Sorry I didn't get this chapter on time. I've been busier than usual. But here it is.

Chapter 4, Shock at a Gathering.

Swirling blackness enfolded Shadowpaw's head. She opened her eyes and sighed with relief when she saw green fronds above her.

She sat up, shaking leaf mold from her fur.

The den was empty!

Shadowpaw scrambled out of the den. The sun had sunk, and the camp was deserted.

She caught sight of Cloudtail at the fresh-kill pile.

"Cloudtail!" She called frantically.

"Huh?" the white tom turned around.

"Where is everyone?"

"Oh yes, I forgot that you where going to the Gathering. They left a moment ago."

"No!" Shadowpaw cried. She felt her cheeks turn red. What an embarrassment!

"Err- Cloudtail, could you show me to where they are?"

"Sure."

The cat led her out of camp. Shadowpaw jumped at every twig snap and insect chirp. When an owl hooted, she jumped 3 feet into the air.

Soon they heard the voices of cats in the distance. Shadowpaw ran towards the sound.

"'Bye Cloudtail!" she called.

"There you are!" Whitepaw mewed.

Just then the group started racing down a slope. Suddenly Shadowpaw was surrounded by cats of all different smells.

Smells. That was new for Shadowpaw. Aromas hit her nose like stings.

She wondered if Skypaw was there. She couldn't see anything but a big brown tom in front of her that was chatting noisily.

Suddenly Shadowpaw was very, very annoyed with the big brown tom. She gave him a hard elbowing and he turned to glare at her.

With the speed of a snake she vanished unto the crowd.

She was still surrounded by lots of cats. Shadowpaw turned around to see anybody she recognized. There was no one.

She decided to march forward. She did, and elbowed all the other cats away.

WAM! She slammed right into someone. It was a blue grey tom.

"Pay more attention!" he snapped.

"Skypaw?" She asked, recognizing his voice.

"What's it to you?" he snapped again.

"It's me, Shadowpaw!"

"What do I care?"

Shadowpaw was dumfounded. "I came!"

"Wow, that's amazing!" He said sarcastically.

Shadowpaw felt the heat grow into her cheeks. Another embarrassment!

Whitepaw came bounding over.

Shadowpaw spoke before Whitepaw could say anything.

"This is Skypaw of RiverClan." Just because he had acted like an angry fox didn't mean she had to be rude too.

"Oh." Was all Whitepaw said.

"SILENCE!" bellowed a voice.

Shadowpaw looked up on the Great Rock. Four cats were up there, Firestar among them. They were the leaders, she assumed.

"You may speak first Tallstar," Firestar mewed.

Tallstar was an old-looking black and white tom.

"Everyone in WindClan is fine. We have a new apprentice, Crowpaw, and a litter of kits has been born. That's basically it. Blackstar?"

Blackstar, leader of ShadowClan, was a huge white tom with black feet. He said only that an elder had died.

Leopardstar, RiverClan's leader chatted away about little boring things.

Then it was Firestar's turn.

"A few days ago a Twoleg entered our camp. She was the former owner of Cloudtail. Strangely she could speak our tongue. She was turned into a cat by StarClan. She now has a place in the Clan and is known as Shadowpaw. Ashfur is her mentor and she shows to be a brilliant cat."

Yowls of undisguised hatred greeted his words.

"Proof!" Yowled a voice. "We need proof!"

"You can have proof!" Firestar spat. "Shadowpaw, get up here!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" roared a voice. Shadowpaw whipped around. To her shock, it was Ashfur.

"It was StarClan's will for Shadowpaw to become a cat." He mewed, his voice evilly calm. "Do you doubt the word of are ancestors?"

Trying not to screech in shock, Shadowpaw listened in silence.

Tallstar shrugged. "I don't care. I believe that StarClan turned her into cat though."

Blackstar was unconcerned about the matter.

"You think this is a clever trick don't you Firestar." Leopardstar said it, but her ice green gaze was on Shadowpaw.

"It's not a trick!" Firestar protested.

Leopardstar's gaze locked Shadowpaw's, and the two of them glared at each other. Shadowpaw tried to look away, but she couldn't. Leopardstar was somehow controlling that. Suddenly she grinned and the moon caught one of her teeth. It gave Shadowpaw a blinding flash of light and a searing pain cut into her chest.

Her brain felt burned, scorched. The world began to go darker and darker, until she fell into blackness.

"No!" she yowled, "NOOOOOOOOO!"

Anyone got suspicions about Leopardstar? What about Ashfur? R&R!