Hey, guys! I know this is late, but like I said, I've been soo busy lately with college stuff and just school in general and a ton of personal issues have come up that I've had to be dealing with so... I'm sorry. But here's the next chapter. Thank you all who have been reading. (:

Recap: Cedarpaw takes a walk with Olivepaw and explains to her how he had witnessed his father Reedfur killing Waterkit, his brother, though he never found out why he did it. Moons later, Cedarpaw walks with his father and tells him that he knows what he's done. They fight, and Cedarpaw ends up killing Reedfur by slamming his head against a rock. He dragged his father's body to the stream and left him there, making it look like he had slipped, fallen in, and drowned. Cedarpaw tells Olivepaw that he had been scared to tell her because he didn't want her to leave him. She assures him that she wouldn't.

Chapter 29

An Unexpected Guest

[Frostpaw]

"Littlepaw's been coughing all day," Brokenpaw was saying in a low voice, his ears flattened, his blue-gray fur sticking up in anxiety. "He seems sick. I tried to tell him but he said he was fine. But I don't think he is."

The apprentice was sitting in the medicine den; it was morning, and it was snowing outside. Inside, Onespot was looking over Jaguarpaw, who lay in a bed of moss, sleeping. The tom hadn't gotten much better since he'd been found at the RiverClan border the week before. In fact, his condition was growing worse. And though Frostpaw knew that everyone was trying to hide it, they were all scared. Not for Jaguarpaw, but that his greencough would spread and infect the entire camp. Everyone tried to stay as far away from the medicine den as possible.

"Tell Littlepaw to come and see me," Willowfall was mewing as she sat down and curled her tail around her paws. She had a generally tired look on her face; Frostpaw didn't think she'd gotten much sleep. She'd been that way a lot lately, she thought. I wonder if something's wrong.

"I'll try," Brokenpaw murmured, getting to his feet. "I just don't want him to end up like..." He trailed off as he glanced at Jaguarpaw, whose sides were rising and falling at an uneven rate. He'd lost even more fur.

"He'll be fine," Willowfall said quietly, but Frostpaw noticed that she was avoiding the tom's gaze. "Thank you for telling us, Brokenpaw."

With an awkward bow of the head, Brokenpaw turned and exited the den.

After a moment of silence, Willowfall closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.

"Willowfall," Frostpaw mewed, her voice low so that Onespot wouldn't overhear, "is something wrong? You've been seeming tense lately... Especially today." Willowfall flattened her ears and looked at her.

"...Nothing," she said quietly. "I'm just tired."

Frostpaw frowned, not convinced, but she thought it best not to press her. She decided to change the subject. "So, what d'you think is gonna happen at the Gathering tonight?"

She was quite surprised to see Willowfall visibly flinch, her ears pricked as she began to stare at the ground.

"...Who can really say?" she said after a moment. "I'm sure that Blossomstar is planning something, though. It's been a whole moon since she claimed that everyone has to join RiverClan or die, and she's barely touched ShadowClan."

"Yeah," Frostpaw sighed. "I'm worried about that, too. I-"

"Hey, Frostpaw?" Willowfall cut in, looking at her with something like anxiety. "You haven't heard about who'll be coming to the Gathering tonight, have you?"

Frostpaw stared at her and blinked several times. "No," she mewed, puzzled. "But, Willowfall... Don't medicine cats always go...?"

The older cat smiled very faintly, looking away. "I suppose they do," she said softly. Frostpaw frowned but said nothing.

. . .

"I'm so hungry," sighed Ratpaw, flicking his tail. "There's barely been any food at all anymore."

Frostpaw frowned, saying nothing. The two apprentices were sitting together outside. Snow was falling lightly and gently; it had begun to slow. A few others were in the clearing; Icewhisker and Furzetail were talking with Antfur and Ferretheart, who had both come from ThunderClan. Harestep was setting up a hunting patrol with a few other warriors, and Olivepaw and Cedarpaw were sitting together, talking in low voices. Frostpaw blinked softly as she watched them, a tiny smile appearing on her face. Ratpaw seemed to follow her gaze.

"Have you noticed how Cedarpaw's been talking more?" he meowed, watching.

"Yeah," Frostpaw said quietly. She smiled slightly. "They spend all their time together. They're so cute." When Ratpaw glanced at her slightly awkwardly, Frostpaw laughed and said, "Sorry, I know it must be weird to have me talking about him and your sister like that."

"That's okay," chuckled Ratpaw. "I..." He broke off as his eyes landed on the apprentices' den; Frostpaw followed his gaze to see Grasspaw exit from the den. The gray tom's fur ruffled slightly as his fur began to grow speckled with snow, his green eyes looking around, a grimace on his face. Frostpaw glanced at Ratpaw; he was frowning.

"There's something weird about him," he muttered as the two watched Grasspaw approach the group that Harestep was talking to. Frostpaw looked at him.

"You're only saying that because of what Russetpaw said about him."

Ratpaw flattened his ears and looked away, and Frostpaw immediately felt guilty.

"I'm sorry-"

"No, don't," said Ratpaw, looking at her with a small smile. "Let's not talk about Russetpaw... Whatever I had with her is over."

Frostpaw blinked slowly and studied him, but after a moment a tiny smile crept onto her face and she nodded.

"Alright."

"Hey, guys," a voice suddenly came from behind them. The apprentices jumped and turned around. It was Snowcloud.

"Hey, Snowcloud," purred Ratpaw, waving his tail. Frostpaw shot him a glance, for some reason feeling slightly angry that he was being so friendly to her. Hadn't she told him how unfairly Snowcloud had been treating her lately? She glanced at her sister; the warrior smiled at Ratpaw before glancing at Frostpaw from the corner of her eye. Frostpaw snorted quietly.

"Excited for the Gathering?" Ratpaw mewed, smiling at both of them, obviously trying to stir up a conversation that they could both be involved in.

But for some reason, Snowcloud's smile turned into a deep frown. Her eyes darkened and her tail grew rigid as she looked away. Frostpaw blinked, puzzled, realizing that she was reacting in a similar way that Willowfall had. What was going on? Was there something that Snowcloud and Willowfall knew that no one else did?

"Yeah," Snowcloud managed to mutter before quickly faking a smile. "Yeah. I'm excited..."

Ratpaw seemed to notice her strange behavior, too, but he didn't say anything.

. . .

It was evening. The snow had finally come to a complete stop, but the air was still freezing.

Frostpaw was inside the medicine den, sorting some herbs for Willowfall. Onespot was looking over Littlepaw, who had agreed to come see them. He did look sick- he was coughing and his fur seemed a little thinner than it had been. But he wasn't the only one who had come to the medicine den that day. Just a few minutes before, Furzetail, Frostpaw's mother, had come in, complaining that her throat was sore and she'd been coughing a bit. When Willowfall had turned away to reach for an herb, Frostpaw could see the worried expression on her face.

"I'm sure it's just a cold," Furzetail mewed, obviously trying to reassure her own daughter. "It's that time of the year..."

"Mom, I don't think you should go to the Gathering tonight," Frostpaw mewed, frowning. "Onespot agreed that he'd stay here to keep watch over Jaguarpaw and Littlepaw. I think you should stay too."

"Just to be safe," mewed Onespot, nodding his head in agreement. "And I'm sure Willowfall will fill us in about the Gathering when she gets back. Won't you, Willowfall?"

The medicine cat frowned in reply, saying nothing. Frostpaw flicked an ear.

"You can take a seat here," Onespot mewed, beckoning to a bed of dried moss. "I'll-"

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Tallstump for a Clan meeting," Minnowstar's voice rang out.

"I bet it's time for Minnowstar to announce who's going to the Gathering," Furzetail mewed as she sat down, a small smile on her face. "Go ahead, Frostpaw. Don't worry about me. Have fun tonight, sweetie."

Frostpaw smiled slightly and nodded, padding over to her mother to lick her ear.

"Feel better, Mom. We'll tell you all about the Gathering when we're back."

Furzetail smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."

"See you all later," Onespot mewed as Frostpaw and Willowfall exited the den.

The sun had set, but the moon was full, and it shone a silver light down onto the clearing. Cats were quickly beginning to gather, their eyes shining in anticipation as Minnowstar waited atop the Tallstump.

Frostpaw found Ratpaw with Snowcloud, Olivepaw, and Cedarpaw, and sat down beside him. Ratpaw grinned at her; Frostpaw smiled back. Snowcloud was looking up at Minnowstar, silent, a solemn expression on her face. Olivepaw was whispering something to Cedarpaw, who was smiling slightly.

"Attention," Minnowstar called once everyone had gotten settled. All eyes were on her. "It is time to announce who is coming to tonight's Gathering. After I do, we will depart immediately." There was a moment of silence; no one said a word. The leader lashed her tail and looked around before saying, "The cats who shall come to tonight's Gathering are Harestep, Willowfall, Swallowflight, Bluepelt, Briarclaw, Ravenheart, Cinderblaze, Icewhisker, Bumbleclaw, Antfur, Ferretheart, Rainspot, Olivepaw, Frostpaw, Ratpaw, and Brokenpaw."

There was a dull muttering going around; Frostpaw glanced at Ratpaw, who smiled and nudged her. She then looked over at Snowcloud, who hadn't been picked. The warrior was silent; her eyes were shining and there was a small frown on her face. Looking over at Willowfall, she was surprised to see a look of... relief on her face. Frostpaw blinked.

"We leave immediately," Minnowstar called out over the talking, which had grown louder. "The cats who are staying here must decide amongst themselves who will guard camp until we return. Will the cats who I've named meet over here." She leaped from the Tallstump.

"We get to go!" Ratpaw mewed, grinning as they got to their paws. "I can't wait. I wonder what'll happen."

"Yeah," Frostpaw said blankly; her eyes were on her sister, who was walking away and disappearing into the warriors' den, head low.

"Are we all met?" called Minnowstar, glancing around at the smaller crowd that had gathered. "Very well; let's go." And the group set off up the slope and into the woods.

Frostpaw walked with Ratpaw and Olivepaw, who were talking.

"So, what exactly is going on with you and Cedarpaw?" Ratpaw asked as the crowd trotted through the dark trees, a cold wind ruffling their pelts.

Olivepaw flicked an ear. "What do you mean?"

Frostpaw looked at her, trying not to think too hard about Willowfall and Snowcloud.

"You know what he means," she purred. "You spend every second together. And he's started talking again. You two must really care about each other."

Olivepaw smiled faintly, though she avoided their gazes. "He's just gotten over Reedfur's death, is all."

"But you helped him," Frostpaw replied. "I don't know what he'd do without you."

Olivepaw's smile broadened and she flattened her ears, seemingly embarrassed.

"Olivepaw, you can tell us if you like him, you know," Frostpaw said, her voice lowering as she smiled at her, nudging her lightly.

Olivepaw shrugged, though the smile was still on her face. Frostpaw caught Ratpaw's gaze; they shared a grin.

The full moon led the cats through the trees until they broke out of the forest and entered RiverClan territory. The lake glimmered as brilliantly as always, and the silhouette of the dock against the water stood out. Frostpaw shivered as they walked through the snow. The group was generally quiet; Ratpaw had started talking to Brokenpaw, who was expressing his concerns for his brother. Up ahead, a few warriors were talking. In the front, Minnowstar led silently as Harestep and Bumbleclaw talked to each other right behind her.

They continued through the snow and the cold winds until the island grew close. Frostpaw felt her heart beginning to race, feeling both excited and nervous. She had no idea what would come out of this Gathering, but she was tense. She blinked when she felt something brush her fur; she glanced over to see Ratpaw. He smiled slightly at her, and she smiled back, for some reason feeling even more nervous, now.

One by one, the cats leaped up onto the log bridge and trotted along it, careful not to slip. Frostpaw took her turn, daintily crossing and jumping off onto the island.

Once everyone had crossed, Minnowstar gathered everyone in a small huddle. She looked around, her light blue eyes gleaming brightly in the moonlight before giving a slow nod.

"Let's go."

With that, she turned and led everyone through the snowy undergrowth and into the clearing.

RiverClan was already there. They had all been talking, but once ShadowClan had appeared, all went silent. Heads turned to stare at them; a few cats pulled back their lips and growled, eyes narrowed. Frostpaw recognized quite a few RiverClanners- Sunnyheart, Thornfang, Whiskerfur, Applenose... And also cats that had previously been from ThunderClan and WindClan before they'd been destroyed, like Sagewhisker, former deputy of ThunderClan, and Bluebird and Forestwind, the medicine cats. On the roots of the giant tree sat Blacktail, green eyes shining as he quietly observed the ShadowClanners. Higher up, on one of the branches, sat Blossomstar. A grin was on her face, her mismatching eyes gleaming as she watched and said nothing.

There was a tense, uncomfortable silence as the RiverClan cats walked forward and began to sit down. Frostpaw sat with Olivepaw, Ratpaw, and Brokenpaw. She flattened her ears and glanced at the other apprentices. Usually, at Gatherings, there was time for the Clans to mingle and talk with each other, but this time there was so much hostility in the air. This can't end well...

Everyone watched as Minnowstar and Harestep quietly made their way to the tree, heads high and refusing to look at the RiverClanners, some of who were spitting at their paws. Minnowstar just lashed her tail with impatience as she at last climbed up the tree and took a branch next to Blossomstar's. Harestep took a seat next to Blacktail on the roots.

"Hello, Minnowstar," purred Blossomstar, her snow-white fur ruffling slightly in the breeze. She grinned widely, showing her teeth. Minnowstar's whiskers twitched, but despite herself, she gave a small incline of the head.

"Well, then, I think we're ready to begin," purred Blossomstar, looking around with a flick of her tail. "Minnowstar, why don't you begin?"

The silver tabby looked at her rigidly, eyes a bit narrowed, but she nodded curtly and turned to the crowd.

"Very well. ShadowClan has been doing fine. Despite the harsh conditions of Leafbare, we have been managing quite well." She paused, her eyes narrowing further before saying, "However, last week, we found your medicine cat apprentice, Jaguarpaw, at the border. We have taken him in and we're caring for him. But let me ask you this, Blossomstar," she mewed coldly, turning to look at her, "what exactly was one of your cats doing at the border, all by himself?"

There was muttering along the RiverClan cats. Some of them were looking at each other and smirking. Frostpaw frowned, worried.

Blossomstar gave a small laugh, shaking her head as if she pitied Minnowstar. "Why don't you tell us, Minnowstar?" she mewed smoothly, still chuckling. "We discovered that he was gone. We sent out search parties and were unable to find him. But it seems as though ShadowClan has simply stolen him from us."

"We didn't steal him!" growled Minnowstar, lips pulled back as her fur began to rise. "You know just as well as I do! Jaguarpaw is very ill; he wouldn't have been able to make it from RiverClan camp all the way to the border by himself! You left him there!"

A few RiverClan cats began to snarl and growl loudly at Minnowstar, but Blossomstar, looking amused, lashed her tail.

"Enough, enough." She turned to Minnowstar, smiling widely. "Tell me, Minnowstar. Why would we do that? Why would we leave a young cat out in the snow to die...?"

Minnowstar looked at her, and a sudden look of realization came upon her face. She narrowed eyes to slits and lowered her voice.

"You didn't," she said quietly. "You didn't leave him there to die."

"Ah, she admits it!" laughed Blossomstar.

"I'm not finished," growled Minnowstar. "You didn't leave him there to die. You left him there hoping we'd find him, hoping we'd take him in. Why? Because you wanted his greencough to spread to everyone else in ShadowClan. You used him as a tool. Didn't you, Blossomstar?"

"I have to admit, Minnowstar," Blossomstar said slowly, shaking her head with a small smile. "You are quite the storyteller."

"It's the truth," Minnowstar said calmly but firmly, her gaze burning into Blossomstar's. "You..."

She suddenly broke off, turning her gaze to where the cats had entered the clearing, her mouth open in surprise. Frostpaw blinked, and she, along with everyone else, turned their heads to see what she was looking at.

"Oh, StarClan," Frostpaw whispered, shaking her head in confusion.

Having just entered from the undergrowth stood Snowcloud. She was panting, her green eyes wide, tail raised as she looked around wildly. Frostpaw shared a look with Ratpaw, whose eyes were wide.

"...Snowcloud?" Minnowstar called out, squinting as if she had mistaken. When she realized she hadn't, anger filled her face. "Snowcloud, what are you doing here!? You've just interrupted the most important night of the moon!"

But she white she-cat didn't respond. She began to walk forward, ears flat, her gaze in front of her, a frown on her face. Frostpaw tried to catch her gaze, but she didn't. Everyone was silent as they watched her in awe, shock and confusion. The RiverClanners weren't even growling. They seemed as stunned as the ShadowClanners.

When Snowcloud reached the foot of the tree, she turned around and swallowed. She seemed quite nervous. But before anyone could say anything or question her, Snowcloud raised her head and said in a loud, clear voice, "Willowfall killed Graystar and Emberheart."