Well, I was supposed to upload this Sunday, but the Document Uploader or whatever wasn't letting me upload things from Word. I just tried converting the file to HTML and it worked question mark? Whatever, it's here now (: If anything got messed up in the process, uhh, well I'm too lazy to reread this chapter again so whatever ooops.
Recap: Ratpaw is on a patrol with Furzetail, Icewhisker, Snowpaw, and Frostpaw. At the ThunderClan border, they meet with a ThunderClan patrol- Sedgewhisker, the deputy, Bumbleclaw, a warrior, and Russetpaw, an apprentice. Furzetail mentions that she hasn't seen or heard from Honeystar in a while, and the ThunderClan cats all tense up, but after a moment, Sedgewhisker says that she's fine. They leave, and Ratpaw hears Furzetail talking to Icewhisker, wondering if something's wrong with Honeystar.
Chapter 3
The Light of the Moon
[Snowpaw]
"Now, Snowpaw! Dodge to the side!"
Biting her lip, the young white she-cat leaped to the left as Olivepaw ran forward, raising a paw as she prepared to strike. Having avoided the blow, Snowpaw now sprang forward with a high-pitched squeal, knocking her opponent into the snow. She put her paws against the other she-cat's soldiers, grinning down at her.
"Gotcha, Olivepaw!"
The dark brown she-cat looked up at her, whiskers twitching a bit, not saying anything.
Observing the fight were two toms, one a brown tabby and the other, black. They stepped forward, the black one smiling with approval.
"Good job, Snowpaw."
The white cat purred loudly at the praise, taking a step back and letting Olivepaw to her feet.
"Thank you, Ravenheart," she replied to her mentor, bowing a little and still grinning broadly. She didn't hear Olivepaw snort.
Weaselfoot, the other tom, watched the two, tail flicking. He let his green eyes rest on his own apprentice.
"Olivepaw," he said, "if you're caught in a position like this, it might be possible to kick out your back legs into your opponent's stomach. Try that next time."
"Yes, Weaselfoot," the cat muttered under her breath.
Ravenheart lifted his head; it was getting late. Already the sun was close to setting; the sky was a beautiful mix of reds and oranges and yellows, the tall, pointed silhouettes of the pine trees vividly contrasting it. Snowpaw felt a shiver run down her spine, not just from the cold but also because she remembered that the Gathering was tonight. She flexed her claws in anticipation; she hadn't been to one in what felt like years (but was actually only two moons). But she had managed to impress her mentor, so surely he would recommend her to Minnowstar, right? She deserved it.
"We should head back," Weaselfoot said, reading the other tom's thoughts. "The apprentices need to eat and rest for the Gathering." He looked at Snowpaw and Olivepaw. "If, of course, you're even coming." Snowpaw shot a glance at the other she-cat, who looked at her out of the corner of her eye before turning away, a small frown on her face. Snowpaw shrugged and straightened up, shaking her pelt.
"Well, let's go, then!" she said, tail and head held high. The toms looked at each other and nodded, beginning to lead the way through the snow and back towards camp.
As they walked, Snowpaw looked over at Olivepaw, who was clearly trying to avoid her gaze. The white she-cat flicked her tail and ran up to her.
"Good match today, Olivepaw," she purred. The other opened her mouth to say something, but Snowpaw quickly cut in, "Don't feel bad that you lost. I am older and more experienced, after all."
"Sorry, I'm not in the mood to talk," replied Olivepaw, keeping her gaze in front. "My throat's a bit sore."
Snowpaw, of course, didn't hear the onvious sarcasm in her voice.
"Oh, no! Are you getting a cold or something? You know, Leafbare is the worst time to be sick. Luckily, I never get sick in Leafbare, but maybe you..." She broke off when she realized that Olivepaw had ran forward a few foxlengths and was now blatantly ignoring her. Snowpaw narrowed her eyes, mildly insulted before she lifted her chin up high.
Soon, the scents and sounds of ShadowClan wafted through the air, and Snowpaw smiled to herself, feeling happy and confident.
The sun was almost completely set, only a few traces of light still left in the sky as, one by one, stars became visible. The cold air flew past as very slowly, the sun disappeared beneath the horizon. It only took a few minutes before it was completely dark, other than the light given off by the large, full moon that hung in the sky.
The four cats trotted down the shallow, snowy slope and into camp, low-hanging branches overhead. Snowpaw paused, looking around. Most of the Clan was outside, eating whatever food they'd found as they all talked anxiously among themselves about the Gathering. Pricking her ears, she saw as Olivepaw trotted over to Cedarpaw, Ratpaw and Frostpaw; flicking her tail, she went over to join her fellow apprentices.
"Hey, guys!" she purred. Frostpaw lit up when she saw her sister and hastily walked over to stand beside her. Cedarpaw was sitting down, tail wrapped around his paws, ears flattened as he said not a word. Olivepaw was beside him, a small, worried frown on her face as she looked expressionlessly at Snowpaw. Ratpaw, who sat on the other side of Cedarpaw, looked up at the white she-cat, smiling politely.
"Hello, Snowpaw," he said. "Did you and Olivepaw have a good training session?"
"It was brilliant," she purred, sending a glance at Olivepaw, whose whiskers twitched. Snowpaw shot her a smug grin before turning back to the black tom. "I think I'm going to be a warrior soon."
"Well, if you are," said Frostpaw, "then I'd better be, too!" Snowpaw rolled her eyes, and Ratpaw cut in before a potential argument could start.
"So, guys," he said, addressing the whole group, "do you think you'll be selected for the Gathering?"
Cedarpaw didn't say a word; in fact, it hardly looked like he was even paying attention. He was just staring out into space, his jaw hanging open slightly, his tail twitching every now and then. Olivepaw frowned and moved closer to him so their pelts were brushing. She said nothing, either.
Snowpaw stared at them, an eyebrow raised. Snorting softly, she turned back to the handsome black tom and smiled widely. "Well, I don't know," she said, trying to act modest. It lasted for about a second. "But I think I'll be chosen. I've been doing really well with my training. Just ask Ravenheart."
"Attention!" came a loud voice, and Snowpaw lifted her head to see the tall, lean shape of Minnowstar, standing on a large stump, narrowed eyes darting about and gleaming in the moonlight. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, join beneath the Tallstump for a Clan meeting."
Snowpaw smiled at the other apprentices, her eyes wide in excitement. "She's gonna announce who's going!" she said in a not-so-quiet whisper.
Cats were gathering around, all of them talking eagerly to each other as they lifted their heads, waiting for the news. Minnowstar lashed her tail for silence, her eyes resting on her Clan.
"It is time to announce who shall be attending tonight's Gathering," she said. She looked down at the foot of the stump, where her deputy, Harestep, sat. He was a long-legged tom with big amber eyes and a pelt of light brown. The leader then looked over at the back of the crowd. There, Willowfall sat alone, her face expressionless. Minnowstar raised her head. "Harestep and Willowfall will, of course, be attending, just as always. The following cats will also be attending." Snowpaw held her breath. "...Emberheart, Furzetail, Icewhisker, Swallowflight, Ravenheart, Owlwing, Cinderblaze, Ratpaw, Olivepaw, and Snowpaw."
Snowpaw let out a shaky breath, a huge smile on her face as she began to tremble in excitement. Beside her, Frostpaw's eyes were wide with disbelief, and she whispered into her sister's ear, "How come you get to go, and not me?"
Snowpaw looked over at her, shrugging gleefully.
"Maybe next time!"
"The sun has set," continued Minnowstar, "and the moon is full. We will leave immediately. If the selected cats can gather here, we will be on our way."
Snowpaw leaped to her paws, tail up high. She looked over at Ratpaw, not sending Olivepaw another glance.
"Didja hear that, Ratpaw? We're both going!"
"Yeah," he said quietly, tilting his head as he looked at the other apprentices. "Well, I guess we should go. See you later, Frostpaw and Cedarpaw." Neither of the two said anything.
The chosen cats began to gather around their leader, their heads bent low against the increasingly cold air, but excitement still flickering through their eyes. Well, through most of their eyes. Snowpaw glanced around, looking at the different cats. She saw Swallowflight standing at the back of the crowd, talking to no one, her green eyes lowered. The apprentice wasn't sure if this cat had even left camp since her mate had died last week. Maybe it was good that she was getting out.
She saw her mother, Furzetail, talking to Icewhisker, small smiles on both of their faces. They seemed to be particularly friendly to each other, lately, and Snowpaw didn't quite know why. Owlwing padded over to them, her light brown fur a bit ruffled, her amber eyes wide in excitement. She had only become a warrior a moon or two ago. Cinderblaze and Ravenheart were chatting a few taillengths away.
Harestep was standing next to Minnowstar, the two of them talking. It took Snowpaw a moment to find Willowfall, but then, she saw her, standing a distance away from everybody. She watched as Emberheart looked over at the medicine cat, and for some reason, Snowpaw could feel a surge of tension between them, even from several foxlengths away. Everyone else seemed oblivious.
But she shrugged it away, assuming it was nothing.
Seeing that Olivepaw and Ratpaw had already joined the crowd and were now whispering to each other, Snowpaw ran up to join them, a grin on her face.
"Very well," Minnowstar's voice sounded. "We will be off. I expect all cats remaining here to continue with your duties and to protect the camp while we're gone." She turned to the crowd and flicked her tail. "Let's go."
Snowpaw smiled, another chill going down her spine as her leader lead them up the shallow slope and towards RiverClan.
They walked through the snowy forest, the moon shining through the pine trees to give them at least a little light. Most of the warriors were talking to one another, asking each other what they thought would be announced at the Gathering and who they thought would be there. Swallowflight, Emberheart, and Willowfall seemed to keep to themselves, and Minnowstar and Harestep were also walking in silence, side by side.
The apprentices walked in the back, Snowpaw continually blabbing to the others about anything that entered her head.
"I missed last moon's Gathering," she said, trotting through the cold snow. "I'm really excited for this one's."
"Snowpaw, do you remember the patrol we went on today?" asked Ratpaw, looking at her as he walked. "When we saw Sagewhisker and those others?"
"Of course!" Snowpaw purred, though she hadn't given it another thought all day. "What about it?"
Ratpaw glanced at Olivepaw, who was looking at him curiously.
"Well, didn't you think that something felt off? When Furzetail asked about Honeystar, they all tensed up. I think something's... wrong. Furzetail thought so, too. I heard her talking to Icewhisker about it."
"What do you think could be wrong?" Olivepaw murmured.
Her brother shrugged. "I don't know. But I'm thinking that we might find out tonight."
Snowpaw tilted her head slightly. She hadn't really noticed anything, but maybe he was right.
The trees soon began to thin out, and moments later, the cats broke out of the pine forest as they stepped across the small Thunderpath dividing ShadowClan and RiverClan. Snowpaw now had a clear view of the lake, and she paused for a moment to admire it. The cool water rippled softly, distorting the bright silver reflection of the moon just slightly. In this light, she could even see all the way to the other side, out at the moors of WindClan. And if she looked closely, she could recognize the large trees on the island in the distance, where they would soon be meeting with the other Clans.
Realizing that she had gotten behind, Snowpaw shook herself and quickly leaped after the crowd.
As they walked past the dock, she felt yet another shiver run down her spine- but this time, it wasn't because of the cold, or even because of the excitement that she'd barely been able to contain. It was because every time she walked past this place, she would remember that story- the story- of Graystar. Though she'd never met her, she knew that she'd been the leader of ShadowClan, and Minnowstar's mother. She'd heard that last Leafbare, she had suddenly disappeared, and after having searched for a week, they finally found her washed up on the shore right by the dock. Actually, she recalled that it had been a couple of RiverClan apprentices that had found her while playing one day. No one ever knew what exactly had happened. Snowpaw had been told that at one point, some cats had even been suspicious that it was a murder, but of course there hadn't been any evidence. And so, everyone dropped it and forgot about it like it had never happened.
And though Snowpaw hadn't even been born yet, she hadn't forgotten the stories. Perhaps she was the only one.
She shook her head. This wasn't the time to be thinking of these sort of things. She was going to a Gathering! She gave her pelt a few quick licks and continued to walk with the other apprentices, her head held high.
The walk to the island was a short stroll through RiverClan territory, through the nearly frozen reeds and tiny streams and rocks. The shape of the island was growing nearer and nearer, and soon, Snowpaw thought she could hear the voices of other Clans.
A minute later, Minnowstar flicked her tail, and the crowd came to a stop. Snowpaw's eyes widened, a smile broadening on her face as she looked up at the island just foxlengths away. After a moment, the leader nodded and turned, leaping up onto the log bridge that connected the island with the mainland.
Cats carefully stepped across, one by one, careful to keep their balance and not fall into the icy waters. Snowpaw had at her first Gathering, but luckily it had been during Greenleaf and it was on the way back, so she didn't have to sit through the entire thing soaking wet.
The apprentices remained on the mainland. Olivepaw took a step forward to cross, but Snowpaw quickly trotted forward, cutting her off and leaping onto the log. She'd done this before, and she no longer had to worry about falling in. Keeping her head and tail high, she nimbly made her way across, jumping down onto the island and landing neatly on her feet. She grinned over at the siblings; Olivepaw was glaring at her and muttering something beneath her breath before she climbed up, too, Ratpaw right behind.
The ShadowClanners marched forward, passing through a few dead, snowy bushes. They emerged into a clearing, and Snowpaw widened her eyes as she gazed at all the cats, who were now all curiously turning towards them. WindClan and RiverClan were already there. They were mostly sitting with their own Clan members, though a few were mingling with others.
In the middle of the island stood a huge tree, and on steady branches sat two cats. One was was a small, scrawny tom with a pelt of very pale orange and bright green eyes. This was Greenstar, WindClan's leader. The other was a sleek white she-cat who had one blue eye and another of amber. This was RiverClan's leader, Blossomstar. Minnowstar made her way up the tree as well, taking her usual spot on a branch.
Sitting on the roots of the tree were their deputies-... Snowpaw blinked. She saw WindClan's deputy, Barkfall, but where was RiverClan's?
"Hey, Ratpaw!" she whispered into the tom's ear as ShadowClan cats began to sit down or greet other Clan cats. "Where's Antnose?"
He lifted his head and looked around, raising his eyebrows after a moment.
"That's a good question. I don't see him."
"He was getting old," Snowpaw murmured, tilting her head. "Maybe he finally kicked the bucket." Ratpaw flinched, looking around to make sure no one had heard.
Noticing that the black tom was now staring at something, Snowpaw followed his gaze, seeing that little ginger she-cat from that morning, standing by herself as she looked around. What was her name? Russetpaw?
"I remember her," Snowpaw said, causing to Ratpaw to jump a bit. "Why're you staring at her? She's not even that-"
"I wasn't staring at her," the tom said, lashing his tail. "I just..."
He broke off as his eyes wandered elsewhere, and Snowpaw turned to see as cats were beginning to emerge from the snowy undergrowth from the tree bridge. The smell of ThunderClan wafted through the air, and everyone now watched as these cats filed in, one by one. And leading them was... most definitely not Honeystar. It was Sagewhisker.
The crowd fell almost completely silent as they watched these cats sit down, making way for Sagewhisker as she walked past them, her head held high. No one dared ask any questions, though everyone was thinking the same thing.
The deputy took her spot beside Harestep and Barkfall, but she stayed standing. Looking around, she called, "It seems that everyone is here, and we may begin."
Minnowstar narrowed her eyes a bit as she looked down at this she-cat. "The last I checked, Sagewhisker, you had no right to decide when Gatherings begin. Will you spare us all the drama and tell us where Honeystar is?"
"She had something to do," the deputy replied coolly, meeting the leader's gaze unflinchingly. "She couldn't come."
"What do you mean, she couldn't come?" insisted Barkfall, her eyes round with worry. "Is everything alright?"
Greenstar leaned forward. "Has she become ill?"
"Everything is fine," growled Sagewhisker.
"This is ridiculous," grunted Minnowstar. "If she's fine, then everyone here deserves an explanation as to why she is not present at the moon's most important event. Where is Honeystar?"
"She was caught up in personal business," Sagewhisker hissed, her patience apparently growing thin. "I am not at liberty to discuss her private life with you. She apologizes for her absence and wishes us all well."
Cats were looking at each other, some obviously not convinced. But Sagewhisker didn't let the silence continue on for long. Lashing her tail, she said, "May we please begin this Gathering?"
"Very well," Minnowstar said, "then I will begin, seeing as it is the job of a leader to share the news of her Clan at a Gathering." Sagewhisker pulled her lips back slightly, but said nothing. The ShadowClan leader looked out over the crowd.
"As some of you may have already heard, Reedfur died last week." A few shocked gasps were heard around the island; almost every cat knew and respected Reedfur. "Sadly, he was found to have drowned in the stream. I know many of you may have known him and were close to him, but know that he is watching us from StarClan and that he will never be forgotten." Several cats bowed their heads sadly; when Snowpaw saw Olivepaw and Ratpaw do it, she did, too.
"Despite this loss, ShadowClan has been thriving. We are finding enough food and have been managing quite well through this Leafbare. Things have been peaceful with the other Clans, as well, and we hope to keep it that way." She bowed her head, signaling that she was done.
A few moments of silence passed before Greenstar lifted his head.
"WindClan has also been doing well," he said, his strange round face looking about. "We've had a few illnesses, but nothing bad. Smallkit and Goosekit have become apprentices, and..." He went on for quite some time about other little things that no one really cared about. Or at least nothing that Snowpaw cared about.
When he was done, Blossomstar lifted her head, her mismatching eyes gleaming in the moonlight. "I've an announcement to make," she said. "Antnose, our deputy, has retired and has joined the elders to live the rest of his life in peace." A few cats murmured in surprise, though honestly, many had been expecting this for a while. Snowpaw glanced around; who was the new deputy?
"I have chosen a new deputy, of course," she continued, "and I will now ask him to step forward."
The crowd fell silent and looked around, curious.
A second later, Blossomstar announced, "RiverClan's new deputy is Blacktail."
A few cats let out cheers as the large black tom stepped forward, leaping onto a root to join the other deputies. Snowpaw let out a cheer, partly because he seemed like a good deputy and mostly because she just liked to yell.
Glancing around to see her Clanmates' reactions, she spotted Willowfall and tilted her head a bit at the medicine cat's reaction. She was sitting stiffly, the tip of her tail anxiously flicking back and forth, a small frown on her face. Something darted darkly through her eyes, and her whiskers twitched. Snowpaw blinked softly, but decided, again, to not give it too much thought.
The new deputy dipped his sturdy head, his green eyes gazing upon the crowd.
Only a few more words were said before the announcements were finished, and the Clans were now free to mingle. Snowpaw leaped to her paws, looking around for any other apprentices to talk to. She pricked her ears, spotting two from WindClan- Mistypaw and Yellowpaw. She'd talked to them a few times before.
She bounded over to them, greeting the two gray cats with a smile.
"Hey, guys!"
The cats turned to her, blue and yellow eyes gleaming as they smiled.
"Snowpaw!" purred Yellowpaw. "What's up?"
"Not much," she responded, licking a paw. "What's up with you guys? How's WindClan?"
"It's fine," mewed Mistypaw. "The new apprentices are both pretty annoying to deal with, though. In my opinion, the first moon you're an apprentice, you're really still a kit. I... Snowpaw? Are you listening?"
Snowpaw had been staring at Willowfall as she approached Blacktail. She was curiously watching as the medicine cat lowered her head, talking to the other quietly. She blinked and quickly turned back to Mistypaw, grinning lopsidedly.
"Of course I'm listening," she laughed. "New apprentices. Yeah. They're annoying, all right. When're you guys becoming warriors?"
"We should be in about a moon," purred Yellowpaw. "What about you?"
"I'm not too sure," admitted Snowpaw. "I haven't really been keeping track. In a moon or two, I think."
They chatted a bit longer about this and that, but soon enough, Minnowstar announced to her Clan that it was time to go. Giving a quick goodbye to the two apprentices, Snowpaw turned and caught up with her Clan, running up to Ratpaw and Olivepaw.
"D'you guys have fun?" she asked, smiling.
"Yes," Ratpaw said absently, his mind seemingly on something else. Olivepaw flicked an ear, not bothering to respond. Snowpaw looked at the tom curiously, but didn't say anything. It had been fun, but still, something was nagging at her... Two things, actually. At first, she hadn't been too concerned about either, but they wouldn't leave her mind, however hard she tried to make them. The first was Honeystar and her mysterious absence, and the other... was the way that Willowfall had reacted to the announcement of RiverClan's new deputy, and the way she had quietly spoken to him afterwards.
She shook her head, once again trying to focus on something else as she walked across the fallen tree bridge, the moonlight in her eyes as she tried to happily trot along...
Sorry. I'm really spacey slash tired slash trying to think of all the work I have do to before tomorrow oops. It's Fanfiction's fault, not mine.
Well, there you have your little peak into Snowpaw's world. It's definitely... interesting? Well, she'll be back soon. She'll definitely be back... (;
Reviewreviewreview? Pleasepleaseplease (: Snowpaw plushies for all! They squeak when you hug 'em (:
Oh, and I told you my chapters would get longer! Huhuhu(:
Also since this wasn't uploading for like a week I'm almost done with Chapter 4 oops. That'll be up soon(:
Till next time!
Pearly