Disclaimer: I only own the characters and plot. The Idea of warriors belongs to Erin Hunter.

"Cats of all the clans! The gathering has begun!" announced Ashstar, his voice loud and confident, seeping an aura of power. The now hushed murmurs of conversation died down to silence that rang in my ears. Olivepaw and Waterpaw sat beside me, ears pricked eagerly, waiting to hear what the leaders had to say.

"Streamstar, you may speak first." Meowed the huge grey leader to the older she-cat, a slight hint of a sneer to his voice. The Reedclan leader gave Ashstar a contempt-filled look, but swept her calculating gaze over the clans and addressed them.

"Reedclan is well, and Starclan has been good to us; prey is plentiful and we have two new litters of kits and three new warriors. Congratulations to Lillyflight and her kits Rushkit and Tawnykit, and Swallowfeather and her Litter of three, Ospreykit, Troutkit and Heronkit." Cheers rose through the crowd, mostly from the Reedclan cats, but I joined in. I didn't want to lose my friendship with Olivepaw and Waterpaw so soon.

"Also, our new warriors are with us tonight; Splashstep, Duskwhisker and lightdapple!" More cheers, more noise. The overwhelming mixture of sights, sounds and scents was beginning to make me feel lightheaded, and I shrank lower to the ground, the sudden outburst of noise reminding me of scathing comments and harsh words. The shredded edges of my ears stung as they were bombarded with a seemingly never-ending volley of noise.

"Are you okay?" Olivepaw's concerned whisper crept through the ruckus, and I looked up weakly to see her and Waterpaw leaning over me. The sound began to die down, and I felt my strength gradually return, so I scrambled to my paws, muttering hastily;

"Too loud." The Reedclan cats nodded in sympathy, then Waterpaw twitched her ears as Fleetstar began to speak.

"Can't miss any gossip!" whispered the smaller, silvery apprentice good-humouredly, before turning back towards the big rock.

" Fleetclan is doing well also; prey is good, and the weather has been kind to us. Two of our warriors, Echodawn and hawkstripe, chased a badger from our territory two sunrises ago, and it headed towards Strikeclan territory, so I would advise caution." The small black leader glanced towards the grey she-cat beside him.

"Thankyou, Fleetstar." Acknowledged Shadestar, nodding in gratitude.

"I will see that it does not settle, and learns that the clans are not to be intruded upon." Small murmurs of agreement hummed through the air.

"Shadeclan is also well." Continued the smoky leader, her stormy eyes seeming to unnerve me.

"We have also had a new litter of kits, Spottedkit and Icekit. Unfortunately, however, Icekit was born blind, and is planned to take on the role of medicine cat when she reaches apprentice age." Whispers of sympathy passed over the cats; and I looked down at my paws.

I wonder if Icekit is accepted… does she feel like me? I mused, letting the thoughts distract me. Suddenly, Ashstar's commanding voice rang out crisply against the rapidly cooling night air, and I whipped my head up in surprise, wincing as I jarred the muscles in my neck from the sudden movement. I hissed a curse under my breath, then turned downwards, trying to avoid the grey leader's gaze.

"Forestclan is also well!" he proclaimed, swishing his thickly furred tail proudly.

"We have one new apprentice; my own son, Stormpaw! He is excelling in his training, and will undoubtedly be an exceptional warrior in the future!" I glanced over at my brother who was looking side to side proudly, a smug expression on his face. Suddenly, he spotted me through the crowd, and mouthed something at me.

Ooops! It looked like dad missed you!

I let out a hiss of frustration, but looked up again sharply as Olivepaw, a defiant look set on her face, called out above the crowd.

"What about Whitepaw?!" she demanded. I could feel my ears flushing red as many pairs of eyes, Technicolor orbs, turned towards me. Shadestar was the first to speak.

"It looks like the mighty Ashstar forgot to announce his other apprentice!" she commented smugly, and ripples of laughter rose into the night air. Ashstar looked awkwardly side to side, then hissed something to the other leaders.

"Fine. Whitepaw is also an apprentice. Satisfied?" he announced, a bored intonation to his voice. Streamstar nodded, then turned to the clans.

"The gathering is over." She meowed, before turning back to Ashstar. I felt curiosity burning inside me, so I scrambled through the crowd over to a spot where I could hear the leader's conversation. Straining desperately to hear, I caught swift, fleeting catches of the words being said. Suddenly, I heard Ashstar mention my name, and my eyes widened.

They're talking about me!

I scrabbled closer, new desperation driving energy into me. I barely caught the end of what they were talking about, but what they said made my fur prick up along my spine, and sent my blood running cold, as if it had been turned to fluid ice.

"So the prophey. What does it mean?" Fleetstar's voice was curious as he conversed with the three other leaders. Ashstar's voice was low and grim as he replied.

"Whitepaw is a danger to us all."

A/N: sorry for not updating in ages! I'm also sorry for another short chapter… never mind! I've also just realised that, despite having only 10 (now 11) chapters, this story has become so popular (80 reviews!)! thankyou so much to everyone who has taken the time to read this, and an even bigger thankyou to everyone who has posted favourites, follows and reviews!

Storm!