The full moon was high in the sky, without a cloud in sight, by the time Thornstar led his Clanmates up the steep incline to highgrounds. Hawkpaw padded alongside Whitewillow, anxiety gnawing at his belly. He had never been so far from home and many different scents weaved around him when the FireClan cats entered the clearing where the Rockmound sat.
LeafClan and StormClan were already there, mingling together to make an odd fishy-pine smell. The Rockmound was bigger than Hawkpaw thought it would be. The elders say that it was once an old Twoleg structure built seasons beyond seasons ago that was abandoned and left to crumble to pieces with time. Hawkpaw wasn't sure if he believed it, however.
"What do you think?" Whitewillow asked.
Hawkpaw gazed at the many different colored pelts and many blazing eyes that filled the clearing, his own eyes wide in awe. "There are so many cats!" he replied. "It's incredible!"
Whitewillow purred in amusement. "Go find some other apprentices to chat with before IceClan gets here to start the Gathering."
"You mean go and talk to cats from other Clans?" Hawkpaw mewed in astonishment. Isn't that against the warrior code?
A new voice answered, "What's wrong? You scared?"
Hawkpaw veered around to see Falconpaw, his sister's tabby tail lashing mischievously from side to side. Hawkpaw lifted his head. "Of course not!"
"Then let's go!" Falconpaw squealed before running off toward some LeafClan apprentices.
Whitewillow nudged Hawkpaw. "Go on," he insisted and with that, Hawkpaw bounded after Falconpaw.
The LeafClan cats smelled terribly of fish and their dark pelts were as sleek as the stream near camp. Falconpaw was already introducing herself. Wasn't she even a little nervous?
"This is my first Gathering," Falconpaw was saying. She turned to Hawkpaw as he sat beside her. "And this is my brother, Hawkpaw."
"Hello, Hawkpaw and Falconpaw. I'm Ivypaw," greeted the brown she-cat. "This is my first Gathering too. And these are my brothers, Darkpaw and Shadowpaw." Ivypaw flicked her tail to the gray tabby and black toms beside her. Hawkpaw noticed Shadowpaw narrow his eyes when Ivypaw called him a brother. It intrigued him, but he didn't want to be nosy.
"Hi!" Falconpaw addressed warmly. "How's the prey running?"
Shadowpaw grunted in reply, "Our prey swims rather than runs, but it's fine all the same."
Ivypaw nudged her brother. "Ah, don't mind him. He often tries to seem older than he really is."
"I do not!" Shadowpaw protested, his neck fur beginning to rise. "I'm merely saying that we catch fish most the time."
"Whatever," Darkpaw snickered. "Calm down, Shadowpaw. We're just kidding around."
Shadowpaw growled low in his throat, but said no more.
"Is it hard to catch fish?" Hawkpaw asked. There were little minnows in the stream by the camp, maybe he could learn to catch those.
Darkpaw shook his head. "Not if you practice. I've been training for almost two moons and I've got the hang of it now."
"You definitely didn't get the hang of it yesterday," Ivypaw cried, her eyes bright in laughter. She turned to Hawkpaw and Falconpaw. "He tried to catch a fish so big that when he grabbed it, it pulled him in the river!"
Hawkpaw and Falconpaw burst out laughing as did Ivypaw and Darkpaw; even Shadowpaw couldn't stifle a snicker.
Suddenly yowl sounded from the Rockmound. Already Thornstar, LeafClan's leader Adderstar, and StormClan's leader Talonstar were on top, but IceClan's leader, Birchstar, leaped to meet them. When Birchstar settled himself on the gray stone, Talonstar called for the Gathering to begin.
Hawkpaw quickly sat between Falconpaw and Shadowpaw before turning his attention to the leaders.
Talonstar spoke first, "StormClan has prospered this greenleaf and we have three new kits born to Duskwillow."
Cats from all Clans meowed cheers, new kits in any Clan were a blessing.
"Prey is running well and we are prepared for leaf-bare." Talonstar backed from the front of the Rockmound and Adderstar took his place to give his news.
"LeafClan is proud to add Ivypaw, Darkpaw, and Shadowpaw as apprentices and welcome Cloudheart as a warrior."
More cheers echoed off the trees and Hawkpaw nudged Shadowpaw warmly on the shoulder. The black tom only nodded in return.
Adderstar backed away and allowed Birchstar to take his place. Birchstar was the oldest of the Clan leaders with a slight limp caused by an injury that didn't heal well. Hawkpaw has heard some of his Clanmates say that he may retire as leader by next newleaf.
The old tom rasped, "IceClan has also achieved the blessings of greenleaf by gaining a new warrior, Sorrelfur."
"Sorrelfur! Sorrelfur!" cried IceClan cats.
Hawkpaw stood up on his hind legs to get a better look at the new warrior, but too many heads blocked his view.
Birchstar continued on, "Prey is plentiful in our territory, but we need every mouthful in order to survive the long moons of leaf-bare, so we will fight for it if we have to." At those words, the old tom threw a glare at Thornstar and instant tension rose in the crowd of cats.
Thornstar remained unfazed and met Birchstar's gaze without flinching. "FireClan is well-fed, too, thanks to a good greenleaf, so there is no need for extra mouthfuls at the moment." Thornstar held Birchstar's stare for a heartbeat more before readdressing the surrounding cats. "FireClan is also pleased to welcome two new apprentices, Falconpaw and Hawkpaw."
Hawkpaw heard his Clanmates calling his name, but any cheers from cats in other Clans were scarce, thanks to Birchstar's challenging. Hawkpaw leaned over and whispered in Falconpaw's ear, "Birchstar just had to ruin our welcome at a Gathering."
Falconpaw merely shrugged. "It'll be better when we called as warriors."
Adderstar stood to his paws. "If that's all the news then the Gathering is at an end!" he called out, breaking the tension. The Clan leaders jumped off the Rockmound and went to find all their cats.
"Well, see you guys next moon, I guess," Ivypaw mewed.
Hawkpaw was surprised by the sudden flatness of her voice. Then he remembered. We're enemies again; the truce is over.
"See ya." Falconpaw echoed Ivypaw's monotone as the LeafClan she-cat led her brothers away.
"Bye, Shadowpaw!" Hawkpaw called after them.
Shadowpaw halted. "Bye," he replied. He hadn't looked back.
Hawkpaw felt hurt, but he pushed it away. I can't be friends with those LeafClan cats. Every cat that's not in FireClan is an enemy.
He quickened his pace to catch up with Whitewillow. His mentor had his claws out and he looked on edge as if ready to pounce. Hawkpaw turned around and saw IceClan warriors glaring at them with dark eyes full of conflict.
"IceClan isn't gonna let up easily, is it?" he mewed to the white tom.
Whitewillow didn't hesitate in answering, "No. We may not be stealing their prey, but if they want a fight, they can have one. We'll be ready."
Hawkpaw nodded, mentally preparing himself for a battle with a neighboring Clan. He padded on, holding his head and tail high, as they made their way out of highgrounds and back into their own territory.
