Chapter 4:

Just as Fireheart had told her, the next day was filled with labor. Though he had intended to help her with the task of caring for the elders, Tigerclaw had swiftly prevented that by sending the tom out on border patrol. Tigerclaw informed her that this was a task that every apprentice must complete and that it is best to learn on her own. She couldn't have Fireheart holding her paw the entire time.

She simply nodded at his words, ignoring the spark of annoyance that she had felt. So instead of spending the day with her brother, she spent it caring for the elders on her own. She wandered the forest in search of moss, having no idea where the best places to find it would be, then hauling it all back to replace the old nests from the elders' den.

As she made their bedding and retrieved mouse bile from Yellowfang to treat their ticks, the elders told her stories. She found that the elders were quite nice in comparison to the rest of her new Clanmates. Though they did make a few comments about her kittypet upbringing, they were mostly friendly and welcoming towards her.

She found that she rather enjoyed their mutual bickering with each other, and she worked quietly as they educated her on more of ThunderClan's traditions and history. It was a lot to take in, she reflected as she searched One-eye for ticks, but she had to admit that the Clan's history was interesting. They had deep-rooted traditions and culture that no cats had in the Twolegplace.

It was late in the day when Fawnpaw finally finished her tasks. But despite her long and work-filled day, it was all made up for as she sat beside the other queens and watched their kits tumble before them. She watched as Brindleface's two kits, Fernkit and Ashkit, played with Cloudkit. She was informed that Yellowfang had to give Cloudkit another dose of catmint, but her son seemed to be fever-free now. His eyes were bright and his spirits were up.

Fawnpaw excused herself from the other queen to retrieve a bird from the fresh-kill pile. She hadn't eaten all day and she felt that she deserved a meal after her hard work. She paused beside the pile and looked up in confusion.

Near the entrance of the camp Bluestar stood with warriors gathering around her. The leader was speaking to the crowd and nodding to specific cats. Fawnpaw wondered if she should go over and see what's happening, but Bluestar was already turning to leave the camp. Her warriors followed close behind her.

Fawnpaw snatched up a blackbird and hurried back over to the queens. "Did you see that?" she asked as she set down the prey. Frostfur looked at her questioningly and Fawnpaw said, "Bluestar just led a group of warriors from the camp."

"Oh," Frostfur glanced at the sky. A full moon was rising, just hardly seen through the trees. "It's just the night of the Gathering. This is when all four Clans come together in a time of peace to share news and talk together. Bluestar will be leading them to Fourtrees tonight."

Fawnpaw twitched her ear at this. She had heard plenty about the other Clans by now, both from her training with Tigerclaw and from the stories that the elders had to tell. But she still hadn't met anyone from outside of ThunderClan. "What are the other leaders' names?"

"RiverClan's leader is Crookedstar, and WindClan is lead by Tallstar," Brindleface told her, pausing to touch noses briefly with Goldenflower as the pregnant she-cat excused herself with a yawn and retired to the nursery for the night. "ShadowClan is ruled by Nightstar currently. He is the newest leader."

"Crookedstar?" Fawnpaw echoed curiously. "How did he get that name?"

Fawnpaw continued to ask questions, but the queens didn't spend much longer in the camp's clearing as soon the kits were growing tired. Fawnpaw gathered Cloudkit to her side and led him back into the den, where she laid in her nest and groomed him until he fell asleep. She too was tired, but Brindleface and Frostfur were still chatting a short distance away.

It wasn't long until voices in the clearing interrupted them however. Speckletail, the oldest nursery queen, pricked her ears at this. "The Gathering ended early," she commented in surprise. Just as she moved to peer out of the den entrance, Fireheart entered to bring the news.

"Hello, Fireheart," Brindleface whispered as he stood in the entrance. "Cloudkit's much better. Yellowfang gave him herbs. It was just a chill. What happened at the Gathering?"

"StarClan sent clouds to cover the moon. Bluestar's called a meeting. Can you come?"

Brindleface sniffed her kits briefly, "Yes, I think I can. My kits will sleep for a while."

Fawnpaw followed the other queen out and into the open. The clearing was dark with the moon being covered now and she had to squint her eyes to see Bluestar standing atop the Highrock. The leader was already speaking.

"... The greatest threat seemed to be from RiverClan and ShadowClan." Bluestar was saying. "We must be prepared for the possibility that these two Clans have united against us."

Fawnpaw sat in confusion as shocked meows rippled through the Clan.

"Do you really think they've joined together?" Yellowfang's raspy voice rang out. "RiverClan has the best sources of prey, but I can't imagine they'd want to share with ShadowClan."

"They didn't deny it," Tigerclaw pointed out.

Bluestar nodded with agreement, "Whatever the truth, we must be on full alert. From tonight, each patrol will have four cats, at least three of them warriors. The patrols will be more frequent, two each night and one during the day, as well as dawn and dusk patrols. We must put a stop to Riverclan's and Shadowclan's raids on our territory, and since they have chosen to ignore our words, we must be prepared to fight."

Enthusiastic yowls met her words and Fawnpaw felt bewildered. She had no idea what the alliance between RiverClan and ShadowClan meant for them, and she couldn't understand why these cats were so ready for battle. Didn't they want to avoid a fight if possible? How could ThunderClan stand a chance against two Clans at once?

As the noise died away, Bluestar finished with, "My patrol will leave before dawn." She leaped down to join her Clanmates as the gathered cats separated into small groups. The sound of murmur rose from the cats and Fawnpaw ducked back into the nursery.

The queens were quiet as they whispered about the news. Fawnpaw didn't bother to listen into the conversation this time. She thought of the prospect of battle and it scared her. Fireheart had never mentioned that battle might be in the Clan's future, or that the Clans fought at all, but she supposed that it should have been obvious. She had seen Dustpaw's reaction to RiverClan on their territory already, and she had experienced herself how hard prey can be to catch. She shouldn't have been surprised when she heard of an upcoming battle.

She curled her tail around Cloudkit, wondering privately if she had made the right decision in coming to ThunderClan. She was only a few days into her new life here, and her kit had gotten sick and battles were forming. Was she really Clan material? Would she and Cloudkit be strong enough to survive out here, in the wild? She couldn't help but wonder if she really was meant to stay in with her Housefolk like the other cats wanted her to.

As the next day began, she was awakened yet again by Tigerclaw. This time though, he told her that Bluestar will be handling her training. A feeling of nervousness grew in her as she left her nest and ducked out of the nursery. Once again, Tigerclaw had woken her before dawn and the sky was still dark.

There were more cats awake this time however. Bluestar was standing near the Highrock with Longtail and Swiftpaw, who Fawnpaw recognized easily by now. Bluestar nodded as Fawnpaw approached, "Good, you're awake." she meowed, "Today you will be coming with us on a patrol around ShadowClan's border. Swiftpaw, would you like to lead?"

The apprentice looked surprised, yet pleased, by the offer. With bright eyes, he agreed and led the way out of the camp. He was confident as he padded onwards and Fawnpaw fell in step beside Longtail. A chilly breeze swept through the forest and she fluffed up her fur against the cold.

"Tell me what you can smell," Bluestar instructed her as they padded onwards.

Fawnpaw breathed in deeply and took a moment to sort through the scents. She knew some of them better by now, but the snow still made it hard to identify them. After a pause, she reported, "A squirrel is close by. And a dog?" She couldn't help but feel alarmed as she scented the dog nearby. What was it doing out here, in the forest?

Bluestar tasted the air too, then flicked her tail in dismissal. "The dog passed by here several days ago with its Twoleg. Dog scent will linger more than Twoleg scent will."

Fawnpaw meowed her understanding and gave her chest fur a couple quick, embarrassed licks. Of course it was stale, she could scent that now. She stayed quiet as they padded onwards and watched the forest come alive as the sun began to rise. She had to admit, it was kind of beautiful out here in the wild. She could definitely see how her brother had fallen in love with this life.

As Swiftpaw led them onwards, Bluestar asked her a couple more times to report on what she could smell. Fawnpaw opened her jaws and tasted the air again. "ShadowClan, and strong." she identified, though she was confused by her findings. Were they that close to the border already? She couldn't smell or hear the Thunderpath yet.

"What?" Bluestar's voice was sharp as she halted. She breathed in deeply and looked around herself with alarm. Before she could say anything, Swiftpaw called from further ahead.

"Bluestar, come look!"

They bounded forward to see the apprentice crouched down and examining a pile of rabbit bones and fur scraps. The scent of ShadowClan was all over the ground here and pawprints could be seen in the snow.

"ShadowClan!" Longtail growled beside her. His paws kneaded at the ground restlessly, leaving marks in the snow. "Bluestar, we have to do something about this. We can't just let them get away with this."

"They won't," Bluestar promised him. Her tail lashed and her eyes blazed with anger as she stared downwards at the eaten prey. "Fawnpaw, head back to camp and find Tigerclaw. Tell him what has happened. I'm going to see if ShadowClan has left behind any other prey."

"Yes, Bluestar." Fawnpaw turned and began to trot away.

"And hurry!"

Fawnpaw broke into a sprint at her leader's words. She bounded through the forest, her mind confused with what the patrol had just found. Bluestar had looked furious to find the prey scraps and Fawnpaw wondered what she'd do now. She didn't understand Clan relations yet and wasn't sure how the others would react to ShadowClan's actions. Was a rabbit enough to spark an issue? Was it enough to start a battle?