Spotpaw bounced after Sunpetal on their way to the Gathering Clearing.
Her mother flicked her tail as they padded into the Clearing. "We're first."
Spotpaw sat in the center of the clearing, waiting impatiently for the other four Clans to join them.
After some time, Robinstar led her cats into the Clearing. She dipped her head politely to Flashstar. He returned the gesture, and Robinstar leapt up beside the RiverClan leader.
The SkyClan warriors milled around, making conversation with the RiverClan cats. A dark gray SkyClan apprentice padded over to Spotpaw. "Hi!"
She blinked at him.
"What's your name?"
"I'm Spotpaw."
The gray tom meowed, "I'm Ripplepaw. Are you a new apprentice? I haven't seen you around."
Spotpaw nodded. "I was made an apprentice about a moon ago."
Ripplepaw's eyes lit up with understanding. "Oh, my sister told me about two new RiverClan apprentices. I was in camp last Gathering."
Spotpaw tilted her head. "Does your sister look like you, but with a lighter pelt?"
Ripplepaw purred. "Yep, that's Mintpaw."
The tortoiseshell and white apprentice nodded. She couldn't help but notice that Ripplepaw's flanks were not tucked-in at all; indeed, he looked very well-fed. "How's the prey running in SkyClan?"
Ripplepaw shrugged. "Pretty well. The birds are coming in from the south, so the prey pile's pretty full."
Spotpaw nodded again. That's right, SkyClan cats hunt birds in the trees. She wrinkled her nose. How weird.
The SkyClan apprentice narrowed his eyes curiously. "What about RiverClan?"
"The river's melting, so we're getting fish again."
Flashstar's meow interrupted their conversation. "ShadowClan and ThunderClan are coming."
The two Clans made their way into the Clearing and the ThunderClan cats started going over to their friends from other Clans.
Unlike them, the ShadowClan cats stayed in a tight group, and none of them went to talk to cats from other Clans.
Spotpaw's gaze rested on a familiar dark ginger ShadowClan apprentice.
Foxpaw looked cross, and his paws were twitching.
Spotpaw turned to face Ripplepaw. "It was nice meeting you."
She padded towards the ShadowClan tom, who turned and saw Spotpaw.
His eyes widened.
She shrugged it off and took another step. Then a gray tom knocked into her. It was Stormclaw, and his eyes were narrowed. "Have you got bees in your brain? No one goes to talk to cats from ShadowClan! They don't even make an effort, they're so closed in. Follow me, there are some ThunderClan apprentices I want you to meet."
A little confused, the tortoiseshell and white she-cat followed her mentor, not noticing Foxpaw's look.