Sorry for kind of the long wait. I had to get my teeth cleaned, and I lost my phone yesterday (but I found it under my pillow). So yeah, here's chapter 13.
…CHAPTER 13…
Cinderpaw stayed side-by-side with Brackenpaw the whole way to Fourtrees. Bluestar and Tigerclaw were racing determinedly in the front, followed by Whitestorm. The elders were next, then the rest of the warriors and apprentices mixed together.
"I'm so excited!" Cinderpaw squealed. "Bluestar is going to announce our names as new apprentices!" She stopped when she realized how much of a thrilled kit she sounded like. Brackenpaw nodded as he hurried with the crowd of ThunderClan cats.
"Swiftstep used to brag about going to the Gathering, but now we're going, so he can't brag!"
Cinderpaw let out a gasp when she saw the Fourtrees. There were four, huge oak trees bundled together, and an enormous rock. Fat, black roots twisted around each other, making four holes under the rock.
"That's the Great Rock," Brackenpaw breathed into his sister's ear, and she nodded in awe.
Bluestar flicked her tail, and led the cats into the clearing. WindClan and RiverClan cats had already arrived, and were chatting amongst each other.
"Swiftpaw! Dustpaw!"
A heavyset tabby tom was dashing over to the two new warriors. Cinderpaw identified him as a RiverClan apprentice.
"Hi, Heavypaw," Dustpelt greeted, dipping his head. "I'm Dustpelt now!"
Swiftstep puffed out his chest proudly. "And now I'm Swiftstep."
Heavypaw's eyes flew wide. "Congratulations! You're so lucky!"
Cinderpaw and Brackenpaw glanced around for any other apprentices. A dark gray she-cat, a silver tabby she-cat, a dark gray tabby tom, a white she-cat, and a light gray she-cat were sitting together, chatting. Cinderpaw could tell they were apprentices.
Bundling up her courage, Cinderpaw and Brackenpaw padded over to them. "H-hi, I'm Cinderpaw, and this is my brother Brackenpaw."
The white she-cat glanced up. "I'm Whitepaw from WindClan. Are you from ThunderClan?"
Brackenpaw nodded.
The dark gray tabby tom hissed. "I'm not talking to ThunderClan cats!" He spat out the word 'ThunderClan'.
Whitepaw gave him a cuff on the ear. "Shut up, Webpaw. They look younger than us, so be nice."
"I'm Runningpaw," the gray she-cat mewed. "From RiverClan. These are my sisters, Shadepaw and Silverpaw."
The two she-cats dipped their heads as their names were called. Runningpaw glanced around. "Where are Brownpaw and Oakpaw? They should be here by now."
Silverpaw nodded and narrowed her eyes into the pine trees, as if searching for any sign of their patrol. "There they are!"
Webpaw glanced at the trees. "I can see Oakpaw, but Brownpaw isn't here."
Cinderpaw sat down between Whitepaw and Brackenpaw. They both wanted to stay clear of Webpaw, who looked as if he wanted to claw their ears off. Cinderpaw tried not to imagine her and Brackenpaw returning to camp with missing ears.
"Hi, Oakpaw!" Shadepaw greeted as the small tabby tom approached. "Where's Brownpaw?"
"Nightstar didn't call his name for the Gathering," Oakpaw explained. Shadepaw flattened her ears. "Aw, I had to tell him something really important."
Suddenly, a yowl rang in the clearing, and the apprentices quieted down and turned to face the Great Rock. Cinderpaw marveled at how the deputies sat in the root underneath their leader's place on the rock. Bluestar's blue-gray coat shone silver in the full moon.
"Welcome to the Gathering," Crookedstar meowed, his slanted jaw snapping sickeningly. Cinderpaw swallowed a gag.
WindClan was first to speak.
"WindClan had an encounter with ThunderClan a few sunrises ago," Tallstar meowed. "Other than that, we have no news to report."
Crookedstar stepped forward. "ThunderClan and RiverClan had a battle, and sadly, our deputy Leopardfur lost her life."
The rest of the Clans bowed their head silently in grief.
The huge light tabby paused a moment, then raised his head. "My new deputy is Stonefur." Bluestar dipped her head to the dark gray tom, who stared at her in puzzlement.
"That is all," Crookedstar mewed, and then stepped back.
ThunderClan's turn.
"We have given ShadowClan a part of our territory because they were starving," Bluestar announced. "But now it looks as if they are healthy and strong. If they set paw on that part of territory, they will be attacked."
Nightstar hissed.
"On the bright side, two apprentices have been made warriors. Dustpelt and Swiftstep."
The two toms rose to their paws and the rest of the Clans cheered for them, calling out encouraging words.
"We have two new apprentices," Bluestar meowed.
Cinderpaw's heart leaped, and she could feel Brackenpaw bristling with excitement beside her. This is it!
"Brackenpaw and Cinderpaw."
Cinderpaw stood up immediately and felt her ears grow hot as the apprentices around her cheered loudest.
"We have welcomed two kits into our Clan as well," Bluestar continued, her eyes glinting. "Their names are Sandkit and Dapplekit. That is all the news I have to report."
Finally, Nightstar stepped forward. "We found an apprentice straying on our territory." Cinderpaw's belly sank as the black tom stared directly at her. "One of my warriors, Stumpytail, was out on a hunting patrol, when she wandered into the territory. The rest of her patrol had scattered, leaving her behind. She calmly explained that she'd forgotten that ThunderClan had lent us the chunk of territory, so the patrol let her go."
Oakpaw glanced at Cinderpaw. She wanted to melt into a puddle and sink into the soot.
"ShadowClan refuse to give the territory back!"
Ooo. Cliffhanger.
xx-Starfall-xx