[Sun Clan]
"Redheart was a brave and noble cat even in his old age. His spirit watches over us now from the safety and tranquility of Star Clan. He is gone but not forgotten." The white she-cat bowed her head as she finished speaking, the body of an elderly dark ginger tom laying in the center of camp. "Seeing how he was our one elder, Bluefur you as deputy will assist me in burying him after the Clan as paid their respects." One by one each cat stepped up to say goodbye to the tom. He had passed away from an infection, which he was unable to fight because of his old age. Winterstar and Bluefur lifted the deceased tom up and carried him to his place of burial.
After returning to camp, Winterstar checked the prey pile, noting that it was running on low. She flicked her tail, motioning to Bluefur. "Could you organize a hunting patrol?"
The tom nodded. "Sure," he meowed. "I'll send out a border patrol while I'm at it." He padded to the center of camp. "Rainflower!"
The dusky gray she-cat's head shot up at the mention of her name and trotted over to Bluefur. "Hi," she mewed. "What do you need?"
"Could you lead a hunting patrol?" the deputy asked. "Take two other cats with you."
She nodded. "I'll take Fernpaw and Peachfuzz with me." She raced into the apprentice den to get her apprentice.
Bluefur surveyed the camp, his eyes catching sight of Brackenfire. He walked over to the other tom, who looked up. "Sorry about Redheart," he said. "I know he was your mentor."
Brackenfire looked sad. "I'll miss him," he admitted. "But he's in Star Clan now." He gazed off for a moment, probably thinking about Redheart. Than he snapped back to attention. "So, did you need me for anything?"
"As a matter of fact I did. I wanted you to patrol the Damp Clan border with Mossheart and Tallflame."
"Great, I'll go get them," Brackenfire replied, getting to his paws and heading off to fetch the other two toms.
Out in the forest, Brackenfire sniffed the air for any scents that were out of place. As they neared the border, Tallflame muttered, "Damp Clan patrol." No sooner were the words out of his mouth when sure enough, a group of three Damp Clan cats appeared on their side of the border. The Damp Clan patrol was made up of Darkpool, who happened to be the deputy; Owlshriek, a very unkempt looking tom-cat; and Graypaw, a slender gray tabby she-cat. It was Owlshriek who spoke first. "Well if it isn't a Sun Clan patrol," he remarked obnoxiously, as if his Clanmates couldn't see. "How shocking." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"Hello Owlshriek. Darkpool. Graypaw," Mossheart meowed calmly. His patrol wasn't doing anything wrong, merely checking the borders.
"Actually its Grayfire now," Grayfire meowed excitedly. "I just became a warrior a couple moons ago." Owlshriek glared at her as if she had broken the Warrior Code simply by speaking.
"That's nice," Brackenfire said.
"What are you doing here," Owlshriek snapped, lashing his tail and glaring at the Sun Clan cats.
"Patrolling our border," Tallflame answered. "What does it look like we're doing?"
"That's enough Owlshriek," Darkpool ordered, silencing the tom with a sharp look. She turned to the Sun Clan patrol. "I apologize for his rude behavior," she meowed. "We'll just be continuing our patrol now." She motioned to Owlshriek and Grayfire. "Come on now. Let's go."
The three cats turned and disappeared into the trees, but Grayfire turned back once to look again at the Sun Clan toms.
[Damp Clan]
Grayfire padded along slowly behind Darkpool and Owlshriek as the two older cats remarked the borders. Suddenly she stopped and said, "I think I have a thorn in my paw."
Darkpool turned her head around. "Do you need help or can you wait until we get back? I'm sure Toadwhisper could get it out."
"Actually I think I'll just pull it out here. You guys can go on ahead though I'll catch up," Grayfire said.
Darkpool nodded and went with Owlshriek back to camp.
Grayfire waited until the two cats were out of sight than she turned and high tailed it back to the Sun Clan border. Being the young she-cat that she was, Grayfire was curious about the three Sun Clan toms they had encountered on patrol. She crouched down and slowly made her way to the border. She stopped, sniffed the air, and poked her head out from behind a bush. To her disappointment, the three toms were nowhere to be seen. I'll have to wait until the Gathering, she thought as she began the walk back to camp. Or try to find interest in the toms in my Clan...but they're all taken! Well...except for Mudpaw and Marshpaw but they're too young...and Owlshriek...no Owlshriek is yucky and mean. And Toadwhisker but he's the Medicine Cat.
[Forest Clan]
"The following cats will be coming to the Gathering," Shortstar mewed. "Darkspot, Stonebelly, Brightpaw, Wolfshadow, Pinefoot, Beartongue, Nettlepaw and Sticktail."
"Oh yes!" cheered Nettlepaw, bouncing up and down.
"Bumblewing, Rockclaw and Seedlight, you three will be guarding camp until I return," Shortstar added. He glanced at the sky and stood. "Let's go," he said.
[Damp Clan]
Reedstar was walking to the Star Field, with Darkpool, Toadwhisper, Frogleap, Lizardtail, Grayfire, Owlshriek, Wetfur, Mudpaw and Marshpaw in tow, when they met up with Winterstar who was being followed closely by Bluepelt, Willowshine, Brackenfire, Mapleclaw, Nightpelt, Robinpaw, Shadowpaw, Foxpaw and Badgerpaw. The two leaders exchanged greetings and walked together to the Star Field, where the Forest Clans cats were waiting for them.
As the leaders went up to sit on the rock, with the deputies sitting below the, Grayfire scanned the crowd of cats.
Owlshriek was already chatting with Wolfshadow and Beartongue of Forest Clan. Foxpaw and Badgerpaw of Sun Clan were sitting together not to far from Owlshriek and his group. The Medicine cats were huddled together talking. She noticed that just about every cat was mingling with other clans. She noticed a group of toms and instantly spotted the dark brown Sun Clan tom. He was talking with cats from his Clan along with several Forest Clan cats; Pinefoot, Stonebelly and Sticktail. It's not that I like him...I'm just curious, she assured herself as she casually walked by him. She made sure not to make direct eye contact with any of the cats, keeping her tail up and walking slowly, watching from the corner of her eye.
[Sun Clan]
Brackenfire was laughing at something Pinefoot at said when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed movement. Something clicked in his mind, he thought he recognized the she-cat. Shrugging, he tuned back in to the conversation. Sticktail, a Forest Clan elder, was talking about the time a wolf attacked the Forest Clan cats. "I was jus' a young un' back then," he said. "I was sittin' wit' some other apprentices I was, when one o' our warriors comes a' barrelin' through the camp, a' shoutin' somethin' o rather bout a wolf. Says a big ole wolf was killin' our prey. Killed Snowpaw, he says. In case you's didn't know, Snowpaw was an apprentice at the same time's I was." The other cats stared at him wide eyed.
"What happened?" Brackenfire asked.
"Our leader he sent out our bigges' stronges' warriors, sent 'em out he did, to fight off the wolf. Sent our fastest cat to Damp Clan and Sun Clan to ask for help, which help they gave. Both them other Clans sent a pawful o' they warriors to help us and we didn't loose as many warriors as we thought we would, we killed the wolf too."
"Wow," said Stonebelly.
"Don't you have a cat in your Clan with 'wolf' in his name?" Nightpelt asked Stonebelly and Sticktail. The two cats nodded. "Yeah, Wolfshadow," Stonebelly said.
"He ain't too nice I might add," Sticktail said. "Though I s'pose I shouldn't be talking that way 'bout a Clanmate. He was my apprentice you know."
Then one of the leaders yowled and the other cats fell silent. It was time for the Gathering to start.