Two || Gathering
Shadowpaw and Snowpaw exchanged glances.
Hopestar jumped up on the rock "Tonight's events will not prevent us from going to the Gathering. Berrynose will stay with our guest while we go to the Gathering."
She hopped down. "Everyone who is coming, follow me, apprentices, find your mentor."
Snowpaw found Bumblebark as the group began to leave. Stripepaw and Shadowpaw had already found their mentors.
"I think Stripepaw likes that she." Shadowpaw whispered to Snowpaw.
"I know! Stop getting into everyone's business!" Snowpaw hissed back.
Snowpaw could feel Stripepaw's glare from the other side of the group. She dipped her head, embarrassed.
Shadowpaw sighed.
Shadowpaw and Snowpaw didn't talk the rest of the way there.
How and why is she always in someone's business?
She's probably wondering why I do it. I really don't mean to! I've told her that! I just hear everything!
Shadowpaw thought.
She sat down next to her littermates and gazed up at fourtrees. Who would ever want to sit up there? Every cat staring up at you… I'd rather be a medicine cat.
The leaders began whispering, but to Shadowpaw, it wasn't whispering. She could clearly hear what they said.
"I think I may have the four cats from the prophecy in my clan already." Hopestar was saying.
"Who?" Minnowstar, leader of Riverclan asked.
"Snowpaw, Shadowpaw, and Stripepaw. And a rogue who Stripepaw found almost dead at Snakerocks earlier. Berrymark stayed behind to watch her.
"Are you sure?" Frogstar, Shadowclan's leader, questioned.
"No, but I think-"
"Yay. Thunderclan's thinking for once." Frogstar's flat mew came.
"Says the one who eats frogs and toads!" Hopestar growled.
"Who eats toads? Frogs are okay. Toads, no." Frogstar whispered.
Talonstar of Windclan interrupted them. "Hopestar, you're just showing how you got your name, You hope too much. Frogstar is right."
"We should begin the gathering." Minnowstar mewed.
As the leaders began the meeting Shadowpaw wasn't paying attention, until Hopestar spoke.
"Prey is plentiful and we have three new apprentices." She flicked her tail to Shadowpaw and her littermates."Shadowpaw, Snowpaw, and Stripepaw.
The cats began to cheer their name and the three dipped their heads.
Talonstar raised a paw, signaling for it to stop.
"Is this all?" Talonstar mewed, obviously ready to go back to his camp and discuss Hopestar's words with his medicine cat, Smallleaf, named that for his herb store and height.
"I'm ready to go back to camp." Minnowstar and Frogstar mewed at the same time.
"I heard they're siblings." A Riverclan apprentice mewed.
"Rude." Shadowpaw said under her breath.
"I guess we could wrap it up, but could I talk to you once more?" Hopestar's mew dropped to a whisper after the first few words.
"Shh, cat hear us…" A deep voice had said from behind the bushes behind where the leaders were sitting.
"I think cat leaving…" Another, deeper voice said. Snowpaw guessed it was an older animal…
These are not cats. What kind of cat eats another cat? They're better off eating themselves!
"Must kill cat." The first voice said.
"And eat cat?"
"Yes. Big feast tonight."
"What if no catch cat?" The second asked.
"Then… no big feast tonight. Simple. Now shut up." The second snarled.
Huh, they're going to attack us, whatever they are.
The realization seemed to smack her in the face. They're going to attack us!
Stripepaw looked at her and scooted closer. "Are you alright?"
Someone's behind those bushes, and they're going to attack.
"Got it." He stood up and walked over to the bushes.
That's not what I thought he was gonna do!
"Oh no…" The deeper voice whimpered.
"Just attack him." The other said.
Shadowpaw's fur raised, as did many of the others around them once they noticed.
"Is he alright?" Shadowpaw asked Snowpaw.
Snowpaw ignored Shadowpaw.
Stripepaw thrusted his head through the bushes and two foxes jumped on him.
The leaders and warriors jumped in to help and in a few seconds, the fight was over.
The foxes ran away yelping, "Cat strong! Cat strong! No come here again!"
After the commotion died down the clans separated into their own groups and started to leave.
Snowpaw scanned the bloody pelts and found her clan. She was relieved to smell that almost all the blood was from the foxes.
How could I understand those foxes…?
