AN: Thanks to Goldenheart3, Dark thunder, ANONYMOUS, and Anonymous 2 for their ocs.
The character list will be posted in the next chapter.
Excitement welled up in Piper's chest, as they neared the camp.
She couldn't wait to meet the other forest cats, and to challenge Wolfpelt to a fight.
She wanted to, no, she needed to prove to these cats that she wasn't just some weak kittypet, which was the insult they kept tossing at her and her littermates.
"I still don't know why you chose going herb picking with Raccoonpaw, over going hunting with me."
Piper's ears pricked up at the sound of the voice, and her pelt bristled with excitement, was she about to meet more forest cats?
"It's been two sunrises Pricklethorn, can't you just let it go?" sighed a second voice.
"No I can't! I'm your full brother, Raccoonpaw is only our half brother, why do you like him better than me?"
"Pricklethorn, Opossumfur, stop bickering right now, and get over here!" called Daisycloud.
Moments later, two toms padded over, one had golden brown spiky fur and a snub nose, the other was grey, with blue eyes, that were even more pale than Daisycloud's.
She noticed, that unlike his brother, the grey tom had a very pointed muzzle.
"Who are they? Why do they smell like kittypets?" demanded the golden brown tom, as the fur on the back of his neck rose.
Piper couldn't help but to roll her eyes, what did these forest cats have against house cats like she and her littermates? Were they afraid of them?
"Please excuse my brother's rude behavior, I'm Opossumfur, and his name is Pricklethorn," meowed the grey tom.
"I can tell her my name myself!" spat Pricklethorn.
"I'm Piper, and these are my littermates, Harmony, Medley, and Pitch," meowed Piper, wondering how many times they would have to introduce themselves. She had a feeling it would be a lot.
"It's nice to meet you," meowed Opossumfur, dipping his head.
"No it's not!" Pricklethorn lashed his tail, "They're kittypets Opossumfur, they don't belong here!"
"Who says?" growled Piper, unsheathing her claws. If Pricklethorn didn't think she belonged, she'd prove him wrong by clawing off his pelt.
Harmony rested her tail over Piper's back, and shook her head, giving her a warning glare.
She sighed, and willed her fur to lay flat, as much as she wanted to fight Pricklethorn, she also didn't want to get kicked out of FangClan, before she even had a chance to join it.
Daisycloud looked up at the sky.
"The moon will be rising soon, we must go talk to Willowstar before the gathering starts."
"I'm really excited about the gathering tonight, it's my first gathering as a warrior," meowed Junipersnow.
"I don't care," replied Harmony. Piper couldn't help but to mrrow at the look of bewilderment on the black and white tom's face.
"That wasn't very polite," meowed Medley, padding up beside Junipersnow, "Could you tell us more about gatherings, are they dangerous?" His pelt prickled slightly, as though he were imagining all the possible dangers that could happen. Knowing Medley though, he probably was.
"Oh no, they're not dangerous at all, every full moon, all the clans gather together under a truce, during that time, you're not allowed to fight, and the leaders share news about their clans, like which kits were born, who became apprentices, who became warriors, they'll probably announce my warrior name at the gathering," Junipersnow's voice beamed with pride at the last bit, and Piper rolled her eyes, what a show-off.
"We're here," announced Daisycloud, moments later, when they arrived at two oak trees, whose branches were so thick and close together, that it was impossible for Piper to see anything through them.
Daisycloud darted forward, disappearing into the trees, and Piper started to follow her, but Pricklethorn barred her way with his tail.
"Wait here."
"But I want to see the camp!"
The snub nosed tom shook his head.
"Willowstar will come out here to you, and if she says it's okay, then you can go inside, but for now, stay put."
With a sigh, Piper padded back over to go stand beside her littermates.
"I'm scared," whispered Medley.
Piper rolled her eyes, what else was new?
"Just stick close to me, I won't let anything happen to you," meowed Junipersnow.
"Are these the kits?" asked an unfamiliar voice. Soon, Daisycloud, along with a tortoiseshell and white she-cat, a spiky furred grey tom, and a golden she-cat with eyes the same color as Daisycloud's stepped out.
"Willowstar, meet Piper, Harmony, Medley, and Pitch, kits, meet Willowstar, she's the leader, Ambersky, she's the medicine cat, and Wolfpelt, he's the deputy," Daisycloud meowed.
Wolfpelt? He's the cat I'm meant to fight!
Piper could already feel her claws unsheathing. Harmony must have noticed it too, because she gave her a glare that could strike fear in pretty much any cat. It's probably not the best time to fight him anyway, she thought, retracting her claws, there weren't enough cats around to see her win.
"How old are you?" asked Willowstar, narrowing her eyes, which Piper noticed were the same shade of green as Junipersnow's.
"Seven moons old," answered Piper, "Why?"
"Just wondering if you're old enough to be apprenticed yet."
"You're going to apprentice them?" hissed Pricklethorn, "But they're kittypets!"
"If they prove themselves to be good fighters, and dedicated warriors, I see no reason why their past should matter, but first, I must discuss this with the other leaders at the gathering, it's only fair that they also get a say so in this," meowed Willowstar sternly.
Piper could barely contain her excitement, not only was she possibly going to join FangClan, but she was also going to meet other cats from the other clans!
She wondered if any of them would want to fight her.
Her tail then drooped slightly with disappointment, when she remembered with a sinking realization, that Junipersnow said fighting wasn't allowed at gatherings.
"Come on, you can stay here until the gathering starts," meowed Willowstar, disappearing into the trees. Piper raced after her, her disappointment not holding her back a bit.
She then collided into something, or rather..someone.
"Watch where you're going you pathetic mouse-brain!" hissed a tom.
Piper looked up, to see a grey tom, with black tabby markings, that resembled a mask, on his face, glaring at her through narrowed yellow eyes. His tail, which was lashing from side to side, was striped, and bushy, though he had no other stripes anywhere on his body, which Piper thought was a bit weird, but also highly interesting. And even though the tom had a strange appearance, he was probably the most handsome cat she had ever seen.
Handsome as he was though, she wasn't going to let him get away with talking to her like that.
"Don't call me a mousebrain, unless you want to fight!" she growled.
Without warning, the tom tackled her, pulling her down to the ground by her scruff.
Piper couldn't help but to wail, as his claws raked her spine.
Over her cries, she could faintly hear Harmony and Pitch yowling at him to leave her alone.
Then, after what seemed like a lifetime of misery, the tom stopped clawing her back, and when she turned her head, she saw Ambersky was holding him up by his scruff, as though he were a kit.
"Apologize now!" she spat, dropping him to the ground, after giving him a good shake.
"Why? She started it."
"She's only a kittypet, who has had no warrior training, you're a medicine cat apprentice, you should know better than to attack a cat who can't defend themselves.
I can defend myself! Piper thought, bristling.
"She challenged me to a fight, and she made me drop all the herbs that I collected, I spend all day collecting those, and now they're probably ruined," spat the tom with a look of pure fury in his eyes.
"You can collect more in the morning, but now, I want you to apologize to this cat, and you can forget about going to the gathering tonight," hissed Ambersky.
"I'm sorry you couldn't hold your own against me in a fight," growled the tom, he started padding away, and stopped, turning his head to meow, "I didn't want to go to the gathering away."
"Are you alright?" asked a small dark brown tom, he wasn't as small as Pitch, but he was smaller than her.
"Yeah, I'm fine," meowed, Piper, though, her back stung a little where the tom had scratched her, and she was pretty sure she was bleeding.
"Are you sure? You have some pretty nasty scratches," meowed Ambersky, confirming her suspicions, "I think it's best if I put some dock on them."
"Alright, thanks," sighed Piper, following the golden she-cat.
I'll beat him next time, she promised herself, he had caught her off guard, but given another chance, she would claw his pelt off, and send him wailing to his mother.
A purr rumbled in her chest at the thought of it, she couldn't wait.