Heatherpaw shivered in the cold, eyes bright and fur ruffled in anticipation. Her Clanmates shuffled around her, as if they, too, were feeling restless. She, along with some other LeafClan cats, was waiting at the bottom of the hill where they would attend the Gathering. She looked at Spottedstar, who stood at the head of his Clan, and the speckled tom waved his tail, signaling them to move forward.
The Clan surged forward and raced up the hill, and Heatherpaw tried hard to keep her footing on the frosty, slippery grass. Finally, panting, they reached the top of the hill.
The LeafClanners silently padded toward the huge tree in the center of the clearing at the top of the hill; they were the first Clan to arrive. Heatherpaw stood for a moment, marveling at how calm and peaceful the large clearing looked with only one Clan in it. The normally green grass was sparkling with frost, and the air seemed clear and fresh as it blew gently across her fur.
Heatherpaw shook herself out of her thoughts, and padded forward to her Clanmates, who were sitting and talking idly while they waited for the arrival of the other three Clans. She sat beside Finchpaw and Cloudpaw, who were talking about what training they had completed earlier that day. But Heatherpaw wasn't thinking about training.
She was thinking about Pineblaze. It was the day after she had helped him walk to the edge of the fern patch, and he had had the bad luck of glimpsing Brackenpaw deep within the prisoner den. Pineblaze had shook almost all night long, and Heatherpaw couldn't do anything to calm him. She had been unsure of leaving to go the Gathering, but Pineblaze had assured her earlier that he was okay and that she needed to get out of camp.
Badgerpelt was currently keeping Pineblaze company at camp while Heatherpaw was out. Heatherpaw had been happy when it turned out that Badgerpelt was one of the few cats that Pineblaze wasn't scared of and didn't flinch away from. At sunhigh that morning, Pineblaze's mentor had nervously entered the fern patch, and Pineblaze had been elated to see him. The brown tom hadn't been scared at all, and Heatherpaw and Rosefur had been overjoyed.
Now, Heatherpaw suppressed a sigh. She was beginning to regret leaving. But she knew that Pineblaze would be okay with his mentor. Nothing had happened since then about Brackenpaw's punishment; it seemed that the whole Clan was slowly beginning to hope that Pineblaze would definitely survive and that he would be able to tell the Clan what he wanted to happen to his torturer. As long as his injuries didn't get infected again, Rosefur had told Heatherpaw in private once, Pineblaze would survive. He wouldn't make a full recovery, of course; his injuries were far too extensive to ever heal properly, but Rosefur hoped that with daily stretches, Pineblaze would have some range of mobility.
Heatherpaw's heart clenched when she imagined Pineblaze, who had been so energetic and fast and darting every which way only mere days ago, limping slowly around camp. She knew it would break the tom's heart if he wouldn't be able to climb trees or hunt ever again. But resolve hardened within her pity for him; she would help him through anything.
Suddenly, StreamClan and BreezeClan scents found their way into Heatherpaw's nostrils, and she turned to see StreamClan approaching from one side and BreezeClan from the other. Tension crackled between StreamClan and LeafClan; the border skirmishes over Willowcreek had made both Clans curt and edgy toward each other. BreezeClan, however, seemed much more sociable as they weren't involved in any feuds with any other Clans at the moment. BreezeClanners wove among the LeafClan cats, talking cheerily.
Suddenly, a tail tapped Heatherpaw on the shoulder. The golden she-cat spun around to see two BreezeClan apprentices smiling at her. "Gladepaw, Mosspaw," she purred in acknowledgement to the blue-gray tom and pale brown she-cat. She had met them multiple times at other Gatherings. "How are you two? How's the prey running in BreezeClan?"
Gladepaw rolled his eyes. "Those stupid rabbits seem to run even faster when it's cold. I bet it's the wind; it just blows them right across the moors!" He chuckled, bright green eyes glimmering.
Mosspaw tipped her head. "I'm a warrior now!" she announced excitedly. "My name is Mossfeather now!"
"Congratulations," Heatherpaw meowed kindly, dipping her head to the newly named warrior. "I'm going to be a warrior soon; tomorrow or the day after, I think."
Gladepaw sighed. "I'm not gonna have my final assessment for another two moons." Mossfeather nudged her downcast friend heartily.
"Don't worry," the she-cat meowed. "Two moons will pass super fast if you work your paws off!"
Suddenly, StoneClan appeared, running up the slope with Eagleclaw at the head. For the last couple Gatherings, Eagleclaw had led the StoneClan cats and spoke for his Clan. From what Heatherpaw had heard from the former StoneClanners that had joined LeafClan, she wasn't surprised that Duststar didn't come; he would probably say something really stupid and make StoneClan look weak and vulnerable in front of all the other Clans.
"He looks like somebody just dropped mouse droppings on his head," Gladepaw muttered, staring at the large deputy as he stalked over with his Clanmates. It was true, Heatherpaw realized. His yellow eyes were narrowed angrily and his fur was fluffed up, bristling slightly.
"I think," Mossfeather whispered, eyes wide, "he always looks like that."
As the StoneClanners began to mingle with the other cats, Eagleclaw leaped up onto a branch of the huge tree in the center of the clearing. It was called Tall Oak because of its great height, and it was where the leaders addressed the Clans at Gatherings.
Spottedstar soon jumped up, too, and was closely followed by Robinstar, leader of BreezeClan, and Meadowstar, the pretty she-cat that led StreamClan. Once all the leaders were settled on their own sturdy branches, Robinstar yowled authoritatively, "This Gathering has officially begun; all Clans are here!"
The chatting that had floated through the air quickly stopped and the clearing fell silent. Heatherpaw tensed in anticipation and wondered if any of the leaders were going to report that cat, Rone, that had told LeafClan and most likely the other Clans about Eagleclaw's plan to take over the forest. She hoped not; a fight would probably break out, and she didn't want Rone to get in trouble. He had only been trying to help the other Clans, which, in Heatherpaw's mind, was the right thing to do.
Robinstar, as the eldest leader, stepped forward to speak first. "Prey is not as plentiful as it has been during most other newleaf seasons," he meowed. "The snows have made the moors a very cold place to be, but BreezeClan is thriving well."
Heatherpaw glanced around at Gladepaw, Mossfeather, and some other BreezeClan warriors nearby. Even though BreezeClanners were skinny in general, they did look pretty well-fed. She faced the Tall Oak once more as Robinstar continued.
"Patchtail's kits have moved to the apprentice den and taken the names Beetlepaw and Weedpaw," Robinstar said. There was loud cheering, and Heatherpaw saw two young apprentices sitting not far away from her, beaming at the attention they were receiving. "And," Robinstar yowled, "Mossfeather has become a warrior!" There was even more cheering, and Mossfeather ducked her head shyly beside Heatherpaw.
Next, Meadowstar stepped forward on her branch and tipped her muzzle up. "Two of our warriors have finally returned to their duties," she sniffed, "which they could not take part in for a whole quarter moon due to wounds inflicted upon them by LeafClan cats when they unjustly attacked a StreamClan border patrol." The cocky she-cat's deep amber eyes glinted at Spottedstar, but the gray tom merely flicked his tail. Heatherpaw felt proud that he was able to keep his calm.
Meadowstar looked slightly flustered, as if she had expected Spottedstar to explode and be angry, but the arrogance quickly returned to her face. "The cold weather is not affecting StreamClan at all," she purred silkily. "All of our streams are covered in thin ice that is easy to break and the water is full of fish to eat. We also have two new warriors, Wetmist and Marshwhisker, who unfortunately could not be here tonight."
There was quiet cheering for a few moments even though the two newly named warriors had not attended. "That is all," Meadowstar finished, dipping her head.
Heatherpaw felt immensely relieved that so far that no one had mentioned Rone or Eagleclaw's evil plans. Then, the StoneClan deputy himself began to speak.
"Duststar could not attend today, for he was feeling rather ill with a bellyache and gives his sincere apology for not being able to come," the gray tabby tom boomed. Heatherpaw stifled a snort at the obvious lie.
Yeah, right, she thought disbelievingly. More like ill with craziness.
"StoneClan also has a few new warriors who could not, sadly, come today," Eagleclaw continued in a voice ringing with confidence. "Rainpaw, Thunderpaw, and Troutpaw have become Raindrop, Thundercloud, and Troutfish." The deputy smirked visibly as the Clans quietly chanted the strange names. The names felt odd coming off of Heatherpaw's tongue as she called out along with everyone else.
"Nothing else very notable has happened for StoneClan for the past moon," the deputy finished. Heatherpaw's eyes widened; obviously, things had happened. Lakepaw, Tinypaw and the others had all escaped and come to LeafClan. And Rone and his groups of rogues had also joined StoneClan.
Heatherpaw guessed that Eagleclaw didn't want to admit any of that to the other Clans.
Spottedstar lifted his chin, and Heatherpaw admired her leader for looking so regal and proud. "Meadowstar," the speckled tom meowed with icy cold politeness, "if I recall correctly, your so-called border patrol was only attacked by my cats after they crossed Willowcreek, which is LeafClan land, and tried to cross back over with fresh-kill. If your Clan is so well-fed, then I would definitely appreciate it if you stopped invading LeafClan territory." Spottedstar's eyes were grim.
Meadowstar hissed and her eyes narrowed to dark slits, but she managed to contain her anger. Spottedstar faced the Clans gathered below and meowed, "Hunting has been rather hard, but LeafClan is faring well."
Heatherpaw tried not to wince at the small lie. Spottedstar had not brought some of the cats whose ribs had begun to show to make sure that LeafClan looked strong at the Gathering, and he also hadn't brought the former StoneClan cats lest Eagleclaw demand that they return to StoneClan.
"One of our queens kitted and gave birth to three healthy kits," Spottedstar purred, blue eyes gleaming. "Blazekit, Brindlekit, and Owlkit." Heatherpaw smiled as she thought of Brightdawn's adorable little sons and daughter; thank StarClan Spottedstar hadn't mentioned the queen by name.
"Finchpaw and Tumblepaw," Spottedstar continued, "are LeafClan's newest apprentices. Tumblepaw is training under Rosefur to become a medicine cat."
Finchpaw puffed out her chest as cats called her name, but Tumblepaw, who was sitting beside Rosefur on the Tall Oak's roots with the other medicine cats, looked extremely embarrassed. It was widely known in the Clan that Tumblepaw was very quiet and modest.
"I have one last thing to report," the LeafClan leader meowed, and his face grew sad. Heatherpaw steeled herself for what was coming next.
Earlier that day, just after sunhigh and Badgerpelt's visit, Spottedstar had cautiously entered the fern patch to ask Pineblaze if he could tell the other Clans what had happened to him.
Pineblaze had simply closed his eyes, fear scent beginning to fill the air. "It is news, and everyone will find out eventually, so it would be better to get it over with and explain now," Spottedstar had pointed out. "And it could be a warning to other Clans that sometimes, cats aren't always who they make themselves to be," he had added more gently. Finally, Pineblaze had agreed, though he still seemed wary, and the moment Spottedstar had left, Pineblaze had buried his face in Heatherpaw's fur, trembling.
Heatherpaw knew that by Spottedstar announcing Pineblaze's incident, everything would become official. And Pineblaze knew that. It would become official that he, a young cat, had been tortured almost to death. And reality had suddenly struck Pineblaze hard; Heatherpaw knew that he had never really thought about being disabled for the rest of his life.
The clearing grew very silent at the sadness on Spottedstar's face. "One of our young cats, Pinepaw, recently went through…" the leader struggled for a word, "… a rather terrible event. Nobody here knows him, for he had only been training for a quarter moon and hasn't yet attended a Gathering. But if you did know him, you would know that no cat like Pinepaw deserved such a thing."
Spottedstar closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "A few days ago, Pinepaw went missing. We found him a day later in a holly thicket, covered from head to tail in cuts and blood. What's even worse is that it was no accident. It wasn't a fox attack, or a badger mauling. Pinepaw was… tortured. By a Clanmate."
A deep hush settled over the crowd, and Heatherpaw squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip, trying not to shake as Spottedstar recounted the events. "While Rosefur stayed with Pinepaw to start treating him, my patrol went back to camp. We made an announcement to the Clan, and then tried to find the cat that Pinepaw had told us had tortured him. Many of you… may know Brackenpaw."
A few cats nodded. "Well," Spottedstar said, a slight snarl edging his voice, "Brackenpaw was Pinepaw's torturer. It is still not yet known why Brackenpaw did so. After looking around a bit, we soon realized Brackenpaw was nowhere in camp, and so I took a patrol to see if he had found out where Pinepaw was. And he had." Spottedstar looked down at his paws. "By the time we made it to the holly thicket, Rosefur had been knocked out and Brackenpaw was leaning over Pinepaw, ready to kill him. My patrol made it just in time to save Pinepaw."
Heatherpaw was actually happy about that lie. Pineblaze had told her about the strange thing that had happened by the thicket, when he had actually reared up on his back paws and swatted Brackenpaw away. If the other Clans knew about the mysterious occurrence, they would be a little too curious. Spottedstar had just decided it best to say that the patrol had gotten to Brackenpaw before he could try to strike. Heatherpaw knew that there would be some not-so-good rumors if the LeafClan leader told of how Pineblaze, injured and half-dead, had managed to fend off Brackenpaw.
"Only a couple nights ago, it was highly unlikely that Pinepaw would survive," Spottedstar meowed bluntly. "By the time we got him back to camp, he had a chill and an infection. His shoulder is completely shattered, because after Brackenpaw attacked Pinepaw brutally and Pinepaw was helpless and unable to fight back, Brackenpaw put a fox trap on his shoulder."
There was a collective gasp from the other Clans, and Spottedstar choked out, "Along with all of his other wounds, it didn't seem possible that Pinepaw would live. Therefore, two nights ago, I gave him the warrior name Pineblaze so that if he died, he would join StarClan as a warrior. However, in the couple days since then, he has made amazing progress in his healing. Now, it is likely that he will survive. Unfortunately, because of Brackenpaw, Pineblaze will never have full range of mobility and will never reach a full recovery because of all of his injuries." Spottedstar sighed. "Let this be a lesson that not all cats are who they say they are."
Everyone was silent as they took in the story that Spottedstar had just told. "And," Spottedstar spoke again suddenly, "I have spoken with my senior warriors and deputy and decided that a warrior ceremony for a certain apprentice should be performed right here, right now, at this Gathering, for this cat has shown an amazing capacity for compassion and loyalty to Pineblaze in the days since his torture. This cat has barely left his side and been with him every step of the way so far. This cat deserves to be honored before the other Clans."
The leader's bright blue eyes rested upon Heatherpaw, and he smiled at her. "Heatherpaw, please come forward."
Cloudpaw and Finchpaw smiled and gently nudged Heatherpaw, who was dizzy with shock. The golden she-cat walked forward slowly, toward the base of the Tall Oak. When she reached it, she looked up at Spottedstar, feeling dazed.
"Heatherpaw," the leader greeted her kindly. "You have phenomenal skills, but not just in hunting and fighting. You are also full of love and determination; you alone never gave up on Pineblaze. Not only that, but you have reached the end of your training. Now, it is time for you to become a warrior."
The speckled tom lifted his muzzle to the sky and yowled, "I, Spottedstar, leader of LeafClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn."
He settled his gaze on Heatherpaw once more. "Heatherpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
Heatherpaw had finally recovered from the surprise. Now, she felt full of energy and excitement. She was probably the first cat to ever be made a warrior at a Gathering! "I do," she replied confidently, amber eyes gleaming.
Spottedstar smiled. "Then," he meowed, "by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Heatherpaw, from now on, you shall be known as Heatherflower." He nimbly leapt down from his perch in Tall Oak and touched his nose to her head. Then he stepped back and called out, "StarClan honors you for your caring nature and love. LeafClan now welcomes you as a full warrior."
As cheers erupted from all around, Heatherflower licked Spottedstar's shoulder respectfully. She was brimming with happiness, and her Clanmates gave her smiles and quiet congratulations as she moved back to join them.
She couldn't wait to tell Pineblaze when she got back!
Heatherflower padded quietly through the forest beside her former mentor, Darkfrost. The other LeafClan cats were chattering amongst themselves, but she was content to just be quiet for the moment. Darkfrost had never really been much of a verbal cat, anyway. So the two were just enjoying each other's company, former mentor and apprentice. Heatherflower didn't need Darkfrost's words, though; she could almost feel the happiness and pride he felt for her.
Heatherflower reflected back upon the Gathering. After she had received her warrior name, and a few more cats had cheered, there had been a few moments where cats had mingled and shared tongues. No one had mentioned Rone or Eageclaw's plan to stir up tension at the Gathering, which had thankfully not been carried out. Heatherflower guessed that none of the leaders wanted to risk making the Clans tense anyway by announcing that Rone had told them of Eagleclaw's plans.
It had been too cold to share tongues for long, though, so then the Clans had parted ways.
Now, LeafClan was walking along in the chilly night. Heatherflower fluffed up her fur, shivering. Would this cold weather ever end? She looked up at the sky, silently asking StarClan to fix everything. She suppressed a sigh; she knew that even StarClan did not have power over all things. But it would be wonderful if they did… Heatherflower wished so much that StarClan could fix the weather, make peace between all the Clans, fix Pineblaze…
At the thought of Pineblaze, Heatherflower winced. She had realized while walking back that she wouldn't be able to talk to him that night; she would have to sit vigil. Hopefully, Badgerpelt would spend time with him. Maybe she would just stop by and see him quickly when she entered camp, and then sit vigil.
A few minutes later, the LeafClan cats filed into camp. Many of the cats had already made their way into their dens for the night by the time Heatherflower entered. As she padded toward the center of the clearing, Spottedstar trotted up beside her.
"Hello," he purred, flicking his tail against her flank. "You have to sit vigil, of course. Although," he said, eyes twinkling, "I'm assuming you'll want to visit Pineblaze first?"
Heatherflower felt her pelt burning with embarrassment. Most of the Clan pretty much knew, by now, of her feelings for Pineblaze. She knew that she had made it pretty obvious by spending so much time with the injured tom.
"Yes, Spottedstar," she replied, ducking her head slightly and grinning sheepishly. "I was just going to stop by, and then I'll come right back and sit vigil."
Spottedstar nodded and padded away, smiling. "Make it quick," he meowed over his shoulder.
The moment he disappeared into his den, Heatherflower darted over the fern clearing. She slowed her approach as she entered the leafy plants. She knew how much it scared Pineblaze when someone moved too fast around him.
She cautiously poked her head into the part of the clearing that had been flattened for Pineblaze. Her heart immediately sank at what she saw.
Rosefur was crouched in front of Pineblaze, trying to coax him to eat some chew up herbs that she pushed toward him. But it looked like the tom didn't even know that the medicine cat was there. His eyes were half-closed and glazed with what looked like pain, exhaustion, and… a blankness, a kind of numb feeling that flooded off of him in waves. Heatherflower scented fear, too. Pineblaze was shaking harder than she had ever witnessed, and his dark, dappled pelt was now matted with dried blood. Badgerpelt sat nearby, eyes narrowed and tail flicking anxiously.
When he saw Heatherflower, Badgerpelt quickly walked over and leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Pineblaze had a nightmare just after you all left for the Gathering," he said worriedly. "He was thrashing everywhere, and reopened his shoulder and stomach wounds. Now he's a bit feverish, and Rosefur that he's finally gone into shock from everything that happened to him. Rosefur said she's surprised that it hasn't happened before now, actually. But he's in a pretty bad state right now." Badgerpelt's amber eyes were glittering with anxiety and sadness, which Heatherflower could understand.
Pineblaze had been doing remarkably well, considering that he had walked to the edge of the ferns and back only a short time after he had been tortured. All of his progress had lifted Heatherflower's, Badgerpelt's, and even Rosefur's spirits. Now, this setback was worrying.
Heatherflower quickly whispered to Badgerpelt, "When he comes out of the shock, just tell him that I stopped by." The black-and-white tom nodded and then padded over to Pineblaze and Rosefur. Heatherflower backed out of the ferns and padded into the center of the clearing.
She sat down and shook herself. She would worry more about Pineblaze tomorrow; she let excitement flood through her, and pushed her anxiety back. She had just become a warrior! Now, she was actually sitting vigil for the moment she had been waiting for since she was a kit. She shivered once more, but this time from joy.
As the night wore on, though, her worries for Pineblaze slowly crept back into her mind, and she couldn't suppress them this time. As Heatherflower pondered over anything she could do, she wondered if there were any other cats that Pineblaze would like to see, any other cats that could possibly help to comfort him. The tom wasn't going to get any better with only the support of herself and Badgerpelt.
Maybe Finchpaw, Heatherflower mused. She and Pineblaze seemed friendly. Thistlestripe should visit again, too…
As she thought about Thistlestripe, Heatherflower frowned. Pineblaze's mother hadn't come to visit her son since the night of his warrior ceremony. Heatherflower had seen Thistlestripe just the morning. She had been sharing tongues with another elder outside their den with a blank expression on her face. Heatherflower suddenly realized that Thistlestripe probably didn't even know about Pineblaze's progress. She hadn't been to the fern clearing to see Pineblaze at all, most likely because everyone had truly believed that Pineblaze would die the night he became a warrior.
She's probably scared to visit, Heatherflower thought, her heart clenching in sympathy. She's probably just waiting for news of Pinepaw's death. We've all been so caught up in how good Pineblaze is doing, we've neglected to tell Thistlestripe anything. She probably thinks that he'll be dead soon.
Heatherflower felt awful. Pineblaze's own mother didn't know that he wasn't going to die. She decided that she would tell the blind she-cat tomorrow about Pineblaze's progress. Although, his new development of nightmares worried Heatherflower… if he was scared all the time of his dreams, he probably would be scared of even more things, now.
Sighing, Heatherflower pushed all anxious thoughts to the back of her mind again. She now only had two goals in mind for the next day: she would talk to Thistlestripe about Pineblaze, and make the best of her first day as a warrior.