A/N: Thanks Lacey for reviewing. *Tosses Tigerkit plushie* I'm just going to accept that I barely get any reviews and continue the story without further interruption... However, my plushie stockpile is ever-growing and never depleting until you guys review... Okay, last time asking for reviews, I promise. Anyway. Umm. There's not really a point to this Author's Note anymore... Well, I'm just going to plow on through with this story no matter how many reviewers I get because even if no one likes it, I like writing it! Happy Chapter 3!
"Russetpaw...Russetpaw! Get your furry butt up! It's time for training!" Foxpaw said with a hint of impatience in her tone. "I'm up, I'm up," mumbled her sister, shaking the sleep from her eyes. She looked around the warm, crowded den at her litter mates. Light filtered through the brambles weakly; it was barely dawn. She was nearly a moon into her training, and tonight was the night of a Gathering! A whisper of excitement ran through her, making her stand straighter and look more alert.
She followed Foxpaw out of the den and up to Hollyflower and Raggedstar, who were stretching and yawning tiredly. "I'll fetch Crowtail and she can lead the dawn patrol, Hollyflower." said Raggedstar as he padded towards the warriors' den. "You two had best eat quickly if you're going to." Russetpaw's mentor advised in a tired murmur as she laid down, put her head on her paws, and closed her eyes. Foxpaw rolled her eyes at the warrior but dragged a frog from the pile anyway. The sisters wolfed it down quickly just as the rest of the patrol stood to leave.
The five warriors padded out of camp, an unusually large patrol given the apprentices, and into the still somewhat dark marsh. The wet ground underpaw was slightly crunchy with frosted-over grass and water, and it put a chill in Russetpaw's heart as well as her paws. Leaf-bare would not bring any better conditions, she was sure. The wind was rather bitter, slowly working its way through her thick fur and making her shiver slightly. As they passed the single, gnarled, twisted tree on this part of the territory, Russetpaw saw that the few leaves that adorned it were vibrant red and gold, though some were scattered about the ground, a crackling brown mess.
Crowtail quickened the pace as they neared the Thunderpath, and Russetpaw's stomach gave a funny little jerk as they traveled along where she, Hollyflower, and Archeye had saved Tigerkit. They renewed the scent markers, though Russetpaw thought it was a little bit pointless, as the stench of the Thunderpath easily covered any lingering scent. Nevertheless, they re-checked the border once more before returning to camp, as the grass, stiff with frost, became increasingly less firm as the sun grew stronger.
"You two should get some rest, since you're going to the Gathering tonight." Raggedstar nodded at Foxpaw and Russetpaw as they both yawned. "'Kay," murmured Foxpaw, and they both retreated to the warm apprentices' den. Russetpaw closed her eyes wearily, wondering vaguely what her first Gathering was going to be like before slipping into her dreams.
Night was falling in the ShadowClan camp, making the cats' shadows stretch across the camp. The sun sank lower in the sky setting the clouds and sky around it to fire. Stars peeked out, one-by-one, as evening descended. Raggedstar called the cats to order, and they set off through the darkening marsh towards FourTrees. ShadowClan territory looked different by night, though not in a bad way. The moon cast dappled shadows on the ground, lighting up the various cats as they passed through its glimmering light. Russetpaw felt more comfortable in the dark, where her pelt color wasn't as evident, and if she walked softly, it was as if she was not there at all.
The Thunderpath was also less dangerous at night, for the Twolegs had mostly retreated to their dens to await the dawn. The Clan crossed as one, without any narrow escapes, luckily. As Fourtrees loomed before them, Russetpaw quickened her pace, as did the rest of her Clan; the clearing would be warmer than the chill, open air, for there were so many bodies to fill it. Russetpaw spotted Hollyflower walking next to Foxpaw, and she hurried up to them.
Then they arrived. The four great oaks were a daunting image, taller than any tree Russetpaw had ever seen, though, admittedly, that wasn't very many. Cats from all Clans were gathered, mingling together with no clear boundary between Clans, sharing tongues and talking together. In the presence of so many cats, nearly all bigger than her, she stayed close to her sister and her mentor. ShadowClan filed in, last to arrive of the four Clans, between where ThunderClan and WindClan were each loosely gathered. Hollyflower pushed a path to the near front, close to the four towering trees.
Russetpaw glanced over at the ThunderClan cats and saw, much to her amusement, a jet-black warrior whose fur stuck up every which way. With a giggle, she nudged Hollyflower and asked, "Who is that?" nodding at the tom. Her mentor winked and said with a slight smile, "That's Fuzzypelt of ThunderClan. I don't advise asking if he's groomed properly, like I did at my first gathering. He was Fuzzypaw, then, but he didn't take too kindly to my question." As she finished, the warrior looked over and nodded at Hollyflower. She promptly got up, presumably to go and talk to him, leaving Russetpaw alone. Her eyes sought through the group of ThunderClan cats until they finally met with the pair of bright amber eyes that she'd been hoping to see.
Tigerkit, or 'paw, now, if he was here, sat next to a large tom, whose fur was also quite untidy, though his was a light gray as opposed to the deep black of Fuzzypelt's fur. Somewhere in the corner of her mind, she wondered disinterestedly if the two toms were related, but she was mostly focused on the smaller, younger cat beside the spiky-furred warrior. Tigerpaw seemed to have read her mind, because he weaved quickly through the crowd to speak with her. "Russetpaw!" he said with a slight smile, making his dark brown muzzle all the handsomer. She smiled nervously back, and said, "You're Tigerpaw now, right?" As he nodded, the dark ginger she-cat thought she glimpsed a flash of pride in his eyes. She gave a slight shiver as the wind picked up, and Tigerpaw pressed his thick fur to hers.
A rush of warmth spread through her, but she pushed it away. She liked his touch, but was also faintly nervous around him. The silence was unbearable, so she broke it awkwardly. "So, what's ThunderClan like?" she asked, not really knowing what to say. He gave her an amused glance, but before he could reply, a bright ginger tom began to address them. "Sunstar, our leader." whispered Tigerpaw before turning his attention back to where his leader was speaking. "Thunder Clan has two new warriors, Lionheart and Goldenflower, one new apprentice, Tigerpaw, and three new kits." The Clans cheered, "Goldenflower, Lionheart, Tigerpaw!" before the reports continued, and Russetpaw nuzzled the cat beside her on impulse. He flushed with pleasure and nuzzled her back. "We chased a fox back into Twolegplace and halted the kittypet invasions." Sunstar finished, and then Raggedstar stepped forward to speak.
"That's Raggedstar, my leader," Russetkit told Tigerpaw and he nodded with a smile. She could tell he respected the tom, probably for his scarred pelt, or maybe it was simply because it was his Clan that had saved him from the fox. "ShadowClan has a new medicine cat. Yellowfang will work alongside Runningnose and Littlepaw from now on." he said, chin up defiantly as several calls from below protested, mad that they now had three medicine cats. All the ShadowClan cats present received nasty glares from the cats around them, and Russetpaw met hers with a snarl. "Welcome, Yellowfang." said the gray RiverClan leader that Russetpaw knew to be Hailstar. His welcome seemed to quell at least his own Clan's protests, and Sunstar added, "May StarClan light your path." The WindClan leader, whose name was unknown to Russetpaw, also spoke. "I pray that your ancestors guide you wisely in your duties." Yellowfang nodded up at all of them, proud and dignified as ever, even in the presence of such important cats.
"We also have six new apprentices," continued Raggedstar as though the interruption had not happened. There were a few murmurs at this, though Russetpaw assumed that they had heard all the gossip before, when they were first born. "Foxpaw, Cedarpaw, Tallpaw, Oakpaw, Rowanpaw, and Russetpaw." he declared and cats from all Clan shouted their names, though they did not receive as much support as the ThunderClan cats had. She was a bit crestfallen at first, both because her name had been listed last, though she new it was a petty thing to concern with, but also because she knew that the other Clans were not very trusting of her own. But Tigerpaw gave her a swift lick, despite how many cats were already looking at her, and this cheered her up marginally.
The unknown WindClan leader stepped up to speak, looking as plump as a RiverClan cat, much to her surprise. She had thought they were thin and swift, though this may not be their normal appearance, she reasoned as she looked back at all the well-fed WindClan cats. "WindClan has thrived this leaf-fall. We have never seen so many rabbits on the moor, and we've made the most of StarClan's bountiful gift." the leader stepped back with a proud, arrogant smile that made Russetpaw take an immediate dislike to her.
"RiverClan, too, has enjoyed rich prey. The river has been full of fish and its banks stocked with prey." Hailstar said, gazing down into his Clan at a specific cat that Russetpaw could not see. "Oakheart has more information." he said, and said warrior leaped up to stand next to his leader. Cats everywhere looked scandalized, though Russetpaw herself was merely confused. She turned her face towards Tigerpaw and asked in a hushed tone, "Surely he shouldn't be allowed up there? Shellheart's still the deputy, right?" she scanned the far-away RiverClan group and thought she saw the dappled gray coat of the RiverClan deputy she'd heard about from Crowtail. Tigerpaw was just as puzzled as she was as he replied doubtfully, "Maybe he retired?" She shrugged, though the tom wasn't that old.
"I am sorry, " began the warrior named Oakheart, "I don not belong here, but with so many cats I was afraid you wouldn't be able to hear me from down there. I hope you will forgive my boldness." Russetpaw rolled her eyes and muttered, "Smooth-talker." She felt Tigerpaw smile into her pelt, as his muzzle was buried in the dark ginger fur on her shoulder. "I do not mean to offend. Twolegs have set up a camp on out land. Their nests are small and they keep changing as new Twolegs come and old Twolegs go. During Greenleaf, I led the patrols that monitored the intrusion." His gaze passed over the ShadowClan cats and Russetpaw restrained a sudden urge to stick her tongue out at him. "We wanted to discover the Twolegs' intentions, whether this was the beginning of a bigger invasion or the start of a new Twolegplace. As far as we can tell, the new camp exists to house Twolegs without proper nests..." The warrior kept talking, but Russetpaw found his little speech unbearably dull, and started a whispered conversation with Tigerpaw instead.
"So you have three medicine cats now?" Tigerpaw asked and Russetpaw felt a bit uncomfortable. "She asked to be one during my apprenticing ceremony, so Raggedstar let her." she told him. "You had a kittypet invasion?" she queried, vying to change the subject. "Yes. I drove one of them off all by myself!" he added, chest puffed out with pride. "Really?" she asked him interestedly; he could hardly be more than a quarter-moon, at most, into his training. "Well, it wasn't that difficult," he admitted, eyes darkening a little, but Russetpaw patched up her mistake by saying softly, "Wow." Now his amber gaze positively glowed.
The Gathering started to break up around them, and Tigerpaw said hurriedly, "Meet me at moonhigh tomorrow night, at the Thunderpath, where you saved me!" he turned to leave but Russetpaw held him back. "I can't do that! We're from different Clans, Tigerpaw. I'm sorry, but no." she did not want to see the disappointment in his eyes, so she swiftly padded to catch up with her Clan, but she'd caught a glimpse of it anyway. She forced herself not to look back, and held her chin high as she padded back to camp with her Clan, her paws passing over the crispy ground, fresh with the new formings of frost.
A/N: I may start right away with the next chapter, I have an awesome layout for it! Anyway, I made a couple edits to the gathering, but yes, this was actually quite factual for a FF creation of mine. Timeline's a bit off, but W/e. Anyway, when I re-read this chapter I found that I had used the word "Crunchy" five separate times! And two of them were in the same sentence! I fixed four, but left the first one. With those hints, whoever can find and tell me where all five "crunchies" were gets an extra plushie of their choice, and I will use a name of theirs in one of my future stories, or possibly even this one! Just tell me desired plushie and name with your entry :) I know I might not get any reviews or Crunchy Contest entries, but I am still going to keep writing! Have fun guys! Oh, and by the way, that kittypet Tigerpaw drove off was actually Scourge/Tiny, so don't think he has magical powers just yet ;)
