Starpaw shook the moss of its water violently, before giving a huff, and taking all she could carry back to camp. The Gathering was tomorrow, the first that Spottedstar would attend to as leader, and Blazestar all ready announced who was going.
Blazestar, Braveheart, and Ravenfur were obvious, and from there, he announced that Smallclaw, Fernwill, Shadestalker, Duststorm, and Lionclaw were going, and by the grace of Starclan, also announced that Starpaw and Bluepaw would be joining.
Starpaw and Bluepaw still felt the sting from not being made a warrior, as punishment for going to the Riverclan camp to speak with their medicine cat. Had she known that she would have been caught, she would have forced Bluepaw to stay, so that she could have also been made a warrior.
Starpaw looked up at her milk sister, who was returning with some moss as well, for the warrior's den, as they had all ready replaced the moss in the elder's den. Bluepaw gave her a sort of mock-angered look. Starpaw felt pretty bad about the whole deal, though Bluepaw seemed to joke about it a bit.
They filed in, side by side, to camp, before making a beeline to the warrior's den. Lionclaw and Braveheart were talking outside, and the two apprentices gave them a nod as they past.
"Yes, Blazestar said that Bramblekit's, Hawk-kit's, and Moonkit's mentors were all ready picked." Braveheart said to Lionclaw. Starpaw's ears pricked to listen, and from the way Bluepaw's ears pricked, she guessed her sister wanted to know as well.
"Did he? Their apprenticeship ceremony is soon, right? They are your kits, so did you get any say in their mentors?" Lionclaw mewed. Starpaw shuffled the moss into suitable bedding as she listened. She thought of all the warriors in the clan, and who would be most suitable to mentor who. Moonkit was somewhat fast, she knew, but had problems with attacking, she'd need a cat with a lot of patience and kindness to teach her, so Starpaw guessed her mentor would likely be either Whitestorm or Duststorm, possibly even Braveheart. Hawk-kit was a fast learner, and as ever silent. He'd be a perfect apprentice to a warrior who's never had one, so Starpaw hoped that her milk sister, Fernwill might be his mentor, but guessed that maybe Tigerstripe, or Smallclaw would most likely mentor him instead.
Bramblekit was a head-strong kit, and would make an energetic apprentice, Starpaw knew, so his mentor would need a firm paw, and a LOT of patience. Sandtail was most ideal, but Starpaw knew the she-cat wouldn't mentor him, she wasn't sure how, she just knew it wouldn't be Sandtail. Other than Sandtail, Venomheart was another good choice, or maybe Mistfrost, though Starpaw found it hard to imagine that Blazestar would let a cat that was new to the clan train a future warrior.
"I recommended some of the cats, and Blazestar took it into consideration." Braveheart mewed back. Bluepaw looked up at Starpaw, her eyes showing the same excitement Starpaw was feeling. It was hard not to get excited, really, when kits were going to be made into apprentices.
"Really? Who did you recommend? You were away so much training Shadestalker though, how do you know which cats would be best?" Lionclaw asked back. Starpaw heard Braveheart purr.
"Simple, I watched when I was hear, and listened to Starpaw, when she talked about the kits to other apprentices. I talk to the other warriors, to you know, and to Snowfur." Braveheart purred out. Lionclaw gave a light purr of apology, and Braveheart continued.
"as for who I recommended. For Hawk-kit, I recommended Fernwill mostly. His temperament, much like Wolfkit, is perfect for a warrior that hasn't trained an apprentice yet. I know Fernwill would do a great job of training him," Starpaw felt somewhat heated with pride for her milk sister, she knew Fernwill would be a good choice, and was glad Braveheart saw that, "as for Moonkit, I recommended Smallclaw." Starpaw and Bluepaw both froze. Never, in a million moons, would Starpaw have even CONSIDERED Smallclaw a choice to mentor a cat as docile as Moonkit. Lionclaw, likewise, seemed stunned.
"Smallclaw? Is that really such a wise choice?" He mewed back.
"Yes. Moonkit is very docile, very much like her mother. I fear to much like her mother, and would never be a proper warrior, however, if she wasn't given a mentor with a very firm paw in combat. Smallclaw, in this aspect, would be perfect." Braveheart replied. Starpaw shuffled some moss again, hoping to dampen her unease. What Braveheart said made sense Snowfur didn't care for battles at all, and much preferred helping out around the camp, but did he really mean to imply that it made his own mate look like an improper warrior..?
"As for Bramblekit, I recommended Venomheart or Tigerstripe. Both would be perfect to train him, while also training him to use his rather... rambunctious side to his advantage." Starpaw heard Lionclaw mew in agreement. Bluepaw nodded to Starpaw after nudging some moss again, so it was all in place, and shifted to the exit. Starpaw yawned slightly, when she walked out, and nodded to Braveheart and Lionclaw as they left.
From the look Braveheart gave her, she felt that he knew they were listening.
-
"Starpaw, you'll be going on patrol with Whitestorm, Tigerstripe, and Smallclaw in a few minutes." Blazestar told her as she was eating her morning meal. She wondered why, since tonight was the Gathering, and she was attending, but figured it was part of her 'punishment', and finished eating rather quickly, and sat at the entrance waiting patiently. Shadestalker looked at her sympathetically when he walked out of the warrior's den, Whitestorm, Tigerstripe, and Smallclaw filing out a few moments after.
"Good, you saved us the trouble of getting you." Tigerstripe said, his voice agitated Smallclaw looked at her coldly, but said nothing, and Starpaw felt a little small under his cold gaze. Whitestorm gave her a warm, sympathetic look, but said nothing, and the four departed for dawn patrol. Starpaw wanted to talk to Whitestorm, but Tigerstripe made it pretty clear she wasn't permitted to talk, since he started hissing whenever she made an attempt to, so she kept her mouth shut and stayed next to Whitestorm, taking a small comfort in the way he brushed his tail against her flank every few seconds.
That patrol was hard to get through, as she wasn't allowed to do much other than follow and stay silent. She wanted to hunt, and saw a mouse at one point, but Tigerstripe yowled at her, and told her not to hunt, so now she was agitated, on top of uncomfortable.
She knew Blazestar planned this specifically to teach her a lesson, she knew it, but even Starclan could see she was having a hard time not snapping at the two older warriors. She kept her breathing as even as she could, even though she was now seething in anger, getting glares from Tigerstripe and Smallclaw, and getting comforting brushes from Whitestorm.
When they were on the final stretch to camp, she heard something that almost made her lose it
Tigerstripe had made a comment, loud enough for them all to hear, though made it sound as if he only meant for his son to hear.
"Feh! I'm glad Blazestar didn't make that kittypet a warrior! That wretched kit should just be sent back to her twolegs!" The kittypet being her. She felt Whitestorm tense as everyone stopped.
"Tigerstripe, shut up before I claw your fur off!" Whitestorm hissed, fur bristled, claws unsheathed. Tigerstripe hissed back, unsheathing his claws.
"Oh sorry, did I offend you to? A kittypet is a kittypet, regardless if they are trained!" Tigerstripe hissed. Smallclaw kept silent, his gaze on his father unreadable.
"Tigerstripe, let us get back to camp. Now." Whitestorm hissed, taking a step forward. Tigerstripe looked like he was about to strike, but seemed to decide otherwise. As they walked back to camp, Whitestorm walked so close to Starpaw, she was almost knocked off balance, his side firmly against hers. Tigerstripe walked along, far ahead, his son trailing lightly behind him.
Starpaw looked into the trees and foliage around them, not sure why she was looking, but felt she should anyway.
For a moment, she saw a golden orange cat looking at her. She saw the cat nod at her, and she blinked, and the cat was gone.
It wasn't until they reached camp that she realized it was Flamestar.
-
"Ready?" Bluepaw asked Starpaw. They were waiting in the center of the cats with some of the others that were attending the Gathering. She nodded at her milk sister, and to Shadestalker as he finally walked up, licking his maw lightly.
"Excited?" Bluepaw asked him. Shadestalker nodded his head enthusiastically.
"This is my first Gathering as a warrior! Of course I am excited!" He said. Blazestar and Braveheart finally appeared from Blazestar's den. Starpaw, Bluepaw, and Shadestalker quited down as Blazestar checked to make sure all participants were there, and then led them out.
Starpaw was actually nervous to go to the Gathering. She had missed meeting up with Nightpaw, since she had gone to Riverclan territory, and when she snuck out again the next night, to see if he'd be there, he wasn't It left her feeling cold, and she was almost caught when she snuck back into the apprentice's den. Now she felt nervous to go to the Gathering, since she didn't really want to see if Nightpaw was deeply hurt by her missing their meeting.
She was also nervous that Riverclan might bring attention that she and Bluepaw had gone to their camp, and might use it as an excuse to demand something in return. She knew Spottedstar wasn't really the type to do that, but she couldn't be sure about Whitemist's influence.
Her excitement, and nervousness grew when they reached Small Land, and was grateful when Blazestar stopped them before they crossed the bridge, making them wait for his signal. Starpaw gulped, getting a weird look from Bluepaw, and trudged forward as Blazestar gave the signal.
Entering the clearing on Small Land, she thought back to the previous Gathering. The amount of cats was stifling, the mix of scents and such. Starpaw shook her head, and with Bluepaw walking beside her, she walked to where the apprentices were sitting, talking to each other. Looking them over, she saw Leafpaw and Robinpaw talking, her brother Hawkpaw sitting beside her, talking with Patchpaw. Kindlepaw and Darkpaw were talking, and when Starpaw looked up at the medicine cats, she saw Brackenpaw with his mentor.
Starpaw gulped when she saw Nightpaw sitting with them, not talking to them, looking rather...lonely. Bluepaw mewed a greeting, and joined in Leafpaw and Robinpaw's chat. Starpaw slowly walked to Nightpaw, her ears a little low. She tilted her head to the side slightly, looking at him, and feeling a fang of guilt when he looked at her, and his gaze looked like she had just struck him.
"I waited for you almost all night." He whispered to her, low enough so that only she could hear. Starpaw nodded.
"I'm sorry. I got into some trouble." She whispered back. Nightpaw gave her a questioning glance. She looked at the other apprentices, and the nearest warriors, to make sure none were listening in, before she turned back to Nightpaw.
"I snuck into Riverclan territory. I needed to find something out, and got caught. That is why I wasn't able to make it." She said. Nightpaw didn't say anything right away, his gaze unreadable, until he nodded, and swiped his tail over her front paws lightly.
"Think we could meet up again sometime?" He whispered Starpaw nodded.
"The day after tomorrow Some of our kits are being made into apprentices tomorrow, so it will be hard to sneak out with them all wired up in the apprentice's den." She said. Nightpaw nodded.
"So how have things been with you?" He asked, his voice level normal. Starpaw nodded her head.
"Good, hunting is going smoothly, you know." She said, nodding her head again. The other apprentices joined in their conversation, swapping stories and such until the clan leaders called for a meeting.
The noise dimmed down as they jumped up onto the high rock, the only noticeable difference to the last Gathering, being that instead of Mistystar, Spottedstar sat in her place.
"Spottedleaf, where is Mistystar?" Oakstar questioned. The mist clan and Mountainclan cats hushed. Being the farthest clans from Riverclan, they would have been the last ones to know. Spottedstar nodded her head slightly.
"She is dead. Killed by a badger. I am now Spottedstar, not Spottedleaf." She replied. Starpaw saw Whitemist join the other deputies ender the high rock, finally. Looking over at the medicine cats, she saw that Mothwing refused to even look at high rock, and instead was looking at the ground in front of her, or maybe her paws.
"My condolences." Oakstar said. Tornstar also nodded his head in respect, as did Moonstar. Longstar looked shocked, but said nothing.
"Who will go first?" Oakstar mewed. Spottedstar lifted a paw, then placed it back down.
"I will." she said. The other leaders nodded, and all eyes were on her.
"Whitemist is my deputy, as some may all ready know," her gaze was on the apprentices, and Starpaw knew she was looking at her and Bluepaw. Some cats from Riverclan mewled out approvals, cats from other clans simply gave mewls of encouragement.
"Prey is running good, we are having no problems, the rivers run full with fish as well. We have scented rogues, near the border between our clan and Sunclan, near Twoleg place, as well." She said. Blazestar nodded. Spottedstar ended her report, and Shadowstar went next.
"Prey is going good, but sadly, greencough has hit some of our cats hard. We lost an elder recently, Speckleface, and one of our queens has lost her unborn kits." He said. Starpaw felt bad,and looked to Darkpaw and Nightpaw, their gazes sad. She looked back up at the leaders, and noticed a slot missing from the deputies. Batear was not with them. Looking around the clearing, she couldn't see them. Leaning over slightly, she whispered to Nightpaw.
"Where is Batear?" she questioned. Nightpaw shook his head.
"He is ill with greencough. Featherpelt is still treating him." He said. Starpaw didn't realize that their medicine cat was also missing until that moment, when she looked over at them. Shadowstar had just finished his report, when she looked back up. Oakstar was next.
"As always, Mistclan is strong. Like Riverclan, we have scented rogues near out borders, mostly near the twoleg place, but the scent trail always leads out of our territory, though not always to Sunclan's territory." He mewed. He looked out over the camp, and nodded, "We have also been blessed with the birth of new kits." He said, not going father, and ending his report with saying that prey is running good, and the clan has not had an outbreak of illness. Longstar went next. Starpaw noticed that his torn off ear was padded down with so much spider webs, that it blended into his white fur like he didn't even have an ear there. His other cuts, likewise, were patched up.
"Our clan is strong and healthy, prey running in plenty. We have had few issues, aside from a rather persistent loner who seems determined to invade our territory,"
"Just one cat is giving you problems?" Tornstar sneered at the injured leader. Longstar flicked his tail in annoyance.
"The loner doesn't fight, only flees when he is sighted. He mentioned once needing to find a lost kit, but due to how long he has been trying to get into our territory, if there was a kit, it is probably dead by now. Now then, as I was saying, we had a few cases of whitecough in our cats, but so far, nothing else." Longstar concluded his report, and the other cats went, all normal, all all right.
Starpaw felt relieved, but also a bit uneasy. The loner Longstar mentioned, she couldn't help but think back to her dream of the queen and tom, and she herself as a kit.
-
Starpaw sniffed at the ground, her ears pricked for movement. She looked up, and surveyed her surroundings. It was the training clearing, close to camp, but at night, far later than she should be out. She took a step forward, towards the camp, and looked around the clearing again.
Seeing no one she started walking forward. She heard rustling sounds from her left, and turned to see what it was. She was half way from camp to Small Land when the sound of cats struggling, and a sound she couldn't identify came to her, something akin to a loud growl.
She dashed forward, but stopped short of the scene, unable to get any closer for some reason. Cats were fighting with a creature she'd never actually seen, but had heard of plenty.
A flash of white dashed under the creature, tripping it, a flash of ginger going for the creature's head. Two small cats, obviously apprentices, dashed beside her, but one stopped, and turned back into the fray so suddenly, she couldn't even yowl at it to stop, before she heard the sick sound of something crunching.
-
Starpaw shook her head, taking another bite of the vole she had taken from the fresh kill pile, before letting Bluepaw take a bite from it as well. Despite the day being rather happy, since three of the kits were going to be made into apprentices, it didn't seem all that cheery to Starpaw. Maybe because of her dream last night.
Bramblekit, Moonkit, and Hawk-kit's apprentice ceremony was going to be any second now, and Starpaw and Bluepaw had all ready finished their training. They looked up from their sunny spot when Blazestar jumped up onto the high rock, calling a clan meeting. Starpaw felt a tinge of excitement, as she and Bluepaw joined the other cats. She saw the three kits, all looking rather excited, and nervous, sitting to wait for Blazestar to call them up.
"Moonkit, step forward." Blazestar called out. Moonkit shook, her eyes filled with fear and awe as she walked up and stared up at Blazestar, visibly gulping. Starpaw wished she could give some encouragement, but stayed silent.
"Moonkit, from this day until you receive your warrior name, you are Moonpaw. I ask Starclan to watch over and guide you until your paws find the strength and courage of a warrior. Smallclaw, you will mentor this apprentice, and I trust that you will pass on your strength and skill." Blazestar said. An excited, but nervous murmur arose from the other cats in the clans, but changed to chanting Moonpaw's name as she and Smallclaw touched noses. They went and sat with Smallclaw's parents after that.
"Bramblekit, step forward." Blazestar said, flicking his tail to calm the noise. Bramblekit bounced forward, energetic as ever.
"Bramblekit , from this day until you receive your warrior name, you are Bramblepaw. I ask Starclan to watch over and guide you until your paws find the strength and courage of a warrior. Venomheart, you will mentor this apprentice, and I trust that you will pass on your courage and honor." Blazestar said. As Bramblepaw and Venomheart touched noses, Starpaw felt proud. It seemed ages ago that Venomheart first joined Sunclan, after bringing her home from Moonclan, and she was glad he was finally trusted enough to mentor an apprentice of his own.
"Hawk-kit, step forward." Blazestar said, cutting Starpaw from her thoughts as Hawk-kit walked forward, looking straight up at Blazestar with a calm gaze.
"Hawk-kit, from this day until you receive your warrior name, you are Hawkpaw. I ask Starclan to watch over and guide you until your paws find the strength and courage of a warrior. Fernwill, you will mentor this apprentice, and I trust that you will pass on your skill and wisdom." Blazestar said. An encouraging and excited murmur arose for Fernwill and Hawkpaw as they touched noses, that changed to Hawkpaw's name being chanted. Starpaw felt pride swell into her, for her sister. She was truly glad for her.
Starpaw looked back up at high rock, up at Blazestar. He was looking down at all the clan cats, his eyes filled with pride.
At that moment, the feeling from her dream, the sickening dread, returned to her.
-
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Chapter isnt as long as I thought it would be, but oh well.
LOTS of foreshadowing in this chapter, and there was actually an important foreshadowing in the last chapter (that I never mentioned)
This one foreshadows three specific things, though. I can give hints, but you'll have to ask for them :3
I will spoil one thing though: Within the next two chapters, a Sunclan cat is going to die. However, I wont reviel who it is until that moment.
I like how most people assume right off the bat that Whitemist killed Mistystar though. I mean, sure, it would explain Mothwing's behavior I suppose, but do you believe Whitemist is the only possible culprit or something? Oh well, we'll just have to wait and see ^-^
Stay tuned folks!
AND PLEASE REVIEW!! I like feedback! And I wanna hear your own theories on where this could go :3