Chapter 11:

Tigercloud marked the border with ShoalClan. She had kept having the same dream, night after night. She was grateful that the gathering was tonight. She hoped she would see her sister and be able to talk to her.

"Tigercloud! Stop day dreaming and get back to work!" Molepelt meowed. Tigercloud groaned. Marking borders was something she did everyday and she was bored. She wondered when she would get her first apprentice. Emberkit and Palekit would be apprentices soon. Maybe when Tigercloud got back to camp she could bond with Emberkit. She would make a good warrior.

The patrol headed back to camp after marking their assigned borders. Tigercloud raced back, not caring she was leaving the others behind. Tigercloud burst into camp. She slowly padded over to the nursery and stepped inside.

Emberkit, Palekit, and Nettlekit were wrestling in the center of the nursery while Doekit was sleeping with her mother, Rainwhisper. The kits were the exact same age since they were born on the same night.

"Hi Emberkit." Tigercloud meowed. The kits stopped wrestling and stared at Tigercloud.

"Hi Tigercloud." Emberkit meowed.

"Can I play with you guys? We could play badger and hunting patrol!" Tigercloud asked.

"Sure!" Emberkit meowed. "Let's go outside."

Emberkit, Tigercloud, Palekit, and Nettlekit played outside. A few warriors gave them dirty looks because of the noise they were making, but they didn't care.

"I want you to be my mentor Tigercloud!" Emberkit meowed. "You're great!"

"Thanks Emberkit." Tigercloud meowed.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the high rock for a clan meeting." Stormstar yowled. The cats of ThicketClan gathered in the middle of the camp to hear the message from the old leader.

"Palekit, you have reached the age of six moons. You will now be known as Palepaw. Your mentor will be Darkpool." Stormstar meowed. Darkpool and Palepaw touched noses.

"Emberkit, you will now be known as Emberpaw. Your mentor will be Tigercloud." Stormstar meowed. Tigercloud excitedly padded up to Emberpaw and they touched noses. Emberpaw quivered with excitement at being an apprentice.

"Another thing, the cats coming to the gathering tonight are, Tigercloud, Emberpaw, Darkpool, Palepaw, Willowmist, Molepelt, Wolfwhisker, Fernstem, and Cloverwing." Stormstar meowed. She jumped down from the highrock. But instead of landing on her paws, the lederly leader landed on her head. The clan gasped and the two medicine cats ran over to her. Foxfur also ran over.

After a little while, Autumnleaf turned to face the clan. "Stormstar is dead." She announced. The clan gasped again.

"Who will stand with the leaders at the gathering?" Darkpool asked.

"Foxfur of course, mouse-brain." Willowmist meowed. Foxfur rolled his eyes at the sight of the two cats arguing.

"Well, after the gathering, I shall go to the moonpool to receive my nine lives." Foxfur announced. "Let's go." The cats that we're going to the gathering followed Foxfur put of camp while the elders rubbed herbs all over the dead leader's body to hide the choking stench of death.

The cats got to the gathering, and when Foxfur leapt onto the gathering tree, Goosestar looked at him warily.

"Where is Stormstar?" Goosestar asked Foxfur.

"Stormstar is dead." Foxfur meowed. "After the gathering, I will be going to the moonpool."

"You may cross through our land to get there." Goosestar meowed and dipped his head.

Tigercloud looked around for Leopardpaw and spotted her surrounded by other ShoalClan cats. Tigercloud padded over to her.

"Hi Leopardpaw!" Tigercloud tried to meow cheerfully.

"It's Leopardfur now." Leopardfur corrected her. Tigercloud nodded. "Did you become a warrior yet?"

"Yes, my name's Tigercloud now. I have an apprentice named Emberpaw." Tigercloud glanced at Emberpaw, who was talking to a group of younger apprentices.

"So, who are you?" A dark gray tom sitting next to Leopardfur asked Tigercloud.

"I'm Tigercloud, Leopardfur's sister." Tigercloud meowed. "Who are you?"

"I'm Marshtail, Leopardfur's mate." Marshtail meowed. Tigercloud was shocked. Why did Leopardfur have a mate at such a young age?