Bleh. I hate this chapter with a passion. See if you can help me out, because it's revolting in my eyes. Revolting and boring. Updates may be coming slower because i will be working on more then one story soon. They'll be short stories, and they won't be cliche. I hate cliche things. Like Squirrel/Bramble.

She Who Sulks In The Shadows: I think that Darkflower really loves Blackstripe too, despite the near-fearfull age gap.

Shandrill Weilder of Spellfire: Brownleaf is as old as tie-die. Stupid old cat needs to get an apprentice before he croaks

silverrosetail: Ashfur/Squirrelflight is one of my favorite pairings. I might start a story about them!

Goldenfeather: thanks for your reviews!

Tainted Lullaby: I sent them again... did you get them?

CinderDreams: I based Rain off of one of my characters i did for a school story. That character was more kick-ass though

Qzil: Here's the Gathering!

Purple - Arsonic: I think everyones name is better then mines...

SnuffSnuff: Thanks for the critique! I love constructive criticizm...

The moon was just rising in the distance when we reached the island that night. My fur was still tingling from when I had seen Rain, but I quickly smoothed it down before anyone spotted. Bluestorm followed closely behind Smokestar, following him to the Great Oak. None of the other clans were there yet, and I quickly made my way over to the bush where I had sat with the other apprentices, subconsciously knowing they would make their way back to the same area.

My head was still buzzing, even when I looked over to Darkflower and saw her setting under a bush on the far side of the camp with Diamondshine, where the queens often sat. I fresh breeze wafted through the camp, and I caught the distinct scent of RiverClan and ThunderClan. A moment later the two clans pushed through the bushes and into the clearing, their leaders leaping up onto the Great Oak and the deputies and Medicine Cats gathering beneath the tree.

I spotted Bluefrost in the group of RiverClan cats, and she quickly nudged her cousin, Broadstream, and the two made their way over to me with another she-cat, a new apprentice I didn't know yet. She was small and white, with an unusual creamy belly and chest. Bluefrost dipped her head respectfully to me, along with Broadstream. I did likewise. I was surprised what a good actor she was.

"This is one of our new apprentices, Creampaw," Bluefrost flicked her tail to Creampaw, and I turned my gaze to her. She visibly flinched at the sight of our eyes meeting, and scooted back slightly, closer to Broadstream. I blinked and looked up to the big gray tom, who gave a small puff and grumble, confirming my suspicions. A moment later Petalpaw and Tricklepaw made their way over to us, weaving through the other cats.

"Hello," greeted Tricklepaw kindly, "I'm a warrior now! My name is Trickleheart, and Petalpaw got her warrior name too, she's Petaltail now." I prickled my ears at this, Petaltail was a warrior now, but then gain, I had partially know that when I had eavesdropped on her and her former mentor when she was patrolling.

"We're warriors now too," meowed Broadstream, indicating to himself and Bluefrost, "Broadstream and Bluefrost."

"And I'm Snakeheart," I meowed, all five of us were surprised we had been made warriors within the same time frame, and we laughed together. That's when Trickleheart caught sight of Creampaw and looked over to her, tilting his head to one side. He gave a soft smile and a friendly glitter in his golden eyes, bending down to get a look at the much-smaller apprentice.

"Why hello there," he meowed sweetly, "Aren't you a little cutie? What's your name?" Broadstream let out a growl, quickly flicking his tail, and for a moment I thought he was going to wrap it around her like she was a kit, but reconsidered at the last moment and let it lay protectively by her side. Trickleheart looked up to Broadstream, gave a small smirk, and straitened up.

"Her name is Creampaw," Bluefrost said quickly cutting off any glares from the two warriors, "She's a new apprentice, Broadstreams' first, and her first time to a Gathering." Trickleheart nodded slowly, pulling back and flicking his tail.

"So what have you been doing this past moon?" asked Petaltail, starting a conversation. But before anyone could answer the three WindClan siblings bounded over, along with the rest of their clan, brown pelts freshly groomed in the moonlight.

I recognized the black-and-brown tabby tom Earthpaw darting ahead, leaping high overhead that only those with WindClan blood could do, and skidding on the ground, whirling up a small dustdevil.

"Announcing the newest warriors of WindClan!" he laughed as Brownpaw and Dustpaw darted around him, kicking up more dust, "Please welcome the beautiful huntresses Browntail and Duststorm, and the brave and handsome warrior Earthheart!" All three of them stuck a pose, and at that moment every clan warrior concluded one thing – WindClan was now officially crazy.

"Welcome the gathering," greeting Bluefrost sweetly. I felt my heart flutter in my chest, when she spoke like that, like there was no sin or hate or pain in this world, something throbbed inside of me. It throbbed in pain and loss for an unknown reason. The three WindClan warriors sat down laughing, and quickly apologized to Broadstream and Creampaw for getting dust on their pelts.

"Oh? Who's this?" Earthheart bent down to get a better look at Creampaw like Trickleheart, "Oh, she's so cute!" Now Broadstream had had enough, and wrapped his tail protectively around Creampaw, drawing her closer to him. Earthheart let out a small sigh and pulled back, while his sisters patted his shoulders comfortingly with their tails.

I puffed softly, eyeing Broadstream as he looked down to Creampaw, who in turn looked up to him. It was obvious they cared for each other much more then a mentor-apprentice relationship. Broadstream grumbled and let Creampaw slip out of his grasp, allowing her to go and wander off to another group of apprentices, which included Silverpaw, Marshpaw, and Graypaw.

"So how has the prey been running in RiverClan?" asked Duststorm, narrowing her icy blue eyes and fixing her gaze on Broadstream. Broadstream let out a small growl and unsheathed his claws, but Earthheart straitened up, flicking his tail between Duststorm and Broadstream and ceasing the rising tempers.

"Remember the truce," he growled, and I tilted my head to one side, Earthheart seemed carefree and goofy, but I guessed he could be stern and smart at the same time. But something was strained between WindClan and RiverClan; the three ice-blue eyes of the brown siblings were fixed on Bluefrost and Broadstream warily.

"It's been running well," Bluefrost cut in suddenly, as if trying to mend the issues between the clans, "We have a new apprentice as you can see – her name is Creampaw, she's Broadstreams' first." Earthheart pricked up at the sound of this and striated out his brown pelt.

"I see," he narrowed his eyes softly, "But, I can guess that there's more between you and that little apprentice of yours. Only a mother would do that, and that would even be to her kits. You're…" he trailed off when he saw Broadstream thrash his tail warningly and saw an uncertain glance I Bluefrosts' eyes. With a dry sniff he turned his head and got to his paws, quickly excusing himself. Broadstream did likewise, purposely heading in the opposite direction.

"You'll have to excuse my cousin," Bluefrost said quickly to Duststorm and Browntail, green eyes almost desperate to fix what her relative had broken, "He can be a little… snippy. He's been a little on edge ever since he received Creampaw as an apprentice."

"I don't blame him," Duststorm murmured softly, looking down at her paws. I felt something pang in my chest, and narrowed my eyes, suddenly suspicious of the two brown she-cats, of Bluefrost and of the ThunderClan warriors nearby. Fear was gripping me chest. Someone was watching. Someone was listening. Fear prickled up my spine, I couldn't explain why. Then it struck me.

No… I stood up suddenly, glancing over my shoulder and up into the trees. For a moment I thought I saw something, but a moment later it was gone, and the prickling feeling left me.

But something continued to chew on me, restlessness driving me to leave the five other cats and find a place to sit by myself. Every nerve in my body was now as sensitive as my whiskers, ready to turn and attack at the drop of a hair. I jumped when Smokestar let out a long yowl, announcing the start of the Gathering. I glanced over to where Petaltail and Bluefrost were settling in between the other she-cats of RiverClan and ThunderClan and relaxed slightly, whoever had been watching was gone. At least for now.

"Did you sense it too?" a voice next to me made me jump out of my paws in surprise. Earthheart let out a small puff of amusement when he saw my reaction, his dark pelt glittering in the moonlight as in the background the leaders began to talk. I settled down, flattening my fluffed-up fur with quick licks of my tongues and regaining my reserve. Earthheart narrowed his blue eyes in brief scrutiny, then relaxed and flicked his tail casually.

"Nice tail," he purred jokingly, and I hid it quickly, feeling my pulse suddenly quicken. Earthheart jerked his head up, ice-blue eyes flashing silver for a moment when they reflected the moonlight, "I noticed it two moons ago – when you came to the Gathering and I first met you. You seem to be rather self-conscious about it, Snakepaw." I shuffled my paws and Earthheart lowered his head.

"Snakeheart," I murmured, "I'm a warrior now,"

"Snakeheart, then," Earthheart murmured softly, then, after a moment he asked, "I was right, wasn't I?"

I looked over at him and sheepishly nodded. Earthheart laughed gently, eyes scanning the throngs of cats in front of us.

"I can see a lot of things, Snakeheart," he murmured, "A lot of things from a lot of cats. And I never completely want to see them. My mother calls it intuition. I can tell what each thrash of a tail and glance and ear flick means to the one doing it. Like, for example, look over there." He pointed his muzzle to where Bluestorm was sitting below the Great Tree with another Clan deputy – Stoneclaw of WindClan.

"She's your deputy," he murmured, "But look at her, she feels guilty about her position, she glanced at your Medicine Cat in unease when they announced it and look – she's shuffling her paws as they talk. She feels like she shouldn't be the one sitting below the leaders. And look over there, to the Deputy of ThunderClan." He pointed his muzzle over to Pantherclaw now, who was sitting nearby the pale ginger she-cat, Yellowbelly, his mate.

"He's pretending that she's his mate," Earthheart murmured, "Look, compare them to the couple over there – the RiverClan one. You can see a lot of differences, or, at least I can." I tried, but it was hard, I guess Earthheart really did have intuition like his mother said.

"And before, when you were talking to my sisters and the other cats, you froze and looked behind you. You could see the fur on your lower back slowly standing up and you hurried away in what looked like fear." I flinched at this. It was real then; Earthheart was a smart cat, smart and as sensitive as a rabbit, he looked at me through the corner of his eye and smirked.

"I sensed her as well," froze at his words, "The gray one with the dark eyes."

Shock rippled through me and I turned to Earthheart, feeling my heart beating wilding in my chest. Was Earthheart talking about Rain?

"Am I right?" he puffed and looked away, "You know her as well, a small she-cat with pale gray fur and dark blue eyes. Dark and toxic, eyes that drag you down and make you fly at the same time. They're eyes that have seen far too much for her young age. Far too much of pain, of death, of struggle. I cannot even imagine what she has gone through."

"She killed… two of our clan members…" I murmured, deciding to tell Earthheart that Blackstripe was dead instead of alive like how I expected, "Blackstripe and another warrior – Frostfoot." Earthheart looked interested at this.

"Really?" he asked, "I didn't think she had it in her."

I blinked in surprise, what was Earthheart talking about?

"I first saw her when I was out hunting alone a few moons ago. She's younger then us, and looked like nothing but a small apprentice. But she was with another cat – a big rogue with black-and-white fur. They had pinned down one of the senior warriors – Brambletail – and he was trying to get her to kill him. But she looked scared… no… more then scared… she was terrified. She could hardly even look at Brambletail in the eyes. And when she started reaching towards his throat she broke down and threw up. The tom killed off Brambletail and dragged her off in the direction of the marsh. She looked miserable, and even back then I knew she couldn't kill another cat. I bet she hardly had enough to kill a mouse."

"Are we talking about the same cat?" I asked irritably. What was Earthheart saying? Rain had killed Frostfoot without mercy and had spirited away Blackstripe to StarClan-knows-where. She was plotting the downfall of ShadowClan, she had said do herself! It was all just a 'game' to her!

"But of course," chuckled Earthheart softly, "Snakeheart, you're a good cat," he murmured, then looked up, past the tree-tops and the Great Oak and the leaders finished their reports to the clans, pointing his muzzle at a star in the sky, a star that glittered more brightly then all of those around it, a star that was surrounded by darkness, all alone in the sky and forced to be alone for an eternity.

"Do you see that star?" he asked, and I nodded slowly, Earthheart closed his eyes softly, "One day when you die you'll become a star as well, you'll be a star and shine in the sky brighter then even that one, brighter then even the moon and the sun. Your star will be twice as beautiful as any other." Earthheart laughed again and got to his paws, the leaders were jumping back down from the Great Oak and mingling with the other cats. Earthheart twisted as he heard his sisters calling him, and then turned for a moment back to me.

"At least, that's what I think." With a playful glitter in his eyes he turned and bounded back over to his sisters, leaving me with a confused and with a throbbing heart.

I. Fricking. Love. Earthheart.

I now proclaim that! Yes, go, Earthheart, go! But... There seems to be a slight hint of a relationship between Snakey and Earthy. Now, now... don't get all worked up all of you yaoi-haters. Earthheart is going to get a she-cat of his own... Eventually... And don't worry. Snakey only loves Bluey... or... does he...

Now I have a confession to make.

I have a radar built into my computer that allows me to see all of you people who read my story and don't review.

That's right, people, I can see you, and let me tell you, that color goes horribly with your skin tone.

Review

NOW

or i like come for fix-face

POLL QUESTION

Ho, cuz, chu got da kine?

A. Are you kidding? I'm OVAH FLOWIN' with da kine!

B. Ah... um... no...

C. Eh? Excuse me, but what is this 'da kine' of which you speak?