Hey guys, if you have any good suggestions for warrior names for any of the apprentices, let me know! Thanks! And please review!

Chapter 2

Featherpaw woke up to see a brown paw prodding her side. She looked up to see Thornpaw standing over her.

She got up to her paws and shook moss from her fur. "What?" she grumbled.

"Smoketail told me to wake you up," Thornpaw explained. "I think he wants to take you hunting or something."

Featherpaw yawned and nodded, "Thanks."

When she stepped out the den, her heart leaped. She was an apprentice now! She purred at the comforting bustle of the camp and headed toward Smoketail, who was eating by the fresh-kill pile. Birdwing was beside him. "Good morning, Smoketail." Then she said, "Hi, Birdwing."

The grey tabby tom mewed, "It's about time you were up, Featherpaw. Get something to eat, then we'll train."

Birdwing, a brown and ginger she-cat, mewed, "How do you like being an apprentice, Featherpaw?"

Featherpaw purred as she took a bite out of a rabbit. "It's great! Smoketail gave me a tour of the territory last night!" Her silver-white tail tip twitched happily.

Birdwing purred, and her eyes grew dreamy. "I remember when I first got my apprentice name. Sunlight was my mentor then, when she was a lot stronger and younger."

Featherpaw thought about Sunlight. She was an elder now, and rarely left the elders den. Her whiskers twitched at the thought of her teaching Birdwing how to hunt. She quickly finished eating and licked her lips. "Let's go, Smoketail!" she mewed, hopping up and down. "What are we doing first?"

"Well, I thought maybe we can go hunting," Smoketail mewed.

"Okay!" Featherpaw pranced toward the tunnel, and Smoketail followed, purring.

First, they went to the grassy clearing to practice hunting crouches.

"I think I can do it now," Featherpaw mewed. She stepped lightly on her paws, her haunches raised slightly, but her tail straight.

"Good. Now let's go to the Sky Oak and see if we can catch anything," Smoketail mewed. He led the way.

When they got to the Sky Oak, they hid in some brambles and waited. Soon, a mouse scurried out of hiding and gathered some seeds that were scattered on the ground. Smoketail drew closer, his eyes fixed on the prey. Featherpaw watched carefully. The mouse looked up and froze, then went back to collecting seeds. Smoketail bunched his hind legs underneath him and leaped. The mouse began to scramble away, but Smoketail was quicker. He landed on the mouse and bit it. He held it up proudly and mewed, "Your turn."

Featherpaw slipped in hiding behind a clump of ferns and waited. Soon, another brown mouse came by. She crept closer as it chewed on a stalk of grass, but then, her tail hit a bush and made a rustling noise. She hissed as the mouse squeaked with fear and raced away.

"It's okay, you'll get it next time," Smoketail said, touching Featherpaw's ear with his nose.

Featherpaw sighed. "You're right."

"Let's try hunting by the stream that marks the RiverClan border," Smoketail suggested.

Featherpaw padded after him, hopeful.

When they got to the stream, Featherpaw chose to hide behind some brambles. Smoketail hid behind a tree.

She sniffed the air and caught sight of a vole scurrying near the waterside. She crept closer, darting from bush to bush, until she was a tail-length away. Finally, she leaped, and killed the small creature with a swift bite.

"You did it!" Smoketail mewed.

Featherpaw purred. "I guess I did."

"All right, you can bury that here. Let's see if we can catch anything else."

oOo

The two cats returned to camp with plentiful of fresh-kill in their jaws. Featherpaw proudly padded over to the fresh-kill pile and dropped her catches on it. Smoketail did the same.

"You did very good today, Featherpaw," Smoketail commended. "And now there is more than plenty fresh-kill for everyone in ThunderClan."

Featherpaw purred. "Thank you, Smoketail."

"Well, I think that's enough training for today, we were out hunting all day. Go ahead, rest, and play. Tomorrow, I think we should work on battle training."

Featherpaw purred enthusastically. "Okay! Thanks!" She glanced around camp, and caught sight of Leafdapple and Ashenfur grooming each other near the warriors den.

"Hi!" she mewed as she raced over. "We went hunting today, and look at all the fresh-kill that I caught!"

Her parents purred. "Great job, Featherpaw," Ashenfur mewed. Leafdapple sighed happily. "Featherpaw, you're doing wonderfully. Keep it up, and you'll be a great warrior."

"Like me!" Ashenfur added jokingly.

Featherpaw purred. "Well, I'll be around camp if you need me."

She bounded toward the apprentices den, where Whitepaw came out, yawning. "Hi, Featherpaw," she meowed.

"Hi, Whitepaw. What did you and Silverstorm do today?"

"Oh, just some battle training and some hunting," Whitepaw answered. "I'm going to take some fresh-kill to Sunlight and Mosspelt. Want to help?"

"Sure," Featherpaw mewed.

The two apprentices walked over to the fresh-kill pile together.

"You take something to Mosspelt, and I'll take something to Sunlight," Whitepaw instructed.

Featherpaw picked a plump rabbit for Mosspelt and headed toward the medicine cats den. Mosspelt was inside with Thornpaw.

"Hi, Mosspelt," Featherpaw mewed. "I brought some fresh-kill for you."

"Thanks, Featherpaw. I was just treating Thornpaw. He got stuck in a thorn bush."

Featherpaw purred and teased, "You've finally lived up to your name, Thornpaw."

Thornpaw hissed and mewed weakly, "Hey! I'm in enough pain here!"

"Could you help me?" Mosspelt mewed. "He has quite a few thorns stuck in his fur, and it's not so easy working without a medicine cat apprentice."

Featherpaw nodded.

"Just grab a thorn gently, and softly yank it out. Then rub some of this on the scratches." Mosspelt pointed her tail to a sticky, crushed herb juice.

Featherpaw nodded. She took a thorn that was on Thornpaw's face and yanked it out. She licked the spot to soften the pain and rubbed the herbs on it. Thornpaw seemed to like it as she rasped her small, pink tongue over his cheek.

Mosspelt gave the two apprentices a strange glance and pulled a thorn out of Thornpaw's leg.

Featherpaw yanked a thorn from his back, and another from the back of his neck. Every time Thornpaw winced with pain, she jumped back also. When she had pulled several more thorns from his pelt, she sat back, unable to do more.

"There," Mosspelt mewed softly as she pulled the last thorn from his fur. "You're all right."

"Thank you, Mosspelt," Thornpaw mewed as he left the medicine cat's den. He cast a quick glance at Featherpaw and hurried away.

Mosspelt purred. "It seems like a young tom has taken a sudden interest in you," she said playfully.

"What? Thornpaw?" Featherpaw asked, shocked.

Mosspelt didn't reply, instead, she bent over to take a bite out of the rabbit Featherpaw had brought her.

"Do you like being a medicine cat?" Featherpaw asked quietly.

Mosspelt looked up at her with surprise, then her green eyes softened. "Well, yes, I can help sick cats feel better."

"But, aren't there some parts of your duties you don't like?" Featherpaw asked.

Mosspelt nodded. "Well, I can't join warriors on patrols or hunts or such. And I'm usually cooped up in my den." After a short pause, she added, "And you can't have a mate or kits."

"Oh," Featherpaw mewed.

Mosspelt finished eating and stood up. "Well, I need to go out in the forest and look for some herbs. I'll see you later, Featherpaw."

Featherpaw nodded and watched Mosspelt leave. After a moment, she went to the apprentices den to take a nap. Thornpaw was inside. She thought he was asleep, so she crept past him quietly.

She jumped in surprise when he got up. "Sorry, you just scared me," she said.

Thornpaw purred. "No, I'm sorry. Um, thanks for helping get some of the thorns out of my pelt."

Featherpaw purred and replied, "No problem, it wasn't too hard."

Thornpaw purred again, and said awkwardly, "Um, I'm going to, uh, I have to do something. Bye."

"Bye."

He started to leave, then returned and gave Featherpaw a lick on the nose, then he was gone.

Featherpaw stood there for a moment, numb, then she settled down in the soft moss and closed her eyes.

oOo

The ThunderClan cats gathered under the Highrock as Lionstar yowled a Clan meeting.

"Tongith is the Gathering," Lionstar mewed. "And I have observed most of the cats, and I have decided who will go." He swept a friendly gaze at the cats, then said, "Smoketail, Silverstorm, Ashenfur, Whitepaw, Thornpaw, Mosspelt, Featherpaw, and Shadowclaw. And of course, I will go as well."

Featherpaw purred. She would go to the Gathering tonight! She couldn't wait!

Smoketail walked over to her. "You did well in battle training today. So I want you to get something to eat, and take a nap so you'll be fully rested for the Gathering."

Featherpaw purred her thanks and rushed into the apprentices den to sleep.

The next thing she remembered, Whitepaw was prodding her side.

"Featherpaw, let's go! We're going to the Gathering!"

Featherpaw leaped to her paws. She and Whitepaw rushed to the tunnel, where the other cats waited. Lionstar stood in from of them, eager to leave like all the others.

"Bye, Featherpaw. Enjoy the Gathering," Leafdapple mewed, giving her daughter a lick.

Featherpaw purred.

Lionstar yowled, "Let's go!" and plunged into the forest.

It was a long trek to the Wood Grove, where the Gatherings were held. It was surrounded by two rows of tall trees. To one side was a large, jagged stump, and beside it lay the fallen tree. That was called the Highstump, where the leaders stood.

"Come on!" Whitepaw mewed. "I'll introduce you to some other apprentices."

Featherpaw followed her to a group of apprentices. She could scent RiverClan and WindClan.

"Hi, I want you to meet Featherpaw," Whitepaw mewed. Three apprentices were sitting in a clump.

"Hi," Featherpaw mewed timidly.

A grey and white she-cat mewed, "Hi, I'm Splashpaw of RiverClan." She twitched her ears to a black, grey, and white tom that sat beside her. "This is my brother."

"I'm Rainpaw," he said.

"And I'm Moonpaw of WindClan," said a cream-colored she-cat. Her coat was shining in the full moon.

"Hi," came a mew.

Featherpaw turned to see Thornpaw. "Oh, hi, Thornpaw."

"Hey, Thornpaw," the other cats meowed.

Featherpaw expected the two toms, Thornpaw and Rainpaw, to be staring at Moonpaw, whose coat looked radiant, but they were actually stealing glances at her.

Me? She thought. I'm just a plain silver cat, why would they look at me? She glanced at her own silver fur and saw that it was shimmering in the moonlight. She purred faintly.

She was broken from her thoughts when the leaders yowled from the Highstump. "Oh, we'd better go sit with our own Clans," she mewed.

She, Whitepaw, and Thornpaw raced over to the other ThunderClan cats. Featherpaw purred quietly when Thornpaw sat beside her, his pelt brushing hers slightly.

Whitepaw noticed and whispered to Featherpaw, "Ooh... It looks like Thornpaw has been struck with your beauty."

Featherpaw growled playfully and looked up at the leaders. Lionstar went first.

"All is well in ThunderClan. Green leaf provides plenty of prey, and we have a new apprentice. Featherpaw."

Featherpaw stood up for a brief moment and purred proudly. She glanced down and saw Thornpaw staring at her.

Lionstar didn't mention anything about ShadowClan trespassing on ThunderClan territory. "That is all." He stepped back to let Clawstar, the leader of WindClan, to speak.

He was an old grey tom with dull blue eyes. "All in WindClan is fine," he rasped before stepping back.

A light ginger tomcat stepped forward. He was Larkstar, of RiverClan. "All is well in RiverClan. Fish and prey is plentiful as well for us. We, too, have two new apprentices. Rainpaw and Splashpaw." The two apprentices stood up. Featherpaw purred, proud for her new friends.

Next to speak was Blackstar, leader of ShadowClan. "We have plenty of prey and our apprentices are training well," he said quickly.

Whitepaw snorted and whispered, "Oh, really, then how did a lost apprentice stray into ThunderClan territory?"

"The Gathering is now over!" Lionstar yowled. He leaped down from the Highstump.

Thanks for reading! Please review! And let me know if you have any good warrior names for the apprentices (even the kits, cause I have to name them too, you know). Thanks!