Chapter 11: The Gathering
HI! Just another reminder that we accept OCs and ideas for plot, even though not all ideas will make it, they're all appreciated! :3 –Majesty and Fox
Blossompaw grumbled to herself as she watched Lizardpaw try to impress the newly apprenticed Hawkpaw, though the young she-cat's attention was to Icepaw. Stonecloud, Hawkpaw's mentor tapped her shoulder and ushered her towards the exit. "Bye Icepaw," the mottled brown she-cat purred. The cream and white tabby apprentice only shrugged and walked towards Mintpaw.
"Bye Hawkpaw!" Lizardpaw said sweetly. The she-cat smiled and whisked her tail in acknowledgment and walked away with her mentor. Blossompaw frowned slight and tried to fall asleep, curling into a ball to ignore the annoying younger apprentice.
Suddenly a paw prodded her ribs. She cracked open one icy-blue eye and smiled slightly. Fernpaw sat hunched in front of her, grinning brightly. "Hi friend!"
"Hello, Fernpaw," she murmured. "You're my best friend, but please go. I'm tired and annoyed with everyone. I need to sleep." Fernpaw sighed and nodded.
"You're about as fun as a dead rabbit right now," Fernpaw mumbled, loud enough for her to hear.
Feeling suddenly energetic and wanting to prove that she wasn't boring, Blossompaw leapt for her nest and collided into her friend, rolling around in the dirt. "Blossompaw!" she giggled, fighting back with her claws unsheathed.
"I told you I'm not un-fun!" she growled playfully, biting Fernpaw's black tipped ear.
"Fine, fine! You're fun!" the black and golden apprentice squealed. Blossompaw purred and jumped off her friend. She bent down and groomed her messy belly fur, purring loudly.
"Can I ask you something serious?" Fernpaw mewed. She nodded, hesitation creeping in her belly. Fernpaw shuffled her paws nervously and sniffed a few times. "Do…do you…like my brother?"
Blossompaw tensed, her fur fluffing up in surprise. "W-What?! Of course not, he's one of my best friends!" she yowled indigently. Am I lying to her? Do I actually like Stormpaw?! "No…" she replied again, this time calmly.
"Ok," Fernpaw shrugged. "I was just wondering because Mintpaw thinks you're infatuated with him."
"Thanks ridiculous!" she giggled, her heart beating faster. Suddenly Lynxstar yowled loudly.
"WindClan! Tonight is the night of a gathering! Blossompaw, Mintpaw, Lizardpaw, Icepaw, Hawkpaw, Rainstep, Vixenbreeze, Dogfoot, Graysky, Wolfjaw, Hazelclaw, Lionbite, Blueblossom, Marigoldfall, Maplefire, Blazewhisker, Stonecloud, and Breezefeather are coming," the golden spotted she-cat meowed.
As everyone padded out of camp, Blossompaw watched Lynxstar intertwine her tail with Hazelclaw, making her smile. "Hello my little blossom," Breezefeather purred, licking her daughter's cheek.
"Mother!" she squeaked happily.
"You haven't visited me in a bit! How are you coping…with the loss?"
"I'm fine," she lied. Talking about her father's death wasn't important at the moment. All that mattered was that she had her mother.
As her clan-mates settled next The Shadowclan cats, Blossompaw sat between her mother and Mintpaw. This wasn't her first gathering, but being around the other Clans still gave her butterflies. "That ThunderClan apprentice, Littlepaw, is pretty handsome," Mintpaw snickered, making Icepaw, who was nearby, tense.
"Mintpaw! Don't be silly," she giggled, rubbing her cheek against her friend's. Suddenly Fallowstar yowled, signifying that the gathering was about to begin.
"ThunderClan is doing fine," the tiny cream ThunderClan leader mewed. "We are preparing for leaf-bare, but hunting has been good. We sadly lost Bramble-ears due to old age, but on a happy note, Firekit and Tinykit have become apprentices!"
"Firepaw! Tinypaw!" cats chanted from all the Clans. Fallowstar dipped her head respectfully, letting Spiderstar of RiverClan speak.
"RiverClan is doing very well. The river hasn't started to freeze yet, and our prey-pile is full." He announced, his dark amber eyes ominous.
"A tom of little words," Mintpaw whispered, giggling at her own joke. Blossompaw rolled her eyes but purred. Suddenly a flash of light made her stagger and wince. What in StarClan's name was that? No one else seemed to notice the light that kept flashing. She started to breathe heavily and feel dizzy.
"What's wrong?" Breezefeather asked concerned.
"Stop being fussy!" Stonecloud snapped.
"I'm fine!" Blossompaw assured them, earning a glare from Stonecloud before he turned his attention back to Flowerstar talking about how great ShadowClan was doing. Finally, the light seemed to stop flashing as Lynxstar spoke up.
"Hawkpaw, Lizardpaw, and Icepaw are our newest apprentices." Cats cheered for them before listening to Lynxstar once again. After the leaders finished speaking, the Clan cats gathered around in small groups and gossiped.
That light was so strange and my head still hurts!
Blossompaw, still confused, sat with Mintpaw, Vixenbreeze, and two ShadowClan cats named Firefoot and the deputy Jaysong. Vixenbreeze seemed to be staring at Firefoot strangely…almost…affectionately. The ginger spotted snowy tom seemed to also cast the WindClan medicince cat sweet glances, ignoring Jaysong's bragging.
Maybe they're good friends. She though, pushing down suspicion. Vixenbreeze was nothing but a loyal medicince cat…who Blossompaw hated at the moment. Suddenly a faded light took over her vision.
Blossompaw was suddenly on the moor. "Hello? What's going on?" A river bubbled nearby a bloody scene. Graysky let out a piercing yowl full of grief and heartbreak.
"My daughter!" She wailed into the sky. "NO!" Blossompaw's heart stopped, blood roaring in her ears, pushing past Graysky, Lionbite, Stormpaw, and Rainstep to see what was going on. Just as she was about to see, the vision ended.
"NO!" She screeched, making Vixenbreeze, Mintpaw, and the ShadowClan cats jump out of their fur.
"Blossompaw! What's wrong?!" Vixenbreeze cried. The deep ginger apprentice shook like heather in the wind, heart pounding.
"I-I…I…" she had no words for how scared she was. It had happened again. Another "dream" about death. Vixenbreeze seemed just as nervous, but before she could speak, Lynxstar started to lead WindClan home.
What's going on with me?!
