Sorry I updated so late! School's started and I've been really busy. I know I said I would update this once a week, but it's been like a month now. :P Updates will be slightly more random now, ranging from one week to one month, maybe even two.

This chapter is starting with Lakepaw's POV and switching to Blossompaw's for the rest of the chapter.

Continuing with the story…

Chapter 7

Lakepaw's POV

Tonight is as pristine as it could be. The air was crisp and fresh, and I heard it is rumored that there is a full moon tonight. Hmm. I sighed inwardly to myself. I never get to go to the Gatherings. 'He's blind, he won't even be able to get across the tree-bridge, let alone get to the Gathering place,' others say, though I've never heard Shimmerstar nor Vipersong say why I couldn't go. Then, Hawkpaw would swoop in and hiss at anyone who said that.

Hawkpaw…

I could feel tears gather up in my eyes. It was my fault that Hawkpaw was taken. If I hadn't left her…

Maybe she wouldn't be gone. Taken. Maybe…

Dead. I choked on this word.

"Hey," a soft voice murmured somewhere beside me. Shadeflower, "Stop sulking, please. This isn't the night to sulk. Would your mother sulk?"

I slowly shook my head.

"No! She wouldn't stoop so low, wouldn't she?" She tried to coax me, but all it did was make me feel worse.

"And look where that put her? Dead," I muttered, feeling a twinge of guilt. I shouldn't be talking about my mother like that, but the words just forced their way out of my mouth, "Please stop trying to understand me, because you won't and you never will."

There was a soft rustle and suddenly Shadeflower was pressing her pelt against mine. "You're not going to chase me away so easily, Lakepaw. I'm not Pouncefoot. Also, you shouldn't speak of your mother like that, it's disrespectful," she said in that unconvinced tone. Then I felt her brighten up beside me. Wow. Such a concerned foster mom.

"Oh right! The Gathering is tonight," she mewed excitedly. Oh great. I totally love Gathering, "You might be able to go this time!"

"If you say so," I said, faking my cheerfulness.

Shadeflower brushed past me, and reluctantly, I followed her. I crashed into her when she suddenly sat down, sending us both sprawling to the ground. "Well," I heard Shimmerstar mew from above us. I jerked back upward into a sitting motion. I didn't know Shimmerstar was so close, "What a nice pre-Gathering show."

She clears her throat and begins to speak, "Riverclan! Gather up, it's time for Gathering!" Wow. Gather up. What an incredibly good choice of words, "The cats going to the Gathering are me, Vipersong, Pouncefoot, Lightningstrike, Goldsong, Fidgetleap, Sweetthistle, Snowpelt, Petalfur, Lakepaw, Blossompaw, Stormpaw, Dustpaw, Streampaw, Owlpaw, and lastly, our two elders, Swallowsong and Thistlewing. Let's go."

Shadeflower nudged me excitedly and Pouncefoot came and started to nudge me toward the Gathering patrol, but all I could do was sit there, my blind eyes stretched as wide as two full moons.

Did she seriously call me? Lakepaw, the blind useless lump?

Blossompaw's POV

Wait, did Shimmerstar seriously say that I could go? Even when my hunting skills suck so much? I was barely keeping myself from squealing in happiness all the way to the Gathering patrol. Stormpaw skipped up beside me. "This is so cool! I wonder what the Gathering is like. Who should we talk with?" he mewed excitedly. I just shrugged. Oh well, we'll figure that out when we get there. Streampaw was talking with Dustpaw behind. I frowned slightly. Traitor. He knew everything Dustpaw had said to me. I had told him myself.

Well, maybe not traitor, I mused when I saw Creekflower's sharp gaze literally piercing him in half. I wonder what Creekflower told him that time when she dragged him into the nursery in the middle of the most important meeting I've ever heard of. I haven't had the chance to ask him yet.

I barely realized how far we had gone until Stormpaw nudged me. "We're at the bridge," he whispered softly. I instantly snapped out of my daydream and looked ahead of me.

Wow.

The island was huge. I mean, not bigger than our territory, but still, humongous. Like, bigger than I thought it would be.

And on the island, though by the scents I could only smell Shadowclan and Thunderclan, were the most cats I had ever seen in one place.

"Be careful when crossing the bridge," Snowpelt warned, "It's really slippery and the water is really cold." I nodded half-heartedly, but neither me nor Stormpaw caught what he said next.

Big mistake.

I slowly leaped onto the log bridge when it was my turn, digging in my claws to steady myself and slowly started creeping across the log. Stormpaw followed me closely behind, "Go faster!" he begged.

I only huffed in reply.

Soon Stormpaw started softly nudging me. Yeah, I'm not risking it, I thought quietly to myself, still ignoring him. By this time the cats in front of me were already off the bridge, while I was still passing half of it. Okay, maybe I should go a little faster…

Just as I released my grip on the log bridge a little to go faster, a head butted me from behind.

Hard.

I lurched forward, paws scrabbling on the wet log, frantically trying to find a paw hold. It didn't do any use. I tumbled into the water.

The water was freezing. Gasping and sputtering, I tried to latch my paws onto the bark, but I couldn't get a grip. Stormpaw was watching in horror, frozen on the surface. I glared at him, making a mental note to screech at him if I made it out alive.

And I don't think that Stormpaw is going to do anything, or anyone would get to me in time. My head dipped below the water. Well, this is it…

Someone grasped my scruff and pulled me up onto the log.

I coughed, water sputtering out of my mouth. I shakily stood up and shook myself, water flying everywhere. This is embarrassing… a Riverclan cat who can't swim… At least my clanmates didn't notice. In the corner of my eye, I caught Stormpaw scrunching up his snout as water landed on him. I spat at him. Mental note, check.

I turned to see my savior and leaped back in shock, almost losing my grip on the log again.

Dustpaw? But why would…

Dustpaw brushed past me with surprising ease and bounded to the other side.

—

I slipped away into the Gathering, melting into the crowd and leaving Stormpaw alone. There was no way I was going to wander around with him after the, err, incident. Most of the clan cats were here now. Only Windclan wasn't, for their own special reasons.

In my daydream, I immediately crashed into a cat.

I stumbled and fell flat onto the ground. I quickly leaped back up, my pelt turning red. Wow, what a great impression. Everyone loves to have a sopping wet cat crash into them, I scolded myself.

The cat turned out to be around my age, her black and white pelt gleaming in the moonlight, her eyes shining with amusement. I shuffled my paws. "Sorry," I mumbled, "I really didn't mean to."

"It's okay," the she-cat mewed happily, "This is your first Gathering right? I've never seen you before, but I usually don't realize the majority of the Gathering's cats have ever come, I don't pay attention to small details. What's your name? I'm Violetpaw, Skyclan's medicine cat apprentice."

I blinked. This cat was sure cheerful, almost exactly like Heatherpaw(but still, Violetpaw was way more maturer than Heatherpaw, no doubt.) Could I trust her? I hope so. "Hi Violetpaw. My name is Blossompaw," I said slowly.

"Hi Blossompaw! Nice to meet you!" Violetpaw said, flicking her tail, "This is your first Gathering right?" I nodded, "Do you know the leaders and deputies yet?" Before I could shake my head no, Violetpaw started to recite the leaders and deputies. "The light gray tom with a silver sheen to his fur is Sagestar, the Skyclan leader. My leader, of course, if you haven't noticed I'm Skyclan yet."

I haven't.

"Sagestar's deputy is Spottedheart. You know because he sits right underneath Sagestar. The black and ginger tom is Ferretstar, Shadowclan's leader. His deputy is Badgerpelt. And your Riverclan, right? Can tell by your scent. Then you should know Shimmerstar and Vipersong. And the last leader who's here is Darkstar, Thunderclan's leader. She's pretty nice, you know. Always plays with kits and chips in patrols. Her deputy is Morningfur. Oh here comes Foxstar," Windclan scent was finally drifting over to me, "and his deputy Miresong! Oh wait," Violetpaw squinted, "Miresong doesn't seem to be here. In fact, Windclan seems to have come deputyless!" Violetpaw finished with a dramatic bow, "Whew! How was that?"

"Nice," I mewed. She seems trustworthy enough.

"Thanks!" She mewed, "I'm supposed to be with the medicine cats right now, but I snuck away. Oh, and why didn't your medicine cat come tonight? He's a pretty good guy, unlike my mentors." She glares at a few cats sitting off to the side, too busy to notice her.

I blinked. Oh. Rootsong. Should I tell her?

I guess so. I can trust her, right? She already told me a lot about her personality, and as long as she can keep information as well as she can sneak away from some trained medicine cats, I guess I'll be fine.

"Rootsong? He couldn't come. The rogue kidnappers tried to capture Dawnstep last night. She's badly injured." I meowed.

Violetpaw suddenly looked very uncomfortable with this topic. "Rogue kidnappers?" she mewed cautiously, "Like as in taking cats from your clan?"

I nodded.

"Well—" Violetpaw was cut off by Foxstar leaping onto his branch and immediately, for some reason, starting the 'leader's Gathering talk time,' as Streampaw told me that was what Dustpaw called it. "Well Shimmerstar," he said nastily. I held back a small snarl that threatened to escape me. What did Riverclan ever do to them? "I see that you have brought most of your clan." Beside me, Violetpaw was starting to get really nervous. Shimmerstar's, and basically everyone else in the clan(Did they know something I don't? Seems so), fur was bristling.

Things may or may not be looking good.

Thankfully, Sagestar cut in before things could get too out of hand. "Skyclan had been faring well. The bad news is that one of our kits, Duskkit, was taken by mysterious cats that seems to have come from Riverclan territory of which Foxstar claims were Riverclan." Yowls of protest from my clanmates. I let out a hiss of my own.

I noticed Violetpaw trying to inch away from me. Most likely just trying to get away with her 'newfound' information.

Hmmp.

Ferretstar rammed his muzzle into the problem. "Squirrelstorm also has been taken —"

"More evidence!" Foxstar crowed.

"What evidence? We had cats taken too," Shimmerstar hissed.

Ferretstar cut in again. "That wasn't what I was going to say," he growled, "What I was going to say before you rudely cut in is that we didn't smell Riverclan, but Thunderclan," he hissed, looking pointedly at Darkstar.

Darkstar tried to keep a calm face, but everyone could see the frustration slowly etching its way into her face. "Our warriors didn't even set foot on your territory. In fact, Brightsun has been taken from our clan and there is Shadowclan scent all over our territory!"

"Liar!" Ferretstar spat.

"Does Riverclan get no say in this?" Shimmerstar demanded, "Now you all go blaming other clans, but we smelled rogue scents when our warriors and apprentices, Swiftflight, Hawkpaw, and Briarthorn, were kidnapped. Also, Dawnstep was injured trying to fend off these cats. Have you ever thought that rogues are trying to trick us instead of blaming each other?"

"That's an awfully number of cats in your clan to be missing," Foxstar spat, "Are you sure you didn't just disguise your cats' scents and take our cats? Then lie that some rogues took your cats when the rest of us smelled different scents?"

"For once, Foxstar is making some kind of sense," Ferretstar murmured. Foxstar gave him a glare so hard I swear that I would say flames were coming out of Foxstar's eyes if I didn't know better. But that glare was short-lived, so I guess that Foxstar was more pleased that Ferretstar agreed with him.

Meanwhile, Shimmerstar took that moment to explode in anger.

"Why would my cats go trampling around other clan's territory taking other cats? And what proof do you have?" she demanded, "In fact, isn't it weird that Foxstar doesn't have any cats missing? Why don't you think that his clan is the one who are taking the cats?"

Because Foxstar is your oh-so-great leader from the myths, I sneered alongside Shimmerstar. It was true, if you look at the stories the elders used to tell more closely. It was always 'Foxstar this,' or 'Foxstar that,' and on and on and on.

I highly doubt our elders will be telling stories about him now.

Foxstar's face was now distorted in fury. He bared his fang and curled his lips up into a snarl, but before he could come back with a good retort (And I highly doubt that his small brain can think of one in a moon. It was surprising that Foxstar was able to decipher Shimmerstar's words as a threat,) Sagestar cut in and angled his muzzle at the moon, "Look! Clouds are covering the moon! Starclan is angry at us!"

Way to state the obvious, Sagestar.

"Then what do you suggest?" Shimmerstar growled, turning her angry gaze on Sagestar, "Do you agree with Foxstar too?"

Sagestar flattened his ears and took a step back. "Of course not! But maybe we can solve this in a peaceful way?"

"What peaceful way do you suggest?" Darkstar snapped, her usually friendly attitude giving way to her frustration, "I just want to get my cat back."

"Again, it was you who took my cat, not the other way around," Ferretstar snarled.

Sagestar tried to desperately stop the fighting again, "Let the meditators sort this out," he mewed, "Beesong, what do you think?"

Oh great, that mediator again. And Swallowheart, I did not learn from her, I did not.

"Rampage Riverclan and Shadowclan's territories and finish them off!" the little pale ginger and black cat screeched. Shimmerstar and Ferretstar immediately bristled. A little gold-ginger she-cat with white patches sheepishly walked up to Beesong. "Sorry! Didn't mean that!" She dragged Beesong back into the crowd.

Shimmerstar couldn't take it anymore. "This Gathering is over!" she snapped, leaping off her branch, "Riverclan! Follow me!"

I turned around to ask Violetpaw some questions before I had to go, but I realized that Violetpaw had already slunk away into the crowd. That little rat! Shouldn't have told her so much information.

Finally, I stood up and trotted over to join the rest of my clan, my paws dragging in the dirt. This wasn't what I thought my first Gathering was going to be like.

Why do these things keep happening to me?

A/N: Next up is Streampaw's POV. I'll try to update earlier this time.

See you!

Ravenyfrost.