Cragpaw shivered. Newleaf is taking its time, he thought.
Stars reflected off the water of the lake, with the full moon floating steadily above the gentle waves washing the shore. The rhythm soothed Cragpaw. He didn't mind the water, very much unlike most of his Thunderclan brethren. Fuzzypaw always teased him about that.
"Cragpaw, keep up!" Spottedfire had stopped and the rest of the patrol had passed them. Her thick ginger fur bristled slightly, the white spots blending together.
"At this pace, Thunderclan won't make it to the next Gathering," she growled.
"Sorry, I'm coming!" he mewed, hastily increasing his pace. Spottedfire snorted and trotted ahead. Cragpaw stifled his hurt. He couldn't blame his mentor for her short temper. The night was cold, reminding Cragpaw that Newleaf had just started. Yet this was balmy weather compared to the Leafbare his clan had just endured. Many cats had been lost to those icy moons...moons so cold that the lake had frozen over. Earlier that day he'd listened as the elders muttered that Thunderclan had never had so few warriors before.
Are you watching over us now, Ripplepelt? Cragpaw asked the stars, remembering his mother's soft scent. She'd died to the cold a few moons ago. Many others had died, including Spottedfire's sisters, but Thunderclan wasn't the only Clan that had suffered.
Cragpaw looked around at his fellow clan mates. The group was small for a Gathering. Stormstar padded at the front with Icetalon, her deputy. Not far behind them were Runningheart and Stumpytail. Dawnsayer, the Clan medicine cat, was wandering dangerously far from the lakeshore, clearly lost in her own thoughts. Spottedfire was keeping an eye on her a few tail-lengths away. Mousepaw was keeping close to her mentor, Bramblenose. Cragpaw quickened his pace until he was walking beside the apprentice.
"Are you nervous?" he asked her.
"What if I annoy some Shadowclan cats or Marshstar or something?" she fretted. "Who's worse, Marshstar or Willowstar?"
Mousepaw was the newest apprentice, and she was as timid as a rabbit. "I'll have to think about that one," Cragpaw teased. Mousepaw's eyes widened.
Beside her, Bramblenose let out an amused purr. "Just don't step on anyone's tails and you'll be fine." He flicked his tail against her shoulder, but Mousepaw didn't look too reassured.
They walked in wary silence as they crossed into Windclan territory. Things had been tense between the clans. With so little food to go around, and so many herbs lost to the chill, Windclan and Shadowclan had been pushing Thunderclan's borders. It was better now that Leafbare had receded, but Cragpaw and the rest of his Clan mates were tense, senses alert for any aggressive Windclan warriors.
As they approached the island, Stormstar stopped and turned to address her clan.
"Where's the tree bridge?" Mousepaw whispered to Cragpaw. This was her first Gathering.
"We're not there yet," he hissed back. Stormstar began to speak.
"We all know how hard it's been the past few moons for all the Clans. They were hostile and desperate—and probably still are. The only reason why we had so few disputes was because no cat wanted to risk a fight." she paused to let this sink in. "Although we are recovering, Thunderclan are not fit for battle quite yet. Unfortunately I can't say the same for the other Clans. I want all of you to prove that Thunderclan is strong again by expressing confidence and power. This doesn't mean you can act like a nest of foxes however." She fixed her steely green gaze on her warriors. "I don't want any hostility from Thunderclan tonight. I don't want a fight!"
Mousepaw stirred uneasily before speaking up. "But we're not allowed to battle at Gatherings anyway," she meowed timidly.
"In times like this you must be prepared for the worst," Stormstar replied gravely. "Now come, I don't want to be late." With that, she turned and trotted briskly on.
By the time they arrived at the tree bridge, Windclan was crossing. Cragpaw almost couldn't recognize them. Every rib showed beneath their pelts. Their eyes were weary, and their fur messy. Despite their condition, the Windclan leader, Marshstar, held his head high, every bit the proud tom he was.
Stormstar followed his example, leading her clan confidently across the bridge. Mousepaw watched nervously as her Clan mates crossed.
"How do they do that so easily?" She squeaked.
"Don't worry, its not as hard as it looks." Bramblenose pushed his apprentice forward. "I'll be right behind you."
"Just do what I do," Cragpaw meowed as he leaped on the withered bark, weaving expertly through the spindly branches, knowing the best parts to place his paws. Mousepaw followed reluctantly. She made a few yips whenever she lost her footing, but Bramblenose steadied her each time. When she eventually jumped down onto the pebbly shore, Cragpaw couldn't help purring proudly. Mousepaw beamed.
"We better hurry if we want to listen to what the leaders have to say," urged Cragpaw.
"Remember to take it easy around the other Clans," Bramblenose warned. His usual cheerful demeanour was guarded. "We don't know how they'll act tonight."
The two apprentices nodded in agreement and stalked slowly into the clearing, surprised at what they found there. "I thought there would be more cats than this," murmured Mousepaw.
"There should be," Cragpaw said quietly. The clearing looked unusually empty. The separate Clans were keeping to themselves, clustered in their own small, private groups. Shadowclan gathered under an overhanging of trees. Riverclan were seated closer to the giant tree where the leaders made their announcements. Cragpaw recognized Oakpaw, a Riverclan apprentice he had met at the previous Gathering, seated beside a small grey-and-white she-cat Cragpaw didn't recognize. In Windclan's group, he spotted Harepaw, who appeared even shakier than Mousepaw.
"Where should we sit?" asked Mousepaw herself.
"I think it would be best if we sat with our own Clan tonight," he meowed, glancing warily at the hostile groups. Mousepaw looked relieved at this news. The rest of Thunderclan arrived at the same conclusion and settled a few rabbit hops from Riverclan's group, the Clan with which they'd had the least quarrels.
"This isn't right," Stumpytail growled, his short tail twitching in agitation. "This is a truce, not a glaring contest."
"What do you expect?" Bramblenose meowed. "No one's willing to expose any weakness."
"And hunger is stronger than friendship," Runningheart put in.
The only cats brave enough to mingle were the medicine cats. Dawnsayer approached them confidently, mewing a cheerful greeting. The four cats settled at the base a tall tree. The grey-and-white apprentice who'd been sitting beside Oakpaw earlier stood and began to make her way over to them. But one of the medicine cats, who shared the same coloured pelt with her, flicked his tail, sending her back to her Clan mates.
Above them on the Great Tree, Littlestar stepped forward gingerly on one of the branches. "I have decided that Shadowclan will begin," he called. The clearing grew silent. Littlestar's ice blue gaze penetrated each warrior and apprentice alike.
"We don't have much to report," he declared. "But I can easily say that Shadowclan is stronger than ever, and we will be guarding our borders well." His ginger pelt rippled at the unspoken warning. Cragpaw tensed. It looked like Shadowclan had trouble brewing, as usual. "We have two new apprentices. I would like to welcome Eaglepaw and Roguepaw as Shadowclan's newest members to the warrior code."
Shadowclan cheered loudly for the pair. Cragpaw went up on his back paws, craning his neck to get a better look at the two apprentices. They sat side by side, and they couldn't look more different. One had sharp golden eyes. His pelt was light brown except for his white tipped tail and paws. The young tom sat proudly with his head held high.
The second tom had a red-brown pelt with golden smudges. One ear was chipped and he had dark amber eyes that gazed around the clearing expressionlessly. Cragpaw noticed that some of Shadowclan refused to cheer, glaring at the new apprentice with varying expressions of unease and hostility.
"So that's the loner kit Froststar spoke of last season," Bramblenose murmured.
"What, he's not a Shadowclan cat?" asked Cragpaw, startled. Bramblenose shook his head.
"They supposedly found him in the marshes near Horseplace," Runningheart meowed. Cragpaw glanced at the apprentice again. They don't trust him! His own Clan mates!
"That is all we have to report," Littlestar concluded.
Willowstar, a recent leader of Riverclan, stepped forward from a lower branch. Two moons ago, Darkstar of Riverclan lost his final life to Greencough. Willowstar was a young she-cat, and her silver tabby pelt bristled slightly with a nervousness only a cat looking closely could see. At first her voice wobbled, then grew more confident.
"Riverclan also welcomes a new apprentice. Shellpaw is in training to be a medicine cat."
That must be who I saw with Oakpaw, Cragpaw thought as he cheered her name.
"Since the last gathering, Troutbelly retired to the elders den after two admirable moons as our deputy," Willowstar continued. "Our new deputy is Shepherdheart—" before she could finish, the clearing erupted into shocked hisses.
"Wasn't Shepherdheart a loner before he joined Riverclan?" Runningheart meowed above the noise.
"Shepherdheart is a fine warrior," Spottedfire retorted. "Loyal and hardworking. An honest cat as well."
"But its strange for Willowstar to make such a decision," Stumpytail meowed. Cragpaw glanced at the newly named deputy, who was sitting stiffly with Icetalon and the other deputies. His eyes flashed with defiance, and Cragpaw couldn't help admiring his spirit.
"Now that the river is running again the fish are swimming into our paws," Willowstar meowed happily, seemingly oblivious to the restless murmurings below.
She stepped back, signalling for Stormstar to begin.
"Thunderclan also presents a new apprentice," she began. "Mousepaw is here tonight." She paused, patiently giving the Clans time to welcome Mousepaw. Cragpaw watched as the apprentice dipped her head in shy pleasure.
"Finally," Cragpaw heard some cat growl. "For a moment I thought we were going to be overrun by loners and rogues."
Cragpaw glanced around, trying to locate the tom who'd spoken, but the rest of Stormstar's speech distracted him.
"Besides that I have nothing else to report except that Thunderclan are also strong and able to defend our borders."
"I bet a moon of dawn patrols that Windclan is strong too," Cragpaw whispered into Mousepaw's ear. She purred in amusement.
Slowly, on the highest branch, Marshstar stalked forward. His amber eyes searched the clearing as if looking for an unseen enemy. The Gathering was silent for many heartbeats.
Finally he said, "We have a new warrior. Harepelt."
Windclan did not cheer and the halfhearted cries from the other Clans died out uneasily.
Something's not right, thought Cragpaw.
"I would also like to share some disturbing news about one of the Clans that share our forest," Marshstar went on. "One specific Clan that consists of a pack of murderers!" he finished his words in a yowl, watching as the clearing erupted into shocked protests.
"And what Clan is responsible for such an act?" demanded Shoalblaze, a large dark Riverclan warrior with white streaks. All the cats looked to Marshstar. The Windclan leader dug his claws into the bark of the tree, his hackles raised.
"Thunderclan!" He spat.
ALLEGIANCES: THUNDERCLAN
Leader: Stormstar—White she-cat with silver markings and green eyes
Deputy: Icetalon—black she-cat with white front paws and a scar along her muzzle
Medicine Cat: Dawnsayer—very light ginger she-cat with white markings on her face and amber eyes
Warriors: (toms and she-cats without kits)
Bramblenose—Light gray tom with black stripes and twin scars on
his nose, brother of Stormstar
Apprentice, Mousepaw
Rainshine—light silver she-cat with dappled, darker markings and
blue eyes
Tawnystorm—red tabby tom with a white muzzle, chest, stomach
and paws
Apprentice, Fuzzypaw
Spottedfire—Thick-furred ginger she-cat with white spots
Apprentice, Cragpaw
Wildpath—black, glossy she-cat with amber eyes
Tigerfur—large, dark brown tabby tom with a torn ear and tail
Stumpytail—plump, brown tom with blue eyes and a short tail,
brother of Tigerfur
Shardfoot—skinny white tom with sooty gray feet and eyes
Runningheart—tortoise-shell-and-white tom with green eyes
Apprentices: (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)
Mousepaw—small, gray-brown she-cat with a thin tail
Fuzzypaw—long haired she-cat with dappled, cream coloured fur
Cragpaw—dark gray tom with a white chest and tail, has green
eyes
Queens: (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)
Treeshade—sturdy, brown she-cat with black flecks, a black stripe
from the top of her head to the tip of her tail, black paws, green eyes,
mate of Stumpytail, mother of Bristlekit and Rosekit
Kits: (less than six moons old, living in the nursery)
Bristlekit—brown tom with short, spiked fur and blue eyes
Rosekit—small, cream coloured she-cat with a brown drop on her head and
green eyes
Elders: (Former warriors and queens now retired)
Padfoot—dark-streaked golden she-cat with white rings around her paws
Sharpclaw—large, battle-scarred black and white tom with blue eyes
Descendants of known Clan cats from the Great Journey
Tawnystorm, Wildpath, Shardfoot, Cragpaw, Stormstar, Treeshade