Chapt 6

"So how do you say mouse in dog?" Mossypaw mewed curiously to Wolfpaw while they walked along the shoreline to the gathering.
"Mouse," Wolfpaw yipped in dog, his voice deepening and rising. He enjoyed sharing his knowledge with Mossypaw. He enjoyed sharing anything with Mossypaw for that matter.
"Mow-oose," Mossypaw tried to bark, but it came out a little strange. Wolfpaw chuckled.
"Don't laugh! I was trying really hard!" Mossypaw flattened her ears indignantly.
"Now you know how I feel!" Wolfpaw joked. Mossypaw flicked him with her tail.
"I don't smell any of the other clans," Hollowpaw dropped back to them. He was older than Mossypaw and Wolfpaw, so he this wasn't his first gathering.
"That's good, then we'll be able to get there without any cats seeing Wolfpaw," Someone called back. Wolfpaw growled a little, Riverclan still didn't trust him.
"Don't," Mossypaw whispered, placing her tail on his shoulder. He shrugged it off and dropped back to the end of the patrol. He followed slowly behind, whimpering quietly. He hated that Riverclan didn't trust him. So what that he wasn't born in Riverclan, he had heard that the leader of Thunderclan was a kittypet! Surely that was worse than a dog!
Wolfpaw looked across the lake, moonlight dappled across it. He could see a large mass moving on the opposite shore, that must be another clan. He looked back in front of him, Riverclan was farther away from him for his liking so he sped up. He trailed behind them a couple of tail-lengths and watched as they leaped onto a fallen log and crossed it onto the gathering island. He trotted to the crowd of small cats and waited his turn. Heavystep was lumbering in front of him, slowly making his way to the log. He gathered his haunches and leaped up on top of the tree. Wolfpaw sighed, this was taking longer than he wanted.
"You just wait your turn," Heavystep turned and hissed at the young dog,"Young apprentices with no respect for the cats that fought battles so they could hunt!" Heavystep grumbled. Wolfpaw didn't realize it was so apparent that he was in a bad mood. He leaped onto the log. It was slipperery and for the second time he cursed himself for not having the claws of a cat. His paws slid out from under him and he hit the tree and fell into the black water. The darkness engulfed him, swallowing his body. He tried to bark, but water rushed into his mouth and nose. He surfaced briefly, sucking in air.
"Swim!" A cat on the log shouted. Wolfpaw churned his legs strongly, and tried to work his way back to the shore. But the current was pulling him towards the island and sucking him down.
"Someone help him!" A cat shouted from above. Wolfpaw struggled to stay afloat, but he could no longer keep moving as the warmth was pulled from his body draining his energy.
-

"Wolfpaw," A hazy voice whispered in the light brown dog's ear,"Wolfpaw,"
The small dog fluttered his eyes. He began to cough and gag. Finally, he felt the water rise in his throat and he vomited up lake water.
"What happened?" Wolfpaw sputtered.
"You fell off the tree bridge and into the water," The cat was Willowshine.
"How long was I asleep?" Wolfpaw tried to stand, but his paws gave way under him.
"A few heartbeats, the other clans haven't even arrived yet," Willowshine murmured, licking his fur dry.
"Who saved me?" Wolfpaw muttered.
Willowshine paused.
"Who was it?" Wolfpaw demanded.
"Oh Wolfpaw, no one saved you. You washed up on the shore." Wolfpaw flopped back onto the pebbly beach. How could no one try to save him?
"It'll be okay, Wolfpaw." Willowshine murmured, pressing her head against his thick, soft fur.
"Whatever," Wolfpaw sighed, and struggled to get to his paws.
"Here let me help you," Willowshine tried to get under his shoulder.
"No, I don't need any help," Wolfpaw pushed her away and walked away from her. He joined the clan cats and settled down in the middle of the group.
"Wolfpaw," Mistystar trotted up to him,"Try to talk to as many clan cats as possible. Have good manners and be as friendly as possible. The more cats that know the real you the better,"
"And what good would that do? Riverclan doesn't even trust me," Wolfpaw muttered under his breathe.
"Excuse me?" Mistystar narrowed her blue eyes.
"Nothing," Wolfpaw turned away and approached Mossypaw. They locked eyes, but Mossypaw turned away and continued her conversation with Troutpaw, a cat that would openly scorn Wolfpaw. Dumbfounded, Wolfpaw walked away and sat by himself. Another clan made their way into the clearing, with a white tom with jet black paws in the lead. He angled his ears towards the white tom.
"Remember Rowanclaw, we can't let the other clans know we are weaker since Russetfur died," The white tom mewed quietly to the ginger tom next to him.
"Yes Blackstar," The ginger tom quickly responded. So that was Blackstar, the Shadowclan leader, Wolfpaw thought. He always pictured Blackstar totally black.
"Greetings Blackstar. How is the prey running?" Mistystar mewed to the Shadowclan leader.
"Good. Any news for the clans to hear tonight?" There was an edge in his voice.
"You'll hear soon enough," Mistystar mewed evenly. Wolfpaw wanted to creep closer to hear the rest of the conversation but was afraid Blackstar would be offended that Mistystar didn't tell him about welcoming a dog in her clan. So he moved back to the rest of Shadowclan. He saw Mossypaw talking to a small black she-cat. He approached the pair again, who thankfully were standing on the outside of the group of cats. Wolfpaw avoided Mossypaw's gaze and walked p to them. The black she-cat't tail fluffed up and her eyes widened with fear.
"Do-," Mossypaw wacked her tail over the she-cats muzzle.
"This is Wolfpaw," Mossypaw murmured quietly,"He's a Riverclan apprentice."
"B-but, he's a dog," The black cat mewed, flicking her eyes from Wolfpaw to Mossypaw.
"Hello," Wolfpaw nodded.
"He speaks," The she-cat whispered.
"Wolfpaw, this is Pinepaw, she's a Shadowclan apprentice," Mossypaw mewed. Wolfpaw nodded.
"So, um, is this your first gathering?" Wolfpaw asked awkwardly.
"No, no. I'm getting my warrior ceremony in a few days," Pinepaw whispered.
"This is our first," Mossypaw added. Pinepaw nodded, flicked her eyes back to Wolfpaw, and quietly excused herself. Wolfpaw locked his eyes with Mossypaw, his humor apparent. But her eyes were serious.
"Why don't you go with Hollowpaw," She whispered, and gaze her dropped as she padded away. Wolfpaw whimpered slightly as he turned away from his friend.
The last two clans arrived next, a ginger tom flanked by a large tabby tom. Wolfpaw knew this was Thunderclan, and the leader was Firestar. The other clan was Windclan, headed by a small brown tabby, his name, Wolfpaw had heard it from one of the elders in a story a few days before. The two leaders leapt onto the tree and settled onto their designated spots. Mistystar stood to call attendance, but Onestar was a step a head of her.
"Cats of the clans, we have an outsider among us!" Onestar paused for affect,"His name is Wolfpaw and he is a dog!" Yowls of shock and outrage poured through the clans.
"Where is he?" A cat yowled.
"I am here," Wolfpaw barked loudly. All of the clans went silent as Wolfpaw walked to the head of the clans.
"Yes, I am a dog," He began,"But why should that matter who my parents were? They were both noble, strong dogs." Wolfpaw looked around at the cats.
"Because we are the clans, cats of the clans!" A cat protested.
"Why didn't you tell us about this dog at the last gathering?" Blackstar confronted Mistystar.
"Because we didn't know that Wolfpaw would be staying with us," Mistystar confessed. Wolfpaw was outraged. Didn't know he was going to stay? Where would he go, he was still a small defenseless puppy then!
"It does not matter where a kit, or pup, gulps his first breathe. What determines a warrior is how they spend the rest of their lives." Reedwhisker defended.
"That is true," Firestar murmured.
"But he's a dog!" Onestar shrieked,"They chase our hunting patrols everyday, they terrorized Thunderclan back in the old forest, and Brightheart was nearly killed by them!"
Wolfpaw stepped forward,"I can't speak for my kin, but I can speak for myself," He glared at his clanmates, except for Reedwhisker, no cat had spoken in his defense.
"I would never harm any one of you unless I was protecting my clanmates. I would never chase you down and attack you. I don't know what dogs have done to you in the past, but this is now. Please, trust me," Wolfpaw looked at around at the cats standing in the clearing, with big round eyes. A orange and white she-cat approached him. She stood rigid and hid half of her face from him.
"I am Brightheart," She showed him the other half of her face. It was severely scarred and she had nothing but a scar where her eye should be. Wolfpaw struggled not to flinch away, but he looked her straight in the eye while she spoke,"And I trust you." She licked his shoulder, still locked in place. He could tell she was frightened out of her mind, but if she could trust him like this, then there was hope for him after all.