It had been several weeks since Lightpaw had the tar beaten out of her by the rouge. It seemed sort of like a nightmare, like it may not have even happened. She might have believed that was true if it weren't for the faint remains of the wounds he had left her. Mistfeather hadn't interrogated her about her encounter with StarClan… yet. But sometimes the slender medicine cat would give her a thoughtful look. Eventually, Lightpaw knew she should probably talk about it, but it could wait just a little bit longer.
"Lightpaw, take something to Mistfeather. She's been busy lately, you know." Moonclaw meowed as Lightpaw was going through the fresh-kill pile for her breakfast. Busy? It wasn't quite winter er, leaf-bare quite yet and not that many cats had much need of her recently.
But Lightpaw didn't argue. "Yes, Moonclaw." The apprentice mumbled, picking out a robin for the medicine cat. She padded slowly to the medicine den with the robin and the finch she had chosen for herself, thinking of what she was going to say.
The scent of herbs hit the roof of her mouth as she walked into Mistfeather's den. The she-cat was sorting through her herbs, as she usually was when there wasn't anything else pressing to do. In Lightpaw's opinion, Mistfeather might be a bit OCD. So it was true, this wasn't just about a food delivery.
Lightpaw walked over to the older she-cat and set the fresh-kill down. "Moonclaw sent me to bring you some food." she meowed.
Mistfeather looked up from her herbs for a moment, then moved one last leaf and turned to her visitor. "I want to talk to you." she said, ignoring the robin Lightpaw had brought for her.
Sighing, Lightpaw took a bite out of her finch, "Okay, okay." she mumbled. "What's your first question?"
"What did StarClan tell you?" she asked. Her eyes were penetrating, as if searching for any hint that Lightpaw was withholding information or straying from the truth.
"They didn't tell me squat! I don't even get why they felt it was so important to talk to me!" Lightpaw grumbled, "I'm just an apprentice, I'm not that important." then she took another bite of her meal.
Eyes softening, the medicine cat shook her head gently, "No Lightpaw, you are very important. You and the other young cats carry the future of this clan. Darkstar was an apprentice once. So were Redfoot and I."
Of course it was true what she said, but it was hard to imagine the leader, medicine cat, and deputy wrestling in front of the apprentices den. "Anyways, I saw a Gathering and there was some cat named Furystar and they were talking about the clans and all that."
"Furystar?"
The apprentice nodded. "Why would a queen name her kit Fury?" she asked, shuddering. Who would want their kit to have the name of a savage killer? She stared at her half-eaten finch as she wondered what could have been going through that crazy she-cat's mind.
"She was not given that name at birth. She changed her name when she became leader, because Sweetstar obviously wouldn't fit her very well." Mistfeather meowed, narrowing her eyes at the memory of that vicious she-cat. "She was merciless in battle, and had killed many cats in her time. In fact, StarClan didn't accept her as leader, so she didn't have nine lives like the others did."
There had been something unnerving about Furystar when Lightpaw had seen her. Like an aura of defiance and ruthlessness. "I also saw a cat named Whispertail, StarClan didn't know what to do with her so they sent her to a place that wasn't StarClan or the Dark Forest. A bunch of 'em said she was a traitor because she abandoned them." Lightpaw went on, trying as best she could to remember the important details as she continued to munch on the dwindling meat of her finch.
For a moment it seemed like Mistfeather released a sigh of relief, "So she wasn't punished?"
Lightpaw thought for a moment, "I guess she wasn't, really. Not that I'm an expert on the afterlife. Why does it matter?"
"She was mine and Moonclaw's sister. There was a battle with Furystar, she had managed to annex ShadowClan after their leader died, so WindClan had to team up with us to defeat her. Whispertail must had run away during the battle…" Hurt spread across Mistfeather's face as she spoke, obviously she felt a bit betrayed by her sister. "I was wondering if she had died in the battle, but we never found her body, and I never saw her among StarClan's ranks."
"I'm sorry." Lightpaw meowed, looking down at her paws, "Maybe you can see her now? She's in the afterlife somewhere."
Mistfeather shook her head, "I don't think I can, but obviously she doesn't want to see me if she would run off without a word like that." she said, her voice almost turning into a growl.
Blinking, Lightpaw took a slight step back. She had never seen Mistfeather get even close to upset. She seemed so laid back all the time, it was one of the qualities that Lightpaw liked about her. But it was over in a moment, and Mistfeather returned to her usual tranquil self. "Was there anything else, Lightpaw? Why did Whispertail run away?"
"I-I can't remember." Lightpaw mumbled, looking away from Mistfeather again. If StarClan was trying to tell the clan something, they should have told Mistfeather. Lightpaw had nothing to do with this crap. "If I remember something or by some chance hear something else from these retarded dead cats I'll tell you."
The medicine cat narrowed her eyes, "You should only speak of StarClan in the highest regard." she cautioned, "But you may go now. I know the situation that day had been somewhat traumatic."
Lightpaw nodded and stood up, then she heard Mistfeather's voice again.
"And take these bones with you! I like my den clean!"
It comforted Lightpaw a bit to her Mistfeather say something normal to her for the first time in a long while.
"Watch me Lightpaw!"
Nightpaw and Blackpaw were practicing their fighting moves just outside of camp, Blackpaw was stronger than his sister, but she was avoiding most of his attacks pretty well. Lightpaw wondered about the TV shows she used to watch when her mom was still alive. And also her favorite Youtube series. With all of her heart she wanted to watch Red vs. Blue one more time. Maybe if she stole a twoleg's smart phone or snuck inside a house during the night…
"You're not paying attention!" she heard Blackpaw whine.
The black tom snorted with impatience and pawed at the ground like a bull. He seemed to always want to show the older apprentices everything he learned, even though Lightpaw and the others had already seen and mastered those moves. Nightpaw didn't seem to care much. She was much more withdrawn than her brother and didn't say much to the other apprentices. Although she seemed to enjoy sparring with Blackpaw.
"I'm sorry Blackpaw, I'm just bored." Lightpaw grumbled.
Blackpaw shot her a wounded look, but said nothing. The older apprentice felt a bit guilty about hurting his feelings, but she got up and strolled back into camp anyway. She wondered about what to do when there was a flash of white and a furry projectile crashed into her flank, barreling her over and onto the ground.
"Hi Lightpaw!"
Lightpaw groaned, "Get off Snowpaw, you scared the crud out of me!"
Her friend giggled and let her sit up. Lightpaw gave Snowpaw an evil eye, but couldn't really stay mad at her.
"So did you know that Redfoot is retiring?" Snowpaw whispered excitedly.
"Um, how is that a good thing? We need warriors, Snowpaw."
"But you don't understand!" Snowpaw meowed, "Who's going to take his place? Word around the camp is that Moonclaw is a likely candidate!"
Moonclaw? What if her mentor was deputy? It might be kind of cool. "Well that's kind of interesting." Lightpaw said monotonously, her eyes wandering to something in the background somewhere behind Snowpaw.
"Oh Lightpaw, you don't realize how cool it would be to have a deputy as a mentor!" Snowpaw meowed.
Then a similar white cat appeared next to them, "Moonclaw already doesn't have enough time to do any one-on-one training with her, if any more duties fall on that poor she-cat Lightpaw won't ever get trained."
Snowpaw hung her head, "I suppose you're right." after a few seconds her head sprang back up, "Icepaw you ruin everything!"
Icepaw shrugged, "I'm a realist."
"You are a bit boring, Icepaw." Lightpaw teased, "You should act like a kid once in a while!"
Her friends blinked in unison, "Kid?"
"Uh, it's-it's a word my family used to describe young cats." Lightpaw said quickly, "I forgot you guys don't use it."
"Oh." Snowpaw nodded with understanding, then she tilted her head, "You know, you haven't told us much about your family. What happened to them?"
Lightpaw paused. Snowpaw had caught her off guard. What was there to say?
"Well when I say family, I just mean my mother." Lightpaw explained, "She's… she's dead though."
Icepaw was silent, as he always was when he was either bored or extremely interested in something. Lightpaw guessed it was the latter.
"I don't really even know how she died. Nobody could figure out what it was." Lightpaw meowed, looking away. It wasn't hard to talk about it, but she didn't like to be reminded.
Her vision felt blurry, but she went on. "After that I lived in an orphanage," at this point she didn't care that Icepaw and Snowpaw didn't know twoleg words, she just needed to let it out, "I had never felt so alone. My mom was the only thing I had, and she was taken from me."
Snowpaw looked like her best friend had just died, "Lightpaw that's terrible! I shouldn't have asked I'm so sorry!"
"It's fine. Sometimes it's better to talk about those things."
Icepaw said nothing, he was looking at something else.
The other apprentices turned to see Moonclaw approaching them. The pale she-cat padded over and stopped in front of them.
"The Gathering is tonight. Darkstar is allowing the three of you to come." The silvery she-cat said, "And I'm sure you know about Redfoot's retirement by now, this will be his last Gathering as deputy."
Lightpaw and Snowpaw traded grins, forgetting about the tender moment that had taken place almost seconds ago. Icepaw was excited too, but he tried not to show it. Moonclaw gave them a feline smile and walked back towards a group of warriors on the other side of camp.
A Gathering! The first one Lightpaw would attend… in person anyways. It reminded her of the vision Riddlestar had given her during her near death experience. She suppressed the thought and followed her two friends over to the fresh-kill pile to grab a meal before nightfall.
The heavy scent of cats hung in the air as the ThunderClan party approached the tree bridge.
"Eww it smells to fishy! That must be RiverClan." Blackpaw growled, "Our rivals! We should attack while they don't expect it!"
Snowpaw rolled her eyes, "That wouldn't be very nice, Blackpaw! And they don't smell too bad…"
The black tom snorted, "You are such a sissy! Warriors have to be tough, like me!" he puffed out her chest and strutted like a pompous peacock. Lightpaw couldn't help but laugh out loud. Blackpaw turned and glared at her, but a flash of embarrassment crossed his face for a glimmer of a moment.
"Well let's get across this bridge, shall we?" Icepaw suggested as the last warrior jumped onto the log.
Lightpaw saw a slight shiver running down her back as she hopped up onto the tree and carefully made her way across. Then one by one, the apprentices crossed the tree bridge until it was Lightpaw's turn.
The bridge was cold, wet, and slippery. Three things she had no love for. But she eased her way across, one tentatively placed pawstep at a time. A few times she was afraid she'd lose her balance and fall into the murky depths of the lake, but she kept herself steady and somehow made it across.
Snowpaw, Icepaw, Nightpaw, and Blackpaw were waiting for her on the other side. Everyone else had joined the other clans in the main clearing.
"Ready?" Snowpaw mewed, shivering from the excitement and the cool breeze that rolled passed them.
Lightpaw nodded, then the apprentices walked through the trees. Blackpaw was racing ahead of them, "Woohoo!" He cheered, "Isn't this cool, Nightpaw?"
His sister nodded timidly, walking between Lightpaw and Snowpaw. The trees thinned out to reveal a huge throng of cats. It was a rainbow of different pelt colors, shapes, sizes, and scents. Lightpaw wasn't sure if her nose could take it. Blackpaw bounced with childish delight and raced right into the crowd. Nightpaw's eyes widened, and she pressed closer to Snowpaw for comfort.
"It's ok. Nobody here will bite ya!" Snowpaw promised, whiskers twitching with amusement.
"Much." Icepaw added mischievously.
This earned a warning glare from Snowpaw, but the four cats walked to the edge of the crowd and sat down.
"So where are the leaders?" Lightpaw asked, looking up at the empty tree.
Icepaw scanned the clearing, "I don't see them, but eventually they'll sit up in that tree to address the clans."
"Yup." Agreed Snowpaw.
Blackpaw was still nowhere to be found, but they didn't really feel like searching for him. So they waited silently for the Gathering to start.
First Lightpaw recognized Darkstar as he jumped up onto a limb on the tree. Redfoot was sitting below him, and it wasn't until then that Lightpaw noticed that his ribs were starting to become more noticeable then they would be on a younger cat's body. The silvery moonlight emphasized his graying pelt, and the outline of his once strong muscles. It was like looking at another cat altogether.
Then two more cats joined Darkstar in the tree, a slender reddish she-cat with a white tail tip and paws, and a small golden colored tom.
"The she-cat is Foxstar, leader of RiverClan, and the tom is Goldenstar, the WindClan leader." Snowpaw told Lightpaw and Nightpaw. "I don't see the ShadowClan leader yet, though."
A few seconds later, the last of the four leaders leaped to his place in the tree. He was a lean, black and white tom. Darkstar sent him what could have been a resentful look, but it was hard to tell from such a distance.
"And that's Swiftstar, he's a bit…" Snowpaw hesitated, searching for the right word.
"A bit of a jerk?" Icepaw suggested.
Snowpaw rolled her eyes, "I was looking for a more sophisticated way to put it."
Her brother smirked, "You mean you were looking for a nicer way to say it. It's not like he can hear you."
Lightpaw focused her attention on the leaders again. Darkstar was the first to speak, she lost interest as he began some boring introduction, and then he turned to Foxstar.
"Would you like to start first?"
The she-cat nodded, her fluffy tail swishing back and forth for a few moments, before resting over her paws.
"RiverClan has been well, Clovertail had her litter just a few days ago." Foxstar meowed, though her tail and ears twitched as if something about it was bothering her. Lightpaw wondered for a moment if something was wrong, but the thought faded as she listened to the rest of RiverClan's news. After that was Goldenstar's turn.
The small tom's gaze flicked over the clearing for a moment, and then he began. "WindClan has two new apprentices, Frostpaw and Hazelpaw!"
Everyone in the clearing cheered their names, as ThunderClan had done for Lightpaw when she became an apprentice. Why would the other clans care? Now they had two more cats to fight!
"Also, regrettably, Stoneheart has passed away. He lived a good, long life, and he is watching us from StarClan now." Goldenstar added, a bit of sadness in his eyes.
A joined sound of mourning came from the clan cats. Obviously this Stoneheart was well known and liked among the clans. Then Swiftstar was next.
"ShadowClan is doing just as lovely as ever," Swiftstar meowed, "Our medicine cat, Berryfur, has taken on an apprentice."
All the cats followed the ShadowClan leader's gaze to catch a glimpse of Berryfur's apprentice. Lightpaw and her friends, of course, could not see whoever it was because they were so far away. It was a bit irritating, until Lightpaw remembered how trivial it was.
Swiftstar went on to say a few other things, but Lightpaw wasn't paying attention to him at that point. The ADD part of her brain was growing restless.
Lightpaw was staring out into space, her mind completely blank, when she felt a paw prod her flank.
"You still there, Lightpaw?" She heard Snowpaw ask.
The tabby snapped out of it and looked at the other apprentice. "Oh, sorry I was spacing out."
Snowpaw tilted her head, "Your using the funny words again…" she said quietly.
If she had still had a hand, Lightpaw would have face palmed. "I keep forgetting!" she grumbled.
Then Blackpaw ran up to them, "Did you see? Did you see?" he squeaked, bouncing up and down.
The others looked at him curiosly, "Were we supposed to see something?" Icepaw asked, blinking slowly.
"It was a Gathering! I was at a Gathering! And I met apprentices from other clans and we talked about-"
Icepaw sighed, "We were here, too. Gatherings are nice, but it isn't a big deal." he said, "And I thought you hated the other clans."
Blackpaw glared at him, then turned to Lightpaw, "So did you have a good time? I had a good time! I wish you and Nightpaw had come with me!"
It was amazing how fast the little mite could talk. Even as they joined the rest of the clan to go home, Blackpaw wouldn't shut up about all the things he did and the cats he'd met.
When they got back to camp, most of the cats that had stayed behind were asleep. The apprentices went straight to sleep, but Blackpaw still tried to whisper something to her before Lightpaw snapped.
"Shut up! I'm tired Blackpaw! You can tell me in the morning!"
She shifted in her nest so she wouldn't have to look at Blackpaw's hurt expression. He really got on her nerves sometimes. Sighing, she enjoyed the silence and closed her eyes. In the morning she might feel better, after drinking her imaginary coffee of course.
I enjoy sarcasm. Foxstar is actually based on an OC I made a long time ago, so I'm thinking about writing a story for her too someday. Probably when I'm finished with this one. It's taking me long enough to do one, so I don't need to add anything else to my list of things that don't really need to be done, but I feel like I have to do.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Next chapter will be done when it gets done.