Sorry I haven't updated and I forgot to do the comments at the end of chapter five…so, here are the comments for whatever chapters I missed:
Chapter 5-
VitaniXKopa: here's another cookie! Thanks for sticking with it!
Splasheart123: Thanks! Here's the next chapter. Your review means a lot to me.
Amberflame: Here's the update! *gives you cookie*
Wildstep: It IS hard to read a story if you can't hate the bad guy…LOL here's the next chapter, thanks for reviewing!
Chapter 6-
Wolfheart911: I know right? FINALLY!
VitaniXKopa: XD XD XD
Iceflower of ThunderClan: that IS a nice name, one I was actually thinking of myself…Thanks for reviewing!
Mistyflower68: I hated that your story came to a close, but I loved it and can't wait for the sequel. Thanks for the suggestions! (:
Now that I'm caught up with that…onto the story!
"No, no, no!" Forestfur snapped, slapping Echopaw's tail to the ground with a black forepaw. "If you keep wiggling and moving your tail, the prey will spot you before you even have time to think about pouncing. Keep still and try it again."
"Sorry," Echopaw meowed for what felt like the tenth time. She had been an apprentice for a quarter moon and she still couldn't learn to control her tail. She couldn't help it; whenever she was hunting, energy surged through her and she felt like she could run all the way across the moors of WindClan.
"You'll be apologizing to the Clan if you come back empty pawed," her mentor huffed, sitting back on her haunches and looking at the creamy she-cat. "Try it again."
Echopaw took a deep breath and pricked her ears at a slight scuffling noise coming from a bush nearby. She crouched down as a brown shape crawled out. Mouse! She stared at the small creature and forced her tail to stay still. She creped forward slowly, making sure the wind wasn't blowing towards the mouse. When she was a tail length away she wriggled her haunches and pounced. She landed right on top of it and killed it with a swift bite to the neck.
"Well done!" Forestfur exclaimed, padding towards her. Echopaw purred, the mouse muffling it slightly. Her mentor sniffed her kill and nodded. "It's a nice one, good and plump."
Echopaw proudly lifted her head. Now she wouldn't be the apprentice who had never caught fresh kill! "Can we hunt some more?" she asked over the mouse.
Forestfur shook her head. "Sorry, Echopaw. We have to get back to camp and get ready for the Gathering."
The Gathering! Echopaw had completely forgotten about it. She waved her tail and raced back to the camp, the mouse flopping around in her jaws. She burst into the clearing and saw Hawkstar sitting with Petalstream and Adderflight, talking. She dropped her mouse in the fresh kill pile and padded to where Rowanpaw and Tanglepaw were lying.
Tanglepaw's light brown coat was slightly matted and his eyes held exhaustion. Rowanpaw was the opposite of his brother. The ginger apprentice's pelt was sleek and shiny and his muscles rippled under it as he sat up.
"Hey, Echopaw," he meowed, turning his blue eyes to her. Echopaw found herself staring into them and she violently shook her head. Mousebrain! You're training to be a warrior, not a dumb, moony she-cat! She scolded herself. She forced herself to turn her attention to Tanglepaw.
Echopaw nudged him with a paw. "You look exhausted. Is Adderflight training you too hard?"
Tanglepaw slowly sat up, wincing. "Not any more than I can handle," he answered.
Rowanpaw weaved around them. "He's really good with the new move we're learning. He even got an approval from old Adderflight."
Echopaw peered closely at her friend. His amber eyes were dulled and his tail hung low to the ground. Shouldn't he look happier if he'd done so great?
""ThunderClan!" Hawkstar called. "The cats going to the Gathering will be Petalstream, Whitepelt, Furzebelly, Shineheart, Tinypaw, Pinepaw, Echopaw, Dustclaw, Ivypetal, Littlewhisker, Featherpool, Mouseclaw, Goldenmist and Jaypath."
Rowanpaw sighed, disappointed. "Too bad I'm not going. I won't be there for your first Gathering."
Echopaw swatted him playfully. "But you'll be there for all the others after this one."
Mouseclaw walked out of the Elders' den, leading Goldenmist into the clearing. "Are you sure you're okay to go tonight?" the gray/brown tom fretted.
Goldenmist coughed. An uneven purr rumbled in her throat. "Of course I am you worrisome fur ball. I'm going even if you have to carry me there."
Mouseclaw rolled his eyes and licked a paw thoughtfully. "Hawkstar chose good cats to take," he growled. "Don't want RiverClan thinking we're weak."
"You don't actually believe Crowstar would attack us tonight?" Echopaw mewed, surprised. "It's a Gathering. Even he has to follow the truce."
Goldenmist turned her head towards the sound of Echopaw's voice. "I wouldn't put it past him to try something."
"Mangy flea-bag," Rowanpaw hissed, raking his claws over the ground. "Just let him try and attack us."
Tanglepaw looked up from his washing. "You don't actually think he'd attack the camp, do you?" Worry entered his voice.
Echopaw pressed against him. "I highly doubt he would do that. Even Crowstar has to honor the peace StarClan demands," she assured him.
"Yeah!" Rowanpaw agreed, nodding. "StarClan did grant him nine lives, so he has to obey them."
Echopaw looked at her friend and had a terrifying thought. Why would StarClan give nine lives to a cold-blooded murderer? The answer shook her to the core.
The only reason Crowstar would've gotten his nine lives would be to have tricked StarClan into thinking he was going to use them for good.
This meant that their warrior ancestors didn't see everything, like they'd always said they could.
A warm breeze ruffled Echopaw's fur as she followed her Clanmates to the Gathering. Pinepaw walked a little way ahead and Tinypaw padded to her left. The full moon hung just over the treetops and the stars glittered coldly down.
"So, tell me about the different leaders again, Tinypaw," she suggested as they made their way to the island.
"Well, of course you know about Crowstar," her friend mewed. Echopaw flicked her ears in acknowledgement. "Then there's Shadestar of ShadowClan who no cat from any other Clan trusts except for his own. And there's Sparrowstar of WindClan who is this really old cat. She looked really sickly last Gathering and I don't doubt she joined StarClan."
Echopaw turned this over in her mind. If Sparrowstar had gone to StarClan, then WindClan wouldn't show any weakness tonight. "So who was Sparrowstar's deputy?"
"Swallowfur," Tinypaw answered, waving her tail. She leaned in and whispered excitedly, "They say he's the most handsome cat in WindClan."
"Yeah," Echopaw retorted, flicking her friend's ear with her tail. "Of WindClan, Tinypaw."
Tinypaw rolled her eyes and straightened. "I'm just saying, is all."
"What are you two whispering about?" Pinepaw called, stopping to let them catch up.
"Oh, nothing," Echopaw said. "Just talking about the leaders."
"I can't believe we're finally going!" he exclaimed, bouncing on his toes.
Tinypaw purred. "You have so many cats to meet. Just stick with me and I'll lead you to the other apprentices."
"Hey, you three!" Furzebelly shouted from way up ahead. Echopaw hadn't realized they'd fallen so far behind. "Are you coming or not?"
"Coming!" she answered, racing to catch up with the others. Excitement burned through her and she pushed herself past her Clanmates until she caught up with her father who was walking with Petalstream beside him.
She scrambled to a halt next to the huge tabby, panting slightly. "Hawkstar, are we almost there?"
Hawkstar glanced down in amusement. "Almost."
"Oh, I can't wait! Tinypaw told me all about the other leaders and what they look like and she's going to introduce me and Pinepaw to other apprentices," she burst out, bouncing forward like a kit.
Hawkstar slapped his tail to her mouth. "Hush, Echopaw," he instructed. "Save your energy until we actually get to the Gathering." The talkative she-cat nodded and snapped her mouth shut.
After a while, ThunderClan exited the trees and spread out in front of a long tree trunk that stretched from the shore to the island. The black water was churning slightly and Echopaw felt her heart jump to her throat. Images of her almost drowning flashed through her mind and she froze. Hawkstar jumped onto the thick trunk and walked easily across it, hardly needed to balance after moons of practice. Petalstream followed; then Ivypetal, Furzebelly, Whitepelt and Shineheart.
A soft nose nudged her and Echopaw started. Turning, she met Featherpool's eyes. "Are you going? We're waiting," the Medicine Cat meowed, not unkindly.
Echopaw felt fear lock her limbs. She couldn't cross that thing with that black abyss lapping at her paws! "But…" she tried to tell her friend that there was no way she could get to the island, that the water brought back too many unwanted memories. However, it seemed as if Featherpool already knew her fears.
"It's easy, Echopaw. Here, you go first and I'll go up right after you so that I can catch you if you fall. Alright?"
Echopaw looked at the tree, all dark and foreboding, then she looked at the island. Determination coursed through her and she nodded at Featherpool. She hadn't waited all those moons just to get this far and have a stupid tree stop her!
Echopaw jumped up and her paws collided with wet bark. She gripped the slippery bark with her claws as her she waved her tail frantically for balance. Dark water churned beneath her, not too far down.
"It's okay, Echopaw. I'm right behind you," Featherpool breathed from behind her.
She took a breath to steady herself and slowly inched forward. Her muscles were tense and bunched as she strained to keep her balance. All the while, she had to keep herself from glancing down into the water. After what felt like moons, she finally came to the end of the trees and she slid clumsily down onto the sandy shore where the others were waiting. Featherpool landed gracefully next to her.
"What took so long?" Petalstream inquired, clawing at the ground in anticipation.
Echopaw felt her pelt heat up with embarrassment. "Um…"
""Nothing, I just wasn't sure if the tree was stable enough for the apprentices," Featherpool meowed easily. Echopaw flashed a grateful look to the gray she-cat.
"Never be too cautious, I suppose," Hawkstar responded.
They waited until the rest of the cats arrived. Pinepaw jumped down easily, his agile limbs allowing him to land a lot better than Echopaw's clumsy entrance. Tinypaw was right behind Pinepaw and she too had trouble landing. Echopaw felt a little better knowing she wasn't the only one who couldn't do it correctly.
They padded through the island in silence. Echopaw could hardly take in everything-the new scents, the different trees, and the feel of the rocky sand beneath her paws- before they entered the heart of the island.
"Wow…" she breathed as the clearing came into view. She had never seen so many cats before! A huge oak stood in the center, its branches sweeping the stars from the sky. The moonlight shone down on it. Echopaw looked at it with eyes as big as moons, wondering how StarClan could ever have created something so big.
"WindClan and ShadowClan are here already," Shineheart observed, stopping beside Echopaw.
Echopaw tasted the air, smelling ShadowClan and a different scent that must have been WindClan. "Where's RiverClan?"
"Maybe that fox-heart of a leader decided he was too good for Gatherings," Mouseclaw growled, his tail wrapped tightly around Goldenmist's shoulders. Echopaw sniffed. Who cared where RiverClan was? The less she saw of Crowstar, the better.
"Ready?" Hawkstar asked. Without waiting for an answer, he let out a fierce yowl and ThunderClan raced into the clearing. The ThunderClan leader leapt onto the branches of the Oak where two other cats were already sitting. Echopaw went over to where Tinypaw stood with Pinepaw.
"Which cat is which?" she asked, motioning to where Hawkstar was talking to the two cats.
Tinypaw looked up. "The dark tom is Shadestar and the other one is…" She gasped.
"What?" Pinepaw demanded.
Tinypaw bowed her head and murmured sadly, "The other one is Swallowstar."
Swallowstar. That meant that Sparrowstar had died and joined StarClan. Echopaw squinted up at the WindClan leader and had to admit, he was handsome. His dark gray tabby coat shone sleekly and his broad shoulders-which were rare among the usually skinny WindClan cats-were accented by the lighting. He could almost pass as a ThunderClan cat, to be honest.
"Come on, Echopaw! Tinypaw's going to introduce us to the other apprentices," Pinepaw interrupted her thoughts. Echopaw looked away from the Oak and followed her brother through the mass of cats.
"How's the prey running, Poppyheart?" a tabby ShadowClan cat questioned.
The white she-cat purred. "Bramblefire! The prey's been very good for us. How're Tallfeather and Talonkit?"
Bramblefire puffed out his chest. "He's going to be a strong little warrior."
"I can't wait to meet him," Poppyheart mewed.
Echopaw saw Featherpool and Littlewhisker join the other Medicine Cats. Featherpool caught her eyes and beckoned for her to come. "I'll be right back," she told Pinepaw. He nodded and she walked to the five cats.
"Mossflame, Petalpath, Bluepool, I'd like you to meet Echopaw," Featherpool meowed. Echopaw stared at Littlewhisker, willing him to make eye contact with her, but he sat looking at his paws. Sighing inwardly, she turned her attention to the other cats.
"Welcome, Echopaw," a dark gray, almost blue, she-cat said kindly, dipping her head. "I am Bluepool, Medicine Cat of WindClan."
"You must be excited to be at your first Gathering," a cream she-cat with a rusty nose observed, noticing how Echopaw fidgeted.
"A bit, yeah," Echopaw meowed.
"By the way your tail can't seem to keep still I'd say you're more than just a bit excited," the she-cat purred. "I am Mossflame of ShadowClan and this is my apprentice Petalpath." She motioned to the rose colored she-cat next to her.
"Nice to meet you all," Echopaw responded lightly, still disappointed and guilty that Littlewhisker still blamed her for Lionflame's death.
"I remember my first Gathering," Petalpath purred, wrapping her tail around her paws.
"I think we all remember our first ones," Mossflame croaked wistfully. "That was so many moons ago and I'm so old now."
Bluepool nudged her playfully. "You're not an Elder yet, Mossflame. You still have many seasons left in you."
Echopaw started to feel a bit awkward. She could see what a close bond these cats had formed and she felt as if she was intruding. "Well, Tinypaw and Pinepaw are waiting for me so…" she started to back away.
"Apprentices!" Mossflame sniffed. "Always running back to their friends."
Echopaw's ears went back. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
Bluepool rolled her blue eyes. "Please, you have nothing to apologize for. She's just cranky that she's not as young anymore."
Echopaw purred and walked away from the snappy she-cats. She looked around and spotted Tinypaw's silver pelt with Pinepaw and a big black tom. She padded towards them and scented ShadowClan scent on the unfamiliar cat.
"Echopaw," Tinypaw meowed happily, spotting the creamy she-cat coming up. "This is Blackpaw of ShadowClan."
Blackpaw turned his icy blue eyes on her and sniffed at her curiously. "You're an apprentice? You look as if you're four moons old!"
Echopaw bristled but forced herself to remain calm. Judging by the kindness in his voice, this cat had not meant to insult her. "Yeah, I get that a lot," she responded dryly.
Blackpaw lifted a huge forepaw and began to lick it. Great StarClan, was every cat bigger than her except for kits? She glanced at Tinypaw, realizing that they were almost the same size. "So, how long have you been an apprentice?" Echopaw asked lightly, trying to hold up a conversation.
The black tom shrugged. "About three moons. I can't wait to be a warrior."
Pinepaw sighed, shaking out his dark pelt. "I can't either. It seems so far away…"
Blackpaw stared intently at Echopaw again and she shifted, uncomfortable in the way he was staring at her. It made her feel as if she was being inspected and scrutinized. "So, how do you-"
"RiverClan is here!" a cat yowled suddenly.
Echopaw whipped around, Blackpaw's voice trailing off as the RiverClan cats entered the clearing. Crowstar, looking as proud and arrogant as ever, stood at the front of his Clan. His sleek warriors fanned out behind him. Echopaw recognized Sunleaf and the mangy Clumpfur, and she strained to make out Iceheart's white pelt. She was nowhere to be found.
Crowstar let out a fierce caterwaul and sprinted up the Oak tree onto the top branch. The RiverClan cats sat together at the edge of the clearing in a tight compact group. Echopaw scanned the rows of faces, stunned by the amount present. ThunderClan had left RiverClan broken and scarred and yet, it seemed as if they had more cats than ever!
"Crowstar, glad you could make it," Shadestar rasped to the tom.
Crowstar shrugged dismissively. "We're here, aren't we?"
Hawkstar looked at him through slanted eyes. "Ye, it is a…pleasure that you and your Clan made it."
"Hawkstar," Crowstar growled, tilting his head to one side. "You look…well."
Swallowstar, clearing picking up on the tension between the two leaders, cleared his throat and stepped forward. "WindClan has terrible news. Sparrowstar joined StarClan a half moon ago."
Murmurs of sympathy traveled throughout the cats down below. Echopaw dipped her head, even though she had never known the leader.
"I have received my nine lives and plan on leading WindClan for seasons," Swallowstar continued. "My Clan is thriving and we are well. Moonsong has given birth to my kits, Rockkit and Rainkit. WindClan is strong." He motioned for another cat to talk.
"What's up with Crowstar and Hawkstar?" Blackpaw whispered, glancing warily between the two bristling toms.
Echopaw exchanged a look with Pinepaw. "Just something that happened a while ago," she answered nonchalantly shrugging his question off.
Blackpaw gave her a look she couldn't decipher but didn't persist on the subject.
Shadestar rose to his paws. "ShadowClan is as powerful as ever, and Tallfeather has recently given ShadowClan our newest kit, Talonkit." Echopaw looked over to where Bramblefire was sitting proudly. "We are patrolling our borders daily and nothing will get past them." At this, he shot a look at Hawkstar.
What is that supposed to mean? Echopaw wondered. Was it a threat?
Hawkstar looked confused at Shadestar's hidden accusation, but he began to speak as if nothing was wrong. "ThunderClan is as strong and we have two new apprentices, Echopaw and Pinepaw!"
Their names were meowed throughout the other cats, except the RiverClan cats. They stood silent and still. Echopaw lifted her chin and gazed around at the cats from other Clans. They were saying her name. Well, hers and Pinepaw's of course.
As the calls died down, Hawkstar continued. "My Clan is well and is ready for anything." He addressed this pointedly to Crowstar. The brown and white tome just flicked his tail and gazed challengingly back. As Hawkstar closed his short speech, the RiverClan leader stayed silent.
After a few moments of Crowstar not speaking, the crowd of cats shifted awkwardly. Echopaw glared up at him through narrowed eyes. What was he playing at this time?
Finally, Crowstar got slowly to his paws. His muscular body rippled as he scanned the cats below. "Heed my words, cats of all Clans," he growled quietly and threateningly. No cat breathed as his icy words dripped over them. "You think you know your Clanmates who sit beside you? Think again. There are traitors in your mist. Beware." And with that, he jumped down from the tree and walked through the throng of cats that parted before him to where his warriors sat.
With a flick of his stripped tail, he lead is warriors out of the clearing, leaving an eerie, shocked silence in his wake.
TA-DA! Oh, and I think I have Echopaw's warrior name picked out, but more suggestions would be helpful. Thanks, and here is the updated Allegiances.
Allegiances
THUNDERCLAN
Leader: Hawkstar-dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes
Deputy: Petalstream- pure white she-cat with blue eyes
Medicine cat: Featherpool- dark gray she-cat with green eyes
Apprentice: Littlewhisker
Warriors (toms and she-cats without kits)
Sandfur-dark ginger tom with amber eyes
Dawnfeather-light brown she-cat with white paws, chest, and belly and blue eyes
Stormstripe-dark gray tabby tom with green eyes
Whitepelt-huge white tom with blue eyes
Sunwhisper-quiet golden she-cat with kind amber eyes
Adderflight-tortoiseshell tom with hard blue eyes
Apprentice: Tanglepaw
Windfur- silvery she-cat with amber eyes
Apprentice: Rowanpaw
Furzebelly-long-haired gray tom with green eyes
Shineheart-brown she-cat with amber eyes
Hollyfrost-black she-cat with white paws and green eyes
Dustclaw- gray tom with blue eyes
Fishleap-lithe ginger tom with amber eyes
Apprentice: Tinypaw
Jaypath-blue/gray she-cat with blue eyes
Ivypetal-dark gray she-cat with blue eyes (kit of Dustclaw and Shineheart)
Apprentice: Pinepaw
Forestfur-black she-cat with amber eyes (kit of Dustclaw and Shineheart)
Apprentice: Echopaw
Apprentices (cats six moons and older, in training to become warriors)
Littlewhisker-small silver tom with green eyes; Medicine Cat apprentice (kit of Dawnfeather and Stormstripe)
Rowanpaw- dark red-ish tom with light blue eyes
Tinypaw- silver she-cat with blue eyes
Tanglepaw: light brown tom with darker ears and paws, and amber eyes
Echopaw- cream colored tabby she-cat with small white paws and ears and pale green eyes
Pinepaw-dark brown tom with blue eyes
Queens (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)
None
Elders (former warriors and queens, now retired)
Mouseclaw- grumpy gray-brown tom with a sharp tongue and amber eyes
Goldenmist- pretty golden she-cat with blind green eyes
WINDCLAN
Leader: Swallowstar-handsome gray tabby tom
Deputy: Breezewater-silver she-cat
Medicine Cat: Bluepool-blue/gray she-cat
Warriors
Pinestripe-ginger tom with darker stripes
Clawfoot- dark tabby tom
Poppyheart-white she cat
Rushfur-bright gray tom
Mudfoot- dark tabby tom
Cloudstorm-white tom
Foxleaf-light orange tabby tom
Queens
Moonsong-midnight black she-cat, mother of Swallowstar's kits: Rockkit (dark gray tabby tom) and Rainkit (silver and black she-cat)
Elders
Ashfall-spotted gray tom
SHADOWCLAN
Leader: Shadestar-dark tom
Deputy: Graystorm-gray tom
Medicine Cat: Mossflame-cream she-cat with a rusty colored nose
Apprentice: Petalpath (rose-colored she-cat)
Warriors
Firespirit-orange she-cat
Brightwing-white and brown she-cat
Apprentice: Blackpaw (black tom)
Bramblefire-brown tabby tom
Tigerfur-pale gray tom with dark brown paws
Starblaze-white she-cat
Honeypoppy-sweet golden she-cat
Snowstorm-white tom with gray ears
Mistypelt-gray she-cat
Blackpelt-black tom
Snakefang-molted tom with an irregular sized fang
Queens
Tallfeather-white she-cat with a long dark stripe running down her back; mother to Bramblefire's kit: Talonkit (dark brown, almost black tomcat)
Elders
Longmist-gray she-cat, formerly the deputy
RIVERCLAN
Leader: Crowstar-large compact brown and white tom
Deputy: Willowfeather- tortoiseshell she-cat
Medicine Cat: Iceheart- silver/white she-cat with a long scar down her side
Warriors
Rainpelt- gray tom
Clumpfur-broad white and black tom with lumpy fur
Apprentice: Brichpaw- tabby tom
Brindlewhisker- orange and white she-cat
Cherrybloom-white and gray she-cat
Apprentice: Hailpaw-white she-cat
Ashtalon-dark and light gray tom
Sunleaf-bright yellow she-cat with white ears
Raindusk-black and gray tom
Mapleshadow-orange and cream she-cat (formerly a loner)
Clawear-scrawny brown tom with shredded ears (formerly a loner)
Darkblood-scrawny black tom (formerly a loner)
Deadtail-orange she-cat with half a tail (formerly a loner)
Cinderfang-huge gray tom (formerly a loner)
Smokescreech-dusty tom (formerly a loner)
Queens
Cherrybloom-White and gray she-cat, expecting Cinderfang's kits
Elders
Mountainfur-small dark brown tabby tom with a matted pelt
Mousefoot-dusty brown she-cat