Chapter 5

"Until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Spottedpaw," Quailstar yowled. "Your mentor will be Featherheart. StarClan honors your loyalty and enthusiasm, and I hope you will pass these qualities to your apprentice."

"Spottedpaw! Dawnpaw! Gorsepaw!" the Clan chanted.

Spottedpaw's pelt burned with pride as the Clan called she and her littermates' names.

"I can't believe it!" Gorsepaw gaped. "I got Whitepelt!"

He did something somewhere between a bounce and a twirl. Dawnpaw looked crestfallen. She had gotten Softclaw.

Spottedpaw hadn't forgotten what had happened moons ago when she was a kit. She'd heard nursery tales about Stick, and the black tabby she-cat, Shadow. She'd heard stories about how they killed. She'd heard stories about how Stick loved her mother. She'd heard stories about how he had killed Stormtail, her would-be father. She'd heard how he wants revenge. But I'm an apprentice now. I can defend myself, they will never lay another paw on my family! Dawnpaw voice broke into her thoughts.

"Hey, slowpoke! We're going to explore the territory, you coming or not?"

Spottedpaw raced after her sister, her paws prickling with excitement. The fresh, clean air felt amazing. She raced across the moor, wind buffeting her fur, her littermates at her side.

"I feel like I could run forever!" Dawnpaw exclaimed.

Their mentors caught up to them.

"That's probably the WindClan blood running through your veins!" Softclaw replied a proud gleam in his eyes.

"But just because you know how to battle, don't go picking fights or it won't only be your enemies' blood being spilled," Whitepelt added grimly.

They stopped when they reached a tall, windswept hill. Spottedpaw gaped at it in awe. The tall grass parted like they were making a path to silver pelt itself.

"This," Featherheart panted, "is the gazing hill. This is where you practice patience and focus. Spottedpaw, why don't you go first?"

"Aw, I don't want to practice patience, I want to-" Spottedpaw broke off as Featherheart narrowed her eyes. She let out a reluctant sigh and slowly walked to the top of the hill. Spottedpaw gasped.

"It's so beautiful!" she called down to her littermates.

"What do you hear?" Featherheart called up to her. "Remember, focus and patience."

Spottedpaw closed her eyes and listened to the wind. Then she heard more things, beyond WindClan territory. The Thunderpath monsters, a squirrel in ThunderClan territory, a rabbit hopping not too far away…

Rabbit!

Spottedpaw's eyes shot open and she raced after the rabbit. She pounced, feeling its soft tail. She felt warm flesh as she bit down on the rabbit's back. Her Clanmates bounded over.

"Great catch!" Gorsepaw exclaimed, his eyes widening.

Spottedpaw's pelt burned with pride.

The cool air felt good on Spottedpaw's back as she strode next to Spottedheart to the Gathering, her littermates beside her. Quailstar ran into the clearing. Spottedpaw felt like all the different scents were going to overwhelm her. Dawnpaw looked like she was going to bounce to the moon.

"So many cats!" she exclaimed and raced over to a group of apprentices. She was almost overwhelmed and curled her tail in delight.

Spottedpaw turned to follow. She was so excited she bumped into a ThunderClan apprentice.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" a smoky black tom hissed.

"Hi, my name is Spottedpaw," she mewed.

"Smokepaw," the apprentice replied coolly, "what Clan are you from?"

"WindClan; and yours?" she asked. She was starting to like this tom.

"ThunderClan, you have very pretty spots and a good pounce."

Spottedpaw opened her mouth to speak again, but then a yowl sounded from the great rock. The Gathering was starting, she snapped to attention. Smokepaw was sitting besides her their fur brushing. The cats here were so alike, she could hardly believe they came from different Clans.

"ThunderClan is doing well," Pouncestar, the ThunderClan leader began, "and we have a new apprentice. Smokepaw!"

"Smokepaw! Smokepaw!" The Clans chanted.

Pouncestar nodded to Quailstar.

"Prey is running well in WindClan as well, and we too have new apprentices. Spottedpaw, Dawnpaw, and Gorsepaw!"

Spottedpaw's pelt prickled with embarrassment as the Clans chanted her name. Her heart swelled. Rabbitstar, the RiverClan leader, rose to speak.

"First of all, we would like to let WindClan know that we do not tolerate their trespassing and prey-stealing."

The other leaders stared at Quailstar, who was still gazing into Rabbitstar's icy stare.

"WindClan would never put a single claw on that slimy prey," he meowed coolly.

"We also have a new warrior. Yarrowflight!"

They all sat in silence rather than acknowledge the new warrior. Yarrowflight looked baffled.

"We did not steal your prey," Quailstar repeated. "It would be dishonoring our ancestors."

"Then you have dishonored them!" Rabbitstar hissed. "You have dishonored all our ancestors, you have dishonored StarClan themselves!"

"If you think you know our ancestors, you should know that we would never touch that slimy kittypet food that you would risk getting your paws wet for!" Quailstar spat, finally losing his temper.

"The only reason you aren't starving is because you are thieves and prey-stealers!" Quailstar continued.

"Wait! No, stop!" Spottedpaw wailed.

Spottedpaw watched helplessly as yowls of protest echoed through the clearing. Nobody seemed to notice the clouds covering the moon. Quailstar rounded on Rabbistar. It was silent other than the whispered jeers from the crowd and an apprentice somewhere saying "Fight, fight, fight!" soon to be hushed by his Clanmate. Quailstar pounced at Rabbitstar and tackled her, pinning her down. Her eyes widened in shock.

"What's wrong, kittypet?" Quailstar taunted. "Never learn to pounce?"

He sank his jaws into Rabbitstar's scruff and tossed her away like a stale piece of fresh-kill. He caught her again and sank his teeth into her quivering neck.

"You are in the wrong, Quailstar," a sleek looking RiverClan she-cat called Willowfox mewed, breaking the silence. She continued.

"You, only you, have dishonored your Clan right here, and right now. WindClan does not deserve this; they are strong cats with a weak and unstable leader."

No cat dared protest, but stared in awe as the she-cat went on.

"Rabbitstar was not right to accuse you of prey-stealing, but she did remain loyal to the warrior code. You did not. Taking a life away at a Gathering, a kit would know better," She mewed calmly looking into Quailstar's flaming eyes.

He pounced landing an inch from Willowfox. She spun around and jumped back to protect her throat. He pounced again and landed with a thud onto the hard ground. The RiverClan warrior blocked and held him down, her ear bleeding heavily, gasping between heavy pants and mewed aggressively.

"You will not take the lives of any more cats!" Willowfox held down Quailstar and sank her teeth into his throat.

When they got to camp the cats strode to their dens and watched the darkness rise into the sky. She waited silently as the rest of the apprentices walked into the den. The next day it snowed hard, and the cats of WindClan lurched at every sign of prey. Spottedpaw and other apprentices stood huddled in their dens. Mentors had canceled training, for the snow came up to their legs, and made it impossible to walk. Spottedpaw's tinged with frustration. We should be training! She rose from her moss den and impatiently raked

Is StarClan punishing us? Spottedpaw thought. Oh please, let us survive this leaf-bare, even with a weak leader!

Soottail suddenly appeared at her side, looking worried.

"Spottedheart has greencough," she mewed.

"Greencough?" Spottedpaw's attention snapped to the she-cat.

"I'm sorry, you cannot visit her, she might get you sick." Mewed Soottail apologetically.

"So?" Spottedpaw hissed, "What if she dies? I'd rather have greencough and go with her than to live without her!"

"Oh, you silly apprentice, imagine if you go and she doesn't, how would that make her feel?"

"I am not a silly apprentice!" Spottedpaw hissed, baring her teeth, "And I want to go!"

"My answer is no, and you will not take one single step into the medicine den."

Spottedpaw lashed out at her, raking her nose. She caught blood on her paw and when she put it down, it turned the snow crimson.

"No! Why do we have to be the weakest Clan? Why do we have to suffer through the most pain?"