Please enjoy this lovely chapter. What is in store for Foxpaw today? ~ Scarclaw
"Let all cats old enough to catch there own pray gather under the clan ledge."
I walked over to the group of gathering cats. I sat beside Roseywhisker and Dovefeather. I looked up at Babystar in the light of the setting sun.
"I have picked that cats who will be going to the gathering tonight. Blossomfrost, Swiftshadow, Strongclaw, Sweet-eyes, Dovefeather, Honeyberry, Daisybee, Foxpaw, Deerpaw, and any of the elders who would like to join us." Babystar called out "We will be leaving soon, so be ready."
She jumped from the clan ledge and was stopped by Patchpelt, I headed over to her to talk about my evaluation. I ended up over hearing what they were talking about.
"I wanted to talk to you about your choice in deputy." Patchpelt smiled, Babystar sighed. "It's okay, I think you made the right choice. I think Strongclaw is angry you didn't pick his thought."
They both looked over to where Strongclaw sat with Swiftshadow and Mossclaw.
"I picked Mossclaw because I don't fully trust Strongclaw, he was against Flamestar letting me be deputy again after my kits were apprenticed. I would never want to leave this clan to him when I die." Babystar mumbled and turned back to Patchpelt.
Patchpelt nodded slowly, it must have been hard for her to hear something like that said about one of her kits.
'I feel sorry for her.' I thought to myself. 'no cat wants to hear such things said about one of their kits.'
"I know" Patchpelt whispered slowly "He is to quick to jump to violence, the first time some other clan did something to Fireclan when he became leader he would attack them."
Babystar licked Patchpelts ear.
"You don't have to say anymore, he is loyal and strong, a good warrior. That's all I ask of my cats." Babystar whispered with a kind smile. Then Sweet-eyes walked over to where they stood. "Sweet-eyes, do you need something?"
"I just wanted to tell you something." Sweet-eyes smiled. "I'm having kits."
"That's great!" Babystar meowed. "Does the father know?"
"Yes, but I would like to keep the fathers name from everyone else. Is that okay, I want to tell you, but only you." Sweet-eyes told Babystar.
"Of course that's fine, its the mothers choice of who to tell and who not to tell." Babystar replied to her. "We should talk about it later though, we have to leave for the gathering."
Babystar nodded to Patchpelt and moved over to where most of the cats had already gathered to leave. I rushed over to stand by Deerpaw and Swiftshadow. I smiled at Deerpaw and she smiled back, then we left camp. I looked around to see the cats that had come along, all of the cats that Babystar had named and all the elders but Tigerfur had come.
"Foxpaw." Quietfoot greeted. We walked without a word, since nobody really had anything to talk about. When we came to the edge of the trees that looked down at the clearing. Waterclan and Earthclan where already there, then we ran out and mixed with the cats. I stayed with Duststorm until I found Deerpaw with some other apprentices.
"I'm going to go and sit with them." I told Duststorm, he nodded and I ran over to sit with Deerpaw, I looked at the other apprentice's and could name about four of them, but the others I didn't know.
"Foxpaw!" Deerpaw yelped. I smiled and looked at the apprentice's, Mistypaw, Frostpaw, Puddlepaw, and Poolpaw. There were also three other apprentice's with us. A soft brown she-cat, a deep brown tom, and a molten brown she-cat.
"Hi, I'm Petalpaw, these are my littermates." The soft brown she-cat greeted me.
"Sandpaw, nice to meet you." The Deep brown tom greeted me.
"Grasspaw." The mottlen brown she-cat whispered.
"Foxpaw." I replied. I looked at Mistypaw. She smiled at me, I thought of Riverpaw. I looked down at my paws. A call from the cliff told the hole clearing that Airclan was here. I turn to watch the cat's enter the clearing, a small apple red she-cat caught my eye. She looked just like Applepelt, I thought for a moment. Her daughter...? She walked beside a fully black tom, a beautiful deep red she-cat, and a pretty silver she-cat.
"Wow, so many pretty she-cats." I heard Sandpaw whisper. This must have been his first gathering.
"yeah." Frostpaw agreed. I looked at the cat's as they mixed with the clans. I had to fight the urge to talk to them.
"Foxpaw," I heard Swiftshadow call to me. I looked at her as she pushed her way past some other cats.
"Swiftshadow." I replied, she walked over and smiled.
"I want you to meet some cats. Come with me, and stay close." She told me before turning, I couldn't do anything but follow her, so I did. We push our way to the edge of the clearing to a group of four other cats. Swiftshadow walked up to them and smiled.
"Oh, Switshadow, is this the apprentice you have told us so much about, where was he last gathering?" a sliver she-cat asked.
"He was with his father." Swiftshadow replied. The silver she-cat looked at me.
"Well, I'm Lillyseed, from Earthclan" The silver she-cat told me, I smiled at her and waved my tail.
"I'm Cherryfoot, I'm also from Earthclan" A elegant black she-cat meowed. She sat beside Lillyseed, and the last cat who sat with us was a large brown tom with a white tail.
"I'm Whitetail, I am from Airclan." The large tom meowed in a deep voice. The way he spook stripped the smiled from me face. I looked at him and smiled weakly.
"I'm Foxpaw." I whispered quietly. Lillyseed smiled and there was a holler from the tree stumps.
The cats gathered and I sat beside Swiftshadow, she pointed with her tail to the brown and white she-cat.
"That's Willowstar, she's the leader of Airclan. She's younger then Babystar but still very wise." She told me then pointed to the small brown tom that was on the tree stump beside Willowstar's. "and I guess that's Mousestar, before him it was Petalstar. But like Mistypaw told us, Riverstar killed her."
I nodded and Willowstar stood.
"I see, your clan's have lost good leader's but I see they have gained new ones that will be just as good." She yelled in a cool voice, Babystar stood.
"Yes, Flamestar hunts with Starclan now, but don't think my clan is any weaker than it was before!" She called out, I could hear cats call back in agreement. "Mousestar, why don't you start."
Mousestar nodded and stood, he told us about new kits and Warriors. Cats called out congratulations then he sat. It was Otterstar's turn to speak. I listened closely.
"I picked Mistypool as my new deputy, we have been rebuilding our camp, there is much to do, but my warriors are all still strong and willing to fight!" Otterstar yelled. "We have lost five cats, but we are as strong as we were before!"
Cat's called out in sadness at the loss.
"Who?" Willowstar asked.
"Riverstar, Graytail, Moonspot, Riverpaw, and Hailclaw." Otterstar told her. Willowstar nodded, I felt a ping of sadness. Otterstar sat and Willowstar stood.
"We have new kits on the way, prey is much and we are all healthy." Willowstar called, cats called out in congratulation and Willowstar sat.
"We have new kits also, our youngest Queen had three healthy kit's. Stormkit, Goldenkit, and Leopardkit! One of our warriors is also expecting! Fireclan is strong and well suited to battle!" Babystar yelled and the gathering erupted into cheers from Fireclan. Babystar was a good leader, one Fireclan wouldn't forget soon.
"Quiet!" Willowstar yelled over the calls. The clearing went silent, Babystar nodded her thanks before going on.
"My new deputy is Mossclaw" Babystar finished and cats called in congrats and the leaders jumped from the stumps. I watched as Whitetail slipped past me and walked over to a milky brown tom with a white tail.
"That's the Airclan deputy, Breezetail. There littermates." Swiftshadow whispered to me. I didn't know this because I had been so overwhelmed at the last gathering that I couldn't concentrate on anything.
I could see that they were littermates. They looked happy, then they looked at me. The happiness in Breezetails eyes slipped away, a graceful black she-cat joined them. She looked at me and looked back at them. I could tell she asked who I was, they told her and she gasped, she looked at me again.
"That's Dawnfang." Swiftshadow whispered. I nodded then Airclan left.
"Foxpaw are you okay?" Someone asked, I knew the voice, it was Mistypaw. I looked over to see that Swiftshadow had left me with her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. How are you?" I asked, she smiled at me. I loved her smile, and her beautiful blue eyes.
"I'm fine, listen, I need to tell you something, but not here. Meet me by the river tonight. I'll wait for you!" She hissed.
"Mistypaw! Let's go!" I heard someone yell, she turned away and ran to where Waterclan had gathered. I looked to see the Fireclan was also gathering. I ran over to where they had gathered. I stood beside Swiftshadow.
"So Foxpaw, I guess your second gathering was better?" Swiftshadow asked. I nodded.
"Yeah, not so overwhelming this time." I replied. She nodded.
"That's good. So, what did you think of the cats I introduced you to?" She asked, I thought for a moment.
"Whitetail. He was vary... well... I don't know how to put it. Kinda, cold." I stammered. Swiftshadow nodded.
"That's what I thought when I first meet him. But he's a nice cat." Swiftshadow whispered. We started back after everyone, I looked up ahead and saw Deerpaw walking. I picked up my pace and slipped in beside her. She smiled at me, I smiled back. It was late and nobody said anything, I thought about Mistypaw's words. Would I go see her? How could I not?
We returned to camp and everyone went to bed. I laid away in my nest beside Deerpaw. I sat up slowly and before I knew it I was headed out of camp. I slipped out through the hole in the dirt place. It was safest to go that way, less of a chance that I would be seen. I saw that Bouncefire was the cat on guard tonight, so I slipped into the forest beside the dirt place.
The forest was mostly silent, the smell of the forest had always had a way of calming me. I started the walk to the border of Waterclan and Fireclan. The peacefulness of the forest cleared my mind and calmed me enough that I could think. My thoughts weren't racing anymore but the only real thoughts I had where if she would be there or not.
I got to the border and looked out at the river. I moved along the border and then stopped.
There she moonlight bounced off her fur making is glow a beautiful blue. She was beautiful. Before I could stop and think my feet moved and I pushed out of the bushes. She looked at me and smiled, making her more beautiful.
"You came." She whispered. I nodded, I felt my heart race as I looked at her that night. She was so beautiful, she stood as I walked over and brushed against me. She was so close to me.
We talk for a long time and I slowly became more comfortable around her and my feeling became stronger and stronger.
"We should get back" She told me. I nodded. "Meet me here tomorrow."
I nodded and she licked my cheek. She slipped into the river and I watched her swim to the other side, then I stood and walked back into the forest. I ran back to camp and slipped in through the dirt place. I headed from there to the apprentice den and curled up in my nest. I fell asleep, and woke in the morning. I sat up to find that I was vary tired, everyone was still asleep. I slipped out of the den and looked around, most of the warriors where already up and gather around Mossclaw for jobs, Babystar sat beside him. She looked at me and slipped away from them, she walked over to me and I smiled.
"Babystar." I greeted. She smiled.
"I wanted to talk to you, Deerpaw, Swiftshadow, and Blossomfrost, you have just moved into your fifth moon of training, as of moon high." She told me, I nodded. "So, please go get them and come to my den."
I nodded and she walked away. I slipped back into the den and shook Deerpaw awake.
"Foxpaw, why did you wake me?" She asked
"Babystar wants to talk to you, me, Swiftshadow, and Blossomfrost." I hissed. Her eyes shot open and she was up, I moved back and she sat up.
"Do you know what about?" She asked. I shook my head and she quickly began to clean herself. I slipped out of the den and looked around, Swiftshadow and Blossomfrost where just coming out of the warriors den. I walked over to them
"Swiftshadow, Blossomfrost!" I called, Swiftshadow looked at me and sat down.
"Yes?" She asked and Blossomfrost sat down beside her.
"Babystar wants to talk to the two of you, me and Deerpaw." I told her, they looked at each other.
"We thought this was going to happen. Well lets go." Swiftshadow sighed and stood. I looked back to Deerpaw slip out of the apprentice den and run over to us. They we all walked over to the leaders den.
"Come in." Babystars voice came from the den and we all slipped inside. I den was dark and damp. Babystar sat in a nest and looked at us.
"Babystar." Swiftshadow lowered her head and we all followed her lead. When I looked up Babystar smiled.
"I beat you want to know why I asked you hear." Babystar commented and I nodded. "I saw you fight with Riverstar and I want to know how you training is going."
"They are doing good, they are doing better then most of the cats I have trained." Swiftshadow told her. Babystar nodded.
"I want to move there evaluation up then. Will they be ready?" Babystar asked. I looked at Deerpaw, my heart pounding. Moving our evaluation up? Up how much? I asked myself.
"Of course." Swiftshadow replied. I looked at her.
"Okay, in three sun rises you will have your evaluation." Babystar told us with a smile. My heart pounded hard. Only three sun rises? Will I be ready?
Will Foxpaw be ready for his evaluation or will he fail? I hope not! Starclan is perfect so I hope I get to stay! Haha. See you in the next chapter guys! *Chases a mouse into a bush* ~ Scarclaw