Chapter 4

"Come on, Dewpaw, keep up," Hazelstep mewed, flicked her tail across her apprentice's black shoulder.

Dewpaw glanced up at her mentor, then looked straight ahead. Beside her were Cloudpaw, Cloverpaw, and Lightpaw. Smokestar was leading the way, with Ashenfur right beside him. The medicine cat, Mosspelt, usually went to all the Gatherings. Tonight, thought, she had stayed behind to look after Silverstorm. Frostpaw had come, though, and was standing at the other side of Hazelstep, her older sister.

"I can't wait until we get to Wood Grove!" Cloverpaw yowled, her fur fluffed up with anticipation.

Dewpaw purred. "Me neither! I wonder what the other leaders look like! I heard that Larkstar of RiverClan has a dark ginger pelt, and that Clawstar, the WindClan leader, is really old." Then she stiffened. "And Blackstar is a tall, pitch-black tom with a white tail-tip."

Cloudpaw growled. "ShadowClan---they're just so…" He hissed with frustration. "…selfish, and…stupid."

Lightpaw sighed. "I wonder how Silverstorm is doing. She was hurt really bad." She turned to her sister.

Frostpaw glanced down at her paws, her blue eyes full of worry. "Well, we're not sure yet, but Mosspelt thinks this is really serious. Silverstorm might…I don't want to leap to conclusions, but she's not doing too well."

Dewpaw touched her friend's shoulder with her tail. "I'm sure you and Mosspelt are doing your best."

"We really are," Frostpaw squeaked. "We want to save her!"

Dewpaw nodded. "I understand."

Frostpaw sighed. "I'm sorry. Tonight's a night of excitement. It's your first Gathering! And I go and damped the mood by---"

"It's okay, Frostpaw," Cloudpaw purred. "Don't worry."

Cloverpaw nodded in agreement.

Frostpaw shrugged and looked away. Lightpaw went over to speak to her.

"Hey, we're almost at Wood Grove!" Cloverpaw exclaimed. "I smell cats!"

Dewpaw sniffed the air. "Me, too!"

Soon, Cloudpaw had gotten a whiff as well. The three cats yowled with excitement.

Their mother stalked up to them and hissed sternly, "You three aren't kits, now calm down! Stop prancing around like horses!"

Dewpaw stared at her paws sheepishly. "Sorry." Her littermates did the same.

Feathercloud gave her a lick on the ear. "You're going to have lots of fun, all three of you."

Dewpaw purred.

Smokestar halted, and was now conversing with Ashenfur. The two cats nodded to each other and continued down the slope. Soon, they could see the tall trees of Wood Grove. Dewpaw could scent RiverClan and WindClan, but no ShadowClan yet. She and her littermates bounded down the slope, their pelts bristled with excitement.

Lightpaw caught up to them and began showing the around. "That's the Highstump," she explained, pointing her tail to a stump of a fallen tree in the center of the clearing. "The leaders sit up there." Then she pointed to the fallen log beside the stump. "The deputies sit there."

Dewpaw gazed. There was a ginger tomcat, most likely Larkstar, up on the Highstump. A yellow she-cat was up there, too, and she was WindClan. "Hey, Lightpaw, who's that?"

Lightpaw looked up. "Oh, that's the WindClan deputy, Lightstep. Clawstar must be sick or something." She shrugged. "Want to meet the other apprentices?"

"Sure!" Cloverpaw purred.

Lightpaw led them to where a group of apprentices sat.

"Hi, everyone. This is Dewpaw, Cloudpaw, and Cloverpaw. This is their first Gathering," Lightpaw announced.

"Hello," mewed a dark brown she-cat with blue eyes. "I'm Petalpaw." She motioned to the identical she-cat beside her. "This is my sister, Maplepaw." Then she nodded to a black tom. "That's my brother Shrewpaw."

Dewpaw could tell they were from WindClan. She turned to the RiverClan apprentices.

One had a light brown coat and green eyes. "I'm Sandpaw," she mewed. "These are my sisters," she added, nodding to two other RiverClan cats.

A she-cat beside her, who had amber eyes, said, "I'm Lilypaw."

There was a small, silver she-cat, who looked younger than the other two. "I'm Streampaw," she said timidly.

Dewpaw and her littermates exchanged glances. Streampaw looked almost identical to their mother, Feathercloud!

"Where is ShadowClan? They're late again," Maplepaw hissed, her ears flattened.

Lightpaw rolled her eyes, and Dewpaw was glad that she didn't mention the battle.

"So, what do you think of your first Gathering so far?" Petalpaw asked.

Dewpaw purred. "It's great. I can't wait for it to begin."

Petalpaw nodded, her whiskers twitching with amusement.

"How long have you been an apprentice?" Lilypaw asked curiously.

Dewpaw opened her mouth to answer, but Cloverpaw beat her to it.

The black and white she-cat shrugged casually, but her green eyes gleamed. "Oh, just a little shorter than a moon."

"We've been apprentices for two moons," Sandpaw boasted. Streampaw nodded in agreement.

Streampaw looks too young to have become an apprentice two moons ago, Dewpaw thought inwardly. She shrugged to herself. Her sisters look older than her…maybe she was the runt of the litter.

Shrewpaw glanced up, then announced, "ShadowClan is here! At last!"

Dewpaw looked up eagerly. I wonder how many ShadowClan cats showed up. Most were hurt in the battle. Blackstar leapt onto the Hightstump and greeted the other leaders. Cinderash pounced up to the fallen log. She had some scratches. The rest of the ShadowClan cats mingled in with the rest.

Four cats bounded toward the apprentices. A black and grey she-cat introduced herself as Mistpaw. A golden apprentice was Sunnypaw. Two siblings, both grey furred, were Greypaw and Shinepaw.

Dewpaw recognized Sunnypaw from the battle, and let out a low hiss. Sunnypaw recognized her too, and glared through narrowed slits.

"You're the cat that thought you were good enough to beat me!" Sunnypaw hissed.

Dewpaw bristled and replied, "I did beat you! You ran back onto your territory, wailing for your mother!"

Sunnypaw unsheathed her claws.

"Hey, stop it!" Greypaw hissed, stepping between the two cats. He glared at Dewpaw, then turned to Sunnypaw. "We're at a Gathering, Sunnypaw, there is a truce!"

Sunnypaw sighed. "Right." She flicked her tail at Dewpaw and turned away.

"You all right?" Cloudpaw asked quietly. Dewpaw nodded and sheathed her claws.

"I'm fine," she muttered.

"We are all gathered at Wood Grove for another Gathering!" came a yowl. Dewpaw looked up and saw Larkstar speaking. "Who would like to go first?" The ginger tom looked around.

"I will," Lightstep mewed. It was apparent that the WindClan deputy was nervous. She gazed down at the waiting cats below, then began speaking. "I'm very said to say… Clawstar passed away of illness. He was leader of WindClan for many moons, and lived longer than an elder would. He was greatly appreciated." She bowed her head for a moment. "I will now lead WindClan, as Lightstar."

There were a few cheers and murmurs among the crowd. "Thank you," she mewed. "For my deputy, I have chosen Riverfish. He is swift, loyal, and has proved himself worthy of the role."

Dewpaw looked at the fallen log and saw a brown tom staring up at his leader, his green eyes full of pride.

"I have nothing else to report, besides that the Clan is faring well. Our apprentices have trained hard." She stepped back.

Smokestar nodded to her, then stepped forward to speak. "Our apprentices, too, are training hard. We had a battle with ShadowClan regarding the border, and I am proud to announce that we won. Our apprentices fought well, and our warriors returned with minor injuries. However, one of our senior warriors, Silverstorm, was badly injured." He bowed his head. "We are hoping all will be well with her. Mosspelt has stayed behind to look after. Both she and Frostpaw have done their best."

Everyone turned to stare approvingly at Frostpaw, who was sitting with the other medicine cats. She twitched her ears apprehensively.

Smokestar continued, "In better news, we have three new apprentices in the Clan. Cloverpaw, Dewpaw, and Cloudpaw."

Dewpaw and her siblings purred proudly as heads turned their way. Smokestar nodded, his eyes gleaming.

Blackstar shouldered past the ThunderClan leader and yowled, "Yes, there was a battle. In our defense, ThunderClan never used the little stretch of land just past the border." He shook his fur. "Anyway, our apprentices fought fiercely. No one had severe injuries. ShadowClan is strong, and we are not afraid to fight." He shot a glare at Smokestar and stepped back.

Larkstar shrugged and stepped forward. "RiverClan has prospered. There is plenty of fish in the river and stream. I am proud to announce that Splashripple is expecting kits, and the father of them is Bramblenose."

A happy murmur rippled through the crowd.

"That brings a conclusion to the Gathering!"

Dewpaw and her siblings made their way to the other ThunderClan cats. "How did you like the Gathering?" her mother asked.

"I loved it! I hope we get to go again next time," Cloudpaw purred.

Feathercloud licked his ear. "That's exactly how I felt when I was an apprentice."

Cloudpaw and Cloverpaw began telling Feathercloud what they liked at the Gathering.

Dewpaw padded over to Frostpaw, who was walking alone. "Hey."

"Hi, Dewpaw," Frostpaw mewed, not looking up. "Did you like the Gathering?"

"Yeah," Dewpaw replied. Then silence.

Dewpaw glanced at her friend. She was staring down at her paws as she trudged along, her ears flicking uncomfortably as she noticed she was being watched.

"Frostpaw, are you okay? You seem kind of…sad."

Frostpaw shrugged, but gave no explanation.

Dewpaw trotted along at the edge of the group, beside the white medicine cat apprentice. "So…"

"I'm sorry, Dewpaw," Frostpaw said. "I was just thinking about Silverstorm. I hope she'll be okay."

"I'm sure she is," Dewpaw replied. "Mosspelt hasn't lost a cat since…Skykit." She recalled her mother's brother, who had died when he was a kit. She said this to comfort her friend, although she wasn't sure. Silverstorm had looked severely injured.

Frostpaw shrugged. "She doesn't look so good so far. We patched the wounds with marigold poultice and cobwebs, then tried to set her leg straight with a branch and some vines. I don't think it's working."

"Well, it's only been a day," Dewpaw said optimistically. "Maybe her conditions will improve."

Frostpaw nodded. "Maybe." She looked up, her eyes shining. "Thanks, Dewpaw, you're a great help."

Dewpaw twitched her ears in reply. Then she yawned, closing her eyes for a brief moment.

When they reached camp, Dewpaw padded into the apprentices den immediately. She curled up, tucking her nose under tail, and closed her eyes.

~oOoOoOoOoOo~

Dewpaw padded back into camp, a mouse and two voles dangling in her jaws. She, Hazelstep, and Dawnheart had gone for a quick hunt.

"You did really well," Hazelstep purred. "Do you think you're up for battle training later?"

Dewpaw nodded. She dropped the fresh-kill on the fresh-kill pile and shook her fur. "I'd love to!"

"I'll meet you at the training clearing at sunset," Hazelstep called as she and Dawnheart began padding toward the warriors den.

Dewpaw looked around. Frostpaw was about to leave camp. She raced over.

"Hey, Frostpaw. Where are you off to?"

The white medicine cat apprentice sighed. "Hi, Dewpaw. I'm going to gather some herbs." She lowered her head as she said quietly, "Silverstorm hasn't gotten any better."

Dewpaw's tail drooped. It had been a quarter moon since Silverstorm had been injured in a skirmish with ShadowClan. "Well, I'll go with you to collect herbs. I'm not very busy."

"Thanks," Frostpaw mewed. "It's nice having someone else come with me. Lightpaw is always busy training and whatnot."

Dewpaw laid her tail on Frostpaw's shoulder. "Well, I'm here to be your friend, whenever."

"Thanks," Frostpaw repeated.

"What do we need?" Dewpaw asked.

Frostpaw rolled her eyes as she tried to think. "We need marigold, some cobwebs, and burdock root."

Dewpaw tilted her head to the side. "Where do we find it?"

"There are some cobwebs among the pine trees, near the ShadowClan border," Frostpaw mewed. "Marigold will be near the Sky Oak, and burdock root is by the stream."

"I'll go get the burdock root, and you can get the marigold," Dewpaw suggested. "Then we can go get the cobwebs together. I'm still cautious after what happened."

Frostpaw nodded. "Good idea. We'll meet at the Maple Tree."

"Sure," Dewpaw said as she began loping toward the stream. "See you!"

"Do you know what burdock root looks like?" Frostpaw called after her.

"Yeah, I saw it in the medicine cat den once!" Dewpaw replied. She darted toward the RiverClan border, kicking up loose grass and dirt behind her.

She slowed to a stop at the stream and looked around, searching for the burdock root. She padded into the reeds at the edge of the water, sniffing around, when there was a sharp hiss. She looked up, startled.

"What are you doing so close to RiverClan territory?" came a yowl.

Dewpaw cringed and stepped out of hiding. "I-I wasn't about to trespass!"

A black, grey, and white tomcat was glaring at her, his green eyes hard. "You're Dewpaw, aren't you?" His eyes softened a bit.

Dewpaw nodded. This cat looks a lot like Cloverpaw! "I'm sorry, I was just looking for some burdock root!"

The tom cocked his head to one side. "Wait, you're not the medicine cat apprentice! Why would you be looking for burdock root?"

"I was helping Frostpaw, ThunderClan's medicine cat apprentice," Dewpaw replied. She then noticed a familiar, sleek brown shape coming their way. It was Sandpaw! "Um, hi," she mewed quietly.

Sandpaw nodded, then looked up at the tom. "What's wrong, Rainheart?"

"This apprentice was helping the medicine cat, looking for burdock root, but I thought she was trying to cross the border," Rainheart explained to his apprentice.

Why is he siding with me? Dewpaw thought curiously. She ducked her head when she saw Rainheart and Sandpaw watching her intently. "Sorry," she muttered. "If I can just find the burdock root, I'll be on my way."

Rainheart nodded. "I smelled some the other day while I was hunting. That way." He gestured with his tail.

"Thank you," Dewpaw mewed as she backed away a few steps. "Bye." Glancing back once, she raced down the stream. When she found the burdock root, she dug it up and gently grasped it in her mouth. Then she trotted toward the Maple Tree.

Frostpaw was already there, a pile of neat, marigold leaves beside her. "Hi, Dewpaw! What took you so long?"

Dewpaw mewed hello and told Frostpaw about Rainheart. "I got some burdock root, at least."

"Good," Frostpaw mewed. "It's kind of late. I think I can go get cobwebs later, we should head to camp."

"Okay. I have battle training anyway," Dewpaw replied. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Frostpaw mewed. She picked up the marigold and led the way back to camp.

Dewpaw went into the medicine cat's den to deliver the burdock root, and got a glimpse of Silverstorm. She was sleeping. Her leg was awkwardly twisted, but the bleeding had stopped, and most of the scratches were gone.

"Thanks, Dewpaw," Mosspelt purred. She sounded tired and restless. "Good job, Frostpaw. You can go now."

As Dewpaw padded out of the den, she overheard Frostpaw mewing, "How is she doing?"

Dewpaw glanced at the sky. She should probably go meet Hazelstep at the training clearing now. After being stopped by Shadowclaw, who was on guard duty, she padded back out into the forest.

Hazelstep was already waiting for her. She didn't scold Dewpaw for being late, as she had expected. Instead, she purred mischievously and leapt at her apprentice. Dewpaw gasped and dodged the attack, then lashed at her opponent, claws sheathed of course.

"Pretty good," Hazelstep panted.

Dewpaw purred. "Thanks."

~oOoOoOoOoOo~

Dewpaw was gobbling up a mouse when Cloverpaw came to eat with her. "Hi," she mewed to her older sister.

Cloverpaw nodded. "Hey," she replied, yawning.

"Tired?"

Cloverpaw nodded. "Yeah. Smokestar took me battle training, then we went on a patrol. Luckily, we didn't see any ShadowClan patrols."

Dewpaw purred, then her blue eyes clouded. "I wonder what's going to happen to Silverstorm. I saw her earlier. She didn't look too good."

Suddenly, there was a loud wail. Forestlily was clambering out the medicine cat's den, panicked. Silverstorm slowly emerged from the den, being helped by Mosspelt and Thistlefang.

Was that a better cliffy? I hope you all liked this chapter! Please review! Oh, and what happened to xxcrowysnextmatexx? She never reviewed the previous chapter! Wherever you are, make sure you read this!!!!!

Thanks to everyone else who reviewed!

Make sure you review this time!