Swiftstar's Prophecy - Unofficial version

Chapter Nineteen

"Stonepaw! There you are!" A voice interrupted, and Swiftpaw turned her head towards the feminine call. Straightening up, she lifted her head to look eye to eye to an approaching, pretty black she-cat. Stonepaw, or Stonekit, from what Swiftpaw remembered when she had first met him, turned his head, and greeted, "Hello, Blackpaw." His tabby tail lashed gently, but he turned to look back at Swiftpaw. The calico she-cat felt her heart skip a beat again.

Blackpaw stood beside Stonepaw, and asked, "Who is this? Are you new here, TideClan cat?" Her blue eyes searched Swiftpaw, up and down, and the new apprentice felt her fur grow hot in shyness. Honestly, Swiftpaw felt very downgraded, compared to the other two much larger and mature apprentices. "Yes, I am new," Swiftpaw was able to meow, holding her nervousness, "my name is Swiftpaw."

Stonepaw slowly blinked his green eyes, before he kindly meowed, "Hi, Swiftpaw." As if he didn't want to say it out loud, his eyes filled with warmth, and Swiftpaw felt a bit relieved. He remembers me! She thought in happiness. He's grown up so much... he's much more handsome and well built. Her amber eyes moved over to examine Blackpaw, and the apprentice felt a discrepancy against the black apprentice. She didn't like the way she was close to Stonepaw, and Swiftpaw narrowed her eyes.

As if StarClan understood Swiftpaw, Blackpaw padded away, calling out to another apprentice. Now it was just Swiftpaw and Stonepaw, and the two looked back at each other again. "You...remember me?" he was the first one to ask, and Swiftpaw nodded. "O-Of course!" Her reply came out more excited, and her tail lashed in nervousness. Her heart beat was rapid, and Swiftpaw felt as if her heart would burst out of her chest. Calm down, Swiftpaw! What's wrong with you? Her tail curled around her paws, more out of what she should do in this antsy situation.

On the other paw, Stonepaw looked a bit antsy, too. Oh no, is he uncomfortable? She thought, her ears flattening a bit. But the tom let out a small chuckle, "How have you been, Swiftpaw? I didn't think I'd rekindle with an old friend," He called me his friend! Her ears perked back up, and Swiftpaw eagerly sat down next to him, but not too close, unlike Blackpaw earlier. "I've been...good," she meowed back, her mind flashing over all the bad memories that had happened, but she pushed them away. I'm supposed to be enjoying my first Gathering! And to reunite with an old friend is amazing! "How have you been?" she asked him.

He was about to reply, before a yowl erupted in the clearing. All heads turned towards the StarRock, and Swiftpaw lifted her eyes. She saw four cats, all perched atop of the stone, and it glowed dimly but beautifully under the moonlight. They looked majestic, the moonlight making them shine like stars, and all the cats that sat around them just seemed like mere ants. "The Gathering is beginning," Stonepaw whispered to her, and Swiftpaw let a short purr rumble in her throat. Her eyes focused on a black tom, who now stood up. "DriftClan will begin first!" he spoke, and Swiftpaw knew that he was Elmstar.

But before she could listen to what the DriftClan leader could say, Stonepaw murmured, "I've been pretty good. My mentor is harsh on me, though. How long ago were you made an apprentice?" Swiftpaw no longer felt lonely, and she turned to look back up at Stonepaw, "Just a couple of days ago, actually. Caught my first prey--"

"Keep it down, back there!" A DriftClan tom hissed quietly at them, turning his golden dappled head and narrowing his amber eyes. Stonepaw and Swiftpaw both hung their heads a bit, and issued a small apology, before the BoulderClan apprentice whispered, "Come on, I got a better place to sit at." He stood up, and waited for her to stand with him, before the black tabby led her through the sea of cats.

"--Prey runs well in the moors, and a new litter of kits were born." Elmstar finished, from what Swiftpaw heard, but she didn't turn her head to see the tom. She focused more on Stonepaw, and his quiet paw steps towards the very back of the Gathering. It feels more calmer here, she thought, before she took a seat beside Stonepaw. They both sat alone, near the back with some bickering elders, but Swiftpaw felt the cool breeze ruffle her fur more in the back, than where she was at. "Continue?" he pressed, looking down at her, his green eyes focusing on her eyes.

Swiftpaw let out a small chuckle, "I caught a fish. Wasn't very impressive, though," She glanced down at her paws, He's probably caught more prey than I have! One of Stonepaw's ears perked a bit, "I think that's very impressive, for the first days of being an apprentice," there was slight tease in his voice, and Swiftpaw's ears flattened against her head. "Hey, are you making fun of me?" she accused him quietly, and he chuckled, his eyes closing and his tail-tip flickering in amusement. "I'm not."

"Clearly, you are," she turned her head away from him, her tail lashing unto the grass, as she narrowed her eyes in slight anger. Swiftpaw focused on the StarRock, as Lizardstar of DuskClan now spoke. From her peripheral vision, she could see Stonepaw tilt his head and his whiskers shift slightly. "What, are you mad at me now?" he purred slightly, his whiskers brushing hers as he also turned to face the StarRock. 

"Hmph," Swiftpaw stubbornly closed her eyes, turning her head away from him more, before she stole a quick glance back at the tom. Stonepaw had fully tilted his head, an apologetic look on his handsome face. "Swiftpaw, forgive me?" he pleaded teasingly, before they both broke out in a gentle chuckle. "Fine," she gave in, and he sighed in relief. 

That was until Swiftpaw's amber eyes rested upon Redstar. Her heart felt light with Stonepaw, but when she saw Redstar, her heart sank. A growl almost rose in her throat, but she pursed her lips shut, glaring at her poor-excuse of a father. Her ears didn't want to catch what the red tom spoke, but anger flared in her eyes when he stepped away, without the notice of TideClan's new apprentices. Luckily, Snaketail, who sat directly below the rock, lifted her voice to announce Ripplepaw and Swiftpaw's beginning of their apprenticeship. 

"Ripplepaw! Swiftpaw!" The cats of the Gathering cheered, but from what Swiftpaw could hear, Stonepaw was cheering as loud as he could. Swiftpaw at least found comfort in Stonepaw.

But when Redstar stepped back, he reared around to Elmstar. "Elmstar, this is a warning to keep your warriors off of TideClan territory, or we will attack your camp." he declared loudly, his fur bushing up. The clearing immediately went quiet, and Swiftpaw's eyes widened. "He's disturbing the peace," she breathed in disappointment, mostly to herself. But Stonepaw heard, and he turned to look at her. "Is your father okay? He's targeting Elmstar..."

"No, he's not okay. And he's not my father," Swiftpaw meowed firmly to Stonepaw, keeping her voice as steady as possible, meanwhile her tail lashed angrily. Stonepaw narrowed his eyes slightly, not in anger, but it seemed as if he understood-- Swiftpaw couldn't tell, he was hard to read. "Alright," he meowed quietly.

"TideClan territory? Keep your wet warriors from spraying DriftClan borders," Elmstar pushed back, his back arching a bit as his green eyes blazed fire. Swiftpaw narrowed her eyes. What will Redstar do now? He has disturbed the peace. 

"Stop this at once!" Ivystar, leader of BoulderClan, hissed, stepping between the two toms. Her gray tabby and white tail lashed, "Redstar, already you have disrupted the clearing. StarClan has blocked the moon. The Gathering is over!" she meowed, and many cats gazed up to witness a cloud strolling over the moon. Swiftpaw narrowed her eyes, and she bared her teeth, her claw snatching up grass. That mouse-brain! Why'd he have to disrupt the peace? 

Stonepaw sighed, and Swiftpaw closed her eyes in defeat. "Well, the Gathering is over," Swiftpaw spoke sadly, looking back up at Stonepaw. The tom's ears flattened a bit, before he meowed, "We at least had a fun time, right?" She nodded in agreement, but she felt a bit of despair that she'll have to depart from her friend. "Looks like TideClan is already heading out. Goodbye, Stonepaw," she meowed, hiding her sadness, and her tail briefly touched his shoulder. He dipped his head, and Swiftpaw turned to leave, he yelped, "The next Gathering, let's meet here again!" 

We'll meet again?  "Alright! I'll try to come!" Swiftpaw turned and called back to her friend. Stonepaw's ears flattened, and he bid her farewell. The calico apprentice let out a gentle purr, before she hurried to rejoin TideClan.