Chapter 5

Honeypaw awoke to a paw jabbing her side. She groaned and lifted her head, seeing Longpaw at the edge of her nest.

"Mousefur's looking for you," he said before turning and exiting the den. The cream cat sighed and plopped her head down before getting up to stretch.

She had been an apprentice for almost a moon now and tonight was supposed to be the first gathering since she had been named. She was hoping Bluestar would let her go.

The pale cat grimaced at the thought of her strict mentor, Mousefur. Ever since that unfortunate incident with the fox, Mousefur was rather harsh, especially when it came to battle training. Their relationship had been somewhat strained and awkward, but Honeypaw knew she was just worried.

She pushed her way out of the den blinking as a gentle wind ran through the clearing. Dawn was barely peeking over the ravine as Honeypaw spotted Mousefur over by Highrock with a group of other warriors. It was almost leaf-fall now and it was starting to cool down at night. She fluffed her fur out as she made her way over to the small brown molly, feeling a pang of pity for the she-cat with her shorter coat.

She pushed her way through the group of cats until she stood at Mousefur's shoulder and listened as Redtail finished assigning work, "Darkstripe, why don't you lead a patrol on the RiverClan border. Take Mousefur and both of your apprentices."

The tabby nodded, flicking his ear at Longpaw. Mousefur rose to her feet and gestured for her to follow. Honeypaw nodded goodbye to Redtail and hurried after the older cats, catching up as they climbed the ravine.

As Darkstripe led the way through the trees Mousefur walked next to him with the two apprentices bringing up the rear. Honeypaw glanced up at her mentor and let out a silent sigh, Mousefur had been nice enough but it's obvious she was still a little nervous about the fox. It had been almost a moon since then but she still kept me in her sight when we went out. At this pace it'll be leaf-bare before she lets me hunt alone.

They clambered over and under branches and bushes as they made their way deeper into the forest heading further and further away from the camp. The rising sun shone through the trees dappling the forest floor and drying up the morning dew.

Longpaw nudged her, breaking her out of her thoughts. She glanced at him, Longpaw flicked his ear and she turned back toward the mentors catching Mousefur's eye as she glanced back. Mousefur flicked her tail, Honeypaw sped up her steps and walked on her other side.

"Tell me what you 're almost to Sunningrocks, which is right on the border with Riverclan." She instructed, slowing down for Darkstripe to pass her.

Honeypaw opened her mouth a little and scented the air, the cold wind bringing with it a myriad of smells, the most prominent being the comforting forest leaves, and random prey -the strongest of which is vole, but also carries a faint tangy almost fishy scent, RiverClan.

"I can smell RiverClan but it's still weak, we're not at the border yet." Honeypaw mewed sniffing the air again, "I'm more interested in the fresh vole scent trail."

Mousefur's whiskers twitched, "If you can find it you can catch it, I'll take you back later to collect it."

Honeypaw nodded with glee and broke away from the group, trying to pinpoint where the vole was. There! She dropped into a hunting crouch and carefully but quickly stalked forward, moving silently over the forest floor, she froze for a second as the vole paused and sprung forward before it could spot her killing it with a quick bite so it couldn't squeal. She held it up triumphantly as she rejoined the group.

Mousefur nodded approvingly, "Good work. Bury it and I'll take you back to pick it up after the patrol."

Honeypaw quickly did so and fell back into step with the group as they got to Sunningrocks. There was no sign of any RiverClan activity which was something of a surprise considering how contested this spot often was. They refreshed the border markers and kept a careful watch on the other side of the river to ensure that it was all clear before they continued on, following the river down until it branched off further into ThunderClan territory and jumped it making their way toward Fourtress. They refreshed the markers before Mousefur turned to Darkstripe.

"You two go on ahead, I'll take Honeypaw hunting for a little bit before we head back." Mousefur flicked her ear and left Darkstripe and Longpaw to make their own way home. Honeypaw kept pace with her until they got a good amount of distance between them and the two toms.

Eager to show off she ran ahead of her mentor and scented the air letting the smells wash over her. It was nice being back in the forest!

After catching a couple more pieces of prey Mousefur led the way home, much to Honeypaw's relief, she had forgotten how hard it could be to hunt for the elders and queens first. She had caught a thrush, two mice, and of course her vole, and she was starving. She couldn't wait to sink her teeth into a nice juicy mouse when they got back.

She picked up her speed as they got closer to the camp and she scrambled down the ravine. She slipped through the gorse tunnel and went to drop her prey off at the fresh-kill pile. She then picked through the pile and chose a couple of pieces, bringing them to the elders' den and dropping them off to a chorus of thanks. She dipped her head respectfully and backed out. She headed over to the nursery and decided to quickly clear out the dirt and bring them some fresh moss. The only problem with that were the kits!

As soon as she squeezed in she was greeted with sharp little claws digging into her tail. She turned and saw Dustkit had managed to catch it and was gnawing on it gently. She shook him off and looked around at the rest of the nursery.

Willowpelt had her kits a couple sunrises after Honeypaw had been apprenticed, though only one survived. Her surviving kit, Graykit, was growing like a weed only a moon old and already trying to chase after the older kits. Dustkit had recovered after being shaken off and was now circling Sandkit Brindleface's daughter, trying to coax her into a group attack I'm sure. They had grown close after Robinwing passed from a sudden illness.

Ravenkit on the other paw, was sitting out of the way watching Dustkit play and keeping Graykit away from the more rambunctious rough housing. Brindleface was gone, probably trying to get some breathing room leaving just Willowpelt and Speckletail to watch the four kits.

She nodded at both the queens, "Hi, I was just going to clean up and bring you some fresh moss if you guys want to let these rascals out for some air. I can also bring you some fresh-kill if you're hungry, I caught a lot today!"

Willowpelt shook her head and stretched her legs, "No need, if we're going out anyway," She yawned, "We'll leave you to it then and get out of your way."

Speckletail started rounding them up and nosing them out of the den. As she passed she gave Honeypaw a lick on the shoulder before pushing her way out. Willowpelt followed her and gave a nod as she scooped up Graykit on her way out.

By the time she finished it was already after sunhigh, cleaning up had taken a longer time than she thought and she scurried back to the fresh-kill pile, fishing out a nice mouse, before heading toward the stump by her den to eat, finally able to take a break. I need to go to the Gathering tonight, she thought.

If I do, I could have a chance to speak with Yellowfang… I don't know why she'd believe me though, I'm basically still a kit… I could tell Spottedleaf I suppose, tell her I had a strange dream last night, maybe she'll pass it on if it's presented right. Yes. I'll talk to Spottedleaf, I'll just need to make it convincing.

Honeypaw finished her mouse and stood up glancing around the clearing, not finding the pretty tortoiseshell, she headed toward the medicine den, brushing past the ferns.

"Spottedleaf? Are you here?" she called out as she entered, she heard a responding meow from the back, where she keeps her store.

"Honeypaw? What are you doing here?" Spottedleaf meowed a hint of concern in her voice as she pushed her way out of the store. She looked her over and looked a touch confused at seeing her healthy.

Honeypaw shuffled her paws, trying to look nervous without overdoing it. "I.. I just wanted to talk to you.. I had a weird dream last night, I must have eaten something funny."

Spottedleaf blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting that.

"What makes you say that? What was the dream? Does your stomach hurt at all?" she questioned her medicine cat training take over as she stepped closer to the apprentice.

"No, I feel okay, that's part of why it's weird." Honeypaw shook her head. Showing a hesitant look on her face, "Before I tell you what it was about, you're not allowed to make fun of me for being scared okay?"

Spottedleaf's eyes grew worried but she nodded and waited for the apprentice to divulge her dream.

"It started off in the dark, but the scent of blood was everywhere..I- I think I smelled a ShadowClan cat …I..I think I heard kits crying too. There was a sudden flash of light and a cat was standing in front of me. I've never seen a cat like this before, his fur was all matted and his tail was all bent and broken. His eyes were glowing orange and he was just so angry, there was a kit in front of him and he…. he just swatted it with his claws. I don't think it got up again." At this she heard a sharp inhale but kept her eyes on the ground.

"There was just blood everywhere. I don't know what happened after that, Longpaw woke me up." Honeypaw trailed off flattening her ears as her fur bristled trying to look horrified by what she "dreamed". She didn't dare look up at Spottedleaf until she felt her tongue rasp over her ear.

"Thank you for telling me. It must have been very scary to see that." Spottedleaf purred trying to comfort the frightened cat. Honeypaw looked up and saw sad eyes.

"Why did I dream that? Most of my dreams are just about catching mice, I haven't even been in a real fight before, why did I see that? What should I do?" Honeypaw whispered quietly. Spottedleaf sighed and pressed up against the apprentice letting her lean against her side. "I don't know. It's definitely unusual."

After a long moment of silence Spottedleaf spoke, "What do you know of StarClan? I assume Speckletail told you about them when you were a kit."

Honeypaw nodded, "She said that they watch over us from the Silverpelt and sometimes send warnings to the medicine cats through omens and stuff."

"Yes, something like that. What I'm about to say may sound far-fetched but I think StarClan sent you that dream Honeypaw. Why? I'm not sure but I will have to consult with Bluestar about it. Something dark may be in our Clan's future if we ignore it. I feel it, it makes my hair stand on edge. And if what you said was true ShadowClan may be involved as well." Spottedleaf meowed

"I must ask that you tell no one else of this dream. I'll handle it from here. Please tell me if you have any more weird dreams like it, alright?" Spottedleaf gave her a lick on the head before pulling away and rising to her feet. "Go rest for a while, I heard Bluestar say she might be bringing you to the Gathering tonight."

Honeypaw nodded and rose shakily to her feet before turning and hurrying out of the den. Let's hope she'll recognize Brokenstar and warn Yellowfang to be careful. I guess I'll have to follow her at the Gathering tonight to see if she does.

She shook herself and walked over to her den. Honeypaw didn't know where Mousefur had gone and figured if Mousefur really needed her she'd come find the apprentice and laid down nearby soaking up some sun. She didn't remember falling asleep but startled awake when someone sharply nudged her side, Honeypaw glared up at the cat and her eyes widened when she realized it was Redtail, she made to scramble up but he spoke before she could.

"No need to get up, I was just letting you know that Bluestar named you for the Gathering tonight," he glanced up at the sky, "You should start getting ready soon though, we have a long way to go tonight. We'll leave shortly after sundown so we have enough time to get there."

She sat up and watched as he walked around the camp informing the different cats who were chosen for the Gathering. Honeypaw decides she would try to look somewhat presentable for her first time and starts grooming trying to get her long fur to fall in place. Her ears twitched as footsteps approached her, she paused and looked up, meeting eyes with Mousefur. Mousefur had a glimmer of joy mixed with pride in her eyes, "Have you heard? I get to take you to the Gathering tonight. I can't wait!"

Honeypaw jumped to her feet, "I'm excited too! I can't wait to see Fourtrees filled with cats. I'm sure it'll be fun! Do you know who else is going?"

"Yeah I heard Redtail calling out to a few cats," Mousefur nodded.

"Whitestorm's going, Brindleface is going too, leaving poor Willowpelt alone with the kits and Speckletail," Mousefur wrinkled her nose at the thought of being trapped in a nursery with so many kits and the grumpy queen.

"I think Tigerclaw is going…plus you and me. Oh and Longpaw, I almost forgot him. I think that's it besides Bluestar, Redtail, and Spottedleaf of course." She finished with a flourish of her tail.

"Anyway I think we're just waiting on Whitestorm's hunting patrol to get back before we head out, we don't want to be late." Mousefur turned and watched the cats in the clearing as the sun sunk lower in the sky.

Honeypaw was excited, it had been so long since she last saw the Fourtrees full of cats. She sat up and impatiently watched the gorse tunnel, tail twitching every now and again, giving her emotions away.

After what felt like moons, she finally saw Whitestorm shoulder his way in carrying a squirrel and two birds. Following behind him were Darkstripe and Frostfur each carrying their open prey as well, Honeypaw was zeroed in on Whitestorm and her eyes tracked him as he made his way across the clearing to the fresh-kill pile.

Mousefur nudged her and she lost her balance a little, she shot her mentor a dark look.

"What? If you stared any longer I bet he would've burst into flames by the time he dropped off his fresh-kill." She chortled, flicking her ears in Whitestorm's direction.

The pale molly huffed and rolled her eyes, turning away from her mentor and glancing around the clearing again. Bluestar had exited her den and was standing near Redtail, Honeypaw got to her feet and waited in anticipation for the single to gather up to leave. Redtail looked around at the cats in the clearing and beckoned them with his distinctive tail.

Honeypaw went over faster than she would ever admit, not that it made much difference to the laughing brown molly following her at a much more sedate pace. Honeypaw ended up in between Mousefur and Brindleface as they left the camp, making their way towards Fourtrees.

It was a quiet trek through the forest, no one really spoke as they focused on keeping up with the cats next to and in front of them, no cat wanted to get left behind. The moon was slowly rising overhead and it was almost moonhigh by the time they stopped on the ridge, waiting on Bluestar's signal to rush down the hill. The wind blew the mixed scents of RiverClan and WindClan towards the waiting cats, ShadowClan must be on the way still. Hopefully Spottedleaf will speak with Yellowfang, if not I'll have to find a way to get to her tonight. She needs to be warned, Honeypaw thought as she watched her leader.

They paused for a long moment before she flicked her tail, cats pouring into the clearing, mingling with the other Clans. Honeypaw raced down and came to a bounding stop, before turning to her mentor.

"I'm going to go look for other apprentices if that's all right?" she lied, already planning to follow Spottedleaf around. Mousefur nodded and flicked her tail dismissively, already turning to the WindClan warriors.

Honeypaw turned and craned her neck trying to find a glimpse of a pretty dappled coat. She was interrupted by a nudge to her side, Longpaw had come up next to her when she wasn't paying attention.

"Come with me, I'll show you around," he flicked his tail expecting her to follow him, Honeypaw hesitated before doing so, unable to come with a good reason not to.

She padded after him as he got to a mixed group of RiverClan and WindClan cats. He nodded his head toward one of them, a pretty silver tabby, "This is Silverpaw, she's only a moon or so older than you. Next to her is Grasspaw."

He pointed his tail at a brown tabby molly, the last one was an older cat, a mottled dark brown tom, "That's Mudclaw, he's already a warrior." Longpaw finished.

He nudged her forward, "This is Honeypaw, she just got made an apprentice not too long ago."

Honeypaw nodded to the other cats, hiding her stunned thoughts behind a polite facade as she met a young Silverstream and Mudclaw, although she was arguably more excited to see the silver tabby compared to the aggressive WindClan warrior thinking back on all the trouble the warrior gave her.

Honeypaw turned toward Longpaw, "I think I'm going to go explore a little and circle the clearing, have fun talking to your friends,"

She then turned and left without waiting for a response, beginning her search for Spottedleaf and the other medicine cats. Honeypaw had to find Yellowfang when ShadowClan arrived and the best way to do that would be to lie in wait near the other medicine cats.

She saw a glimpse of a dark tortoiseshell coat and hurried over just knowing that it must be Spottedleaf. She weaved through the group of cats and pulled up beside the pretty molly, surprising the cat as Honeypaw brushed against her. She purred in amusement as she took in who it was, she turned toward the other cats, Barkface, a short-tailed brown tom and Mudfur, a light brown tom.

"This is a new ThunderClan apprentice, Honeypaw." Spottedleaf waved her tail, introducing her to the two medicine cats.

"This is Barkface, WindClan's medicine cat and Mudfur, RiverClan's medicine cat."

Honeypaw dipped her head politely, "It's very nice to meet you," she said in a polite tone. Both toms nodded at her before turning back to their conversation about a nasty cough a RiverClan warrior had. Spottedleaf placed her tail on Honeypaw's shoulder and gently led her away from the two.

"What are you doing? Shouldn't you be mingling with the other apprentices with Longpaw?" Spottedleaf questioned.

Honeypaw shrugged, "They weren't very much fun. I'd rather see what you were doing than sit around hearing them all take turns boasting," She lied trying to remember what apprentices usually did at Gatherings.

"Whatever you say," She laughed, shaking her head.

Honeypaw's ear twitched and she turned looking into the trees on the far side of the clearing, moments later a stream of cats rushed down. ShadowClan!

Honeypaw looked through the newcomers trying to stop either Yellowfang or Brokenstar, if he's even been made leader yet. She spotted an old gray broad-faced molly stalking towards them, Yellowfang! She looks good, not happy but then again she always was a little grumpy all the time. A familiar gray and white tom with rheumy eyes, followed behind her, Runningnose.

"Who's that?" She whispered, leaning against Spottedleaf. Spottedleaf flicked her ear but kept silent, waiting for the old cat to sit with them.

"Yellowfang, Runningnose" she nodded at the approaching cats and waved Honeypaw forward.

"This is Honeypaw, she's a new apprentice of ThunderClan." Spottedleaf introduced the cream colored apprentice. Yellowfang eyed her and sniffed, "What, is she your apprentice? You're rather young to take on an apprentice."

Spottedleaf laughed and shook her head, "No, she's just rather curious and came over to say hi."

She nudged Honeypaw forward and the apprentice nodded in greeting, a look of awe shone in her eyes as she looked at the wizened old molly. Yellowfang looked unimpressed and twitched her whiskers. Honeypaw didn't take her disinterest personally knowing that the old cat had a particularly grumpy personality.

"Alright Honeypaw, why don't you find one of the warriors to sit with if you don't want to hang with Longpaw," Spottedleaf shooed her away. Honeypaw opened her mouth to protest but a knowing look in the medicine cat's amber eyes silenced her. She just huffed and walked off. Honeypaw worried that she wouldn't be able to warn Yellowfang but she knew if she stayed Spottedleaf would at best give her a long lecture about respect and at worst become suspicious of her intentions.

She wandered the clearing until she caught an unmistakable scent, Brokenstar! Honeypaw followed the scent to a group of cats, Tigerclaw and Brokenstar among them. She threw a glance up at the Great Rock and saw an unfamiliar cat, that must be Raggedstar. I never met him in the past but he looks similar enough to his son. At least that means I still have a little time to save ShadowClan from Brokenstar's tyranny.

Honeypaw took a deep breath and bounded over to Tigerclaw, putting on a look of awe as she rudely pushed her way into the group of warriors.

"Tigerclaw! I'm glad I found you! I lost sight of Longpaw earlier and I got trapped by a bunch of elders! I barely escaped after two whole stories about Windstar," She bounced around him, putting on a display of an excited apprentice and interrupting any relationship he may have been trying to foster with the ShadowClan cat. He gave her a disapproving glare at the burst of chuckles from the other warriors and she cringed a little before pulling herself together, knowing he couldn't actually do anything with so many cats around.

"Honeypaw, you should know better than to act so disrespectful," he started, glaring at her and was about to keep lecturing when a hearty nudge stopped him. Whitestorm had come up behind him and laughed as the apprentice looked down at her paws guiltily.

The big white tom flicked his tail, teasing the tabby, "Come sit with me, let's get you out of Tigerclaw's fur before he really starts lecturing."

Honeypaw nodded and shot an apologetic look towards the group of warriors carefully avoiding Brokenstar and hopped over to Whitestorm. She internally groaned knowing that she had definitely drawn Tigerclaw's ire. She'd have to avoid him for a while when they got home.

She followed Whitestorm as he went and sat in a circle of cats, one of which was Longpaw. Honeypaw shot him an apologetic glance as she padded up to him.

She leaned over and whispered, "Sorry I left so fast earlier, I wanted to take a look around the clearing before we had to start."

He gave her a long look before nodding, accepting her apology. He flicked his ear towards the Great Rock where all the leaders stood. She followed the motion and looked up seeing Bluestar glance at the sky, before stepping forward and letting out a yowl.

"ThunderClan will speak first if that's satisfactory," She said, glancing at the other leaders, when there was no sign of protest she began.

"ThunderClan has been well. The prey has been plentiful and I am pleased to announce a new apprentice, Honeypaw has reached six moons and has been apprenticed to Mousefur." Bluestar paused as congratulatory yowls went around the clearing, the loudest from ThunderClan but some quieter ones from the other Clans.

"In less pleasant news, we did drive a fox out of our territory, we believe it fled over the Thunderpath toward ShadowClan territory. Besides that all is well in ThunderClan," and with that Bluestar stepped back.

She held her head up, proud, in her last life there was too much conflict for any cat to really care when she was made either an apprentice or a warrior. It was a nice change. Longpaw nudged her and she turned her focus back on the leaders.

Tallstar had stepped forward and was reporting about WindClan. He ended his report saying that two of his warriors had driven out a badger and that the other Clans should be on the lookout for it. The black and white tom stepped back as he finished.

A large dark tabby with patchy fur stepped forward, he must be Raggedstar, Honeypaw thought. She had never met the ShadowClan leader before but he shared a strong resemblance with his son, who must still be Brokentail, she realized. She looked for the tyrannical cat and spotted him sitting with the other deputies at the foot of Great Rock. Honeypaw narrowed her eyes, she didn't have much time before he rose to power. She had to make sure Yellowfang knew to watch out for him, the ShadowClan kits deserved better than to be torn to pieces in a battle.

Honeypaw was so focused on the ShadowClan deputy she missed whatever the leader had to say, only snapping out of it as she heard celebratory yowls. She looked up and realized Crookedstar had started speaking at some point.

"And that's all for Riverclan. The river is running fresh and the fish are plenty," The massive light brown tabby with a twisted jaw stepped back as he finished.

Crookedstar jumped down first gathering his Clan up with a swish of his tail. The other leaders followed suit and Honeypaw followed Whitestorm as he made his way over to Bluestar. Honeypaw looked around and saw a chance to slip away as Longpaw passed her.

She turned back and looked for Spottedleaf, seeing her speaking with the two ShadowClan medicine cats still, Yellowfang's tail was lashing at whatever Spottedleaf said while Runningnose looked thoughtful. Honeypaw hesitated as to whether she should interfere, before deciding to sneak over to eavesdrop.

She circled around and crept under a bush, silently slipping closer to the small group.

"You must listen, Yellowfang, StarClan sent me this omen and I shared it with you because I felt you needed to know. If you think StarClan hasn't sent you a message before you must be willfully ignoring the signs." Spottedleaf said almost spitting the words at the she-cat.

Runningnose nodded at her words before glancing at his mentor, "She could be right, Yellowfang, you and I both know how aggressive Brokentail can be, even if what she said is only half true I believe we still need to take it into consideration."

Yellowfang snorted before coldly nodding her head, and stalking away heading towards her Clan, Runningnose dipped his head at Spottedleaf before chasing after her. Spottedleaf sighed, shaking her head before shooting a glance at Honeypaw's bush, "Honeypaw, I know you're there. You're rather predictable you know," She said before padding off to their Clan.

Honeypaw was startled and quickly darted out from under the bush. She caught up to the medicine cat and followed her to the rest of ThunderClan.

"I was just curious as to what you were going to say about the dream," Honeypaw started. Spottedleaf whirled around and glared at her.

"What I discuss with other medicine cats in confidence is not an apprentice's business. If I catch you doing this again I'll have to tell Bluestar and if I know her she'll punish you. The only reason I am letting it slide this time is because it directly relates to what you told me, but you should never do this again. All that does is prove that you believe me to be unworthy of your trust." The pretty tortoiseshell lectured her amber eyes glowing with restrained disappointment.

Honeypaw was taken aback by her display of anger and felt shame sweep through her, flattening her ears, she stepped back and dipped her head in apology.

"I'm sorry, Spottedleaf, I was just worried."

The medicine cat sighed, "I know, but you need to learn to trust me. I'm not just responsible for patching up injuries, I also have a duty to interpret omens and if an omen affects another Clan's kits I must share the relevant parts. It's part of the code to not ignore a kit in trouble regardless of whose it is."

The cream colored apprentice nodded her head and shuffled her paws looking down at the ground. Spottedleaf shook her head and nosed her side pushing her forward.

"Come on let's go, we don't want to get left behind." The medicine cat led the way through the trees racing to catch up to the Clan. Honeypaw followed close behind, sticking close to her until the rest of the Clan got in sight.

She broke away from the tortoiseshell and fell in step with Longpaw, ignoring his questioning look with a flick of her ear. She wanted to get home and sleep and hopefully by tomorrow Spottedleaf would forgive her.

The rest of the trek home was silent. Just the sound of cats running through the undergrowth under the bright full moon, casting shadows as they ran in under the trees.