Sorry for the long wait! Been really busy. Thanks to everyone who read this story so far! And thanks too, for netting me 20 reviews! I'm so grateful! To make up, here's the longest chapter I've ever written!

Timeskip?

Chapter 11 starts! :P

"Wake up!"

In the apprentices' den, Warmpaw opened his eyes to the face of a certain kit, persistently poking his face with her paw. A pale blue light lit the camp outside. He rose from his nest, eyes still sticky from his doze.

"Come on, Archkit! I just fell asleep! I've been training the entire morning!"

"In case you forgot, it's the Gathering tonight," Archkit pointed out. She turned away pointedly, tail flicking. "I just wanted to help you, you know."

Warmpaw rubbed a paw across his muzzle. "Look, I understand, but you don't always have to be here. I mean…" He paused before continuing, "You spend most of your time lurking about this den. Don't you think that's a bit weird?"

"I'll be an apprentice in a moon," she countered. She shot him a look before turning and leaving.

Warmpaw grumbled. She's too easily upset.

He stepped out and breathed in the cool afternoon air. It had been a half-moon since he was first made an apprentice, and many things have happened since.

Thornpaw, Leafpaw, Hazelpaw and Sprintpaw all turned into warriors just two days ago, and they were now known by everyone as Thornseed, Leaftail, Hazelheart and Sprintfoot. Sprintfoot in particular was incredibly happy. It had become quite obvious how close he was with Nightfall, and now that he was a warrior, they could finally be together. It always brought a smile to Warmpaw's face seeing them pass by with tails twined, knowing that he was a factor in bringing them together.

It was one of the only things that made him smile nowadays. Goldenfur trained him, but with less effort than he had before. Every time Warmpaw looked back at him after their training sessions, he was crouching and staring up at the sky ruefully. Warmpaw felt guilty, knowing that if he acted differently back then, things would probably have been different.

Maplebranch still acted well to him, but it came off as cold acknowledgement. In fact, most of the time, it appeared like he was avoiding him.

Every time Warmpaw saw Ivystar, she seemed to be talking about something with Cloudcover. Whenever they noticed him around, they would move to another place, where he couldn't hear. There was a moment in which he tried to follow them, but when he did, he was reprimanded by Redstep.

Warmpaw felt like they were hiding something from him. They knew about something that they didn't want him to know about. Did it have anything to do with the fact that he was half-Clan? The thought of it made him feel terrible.

He was glad that his friends were there. Despite all the training, they always found time to talk with each other. They really made him happy.

He looked around and saw Archkit next to the nursery, eyes on him. "Sorry," he mouthed. She nodded briefly in consent.

Ivystar jumped up the Highledge and called the Clan to attention. All the cats came out of their dens.

"As I have said earlier," she said, "the cats who shall be going to the Gathering tonight will be Blazetail, Redstep, Flyingfeather, Twigpaw, Sandpaw, Warmpaw, Rainstorm, Cloudcover and myself."

Pretty soon, the chosen cats arranged themselves in preparation for leaving. Warmpaw was positioned next to his littermates. Twigpaw was grooming his silver fur, while Sandpaw couldn't stop talking about the Gathering.

"Isn't this great?" Sandpaw purred next to Warmpaw. "Imagine… we'll get to see the other Clans tonight!"

"Yeah, I suppose," he replied hesitantly.

"Aw, c'mon Warmpaw!" Sandpaw rolled her eyes. "Aren't you excited to meet new friends?"

Twigpaw nudged Warmpaw's shoulder teasingly. "Or pretty she-cats…"

Sandpaw shoved her littermate in the chest. "Twigpaw, you tease!" she snorted.

"But isn't it true?" Twigpaw purred. They all laughed.

"StarClan, I'm nervous!" Warmpaw shivered.

"Just be yourself," advised Sandpaw. "They're all just cats like you."

"What if they don't like me?" Warmpaw cried.

Twigpaw let out a mrrow of amusement. "Well, a good thing to do before any Gathering is to fix yourself up first. Like…" He gestured at himself with his tail, "-what I'm doing now."

Sandpaw nearly jumped. "I forgot!" She started licking her fur down furiously. "Great StarClan!"

Warmpaw groomed himself up too, and in a few moments, the three apprentices were all straightened up.

"Ready to go!" Warmpaw announced.

"Yep. So am I!" Twigpaw raised his chin.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Sandpaw said.

Just in time as well, Warmpaw realized, as Ivystar called the clan out with her in the lead.

This was the first time he would really be stepping out of ThunderClan's territory. As they exited through the border to the lake, Warmpaw felt the scent of ThunderClan get washed away. He shivered at the loss, feeling as if the air just got colder. They followed the pebbly lakeshore.

The silver moon above shined brightly. As they passed by WindClan territory, Warmpaw saw the long open moors that stretched wide. It was not a lot of shelter, just grass. Where do they sleep?

Another group of cats were up ahead, only a few fox-lengths ahead actually. WindClan cats. Warmpaw felt the butterflies in his stomach act up again. He hardly talked to anyone in the Clan. Would it be different this time? What will I do?

Twigpaw and Sandpaw were still walking with him. Twigpaw walked with eyes fixed on the path, apparently not in the mood for sightseeing. Sandpaw, meanwhile, was staring up at the stars.

The moonlight alighted on Twigpaw's shiny silver fur, making it glow. Warmpaw simply had to remark, "I guess you won't have any trouble finding pretty she-cats at all."

Twigpaw turned, surprised. He smiled. "Thanks."

"How do I look, Warmpaw?" asked Sandpaw, who had turned as well.

"You're okay," he replied with a snicker.

Sandpaw pouted.

Warmpaw laughed, swiping a paw at her. "Smile! I was just kidding. You both look great."

Someone from the front hushed them. "Quiet!"

Warmpaw hissed silently in irritation.

After a while, they were able to reach the island. The apprentices needed some help crossing the log. Twigpaw slipped at one point, but was able to hang on with his claws. Flyingfeather had to carry him across and into the clearing. Warmpaw wondered how humiliating it would feel. From his spot next to other ThunderClan members, he spotted Twigpaw hunched behind a bush. Probably a lot.

Sandpaw approached Warmpaw. "We best start looking for cats to talk to. The Gathering's going to start in a while."

Warmpaw watched as she walked over to a large group of apprentices. The group consisted of six or seven. Sandpaw entered, and was immediately welcomed. In a matter of heartbeats, it was as if they had known each other their whole lives.

Warmpaw took a tentative step forward. Halfway through putting a second paw forward, he flinched back. He looked at the group. Don't you want to be a part of that? Be friends with more cats?

He stepped forward a few more pawsteps, and then he was walking. Yes, he will be joining them. He smiled and launched himself forward.

A shape barrelled right into him with a thud. The wind was knocked right out of him as he bowled over sideways.

"Oh! Sorry!" The cat apologized.

Warmpaw lay down, his side hurting. "Ow." He winced.

"Excuse me. Let me help you." A calmer voice said. Warmpaw felt someone lift him by the scruff back to his feet.

With a few shakes of the head, his vision began clearing. "Sorry about that." The light brown cat that helped him up meowed, "My friend Thistlepaw here forgets she isn't in the WindClan moors."

He flicked an ear at him, with a little smile. "My name's Wrenpaw. Thistlepaw and I are from WindClan."

Warmpaw sat down and smiled back. "I'm Warmpaw of ThunderClan. Nice to meet you. And don't worry, I'm not too hurt," he added for Thistlepaw, who was facing away from him in embarrassment.

"Oh," she said. The dark-coated apprentice turned back to them.

Warmpaw's breath hitched as her gaze hit his. He looked them over, and in an instant he recognized them. They were the two WindClan apprentices from his first border patrol. Wrenpaw, the light brown one, and Thistlepaw, the cat with sparkling amber eyes.

"Hey." Wrenpaw waved a paw in front of him.

"What?" Warmpaw snapped out of his daze.

Wrenpaw sighed. "I was asking you how old you were."

"Oh, um… six and a half." Warmpaw mewed.

Wrenpaw's eyes glinted. "That means you're Thistlepaw's age. I'm seven, which means I'm a moon older than both of you."

Warmpaw frowned slightly. Thistlepaw turned her gaze away from him, instead her gaze shifted to the ground. Never before had Warmpaw wanted to be anything else so badly.

"Wrenpaw!" A lanky cream coloured cat called out, "Come over here!"

"That'll be Duskear, my mentor. Looks like I'm out for now. Nice meeting you!" He trudged off, leaving Warmpaw and Thistlepaw by themselves.

For a few moments, it was silent between the two. Thistlepaw was still looking away from Warmpaw. Warmpaw was simply observing her. She was a lot prettier up close, he realized with a sigh. Her dark fur glinted in the moonlight, the golden band of fur around her neck shining. He thought it was really cute, the way she blinked as she looked down.

Warmpaw glanced over at Sandpaw's group. Twigpaw was with them now, surprisingly. He seemed to have recovered from earlier, and was now conversing with an orange tom. He seemed to have bounced back from that earlier mishap, and probably even better, Warmpaw thought. More than a few she-cats were admiring the large silver-furred apprentice with glinting eyes. Warmpaw smiled, purring.

He turned back to Thistlepaw. "Do you think we should join them?"

Thistlepaw looked up. "No." she replied curtly.

"Why not?" Warmpaw asked, pacing a little closer and sitting himself next to her.

Thistlepaw bristled a little, probably with how close they were. "I… I'm not good with talking with other cats."

"Well, so am I," purred Warmpaw, tipping his head back, "So I guess that puts us in the same situation. This is my first Gathering myself." He looked around. "If you want, I can keep you company for now."

"Thanks."

Another round of silence.

"So, this is a nice place, isn't it?" Warmpaw tried starting another conversation.

Thistlepaw just nodded.

"Yeah." Warmpaw observed the cats around. Most were talking and sharing tongues already, while some others were patiently waiting for the Gathering to get underway. Ivystar was already on a branch of the oak tree, along with two other Clan leaders. It is going to start soon.

"You bumped into me earlier." Warmpaw mentioned.

"Yes, I know. I know that," she meowed.

"No, no, no," Warmpaw tried to explain, scared that he might have offended her. "What I meant was, you like running."

"I run a lot." Thistlepaw said.

"Where, exactly?"

"Along the borders, usually. I run along the ThunderClan border and the RiverClan one as well. I get up in the morning and just get up and run."

"How often do you run?" Warmpaw asked, genuinely curious.

"Whenever I'm not sleeping or on apprentice duties, I'll be out."

She sighed. "Which is why I'm scared."

"Scared of what?" Warmpaw's ears pricked up.

"Scared that they won't like me."

Warmpaw stood up. "They won't!" he exclaimed, "Trust me, they—"

"Calling all Clans to attention." A silver tabby tom meowed from the leaders' oak branch. Immediately, most cats fell silent to listen.

"Thank you, Carpstar." Ivystar waved her tail at the leader, and he flicked an ear in reply. "You may want to start."

"Yes, I will." He stood up a little straighter, rising to his full height. Warmpaw was surprised. He was tall, especially for a RiverClan cat. The distinct sleek fur was still there, and he was slightly plump, like most of his Clanmates, but he was lanky more than anything.

He cleared his throat. "RiverClan is doing great. Despite the all the Twolegs by the lake, the fish is running well this late greenleaf and we are glad to announce two new kits, born to Nettleroot. There are new apprentices as well: Willowpaw and Coarsepaw."

Two cats in the large group of apprentices sat up straight, pride in their eyes. Warmpaw joined the others cheering for them.

Gorsestar spoke up next. "WindClan is doing fine as well," the apricot leader meowed.

Warmpaw could taste the slightest hint of something in his words.

"That is all," Gorsestar ended. When Ivystar looked at him apprehensively, the WindClan leader flicked his tail to tell her that it was all right to continue.

Ivystar glanced back at him, looking puzzled for a moment. She meowed, "Greenleaf has been exceptionally good to ThunderClan despite the cold weather. We have three new apprentices this moon."

"Warmpaw, Twigpaw, and Sandpaw." The three sat up as well, including Warmpaw, all fear from before the Gathering dissipating, replaced by happiness that made him puff his chest out. The ThunderClan apprentices' eyes sparkled as the Clans called out their names.

"Galestar?" Ivystar finished.

"ShadowClan is thriving," the ShadowClan leader replied, "We have four new apprentices: Pinepaw, Nettlepaw, Nightpaw, and Honeypaw."

Four more apprentices from the group stood up to loud yowls of congratulations.

When the Gathering was called off, Warmpaw was talking with Thistlepaw about the cold weather, when a realization struck him.

"Gorsestar didn't announce your apprenticeship!" he said, tail stiffening.

"I-It's quite fine," murmured Thistlepaw.

"It's really not." Warmpaw reasoned.

"We have mor—" She stopped herself midsentence, shaking her head. "I'll just run it off tomorrow."

"Then I'll join you," offered the black and white apprentice. Warmpaw, what are you thinking!?

"What!?" Thistlepaw exclaimed.

"You're running tomorrow night?"

"Yes, but you can't," she mewed.

"You run along the borders, right? I can run alongside you inside ThunderClan borders."

"But not exactly. I run along it but I don't get near it."

"Then so will I," Warmpaw persisted.

After a few moments, the WindClan apprentice gave in. "This is a bad idea, though," she whispered. "If we get caught…"

"I'll take the blame." Warmpaw finished. What in StarClan did I just say?

Thistlepaw sighed, warning him, "Still not a good idea. Don't go." She stopped. "Why would you want to join me anyway?"

"Um… er, I… mrrrr…" Warmpaw was groping around for an answer that wouldn't humiliate him when WindClan was called.

"See you next Gathering," she mewed before leaving.

Warmpaw was going to call back when Ivystar called ThunderClan as well. "ThunderClan to me."

She led them across the log bridge. Twigpaw and Sandpaw quickly caught up to Warmpaw.

"Where were you?" asked Twigpaw, looking him from muzzle to tail. "We were looking for you! Why didn't you join? So many awesome things happened."

"Twigpaw was pretty much the moon," purred Sandpaw. "All the she-cats were sticking close to him."

Warmpaw had a mildly amused smile. "Looks like the lake water has some kind of StarClan-given power," he said, looking at Twigpaw's tail, which had been drenched by water when he nearly fell off the log.

Twigpaw looked back at his tail, which was flowing behind him. "I suppose you can say that," he chuckled.

"Quick, throw me into the lake!" meowed Sandpaw.

They all laughed.

"Everyone was so amazingly friendly," Sandpaw said. "Especially Coarsepaw."

Twigpaw rolled his eyes. "She is over the moon with him."

"Hey!" Sandpaw shoved Twigpaw, nearly making him trip. "I just like him," she admitted, "I'm still too young, and it'd be impossible anyway."

"Do you have anyone in mind?" Warmpaw asked Twigpaw.

"Well… I actually… no. Kinda, but not yet."

"Will you just tell us?" Sandpaw meowed exasperatedly.

"Okay, you might get shocked."

"Who?" Sandpaw and Warmpaw chorused.

"It's Archkit. There, I said it." Twigpaw looked away, embarrassed.

"Archkit's really nice. I wouldn't blame you." Warmpaw purred.

Sandpaw nodded. "Yeah. Kind of pretty too. In a cute kind of way."

They were now passing by WindClan, and Warmpaw looked for Thistlepaw, hoping to catch a sighting. He immediately recognized her, running while everyone walked.

"Looking for a cat?" asked Sandpaw.

Twigpaw's wiry tail waved in the air triumphantly. "Looks like we found Warmpaw's!"

"H-hey, of course not." Warmpaw's voice dwindled into a mew.

"You were spending the entire Gathering with her," said Sandpaw, "I saw you two talking."

Searing heat burned under Warmpaw's pelt. Now it was his turn to look away.

"Thistlepaw, was it?"

"Yeah," replied Warmpaw.

Sandpaw giggled, and then started to talk with Twigpaw over all the possible match-ups in ThunderClan. Warmpaw sighed and stared up at the clear night sky. A star seemed to wink at him. He smiled and winked back.

I'm still too young, and it'd be impossible anyway. That's what Sandpaw said. Impossible. He was from ThunderClan, and she was from WindClan. There wouldn't be a chance in the Dark Forest they could possibly be together.

Do I love her? He stared back up at the sky and back at WindClan, which was slowly fading away as they entered ThunderClan territory. He was too young. Too young for love.

Besides, he recalled how she declined his offer. She doesn't need me, really. He remembered how her amber eyes glowed when she did. The feeling he got when they locked gazes with his.

Are you really doing this? Warmpaw himself didn't even know. But the only thought that was burning in his mind was one that told him to go out there and show up at the border.

I may or may not love her, but I'll be there as a friend. Nothing more. She is my friend, she needs one. I'll be that cat.

Having reached his decision, he went a little faster, so that he was at the front of the group. It was then that he caught Ivystar talking with Cloudcover.

"I'm surprised they didn't mention the prophecy back there. All the medicine cats of each Clan know," meowed Cloudcover.

"You know it's well too early for this," Ivystar said, "Too early."

"Does he know?" the medicine cat asked.

"Warmpaw's known for a few weeks now. But he's only six moons. When he's older, then maybe they'll bring it up."

"When is 'when he's older'?" Cloudcover inquired.

"We don't know for sure. But the longer we wait, the better."

The ThunderClan cats entered camp, and most went off to tell everyone else about the events that went on. Warmpaw quickly went to his nest, feeling like he could throw up.

Confused wasn't the right word. More like utterly bewildered. The longer we wait, the better? What does Ivystar mean?