Sparks of a Fire

Chapter 10

The first rays of sun were shining through the trees, casting dappled shadows on the earthy wet ground. Birds were chirping, but other than them, not a single soul was up.

Not a single soul, of course, except for Bluepaw.

The whole night, Bluepaw hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. She kept thinking about the Gathering. More specifically, two events. The first, Kestrelpaw. She'd winked at her, like she knew something about her. Like she knew how Bluepaw was planning to get to the meeting she'd suggested.

Teleport.

But how would she know? She was just a BreezeClan apprentice, a medicine cat BreezeClan apprentice for that matter. She probably just winked for some other reason. Yes, that was it.

The other event had happened even before she'd met the three other apprentices, Kestrelpaw, Ripplepaw, and Starlingpaw. She still didn't know what to make of it.

Bluepaw had arrived at the Gathering. Her sister, Palepaw, was bouncing excitedly. Pinepaw was talking to Ivypaw. Ivypaw was shooting a glare at Bluepaw, who just rolled her eyes and ignored her. Cloudsky was standing beside her. Her chest was puffed out and her blue eyes were glittering.

"So, Bluepaw, now is a time to socialize. Why don't you go meet some StormClan cats? They're right over there, beside the apple blossom tree." Cloudsky gestured to the brown-barked thin-branched pink-blossomed tree. Bluepaw nodded and padded over to the nearest cat, a gray she-cat with amber eyes and black ears, paws, and tail.

"Hi!" The she-cat said. "I'm Lightningpaw! Who are you?" She asked her. Bluepaw found herself stuttering.

"I-I'm Bluepaw. I'm f-from MistC-Clan." She internally slapped herself. Why was she so nervous? The pretty she-cat twitched her whiskers and blinked her large amber eyes. Lightningpaw looked like she was going to say something, but then a big gray tom with a black face and a white stripe on his muzzle came up to her. Bluepaw assumed they were brother and sister.

"Hey, Lightningpaw, the Gathering's about to start soon. C'mon, I gotta introduce you to Rookpaw and Flintpaw, they're super funny!" He started over to a gray tom and a ginger she-cat, who Bluepaw assumed were the cats he'd mentioned. Lightningpaw blinked apologetically.

"Sorry, Bluepaw. Maybe I'll see you some other time?" She didn't get to answer though, because she'd already walked away, her fluffy black tail up and curved.

Bluepaw didn't know why she felt so weird about this particular she-cat. She was just an apprentice, a StormClan apprentice. So why was Lightningpaw, of all cats, so special?

Bluepaw didn't get to think about it more, because Ivypaw started to clamber over Bluepaw's body. Bluepaw groaned and rolled over, causing the small she-cat to fall off. Ivypaw sat up, annoyed at Bluepaw.

"Hey! Why'd you do that?" She asked. Pinepaw, who'd woken up from all the noise, purred and winked at Bluepaw.

"Don't worry about Bluepaw, she's just grouchy today." Bluepaw sat up straight, indignant but still realizing that Pinepaw was joking. She rolled her eyes and meowed,

"Excuse me?!" After she said that though, she realized that one cat was missing.

"Hey, where's Palepaw?" She mewed. Her sister usually loved to sleep in, and never went out for dawn patrols. Ivypaw and Pinepaw exchanged glances.

"She's, um," Pinepaw looked like she was trying not to laugh. Ivypaw, however, couldn't hold the laugh in and started laughing like crazy.

"She's on elders duty because she was taking too long at the Gathering!" She meowed, still laughing. Bluepaw flicked her gray right ear. She could see how it was kind of funny, but she couldn't understand why Ivypaw, and now Pinepaw, were laughing so hard. She blinked.