"Hey, Stempaw!" Morningpaw called as she ran up to the white and orange tom. "Great catch earlier!"
Stempaw purred. "Thanks! I tried my best!"
The yowls, meows, and growls of the Clan cats filled the island with a lively aura. The Gathering was happening, and everyone was excited, especially the apprentices. The moon shone brightly above them with no clouds at all. StarClan was happy.
Morningpaw was filled with awe when she first saw the island up close. It was so big! Ivypool had to make sure that she didn't fall off the log connecting the mainland to the islet.
"I'm sorry about your brother," Stempaw continued. "I never really talked to him, but he seemed like a nice cat."
"Thank you. He was." Morningpaw looked down at her paws for a moment before mewing. "Let's go talk to the other Clan cats!"
The two abandoned Stempaw's littermates and walked up to a group of once-ShadowClan apprentices.
"Hello!" Morningpaw greeted them. She knew she had to be polite and give them a good impression. She flicked her tail towards Stempaw. "This is Stempaw, and my name is Morningpaw. What are your names?"
Out of the three, the silver she-cat replied first. "My name's Flowerpaw." She had a bright and lively feel to her that made Morningpaw want to be friends with her.
Flowerpaw nudged one of her brothers, a gray and white tom. "This is Whorlpaw. Over there is Snakepaw." She nodded towards a honey-colored tabby she-cat.
Both cats looked like they didn't want to be talking to two ThunderClan apprentices.
With a flick of Snakepaw's tail, the two left to go speak to some other cats, leaving Flowerpaw with Morningpaw and Stempaw.
Embarrassed that her kin left her, Flowerpaw shifted towards Morningpaw and Stempaw. "So, how are you guys?"
"I'm good." Morningpaw meowed. Stempaw repeated Morningpaw's statement.
A sudden hush fell over the Clan as the four leaders of the Clans began to speak.
After a few murmurs were exchanged between the four cats on who to go first, Bramblestar finally padded forward.
"Prey is running well in ThunderClan. However, we were recently attacked by rogues that we suspect are remnants of the Kin." The dark brown tabby yowled. His last statement evoked angry yells from the crowd.
"Are you kidding me?!"
"ThunderClan is always causing trouble!"
"Silence!" Bramblestar caterwauled. "That is merely a suspicion, not fact. Not only were we attacked and brutally wounded, we also lost Cinderheart. She was protecting her kits, who are now apprentices- Fallenpaw and Morningpaw."
The crowd didn't know whether or not to cheer Morningpaw and Fallenpaw's name or to be quiet to mourn the queen's death. They improvised by being silent for a few moments and then cheering their names.
"Sadly, only Morningpaw is joining us this night, as Fallenpaw has recently gone missing. He is a black and white-spotted tom with amber eyes. Please help us find him. Thank you." Bramblestar backed off as Leafstar, the SkyClan leader, went in front.
"Prey is running very well. I apologize for ThunderClan's losses and we will see if we can find Fallenpaw." Leafstar meowed, her kind yet stern voice echoing across the island. "We have two new apprentices- Quailpaw and Sunnypaw. They had a brother named Pigeonpaw but he was unfortunately killed by a monster."
The crowd once again cheered out "Quailpaw and Sunnypaw!" then stayed quiet.
The gathering continued as Morningpaw's attention was lost. Her eyes wandered across the island, wondering if Fallenpaw was watching from afar. Maybe from StarClan. Maybe from the forest. Who knew?
Time seemed to suddenly slow down. What was going on? The world seemed to fade as a single cat walked down a starry path towards her. The cosmos itself glittered in her translucent pelt. With widened eyes she realized it was Cinderheart. Was she dreaming? Is this real?
Eagerly, she ran over to her, ignoring the cats she bumped into. "Cinderheart!" She yowled, nuzzling her head into her mother's fur. It smelled like the essence of newleaf- her scent reminded her of flowers, honey, and sweet, warm milk.
"I miss you too," The gray tabby she-cat purred. "but that's not why I'm here. I have to deliver a message."
"What is it?" This must be a prophecy! But why was she the one to receive it?
"Evade the storm and receive reward; the darkness that follows will be too much to swallow," Cinderheart's eyes glowed an eerie white. "If the storm takes you and others away, the Clans will end, to your dismay."
"What does that mean?" Morningpaw asked desperately. "Please tell me!"
The world seemed to fade away into nothingness as Morningpaw pleaded for her mother to return.
"Honestly, Fallenpaw, you need to get yourself together!" Sleekwhisker snapped.
"Sorry," Fallenpaw murmured, embarrassed after missing the simple catch thanks to his tail brushing the ground.
"'Sorry' catches no prey." Sleekwhisker hissed before stalking back to camp, a shrew hanging from her jaws by the tail.
After Fallenpaw had met the Kin, they had taken over the neat camp and turned it into a pigsty. The Fresh-kill pile, once plentiful, was now almost empty.
The Kin was not like a Clan in the slightest. For one, they had no respect towards each other and often fought for a small morsel of prey. Another thing that bothered Fallenpaw was the fact that they didn't bother keeping their nests tidy.
For StarClan's sake, the least you could do was put the moss in an orderly fashion! Fallenpaw had thought.
Usually, Fallenpaw would seek comfort in Darktail, his replacement father figure, but the tom was busy giving orders to the cats still awake at that time of night.
He followed Sleekwhisker until she reached the prey pile. The yellow she-cat carelessly dropped the shrew into the pile.
"What do I have to do now?" The tom asked.
"I don't care. We have enough prey for the day." Sleekwhisker spat. She took a glance upwards at the bright full moon. "It's almost moonhigh. Go to sleep, I guess." Without waiting for Fallenpaw to do anything, the she-cat headed to her nest and plopped down.
Fallenpaw realized that almost everyone was snoring away. The cats that he remembered were awake were most likely on a hunting patrol. Even Darktail was gone- probably also on the patrol.
I don't need sleep, Fallenpaw ambitiously thought. In fact, instead of sleeping, I'm going to catch as much prey as possible. Maybe then Sleekwhisker will respect me! Maybe then Darktail will say that I'm worthy of a warrior name of my choosing.
As he padded back towards the forest to hunt, he saw something familiar in the corner of his eye. A black broad-shouldered tom was sleeping peacefully on his nest.
A malicious thought occurred in his mind. Avenge your mother. He killed her. Make up for your mistakes.
No! That's not right! Another part of his mind fought back, but he had already decided.
He slowly crept up to the tom, making sure to lift his tail so it didn't brush against the ground and wake him up.
A sadistic grin spread across his face as he realized he would finally chastise the one who made his life go wrong.
As he approached the unconscious tom, he almost wanted to scream at him and make him suffer. But he couldn't- that would attract too much attention.
He unsheathed his claws and sunk his claws into his throat. The broad-shouldered tom's eyes popped awake as he realized he was being attacked. Before a yowl could escape his throat, Fallenpaw put his paw over the tom's muzzle. He dug his claws in deeper. The black tom's breathing slowed as his beady green eyes went dull. Dark red blood poured out of the neck wound, staining his paws a dark red crimson.
Fallenpaw retreated back to his nest and began grooming his paws, licking off any evidence of the murder.
Before closing his eyes and heading into the sanctuary of slumber, he looked up at the many stars in the sky. With one last yawn, he closed his eyes and whispered something so quiet only he and StarClan could hear;
"I hope you're happy, Cinderheart."