Okay so I am probably going to add on this chapter before seeing to my other fanfics: I have been spending more time on this story than the others.
So finally we get to the Meeting! Promise that there will be many characters in this, and I want to thank all you fans for your awesome reviews. Keep on rocking!
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-Lilith
I was so surprised I stopped in shock.
The clearing was pretty large: maybe about three-fourths the size of the RiverClan camp. Even though it wasn't night yet, cats were already milling around, some long and limber, some strong and sturdy. I couldn't really hear anything over the murmur of many voices: the telling stories, the trading gossip, and the retelling tales. Thymepaw's mouth dropped, Eaglepaw's eyes widened, and I could feel myself do both.
"Don't worry: you won't get lost. There are so many cats here and most of them know me, so if you get lost just ask somebody where I am. Got it?" Jayflame asked, and I silently nodded. "Good." She said, and then vanished in the crowd to probably go meet up with her friends.
"I think that there are other apprentices over there." Mosspaw whispered, flicking his tail towards the huge oak tree on the edge of the clearing, shading the cats underneath it. I could faintly see the outline of a ring of cats: none too big enough to be warriors, and too small to be kits.
"Come on." Thymepaw said, and we followed her across the clearing, struggling to keep each other in view around the swarm of cats.
As we neared the ring of apprentices, Thymepaw stood back, allowing her brothers to take the lead as she walked beside me. She didn't say her reasons why, but I had a feeling why: she was protecting me from the others.
"Mind if we join you?" Eaglepaw's mild tone made the apprentices look up.
"Sure." And unfamiliar tom said, and they all made room for us as we sat down and joined the ring. There was an awkward silence before somebody spoke up, a black tom with yellow eyes. "I knew that Blazingstar had three kits, but not four."
"Twigpaw is my brother, even if my mother didn't give birth to him." Thymepaw growled, standing up firm and proud for me.
"Rushpaw didn't mean it." A she-cat with a strange mix of a white, grey, and brown fur and blue eyes informed her. "I'm Nuthatchpaw by the way."
"You're name is really long." Mosspaw said without thinking.
"I know. RiverClan?" She asked, noting our sleek, wet fur and webbed paws.
"Yeah. What are you? ShadowClan?" Eaglepaw asked.
"Close: ThunderClan."
Eventually we slipped into an easy conversation, but I could only remember only a pawful of names: Rushpaw, Nuthatchpaw, Quietpaw (a small black she-cat with blue eyes), and Sparrowpaw (a dusky brown tom). The other's names were vaguely familiar but nothing that I could remember spot on.
A sudden yowl cut off a pretty she-cat with grey and silver fur –Swiftpaw, I think- and I turned to see four huge cats standing before the clans. I could easily point out Blazingstar but the other three were unfamiliar.
"Who are they?" I asked Thymepaw.
"The white tom with bright blue eyes is Chillstar, the ThunderClan leader. The black she-cat with yellow-orange eyes and the torn ear is Splitstar, the ShadowClan leader, and the ginger tom with green eyes is Cherrystar, the WindClan leader."
"Wow." I say, taking in the thin yet muscled WindClan leader.
"Yeah. He's got muscles, but it way to skittish." She said, amused.
That brought a small smile to my face: it was hard to see the large ginger tom be easily scared.
"If those are the leaders, than who are they?" I asked, pointing to a small group of cats near the front.
"Deputies. The red she-cat with brown eyes is Redpelt, and the black tom with the white tipped tail is Blacknight. The other one is Birchtail, the light grey tom with green eyes, and the last one is Streamtail." Thymepaw whispered.
"And who are they?" I asked, pointing to another group. I could see Goldenpaw's pelt in the moonlight and by her side was a creamy she-cat with yellow-green eyes –Daisyleaf-, but the others I couldn't identify.
"Medicine cats. The really pale grey tom with green eyes is Mintleaf, and the grey-blue she-cat with blue eyes is Riverflow, and her apprentice is the grey tom with blue eyes –Mistysong, I think- and the silver and black dappled she-cat is Stargaze."
I wanted to ask more questions, but a hiss made me jump. "Be quiet! The leaders are trying to speak!" A light brown she-cat with a dark brown tail and blue eyes whose name appeared in my mind –Brightpaw- harshly whispered.
"Sorry." I whispered back, embarrassed. Thymepaw glared at Brightpaw until she turned back towards the leaders.
Cherrystar stepped forward, letting the moonlight cascade down his pelt, framing his small and sleek body. "WindClan has been blessed with kits. Two of our warriors, Applepool and Skytail, have given birth to five kits. Naturally, we are all only slightly struggling to keep our clan well fed, but I have without a doubt that full-leaf will bring more prey." He finished, and I couldn't help but realize that he had lightly skimmed over the issue of prey.
As Cherrystar stepped back, Splitstar took his place. "ShadowClan as well has been blessed, but with apprentices. Seven of our kits have been made apprentices: Hollypaw, Flowerpaw, Sparrowpaw, Swiftpaw, Tigerpaw, Flintpaw, and Bouncepaw." At this there was a roar of approval, from all the clans, as those seven apprentices seemed to stand up a bit taller. Once it died down, Splitstar continued her report. "Prey has been bountiful and none of us are sick, even though leaf-bare has brought some struggles. But we have recovered and are as strong as ever."
She then let Blazingstar speak, sinking back into the shadows as the RiverClan leader began to talk. "RiverClan as well has had a plentiful amount of apprentices and kits this leaf-bare. Four of our kits have joined the ranks among the apprentices: Thymepaw, Eaglepaw, Mosspaw, and Twigpaw." At this there was another roar of approval, but it was a bit quieter. I pretended not to notice this and instead kept listening to Blazingstar's speech. "Also, two of our kits, Oakit and Maplekit, are almost ready to receive their apprentice names. The streams are full of fish and leaf-bare has left us unscarred."
Last but not least, Chillstar stood up to face the clans. "ThunderClan has been suffering from the lack of prey in our territory, due to the fact that WindClan has apparently still been hunting off of our territory. We do hope that our food is going to waste, since it sees that WindClan is full of prey again." He shot a look at Cherrystar, a cold look that sent a shiver through me. "Also, we have seemed to have caught a small outbreak of white cough and need all the food we can get to keep our warriors from dying. Other than that, we report no news."
"Chillstar, we haven't been hunting on your lands for moons now." Cherrystar said, eyebrows furrowing with confusion.
"Then why do I continuously find WindClan scents on our territory, animal remains that my warriors haven't made, and have actually found some of your warriors?" He asked.
Cherrystar swallowed. "I will speak to my clan about this." He said, throwing an icy glare at a small group of WindClan cats nearby. I didn't know if he knew about this or was just making assumptions.
"Good. I don't want any of these reports to continue." Chillstar growled, and with that the Meeting seemed to end.
Cats began milling around again, some leaving but most staying. "Come on! The other apprentices are meeting up near the shore!" A long and limber tom with yellow eyes said.
A flash of fur made me turn. Stoneheart and Ivoryheart were vanishing into the woods. "I'll catch up with you." I say, and then wait for Thymepaw to follow the apprentice before turning to the spot where the two warriors had vanished. This was my chance to figure out what was their problem with me.
I could see their outlines in the night: it wasn't too hard to spot Ivoryheart's white pelt. They walked into a small clearing and curled up in the center, sitting across from each other and bowing their heads together. I didn't follow them any further and instead stayed near the edge of the clearing, where they wouldn't spot me.
"Did you speak to Suntail?" Stoneheart asked.
"Yes. She says that there haven't been reports of rogues. Heatherfoot and Cherryblaze said the same thing." Ivoryheart murmured back.
"Hmm. Do you think that the Twoleg place nearby might be the home of some rogues?" Her mate whispered.
"Maybe. But we can't investigate without raising some suspicion." Ivoryheart replied.
"We have got to hurry though. Twigpaw is a scourge in RiverClan: he doesn't have pure clan blood in him. Anybody can see that. And when I am leader, RiverClan will be free from the weak and the lame, from those who can't fend for themselves." He spat.
I shivered at that, and then took a nervous step forward. My paw hit a branch, which then snapped, causing the two mates to jump.
"Who's there?" Ivoryheart asked, standing up.
But I was already gone, running through the trees, fear compelling me to run faster with every step. I wasn't running to any certain destination, just blindly. All I knew was that I had to get away.
What is Stoneheart planning exactly? I'm not going to give it away!
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-Lilith