A.N: Hey everyone! This is the sequel to "Banished!", so I suggest you read it first otherwise you might not understand this…to old readers come back, yay! I hope you'll enjoy this as much as my first story. Read and review please!
My name is Flamepelt, originally Flame, and I'm Firestar's grand-nephew.
Not that it means anything to me personally – I never even knew him, only from the stories passed on in my former kittypet family. But now in the forest, it's a huge deal! Every time at the Gatherings, I can quite easily catch curious eyes roaming over to me. Not that I mind – who said attention was a bad thing?
Anyways, back to who I am: I used to be a kittypet, but then I met Iceclaw – now Icestar – and all that changed. He had been framed for betraying Thunderclan, and in the end I helped him prove his innocence and defeat the real traitor, Thistlestorm. Thoughts of that dark cat still sends shivers down my spine. I had glimpsed him fighting Iceclaw in what the whole forest calls "The Big Battle", and he had come very close to killing him, the cat I admired most in the world. Not that I'd admit that out loud, of course.
Tonight was a full moon, and Thunderclan waited in trepidation as Icestar prowled over to Nightfur, his closest friends besides me and also his deputy. A noticeably tense silence spread over the camp as our leader murmured a few names into Nightfur's ear, then shot me a quick grin and headed to the food stock to grab a thrush. I held my breath as I watched the deputy walk around, speaking to those who were going to the Gathering. He walked over to me with deliberate slowness, knowing I was nearly bursting with impatience. I hopped from paw to paw, eyes wide. "Nightfur! Nightfur, ol' buddy, ol' friend, hey, uh, um…" His eyes gleamed with amusement as I stammered through my excitement. Finally, I blurted out "Am I going to the Gathering or not?" He sat down and placed a thoughtful paw on his chin. "Now, are you? I'm not sure…maybe, maybe not…I think so...but then again…" He nearly cracked up at the look of anxious impatience clearly etched on my face. Starclan help me, sometimes I really wanted to just tackle Nightfur! Relenting at last, he smiled "Yeah, you're going, all right." I leapt up, a delighted grin spreading over my face.
You might think that it's strange for me to get so worked up about a Gathering. I've been to a few ones already, but I can never get completely used to it. Since I came here when I was apprentice-aged, I had missed out on a lot. With the help of my new friends, I managed to find my place and I'm now settling in comfortably. The only thing I can't stop gawking at is the whole mass of cats, all the four clans, together in a time of peace. The numbers are staggering; at my first Gathering, I hadn't said a word, only gaped in awe. I had never seen so many cats.
Tonight, I trembled with anticipation as Icestar flicked his tail and sped down the slope. I followed along with the rest of the clan, feeling the ground fly away under my paws. I slowed to a stop at the bottom, feeling as if I'd never spent any energy, and hesitantly began to mingle with some acquaintances from other clans. In only a matter of time, I was chatting happily to a group of young cats while we listened to the elders tell stories of the Big Battle again. I was in the middle of describing a particularly exciting battle scene when I froze, my voice catching in my throat. I blinked a few times, disbelievingly, full of shock.
There, in the middle of the large group of cats clustered around me, were a pair of glowing eyes I knew well. Eyes I hadn't seen in a while, and had no desire to see ever again. My head shot up and I found myself staring straight into Thistlestorm'snarrowed eyes.