The night of the Gathering was clear. Leaf-fall had arrived in earnest now, turning the trees into a patchwork of brown, red, and orange.

Bluefur stood near the head of the patrol, Whitestorm at her shoulder. Mistypaw, Mosspaw, and Stonepaw were a short distance away, their tails flicking impatiently. This would be their first Gathering, and Bluefur could hear their excited mews, although she couldn't make out the words.

"I bet they'll make some friends tonight," Whitestorm meowed. "There are quite a few apprentices in the other Clans right now."

"Hopefully they don't reveal too many ThunderClan secrets," Bluefur mewed teasingly.

Stonepaw's head swiveled in Bluefur's direction. "Hey! We heard that!"

Stifling a purr, Bluefur was about to respond when Sunstar gave the signal to enter Fourtrees. The ThunderClan cats bounded down into the clearing, and in the chaos Bluefur found herself in the center of the crowd, next to her kits.

"Who should we talk to?" Mistypaw raised herself to her full height, trying to look over the heads of the gathered cats.

The three apprentices huddled together, watching the fierce cats loping around them. Mosspaw was staring at an intimidating ShadowClan tom. "As long as it's not him I think we'll be okay."

"There's a group of apprentices over there," Bluefur suggested, pointing toward a cluster of WindClan cats. "Why don't you go talk to them?"

But her kits hadn't taken three pawsteps before a cat approached her from behind. "Hello, Bluefur." She slowly turned toward the achingly familiar mew.

Bluefur had trouble finding her voice for a heartbeat. "Oakheart," she meowed, dipping her head.

"I see you are doing well."

"I am. Leaf-fall has been kind to ThunderClan this year."

Oakheart nodded. "Prey is also running well in RiverClan."

Mosspaw, Mistypaw, and Stonepaw watched the exchange curiously. It was obvious that they were expecting an introduction. "Mosspaw, Mistypaw, Stonepaw, this is Oakheart." Taking a deep breath, she turned to her former mate. "Oakheart these are my kits"- Our kits, she thought, nearly overwhelmed with despair- "Mistypaw, Stonepaw, and Mosspaw." She pointed them out by name with her tail, and she could almost see the thoughts flickering behind Oakheart's green eyes as he rested his gaze on each of them.

Mosspaw broke the silence. "Hi."

"Hello there, Mosspaw," Oakheart choked. "Mistypaw, Stonepaw." He watched them, seeming to be at a loss for words for once. The three of them watched Oakheart, their inquisitive eyes never leaving him. "I'm glad to finally meet you."

"Us?" asked Mosspaw.

"Of course," Oakheart told her. "I was at the Gathering when your birth was announced, and knowing Bluefur was your mother I wanted to see how you were turning out."

"So you're of RiverClan," Stonepaw began conversationally. "How do you know our mother anyway?" Bluefur knew it was an innocent question, but she had to consciously prevent herself from bristling.

But Oakheart's answer was smooth. "We met at a Gathering a few leaf-bares ago. I've been a burr in her side ever since." Oakheart shot Bluefur a teasing glance, and she looked away.

Mistypaw tilted her head. "Do you only hunt fish?"

"Mostly, but there's nothing stopping us from catching forest prey now and again."

Mistypaw frowned thoughtfully. "Are there different types of fish like there are different types of forest prey?"

Oakheart nodded enthusiastically. "There are so many, you wouldn't believe it. Minnows, carp, trout, pike- some pike are huge, even bigger than foxes. In fact, I was out on patrol by the river the other day, and we found one that was at least four cat-lengths long."

"No way," Stonepaw whispered.

"It's true, I swear it." The three apprentices' eyes grew round as he continued, telling them a story about catching a pike that Bluefur thought was most likely exaggerated.

"I caught three squirrels yesterday," Mosspaw bragged when he'd finished.

Oakheart nodded warmly. "What I would expect, with Bluefur as your mother. She's a fine hunter as well."

Mosspaw was eating up the praise, but next to her Mistypaw's tail was twitching. "How would you know that?"

"Really? With all her boasting, every cat knows."

Bluefur scoffed. "Like you're one to talk," she mewed fondly.

Oakheart flicked his tail. "It's not boasting if it's the truth."

Bluefur wondered if her kits could see the emotion in their eyes. They didn't seem to think that there was anything unusual about Oakheart's praise.

A loud yowl rang out, signaling that it was time for the Clan leaders to make their announcements. Bluefur and Oakheart turned to look at the Great Rock. Stonepaw, Mistypaw, and Mosspaw settled themselves between them.

Sunstar was the first to speak. "We have two new warriors this moon, Runningwind and Mousefur." The hollow filled with noise as cats cheered the newly named warriors. Bluefur could see them now, their chests puffed out with pride.

Sunstar allowed the chanting to die down before he kept going, his tone much more serious than before. "ThunderClan has other news as well. Recently, a patrol scented ShadowClan on the wrong side of the border." Disturbed murmurs broke out, with a few ShadowClan cats yowling their dissent. "If such trespassing continues, know that ThunderClan will not hesitate to protect itself."

ShadowClan's leader, Raggedstar, drew himself up to his full height. "I was wondering if you would bring that up. Several of our apprentices accidentally found themselves on the border of ThunderClan's hunting grounds. They were dealt with, and I can assure you that this will not be an issue going forward."

Bluefur noted that he hadn't admitted to trespassing, just to being close to the border. The ShadowClan cats shifted awkwardly on their paws, and Bluefur wondered if Raggedstar had been entirely truthful.

And she hadn't been the only one who noticed. Thistleclaw and Tigerclaw were huddled together, mewing something to each other. "Traitorous scum," Thistleclaw growled. "When I'm leader, I won't stand for such insolence. No cat will make a mockery of ThunderClan."

As Tigerclaw dug his massive claws into the ground, a wave of foreboding coursed through Bluefur's pelt.


On the way back from the Gathering, Mistypaw, Stonepaw, and Mosspaw were chattering excitedly. Mosspaw was the most enthusiastic of all. "Can you believe it?" she mewed, her tail waving from one side to the other. "We met a RiverClan warrior!"

"I had no idea there were so many kinds of fish." Mistypaw's tail twitched.

"I know, right?" The look on Stonepaw's face was one of wonder. "Can you imagine staring into the river, and suddenly a fox sized fish leaps out at you?" Stonepaw looked up. "I didn't know you were friends with a RiverClan cat, Bluefur. Why didn't you tell us about him before?"

Heart heavy, Bluefur shook her head. "I wouldn't call him a friend."

"Because we can't be friends with enemy warriors, right?" Tail flicking, Mistypaw gave Bluefur a questioning glance.

"No," Bluefur meowed, closing her eyes. "We can't."

Stonepaw shot a challenging look at his sisters. "Race you to the stream." Without another word, Mistypaw bounded ahead of him. "No fair!" Stonepaw yowled, scrambling to catch up.

As Stonepaw and Mistypaw sprinted away, Mosspaw stayed behind. "Bluefur, can I ask you something?" she began, seeming unsure of herself. "Why? Why can't we be friends with cats from other Clans? Oakheart seemed nice enough. It was almost like talking to a ThunderClan cat."

Bluefur sighed. "It's important to be at least cordial at Gatherings."

"So you don't care about Oakheart at all?" Bluefur flinched; even though her daughter had no malice in her voice, her words still cut Bluefur to her core. StarClan, this is hard.

"I... I respect him as much as I do any warrior from outside ThunderClan."

"I just don't see why we do this. There's nothing stopping us from being friends. We're all just cats."

If only it were that simple, Bluefur thought. Aloud she mewed: "True, but remember, one day you'll meet the cats you've talked to at Gatherings in battle." Bluefur shuddered. What if her kits had to face their father in battle one day? If one of them attacked Oakheart, would he fight back? "You must always remember that your first loyalty is to ThunderClan, and no one else."

They walked in silence for a long time, and Bluefur noticed that Mosspaw's blue eyes were narrowed in concentration. Finally, the gray and white apprentice broke the silence. "I think I understand." Gaining a spring in her step, Mosspaw quickened her pace. "I'm going to catch up with Mistypaw and Stonepaw. We were going to tell Thrushpelt all about everything that happened at our first Gathering." She shot off.

As Mosspaw disappeared into the undergrowth, Bluefur's own words rang in her ears. You must always remember that your first loyalty is to ThunderClan, and no one else.

Bluefur didn't regret her kits, but she hoped they wouldn't make her same mistake.