Chapter 2- Dustypaw

He looked up at the rising moon. It was full. Gathering tonight, but I won't get to go. I never get to go and neither does Barkclaw. It isn't our fault we were born with brown pelts. "Dustypaw! Have you taken care of the elders?" he looked up and saw his mentor, Barkclaw. Taking care of the elders was one of Dustypaw's favorite duties. He liked it because Moonshine treated him like a cat instead of a mistake.

"Yes I took care of them. They have fish and new bedding. I lined their moss with feathers even." Dustypaw said happily. Barkclaw was a sensible cat and even though his pelt was brown. He didn't pity Dustypaw and didn't treat him like a piece of fresh kill. They were alike, and one day, he was going to be just like him.

"Good job. Rainstar said we could go to the gathering. It looks bad if a clan segregates so they are going to bring us this time." He paused and lowered his voice. "Be on your best behavior. If either of us screw up were going to be eating fish eyes for a moon."

"I promise I'll be the best apprentice ever!"

Dustypaw swam across the lake; the current barley hindering is near perfect ability to swim. He stepped onto the pebbly shore. There were cats of all sizes and shapes and colors and… there were more cats than he thought there would ever be. There were four cats standing by a huge tree. One of them was Rainstar. "Who are they?"

"Who are who? You can't just stay who are they because there are too many to keep track of." He turned around and saw a beautiful calico, who must have been only a moon or two younger than him.

"I was asking who are those cats standing by Rainstar but who are you?" he asked her.

"I'm Mosspaw, ThunderClan medicine cat apprentice." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I'm the first cat with multicolored fur in generations. They treat me like a hero or something."

"I'm one of two cats in RiverClan with brown fur. It's weird, were treated like slaves because our coat isn't black, white or silver. My mentor, Barkclaw is the other. My name is Dustypaw by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Dustypaw. Those cats up there are Foxstar from ThunderClan, Ryestar from WindClan and Clawstar of ShadowClan. The medicine cats are over there. They are Ivyleaf from ThunderClan, Rabbitsong of WindClan and Bluestrike of ShadowClan. There is a rumor that Mintpetal and Ivyleaf are kin but that is just a rumor. The only other medicine cat apprentice right now, besides Daisypaw, is Pineshade of ShadowClan. He is over there talking to Daisypaw, who is your sister correct?"

"Uh, yeah… you talk a lot. You know that right?" Dustypaw said, shaking his head.

"Oops, sorry. I talk a lot. Ivyleaf gets onto me about it all the time. She said I need to start learning how to control my mouth because I never shut up. Yellowfang, a StarClan medicine cat, said I talk too much too."

"We think so too." They looked up and saw two small tabby toms walk up to them. "I'm Ferretpaw and this is my brother Snakepaw. We're new ShadowClan apprentices."

"But don't think you can get any information out of us. Gingerpaw said if you give anything about ShadowClan away during a gathering Clawstar would eat us whole."

Mosspaw laughed then introduced herself and Dustypaw and told them about herself. "Is it just me, or did it just get really quiet?" she took a quick pause to look around and saw the leaders leaping up onto the branch. "Oh, that's why. You know…" A much older cat sitting in front of them gave Mosspaw the evil eye and she clamped her tail over her mouth.

"Pay no attention to her. That's Blossomfreeze, my mentor. She will do anything to make you scared but she wouldn't dare start a fight at a gathering." Snakepaw whispered to Mosspaw.

Rainstar was the first to speak. "We have had no trouble fishing in the river even though it is growing colder and leaf bare is approaching. I am sad to inform you that our deputy, Voleclaw, retired earlier this evening but his successor is Troutleap." There came a chorus of congratulations for Troutleap from the cats in the hollow. "RiverClan is thriving and are doing quite well."

Next to speak was a large black and white tom. "That's Clawstar. He is actually ok once you get to know him. I've already met all the leaders…" Blossomfreeze gave Mosspaw another look that silenced her.

"ShadowClan is doing well. We have a new litter of kits born to Mapleleaf with a tom and a she-kit named Cedarkit and Olivekit. We also have two new apprentices, Ferretpaw and Snakepaw." The clans cheered for the two new apprentices and Mosspaw and I flicked their ears with our tails. Clawstar turned to face Foxstar. "We chased a fox out of our territory and into yours. I hoped it would run away from the lake but it ran towards it. I'm sorry for the inconvenience." Clawstar nodded and let Foxstar come forward.

"We have two new apprentices as well. Graypaw and Mosspaw and Mosspaw has decided to become a medicine cat apprentice." There were cheers from the crowd but Mosspaw looked away shyly as if she hated the attention. "And thanks you Clawstar for the warning. We will keep an eye out for the fox in the upcoming days."

Foxstar nodded and sat down. There was a bit of confusion from the cats when Ryestar leaped down from the branch before he had spoken. "Ryestar! What are you doing?" a cat that sat next to Troutleap had stood up and starred at her leader. "Have you gone mad?"

"Hush Heatherbreeze! What I have to say is I am no longer fit to be WindClan's leader. I am too old and cannot lead my clan any longer without messing up. I have decided Heatherbreeze will be WindClan's new leader!" he paused "Heatherbreeze, get up there and speak."

The cat looked stunned. Her beautiful tabby pelt glowed in the moonlight making her look silver but she wouldn't leap up onto the branch. Mosspaw hesitantly raised her head and yowled "Heatherstar!" slowly another voice joined hers, a cream colored she-cat with tortoiseshell patches about the same size and age as Mosspaw had risen to her paws. "Heatherstar!" the next voice to join was a newly familiar but one he recognized as Snakepaw, "Heatherstar!" the next voice to join was surprisingly, his own. "Heatherstar!" Slowly all the cats in the clearing raised their heads and cheered for Heatherbreeze and called her by her newest name, Heatherstar.

The she cat leaped up onto the branch startled but humbled. "We have a great cat joining the elders tonight, Ryestorm." Ryestar raised his head and looked pleased. "I decided I will name our new deputy here in front of everyone, in front of the stars and in front of Ryestorm. Thornwhisker will be the deputy of WindClan!" Dustypaw looked up and saw a young dark brown tabby rise to his paws and take his place by the deputies. "Thornwhisker, you will also mentor Fernpaw, for she was Ryestar's apprentice and now she is yours." The cream and tortoiseshell she-cat rose to her paws and went to touch noses with Thornwhisker. She looked nervous and excited to be up there. Heatherbreeze stepped back and looked at the other leaders and bowed her head.

All of the leaders then jumped down from the branch and looked around, unsure about what had just taken place. Fernpaw padded up to the group of apprentices and Ferretpaw ran off to another group of apprentices that included Stormpaw and Hailpaw. Dustypaw looked around at all the ShadowClan cats, who all had dark eyes. He then looked at snake paw whose eyes were the palest shade of blue. He then looked at all of the WindClan cats. All were tabbies which Fernpaw wasn't.

"Isn't it weird we are all here?" Dustypaw asked, his voice shaking. "I am not silver, black or white like the rest of my clan and Mosspaw isn't solid colored." He looked at Snakepaw. "Have you noticed you're the only cat in your clan with light colored eyes?" he then turned his attention to Fernpaw, "and you aren't tabby like the rest of them." He looked at them all. "Is this just a coincidence?"

Fernpaw got to her paws and started to pad off. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Dustypaw perked his ears at the sound of Clawstar's voice. "I must go." Snakepaw said sadly. "Nice meeting you." He then ran off.

Rainstar then yowled for her clan to come together. "I must go to." He said. Mosspaw nodded and closed her eyes. When she opened them they weren't the bright green he was used to, they were amber. "Mosspaw?" her sleek tortoiseshell pelt turned brown tabby and her four paws turned cream. The only thing that remained of her was her white chest. "Mosspaw?"

Her voice sounded like a thousand cats talking. "Darkness is coming. The Dark Forest is rising once again and only those casted away can save the clans." Her eyes then stated to fade back into their lovely green color. The brown tabby pelt turned back into tortoiseshell and the cream paws faded. She opened her eyes and closed them once again and fainted.

Dustypaw turned and ran, afraid of what he had just witnessed.

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