Yay! First chapter!

So, chapter one is, of course..

The Gathering!

Enjoy!

(Note: AC stands for 'alive cats' and DC stands for 'dead cats')

~AC POV~

In the middle of a small but dense forest, a clearing bathed in the pale, shimmering moonlight. At the very edge of the clearing, there was a vast lake, silver under the pearly light of the stars. Near the bank of this lake, there were three rocks, facing towards the rest of the clearing. Thundering paws echoed in the distance, and then a small group of cats entered the clearing, talking and laughing amongst each other.

A pale grey she-cat led the group, followed closely by a dark brown tom and a white she-cat, whom, though she trotted on only three paws, she moved swiftly, limping and skipping along behind the other she-cat. Behind them were five fully grown cats, and following them was an uncomfortable-looking young black tom. They stopped in the middle of the clearing, not far from the lake. The pale grey she-cat stood a few pawsteps away from the group, looking slightly grumpy.

"They're not here yet," she complained to the dark brown tom.

"They will be here soon, Cloudystar," the tom promised. Cloudystar simply frowned at him and started pacing the bank of the lake. Merely seconds later the bushes rustled loudly and a white and pale grey she-cat trotted out of them, followed by a mottled black she-cat with dark eyes. After them came a group of four fully-grown cats, then two, younger cats, a grey she-cat and a dark brown tom.

Immediately, the young black tom from the other group relaxed visibly and trotted over to them. The trio started to meow and converse excitedly. The white and grey she-cat trotted over to Cloudystar, and both greeted each other warmly.

"Thunderstar's late again?" asked the white and grey she-cat with a frown. Cloudystar sighed. "Again. How many times has this happened?" Both she-cats grimaced in frustration. "So many times I've stopped counting," muttered the white and grey she-cat.

The dark brown tom padded over to them. He bowed his head at the white and grey she-cat respectfully.
"Hello, Shellstar. Where is Blueclaw today?"

Shellstar sighed, worry clouding her green eyes.
"Blueclaw is currently ill with greencough. Blackripple, however, assures me that it's nothing serious, Briarclaw."

Briarclaw frowned slightly. "Could you give her my best wishes?"

Shellstar nodded solemnly. "Of course, Briarclaw."

At that moment, the bushes started to rustle again, and this time a large, muscular black tom trotted out, his small, orange eyes darting from cat to cat. After him scurried a pretty white she-cat with pale ginger spots, and following her was a small brown tom with hazel-coloured eyes. After them came four other cats, and two younger cats, a black tom with grey swirls on his pelt, and a lithe tortoiseshell with deep green eyes. As soon as they entered the clearing, the group scattered, running over to their acquantices and friends; at least, some of them did. A complacent white she-cat with a black and white spotted tail was soon swallowed up by a large group of friends, while a shy, lithe black tabby she-cat with violet eyes stood alone, looking around nervously.

Thunderstar, not bothering to wait for his fellow leaders, jumped onto one of the flat rocks with unusual grace for his build, and yowled for silence. Exchanging exasperated looks, the two she-cats followed his lead, until all three of them were facing the large crowd.

Thunderstar stepped forward, completely ignoring Shellstar and Cloudystar, and started to speak,
"RabbitClan is thriving!" he boomed, "Dawneyes has been made a warrior, and we have two new apprentices. Smokepaw, a medicine cat apprentice, and Mosspaw, his sister, who has decided to become a warrior apprentice."

"DAWNEYES! SMOKEPAW! MOSSPAW! DAWNEYES! SMOKEPAW! MOSSPAW!"
The crowd cheered enthusiastically. A dark tortoiseshell cat with unusually-coloured eyes was smiling sheepishly as the Clans cheered her name, while though Smokepaw and Mosspaw were siblings, their reactions were very different. Mosspaw was sitting upright, beaming at the crowd and absorbing the praise like the ground absorbs water, while her brother cowered away, trying to make himself as small as possible.

Once the cheer had died away, Thunderstar yowled again, his voice as loud as his namesake.
"Our camp was attacked by a fox just two sunrises ago, but we chased it into MouseClan territory easily."

A rumble of irritation passed through the crowd, and Thunderstar glared at them ferociously. Shellstar was getting ready to speak when a ginger tabby she-cat from her own Clan spoke up, "Fox-hearted rabbits! Why did you have to chase it into our territory?!"

Yowls of agreement and indignation broke out at this, and soon cats were clawing at each other, ferocity and disgust flashing through every pair of eyes.

~DC POV~

"Oh, flip! Hey, Dust? Come here!"
A dusty-brown tom emerged from behind a tree and trotted over to where a white she-cat was sitting. He stood next to her, and meowed in a weary tone, "What is it, Snow? Hurt yourself?"

Snowriver shook her head impatiently and nodded towards the hole in the tree she was facing. Dustnose leaned forward and peered out of the hole.

The sight, was incredible. Through the hole, Dustnose could see a dense forest. The hole was facing a moonlit clearing in the middle of the forest. Looking closer, Dustnose could see that the Clan-cats were fighting.
"Wow! I've never seen this happen before. I'm guessing it's Gathering night again?"

Snowriver sighed. "Of course it is! Now, help me control the clouds! I'm absolutely no good at that."
He grinned and shut his eyes tight, imagining the beautiful, silvery full moon, surrounded by glowing stars. He searched the sky in his mind's eye, until finally, he came across a small, pale grey cloud. With Dustnose and Snowriver both focusing hard, the small, fluffy cloud drifted across the many stars and stopped right next to the moon.

"Nice job, Snow. Now, let's see if they've stopped fighting yet."

~AC POV~

Cloudystar's heart was beating hard against her chest as she stopped yet again to pull breath. She, Shellstar, Briarclaw and the medicine cats were the only ones not fighting, and they were trying hard to break it up. Cloudystar glanced at the night's sky, and gasped.

A pale grey cloud was floating across the sky, close to the moon.
If anything was going to stop this fighting, they all knew StarClan would.

Cloudystar jumped into the middle of the fighting, tearing a dark brown apprentice off a larger warrior as she went. Heaving a breath, she yowled,
"StarClan has pulled a cloud over the moon!"

Silence fell on the clearing like a branch falling from a tree; suddenly and quickly. Every cat's eyes were on the cloud next to the full moon. But, to everyone's relief, the cloud floated gracefully back to it's original place.

"Shellstar, I believe it's your turn to speak."


Note: This was a practicing chapter. I'm not really accustomed to the style I'm writing in.