Island

The mouse was not enough to sustain the ThunderClan apprentices. They had carefully split it, but each portion was smaller than a normal vole. That evening, they were once again hungry and lay in a motley group, bellies growling.

The nights were getting colder, Smokepaw realized, as leafbare began to set in. The trees in the forest were almost lacking of any leaves what so ever, and the ferns and grasses that usually populated the undergrownth had died and dried up. Smokepaw worried about how the apprentices would get through leafbare without ordinary fresh-kill. Or without older cats, too, for that matter.

Nobody wanted to sleep in the apprentice's den, so everyone just grouped together in the middle of camp. Except for Greypaw and Blackpaw. They lounged on top of Highledge.

Smokepaw was nodding off to sleep, when he heard a rustle and a loud call coming from the front of camp.

"Vinepaw, Patchpaw and Larkpaw of ShadowClan, requesting permission to enter your camp in peace!"

Smokepaw shot to his feet. Hawkpaw got up. Lilypaw did too. Stainpaw and Flamepaw nervously followed, glancing at each other the whole time. Blackpaw, sleeping on Highledge, opened one eye and then went back to sleep. Greypaw looked testy and alert.

"Enter!" Smokepaw called, because nobody else had.

Vinepaw, a thin, tweedy ShadowClan apprentice, came strutting into camp, followed by Patchpaw, a black and white tom with a blunt nose, and Larkpaw, the pale brown tabby they had run into earlier.

"What are you doing here?" Greypaw demanded, fur bristling. He stood up, angry and mad.

A cold wind rustled everyone's fur. A cloud passed breifly in front of the moon.

"We have been sent by Cederpaw, newly appointed leader of ShadowClan," Vinepaw said stiffly, chest puffed out.

"This looks rehearsed," Lilypaw muttered into Smokepaw's ear.

"Sent for what?" Greypaw snapped.

"Get out," Blackpaw said, not knowing what what going on as usual.

Now Patchpaw spoke up. He obviously had been told to remember the exact words he said by somebody else, because he was looking down at the ground as if trying to bring it back. "All Clans are struggling. Cederpaw has already spoken to WindClan and RiverClan. They have lost all their older cats too. Cederpaw wants to bring us together, so we can restart in this new world. He requests that ThunderClan shows up at the Gathering island tonight, to discuss and regroup."

"Will you accept his request?" Larkpaw asked.

"At least somebody has some sense out there," Lilypaw mumbled to herself.

Greypaw looked at Blackpaw but he just shrugged. "I don't care." He said and lay back down.

"We'll go," Smokepaw said, "Tell whoever you're talking about that we'll be at the island."

"At moonigh," Vinepaw confirmed but then added, "Thank you for your cooperation." And he padded out. Patchpaw and Larkpaw followed. Leaves ruslted in their wake.

Smokepaw turned to the other cats, who were all looking up at him. "We'll have to leave soon if we want to make it there in time."

"We should eat before we go, for strength," Stainpaw mumbled nervously.

"There isn't any food," Hawkpaw snapped to her.

"I have traveling herbs," Lilypaw said gently, in a soft voice that made Smokepaw want to get up and dance.

She padded off into the medicine cat's den.

Greypaw leaped off Highledge as the other cats grouped at the camp entrance. It brought back painful, stinging memories of Smokepaw's first Gaterhing, when he and the other chosen cats gathered at the front of camp, waiting in excitement to leave. But that was when there still had been a leader telling who would go and who wouldn't.

"Where's everyone going?" Blackpaw snorted, sitting up and noticing them all gathered there. Nobody answered him, so he just leaped down and stood with them, beside Greypaw.

A sparrow flew over head, screeching like an eagle, long curved beak opening breifly. Smokepaw watched it, shuddering. What had happened to the usually simple world of the warrior cats?
Lilypaw padded back out, carrying several wrapped bundles. She passed them out to the cats, and then helped herself to her own, wincing at the bitter taste.

Smokepaw spluttered and coughed. He'd never had to take traveling herbs before, because he had yet to accompany the leader to the Moonpool. Oh, wait. The leader wasn't around anymore.

"Never had traveling herbs?" Lilypaw asked, laughing.

"Nope," he croaked, eyes streaming. He grinned helplessly.

They started moving, padding into the too-silent forest. No crickets. The moon shone down on them through gaps in the tall oaks.

"I'll need to restock my herbs before leafbare," Lilypaw said. It made Smokepaw's heart hurt, that she cared about something so routine and normal when things were so chaotic. "Except there might not be herbs anymore, if the prey has gotten screwed up. It worries me."

"Yeah," Smokepaw said, not really knowing that to say, "And we're going to have to find a way to eat, too."

They padded along the edge of the lake. Smokepaw liked being out in the open, away from the choking trees. He looked up at the sky. Silverpelt still shone, just like always.

They passed some WindClan cats on the way. Four apprentices. They glared at the ThunderClanners and hurried past.

"This is going to be a weird Gaterhing," Lilypaw said, suddenly giggling. Smokepaw looked sideways at her. "I mean, usually there's all the warriors there making sure stuff stays calm and mature, but its just going to be us apprentices."

They reached the treebridge, leading onto the island and bounced across. Then the pushed through the dark, dry bushes and onto the island.

The usual din that accompanied a Gathering was seriously lessened. Smokepaw looked around. WindClan had just arrived, and were staying off to one side, a little huddle. RiverClan, a group of five apprentices, grouped together, eyeing ShadowClan warily.

ShadowClan, however, seemed completely confident. They mingled at the base of the Great Pine, relaxed, yawning, shooting everybody glances that were hardly threatening. One cat even dipped his head in greeting to Smokepaw as ThunderClan arrived.

"Look," Lilypaw whispered. Smokepaw's skin tingled as she laid her tail gently on his shoulder.

She was staring up at the Great Pine. Smokepaw looked too. A dark gray tom with black stripes perched confidently on one of the wide branches. He was smiling and nodding to the cats, his eyes gleaming with appreciation and...confidence. He radiated confidence. Everything about him was confident and incredibly proud. He looked similiar to Smokepaw, actually, although Smokepaw was a shade lighter. They shared the same green eyes.

"That must be ShadowClan's 'leader'," Lilypaw muttered. She looked wary, "It looks like he jumped on the chance of taking charge."

Hawkpaw was sticking close to Smokepaw, and he said, "Nobody's interacting."

"Except ShadowClan," Smokepaw noted. He saw Vinepaw nodding encourigingly to Stainpaw and Flamepaw, saw Patchpaw nodding and smiling with Maplepaw and Nightpaw of WindClan, and yes, there was Larkpaw and Ivypaw babbling away with Emberpaw of RiverClan.

"Excuse me!" Came a loud call from the Great Pine.

The din immediately ceased. Smokepaw saw Vinepaw stop midsentence, turn and look up at his 'leader.'

"If I may, I would like to start the meeting," the ShadowClan apprentice on the Great Pine called. He smiled and nodded at the other cats. "My name is Cederpaw of ShadowClan."

And the Gathering had begun.

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Mmyeah. Not the best chapter. Next will be more interesting. Please review! Thankies!

-Pan