Chapter 7
The Night of the Gathering
"Now, Swishkit. You are going to be a good kit while I am gone do you understand?" Willowtail's voice was firm as she spoke. "If I hear that you've been a bad kit I'll have your tail off in an instant. I care about you dearly but losing you, Clearkit, Dovekit, or Shrewkit would be dreadful even though Dovekit and Shrewkit aren't mine. They mean a lot to me. Now, do you understand?"
"Uh huh," Swishkit nodded his little head his eyes round and scared as he spoke. Having his tail off would be dreadful and he padded towards the nursery as Sandcloud appeared.
"I'll look after them, Willowtail. You've got no need to worry. Come on, Swishkit. Shrewkit and Clearkit are already sleeping. How about you and Dovekit play for a little while before you are sent off to bed."
"Thank you," purred Willowtail giving Swishkit a hard look as he struggled in Sandcloud's grasp. The ginger she-cat dipped her head respectfully turning away.
Sandcloud had joined the nursery a few sunrises ago learning that she had been expecting kits. They were Stormtail's kits and it hadn't been a big surprise to every cat of the clan when they had been told. Sandcloud dropped Swishkit when they pushed trough the lichen curtain that surrounded the nursery.
"Play with me!" exclaimed Dovekit bouncing up to her foster brother. "Will you please play with me? How about we play-fight?"
"Why not a quieter game?" suggested Sandcloud rubbing her belly with her paws. and licking it as she spoke.
"Oh." Dovekit flopped down her eyes round.
Swishkit wrapped his tail over his paws as he sat down and began to lick his small pelt trying to look proud and like an older cat. He could see the surprised look on Sandcloud's face as she meowed: "Yes, how about a game like Swishkit's. Something quiet and silent that won't be a problem. You can clean each other's fur. It will be good for you so don't mind it."
"Come on, Dovekit," meowed Swishkit. "I'll show you how to do it good."
"Alright." Dovekit sat down beside Swishkit. "How do you do it good?"
"Just like this. Stroke down first right in front of you. Then move a little bit so you're getting the other spots. When you get to your back you'll have to turn a bit and keep your head turned properly but make sure not to break it. The front part's pretty easy. Here, let me show you the back part." Swishkit carefully turned his body and his head and slowly began to lick his back."
"I think that I can do that," murmured Dovekit copying Swishkit as Swishkit finished grooming his own fur and then curled up in his nest.
"There," muttered Swishkit settling in as he rocked back in forth.
"Why do you groom just to get into bed the next moments. There's no point in that!" cried Dovekit stopping her work.
"There is a point," Swishkit told Dovekit gently. "It's so that your fur won't get as tangled while you are sleeping. This way, it won't be a pain in the morning if you've got long fur. If you've got short fur it isn't so bad. My fur's not short or long, just in the middle but I like to be super careful. Unlike, Clearkit. She doesn't ever groom out her fur before she goes to bed. I don't get her sometimes."
-----After the Gathering-----
"How was it?" asked Swishkit circling Willowtail his eyes round. "Why are you back so early?"
Willowtail shook her head gently and meowed, "The SnowClan and HailClan leaders began to fight. Cloudstar and Oakstar were yapping away at each other. Poor Cloudstar was watching as Oakstar insulted him until the moon was covered. It went something like: 'Cloudstar! Your turn to speak.' That was from Oakstar and then Cloudstar was like 'Oh yeah, sorry, Oakstar.' When he said that it made Oakstar feel better but he was still angry. He meowed 'You're wasting moonlight, Cloudstar! Get a move on.' When Oakstar said this Cloudstar got mad and the two of them began to wrestle and the moon was covered."
"Are Gathering's fun?" asked Swishkit curiously.
"They are when they go smoothly with no arguments," Willowtail murmured quietly. "That doesn't happen too often. A quarter of the time we argue, the next quarter of the time we argue but the moon isn't covered but luckily, the last half of the time we're okay. It's mostly half and half. Well, not really since the third quarter of the time there's some sort of interruption and that's how the Gathering ends."
"That seems like most of the time it must be a pain," murmured Dovekit.
"That is true, Dovekit, but when Gathering's with no interruptions take place we are all very glad. After that time happens cats try to keep it that way but then they have a bad Gathering and the bad Gathering streak goes on until surprisingly they have a good Gathering. It's always different." Willowtail seemed surprised by so many comments.
"But what about during leaf-bare?" asked Swishkit. "Isn't it cold?"
"Most of the time we argue during leaf-bare," meowed Willowtail. "Since leaf-bare's coming that's a bad thing but that's alright. Once leaf-bare's over we have the good days and then we're happy since then the warm moons come with not so much trouble. In leaf-bare cats sometimes argue before the Gathering even starts because a clan doesn't come in time so the other cats leave and then they get angry because a cats taking a long time to speak and it's cold. It's usully leaf-bare when all of this happens."
"I understand now," muttered Swishkit eagerly.
"What's it like at Gatherings?" asked Dovekit. "What to leaders say?"
"Oh," Willowtail began. "They talk about new warriors and new apprentices. How the prey is running. Any deaths. Twolegs and monsters and how they've been. Lots of leaders are proud so they don't like to seem weak on Gathering days. Then they partially lie about what's going on in their clan. That's how it usually is."
"Cool! I hope that I'm leader someday!" Swishkit exclaimed his light gray pelt excited. "I want to be Swishstar! Leader of RainClan who is the best leader the forest has ever seen."
Willowtail looked pleased with her ktis happiness but she mewed calmly, "But that means that you have to become an apprentice, warrior, have an apprentice, deputy, and then you become a leader. You have to survive through everything. Usually, if you become a deputy you get an apprentice and then become a deputy when you're a bit older but things wil always change. Sometimes, a cat gets an apprentice and the next moment they are deputy. Things always change but I'll be proud if you ever become leader even though I'll probably be leader by then."
"That means that Darkstar and Tidefur have to die!" cried Dovekit. "It also means that many different things will happen and that so many deaths and births will take place."
"But Swishkit will get what he wants then. He'll stand on the Large Tree with the rest of the leaders at Gatherings and he will be much more admired than he ever was. Things will happen but at least you know that you'll join StarClan when you die and there's something to know. That you'll live forever since you'll be living in StarClan."
Dovekit looked pleased at Willowtail's answer but Swishkit gave a yawn and Willowtail purred.
"I'm tired," muttered Swishkit lying down on the ground and Willowtail picked him up by the scruff.
"I guess that it's time for someone to get a good night sleep. You don't want to be too tired tomorrow since ever single day is precious." Willowtail gave Swishkit a quick lick and Swishkit purred as Willowtail carried him towards the nursery.
As Swishkit began to doze off the last words that he he heard were Dovekit wailing to be carried too.
I've writen the most that I've writen in a while now and I hope that you're liking my story so far! This story's going to be sort of long. It's got a lot more chapters to go but I won't reveal what's going to happen in Swishkit's life.
Cherrystar
