Chapter 6
"Snowpaw! Rosepaw! Hawkpaw! Rockpaw!"
Owlpaw smiled as he looked at the four newest apprentices. Rosepaw's brown fur was groomed till it shone, Snowpaw was kneading the ground beneath her paws in excitement, and Rockpaw and Hawkpaw were talking excitedly with each other.
"Owlpaw! Owlpaw! Is being an apprentice great or what?" Rosepaw bounced around him. "What did you do first as an apprentice? Did you hunt, or fight, or explore the territory, or go on patrol, or clean the elder's den, or-"
"Oh, be quiet," snapped Twignose, Rosepaw's new mentor. Rosepaw was unperturbed, and continued on as though nothing had happened. "-Or clean out the nursery or listen to the elders or-"
"Rosepaw, if you're going to go on chatting like this, you won't go on patrol!" interrupted Twignose.
"Oh! Right!"
Owlpaw purred. He felt a strange, fluttery feeling in his stomach whenever he was around Rosepaw, but that vanished as soon as they started chatting. Owlpaw couldn't put a name on what was going on inside him that made him so jumpy when he was near her.
And now that we're apprentices, we're going to spend even more time together!
"The Gathering's tonight," announced Pinestar, interrupting Owlpaw's thoughts. "I'd like our four new apprentices to come, along with Grayscar, Twignose, Shimmertail, Owlpaw, Poppywind, Hollypaw, and Nightpaw."
"What about me?" complained Amberpaw. Pinestar looked at him, green eyes glinting with amusement. "Amberpaw, you're the medicine cat's apprentice. You get to go to every Gathering!"
"Awesome!"
Owlpaw grinned, although he felt a stab of envy. He pushed it away. He was going to the Gathering!
"Owlpaw! We're going hunting!" Shimmertail beckoned him with her glossy black tail.
"Yesterday, you said that we were going on patrol," answered Owlpaw.
Shimmertail licked her chest. "There's rain on the way. I want to hunt before it starts."
"Sure." Owlpaw trotted behind his mentor. Then Shimmertail stopped so abruptly, he crashed into her.
"Oof!" Owlpaw stumbled, then fell. "Shimmertail, what's-"
Shimmertail whacked her tail over his mouth. "Shh! I smell lizard."
Owlpaw licked his lips. Lizard was his favorite. But because of all the heavy rain, there had been mostly frogs on the fresh-kill pile.
"Where?" he hissed.
Shimmertail pointed at a clump of ferns. "Right there." She turned to face Owlpaw. "Let's see if you can catch it."
"M-me?" stammered Owlpaw.
"Yes."
"Um, o-okay." Owlpaw opened his jaws and breathed in. Shimmertail was right about the lizard. The strong scent of it hit Owlpaw in the face. He crept silently toward the ferns. Slow and steady, now, he thought. Owlpaw stepped closer to the ferns. He could see the lizard now, it scaly brown body motionless.
Then, lightning-quick, Owlpaw darted forward, claws outstretched to catch the lizard.
And he missed.
The lizard sped away. Hissing with frustration, Owlpaw raced after it. He barely managed to slam his paw down onto the lizard before killing it with one bite.
"Your stalking was okay," commented Shimmertail, "but you reached out too much. The lizard was alerted and ran away. And next time, try stepping in the places that have no sticks or leaves. I think you cracked one, and the lizard heard you." Shimmertail paused for a moment. "Overall, though, nice job. I guess you got the lizard anyway in the end, and that's all that counts."
Owlpaw grinned. "My first catch!"
Shimmertail smiled. "It's a nice lizard. Though," she added, glancing at the sky, where dark clouds were gathering, "we better get back to camp.
"Sure."
Owlpaw and Shimmertail walked back to camp. Amberpaw was eating a frog when they arrived.
"You got a lizard?" he asked Owlpaw. Owlpaw nodded. "Lucky!" Amberpaw's voice was filled with jealousy. "Grayfeather never takes me hunting."
Owlpaw sighed. "Shimmertail's a great mentor and all, but...I think I'm more suited to be a medicine cat."
"We're going to the Gathering now!" Owlpaw jerked his head up, startled. "Oh yeah." He raced after his clanmates.
"Stay within three tail-lengths of the lake," ordered Pinestar as they made their way out of the camp. "And no hunting."
They walked on for quite a bit. Then a fishy smell seemed to whack Owlpaw in his face.
"What's that disgusting smell?" asked Amberpaw.
Pinestar looked back at him. "Riverclan."
It started raining. Fat drops of water beaded on Owlpaw's fur. In only a few minutes, his pelt was slicked back, and his fur clung to his body.
They arrived at the island. Owlpaw looked at the tree-bridge. It looked very wet and slippery.
When it was his turn to cross, Owlpaw hesitated. He had just seen a small ginger apprentice get knocked into the water. Owlpaw didn't want to get wetter than he already was.
"Hurry up!" said Amberpaw impatiently.
"O-okay," mumbled Owlpaw. He had just sunk his claws into the bark of the tree when he heard surprised shouts and startled cries. "Ah!" Owlpaw only just managed to not get thrown into the water as cats surged past him, asking what was happening.
"What's going on?" he asked, terrified. Screeches of fear sounded from the island.
"There's a whole den of foxes on the island!" somecat exclaimed.
"What?!" Owlpaw raced across the tree-bridge and onto the island.
Amberpaw snarled as he followed Owlpaw. "There's more of us than them," he growled.
"We can take 'em!" someone yelled.
"Quiet! Let the leaders decide!" shouted a large dark brown tom.
A white she-cat rolled her eyes. "Of course, o great Thrushstar," she said sarcastically. "Let only four leaders decide when there are vast quantities of highly intelligent warriors nearby!"
The brown tom, Thrushstar, ignored her. "We should attack. Then, ten warriors flank the right side of the foxes-"
"ATTACK!" Pinestar screeched. Owlpaw stood there for a moment, then followed the rest of Shadowclan. He saw that Grayfeather remained motionless and did not join in, Amberpaw was shrieking as he clawed at a fox.
"Windclan agrees with Shadowclan," meowed the white she-cat. And suddenly, Windclan was right beside them, slashing at the foxes.
Thrushstar looked angry. His ears were flat and his claws out. "Whatever happened to the plan?" he asked, furious. "I thought we were going to-"
"RIVERCLAN, FORWARD!" A small brown she-cat led Riverclan toward the foxes.
And then all the Thunderclan warriors started fighting the foxes too, except for Thrushstar, who, in Owlpaw's opinion, was a jerk.
Owlpaw screeched as he slashed at the foxes. All the battle moves that he had practiced, over and over, came back to him. He shrieked as the fox tore his ear, but he counterattacked with fierce blows to it's muzzle.
All the foxes made whining sounds as the clans (except Thrushstar) drove them back. They eventually gave up and fled.
The white she-cat smiled at her clan. "You were wonderful!" she told them.
"We all were, Brightstar," added the Riverclan leader.
"Of course, Mallowstar," replied Brightstar. Then Brightstar bounded up onto the huge tree in the middle of the island.
"Cats of all clans!" she yowled. "Tonight, we have been brought together by an old enemy!" Brightstar smiled. "But we must still continue on with the Gathering. Shadowclan, what news do you have?"
Pinestar climbed up onto the tree and sat next to Brightstar. "We have had two new apprentices," he said. "Owlpaw and Amberpaw."
While Amberpaw puffed up his chest and started boasting to the clans, Owlpaw kept his head low. He had never been near so many cats before, and had to force his fur flat.
"Owlpaw! Amberpaw!" Owlpaw felt proud, but also shy.
Pinestar continued. "Four other apprentices have also been made. Snowpaw, Rosepaw, Rockpaw, and Hawkpaw."
While the clans chanted their names, Owlpaw sneaked a glance at Rosepaw. She looked so beautiful, with her shining brown fur and dark blue eyes.
"We lost one of our queens, Stormlight, while she was kitting, and one of her kits, which her mate named Cloudkit. Aside from that, nothing has gone wrong on Shadowclan territory, and prey is plentiful," concluded Pinestar.
Brightstar politely dipped her head. "Thank you, Pinestar. I'm sorry about Stormlight and her kit. Now Windclan will speak." Brightstar cast her gaze around the cats gathered below her. Flowermoon has kitted two kits, Mudkit and Dapplekit.. One of our warriors, Appleface, died, but we are otherwise in good condition. However," she snarled, giving Thrushstar a cold, hard look, "Windclan were attacked in their camp as they were mourning for the brave warrior." Owlpaw gasped. "It was completely unprovoked! Cowardly! Elders and kits, attacked in their nests, grieving for Appleface, or sleeping. The fox-hearted little-"
"Now, now, Brightstar," said Mallowstar in a futile attempt to calm her down.
"THEY ATTACKED US WHILE-"
"Brightstar! Stop! That's enough!" Mallowstar growled.
"Are you done?" asked Mallowstar. Brightstar nodded stiffly, clearly still furious.
"Then Riverclan will start. Twolegs have been sighted, but none of them have come close to us. We have three new apprentices, Streampaw, Minnowpaw, and Skypaw."
"Streampaw! Minnowpaw! Skypaw!" Owlpaw chanted.
"The fish are fat and plentiful," Mallowstar finished.
Thrushstar looked at the cats below him, who were throwing hateful glares at him. "Thunderclan's turn," he announced. "We have had one new warrior, Willowfoot."
No one called out Willowfoot's name.
Thrushstar continued calmly, "One elder died, Stonestep, and the prey is running well."
"Don't you have something else to say?" a Windclan cat hissed. "Like how Thunderclan attacked Windclan?"
Thrushstar continued. "This Gathering is over."
Owlpaw walked with the rest of his clan. Amberpaw ran toward him.
"Owlpaw! Guess what?" Amberpaw didn't wait for Owlpaw to guess. "I met all the Windclan medicine cats, and they're amazing! I still would choose warrior over medicine cat though."
A hot wave of jealousy surged over Owlpaw. "That's...that's nice," he replied stiffly.
They traveled through Riverclan territory, then finally came back to Shadowclan.
"How was the Gathering?" Amberstripe asked Owlpaw.
"It was...very eventful," responded Owlpaw.
"There was a fox on the island!" exclaimed Amberpaw. "I beat it, all by myself!"
Owlpaw walked toward Rosepaw. "How did you enjoy it?" he asked her.
"It was exciting, and so amazing!"
"Uh, yeah." For some reason, Owlpaw felt compelled to agree with anything Rosepaw said. "Anyways, I'm going to sleep now," he yawned.
Owlpaw padded into his den.
That night, he dreamed of Rosepaw.
Hello there! I know that this was a REALLY long chapter. Sorry about that if you're like me and like short ones! Anyways, tell me what you feel about OwlxRose in the reviews! Speaking of reviews, thanks for all the great ones! Until next time,
-HalfSun