Chapters following this will be longer from now on, just to give you a heads up.
Icepaw carried two voles over to Wolfshade, placing them in front of the elder and nudging them closer to encourage him to eat. Wolfshade opened one blue eye and looked over at Icepaw then down at the two voles before turning his head away. Flattening her ears, Icepaw took the two voles and placed them in front of his nose.
"I'll just keep this up till you eat, y'know." She meowed flatly. Wolfshade looked up at her, his size still impressive to Icepaw. He was even larger than Bearstar and his thick fur looked like you could hide multiple kits in it without even being able to tell. He sighed and rested his head in his paws.
"I'm not hungry. Take it to Grayfoot, she needs it more after having four kits." He rumbled at her. Icepaw shook her head.
"Pebblepaw and Owlpaw already took them food, and I already took some to Ivyfur in the Medicine Cat's den. You are the only one who hasn't eaten yet, and I still need to go help Owlpaw clear out the Nursery after this. Now eat, you're acting worse than Stormkit." Icepaw meowed at him, poking Wolfshade with her paw. The elder tom rumbled a laugh and lifted his head, finally eating the voles.
"I heard Bearstar chose to take you to the Gathering tonight. Excited?" Wolfshade asked. Icepaw thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"It's just a late night meeting with the clans, right? Doesn't sound so special to me."
"Perhaps, but it has its importance. It is a good time to meet cats from other clans and broaden your view of the world and the clans themselves."
"But isn't it forbidden to have a relationship with cats outside of your clan?" Icepaw asked. Wolfshade made a funny noise that was neither a yes or a no.
"You must always put your clan first, but the code does not forbid a warrior from finding a friend in a cat from another clan. So long as your loyalty to your clan stays firm you are free to find friendship where you please." He explained. Icepaw thought on it for a moment, then nodded.
"Now, go find that mentor of yours and tell her to come here. I still want some answers on why I smelled her scent on that feather brained tom, Honeypelt." Wolfshade sent Icepaw away. Icepaw did as she was told, noting the nervous twitch in Eaglewing's tail, and went to help Owlpaw clear out the Nursery to get new nesting material for Patchpelt, Grayfoot, and their kits. During the entire task, her thoughts were on what Wolfshade said, and she wondered if it was actually possible for her to make friends with a cat outside the clan. Her thoughts wandered to that Hill Clan apprentice she had met earlier that day, Thornpaw, and wondered if she would be at the Gathering that night along with what the other apprentices might be like.
X
Dawnpaw yawned, stretching his back as he got up from his nest. Shaking his head a few good times he exited the Apprentice's Den into the clan camp, his eyes immediately looking over to the Nursery. Berrytail was still nesting there under the watchful eye of Sorrelcloud and the newly joined Lizardtail after the she-cat's apprentice, Nettlepaw, had earned his warrior name Nettlepelt. Sorrelcloud had given birth half a moon ago, her kits still sticking with her but somewhat starting to walk. He could see them now crowded at her stomach to drink, their tiny bodies looking so fragile to Dawnpaw. There were three total, a long furred white tom named Lilykit, a brown tabby tom with a pale brown throat named Palekit, and a long furred white with dark tortie splotches she-cat that had been named Tawnykit. It was later in the day and Dawnpaw knew he needed to eat and be ready to leave soon for the Gathering. It was his first one since becoming an apprentice, and the excitement made his fur bristle.
He went over to the fresh kill pile, taking one of the smaller mice and settling down in a still-sunny patch near the apprentice den. Looking around, he didn't see Blackpaw or Mosspaw around, but Shellpaw was just walking through the entryway of the clan with Brackenleaf, both carrying bundles of herbs in their mouths. Shellpaw's eyes met his and she nodded in greeting before following her mentor into their den. The sight made Dawnpaw happy, glad his sister was able to find a place in the clan that didn't really involve fighting.
Rainstar was talking with Applepelt and Ashface near Thorn Rock, though their voices didn't carry this far. Rainstar looked up and over at Dawnpaw and said something to Applepelt, the orange tom looking over at Dawnpaw before nodding. Dawnpaw's ears twitched in curiousity and, having finished his mouse, he got up and padded over, meowing a greeting to the three older warriors.
"Did you need something?" He asked. Ashface murred in amusement, coughing slightly before looking to Rainstar.
"Just as Applepelt said!" He laughed. Applepelt shook his head and looked at Dawnpaw.
"Everything is fine, Dawnpaw. Rainstar was simply making sure I remembered to tell you about tonight's Gathering. I'm sure you're excited, I certainly was on my first Gathering." He said. Rainstar nodded, flicking her tail in amusement.
"I remember that night actually, back when I was still Deputy under Bristlestar. You stood out for being the first apprentice in moons to slip on a rock and fall into the river, making your mentor have to go swim you out." Rainstar meowed humourously, watching Applepelt as he tried to make himself smaller all of the sudden. Dawnpaw watched as his mentor tried to save some face, saying it wasn't that noticable since the next Gathering a warrior from Hill Clan managed to do the same thing.
"Does that happen often?" Dawnpaw asked. Rainstar nodded.
"Very frequent, usually once every other Gathering, sometimes every third. Especially in Greenleaf when it rains a lot and the rocks get particularly slippery. Sun Clan has it easy, as they don't have to cross the river, and Hill Clan has it worst since they have to cross the river into Rain Clan territory, and then cross again to get to River Rock." She explained. Dawnpaw nodded, keeping that all in mind, though it was the first time he had heard of the gathering place being called River Rock.
"A few Gatherings ago, a Sun Clan warrior actually pretended to slip off of River Rock to help make a warrior in Rain Clan feel better about doing the same." Applepelt mused. Dawnpaw pricked up at this.
"Really? Why?" He asked. Applepelt gave a low brring sound.
"If I remember correctly it was... Porcupinepelt from Sun Clan. It was pretty obvious that he was only pretending to slip off the rock into the shallow end of the river bellow, but none of us called him on it since it really was to get our attention off of Heronflight. It was moons ago, but Heronflight had just become Deputy of Rain Clan after their previous deputy, Stonetail, had been taken by an eagle," He meowed, pausing for a moment to think, "Thinking back on it, she was really nervous since she had just become deputy at the time so she misjudged where she was stepping when we called for the Gathering to start and just slipped right off. It was pretty funny, and Porcupinepelt and her had been friends so I guess he just didn't want his friend to be the only one humiliated and wet."
"A Sun Clan Warrior and the Rain Clan Deputy? Friends?" Dawnpaw asked.
"The Code does not forbid friendship, Dawnpaw, it merely demands your loyalty to your clan." Rainstar meowed softly. Dawnpaw felt his fur bristle with excitement again, wondering if any of the apprentices from the other clans would like to be friends.
X
"You're bristling again." Seedpaw meowed in a low voice. Sunpaw licked at his chest, relaxing so as to smooth out his fur, trying his best to ignore the source of his sudden change in mood. Redpaw was not far off, having just returned from a hunting party with his mentor, Moleclaw. The orange tom still hated him, still blamed him for the passing of Brownkit and Hawk-kit, and after Tigerkit's apprenticeship was postponed from falling ill he only got more antagonistic to Sunpaw.
"Ignore him for now, Redpaw isn't going to the Gathering tonight anyway." Seedpaw said, licking a paw and cleaning his flat face. Sunpaw gave a murmuring response that earned him an annoyed look from Seedpaw.
"He's only going to add it to the list of things he hates about me." Sunpaw said a little louder. Seedpaw shook his head.
"He's hurt. He lost two of his siblings, the third and final is being treated for what could be the same cause of death as his siblings. He's scared and probably feeling alone now that Snakefang spends more time with Tigerkit than him. Give him time and he'll calm down. The rest of the clan has." Seedpaw meowed, looking around. Sunpaw did as well, looking at his clan mates. Since Morningfur's declaration, he had become Heronflight's apprentice and begun his training. Most of the clan was more welcoming to him now, sometimes he caught some looking at him with odd expressions he couldn't identify. There was still some mistrust, especially when Sorrelkit had passed only a few days before what would have been her apprentice ceremony from the sickness that had taken Brownkit and Hawk-kit, but no cat outside of Snakefang voiced those feelings. There was a slight tension in the clan currently, thanks mostly to Rockpaw having drowned in the river that seperated Rain Clan and Mist Clan territory.
"What are you talking about?" Came a small but determined voice. Sunpaw looked down from his root to see Jaykit staring back up at him. She was one of the kits that Swiftfoot had birthed, now old and strong enough to venture more than a few paw lengths from her mother. Her pale brown tabby fur helped her blend into the ground, but her white throat, eartips, paws, tail tip, and jay blue eyes stuck out sharply and reminded Sunpaw of Heronflight's coat pattern.
"Apprentice stuff. You wouldn't understand, too complicated." Sunpaw meowed. Jaykit growled at him, flattening her ears.
"Liar, I'll be an apprentice soon to y'know!"
"Not for another four moons, Jaykit. We were talking about tonight's Gathering." Seedpaw said, deflecting. Sunpaw nodded and Jaykit lit up, clambering onto their root so she was closer and wagging her tail in excitement.
"There are a ton of warriors at a Gathering, right? What's it like!" She meowed, demanding to know. Her eyes were round and almost black now with how her excitement, making Sunpaw purr in amusement.
"Some cats from each clan gather at River Rock, the leaders talk about boring stuff, and then we go home. Pretty simple." Sunpaw said. Jaykit narrowed her eyes at him.
"But you've never been to a Gathering, how would you know?" She asked. Sunpaw looked over at Seedpaw, who nodded.
"I told him from when I went to the last Gathering. Outside of that apprentice from Hill Clan falling into the river." He said. Jaykit meowed, looking at Seedpaw.
"Really?! How'd that happen?" She asked. Seedpaw chuckled softly at Jaykit's enthusiasm.
"Nothing to special. It was Whitepaw, their Medicine Cat Apprentice. He slipped on a rock and fell in while trying to cross the river. The real fun was when one of their warriors, Sunstripe, fell asleep mid-Gathering and fell on the deputy of Mist Clan, Applepelt."
"Really?" Jaykit looked like her eyes might fall out of their sockets with how wide they were. Seedpaw nodded.
"It was pretty funny at the time if Im honest. Certainly, Whitepaw and Shellpaw thought it pretty funny as well." Seedpaw meowed. Sunpaw looked at him.
"You mentioned Whitepaw before, but Shellpaw is...?"
"Mist Clan Medicine Cat Apprentice. She's pretty nice, likes to talk about her brother a lot. You'll probably get along with her. Just don't flinch if Badgerpaw comes tonight, he's used to it but it still feels kind of rude." Seedpaw said. Sunpaw nodded, keeping note of that though he wasn't sure why he would flinch at a cat named Badgerpaw. Jaykit kept asking questions to Seedpaw about other clans and the cats he had met so far, Sunpaw wondering what the cats from other clans would really be like when not defending the borders of their clans.
x
Thornpaw waited at the river bank, seeing cats already up on River Rock, and trying not to feel the sinking cringe in her stomach as Willowclaw helped Reedpaw get out of the river. Whitepaw last moon, Sunstripe falling asleep on the deputy of another clan, and so far tonight they went to the Gathering with no Whitestar and Reedpaw fell into the river. A startled yowl furthur down at least helped her feel a little better that Reedpaw wouldn't be the only wet cat during the Gathering. Reedpaw shivered as she padded up the bank, thanking Willowclaw for his help and shaking as much water out of her orange tabby fur as she could. She still looked miserable, however.
Maplepool called out to them, staring up at River Rock with her tail extended high in the air. Thornpaw went to her side and stood at attention, the rest of their group falling behind them. After a few moments Maplepool twitched her tail and they bounded up the dirt path to River Rock, joining the rest of the clans.
There were more new apprentices from the other clans than the last Gathering, Thornpaw noted, splitting off from her group to meet with old 'friends' from other clans. She joined part of the edge of warriors, recognizing Eaglewing from Sun Clan and Sorrelclaw from Rain Clan and meowed a greeting.
"Pretty nasty cut on your muzzle there, Thornpaw. Run into another bramble bush?" Eaglewing meowed, her eyes showing that she was joking. Thornpaw nodded, glad that Eaglewing kept her word at least.
"Yes, been a bit prone to that lately. How are things in Sun Clan?" She asked. Eaglewing nodded her head and looked over to the apprentices.
"Everything is well, Icepaw is doing well in her combat training though her hunting skills need some work."
"With a thick white pelt like that, it will probably be very difficult for her to learn hunting skills in your territory." Thornpaw meowed as she looked over at the apprentices. She had immediately recognized Icepaw, the distinct white coat seemed even paler next to the pale grey Willowpaw of Mist Clan. There were a few other apprentices, some she didn't recognize and some she did. Eaglewing nodded to her.
"I have some ideas yet, and to be honest not every cat needs to be an excellent hunter. You should go introduce yourself to the apprentices, I'm sure they'd love to get some advice from you." Eaglewing meowed. After a moment, she shook her head. "And... hopefully you can become a warrior soon. You are a good cat." She finished, turning to the other warriors. Thornpaw flicked an ear and padded over to the other apprentices. Eaglewing meant well, and Thornpaw was used to that line of thought by now. Among the apprentices, Thornpaw recognized some. Pebblepaw and Icepaw from Sun Clan, Willowpaw and Shellpaw from Mist Clan, Sandpaw and Seedpaw from Rain Clan. There were two toms she didn't recognize, both the same pale yellow but one had darker yellow tabby stripes, the other was solid except his white throat. Even their eyes were the same shade of pale ice blue.
"Hello, my name is Thornpaw, an apprentice of Hill Clan. I don't believe I've met the two of you before?" Thornpaw meowed as she approached the apprentices. The others meowed a greeting as the two yellow toms turned to look at her. Even their facial structure was similar.
"I'm Dawnpaw, apprentice to Applepelt from Mist Clan!" The tabby happily meowed. The other tom rolled his eyes before nodding to Thornpaw.
"I'm Sunpaw, apprentice from Rain Clan. My mentor is Heronflight." He said. Thornpaw tilted her head to the side.
"Different clans? I figured you two might be siblings." She said.
"I was just asking that to! Good to see you again, by the way. Sorry about earlier today." Icepaw meowed. The other apprentices looked at the two curiously, but Thornpaw shook her head.
"There have been times that cats changed clans. Rare, but it is has happened. Perhaps the two of you share a lineage?"
"Possible. I wasn't born in Rain Clan." Sunpaw said. Dawnpaw nodded as well.
"I'm the same. Not sure where I came from if I'm honest." Dawnpaw mewed, looking to Shellpaw who nodded her head in agreement.
"I am the same, though I've never let it bother me." Shellpaw said. Icepaw gave them all sympathetic looks.
"My father told me once that he wasn't originally from Sun Clan. It isn't the same, I think, but if he can become a well respected warrior of Sun Clan, you can become well respected Warriors to!... Er... and one Medicine Cat." Icepaw corrected herself at the end. The apprentices nodded to her in agreement, Pebblepaw murmuring something to her. Thornpaw looked around a bit, seeing the Medicine Cats in a group by themselves and chatting but she noted she did not see the Foxwhisker's apprentice anywhere. She turned to Icepaw and Pebblepaw then.
"I dont see Badgerpaw anyhwere. Is something wrong in Sun Clan?" She asked. Icepaw shook her head.
"No, nothing in particular. One of our elders isn't feeling to well and needed to be watched the whole night, so Badgerpaw stayed behind." Icepaw meowed. Thornpaw thought on it for a moment, the sudden memory of hearing at the last Gathering that all but one of the clan's elders had passed already. Doubt crept in Thornpaw's mind, but she didn't voice it as Sunpaw shook his head.
"I was actually looking forward to meeting him, the way Seedpaw kept meowing about him." Sunpaw meowed. Thornpaw nodded at him.
"Badgerpaw is a striking cat, I'll give him that." Thornpaw said. Before the conversation could continue, the call went out and all eyes went over towards the edge over the river, flat stones stacked on top of each other. There were five in total, but only four had been in use for almost eight moons now since Cave Clan had been erradicated. Sometimes more were added, the flat stones being used as seating by Twolegs when they came to explore and sometimes sleep in the forest during Greenleaf.
Bearstar was the first to jump onto her platform, the brown she-cat jumping up with ease. Following her on the next platform was the graceful Rainstar, her pale gray fur with dark specks sticking out in the night. Then came Honeystar, slipping slightly but regaining his composure after jumping up, Thornpaw noting with some greatfulness that based on his wet fur he had been the cat she heard that fell into the river. Finally was Maplepool, jumping up into what should have been Whitestar's place. There was a hushed whisper as the other leaders looked at her.
"Maplepool, where is Whitestar? Has he gone to join Star Clan?" Bearstar asked directly, not wasting any time. Maplepool shook her head.
"Whitestar has fallen ill and is unable to attend tonight. I am representing him and Hill Clan in his place this Gathering." Maplepool's voice was clear as she spoke, no hint of any kind of worry or dread. Thornpaw ignored the curious glances she got from the other apprentices, and used a paw to nudge the cobwebs on her nose. The leaders nodded their heads in understanding.
"I see, a pity. Well, Sun Clan will start. First I would like to introduce Icepaw, Sun Clan's new apprentice." Bearstar started. There was some congragulations coming from cats around the Gathering, the loudest being from Sun Clan.
"Hunting has been well, our clan mates are being well fed. One of our queens had kits a moon ago and they are growing well." She announced. The other leaders nodded. Quick, and to the point, Thornpaw thought. Movement caught her eye and she glanced over seeing two warriors had moved towards the back of the group to talk quietly. It was hard to tell, but Thornpaw was sure it was Cloudheart and Sageleaf from Mist Clan and Rain Clan respectively. Rainstar's voice called out, getting her attention before Thornpaw could fully turn to get a better look.
"Tonight I would like to introduce Dawnpaw, a new apprentice to Mist Clan." She started, her voice clear and pleasant, "Mist Clan has been doing well, new kits have been born and our apprentices are progressing well in their training. A patrol has stated that they have seen Twolegs begin to use the paths through the clans, bringing dogs with them. I would urge all cats to be more careful when venturing near the paths." She meowed. There was a chorus of agreements from the attendees and the other leaders nodded. Honeystar coughed, bringing attention to him.
"Sorry for that, cold is seeping into my fur." He meowed somewhat sheepishly. Rainstar nodded, Bearstar and Maplepool giving Honeystar sympathetic looks.
"It is alright, that was all I had to say for tonight so you may take it from here." Rainstar said. There was a small chuckle from some cats nearby Thornpaw.
"Right, well. Tonight I would like to introduce our newest warrior, Foxheart, and our newest apprentice Sunpaw," He began, giving the other cats a moment to congradulate the new warrior and apprentice, "Rain Clan is doing well, hunting has started to improve since the start of New Leaf, our kits are growing strong, and our apprentices are training hard." He nodded to the other leaders and turned to Maplepool.
"Hill Clan is surviving," She began, her voice steady and controlled but Thornpaw could tell she was struggling with how to word what she was going to say, "Are kits are doing well and a new queen is about to join the Nursery. Despite being New Leaf, our hunting has been slim and we have lost an elder to sickness."
There was a hushed whisper among the other clans, the other leaders looking at her with curious expressions. Thornpaw knew why, to have a deputy speak so plainly that a clan was struggling during a Gathering was strange in and of itself.
"It has been discussed with Senior Warriors, our surviving Elders, and even Whitestar himself. We have reached a concensous before this Gathering and thus it was agreed that I would ask the other clans two things. First, has any other clan noticed an increase in sickness and death among kits and elders? More than what would be considered normal for having just come out of Leaf Bare not so long ago?" Her voice was even. A hushed whisper went around the cats and the other leaders looked back and forth, each seemingly like they were waiting to see how the others responded.
"We lost almost an entire litter of kits a few moons ago, along with two of our elders." Bearstar slowly admitted. Honeystar nodded in agreement.
"We have lost elders and kits as well, the symptoms the same across each. Stomach ache, vomiting, and a quick passing." He described. There was a shocked noise from some cats, others discussing recent passings that had similiar issues. Maplepool nodded.
"Hill Clan has been dealing with this for some time now, three moons ago almost two full litters of kits were lost. We believe whatever is causing us to become sick is also chasing away the prey in our territory. From this, we would like to petition the other clans to share prey or hunting grounds, at least until we can find the source of the sickness and get rid of it." She meowed.
There was a sudden chaos in the Gathering, warriors from other clans loudly arguing with each other over her petition. Thornpaw shrunk away some, making sure to stand between Reedpaw and the other apprentices just in case. Reedpaw looked around nervously then shuffled closer to Thornpaw, trying to stay away from some angry stares from cats of other clans. A sudden yowl from the leaders rang out, silencing everyone. Honeystar was openly glaring at Maplepool.
"That is some gall, Maplepool, when you are only a deputy. Why should we give Hill Clan food when we have our own kits and elders to feed?" He seethed, "Your clan isn't the only one being effected, what if feeding your clan means ours die of starvation?" There was a chorus of agreements from some of the warriors and Thornpaw saw that Sunpaw was bristling slightly.
"Our boundries are set for a reason, Maplepool. Mist Clan will not allow Hill Clan warriors to cross those borders." Rainstar said with a finality. Honeystar nodded in agreement.
"We have already had to deal with an apprentice from your clan crossing the border frequently. Any warriors will get the same treatment."
"Said apprentice was our medicine cat apprentice, searching for Poppy Seeds to help a sick kit sleep peacefully before the sickness claimed them. We have never turned your medicine cats away when they came searching for herbs but the instant ours needs something help kits you chase him off with a torn apart flank! We have stood strong against what we could, allowed your medicine cats to come for herbs they could not get in your territory to make themselves strong. If this is the thanks we get then we extend the same treatment outwards. Any Medicine Cat, Warrior, or Apprentice that crosses into Hill Clan will be dealt the same kindness we have tonight." Maplepool hissed at the leaders, a chorus of yowls and hisses going through the clans.
"Enough!" Bearstar yowled, loud and clear over the noise. The cats turned to look at her, her bristled fur and bright eyes making her even larger and more imposing than before, especially so when compared to the smaller Rainstar next to her. A few cats backed a little further away from Bearstar, wary as the leader of Sun Clan glared over the cats and then to the leaders.
"The code governs our daily lives, Star Clan gives us guidance in such matters. Neither forbids us from helping when we can to keep each other strong. Hill Clan helped us eradicate Cave Clan when it had turned against the Code and Star Clan, offered us all aid when Twolegs came and brought dogs and traps to catch their own prey. I cannot allow you to hunt on our territory, we have our own mouths to feed as it is. But we will not turn away starving kits and elders, or a medicine cat in search of herbs. That is all the help I can offer at this time." Bearstar meowed. Maplepool nodded, but her fur was still bristling.
"If this is all, then I would like to end this Gathering and head back with my report." Maplepool seethed. The other leaders nodded and the cats started grouping back into their own clans. Reedpaw went to join the warriors but before Thornpaw could follow Icepaw approached her, the nervous twitch of her tail very clear. The other apprentices already parted and went back to the clans, leaving Icepaw and Thornpaw mostly to themselves.
"I umm.." Icepaw seemed to struggle, trying to find her words before shaking her head slightly.
"To-to the north, outside of Hill Clan and Sun Clan territory... umm..." She was murmuring. Thornpaw flicked an ear and tilted her head.
"Yes? You aren't offering your clan's hunting territory are you?"
"No! No, uhm.. no. I was just saying... we noticed... just outside our territory limits... in the gorges in the north? Rabbits... rabbits have been making their home there... Owlpaw and I found it... we aren't supposed to go there... cause its dangerous with all the hawks and eagles but... y-your pretty fast and um..." Icepaw meowed. A call from some Sun Clan cats came out and Thornpaw nodded.
"Thank you. If it isn't in Sun Clan territory like you said, I'll see if I and a warrior can check it out."
"Ah um... does this make us even? For your nose?" Icepaw asked, turning slightly so she could join her clan mates. Thornpaw shook her head.
"You were defending your territory, nothing needing to be apologizing for. Still, thank you Icepaw. I will return the favor for this information one day." Thornpaw meowed. Icepaw nodded and bounded off, getting a tail whiped along her head by Eaglewing when she finally joined her clanmates and the group disappeared into the night. Thornpaw went down the path, seeing her clan mates had already gotten to the river and were slowly making their way across the stones. Maplepool was waiting for her, watching the cats cross. Reedpaw had made it half way leaving Maplepool and Thornpaw on their side by the time Thornpaw fully caught up.
"That apprentice from Sun Clan told me rabbits have been plentiful in the Gorge to the north. Even if there is a threat of Eagles, it may be worth checking out." Thornpaw meowed. Maplepool nodded, but her body was tense and stiff. Thornpaw nuzzled her side slightly, trying to help Maplepool ease some of the tension.
"You tried, Maple. Whitestar couldn't ask more than that." She purred. Maplepool slid away from Thornpaw, preparing to cross the water and join the cats that were now staring at them from across the river. She turned to look at Thornpaw, and the apprentice could see fear in Maplepool's eyes.
"Whitestar's words today were clear, Thornpaw. If the clans wouldn't help us, he intends to start a war to force them." She meowed, her voice scratched and grave. Thornpaw felt her entire body go ice cold.
"We are no where near strong enough for that! He will lead us to our deaths!" She hissed. Maplepool nodded.
"Thornpaw, are you willing to do whatever it takes to keep Hill Clan safe?" Maplepool asked. Slowly, Thornpaw nodded. An impatient yowl came from across the river, but Maplepool kept her eyes on Thornpaw.
"Then, I need to ask you to do something." Maplepool said, talking low with Thornpaw, "When the time comes, I am going to kill Whitestar, and to ensure the clan will band behind a leader they believe in I am going to need you to kill me."