Brambleclaw looked annoyed. Firestar had said that I could come to the gathering again, despite what happened at the tree bridge last time. Obviously, Brambleclaw didn't want me to come. He was sure that I'd pull something like that again. As if it were my fault.
We were almost to the bridge. Silverpelt glimmered above us, paled by the full moon. My paws itched to run ahead, but I kept my pace. Cherrypaw and Foxleap were walking next to me and I didn't need them to get suspicious. Besides, we were already towards the front of the group. Only a tail length or two behind Firestar and Brambleclaw.
In front of us, Shadowclan was crossing over to the island. The tree bridge shone in the low light. The smooth wood still slick with today's early rain. Great. Another chance to slip. My fur rose at the thought.
Cherrypaw must have noticed, because she flicked me with her tail. A big smile lit her face. "Don't worry. You won't fall. You can cross with Foxleap, Rosepetal, Molepaw and me. We won't let you slip."
I didn't like the idea that I had to be chaperoned like an apprentice. Watched over for a simple mistake like I didn't know what I was doing. Nevertheless, I let out a purr. Leave it to Cherrypaw to try to cheer me up. At least I could depend on her.
And of course at that moment, Jayfeather pushed through us to talk to Firestar. Not once did he turn to acknowledge me. His gaze, or maybe lack of a gaze, only on the cats in front of us. He never did acknowledge what I had said in his den days ago, before I ran into Stormpatch. Neither did I. Honestly, him and I hadn't spoken since, and I was perfectly fine with that.
Stupid fur ball.
The last of the Shadowclan cats cleared away, leaving the bridge open for us. I climbed on after Cherrypaw, followed closely by Rosepetal. The bark was slick. I could have sworn I felt the tree shift beneath me. My claws unsheathed to their full extent. No way was I going to let myself be so careless again.
In front of me, Cherrypaw chattered away. She was talking to me, but I had lost track of what she was saying. My eyes drifted over to the shore. Was he…
"See, Iceshadow! What did I tell you? You did fine." Cherrypaw leaped off the end of the tree onto the shore and started bouncing up and down. We were already at the end! I pulled my claws back and leaped down after her, with Rosepetal and Molepaw close on my heals. I shook myself of. I needed to wake up. Not let my mind drift. That cat was worth my full attention. Especially over my clanmates. Right?
"Don't be silly," Molepaw scolded his sister. "Ivypool said that she wasn't paying attention and slipped. You don't need looking over like a scared kit, right Iceshadow?"
Cherrypaw visibly drooped. "I was just trying to help."
Foxleap rested his tail against her. "I know, but Molepaw is right. She can handle herself."
At the same time, Rosepetal swatted Molepaw over the ears with her tail. "Iceshadow can speak for herself, Molepaw, but there is no need for you to be rude to your sister."
Molepaw opened his mouth to complain, but I jumped in before the situation could get any worse for the siblings. "I'm fine. Actually, I really appreciated the help, Cherrypaw. I think I got the hang of it now."
Molepaw looked at me and nodded, as if accepting my attempt to fix the situation for him. Cherrypaw perked back up. Back to her normal self. "Really?"
I nodded and laughed. She had turned full circle. Even Rosepetal and Foxleap were chuckling. "Really."
"Yeah!" She ran around to my side and started pushing me towards the clearing. "Come on. I want you to meet some of my friends. I wanted to show you at the last gathering, but I couldn't come. Now you can meet Featherpaw and…"
She rattled off a few more names as she pushed me along. I would have gone too. Either that or sat with Ivypool and her friends again. The only thing that stopped me was a flash of a mottled grey pelt and bright blue eyes disappearing into a clump of ferns. "Actually, Cherrypaw… There's someone I met here at the last gathering that I'd like to talk to first."
She cocked her head, slightly surprised. It only lasted a heartbeat. Her smile reappeared. "Okay then. When you finish, I'll be over there by that tree." She flicked her tail towards a nearby pine. "Then you can meet them all."
"Thanks, Cherrypaw," I called, whipping around and followed the cat through the ferns. "Stormpatch?"
Nobody was there. It was nothing more than an empty expanse of grass leading down to the shore. I must have been wrong.
"Boo."
Something touched my flank.
My claws shot out. The fur on my back fluffing up as I turned to rake my claws across Stormpatch's shoulder. "Hey," he grunted as my claws came short of his flesh, ripping fur instead. Uh oh.
"What are you doing," I demanded. It was a struggle not to shout at him. "I could have killed you."
He rubbed a paw over the shoulder I scratched. His stupid grin was back on his face. "It was just a joke. Did I get you good or what?"
Of course. I slammed a fore paw into his side. Claws sheathed this time. I couldn't believe he snuck up on me again. Must be getting rusty. This tom was worse than Cherrypaw. He stumbled to the side, laughing, as my paw made contact. His laughter was contagious.
"Don't you dare do anything like that again," I said, trying to keep a straight face. I failed. The laughter bubbled out despite my best efforts.
His blue eyes met mine. It felt like those eyes could see into my very soul. "Come on. I'll tell you what I know about you." His tail tip brush against my cheek as he turned and started padding towards the shore. I instinctively hissed at the touch. That made him chuckle some more. "Then we can chat like elders, just like I said."
Suddenly, I no longer needed to know how he knew anything about me. I wanted to know more about him instead. Why was he so different then the rest?
What's this? I'm posting a chapter after... what? Half a year? Yup. I couldn't keep up with my schedule and burned myself out. So here I am, back and posting. I don't leave a story go unfinished. Of course, I won't be posting as much as I used to. I'll be adding chapters as I feel fit. Sorry about that, of course I doubt I have anyone left waiting to read my stories anymore. Sorry about that.
And just because... ;)