Shimmerpaw padded beside Rippleheart as they headed to the Gathering. Since the attack that killed Dustflame, the Clan had been on edge. No cat seemed to know exactly who the group was or what they were after. All they knew was that they were Sith powerful enough to kill their most experienced warrior.

Meanwhile, Eagleclaw had become Bramblepaw's new mentor. Eagleclaw was still young, but he was a skilled, intelligent, and loyal warrior. Bramblepaw hadn't been very open to him at first, but Eagleclaw had been patient, and Bramblepaw seemed to open up to him. Shimmerpaw was glad. Bramblepaw deserved to be happy after everything he had been through already in his short life.

Ravenpaw came over beside Shimmerpaw. "You think Shinestar will ask Shadowstar about the rogues?" he whispered.

Shimmerpaw sighed, knowing that Rippleheart would hear him with his heightened senses. "She'll probably bring it up, but I doubt she'll accuse DarkClan of being responsible."

"But if they are? DarkClan and LightClan have never had a really good relationship," Ravenpaw pointed out.

"Even so, we will not accuse them of anything," Rippleheart chimed in, giving Ravenpaw a stern look.

Ravenpaw said nothing but Shimmerpaw dipped her head. "Of course not, Rippleheart."

Rippleheart nodded in approval before looking at the path in front of them again.

It wasn't long before they got to the Gathering clearing, the Great Rock standing tall in the center. DarkClan was already there. Shadowstar and his deputy, Redmist, were sitting below the rock, their eyes turning to LightClan as they entered the clearing. Shinestar and Rippleheart began heading to the Great Rock while everyone else made their way into the clearing. Few of the cats actually mingled with the opposite Clan. Like Ravenpaw had said, the relationship between the two Clans was strained. But we need to keep the peace. It's a Gathering after all.

"You can always come sit with me and the other medicine cats if you want," Ravenpaw offered.

"Thanks Ravenpaw, but I'll be alright. Honest," Shimmerpaw assured him.

"Alright, if you say so gorgeous," Ravenpaw winked at her before going over to where Sageheart sat with DarkClan's medicine cat, Hawkbird.

Shimmerpaw rolled her eyes before looking at the crowd. She always tried to socialize with the other Clan while they were at Gatherings, and she had actually been able to get along with one of the apprentices, Goldenpaw. She found the familiar golden pelt at the edge of the crowd. She trotted over and sat down beside the she-cat. "Hey," she greeted.

Goldenpaw dipped her head. "Greetings, Shimmerpaw."

"How's your training going?" Shimmerpaw asked.

"It's going well. Redmist is impressed at my progress," Goldenpaw answered. "How about you? Rippleheart is training you well, I assume?"

"Of course. He's a great mentor," Shimmerpaw answered with a smile. She actually enjoyed talking to Goldenpaw. She knew that most of the time, Jedi and Sith didn't get along, but Goldenpaw was nice despite all the stories she heard as a kit. Some seemed a little more hostile but they weren't all bad. One Sith Shimmerpaw always tended to stay away from was Scourgefang. He was one of the most senior DarkClan warriors, and even some of his Clanmates seemed afraid of him. If that hadn't warned Shimmerpaw off, Scourgefang always seemed to search her out at Gatherings or watch her when their patrols crossed paths at the border. It made Shimmerpaw feel uneasy.

"I wouldn't expect anything less. He's your deputy for a reason," Goldenpaw meowed.

Shimmerpaw nodded. "Both our Clans have good deputies and leaders."

The clearing fell silent as Shinestar and Shadowstar leaped up onto the Great Rock, Rippleheart and Redmist sitting at the base. Shadowstar stepped to the front of the rock to start the Gathering. Shinestar sat down behind him, not seeming to care that Shadowstar had decided to go first without consulting her.

"DarkClan has been prospering. With the approach of greenleaf, prey has been more plentiful. We are strong," Shadowstar meowed, his voice carrying all the way to the edge of the clearing. Several DarkClan warriors let out yowls of approval. "In other news, we have a new apprentice. Redpaw has begun her training with Crimsonheart." Shimmerpaw looked through the crowd, seeing a young red tabby she-cat with black stripes and amber eyes puffing out her chest with pride as the cats began chanting her name.

With that, Shadowstar stepped back. Shinestar padded forward. "Prey is running well for LightClan as well. Though I do have one concern. One of our patrols was attacked by a group of rogues. It is with a heavy heart that I report that Dustflame was killed in this attack."

"How could a group of rogues get the better of your most experienced warrior?" a cat challenged. Shimmerpaw spotted the pale brown pelt of Fangpelt gazing up at Shinestar with a challenge in his eyes. Several LightClan cats glared at the tom, looking like they could claw the tom's fur off at any moment.

"These were no ordinary rogues. They were Sith," Shinestar responded calmly. "We still don't know where they came from."

Shadowstar's pelt bristled. "Are you implying that DarkClan is responsible?"

"I am not accusing anyone," Shinestar assured him, holding the DarkClan leader's gaze. "They are dangerous though. For both Clans. I advise you to warn your patrols to keep an eye out for this group. If they could take one of ours, they could take one of yours."

Shadowstar didn't say anymore, but Shimmerpaw could feel the anger radiating off of him as he forced his fur to lie flat.

"This Gathering is over," Shinestar leaped down from the Great Rock with Shadowstar following not long after. Cats began to move to join their leaders as they made their way back towards their own territories.

"Until next moon, Shimmerpaw," Goldenpaw meowed, dipping her head.

Shimmerpaw dipped her head in return. "Take care, Goldenpaw." The two apprentices parted ways. Shimmerpaw fell into step beside Bramblepaw. She could feel his frustration. "Hey, you ok?"

Bramblepaw glanced at her before looking down at the ground. "The least they could do is have respect for Dustflame."

"I know, but I'm sure some of them don't feel the same as Fangpelt. He's always been overly hostile," Shimmerpaw pointed out.

Bramblepaw sighed and nodded. "You're probably right. Fangpelt has always been like that." He smiled up at her. "Thanks, Shimmerpaw. You've really been a big help during all of this."

Shimmerpaw's pelt suddenly felt hot and she looked away. "I just hate seeing you down. You deserve to be happy, Bramblepaw."

"That means a lot, Shimmerpaw," Bramblepaw meowed. They were silent for a moment before Shimmerpaw pelt a light lick on her cheek. She looked back at Bramblepaw in surprise. He smiled before trotting forward to catch up with Eagleclaw. Shimmerpaw stopped and stared after him for a moment. What just happened?

"Excuse me, Shimmerpaw, but I believe the only admirer you're allowed to have is me," Ravenpaw came up and snapped Shimmerpaw out of her thoughts.

"Would you shut it!" Shimmerpaw hissed, padding on at the back of the Clan with Ravenpaw by her side.

"So, what's going on between you and Bramblepaw?" Ravenpaw whispered.

"Nothing! We're just good friends," Shimmerpaw replied, keeping her voice quiet.

Ravenpaw smirked, not looking convinced. "Whatever you say, beautiful."

Shimmerpaw rolled her eyes as they continued on back towards camp.

So here we've got our first interactions with DarkClan. I am trying to keep true to the rivalry while at the same time keeping the two Clans from being complete enemies. Hope you enjoyed! Please R&R:)