Chapter Three

Maplepaw stalked through the forest, her tortoiseshell pelt camouflaging her in the fallen leaves. A shrew scampered through the leaves ahead of her, searching for food. You won't be needing food when I'm done with you, Maplepaw thought, licking her lips. She slowly pulled herself forward, until she was in pouncing range. Springing forward, her claws locked into the shrew's pelt, tossing it up into the air. It landed with a thud, still alive. It kicked its back legs as it struggled to get up, but Maplepaw was on it once again, this time landing a killing bite to its neck.

"What have I told you about doing that?" Bloomheart scolded as he pushed his way through the brittle, dead, undergrowth.

"I know, but I don't see what the big deal is. I caught it, didn't I?" she quipped.

"Prey is not a toy. You should treat it with respect, as it is a gift from StarClan. Besides, what if you had missed that catch? With leafbare just around the corner, we can't afford to go hungry now," Bloomheart said.

"This will barely feed anyone. Look at how scrawny it is," Maplepaw mewed, nudging it with her paw.

"Maplepaw!" Bloomheart hissed, giving her a stern glare.

"Sorry," Maplepaw apologized, ducking her head.

"I forgive you," her mentor said. "Just don't do it again, okay?"

"I won't." Maplepaw grabbed the shrew in her mouth and began to follow Bloomheart back to camp. Along the way, Bloomheart paused beside a beech tree where they had buried their prey from earlier.

As he gently shook the dirt off of the prey, Maplepaw turned and gazed across the forest. They were close to Sunningrocks, and from where she was standing she thought she could make out the shape of a cat, although she was not sure who it was.

"Can I meet you back at camp?" she asked, dropping her shrew.

"But-"

Maplepaw tore off through the forest, ignoring Bloomheart's yowls of protest. As she neared Sunningrocks, she unsheathed her claws, ready for a battle. She knew she was being reckless, but she was so restless that she couldn't help herself. This was the first time she had been out of camp since the battle a half-moon ago, and her paws were itching for action.

Maplepaw let out a screech as she leaped from the undergrowth onto Sunningrocks. Her stomach dropped as she realized the cat she had spotted from earlier was none other than Birchface. "Sorry, I thought you were a RiverClan intruder," she apologized, her pelt dripping with embarrassment.

Before Birchface could respond, Bloomheart appeared from the undergrowth, fuming. "What has gotten into you today?!" he roared, marching towards his apprentice. "You are going to be in so much trouble when we get back to camp."

"Wait!" Birchface blurted out.

Bloomheart narrowed his eyes. "What for?"

"Maplepaw came to my rescue. As I was hunting, I spotted a RiverClan cat sunning himself on the rocks. I tried to chase him off, and well, you know how fat and heavy those RiverClan cats can be. Maplepaw saw I was being attacked, and came to my rescue. As soon as she appeared, the fishface went running for his life," Birchface lied smoothly.

"Is this true?" Bloomheart asked, eyes wide.

Maplepaw looked over at Birchface, nodding. "Yes." Please believe us!

"I'm impressed. Good job, Maplepaw," Bloomheart praised.

"Yes, good job Maplepaw," Birchface agreed. "You were very brave. In fact, I think I might ask Oakstar if he'll allow you to attend the Gathering tonight. You deserve it."

Bloomheart opened his mouth to object, but Maplepaw quickly cut him off. "Are you sure? Honestly, it was nothing. I feel like defeating three ShadowClan warriors with my eyes closed, and one paw tied behind my back is a much more worthy achievement," she teased, playing along with Birchface.

"Three ShadowClan warriors? That's nothing! Try taking on ten ShadowClan warriors with your eyes closed, a paw behind your back, and the biggest badger sitting on your shoulders. Now that's a challenge," he purred.

"I bet you could do it," she joked.

"In my sleep, even," Birchface agreed.

"Sorry to interrupt you two, but Maplepaw has prey to carry back to camp," Bloomheart reminded her.

Maplepaw let out a huff of annoyance. "See you back at camp," she called to Birchface as she followed her mentor into the forest.

The two walked in silence, not even speaking as they collected their prey. Maplepaw could tell Bloomheart was still angry with her, but the gray tabby tom said nothing.

Goldenmist and Birchface were waiting for them at the top of the ravine.

"How did you get back here so fast?" Maplepaw wondered, dropping her prey.

"I ran," Birchface panted. "I wanted to catch you before you were down the ravine. I... I need to talk to you if that's all right with you of course." The dark tabby looked over at Bloomheart, waiting for the older warrior to give him permission.

"I'll help you carry the prey," Goldenmist told Bloomheart, grabbing Maplepaw's dropped prey in her jaws.

"All right," Bloomheart agreed as he continued to make his way down the ravine, Goldenmist trailing after him.

"Come on," Birchface meowed in a hushed voice.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"The forest." Birchface continued to pick up his pace until he was running. Trees whipped around them as they raced past.

"Obviously," Maplepaw huffed. "Where are we really going?"

Birchface ignored her as he continued to run until he skidded to a halt at the bottom of a ridge. He paused for a moment to catch his breath, before making his way up the steep hill.

"How much farther? My paws are about to fall off," the tortoiseshell apprentice complained as she trekked up the slope behind him.

"We're here." He paused, standing at the base of a curved oak. Instead of growing straight up, the oak curved halfway up and began to grow sideways.

"You brought me all the way out here to show me a tree?" Maplepaw hissed.

"It's neat, isn't it?" Birchface meowed. "Goldenmist and I used to come here and play all the time before our training got too serious." He padded around to the other side of the tree. "Bees used to live here, but I see they're gone now," he explained, flicking his tail towards a groove in the trunk. Without saying another word, Birchface hooked his claws into the tree and began to make his way up.

Maplepaw stared after him, before cautiously following him. Don't look down, she told herself as she made her way across the curved part of the tree. She kept her eyes on Birchface, as she continued to walk out across the tree.

"You did it," he purred.

"It was nothing," Maplepaw said, sitting beside him. The two were quiet for a few moments and just gazed out across the forest.

"It's beautiful here," she finally admitted. "But why haven't I known about this before?"

"Because technically, this isn't our territory. It's a little ways past our border. It's so close to the Twolegs place, that most warriors don't bother coming here," Birchface mewed.

Maplepaw peered through the trees, but could not see anything. "But Bloomheart has taken me hunting towards the Twolegs place several times before, and this looks nothing like the forest there."

"There's a strip of land that runs between the big Thunderpath and the Twolegs place. We're right in there. Like I said, most warriors don't bother coming here, so that's why you don't recognize it. If you were to continue going up the hill, you'd come across a much smaller Thunderpath, and then just beyond that is the Twolegs place," Birchface explained.

"How do you know so much? Have you ever gone there?" she questioned.

"No, but Goldenmist has ventured up to the Thunderpath, so that's how I know," he said.

They sat in silence once more, until Maplepaw meowed, "You didn't bring me out here just to show me some tree. What's this really about?"

Birchface let out a sigh, averting his gaze. Finally, he turned to her and looked her deep in the eye. "Do you remember the night of the battle, when I told you Oakstar was planning to make me deputy one day?"

She nodded slowly.

"It's true," Birchface whispered. "It's... a family tradition of sorts, supposedly going all the way back to Redstar, although I'm not sure how true that is. All I know is that Oakstar's father, Emberstar, was the leader before him, and Emberstar's mother, Fernstar, was the leader before that. Oakstar wants to carry on the tradition, so he plans on making me his deputy one day."

"What about Beetail?" Maplepaw wondered.

"Beetail knows."

"And he doesn't care?" Maplepaw's stomach churned nervously as she waited for his response. Something about this didn't seem right to her.

"No. Beetail's one of the most accepting cats I've ever seen. He and Oakstar go way back. They've been friends since my father was an apprentice. My mother says Beetail would commit murder if my father asked him to, and honestly, I think I believe her," Birchface grunted. "This whole thing disgusts me. Cats should become leaders because they deserved it, not because they're your kin. Well, I know one thing. This stupid tradition is dying with me."

Maplepaw tried to give his shoulder a comforting lick, but he jerked away unintentionally. She knew he didn't mean it, but the gesture felt like a thorn in her heart. Maplepaw slowly moved away from him, her ears flat to her head.

"I'm sorry," Birchface apologized. "I just get so mad thinking about this. Doesn't he realize I don't want this?"

"Have you tried talking to him about it?"

"A couple of times, but he just brushes me off. He says I'm too young to know what I want, and one day I'll change my mind," the dark tabby growled.

"Well, if you ever do change your mind, I know you'll be a fantastic leader," Maplepaw assured him.

"Thanks, but you're wrong. I don't have what it takes, and I never will. Goldenmist would make a much better leader than me, but Oakstar won't give her the time of day. He says she doesn't have what it takes, but I think he's just saying that. Goldenmist is just as capable of leading as I am, but Oakstar doesn't care. He's so determined to make me his deputy, that sometimes I feel that's all he cares about. Whenever we spend time together, that's all he talks about. I don't like it."

As Birchface continued to pour out his feelings, Maplepaw felt a pang of sympathy for her friend. "Is that why you were acting so odd on the day of your warrior ceremony?"

He nodded. "Becoming a warrior only makes me one step closer to becoming deputy one day, and then leader. When that happens, I'll be responsible for sending my Clanmates into battle, never knowing if this will be their last one. Cats will die because of me, and what for?"

Birchface quickly stood to his paws and pushed his way past Maplepaw. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. It's getting dark. We need to get back to camp before the Gathering starts."

Once the two cats were on the ground again, Birchface led Maplepaw through the forest back towards camp. Since the sun had already started to set as they were talking, the forest was already quite dark. Maplepaw shivered, pressing closer to Birchface. Besides the battle, she had never been out of camp so late at night, and even then she had been surrounded by her Clanmates. This time, she was alone with only Birchface to protect her.

"You asked Oakstar about the Gathering, right?" she whispered.

Birchface nodded. "Only for a moment, but he said you could come."

To her relief, the top of the ravine soon came into sight. Maplepaw's paws ached with every step as she carefully climbed down the rocky slope, down into the camp. Her Clanmates were clustered around the camp, chatting excitedly.

"There you are!" Dawnpaw exclaimed. "I've been looking for you for hours. Where have you been?" Her eyes widened as she saw Birchface squeeze through the gorse tunnel after Maplepaw. "Oh, I see," she smirked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Maplepaw demanded, giving her sister a shove.

"Nothing," Dawnpaw teased.

"Tell me!" Maplepaw growled.

"Do I really have to tell you? It's obvious to the whole Clan at this point! Do I really have to explain it to you?" Dawnpaw purred. When Maplepaw didn't respond, Dawnpaw rolled her eyes and said, "You and Birchface are in love!"

Maplepaw rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. We're nothing more than friends, and you know it."

"Right," Dawnpaw chuckled.

"I swear!" Maplepaw insisted. When Dawnpaw didn't seem convinced, Maplepaw let out a hiss of annoyance. "Fine, think what you want. But I'm telling you Birchface and I are nothing more than friends. I'm not interested in him like that at all. Besides, I'm already behind in my training. Love is the last thing on my mind. I don't want to think about taking a mate until I'm at least a senior warrior. So I'd appreciate you not joke about this anymore."

Dawnpaw glared at her sister. "Lighten up a bit. You're such a stick in the mud sometimes."

"Are you going to the Gathering tonight?" Maplepaw asked, trying to change the subject.

Dawnpaw immediately perked up. "Yes. Are you?"

Maplepaw nodded. "Birchface convinced Bloomheart to let me attend." As soon as she said it, Maplepaw let out a small groan. She didn't want to give Dawnpaw even more of a reason to tease her over Birchface. He's nothing more than a friend, she repeated to herself. To her relief, her sister remained quiet.

"I'm so excited," Dawnpaw chirped. "This is going to be our very first Gathering! I wonder what will happen."

"You're going to the Gathering?" Hazelheart's asked. The tortoiseshell she-cat was padding towards them, her pelt groomed neatly.

"Yep!" Dawnpaw mewed. The pale orange-and-white apprentice could barely contain her excitement as she waited.

Hazelheart let out a purr of amusement, before turning towards Maplepaw. "You'd better get cleaned up. We don't want the other Clans to think ThunderClan has unkempt apprentices."

Maplepaw flicked her tail in annoyance. "Who cares what the other Clans think?" she mumbled.

"I care," Hazelheart pointed out. She began to lick Maplepaw's pelt in an attempt to clean it. "I will not have my kits going around looking like rogues."

Maplepaw ducked away, embarrassed. "Do I really look that bad?"

"You look like you just rolled out of your nest," Dawnpaw teased as she began to help Hazelheart groom her sister.

After a few moments, the two cats sat back. "You're all done," Hazelheart purred.

Maplepaw puffed out her chest. "Thank you. How do I look?"

"Beautiful as always," her mother praised. "The both of you."

Oakstar appeared a few moments later. "It's time for the Gathering!" he announced, padding over towards the gorse tunnel. Maplepaw, Dawnpaw, and Hazelheart followed after him, along with Beetail, Ravenwing, Birchface, Goldenmist, Bloomheart, Sweetbriar, Dovesong, and Seedpelt. Once every cat was gathered, Oakstar turned and began to make his way up the ravine.

Maplepaw hesitated for a few moments. Her body ached from being on her paws all day. Perhaps I should stay home, she thought. No!

Surging forward, Maplepaw raced after her Clanmates, determined to go to her first Gathering.

Apologies for the lack of updates. 2019 was a very rough year for me, so I was unable to update. I lost my house in a fire and lost everything I owned including everything I had written for this story. Thankfully I was able to regain some of it thanks to my lovely friend Mothflight, but the majority of it was lost. But I'm back now, and will hopefully be updating more often. I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed. I hope you will all enjoy this chapter, and until next time!