Chapter 4
"Excellent, Buzzardpaw!" Russetprowl exclaimed as the apprentice successfully pinned him to the sandy clearing. Buzzardpaw smiled, loosening his grip on his mentor and allowed the tom to get up.
It had been about a half moon since Buzzardpaw became an apprentice, and the young brown tom seemed to ace every challenge that came his way. On his first hunting assessment, he had managed to catch a plump squirrel and a few mice, despite the Leaf Bare chill. He had also bested his mentor in training countless times, earning praise from the red tom each time he did so.
Russetprowl shook the dust from his pelt, lifting his head to the sky. "Sundown. Tonight is the night Gathering, we should get back to camp." The brown apprentice's eyes lit up at the prospect of going, earning a small head shake from his mentor. "Don't get your hopes up. Apprentices usually do not attend the Gathering during their first moon of training, but since you have been doing so well, I'll ask if Goldenstar could consider."
Prancing around, Buzzardpaw smiled in delight. He couldn't wait to get back to camp, and prayed to Starclan that he would be chosen. It's an honor to attend the Gathering in the first place, let alone during my first moon of training!
The ttwo toms padded through the Thunderclan entrance, the prickly gorse barrier tugging at Buzzardpaw's pelt. The camp was active, many cats waiting near the center of the clearing to hear who would be chosen for the Gathering. Buzzardpaw bounded over to his mother, who was sitting by the freshkill pile. Lifting her head, she greeted her son with a warm smile.
"Hello, Buzzardpaw. How was your training today?" The she-cat touched her nose to her son's shoulder, her small stature looking even tinier next to her son's massive size. It seemed like he would never stop growing, easily towering over her and almost reaching Russetprowl's height. He gave her a small smile.
"It was great! I learned a new move today, and added a little twist to catch Russetprowl off guard." He demonstrated the move, leaping into the air then twisting his back so that he landed on the imaginary cat's rump. Fawnleap gave a small chuckle in response.
"My little warrior. You must be hungry. Would you like this mouse I've just caught? It's still warm." Before Buzzardpaw could answer, his mew was cut off by the sound of his father's voice.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the High Ledge for a clan meeting!" The cats in the clearing shuffled closer to the rock, while those within their dens eagerly padded out. Buzzardpaw joined them, leaving his mother behind at the freshkill pile.
"As you all may know," Goldenstar started, "Tonight's the night of the Gathering. I will announce the attending cats now." Buzzardpaw leaned in, hoping that he would hear his name.
"Dinogmuzzle, Aloefang, Foxgrowl, Dragonflywing, Briarfoot, Cherrystrike, Doeskip, Koipatch and Russetprowl, you all will be attending. Oh, and Buzzardpaw." Aww man… Wait, that's me! Buzzardpaw sprang to his paws, barely containing his excitement. My first Gathering!
Goldenstar chuckled lightly at his son's eagerness, leaping down from the High Ledge to join him. "Meeting dismissed. We will be departing soon." Buzzardpaw watched as his father approached him, the chosen cats saying their farewells to the staying cats and making their way to the camp entrance. Buzzardpaw looked up, his father smiling down at him.
"Russetprowl told me about your training today. You don't know how proud you make me." His golden eyes were warm as he beamed down at his son, sitting down in front of him. Fawnleap padded over towards the two, the mouse from earlier dangling from her jaws. She dropped it at her son's paws.
"Eat. You'll be grateful later, trust me." Without a moment's notice, Buzzardpaw tucked into the prey, devouring it quickly. His parents watched him eat, their pelts brushing as they purred. Seeing that he was finished, Goldenstar stood.
"All done? Good. Cats going to the Gathering, we're leaving now!" Buzzardpaw sprang to his paws, dashing towards the camp entrance. He followed closely behind his father, not wanting to be late.
Buzzardpaw's eyes widened as he padded into the clearing, shocked by the large amount of cats already there. His father had taken his place on one of the branches, quietly chatting with the Windclan leader. The apprentice jumped as he heard a voice murmur in his ear.
"That's Furzestar, the Windclan leader." Buzzardpaw recognized the voice of his mentor, who had joined him near the edge of the clearing. "You see that gray tom over there with the curly tail? That's Pikestar, the Riverclan leader. It seems like Shadowclan isnt here yet."
Buzzardpaw nodded, slightly unnerved by the huge group of cats. And Shadowclan isn't even here yet! He was broken from his thoughts by the sound of another voice.
"Hi!" Mewed the cat, their voice shrill and light. Buzzardpaw turned to the source, met with the sight of a pretty brown she-cat with sparkling green eyes. "I'm Aspenpaw. What's your name?"
Buzzardpaw felt slightly uneasy speaking with other clan cats. What if I say something stupid? Blinking a few times, he opened his mouth to speak. "Buzzardpaw."
"Buzzardpaw?" Came another voice, belonging to a stocky brown and white tom. "With how big you are, I would have mistaken you to be a warrior."
Aspenpaw rolled her eyes at the tom, her whiskers twitching. "Oh, Spottedpaw, don't be rude. Not every cat can be as sleek as you Riverclanners." She turned back to Buzzardpaw, who was shocked into silence. "I've been to a few Gatherings, but I've never seen you before. Is this your first?"
Buzzardpaw gave a simple nod, still stunned.
"Oh goodie! I can show you around then. Come on, sit with us!" Aspenpaw and Spottedpaw padded a few tail lengths away, joining a few other apprentices.
"Buzzardpaw, meet Snakepaw, Goosepaw and Snowpaw." Aspen pointed to the black she-cat with white on her belly, the black tom with a raggedy pelt, and the white tom with bright blue eyes respectively. Buzzarpaw gave a small nod to each of them.
"Buzzardpaw?" The black she-cat, Snakepaw, spoke. "Woah, you're huge dude!" Buzzarpaw gave an awkward thanks, unsure if he was getting complimented or insulted. He sat down next to Aspenpaw, who was showing him the cats sitting around them.
"That's Juniperclaw, the Windclan medicine cat," She was saying, "And that small red tom next to him is Rushpaw, his apprentice. That black to- Oh look, Shadowclan is here!" She stopped herself mid sentence as the fourth clan joined the others. The group of cats was led by a small brown she cat, a prominent splash of white coating her belly. She was followed by seven other warriors and two apprentices, a meek brown tom with a white tail tip and a much larger, dark brown tabby tom with bright golden eyes.
That's him! The interesting cat from Shadowclan. What was his name? Buzzardpaw thought to himself, his own eyes narrowing as he thought. His thought process was broken by the voice of his father, who was standing on the branch. "Shadowclan has arrived. Let the Gathering begin!"
The commotion and voices settled down at the sound of his yowl, prompting the Windclan leader to stand. "I'll start first." The wiry brown she-cat mewed. "Prey in Windclan has been running well, as the Leaf-Bare thaws and New-Leaf rises. Rabbitspring has retired from his position as deputy to the elders den, and Toadstalk has taken his place as deputy of Windclan." Murmurs of congratulations rang through the clearing. Furzestar sat back down, allowing the Shadowclan leader to speak.
"I suppose I can speak next." The pretty brown she-cat mewed, her voice sweet. "Shadowclan has been running well, aswell. We have gained a new apprentice, Eaglepaw. His mentor is Viperhiss." Buzzardpaw turned to the dark brown apprentice, followed by the rest of the cats in the clearing. The tom showed no emotion on his face, his golden eyes glowing as the cats around him cheered his name. Eaglepaw. That's it. "That is all." The she-cat mewed, sitting back down.
Goldenstar stood next, smiling softly at the Shadowclan leader and the new apprentice. "I congratulate you on your new apprentice, Mousestar. It is nice that your camp is doing well." He looked Eaglepaw, the dark brown apprentice gazing back at him. The Thunderclan leader's eyes shone a little, slowly opening his mouth to speak. "Thunderclan has also been doing well. We have three new warriors, Dragonflywing, Violetstream, and Voletail." He allowed the cats in the clearing to cheer the new warrior's names, despite only one being present. "Newtwhisper has moved to the nursery, expecting a litter of kits. We also have a new apprentice, Buzzardpaw."
Buzzardpaw felt himself shrink down as everycat in the clearing turned their attention to him, cheering his name as well. He looked down at his paws sheepishly, feeling slightly awkward. He gave a small nod in thanks to the crowd, earning a small chuckle from his father as he sat down. The Riverclan leader stood, beginning his part of the announcement.
Buzzardpaw barely listened to the gray tom speak, slightly distracted by Aspenpaw speaking to Goosepaw next to him. He jumped slightly as he felt a small tap on his back. Turning around, he came face to face with the new Shadowclan apprentice.
"Hello." The tom mewed, his voice smooth. He motioned with his tail for Buzzardpaw to move back to sit with him. The young apprentice complied, moving away from the others.
"I don't think we've formally met." The tom spoke, his golden optics piercing Buzzardpaw's. "I'm Eaglepaw."
"Buzzardpaw." The apprentice mewed, giving Eaglepaw a small nod. He felt comfortable with the Shadowclan tom, unlike with the others he was previously sitting with. He wrapped his tail around his black paws as he listened to the other apprentice speak.
"This is my first Gathering. Who are those cats?"
"That's Aspenpaw and Goosepaw. They're from Windclan, and I was worried they would talk my ears off. This is my first Gathering as well."
The Shadowclan apprentice snickered quietly. "I've heard that those rabbit-chasers can be quite talkative. And the other two?"
Buzzardpaw told Eaglepaw who they were, his nose wrinkling slightly. "Snakepaw and Spottedpaw. They're from Riverclan, and they both kept calling me big. I'm not sure if it was meant to be a compliment."
Eaglepaw grinned, looking Buzzardpaw up and down. "Well, they aren't wrong. You could be bigger than a dog!"
Buzzardpaw rolled his eyes. "Stop exaggerating. Besides, you're pretty large yourself." It was true. Though Eaglepaw wasn't as tall as Buzzardpaw, the Shadowclan apprentice was still quite large, easily towering over the other apprentices.
Eaglepaw opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off before he could speak. The Riverclan leader was standing on his branch, his head lifted to the sky in a dramatic pose. His husky voice rang throughout the clearing, "You may continue to speak for a little while longer. Then, Riverclan will be taking their leave!" The gray tom then flipped off of his branch, landing awkwardly on a crooked root below him. All of the medicine cats rushed to him in concern. Eaglepaw snickered quietly.
"A bit dramatic, eh?" He mewed, an amused expression playing on his face.
"Hey, who are you calling dramatic?" Came a familiar voice, belonging to Spottedpaw. The brown and white speckled tom had padded over to the two and overheard Eaglepaw's comment.
The Shadowclan apprentice gave an amused twitch of his whiskers, answering the Riverclan cat. "Your mouse brained leader. After seeing that stunt he just pulled, I'm not sure how he isn't dead yet."
"Listen here, you snake-heart," Spottedpaw snarled, padding closer to Eaglepaw. "I don't know how you do it in Shadowclan, but in Riverclan, we don't insult leaders. I suggest you shut your trap before you get yourself into trouble."
Eaglepaw gave Spottedpaw a sly smirk, standing to his paws. The Shadowclan tom easily towered over him, his thick pelt ruffling against the growing wind. "What if I don't, fish-breath?"
Spottedpaw's pupils narrowed to slits, his mouth opening for a stinging retort. Before he could get out however, he was interrupted by the voice of Goldenstar and Mousestar. The Thunderclan and Shadowclan leaders looked onto the scene, their eyes flashing in confusion. "What's going on here?" Mousestar mewed, her voice calm.
Eaglepaw spoke before Spottedpaw could say anything. "Nothing, mother. I was just getting to know the other apprentices." Wait, mother? Observing the two in front of him, Buzzardpaw could see the resemblance, with Eaglepaw sharing her feather-like tail and white chest. He looked to his father, who chuckled as he watched the two speak.
Seemingly noticing him looking, Goldenstar met his gaze, giving his son a big smile. "How was your first Gathering, Buzzardpaw?"
"It's definitely interesting, that's for sure." He glanced at Spottedpaw, who had stalked away to join his leader by the Gathering entrance. It seemed like the gray tom was alright after his tumble, and was leading his clan off of the island.
Goldenstar chuckled, batting his son over the head. "You didn't get into any trouble, did you?" The apprentice shook his head no, making Goldenstar hum in approval. "That's my boy. Are you ready to head back?"
Buzzardpaw glanced at Eaglepaw, who was swiping his paw over his ears as he spoke with his mother. The Shadowclan apprentice opened his eyes to meet his gaze, golden piercing golden. Buzzardpaw a sudden tug in his chest, his breath quickening slightly. "Yes, I'm ready."
Goldenstar looked slightly concerned, but did not question it. "Alright. Thunderclan, gather! We're heading back now." Buzzardpaw followed behind his father back to the Thunderclan camp, his mind jumbling. The apprentice sighed as he fell into his soft nest, his eyes closing immediately as he fell asleep.
Buzzardpaw opened his eyes to an unfamiliar setting. Dark, crooked trees with twisted branches surrounded him, blocking out all light from the moon. Lifting his paws, the tom narrowed his eyes as they squelched against the damp ground. His whiskers twitching, he picked up the sound of a faint, echoey voice.
"Greetings, Buzzardpaw. Welcome to the Place of No Stars."
Author's Note:
Hey there everyone, MeltingPopsicles here. Hopefully you're all enjoying the first part of my Warrior Cats fanfiction, Darkened Secrets. I'm not exactly sure how long the story may be, (maybe around 25 - 30 chapters) but I've really thought the plot out, and I hope that you all will enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it.
As for an uploading schedule, I'm not completely sure how that is going to work out. Currently, I'm on a week's break from school, (hence the multiple chapter updates) but I go back on Monday, so all of that will change. I am planning on posting at least one chapter by the end of every week, (lets say the end of every week is Friday) meaning that I could be posting on random days leading up to that day. Feel free to follow the story so you can get notified of every update, and I hope you all enjoy my book! :)
