5 - Gathering

Moonpaw, Glacierpaw, and Aspenpaw padded through the dark forest surrounded by the rest of their clanmates who were attending the Gathering. The warriors around them chatted absentmindedly about what news would be discussed at the Gathering. In this time of peace, little disturbed the relations between the clans aside from the occasional rogue or loner crossing borders. Most of the time spent at a Gathering was taken up by old friends catching up, the announcement of new warriors and apprentices, and the inevitable death of cats due to sickness, age, and accidents.

Moonpaw glanced at Glacierpaw, and observed the ease with which he carried himself. She wondered if he was nervous about meeting all the new cats. She and her brother were probably the youngest apprentices who would be attending the Gathering, and she knew she would be the smallest, by far. What if the other apprentices don't like me? What if they're all better than me? What if they tease me? What if- Moonpaw's worries were interrupted by Aspenpaw's tail flicking across her ears. He looked at her with concern. He could probably see her insecurities in her eyes. He always had way of knowing when she was upset. She forced herself to smile, to set her friend's mind at ease. I'm probably overreacting. It's just a Gathering!

Soon, the clan reached the smaller fork of the river. Across the water, all Moonpaw could see were several large boulders, but she heard the soft murmur of many cats. Eaglestar halted his clanmates with a wave of his tail, then turned to address them. "Before we join the others, I'd like to remind you all that while we are meeting under the full moon, during the longest peaceful period in the history of the clans, we are still separate. Many of you have friends among the other clans, as do I, but remember where your loyalties lie." His last words were directed towards his kits, Moonpaw and Glacierpaw. Moonpaw met her father's gaze and saw his eyes soften.

Returning her attention to the river, Moonpaw realized that they still had to cross it. The water was two foxlengths wide, at its narrowest, and she could see no trace of a fallen tree or stones in the water to leap to and from. "How do we cross?" she asked Aspenpaw. Eaglestar ushered his clan to the riverbank. "Aspenpaw?" Moonpaw heard the panic in her own voice.

Aspenpaw nudged her closer to the river, mewing "It's not deep at all right here. It barely touches my belly fur, see?" He padded into the water after the rest of the clan. Moonpaw looked around. She was the last one on the bank; even Glacierpaw had warily eased himself into the current. Steeling herself, Moonpaw did the same. I'm glad it's Greenleaf! This water would be frigid in Leafbare. Aspenpaw walked beside her as she took one unsteady step after another. At one point, she stumbled on a loose rock, and Aspenpaw had to catch her with his shoulder.

Her ears burning with embarrassment, Moonpaw pulled herself onto the opposite bank of the river. Glacierpaw was waiting for her. He said nothing, but his whiskers twitched with amusement. "What are you laughing at?" she snapped at him. Stung, her brother muttered an apology and trotted away to join the group milling about ahead of them. Seeing Aspenpaw eyeing her, Moonpaw growled, "It's not my fault I'm small."

Aspenpaw glanced around, to ensure no one could hear him, then admitted, "I fell in face-first when I first crossed the river. Heatherpaw covered for me, but she never let me forget it afterward." Moonpaw saw his eyes grow distant, as the always did when he mourned for his lost sister. She nuzzled him comfortingly, and the two friends padded after their clan.

When they reached the clearing, Moonpaw stopped to take in her surroundings. The Stonecircle was like a giant stone hollow a cat had scraped in the earth to bury their freshkill. Around the walls of the hollow, cats perched on rock shelves. Moonpaw saw Eaglestar and Lichenpelt leap to two adjacent ledges, and then settle down comfortably while talking together. Cats yowled greetings as Dawnclan emerged from the single entrance to the hollow. The cats of Dawnclan dispersed among their friends. The elders took up a space in the center of the clearing, while the apprentices scuffled near the wall. Warriors watched them or discussed hunting techniques.

Glacierpaw stood beside Moonpaw, and she meowed, "I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. I was just tense about the river." She frowned, then added, "And the Gathering, too." He drew his tail over her mouth and smiled at her, and she knew she was forgiven.

Aspenpaw had wandered a few tail-lengths away to greet a friendly looking white she-cat with bright blue eyes. He called to Glacierpaw and Moonpaw, who scurried over to him. "Glacierpaw, Moonpaw, this is Bubblepaw. She's a Duskclan apprentice." Glacierpaw nodded graciously, and Moonpaw mewed a nervous hello.

Bubblepaw smiled and the two younger apprentices. "Hi! It's nice to meet you, Glacierpaw. And you, too, Moonpaw. Aspenpaw talks about you all the time. I'm glad I finally get to meet you!" Moonpaw glanced at Aspenpaw, who shrugged self-consciously. "Come over here, and we'll get you introduced to everyone." Moonpaw followed the she-cat to the scuffling apprentices she had seen earlier. "Hey, guys, stop your rough-housing and meet the new apprentices!"

Suddenly Moonpaw was aware of six unfamiliar pairs of eyes burning into her pelt. Bubblepaw introduced her and Glacierpaw to her clanmates, first. First, there was Whirlpaw, a grey tabby she-cat almost as small as Moonpaw herself, then Jumppaw, whose long legs and big paws suggested that he would be a large tom by the time he became a warrior, and Redpaw, who narrowed her bright green eyes playfully and whipped her ginger tail back and forth. Moonpaw grinned back at her. After the Duskclan apprentices, Talonpaw and Icepaw stepped forward. Talonpaw was a large black tom whose dark grey eyes smoldered in his wide face, whereas Icepaw was a silvery-grey she-cat, slender, and possessed ice blue eyes that seemed able to pierce through stone.

The other apprentices were curious about Glacierpaw and Moonpaw, but before they could talk at length, a yowl resounded throughout the hollow. Moonpaw jumped, but the other apprentices looked up expectantly. The Gathering had begun.

After the leaders finished speaking, the cats milled about, socializing. Moonpaw found herself sitting next to the gruff-looking Talonpaw, watching the other apprentices compared fighting moves and techniques. She glanced sideways at him. He caught her look and flicked an ear. "Your brother seems to be enjoying himself," he noted, nodding toward where Glacierpaw was stammering to the pretty Whirlpaw. Whirlpaw laughed at the joke Glacierpaw attempted to make for the third time, and he looked immensely pleased with himself.

Moonpaw blushed, and mewed, "I don't know what you're talking about. He's just making friends." Talonpaw purred with amusement, but let the topic slide. Jumping on the opportunity to talk to a cat from a different clan, Moonpaw asked, "What's life like in the mountains?"

Talonpaw shrugged, but pride resonated in his voice as her meowed, "For me, it's just life. I've never known anything else. Sure, it gets cold sometimes, and prey can be scarce, but we get by." He glanced at her to gauge her reaction, and seemed pleased with the awed look in her eyes. He continued, describing the great birds that swooped down from the sky to snatch up both prey and cats alike, as well as wolves, which Moonpaw had only heard of in legends.

She interrupted, blurting out, "Have you ever seen one?"

Talonpaw nodded solemnly. "While our warriors would fight to the death to protect our clan, wolves are much bigger, and stronger, and they travel in packs. When a wolf is spotted or heard near our camp, we all have to take shelter. We don't stand a chance against an animal like that. Thank Starclan no cat has been killed recently. If you think dogs are bad, you've never seen a wolf. It's a dangerous life, but what warrior doesn't face danger?" He puffed out his chest, and Moonpaw felt a newfound respect for the mountains and the cats that call them home.

Moonpaw stood and stretched. She wanted to find Aspenpaw and tell him what she had learned! When she peered around the clearing, however, her friend was nowhere to be seen. Turning to Talonpaw, she asked, "Did you see where Aspenpaw went?" Talonpaw shrugged, his cool indifference returning. Moonpaw started to pad away to look for her clanmate, then swung around, remembering her manners. "Thank you for telling me about your home. You must be very brave to live in the mountains. I don't think I could handle it." Talonpaw smiled, and his dark eyes danced with satisfaction.

Moonpaw opened her mouth to try and scent Aspenpaw, but the jumble of three clan's worth of cats just made her sneeze. She focused her mind, then tried again. Aspenpaw slept next to her. She should recognize his scent as easily as her own. There! Moonpaw thought triumphantly. She followed her nose outside Stonecircle, weaving her way between cats just as she wove her way through the pines back home. Aspenpaw's scent led her to a large bush, and within she could faintly make out the sound of his voice, as well as that of another cat. How could he be in there? This bush has thorns! She deliberated, then called out for her friend. "Aspenpaw? Are you okay?"

The voices stopped abruptly, then the bush quivered, and Aspenpaw scrambled out from underneath it. His pelt was thick with burrs, and he stopped to pick a thorn out of his paw before addressing Moonpaw. "Yeah. I'm fine. What do you want, Moonpaw?" To Moonpaw's astonishment, she felt as though Aspenpaw was lying to her. Or at least, keeping a secret.

Suspicious, Moonpaw peered into the bush once more. "Who were you talking to?" I shouldn't feel like he's keeping something from me. We're best friends; we tell each other everything! Her fears worsened when Aspenpaw failed to answer her. He glanced away, and her heart sank.

The bush quivered again, and Bubblepaw slid out, her slick fur repelling the burrs that tried to ensnare it. "He was talking to me," she mewed. Her previously friendly and cheery demeanor had vanished, leaving in its place one of chilled and condescending dislike. Moonpaw shrank back, unsure what to make of the situation before her. "We're kind of busy, so if you don't mind, can you give us some privacy?"

Aspenpaw glanced at Bubblepaw, and in that one look, Moonpaw realized what she had stumbled upon. Her heart sank even lower, until she was sure it would fall out of her paws. Inside, she wailed, How could you, Aspenpaw?

Instead of revealing her despair, Moonpaw drew herself up to her full, if short, height. Following her initial pain was a cold, hard ball of anger. This was the emotion she allowed to spread across her face. She made each word biting, and a snarl curled her lips, "Excuse me, I wasn't aware that breaking the warrior code was a regular thing at Gatherings. Perhaps this is a bush that all disloyal cats use to break the code, and you just take turns. Whose turn is it next? Because if the code isn't important to the future warriors of my clan, who else will bother to care? Aspenpaw, I hope you realize what you're doing to your clan." She paused, and her voice grew softer, "What you're doing to me." And with that, she turned and stalked away. She heard Aspenpaw call after her, but Bubblepaw's now cold voice drew him back.

The moment she was out of sight of the two apprentices, she let the tears flow. She didn't care who saw. Her best friend was a traitor. Aspenpaw, you're more than this. We are more than this. Moonpaw had thought that Aspenpaw cared about her. Maybe even as more than friends. How long has this been going on? They certainly looked as if they knew each other well! This explains how he caught the fish so easily. Bubblepaw taught him. She thought back to that morning, when she had told him about her dream, and he had comforted her. Comforted! While he was breaking the code of everything they stood for!

Moonpaw gritted her teeth and growled to herself, "Well, if he wants to break the code with Bubblepaw, that's his problem. I don't care." Even as she said it, she knew it wasn't true. She did care. Immensely so, but Aspenpaw didn't have to know that. She would go about her life like nothing was wrong, with one exception: Aspenpaw was no longer her friend.