Notes: I do not own Warriors. Revised version of the first chapter.
Chapter One
The snow crunched under Bonedust's weight as she looked for fresh-kill. It was leaf-bare, and the fresh-kill was getting scarce between the clans. Then, she spotted a plump rabbit, emerging from its den. Bonedust swiftly dropped into a hunting crouch. Her fur was white, like the snow, thus, it was an advantage for her. She neared the rabbit quietly, then pounced on it and ended its life with a well-aimed paw.
She buried it beneath some snow beside an old, oak tree. She then continued to hunt.
Eventually, she had gathered two rabbits, a finch, a sparrow, and three voles.
She proceeded to carry them back to their camp. First the two rabbits. Then the others.
The TreeClan camp was settled inside a clearing, which was well hidden by large oaks, redwood and other trees. The TreeClan camp's territories were the Voleholes, the Spittingmounds, and the Beetree.
There were four clans in total; FlameClan, TreeClan, FrostClan and StreamClan.
Bonedust returned with the prey then carried all of them into the fresh-kill pile. Their leader, Woodstar, approached her.
Bonedust sat up, her eyes glinting with pride, and faced the leader.
"Well done, Bonedust. I have seen you have gathered many freshkill. Thus, you will join the Gathering at moonrise." Woodstar mewed, sitting down and observing the freshkill pile.
"Thank you, Woodstar." Bonedust said, bowing her head. She couldn't hide her excitement.
She got one of the voles and bound towards the Warriors' den.
She wanted to tell this to her best friends, a brown tom named Rockstorm and a black-furred tom named Blackfur. She scrambled inside the den, and found only Rockstorm.
"Hey Rockstorm! Woodstar told me she was letting me go at the Gathering!" she said, laying down and starting to eat the vole.
"She told me, too. I can't believe it! Our first gathering since we've been warriors!" Rockstorm said, eating a pigeon hastily.
Bonedust noticed Blackfur's absence. She looked around. They were the only cats in the den.
"Hey, have you seen Blackfur?" she said, looking hopefully at the tom.
"Heesh shtill hunching." Rockstorm replied, a mouthful of the pigeon meat in his jaws.
"Don't meow with your jaws full!" Bonedust meowed, finishing the vole.
Moonrise arrived and Silverpelt began to light up the sky. The moon was waxing, and bright.
Bonedust and Rockstorm appeared from the den to see Blackfur adding mice, a rabbit and a chaffinch to the pile of freshkill.
"Hey Blackfur! We're going to the Gathering!" Bonedust couldn't help bursting out. Blackfur nodded his greeting to them.
"I am going, too." He said quietly. They padded towards the Gathering part, the snow reaching up to their bellies.
Bonedust shivered. It was only two moons left of leaf-bare.
Then, Silverleaf, the medicine cat, poked her head out from her den. Her den was a large room, carved out from age from a large boulder. The entrance was draped with lichen. Even now, Bonedust wondered how they got it there.
"Bonedust! Can you please do me a favor?" she mewed, slipping out of her den, the lichen flowing in the wind behind her.
Bonedust nodded.
"Well, can you get me some Jasmine leaves? You'll be passing the river, right? There should be plentiful Jasmine bushes near that river." She meowed.
Bonedust gave another nod. "Of course. I'll fetch you the leaves" She mewed, twitched her ears in farewell, and followed the moving party.
Soon, they reached the wooden bridge the crossed the river. It was made out of several logs.
Woodstar stopped in front of it.
"To the cats who are going to attend the Gathering for the first time," she looked at Bonedust, Rockstorm and Blackfur. "This bridge is weak. So we are going to cross three cats at a time." She meowed.
"Now, gather in groups of three." The cats did as instructed. Bonedust fell in the end of the line, next to Rockstorm and Blackfur.
The line started moving, rather slowly. Bonedust shivered, feeling the frost cling to her fur.
When it was their turn, the three slipped through the bridge. It felt rather slippery under Bonedust's paws.
She slipped and fell on her belly in the middle. Blackfur helped her get to her paws. She turned red. She could feel the cats who had crossed the bridge murmur and purr with amusement.
"Thanks." She mewed to Blackfur.
Blackfur nodded and they crossed the bridge. Bonedust felt her cheeks turn red. By the time they reached the other end, most of the clan cats were still mewing with amusment.
"Don't lose your balance on the way to the gathering! Or you might break a bone, Boney!" Fallingsun meowed, followed with laughter.
Bonedust hissed at him.
The snow felt much more softer under her pink paws. Her white coat gleamed in the moonlight.
She followed the rest of the group, falling behind. Blackfur slowed down so he was padding beside her. Bonedust felt him press his fur onto her flank.
"Don't mind them." He mewed. Bonedust looked at him with greatful eyes. She mewed greatfully, feeling good because of his company.