It was a starry night. It had been a few days since Oakpaw had been made an apprentice. Gemclan had emerged from the undergrowth, making their way to the gathering. The cats were discussing general things among themselves, a few staying away from Oakpaw.

"Follow my lead," Brackenstar whispered to Oakpaw.

The group of cats had approached a fallen log that led to the island in the middle of all four territories.

Brackenstar reached the log first. He leaped on, claws unsheathed, and stuck his claws in the log. He safely made his way to the other side, his paws touching the soft soil.

Oakpaw decided to follow but forgot to unsheathe her claws. Climbing onto the slippery log, she tried to pad toward the other side, but slipped and fell over one side of the log. She plummeted into the water, which seemed way too deep for any cat to wade in.

Water was everywhere. Oakpaw realized she was drowning. She tried to hold her breath but gave out after running out of air. She closed her eyes when a sudden stir in the water startled her. She choked on the water but saw a cat trying to lift her up.

"Lilacpelt?"

Lilacpelt heaved Oakpaw up onto the island, studying her. Oakpaw leaped up and went to the edge of the river, vomiting what seemed to be all of the water in her body. She lied down and had a coughing fit.

"Oakpaw, are you okay?" Lilacpelt asked with a worried expression on her face.

In between coughs, Oakpaw said, "Yes... I'm fine,"

After recovering from near death, Oakpaw leaped up. She went to go talk to the other apprentices.

"Hi! Are you new?" Asked a tom.

"Yes, I am. Who are you?" Oakpaw asked.

"I'm Blackpaw. Nice to meet you," he said.

"I'm Oakpaw."

"I saw what happened back there. Are you okay?" Blackpaw asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just came close to death, that's all," Oakpaw said with a sparkle of humor in her eyes.

"Cats of all clans, gather beneath the Tallrock for the Gathering," A voice said.

Oakpaw leaped up, running toward the Tallrock.

"I will begin," said a powerful-looking she-cat. Oakpaw guessed that she was Sandstar. "Cliffclan is doing well. We took down a couple eagles, but otherwise, there's no news,"

"Thank you, Sandstar," Brackenstar said. "We have a new apprentice tonight. Oakpaw, please step forward."

Oakpaw stepped forward with a little bounce in her step.

"This apprentice is a rogue that we have taken in. Please accept her as Starclan accepts her."

There were a few cheers and a bit of jeer, but Oakpaw was ready to go back to her place in the crowd.

"That is all from Gemclan," Brackenstar finished. "How is your clan doing, Littlestar?"

"Cloudclan is doing great so far," Littlestar said. "We chased a badger off our territory, but nothing else. How about you, Rosestar?"

There was something about the final leader that seemed... off. It was her eye color. No cat in the forest that she ever saw had rose-red eyes.

"We are doing just fine, Littlestar. There is nothing to report from us. Ivyclan is safe for now."

"Gathering dismissed." Said all four leaders at once.

Oakpaw leaped up from where she was sitting and began to make her way to the log with her clan. This time, she unsheathed her claws to steady herself on the log. Watching the water lap under her was more intimidating now that she had nearly drowned.

Quickly making her way to the edge, Oakpaw leaped off of the log and stared up at the stars. How will she find her way home. Are there any chances that one of her friends were here with her?

She headed for the clan entrance and shot into the apprentice's den. She tried to find a comfortable position in the moss, and soon fell asleep.