The first two days that Pearlpelt had kept Greenpaw in a quarantined captivity were some of the worst of Greenpaw's short life. All there was to do was listen to Sharkpaw, whose personality hadn't improved since the last time she had formally spoken to him – more specifically, when Sharkpaw tried to pass a move over Sunpaw.

The gray-and-white striped tabby apprentice was even grumpier than usual. He definitely had worms – Greenpaw could see the little white larvae wiggling around in his dirt through the darkness of the sick den. Greenpaw gagged every time.

Luckily, she hadn't seen any worms in her dirt – yet. Greenpaw had vomited up most of the dunnarts after eating the marigold, but Pearlpelt held her in the den– held her hostage, it felt like – "just in case, for the health of the clan."

Sharkpaw was constantly complaining of a bellyache, despite the small amounts of tayon berries Pearlpelt gave him with his wiregrass and hog plumb. By the second day, Greenpaw was really fed up.

"I thought the tayon berries were suppose to be helping, Pearlpelt!" Sharkpaw whined, for the hundredth time. "I just feel worse!"

Greenpaw couldn't bite her tongue anymore, despite trying to be on her best behavior ever since the…incident. She couldn't control her mouth as she snapped, "You sound like an ungracious kit, you lousy dung-eater! Could you just shut up for five breaths? Would it kill you, you anchovy?"

Sharkpaw's yellow-green eyes went wide, and Greenpaw could swear through the silence she could hear Pearlpelt hold back a huff that sounded a lot like hidden laughter. But Pearlpelt just went on organizing and re-organizing her herbs.

"There," Greenpaw grumbled. "Isn't that so much better? Don't you feel better already?"

"But I –" Sharkpaw began to protest, finally making sense of what Greenpaw growled.

"No!" Greenpaw interrupted with a small hiss. "If I have to watch you make your worm-infested dirt over the next three days, they are going to be silent, you big kit. Just shut. Up."

And he did. For the morning, at least.

"I heard you followed Twilightstar to the Moonfly cave." Sharkpaw mewed quite suddenly, later on in the day. Greenpaw could hear Pearlpelt pause for a slight moment. Pearlpelt rarely said anything to them, unless Greenpaw was bored enough to ask her questions about the different herbs – which, to be fair, was actually pretty interesting. But that seemed to be the only kind of conversation Pearlpelt could manage.

"I did," Greenpaw meowed carefully. Was this some kind of trick?

"And that you shared dreams with StarClan," Sharkpaw mewed lowly.

"I did." Greenpaw answered matter of factly.

"So they're really real?" Sharkpaw asked, even quieter. Greenpaw was a little flustered. Sharkpaw was usually nothing but a big brawny bully with feathers for brains. Why he was asking about StarClan, she couldn't imagine.

"Yes. StarClan is really real." She decided on a simple reply. A simple affirmation. The less details, the better. She didn't want to upset Pearlpelt.

"Very real, as a matter of fact." Pearlpelt's head popped into the sick den, which was situated in the very back of the medicine cat den. "StarClan are the reason we are here to see this sun-high."

Greenpaw was more than surprised to hear the old silver she-cat pipe up. She knew from Twilighstar's teachings that medicine cats had a special relationship with StarClan, but Pearlpelt never publically discussed such things.

Greenpaw felt a warm glow in her belly as she thought of StarClan, of SaltClan. Despite all the troubles she'd been having as a result of…every day she was becoming more and more accepting and thankful for her mistaken trailing of Twilightstar to the Moonfly cave. Greenpaw knew for absolute certainty what other cats in the Clan could only fantasize about.

Greenpaw realized, as Sharkpaw asked about StarClan, that she was the only cat in the Clan, besides Twilightstar and Pearlpelt, that could say with complete assurance that StarClan watched over them all.

"And they wanted us to form the Clans," Sharkpaw continued carefully. Greenpaw couldn't help but wonder where he was going with this.

"Yes." Pearlpelt answered plainly. She too, seemed interested in Sharkpaw's words.

"But why don't they share dreams with all of us? Why do cats have to go to the Moonfly cave to share dreams with them?" Sharkpaw blurted out in a quick string of mews. He seemed to be rushing, as if he needed to get everything off his chest then and there.

"You'll forget that I do not travel to the Moonfly cave," Pearlpelt corrected him. "And they share dreams with me. But developing a relationship with StarClan is a very special thing. You don't have to see them, or hear them, to find them within and around you."

Greenpaw liked Pearlpelt's answer. She never wondered what it must feel like to have not shared dreams with StarClan, to go your whole life with no idea who or what they were, and to then be separated into Clans and told what to believe in. Since Greenpaw had met StarClan before the Clans had even formed, she had taken this for granted.

She realized Sharkpaw probably wasn't the only one with questions.

After their conversation, Sharkpaw wasn't nearly as whiny. He also didn't tease Greenpaw like he use to. The next three sunrises went by relatively peacefully. Sharkpaw's worms finally cleared up, but even though Greenpaw had never shown signs of them, Pearlpelt still kept them that final fifth day, with their strict diet of fish, wiregrass, and hog plumb.

But Sharkpaw's relative silence caused Greenpaw to have almost too much quiet time. Too much time to wonder how Sunpaw was, what she was doing, who she was doing it with…Pearlpelt wouldn't allow them visitors, so Greenpaw had no idea whether or not Sunpaw had forgiven her yet, or if she was still angry.

Greenpaw couldn't stand to think what would happen if Sunpaw didn't want to be her friend anymore. Greenpaw was quite certain she couldn't exist without Sunpaw by her side. Sunpaw was her perfect counterpart. Well, almost perfect…she wasn't there to stop Greenpaw from following Twilightstar…

But Greenpaw had made peace with herself. The only nags in her mind now were not regarding punishing herself, but wondering if Twilightstar, Seaheart, and Sunpaw had absolved their anger or disappointment with her…which, Greenpaw supposed was another form of punishment in of itself. Whenever Greenpaw thought too deeply, she must have shown a blank face, because Sharkpaw would flick a bit of moss or fern at her, and mew, "Off to StarClan again?"

So when the fifth day finally broke, and Greenpaw and Sharkpaw were free to go, the first thing she wanted to do was find Sunpaw. She and Sharkpaw burst out of Pearlpelt's den, hollering thank-you's behind them, into the cool night air. A full moon was shining down from the sky above above, the very last rays of sun red on the cliffside. The air tasted fantastic, like wonder and possibility. Greenpaw gave the air a hard sniff, her eyes closed, as she enjoyed the fresh air for a few moments, before a small bundle of fur rammed into her side, knocking the breath out of her.

"Umph!" Greenpaw groaned, tipping over onto her side. Five days of not moving left her limbs awfully sore. "What in the name of –"

"StarClan?" Sharkpaw answered mischeviously, giving her a purr before heading towards the apprentices' den. Greenpaw glanced down at her side, seeing a soft bundle of sandy colored fur with ginger markings tangled in limbs.

"Greenpaw!" Rosekit gasped, scrambling onto her paws. "I haven't seen you in forever! Pearlpelt wouldn't let me in! She threatened to barricade the den!"

Greenpaw purred, licking the top of the little kit's soft head. "Believe me, I know. She wouldn't let anyone see me. Where is your mam?"

"Hello, Greenpaw," Beachflower's soft mew answered. The sandy colored she-cat's brown-flecked pelt looked dark in the fading sunset light, but her green eyes were shining brightly. They had a soft gentleness to them that Greenpaw missed. "It has been a while."

"Beachflower!" Greenpaw exclaimed, jumping up to press her flank to Beachflower's warm pelt. The she-cat was purring.

"Bluekit has missed you too, Greenpaw." Rosekit told her matter-of-factly, wedging herself inbetween her mam and the apprentice. Bright green eyes – so familiar yet so foreign – gazed up at Greenpaw between them. "He even told me so!"

"You eyes changed!" Greenpaw exclaimed. "Bluekit told you? He's found his voice now?"

"Well, he may have found it," Rosekit told her earnestly. "But he looses it all the time."

"And Rosekit doesn't know when to loose hers," Beachflower mewed gently, a light teasing tone in her voice.

"Where is Bluekit?" Greenpaw asked. She couldn't see the little blue-gray furball.

Then he stepped out from behind his mam as Beachflower and Greenpaw stepped away from one another, facing each other. Rosekit sat right in between them, facing Greenpaw, and Bluekit wobbled over on still-shakey paws.

"Hi, Greenpaw." He mewed quietly, blinking at her with kit-blue eyes.

"Hi, Bluekit." Greenpaw purred back. It felt so good to be out of that cave! Had she really missed so much?

"I was just off to get some rosemary from Pearlpelt," Beachflower explained. "Shrimpkit's tail is bothering him, and a rosemary poltice seems to work well for him. Rosekit simply couldn't resist another opportunity to bother Pearlpelt about seeing you, and Bluekit likes seeing the medicine cat den."

"Well, I've definitely seen enough of the medicine cat's den." Greenpaw huffed. "For at least some seasons. Or maybe forever." she added as an afterthought. "How is Coralclaw?"

Beachflower hesitated before answering, and Rosekit couldn't help but to jump into the conversation.

"Still cranky," the kit reported. "And she still won't let me play with Shrimpkit! Coralclaw only lets Bluekit bring him his rosemary, and that's only because Shrimpkit won't let Coralclaw or Pearlpelt put it on him."

"Not even a sniff?" Greenpaw asked micheviously.

"Not even a sniff!" Rosekit complained. Greenpaw once more noted how much she would love Rosekit for her own apprentice. She'd tell Rosekit all of the vague sayings that Seaheart told Greenpaw, even if Greenpaw still didn't understand them. Watching Rosekit try to work them out would probably be enough laughter to last for days. She wondered if maybe Sunpaw could mentor Bluekit, and then they could –

Greenpaw stopped short of her thinking. Sunpaw! Where was she? She glanced around, and a small claw battered her chest. "Hey!" Greenpaw exclaimed.

"You aren't listening," Rosekit mewed, exasperated. "I beat Bluekit this morning! And last night! He didn't stand a chance!"

"Well, that isn't a very fair opponent," Greenpaw replied, her mew sharp with humor. "He's hardly half your size!" But her mind was still elsewhere. Why hadn't Sunpaw approached her yet?

Rosekit didn't seem to mind the jab, because she went on. "Yeah, he's small, but he could still win if he was strong enough! That's the point; I'm stronger, and always will be!" Greenpaw glanced down to see the young kit's chest puffed out with pride. Greenpaw wondered why Bluekit didn't argue with her, but he just watched them quietly with large, observant eyes.

"Hey, Beachflower," Greenpaw asked suddenly. "Have you seen –"

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" a familiar voice yowled. Greenpaw snapped her head back. Twilightstar!

"Oh, a Clan meeting!" Rosekit exclaimed with excitement. "Can I go, mam? Can I? We're already out! Please, mam? Please?"

"Yes, yes, all right." Beachflower agreed. There was a twinkle in her green eyes when Greenpaw looked back at her. "So determined," Beachflower mewed as they walked over to the Highledge, Rosekit leading them with a tall tail. "She reminds me so much of you, Greenpaw. Especially before your apprentice ceremony. But you've grown so much, even in a short moon. I can only hope Rosekit does as well, after she is apprenticed."

Greenpaw dipped her head with a purr at the compliment. Gfreenpaw decided to hold her tongue in expressing her wishes that she would be Rosekit's mentor, when the time came. There was a right time to tell Beachflower. Perhaps Beachflower could even talk with Twilightstar and try and persuade the stubborn leader, when the time came.

All of SaltClan's cats were quickly gathered beneath the Highledge. Seaheart was standing below the Highledge, where Twilightstar was perched. Seaheart met Greenpaw's eyes and blinked a welcome. Greenpaw blinked back hurridly, before glancing over the gathered cats for Sunpaw. Where could she –

And then there was a warm flank pressed against hers, and a low purr. "Sunpaw!" Greenpaw exclaimed loudly, turning her head to furiously lick her beloved friend. There was silence across the hollow, and Greenpaw stopped, looking back around her. Heads were turned towards her, many eyes sparkling with laughter. "Sorry." Greenpaw muttered, her ears flat. But she only let herself be embarrassed for a moment before turning back to Sunpaw. Greenpaw was about to apologize as best as she could before Sunpaw laid her sheathed paw over Greenpaw's. She licked the side of Greenpaw's face, behind her whiskers, before whispering a light "I'm glad you're okay." Then she nudged Greenpaw's face to the Highledge.

Greenpaw could instantly sense that all was forgiven. But she couldn't help but notice how tired Sunpaw looked. Her breathing was slow, and her eyes were constantly blinking, as if she had to battle herself from nodding off. Greenpaw wondered why, wondered why she wasn't getting enough sleep…

"Cats of SaltClan," Twilightstar began, drawing Greenpaw's worried attention away from Sunpaw. "Tonight is the first true Gathering. There will be much discussed and decided tonight, I expect, and while I'd like to bring all of you, it simply is not possible. I must leave enough warriors behind to defend the camp – even though there is a truce, we do not know if our Clan counterparts will abide. Apart from that, there is a raccoon running loose on the beach, which presents another danger. For this reason, tonight, I will bring Seaheart, Sandflame, Hollowclaw, Frogleg, Riverpaw, Tidepaw, and Sunpaw. Shellstream, Stormrush, Reedtail, Sharkpaw and Sunpaw will remain behind to defend the camp."

Twilightstar's speech ended as soon as it began. With the flick of her tail, she leapt off of the Highledge, and bounded out of the camp, the named cats following after her. Sunpaw gave Greenpaw a quick lick behind her whiskers again before following the other cats out of the hollow.

Twilightstar didn't leave before Greenpaw could see how haggard the she-cat was looking. Greenpaw didn't believe the she-cat was that old, but she looked like she had lived many more seasons than any cat should.

Twilightstar was pushed out of her mind at Rosekit's impertinent mew. "Why can't we go to the Gathering, mam? I'm big enough! I can go!"

"Not quite yet, sweetling." Beachflower mewed, licking the top of Rosekit's head. "In your own time."

"But I want to!" Rosekit's fur bristled. "I want to see all the cats!"

"You've already been to a Gathering, you know, Rosekit." Greenpaw told her intently. "You and Bluekit. Seaheart helped carry you back to camp."

Rosekit's green eyes widened. "Did I really, Greenpaw? Mam? Did I really?"

"You did." Greenpaw nodded. "But you and me have to stay this time, to help protect and defend the camp. What if that raccoon comes? Do you want him to eat Shrimpkit, just because we weren't here to protect him?"

"Well, I mean," Rosekit mewed disdainfully. "Coralclaw is such a grump, anyway, and Shrimpkit—"

"Rosekit!" Beachflower scolded, cuffing the young kit lightly on her ear. "Don't say such things!"

"Sorry, mam." Rosekit muttered, no apology in her tone. "But—"

"Come on, Rosekit." Greenpaw interrupted, flicking her tail toward the back of the camp. "I'll show you how you can attack the raccoon if it comes. It'll be a good battle, if nothing else."

Beachflower blinked gratefully at Greenpaw, and began to pad toward Pearlpelt's den for Shrimpkit's rosemary. "You can come too, Bluekit." Greenpaw invited. But the little kit shook his head. "No, I want to help Shrimpkit." He told her before scampering after Beachflower.

Greenpaw turned back to Rosekit. "Well, come on –"

But Rosekit was already at the back of the camp, tripping over her tail. "Come on, Greenpaw!" she yowled. "Come and teach me!"

Greenpaw sighed, shaking her head, wondering if she was ever as forward as Rosekit was. So much had changed in such a short moon. She padded over toward Rosekit, and waited for Sunpaw to return.

THERE IS ONE MORE SHORT CHAPTER LEFT! That will be the END of BOOK ONE. Are you excited? Because I'm excited. Read and review!