Cats swarmed around the great rock, the buzz of the gathering in the chilly leaf-Fall air. A group of apprentices clustered around an old tree stump, their eyes glimmering with exitement.

"-and then i caught a snake!" mewed a brown and white tabby tom, puffing out his chest in pride as he adressed the other apprentices. Some of the younger cats widened their eyes in astonishment and muttered breathy "Wow!" s .

"So impressive HawkPaw," laughed a silver-tabby she-cat, her orange eyes glimmering with amusement. HawkPaw stared at the cat, growing flustered, the other apprentices watched, most of them close to laughter.

"Y-you too!" HawkPaw mewed awkwardly back, wincing as he heard himself.

The apprentices burst into laughter, including the silver tabby, DewPaw. A warrior hushed the apprentices, giving them a hard stare as the clans setteled and the gathering begun.

The leaders on the great rock waited until silence fell in the clearing, a dark ginger she-cat stepped forwards, her fur already pricking in anger.

"Cats of the Clans!" she started, her gaze racking the waiting cats, "ShadowClan has been robbed! ThunderClan has been stealing our prey!"

DewPaw's fur bristled, a clan stealing another clan's food was against the warrior code! And, with leaf-bare upon the clans every morsel of prey is precious. She watched as the thunderClan leader - a golden-brown tabby, FinchStar - turned to RussetStar and gave her a hard look before turning to the crowd.

"ThunderClan did no such thing!" he mewed, anger edging his mew, cats murmured uneasily as he spoke. DewPaw noticed that the ThunderClan cats.. They didn't look surprised at RussetStar's words, maybe.. maybe they did it! DewPaw glanced side ways at the two young ThunderClan apprentices next to her, who glanced at each other uneasily.

"We caught three of your cats red-pawed in the middle of our territory, with our prey in their jaws!" hissed RussetStar, whirling her head around to stare at FinchStar. After a couple seconds of stunned silence, the WindClan leader stepped forwards, her ears pressed to her head and her tail dragging on the ground.

"ThunderClan has stolen our prey too," she mewed as she glanced round the cats. There was silence at her words. A light breeze ruffled the pelts of the cats in the clearing as all had grown still, silverpelt glimmering icily overhead. Every cat on high rock was silently staring at the she-cat, RussetStar triumphantly, NettleStar in confusion and FinchStar in pure anger, his pelt pricking. He raked the cats beneath him with is green gaze, sheathing his claws in pure rage.

"How dare you, HeatherStar? After all ThunderClan had done for you," He Glared at the crowd of gathered cats, the ThunderClan cats yelled their approval of FinchStar's words while the other clans stayed deadly silent. The leader's voice turned into a quiet hiss that could still be heard in the quiet clearing.

"How dare you lie?"

Every cat stiffened.

The ThunderClan leader stepped towards the back of the rock, and prepared to leap to the ground but before he could RussetStar spoke up.

"If we see you in our territor again, we will come for your clan!" she hissed, causing the other leaders to stare at her, confusion and... Fear glittering in their gazes. NettleStar , who had been silent for most of this ordeal, stepped forwards. DewPaw noticed that he was rather obviously forcing his shoulder fur to lay flat, "RiverClan is no part of this," he annouced, turning to where FinchStar and RussetStar stood,

"We will stand with no clan, on no sides,"