It was the next afternoon when Firestar was padding along. Jaypaw was still recovering from drowning and Hollypaw and Lionpaw were busy discussing how their days went. Firestar got on top of the high rock as he had to make an announcement.

"Everyone old enough to catch their own prey, gather under the high ledge for a clan meeting." Firestar began. All the cats gathered around him as he had to make an announcement. He soon waited for the chatter to quiet down before he spoke. "Tonight is the night since I am taking a few cats with me to attend this important night with me. It's the gathering so don't get too excited. I'm taking Leafpool, Squirrelflight, Thornclaw, Cloudtail and Brightheart as warriors and Lionpaw, Mousepaw and Poppypaw for apprentices. Hollypaw is still punished had Jaypaw is recovering so I can't take them with me. I'll see you there tonight." Firestar mewed as he jumped off the high ledge. Soon the cats gathered as Lionpaw was curious about what was going on. He approached his mentor as he was never chosen for something this good before.

"Ashfur?" Lionpaw asked wanting his attention. Ashfur turned his head to face his apprentice as he greeted him.

"Oh Lionpaw, it's you, anything you need?" Ashfur mewed wondering what his apprentice needed. Lionpaw soon thought about it before he asked Ashfur.

"Lionpaw want gathering?" Lionpaw mewed out of curiosity. Ashfur soon turned and sat down as he went to explain to him.

"A gathering is a special time that comes when there is a full moon. It's a time of peace upon which us warriors get to chat about our past. It's a time where we shouldn't fight but I was wondering why you asked." Ashfur was soon changing the subject as Lionpaw was hit with a sudden curveball when Ashfur decided to wonder why his apprentice asked. Lionpaw soon thought about it as he responded.

"Lionpaw want to know." Lionpaw responded. Ashfur turned to him as he smiled.

"Asking about something when you've never heard about it is a good way to go on about it. Have a good time." Ashfur mewed as the cats prepared to leave. Soon Lionpaw nodded that he will as he scampered off with the other cats. "He grows up so fast." Ashfur purred to himself as he was happy for Lionpaw.

The cats soon arrived at the island as the others were just arriving. Tonight was special as fresh-kill and herbs were all over the place, it seemed to be like a party. Lionpaw was nervous as he padded along. The cats soon broke off as they went to chat. There was a brief period before the leaders spoke their information out to the others as the cats soon settled down. Lionpaw continued to walk around as a tortoiseshell and white apprentice padded along but it wasn't Poppypaw. The cat bumped into Lionpaw as he fell over. The apprentice hissed as she got defensive.

"Watch where you're going!" She hissed as she wanted to show this apprentice who was boss. Lionpaw tensed up as he was ready defensively.

"You want fight? Lionpaw give fight." Lionpaw responded. But due to his inexperience in battle moves, it wasn't ready. Soon Ivypaw's littermate raced over as he looked a lot like Spiderleg.

"Hey this is time for celebration, this isn't a time to rip each other's throats out." The apprentice mewed. Ivypaw looked at her littermates as she couldn't see him but she can hear him. She soon grunted and padded away. Soon the apprentice approached Lionpaw.

"Sorry that was Ivypaw, she's not really used to being around so many cats." The apprentice explained.

"Lionpaw see no?" Lionpaw asked. The apprentice gave a mew of laughter.

"Yeah, Ivypaw can't see. She's blind so we have to be her eyes and she's not happy about that." The apprentice explained that his littermate had no eyesight and he had to stick to her side at all times. "My name is Fernpaw by the way." Fernpaw introduced himself. Lionpaw never seen a cat ask to be his friend before, he soon turned as he responded.

"Lionpaw." Fernpaw soon turned as he began to walk away.

"Nice to meet you Lionpaw. Follow me." Fernpaw responded as he led the way. Lionpaw followed him as he was wondering where Fernpaw would lead him. Soon Fernpaw lead him to where Heatherpaw and Breezepaw were as they were sitting down.

"Lionpaw, these are my new friends. Heatherpaw and Breezepaw." Fernpaw mewed. Lionpaw couldn't believe his eyes when he was staring at Heatherpaw. She looked so beautiful to him as she turned to face him alongside Breezepaw.

"This is the brother of the cat who attacked me while I was in Thunderclan camp yesterday while escorting my half-brother home." Breezepaw mewed as he wasn't surprised he soon rolled his eyes at Lionpaw as Heatherpaw soon spoke.

"Oh so what's this big block of muscle I have right here?" Heatherpaw smiled as she was looking at him. Lionpaw soon spoke.

"Lionpaw thinks you pretty." Lionpaw was beginning to drool over the sight of Heatherpaw as she spoke.

"You must like to read those romance fanfics that are all over the internet. I use it for a lot of things myself. I don't like Breezepaw's works that well. Well I ship you and I when this chapter is over." Heatherpaw mewed as Fernpaw turned to Breezepaw to wonder how he was doing.

"Hey Breezepaw, how your cheek doing?" Fernpaw asked him out of curiosity. Breezepaw turned to him as he spoke.

"It itches. Barkface says I shouldn't scratch it if it wants to get better." Breezepaw mewed as he was tempted to scratch but he knew he didn't want to go back into the medicine cat's den. Fernpaw looked at him as it was clear it wasn't making the itch go away.

"I can see where you've been scratching. I guess the medicine cat of Thunderclan didn't do a good enough job making sure your face was patched together." Fernpaw mewed. Breezepaw felt a bit insulted by what Fernpaw said as he soon became defensive about it.

"Leafpool is a good medicine cat!" Breezepaw hissed. He soon calmed down as he soon spoke again. "It's just the fact that all her herbs were destroyed by her apprentice." Fernpaw soon understood. He didn't want to be insulting to Breezepaw but rather imformative about it. Soon Fernpaw spoke.

"And that apprentice was the cat that tore your cheek open?" Fernpaw mewed as he was wondering what happened to him. Breezepaw spoke.

"Yes. She got me all right." Breezepaw soon finished as Fernpaw soon got some fresh cobwebs.

"Littlefoot taught me about this when he was helping Crowfeather with some quills in his cheek a couple moons back." Fernpaw mewed as he soon began dipping the cobwebs in water. She soon chewed up a bit of marigold as he spat it out. He soon began smudging the marigold all over Breezepaw's cheek. Soon he got the soaked cobwebs as he patched them onto Breezepaw. "This should relief the itching for tonight and you should tell this to Barkface." Breezepaw nodded. Heatherpaw and Lionpaw were busy chatting.

"So what do you like to do with your free time, Lionpaw?" Heatherpaw asked as she was sharing a rabbit with him. "Crowfeather got me this writing on a stone slab called the tunnels and who was in them." She explained where he found it and who was living in the tunnels. Lionpaw responded with one word.

"Fight." Lionpaw responded. Heatherpaw smiled as she sighed.

"Fighting and keeping your clan fed. That's what a good warrior would do." Heatherpaw responded as she relaxed on Lionpaw. Lionpaw wasn't completely satisfied.

"No, just fight." Lionpaw mewed. Heatherpaw was surprised.

"Fighting when? Now? Later?" Heatherpaw was confused by what Lionpaw said. Lionpaw turned to her.

"Me Lionpaw, me want fight." Lionpaw responded. Heatherpaw was getting worried that Lionpaw was getting a little rough with her. But she gulped as she soon responded.

"You know fighting all the time isn't good. We need to get you a hobby." Heatherpaw mewed as she knew she wanted to get Lionpaw not so aggressive. Soon Lionpaw's head turned as he mewed.

"Acquiring hobby." Lionpaw mewed as he saw a bird fly by. The bird was just as pretty as Heatherpaw. Lionpaw smiled. "I like birds now." Heatherpaw smiled as she was not pleased with Lionpaw's limited speech but he was getting somewhere.

"See me more often and we can get you speaking in no time. I can teach you." She mewed. Lionpaw nodded.

Mousepaw was enjoying himself at the gathering; He was looking around at all the sights the gathering had to offer. Poppypaw was spending time with her mentor as he was looking around soon a Riverclan she-cat came up to him as she wanted to speak to him.

"Hey there cutie, what's your name?" She mewed. Mousepaw was nervous as he never seen this cat before. Soon he turned to her as he spoke.

"Mousepaw." He replied. The she-cat soon turned as she was just about his age. She soon responded.

"My name's Minnowpaw, nice to meet you." Minnowpaw mewed. She soon laid down next to Mousepaw as she was ready to speak.

"So what is it that you want to speak about?" Mousepaw mewed as he was blushing a bit. Minnowpaw soon spoke.

"My other clan mates are speaking to some Windclan cats and I was wondering if you were up for a conversation?" Minnowpaw mewed as she was a little lonely. Mousepaw soon gulped as he spoke.

"Sure. Chatter away." Mousepaw responded. Minnowpaw began to chat as three cats padded along as they were catching up on recent events.

"Congrats on your kits becoming apprentices." Crowfeather mewed to Littlefoot as they padded along the shore of the lake with Leafpool.

"Yeah it felt like moons ever since they were born. Poolshine told me she was having my kits shortly after she became a warrior. She's been sticking to my side all the time. I do a lot for her and my kits are becoming respectable apprentices. Ivypaw might need more time due to the fact that she can't even see but I don't blame her. We're here to help her not hurt her. Fernpaw is very outgoing very friendly. I'm surprised he's befriended Breezepaw when we first arrived." Littlefoot continued to chat with Crowfeather as Leafpool was listening on this. Crowfeather soon spoke.

"I mean I have to drill into Breezepaw's head that he has to learn things in life but Nightcloud just wants him to stay a bratty kit forever. I think one day he'll come to the realization that the entire world doesn't revolve around him and he's getting that surprisingly quickly. Unlike Nightcloud herself." Crowfeather spoke about his other kit. He was leaving out Leafpool's kits but he didn't mind that much. Soon Leafpool spoke.

"Shouldn't Ivypaw be a medicine cat apprentice? I mean she'll be better than my apprentice Hollypaw who is destructive." Leafpool mewed as she wanted to chip into the conversation and add something on. Littlefoot turned to her.

"We tried but Mothwing said she's already busy with Willowpaw and she doesn't want to have to be training two apprentices at once." Littlefoot mewed to her as he wanted to make things straight. Leafpool was able to understand as the leaders soon decided to make an announcement.

"All right settle down, now can we get to the news we have for this moon?" Onestar mewed nicely as he wanted to begin the announcements. They chatter was reduced to nothing as Onestar cleared his voice. "We have a new apprentice, Breezepaw and we're getting reports of large lizard like creatures eating away at the moors starving out our prey." Soon Blackstar spoke, giving out his news.

"We have a new apprentice ourselves. Ivypaw." Blackstar mewed. He soon turned his head to Leopardstar as they knew there were 2 Ivypaw's. Blackstar soon spoke again. "We've also got reports of whole groups of lizard like animals settling near Shadowclan territory." Leopardstar was listening as she soon spoke.

"Riverclan has two new apprentice's Ivypaw and Fernpaw. And we also have reports of these lizard like animals popping up in Riverclan territory scaring away the fish." Leoparstar gave her announcement as Firestar was the last to speak.

"Thunderclan has sadly lost an apprentice named Molepaw due to a sickness we weren't able to cure but we got 3 new apprentices in the process. Lionpaw, Jaypaw and Hollypaw. We also have numerous reports about the large grass munching lizards in Thunderclan territory. Thornclaw calls these animals Diadectes. Although they look friendly and they are herbivorous. They can easily starve the prey out and thus starve us out too. Thornclaw reported finding one dead on our territory and Poppypaw attacked one while trying to save Jaypaw and Lionpaw from a stampede of these animals. They aren't invincible but they do pose a threat. So my solution is; we start hunting them and adding them to be part of our diet." Firestar soon finished as the cats were concerned, hunt the Diadectes for fresh-kill, what would the benefits to this be? Surely they weren't that strong as they would bolt from danger but Riverclan were the only cats capable of swimming, Plus their large size meant it would be difficult to take down unless you were a strong warrior. They knew it would be worth the risk.

"Okay you have our word." Onestar mewed. Soon a huge twoleg monster came swirling in as it soon crashed into the lake. There were no twolegs inside the monster but the cats were wondering what was going on. Soon two cats stepped out as one was a gray tom and the other was a silver she-cat with a collar around her neck. Thornclaw was shocked.

"No, it can't be. How did he find us?" Thornclaw mewed as he was staring at the gray tom. Firestar lifted his head as the Gray tom seemed all too familiar with him. He soon bounded off the tree excited to see him again.

"Graystripe!" Firestar mewed with excitement as he tackled him.

"Firestar it's you!" Graystripe returned the excitement of being reunited with his friend. He soon turned to see the second cat that was by his side.

"Also this cat right next to me is named Millie." Graystripe mewed. Firestar was surprised. Maybe Starclan was right about Millie leading Graystripe home.

"Who is this?" Heatherpaw mewed thinking that they were rogues. She had never seen them before.

"You know, MILLIE!" Firestar mewed. The cats were unnerved by this seeing that Millie was a kittypet and she was a nuisance.

"It's best we head for the clans now so I would say we had a good time tonight right?" Onestar mewed as he didn't want any conflict what so ever. Firestar nodded as the cats prepared to leave.

"Gathering dismissed." Firestar announced as he took the two cats with him. Soon all the others began to follow as they all headed back for their respective clans. Lionpaw gave one last glance at Heatherpaw and Breezepaw as well as Fernpaw before following Firestar back to camp. This encounter was going to have a lasting impact on Lionpaw.

[A/N]: I hope you like this chapter since I got some important announcements that I want to make since I've been thinking about it for a while now.

First off I want to host a Q&A on Discord so if you would want to participate and ask me some questions, go ahead since I want to update my user page for the website with some general information about me. I would make a date for it in the next chapter and I hope you will all attend.

Second, I'm not that happy with the stats were getting despite being a few days in. We've hit 100 views, 1 review, 2 follows and 1 favorite. I expect more from my audience seeing how I would want this to turn out.

I'll see you in the next chapter with what happens after the gathering. Review this story since it means a lot.