fallen stars ☆ a warriors fanfiction

a gathering

Fernpaw raced after her sister, Cedarpaw, as the gathering patrol headed out of camp. "This is so exciting! She mewed, looking around at the cats that had come. Hawkeyes, Poppysong, Swiftfoot, Dovenose, Foxwhisker, Skullmask, Ravenwing, Juniperpaw.

The apprentice purred as Cedarpaw nodded. "I can't wait to see the other clans! I wonder if they'll be like the elder's stories." Fernpaw's sister mewed. The apprentices almost bumped into Poppysong as they paused at the top of a slope. Fourtrees! Fernpaw could just about see Echostar wave her plumy tail, and then ShadowClan bounded down into the hollow.

"Wow..." Cats of all colours, shapes and sizes milled together, scents mixing as the clans mingled together. The thick branches above them couldn't block out the bright light of the full moon, meaning Fernpaw could see each cat clearly. Her eyes widened. "Can we really talk to whoever we like?" She mewed to her mentor, who was standing next to her. "Well, I'd advise not bothering the senior warriors or the deputies. But meeting other apprentices is always a good idea." Skullmask pointed to a group of apprentices clustered together near the Great Rock. Cedarpaw's leaf green eyes shone. "Come on!" she mewed, bounding towards them. Fernpaw hurried after her, nodding to Skullmask as they passed. "New apprentices?" A cream WindClan apprentice mewed, looking at them with searching dark blue eyes. Fernpaw nodded. "I'm Fernpaw, and this is Cedarpaw."

"I'm Heatherpaw. This is Pebblepaw from RiverClan." Cedarpaw nodded. "We're from ShadowClan, although you probably know that from our scent." Fernpaw looked at her sister in surprise- she seemed so at ease talking to other clans, while Fernpaw positively wanted to throw up. Pebblepaw, a sleek silver and grey tom, looked up at the Great Rock. "It's starting!" Fernpaw narrowed her eyes, trying to recognise Echostar.

The dark grey ShadowClan leader was sitting next to who Fernpaw presumed to be Maplestar, the leader of RiverClan, as she had an orange and red pelt. Next to her was a lean brown tabby, which looked like the elder's tales of Eaglestar, the leader of WindClan. So the scrawny black tom must be Shadestar, ThunderClan's leader. A sandy coloured tom looked up from the base of the Great Rock worriedly- Duststripe, the ThunderClan deputy. According to Dovenose, he had always campaigned for peace between ThunderClan and ShadowClan, and was the most publicly open against the attack on ShadowClan's camp. "We gather under the full moon," began Maplestar, "To honour the truce between the clans. Shadestar, would you like to go first?" The elderly leader nodded and stepped in front of Maplestar. "ThunderClan has one new apprentice." Shadestar began. "Twigpaw." Fernpaw followed his gaze to a tawny she-cat with shining blue eyes. Do we have to do that? She wondered. "Prey is running well and we have no complaints to make." He stepped back, dipping his head to Eaglestar. The WindClan leader swished her tail. "This newleaf has been kind to us, as we have a new litter of kits born to Breezenose. The rabbits are running well- though not fast enough to catch!"

She added, purring. Echostar stepped forward, and her amber gaze swept around the clearing. "ShadowClan is fortunate to have not one, but two new apprentices." She paused. "Fernpaw and Cedarpaw." Fernpaw felt rushing in her ears as the clans turned to look at her, and in a moment that might have lasted seasons or only a single heartbeat, it was over. "A new litter of kits have been born to Eaglefeather. They have been named Frogkit and Shellkit." Echostar nodded to Maplestar, who twitched her ear. "RiverClan has no news to share. Prey is running well and we are thriving." The four leaders leapt off the rock, calling to their clans. Fernpaw nodded to the three other apprentices and followed Cedarpaw to where ShadowClan was gathering, ready to leave.