The crisp air chilled Spottedpaw nearly to the bone. The full moon illuminated the forest in such a way she couldn't have imagined. The throng of cats surrounding her, pelts brushing against each other as they traveled to the Gathering spot. Hawkscar stayed close to the apprentice throughout the journey, nudging her in the correct direction when necessary. The warrior hadn't been wrong when he said getting her into the Gathering wouldn't be easy. Chills ran down her spine as she recalled their recent discussion with Deadeye.
"Do you know just what you're asking of me, Hawkscar?" Deadeye hadn't even turned around to face the two cats. "I'm quite strict about our rules regarding who attends the Gatherings, and apprentices have not been permitted for many moons."
"Yes, sir," Hawkscar bowed his head meekly, "but I do think it would be a good opportunity . . . for our apprentices to learn how to interact with the other Clans. We could teach them how to gather intel for you, as well." At that, Deadeye turned to face them. He was silent for a few moments, his sharp gaze piercing the two cats in front of him.
Finally, he spoke. "This is why I've always valued you as an asset to the Gorge, Hawkscar. I like how you think." There was a pause—it was the most uncomfortable Spottedpaw had ever been as the tomcat stared her down. "Very well. I'll allow her—and only her—to attend, for now. This better not go poorly." The black tom flicked his tail to dismiss them, and the two cats quickly left his den.
Spottedpaw flicked her ears, pushing the memory out of her mind for the time being. All different scents had started filling her nose, scents she faintly recognized from Hawkscar's border lessons; this time, they all seemed smashed together, and she realized they must be nearing the Gathering center. A glance to her mentor and a nod in return confirmed her suspicion. Upon reaching the location, Deadeye and the rest of the cats stopped just outside the threshold of the clearing ahead.
The golden molly gave her mentor a quizzical look, who chuckled in return. "He's just assessing which Clans brought which members tonight. He'll lead us inside in just a moment." Though she knew he was only trying to reassure her, Spottedpaw felt far more anxious than before. She knew one wrong move and Deadeye would likely be furious not only with her, but with her mentor as well. There was no telling what the repercussions for such a thing would be; legends from the elders in the Gorge suggested Deadeye was not merciful with those who crossed him. A soft nudge to her shoulder pulled her out of her concerns—she saw Hawkscar giving her an amused look, as if silently laughing at her. "Relax. You'll do fine once we get in there," he purred.
Deadeye gave a flick of his tail and the throng of cats began pouring through the brushes. Spottedpaw was quick to follow, desperately trying to stick next to her mentor. What sat beyond the foliage amazed her—more cats than she had ever imagined in one spot, and yet this was only a portion of the cats in all the Clans. Hawkscar led the apprentice to the outer edge of where the cats from the Gorge gathered, close in proximity to a particularly dry scent that was unmistakably BlazeClan.
"Hawkscar, what if—"
The cream tom cut her off. "Just follow my lead and you'll be just fine, enough of that worrying." The molly was about to speak up again when she spotted a few BlazeClan cats padding up to them.
"Hawkscar," a dark brown tabby greeted casually. "It's been a few moons since I've spotted you at a Gathering." Hawkscar dipped his head in return and flicked at Spottedpaw with his tail, inviting her to copy him. The golden-furred apprentice quickly followed suit as her cheeks heated up in embarrassment. The stiffness of the movement only brought attention to her. "And who is this new pelt? Have you finally earned yourself an apprentice?"
"Indeed, I have. Swallowclaw, Jayleaf, this is Spottedpaw. Spottedpaw, these are some old acquaintances of mine." The apprentice anxiously greeted them once more with a bow of her head.
"Doesn't she seem rather small for an apprentice?" the other cat, a grey tabby, questioned; an inquiry that quickly earned him a playful cuff over the head from Hawkscar. The comment made Spottedpaw's fur burn in humiliation, and she groomed her chest fur self-consciously.
"She might be small, but any apprentice of mine could leave you in the dust," the tom joked. "Isn't that right, Spottedpaw?" He nudged the young cat with his paw in an attempt to get her to relax.
"Y-Yeah," she stammered, slowly getting more comfortable with her surroundings. "You wouldn't even stand a chance." She puffed her chest out playfully at the warriors, who all chuckled in return. As the three toms carried on a conversation, Spottedpaw zoned their voices out and listened to the buzzing of the crowds around her. She had never imagined such different cats could simply gather here and . . . get along so well. Despite the overall friendly atmosphere, she did pick up on quite a bit of tension specifically between the rest of the Clans and the Gorge. Spottedpaw was ripped from her thoughts as she felt a new gaze burning into her pelt—she looked around and spotted a group of younger cats watching her with wide eyes. Are these apprentices from the other Clans? she wondered warily. As she met their curious gazes, they were quick to look away. Even so, Spottedpaw still felt a cat's gaze, but upon looking around her the feeling vanished and the culprit was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps I'm just imagining things.
"Would you like to go sit with the other apprentices?" Hawkscar questioned with a nudge. Spottedpaw realized he must have noticed the apprentice glancing around apprehensively. "They might be curious at first—Deadeye doesn't usually bring apprentices to Gatherings, any cat would be curious." He wasn't wrong about that much; Spottedpaw had noticed curious gazes set on her from all around the clearing, along with whispers and murmurs.
"I think I'm fine where I am." Her voice was hardly a whisper as she got comfortable next to her mentor. "I-If you don't mind, of course," she added hastily when she realized her mistake. Perhaps Hawkscar had wanted her to leave him to speak among other warriors.
An amused purr from the warrior eased her worries yet again. "Of course it's fine, you furball. These two will make you feel more welcome than those apprentices would, anyway." She peered around Hawkscar again at the two strange warriors, suddenly feeling much more shy than before. Her stomach was twisting and turning with anxiety—a feeling that only welled up to her chest when she saw Jayleaf staring at her. Was her fur messed up somewhere? Or perhaps there was something on her face? Once more she started hastily grooming herself in case her concerns were true.
Swallowclaw noticed and snorted in amusement. "See, Jayleaf? This is what happens when you stare, you've got the poor kit all flustered and nervous." Jayleaf's eyes widened in what Spottedpaw thought was embarrassment and he straightened himself up. She heard Swallowclaw let out a wheeze of laughter as the grey tabby mumbled apologetically. "You'd think you were a newborn kit with how you were staring," he continued to tease his Clanmate and Spottedpaw couldn't help but let out an amused mrrow. She felt herself slowly relax as the group chittered away; the Gathering cast nearly everyone's worries aside, if only for a short while.
A yowl from the leaders' perch drew silence over the Gathering. This is it, Spottedpaw thought, mystified. The leaders are going to finally speak. Will Deadeye announce my apprenticeship, or my littermates'? As soon as the thought hit her, Spottedpaw found herself secretly wishing she wouldn't be singled out. She had already faced backlash from her siblings; they didn't understand why they couldn't attend the Gathering with their sister.
"Deadeye wants to try out a new system," Hawkscar had reassured them. "I'm sure you all will get a chance next moon. I'll even put in a good word for you." The three apprentices held their tongues after that, but Spottedpaw knew they were still giving her foul stares. Even the three newest warriors and her littermates' mentors had been brought along.
Announcements from the leaders shook her back to reality. Though the five leaders sat together on the ancient-looking boulder that was their perch, there was an obvious gap between Deadeye and the rest. Spottedpaw wasn't given enough time to question it—a brown tabby had already started with her announcements, and a meaningful glance from Hawkscar silenced any doubt she held.
"All is well in NightClan," the tabby molly reported gratefully. "We have three new warriors; Brightleap, Leopardstep, and Mintnose!" Spottedpaw heard cats all around her cheer the new warriors names. She noticed that some cats from the Gorge had been reluctant, and a few had not even bothered to join in. Her gaze darted back to the leaders nervously, but if they had noticed they gave nothing away. "Twolegs have been playing with their kits in some of the thinner areas of the forest, but they never stick around too long. These ones have a dog with them." A warning glance was shared between leaders, leaving Spottedpaw confused. She'd heard tales of dogs chasing cats, but were they so dangerous that the leaders needed to warn one another of them?
Another leader stepped forward before Spottedpaw could finish her pondering. "Thank you, Harestar," a brown tom dipped his head. "Things are going well in RushClan, as well. Our medicine cat apprentice has earned his full name, and will now be known as Sunclaw." He paused while the Clans cheered in approval. Once the noise settled, he continued. "The streams and rivers have been rising a bit, but that's to be expected for the season. They simply bring fresher water for us all." The leader bowed his head to the remaining cats, and Spottedpaw noticed Deadeye made no move to speak yet. A black molly shrugged and took a small step forward.
"Jayleaf and Birdheart have earned their first apprentices, Canyonpaw and Echopaw." Once again there was a pause as the cats cheered. Next to Spottedpaw and her mentor, Jayleaf was puffing his chest out proudly. She realized with a quick glance at Hawkscar that it must be a big deal, to get your first apprentice. "Spiderclaw has also finally kitted, and we have two strong additions to the Clan." The dark molly ended with an approving purr, nodding to the remaining two toms as she stepped back. The clearing fell silent as the two exchanged a look; Deadeye kept his gaze cool, yet unnervingly friendly at the same time.
"You go on ahead, Fishstar," Spottedpaw heard her leader purr, and she shuddered softly. Beside her, she noticed Hawkscar tense slightly. Was this side of Deadeye as new to him as it was to her? Maybe he recognizes this behavior, she wondered.
Fishstar hesitantly stepped forward as he flicked his ears with uncertainty. "Things are just as well in SwiftClan territory as the others. Prey has been running thin, but it's been a wet season and the marshes have grown thick. Once it dries up, we expect to see more." He paused as his gaze swept the gathered cats, as if searching for something. "Juniperstorm is expecting kits and has moved to the nursery." He stepped back, his unease showing more awkwardly than Deadeye's odd behavior. Spottedpaw noticed that below the leaders and their deputies, the medicine cats huddled together nervously—all except Frozenleaf and Shortpaw, who sat a few tail lengths away from the others.
"The Gorge has been thriving." Deadeye didn't move from his spot. His gaze raked over the cats in the clearing with a glint of emotion—was that contempt? "We have three new warriors—Redflight, Finclaw, and Thornheart." The black tom paused pointedly, clearly expecting the Clans to cheer for his warriors. The cheers this time were weaker from the other Clans, but the cats from the Gorge cheered louder than ever. Spottedpaw saw the three warriors in the crowd nearly bursting with pride. "We also have new apprentices. Spottedpaw, Dustpaw, Fernpaw, and Riverpaw." Deadeye hadn't even mentioned that she was there, yet countless curious eyes had locked onto Spottedpaw. She felt her pelt bristle up and suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious next to her mentor. To her right side, she even noticed that her littermates' mentors were watching her closely, as if waiting for her to make a wrong move.
Whispers began rippling through the crowd like a soft breeze. Even the leaders, who had been well composed for the entire Gathering, were now curiously searching the crowd for Spottedpaw. There was a soft gasp from a couple of them, and Deadeye narrowed his eye.
"Is there a problem?" he questioned, a challenge deep within his voice. The whispers ceased at once as all the attention was, much to Spottedpaw's relief, once again directed at the leaders.
"She's still the size of a kit," the black she-cat from before mewed in shock. "Is this how you run the Gorge now, Deadeye?"
"Who are you to question my methods, Heatherstar?" Deadeye retorted, though he stayed eerily calm. "The size of my apprentices is a nonissue. They'll be twice as formidable as any of your warriors once I'm through with them." Spottedpaw felt her bones chill at those words. Was that supposed to be a threat to the other Clans, or to her? She found herself instinctively pressing against Hawkscar, who merely cleared his throat and inched away. The two warriors next to Hawkscar had tensed up as well, and Jayleaf was casting glances between the leaders and Spottedpaw.
Heatherstar's hackles raised defensively. "First you take land that isn't yours, land that you don't need. Now you've got kits as apprentices and you're threatening me?" The tension in the air was thicker than ever before. Spottedpaw glanced awkwardly at her newfound BlazeClan acquaintances, only to find Swallowclaw heading back to his own Clanmates. Jayleaf gave Spottedpaw and Hawkscar an uneasy nod before following the warrior. Looking back to the leaders' rock, Spottedpaw thought she saw amusement glinting in Deadeye's remaining eye. Was he after this reaction from the start? She looked to her mentor for any kind of a hint, but his eyes were emotionless as he watched on.
"My, my, that's quite the response," Deadeye purred. He glanced up as clouds started drifting over the full moon. "Careful, Heatherstar," he mewed teasingly. "You'll upset StarClan with an outrage like that." Spottedpaw could see as well as any other cat that Heatherstar desperately wanted to swipe at Deadeye, but even a leader wouldn't break the truce at the Gathering.
"We're finished here." The black-furred leader spoke only in a low growl. The four other leaders immediately hopped off of the boulder and called their Clanmates away. Deadeye waited a moment before doing the same with the Gorge, his whiskers still twitching with amusement. As Spottedpaw turned to follow her Clanmates home she felt eyes burning into the back of her pelt once again, but she was too exhilarated by what she'd just witnessed to care anymore.
The chill of dawn tickled at Spottedpaw's toes. In the days following the Gathering, her littermates had begun pestering her to tell them how it went—truthfully, she didn't even know where to start. Though it had been several sunrises already, her mind was still reeling from what she'd experienced. She knew her siblings could tell something big had happened.
"What was it?" Riverpaw had breathed excitedly. "Did a Clan break the truce?"
"Obviously not, mousebrain," their sister jabbed him with her paw. "If someone broke the truce we'd be going to battle now, I bet." Still, Fernpaw gazed expectantly at Spottedpaw. Before she could respond, Hawkscar had padded up to the litter.
"That's enough of that. There's plenty of gossip in the camp without the apprentices adding to it," he meowed sternly. After the apprentices glanced at each other in embarrassment, he continued. "I spoke with Deadeye. He agreed to let the rest of you join in the next Gathering, so long as you promise to be on your best behavior. Your mentors will tell you how to behave." Spottedpaw's siblings immediately brightened up, each scampering off to their mentor. Once they left, Hawkscar turned to his apprentice. "You did well, considering how things went," he murmured lightheartedly. Spottedpaw could tell he was trying to cover up his distress at what had happened.
"Did Deadeye really steal territory from the other Clans?" Spottedpaw couldn't help the words escaping her, and she burned shamefully afterwards. Hawkscar gave a soft snort.
"Of course not," he murmured a bit quickly, then added, "Things happen. Sometimes Clans battle each other, and it's not uncommon for territory to be tossed around for the taking."
"Why did the other Clans seem so suspici—"
"Apprentices shouldn't ask so many questions," the tom interrupted her with a meaningful flick of his ears. Spottedpaw gave a small huff, but silenced herself obediently. There was so much she knew she couldn't possibly understand—not after the events at the Gathering. "Go on and get some fresh-kill. We're going on a border patrol at dusk." The apprentice twitched her tail and trotted to the fresh-kill pile, finding a tasty looking thrush. As she picked it up, she heard some hushed murmurs around the corner of the Smoothstone, where Deadeye holds the Gorge meetings. Curiosity getting the best of her, Spottedpaw settled down and dug into her thrush absentmindedly; she kept her ears pricked as she listened in on the conversation.
"Has StarClan shared with you at all?" Irritation edged Deadeye's growl.
"I've told you already, Deadeye, I haven't heard from them in moons. If they had something to tell me, they would have." It was Frozenleaf. She sounded just as irritated as their leader.
"They're hiding something from me." There was a pause for a second, where Spottedpaw imagined the cats were exchanging looks. "Fishstar was basically searching the entire Gathering for something—or some cat. Every other cat stayed even further away from us than before."
"Perhaps that's because of your endless taunting," Frozenleaf stated matter-of-factly. "And it doesn't help that you still insist on keeping your warrior name, instead of taking on your leader name." There was a final growl from Deadeye and he stomped away loudly. Spottedpaw dropped her gaze to the ground as he passed, pretending as if she hadn't noticed him there. She didn't know what all of this StarClan talk meant—the elders only told tall tales, and Hawkscar and the other warriors never mentioned much about their ancestors. Still, she knew if the other Clans were hiding things, it couldn't be good news.