Shadowflame:

Shadowflame's claws unsheathed as she cautiously made her way over the tree-bridge to the gathering island. Silvergaze followed her. "It's your first gathering as a warrior!" she mewed excitedly, happy for the black she-cat.

Shadowflame nodded, her claws almost slipping off the fallen tree. It had rained recently, leaving the island wet. Still, it was a pleasant change after the drought. She crept across, her tail straight, and leaped onto the island, a little startled to find it empty. Were they the first ones here? Or was something wrong in the clans because of the drought?

She shrugged and padded over to Ashfire, who nuzzled her gently. "Look! RiverClan's here!" Shadowflame watched as Moonstar let out a yowl and padded over to the base of the Great Oak, her white coat gleaming. She had gone to receive her nine lives from StarClan a few days ago, and she was successful. Sure enough, she found Sunshade, her flaming ginger coat weaving toward her, and she saw a gray-white tom at her side.

"Sunpaw!" she called, and the ginger she-cat pricked her ears and nodded to her. The RiverClan tom padded alongside her as they reached Shadowflame and Ashfire. "Sunpaw!"

"My name's Sunshade, now," she mewed. "Shadowflame." Shadowflame dipped her head to the gray-white tom. As if Sunshade had read her mind, she nodded in the tom's direction. "That's my mate, Cloudpatch."

"Uh... hello, Cloudpatch. I'm Shadowflame, and this is my mate, Ashfire." Shadowflame sounded a little uncertain as she spoke, then flicked her tail, a signal for the other three cats to follow. I have some news for you, Sunshade. The three cats slunk back, where they were hidden by a large bush. "First of all," she mewed, her tail still flicking. "What happened to Sootclaw?"

When she spoke the ShadowClan tom's name, Sunshade's eyes darkened, and her claws unsheathed. "What do you mean, what about Sootclaw?" Ashfire asked.

Shadowflame stared at her paws, and Sunshade shrugged but nodded. "Sunshade used to love a ShadowClan tom named Sootclaw... but she said her mate was Cloudpatch."

Ashfire nodded to her in silence, as Sunshade spoke again. Her voice was a hard, angry whisper. "He used me! I trusted him before with a lot of information, and he stole prey when we needed it most and barged into our camp asking for catmint! I hate that tom." Cloudpatch's tail rested on her back, and her murmured something into her ear.

Shadowflame sighed. "I would never have tried to stop you," she mewed, "but it seems, you have learned for yourself."

Sunshade nodded, rolling her eyes. "Of course."

"Why are you two... such close friends?" Cloudpatch asked, a little hesitant. "I mean, I've seen you two at gatherings. You're not just friends, you're really close, and..."

Shadowflame and Sunshade exchanged a glance, that clearly said What now? Shadowflame sighed. "Well... my mother, Blackstream, said that she haad given birth to two kits, not just me. But the rest of the clan found no evidence for that. So, when I met Sunshade, everything fell together. I was born during a RiverClan invasion, where Sunkit was stolen. That's why our eyes are the same. And Sunshade doesn't have anyone her kin who has a ginger pelt or green eyes. But I do." The words tumbled out faster and faster. "We're littermates."

"I see." Cloudpatch sounded a little shocked.

"You won't tell, will you?" Sunshade asked anxiously. "We four are the only ones who know..."

Cloudpatch sighed. "Of course not! What do you think I am, feather-brained or something?" Sunshade purred in amusement, and so did Ashfire.

Shadowflame gulped. "That reminds me..." Her voice trailed off, and she stared at her paws. She shot a glance at Ashfire, which meant, How do I tell her? "Sunshade, in the fire, Blackstream died." Her voice was icily calm as she turned to look at Sunshade in the eye. "Our mother is dead."

"No!" Sunshade let out an anguished wail, her eyes filling with tears. Shadowflame laid her tail on her sister's shoulder, their heads together, bent down in a shared sorrow.

Just then, a yowl sounded. "Let the gathering begin!" Shadowflame hadn't even noticed the other two clans come in.

Moonstar spoke first. "I have received my nine lives from StarClan, and I am now ThunderClan's leader. My deputy is Goldenshine. We have one new warrior, Shadowflame!"

Shadowflame lifted her head and puffed out her chest as she heard cats call out her name, loudest of all, Sunshade and Ashfire. "Shadowflame! Shadowflame! Shadowflame!"

"A few dawns ago, fire broke out in our camp," Moonstar reported. "It is with great sadness that I announce the passing Moonheart, Blackstream, and Jaystar in the fire. We must thank Shadowflame. She went back to save Lightkit, who was left in the nursery, and they were trapped in the camp until the fire died out. Fortunately, both survived, and Shadowflame was simply unconscious, no worse."

Shadowflame studied her paws carefully as many cats murmured congratulations and turned to glance at her.

"However, we are coping well, now that the drought is over. That is all," Moonstar mewed.

Streamstar stepped forward. "We are coping well. We have three new warriors, Brightfall, Sunshade, and Icegleam!"

Shadowflame burst into cheers for her sister. "Sunshade! Brightfall! Icegleam!"

As Streamstar stepped back, Adderstar took her place. "We have survived the greencough outbreak in our camp, thanks to help from RiverClan..."

"That's what I mean," Sunshade muttered.

"...are still strong. Wolfstar?"

"We are well. We have one new warrior. Please welcome Smallshadow!" she declared, and heads turned to see the small dark gray tom lift his head proudly while his name was called. "The gathering is over."

"Shadowflame? Sunshade? Ashfire? Cloudpatch?" The four cats turned to see the medicine cats, from all the clans, approach them: Daisyfoot, Poppyfoot, Frostwing, Mintleaf, Bluepaw, and Whitewhisker. "We would like to have a word, please."

Shadowflame shot her companions a worried glance. What's going on? Why do they want to speak with us?

Frostwing stepped forward. "It has come to our attention that the four of you have something... some friendship going on between you. Would you like to tell us what that is about?"

Poppyfoot spoke next. "I'm not blind, Shadowflame. I know you've been seeing Sunshade at night sometimes. And, at gatherings, too."

Shadowflame glanced at her friends. "Should they know?"

Sunshade sighed. "Maybe it's for the best. Go ahead, Shadowflame."

"Poppyfoot, you know how Blackstream used to say that I was not her only kit. And she was right. Sunshade is my sister." Shadowflame's answer was brief. The medicine cats looked appalled as the black she-cat spoke to them, her answer honest and direct.

Mintleaf, the WindClan medicine cat, nodded. "Interesting. I would say that you tell your clans. Secrets never stayed buried forever, and if it's found out any later, trouble will arise."

"Shadowflame! Ashfire!" a voice called. "Poppyfoot!"

"Sunshade? Cloudpatch?" called another. Shadowflame turned to see Moonstar flicking her tail, calling them over, to leave.

"Go on, now," Whitewhisker mewed. "But I agree with Mintleaf. Tell your leader. Otherwise, it will bring you greater problems when others finally find out."