I had to take some liberties and change a part of the challenge. Also, I can't write gore to save my life.

Squalor

The full moon glowed overhead, the pale light shining down upon the clans gathered. The crowd milled, chattered, purred, exchanged news.

Featherpaw wasn't doing that. She was a bit anxious, waiting for a certain acquaintance of hers to arrive. She gave a slight shiver as the cold leaf-bare wind swooped through the island. Where is he?

"Let the Gathering begin!" The silver tabby raised her gaze to the looming tree. A large white and ginger cat, silhouetted by the moonlight, was looking down at the gathered clans with an authoritative gaze. Featherpaw gave a slight trill of anticipation, momentarily forgetting about her acquaintance's absence. Flowerstar, leader of ShadowClan - Featherpaw's leader. She was to make an important announcement tonight. Featherpaw couldn't wait to see the looks on the other clans' faces.

"ShadowClan has been thriving this season," Flowerstar began. "We have had the luck to welcome a new litter of kits, Black-kit and Nightkit, daughter and son of Darkstream and Frostnose."

Featherpaw gave a little bounce from where she sat as the cats around her gave purrs of warmth. Her little action was of impatience, though. When would Flowerstar state her real business?

ShadowClan's leader seemed ready now, judging from the sharp gleam in her amber eyes. "Additionally," she hissed, "our warriors have been finding traces of RiverClan and ThunderClan scent in our soil." Flowerstar steadily glared at Volestar and Shimmerstar. "What would you like to say to that?"

There was silence. It lasted for about a heartbeat before the Gathering exploded with noise.

"Liar!"

"You two clans have been stealing from everyone, don't deny it!"

"Where's your proof?"

Featherpaw sat up, eyes trained on the leaders. Volestar was practically shrinking under Flowerstar's gaze, refusing to meet the large molly's eyes. Shimmerstar, however, returned Flowerstar's look with an equally steely look of her own.

"StarClan, I have no idea why you're so riled up about this, Flowerstar," the black she-cat remarked. "RiverClan just has been seeking out to hunt land prey after the freezing of our stream, that's all." She snorted. "Don't tell me that you don't fully grasp the idea of another clan needing to survive. Didn't ShadowClan nearly starve a moon ago? And I believe RiverClan helped you out in that tight spot." Shimmerstar turned her head to gaze at the ShadowClan cats, who were now grouped together in one patch of ground. "Consider letting us hunt in your grounds for this leaf-bare your payment for us helping you."

The Gathering exploded in loud hisses and growls and snarls. Featherpaw flattened her ears, shutting her eyes. By StarClan she was really bad at keeping calm in places with loud crowds! She gave a shudder as a particularly sharp yowl seemed to pierce her eardrums.

Amidst all that, she felt a paw poke into her side.

"Featherpaw? You alright, buddy?"

The silver tabby's eyes snapped awake. She slowly turned her head to face a ginger tabby - just the cat she had been waiting for!

"Scorchpaw!" Featherpaw practically threw herself at the SkyClan tom. "By StarClan, I thought you didn't manage to come!"

Her friend chuckled in amusement. "I had to beg to my mentor to let me come," he admitted. "I got into some real trouble a couple days ago - I pushed Siltpaw into a stream. 'Cause -" Scorchpaw paused, glancing at Featherpaw. "You met her. You know what she's like."

Featherpaw rolled her eyes at the memory of Scorchpaw's clanmate. The arrogant black she-cat, thinking she was on top of everyone. So far, Featherpaw had seen no sign of her, so the silver ShadowClanner figured that she wasn't here.

"Anyway," Scorchpaw purred, "I'm here now, like we promised! Meet every time at the Gathering no matter right, right?"

Featherpaw snorted. "Yeah, good to see you're here without your pelt scratched off, mouse-brain." She nudged the tom affectionately. "Has RiverClan been stealing from your territory as well?"

Scorchpaw's good-natured smile quickly switched to a grimace. "Oh, definitely. Their filthy fish-scent was all over the darned territory. They didn't even spare a single piece of prey for us."

"That's what tonight's Gathering was for!" Featherpaw pointed up at Flowerstar and Shimmerstar with her whiskers. "Flowerstar just called out Shimmerstar and Volestar for letting their warriors steal prey from our territory."

The ginger tabby chuckled. "Good for her!" he mewed in a good-humored tone. "Really, though, finally! I've been waiting for our own leader - Smokestar - to say something."

Featherpaw risked a glance at the leaders' tree. Sure enough, a small gray tabby tom was nodding furiously at Flowerstar. "SkyClan also has a complaint to make on this," he growled. "RiverClan has been hunting off our grounds. Shimmerstar, as leader of your clan, you must tell your warriors to hunt on territory that you rightfully have gained, not on grounds that are not yours."

Something in the RiverClan leader's eyes seemed to snap. "Well, I'll gain that territory rightfully," she snarled. "Let's start with yours!"

Shrieks of horror erupted from the clans as the large molly leapt at Smokestar, making both leaders tumble to the ground. Large caterwauls echoed through the lake as RiverClanners began to turn on their neighbors.

"Featherpaw!" Scorchpaw's cry shot through the silver tabby's eardrums as the apprentice was suddenly dragged backwards.

"Get off me, RiverClan scum!" she spat, struggling in the warrior's grasp.

They only gave a grunt in reply, slamming her down to the ground and planting a large paw on her throat.

"One less to take care of," they hissed. Featherpaw heard the vague scratching sound of claws against fur.

She seemed to enter in a dizzying phase, the sky spinning and the moon in the center. Far away, she heard Scorchpaw's guttural scream and something being pushed off her side. Good old Scorchpaw, Featherpaw thought, in a haze. Good old -

She entered darkness, a chasm opening before her eyes.

SQUALOR

Featherpaw's eyes snapped open. It wasn't the cold Gathering floor that she felt against her head - just soft moss. And it wasn't fighting felines that she saw before her eyes, it was the… herbs and spiderwebs she usually saw in the medicine den.

Featherpaw attempted to raise her head, but was forced to lie down. She was still dizzy.

"Don't move." The soft, calming voice of her medicine cat echoed from somewhere far. Then suddenly Mistfrost's white face was looming over her like the full moon. "You lost a lot of blood back there."

"Wha' happened?" Featherpaw meowed, groggy.

"I'm sure you recall RiverClan's unprecedented attack," Mistfrost meowed dryly. "Thankfully, the other four clans were able to stop RiverClan before the fighting got any worse. You were attacked by Pikethorn - but your friend from SkyClan managed to save your hide before you could come to more harm." The white medicine cat glanced at Featherpaw. "What's your relationship with him, anyway?"

Featherpaw tried a purr, but came out as a hacking cough. She shook her head, half to get out of her stupor and half in exasperation. "He's my best friend in SkyClan," she mewed happily. "And my hero now, too."