the silver tom. There is something icy in the air, like angry tension. She frowns. Interesting. Had the other leaders been argueing before she arrived?

[le Dawnz]

The full moon lit up the clearing below brightly enough for Hawkstar to see that other three clans had already arrived. The tom watched them as though through a new persepective. This was his first gathering as a leader. He wasn't exactly nervous. Just a little fervent. It was exciting! Ever since returning from Mothermouth, Hawkstar had felt his confidence level rising. Before he'd been a nervous, distracted wreck. Sometimes he still felt that way, but he kept those moment to himself. He didn't want to show weakness in front of anyone. Not his Clan nor any of the others. It would only make the other Clans look down on WindClan. As if they didn't already do that enough.

With a flick of his tail, the whole of WindClan descended into the clearing, an excited buzz rippling through them as they entered Fourtrees. The rest of his Clan dispersed into the crowd, searching for old friends while Hawkstar trotted through the sea of cats to the foot of the Great Rock where the other three leaders already sat. He immediately sensed the tense atmosphere among them. It was chilly enough to cause the fur along his neck to rise in anxious anticipation. Glancing around the subtly, he noticed that the cause of the icy air were Badgerstar and Rimestar.

It was no secret that RiverClan had taken Sunningrocks not long ago, so Hawkstar understood where the cold hostility was coming from. But this was a gathering! Leaders were suppose to set an example for their Clans by being civil toward one another. The tabby only hoped they wouldn't break into an arguement over the stolen piece of land tonight. They could deal with that some other day. "Mistystar, Badgerstar, Rimestar." He nodded to each of them, holding his head high to show them that he was now their equal. "I hope the prey is running as well for your Clans as it is for mine."

Rosebloom slipped into the clearing at the back of her Clan, taking her time. True, she was eager the see Foxtail, but they'd gotten there before ThunderClan anyway, so why rush? Besides, she was too distracted. The black she-cat was afraid she would end up tripping and falling down the slope into the mob of cats if she didn't watch where she set her paws. She was worried about Foxtail, but excited to see him, and tell him her news. But then she considered the possibility that he hadn't been chosen. Foxtail almost always attended gatherings. But what if something had happened? After all, something has obviously been going on in ThunderClan. Something bad. Foxtail hadn't said anything, but she could tell, and it worried her.

Or perhaps he'd simply been elected to guard the camp that night. She hoped neither were true. She needed to see him. She couldn't stand the waiting much longer. She sat at the edge of the clearing, waiting for the other Clans to arrive. Much to her delight, ThunderClan came rushing into the clearing only a few minutes later. She jumped to her paws, then collected herself. She had to remember not to give herself away. If she seemed to excited, somebody might find it suspicious. Then again, who could blame her for being excited? So excited that she'd want to share her excitement even with cats from other Clans. Just because she was the deputy, that didn't mean she couldn't have friends outside of her Clan. Right?

Deciding that it was safe enough, she picked up her pace just a little bit, breaking into a jaunty trot while scanning the crowd of ThunderClan cats for one in particular. And then she saw him. He looked slightly disappointed and kept glancing around. Unable to stop herself, she bounded the last few fox-lengths to him, a big smile on her face. "Foxtail!" she exclaimed softly, keeping her voice in check at least.

Honeypaw trotted down the slope, watching her sister charge around the clearing. She rolled her eyes and stopped at the bottom, not particularly eager to address Jitterpaw at the moment. She was in too foul a mood to deal with her sibling's wild antics. But she changed her mind when two ThunderClan apprentices approached her. The flame-colored she-cat was a chatterbox, and though she wouldn't mean too, she might not be able to keep her mouth shut about things that were considered private.

When she got close, she recognized one of the apprentices, even before she heard his snide remark. She stopped a few tail lengths away and listened to Smokepaw and Jitterpaw go back and forth. "I could, but that would mean reducing myself to the level of pondscum." Her honey-colored fur bristled, but she resisted the urge to bite his tail off. She could rise above his childish behavior. Letting her fur lay flat, she padded up from behind, close enough to tempt him into a rage but not close enough to brush her pelt against his. She couldn't stand the idea of even touching the vile creature unless in battle. As she passed, she said in a calm, cool voice, "Too late. You're already there." Then she sat down beside her sister, wrapping her tail around her paws and nodding a silent greeting to Otterpaw. She should have taken joy in insulting the tabby tom, but didn't feel anything. Honeypaw was too used to repressing her feelings. Especially lately.

The night was peculararly warm, even for greenleaf, but Dawnfur could still feel the tense chill in the air. She glanced to where Badgerstar and Rimestar were having what appeared to be a polite yet very cold conversation from where she sat near the Great Rock. The tortoiseshell could understand why Rimestar wasn't in a particularly good mood tonight. Even before the Sunningrocks battle things had been restless in ThunderClan. Their leader Nightstar had gone missing, leaving ThunderClan without even a deputy or medicine cat to take care of the Clan. Prey had grown scare despite the warm weather, and it was slowly starving the cats in ThunderClan that hadn't gone missing... yet.

It seemed every few sunrises another cat would mysteriously disappear. The old she-cat could imagine the stress Rimestar must be under, having had to take over the Clan at a time like this. He hadn't even been expecting it! It was StarClan who came to Dawnfur and told her that Rimeheart was destined to be ThunderClan's next leader. But since then, they hadn't spoken a word to her or anyone else. Not about what was happening to her Clan or what they should do. She was begining to think perhaps they didn't know.

Excited that the time for the gathering was finally here, Rabbitpaw bounded down into the clearing at the heels of ThunderClan's warriors. He almost couldn't help bouncing. Almost. He wasn't quite as enthusiastic as that ginger RiverClan she-cat they'd met last time, but then again, he didn't think anyone was as enthusiastic as her. He looked around at all the cats arriving, trying to find his friend's face among the crowd. He knew Stonepaw had come, although he didn't know why. His friend hated gatherings. If he disliked them so much, why bother coming at all? Whatever. Rabbitpaw thought. He couldn't begin to understand what was going on in Stonepaw's head.

He finally found him talking to that same RiverClan apprentice he'd just been thinking about. What was her name? Jitterpaw? Yeah, that sounded about right. Otterpaw was with them too, and he could see Jitterpaw's sister coming up behind them looking not too happy. Honeypaw was pretty much the opposite of her littermate. Maybe when they were kits Jitterpaw inherited all the chipperness from her parents and Honeypaw got all the seriousness. He wandered up beside Otterpaw, giving them all a cheerful "Hi!" and listening to Smokepaw make rude comments, as per usual. And then he heard Honeypaw's sly remark as she came up and sat down beside her sister, and he couldn't help the short laugh that escaped his throat. But he caught himself and smiled sheepishly at his friend, still purring in amusement.

Hazelstripe glanced nervously around at the mob of cats gathered between the Four Oaks. Licking her white chest anxiously, she padded slowly further into the clearing. There were only two cats she wanted to see: her friend and her brother. She had a bad feeling. Like something was going to happen tonight. She didn't like it. The only reason she'd come was because she'd so desperately wanted to talk to Brighteyes and Buckthorn. And what was making her even more jumpy was remembering what had happened at the Sunningrocks battle.

She wondered if Badgerstar had told RiverClan. Or if she was going to tell everyone tonight. What if they were angry? Would they try to drive her away? Was Brighteyes upset about what had happened? He'd tried to go after her when she fled the battle, but maybe he'd changed his mind. Maybe he'd decided he was angry about what she'd done. She hadn't meant to though! She didn't know how it had happened, or why. She didn't even know why she could do what she did! And she didn't like it. It made her nervous. The tabby glanced around, trying to spot Brighteye's familiar black pelt among all the other cats.

An orange-and-white tabby she-cat loped down the slope after Mistystar, closely followed by a gray-brown tabby apprentice. Frecklenose noticed that they were the third Clan to arrive. WindClan came in right after they did, however, and the number of cats at the center of the clearing grew. The Clans had certainly grown this greenleaf. She easily slid into the crowd, looking around for anyone she recognized so they might catch up before the gathering started.

Hazelpaw broke away from the other ShadowClan cats quickly, edging away from the crowd of cats so she could take it all in. This was her first gathering! But she didn't show her excitement. Instead, she looked back at the rest of her Clan as they filed into the clearing, searching through the sea of faces for either of her sisters. She hadn't spoken to them since the night before so she wasn't sure if they'd been chosen to come tonight or not. It would be too bad if they hadn't. She knew how thrilled they'd been at the thought of going to their first gathering.

[Roxie !]

Upon scanning the side of the ravine, the RiverClan leader spotted a familiar calico shape silhouetting the moon. The scent that drifted down into the clearing confirmed her guess: ShadowClan had arrived, and Mistystar was leading them down into the clearing.

Out of all the leaders, Badgerstar had known Mistystar the longest, and while she was well aware of the cold indifference that the other she-cat harbored towards the other Clans, she couldn't help feeling relieved to see her. Anything would be better than the chilly silence that had fallen between her and Rimestar--and besides, RiverClan didn't share any borders with ShadowClan, so it wasn't as if she had much to worry about. Turning away from the tom beside her with some amount of relief, Badgerstar nodded to the ShadowClan leader. "Hello Mistystar. I'm well, and you?" She mewed, a bit less tensely. She'd never had any real problems getting along with the other leader.

Only moments later, WindClan descended into the clearing. Badgerstar's ears pricked with interest. In her time as leader, WindClan had always been very secretive--they were even very low in number, or they kept most of their members hidden. Of all the Clans, she supposed she knew the least about them. Needless to say, the tabby tom approaching them now surprised her slightly. She'd once known him as Hawkwing, but now he carried an air of authority that she had never sensed before. But that could only mean one thing.

But then, what had happened to the old WindClan leader? He hadn't been too old, and he'd seemed healthy enough. Badgerstar was a bit taken aback, but managed to reply never-the-less. "It is. Thank you...Hawkstar." She didn't need to be told to call him by his leader name. For a moment, she surveyed the new leader keenly. He didn't seem nearly as nervous as she'd felt on her first gathering as leader. Badgerstar offered both leaders a distracted smile, trying to reduce the tension radiating off her body, and cast a quick glance around the rest of the clearing. She spotted her sister's black pelt slipping through the crowd of cats. Rosebloom was making her way toward a ThunderClan tom known as Foxtail. The RiverClan leader's blue eyes narrowed slightly. She found it a bit odd that Rosebloom seemed to be with him often at Gatherings. But if her sister had friends from other Clans, it was none of her business. Badgerstar just hoped Rosebloom knew what she was doing. For all they knew, Foxtail could have just been trying to get information out of the RiverClan deputy.

Sighing, she turned back to the other leaders and stumbled for conversation. "Has anyone scented strange cats in their territory?" She questioned, recalling a small incident she'd come across while patrolling. "We found a few on some of the borders...rogues, maybe."



Foxtail's gaze immediately switched to the she-cat approaching him. Almost immediately, he got to his paws to meet her, his eyes bright with affection. His bushy brown tail was held high in the air, and then on second thought, he lowered it slightly. He couldn't appear too enthusiastic, for Rosebloom was the RiverClan deputy. And, though it was forbidden, he was in love with her. A soft purr rumbled in the warrior's throat, and he cast a glance around to make sure no one was paying them too much attention. Then, quickly, he returned his attention to his mate.

"Rosebloom! How are you? How's RiverClan?" He asked quietly, his expression mirroring her smile. Though Foxtail was loyal to ThunderClan, he knew how much Rosebloom cared for her Clan, and therefore he truly did care for their well-being. Some cats might have found it a bit strange to see the two being so friendly when their Clans were in such a tense place, but Foxtail didn't care. He hadn't seen the she-cat he loved since the Sunningrocks battle, and he had to see how she was doing.



Jitterpaw fidgeted slightly. Her warm brown eyes were still fixed curiously on Otterpaw, but at a sign of movement behind her, the RiverClan apprentice's gaze moved to the approaching cat. It was her sister, Honeypaw. Jitterpaw's expression brightened even more, if that was possible. But then, her smile faltered upon seeing the apprentice's expression. Her sister did not look happy. Hoping to cheer her up, Jitterpaw began a greeting. "Hi H--"

But before she could finish, Honeypaw spoke--but her spiteful words were directed at Smokepaw. The ThunderClan tom froze upon recognizing the voice, and snapped his head around just in time to see Honeypaw stalking infuriatingly past him. His eyes blazed suddenly with furious hatred--this had been the last cat he'd wanted to see. Could this night get any worse? Nearly spitting with fury, he had to dig his claws into the ground to keep himself from lunging at her. He almost couldn't resist, until his best friend padded up beside him.

Smokepaw heard Rabbitpaw snicker at Honeypaw's snide comment, and he rounded on his denmate irritably. But he knew that Rabbitpaw wouldn't be much intimidated by his glare, so he returned his full attention to his enemy. "That'd still put me a step above you, wouldn't it? Who asked your opinion, anyway?" He snarled at her. While Honeypaw was cold, calm, and collected, Smokepaw was unable to keep his fury in check.

Jitterpaw's eyes shifted between the two cats nervously. She was well aware of how her sister felt about the ThunderClan tom, and if his reaction was anything to judge by, the feeling was mutual. She gulped, willing no trouble to break out at a Gathering, and cast a helpless glance at Otterpaw. Trying to get both of the cats' attention, she cleared her throat. "Uh, hey guys? Let's...uh..." Upon seeing the approaching apprentice, Rabbitpaw, she turned her attention to him. He'd probably know to help calm the two down. "Hey Rabbitpaw! What's up?" She meowed loudly in an attempt to distract the rage building. But Smokepaw's deadly gaze remained fixed on Honeypaw.



Brighteyes glanced up from where he'd been sitting when the ThunderClan cats arrived. It didn't take him long to spot his friend's familiar tabby pelt among the rest of her Clan. Standing, the RiverClan warrior padded quietly over to her, and gave her a friendly flick of his tail in greeting. "Hey Hazelstripe." He said gently, his orange eyes taking in the she-cat's expression. He'd known Hazelstripe for a long time, and he could tell that she was deeply troubled by something. And it didn't take a genius to guess what it was.

The battle. Only Brighteyes had seen what had happened there, along with Badgerstar, of course. He'd known how much it would effect the ThunderClan warrior, but he hadn't dared seek her out when there was so much tension between their Clans. But hopefully, she'd want to talk now. Brighteyes sat down beside her, his usually emotionless expression displaying his concern. "Are you okay?" The ebony tom never quite understood why Hazelstripe could do what she did, or where her abilities had come from. But to be honest, he didn't care if she was different. She was his best friend, and he'd never judge her for something like that. But he couldn't begin to understand what she was going through right now, either. Brighteyes gave her a sympathetic nudge, and waited for her response. At least they were both at the Gathering, the one place where they could speak freely to each other.



Bandedtail followed his sister into the clearing, glancing around at the crowd of cats with guarded interest. He wondered vaguely what all the tension in the air was about--it seemed the other Clans were always worked up about something. Normally, he could care less about the latest gossip in the forest. But recently, the tom had heard rumors that had interested him greatly. Rumors about the battle that had recently broken out between ThunderClan and RiverClan. And he very much intended to research these rumors tonight. But until the opportunity presented itself, he'd have to remain composed. So he slunk to Frecklenose's side and glanced around. "Oh look. They've already got themselves all worked up about something." Bandedtail grinned slightly, referring to the undeniable tension in the air. "Should be fun."



Though she'd promised herself she'd remain calm tonight, Brindlepaw couldn't wipe the grin from her face as she followed her Clan into Four Trees. It was, after all, her very first gathering. How could she keep from being excited? It didn't take her long to spot her sister, Hazelpaw, and she fought her way through the crowd to meet her. Of the three sisters, Hazelpaw was usually the most reserved, but Brindlepaw could swear she saw her own excitement reflected in her sister's gaze. "Hazelpaw!" She purred happily. "Have you ever seen so many cats?" It was true, Four Trees was more crowded than ever tonight. The tabby apprentice gazed around in awe.



Drizzlepaw lagged a bit behind her Clan-mates. Unlike most of the cats in the clearing tonight, she displayed no sign of excitement. In fact, her expression was rather glum--though, as anyone who knew her would know, that was no surprise.

Her head low to keep from meeting anyone's gaze, the WindClan apprentice slunk reluctantly into the clearing. She really didn't feel like talking tonight, so she avoided the various apprentices gathering at the other side of the clearing. Instead, the silver she-cat slunk to the shadows and crouched there, her eyes fixed on the forest floor.

[Otterpaw]

Otterpaw meowed a welcome to Rabbitpaw, and then to the other RiverClan apprentice whom she had never met before. She did not disregard Jitterpaw's question though, but when she tried to answer, she stopped because of the conversation already going on. The atmosphere had been calm before, but there was suddenly hostility blooming between Smokepaw and the other RiverClan apprentice. Otterpaw frowned. This was not how gatherings were supposed to work. She already had a lot on her mind. This was giving her a headache.

She got up and looked around, first at Smokepaw and Rabbitpaw, and then at Jitterpaw and her sister. She sighed. "I'll see you later." Otterpaw announced to the group. She was clearly not in the mood to deal with the bickering going on, and she did not wish to get in the middle of it. She could sense a figurative storm coming, and she didn't wish to witness it. Otterpaw padded over to the other side of the clearing, where WindClan had just come in. In the shadows, she spotted the gloomy apprentice she knew as Drizzlepaw.

Drizzlepaw's mood did not seem to have improved since the last time they met. But Drizzlepaw was quiet, which was a nice break from what Otterpaw had just sat through. "Hi Drizzlepaw. I'm Otterpaw, remember? We met last gathering." She explained.

***

Rimestar almpst snarled at Badgerstar when she insulted his Clan. A low growl rumbled in his throat. On instinct, his claws unsheathed. But when Mistystar came, Badgerstar was distracted, and seemed to no longer care about their dispute. Rimestar did not forget so easily. He could already tell that the leader of RiverClan was going to be a problem in his own course of leadership.

But once Hawkstar, too, came into the clearing, Rimestar realized that it would be impossible to confront Badgerstar now. What would the other leaders think? He sheathed his claws and nodded to both of them in return, but he did not speak a word. Rimestar was still glaring at Badgerstar out of the corner of his eye. He would not make a scene now, but if she said one more thing about ThunderClan, the tom's infamous temper would rise. He didn't even hear her question as he tried to calm down. He probably would not have responded truthfully to her anyway. Since it was Rimestar's first gathering as leader, he was not yet used to these subtle attacks. Were things always like this between ThunderClan and RiverClan?


***

Lakebreeze looked around to see Shadewhisker of ThunderClan approaching him. Lakebreeze relaxed when he observed that this warrior seemed friendly. He didn't really like gatherings, but if he really thought about it, he didn't mind talking with someone to pass the time until the gathering started. "Well, thanks. What about in ThunderClan?" He returned a polite response, allowing himself to smile.


***

Mottledface, the cat who was ShadowClan's medicine cat, walked into Fourtrees and sighed. Normally, she would use this time to catch up with the other medicine cats. She had once looked forward to that. But seeing as there were no others...she'd have to do something else tonight. She walked behind Mistystar, but parted ways from her when she went to join the other leaders. The leaders looked tense tonight, and Mottledface didn't really want to bother them. She had worries of her own, because she had not been able to contact StarClan lately.

Trying to take her mind off the troubles, she walked over to Dawnfur, who was from ThunderClan, and dipped her head in polite greeting. "Hello Dawnfur. How are you?" Mottledface asked calmly. Since she stepped into the gathering, she noticed that the cats from ThunderClan didn't look quite as healthy as normal. She couldn't place it, but something was off. But she mentioned nothing of her doubts as she smiled at the warrior.

[{ tessa }]

Mistystar nods a polite greeting to Hawkstar, the new leader of WindClan. She looks him over cryptically, then turns to Badgerstar. The leader of RiverClan is speaking now, and when Mistystar hears about potential rogues, she instanly becomes more interested in the conversation. Her ears perk up, and she listens to what Badgerstar has to say in silence. As of now, she has not heard of any foreign scents on ShadowClan territory, and rogues in RiverClan are not her problem. But if the problem spreads, it could become her problem. She is always interested to hear about rogues in the forest.

"We've not scented anyone in ShadowClan." Mistystar admits at last, although she is still thinking the news over. She looks at the other leaders to see their responses, and then she says, "However, one of my warriors did find two-leg tracks. They were heading for the Thunderpath." She glances at Rimestar. ShadowClan and ThunderClan share the Thunderpath border, so this news would probably interest him as well.

Shadewhisker relaxes a little. He is glad that at least one cat from another Clan seems friendly tonight. He nods to Lakebreeze."Excellent. Thank you." He meows, his tail held high. At least this much is the truth. It isn't prey that ThunderClan had to worry about right now. But Shadewhisker doesn't dare voice any of his Clan's real troubles right now. He sits down and looks around. "Have you trained an apprentice yet?" He asks, looking toward Honeypaw and Jitterpaw.

Maplepaw is the last of her sisters to enter the gathering. On her way here, she saw a bat for the first time. This distracted her, and she gave chase to it until one of the warriors called her back. Maplepaw always has to investigate everything. But now she has arrived as well, and she couldn't be more excited. This is her first gathering! *I can't wait to meet everyone!* She thinks, wondering what the other Clans will be like.

Maplepaw sees her two sisters and charges over to them. Hazelpaw and Brindlepaw are already speaking. Hazelpaw hides her enthusiasm carefully, but Brindlepaw's expression looks as awed as Maplepaw feels. Maplepaw bounces around them excitedly. "Look at those WindClan cats! They look fast. And those RiverClan warriors! Can they really swim?" She blurts out without thinking. Maplepaw grins happily and looks around. "I can't wait to meet some of them."

Lionclaw walks into Fourtrees soon after Hawkstar. His golden tail his held high above his head. He looks around at the other Clans with mild interest, and then walks further in. He has always been fond of gatherings, and he is glad that he has been chosen to come to this one. This is Hawkstar's first gathering as the Clan leader, which makes Lionclaw a little nervous. If the other Clans see this as an opportunity to make trouble for WindClan, they have another thing coming.

He looks around the clearing in search of someone he knows, eager to catch up with the news of the forest.

Buckthorn enters after Lionclaw. He walks past the other warrior, but he isn't really sure where he is going. His mind is on other things. Buckthorn has been troubled lately, but he can't decide why. WindClan has a new leader, and they have been growing. He knows he should feel happy, but something has been distracting him. He tells himself that it has nothing to do with that BloodClan she-cat he met. Why would it? He barely knows her. *I need to stop worrying about every cat I meet. She'll be fine.* He thinks, trying to concentrate on the gathering.

Buckthorn sighs and looks around for anyone that he knows, mainly his sister, Hazelstripe. Since Hazelstripe is from ThunderClan, gatherings are the only time that Buckthorn is able to talk to her. Maybe she can get his mind off things.

[Roxie !]

Had someone just called her name? Wary gray eyes shifted upward to meet the gaze of another she-cat that looked around her age. Drizzlepaw remembered that this cat, Otterpaw, was also an apprentice, though she was of ThunderClan. The WindClan apprentice stared blankly at the feline who had just spoken to her, as if certain she couldn't have heard right. They'd met last Gathering, she recalled. For some reason, Otterpaw had taken an interest in speaking to her, even though she'd been trying desperately to keep to herself. It had been a nice gesture, but Drizzlepaw really didn't mix well with other cats, let alone those from different Clans. But now, here Otterpaw was again, and she seemed to be waiting for a response.

Slowly, the brown she-cat sat up. Her gaze was fixed warily upon the other apprentice, as if suspicious that this was all a trick. Truth be told, Drizzlepaw didn't really know how to respond to a cat trying to connect with her. It didn't happen often; most of the time she was considered invisible. What could Otterpaw want? She tilted her head to the side slightly, and then finally decided to respond.

"Yes. I remember. Hello." Drizzlepaw responded stiffly. She really didn't know what else to say...what could she possibly say that would interest the ThunderClan cat, anyway? She decided to keep quiet and decipher Otterpaw's motives, a nervous frown still in place.



Badgerstar's gaze flitted past Rimestar, who didn't bother responding to her question. She bristled irritably. If he was going to sulk, it wasn't her problem. She wasn't going to make a scene here in front of the other leaders--in front of the other Clans, really. Occasionally glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, she had to wonder: did Rimestar know what Hazelstripe could do? He had to, surely...he was the leader of ThunderClan. But if he knew, had he sent Hazelstripe to fight her as some sort of assasination attempt during the battle?

The mere thought made her want to expose ThunderClan's secret in front of everyone here tonight. However, the black-and-white she-cat forced her hackles to lie flat. She was being a bit paranoid. Hazelstripe had run off after that had happened; it hadn't seemed as though she'd meant to do it. Badgerstar wouldn't sink low enough to use it to cause trouble in front of the Clans--it wasn't ShadowClan or WindClan's business, anyway. She would just have to keep a close eye on the tabby she-cat tonight.

Mistystar's answer distracted her from her musings. The RiverClan leader's ears pricked forward in interest. "Two-legs? Were they causing any trouble?" She meowed, her blue eyes flashing. The last thing the forest needed right now was another threat, StarClan knew.



Feeling rather giddy, Brindlepaw turned to meet her other sister, Maplepaw. The three of them had been without parents for most of their young lives, and grown used to relying on each other rather than a parental figure. Whereas Hazelpaw was reserved and sharp-tongued, Maplepaw was bold and curious, and Brindlepaw often found herself having to mediate between her sisters. She quietly let out an amused purr at Maplepaw's openly displayed enthusiasm, and flicked her tail against the other she-cat's nose.

"Well, I'm sure they'll tell you everything you want to know if you'd just calm down a little." Brindlepaw chided gently, though she was still smiling. She looked between her sisters briefly, and then allowed herself to look out over the clearing once more. She couldn't resist the pull of her curiousity. There was so much she wanted to learn tonight; so many cats she wanted to meet. Now that Brindlepaw thought of it, she'd never met a cat from another Clan, although she knew that her father had been from WindClan. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to Hazelpaw and Maplepaw.

"I'd really like to meet a WindClan cat. Do you think one of them would have known Bahrospirit?" She murmured to her sisters softly, her eyes shining. Brindlepaw really didn't know much about their father; not many cats in ShadowClan knew enough to tell them anything.

[le Dawnz]

Hawkstar’s ears pricked with interest, listening intently as the other leaders discussed the unusual scents around their borders. “WindClan hasn’t found any trace of two-legs or rogues. It’s been a quiet leaf-fall. We chased a badger across our border into loner territory a few sunrises ago, but it shouldn’t be a problem to any Clan. It was old and we haven’t scented it since.” said the tom. “How long ago did you scent the rogues, Badgerstar?” he inquired. “Or the two-leg tracks, Mistystar?” Although his Clan hadn’t found any strange scents, that didn’t mean they might not pose a threat to WindClan later on. He glanced toward the ThunderClan leader. He seemed to be pointedly ignoring the she-cat beside him. Hawkstar then noticed that Badgerstar was also throwing Rimestar dark glances every few seconds. Both cats were bristling. Were things really so tense between the feuding Clans that the leaders could hardly bare to stand next to each other on their one night of peace?



At the sight of her mate’s delighted smile, Rosebloom’s heart melted. She slowed to a stop in front of him as he quickly looked around them. “Rosebloom! How are you? How’s RiverClan?” Foxtail asked, his warm voice sounding genuinely sincere. His compassion was one of the things the black she-cat loved most about him. “I’m fine. RiverClan’s fine. I’m more than fine really.” she prattled, unable to hide her giddy enthusiasm, or her nervousness. She took a deep breath, pushing everything to the back of her mind for the time being. It could wait. The deputy looked her mate over, taking in his gaunt exterior. Even under his shaggy pelt, she could clearly see his ribcage. Guilt flooded over her.

“I’m sorry.” she meowed quietly, the excitement fading from her eyes. “I wish Badgerstar hadn’t decided to try to take back Sunningrocks, but there was nothing I could do to change her mind. She said they belonged to RiverClan and that ThunderClan had no right to…” She trailed off, realizing she was probably going to end up insulting him. She apologized again. She glanced around at the ThunderClan cats in the clearing. Maybe if RiverClan hadn’t taken Sunningrocks, ThunderClan wouldn’t be suffering so much. It wasn’t even leaf-bare yet! But even before the invasion, something seemed to be wrong in ThunderClan. Their patrol was meager tonight, at best, and they all looked like they hadn’t eaten in a moon.

“Is everything okay in ThunderClan?” she asked, her bizarrely colored eyes meeting his gaze. She didn’t want to pry, but she was beginning to worry. If they were in some sort of trouble, maybe there was something Rosebloom could do to help. She didn’t yet know how, but she could try. If there was one thing she was most known for in RiverClan, it was her stubborn personality. She would find a way.



Ignoring her jittery chatterbox of a sister, Honeypaw kept her cool gaze locked on the ThunderClan apprentice. She also ignored the tom’s obvious jab. “I wasn’t giving an opinion.” she replied calmly instead. “I was stating a fact.” She knew that would get his blood boiling even more. The gold-colored apprentice was tired of the stupid mouse-brain who had succeeded him getting her into trouble one too many times. She wouldn’t give him the pleasure of an emotional response. Especially not one as obvious as the one he was giving her. She wondered how long it would take for Smokepaw to snap.



Rabbitpaw was not fazed by his friend’s harsh glare. He glanced back and forth between the two cats curiously. He knew how much Smokepaw hated the RiverClan apprentice, and he also knew that Smokepaw could get worked up very easily. But he hadn’t realized just how easily this she-cat could rile him up. He leaned in to meow in Jitterpaw’s ear when she addressed him, not wanting the other tabby tom to hear him. “Not much with me, but it looks like your sister’s got Smokepaw’s about ready to explode!”



The moment Brighteyes came into view, Hazelstripe’s eyes lit up. Her lips curled into a tentative smile and she stepped forward to meet her friend, flicking her tail in response to his friendly greeting. His voice was kind as he addressed her, but his expression betrayed his apprehension. “Are you okay?” he asked sympathetically. It was obvious that he wasn’t just talking about her general well-being. Her smile faded, her ears twitching nervously.

“No... I don’t know. I – ” the tabby she-cat replied softly, hesitating. “Is Badgerstar… is she okay? Is she angry? I didn’t mean to. I really didn’t. You must know that.” She was babbling, but here she paused, looking around at the faces of the surrounding RiverClan cats. Her anxiety was plain as day. No one seemed to be looking at her oddly, the way she might have expected. “Did anyone else…?” her voice trailed off as she returned her attention to the tom, meeting his amber gaze.



Frecklenose looked around at the sound of her brother’s voice. “Oh look. They’ve already got themselves all worked up about something. Should be fun.” She rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t be mouse-brained. It’s just because of the Sunningrocks thing.” Sometimes the she-cat thought Bandedtail was too mischievous for his own good. Sometimes she also wondered how they could possibly be related. And how in StarClan’s name he planned on training a fiery apprentice like Hazelpaw was beyond her, but she loved him nonetheless. “Please don’t go getting yourself into trouble tonight. I think I deserve a little break.” the she-cat teased, flicking her tail across his nose before trotting off toward the three ShadowClan apprentices huddled near the edge of the mob of cats.



Hazelpaw smiled when she saw that both her sisters had been chosen to come. They both came to join her, Maplepaw practically bouncing. She listened as they each jabbered on excitedly. Then Brindlepaw turned to them, a serious expression marring her face. “I’d really like to meet a WindClan cat. Do you think one of them would have known Bahrospirit?” The tabby frowned, her brow narrowing in thought. “I would think so. I suppose the only way to find out is to ask.” She nodded toward an older-looking golden warrior standing by himself, but her vision was interrupted by the apprentices’s Clan mate Frecklenose.

“You three, don’t be shy. Tonight is a night to make friends and learn more about the other Clans. Take the opportunity to learn their scents so that you’ll be able to recognize which Clan has patrolled along our borders or passed through on their way to the Moonstone.” She paused, leaning in and staring intently into each pair of eyes for a moment before moving onto the next. “But be careful what you say about WindClan. We don’t want to give them any reason to think they can take advantage of us. Understood?” Hazelpaw nodded in agreement. She didn’t have to be told not to reveal anything, accidently or on purpose, but she wasn’t sure if her jittery sister Maplepaw would be able to keep her mouth shut. She vowed to keep an eye on her tonight.



Dawnfur looked up in surprise, having not seen ShadowClan’s medicine cat, Mottledface, approach. “Hello, Mottledface. I’m doing well. How about you? I hope you’re finding enough herbs to stock your storage for leafbare.” Because ThunderClan didn’t have a medicine cat, and because Dawnfur was the only cat who knew anything about herbs, however limited her knowledge was, she had been searching for things like yarrow, feverfew, and catnip in hopes that it would be enough until they were able to find someone to fill the position. However, because of the lateness of the season, Dawnfur’s searches were not turning out as well as she hoped.