(Wolfshade above!)

Patchpaw sat up so fast that she hit her sister's nose. "What! Really?"

Nightpaw fell back, collapsed in a heap of laughter. Patchpaw nudged her. "I'm serious, Nightpaw. Are we under attack?"

Her sister shook her head, still giggling hysterically. "I got you so good Patchpaw!"

Patchpaw shook her head and grumbled that Nightpaw was no better than a kit and sulking, padded out of the den to greet Redpetal as her mentor came to find her. The two exchanged a silent nod, then continued towards the fresh-kill pile. "Patchpaw, I've got to talk to you,"

"About what?"

Redpetal hesitated before speaking, "I think its time you became a warrior,"

The tortoiseshell-and-white apprentice squealed and jumped. "Really?"

Her mentor nodded. "Thank you so so much, Redpetal. You're the best mentor any apprentice could hope for!" 

Patchpaw then quickly touched noses with the dark red she-cat and scampered over to tell Nightpaw and Darkpaw, her anger for her sister forgotten, who were sharing a mouse near the warrior's den. They stood up immediately when Patchpaw came over, two pairs of green and yellow eyes open wide with excitement and trained on Patchpaw. "So do you guys know yet?"

Darkpaw and Nightpaw nodded, both of them purring to viciously too speak. The trio padded over to where their parents were waiting. Well technically, Nightpaw and Darkpaw's parents thought  Patchpaw resentfully. Tallwillow dipped his white and brown head at them, and Wolfshade was purring. "I heard that you three will be made warriors soon! Tallwillow and I are so proud of you,"

Patchpaw dipped her head to the gray she-cat. How can you even act like your my mother, Wolfshade? And you too, Tallwillow?  But the tortoiseshell-and-white soon-to-be-warrior tried to mask her fury at the two older cats by thinking of how awesome of parents they had been before Darkpaw had caught wind of their secret. She purred loudly,  Wolfshade and Tallwillow wouldn't smell her anger at them. "Thanks! I'm going to go find Redpetal to see when our assessment will be," mewed Patchpaw, desperate to escape the conversation. Would my real parents even be proud of me? she wondered.

Redpetal turned out to also be looking for her, so things worked out perfectly. The red she-cat told Patchpaw that her, along with Nightpaw and Darkpaw's assessment would be at sunhigh. Patchpaw scurried back over to tell her litter-mates. "Our assessments will be at sunhigh,"

"Why don't you sound exited?" asked Nightpaw.

Patchpaw didn't know. Maybe it was because of how confusing her life had been. First she had learned that her parents were not really her parents, and then met a cat who could only speak through and read her mind. No wonder she was unexcited. Any cat would be.

"Didn't Darkpaw tell you?" Darkpaw suddenly found something else to do in order to avoid his sister inquiry.

"Nope," said the black she-cat. "He did not,"

At that the white-flecked apprentice turned to glare at Darkpaw, who was talking at a very fast pace to Cloudwhisker, his mentor, about what he thought would happen that night at the Gathering. The Gathering... 

Patchpaw had never been to a Gathering, but had heard about what happened there. She didn't know why Dustystar hadn't let her go before, but she knew now. Dustystar probably knew about how Wolfshade and Tallwillow  were not her parents, since Wolfshade was her littermate, and the two she-cats had always been close. Did Dustystar not trust her? The tortoiseshell-and-white apprentice shook off her feelings of doubt and tried to feel exited. She would be made a warrior and go to her first Gathering today! "Patchpaw! it's sunhigh! Time for our warrior assessment!"

Was it really already time? Patchpaw knew she wasn't ready to be made a warrior. Her apprenticeship hadn't seemed long enough. It seemed like only a few sunrises ago her ceremony had taken place. Redpetal was waiting at the entrance to the SkyClan camp with the other four apprentices; Lightpaw, Fawnpaw, Darkpaw, and Nightpaw, along with all of their mentors. "Patchpaw! It's time to do your hunting assessment,"

Patchpaw veered off from where she was talking to her friend, Lightpaw, to join her mentor as the blood-colored she-cat padded towards the RiverClan border to hunt. "Let's try to catch some squirrels, okay Patchpaw?"

Her apprentice nodded. She didn't particularly like the taste of squirrels, but they were easy to catch, at least easier than birds. Patchpaw unhinged her jaws to taste the air, ears pricked to detect any sound of prey. The loud caw-caw of a sparrow alerted Patchpaw of its presence, and the soon-to-be-warrior scrambled gracefully up the trunk of an old gnarled oak tree. She leaped at the small brown bird, but it flew a few fox-lengths over into the tall arching pine. Patchpaw grimaced. She hated crossing between trees, and had heard of the many cats who had become crippled trying to cross. But, she braced herself and lunged at the  sparrow, praying to StarClan that she could make the jump. Patchpaw encircled her claws around the bird and reached down to deliver the killing bite. "Great job!" congratulated Redpetal as Patchpaw leaped down from the pine, the sparrow in her teeth.

"Thanks," mumbled Patchpaw through the feathers in her mouth.

She then dropped the sparrow onto the forest floor and scratched some earth over it. "Do you still want me to catch squirrels?" questioned the tortoiseshell-and-white apprentice.

Redpetal shook her head, "No, let's spring for some mice,"

Patchpaw nodded to her mentor and immediately found a mouse. It was scuffling around quite loudly at the foot of a rowan tree, and she quickly got into a neat hunters crouch, ready to pounce.  The SkyClan she-cat exploded out at the mouse, and chased it down the hill a few fox-lengths before catching it. She again buried her prey, and padded up to Redpetal. "I caught a mouse,"

"Good. Now it's time for your battle assessment," meowed Redpetal, padding towards the training hollow. 

Patchpaw followed behind with her catches, hoping she would not have to fight Fawnpaw.  The large pale tom was an extraordinary fighter, and Patchpaw could never beat him, though she had tried many times with all sorts of new and original moves. Only his sister, Lightpaw, had ever had a victory against Fawnpaw. 

Her thoughts were cut off when they made their way into the clearing. Fawnpaw was battling a huge badger over an injured Lightpaw, who had a large gash on her pale flank. Patchpaw knew either of her friends wouldn't last much longer against the badger. So, with a very quick judgment between running for help or fighting, Patchpaw leaped into battle. She scored her claws along the badger's side, leaving thin trails of blood stretching through its black fur. Patchpaw whipped around to slash at the beast's dark nose. Fawnpaw raced in and leaped onto its back and clawed at its ears, tearing one. The white-striped creature shook him off and turned to pin down Fawnpaw. Patchpaw leaped at the badger, dislodging its grip on the other SkyClan apprentice. The badger gripped Patchpaw's left ear in its huge mouth, tearing at it. The she-cat let out a scream of agony. I'm going to die and never become a warrior! she thought sadly to herself. 

Then suddenly a blur of red fur flashed across her vision. Thank StarClan! Redpetal is here!

Patchpaw's mentor had gotten back from delivering Lightpaw to the Sparkflower's den. She let out a sigh of relief. Maybe Patchpaw wouldn't die. Redpetal bowled the badger off of her. Nightpaw and Darkpaw appeared behind the red she-cat. "We're here to help!" squeaked Darkpaw.

"No!" yelped Patchpaw. "Go to camp to get some help!"

"But we want to get in on the action!" complained Nightpaw.

Patchpaw moaned. Her siblings, though they were her best friends, were very annoying. Sometimes. "Fine! You can stay, just stay out of trouble," replied Patchpaw.

Darkpaw nodded mischievously and leaped at the badger's face. The creature smacked him aside, and the dark brown tabby tom' head cracked against a tree. Nightpaw screamed and rushed over to her brother. "Darkpaw! Don't die!"

She turned to hiss at the badger. "You hurt my brother! Now you are going to pay."

Nightpaw flexed her sharp claws and bared her teeth, lips drawn back in a snarl. She darted in and out of the badger's reach, clawing anywhere she could. Patchpaw joined in with her sister, copying the black she-cat's movements. Together they drove the white-striped creature towards the border farthest from the lake, where it ran off and disappeared from view. The two sisters ran back down to the training hollow after making sure the badger was gone. When they arrived, it was deserted. "Where'd everyone go?" wondered Nightpaw.

"Probably back to camp. And so should we," replied Patchpaw.

Together they raced back to camp. Patchpaw burst into camp with Nightpaw following, only to find badgers had attacked the camp as well. It appeared that SkyClan had fought them off, but with heavy losses.  A cat lay limp in the center, his gray fur etched with thin lines of red. "Oh no, not Boulderheart,"

A few other cats, Boulderheart's friends and family sat keeping vigil for their lost clanmate. "He was so young, it's a pity those rouges came," whispered Onetoe.

Patchpaw remembered that Boulderheart's mother was the daughter of Onetoe and Greenstorm, and felt bad for her elder friend. She had never truly met Boulderheart as they had only exchanged words a few times. But on those few times, he had seemed like a kind cat, and Patchpaw regretted his death. The cats surrounding the gray tom stepped aside to let  Dustystar come to share tongues with her dead son for the last time. "Oh Boulderheart, why did StarClan have to take you? Why not me?" the small leader stayed with her muzzle buried deep into Boulderheart's flank.

Wolfshade curled up beside her sister. "At least he rests with Hazefoot now,"

Dustystar sighed and nodded. "His father will welcome him into StarClan, that I know,"

Then Dustystar stood up to address the clan. "A brave warrior died today. He will be remembered as a hero of SkyClan who died defending the nursery from rouges,"

She stooped to give her final farewell to Boulderheart. "May you find swift running, good hunting, and shelter when you sleep. May StarClan light your path. Farewell, Boulderheart,"

The two elders stood up, and Greenstorm helped put Boulderheart onto her mate's back. They dropped him next to the deep scoop in the ground where Boulderheart was to be buried. A loud thump echoed through the forest as the dead gray tom hit the bottom of the grave. Patchpaw turned away, horrified. She stumbled back to camp and into the apprentice den. It seemed empty without Lightpaw and Darkpaw. Patchpaw curled up into her mossy nest, and right before she closed her eyes to sleep, she heard Dustystar call out, "The following cats will be attending the Gathering tonight; Tallwillow, Dawnstreak, Cloudwhisker, Redpetal, Nightpaw, Fawnpaw, and Patchpaw,"

Patchpaw bolted upright. How could she have forgotten the Gathering! It was only something she had been waiting for since she became an apprentice! All the cats whose names' had been called followed Dustystar out of camp towards the Gathering-place, and Patchpaw scrambled to follow them.

Hi guys! How do you like the story so far? Comment down below!

Ciao!

-Angelica