It was just after the last hunting patrol has returned that Lithestar had called a clan meeting. Poppypaw had only deposited her catch on the fresh-kill pile, a small mouse and robin, when Fawnheart brushed her tail along her spine, nodding her head toward the rocky outcropping that marked their leader's den.
Lithestar stood above her clan, her gaze sweeping across the gathered cats. Below her, Hawkclaw sat with his tail curled around his paws, his eyes slitted as he awaited his leader's orders. Poppypaw shifted from paw to paw. She knew tonight was a gathering night and she hoped she would be picked to go.
Finally, as the muttering of the clan died down,, Lithestar spoke, yowling out the names of the cats who would accompany her and Hawkclaw to the monthly gathering, "Foxtail, Fawnheart, Poppypaw, Thistlestorm, Sparrawfoot and Juniperpaw! Be ready to travel. We leave when the sun dips below the horizon." She gave a curt nod to Hawkclaw who followed her into her den.
Poppypaw fizzed with excitement. It was her first gathering since she had fallen ill! She caught the eye of Thistlestorm who looked to be as equally excited. After all, Poppypaw thought, it would be her first gathering since she had become a warrior. She felt a small pang of jealousy that she quickly shoved away- Thistlestorm had earned her title, just as Poppypaw would in time. Still...she sought out her brother in the crowd. He was speaking with his mentor, Stonestep in hushed tones. He looked grumpy as usual, a little more so because he hadn't been chosen to attend the gathering Poppypaw guessed.
"Well, isn't that just too bad." Poppypaw thought sourly. At least he wasn't the one stuck as an apprentice for an extra two moons because of green-cough. Normally she wouldn't have been so bitter, but Briarpaw was keen on mentioning this fact every time they trained together, boasting about he would has his warrior name soon. It didn't help that he beat her every time they sparred. Poppypaw thought it unfair, she was still recovering from sickness and her muscles had atrophied in the time she spent in the medicine cat den. Of course she was going to lose each time.
She hardly noticed when Thistlestorm crossed the camp, only finally realizing the she-cats presence when the warrior pressed her nose against hers. She found herself purring from the touch, her bad mood quickly dissipating as her friend ran her tail along her back, smoothing the fur she hadn't realized had spiked while watching her brother.
"Don't worry," Thistlestorm soothed, "You're going to kick his tail once you get stronger."
Poppypaw grimaced. She was so easy to read. She sighed, her tail drooping, "Maybe. I'm still smaller than him. And Sparrowfoot said I might never grow properly because of how sick I was."
"So?" Thistlestorm said, staring back at Poppypaw defiantly, "Look at Foxtail. He's one of the smallest cats in the clan but one our best fighters. Size has nothing to do with it-" She caught the look Poppypaw was giving her and corrected herself, "Okay, maybe it does a little...but you can compensate. Enemies will underestimate you. You can use that to your advantage."
"I guess you're right," Poppypaw murmured, feeling slightly less put off, "He's still such a...a…" She trailed off, not truly wanting to insult her brother.
"A heap of mouse-dung?" Thistlestorm purred mischievously, "If it makes you feel better, you're twice the hunter he is." She crouched low, stomping along the ground noisily with exaggerated movements, her tongue poking out comically, "Here comes Briarpaw, here to scare off all the prey within the next two miles!"
Poppypaw bit back a laugh, raising a paw to cover the smile that spread across her muzzle, "Quiet! He'll hear you."
Thistlestorm straightened out, grinning, "He's too busy whining to my father about not going to the gathering. Which, by the way, we should be getting to."
Poppypaw nodded. While they were talking, the rest of the clan cats gathered at the camp's entrance, a few of them pacing ring of thorn bushes that encircled Oakclan's camp. Lithestar appeared at her den's entrance, quickly followed by Hawkclaw. She took the lead, her tail raised as she meowed, "Oakclan, to me!"
The group traveled quickly in the fading light. Paws whispered over fallen leaves, a few of the cats talking amongst themselves as they went. The air was chilled- leaf-bare was coming quickly.
Poppypaw tried to remember the path they had taken last time, but the memory was hazy. She remembered they passed through Creekclan territory to get the place where they conducted their meetings. It was no-cat's land...an open field, ringed by tall trees and a small river snaking through them. A tiny waterfall marked the spot where the leaders sat.
After a few more moments of traveling, Poppypaw could make out the river in the distance, glinting the pale moonlight. She could already see multiple cats seating around the small pool of water at the base of the waterfall, and one leader looking down from above them. She wondered if it was Viperstar and she shuddered. Duneclan still intimidated her after what had happened moons ago.
As they drew near, she was relieved to see it was Otterstar, Creekclan's leader awaiting them. Lithestar dipped her head respectfully at the brown tom-cat who called a greeting in response.
Lithestar crouched, her muscles bunching as she leapt from rock to rock to climb to take her place besides Otterstar, her paws sloshing through the cold water that bubbled over the lip of the rock and down to the pool below.
"Duneclan's not here yet," Thistlestorm said, glancing around for any sign of the final clan.
Poppypaw shrugged, sitting close to Thisleclaw to share her warmth. She purred as the older she-cat wrapped her fluffy tail around the two of them.
"Hey, Thistlepaw!"
Poppypaw glanced sideways as another cat approached from the crowd. She was disappointed as Thistlestorm pulled away, wondering why she looked so self-conscious all of a sudden.
Thistlestorm twitched her ears in greeting as a silver, sleek coated she-cat came into the moonlight, "Minnowstep!"
"Is that Poppypaw with you?" The silver she-cat inquired, peering closely at Poppypaw. Poppypaw had to wrack her brain for a moment before it dawned on her- this was Minnowpaw- or rather, Minnowstep. She had met her at a gathering nearly four moons ago. She was surprised the other cat still remembered her at all.
"Yes, that's me. It's nice to see you again." Poppypaw mewed politely, studying the silver cat. She was very pretty, with tufted ears, long whiskers and demure blue eyes. She glanced to Thistlestorm and fought back a surge of sudden annoyance as her clanmate stared at the silver she-cat. If Minnowstep noticed, she didn't make any mention of it as she drew a paw down across her whiskers.
"She's staring at her like Redwhisker moons over Wrenflight," Poppypaw thought, her stomach suddenly dropping to her paws. She worked her claws into the earth, a wave of anger boiling in the pit of her stomach. Could Thistlestorm love this cat?
"Don't be ridiculous!" She thought, kneading the ground anxiously, "They're just friends...besides, she's a she…"
"Am I...am I jealous?"
"I heard from Thistlepaw you were sick." Minnowstep said, cocking her head to the side, "I'm glad you made a full recovery. Green-cough is dangerous, it's how my mother died."
Poppypaw felt guilty all of a sudden. This cat was being kind and here she was, wanting to pounce on her for being friends with Thistlestorm.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Poppypaw meowed softly, "That must've been hard on you."
"It was," Minnowstep answered, ears drawn back sadly, "But life goes on, I guess. It was moons and moons ago, I was just a kit."
The three of them turned as a yowl pierced the calm of night. With a start, Poppypaw realized that Viperstar had finally arrived. Sandstrike was trotting as his heels, glancing this way and that. Poppypaw froze as his gaze slid over her. His eyes locked with hers for a moment, a swarmy smile slowly crossing his face.
"Ugh- he's so creepy," Minnowstep whispered to Poppypaw, eyes narrowed, "It's like he has it in for any non Duneclan cat." She shivered and Poppypaw was glad she wasn't the only one scared of Duneclan's deputy. Thistlestorm bristled beside her, eyes narrowed.
"If he doesn't cut it out, I'm going to give him a good swipe around the nose." She hissed under her breath.
"You can't!" Poppypaw said, though she would have very much liked to see such a thing, "You'd anger Starclan."
"Pfft...Starclan would probably want to give him a few good swats too." Thistlestorm remarked snidely.
Poppypaw shushed her, watching as Viperstar made his way towards the other leaders. He hardly acknowledged them as he sat, yellow eyes coldly assessing the crowd below.
"A fitting name," Poppypaw thought not for the first time. The tom-cat was thin and lean, like most Duneclan cats, his fur short and glossy. Two oversized fangs jutted from his upper lips and Poppypaw wondered just how much it would hurt to be bitten by a cat with teeth like that.
"Now that we're all here," Viperstar drawled from above, his voice echoing slightly in the stillness of the night, "Let us begin."