It was a few moons since Riverpaw had first been made an apprentice and seen the sun-drown place. Since then, she'd only seen the sun-drown place three times, but never at dusk.
Riverpaw padded back into camp her mouth holding two mice and a vole. Dustpelt was behind, carrying her four other catches. He looked absolutely pleased with his apprentice, which Riverpaw knew was true. He had told her himself that catching seven fresh kill in one morning was impressive.
Riverpaw and Dustpelt dropped the fresh kill into the pile. His mouth now empty, Dustpelt mewed, "Rest now, I have something to discuss with Firestar." Riverpaw jumped up, her heart pounding with excitement.
"No, you're not quite ready to be made a warrior, but you never know." Dustpelt purred with amusement at her reaction. "If you must know, I'm going to ask if you can come to the Gathering tonight. I'll take you to train later." Riverpaw mewed a thanks and dashed off to the apprentice den where Spottedpaw was eating a piece of fresh kill.
"Spottedpaw, I'm going to the Gathering tonight!" Riverpaw told her enthusiastically. Spottedpaw looked up.
"Really? I hope I get to go," Spottedpaw mewed simply. Riverpaw frowned. That was unusual for Spottedpaw; she normally got excited for her friend when good things happened and sympathetic when bad things happened.
"Are you okay?" she asked Spottedpaw.
"Yeah, fine," Spottedpaw replied, taking another bite out of her. She stood and shook her tortoiseshell fur. "Well, I'd better go ask Birchfall, then." At that same instant she saw a flaming red cat headed toward them.
"I don't think you'll have to," Riverpaw whispered. "Here comes Firestar."
"Hi, Riverpaw, Spottedpaw," Firestar mewed. "I decided that you two and the other six can come to the Gathering tonight." Spottedpaw's face light up. Once again, Riverpaw noticed a dreamy look in her eyes.
"We'll leave just around dusk," Firestar told them. Behind him, Riverpaw saw Brambleclaw meowing for Firestar to come. "Excuse me."
Spottedpaw quavered in excitement. "Can you believe we're going to the Gathering?"
"No, I guess not," Riverpaw mewed uncertainly. "Listen, can I ask you something?"
"Sure," Spottedpaw said.
"Is there any particular reason you like the Gathering… I know this isn't your first time, but you said something a few months ago, and just now it reminded me," Riverpaw mewed tentatively.
"What are you talking about?" Spottedpaw asked.
"Well, you said, 'And you get to meet other cats, too' and then got this kind of dreamy look in your eyes…"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Spottedpaw snapped angrily. She turned around and stalked into the apprentice den, curling up in the shadows. Riverpaw sighed. Why did her friend always get touchy whenever Riverpaw talked about the Gathering? Or was it specific reason that she'd hit?
Riverpaw stared at the scene in front of her. A huge number of cats sat, stood, and went in between cats in a clearing. They'd had to cross a rather seemingly unstable tree to get here, but it had been worth it. The clearing had tall, wheat colored and green grass with trees surrounding it. In the middle was possibly the fattest tree she'd ever seen.
The Clans couldn't see Silver Lake from here, but as they'd been traveling, Riverpaw had seen it for the first time at night. She'd never seen anything bigger in her entire life. Yes, she'd seen it multiple times in the past few months, but at night it was even more gorgeous. The stars and moon reflected on the lake, just as Dustpelt had said.
Dustpelt, standing on her other side, nudged her. "Like it?" Riverpaw nodded in awe.
"How many cats normally come to the Gathering?" she asked.
"Around fifty." Canyonpaw, her fellow apprentice and a dusty brown cat she'd taken a liking to, had appeared on her other side; Spottedpaw had already gone somewhere in the mob of cats. Riverpaw's eyes widened.
"Wow." She couldn't say anything more.
"Come on," Canyonpaw said, pushing her forward. Riverpaw saw a group of apprentices and walked over to them.
"…and then this disgusting wad just popped from out of the hollow in the tree!" Riverpaw spotted the source at once; a light gray tom.
"Coalpelt said it was an owl pellet," a pretty white cat said who was sitting next to Riverpaw. "They're made of the bones and fur the owl can't digest or something so they vomit it all back up."
Riverpaw frowned. "So they don't get any of the food? Wouldn't they all die?" The white she-cat purred with amusement.
"No silly, they just vomit up the bones and fur!" Riverpaw looked in her eyes and gasped. One of her eyes was green and the other was blue!
"Yeah, I know, that's how every cat reacts." She scuffled her paws in the dirt.
"No! They're really cool!" Riverpaw mewed. The other cat looked up happily.
"Well, you're the first one to say so," she said. "My name's Ivypaw. What's yours?"
"Riverpaw. Nice to meet you, Ivypaw." Both apprentices purred with laughter. They knew that was only how elders greeted each other.
"What Clan are you from?" Riverpaw asked.
"RiverClan and I think you're from ThunderClan, but I can't tell, there are too many smells." When Riverpaw nodded, her face brightened. "My mentor, Blackclaw, told me I had a really good nose!"
"Yeah, you do." Riverpaw looked around for Spottedpaw, hoping to introduce the two cats. "You think you can you can use your nose to find my friend? I can't see her anywhere."
"No, I don't think so, but I'll help look." Riverpaw and Ivypaw stood and began weaving through cats looking for Spottedpaw.
"What color is her fur?" Ivypaw asked.
"She's a tortoiseshell, but-"
"Is that her?" Ivypaw interrupted. Riverpaw looked and saw a dappled tail sticking out from behind a tree. Even odder, the tree was about five or six fox lengths outside of Four Trees.
"What's she doing?" Riverpaw and Ivypaw slinked forward until they were in front of the tree. They kept still, hidden from Spottedpaw.
"I smell WindClan and ThunderClan," Ivypaw whispered.
Riverpaw shuddered, suddenly realizing what her friend was up to. "And I hear purring." Riverpaw felt sick. Even though she wasn't born in ThunderClan, she was loyal! What did Spottedpaw think she was doing, falling for a WindClan cat!
Riverpaw decided enough was enough and jumped out from under the tree. When she saw her best friend and a dark brown WindClan cat sitting close together, their tails entwined. The WindClan cat that seemed older and was definitely taller was licking the top of Spottedpaw's head in a more than friendly way. He immediately stopped when he saw Riverpaw and Ivypaw.
"What are you doing?" Riverpaw yowled. The WindClan cat stood up, his fur fluffed out. He was ferocious, and though Riverpaw was afraid of him, she wouldn't give up her friend without a fight.
"Wait, please Riverpaw!" Spottedpaw leapt up and rubbed her flank against the WindClan cat.
"How could you? You're supposed to be loyal to ThunderClan!" Riverpaw growled in a low voice. Ivypaw stood behind Riverpaw, her fur fluffed out, ready to defend her new friend against the WindClan cats attack.
"Well, how about her?" Spottedpaw retorted, flicking her tail in Ivypaw's direction.
"Ivypaw's my friend, not my lover!" she hissed. Riverpaw turned her gaze and glared at the WindClan cat. "And you stay away! You're older and shouldn't go around tricking other cats; it's disgusting!" Riverpaw heard Ivypaw hiss in her ear, "That's Northpaw." Riverpaw's ears flicked in surprise; he looked like he was a warrior!
Northpaw snorted. "Don't talk to me like that; I could take you any day!"
"STOP!" Spottedpaw yowled. Behind them in Four Trees, the Clan cats had become silent.
"Nice," Ivypaw hissed. Riverpaw felt a flash of resentment towards Ivypaw but it was quickly subdued when three cats including Dustpelt ran up to them.
"Everything's perfectly fine!" Dustpelt reassured the silent cats. Low murmurs broke out and eventually became normal talk.
"What's going on?" One of the cats mewed.
Northpaw spoke. "Nothing, just a stupid argument on what owl pellets are made of," he said quickly. Riverpaw saw Spottedpaw flash him an admiring look and Riverpaw snarled. Dustpelt looked at her, understanding in his eyes.
"Okay, we believe you, now all of you back in Four Trees; the Gathering is about to begin." Spottedpaw, Northpaw, Ivypaw, and Riverpaw all scampered back into the clearing. A couple of cats glanced at them, but most were watching the Tree of Uniting.
The last leader to leap onto the Tree of Uniting was Firestar. Next to him, Leopardstar yowled for the Gathering to begin.
The whole formal part of the Gathering was boring. Each Clan leader spoke of the new kits, warriors, and apprentices. When the Gathering was over, Firestar gathered up ThunderClan and had departed. Riverpaw saw Spottedpaw said good-bye to Northpaw. She did not speak to Spottedpaw the entire way home.
The next morning, Riverpaw saw Spottedpaw sitting at the fresh kill pile alone. She looked depressed. She had a piece, but Riverpaw saw she hadn't taken a single bite. Though she was still sore from last night, Riverpaw grabbed a piece of fresh kill and sat next to Spottedpaw.
"I'm sorry," Riverpaw mewed quietly. Spottedpaw looked up in surprise. "I know that you just really like him, I guess, but I was only thinking of you last night." Her friend frowned. "I mean, I was just thinking of that story about Graystripe; he fell in love with a cat from RiverClan, and then was torn between his original Clan and RiverClan where his kits were."
Spottedpaw nodded. "I know. I told Northpaw that story, too, but he said that I could keep the kits if I had any, and we'd never tell."
"So, we're still friends?" Riverpaw asked anxiously.
"Yeah, I forgive you." Riverpaw let out a yowl of delight. Fortunately, only Brightheart heard and when she looked over, she smiled. Then she came over to them and settled down next to Riverpaw. Riverpaw only glanced at Brightheart's scarred face. It didn't really bother her; she'd learned that Brightheart was one of the kindest cats she'd ever met. Riverpaw went to Brightheart every time she had a problem or just wanted to talk. Another cat she'd taken to was Brook, Stormfur's lover from the Tribe of Rushing Water, another outsider of the Clan like Riverpaw herself..
Spottedpaw batted her nose. "Now that we're completely on the subject of love," Spottedpaw teased. "What about you staring at Canyonpaw whenever he passes?"
"Shut up!" But it was true, and Riverpaw knew it.
A few days later, as all the four she-cat apprentices gathered around at dusk to eat their fresh kill, Firestar jumped up onto Highrock to speak.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Cats came from every den to sit below the tree. The apprentices gathered around in a group near the back.
"I believe that eight cats here deserve their warrior names!" Firestar mewed. "Before they come up, I would just like to thank Brightheart and Ferncloud." Below, cats purred with amusement. "Now, please come up, Riverpaw, Spottedpaw, Snowpaw, Fawnpaw, Amberpaw, Ashenpaw, and Oakpaw."
The eight apprentices bounded up onto the rock. Riverpaw was completely surprised. She had definitely not expected this. Weren't they supposed to be told before they were made warriors?
"I, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these eight apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in turn."
"Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
At once, all eight responded, "I do." Riverpaw felt something stir within her. She felt that everything she had done for her new Clan had been for the sake of this single moment when everything would be different. When everything bad in her past would disappear, and when she said those two life changing words, it was all washed away, like the sun-drown place's water sweeping the sand away in one wave.
Firestar looked up to the heavens. "Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior names: Spottedpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Spottedleaf." Below, murmurs sounded from the eldest of cats. Leafpool's eyes widened. Firestar shot a look at his Clan, and the murmuring ceased.
"Spottedleaf, StarClan honors you for your determined attitude to please your Clan and stay as loyal as possible. Now, Oakpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Oakstripe. StarClan also honors you for your hard work." Riverpaw frowned when she heard what Firestar had said about Spottedleaf. Did he know about Northpaw?
"Canyonpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Canyonridge. StarClan honors you for you bravery; when you were first made an apprentice you killed a fox that tried to kill a kit." Riverpaw smiled at Canyonridge and he nervously smiled back.
"Fawnpaw, you will be known as Fawnfrost, and Amberpaw, your new name is Amberpelt. StarClan honors you both for your loyalty and kindness.
"Snowpaw, from now on, you will be known as Snowclaw. StarClan honors you for courage and skills. Ashenpaw you are now Ashentail. StarClan honors you for your loyalty and hard work." Riverpaw gulped. He'd saved her for last.
"Riverpaw, from now on, you will be known as Riverheart. StarClan honors your bravery and your strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." He touched his muzzle to her head and murmured, "I am proud to have you as my warrior. Server you Clan and home well, Riverheart."
Riverheart purred a thanks and slipped away to join her friends and fellow warriors. "It is almost moonhigh," Firestar mewed. "As is tradition, you will sit vigil for the night and watch over us."
Riverheart purred quietly with laughter as she heard Amberpelt fall asleep and Fawnfrost nudge her. Amberpelt jumped and hissed at no one. Every new warrior looked over at the commotion, but Riverheart saw something out of the corner of her eye.
Mousefur slipped quietly through the thorn tunnel. Riverheart frowned. Where could she be going, especially as frail as she was? Riverheart had the urge to follow her, but knew she couldn't. That would be breaking the tradition. But then again, the tradition was to watch camp… No! She'd wait for Mousefur to come back.
By morning, however, Mousefur had not returned. When Riverheart saw Brambleclaw nod to release them form the vigil, Riverheart dashed off. Spottedleaf yowled and followed. She followed Mousefur's scent, and as she got closer, she smelled something else. Blood!
Riverheart stopped and gasped. Behind her, Spottedleaf skidded and yowled. On the ground was Mousefur, dead. A RiverClan cat Riverheart had met at the last Gathering called Blackclaw, also lay dead. Mousefur's face was frozen in a snarl, fighting an enemy. Had someone killed her? The RiverClan cat? No, part of his body was on top of hers, meaning he'd been defending her.
There was one more smell. But it was faint, washed away by the blood and river. The one scent Riverheart had hoped never to smell again. StormClan! I can't tell anyone though!
A/N: Okay! Not so boring now is it! I promised Iwould and it is ! Finally! I think that awful book we had to read for school rubbed off on me. It had a really boring beginning ...I just wanna thank Little Miss Sparrow, cuz she rocks my socks! YOU KNOW! Right, so, pleaseR&R!