Welcome back folks and thanx so much for the support.
I hadn't even realized it but the very next chapter in The Sight is the first Gathering from Lionpaw's pov. I wasn't entirely sure how to address it since I want this to be a mainly Jaypaw story but in Erin's original writing, Jaypaw doesn't get to go to this gathering because of his escapade into WindClan. But in my version, he does come to the Gathering.
Welcome to the altered chapter 10.
"What are we waiting around for?" moaned Hollypaw, her claws ripping up the grass as she waited eagerly for Firestar to lead them to the Gathring.
"Firestar isn't sure he wants to bring a blind cat to the gathering to represent ThunderClan," Jaypaw muttered on Lionpaw's other side, his blue eyes staring sightlessly down at his own paws. "He still has to work up the courage to tell the other Clan leaders that ThunderClan is training a useless blind cat?"
Lionpaw was surprised at how down his brother sounded, and edged closer to him comfortingly. "Don't say that. I thought you said the training yesterday didn't go that badly. Why are all grumpy again now?"
Jaypaw let out a long sigh, tucking his tail carefully around his forepaws. He must still be sore from all that training with Brightheart. "I may be blind but I'm not deaf. I can tell what the other cats say when they think I can't hear them. They keep saying I'll turn out like Snowkit, and I don't even know who that is."
Lionpaw shrugged. If Jaypaw really wanted to be a warrior someday, he would have to get over what others said. His actions would speak for themselves if he trained hard enough.
"It looks like Firestar is waiting for Leafpool," Hazelpaw put in, standing with her brothers at the edge of the thorn barrier.
"Why's it taking her so long?" Hollypaw complained. She's only sorting through the new herbs we gathered before sunhigh."
"She might sort them quicker if she had her apprentice helping," Berrypaw pointed out.
"I tried helping," Hollypaw protested." But Leafpool said it would be quicker if she did it herself."
Mousepaw's whiskers twitched. "Are you sure you're cut out to be a medicine cat?"
"Of course I am," Hollypaw snapped. "One day you'll be waiting for me to come out of the medicine den.
"Yeah, because you will be a slow medicine cat," Berrypaw muttered softly.
Hollypaw's black fur began to fluff out but Lionpaw gave her a nudge with his muzzle. "They're only teasing you," he soothed. He was too excited about going to his first Gathering to let his Clanmates bring him down. He would get his first chance to meet apprentices from rival Clans, to swap stories and compare training- knowing that the next time they met might be in battle with claws unsheathed and teeth bared.
"I wonder how long it will take the other apprentice to realize I'm blind," Jaypaw mewed softly. "Will Firestar announce it to all the Clans?"
Lionpaw gave his brother a lick, smoothing the fur between his ears with his tongue. "I'm just glad you're coming," he mewed.
"You're the only one who is," Jaypaw grumbled.
"Hey, I'm glad too!" Hollypaw added. "It would be scary if we weren't all together when we met the other Clan's apprentices. We do everything together!"
Lionpaw grunted in agreement.
Firestar called for the patrol to head out and a buzz of excitement rattled Lionpaw's whiskers. They were going to the Gathering!
Lionpaw nudged Jaypaw to his paws and ran after the other apprentices who were already racing towards the entrance. Firestar padded to the head of the party and, with a sharp nod, bounded away through the tunnel. Lionpaw charged after his Clanmates, his heart soaring as their paws drummed the forest floor. He felt Hollypaw's pelt brushing his, rippling with excitement and he felt Jaypaw's breath hot on his tail. A moment later they burst out of the tunnel and charged up the slope.
And then a huge load of filler where Firestar and Brambleclaw discuss what they will say at the gathering. I would just be copy-pasting the whole thing so I'm just going to skip a few hundred words up to the second paragraph on page 129 when they get to the tree bridge.
Lionpaw looked up to see the fallen tree that reached across the water and sprawled its mangled roots out on the island. The scents of WindClan, ShadowClan, and RiverClan were strong. "The other three Clans are already here!" he whispered to his siblings as they skidded to a stop beside him. Suddenly, he felt shy about facing all three Clans at once. "I hope Ferncloud's nursery stories about ShadowClan aren't true."
"You don't actually believe they would do any of those horrible things like feed their apprentices dirt?" Hollypaw mewed scornfully.
Jaypaw let out a small cough. "ShadowClan is a Clan as much as any of the others; they still have to follow the Warrior Code."
"I guess you're right," Lionpaw murmured. "But what if all the other apprentices are bigger than us?"
"We've been apprenticed for only a quarter moon," Hollypaw pointed out. "We'll be smaller than most of the cats there."
"They'll be bigger than me, that's for sure," Jaypaw muttered.
Firestar leaped up on the fallen trunk first, creeping along to the far side before hopping down effortlessly. The pebbles swished beneath his paws as he turned to watch his Clanmates cross. Brambleclaw followed him, then Dustpelt, and before he knew it, Lionpaw was watching Hollypaw leap up ahead of him onto the tree. The smooth black water flowed beneath her, lapping gently at the dead branches that held the tree fast in the lakebed. She weaved her way through the stubby twigs and knots until she reached the other end. Then she jumped down and turned to watch Lionpaw cross.
Trembling with excitement, he suddenly realized Jaypaw wouldn't be able to tell how high up the tree bridge was when it was his turn to cross. He turned to his brother. "When I jump up, I'll lower my tail down for you so you can judge the distance."
A tiny growl escaped from the blind apprentices mouth, but he nodded in understanding as he padded closer to the bridge.
"Good." Lionpaw scrambled up onto the branch. The bark was surprisingly slippery and his paws slithered in all directions. But he sank his claws deep into the old wood until he had a confident pawhold. "I'm lowering my tail now," he mewed to his brother who stood patiently by the roots, his blue eyes seeming to follow Lionpaw even though he couldn't see him.
Lionpaw noticed Ashfur and the rest of his Clanmates waiting patiently, and he an uncomfortable feeling of unease pricked his pelt as he realized they were all waiting for the apprentices to cross. I hope Jaypaw doesn't make us late to the Gathering.
But Jaypaw didn't waste a single heartbeat and reached up on his hind paws, reaching through the tangled roots until he felt Lionpaw's tail. "Ok, I think I can make the jump."
Lionpaw took a step back along the tree, praying to StarClan the blind cat didn't fly off the bridge and fall in the water. He would never hear the end of it.
Jaypaw bunched his hindquarters and launched through the air. His forepaws landed just a mouse-length away from Lionpaw's but hind paws shot out from under him as soon as they touched the wood. Lionpaw lunged forward, but Jaypaw had already sunk his claws deep into the wood, his tail lashing as he fought to keep his balance. "I don't need help," Jaypaw snapped through gritted teeth as his muscles strained to keep him in the air.
Lionpaw backed away, his own heart pounding, ready to leap to his brother's aid if he had to, but after a few tense moments Jaypaw pulled himself up the rest of the way.
"Why are you just standing there," Jaypaw gasped, catching his breath. "Move your tail, the rest of the Clan is waiting for us."
Lionpaw chuckled in amusement, and turned back towards the island. Ahead of him, the smooth bark and rickety branches were all that stood between him and the Gathering. He unsheathed his claws and scurried like a squirrel across to the other side, not stopping until he was safely on solid ground beside his sister.
Jaypaw was a little slower, feeling his way along the trunk one paw at a time.
"Jump over here, Jaypaw," Hollypaw mewed as Jaypaw reached the end of the bridge. "There's a soft place to land and its clear of twigs."
Jaypaw nodded and leaped down, landing a little clumsily but he straightened up immediately.
"I thought you were fish food for a moment there," Hollypaw mewed welcomingly.
"Me too," Lionpaw teased.
But Jaypaw just shrugged his shoulders and moved to make room for the rest of the Clan as they started to jump down from the bridge. Ashfur hopped down next followed by Brightheart. Both mentors gave the apprentices approving glances as they padded past.
He longed to race into the trees, impatient to see what was there, but he forced himself to wait for the whole Clan to cross. Hazelpaw weaved her away among the jutting twigs; Berrypaw pushed his way through with his powerful shoulders, while Spiderleg slipped around them like a snake, clearly accustomed to the crossing. Lionpaw felt very small and inexperienced, but he lifted his chin and forced his fur to lie flat.
Finally, all the ThunderClan cats stood on the beach. Firestar swept his gaze over them, then with a single nod, turned and padded into the trees. At last! Lionpaw scrambled to follow his mentor through the trees, slipping between the shadowy trunks, bracken scraping his pelt. Hi ears twitched with anticipation as the trees thinned and a clearing opened up ahead.
There were cats everywhere! Lionpaw had never seen so many different shades of pelts. Some were lithe, some broad-shouldered. Most seemed much bigger than him. There were more cats here than Lionpaw had imagined could even live around the lake, and these were just a few from each Clan! At the far edge of the clearing, with the lake behind it sparkling distantly through the leaf-bare forest, he saw the Great Oak, the center of every Gathering.
"Slow down, Lionpaw," Hollypaw panted springing from the trees behind him. "Jaypaw got cold paws right before entering- he was scared to meet the rest of the Clans."
"Was not," Jaypaw huffed, picking is way through after his sister. "I was just planning my entrance."
Lionpaw stared at a RiverClan tom, his pelt so sleek that it shone in the moonlight as he flexed his well-muscled shoulders. Imagine meeting him in battle! I'm going to train twice as hard from now on."
"We just got here, Lionpaw!" Hollypaw scolded. "How can the first thing you think about be fighting at a time of peace. You should be trying to workout whether he thinks like a ThunderClan warrior." Her eyes narrowed. "If you know how your enemy thinks, then you have already won half the battle."
Lionpaw glanced sideways at his sister. Where did she come up with this stuff? Here he was, wondering if he could match any of these cats in a fight, and she was already working out battle strategies like she was Clan leader.
But Jaypaw wasn't at all impressed. "You leave all the fancy fighting talk to us, Hollypaw, and focus on finding the other herb-cats. I'm sure they are around here somewhere. Besides, medicine cats don't have enemies except for diseases and torn claws."
Hollypaw's eyes lit up and she opened her mouth to make a witty reply, but thought better about it and closed it again.
Mousepaw had been standing behind the younger apprentices, listening to their conversation. His eyes twinkled. "If you want to pick a fight with anybody, might I suggest starting with the apprentices from the other Clans first?" He dipped his head towards a group of smaller RiverClan cats. "The warriors from the other Clans aren't dangerous or anything, but they won't be pleased to have some young apprentices pestering them."
"When you say 'fight' the other cats, you meant 'talk to,' right?" Jaypaw inquired.
"Of course that's what he means," Hollypaw snorted. "It's a truce tonight, mouse-brain."
"We can really just walk up and talk with them?" Jaypaw's fur lifted slightly, his blind gaze darting in the direction of the RiverClan apprentices.
Lionpaw understood his brother's nervousness. Jaypaw didn't want all the other Clans to make fun of his blindness.
"Sure thing. Just don't give too much information away," Hazelpaw warned. "Some of the warriors might try to take advantage of your inexperience to weasel out some secrets about the Clan that they could use against us."
"Did you spill any secrets at your first Gathering, Mousepaw?" Hollypaw asked.
"Of course not!" Mousepaw sniffed.
"Yeah, right!" Berrypaw interjected sarcastically. "If I hadn't clamped my tail over your mouth, you would have told Russetfur that Firestar was about to give up the land by the River before Firestar had a chance to announce it himself."
"But she's the ShadowClan deputy!" Mousepaw argued. "I couldn't just ignore her."
"You didn't have to tell her your Clan's whole history either," Berrypaw countered, his whiskers twitching.
"Well," Hollypaw mewed suddenly. "I'm going to take Jaypaw's advice and look for the other medicine cats. Leafpool will probably want to introduce me to the others herself." She headed off in the direction of the rest of the ThudnerClan cats. "I'll catch you later Lionpaw, Jaypaw."
"I'm going to talk with Harepaw," Berrypaw announced.
"I'm coming too," Hazelpaw mewed.
Ughh, in Erin's version, Jaypaw doesn't get to go to his first gathering until Dark River(page 13)...