~Chapter II~ ~Leopardpaw's POV~

(I)

Everything felt so surreal. Fate was strange, I had concluded. Brittlesun had let me go to my first Gathering, though she had little choice as Sandfur, AutumnClan's Deputy, had praised me after bringing back two plump squirrels and three mice from my hunting expedition.

But that was not what had felt surreal. That SpringClan cat that I had run across at the border had come to the Gathering as well. And we had found each other, amongst the mass of mingling cats, and had hit it off immediately. I felt just so...comfortable...talking openly to him. He had this caring and attentive demeanor that just blew me away. Nobody was ever that nice to me back in AutumnClan.

Each time he spoke to me I couldn't help but smile, and feel this unusual flutter in my heart as I listened to his soft and rather feminine voice. The more I was around him, the more I couldn't help but stare and awe at his dazzling orange coat, which shone bright in the moonlit clearing. His lime green eyes were mesmerizing, and the way his rather long tail swished about in delight made me feel...what was I feeling?

"You look thin...don't those AutumnClan cats feed you?" Blazepaw murmured, brushing his shoulder with mine and his nose only a mouse-tail away from my own.

I was comforted by his warm fur. "I eat what I can...but I'm not usually allowed to eat until everyone else has been fed, being the newest Apprentice."

He gawked at me. "Oh no no no! I get feeding the queens and elders first, but come onnn...the Clan's hunters need to maintain their energy and health if the rest of the Clan wants to have suitable prey." He pressed closer to me. This time I felt his tail brushing along mine, as if begging to be entwined.

"Blazepaw...careful…" I whined, instinctively looking around me in a nervous way, worried that someone would be judgemental of two tomcats behaving so closely.

The smaller tomcat purred, gazing around with me. "We're in the back of the clearing, nobody will bother us."

That was one rather interesting thing that I noticed about Blazepaw. He was perceptive, and empathetic. He seemed to read and understand what I was thinking, and he would adjust accordingly. That was both a good thing and a bad thing, as cats like Blazepaw, in the past, had used their mental abilities to use and manipulate others for their own gain. But this tom...he did not seem to be using me. Rather, all of his gestures and motives seemed to be pointing towards- oh my. Do I like him? But he's a tom! And from another Clan! I scolded myself, but my mind fought me by adding another mysterious question. Does he like me?

"Cats of all Clans! Let the Gathering begin!"

A caterwaul sounded from the rock hanging over the sparkling pool of stars and moonlight. I looked up to see the cat who had spoken. All four leaders of the Clans were standing atop the rock, looking authoritative and proud to be there. But there was a new leader tonight...her name was Silverfang, or Silverstar as she presumably was known as now. The silvery gray molly was standing tall, looking proud and superior to her subordinates. Her eyes were purple, which was highly unusual for an eye color of any species, not just feline. To many, especially Silverstar herself, her eyes were a symbol of her prowess and leadership.

Cocky entitled bit-

"WinterClan would like to speak first." Silverstar announced, head high as she stepped forward, barely paying any attention to the other leaders. Berrystar and Rabbitstar glared at her momentarily, before returning to a more neutral state. "Sleetstar has passed on in his old age, and WinterClan will mourn him for moons to come. I have taken his place and am now Silverstar!" Cheers erupted from the WinterClan cats, and from a few other Clans, but less so. Silverstar continued, smiling. "I have chosen Jaggededge as my Deputy."

"SpringClan wishes WinterClan many moons of peace and prosperity under your leadership." Rabbitstar dipped his head to her.

"Indeed...maybe your Warriors will stop trying to hunt on SummerClan's territory now?" Berrystar growled, looking rather annoyed. Her Clanmates joined her with hisses, shouts, and sneers. I tensed as I remembered the border skirmish that I had fought in a few days ago. It was loud, bloody, and fur was flying everywhere. The intrusions needed to stop, otherwise cats might get killed.

Silverstar put on an innocent look. "I know nothing of such incursions. Whatever has been done to you has been done by the individual acts of some of my Warriors, not by mine or Sleetstar's orders."

Owlstar spoke up, rising from his usual serene attitude. "Don't play coy, Silverstar. WinterClan has been trying to steal territory for moons."

Blazepaw rubbed up against me, purring softly. I was surprisingly happy to feel and enjoy his comforting presence. Nobody ever treated me with such love and respect before; at least, not since my mother passed on to StarClan before I was made an Apprentice.

By now, tensions were rising amongst all the Clan cats, and friends sitting together started turning on eachother. I was lucky, I guessed, that AutumnClan and SpringClan were on good terms right now. However, it seemed as though all the Clans had a beef with WinterClan.

"I feel kinda bad for the WinterClan cats." Blazepaw meowed, observing the hostile glares and insults being thrown around us.

I tipped my head to the side. "Why? They started this mess."

"Some of their Warriors caused it, not the Clan itself. Why should innocent cats pay for their Clanmate's mistakes?" He countered, a certain level-headedness in his gaze.

"Oh...I see your point." I purred, agreeing wholeheartedly with the smaller tomcat.

Silverstar lifted her tail, silencing the cats in the clearing. "If you see these cats intruding on your territory again, please, bring them to me and they will be punished accordingly."

"Yeah right!" A cat yowled from the AutumnClan crowd.

"Typical WinterClan, always acting like they're innocent!"

Rabbitstar stood up, furious. "Enough bickering! Silverstar, do you have anything else to report?"

Silverstar shrugged. "One of our queens is bearing kits, and prey is running well despite a recent snowstorm up near our camp."

"Alright, SpringClan will continue." Rabbitstar murmured, stepping forward. "Tansyfur, one of our queens, has given birth to a litter of three by the names of Nightkit, Lilykit, and Leafkit. WinterClan scent has been found on our side of the border, but that ties into the earlier arguments. Other than that, SpringClan has been well, and our newcomer Daffodil has been integrating nicely into our roster."

Blazepaw had a momentary wary look, and I wondered why. I obviously wasn't going to pry, as sharing Clan secrets was wrong. But all the same, I felt a little defensive for the small orange tom. We both silently listened to the rest of the announcements by both AutumnClan and SummerClan. Everything seemed to be back to normal...but if you looked hard enough, you could see that dangerous hostility was lurking among the ranks. Such internal strife was going to be a major issue in the coming leaf-bare, so I hoped it would be resolved soon.

"Leopardpaw! Come on, we're leaving!" Brittlesun called me, bringing me back to reality. I felt sad, as I had to leave my newfound friend now.

"You should probably get going now…" Blazepaw suddenly gave my ear a lick, causing me to blush in front of him. He had an interested look as he whispered. "Let's meet here tomorrow night, same time?" He sounded hopeful.

I hid my blush, looking down at him. He just looked so cute! StarClan, why are you doing this to me? "O-Oh, yeah. Of course…" I replied, making sure nobody was looking before I leaned down and licked his ear in turn. He blushed too, telling me that we had the same thing on our minds. "I'll um...see ya then." I turned to leave, trotting happier than I was when I was leaving for the Gathering earlier in the day. These feelings were all new, and though my mind was telling me it was wrong, my heart screamed in joy and energy.

What in StarClan's name am I doing?

(II)

Water foamed underneath my paws as I crossed one of the many streams that ended up at the Gathering Pool. I was headed there to meet with my new friend, Blazepaw. Was he even my friend now? It was quite obvious that I had a huge crush on him, and during the Gathering I could not help but show it. I felt ashamed, outwardly, but inwardly it felt so...normal.

I had a skip in my step as I approached our meeting area. Was he here? Maybe I was too late? What if he went home? I fretted a little, feeling dread and nervousness. "Blazepaw..?" I whispered, silently, creeping into the clearing.

"Leopardpaw? Is that you?" I perked up bright when I heard that alluring tomcat's voice returning my call. I caught his scent near the boulder on the edge of the pool. He was sitting on top of it, where the Clan Leaders usually stood. He looked so elegant and mature up there...almost as though he was one of those Leaders himself.

I forgot my caution, and I bounded up onto the boulder, skidding to a stop beside him. I pressed my muzzle into his orange shoulder fur. "H-Hi…"

"Hi...Leopardpaw. Thanks for taking my offer." Blazepaw sat back, blushing with embarrassment. I let out an instinctive murmur as I felt his tongue grooming my ear. I rested against him slightly, letting out an exhausted huff. "Long day, huh?"

"Yeah…" I murmured, sitting beside him eventually and purring, watching the empty moonlit clearing. "Brittlesun decided it would be a good idea to put me on Elder duty today...I swear to StarClan no other Apprentice cleans their nests but me."

"That sucks." Blazepaw agreed, his pelt brushing mine. "You sound like you don't enjoy living in AutumnClan. I've never been there, but it sounds like they're an unforgiving bunch."

I giggled, halfheartedly. "Tell me about it." Then another thought came to mind. "Um...why do you want me to be here with you? I'm not interesting or...anything, really."

He blinked at me, and then smiled. "Because I like being with you, and honestly, you deserve better than what I saw Brittlesun doing to you the other day."

"But why? What have I done to deserve befriending an amazing tom like you?"

That statement made him blush. I could see a more childish and mischievous personality underneath that calm SpringClan demeanour. "I guess I'm just attracted to cats who have mature and authentic personalities." He stared me up and down, and I felt a little hot. "Plus erm...I find your spotted coat really hot…" He blushed more, seemingly, embarrassed.

"Huh..?" I blushed in response, sitting back and looking down at my coat. "What's so nice about it?"

"Well…" He held my breath when he moved closer to me, brushing his whiskers with mine as his nose trailed down my neck, touching my chest. "It's smooth, beautiful, and shines so nicely...And your body frame is just...I envy it."

"Well, yours is lovely too." I stammered, hoping to return the purred loudly, and he rubbed up against me, clearly itching to do something...but what, I didn't know. So, being as confused as I was, I settled down and let him lay down beside me. He was considerably smaller than me, even though I wasn't very large myself...it felt kinda strange. "H-Hey Blazepaw?"

"Yes?" He meowed, pausing from grooming my shoulder fur.

"Is this normal in SpringClan? I mean...toms being affectionate to um...toms...and such." I asked, curious. Such a thing was unheard of in AutumnClan, and I didn't know any same gender couples at all, let alone outside the Clan.

"Oh, yes. Love is important in my Clan, and toms with toms and mollies with mollies is just...it's part of living life. Can't have kits that way, but that doesn't matter much…" He murmured. Then worry appeared on his face. "I-I'm not overwhelming you with this...affection...am I? I'm just so used to it and I-"

"It's okay." I interrupted him, touching my nose to his neck. "I don't mind it. It's just...new."

"Okay...well, SpringClan is also very friendly with outsiders. Sometimes cats join, sometimes cats leave, sometimes cats get into relationships outside the Clan and they either leave or have their families with us-" He continued explaining his Clan's functionality. It sounded very open...and free. Cats were free to choose their own destinies, as long as they didn't try to choose destinies for others. I began to wonder to myself, if I was truly happy in AutumnClan, where everything was restrictive and there was a strict set of social codes to follow.

Maybe I'd be happier if I...left? But where would I go? Then, as the night wore on and we got more and more comfortable with each other, my mind began to wander. Maybe I could join SpringClan?