Warriors || Tainted Blood: Book 1

Chapter 15

Night finally came and the clan anxiously awaited Skystar. Rowanpaw kept his distance from the rest of the group. He watched them with careful eyes, wishing that he could be a part of them. Moonlight created deeper shadows in the forest but brightened the camp clearing.

"Rowanpaw?" His green eyes turned to see Hazelpaw looking at him meekly. "Um, could I sit by you?"

He merely shrugged and looked away. If he glanced at her, he feared that his walls might come crashing down. As much as he hated the walls, they were necessary. They kept him safe.

Hazelpaw sat down beside him and circled her tail over her front paws. Underneath the moonlight, her tortoiseshell pelt contrasted more with the white on her fur. For one moment, he glanced at her to find that she was already watching him.

"Why do you separate yourself from the rest of the Clan?" Hazelpaw wondered. Her hazel eyes were narrowed in confusion, she looked genuinely concerned.

Rowanpaw heaved a sigh. Clearly someone had to tell her. "The Clan doesn't like me," He answered bluntly. "They blame me for something terrible."

"What do they blame you for?" Hazelpaw whispered so that no one else would hear them.

He opened his mouth to speak, but at that same time, Skystar joined the Clan. The blue-gray tom's pelt appeared like silver underneath the moon's light. Without a word, Skystar turned and left the camp clearing. The clan followed behind him like a tidal wave.

Rowanpaw leaped to his paws to follow. Hazelpaw stuck close to him, although he didn't understand why. She was friends with Sablepaw and Crowpaw, so why was she talking to him instead? Her behavior puzzled him more than he could say.

HiddenClan ran through the forest following the trail walked by countless generations. This was Rowanpaw's favorite part about Gatherings. In the face of the other clans, HiddenClan was united. That included him. Underneath Silverpelt, all of their differences fell away.

Skystar slowed down their pace and through the throng of cats he could see the MoonHollow. It stood outlined against the shadows regal as ever. Strangely, Rowanpaw immediately remembered Poisonblood at the sight of it. He shook the memory from his mind. Tonight he would be a regular HiddenClan apprentice. They trotted down the slope to find that they were the second clan to arrive.

SwiftClan was late.

Rowanpaw watched Wolfpaw, Crowpaw, Sablepaw, and Hollowpaw mingle with the same RainClan apprentices as last time. He thought their names might've been Lionpaw, Flowerpaw, and Shrewpaw. Hollowpaw met his gaze for a second, but Rowanpaw looked away.

"SwiftClan's here!" A voice called above the din.

He lifted his head to peer over the heads in his view. Hawkstar, the SwiftClan leader, was in the lead but Rowanpaw didn't see the deputy, Gorsetail. Was he sick? Almost immediately, the rumors started to spread like wildfire.

"He could be sick."

"Maybe he's dead?"

Almost immediately, the clan leaders started the Gathering. "Hawkstar, why don't you go first?" Brookstar suggested. Her underlying tone said that she was suspicious and curious.

"A quarter moon ago, Gorsetail died of heart sickness." Hawkstar announced sorrowfully and the MoonHollow was soon filled with empathetic whispers. "I've chosen for Cloudheart to be my new deputy. So far, she's proven herself a worthy successor." The dark brown tom cleared his throat. "On a happier note, we have two new warriors: Windgorse and Eclipsepool."

"Windgorse! Eclipsepool!" All three clans cheered, but Rowanpaw cheered loudest for Eclipsepool.

Skystar nodded to Brookstar, allowing her to go first. "RainClan was blessed this moon. Darkwater and Roseflight now have four healthy kits. Also, we have three new warriors: Liongaze, Flowercloud, and Shrewtooth."

"Liongaze! Flowercloud! Shrewtooth!" The clans cheered once more.

Now it was HiddenClan's turn. Rowanpaw found Hazelpaw sitting next to Lilacpaw in the crowd. Skystar stepped forward, his muscles rippling underneath his blue-gray pelt.

"HiddenClan has two new apprentices. Hazelpaw has been apprenticed to Raccoontail and Lilacpaw to Mistypool." Skystar announced.

"Hazelpaw! Lilacpaw!" Rowanpaw noticed Hazelpaw soaking up all of the attention while Lilacpaw ducked her head shyly.

The Gathering was over, but the leaders were conversing which meant there was still some time left. Rowanpaw got up to perhaps talk with Hollowpaw, but he was cut off. Standing in his way was none other than Eclipsepool.

Her blue eyes were like two starlit pools and it was no wonder why she was named Eclipsepool. But they weren't cheerful or amused as usual. They were serious and distant.

"Rowanpaw, can I talk to you?" She asked in a whisper.

He nodded and followed her to a secluded corner of the MoonHollow. "What is it?" Rowanpaw asked, becoming slightly worried.

Eclipsepool glanced over her shoulders before she spoke. "I don't think that Gorsetail died of heart failure. I think he was murdered."

Rowanpaw's jaw gaped in surprise. "Murdered?!"

"Shh!" Eclipsepool hissed, her ears flat against her skull. "Listen, do you think you could meet me at the border tomorrow at midnight?"

He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "And why would I do that?"

"Because I need your help." Her eyes were pleading and he could see that she was desperate. Perhaps she wasn't lying. "Please, Gorsetail was my father."

Rowanpaw clenched his jaw as he considered her proposal. "Okay, I'll be there." Just then, the leaders split up and the clans started to disperse. Rowanpaw trotted away and met up with his clanmates.

"Why were you talking to her?" Hazelpaw asked him, studying Eclipsepool through the crowd.

"That's why we come to the Gatherings, Hazelpaw: to talk." He didn't want her to become suspicious.

Then Hazelpaw muttered something under her breath just loud enough for Rowanpaw to hear: "She's awfully pretty."