Gracepaw: Cinderstar, I don't like the prophecy...
Cinderstar: Why, sweetie? I loved it!
Gracepaw: But its Lilypaw's prophecy! I hate it! Why does Amberpaw have to go to waste?
Cinderstar: *Grits teeth* She doesn't have to, sweetie. Get the three to the Moon pool!
Snowstar: Um, We don't own Warriors or Firestar or TIGERSTAR! Just Cinderstar and me.
Tigerstar: Why is my name all caps?
Firestar: Why isn't my name all caps?
Cinderstar: STOP APPEARING IN MY FAN FICS TIGERSTAR AND FIRESTAR!
Firestar: Thanks for the all caps!
Tigerstar: Grr...
Gracepaw's POV(Back on track!)
Gracepaw noticed that Lilypaw seemed very tired on their hunting patrol that day. What had she been doing all night?
"Okay, when you hunt a mouse, you'll want to creep slowly towards it. Keep your paws light- a mouse will hear or feel your paw steps before it scents or sees you." Laurelclaw instructed.
Gracepaw nodded. "Okay!"
"Now, Gracepaw, why don't you practice on that clump of ferns over there? Lilypaw, try on that fallen branch." ordered Heatherfang, the last member of the patrol. Firepaw couldn't come since he was in trouble, and Yellowstar was busy, so Heatherfang instead went.
Gracepaw focused all of her strength into her hind legs as she did the hunting crouch Laurelclaw had just taught her. Carefully stepping forward, she creeped over to the clump of ferns, making sure she was down wind from it. Leaping, she crushed the ferns and scrabbled at a- a-
"I caught a mouse!" she exclaimed. Laurelclaw raced over to see the apprentice's catch.
"Congratulations, Gracepaw!" praised the warrior.
Gracepaw smiled. "I can't believe it!" She then turned to watch Lilypaw, who was also stalking the stick. Jumping, Lilypaw missed the stick by a tiny mouse-length.
"Bad luck," Gracepaw meowed sympathy. "Maybe next time." But to her surprise, instead of nodding, Lilypaw gazed at Gracepaw worriedly. Is she upset because she missed? Gracepaw wondered. But no, there was something else that had darkened the young she-cat's gaze.
Um, weird. Gracepaw thought. Lilypaw wasn't acting like her normal shy, timid self. Well... she was being timid. What is bothering her?
After the patrol
In the end, Gracepaw had her mouse, Heatherfang caught two squirrels, and Lilypaw just managed to scent and catch one tiny vole. Laurelclaw was carrying a fat juicy rabbit and clinging on to another vole.
"That was great!" Heatherfang exclaimed. "You two are good hunters. That was your first time, and no apprentice usually gets anything. You two are brilliant."
Gracepaw was warmed-and moved- by Heatherfang's praise. "All I caught was a mouse!" she pointed out. "And I only got a small vole." Lilypaw frowned.
Heatherfang's smile didn't disappear. "But you did catch something, and that is what counts."
Laurelclaw nodded. "You two will make great warriors someday," she meowed. Staring at her, Gracepaw saw that something was wrong. When they got to camp she confronted her mentor by the fresh kill pile. "What's bothering you?" she asked.
Laurelclaw looked sharply away. "I, well, my mate... Eggtail. He died in the great war, and he was with me when I caught my first piece of prey. And I had also caught a mouse." she sighed. "But I can't live in the past forever... bye, Gracepaw. We can do a border patrol tomorrow."
Gracepaw stared at her until the warrior entered the warriors den. She realized it must be sad, losing the one that you love most of all. I hope no one in my family ever dies, she thought. Then she realized that that was mouse-brained. Of course someone would die one day!
All the more reason to share more time with them! She though determinedly, and she picked up her mouse and dropped it by Lilypaw. "Want to share?" she offered.
Hoppaw's POV
"The cats going to the gathering are...er... myself, of course, Heatherfang, Gorgepaw, Raventooth, Lightfur, Mudwing, Laurelclaw, Gracepaw, Lilypaw, Jumppaw, Amberpaw, Robinpaw, and Jaggedfur. And Patchfur. That is all." Yellowstar announced.
Hoppaw gritted his teeth. He knew already that he wasn't going to the gathering, but he still wanted to go! His sibling's first gathering, and he was excluded.
Well, at least not Firepaw, he realized.
He thought about Lilypaw's dream she had. The small tortoiseshell had told her five siblings right before Yellowstar's announcement, and now Hopkit was worried. Why did he, out of all of his siblings, have to keep pain?
Hoppaw growled to himself, "Starclan will have to force me to endure pain or whatever, because this is enough hurt and pain for me right here!"
Right now the tom was cleaning out Brighttail's old nest, which was so big to hold all of him and his littermates that it was taking forever. He had started right after sunhigh, gathering moss, and as Lilypaw and Gracepaw came back he started to clean out Brighttail's old moss. Now Hoppaw was almost done, and it was almost moon high. I've been doing this all day! He thought unhappily. And he wanted to know what Yellowstar would say about Windclan taking Thunderclan's land.
If I was there, Windclan would wish they had never been kitted! As soon as he thought that Hoppaw wanted to take it back. For one, he was too small to cause a lot of damage on a full grown Windclan warrior. Another reason was that he would get into even more trouble if he attacked Windclan! Starclan would be furious with him!
Finally, Hoppaw had finished weaving in the last feather, and rested in it for a second. Slowwing will love this nest... he stood up to admire his work. Where Brighttail's nest used to be was now a slightly smaller nest made for Slowwing. It could hold her and maybe three or four kits, since she was expecting three. At least, that's what Gorgepaw told me.
Hoppaw took out a small pile of unused moss, rolled it into a ball, and carried it over to the medicine cat den. Padding behind the bramble screen, he called out, "Grasslace?" Gorgepaw wouldn't be there since he left for the gathering.
The old medicine cat walked out of the cave, her eyes brightening when she saw the moss. "Thanks!" the she-cat mewed. "I need moss for sick cats."
Hoppaw dipped his head and went to the apprentice den. He could sleep for a moon! Crashing in his nest, Hoppaw fell asleep right away.
All you may have gotten from that was that all the siblings know about the prophecy, but there's also the news of cats going to the gathering! Yay gatherings! Anyway, here's Jumppaw for you.
Jumppaw's POV
Jumppaw slowly gripped his claws into the log and padded forward. Please don't let me fall in, Starclan! He begged silently. Looking down, he saw the harsh, cold lake beneath him.
He carefully padded across, and gleefully jumped down onto the soft sand after crossing. I made it!
He looked back behind him and saw Gracepaw walking across. She was going steady... steady...
Phlfffffffph! Jumppaw gasped- Gracepaw had fallen into the lake
"HELP!" Jumppaw cried out. "Gracepaw fell in!" Jaggedfur, who was next to cross the log, was going steady but was too far away. Without thinking, Jumppaw splashed into the water and tried to swim in after her.
He finally reached the calico apprentice and grabbed her scruff. "I-I have you!" he chattered. He was freezing.
Gracepaw gazed at him with wide, scared eyes as she tried to paddle. But though her name was Gracepaw, she was anything but graceful in the water. It was a little easy swimming without Gracepaw's dead weight.
We're going to sink! The tired and horrified tom thought.
Suddenly Gracepaw's weight lifted and Jumppaw was left to swim with only himself. His eyes barely open, he saw a blue-gray she-cat pulling his sister to the island. Who is she? Jumppaw thought. But he wasn't even trying to hold himself anymore- he was too tire.
Jumppaw let his paws stop working and he began to sink. I'm never going to be a warrior...
The thought jerked him awake. If he gave up, he would never be a warrior!
Jumppaw used his paws to propel his body up and his head broke the surface.
"Jumppaw!" "Jumppaw! Jumppaw!" "Jumppaw sweetie! Where are you?"
Though very tired, Jumppaw's ears turned red. He knew exactly who that last shout belonged to. Brighttail.
Then he felt a patch of fur brush him. Jaggedfur. He recognized the spiky black fur. "I wont let my first apprentice die," the tom muttered as he grabbed Jumppaw's scruff and dragged him to the shore of the island.
Heaving for breath, Jumppaw flopped himself onto the moon- lit sand. "T-thanks, Jaggedfur," he breathed. "No problem," the large tom replied. "Now lets go to the Gathering. You'll be amazed. Wet, but amazed."
Jumppaw just managed to nod, and when he was ready, he stood up and followed his mentor to the island. Glancing back, the lake seemed to suddenly became clear. A clear lake? Jumppaw shook his head- he must be seeing things. But as he padded to his mentor, he heard a clear voice whisper in his head: Take heed of what you have seen, Jumping hare!
Amberpaw's POV
Amberpaw trotted to where Gracepaw was huddling by her mentor, Laurelclaw. "Hi Gracepaw. Why are you so wet?"
Gracepaw turned around and glowered at you, ears red. Taken aback, Amberpaw frowned. Whats wrong with her? Who fed her crow food?
"I'm j-just going to go sit over by Jumppaw then." Amberpaw strutted away to Jumppaw, who was talking to her mentor. But when she looked at him closely, she saw that he was also soaked. "Jumppaw, what happened to you and Gracepaw?" Amberpaw demanded.
Jumppaw turned to her and explained the lake experience. "And then a strange voice whispered in my head, 'Take heed of what you have seen, Jumping hare'. Come on, what does 'Jumping hare' mean?" he finished in a rushed whisper. "And if Gracepaw is unhappy it's because of her falling into the lake!"
Amberpaw's eyes widened. "Wow!" she breathed as she sat down beside her brother. "I think 'Jumping Hare' meant you!"