"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!"
There was no need to explain further. A full moon shone above, and it was obvious that Whitestar was ready to choose those who would come to the Gathering.
"Stripedfang, Skypaw, and Shadowpaw. This shall be your first Gathering. Stormtail, Junglebeat, and Sealwhisker shall come as well. Now, let us be off!" With a great yowl, she threw herself into the air, flying past them with surprising grace. Rosethorn padded up to her side, and the named warriors and apprentices followed.
"How about us?" complained Flarekit loudly.
"Yeah, how about us?" Strawkit echoed.
"Sorry, but kits are not allowed to attend Gatherings."
"I'll tell you about it!" Stripedfang yowled over his shoulder at the frowning Strawkit. "I promise!"
"As the other Clans may or may not know, we have recently taken in some strangers. They have proved themselves to be at least moderately competent in battle, and one of them has already earned a warrior name."
There was a cacophony of cheers as the cats rose to greet the newcomers. Times were hard in the forest, and any newcomers would be welcomed. Stripedfang, Shadowpaw, and Skypaw looked embarrassed.
Stripedfang, an attention-lover, grinned as he waved his tail at the other cats. Shadowpaw and Skypaw, however, stayed further back, not sure what they should say to the rising crowd.
"Furthermore, one of our apprentices has recently become a warrior after fighting bravely in the rogue attack. Originally known as Stormpaw, he is now known as Stormtail." There were several mews of congragulations from the gathered cats. Apparently, Stormtail had been pretty popular with the other cats. But right now, he just looked embarrassed.
As the leaders began to discuss the problem of leaf-fall and the loss of prey, Skypaw wandered over to talk to a few other cats. Walking over to a blue-grey tom he had noticed before, he called out with the same gusto most men had when talking to other men. "Hey, there," he yowled, "What's your name?"
"I am Skywalker," the tom said simply, turning to lick his shoulder, "of WindClan."
"Skywalker?" asked Stripedfang in surprise. He had, after all, watched quite a bit of Star Wars, and he knew the name."That's...an interesting name," he said at last.
"Of course," the tom mewed. "Do you have a problem with it?"
"Well-"
"Attention! ThunderClan is returning home now!" yowled Whitestar, interrupting Stripedfang. The striped warrior quickly sprang to his feet, and dashed towards his leader.
Home... Shadowpaw had a sudden reminder of her old home, the one she had had when she was a human. Tears came to her eyes, but she blinked them away. Now a ThunderClan cat, she would do her best to serve her Clan.
"So, what was the Gathering like?" asked Strawkit, excited.
"Ah, boring...Just a lot of talking...but I met a cat called Skywalker!"
"Skywalker? As in, LUKE Skywalker?"
"Er, yeah, I guess you could say that, Calv…Strawkit."
Suddenly, commotion at the border alerted the two friends. Without a word, they both leapt to their feet and ran. They were rather familiar with Clan life now, and realized that it was most likely an attack.
By the time they arrived, ThunderClan was getting the upper hand. The "attackers" were only a small band of rogues, but they were lean and tough. Despite this, ThunderClan had still managed to drive them off. Spitting and snarling, the intruders had run off the territory now.
"There are several injuries-we'd better get Sealwhisker," meowed Whitestar. Quickly, she padded towards the medicine cat's den. As she disappeared inside, there was a yowl of terror from somewhere on the battlefield.
"Oh, oh, ROSETHORN, NO!" It was the brown-patched warrior, Owlwing. He was standing over the ThunderClan deputy, his eyes wide with shock. Several patches of red blood decorated her pelt, somewhat blending in with the original patches. However, the blood was bright red, and not the dull red of Rosethorn's actual pelt. "Sealwhisker, where's Sealwhisker?"
However, as Whitestar came towards the clearing, it was not Sealwhisker who followed her, but Foxfire, several healing herbs held in his mouth. His head was lowered, and the ThunderClan cats quickly understood the meaning.
"She's...dead, isn't she?" mewed Starsky thickly. Sealwhisker had been one of her best friends in ThunderClan, along with Stormtail and Junglebeat.
Stormtail and Junglebeat! Where were they? Panicked, she glanced around wildly, until she saw the black-gray pelt. Dashing over, she licked his face furiously. "Stormtail, you're alive! Oh, I can't believe it! I thought you were dead for sure!"
"Yeah, Starsky, I'm glad you're alive too. Have you seen Junglebeat?"
"Yes, Sealwhisker is dead." Whitestar's voice broke the silence before Starsky could reply. "Foxfire is the ThunderClan medicine cat now." Her voice was accentuated with sadness and mourning. "How is Rosethorn?" she asked, turning to Foxfire. The reddish medicine cat raised his head to speak.
"She'll be aright, Whitestar. I'll take her to Sealwhis-my den to rest. We must give Sealwhisker a burial ceremony, right?"
"Yes, we shall give her one soon…" Whitestar's eyes were clouded with grief as well, for Sealwhisker's gentleness had made her popular with most of the Clan. She watched Foxfire help Rosethorn limp off towards his den for a while, before turning to the dead medicine cat.
The full moon shone above, illuminating Sealwhisker's limp grey pelt. Whitestar walked forwards to speak, her voice choked with grief.
"Sealwhisker was a noble medicine cat. Let us give thanks to StarClan for her life. She was dedicated to her Clan, and her memory will never fade from the forest. Now we commend her spirit to StarClan; may she watch over us in death as she did in life."
Slowly and sadly, each cat stepped forward to pay their respects to the medicine cat. Foxfire slowly came from his den, his face even more sorrowful than Whitestar's. "How will I manage without you?" he meowed softly, staring into his former mentor's face as if he hoped for a reply. Of course, there was none.