Disclaimer: Bla bla, I do not own Warriors and kittens are adorable.

Okay, this chapter is longer than the last couple were, right? I hope so. I don't want to curse you with short chapters forever. And I've been writing TreeClan like crazy, I banged out the next two chapters already. Shutting up now. Read.

Chapter 12: Fear

Stripedtail sat next to Yellowpaw in the apprentice den. Stripedtail knew she herself was a warrior, but she needed someone close to her that night. The gathering of the clans was that night; and TreeClan was seething from the ambush their patrol took just that morning. Thinstar would try her best to remain calm, Stripedtail knew, but she could already picture the dirty looks her clan mates would be giving FlowerClan cats.

"So what do you think is going to happen?" Yellowpaw turned and asked Stripedtail with a playful twinkle in her eyes. "Who do you think will snap first, Largefoot, Hawkfur, or Shorttail?"

"Hmmm…" Stripedtail pretended to think about it long and hard. "All three at the same time!" She purred in amusement. Yellowpaw joined her.

Stripedtail enjoyed having Yellowpaw back by her side. After they apologized to each other, it was like nothing ever happened. And Stripedpaw was happy that way. Plus, she had developed a new fear. Since the attack that morning, Stripedtail was afraid that FlowerClan and TreeClan were going to be engaging in a large, full-clan battle soon. She remembered when she was a very tiny kit; FlowerClan and RockClan had done just that. Stripedtail was too young to really comprehend what was going on to make the two clans so angry with each other, but she did know now that RockClan hadn't been the same since. They seemed weaker and more aloof, keeping to themselves a lot, whether in clan gatherings or just a few cats from different clans meeting up with each other.

Stripedtail got up to walk around camp and see what others were up to. She went into the medicine cat's den.

"Hello, Frecklepaw. Is Crazyeyes here?" she asked.

Crazyeyes interrupted. "Yes I am!" he came into the den and shut his eyes for a minute. When he reopened them, he asked Frecklepaw to tell him when the leader got back and went further into the den.

Stripedtail sauntered out of there and into the warrior's den. Rainclaw, Tawnythorn, Redpelt, Sootstep, and Sandyfur were all eating and talking together. She didn't want to interrupt whatever they were talking about (and didn't really want to join in such a big group discussion), so she went into back into the apprentice den. Darkbranch had taken Midnightpaw to the gathering, so Yellowpaw and Badgerpaw were still the only apprentices in the currently in the den. Yellowpaw wasn't there, and Stripedtail figured she went out for a walk; one of Yellowpaw's favorite things to do. Stripedtail figured she liked it so much because it gave her an extra sense of security that everything was fine, inside the camp and out. She walked over to Badgerpaw.

"Hi, Badgerpaw. How is your apprentice training going?"

"Hi Stripedtail! It's going great! Fine! I love working with Tawnythorn!" she replied fastly.

"What is he like?"

"Wellllll, he's really strong…but he seems nervous to work around me…he's never had an apprentice before…"

"What? Really?" Stripedtail asked in disbelief. Tawnythorn was probably too new a warrior for an apprentice, and most cats knew that. But he was one of the best warriors in the clan (if one of the scariest to Stripedtail). Stripedtail couldn't imagine Tawnythorn doubting himself.

"Yeah!" Badgerpaw replied. "He's never sure if he's teaching me a move the right way. We always end up doing a move, like, five different ways before he decides on one way to do it." Something else caught Badgerpaw's attention and she sprinted off.

"Hey!" Yellowpaw came through the entrance. "I just came back form my walk. I wonder how the Gathering is going…."

Stripedtail realized she wondered the same thing as well.

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The next chapter is titled "The Gathering". Hoo boy, that should be good...and surprise, it's a Midnightpaw POV! Darkbranch is there, too. He's one of my personal favorites.