A/N: Oh StarClan, it's sure been a while since I've uploaded a chapter of this! (A while by my standards, at least…) I could say it's because we went camping for five nights, but after we got back I just HAD to upload TWO new chapters of my time-travel Bencutio fix-it fic that like fifty people have glanced at before getting around to making another chapter of this. Oops. And this chapter is way more comedic with way less actually happening in it than I intended. Oops again.

Pale gray clouds drifted lazily across the sky, covering most of the stars but leaving the full moon exposed in a sign that StarClan approved of the Gathering that night. Waterpaw bounced up and down in excitement at the thought of getting to spend another evening with Grasspaw- if he was even going. Unlike her, there wasn't anything special about him that would guarantee him a spot in the roster. Still, she couldn't help but hope that the greenish-gray tom would be there. The whole point of a Gathering was to talk to other Clans, right? And last moon, Grasspaw had been the only non-RiverClan cat Waterpaw had been remotely interested in talking to.

Minnowleap groomed Waterpaw even though she wasn't dirty at all before they left. "We've got to have you looking as nice as possible," she purred. "If you don't look beautiful, how's any cat supposed to know how special you are, my little stardust?"

Waterpaw lapped up her mother's compliments as her coarse tongue ran along her fur. Minnowleap's praise had become rarer since Waterpaw had helped out Arrow the kittypet- an act she now regretted ever doing. Of course her mother and other Clanmates still valued her more highly than any other cat, but now there was a certain… fakeness to their love at times. Waterpaw was just glad that Minnowleap was kin, because that meant she'd always love her for real.

Patchfur and Smokefur were kin too, although more distant. Smokefur had come down with a light bout of whitecough just the previous evening, so he couldn't go to the Gathering, but Patchfur was going, and the black-and-white tom looked positively ecstatic at the prospect of seeing Birchpaw.

Oakpaw and Shellpaw both had greencough as well, so their parents were staying behind to look after them, and Mallowpaw was a bit nervous about going without her littermates. Waterpaw had told her to stick with her so she wouldn't get scared, although she was starting to regret it now. How was she supposed to get alone with Grasspaw if Mallowpaw was hanging over her shoulder all night?

Well, maybe I can think about that when I get there, Waterpaw decided. Besides, it`s not like Grasspaw and I are going to be doing anything that`s against the warrior code. We`re supposed to talk to cats from other Clans at Gatherings!

"I must say, Waterpaw, you're looking especially lovely tonight," Minnowleap was saying now. "Why, I wouldn't be surprised if some nasty tom from another Clan tried to snatch you up!"

Waterpaw purred, hoping it didn't sound too stilted. "I'm sure that won't happen," she mewed. "I mean, come on, mother; I'm only an apprentice. Toms at my age aren't thinking about love."

"How can you be so sure?" Minnowleap whispered, leaning in so close that the fur on the inside of Waterpaw's ear was ruffled. "In the past, cats with prophecies about them have often fallen prey to the wiles of forbidden love. Should you ever be seduced by such a thing, I'll be sure that Miststar punishes you- though it would simply break my heart if you would force me to do so."

"I'm not going to fall in love with a tom from another Clan," Waterpaw insisted, her freshly-groomed fur bushing up. "So just shut up about it!"

"Waterpaw!" Minnowleap gasped. "That is no way to talk to your mother!" She gave Waterpaw a swipe across the nose and Waterpaw lowered her head in shame; she deserved that.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, staring down at her paws. "I spoke out of line. It won't happen again."

"I'd expect that it won't," Minnowleap hissed. Then her silver-gray fur flattened out and she pressed her muzzle to Waterpaw's cheek. "You're a good cat," she mewed softly. "As soon as you learn that being rude is bad, you'll stop and become just as perfect as you should be."

Waterpaw couldn't help but feel a prickle of frustration at her mother's patronizing tone, but she was right- just as she had been right when she'd scolded Waterpaw the same way when she'd wandered out of camp as a kit.

Waterpaw remembered being told she was going to be special one day ever since she was very young. So one day, she had decided to prove that she really was special. Her littermates had been alive back then, and one of them- Splashkit- had begged to come with her. So they'd gone together down to the stream to try to catch a fish. But they'd been caught, and Waterpaw recalled being very frightened by Minnowleap in that moment. It had been the first time she'd ever been yelled at by her mother. Splashkit had caught a cold from falling in the water and died shortly after, and Waterpaw always felt like Minnowleap blamed her for it, although she never said she did.

But there was no reason to dwell on long-gone sadness now. The cats were about to leave for the Gathering! Mallowpaw ran up to Waterpaw the second they left the camp, clinging to her and keeping Minnowleap, who was also going this time, a few tail-lengths away. Waterpaw guessed that her mother was hanging back because there was another cat already keeping a close eye on Waterpaw.

She sure hoped she'd get to see Grasspaw.

Grasspaw sat in his nest, his tail flicking irritably. "Why do I have to stay behind?" he grumbled. "It's no fair!"

"Life isn't fair," sighed Applepaw. She stood up and shook out her fur, which still had a few stray burrs sticking to it form when she'd run into a prickly push earlier that day while out training. "Just look at these rabbit-brained burrs in my pelt."

"At least Berrypaw got to go," Barkstripe mewed. The young tabby warrior was staying in the apprentices' den since all the other warriors had gone to the Gathering- even Lilyflower, although Runningfoot had let her lean on him so she could walk better.

"Berrypaw only got to go because she threw a fit," Grasspaw pointed out. He let out a long sigh as he stared out at the cloudy night sky. "Maybe I should've tried doing that," he added dryly.

"So Sandstar didn't put you on the roster this moon," Applepaw mewed. "So what?! Next moon we'll probably all be going again, and you can see that little RiverClan she-cat you like so much."

"It's not just because of Waterpaw!" Grasspaw snapped, surprised to hear his own voice come out closer to a hiss than he'd meant. Applepaw jumped back and Barkstripe glared at him. "Sorry," he mumbled, hanging his head.

Applepaw smoothed out her ruffled fur with a couple of indignant licks, and Barkstripe harrumphed and turned away to stare at a crack in the den wall that a dandelion was growing out of.

"Did Podtail say these flowers could be used for anything again?" Applepaw wondered, leaning over to stare at the dandelion that Barkstripe was looking at. She reached out tentatively to touch it with her front paw, and when she did, she batted at the flower for a bit, a slow smile creeping across her face. "I thought it might be prickly," she mewed. "But it wasn't!"

Barkstripe purred and raised her own paw, putting briefly on top of Applepaw's to bat at the flower herself. As soon as the two she-cats' paws touched, Applepaw's fur fluffed up again and she backed away, scooting out from under Barkstripe's outstretched front leg.

"S-sorry," Barkstripe mumbled. "I didn't know you had a problem with me touching you."

Applepaw shook her head, the reddish patches of her fur never suiting her more. "It's okay!" she mewed. "I-in fact, I really appreciated it! I just… wasn't expecting it!"

Grasspaw groaned. It was hard enough listening to his littermate rant about her crush practically every day was hard enough, but every time the two of them interacted he always ended up getting some serious second-paw embarrassment from Applepaw whenever she got flustered. That sister of his was a lost cause if he'd ever seen one.

Somehow, Barkstripe didn't seem to notice how flustered Applepaw obviously- to Grasspaw, at least- was, or if she did notice then she didn't react like she did. Applepaw flattened out her fur again and went back to staring at the dandelion. Barkstripe hesitated for a moment before gently tugging the flower away from the crack in the rock and holding it between her jaws. Then she pressed her muzzle against Applepaw's, passing the dandelion to her as she did so.

"StarClan help me," Grasspaw breathed. Had his sister actually managed to win over a warrior?

Then Barkstripe pulled away and purred, "I'm sorry about the awkward method, but I saw you looking at that flower like you wanted it. There you go!"

"Uhhhh," Applepaw said. Then she snapped back to attention. "Th-thank you, Barkstripe! I didn't really want the flower, but thank you anyway!"

Barkstripe's tail drooped a bit. "Again, I'm sorry about the way I did it," she mewed in a more subdued tone. "I just… thought you'd like it. But… don't get any ideas, okay? It was a mistake that won't happen again." She paused and fixed Applepaw with a meaningful glance. "At least not until you're older."

With a swish of her tail, Barkstripe quietly left the apprentices' den to go wait in her own nest in the warriors' den. Grasspaw was left alone with Applepaw, as he would be all through the night. It was so frustrating that Seedpelt had been chosen to go to the Gathering, but not him! Unable to express his frustration without taking it out on Applepaw- which he normally didn't have any qualms about, but seeing her looking so in love made him hesitate tonight- Grasspaw worked his claws into the soil.

Even if he couldn't be there, he hoped that Waterpaw was having fun.

For once, WindClan had actually been on time, and it was ShadowClan of all Clans that the other three Clans had to wait on. Waterpaw remembered with an uneasy prickle that ShadowClan was home to Birchpaw, Patchfur's newest infatuation. Were they the reason their Clan was being held up?

At least that meant Waterpaw had time to look for Grasspaw before the Gathering started. But no matter how much she padded around the cramped island, tasting the air for her friend's scent, there was no sign of him. She did run into two young WindClan cats, though: a light brown she-cat with a bright pink nose, and a sleek tom whose brown pelt was remarkably long and luxurious.

Waterpaw introduced herself to them with a wave of her tail. "I'm Waterpaw of RiverClan," she mewed- it was the way Minnowleap had taught her to introduce herself. "According to prophecy, I'm the future saviour of the Clans. What can I do for you?"

"Um, hi?" the brown tom muttered. Then his amber eyes widened. "Waterpaw… Grasspaw told me all about you!" He nodded toward the light brown she-cat. "This here is Grasspaw's sister, Berrypaw. I'm Seedpelt."

Waterpaw craned her neck to look behind them, but she couldn't pick out a single greenish-gray hair in the crowd of milling pelts. She sighed; Grasspaw clearly wasn't there.

"Is Grasspaw here?" she asked nonetheless, just in case. "I've been looking all over, but I can't find him."

Seedpelt shook his head. "He and Berrypaw have another sister- Applepaw- and she stayed behind too," he explained. "Berrypaw's only here because she begged to. Barkstripe stayed behind too- mostly because Applepaw asked and Barkstripe couldn't say no to her."

"Oh, really?" Waterpaw mumbled, but in reality she was already zoning out. She had no interest in the lives of these common WindClan cats and the run-down Clan they lived in. Grasspaw was the exception, not the rule.

"Yeah, Applepaw's got a crush on Barkstripe," Berrypaw chirped. Then she blinked guiltily and added, "But please don't tell her I told you this, because she's reeaaally shy about it!"

Waterpaw almost felt like telling the little cat that she didn't need to worry about her sister's secret crush getting out, because no cat would care. She-cats as young as her were far too young to have mates, so they didn't usually talk about who they liked, but that didn't mean it was strange for any cat to spare a few glances at an attractive young tom.

Beside Waterpaw, Mallowpaw shifted her paws restlessly. "Um, Waterpaw?" she mumbled. "Would you mind… introducing me to these cats as well?"

Shame heated Waterpaw's skin. How could she have been so careless as to forget about her friend?! "Sorry," she meowed, pointing her muzzle to Mallowpaw. "Seedpelt, Berrypaw; this is my friend Mallowpaw. Her littermates got sick and couldn't come, so I told her to stick with me tonight."

Mallowpaw nodded, scuffing her paws in the dirt. "You guys seem nice," she murmured. "Waterpaw was telling me all about your friend Grasspaw earlier. She really likes him."

Seedpelt's whiskers quivered in amusement. "Does she now?" he purred. "I just hope she doesn't like him too much, because you're from-"

"-Different Clans," Waterpaw grumbled. "I know, I know. But that doesn't matter on nights like these, which is why I'm a bit disappointed that he's not here. But since I have a reputation to uphold, I'll avoid giving you a hard time about it."

She had no idea why she was pouring her heart out to some strangers, but it clearly wasn't doing any harm. As long as she didn't tell them about the time they'd met up by the lake, they wouldn't think of it as any more than it was between Waterpaw and Grasspaw: barely a friendship; certainly nothing more. If she ever allowed it to become more than that, her life would be ruined.

Waterpaw couldn't let herself be as flawed as that.