Shadowpaw:

The Gathering! Shadowpaw pricked her ears to hear who the leader would chose to go to tonight's Gathering. Beside her, Ashfire purred. "I hope I'll go," he mewed softly, his breath warm and comforting against Shadowpaw's ear. "It'll be my first gathering as a warrior. Silvergaze, too."

Shadowpaw's tail twitched to show that she had heard, while she pricked her ears to catch what Jaystar was saying. "...Gathering tonight, I have decided who shall be going," Jaystar mewed. Shadowpaw listened, hoping that she would be chosen to attend her first gathering. "Moonblaze, Dawnfang, Liontail, Mistheart, Thornstrike, Stoneshade, Willowheart, Ashfire-" Beside Shadowpaw, Ashfire let out a quiet 'Yes!' "-Redstorm, Silvergaze, and Shadowpaw."

Shadowpaw brightened as her name was called. She pressed against Ashfire. "My first gathering!" she whispered excitedly.

"Isn't it great?" Silvergaze was suddenly on the other side of Shadowpaw. "My first gathering as a warrior, and you first gathering... ever!"

"Yes!" Shadowpaw mewed, excited. One night, free from all her worries about Blackstream and her birth, away from the clan for just a short time... even the gathering would be a time away from Shadowpaw's regular worries. Her voice dropped. "Silvergaze, do you think the other clans know about this... Blackstream thing?"

Silvergaze widened her eyes. "No. Why?"

"I don't want... I mean, I just want one night to be away from all this... trouble!" Shadowpaw's voice came out as a wail, and Ashfire placed his tail on her shoulder.

"I understand what you mean, Shadowpaw," Silvergaze mewed. "I don't think they know."

"Good."

"Excited?" a gentle voice sounded behind the three of them. It was Moonblaze, whose purple gaze met Shadowpaw's green gaze evenly. Out of most of the warriors other than Silvergaze and Ashfire, Moonblaze was the only one who really seemed to understand the basics of how Shadowpaw felt, or, at least, cared. "You're not worrying about the Blackstream thing again, are you?"

Ashfire answered for her. "She is."

"You know," Moonblaze mewed, her voice gentle, "I don't think it's much of a problem-"

"But I myself want to figure out the truth!" Shadowpaw snapped.

Moonblaze sighed. "Most of the clan is against it," she mewed, stating the obvious. "I-"

"I would never have guessed," Shadowpaw remarked drily.

Moonblaze cleared her throat for silence before speaking again. "How could a cat disappear, no scent, nothing?"

"How could Blackstream say she had another kit, when no other queen has before?" Shadowpaw countered, meeting the deputy's purple gaze unflinchingly. "I deserve to know the truth, Moonblaze! I deserve to meet my littermate!"

Moonblaze looked a little taken aback. "Of course you do," she murmured. "I don't want you to be too worried, that's all. Wh-why don't you get some rest before it's time to go for the gathering?" she suggested.

Ashfire laid his tail on her shoulder. "She's right," he whispered to her, earning a glare from Shadowpaw, who simply felt that Moonblaze was trying to get the topic off Blackstream.

Tail drooping, Shadowpaw nodded to the three warriors and padded into the apprentices' den, her eyes dark with worry. What if my littermate is at the gathering? As in... in a different clan? How would they have gotten to a different clan? Would they know that their my littermate? As she curled up in her nest, her paws twitched, and Shadowpaw closed her eyes, only to awake in a dream.

Shadowpaw blinked open her eyes to find herself on top of a cliff, that seemed to glow and shine under the golden light. Her sleek black fur seemed to glow silver in the strange, bright light. The breezes gently swirled around her, and birds called out above her head.

Cautiously, Shadowpaw padded over to the very edge of the cliff and looked down. As her gaze fell on her paws, she reeled in shock, her green eyes widening in shock. Her usually black paws were ginger, a flaming ginger that somehow seemed painfully familiar... but she couldn't think why. Shadowpaw blinked once, and her fur color was restored to normal, causing her to let out a gentle sigh.

Shadowpaw jolted as she realized that the ginger coat wasn't hers, but it belonged to Sunpaw, whom she had met a few days back... in the middle of the night. Sunpaw's ginger fur... on her? Shadowpaw sighed, dismissing the vision as just a trick of the light.

Suddenly, a flash of bright, flaming ginger appeared before Shadowpaw. Startled, Shadowpaw stumbled, feeling her paws strike nothing as her small form tumbled of the cliff. She heard a shocked, desperate yowl, that she realized was her own as she felt herself hit the water below. Shadowpaw yowled again as she went under, her paws flailing against the river current. She came up again, gasping for breath, before she went down under.

Then, a ginger pelt brushed hers, underwater, and Shadowpaw came above the water to see Sunpaw's ginger form in the river beside her. Has she fallen in, too? No, the RiverClan she-cat was successfully keeping her head above the water as she gracefully swam toward Shadowpaw. Shadowpaw felt herself being dragged up, Sunpaw's teeth firmly fastened in her scruff. "There's solid ground near," Sunpaw was murmuring. "Not the cliff... real ground."

Shadowpaw simply nodded in reply, too tired to move. Sunpaw kicked out strongly with all four paws, while Shadowpaw's green eyes closed, tired. Finally, Shadowpaw felt the ginger RiverClan she-cat drag her onto solid ground. Shadowpaw simply slumped down, eyes closed. Sunpaw leaned over her, and Shadowpaw felt her breath stir her ear. "No..." Sunpaw was whispering. "Please, Shadowpaw... stay awake a little longer..."

"Shadowpaw?" Shadowpaw jerked awake, shivering, to see Ashfire standing over her. "It's time for the Gathering!" He eyed her soaked condition thoughtfully. "It hasn't been raining, has it?"

Shadowpaw sighed and licked her fur clean. "No," she mewed. "No, it hasn't."

"Were you dreaming?"

"Yes."

Ashfire sighed, clearly understanding that Shadowpaw was unwilling to say any more. "All right, let's go. The clan is already leaving." He raced out of the den, and Shadowpaw followed, catching up to the gray tom in quick strides. There! The clan was just ahead, and Shadowpaw raced over to Moonblaze.

"What happened to you?" the deputy asked.

"N-nothing..."

Moonblaze huffed. "Honestly, Shadowpaw, I know you better than that!"

"Fine," Shadowpaw hissed. "I was dreaming." With that, she stalked ahead, catching up to Silvergaze. The silver she-cat shot her a questioning glance but didn't say anything. By then, the clan had already reached the lake. "H-how do you cross?"

"You'll be fine," Silvergaze mewed.

Memories of herself falling off the cliff, nearly drowning if it wasn't for Sunpaw, rang in her mind. I'll be careful. When it was her turn, Shadowpaw unsheathed her claws and sunk them into the soft bark of the fallen tree as she crept across, slowly and cautiously. She was relieved when she made it successfully to the other side. Her eyes glowed as she perceived... the island.

"Wow!" she exclaimed, bounding into the clearing. RiverClan and ShadowClan were already there. Shadowpaw broke away from Silvergaze and padded out to meet the crowd of cats. Her green gaze scanned the clearing for a certain ginger she-cat apprentice of RiverClan, and she spotted her soon enough.

"Sunpaw!" she gasped, then flicked her tail over her mouth. Luckily, it seemed that no one had heard her outburst, so she shot forward, though the cats, making her way to Sunpaw. "Sunpaw!"

"Shadowpaw!" Sunpaw exclaimed. She was standing beside a white tom with ice-blue eyes.

"Who's that?" Shadowpaw questioned, flicking her tail over to the white apprentice.

Sunpaw looked behind her. "That's my brother, Icepaw."

"Have you two already met?" Icepaw sounded genuinely interested. Sunpaw nodded, and, after a heartbeat of hesitation, so did Shadowpaw. "How?"

"On patrol." The words tumbled smoothly out of Shadowpaw's mouth, though it was much more than simply that.

Icepaw seemed to be studying the two she-cats very carefully. When he spoke again, his voice was a little surprised. "You two have the same eyes!"

Sunpaw turned to her brother. "Icepaw, can I please talk to Shadowpaw alone?" Icepaw narrowed his eyes. "I'll tell you why later. Please!" Icepaw nodded and turned away, disappearing into the crowd with a flick of his long, white tail. Sunpaw turned to Shadowpaw. "We need to talk." Shadowpaw was startled by the urgency in her voice, but she nodded.

"First of all," Shadowpaw mewed, "I want to thank you for saving my life in the river."

Sunpaw dipped her head. "Sure. I owe you one, anyway, because you let me go after I tresspassed."

Then, there was a pause. "Why did you-" Shadowpaw began.

"You know what this is about," Sunpaw mewed. "I just have the feeling you're important to my life, and I know you feel the same way." Shadowpaw nodded. "There's something wrong here. I want to figure out what."

"Well, there's enough wrong in my life," Shadowpaw mewed bitterly, referring to the issue with Blackstream. Sunpaw, of course, shot her a questioning look. As Shadowpaw opened her jaws to explain, a shadow fell beside her.

"Shadowpaw!" Ashfire mewed, his eyes betraying his worry. "Come with me!"

"Wait a moment!" Shadowpaw snapped, then turned back to Sunpaw. "Meet me on the border tomorrow night," she mewed quietly, so that Ashfire wouldn't hear. She had some explaining to do to Sunpaw, and so did Sunpaw. She turned back to the gray tom. "What?"

Ashfire fell in beside her as they made their way through the crowd. "Have you seen Silvergaze?"

"What? Of course I have!" Shadowpaw mewed. "Lots and lots of times."

"I know that," Ashfire growled. "Have you seen her now?"

"No..." Shadowpaw mewed. "Is she missing?" Her gaze flicked around the clearing. Ashfire seemed to be looking, as well. Suddenly, a flash of silver caught her eye. "Is that her?" she murmured, half to herself.

Silvergaze was talking urgently with a red she-cat... Poppyfoot? "Where?" Ashfire mewed.

"Talking to Poppyfoot. I wonder what's wrong," Shadowpaw remarked, heading toward where the two she-cats were conversing. When they broke apart, Shadowpaw turned to Silvergaze. "What happened?"

Silvergaze's eyes were bright with joy. "I'm expecting kits!" she mewed.

Inside, Shadowpaw was shocked. "Already?" she blurted. "You've just been made a warrior!"

"But we've loved each other since I was an apprentice," Silvergaze mewed. "You don't want me to have them?"

"No, no!" Shadowpaw mewed. "Of course I'm happy for you... wait... who's are they?"

"Redstorm's, mouse-brain!" she teased. Right! Shadowpaw had realized that the two had been in love for StarClan knows how long. "Now, listen; the gathering's about to start."