Chapter 8 Gatherings

The next dawn, Mousepaw had gone with Dustpelt to the lake, and around the border, learning to recognize the scents of ThunderClan and RiverClan. WindClan was opposite of ShadowClan, so they did not share a border with ShadowClan. This meant that Mousepaw would not know WindClan scent.

Mousepaw just hoped that she recognized ThunderClan and RiverClan, and that she would label any unfamiliar scents around the lake as WindClan.

After that, Mousepaw had come back, exhausted, and decided to get settled in her fairly new nest in the Apprentice Den.

The previous dawn, Mousepaw and her sisters had spent their time arguing, and so they had gone straight to their nests. This time, however, they had time before they had to sleep.

You're just meeting your fellow apprentices, Mousepaw reminded herself, not a group of fox-hearted badgers. Mousepaw would never forget how the apprentices had looked at her, as if she was not worthy to share the Apprentice Den with them.

Sure, Mousepaw could hold her own; she could take care of herself. But if they did anything to her sisters,...Mousepaw wasn't sure they could take care of themselves. Mousepaw had a sharp tongue to save her. Wildpaw and Applepaw didn't have that.

If they bother my sisters, they have to face me.

When Mousepaw entered the apprentice den, she stood hesitantly at the entrance.

All conversation stopped; the apprentices turned and stared at her. Feeling self-conscious, Mousepaw cautiously moved towards her nest. Luckily, the apprentices did not stop her.

In the nest next to hers, the pure white tom with a blue-gray spiral stripe on his tail was settled there.

Mousepaw remembered how he had not mocked her when she had come back from moss-collecting the dawn before. But she still wasn't sure what to think of him. She turned away, wrapping her tail around herself and watching the entrance for her sisters.

After a while, the apprentices started conversing again, only in low tones. Mousepaw had no doubt they were talking about her. She gritted her teeth and acted as if she had lived in the Apprentice Den all her life.

Meanwhile, she silently observed the Apprentices. Excluding the tom in the nest next to hers, there was another tom. He was a orange and white tabby, who sat contentedly in his nest. Near him, two she-cats, one with a golden-brown pelt, and the other one with a reddish-brown pelt, were settled in nests.

The three jabbered away in low voices, occasionally questioning the tom next to Mousepaw. But when he gave non-committal noises and refused to say much, they let him be.

As Mousepaw subtly, hopefully, observed them, she thought she could see that all four were friends, but the tom next to her was just disagreeing with whatever they were chattering about.

Refusing to acknowledge the obvious fact that they were talking about her, Mousepaw put her full concentration on the den entrance and waited for her sisters to enter.

Soon, the brambles covering the entrance to the Apprentice Den rustled, and Wildpaw stumbled in, closely followed by Applepaw, who was bouncing with joy. Both settled in their respective nests. Mousepaw noticed uncomfortably that Applepaw's nest was rather close to the gossiping cats.

Wildpaw blinked at Mousepaw from her nest with drowsy eyes, while Applepaw leaned in with shining eyes, closing the distance between them.

"Training was so fun!" Applepaw squealed, bringing attention to the three siblings; the conversation between the three gossiping apprentices stopped, and all four elder apprentices not-so-subtly eavesdropped on their conversation.

Wildpaw was too drowsy to notice or talk, and Applepaw was too excited to share her news to notice; Mousepaw knew she'd have to do this on her own.

"How was it?" Mousepaw said tiredly, curling up into her nest. Hopefully, Applepaw's everlasting tale would lull her to sleep. If not, Mousepaw could always pretend to fall asleep. That always worked. When Applepaw started on her stories, she didn't really pay much attention to anything else.

Applepaw stared. Even Wildpaw, who looked too tired to do anything but fall unconscious, began to stare at Mousepaw weirdly.

"What?" Mousepaw snapped.

Wildpaw and Applepaw exchanged looks, then finally turned back to Mousepaw.

"You never ask Applepaw to share." Wildpaw explained bluntly.

Mousepaw's pelt felt hot; she could feel the gazes of the four apprentices. She even thought she heard a couple of them purr, amused.

I'll just have to try harder then.

"Well, Applepaw seems more excited than usual," Mousepaw lied through her teeth, "I thought she might have something important to share."

Wildpaw looked skeptical, but Applepaw looked delighted, no doubt storing that information to use for other times she wanted to share her story. But as Applepaw began her tale, she was interrupted by one of the she-cats.

"Sorry to bother you," The golden-brown she-cat said, looking haughty.

~Verbal Fight~

"Sorry to bother you," The golden-brown she-cat said, looking haughty. "But we're trying to have an actual conversation here, and you're being too noisy for our liking."

Applepaw looked shocked. Mousepaw was sure no one had ever told the bright, happy-go-lucky she-cat anything like that before. Mousepaw tensed, waiting for the right moment to jump in. (W: since when were there "popular clique" cats?)

Applepaw opened her mouth to retort, but nothing came out. Mortified, she wrapped her tail around herself.

The golden-brown she-cat had an amused look in her eyes, and the reddish-brown she-cat purred in mirth. Mousepaw could feel her anger, boiling just below the surface.

"We can't take all your squealing," the golden-brown she-cat continued, "Honestly, you sound like a mouse that just got caught by a cat. You're going to hurt our ears, with that disgusting noise."

That's it.

Mousepaw leaped to her paws, her anger expanding until she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I'm surprised you could even hear her," Mousepaw hissed, "What with your voice sounding like a dying fox. As a matter of fact, maybe you are a fox, since you're definitely acting the part."

Anger smoldered in the golden-brown she-cat's blue eyes. "I'm surprised you could even process that, you mouse-brain!"

"You fox-heart!" Mousepaw shouted

"You would know," the golden-brown she-cat growled menacingly. "'It takes a fox-heart to know a fox-heart', as the Clans say."

Applepaw was wide-eyed, gazing in horror at the two. Wildpaw's eyes were darting between the two she-cats, as if she might jump in if they began to fight. The tabby tom and the reddish-brown she-cat were leaned in, wanting to hear more, but the white tom was gazing at Mousepaw in interest, as if he was impressed that she had stood up to the golden-brown she-cat

~Warrior Party Crash~

Just then, two toms burst in, closely followed by a she-cat. Mousepaw was sure they were warriors. (W: very convenient)

"What's going on?" One of the toms, broad-shouldered and gray-pelted, barked out. Mousepaw recognized him as Berrystone immediately. (W: what are they? the police?)

The she-cat, a slender black-pelted warrior, explained, "We thought we heard raised voices."

Mousepaw and the golden-brown she-cat were both reprimanded.

"I'm disappointed, Mousepaw," Berrystone told her, indeed sounding very disappointed. "You just got out of the nursery and you're already picking fights with other apprentices."

The warrior she-cat turned to the golden-brown she-cat. "Sandpaw!" she exclaimed, sounding shocked. "Why were you provoking the new apprentices? You should know better, you're an apprentice!"

The golden-brown she-cat, Sandpaw, ducked her head. "Sorry, mother."

The black she-cat glanced at her sternly. "I don't want to see it happen again."

"Alright, mother." Sandpaw muttered.

"Windheart," The second warrior tom, who Mousepaw recognized as Duskpelt, her mentor, laid a tail on her shoulder.

Needless to say, Mousepaw was surprised. Windheart was Sandpaw's mother? Then, as if that wasn't enough surprise, her mentor had to come into the picture? There was no doubt that Duskpelt and this she-cat, Windheart, were mates; but Mousepaw definitely wasn't expecting that. (W: Oh really?)

Duskpelt looked out at the other three apprentices, and Mousepaw's sisters.

"Sparrowpaw," Duskpelt gestured to the orange and white tabby tom, "Fernpaw," the reddish brown she-cat widened her green eyes slightly, paying close attention to Duskpelt's words, "Featherpaw," the white tom turned his attention from the two cowering apprentices and gazed at Duskpelt. "You all should be stopping them from fighting, not sitting there and watching. I'll expect to see you doing that next time."

They nodded at his words.

"Applepaw and Wildpaw," Berrystone added, "You need to also stop your sister from fighting with others."

"I don't want to see this again." Berrystone seemed to add, as an afterthought, "Have I made myself clear?"

All the apprentices nodded, Mousepaw included.

"Right then," Windheart said briskly, and together the three warriors got to work,...preparing nests?

"Um, sorry to interrupt," Mousepaw began slowly, "But why are you making nests?"

Duskpelt looked up. "Well," he began, but was cut off by Windheart.

"Sorry, Duskpelt, but you take a while to explain things," Berrystone said, not sounding very sorry, "The Warrior's Den is too crowded, so we were sent here to stay for the time being."

"You mean until Starlingtail, Pounceclaw, and Frostnose decide they're going to become elders." Windheart muttered, "Which they are stubbornly avoiding."

"Windheart," Duskpelt warned.

"Erm,..." Windheart looked as if she were forcing the words out. "I mean, we're here until the Warrior's Den clears out a bit."

Mousekit suddenly wasn't surprised that Windheart was Sandpaw's mother. Sandpaw's attitude towards others not in her immediate circle of friends was nearly identical to Windheart's. Sandpaw's stubbornness was also evidently from her mother.

~Warrior Party Crash end~

"You 'paws should get to sleep," Duskpelt said, as the three warriors continued making their new nests. "You'll need it tomorrow morning for your training."

Mousepaw instantly began getting ready for a (hopefully) long, peaceful night. Duskpelt was, after all, her trainer.

Mousepaw fell asleep as soon as her head hit the moss.

Gatherings Part Two

A moon later...

Mousepaw was so excited, she almost began bouncing on her paws.

Stop it, she told herself, you're going to a Gathering as an apprentice, so act like one.

Beside her, Wildpaw peered eagerly outside of the Apprentice Den every few seconds, then shrank back inside, disappointed. Mousepaw could see that the other apprentices found it annoying, but Mousepaw felt the same way, so she couldn't really say anything against them.

On Mousepaw's other side, Applepaw actually was bouncing on her paws, not being afraid to show her kit side. Mousepaw found this highly irritating. The fact that Applepaw wasn't afraid to do what Mousepaw was afraid to do, and the annoying quality of any cat doing something in anticipation. All of it irked Mousepaw greatly.

Finally, Wildpaw looked out of the den and exclaimed, "It's time!" She promptly exited, Applepaw bouncing after her and squealing, "Oh my StarClan! Oh my StarClan! Oh my StarClan!"

Mousepaw took a deep breath. This was it. She followed her sisters out, and she heard the other apprentices following.

Mousepaw lined up silently behind the warriors that were going to the Gathering, and looked for Wildpaw and Applepaw. She spotted them farther up in the line.

Snowstar, at the front of the line, waved her tail, and the cats followed her out of camp.

The line of cats were surprisingly silent as they entered RiverClan territory and slipped around the lake and towards a fallen tree bridging from the edge of RiverClan territory and across part of the lake, to an island in the center of the lake.

They encountered no one as they headed to the fallen tree. Mousepaw watched as the warriors in front of her leaped gracefully onto the tree's roots and crossed easily to the other side. She watched her sisters follow them, wobbling, but managing to cross to the other side. Mousepaw gulped quietly.

When it was her turn to cross, Mousepaw laid a paw delicately on a root, testing its weight. Deciding it was safe, she scrambled onto it, feeling self-conscious. Slowly she started to cross.

About a quarter of the way across, Mousepaw felt she was getting the hang of it, and sped up.

Behind her, Mousepaw felt another cat starting to cross the tree. Mousepaw tried to ignore the now creaking tree and keep focusing on crossing.

Mousepaw felt that crossing to the lake was getting easier, more natural. She relaxed.

As soon as she relaxed, one of Mousepaw's forepaws slipped. She wobbled, and one of her hindpaws slipped off, too. She unsheathed her claws and gripped the tree trunk in terror. But she still started to fall.

Suddenly, a cat's jaw was holding the scruff of her fur, and she felt herself being uprighted. Sighing in relief, Mousepaw re-balanced herself and turned to see who had helped her.

Standing behind her was Featherpaw. "Thanks," Mousepaw muttered. Without a doubt, Featherpaw would join the other apprentices in thinking that her and her sisters were still pretty much kits.

"You're welcome." Featherpaw stood awkwardly for a moment, then said, "If you want me to help you cross, I can - "

"No thanks," Mousepaw cut him off, mortified. Not only did he think she was still a kit, he thought she couldn't take care of herself! "I can cross by myself." She hurried across the tree trunk and leaped off the end of the tree as fast as she could, not really paying attention to what she was doing. She had just ruined her own meager reputation! And with the only apprentice who respected her, even a little, as a witness!

Once she realized she was on the island, Mousepaw looked around curiously. The island was covered in a light layer of snow, and all the undergrowth here were bare and carrying the weight of snow. Mousepaw thought it looked as if it would look lush and full of life during greenleaf.

She turned at the sound of pawsteps. "You can come sit with me, if you'd like," Featherpaw had followed her across the tree, and now was next to her. "Normally the Clans sit with each other. And especially with ShadowClan and ThunderClan fighting like this,..." Featherpaw gave a shudder.

"No, thanks. I'm going to sit with my sisters." And to add a mouse to the top of the freshkill pile, Featherpaw thought she needed to be protected! What was wrong with this cat?

Mousepaw bounded away before he could answer.

Settling down beside her sisters, at the edge of the clearing, surrounded

by warriors and a few elders from ShadowClan, Mousepaw surveyed her surroundings. She knew she wouldn't find the blue-furred one from ThunderClan, but she couldn't help taking a look and hoping to possibly glimpse a cat with blue fur.

Does the cat even have blue fur? Or is it grayish-blue? Or just gray? Or is the cat a blue-gray tabby?

Mousepaw jolted out of her thoughts as she heard a voice ringing throughout the clearing. "I, Sunstar of ThunderClan, now call this Gathering to order."

Mousepaw glanced up at the large tree roughly around the center of the clearing all the cats were in. She spotted Snowstar, her leader, and three other cats. The one who had just finished speaking, Sunstar, was standing as far away from Snowstar as possible, up on a high branch. Snowstar was on the lowest branch. The two other leaders were in-between them. Mousepaw could see clear hostility between Snowstar and Sunstar.

"Do you see Flowerstep? She's trying to talk to ThunderClan warriors!" Applepaw whispered loudly, causing Duskpelt, who was right behind them, to shoot the three of them a look.

From the corner of her eye, Mousepaw saw Flowerstep, Sandpaw's mentor, attempting to speak to some ThunderClan cats, but she was promptly ignored. Mousepaw could see her disappointed face from nearly all the way across the clearing.

"I don't even think she should even be trying," Wildpaw murmured. "There's nothing interesting about ThunderClan warriors, anyways."

Mousepaw snorted. "Nothing interesting to know about them? Try nothing worth knowing about them."

Mousepaw had heard many stories about ThunderClan, and none of them were good. She supposed all the cats in ShadowClan couldn't exactly be nice to them, seeing as they were in a war against them, but nevertheless, Mousepaw had always trusted ShadowClan's opinions. They hadn't ever been proved wrong. Not yet, at least.

Sunstar nodded to the leader closest to him, an orange tabby she-cat. "Would you like to begin, Leapstar?"

Leapstar nodded. "RiverClan is faring well," she told the Clans assembled below her monotonously. "Two kits, Fishkit and Rainkit, have been born. Rainkit has whitecough, but our medicine cat will be able to cure her by the next moon." She glared out at the Clans, as if daring a cat to defy her. No one did.

Mousepaw thought she saw a glint of hard determination in Leapstar's eyes.

"We're not blind," Berrystone grumbled to Duskpelt, "We know the lake and streams have all frozen over, and that they've barely got any food."

Duskpelt made a noise of agreement. "I wouldn't be surprised if Fishkit and Rainkit are close to dying."

"Stop it," a she-cat's voice, whom Mousepaw quickly recognized as Windheart, whispered angrily. "Those poor kits could actually be dying and you two are just sitting here and talking about them as if it doesn't matter! You mouse-brains," she grumbled nonsense for a moment, then said, "If Sandpaw was close to dying, I'd certainly hope that you'd care, Duskpelt," she hissed.

Mousepaw faintly heard Duskpelt squirm. "Of course I'd be," he tried to say indignantly, but it came out as pitiful.

"Good," Windheart said, seemingly satisfied. "You too, Berrystone. You'd better care if your soon-to-be-born kits were on the verge of dying."

Berrystone grunted, but made no retort. Mousepaw thought that was rather smart. Windheart had a rather large temper.

Mousepaw suddenly noticed how thin Leapstar looked compared to the other leaders. She must be starving herself for her Clan, Mousepaw realized, and, though she wouldn't admit it, felt slightly admiring towards Leapstar.

Leapstar flicked her tail towards the black-and-white striped tabby directly below her. As the tom cleared his throat, Mousepaw subconsciously noted that this must be WindClan's leader.

"WindClan is as prosperous as ever," the tom announced, "We have plenty of food, and none in our Clan have received whitecough or greencough. We have had three kits born to our Clan, Moorkit, Spottedkit, and Olivekit. All three are doing just fine."

Mousepaw heard Duskpelt whisper to the cat next to him, whom Mousepaw recognized as Berrystone. "They've still got hares to catch," Duskpelt hissed, "It's unfair that they've got a good food supply."

After muttering for a few moments, both of them turned back to the leaders, where WindClan's leader was still talking.

When he finally finished, WindClan's leader turned to Sunstar, far above him, and nodded, gesturing for him to begin.

"Thank you, Palestar," Sunstar told him graciously. Mousepaw scowled, and noticed Snowstar doing the same. They were looking too friendly, to her. Besides, Snowstar was closer to Palestar; why did he choose to let Sunstar go next?

"ThunderClan has enough food to eat," Sunstar stated, sounding vague. "Two of our apprentices, Smallpaw and Whitepaw," the said cats stood up, "Have been promoted to a warrior status and are now named Smallfoot and Whitestripe." ThunderClan cheered, and RiverClan and WindClan did so half-heartedly, while ShadowClan did nothing. Smallfoot and Whitestripe sat down.

"Although we've had a few border skirmishes," Sunstar started up again. The entirety of ShadowClan growled, and Mousepaw felt a bit left out, even though her sisters did nothing, too. Sunstar plowed on. "We've healed the injuries, and our warriors are fully capable of handling the skirmishes, if they happen again." Sunstar proceeded to glare at Snowstar, and Snowstar glared right back at him. "But we know, of course, that the Clans are too noble to start petty things like border skirmishes."

Even Mousepaw could hear what Sunstar was implying.

When Sunstar finished, he didn't even let Snowstar know that it was her turn to speak. He simply settled down comfortably on his branch.

Luckily, Snowstar didn't need prompting to start speaking. "Just like the other Clans, we have been doing well," she began, sounding as if she had very recently smelled crowfood, "I am happy to say," - Doesn't sound very happy to me, Mousepaw thought - "That we have had three kits made to apprentices, Wildpaw, Mousepaw, and Applepaw." Mousepaw and her sisters stood up.

ShadowClan cheered, and RiverClan and WindClan, again, cheered half-heartedly. ThunderClan did not cheer. Mousepaw gazed at the other Clans, unable to hide her irritation; not just at Sunstar, for ruining Snowstar's speech and therefore their becoming-an-apprentice announcement, but at the Clans for not really caring either way. Mousepaw swished her tail, narrowing her eyes at anyone who dared to meet her eyes. She wasn't sure what Wildpaw and Applepaw were doing, but she silently hoped that they weren't embarrassing themselves. She wasn't worried about Wildpaw, though; she was more worried about bright-and-sunny Applepaw.

"Applepaw is ShadowClan's new medicine cat apprentice, and I hope that Flakefrost will pass on all he knows to her." Snowstar told the crowd of cats, and the cats' murmurs grew louder. The closest Mousepaw could tell was that getting a medicine cat apprentice might subtly mean that ShadowClan was preparing for war.

"It sounds like she's saying that our warriors will need healing if we get into a battle," Duskpelt growled to Berrystone.

"Our warriors have been excelling in their battle skills and will be prepared if, like Sunstar suggests, another Clan starts a border skirmish." Snowstar ended her announcement, gazing coolly at Sunstar. Sunstar seemed to take it quite calmly.

Berrystone muttered to Duskpelt, "Good. She's told the Clans that our warriors are fully capable and, at the same time, told them that we're prepared if we have...border problems again. Two birds with one swipe." (W: Nah, it's two mice with one swipe) (L: Ahem. It's a swipe, so a bird works better, and it refers to the human expression) (W: No, it makes more sense for it to be mice, since Shadowclan actually rarely hunts birds)

As the gathering finished and the clans exited she noticed Sandpaw go try to talk to some thunderclan cats that were shoved away by some warriors. The moon slid over the horizon marking the end of the day.

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