It had been a quarter moon since Fallenpaw disappeared. Morningpaw, Ivypool, and Lionblaze had all spent time searching for him to no avail. After two sunrises, Bramblestar had told them to focus on Morningpaw's training. The dark brown tabby would announce his vanishing at the gathering coming up soon.

Morningpaw had protested. "He could be dead by that time!"

Ivypool had silenced her before she could say anything more to their leader.

It was now a few sunrises after that event. The gathering was that night.

The golden-brown tabby got up from her moss-filled nest with a sigh. Her view of the world was drear and melancholy after her brother had gone missing.

She padded out of the apprentice den and looked around the clearing for her mentor. Ivypool was usually waiting by the camp's entrance so that they could head out a bit quicker than the other mentors and their apprentices.

Unsurprisingly, the silver tabby was sitting by the brambles and ferns at the front of camp, grooming herself while anticipating Morningpaw's arrival.

Morningpaw forced herself to put on a cheerful persona and pranced over to her mentor.

"Hello, Ivypool!" She chirped.

Her mentor stopped licking herself and looked over at Morningpaw. "Hello! Are you ready for today's assignment?"

"Yup!"

Ivypool purred. "Good. Today we're going to take a break from hunting and battle training and mark the borders. We need to make sure that the other Clans know that we're still here, after all." She added at the end jokingly.

"Okay!"

The duo made their way out of camp and first went towards WindClan's border, avoiding the large hill that separated the two clans.

On the way there, Ivypool informed her apprentice on how to behave at a gathering.

"First rule- and the most important- is to make sure that you never hurt another cat at a gathering. That is against the warrior code and will get you severely punished." Ivypool mewed sternly.

"But why?"

"A long, long time ago, a ShadowClan leader waged war against the four Clans while they were at a gathering. Luckily, StarClan stopped him in time, and he was killed that very night with StarClan's might."

Morningpaw's eyes widened. "Really?"

Ivypool nodded her head. "Now, the next rule is to not interrupt the leaders while they're talking. Sure, a few whispers to your neighbor about something is fine, but you can't just yowl your disapproval about something."

"What's the next rule, Ivypool?"

"Have fun!" Ivypool's whiskers twitched in amusement. "You only get to go to a gathering so many times. Make friends with cats from other Clans- but just remember that you might face them in battle one day."

Morningpaw was about to say something else before Ivypool put her sleek tail over her mouth.

"We're here." Ivypool meowed, taking her tail off of Morningpaw's mouth and pointing it towards the stream in front of them. "Try not to make too much noise- I swear, these WindClan cats can hear and see things from miles away."

A flicker of hurt appeared in Ivypool's eyes before she looked back at Morningpaw.

"You know what to do, right?"

The two walked along the stream and marked the borders. When they were finished, they started heading back to camp.

"Why can't we head to Shadow- I mean, SkyClan's border?" Morningpaw asked. She thought that they always had to mark borders.

"By the time we get there, the gathering would have already started." Ivypool responded. "Don't you want to head to the gathering in time?"

Morningpaw nodded eagerly. "Of course!"

"Good. C'mon, let's pick up the pace." The silver tabby she-cat started galloped towards the camp, the wind blowing on her fur the way it would a WindClan cat. Morningpaw tried to do the same, but was unfortunately left in the dust.

She arrived in camp a few moments after Ivypool, panting.

"I know we're not WindClan cats, but we still have to be fast. If there's a border skirmish and we need to get help, we'll need to go back to camp as quickly as possible before something bad happens." Ivypool explained. "Go get some prey. You did good today."

It was now a little bit after sunhigh, and Morningpaw was already exhausted thanks to that running. She glanced over at the Fresh-kill pile before remembering that elders and kits needed to eat first. There were no kits in the Clan at the moment, so she didn't have to worry about anything, but what about elders? With haste, she pranced over to the elder's nest and poked her head inside to see if they were eating. She didn't want to risk anything.

Both Millie and Graystripe were sleeping peacefully together. Morningpaw had to stop herself from breaking into a purr about how sweet their old love was for each other. After so long together, they were still so affectionate towards each other.

I wonder if my mate and I will be like this, she thought before remembering it was too early to think about that. No! Not yet! What would Cinderheart say?

She could almost hear Cinderheart's kind mew in her ear. "Do everything you want to do before settling down, Morningpaw," she would have said. "Your soulmate will wait."

Morningpaw padded back over to the Fresh-kill pile. To her dismay, the vole she had an eye on was already taken. She took a moderately-sized mouse and laid down. There was a few other animals that she would have preferred, but she realized that the warriors who still needed to heal up would like them better.

Thank you, StarClan, for this prey's life, she told StarClan. She knew there was more to say, but she was hungry and couldn't remember the rest.

She sunk her fangs into the mouse's flesh, ripping off the fur and digging into the pink, juicy meat. The apprentice licked her chops between bites to savor each part of the mouse.

Ivypool, who had been watching her with amusement, sat next to her and purred. "You like that catch, huh?"

Morningpaw paused from eating and nodded her head, her mouth still full of mouse.

"Stempaw caught it earlier today on his first day of hunting training. Sparkpelt is so proud of him- you should've seen her bragging about it in the Warrior's den."

The golden-brown tabby hadn't talked to any of the four new apprentices. She had been so concerned about Fallenpaw that she didn't have time to socialize.

"I'll say hi to him at the gathering." The she-cat mewed. "Along with his siblings, of course," she added.

"Good! The next time we have battle training, I'll ask their mentors if we can train together. The numbers are odd, but we'll work it out." Ivypool meowed before getting up to talk to someone else.

Morningpaw continued feasting on the mouse before getting up. She looked up at the sky. It wasn't sunrise yet, but it was getting close.

She should be excited for her first time, but a single thought tugged at her and pulled at her.

What about Fallenpaw?

"Good catch, Fallenpaw." Darktail meowed, nodding encouragingly at the vole Fallenpaw had just caught.

It had been about a quarter moon since he had ran out of ThunderClan. The black and white-spotted tom had since become a loner, despite wanting to go back to start his training.

Darktail had seemed to switch sides and told him not to go back- at least, not for a while. Reluctantly, Fallenpaw agreed. In order to make sure he got the training he needed so that he was ready to become a warrior once he went back, Darktail became his mentor.

It was strange to train with a ghost, but it turned out to be rewarding. Darktail seemed to never be exhausted or hungry, which meant more time for training.

"Thank you, Darktail." Fallenpaw replied, putting down the prey.

"Bring it back to our camp," Darktail mewed. Without waiting for a response, the ghostly cat ambled towards the place where the duo had made their home. Fallenpaw quickly followed.

Their "camp" was simply a single nest along with a small pile full of prey for Fallenpaw to eat whenever hunger gnawed at him after a bout of training. Although it was lonely, it honestly felt more like home than ThunderClan.

The apprentice dropped the vole into the pile. The Fresh-kill pile was already plentiful with prey, but Fallenpaw had to do what Darktail said. He made a mental note to eat the older prey before they turned to crowfood.

"Now what, Darktail?" Fallenpaw looked over at the translucent tom.

"Let's fight, shall we?" Darktail, sans warning, leapt at Fallenpaw, his claws unsheathed. He raked them down his back. In response, Fallenpaw clawed at his muzzle. Darktail backed off while Fallenpaw scratched at Darktail's side. He then attempted to tackle Darktail, but to no prevail. Darktail was still much bigger and much stronger than him. Instead, the white tom brought Fallenpaw to the ground.

"You're not strong enough," Darktail growled as he backed off.

"I'm trying, Darktail," Fallenpaw whispered, his wounds bleeding crimson red. He licked off the blood on the parts he could reach.

"How are you going to protect yourself? How are you going to avenge your mother?" The tom continued. "Battle training is essential if you want to be a good warrior. Once you are powerful enough, you will be able to kill even the biggest cat in your Clan- Lionblaze."

"I… I'm not sure about that anymore, Darktail…"

"He hates you, Fallenpaw. He's planning to slaughter you in front of the entire Clan once you return. You have to be ready."

"Is he?" Fallenpaw shrunk down into his pelt.

I don't want to kill Lionblaze, but if that's how it's going to be...

Darktail nodded. "Now that that's settled, there's a group of cats I'd like you to meet."

"Who?" Fallenpaw got back up.

"My kin, of course."

As if on cue, a large group of cats entered the camp, with Fallenpaw and Darktail in the center. Fallenpaw felt several gazes on him, making him want to just run out of there and into the lake.

"Cats of the Kin!" Darktail yowled, as if this was something he already knew to do. "We have a new member!"

"Wait—" Fallenpaw started, but was interrupted by the responding growls and hisses of "The Kin."

"Isn't ten enough?"

"Is that him? He's so scrawny."

"He smells too much like ThunderClan!"

"Enough." Darktail caterwauled, stamping his paw on the ground for effect. "This cat was a member of ThunderClan, and will help us conquer them."

"We already tried!"

"They're too strong!"

"No way!"

"I realize that you have failed before, but this cat knows ThunderClan's strengths and weaknesses. He will help us win! He will help us take over the forest once more!" Darktail continued, ignoring the screams of protest. "You will take him and teach him all that I have not already taught him. We will make camp here. We will become kings of the forest, thanks to Fallenpaw!"

A moment of silence followed before the cheering and chanting started.

"Fallenpaw! Fallenpaw! Fallenpaw!"

It wasn't as loud as when he had been apprenticed in ThunderClan, but it was still loud enough to make him feel proud. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad after all.