Cinderstar: Gathering Time! Yay!
Tigerstar: Yesh! Its time to kill some cats!
Snowstar: You realize that you can't kill at a gathering, right?
Tigerstar: Come on, women, since when I have followed the Warrior Code?
Cinderstar: I'll leave you to your fight. Anyway, I -nor Snowstar- own Warriors. Just ourselves.
Snowstar: ATTENTION: This chapter is going to rotate really quickly. Or is it just me...?
Lilypaw's POV
Lilypaw ran to Heatherfang, who was wandering around the crowds of cats. "Hi!" she exclaimed.
Heatherfang turned around. "Hey, Lilypaw!" the deputy smiled. "Would you like to meet the other deputies?" she offered. Lilypaw nodded eagerly. "Yes please!"
Heatherfang padded over to a brown tom with clear yellow eyes. "Sharpeye, hey." she mewed happily. "How is the prey running?"
"Good," the brown tom's mew was a deep rumble, almost a growl. "We have a new warrior."
"Great! What's his name? Or hers?" Heatherfang asked. "Blackclaw. He's huge and already one of our strongest warriors." came the reply.
"Wow!" Heatherfang gasped. "Anyway, this is Lilypaw. She's one of our new apprentices." Lilypaw ducked her head shyly until Sharpeye meowed, "hello, young one. Welcome. I take it this is your first gathering?"
"Yep!" Lilypaw nodded.
"Yes. I'm showing her all of the deputies." Heatherfang mewed impatiently. "Lets go now, Lilypaw."
"Good bye, Heatherfang. Lilypaw. Let's hope we never meet in battle," Sharpeye rumbled. "May Starclan light your path."
Heatherfang took Lilypaw the Great Oak and pointed with her tail to a pretty orange she-cat that was staring at a large gray tom with black paws, ears, and tail. "Whoa..." Lilypaw breathed. "Who are those?"
"That's Amberrain," Heatherfang meowed harshly. "Deputy of Shadowclan, mate to the great Darkstar. The ignorant furball!"
Lilypaw stared at the she-cat. "Are you sure? She looks very nice!"
Glaring, Heatherfang veered away from the giant oak and near the edge of the clearing where a dark gray tom not unlike Darkstar was sitting contently.
"Graystreak!" Heatherfang called.
The dark tom walked to Heatherfang. "How's the prey running?"
While Heatherfang talked to Graystreak, Lilypaw wandered over to Jaggedfur and Jumppaw and Amberpaw. "Hi!" she smiled.
Jumppaw and Amberpaw quickly inched closer to her and both said at the same time, "Guess what happened!"
After they told her Lilypaw mused over it. It had nothing to do with her first prophecy. It didn't even rhyme!
Suddenly a yowl jerked Lilypaw from her thoughts and she saw Yellowstar standing at the edge of a branch on the Great Oak.
"Let the Gathering began!" Yellowstar announced.
So what's up with Amberrain, huh? Who knows what Jumppaw's warrior name is going to be?
Firepaw's POV
Firepaw hated this. Laying in a patch of moss, waiting for his scratches to heal. They were scratches, for Starclan's sake!
Suddenly he heard paw steps. A nest a fox-length away held Gorgepaw- or at least a few moments ago it did. Now the small tom was walking to were Raventooth was waiting next to a swath of moonlight. Where he was he was concealed in a patch of shadows. Gorgepaw met him and sat down next to the warrior.
"...You sure he'll be fine?" asked the wiry black tom.
Firepaw tipped his head to the side. Wasn't Raventooth supposed to be at the gathering? But here he was, staying behind. If he was Raventooth, Firepaw would go in a heartbeat.
"Yes, of course, Raventooth!" replied the exasperated Gorgepaw.
Firepaw groaned inwardly. For the second night in a row, he was spying.
"Good. If he doesn't... Gorgepaw, you know the deal I made. I can't afford to break it. Windclan had given me three days..."
Firepaw leaned closer. What did they mean by 'deal'? And why was his honorable father dealing with Windclan? Confused, he accidentally stepped on a bramble. Ow! He thought, and tried to stifle a squeak of pain.
"Who's there?" Raventooth demanded. When no one answered, he meowed, "Goodnight Gorgepaw. I'm going back to the Gathering."
Gorgepaw muttered something and the two toms separated. Trying his best to look asleep, Firepaw felt Gorgepaw's fur slightly touch his shoulders. Gorgepaw soon fell asleep, but Firepaw was wide awake. He couldn't stop thinking about Raventooth's shady meeting.
Gracepaw's POV
Gatherings. They seemed great to Jumppaw, and Lilypaw and Amberpaw but Gracepaw was in a really bad mood.
"Cheer up, Gracepaw, because Windclan wont attack us here. The full moon is a truce." Laurelclaw mewed.
Gracepaw nodded. "I know." She mewed as she licked a soaking wet paw.
She remembered when she fell into the lake. Jumppaw had saved her then. She flash backed quickly...
Gracepaw tried to hold her balance but the warrior waiting behind her, Jaggedfur, was moving the log. Gripping her claws, she looked at the island. She was halfway!
Then she glanced down and stifled a mew of fear. Falling in, she tried to swim like she had once seen Laurelclaw demonstrate to Robinpaw, but was too weak. She let herself float down, ignoring Jumppaw's yowl of surprise as he hit the water and grabbed her.
But then another cat- a warrior that smelled of fish, so most likely Riverclan- grabbed her scruff and pulled her to shore. Gracepaw was alive!
After panting for a few seconds Gracepaw looked up at her mentor. "Th-thanks," she panted. "But wh-who are you?"
It was a pretty blue-gray she-cat that replied. "My name is Skyleap, of Riverclan."
"Thanks aga-again." When Gracepaw's health was fully restored she easily padded to the Great Oak and sat down next to a small fluffy tom. He was probably also Riverclan, and also an apprentice.
"Hi!" she mewed, trying to be friendly.
"Hello," he replied. "What's your name?"
"Gracepaw. Yours?" he said his name was Rockpaw, which was sounded cool to the other apprentice. "So, your Riverclan?" she had asked. He had also nodded to that.
"Yep. And you smell of mice, so I'm guessing you are Thunderclan. Newest apprentice too, from your soft fur."
Gracepaw had stared at him in surprise. "Your preceptive. But no, I'm not the newest apprentice. My siblings and I are almost all here tonight."
"Who are they?"
Gracepaw had easily pointed them out- Jumppaw, Amberpaw, Lilypaw- then told her new friend about Firepaw and Hoppaw.
"You have a lot of siblings!" Rockpaw had exclaimed. "I only have Applepaw, and she couldn't come because she got in trouble for crossing the Shadowclan border."
"Wow. Who are your parents?" Gracepaw had asked. "Mine are Brighttail and Raventooth."
"Ah... you look a lot like that tortoiseshell over there." Rockpaw had pointed with his tail to Brighttail. "Mine are Onefoot and Sharpeye."
Then Laurelclaw had dragged Gracepaw off to another spot, telling Gracepaw that 'she should not talk to random cats, you might offend some senior warriors!'
Gracepaw was in a bad mood.
Rockpaw was on the other side of the clearing and as she glanced over at Rockpaw, he nodded friendly to her.
Happier, Gracepaw tuned in to hear what everyone else was saying. Brighttail was asking about Shadowclan's fox problem. Lightfur and another elder were talking about the 'good old days'. And Yellowstar was yowling for the Gathering to begin.
Everyone fell silent as Bluestar stepped forward. "We chased off a young vixen into your territory, Darkstar. Sorry about that." she mewed dryly. "We also have two new apprentices tonight- Rockpaw. Applepaw couldn't come here today." Everyone called out Rockpaw's and Applepaw's name a few times and then the crowds grew silent as Darkstar raised his tail to speak. "Okay then, we chased off the same vixen yesterday. And we found a dog fox in our territory too. Other than that...oh, Amberrain, the deputy of Shadowclan, is expecting my kits."
The clearing called out Amberrain's name half heartedly and Darkstar silenced them with a glare. Then Vinestar padded to the edge of her branch, the wood moving and rustling as she spoke.
"Windclan is healthy! We are okay, and doing well. Windclan would also like to thank Thunderclan for the territory beyond the river that they gave us!"
Thunderclan growled, angry, and to Gracepaw's surprise, Riverclan joined in too. She saw Rockpaw's snarl leading the fishy cats. None to her surprise at all though was Darkstar looking curious at the prospect of gathering more land for Shadowclan. Then Vinestar contiued.
"Also, thank you Riverclan for the marshes. That was very generous of you!"
Gracepaw suddenly understood why Riverclan was mad too- Windclan was becoming a growing threat.
Yellowstar was next to speak. "We are doubling our patrols on both of our borders, Vinestar and Darkstar. And we are offering land- to no one. Take heed of my warning, Vinestar, we will not let you pass with the stream. Anyway, Thunderclan is very pleased to say that we have six new apprentices tonight. We have Lilypaw, Jumppaw, Amberpaw, and Gracepaw here today." he paused and Gracepaw's ears turned red as everyone stared at her and her siblings. "Hoppaw and Firepaw couldn't make it today either. But they are both apprentices too."Yellowstar continued. "Also, we very much regret saying that Slowwing is entering the new life..." everyone looked around, probably expecting that she was retiring to the elder's den. "...as a queen." Yellowstar finished.
The other three clans smiled breifly and then broke up into their own clans. The tortoiseshell apprentice hurried after her mentor. Suddenly Gracepaw felt a light tail tip on her shoulder. Whirling around, she spotted Rockpaw.
"Thanks for talking to me," he meowed. "I was worried I'd be all alone."
"Its cool talking to someone from another clan." Gracepaw replied.
"Yeah... but you never told me about what Firepaw and Hoppaw did to impress Yellowstar that they got in trouble for." Rockpaw's eyes stared straight into hers as he continued. "I want to know more about you, Gracepaw. Your family and your life in Thunderclan."
Gracepaw stuttered, "What do you mean?" but she fully knew what he meant.
"Meet me here. In two days," Rockpaw whispered. "Okay?" Gracepaw forced herself to nod. "O-okay then. I will!" then she turned around and ran after Laurelclaw, acting like the cats behind her had green cough.
Her paws tingling, Gracepaw quickly crossed the fallen tree and back to her own camp. That was when she remembered the prophecy- The graceful heart is facing trouble, and if the jumping hare comes there will be double.Jumppaw was the jumping hare, everyone already knew that. And she was the graceful heart. But why would Jumppaw- no, how- would Jumppaw come to the island in two days and catch her and Rockpaw?
Gracepaw's head was full of questions about the prophecy. Yesterday she was a kit. And here she was, already having a prophecy.
Why me? She begged Starclan. Why me?
Cinderstar: Um, is this Chapter FINALLY over?
Snowstar:...
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Poll: Who should Hoppaw, Firepaw, OR Jumppaw like?
HopxSlow- Just an example.