Greetings! Just to let y'all know, this story had a lot of time-jumping. Sorry for the super-mega-long wait.
Chapter 7: The Others
Three days later, Firestar came up to Whitestreak and Badgerclaw.
"Today is the Gathering. Would you and your apprentices like to come?"
Whitestreak purred excitedly, "Of course! I'd love to go! I know Shadowpaw would want to go too!
Sure enough, in her head, the psychic was squealing, "Take me, take me! I want to meet the other cats!"
Whitestreak staggered.
"Are you okay?" Firestar asked.
"Yeah, just a headache." the brown and white cat answered, feeling slightly guilty over the half-lie.
Badgerclaw quivered with elation. "Me too! Just let me ask Barkpaw!"
He dashed over to the brown apprentice, saying, "Do you want to go to the Gathering?"
Looking puzzled, Barkpaw asked, "Gathering?"
Redpaw padded up to him.
"It's when cats from each clan talk to each other and share news. That's the only time the four clans come under truce"
Looking at his mentor, Barkpaw said, "I guess I'll go then."
Badgerclaw walked over to Firestar. "He'd love to go!" Badgerclaw said.
"That's great," Whitestreak said, "Now, just let me tell Shadowpaw we're going to the Gathering!"
With that, she loped off in search of Shadowpaw.
Yesterday at Magneto's Base
The Brotherhood sat in Magneto's base with the Acolytes.
Wanda was in the kitchen, with Remy, John, Colossus, Lance, Sabretooth, and Quicksilver. They were having a meeting on how to defeat the X-Men -- for the millionth time that year.
Wanda flipped through a book she bought at the store the other day. It was a grimoire titled, "Spells and Enchantments."
She flipped to the page about going into a book. "It would be cool to go into a book..." Wanda thought aloud.
Absentmindedly, she grabbed Gambit's book instead of her own. It was "The Sight.'"
She looked down, and thought, It's not like I don't like this series. And Remy only reads it because Rogue does. Why not?
Wanda lit a candle and recited, "Lee, Lach, Jinach, Arlich."
These words have a strange echo to them, Wanda thought.
But before she could ponder that, the candle's flame turned emerald, with gorgeous streaks of amethyst in it, and she hurriedly put "The Sight" over it.
Abruptly, a brilliant white light, tinged with the colors emerald and amethyst filled the room, and Wanda fell into unconsciousness.
At Camp Before the Gathering
Firestar called out, "Everyone coming to the Gathering, assemble here!"
Whitestreak, Shadowpaw, Badgerclaw, and Barkpaw clustered in a crowd with the rest of the cats going to the Gathering.
At some point, when Firestar gave the signal, they loped out of the clearing.
Whitestreaks eyes lingered at every tree. She just couldn't get used to the greenery. "We've been here for almost a week, and I still can't get used to this!"
Badgerclaw nodded. Logan's acting less and less likeā¦Logan. I don't like it. I want to snap him out of it. Maybe it's the fact he's a cat? Whitestreak thought.
She spotted the Island in the distance. So that's the island...
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The Day The X-Cats Arrived
Firestar lay in his soft, mossy nest, tired from a day of hunting and patrolling.
It took only a mere moment before he fell asleep. When he awoke, he was in a clearing in the forest.
He recognized it; it was the one near the Windclan border. He looked around to see who was there.
When he saw nothing, he turned to leave.
A voice, one with an odd accent he had never heard before, chanted,
"Seven will fight against seven more,
For these cats have fought before.
Take them in to save the day,
For more than one different way."
There was a bright flash, and he was back in his den.
"Firestar!" called Brambleclaw. "We found some strangers in the forest!"
