AN: Thank you to lovefur for their ocs.
The trees seemed to grow more dense, as Medley padded along with FangClan.
"There sure are a lot of trees," he remarked, unable to keep the tremble out of his meow. What if there was something sinister hiding among the leaves and branches, waiting for the right moment to strike?
"The gathering spot is the area that is surrounded by the most trees, it's the safest there," meowed Junipersnow.
"Yeah, unless a tree falls on one of us," remarked Burrpaw.
At the stocky tom's words, a shiver went down Medley's spine, and his fur stood on end.
Junipersnow rolled his eyes.
"That won't happen, StarClan won't allow a tree to fall on any cat at the gathering place."
"What's StarClan? Are they like the boss of clans? Can I fight them?" asked Piper.
Medley couldn't help but to let out a sigh, she had already gotten her tail handed to her by that one cat, and now, here she was, looking for another cat to fight.
Junipersnow mrrowed and shook his head.
"StarClan is the place where the spirits of our warrior ancestors go."
Piper nodded.
"Gotcha."
"So, like an afterlife right?" asked Harmony.
"Can you all be quiet back there?" spat a black tom with dark amber eyes."
"Sorry Ratwhisker," muttered Junipersnow, before whispering to Medley, whose fur was standing on end, feeling a bit daunted about being spat at, "Ratwhisker may seem a little gruff, but he's actually really nice."
Burrpaw rolled his eyes.
"Of course you'd say that."
"Yeah," sneered Thistlepaw.
Medley wasn't sure why they said that, perhaps Junipersnow liked to see the good in everyone. He wasn't sure himself if there was good in everyone. Like that cat that attacked Piper, and didn't even feel bad about it.
Sure, his sister was running her mouth, and she did challenge him to a fight, but that didn't mean, that he had to beat her so badly, and then not even apologize properly afterwards.
"Look! There's WebClan!" exclaimed Junipersnow.
Medley turned his thoughts away from the mean cat and Piper, instead, focusing on what was going on around him. His pelt prickled with anticipation, when he saw a group of sleek furred cats, who looked taller and plumper than the FangClan cats, but not as muscular.
A grey and cream she-cat wrinkled her nose.
"Something smells strange," she remarked.
"It smells like kittypets," spat a black tom, narrowing his dark brown eyes.
"We are kittypets, got a problem with it?" growled Piper, starting to lunge forward. To Medley's relief though, Ratwhisker grabbed her tail, pulling her back.
"There is no fighting at gatherings at all," he meowed sternly, "It's best you learn that if you want to stay here."
"Stay?" hissed the grey and cream she-cat, "You can't be serious, I mean, I can understand LegClan taking in loners and kittypets, but FangClan?" she shook her head, "I've always respected your clan, but that might change after this."
"Your opinion means nothing to me, Lakepetal," Ratwhisker meowed lowly.
The she-cat's tail flicked, but she said nothing, instead, she turned and padded away, with the black tom following her.
Even though they had walked away, Medley found it difficult to stop his pounding heart. It seemed like not every cat wanted them there, in fact, those two seemed particularly against them there.
What if they tried to attack them when they least expected it? What if they even killed them?
Junipersnow must have noticed how scared he was, because he meowed.
"Don't worry about them, they're all hiss and no scratch, besides, they're too fat to really do anything anyway."
"Hah! Nice one!" remarked an unfamiliar voice. Medley turned his head, to see a reddish ticked tabby tom standing there.
Beside him, a brown ticked tabby she-cat mrrowed.
"I dare you to say that to their face," she challenged.
"I can't misbehave anymore, I'm a warrior now, and I have my own apprentice," meowed Junipersnow, proudly.
"What?" the she-cat hissed, her eyes widening, "How'd you get one already?"
"Favoritism, he's the leader's kit, so of course she puts him first," grumbled Sprucehawk.
From beside the brown and white tom, Ratwhisker flicked his tail, and meowed,
"That's not true, Willowstar doesn't play favorites."
"Yeah, you would say that, you're her mate," meowed Sprucehawk, rolling his amber eyes.
Ratwhisker shook his head.
"This conversation is over."
The black tom then bounded forward, to Willowstar, whispering something to her that Medley couldn't hear.
"Well, we're here," meowed Wolfpelt, turning to face them, "Feel free to mingle with the other cats, but you better be paying attention when the announcements start!"
"Come on!" Piper urged them, "Let's go meet the other cats!"
"Why would we want to do that? If they're anything like that cream and grey cat, or that black tom that was with her, I think we're better off not meeting them," meowed Harmony.
Medley nodded.
The less cats he met, the less of a chance he had of making an enemy.
"Well, I'm going to go meet the other cats, you two can just stay here and be losers," remarked Piper, darting off.
Harmony sighed and rolled her eyes,
"I better go make sure she doesn't get herself into any trouble."
She then padded away, and even though Medley was still surrounded by a lot of cats, including Pitch and Junipersnow, he never felt more alone.
"Hello, I don't think I've seen you before, are you one of Berryclaw's kits?"
Medley's pelt prickled slightly, and he turned around, to see a tabby tom with large green eyes standing there.
Medley thought he was adorable, but of course, he didn't say that out loud.
"They're kittypets Branchflower, can't you use your nose?" spat a brown and white tom with blue eyes.
"Yeah, they don't belong here," grumbled a white she-cat with brown and gold mottled paws, and blue eyes.
Medley shrank back, why did so many cats hate the fact that he and his littermates weren't born in the forest?
Junipersnow looked at the sky.
"I think StarClan disagrees."
The she-cat rolled her eyes.
"And what do you know about StarClan? FangClan cats are just a bunch of brutes, who always use their claws instead of their brains."
"Yeah, well, at least we know how to fight," spat Sprucehawk.
"Would you like to go meet some cats who are more interested in healing, than fighting?" asked Branchflower.
Medley nodded, eager to get away from the bickering cats, he didn't want to be caught in the middle, if a fight broke out.
As he followed the tom, he felt his fur begin to lay flat, and for the first time since he woke up in the forest, he didn't feel terrified out of his pelt.
"Hello Branchflower, how are the herbs growing in NoseClan?" asked a dark brown she-cat with amber eyes. She then curled her lip when her gaze fell on Medley, but she didn't say anything, much to his relief.
"The herbs in LegClan are growing fantastically, we have more catmint than we know what to do with, no one is catching whitecough any time soon, that's for sure," meowed a cream colored she-cat, before Branchflower had a chance to reply.
He didn't seem to mind about being interrupted though, in fact, Medley thought he looked a bit relieved.
The cream colored she-cat looked embarrassed though.
"Sorry for just interrupting," she meowed, "How is NoseClan coping with the loss of Poppyleaf? How are you coping?" she shook her head, "I can't imagine it could be easy for someone as young as you to take on the full responsibility of being the only medicine cat in your clan, I mean, you only started your training a few moons ago."
"We're coping, and I know I'll never live up to Poppyleaf, but I'm going to put everything I've got into being the best medicine cat I can be for my clan," meowed Branchflower with determination, before turning to Medley.
"Allow me to introduce you to everyone, the she-cat that asked about the herbs? That's Otterwhisker, the WebClan medicine cat, the white she-cat next to her is her apprentice, Shypaw."
The white she-cat didn't say anything, she just glanced briefly at Medley, before looking down at her paws.
I guess her name fits her, he thought, turning his attention back to Branchflower.
"And the cream she-cat, that's Dawnrose, she used to be a kittypet like you, but that hasn't held her back from being a great medicine cat for LegClan, she can connect with StarClan as well as any clan born cat," meowed the tabby tom.
"Wow, that sounds really intense," meowed Medley with awe, wondering what it'd be like to talk to cats that had passed on already.
Branchflower mrrowed, before turning to Ambersky, who had just padded up.
"Hello Ambersky, where's Raccoonpaw?"
"He got in trouble, for fighting of course, I was reluctant to take him on as my apprentice, when he first asked, because, what kind of clan wants an aggressive medicine cat? However, Willowstar said that being a medicine cat might help him stop being so temperamental, but so far, it hasn't worked."
There was a strong weariness in the she-cat's meow, and Medley couldn't help but to feel sorry for her.
"Cats of all clans! Can I have your attention please!" yowled a tom, making Medley jump with surprise.
After his shock passed, he turned his head to the direction of the voice, and saw a golden tom with yellow eyes standing on top of a large large stump. Beside him, stood Willowstar, a red tom, and a grey and white she-cat.
"Everything is going great in NoseClan, we have two new apprentices, Batpaw, who was apprenticed as a sky hunter to Buzzardheart, and Foxpaw, who was apprenticed as a ground hunter to Brindlefoot," meowed the golden tom.
Medley wondered what he meant by a sky hunter and a ground hunter, but he didn't want to get in trouble by asking.
When the golden tom sat down, the grey and white she-cat stood up.
"The prey is swimming well in WebClan, and one of our apprentices, Mudpaw, has received his warrior name, he is now Mudstorm."
"Mudstorm! Mudstorm!" cheered several cats, including ones from the other clans, which surprised Medley.
The grey and white she-cat sat down, and the red tom stood up.
"The prey is also plentiful in LegClan, the rabbits are getting so plump, that my warriors can catch them with ease, oh, and in other news, Sweetfur is expecting Lizardwhisker's kits."
"I'm surprised he didn't mention that rogue he took in," muttered Otterwhisker, "Then on second thought, I'm not."
"Be quiet and pay attention," spat Dawnrose.
Medley's heart started pounding in his chest, when Willowstar stood up, he knew that she was about to announce the news of he and his littermates. Would more cats be hostile, or would more be accepting of them?
"I have some important news," Willowstar began, "But first, I'd like to say that Juniperpaw has received his warrior name, he is now Junipersnow."
Once again, several cats cheered, even the ones not from FangClan.
"Also, Burrkit, Raccoonkit, and Thistlekit, have all received their apprentice names, their mentors are Junipersnow, Ambersky, and Daisycloud."
"What?" spat a dark brown tom, who was sitting on one of the roots of the stump, "He just got his warrior name, how does he have an apprentice already?"
"Not that it's any of your business, Loglegs, but Junipersnow has proven himself to be a very capable mentor," meowed Willowstar, coldly.
"Now, for the rest of my news, kittypets showed up near our territory."
A collective gasp emitted from the crowd.
"Send them back to where they came from!" yowled a tom, whom Medley couldn't see.
"Yeah, if they stay here, they'll probably have kits with one of us, and pollute the purity of the clans!" exclaimed a she-cat.
"Quiet!" Willowstar yowled, lashing her tail.
To Medley's surprise and relief, a calming silence fell over the crowd, and the tortoiseshell leader stared, with an intense look in her narrowed eyes, for a few moments, before breaking it.
"I have decided that FangClan will take in these cats, but I just wanted to see what all of the other leaders thought first."
"Why should FangClan get four new warriors?" demanded the golden tom.
"Oh, do you want one, Weedstar? There's four of them, maybe if we split them up between the clans, it'd be fair," meowed Willowstar.
Medley's ears flattened, and his stomach clenched as his heart dropped. Were they planning on separating him and his littermates?
Sure Piper seemed to run her mouth too much to his liking, Harmony was a bit too bossy, and Pitch would rather spend his time with the dogs, but he couldn't imagine his life without them.
"You two can have them, WebClan wants nothing to do with cats that aren't clan born," spat the grey and white she-cat.
"Why don't we ask the new cats what they want?" suggested the red tom.
"They're kittypets! What they want doesn't matter," growled grey and white she-cat.
"Heronstar, don't be unreasonable, just because they weren't born in the forest, doesn't mean that they're worthless," meowed the red tom.
Heronstar scoffed.
"Yes it does Cardinalstar! I know you just became leader, but I would hope that you're competent enough now to know the Warrior Code."
"I think you're the one who doesn't know the Warrior Code, there's nothing in there that states that kittypets and rogues can't join."
"With that thinking, LegClan won't even be a clan anymore, they'll just be a band of rogues and kittypets," spat Loglegs.
"Snake!" Dawnrose suddenly yowled, causing all the cats to stop arguing. Medley couldn't see any signs of a snake, and he wondered if she had just said that, to make the cats stop fighting, but then he heard it, a faint hiss, that grew louder, and then he the grass moving. The snake, he realized as his heart caught in his throat, was coming right for him.
Run! He told himself, but he couldn't get his legs to move, he felt frozen to the spot, and it seemed like all the other cats felt that way too, because no one was making any moves to stop it.
As the snake raised its head, Medley closed his eyes, and prepared for death.
However, it never came, he soon heard a loud hiss, and opened his eyes, to see Junipersnow amd Branchflower grappling with the snake. He watched with awe, as the black and white tom, sank his teeth into the snake, shaking it, until the thin creature lay still.
"Are you okay? The snake didn't bite you, did it?" Ambersky asked the two toms.
"I'm fine," spat Junipersnow, surprising Medley, he'd never heard the tom sound so harsh before.
"Well, sorry, I was just asking," muttered Ambersky, looking down at her paws.
Junipersnow sighed and shook his head.
"I'm sorry too Ambersky, I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at the fact, that there are several warriors here, and when this snake started coming towards Medley, only Branchflower and I cared enough to do something about it!"
"Well, he's only a kittypet, so it wouldn't be a big loss for us," meowed Heronstar, several cats expressed their agreements.
"But he's still a cat, the same as the rest of us," meowed Branchflower.
"He is not like the rest of us," meowed Loglegs.
Otterwhisker nodded.
"I think the snake is a sign from StarClan, that these kittypets don't belong here."
"Well, I think they do, and I will gladly accept any of them who wants to join into my clan," meowed Cardinalstar.
Heronstar rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Why am I not surprised?"
"All of you already know that I am willing to take them in," meowed Willowstar.
Weedstar nodded.
"NoseClan could use more cats as well."
"NoseClan is known for their strong hunting abilities, do you really want to ruin that by allowing kittypets in? You know that they can't hunt!" hissed Heronstar.
"I have an idea, why don't we allow each of the cats to stay a few sunrises in one clan, and a few sunrises in another, and by the time the next gathering rolls around, we will have figured out if they're an asset to us, and whether we want them or not, and it will give them a chance to figure out if they want to stay or not," suggested Cardinalstar.
Weedstar nodded.
"I really like that idea, it will give me a chance to figure out if they're sky hunters, ground hunters, or tunnel hunters."
"Yes, it and will give me a chance to see their fighting potential," meowed Willowstar.
"Well, I don't like this idea at all, but seeing as I'm clearly outvoted, I guess I'll agree to it, but don't expect me to like it, and I'm not taking them in first," grumbled Heronstar.
"Since we found them, FangClan will be the first clan to take them in," meowed Willowstar.
"If that's all, I think it's time for this gathering to be over!" yowled Heronstar.
As Medley followed the FangClan cats back to their camp, he couldn't help but to bristle with anticipation, sure, they were safe for now, but what if at the next gathering, all of the leaders announced that he and his littermates were too worthless to join any of their clans? What would they do then?
FangClan
Leader: Willowstar - tortoiseshell she-cat with pale green eyes
Deputy: Wolfpelt - spiky furred grey tom with yellow eyes
Medicine Cat: Ambersky - golden she-cat with light blue eyes
(Apprentice: Raccoonpaw)
Warriors:
Moonheart
Ratwhisker - black tom with dark amber eyes
(Apprentice: Birchpaw)
Sprucehawk - brown and white tom with amber eyes
(Apprentice: Honeypaw)
Daisycloud - yellow and white she-cat with light blue eyes and a snub nose
(Apprentice: Thistlepaw)
Junipersnow - black and white tom with pale green eyes
(Apprentice: Burrpaw)
Pricklethorn - annoying spiky furred golden tom with yellow eyes and a snub nose
Opossumfur - pale grey tom with a pointed muzzle and light blue eyes
Cedarleaf - dark brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes
Fireblaze
Apprentices:
Raccoonpaw - grey tabby tom with a bushy striped tail, and amber eyes
Burrpaw - spiky furred, broad shouldered, brown tabby tom with yellow eyes
Thistlepaw - spiky furred, broad shouldered, grey tabby she-cat with amber eyes
Honeypaw - golden she-cat with striking amber eyes
Birchpaw - small dark brown tom with brown eyes
Queens:
Berryclaw - tortoiseshell she-cat with dark amber eyes (mother of Sprucehawk's kits, Rosekit, a reddish brown she-kit with amber eyes, and Russetkit, a reddish brown tom-kit with amber eyes)
Stormflash - dark grey she-cat with green eyes (expecting Fireblaze's kits)
Elders:
Cowspots - black and white she-cat with green eyes
Sunheart - cream colored tom with yellow eyes
LegClan
Leader: Cardinalstar - red tom with yellow eyes
Deputy: Smokefoot - jet black tom, with white paws, muzzle, under belly, and tail tip, with dark brown eyes.
Medicine Cat: Dawnrose - cream she-cat with honey brown eyes (former kittypet)
Warriors:
Silverheart - white she-cat with dark blue eyes
(Apprentice: Rabbitpaw)
Lizardwhisker - tuxedo tom with blue eyes
(Apprentice: Harepaw)
Eagletalon - silver tom with hazel eyes (former kittypet)
(Apprentice: Bunnypaw)
Zetherbreeze - very thin dark gray almost black tabby she-cat with light gray stripes (former rogue)
Apprentices:
Rabbitpaw - brown ticked tabby she-cat
Bunnypaw - white she-cat
Harepaw - reddish ticked tabby tom
Queens:
Sweetfur - reddish brown she-cat with green eyes (expecting Lizardwhisker's kits)
NoseClan
Leader: Weedstar - golden tom with green eyes
Deputy: Doetail - light brown she-cat, with a white underside, a bobbed tail, and amber eyes
Medicine Cat: Branchflower - tabby tom with green eyes
Warriors:
Plumrose - tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes
Bigfoot - dark grey tom with large paws and green eyes
Laurelleaf - golden she-cat with green eyes
Buzzardheart - brown and white tom with blue eyes
(Apprentice: Batpaw)
Brindlefoot - white she-cat with brown/gold mottled paws, and blue eyes
(Apprentice: Foxpaw)
Apprentices:
Batpaw - black tom with large ears and amber eyes
Foxpaw - tortoiseshell tom with amber eyes
Queens:
Tulipfur - dark grey she-cat with green eyes (mother of Buzzardheart's kits, Burrowkit, a dark brown tom-kit, Heatherkit, a blue-grey she-kit, Heathkit, a sandy grey tom-kit, Warrenkit, a dark brown tom-kit)
WebClan
Leader: Heronstar - grey and white she-cat with yellow eyes
Deputy: Loglegs - dark brown tom with amber eyes
Medicine Cat: Otterwhisker - dark brown she-cat with amber eyes
(Apprentice: Shypaw)
Warriors:
Graybird - dark grey tom with green eyes
(Apprentice: Snowpaw)
Lakepetal - dilute tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes
(Apprentice: Spottedpaw)
Sandstone - light brown tom with yellow eyes
(Apprentice: Darkpaw)
Lilystem - white she-cat with green eyes
Fishstick - light brown tom with yellow eyes
Mudstorm - brown tom with darker brown flecks and amber eyes
Apprentices:
Shypaw - white she-cat with blue eyes
Snowpaw - white she-cat with light blue eyes
Spottedpaw - white tom with black spots, and brown eyes
Darkpaw - black tom with dark brown eyes
Queens:
Echoshine - jet-black she-cat with blue eyes (mother of Graybird's kits, Mistkit, a dark grey she-kit with blue eyes, Hollykit, a black she-kit with green eyes, and Petalkit, a light grey she-kit with blue eyes)