Brightpaw had spent the whole day practicing the same front paw swipe and now the sun was dipping below the trees. Her paws were exhausted but she was sure her next attempt would be perfect. She bunched her hind legs than darted forward quickly and gave swipe, making sure her paw was angled just right.
"That was very good," Dawnfrost commented. "Almost perfect."
"Almost isn't good enough!" Brightpaw mumbled while preparing for another go. I've got to get it right this time. She sprang forward again, but lost her footing when she raised her paw for the swipe. "Mouse dung!"
"That's enough for today," Dawnfrost announced.
Brightpaw whipped around to face her mentor. "But I didn't get it right!" she protested.
Dawnfrost flicked her tail. "You're exhausted. You won't get it right with how tired you are. Tomorrow we will try again." She walked out of the sandy hollow, allowing no time for further arguing. Brightpaw followed behind, her tail dragging in the dust.
When they entered the camp, the clearing was crowded with warriors. Brightpaw dashed over to Sedgepaw who was sitting at the edge of the clearing. "What's going on?" she asked.
Sedgepaw gave her a look of amusement. "The Gathering is tonight. Everyone's preparing to go."
Of course, the Gathering! How could I forget? "We're going, aren't we?"
Sedgepaw let out a ridiculously exaggerated sigh. "Smokefoot says I have to wait for the next one. Apparently, I'm too 'young and foolish' to be allowed to mix with the other clans." Sedgepaw sighed again and flopped to the ground.
He's taking this rather un-Sedgepaw-like. Brightpaw eyed her brother suspiciously. "Well, I'm going to ask Dawnfrost if I can go." She turned and dashed into the throng of cats. They were all talking about the other clans and cats like they were friends and not bitter enemies. Brightpaw tried to pick up the mew of Dawnfrost when she heard another familiar voice.
"Oh, Brightpaw!" Sorrelflower appeared out of the crowd and came to stand in front of the apprentice. "What are you doing? Are you going to the Gathering?" Sorrelflower's mew was laced with surprise.
Brightpaw shook her head. "I'm not, or, well, I'm trying to find Dawnfrost to see if I can go."
Sorrelflower perked her ears. "I was just talking to her about you. She was with Larkwing by the warriors' den," she flicked her tail in the direction of the den, "She's probably still there."
"Thank you," Brightpaw responded and turned to head over there, but not before nuzzling Sorrelflower's flank. Now Brightpaw could see a flash of golden fur, meaning either Dawnfrost or Larkwing was there. Within moments, it was revealed to be Dawnfrost, now talking to Snowfur. The white warrior did not seem pleased to see Brightpaw pop out of the crowd with the clear intent of speaking to them. Well, to Dawnfrost. Brightpaw didn't care at all to trade words with Snowfur. Deciding it was best to ignore his look of displeasure, she focused on Dawnfrost.
"Can-" Brightpaw began.
"No," Dawnfrost cut her off in a stern mew. "You cannot go to the Gathering." Brightpaw's tail fell. "It's my rule," she continued in a softer tone. "I only allow my apprentices to go to a Gathering when they've been an apprentice for a whole moon."
Brightpaw nodded, still crestfallen. It's an understandable rule, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
"Besides," her mentor added, "someone has to make sure Sedgepaw doesn't accidently destroy the camp while most the warriors are gone."
It was an attempt to cheer her up, Brightpaw knew, but she didn't feel any better about staying behind. I'll have plenty more chances to go, she reminded herself. I shouldn't be so entitled to think that I'd get to go to a Gathering when I'm barely older than a kit! Still, this night was going to be a disappointing one. "I'll go over and check on Sedgepaw now, then," she meowed, very obviously not happy.
As Brightpaw padded off, Dawnfrost called after her. "You will go to the next Gathering. I promise!" Brightpaw flicked her tail in acknowledgement. Several moments later, she was standing over Sedgepaw who was still laying on the ground like a dejected kit. When he saw her, he lifted his head, his face openly curious.
"Are you going?"
This time it was Brightpaw's turn to sigh. "No. Dawnfrost has a rule about it." She laid down next to her brother. "Though," she said, perking up, "I get to go to the next one for certain."
Sedgepaw twitched his ears. "Do you think I will be less young and foolish by next Gathering and I'll get to go too?"
Brightpaw purred a little in actual amusement. "Only if Smokefoot has a good sense of humor."
Just a heartbeat after she that, Tawnystar called out from the camp entrance. "ThunderClan, we are leaving now. Dapplednose, keep watch over things here."
"You can count on me, Tawnystar," the tortoiseshell warrior responded.
With that, the group of cats departed from the clearing and disappeared into the thorn tunnel. The silence that came over the camp was unbearable to Brightpaw. I have to wait until they come to learn anything about the Gathering, if I'm even awake by then! She let out a small growl to vent her frustration, which was noticed by Sedgepaw.
"Why so upset?" he asked, a hint of mischief in his mew.
"Because I'm not going to the Gathering, what else?" Brightpaw responded.
"But we are going." Sedgepaw said nonchalantly, and then started walking towards the apprentices' den.
With Brightpaw's curiosity fully piqued, she followed him. When they were more hidden in the shadows of the den, she quietly meowed, "What do you mean?"
Sedgepaw' eyes glowed with a look that made Brightpaw instinctively want to yowl "Sedgepaw don't!" He leaned in and said, in a mew barely audible, "We're going to sneak out and go to the Gathering."
"That's insane!" Brightpaw exclaimed, and Sedgepaw quickly hushed her.
"It's going to be fine. We'll stay hidden while we are there, and come back before the rest of the Clan does. We won't be missed here," he finished.
That does actually sound plausible. Brightpaw shook her head. What am I thinking! We were told we can't go. We would get into so much trouble if we were caught. "Sedgepaw, this is a stupid idea," she meowed.
"Well, I'm going. You can stay here if you want." Without another word, he furtively moved along the edges of the barrier until he was by the nursery.
Brightpaw, against all her better judgement, slinked after him. He seemed to have predicted her change of heart because was still waiting by the nursery when she got there. "What are we doing over here?"
Sedgepaw placed his tail over mouth, indicating that she shouldn't speak. Brightpaw was about to ask again, but in a more annoyed fashion, when Sedgepaw nodded his head towards the nursery. Right, we can't let Larkwing or Frostkit and Goldenkit know what we're doing. It's better for me to stay silent and just follow Sedgeaw's lead. She met Sedgepaw's eyes and nodded once to signal that she understood.
Her brother lifted his tail from her mouth and slid behind the nursery. For a second, Brightpaw thought he had simply dissipated into the shadows, but then she noticed a break in the barrier large enough for a warrior to slip through. As quietly as possible, she squeezed through the undergrowth and came out into the forest.
Sedgepaw was now vibrating with excitement, and admittedly, Brightpaw was shaking too, whether with that same excitement or fear, or both, she wasn't sure. "Let's just do this," she hissed, mostly to herself.
At once, Sedgepaw was racing through the trees, Brightpaw right on his tail. It was clear to her that Sedgepaw was following the scent trail the patrol had left when they were heading to the Gathering. Steadily, the scents grew stronger until Brightpaw could hear the rumble of many cats up ahead. Sedgepaw slowed his gait, as did Brightpaw. They creeped up a slope, stopping in the bushes at the top.
Brightpaw's breath was taken away. Below them was a mass of fur and pelts swarming around a large rock at the center. There are so many cats! I knew the other clans were similar in size to ThunderClan, but there's just so many. It was impossible to tell which cats were from which clan; it seemed everyone had intermingled.
"Come one, let's get closer," Sedgepaw meowed, and before Brightpaw could respond, he was scooting down the hill.
Though it was a bad idea to get closer—this whole thing is a bad idea—Brightpaw did want to get a closer look, and perhaps listen in to what some of warriors were talking about. She stopped beside Sedgepaw in the shadows at the edge of the clearing. No cat was paying any attention to them, thankfully, but Brightpaw scanned the area for any ThunderClan members regardless. Seeing none, she turned her concentration to the conversations around her. They were mostly simple catching up chats, and before she could hear any more, a yowl silenced the whole clearing.
Up on the rock were four cats; one of them was Tawnystar. Those are probably the leaders. One was smaller than the others-a lithe black shecat. That must be Darkstar, the ShadowClan leader. The other two, a brown tom and a pale tabby shecat, Brightpaw did not recognize. It had been the brown leader who had made the call, and, after surveying the crowd, he began speaking.
"The Gathering will now begin. I will go first." He stepped in front of the other leaders. "RiverClan is doing well. The river is full of fish and we are well-fed."
"Must be, with how heavy all these RiverClan cats look," someone near Brightpaw muttered.
The RiverClan leader did not hear this and was continuing with his report. It was all pretty boring stuff to Brightpaw. Eventually he was done, and Darkstar took his place. She basically said all the same things—is this all Gatherings are?—but she also said something about having three new warriors. Suddenly, all the cats were chanting "Frogfang! Reddapple! Blacknose!"
Brightpaw flattened her ears at the sudden noise and noticed Sedgepaw had the same reaction. The chanting died down and Darkstar ceded the center to the pale tabby shecat. She made all of the same notes, mentioned chasing a fox off WindClan territory, and then stepped back. Now it's Tawnystar's turn!
"The forest prey is running and ThunderClan has two apprentices…" Birghhtpaw couldn't hear what he said next because Sedgepaw nudged her and meowed "That's us!" right into her ear.
She lightly cuffed him around the ear. "I know! Now be quiet. I want to listen."
Sedgepaw obeyed her demand and swung his head back to the clan leaders.
"…and our kits are healthy," Tawnystar meowed. Brightpaw thought he was finished but after a moment he stated with chilling calmness, "However, Pikestar, my warriors have found RiverClan scent on our side of the border."
Brightpaw's stomach dropped to match the change in air from friendliness to hostility. Murmuring broke out among the cats. One mew rose above the others— "How dare you accuse of crossing the border!" a fierce-looking RiverClan warrior spat. He was only a few tail lengths in front of Brightpaw, and she instinctively backed away a little.
"That's the one who probably killed Pinetail," hissed Greenfang, an elder, who Brightpaw had failed to notice come closer to her and Sedgepaw's "hiding" spot.
Killed Pinetail? But I thought it was an accident. Didn't Tawnystar say RiverClan had nothing to do with it? But as Brightpaw scanned the crowd for ThunderClan cats, she noticed that most had the same expression as Greenfang. They still think RiverClan is guilty.
Tawnystar broke through the growing hum of voices. "I'm just reporting what my warriors found," his gaze was directed at the RiverClan leader, "Do you have any idea what your warriors might be doing on ThunderClan territory, Pikestar?"
Pikestar was twitching his tail, but clearly trying to maintain a calm demeanor. "Perhaps the scent blew over into your territory with the wind. My warriors know the code and would never trespass onto another clan's territory."
Tawnystar stayed still for a few moments, then swept his tail over the rock. "Very well. I trust you know your warriors and their commitment to the code." With that he leaped down from the rock, followed by the rest of the leaders.
"I think we should go," Brightpaw muttered to Sedgepaw, but as she turned to him, she saw that he was gone. Oh no! Sedgepaw! The worried apprentice raised her head and began to search for him. There! He was a little deeper into the crowd, almost right next to the RiverClan warrior who had spoken out against Tawnystar. Brightpaw launched into the mass of muttering warriors. She rushed up to Sedgepaw, who looked completely unfazed by recent events, and cried, "We need to go now!"
Sedgepaw turned his head to Brightpaw and opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, an angry mew sounded from behind them.
"Brightpaw! Sedgepaw! What are you doing here?"