Chapter 12

Graystripe looked over at the resting Rainpelt. Something was different about her. She'd ignored him all day. Tonight was the Gathering, so he had no chance to talk to her before it if she were sleeping. He wasn't going, but of course Tigerclaw was. She'd been talking to him a lot today, but yet she was awfully shy around him.

Rainpelt stirred, turning over. Her eyes flickered open. "What are you staring at, you big lummox?" Humor filled her eyes, and he could see the real Rainpelt now. She yawned, got up, and stretched her back. "Time to go to the Gathering…my first one! This is so exciting!" She dashed out of the den to meet up with Dewflower and Sunfur. "You guys are going too?"

"Bluestar said we were a big help in battle. What is this Gathering anyway?" Sunfur's tail twitched as he looked at all of the warriors attending.

"It's when all of the Clans around us meet at Fourtrees for a meeting to be held in peace…this is my first one too…but I've heard a lot about it," she meowed. Dewflower was silent until Bluestar gave a yowl and ran forward. Graystripe watched with sadness as she left.

"So how long is this Gathering?" Dewflower meowed, staring straight forward.

"I don't know…I've never been to one, remember?" Rainpelt kept her eyes locked on to the front of the crowd of cats.

"Oh, yeah." Sunfur's eyes shut with humor. She shook her head and picked up her pace. They stopped at the top of the hill. She strained to see below, eyeing all of the Clans speaking with another. Bluestar gave the cry and they flooded down to the Gathering below. Rainpelt was separated from her friends as they mixed in with the other Clans.

"You must be the new cat everyone's talking about." She turned around to face a mud-brown she-cat. "I'm Misthaze of WindClan. It's nice to meet you. What's your name?"

"Rainpelt," she mewed. "It's nice to meet you as well."

"So this is your first Gathering, huh? Where did you come from?"

"I used to be deputy of WillowClan, but now they're deceased. I've met up with two of my friends from my old Clan. They're around here somewhere…" Rainpelt looked around frantically, having no sight of her friends. "Oh well." Misthaze was just about to speak when the leaders leaped to the Highrock.

"Welcome!" Bluestar meowed. "It's good to see all of you again." Tallstar stepped up to the front. Once again he spoke about a few new warriors and apprentices. A queen had kits, and they were alive and healthy. Bluestar walked back up to the front once more when he'd finished.

"We have received three new warriors. They have been a blessing to our Clan. Rainpelt, Sunfur, and Dewflower were all from WillowClan, and have made their way into ThunderClan as official warriors." The crowd began to clear, leaving the three new warriors out in the open. Rainpelt smelled a familiar scent. She looked around and froze when she realized where it was coming from. Narrowing her eyes, she locked glares with Krone. That must have been the new warrior ShadowClan had received.

"We have also been attacked by RiverClan recently. Is there a reason why?" Bluestar's gaze traveled to Crookedstar. He hissed.

"Your Clan attacked our patrol!"

"Yours were hunting in our territory!" The she-leader narrowed her eyes in warning. Dewflower's ears went back. The leaders settled down. Crookedstar seemed content. He began to speak of what's been going on in his own Clan, leaving out the attack on ThunderClan. The leader of ShadowClan also spoke, giving news of the new warriors. Rainpelt glared at them all. She could recognize them from the battle of WillowClan.

The Clans began to go their separate ways as ThunderClan stayed silent the whole way back to camp.