"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."
-Marilyn Monroe

Splotchstar didn't give Perchshine too long of a look before she turned around. Her sleek black and white body shone in the rising moonlight as she beckoned us out of camp with a flick of her long curly tail.

I walked toward Darkpuddle.

"What is it?" Darkpuddle looked at me and I almost shook.

"The fact that you're a kittypet doesn't change what I think of you." I purred.

I expected him to find it romantic, instead he gave a confused look.

"I wouldn't think so!" Darkpuddle flattened his ears. "Why should it bother you?"

"It wouldn't." I stammered. "Sorry, I'm just gonna go now..."

I walked a few paces and saw Duskbright brush her pelt against Darkpuddle's.

No...

This couldn't be happening, I hated what I saw.

I flattened my ears and showed my teeth in their direction before I followed Brownpaw and Clovertalon.

"You wouldn't believe what Redpaw did before we headed toward the Gathering!"

I raised my ears and Brownpaw gave me a look of concern.

"What's wrong?" Brownpaw whispered.

My heart sank as I saw Willowpaw and Honeypaw listening intently to Jiovepaw

"She tried talking to Darkpuddle, but he totally just tuned her out!" Jiovepaw snickered. "For Duskbright!"

Volepaw growled at Jiovepaw and Flypaw unsheathed his claws.

"Leave her alone." Flypaw growled. "Or should I tell everybody about when you tried to-"

"SHUT UP!" Jiovepaw snarled.

"Don't be rude, Jiovepaw." Dad growled.

"Redpaw started it!" Jiovepaw snapped.

"No she didn't!" Brownpaw and Flypaw meowed in unison.

"Move along you two!" Brambleblaze hissed at Willowpaw and Honeypaw. "You're as slow as slugs!"

Jiovepaw and her followers glared at me and my friends before running ahead.

"Darkpuddle's a flea-brain if he thinks Duskbright is more appealing than you." Flypaw muttered, just loud enough for me to hear.

I felt my face heat up. "A little louder, I couldn't hear you!"

"I said the moonrise is more appealing than you!" Flypaw panicked. "C'mon Volepaw!"

Volepaw gave me a knowing grin and followed her brother.

"I think someone likes you!" Brownpaw nudged me and smiled.

"Certainly not Darkpuddle." I sighed grimly.

Brownpaw gave me a look of sympathy. "There's a cat a little younger than us that I have a crush on."

I looked at him with slight confusion until it hit me on the head.

"Spiderkit!" I gasped. "OH MY-"

"Shh!" Brownpaw growled. "I don't know if she likes me back, just like you don't know if Darkpuddle likes you."

"I already know he doesn't." I muttered. "Not ever."

"There will be many cats born in RiverClan, maybe your mate is in RiverClan right now." Brownpaw flicked his tail in the direction Flypaw and Volepaw ran off.

"Sure!" I laughed. "C'mon, Mothleap will get mad if we don't catch up."

Me and Brownpaw ran across the tree-bridge and landed on the island, welcomed by a strong heat wave.

"There must be a lot of cats!" Brownpaw gasped.

I looked around and the other Clans were huge, flocks of them crowded the small portion of RiverClan cats.

"Hello!" a light gray tom with green eyes and light stripes meowed. A black she-cat joined him with their pelts brushing.

"Hi!" I meowed. "I'm a new RiverClan apprentice, name's Redpaw!"

"I'm Hailpaw!" the grey tom purred. "And this is my friend, Wasppaw!"

The black she-cat, Wasppaw, gave a curt nod.

"We're from ThunderClan!" Hailpaw continued. "I'm the deputy's son!"

"I'm from RiverClan." I replied. "And I'm the deputy's daughter."

"That's odd." Wasppaw tilted her head. "Hailpaw, didn't that she-cat we talked too earlier say she was the RiverClan deputy's only kit?"

"SHE SAID WHAT?" I growled. I flipped around and all my anger about what Jiovepaw said washed away and was replaced with a sudden fear.

Jiovepaw had her tail entwined with a ShadowClan tom's.

I ran towards them and snarled.

"Jiovepaw!" I hissed. "What are you doing?!"

"Excuse me, Sandypaw." Jiovepaw got up and pulled me over.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE-"

"Shush!" Jiovepaw hissed, than put on a weird grin. "Don't you see what's happening here?"

"Uh...sorta?" I shook my head.

"I'm Jay, Lion, and Dove, right?" Jiovepaw smiled. "Lionblaze had a forbidden love with Heathertail and they didn't have kits! Dovewing and Tigerheart liked each other and they didn't have kits!"

"What's your point?" I asked dryly.

"This is just me having a crush and nothing bad is going to happen!" Jiovepaw purred. "Sis, I'll be fine."

WHAT?! Why was Jiovepaw, uh, NOT screaming at me?!

Was it because she wanted me to keep quiet?

I never got to find out, she walked away and joined the tom Sandypaw.

I saw the four leaders jump onto their respective branches.

"ThunderClan is thriving wonderfully, Blossomheart had a litter of three she-kits and two toms." Tawnystar purred. "Onesplash and Russetflake are both expecting kits, we have three new apprentices: Scorchpaw, Wasppaw, and Echopaw."

"Scorchpaw! Wasppaw! Echopaw!"

I looked at Splotchstar, her figure new moved and her eyes were wide and furious at Tawnystar.

I started understanding why she was furious at our small Clan.

"Jaydust has retired to the elder's den." Ferretstar mewoed. "Iceskip is our new deputy."

"Iceskip! Iceskip!"

"Also her sister, Sharpglare, has had two toms and a she-kit." Ferretstar meowed. "We have two new apprentices: Raccoonpaw and Sneakypaw."

"Raccoonpaw! Sneakypaw!"

"Those are some dumb names!" Hailpaw laughed in my ear. "You know what their mother's name is?"

"What?" I asked.

Hailpaw cracked up laughing.

"It's SO funny!" Hailpaw cackled. "YELLOWSNOW!"

"Hailpaw?" Wasppaw growled. "The whole Gathering is looking at you."

I noticed all four Clans were glaring at the three of us.

"Sorry." Hailpaw looked guiltily at the leaders. "Continue."

"Jumpspeck and Mintpool are expecting kits." Shallowstar meowed.

"You know who the father of Mintpool's kits is?" Hailpaw whispered. "Stumpymask!"

"Shut up, Hailpaw." Wasppaw growled.

"And we have three new apprentices: Sandypaw, Finchpaw, and Berrypaw!"

"Sandypaw! Finchpaw! Berrypaw!"

All cats looked at Splotchstar expectantly.

"We have three new apprentices: Jiovepaw, Redpaw, and Brownpaw." Splotchstar said.

The crowd was silent.

"What's a Jiove?" Berrypaw meowed.

"SHUT UP, FOX-FACE!" Jiovepaw screamed. "If you weren't so stupid, you'd know it's a combination of Jay, Lion, and Dove!"

The white she-cat with pink ears looked down and sniffed.

"What, you gonna cry-"

"ENOUGH!" Shallowstar jumped off the tree and smacked Jiovepaw so hard, she flew into a tree.

"You alright, Berry?" Shallowstar meowed.

"Yes, Dad." Berrypaw sniffed. "I want to leave now."

Shallowstar shot cold eyes at Splotchstar.

"Nice apprentice." Shallowstar sneered. "I can see your Clan is lacking of Queens too, unlike all the other Clans."

Splotchstar shrunk toward the tree, truly offended by the comment.

"Pathetic RiverClan, we'll be fighting for the half-bridge just because of her." Shallowstar flicked her tail at Jiovepaw's unconscious body. "This Gathering is over."

The Clans started leaving in awkward silence. I looked at Hailpaw.

"It's not the time to tell a funny joke, is it?" Hailpaw meowed.