Willowpaw couldn't remember coming back to camp without her paws hurting and her body aching. Lionclaw pushed her hard every day, and she didn't feel like she was improving. He never praised her; only criticized.
"Tough day?" Hollywhisker asked. Her former denmate had earned her warrior name a few days ago, but still made an effort to socialize with her younger Clanmates.
Willowpaw sighed. "I don't think Lionclaw likes me," she admitted.
"I don't think Lionclaw even likes his own mate," Hollywhisker replied. Willowpaw snorted.
"My point is, it's not you. Don't let him get to you."
"Thanks. I think I'm going to take a nap."
"Good call," Hollywhisker said. "There's a Gathering tonight."
"What's a Gathering?"
"The Clans gather on the night of the full moon to share news and socialize."
"Oh. Does everyone go?"
"Dawnstar picks a few cats. Someone will let you know if you're chosen."
"Okay. Thanks Hollywhisker."
Willowpaw slipped into the den and curled up in her nest. Within moments, her eyes were closed and she was drifting off. But when she opened her eyes, she was in a huge, unfamiliar clearing. A tall boulder towered above her and four massive oaks created a canopy above her. A small white cat was sitting at the base of the rock, just watching her.
"What happened? Where am I?" Willowpaw asked.
"Welcome to Fourtrees," the white cat said. "I am Tinystar. I was the leader before Dawnstar. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Did you leave the Clan?" Willowpaw asked. Tinystar let out a small purr of amusement.
"No. I died."
"Died?" Willowpaw gasped. "Does that mean…?"
"No, you are alive and well," Tinystar said. "We wished for you to visit us in StarClan, and so I extended my powers to bring you here."
"Oh." Willowpaw was quiet for a moment. She was speaking to a dead cat in a dream? "Why?"
Tinystar flicked his tail in agitation.
"Something is going to happen. Something that will change ShadowClan," he said. "But we can't see what. We only have glimpses. We saw Lionclaw. We saw Dawnstar. And we saw you."
"Me? Why?"
"We don't know," Tinystar said again. He seemed even more frustrated by her questioning.
"Then why are you telling me?" she asked quietly, shuffling her paws. Tinystar sighed.
"Dawnstar is a good leader, but she is prone to worry. Lionclaw is strong and brave, but rash. Rockfur will share any dreams he has or signs he sees with Dawnstar. But you?" You are new. You are fresh. And you are unpredictable."
"I don't want to tell you ShadowClan is in danger. We don't know that. But we do know something is coming, and someone ought to be prepared."
"I… okay. Thank you for your trust," she said awkwardly. Tinystar dipped his head.
"You will do great things," he told her. "Now, it's time for you to wake up."
Something dug into Willowpaw's side and she let out a soft squeak, blinking her eyes open. She was back in the apprentice's den, with Brightpaw standing over her.
"Get up," she snapped. "We're leaving for the Gathering soon."
Yawning, Willowpaw followed her grumpy denmate back into the clearing. The sky was patched with clouds and then sun had just dipped below the horizon, making the sky a deep orange. A group of cats were gathered by the camp entrance.
"You're awake!" Snailpaw said, bounding over to her as she approached them.
"Did I keep everyone waiting?" she asked worriedly. He shook his head, but Brightpaw nodded. Willowpaw's stomach dropped.
"I'm really sorry."
"It's alright," Firecloud said, padding over. He touched Willowpaw's ear with his nose. "I wanted to thank you for helping Leopardnose."
"Of course," Willowpaw said with a nod.
Then Dawnstar came rushing across the clearing from Rockfur's den, the large tom following more slowly behind her. Dawnstar pushed through the crowd of her Clanmates and then they were off, padding through the pines.
Willowpaw fell into stride with Snailpaw.
"What are Gatherings like?" she asked.
"They're fun, but they can be overwhelming," he said. "Lots of cats. Lots of scents. But there are some really nice apprentices there, and elders with great stories."
Willowpaw hesitated for a moment. She didn't want to be a burden, but she enjoyed Snailpaw's company and thought he liked hers too.
"Will you introduce me?" she asked.
"I'd love to," he purred.
Dawnstar led her Clan to the tunnel under the road, where they walked in a single line. Then they walked along the side, sticking close to the undergrowth. Willowpaw opened her mouth, drinking in the woodsy scent of ThunderClan. She quite enjoyed it, though Lionclaw always complained about its strength.
The ground began to slope up and then they burst through the ferns onto the crest of a hill. Below them was the same scene Willowpaw had seen in her dream. Four towering oaks and a large boulder, where two large cats sat. One was solid white, while the other had black patches.
ShadowClan held still at the top of the hill until Dawnstar flicked her tail and they poured down the side. Willowpaw kept pace with Snailpaw and Firecloud, paws flying. When they reached the bottom, the cats fanned out and Dawnstar approached the big rock.
"Who are they?" Willowpaw asked, gesturing with her tail to the two large cats.
"That's Whitestar of ThunderClan and Badgerstar of WindClan," Firecloud said. Willowpaw watched them. Whitestar and Dawnstar were talking, but Badgerstar sat off to the side, glaring at the two she-cats.
"Snailpaw!" someone cried. He and Willowpaw both turned to see a fluffy brown tabby rushing over to them. His amber eyes were bright with excitement.
"Hi Sparrowpaw," Snailpaw said. "This is my friend Willowpaw."
Heart fluttering with both nerves and happiness, Willowpaw bowed her head in greeting. Sparrowpaw returned the gesture before bouncing a little on his paws.
"Guess what? I'm a medicine cat apprentice now!"
"Really? That's amazing!" Snailpaw gushed. "I know you said you wanted to be one at the last Gathering."
"Yeah! I asked Whitestar and Yellowleaf and they both said 'yes'!"
"Congratulations," Willowpaw said. Sparrowpaw purred.
"Thank you."
He opened his mouth to say more, but then an unfamiliar scent filled the air. Willowpaw turned, looking in the direction the other cats were facing. RiverClan had arrived. She watched as the large, sleek cats rushed down the slope to join the crowd of cats. A massive mottled tabby, even larger than Whitestar and Rockfur, joined Dawnstar and the other leaders while the other RiverClan cats spread out.
"That's Shellstar," Snailpaw said. "He leads RiverClan."
"What're you youngin's up to?" a friendly voice said. The three apprentices turned to see a scarred black RiverClan tom limping towards them. He was followed by two apprentices; one was white with silver-gray patches and odd eyes, and the other was silver-gray with a white muzzle and paws.
"Hello," Snailpaw said. "I'm Snailpaw. Willowpaw hasn't been to a Gathering before, so I'm showing her the leaders." He gestured to Willowpaw with his head as she greeted the newcomers with a nod.
"Nightheart," the tom said, flicking his tail. "And this is Lilypaw and Dewpaw." The apprentices nodded their heads in turn.
"It's nice to meet you!" Lilypaw said cheerfully. "Wow Willowpaw, your eyes are so pretty!"
"Thank you. Yours are pretty too," Willowpaw said, shuffling her paws awkwardly.
Just then, a loud yowl rang through the clearing. Nightheart gestured with his head to the giant rock, and the group sat down as the Gathering began. Shellstar stepped forward first.
"Our apologies for our lateness," he said in a deep, growly tone. "The river is high and we must be cautious. But we are safe and strong. The fish are plentiful, and we have two new apprentices! Dewpaw and Lilypaw are both training to be warriors." The crowd of cats broke out in cheers, and Willowpaw joined in. The apprentices stood proudly, their heads held high.
Whitestar spoke next.
"ThunderClan is doing well. We welcomed Sparrowpaw as our new medicine cat apprentice, and StarClan is pleased." Again, cheers broke out for Sparrowpaw. Snailpaw leaned over and gave him a friendly nudge.
"We also have two new litters of kits. Rosefang and Specklenose birthed two healthy kits each." This resulted in more cheers, and Willowpaw joined in half-heartedly. She wished Dawnstar could've reported news like that, and her heart ached for Leopardnose.
"We also have several new apprentices," Dawnstar said. "Brackenpaw could not attend, but Brightpaw and Willowpaw are here, and we know they will make excellent warriors."
"Brightpaw! Brackenpaw! Willowpaw! Brightpaw! Brackenpaw! Willowpaw!" Willowpaw dug her claws into the earth and fixed her gaze on the large rock, trying to take deep breaths as her name echoed in the clearing. She could feel all the eyes on her and fought for calm.
Finally, mercifully, Dawnstar continued.
"Leopardnose has also delivered a litter of kits, and overall, ShadowClan is doing quite well."
Badgerstar was moving forward before Dawnstar could even step back.
"Beware!" he cried. The cats grew silent. "Recently, our Clan had visitors. One of them betrayed us! He fled in the night after killing one of his companions and badly injuring one of our warriors."
Gasps and murmurs spread through the clearing. Snailpaw's eyes were wide, and Nightheart bowed his head, whispering something to himself. Willowpaw stared at Badgerstar. He was standing with his chest puffed out, looking quite pleased. Why was he so happy about his Clanmate being injured?
After the announcements were over, the cats began to socialize again. Willowpaw looked around. So many odd things. Her dream. Badgerstar. Snailpaw calling her a friend. She didn't know what to begin thinking about.
"Sparrowpaw," she said softly. The dark tabby turned to her. "Can we talk for a moment. In private?"
"Of course," he said, looking confused. He led Willowpaw to a clump of ferns at the bottom of the hill and sat down. "What is it?"
"I had a strange dream," Willowpaw said. "I think it was from StarClan. Do… do regular apprentices get StarClan dreams?"
Sparrowpaw thought for a moment.
"I suppose they can," he said. "Although it's probably rare. StarClan speaks to who they want to speak to. Medicine cats just have a stronger connection."
"Okay. Thank you," Willowpaw said. She looked up to see her Clanmates gathering around Dawnstar.
"I think I have to go," she said. "Thanks again."
"No problem," Sparrowsaid, waving his tail. "Happy to help."
Saying a quick goodbye, Willowpaw raced back over to her Clan. Snailpaw joined her again.
"What was that about?" he asked.
"Oh… I had an herb question, that's all."
"Oh, okay."
As ShadowClan traveled back through the tunnel, Willowpaw thought about Badgerstar. Would he want to cause fear amongst the Clans? Would he lie about something like that? She wasn't sure, but she wouldn't put it past a cat.
They were almost back to camp when Newtfur came running up to them.
"Dawnstar!" she gasped. "There's a strange cat here. He's asking to meet you."
"Show me," Dawnstar demanded. She and Newtfur broke into a run, leaving Rockfur and Lionclaw to guide the rest of the Clan home.
Curiosity built up inside her as they approached the camp. Willowpaw impatiently let Brightpaw through the tunnel before following her, and freezing in her tracks when she entered. There, standing in front of Dawnstar, was a tom who looked exactly like her, even down to the tabby markings. He turned when she appeared and a warm look crossed his face.
"Hello Willow. I've been dying to meet you."
Hi! First of all, I want to apologize for the gap between updates. School has been keeping me busy and my mental health has been… not great. I hope you all are doing well though! And here is the Gathering chapter! I wrote this on an airplane, so there may be some spelling and/or grammar mistakes. I'm sorry if there are.
Thank you for the characters you all submitted! I spread them out into different Clans for Willowpaw to befriend. Thanks to RainyDayReading342 for Dewpaw and Sparrowpaw, and Redleaf5 for Lilypaw. I made Dewpaw and Lilypaw sisters since they just seemed like they'd be a great duo.
Who do you think this stranger is? And what do you think of Badgerstar? Is he up to something, or is Willowpaw just overthinking things? Please leave a review and let me know! Also, if you have any suggestions or tips for me to improve my writing, please let me know. I appreciate you all so much!