"Everyone ready?" Redstar's voice woke Whitepaw from his thoughts, and he quickly shook his pelt clean of dust as he stood up and ran over to the group of cats going to the gathering. After examining the crowd, the black tom then walked out of camp. Whitepaw quickly found himself next to Clawpaw and Oakpaw, who were talking about their mentors. "You think Dad will be soft on me because I'm his son?" Oakpaw was asking his brother who let out a small mrrow of laughter, "Do you even know our Dad? If anything, he will give you a harder time because you are his son!" Clawpaw responded, before eyeing Whitepaw. "So you got nasty ol' Dogface, huh? Try not to get too many scars on your pelt!" The denmate teased, with Whitepaw simply shaking his head. He had hoped to get someone like Firefrog or Russetfox as his mentor, they were both nice, young warriors who wouldn't have been so hard on him, but instead he got the nasty Dogface, who was the crudest cat in the forests. There was a reason he got all of his scars, it was because he got into more fights than anyone else. Before Redstar's rule, there was a she-cat who ruled Darkclan named Eaglestar, she was siblings with Dogface. The previous leader was lenient on her brother's actions, though nearing the end of her leadership she had begun to punish her kin for his constant battles with the other clans. It had started many battles between the other clans and Darkclan before, and Redstar had told him that Eaglestar's 'friend', who just happened to be a handsome tom, had died in one of the battles. It took Redgaze, Whitepaw's father's warrior name, to convince his leader not to exile her brother from the clan afterwards. Eaglestar soon passed away herself when a rabid dog had killed her on patrol, ripping all of her Starclan-given lives from her with its vicious jaws and teeth. Redstar says he still remembers fondly of the she-cat, who had made him her deputy and acted as a big sister of sorts to him.

A soft push to his shoulder caused Whitepaw to reenter the present, seemingly too immersed in his thoughts to focus on the grassy path he was walking on towards the gathering. It seemed he had fallen behind the other cats thanks to his thoughts, the pelt of a dark blue-gray tabby beside him. He was about to call the unknown cat Pantherpelt when he realized that the tom wasn't in the gathering group. Which would only leave… "Smoothstep! Uh, hi." Whitepaw respectfully meowed to the elder, who purred softly. Smoothstep was the father of Pantherpelt and Redstar, the oldest cat in the clan and one of the most decorated warriors in Darkclan history to not be named a deputy or leader. "Hey little guy. What were you thinking about?" Smoothstep's soft but crackily voice spoke, the elder's soft blue eyes reassuring any embarrassment Whitepaw had. "Oh, I was just thinking about Eaglestar. Redstar speaks so fondly of her." The apprentice responded, deciding to stay back with the elder, who was lagging behind everyone else, and he looked like he could use company. "Ah Eaglestar… a real cat of bravery and heart. You know why Redstar thinks so greatly of her? He had a crush on her when they were both warriors." Smoothstep told his grandson, chuckling at his own words. "Oh he got so angry at me whenever I would even hint at the fact. When she had passed away, Redgaze… or Redstar as you know him now, he was distraught. Talltree practically had to drag him to the Starcave in order to get his nine lives." Whitepaw listened intently to the elder, always liking to hear stories from the elders. It made him wish he was able to witness all the glorious stories they told for himself. "But… look at him now. A… true leader." Smoothstep spoke of his son with a purr, eyes glittering with his happiness for his kin. "And he even made you, a strapping young tom ready to take on the world." His last statement made Whitepaw's pelt hot with embarrassment at the compliment, though that's just what elders do.

"We're here." Redstar's voice then made the apprentice look forward into the wide clearing, like a camp in itself, surrounded by bushes and trees with four thick stones in the center, supposedly meant for the four leaders to stand on. The occasional squirrel ran past the grassy plain, though Whitepaw didn't give chase because of Redstar's advice. "The territory is clanless, made by Starclan themselves so we may gather in peace. Any prey that find themselves here will be chased off if found to be a nuisance, but never killed. It is to show respect to Starclan for creating this plain, that we not kill or fight anyone or anything here." Ahead, a group of cats already found themselves in the clearing, and Whitepaw was curious if they were Swiftclan. No, too bulky. The apprentice quickly debunked the thought, slowly stepping forward with the rest of his clan, soon finding himself alone with Smoothstep as his clanmates found themselves in a corner of the camp. "Remember, we may talk to the others, but don't give anything away that may reveal any clan plans, and don't become attached to those you talk to. You may find yourself in battle with them one day." The elder quickly explained to the apprentice, before stepping forward towards the other clan, purring as a silver tom greeted him. "Smoothstep! Your young boy finally brought his own father to a gathering?" The other elder meowed teasingly, the two touching the tops of her heads in greeting. "My legs aren't how they use to be, I can't go every moon unlike you, Starshine!" The tabby purred in return, his head tilting over to look back at the white apprentice looking onward. "Say, Whitepaw, want to meet some of the Clawclan cats?" He then called over, in which Whitepaw held his breath. Clawclan! They were the nastiest clan in the forests as Redstar would say and the apprentice didn't feel like speaking to them, but Smoothstep's kind and willing gaze willed him over to greet the elder.

"Hmm, a little small, but those eyes are bright and muscles strong. A fine warrior I'm sure he'll be." Starshine purred to the apprentice, returning his green gaze towards his friend. "This your son's boy?" He asked, in which Smoothstep nodded. "The only one from the litter too, Dawnsight was talking about it being a prophecy of sorts, that a bright and blue eyed tom would be the only kit in the leader's litter." He explained, in which Whitepaw blinked in surprise, never hearing that before. Though he didn't want to say it out loud in front of the two, so he just slowly walked forward, letting the two elders meow about gossip to their hearts content. "So the son of Redstar, huh?" A strong voice then made Whitepaw turn around and face a huge tortoiseshell tom looking at him intently. His eyes were the same color as the grass they were standing on, with a nasty scar cutting across his muzzle and a nick along his left ear. The apprentice had to tilt his head all the way back in order to face the unknown tom, gulping quietly. "Whitepaw, was it?" The masculine tone came from the tom's mouth again, his gaze fixed on the little apprentice. "Uhm… yeah. Who are you?" Whitepaw asked nervously, the fur along his spine bristling. "Largeleap. No need to spike your fur, this IS a gathering, after all. Even if I wanted to hurt a tiny thing like you, I couldn't." The tortoiseshell answered, sitting on his haunches which still made him look twice as big as the apprentice. Whitepaw then took a deep breath, relaxing himself. "Yeah… it's just my first gathering. I don't know anyone so I'm jumpy." Largeleap nodded his head, his gaze soft on the underaged apprentice. "It's an overwhelming experience for everyone at first, can you imagine a big ol' warrior like me shaking like a mouse when first being in a crowd of the rough and tough warriors of all the clans? When Swiftclan and Forestclan get here, I'd suggest staying with your mentor or your fellow apprentices as to not get lost with another clan." Largeleap said comfortingly, one of his tufted ears then flicking and his gaze turning to see another crowd of cats entering the clearing.

"Forestclan.." The large tom whispered to himself, before returning his look towards Whitepaw. "Weird, Swiftclan is almost always here first, they are the quickest after all." The apprentice simply shrugged, not wanting to give his clan's attack out to the tom. Whitepaw then set his blue eyes on the newcoming cats, Forestclan as Largeleap called them. Their bodies were leaner than Clawclan and Darkclan's, similar to Swiftclan, but still larger and more muscular. At the head of the group was a long bodied she-cat with beautiful tortoiseshell fur and a fluffy tail. Her fur was long and her sun-yellow gaze was almost hypnotic, Whitepaw blinking some to fix his gaze away from her. Not far behind her was a light brown tom with a distinctive black chest and belly, his green eyes the complete opposite of the tortoiseshell's, rough and made the apprentice look away as to not meet it. Among the two were some others, a light grey tom with huge pale ears, a brown tabby she-cat, and a bright ginger tom with a gray muzzle were the ones he was able to make out from the crowd. "Cloverstar!" A sudden voice made Whitepaw jump and turn to see his father approach the tortoiseshell she-cat with a purr. "Hello Redstar. I assume newleaf is being generous to your clan?" The Forestclan leader greeted and asked, in which Redstar nodded. "It always is, and you?" Cloverstar simply nodded, looking behind the tom and towards the cats he had brought with him. "Seeing many new faces there, a shame, one of our queens had passed away during her kitting. We were only able to save one of the three kits' lives." The leader then said solemnly. Whitepaw was then taken by surprise as his leader rubbed his cheek up against the rival leader's. "Tragedies always strike in the worst ways. I am sorry for your loss." Redstar said in grief, then turning his head as the final group of cats enter the clearing.

Whitepaw held his breath as he immediately recognized the white and tabby patched pelt of Swiftclan's leader, Mountainstar. His light green gaze locked with Redstar's in a staredown, the apprentice being able to see the rival leader's contempt at the black furred tom. "Let's get this over with." Mountainstar's light, yet agitated tone was heard as he hopped up onto one of the highstones where leaders made their announcements, Cloverstar and Redstar soon joining him. Fishstar, the Clawclan leader, was the last to join the three atop the stones, Whitepaw being able to tell the leader's youthful eyes and slim body. He hasn't been leader for a while. He immediately thought, feeling semi-sorry for the pale cat's nervousness showing in his gaze. It was only when all four cats were atop their designated rocks is when Whitepaw realized he was separated from his own clan and was among the group of Clawclan's cats. "Don't panic, you can stay with us this time." Largeleap's tone was heard from behind the apprentice, and with a motion of his head, a dark tanned cat approached him. "Hey there, I'm Sandpaw, I'll keep you company while you are over here." The Clawclan apprentice spoke in a generous tone, sitting down next to the nervous tom with a gentle gleam in his blue eyes. Taking a deep breath, Whitepaw sat himself down next to the apprentice, unsure of his intentions. "You're are the son of a leader too, huh?" Sandpaw then asked Whitepaw, "Fishstar's my dad, though… my mom passed away before she could see me become an apprentice. I've heard about Lilyfur, she seems like a great mother." His words struck the white tom like a pair of claws, feeling bad for the cat and he could only let out a comforting purr, unsure of anything he could say to cheer him up. "Don't worry about me, I'm over it now. Briarlight acted as my foster mom when she was raising Dustpaw and Beetlepaw. She's cool." Sandpaw quickly stated with a purr.

"So Mountainstar, since you were last here, how about you let us know of your clan news first?" Redstar then asked the tabby spotted tom, who Whitepaw could see held back a nasty snarl at the teasing leader. "Very well." Was all Mountainstar let out his mouth towards the cat responsible for the ambush of his clanmates' patrol. "Things have been going well in Swiftclan. A queen, Barkclaw, has given birth to two healthy kits, Longkit and Grasskit. Two of our apprentices, Plumpaw and Honeypaw, have been made warriors. They now are called Plumseed and Honeydrop." The leader began to announce his clan news, his gaze aiming towards a small tortoiseshell she-cat and a skinny white tom with wide blue eyes. Before his next statement, Whitepaw saw the tom take a large breath, the fur along his back beginning to bristle. Is he going to announce the ambush? He couldn't help but wonder, holding his own breath as Mountainstar began to speak. "You may notice that Elkheart isn't here with us. Unfortunately she had her jaw broken, along with Groundpaw receiving a nasty bite on his neck. Ravencall is back at camp with them, making sure they recover. This was the result of a…" Just as he was about to state the name of Whitepaw's clan, the tip of his tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth, Mountainstar's eyes closed and he took another deep breath. "…a rogue attack. They had caught our dawn patrol, but he drove them off with enough force that they should never return to our territory." Whitepaw let out a gasp at the announcement, his shock shared by many of the Swiftclan cats that came with their leader. Is he lying on purpose, or did the cats of the patrol tell a different story? The apprentice wondered, his gaze trying to read Mountainstar's face. He look disappointed, head down and his eyes and mouth firmly shut as to hold in anything more he may say. He was definitely lying, Whitepaw thought, trying to figure out why. Is he….scared of Darkclan? Mountainstar was one of the noblest leaders as the warriors told him back at camp, very smart and a cat of his clan. Does he think he can't beat Darkclan if he enticed another attack? His clanmates certainly didn't like that he hadn't engaged Redstar, many protesting hisses and snarls heard from their direction. Meanwhile, Whitepaw noticed his father's gaze of satisfaction, tail swishing back and forth on his stone.

"Apologizes to you Mountainstar. Rogues are a nuisance to all of us, I'm sure your cats will recover well." Cloverstar's voice interrupted the commotion, who then took it upon herself to announce what has been happening in her clan. "As some of you may know, one of our clanmates, Riversplash, has unfortunately passed away during her kitting, along with two of her kits." She announced solemnly, with many gasps being heard throughout the three other clans. Was she well known? Or is every death reacted to like this? Whitepaw wondered, looking over to Sandpaw sitting next to him, who looked in grief. "She was a good cat, very sweet, yet one of the swiftest battlers you would've ever seen." The apprentice spoke, looking towards the crowd of Forestclan cats before returning it to Cloverstar. "We were able to save the life of one of her kits, who we have named in her honor as Splashkit. She will be raised by Mossyfur." Many relieved whispers were exchanged throughout the crowds, Whitepaw feeling a bit happy himself. That's a special kit. Maybe Starclan has something big planned for them? "We were also able to chase out a group of badgers from our territory, though I give warning to Fishstar as we had last seen them enter your territory." Cloverstar then spoke to Fishstar, who nodded his head. "We have picked up scents of the badgers, they seemed to have settled themselves at the far east of our territory, near the border with Darkclan. Clawclan passes warning to Redstar to be vigilante, in case they pass over to your territory." The Clawclan leader spoke, in which Redstar simply nodded. "If that's everything Cloverstar-" Fishstar's gaze was on the tortoiseshell she cat's, requesting permission to speak in which he was met with a nod. "-one of our apprentices, Chocolatepaw, has chosen to take on the route of becoming a medicine cat. She is now Treeleaf's apprentice, we hope she receives at least half of the knowledge he has, so she may become a fantastic medicine cat like he."

All eyes were now on Redstar after Fishstar finished his announcements, and Whitepaw couldn't help but notice his father's gleaming eyes, shining with satisfaction as his near-scarlet gaze rounded the gathering below him. The apprentice would love to become leader, to have the privlege of standing on one of the tall stones and speak for his clan to all the others. Despite all the wisdom and strength Redstar possessed, he was still young in comparison to Mountainstar and Cloverstar, though not as much as Fishstar. The look on his father's face told him exactly how he felt. Whitepaw would've thought a leader would get use to the attention when at a gathering, but Redstar seemed to be drinking in all the gazes like a dehydrated mouse. "Great news all around, well except for Swiftclan." Redstar finally spoke, dropping in a teasing hiss towards Mountainstar, but turning his voice back into the deep and commanding tone it was immediately afterwards. "I appreciate the warning Clawclan, if those badgers enter our territory, we will be ready." He assured, looking among the powerful warriors he possessed in his group of cats with confidence. "But nuisances aside, it was time that our nursery emptied, as all our kits have been made into apprentices! Unfortunately we couldn't bring all 5 of them with us, but here we have Clawpaw, Oakpaw, and Whitepaw!" Redstar announced, making sure to say his son's name out the loudest. There were a few cheers from the crowds, Swiftclan mostly silent, seeing no reason to cheer for their now enemies. Among the cheers however, there was one question coming from Forestclan's side of the gathering that seemed to silence everyone else.

"Isn't Whitepaw too young to be an apprentice?" The Forestclan warrior called out, looking confused as his gaze went in the direction of Darkclan's pack. Immediately whispers were beginning to be exchanged among the others, some elders more loudly yapping about how they recalled the gatherings beforehand. Whitepaw then felt a heat as strong as the sun as now everyone was staring questionly at him, and he could ever so slightly see his father getting visibily frustrated. "You are a bit small.." Sandpaw blurted out next to him, only confirming what everyone was probably thinking, looking at him. "No... he is not. Maybe next time, Cloudear, you don't try and stur up controversy in this peaceful gathering." Redstar so bluntly told the warrior who spoke up, causing said warrior to duck his head away from Redstar's violent gaze. "Redstar, I will be the one giving orders to my clan, you don't have a right to." Cloverstar finally spoke out, "It is clear that tensions are a bit high now, since everything seems to have been announced, let us all leave." She so professionally and calmly spoke, jumping down from her stone and, with a flick of her tail, beckoned the rest of her clanmates to follow her out of the area. "Finally, let's get going before all our camps rot." Mountainstar blurted out in uncharacteristic hostility, doing the same as the Forestclan leader, using their naturally faster speed to almost zoom out of sight.

"Well um, it was nice hanging out with you Whitepaw, I guess.." Sandpaw awkwardly said, waving his tail to the white apprentice before following his clan out. Slowly stepping back towards his own clan, he found an angry Redstar stomping around with Dogface by his side. "I told you it was a bad idea bringing him. What if Swiftclan thinks all we have are kits for warriors now?" The scarred warrior hissed, in which Redstar snarled back. "They know they can't beat us, no matter if we had ants for warriors!" He retaliated, in which Dogface would simply nod and turn his head away. "No, you are staying here along with my son." Redstar told Dogface before looking over at Fiercespirit. "You lead the clan back to camp, I have to talk to these two." He ordered the brown and white warrior, who gladly took it upon himself to lead his companions home. All Whitepaw wanted to do was just lay down and forget about the whole experience, all of it being filled with awkwardness, confusion, and embarrasment, but his father had different plans. "Now what on earth do you think you are doing, sitting alongside Clawclan?!" Redstar angrily asked, looming his head over Whitepaw who was forced to crotch down in order to avoid being headbutted. "You know me and that band of dogs don't get along! Yet on your first gathering you decide to get buddy buddy with some nobody apprentice and the rest of them!" He patronized his son, red eyes darkening with anger.

"I..." Before Whitepaw could even think of an answer, Redstar turned his head back towards Dogface, "And you, you are suppose to be his mentor! You keep your eyes on your apprentice! Get your head knocked up too many times and forget that?" He then belitted the warrior, who kept his head down, taking in the verbal barrage his leader was giving him. "Smoothstep... was with him, I didn't think..." Redstar interuptted Dogface with a hiss, walking away from the two. "I'll talk to him, you two aren't coming to any gatherings anytime soon." He grunted, soon disappearing into the trees. Whitepaw then mustered up the strength to look at Dogface, who had a pout on his long muzzle. Redstar had been so nice to him before, and while him and Dogface weren't best friends, he never berated him like that in such a hostile tone! Maybe he should stop expecting to be coddled and actually be smart... Whitepaw couldn't exactly think at the moment, his mind and heart heavy as he forced himself forward back to camp.