"Wake up, Owlpaw," Oakpaw gently mewed, prodding his sister in the side. "Ashstar's called a meeting, she's going to tell us who's going to the Gathering."

Owlpaw blinked open her eyes and stared up at her brother, befuddled. "What?" She mewed weakly.

"I said that Ashstar is going to tell us who is going to the Gathering," Oakpaw repeated, trying not to be impatient. "And you slept in all day. Get up."

Owlpaw nodded and tried to steady herself on her paws. The early morning was getting to her- she wasn't used to getting up this early. When she was a kittypet, she slept as long as she pleased. Perhaps this was the reason that she had slept until sundown.

But now I'm a warrior apprentice, and my first duty is to my Clan, Molly reminded herself. Not to myself.

She heaved herself to her paws, facing her brother. "Wait a second," She mewed, confused. "How do you know about the Gathering?"

Oakpaw stopped in his tracks. "You mean that I know something about the Clan that you don't know?" He asked, surprised.

Owlpaw didn't say anything.

"Ha, it's true!" He realized. "I do know something about the Clan that you don't! Awesome!" He said excitedly.

"Okay, enough," Owlpaw growled.

"Well still, you were told everything by Runningshadow when he first met you, and I still know more than you!" Oakpaw was astounded at his knowledge. "I'm training pretty well."

"What does the Gathering have to do with training?" She asked, batting a paw at her brother's ear.

"Well, remember when your mentor took you on a tour of ThunderClan territory?" Asked Oakpaw, tipping his head to a side.

Owlpaw flattened her ears. "Um, actually, I…" she sighed. "Yes, I remember- I just…forgot," She mewed sheepishly. She was about to tell the truth- that she wasn't paying attention when Strikefoot was pointing out wherever they had Gatherings. She was too busy staring at Shadowpaw. What could she say, he wasn't a bad looking cat.

Oakpaw sighed. "Well, just go to the Highrock."

The two apprentices bounded towards the rock, Oakpaw excitedly explaining the Gathering to his sister.

Runningshadow, meanwhile, was anxiously waiting for all of the cats to gather under the Highrock. He hoped that he would be chosen to go, since it would be the first Gathering for him as a warrior.

Cloverpaw plopped down by her mentor. "Hey Runningshadow," she mewed perkily. "Are you excited for the Gathering? I hope I get to go!" She mewed, jumping up and down on her paws excitedly.

Runningshadow shrugged. "Sure," He simply responded.

Cloverpaw cocked her head. "Sure?" She asked. "That's all you have to say? This will be the first Gathering for you as a warrior!" She cried.

The light brown tom shook his head. "I dunno…"

Cloverpaw looked into Runningshadow's eyes, her emerald ones colliding with his blue ones. "Oh, you don't think you will be picked by Ashstar?" She asked.

Runningshadow tried to hide his anxiety. "Um…well…"

The tabby she-cat's whiskers twitched with amusement. "It's fine, Runningshadow. You'll be picked, I don't know why else Ashstar wouldn't! I mean, you just became a warrior, you have to go to this Gathering!"

Runningshadow smiled down at his apprentice. She always cheered him up in some way. "Thanks, Cloverpaw," He purred. "So do you think you'll be chosen?" He asked.

He flinched as he saw Cloverpaw's fur bristle. But it wasn't in anger- she was just nervous. "I hope so," She murmured. "I can't wait! I've never been to a Gathering before…" Her voice trailed off as she saw Ashstar pulling herself up onto the Highrock.

Runningshadow swiveled his ears towards the leader as he heard her grunt with pain.

She let out a yowl to make sure everyone was underneath her, and looked down around her Clan. "ThunderClan," She called, "Tonight will be the Gathering. We will have to have many warriors come with us, as we have many new ones. Also, many of our apprentices will have to go too."

"Yeah, all of them," Whispered Cloverpaw. Runningshadow nodded. All of the apprentices were new ones that were yet to be introduced to the rest of the Clans.

"The apprentices that I will be taking will be Deerpaw, Longpaw, Shadowpaw, Catkinpaw, Cloverpaw, Starpaw, Poisonpaw, Oakpaw and Owlpaw." All of the apprentices came trotting up to the rock and took their place by Cinderhope.

"The warriors coming to the Gathering are Runningshadow, Brindlerose, Bloodflower, Chasewind, Irispetal, and Stripewhisker."

The eleven warriors came up to the rock and stood by Cinderhope. Runningshadow saw a small shiver pass through the gray tom as he saw Mudpelt.

"Our elders coming shall be Goldpuddle, Hawkclaw, and Phantomheart since he has newly joined the elders." Ashstar turned her back on the crowd and leaped down gingerly from the rock. "That is all, go back to your duties."

The smoky gray she-cat joined her deputy and the others as they started to depart. Runningshadow felt nothing but pure thrill in his heart as they set off. Cloverpaw was right beside him, along with Owlpaw. They too seemed sort of nervous, especially Owlpaw. At least the rest of the Clans don't know, Runningshadow thought. At least if Mudpelt does know and spreads it around…

Runningshadow told himself to shake the thoughts out of his head. Mudpelt didn't know about Owlpaw's secret, that she was really a kittypet. Ashstar hadn't told the rest of the warriors. But for some reason Runningshadow could sense that the bulky brown warrior knew…it was just how he was acting around the apprentices.

"Don't worry," Owlpaw whispered as Cloverpaw went off to join her fellow apprentices, "Nobody will know about this but me, Oakpaw, and you and Ashstar."

Runningshadow nodded. She must have been feeling the same way that he was about her kittypet roots.

Strikefoot came up to his apprentice, giving Runningshadow a testy look. He started telling her about Fourtrees and what to do and to be polite.

Having nothing to do, he came up to the front of the patrol where Ashstar led it with Cinderhope by her side. "Hi, Cinderhope," He mewed politely to his former mentor.

The deputy only flicked his tail in reply. Runningshadow realized guiltily that he was right in the middle of a conversation with Ashstar.

Runningshadow decided to hang at the back for a while when he saw Catkinpaw come to the back. Her head and tail was drooped, and she had flattened ears.

"What's wrong, Catkinpaw?" Asked Runningshadow.

The pretty gray and white she-cat shrugged. "I… can't tell you," She murmured, looking down at her paws.

"Oh…" Runningshadow mumbled. He wanted to make small talk with the apprentice so much- she was so pretty, and it seemed almost honorable to be talking to her.

"Well…can I trust you, Runningshadow?" She asked quietly.

Runningshadow nodded and held out his tail to shake on it. "A warrior's promise," he mewed.

Catkinpaw shook her gray tail with Runningshadow's and started to engage in conversation. "Okay, so a new group has kinda formed, you know, among the apprentices. And I'm basically the head of the group.

"So Owlpaw and Oakpaw, you know, the outsiders, want to come into the group since they're the only apprentices that aren't. I'd love to let them join, but I'm afraid that Shadowpaw won't like me anymore," She pouted.

Runningshadow nodded. "Yes, I have noticed that Shadowpaw has a big crush on you." But he changed the subject, this one more relevant. "I would let them into the group. I mean, how would you like it if the rest of the apprentices started another group and left you out?"

"Oh, I wouldn't like that at all!" Cried Catkinpaw. She was so funny sometimes, with her attitude. She rarely cared about others.

Runningshadow purred. "So do you think that Owlpaw and Oakpaw deserve a part in the group?" He asked.

"Oh yes, Runningshadow," She mewed.

"Okay, then. Next time they ask, you should say yes. I'm sure that Shadowpaw would love that. The number one thing that a tom likes about a she-cat is how nice they are to others."

"It is?" Asked Catkinpaw, her blue eyes wide.

"Yes," Runningshadow purred back. "Now go with the other apprentices, they probably don't want to see you with me."

She shook her head. After a few moments, she pressed herself to Runningshadow and purred, "Thank you, Runningshadow. You are a very good problem solver. And," She called, flicking her tail with a goodbye, "you would make a very good deputy!"

Runningshadow laughed nervously. Deputy? Just the thought of having so much responsibility as a warrior made him shiver. What if Cinderhope died? Would he be made deputy after that?

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, he caught sight of the four oaks. They were so grand and majestic when the sunshine caught them.

Cloverpaw came bounding up to him. "Fourtrees!" She mewed with astonishment. "I can't believe how beautiful it is!"

Runningshadow nodded. He remembered the first time he had been here when he had just been made an apprentice. Thoughts of Skycloud came back, and he felt his heart droop at the thought of his best friend.

Skycloud, Runningshadow's first friend, had been made a warrior before Runningshadow. But when he helped rescue the kits, including Catkinkit and Cloverkit, the ShadowClan deputy Hurricanesong had made the horrible deal of him giving them the kits and ThunderClan giving him one of their warriors. Skycloud felt it necessary that he went, so he was the one that had went home with Hurricanesong that day.

Runningshadow hoped he would be at the Gathering tonight, but the chances were very slim. The light gray tom had just become part of ShadowClan and the very unforgiving leader wouldn't even give Skycloud the chance.

He pelted down the hill behind the rest of the party. His heart was bursting with excitement at his first Gathering since he was an apprentice. Would it be any different? Of course not. Would there be too little news? Too sad? No way, it's not like a leader would call out, "yes, we have a terrible disease and omens and we are extremely weak". Runningshadow snorted.

Mudpelt shouldered his way through the crowd and up to the young warrior. "What are you laughing at, Runningshadow?" He hissed.

The young warrior shook his head. "Nothing, nothing at all, just a thought."

"You'd better be quiet," Growled Mudpelt. "The mice are extremely plentiful at that group of apple blossom trees. You never know who may give it away to another Clan." He rushed off to talk along with ShadowClan warriors that had grouped along in the shelter of an oak's roots.

Runningshadow rolled his eyes. Poor Mudpelt had too much on his mind. Those thoughts melted away though, as the young warrior found himself craning his neck to find his old friend among the audience.

He trotted past the elders to the RiverClan crowd, pricking his ears to hear what one elder was piping up about.

"WindClan aren't here yet!" Hissed the elder. "Will we ever start the Gathering?"

Another elder, a she-cat, nodded in agreement. "Yes, we'll have to start it sooner or later if WindClan aren't here."

Runningshadow froze. Would WindClan ever get here? Hopefully something bad didn't happen to them?

Cloverpaw came bounding towards him. "Come on," She mewed. "Let's go talk with the ShadowClan cats. Besides, I'm sure that you'll see Skycloud there," She reminded him cheerfully.

Runningshadow nodded, the elder's words still buzzing inside his head, and followed the apprentice to where the ShadowClan apprentices were talking.

He felt sort of embarrassed, sitting with the apprentices, but sitting with the warriors meant sitting with Mudpelt, and there was no telling what Mudpelt could say about him when Ashstar wasn't around.

A couple of the apprentices flicked their tails in greeting at the two. There were four of them: One was pitch black, one pure white, one was a golden tabby and one was a tortoiseshell.

"Hi," Greeted the tortoiseshell. "Come and join us, if you'd like."

Cloverpaw was astounded at their kindness. "Oh," She gasped, "Thanks!"

The tortoiseshell looked Cloverpaw over. "I haven't seen you here before," She mewed thoughtfully. "Are you newly named?"

The brown tabby blushed. "Yeah," Cloverpaw murmured bashfully.

"What's your name?" Asked the white one. "My name is Palepaw."

"Nice to meet you," Cloverpaw said politely. "My name's Cloverpaw."

"Hi, I'm Foxpaw," The golden tom mewed. "The calico is Brightpaw, and the black one is Catchpaw."

Cloverpaw greeted all of them kindly.

"And who is that with you?" Asked Brightpaw, batting her eyelashes.

"I'm Runnning-"

"He looks older," Catchpaw grumbled. "Why is a warrior hanging out with us?"

Cloverpaw narrowed her eyes. "You should be a bit more respectful around our warriors," She hissed softly.

"Yes, I'm a warrior," Runningshadow cut in. "My name's Runningshadow. And I was going to ask if I could hang out with you?" He asked.

Catchpaw flattened his ears. "Well, it is kinda strange to have a warrior be around an apprentice," He growled.

Palepaw laughed nervously. "Oh, it's no problem," She coughed. "Catchpaw should be more respectful around other cats."

Catchpaw turned his back to the others and started grumbling. Runningshadow could swear he heard the word, "warrior".

"Um, so how is the hunting in ShadowClan?" Runningshadow asked.

The rest of the apprentices shrugged. It probably wasn't a good topic to talk about, Runningshadow guiltily realized.

"It's been okay," Brightpaw mewed uncomfortably.

The light brown tom looked down at Cloverpaw desperately, urging her to change the subject. This wasn't making the other apprentices any friendlier with each other.

"Oh, we have so many cute kits lately!" Foxpaw piped up.

Runningshadow felt like thanking him, but decided not to.

"Yes, so do we," Runningshadow replied. "So many, that's why we have lots of new apprentices!"

He looked down at Cloverpaw, expecting her to say something about the kits, but she didn't say anything. This is surprising, Runningshadow thought. Cloverpaw is usually very chatty, especially about kits.

Cloverpaw didn't actually seem like she was listening. Her gaze was fixed upon something. Runningshadow tried to follow her gaze, but couldn't since there were so many queens clustered together.

"Oh, they're starting the Gathering!" Brightpaw jumped in the air with excitement. "Lets get over there!"

Runningshadow dragged Cloverpaw to the Great Rock, where three leaders sat atop, looking very majestic. He envied them so much.

The cats talking about WindClan were quieted, and the Gathering started. Cloverpaw still was intent on the same cat, but this time Runningshadow could see it.

She was a quite pretty she-cat. She was dark brown with white stripes. Cloverpaw didn't seem in awe, though- she was absolutely horrified.

The ShadowClan leader, Sharpstar, stepped forward and cleared his throat. "ShadowClan start the Gathering with very good news. We-"

Suddenly, there was a rustle in the bushes. All cats were looking to the branches that surrounded Fourtrees.

All of the cats in the clearing were astounded as they saw WindClan, gallantly walking into Fourtrees. They looked battered and bloody, but they were still proud.

WindClan was back.

I know that it was a horrible ending to this chapter. If I have said anything about the other Clan leaders, don't get mad at me for changing them. ;)