Chapter Two: Plans for the Gathering
The next day, Echopaw was awoken by Wingflight.
"Come on," her mentor meowed. "It's already Sunhigh! We have to get some training in before the Gathering!" Echopaw looked up groggily.
"But I was up late last night," she complained, "and my father…"
"Just because your father died does not give you any right to not provide for the Clan," Wingflight interrupted her. "If anything, you should be more eager to provide for your Clan now that they're the only thing you have left."
Echopaw hung her head. It made sense, but she was still bitter about losing the last member of her family. Her mother had died giving birth to her, and so had her two other kits. Echopaw stretched and padded out of the Apprentices' Den.
"So, what are we doing today?" she asked her mentor, determined to make up for her behavior.
"Hunting," meowed Wingflight. "Where do you think we should go first?" Echopaw thought for a moment.
"The ThunderClan border," she decided finally. She wanted to make sure that Tanglepaw had stayed in his territory. There was another thought nagging the back of her brain, but she ignored it.
"Good idea," said Wingflight. "No one's been hunting there for a few sunrises. There should be plenty of prey. It is New- Leaf after all."
They walked the same route that Echopaw had taken yesterday to get to the Thunderpath. When they finally got there, Echopaw took a good sniff. No ThunderClan scent.
'Good,' she thought. 'He hasn't been here since last night.' So why did Echopaw feel so disappointed? She pushed away the thought. She wasn't disappointed! She was actually glad that she didn't have to see that arrogant mouse- chaser again!
"Echopaw, are you paying attention?" Wingflight asked. When Echopaw didn't say anything, Wingflight added, "Perhaps you'd like to repeat to me what I just told you." Echopaw tried to recall Wingflight saying something, but she just couldn't.
Wingflight sighed in exasperation. "I said that you can here and that I'll hunt farther along the Thunderpath. Just don't get to close! Monsters can come out of nowhere right when you least expect it."
"Okay," meowed Echopaw determinedly. So much for making up for her bad mood. Nothing would distract her from catching as much fresh kill as she could! As Wingflight walked away, Echopaw noticed a plump toad hopping along the marshy grass. Instantly she got down wing from it, so that it wouldn't smell her. She started to creep up on it, silent as a snake. It didn't notice her until she was three mouse lengths away from it, but by then it was too late.
Echopaw pounced onto the toad and swiftly bit it on the neck.
"Good catch," said a voice from behind her. She turned around to see Tanglepaw looking at her from across the border.
"Do you want something?" asked Echopaw, fiercely but calmly. She wasn't going to let this arrogant tom get the best of her again.
"Nope," said Tanglepaw as if there was nothing more to be said. The nerve of that cat!
"Then why are you here?"
"I actually do need something from you," he meowed. "I need you to meet me in the back of the Fourtrees during the Gathering. I have something I need to tell you in a place that's more," he hesitated for a moment, "private."
Echopaw thought for a moment. She told herself that she couldn't trust this tom. But somewhere deep inside of her…
"Okay," she said finally.