CHAPTER 1

Reeds swayed to the side as the gray tabby apprentice moved around a set of rocks beside of the stream, her ears pricked forward and jaws hanging open to find any signs of an intrusion. The heat of the sun mixing in with the thick humidity was making it difficult to track any scents down. All around her, there were slight shifts in the grass, though she couldn't quite pick up who or what was near her.

Suddenly she picked up her head and looked over her shoulder. Something moved just a little ways away from her tail. The tall, unkempt grasses made it seem as if anything would jump out at her at any given moment. Just then a noise resembling a battle yowl met the she-cat's ears.

The young cat abruptly found herself being barreled over by a much heavier force. "Ah!" she hissed, twisting her body around to get a better look at her attacker. A large ginger-and-white warrior was crouched in a fighting position just a fox-length away.

The tomcat's eyes were as bright as embers. His paws were stretched so far out on the rocky ground that the webs in between them were showing. She had seen this warrior before. He was fierce and strong in battle.

He dashed forward, aiming to run her over once more. But the tabby she-cat wouldn't have that. Just as he leaped into the air, she slid under him and raked her paw down his belly.

However, he landed on his feet with a thud. He whipped around, eyes wild. "I will kill you for that!" he snarled, spit bubbling at the corners of his mouth.

"Try me," she growled in reply, her tail lashing dangerously.

The warrior stood on his hindpaws and came down right on top of the apprentice. But she wouldn't let him take her down! She twisted beneath him, her paws skimming the massive shoulders he carried.

Finally, she shoved him off and tackled him to the ground. She forced him onto his belly, stood over him, and lowered her muzzle to his neck. If she were to bite hard enough, he would die instantly.

But that did not happen. She climbed off of the warrior and said, "How was that?"

"You did well today, Covepaw. I'm proud of how much progress you're making." said the warrior. He stood up and began to groom his shoulders. "But you need to work on listening to your surroundings and tasting the scents around you. If I were a bad cat looking for a kill, I'd have you down in no time and it would be caused by your lack of paying attention."

Covepaw dipped her head, understanding that it was her fault she had messed up in the beginning. She promised herself she wouldn't let it happen again. "Okay, Newtwhisker."

"You furball, let's go back to camp. Maybe the others will be there already." the warrior meowed. "And perhaps Honeystar will have figured out who she wants to take with her to the Gathering." His mew sounded suggestive. Covepaw's heart felt light; she hoped she had been chosen! If so, this coming Gathering would be her first. Her brother, Redpaw, had gone with the small group last time.

"I hope I get to go," Covepaw blurted out.

"You're the only apprentice who hasn't gone yet. Maybe you'll get lucky today. Honeystar always makes sure the apprentices get to go at least once." meowed Newtwhisker.

The she-cat felt even more hopeful now. And she wished to make friends with the other apprentices from WindClan, ShadowClan, and ThunderClan. Redpaw said he had made really good pals with a silver-tabby tom named Tumblepaw from ThunderClan. And perhaps there would be another she-cat there she could talk to since she was constantly surrounded by toms in the apprentices' den.

They made it back to camp where the other cats were shuffling about busily. The sky was an orange color; night would be falling soon. The fresh-kill pile seemed full today, which Covepaw was thankful for. That meant that everybody would have a good meal the following few days.

Newtwhisker padded off to join his mate, a tortoiseshell queen named Tallflower, who was settled outside of the nursery, her belly round with unborn kits. There were two more litters due at any given day. Soon, RiverClan would be thriving with new warriors.

"Hey, Covepaw!" shouted a familiar voice.

A reddish-brown cat approached her, his eyes flickering happily.

"Hello, Redpaw." Covepaw meowed. She butted heads with her littermate in greeting. "How did you do in your assessment?"

The tomcat licked his chest fur in embarrassment. "I could've done better. I missed Halfthorn's body when I hopped over him and skidded across the clearing, but before I could stop, I got myself stuck in the roots of a tree. Can you believe that? Deerpaw and Scurrypaw will never let me hear the end of that, I'm sure. It took two warriors to pull me out."

Covepaw purred in amusement at her brother's story. He was a rather large and tall cat, so it actually wasn't a surprise to her that he had gotten stuck.

"Anyways," he continued, "how did you do? I know Newtwhisker likes to do private lessons with his apprentices until they're older. Is working alone beneficial?"

"Yes," she replied. "And I think I'm doing well. Though I do need to pay attention to my surroundings better. But my fighting skills are becoming more decent than in the beginning. Next up is hunting."

"Whoa, slow down. You're only seven moons old. No need to rush into anything like you're an actual warrior." Redpaw said.

"I guess. It's just exciting, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it," Redpaw said. "Oh, look, I think Honeystar is going to announce who's going to the Gathering!" He gestured towards the golden-furred leader with his nose.

Bubbling with excitement, Covepaw raced over to where a small crowd of cats had gathered. Redpaw was behind her. She stopped still beside of the brown tabby Cedarstorm, ears pricked forward so that she could listen to her leader better.

"I've chosen who will go to the Gathering tomorrow night," spoke Honeystar. Her white-tipped tail was lifted high into the air and her eyes were like moons. "Featherpool and Downypaw, Brighteyes, Raventail, Flintface and Whitepaw, and Newtwhisker and Covepaw."

A feeling of giddiness exploded within the apprentice. Her very first Gathering was tomorrow! She dipped her head at her leader, a purr rising in her throat.

She felt Redpaw nudge her. "Congratulations! You'll find the Gathering to be very cool! And you can see just how distinct the other Clans are from us." he meowed. "Oh. . . .but you have to go with Whitepaw."

He looked towards the large, snow-furred apprentice who had just recently began following Covepaw around like a kitten. Her whiskers twitched. He was a good apprentice, but she didn't want his affection and always found herself rejecting anything that Whitepaw would ask of her or attempt to give her.

"I'm sure he won't be a bother." she said.

"If you say so." Redpaw replied.

They walked away from the group of warriors and made their way towards the apprentices' den. It was getting dark out. A coat of stars had already begun to dot the sky. A warm breeze swept in, causing a low, gentle noise to come from the forest.

Covepaw padded inside of the den, sliding over one of the other cats. She plopped down into her nest, curled her tail around her, then stuck her nose under it.

Beside of her, Redpaw stretched out.

She was so worn out from today's training that she was almost snoozing immediately. But it was the soft snores of her denmates that ultimately lulled her asleep.