AN: I know the last chapter was sort of short but I decided to break up that chapter from this one so that it wasn't too long. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it'll be much more exciting than the last for sure.

"I want everyone who's attending the gathering to meet beneath the Highledge for a clan meeting," (AN: As you may or may not have noticed I got tired of trying to remember what the camp looked like so I'm converting back to the original camp by the lake. Sorry for all this confusion but it was easier just going exactly like the books. I'll try to fix the other chapters later!)

Moonpaw prodded Icepaw awake and together the two apprentices went to sit underneath the ledge beside Snowpaw. Next to them sat Mousetail, Patchear and Cherryblossom, each cat anxiously waiting to leave. Glancing around the camp the black tom watched as Gingerpelt, Cloudstorm, Leafwhisker, Raindapple and Cinderpool each made their way out of the warriors' den, obviously eager to get going. As it was the sun was low in the sky, casting a pink tint across the bluish background.

Waiting impatiently for Silverstripe and Foxclaw to join them, the apprentice started to groom his fur, hoping to look his best for his first gathering. Just as he slicked down the last piece of black hair, the two returned to camp and joined the eager cats.

Flicking her tail, Nightstar led everyone into the cool forest, anxious to get to the gathering. Moonpaw padded against the soft undergrowth happily, his stride proud and strong. Around him the comforting scents of the forest edged his tension and he let out a breath of contentment

"Are you excited for your first gathering?" the eager apprentice slowed his pace to match that of his mentors'.

"Ya! What do I have to do when we get there though?" the tom asked, looking off at the island in the distance.

Veering towards the right, the black and orange she-cat padded alongside the shoreline, being sure to respect the WindClan boundaries. "Well you should try and meet new apprentices to get an idea about other Clans' culture. But you must be careful not to reveal too much or else the enemy warriors will know our weaknesses." Nightstar gave Moonpaw a warning glance.

The apprentice shuddered out of fear and coldness. The lake brought across a cool breeze and the black tom wondered if it'd get warmer on the tree blocked island. Taking the lead once more, Nightstar darted ahead while Moonpaw slowed to look for Icepaw.

"Hey Moonpaw. I'll show you around the island, you'll love your first gathering! There are so many new scents to smell and cats to meet. Oh and there's-" Icepaw broke off as her sister cuffed her over the ear.

"There won't be anything new for him if you keep blabbing on. Give the tom a break," Snowpaw meowed and she exchanged a glance at her sister. Moonpaw stared deeply at the unseen connection that occurred between the siblings, trying to penetrate the barrier that blocked their thoughts.

Finally he gave up and had to focus on getting across a large, fallen log that laid before him. Just beneath the bark was black water, lapping dangerously below his black paws. Moonpaw gulped nervously and hopped on the log, digging in his claws to help keep balance. Crawling forward cautiously he slowly made his way across the tree, dodging rotted branches as he continued towards the island.

Happy to see the end he unsheathed his claws and placed his paws forward, only to let out a yowl as he felt them slip from beneath him. Closing his eyes Moonpaw prepared to meet the icy water but instead felt teeth grab his scruff and haul him back to his feet.

Breathing a sigh of relief, his wobbly legs propelled him off the log and onto solid land once more. "Thanks," he meowed gratefully to Nightstar, who barely saved him from a disastrous incident. It would have been terrible to attend his first gathering wet and cold.

Shaking off his nerves, he and Icepaw barged through the bushes to emerge into a large grassy clearing. Moonpaw gasped in shock. He'd thought ThunderClan was huge, but seeing all four clans together… it was unbelievable! All around the clearing pelts merged as one under the starry light. Orange, gray, black, white… every possible combination of colors was visible in the clearing. Scents mingled just as much, his nostrils flaring up with the chaotic atmosphere he'd entered.

"Come on! I want you to meet some cats," Icepaw quickly darted away, followed instantly by Moonpaw. As the white she-cat stopped in front of a group of apprentices, Moonpaw scrunched his nose at the rabbity scent wafting from their pelts.

"Hi! My name's Oakpaw and this is Cloudpaw, Silverpaw and Breezepaw." He flicked his tail to each cat as he said their names. "We're from WindClan. I suppose you're a friend of Icepaw?" Moonpaw nodded and introduced himself.

"I don't think I've met you before. Is this your first gathering?" Oakpaw meowed thoughtfully.

"Ya. I came from far out of ThunderClan's boundaries where my twolegs lived. I, uh, ran away and came to join ThunderClan less than a moon ago." Moonpaw didn't want to admit how he had caused his owner's deaths. The memory of it all was too recent in his mind to actually have to relive it once more. Icepaw seemed to understand and she exchanged a knowing glance with the black tom.

Suddenly a yowl erupted from a large orange tom and Moonpaw let out a sigh. "Well it looks like Flamestar is calling this gathering to start. I'll see you later though!" the light brown tom bounded away to sit by the rest of his clanmates.

"Well ShadowClan has a new litter of kits. Mothpool just gave birth recently to Hawkkit, Berrykit and Fernkit. We expect them to grow into fine warriors," he cast a warning glance at the other leaders who just rolled their eyes. "Other than that I have no news. Our Clan is strong and thriving with plenty of prey." He stepped back and beckoned for a silver she-cat to step forward.

"WindClan also has had a fine greenleaf. The rabbits are plentiful and we have two new warriors to welcome. Dapplemoon and Ravenwing sit their vigil tonight back in camp." The she-cat explained before letting Nightstar up to speak.

"ThunderClan welcomes two new members to the Clan. Moonpaw has joined us along with his sister who is back at camp tonight. The prey is running smoothly and we are healthy and strong as usual." Nightstar stated the last words with an edge as if challenging the other leaders to dare attack.

As the she-cat stepped back a large reddish tabby tom padded forward, an odd scent coming off his pelt. His fur was wiry and matted with herbs and Moonpaw suddenly remembered the dream he'd had.

"RiverClan was doing fine until just recently. A creature I never dreamed of living near here has attacked our camp. Because of the bear many of our warriors were left wounded and an elder has gone to join StarClan. May Heavyrock have peace with our ancestors." Murmurs of sadness rippled through the cats and Moonpaw felt a pang of sorrow for the old tom. Even though he didn't know him, the black tom sent of silent prayers that he lived on happily in the skies.

"However with the help of our medicine cat we are recovering quickly so don't even think about stealing territory. We may be wounded but we'll still protect our land!" he hissed the last words through gritted teeth and glared menacingly at the other warriors.

Moonpaw let out a hiss of annoyance. Would other leaders really be that petty as to taking territory when another clan was weak? How would these cats survive if they focused on constant fighting?

He felt a shuffle beneath him and he looked to see that Icepaw and Snowpaw had scooted a tail-length away from him. The tom looked at them with perplexity but they refused to meet his eye. Shrugging it off, he turned his attention back to the gathering to find that after Redstar had warned Flamestar that the bear had roamed onto their territory he had ended the meeting.

Nightstar bounded off the branch and rounded up her ThunderClan warriors to head back to camp. Moonpaw padded up to the other apprentices but they only slowed back to walk with Raindapple and Cinderpool. Confused, the black tom headed up to the front to walk with his mentor. Looking up at her, he wrinkled his forehead at the sad determination that shone in usually bright eyes. The rest of the way he padded along in silence until he finally reached ThunderClan camp.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting," Nightstar's voice rang out cold and hollow through the dark clearing as the anxious cats gathered beneath their leader.

"Redstar has informed us that they were viciously attacked by a bear very recently. They chased it off onto the ShadowClan border, which means that Flamestar will most likely send it our way. If my assumption is correct then the bear only wants to have Moonpaw found. It is because of this that I've made my final decision. I, Nightstar, leader of ThunderClan, hereby exile this apprentice from ThunderClan." The she-cat looked down sadly at her apprentice, but he refused to meet her gaze.

Choked up with emotion, Moonpaw glanced around the clearing at the meows of sorrow and goodbye that erupted from his former clan. He tried to meet Icepaw's eyes but she just cocked her head and whispered quietly to Snowpaw.

"I'm sorry Moonpaw but I cannot jeopardize the safety of my Clanmates. If you're caught on my territory by tomorrow morning I give my permission for my warriors to," she gulped nervously, "to kill you."

Moonpaw stood frozen in shock at her harsh tone. "W-what about Socks? Does she have to leave too?" the black tom wasn't sure how he could survive alone in the forest, not mentioning having to take care of a helpless kit."

"We would never abandon a kit in need. She'll be permitted to stay in ThunderClan and grow up to be a full warrior. But you must leave now Moonpaw."

Holding down his grief, the black tom nodded sorrowfully at his former leader. Taking one last look at the familiar clearing and faces, he meowed a farewell before heading out of the clearing into the cold dark forest. Usually full of sound, it sounded eerily quiet in the shady forest. The wind that normally gave him comfort just chilled him to the bone, reminding him of how alone he now was. Casting a glance over his shoulder at the hollow clearing, he padded on silently in the forest, wondering what he was supposed to do next.

Aww, Moonpaw got exiled! How sad right? Well don't worry because there's a reason for all of it. (Obviously) So just keep tuned for the next chapter and remember to review!! I'll try to make the next update much quicker if I get a lot of reviews.

Thanks!

-Snowy