CHAPTER TEN
The light of the full moon hovered in the sky, illuminating the forest a brilliant silver. Pawsteps passed lightly over the undergrowth as cats moved like shadows through it. They were skillfully silent in their movement. They knew how to run through the forest without being seen or heard.
Nightpaw's eyes flickered towards the further patch of undergrowth. His pelt was bristling with excitement as he thought of where they were going. This would be his first Gathering as an apprentice. Actually, it would be his first Gathering at all. He trembled at the thought.
"Keep moving, useless furball!" Nightpaw groaned as he stumbled over a vine. Wolfheart was at the lead, yowling commands to anyone who fell behind. This wasn't the first time he had tried taking over, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.
"I can't wait to get rid of these useless kits," Bearclaw growled as he caught up with Wolfheart. The deputy only sneered and nodded in agreement. Nightpaw's whiskers twitched in confusion. What did they mean by that? He knew these cats didn't like him or Fadepaw very much, but to say something like that….
"All of those who were born on the same night should be banished!" Yowls of agreement followed Wolfheart's call as the patrol suddenly came to a halt. Nightpaw could only gape at the huge light brown tabby as he glared at him. "And to anyone who stands up for them, they shall face punishment by treason!"
What's going on? Nightpaw suddenly wondered. How could Wolfheart suddenly have the entire Clan wrapped around his claws? It all seemed so unreal. Just seeing those malicious eyes glaring back made him shiver with fear and uncertainty.
Then he realized that something wasn't right. The cats' eyes were black, blacker than night itself. Nightpaw wasn't even sure how that was possible. But as he gaped at them he realized that this wasn't real. The cats advancing towards him were just visions.
Slowly but surely his sight returned to normal. He found himself back in the apprentice's den, gasping for breath. Fadepaw looked at him in concern when he struggled to stand. Nightpaw shook his head and tried to forget what he had seen or heard.
"Is everything okay?" she asked when he managed to stand up. Her head was tilted to one side in curiosity as he shook moss from his pelt.
"Just had another bad nightmare," he replied in a shaky voice. Fadepaw looked even more concerned than before. Nightpaw tried to keep calm despite what had happened in his dream. He couldn't let his sister worry too much. "Are you ready for the Gathering tonight?" he asked after trying to change the subject.
Fadepaw purred in amusement and nodded. "I can't believe this is our first Gathering… together anyways." The mischievous glint in her eyes told him that she had already seen a Gathering. Nightpaw resisted the urge to roll his.
He would never leave the camp as a kit. It was too dangerous to do such a thing. His sister had always been more of a rebel at heart. But if she was caught than there was no way she'd become a warrior any time soon.
"Just don't let mom or dad hear that," he hissed under his breath. Fadepaw only smirked and padded out of the den, with him close behind her.
Camp was buzzing with activity when they emerged from their den. Honeypaw and Buzzardpaw sat not far away, chattering like excited sparrows. Nightpaw gave Honeypaw a faint nod as he passed her. The two of them had become good friends in the last few days. But Nightpaw could see the faintest spark of jealousy in her eyes now.
He tried not to think about it as he stalked to where the Clan was already waiting. The moon was hovering high in the sky, and it was soon time to leave. Streakfur and Featherstorm were waiting for their kits impatiently.
"Your first Gathering as apprentices," Featherstorm purred as she nuzzled them affectionately. Fadepaw flushed under her fur while Nightpaw's ears flattened in embarrassment. "I can hardly believe how much you've grown up."
"Mom, we're old enough to take care of ourselves!" Nightpaw protested when Featherstorm began grooming him.
"Leave them be," Streakfur told her. "This Gathering may very well be their last." Confusion swept through Nightpaw as he noticed the look exchanged by Streakfur and Featherstorm. His vision from earlier suddenly came rushing back to him at full force.
"Don't say that to them," Featherstorm gasped as if he'd clawed her ears off. Wolfheart and Bearclaw were glaring at them from the background. Nightpaw didn't miss the cold looks that were sent towards Featherstorm and Streakfur.
"It is time to leave." Scorchstar's voice sounded weaker than ever. Nightpaw couldn't help but flinch away from it. He knew that Scorchstar was the oldest leader of all the Clans around the lake. And when Scorchstar passed away…. There was no telling what would happen to ShadowClan.
He decided not to think about it as the Clan moved on to the island. This was exactly what had happened in his nightmare vision. Only than he didn't know it at the time. He only hoped that he and his sister didn't share the fate that his visions had predicted.
...
Excitement surged through Fadepaw as she bounded after her Clanmates. She couldn't ignore the fact that this was her first Gathering as an apprentice. In fact, she wasn't even put off when Wolfheart had sneered at her for falling behind. She just ignored the scornful look he gave her.
Then she noticed how anxious Featherstorm and Streakfur looked. The two of them ran side-by-side at full speed towards the island. But the worry in their eyes was obvious. She began to wonder what was wrong when they had finally reached the island.
"Be careful, this treebridge can be difficult to cross," Streakfur warned them when cats began crossing. Fadepaw tried to hide a knowing smirk as she waited for her brother to stumble across. Nightpaw was more than fearful of the treebridge, and finally it was Bearclaw who shoved him forward with his nose. Nightpaw let out a yelp when he landed on the other side.
"Mousebrain," Bearclaw scoffed as he strolled past, ignoring the cold look that followed. Fadepaw held back a sigh of annoyance as she crossed the bridge with ease. She had plenty of practice since she had already been here before. Without the Clan knowing of course.
"Ignore him," Fadepaw mewed as she joined her brother and helped him up. Nightpaw shook his head and bounded forward to catch up with the group. "You're welcome!" she yowled irritably. "So much for always sticking together."
She bowed her head and padded after him, having realized that ShadowClan wasn't alone. She already picked up the scent of WindClan, and her ears pricked forward with sudden interest. Maybe she would see Hazelpaw again. She had been friendly enough when they first met. And Hazelpaw had something in common with her.
As she reached the clearing, Fadepaw's eagerness suddenly increased. She spotted Hazelpaw sitting in the crowd of WindClan cats. But Hazelpaw wasn't alone this time. Fadepaw narrowed her eyes when she saw a lithe looking light ginger tom with green eyes sitting proudly beside her.
"Hi, Hazelpaw!" Fadepaw called her out as soon as she approached the crowd. Hazelpaw flinched when her name was called, but her eyes widened in surprise as she spotted Fadepaw. The tom standing next to her shot Fadepaw a cold look almost at once. "I'm glad you made it!"
"Who is that?" the young tom glared at Fadepaw, and she tried to ignore the look he was giving her. She noticed right than and there that Hazelpaw had flinched when he spoke. Obviously Hazelpaw was still under a lot of pressure. Fadepaw could still remember how fearful the young cat had looked when they first met.
"Fadepaw," she introduced herself, hoping to sound a bit respectful, even if this tom didn't deserve it. "We met a few days ago."
"So, you're the ShadowClan runt she met," the tom sneered. Fadepaw immediately recoiled and glared at him. But what Hazelpaw did next surprised them both.
"Will you shut up, Breezepaw?" she snapped. "I'm tired of you trying to protect me from threats that aren't even there! Fadepaw is a… friend." Fadepaw's eyes lit with happiness as Breezepaw looked at them both in utter shock.
She was ready to say something else when RiverClan arrived. Fadepaw ducked her head at the fact that their pelts were dripping wet. Did they actually swim to the island? Her nose wrinkled in disgust at the thought. She wasn't even sure how they could stand it.
"Hi, Otterpaw." A sleek-furred dusky brown apprentice was the first to greet them as she padded forward. Fadepaw narrowed her eyes when she saw Otterpaw's webbed-like paws. "How is your training going?" Hazelpaw asked when she sat down nearby.
"Just fine," Otterpaw purred in response. "Hailpaw should be getting here soon; she can swim like us." For a moment Fadepaw was tempted to ask why, when she noticed how worried Otterpaw looked. "Who are you?" she asked, curiously looking at Breezepaw and Fadepaw.
"Fadepaw," she meowed with a dip of her head.
"Breezepaw," Breezepaw growled in response. Otterpaw nodded at their names, and soon she was joined by a smaller looking pale gray, almost white she-cat with light blue eyes. Fadepaw's eyes widened when she realized that they looked like chips of ice.
"This is Hailpaw," Otterpaw introduced her friend before Hailpaw could open her mouth. She only glared at Otterpaw in response. That was when Fadepaw noticed her shoulders. They were wrapped in cobwebs, and looked like they had just been put there.
"My brother Nightpaw is around here somewhere," Fadepaw murmured, trying to change the subject. Tension crackled in the air like electricity. Fadepaw hoped that Breezepaw didn't start a fight, or Hailpaw for that matter. Both cats looked like they were ready to.
And sure enough her brother joined them shortly after she had said that. His eyes were brimming with excitement when he sat beside Fadepaw. She glanced at him in confusion and noticed that the Clans were divided into small groups.
What's causing them to do this? she wondered. Some were casting uneasy glances towards the apprentices. Fadepaw flattened her ears when others just glared at them. Worst of all she saw Wolfheart sitting among a large group, all of them shooting the apprentices glares every now and than.
"Is this how Gatherings always are?" Hailpaw asked with her tail wrapped neatly around her paws. Fadepaw only shook her head, suddenly wondering if she was right. Maybe Gatherings were always like this. And she was just over thinking things.
"I don't think so," Nightpaw replied with a shake of his head. "I overheard some of the warriors talking," he added; his voice had dropped to a whisper, and Fadepaw could see more than just excitement in his eyes. There was fear in them as well. "They were asking whether or not we'd be kicked out of the Clans, or killed."
Fadepaw's heart nearly skipped a beat when he said that. Killed? All too soon she realized that was why the Clans were divided. Some cats actually wanted them dead! But the real question was why they wanted such an evil thing done.
"What are we supposed to do?" Breezepaw demanded, his fur starting to stand on end with anger. "It's not like we were given the chance to figure something out." Fadepaw stared down at her paws as she recalled the way Wolfheart had treated her. It all made sense now.
"It doesn't matter what they say," Otterpaw snapped. "They can't kill us, can they?" She looked at Nightpaw and Fadepaw hopefully. But they only looked at her in confusion. What were they supposed to say? Fadepaw didn't know anything about this. Nightpaw was clearly better at guessing what everyone was thinking than she.
"I don't know," Nightpaw admitted. "I-I don't think it's up to us to decide."
Fadepaw nodded in understanding. She wasn't going to let the Clans kill them. If it came to that, she would fight for them. Even if she did barely know them.
AN: So this chapter was fun to write. Hazelpaw has more friends than she realizes ;) And ThunderClan hasn't arrived yet. I wonder why? :P We shall find out soon! And you didn't fall out of your chairs, yet. But you might in the next chapter XD
Silverbird22 - That's exactly what I'm thinking. But, it is my story and all /: And lol, I didn't even think about that at the time XD
Blue1272000 - Yep, Poppypaw is almost like Yellowfang. Only I'd say she's more resentful towards Grayleaf for forcing her. And I'm glad you like his power, it'll definitely be put to good use!
Nightfrost-of-ShadowClan - Did you? :P
