"Let all cats dauntless and daring gather around for a clan meeting!"

Hearing Sunblaze's yowl coming from the clearing, Stardust and the other apprentices jumped out of their grassy nests and rushed out the Apprentices' den. Dawntreaders streamed out of their dens and gathered to sit around Sunblaze. His orange pelt and amber eyes shone in the bright morning sunlight, making Sunblaze appear like a cat made of fire. Stardust followed Beesting and the others through the crowd of cats, they sat down together at the front where they could see Sunblaze and hear him clearer. The cats at the back would have to strain to hear every word Sunblaze meowed. 

"Is everyone here?" Sunblaze asked as he scanned the crowd of Dawntreaders around him. Stardust glanced around and saw Cliffleap and Flower sitting nearby, all the apprentices were present and all the warriors seemed to be here. The crowd nodded in unison.

"Good. As all of you know, this afternoon is the Gathering of all the existing Cat Clans." Sunblaze began. "According to Dawntreader tradition, ten cats of our clan will go to the gathering; the Clan Leader- me, the Clan Deputy-" Sunblaze turned and nodded at Cliffleap- "the Clan Doctor"- Sunblaze smiled at Flower and she nodded at him- " and seven special cats who have worked hard serving our clan throughout the year."

Sunblaze gazed around at his clan, "I know that all of you have worked hard serving our clan so don't fret if you're not one of the seven cats because there's the Winter Gathering and there's always a next year. The seven cats chosen to attend this year's gathering are Greytail, Driftclaw, Stardust, Beesting, Redstorm, Streamtail and Brightflame."

The crowd murmured their approval but a small group of cats muttered and stared in confusion at Stardust. 

Sunblaze noticed the group and raised his tail for silence. When the crowd was quiet, Sunblaze meowed, "Some of you may think that one of our apprentices is too inexperienced to have gotten a place among our chosen ones but remember, this apprentice -no matter how young or where her origins were- was one of the bravest heroes in that recent war against the scarred wolf. She was the star in that prophecy, the one who ended the war and brought justice and peace to the North once again. If any cat still has a reason to object, please say it out right now."

The group stopped muttering and stared at the ground.

Sunblaze looked at Stardust and she smiled in thanks at him. 

                                                          ***

"Stardust, that leap was amazing. You're doing really well." Greytail praised.

After the clan meeting, Greytail and the other mentors decided to do some battle training with their apprentices. They followed Cliffleap to a sandy clearing near the camp to train. During the lesson, they were learning to do the Spin and Leap; swiping the opponent then spinning on their forepaws whilst kicking out their hind paws at the enemy and then leaping on top of their opponent. 

Stardust's paws ached from training but she managed to stay standing. The other apprentices were panting, their fur was damp with sweat but they were all smiling as their mentors praised them.

"To improve, I think you could try to spin a little faster so that you can kick your opponent harder." Greytail advised her.

"Okay, I'll be faster next time." Stardust promised.

"Good." 

"Alright everyone, well done. Take a break and get some rest before the gathering," Cliffleap meowed.

The sun was almost at its highest point in the sky when Stardust and the other apprentices padded back into camp. Worn out by her training, Stardust padded wearily towards the Apprentices' den.

"Where are you going?" Beesting called from behind her.

Turning around Stardust replied, "I'm a little tired, I'm gonna go and take a nap."

"Okay. Don't oversleep or you'll miss the gathering!" Beesting teased before running off to join the other apprentices.

Stardust smiled. Beesting's a great friend; he's funny, smart and caring. I've no idea what I'll do without him.

Turning around, Stardust entered the Apprentices den and padded straight towards her nest. Sinking down into the softness of her grassy nest, Stardust closed her eyes and let the wave of sleepiness overcome her.

                                               ***

The sun rose over the snow-tipped mountains of Silver Viel territory. Here, the air always tasted sharp and frosty like winter even though it was midsummer. Everything seemed to glow brighter and clearer than normal. The sharp edges of crags glinted in the morning sunlight and a faraway  eagle cried.

"Stardust."

 Whipping around, Stardust saw an dark grey tom with amber eyes standing a few metres away. His fur shimmered with stars and there was something familiar about him...

"Father!" Stardust exclaimed. She rushed towards him and nuzzled him. Ash purred and nuzzled her back.

Pulling away from him, Stardust looked around. "Where's mother?"

"She's out hunting but she'll be back soon." Ash replied.

"I haven't had a vision about you since the war ended, I was so worried. I thought we wouldn't meet again." Stardust mewed.

"Never worry, we will always meet again soon... unless I'm busy."

"Busy doing what exactly?"

"Seeing the future." Ash murmured. He gazed down at Stardust, his amber eyes were burning like fire. Something flickered in his gaze and Ash looked away. Stardust didn't know what flickered in Ash's gaze then, she assumed that it was just the cold wind stinging his eyes. 

Turning back to face his daughter, Ash meowed, "at the Gathering, stay away from the Sageclaws."

Stardust stared in confusion at him, "why? There's a truce at the gathering, I'll be safe."

"Stay away from them." Ash's voice was cold and stern but there was also something else. Fear? Anxiety? Shame?

Before Stardust could ask what was the problem, Ash faded away and world went black.

                                             ***

"Stardust!"

Blinking open her amber eyes, the first thing she saw were two bright green eyes staring straight back at her. Stardust jumped backwards with a yelp, her silver fur bushed out like the quills on a porcupine.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you, I just wanted to wake you up because it's time to go." Beesting explained slowly, his voice was soft and gentle.

Stardust breathed out in relief; the warning her father said to her had set her on edge. She got up, briskly tidied her nest and followed Beesting out of the den. The sun had reached its highest point in the sky and eight cats stood waiting at the camp entrance. Sunblaze, Cliffleap and Flower were discussing about something whilst the other apprentices chatted in excitement about the Gathering. 

"I can't wait! This is my first gathering, aren't you guys excited?" Brightflame exclaimed.

"This is our first too; of course we're excited. If only Stardust and Beesting will hurry up we'll get there on time." Streamtail meowed impatiently.

"I wonder what Stardust and Beesting are up to... what if they're together somewhere... secret?" Redstorm wondered mischievously. 

Greytail looked around the clearing trying to find Stardust and Beesting whilst Driftclaw's tail persistently twitched.

"Oh there you two are, where have you been?" Greytail soon spotted them and the other seven cats turned to look.

"Sorry, I overslept. I promise that won't happen again," Stardust apologised to Sunblaze and the others.

"And what about you?" Cliffleap queried Beesting.

"I went to wake her up so that she wouldn't be too late," Beesting answered.

At the corner of her vision, Stardust spotted Redstorm whispering to Streamtail, "I think Beesting likes Stardust."

Stardust blushed and hoped that Beesting hadn't heard the twins. Glancing at Beesting who stood beside her, she guessed that he didn't hear them.

"Alright everyone, let's go now or we'll be late." Sunblaze meowed before racing out of camp. Cliffleap and the others followed but Greytail waited for Stardust and together they pelted after the others. 

Stardust enjoyed the feeling of the wind brushing her fur as she ran with the others. Suddenly, she noticed that the ground beneath her paws had changed from grass to soft sand. Looking ahead, Stardust saw clumps of reeds and heard the sound of rushing water. A river ran straight ahead then turned abruptly towards the south. The river was the southern border of Dawntreader territory.

Turning to Greytail as she ran, Stardust asked, "where are we heading?"

"To the Cliffs, that's where the gatherings are held every year. This river leads to the cliffs and forms a magnificent waterfall at the edge," Greytail replied. His blue eyes glowed with eagerness and longing.

"Is this your first gathering?"

"No, it's my second."

"What was it like?"

"You'll see. I'm not telling you anything or else I'll spoil your excitement."

"Why? Was it boring?"

Greytail turned his head and smirked at her. "Not telling you."

Stardust rolled her eyes and smiled. She liked Greytail because he wasn't too chatty or too quiet, he was playful and caring. "Fine. Did you enjoy your first gathering?"

"Yeah I did," Greytail answered. "You know, when I was an apprentice your age, I kept on pestering my mentor to tell me what the gathering was like and when he finally gave in and told me, my excitement died down a little."

"Oh, so it was something that you didn't expect."

"Yeah, sort of like that."

By now, they had passed the river and on one side, there were pines whilst the other was a fusion of different types of trees. Suddenly, Sunblaze slowed to a trot and the others followed. Ahead, Stardust saw uneven stony ground that stretched a couple of metres before disappearing over into a line of blue. The line was the edge of the cliff and beyond that was the ocean. Stardust gazed around in awe and she followed the others as they headed closer towards the cliff edge. The scent of countless cats filled the air but Stardust couldn't see them yet. Sunblaze led them towards a rocky path that led over the edge. 

Are we going to climb down that path?  Stardust gulped. Looking at Sunblaze, Stardust saw him motion his tail at the path and he started climbing down the path. "Don't worry! If you fall, it's not a long drop. There's a large ledge beneath us."

Swallowing back fear, Stardust followed the others as they climbed slowly over the edge and down the path. Looking over at the edge, Stardust let out a breath that she didn't realise she was holding. As Sunblaze said, the ledge wasn't far beneath them. Below, Stardust saw brown tabbies, sleek black cats, tortoiseshells and many more cats waiting on the ledge. They must be the other clans.

"Stardust, are you alright?" Greytail's meow brought Stardust back to reality. Looking up, Stardust realised Greytail was waiting behind her.

"Oops! Sorry Greytail, I'll move." Stardust apologised and swung her hind quarters over the edge.

"It's alright. Don't worry, it's not a long way down."

Stardust made sure that her hind paws had found somewhere to grip and cautiously, she moved down the cliff face. Grip that rock, slide down, get to that stone down there. Almost there... reached it!  Stardust triumphantly leaped down on a large stone that sat on the ledge directly below the path. Yay!

"Finally! We thought you were scared of heights," Redstorm exclaimed.

"Well done Stardust, you made it!" Beesting praised her.

"At your next gathering, you'll do a lot better," Brightflame mewed.

"Look everyone! I think Greytail's about to jump off!" Streamtail yowled.

Everyone turned to look behind them and to everyone's surprise, Greytail leaped off the edge and landed squarely on the stone beneath the path. Cheers and yowls of surprise erupted from around him and Greytail bowed his head with a grin before jumping off the stone to land beside Stardust.

"How on earth did you do that? That was so cool!" Redstorm stared at Greytail.

"Yeah! Weren't you frightened?" Brightflame meowed in astonishment.

"Nope, I wasn't afraid at all Brightflame, and to answer your question Redstorm; it's a secret skill." Greytail meowed in pride.

"Wow, I should do that someday... she'll be impressed," Beesting murmured to himself but Stardust overheard him.

Leaning towards Beesting, Stardust whispered, "Impress who?"

Beesting stiffened. "Uh... my .... my mo- no- Brightflame! Yeah, I'm going to impress Brightflame because she's my friend and likes cool stuff."

"Oh." Stardust thought he was going to say her name instead. Oh well, Beesting's just trying to impress Brightflame only as a friend- nothing more... Stardust uncertainty thought to herself. Right?

Suddenly a loud yowl came from behind them. Every cat fell silent and turned around to stare at an enormous rock that stood in front of the cliff face. On the rock, there were three cats; one was a midnight black tom with ice blue eyes, another was a brown tabby she-cat with luminous green eyes and the last one was a long furred white tom with yellow eyes. A flash of orange dashed through the crowd and leaped up to join the other three cats on the rock. The flash of orange was Sunblaze.

"You're late Sunblaze, you should've been here twenty seven seconds ago." The midnight black tom meowed curtly.

"Oh come on Raven Amberclaws, I'm sure your Sageclaw warriors could wait a couple of seconds for my warriors to arrive." Sunblaze meowed, he rolled his eyes. 

"Forget it! Hurry up and start already, the sun is setting," the long furred tom complained.

The brown tabby stepped closer to the edge of the rock and began. "Welcome to this year's Clan Gathering, it's wonderful to see old friends and new from our clan neighbours."

"Who's she?" Stardust asked Greytail. She pointed at the tabby she-cat.

"Shhh, that's Dusk; leader of Serenity," Greytail whispered. "The long furred tom is Clear Sky at Dawn; leader of Seekers. That black tom with ice blue eyes is Raven Amberclaws; leader of Sageclaw."

Dusk was giving a report of how her clan was managing so far. "Since summer began, the prey in our territory is plentiful once more. One of our warriors, Honey, has a new litter of four healthy kittens."

"Congratulations!"

Turning to her left, Stardust saw a young sandy-furred she-cat being showered with praise and congratulations from all four clans. The she-cat's cheeks flushed and she smiled, thanking the other cats. Turning back to watch the clan leaders, Stardust saw Dusk raised her tail and slowly, every cat fell silent again. Dusk dipped her head at the audience and stepped back, then Clear Sky at Dawn stepped forward.

"Good evening cats of the clans, it's good to see the brave and daring Dawntreaders, the intelligent and wise Sageclaws, the peaceful and graceful Serenities- although to the truthful and expressive Seekers, my wonderful clan, I see you everyday- it's good to see all of you again. During that merciless cold hard winter of last year, after the fall of our neighbour, the Silver Viels-"

Stardust felt grief creeping up on her and she tried to force her tears back. Slowly shaking his head, Greytail frowned at the leader and leaned sideways towards Stardust. "Forget what Clear Sky at Dawn just said, the Seekers are just being Seekers; it's part of their personality to be honest, talkative and inconsiderate of what they say at times. They call it being expressive but I call it 'Over Expressive.'"

Stardust nodded and tried to forget what the leader of Seekers said but the two words stuck firmly in her head like the bottom and top of a clam.

By now, Clear Sky at Dawn had changed the topic and moved on to a recent battle against a badger. "We tried negotiating with the stubborn creature but it just wouldn't get off our territory, soon we were forced to backup our message with teeth and claws. At last the badger left our territory and we were victorious. After that battle, I sent a patrol to go hunting in the area where we fought the badger but all the prey had either been stomped on by that badger or frightened off down south off our land. That area will be empty of prey for the time being and we blame that badger. Why did it have to come to our territory? Just why? I seriously can't fathom the reason why? Badgers are such annoying pests and..."

Stardust felt a yawn rising up but she forced it down because it would be rude. Looking to her right, Stardust saw Beesting yawn and Brightflame looked sleepy whilst the twins were snoring quietly. 

"Typical Seekers; talking and talking and talking until finally they can't remember what they're talking about and they go off topic." Stardust heard Greytail mutter beside her.

Looking back up at the blabbering leader and the three other leaders- oh wow, all three of them look half asleep, Stardust thought- two minutes later, finally it was over. 

"And yesterday, we caught two mice. Thank you for listening everybody." Clear Sky at Dawn bowed and stepped backwards.

The audience awoke and gave a sleepy cheer. Glancing at her friends, Stardust saw Beesting nudge Brightflame and Brightflame drowsily nudged the twins awake. Turning back to the leaders, Stardust saw Sunblaze start forward but suddenly, Raven Amberclaws darted forward and stood in front of Sunblaze. "It's my turn now," Stardust heard Raven growl at Sunblaze. Sunblaze narrowed his eyes at the leader of Sageclaw but only gave him a stern nod and stepped backwards.

"Did you see that?" Brightflame hissed at Beesting. "Sageclaw's leader just growled at Sunblaze, what's his problem?"

"I have no idea, we should ask Sunblaze after the gathering." Beesting replied, there was a hint of worry in his voice.

Turning to Greytail, Stardust asked, "what's happening?"

Greytail didn't look at her, instead he narrowed his eyes and glared at Raven Amberclaws. "If Raven is trying to provoke a fight with Sunblaze, there's usually a reason to it; Sageclaws don't like wasting time and they won't bother fighting unless someone has done something to them. That means we might have upset the Sageclaws without realising it."

Turning back to watch Raven Amberclaws, Stardust gulped. I hope he doesn't try to cause a war between us Dawntreaders and his Sageclaws; I've already had my kittenhood ruined by the war against the scarred wolf, I don't want to be thrown back in the mess again, Stardust thought anxiously.

Raven Amberclaws's icy blue eyes scanned the audience below him and finally froze on the Dawntreader warriors. The temperature around the cats dropped and turned as frosty as the arctic tundra. 

"Catnappers!" Raven spat.