A/N: And onto chapter six! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, only Flamepaw and the minor plot differences.
~Chapter Six~
Flamepaw returned to the hollow with a large pheasant clamped in her jaws firmly. She was quick to drop it in front of Tigerclaw, who stood waiting in the hollow with no other apprentice in sight.
"Well done, Flamepaw," the senior warrior purred warmly as he eyed the pheasant with a pleased gleam, "you're the first back."
She nodded, her eyes glowing, "I haven't been exactly lucky," she admitted, "I only managed to catch this along with a squirrel and a rabbit."
He nodded, "I know. I watched you. They were all good catches. I've never seen any warrior let alone an apprentice who could run or climb so fast," he boasted.
"Yes, well, I better go fetch them then," she mewed before disappearing back into the forest.
When she returned, she could here Firepaw saying, "But what if he's been bitten by an adder?"
"Then it's his own fault," Tigerclaw replied coldly. "There's no room for fools in ThunderClan."
Flamepaw then trotted into the hollow and dropped the last of her catch by her pheasant before sitting beside Tigerclaw silently.
They waited in silence. Graypaw and Firepaw exchanged glances, no doubt worried about Ravenpaw. Tigerclaw sat motionless, apparently lost in his own thoughts.
Suddenly Firepaw jumped to his paws as the black cat leaped into the clearing, looking unusually pleased with himself. Dangling from his mouth was the long, diamond-patterned body of an adder.
"Ravenpaw! Are you okay?" Firepaw called.
"Hey!" meowed Graypaw, rushing forward to admire Ravenpaw's catch. "Did that bite you?"
"I was too quick for it!" Ravenpaw purred loudly. Then he caught Tigerclaw's eye and fell silent.
Tigerclaw fixed all three excited apprentices with a cold stare. "Come on," he said shortly. "Let's collect the rest of your prey and get back to camp."
...
The four apprentices entered the camp, strolling behind Tigerclaw. Their impressive day's catch hung from their mouths, although Ravenpaw kept tripping over his dead snake. As they emerged from the gorse tunnel into the camp, a group of young kits scrambled out of the nursery to watch them pass.
"Look!" Flamepaw heard Brackenkit say. "Apprentices, just back from hunting!" Sitting next to him was his sister Cinderkit. Swiftkit and Brightkit stood beside them.
"Isn't that the kittypet, Firepaw?" she heard Cinderkit squeak.
"Yeah! Look at his orange fur!" mewed Swiftkit.
"They say he's a good hunter," Brightkit added. "He looks a bit like Lionheart. Do you suppose he's as good as him?"
"I can't wait to start my training," mewed Brackenkit. "I'm going to be the best warrior ThunderClan has ever seen!"
Flamepaw couldn't help but purr in amusement and followed the others to the center of the clearing.
"An adder!" Graypaw mewed again, as the apprenticed dropped their catch for the other cats to share.
"What shall I do with it?" asked Ravenpaw, sniffing the snake's long body as it lay beside the heap.
"Can you eat adders?" asked Graypaw.
"Trust you to think of your stomach!" Firepaw joked, butting Graypaw with his head.
"Well, I wouldn't want to eat it," murmured Ravenpaw. "I mean my mouth tastes pretty foul after carrying it back."
"Let's put it on the tree stump, then," suggested Graypaw, "so that Dustpaw and Sandpaw can see it when they get back."
Flamepaw watched then as the other apprentices took their share and the adder to their den. She then turned to the fresh-kill pile hesitantly before slowly choosing a sparrow and padding over to the tree stump to eat with her brother and his friends she herself had just finished eating and was now grooming her thin and patchy coat as she listened in on their conversation.
"But Sandpaw, Dustpaw, and Flamepaw are still the eldest apprentices," Ravenpaw was saying.
Firepaw nodded. "And this Gathering will be an important one. It'll be the first time the Clans have met since WindClan disappeared. No cat knows what ShadowClan is going to say about it."
Tigerclaw's low meow interrupted them. "You are right, youngster." The warrior had strolled up to them unnoticed. "By the way, Firepaw," he added smoothly, "Bluestar wants to see you."
She watched then as her brother looked up, startled.
"Now—if you can spare the time," Tigerclaw meowed.
Firepaw jumped up immediately and bounded off across the clearing toward Bluestar's den.
Flamepaw felt a prickle of unease but pushed it aside before returning to her grooming and couldn't help but flinch at her once thick, glossy, beautiful coat. She was dully aware of Tigerclaw saying something about that Bluestar wanted to talk to her brother because he had seen him sharing tongues with a kittypet.
"Flamepaw?" Tigerclaw meowed suddenly, making her look up at him, "Come with me," he commanded with a flick of his tail in her direction.
She nervously followed him then out of the camp and up the ravine. The dark tabby started to lead the way towards the Great Sycamore. She wondered what he could possibly want when the Great Sycamore came into view.
Tigerclaw then turned to look at her. "I don't trust Firepaw," he growled bluntly his eyes meeting hers.
She looked at him in surprise. "Is it because of what you saw today?" she asked and he nodded. "Don't let it get to you, Tigerclaw. Just give it time and he'll be a great warrior of ThunderClan one day," she murmured gently and looked up at the Great Sycamore.
Suddenly a thought crossed her mind and with a mischievous look at the senior warrior, she quickly crouched down. Bunching up her muscles, Flamepaw made a massive leap and somehow managed to jump halfway up the trunk of the Great Sycamore. She looked down then at Tigerclaw who was watching her with round yellow eyes. Quickly she started to climb nimbly like a squirrel and started to dart from branch to branch with blinding speed.
She soon found herself near the top and landed on a thick branch. She was barely out of breath and felt her paws burning with energy. Looking down, Flamepaw only saw the forest ground.
"Tigerclaw?" she called, uncertainly.
As if on queue, she heard a loud crunching noise followed by a loud yowl of surprise which was then followed by a loud crashing through the tree and a loud thump. Flamepaw quickly looked down to see the dark tabby sprawled on the ground groaning in pain.
"Tigerclaw!" she yowled in shock and started to leap from branch to branch down towards the ground. When she was at least four tail-lengths from the ground she leaped lightly onto the ground besides the senior warrior.
"Tigerclaw, are you alright?" she demanded, sniffing his fur for injuries.
"Yes," he snapped out angrily and sat up gingerly before standing up.
"Are you sure? Nothings broken is it?" she meowed still trying to check him for injuries.
"I said I'm fine!" he snarled, jerking away from her with a glare.
Flamepaw took a few steps back then, her eyes wide with shock at him. Never had Tigerclaw snapped at her like this. She then realized that he must have been embarrassed from the fall. She now looked away from him then and started to walk away with her head down low as she slinked away into the undergrowth.
She quickly then started to race through the forest. Her paws light and quick, falling in sync with each of her heartbeats. She smoothly curved her spine with each stride. She easily tucked in her hind legs close before thrusting herself flat again. She made sure to reach out with her forepaws a little farther before they touched the ground.
She pushed harder with every stride until she was aware of nothing but the steady thrumming of her paws and the way her breath fell in time with her pace. She was suddenly moving with ease, as though the wind were carrying her while the ground slid beneath her like air beneath a swallow's wings.
Flamepaw loved the way the wind seemed to weave through her fur as if it were sharing tongues with her. Welcoming her as if she had returned home from a hunting patrol. She soon came to the ravine and without breaking pause she ran into camp. Quickly she managed to slow down to a stop and walked over to the apprentice den, where she could see her brother talking with Ravenpaw and Graypaw.
"I wonder what the gathering will be like," mewed Ravenpaw.
"It'll be fantastic," Graypaw replied confidently. "I bet all the great warriors will be there. Clawface, Stonefur…"
Flamepaw couldn't help but let out an amused purr. "So I gather you three are going to the gathering?" she meowed and they nodded.
"Are you going?" Firepaw asked.
"You bet," she replied, her eyes glowing with excitement, "I can't wait to see the other Clans."
"Did you meet any of the great warriors," Graypaw demanded excitedly.
"Well, of course I have," she mewed, "you three better get some sleep since its going to be a long night."
...
Flamepaw was standing beside Spottedleaf as they waited for Bluestar to give the signal. She now looked down the steep slope that led down into the clearing that was Fourtrees. The rich greenness of the woods had been bleached away by the cold light of the full moon, and the leaves of the trees glowed silver. She could never stop being awed by how Fourtrees looked at night.
"Look at all those cats down there!" hissed Ravenpaw under his breath.
"There's Crookedstar!" Graypaw hissed back." RiverClan's leader."
"Where?" Firepaw mewed, nudging Graypaw impatiently.
"That light-colored tabby, beside the Great Rock."
Flamepaw couldn't help but roll her eyes at the eager apprentices and felt someone jab her in the ribs gently. Turning her head she saw that it was Tigerclaw.
"What do you want?" she whispered under her breath so only he could hear.
"I want to apologize about earlier," the dark tabby whispered back, "I didn't mean to snap at you like that. I know you were trying to help. I was just…" he paused.
"Embarrassed," she mewed softly and he nodded looking down at his paws.
"It's alright, Tigerclaw. I forgive you," she murmured gently.
Suddenly, Bluestar stood, and, holding her tail high, flicked it from one side to the other. Then the ThunderClan cats rose as one and bounded through the bushes, down toward Fourtrees. Flamepaw ran alongside Tigerclaw, and could feel a thrill going through her as she raced beside her clanmates, feeling the wind rush through her ears.
She stopped with her clanmates on the edge of the clearing, outside the boundary of the oaks. Bluestar sniffed the air. Then she nodded and she along with her clanmates moved forward into the clearing.
Flamepaw looked around the clearing then, sniffing the air. She turned her head then and was startled when she heard someone calling her name. She looked up and saw the familiar blue-gray fur and torn ears of Stonefur.
"Hello, Stonefur," she mewed stiffly, bowing her head politely toward the warrior.
"How's the hunting going," the gray tom replied, his eyes glowing with mischief.
She couldn't help but purr with amusement and gave him a playful shove. "Like you didn't know," she murmured.
Stonefur purred and butted her gently in the shoulder.
"So how's prey running in RiverClan?" she asked.
The two talked for some time and joked a bit as well, when there was a loud yowl which signaled all the cats for quiet.
"Come sit with me," Stonefur mewed and nodding she followed him over to a spot where they could hear and see clearly.
Not long after they sat down, Mistyfoot, who was Stonefur's sister, came to sit with them. Flamepaw nodded towards the RiverClan queen in greeting and looked up at the Great Rock where Bluestar, Brokenstar, and Crookedstar stood. There was no sign of Tallstar. As the others gathered below the Great Rock, an unsettled murmuring rumbled in their throats.
"We can't start yet," yowled one voice above the noise. "Where are the WindClan representatives? We must wait until all the Clans are present."
On the rock, Bluestar stepped forward. Her gray fur almost glowed white in the moonlight. "Cats of all Clans, welcome," she meowed in a clear voice. "It is true that WindClan is not present, but Brokenstar wishes to speak anyway."
Brokenstar padded noiselessly up to stand beside Bluestar. He surveyed the crowd for a few moments, his orange eyes burning. They landed on her for a moment and she couldn't help but shuffle her paws nervously but never taking her eyes off of his before he looked away. Then he took a deep breath and began. "Friends, I come to speak you tonight about the needs of ShadowClan—"
But he was interrupted by raised, impatient voices from below.
"Where is Tallstar?" cried one.
"Where are the WindClan warriors?" yowled another.
Brokenstar stretched up to his full height and lashed his tail from side to side. "As the leader of ShadowClan, it is my right to address you here!" he growled in a voice full of menace. The crowd fell into an uneasy silence. Flamepaw could smell the acrid smell of fear all around the clearing.
Brokenstar yowled again. "We all know that the hard time of leaf-bare, and late newleaf, have left us with little prey in our hunting grounds. But we also know that WindClan, RiverClan, and ThunderClan lost many kits in the freezing weather that came so late this season. ShadowClan did not lose kits. We are hardened to the north cold wind. Our kits are stronger than yours from the moment they are born. And so we find ourselves with many mouths to feed, and so little prey to feed them."
The crowd, still silent, listened anxiously.
"The needs of ShadowClan are simple. In order to survive, we must increase are hunting territory. That is why I insist that you allow ShadowClan warriors to hunt in your territories."
A shocked but muted growl rippled through the crowd.
"Share our hunting grounds?" called the outraged voice of Tigerclaw.
"It is unprecedented!" cried Mosspelt. "The Clans have never shared hunting rights!"
"Should ShadowClan be punished because our kits thrive?" yowled Brokenstar from the Great Rock. "Do you want us to watch are young starve? You must share what you have with us."
"Must!" spat Smallear furiously from the back of the crowd.
"Must," repeated Brokenstar. "WindClan failed to understand this. In the end, we were forced to drive them from their territory."
Snarls of outrage burst from the crowd, but Brokenstar's caterwaul rang loud above them: "And, if we have to, we will drive you all from your hunting grounds in order to feed our hungry kits."
There was instant silence. Flamepaw sat there in complete amazement and felt Stonefur press his flank into her side comfortingly. Nearby, she heard a RiverClan apprentice start to mutter something, but he was quickly hushed by an elder.
Satisfied that he had every cat's attention, Brokenstar continued. "Each year, the Twolegs spoil more of our territory. At least one Clan must remain strong, if all the Clans are to survive. ShadowClan thrives while you all struggle. And there may come a time when you will need us to protect you."
"You doubt are strength?" hissed Tigerclaw. His pale eyes glared threateningly at the ShadowClan leader, and his powerful shoulders rippled with tension.
"I do not ask for your answer now." Brokenstar ignored the warrior's challenge. "You must each go away and consider my words. But bear this in mind: Would prefer to share your prey, or be driven out and left homeless and starving?"
Warriors, elders, and apprentices looked at one another in disbelief. Flamepaw couldn't help but feel frightened but not for herself, for her Clan. She turned then to look at Stonefur and she knew he was feeling the same thing for his own Clan. In the anxious pause that followed, Crookedstar stepped forward. "I have already agreed to allow ShadowClan some hunting rights in the river that runs through our territory," he meowed quietly, looking down on his Clan.
She could feel Stonefur stiffen beside her. Flamepaw watched then as horror and humiliation rippled through the RiverClan warriors at their leader's words.
"We were not consulted!" cried Rippleclaw, who was one of the RiverClan elders.
"I feel this is best for our Clan. For all the Clans," Crookedstar explained, his voice heavy with resignation. "There are plenty of fish in the river. It is better to share our prey than to spill blood fighting over it."
"And what of ThunderClan?" Smallear croaked. "Bluestar? Have you, too, agreed to this outrageous demand?"
Flamepaw felt a moment of relief as she saw Bluestar unwaveringly met the old tom's gaze. "I have made no agreement with Brokenstar except that I shall discuss his proposal with my Clan after the Gathering."
Brokenstar spoke up again, his rasping voice sounding arrogant and strong after Crookedstar's surrender. "I also bring news that is important to the safety of your kits. A ShadowClan cat has turned rogue and spurned the warrior code. We chased her out of our camp, but we do not know where she is now. She looks like a mangy old creature, but she has a bite like TigerClan."
Flamepaw immediately felt uneasy but she also felt anger. She herself knew that although Yellowfang could be bad-tempered, she was still a medicine cat. And medicine cats don't murder helpless kits.
"She is dangerous. I warn you—do not offer shelter to her. And"—Brokenstar paused dramatically—"until she is caught and killed, I urge you to keep a close eye on your kits."
Flamepaw suddenly heard a nervous growl rumble through the ThunderClan warriors and she knew that they also have thought of Yellowfang.
The ShadowClan warriors began to push their way out of the throng of cats. Brokenstar leaped down from the rock, and his warriors immediately surrounded him and escorted him away from Fourtrees, back into ShadowClan territory. But before he disappeared he turned and his burning orange eyes looked back into her own for a moment, as if he was searching for something in them. The remaining ShadowClan cats followed quickly behind. Flamepaw couldn't help but notice that the ShadowClan apprentices all looked tiny and undernourished, more like kits of three or four moons than full-fledged apprentices.
She turned to Stonefur then and saw a grave look in his eyes. "Well I guess this Gathering is over. I hope to see you at the next one," she mewed softly.
The gray warrior looked down at her then and his gaze softened, "I hope so too, Flamepaw," he replied gently and touched his nose to her ear before making his way over to his clanmates.
She quickly made her way over to the ThunderClan cats and heard Darkstripe hiss, "I told you she was a danger to us. Bluestar has to listen to reason now and get rid of her before she harms any of our young!"
Tigerclaw suddenly strode up to her side. "We must return to camp at once and deal with this rogue!" he yowled.