“It looks like all the other Clans are already here,” Sparkpaw murmured into his ear. “I’ve never seen so many cats!”
Alderpaw nodded in agreement. He was especially astonished to see a crowd of young cats— probably apprentices like us, he thought—yowling and tussling together in the shelter of the bushes. I thought you were supposed to behave perfectly at a Gathering, he thought, remembering what Squirrelflight had told him.
But maybe other Clans have different rules.
“Well, what do you think?” Molewhisker asked; he had padded up unnoticed while
Alderpaw was staring at the rowdy young cats.
“It’s amazing!” Alderpaw breathed out.
“It sure is,” Cherryfall agreed, emerging from the bushes and giving her pelt a shake.
“Especially your first time.”
“Look,” Molewhisker meowed, pointing with his tail. “That’s Rowanstar, the ShadowClan leader, climbing into the Great Oak.”
Alderpaw blinked as he looked up at the powerful ginger tom who settled himself in the fork between two branches and gazed around commandingly. He looks like a cat I wouldn’t want to cross.
“You’ve already seen Onestar, there on the branch just above Rowanstar,” Molewhisker went on, indicating the brown tabby tom. “And here comes Mistystar, the RiverClan leader.”
Alderpaw saw a gray-blue she-cat leap gracefully into the tree; several leaves fluttered down as she found a spot on a lower branch. He noticed that Bramblestar too was heading for the tree, and felt a thrill of pride to see his father ready to take his place with the other leaders. He’s so important!
“The deputies sit on the roots,” Cherryfall told the apprentices. “The brown-and-white tom is WindClan’s deputy, Harespring, and the black tom next to him is Reedwhisker from RiverClan. The cat just joining them is Crowfrost from ShadowClan.”
“And I’d better get my tail over there, too,” Squirrelflight meowed as she padded past.
Pausing briefly, she added to the apprentices, “This is your chance to get to know cats in other Clans. Go and introduce yourselves.”
Alderpaw saw that the older ThunderClan cats were mixing with the other Clans already, settling down with their friends and eagerly exchanging gossip. Squirrelflight joined the other deputies, while Bramblestar swarmed up the tree and sat on a branch near Mistystar.
Alderpaw looked around nervously, not knowing which of this milling crowd of cats he dared approach. I’d rather just stick with Sparkpaw, he told himself.
“I’ll introduce you to a few cats, if you like,” Cherryfall offered.
Alderpaw was about to accept gratefully when Sparkpaw’s ears twitched. “We don’t need help, thanks,” she mewed. “We’ll manage just fine on our own.”
“Okay.” Cherryfall dipped her head. “See you later.” She padded off and plopped herself down beside a rangy tabby she-cat who looked as if she belonged to WindClan.
Alderpaw turned to glare at his littermate.
“Why did you say that?” he demanded. “I’d much rather be introduced by Cherryfall than walk up to a strange cat and have to introduce myself.”
Sparkpaw returned his glare. “I’m not going to hide behind an older cat like I’m some kind of kit,” she hissed. “What would the cats from the other Clans think of me then?”
“Fine,” Alderpaw retorted. “But who are we going to talk to?”
Sparkpaw let her head and tail droop a little, as if she was only just now thinking that through. Then she raised her chin high again and looked around.
Almost at once Alderpaw spotted another cat gesturing to them with her tail. She seemed to be an apprentice by her size, a sleek silver-gray she-cat with white chest fur. Her bold green eyes sparkled as she called out, “Hey!
Over here!”
Relieved that another cat had made the first move, Alderpaw trotted over with Sparkpaw by his side. He picked up the weird reek that was familiar from the ShadowClan border, but was too polite to wrinkle his nose.
“I’m Needlepaw,” the silver she-cat announced. “This is Sleekpaw, and that’s Beepaw.”
The two apprentices she was with nodded in greeting. Sleekpaw was a yellow she-cat, and Beepaw a plump white she-cat with black ears.
“Hi,” Beepaw meowed, shifting to make room for the two ThunderClan apprentices under the bush where they were crouching.
“We’re from ShadowClan.”
“Is this your first Gathering?” Needlepaw asked. “It’s my second—I’ve been an apprentice for three moons.”
“Yes, it’s our first,” Alderpaw responded.
“I’m Alderpaw, and this is Sparkpaw.”
“We’re from ThunderClan,” Sparkpaw added.
“Are you really?” Needlepaw’s brilliant green eyes widened. “Does that mean you want to boss all the other cats in the forest around?”
“No, it does not!” Sparkpaw exclaimed with a lash of her tail, while Alderpaw’s neck fur bristled. “What are you even talking about?”
Sparkpaw went on. “Why would you insult us like that?”
“All right, keep your fur on,” Needlepaw meowed, with an amused glance at her Clanmates. “I was only teasing. All the Clans have reputations with the others. ThunderClan cats are bossy, WindClan cats get scared and run away, and RiverClan cats are too fat and lazy to hunt properly.”
Alderpaw narrowly stopped himself from gaping, exchanging a scandalized glance with Sparkpaw. Who does she think she is, talking about other Clans like that?
“Well, I think it’s stupid,” Sleekpaw added, licking one paw and drawing it over her ear.
“What Clan you’re in doesn’t decide what you’re like. It’s just where you’re born. Some of the cats in ShadowClan are every bit as bossy as ThunderClan cats.”
Sparkpaw’s ears pricked forward in shock at Sleekpaw’s idea, though Alderpaw had the feeling that she might be right.
Before Sparkpaw could argue, a cat’s voice rang out across the clearing. “Cats of all
Clans!” It was Rowanstar, standing tall and proud on his branch. “Welcome to the Gathering. Mistystar, would you like to speak first?”
The gray-blue she-cat dipped her head as she rose to her paws. “RiverClan is doing well,” she began. “The lake is full of fish…”
“RiverClan cats eat fish!” exclaimed Beepaw. “Can you imagine? No wonder they’re so smelly.”
Alderpaw glanced around to see if any
ShadowClan warriors would correct Beepaw’s behavior, but there were none within earshot.
He hoped furiously that Mistystar hadn’t heard the comment, but if she had, she ignored it.
“A new litter of four kits has been born to Lakeheart,” she announced, then dipped her head again to Rowanstar before resuming her seat.
“Onestar?” Rowanstar gestured to the WindClan leader.
“Hunting has been good on the moor,” Onestar announced.
“I bet he hasn’t done much hunting,” Needlepaw muttered. “Creaky old mange-pelt!”
“Yeah, my mentor said he couldn’t catch a blind hedgehog, never mind a rabbit,” Sleekpaw responded.
They’re talking about a Clan leader!
Alderpaw couldn’t help but be amused, and he heard a suppressed snort of laughter from Sparkpaw. But he was shocked by their comments, and even more shocked that ShadowClan warriors would talk like that in front of apprentices.