The four leaders of the Clans, (Left to Right), Quailstar of MeadowClan, Flickerstar of EmberClan, Ospreystar of RippleClan and Adderstar of BleakClan. Art by me!

Night air flowed through Hopepaw's fur like water as she raced alongside her Clanmates, keen to reach the Sacred Willow. It was the meeting place for the Clans, a giant, ancient willow, surrounded with large, pearly-white stones, where each leader sat to talk. 

A path had been established through the territories, where cats could travel to the Sacred Willow, a neutral area where you could walk without fear of being attacked. Hopepaw's chest ached with the strain of running- BleakClan cats were not built for speed- but she managed to keep her pace, side-by-side with Tumblesoar and Screechpaw. 

As she weaved through large, old trees, marked with burns and scorch marks, she realized that EmberClan's territory was very close. A pang of dread thudded in her chest as she remembered Bluepaw and Emeraldpaw's theft. She glanced back and saw the two apprentices, running near the back of the group. 

Suddenly, Adderstar slowed to a halt at the front, stopping the Clan fast behind him. Excited, but a bit nervous to see the other Clans, enjoy gossip and meet new cats, she quickly slicked down her wild fur and stood as tall as she could beside her mentor. Screechpaw was pressed close to Frostedmoss, eyes wide. Adderstar beaconed his Clanmates with a flick of his black-tipped tail, and they began to pad through the last trees. 

As they were walking into the small clearing that held the Sacred Willow, Tumblesoar bent down and whispered in her ear. "Don't do anything stupid. Don't fight, don't share secrets, and please, for The Stars' sake, be civil." Hopepaw nodded, and the Willow came into view. Instantly, her jaw dropped open, as she struggled to take in everything. Pelts mixed with pelts, eyes of all different colours and sizes flashed in the moonlight, and the scents of four different Clans filled the air, heavy as early-morning fog, as cats milled around everywhere.

For the first time, she felt almost...shy to greet so many different cats. But the Clan was already streaming down into the clearing, and she had to follow. Hastily, she glanced around, seeing a large group of apprentices conversing near a stump, and heading in their direction.

 A sleek, tall tortoiseshell cat with a white belly sat closest to the stump. They had the build of a she-cat, but the voice of a tom, and Hopepaw was slightly confused. She thought they might be a MeadowClan cat, judging by their thin fur and long limbs. 

Two she-cats, probably siblings standing in a clump of ferns, with thick, glossy fur laughed at something the tortoiseshell feline said. One was a black and white tabby, and one was black, covered in white rosettes. She reminded her of Emeraldpaw. Perhaps RippleClan cats?

Further into the shadows, a tom and a she-cat, both looking like they could be warriors, crouched low to the ground. The tom, a beast of a cat with long charcoal and black fur gave her a hard stare with cold, aqua eyes. The fiery ginger she-cat at his side clung to him-not in a romantic way, more of a clingy way- her snubbed muzzle displaying a scowl. Disturbed by his intense gaze, she looked away and quietly greeted the tortoiseshell cat. "Hi!" They called back, with a broad smile. "I'm Fallenpaw! I'm from MeadowClan. What's your name?"

"...Hopepaw. I'm from BleakClan." 

"Cool! That's Swanpaw and Shiverpaw from RippleClan," Knew it. "And over there in the shadows is Rubypaw and Obsidianpaw, from EmberClan." He gave a wary look at the two apprentices, shrouded in darkness. "Between you and me, they scare me a bit." Hopepaw smiled in agreement, while Shiverpaw looked her over. "I just love your eyes! They're so cool." 

"Thanks! Yours are nice too." She started to feel more comfortable with the five apprentices and found that all except the two EmberClan cats, were kind and friendly. "Oh! I should have mentioned this earlier, but I'm a tom and a she-cat at the same time." Fallenpaw confessed. "Guess I got the best of both worlds." Seeing Hopepaw's confused look, they continued. "I was born with the body parts of a tom and a she-cat. It's strange, but it doesn't bother me! I like to think of myself as a tom." He finished, flicking his tail good-naturedly.

 Fascinated, Hopepaw struggled for words for a moment. "That's really cool! I never knew that could... Well, happen." She was about to say something more when the commanding yowl of a cat rang out. Her head jerked towards where the leaders sat, silhouetted by the moonlight, statue-like under the branches of the willow. The quartz slabs under their paws seemed to glow, and she was instantly paying attention.

 She could pick out Adderstar, with his broad shoulders and black-and-white fur, sat on the far left stone. Beside him, RippleClan's leader Ospreystar, stood tall. Her silver-and-white fur shone as bright as the moon, and her large aqua-blue eyes surveyed the gathered cats. There was EmberClan's leader, Flickerstar, his powerful muscles rippling under ginger-flecked black fur, but she couldn't remember the name of MeadowClan's leader. She sat on the far right, chestnut fur speckled in star-like white dots, her stumpy tail flicking gently, too short to dangle in the water.

 "What's your leader's name?" She whispered to Fallenpaw, trying to be as quiet as possible. He was less quiet, as he replied: "Oh, that's Quailstar. She used to be a loner, you know. Her mother, Spotted... Spotted-Something-Or-Other belonged to a different Clan, called SkyClan! Way, way far away, there are five more Clans in total. But it would take so long to reach them, no one has ever even tried." What happened to not sharing Clan secrets? 

"Wow." Was all she said, before Adderstar began to speak. Sitting taller to see and hear her leader, she took a deep breath, as the Gathering officially started.

                                                                              ~❆~

"...Until your leaders take you back to your respective territories, you are free to converse and socialize; Thank you for coming, and may the next five moons treat you well." Quailstar finished her speech and leaped down to talk to Ospreystar. Hopepaw was almost glad the speeches were over. Flickerstar had been livid at the theft and accused all of BleakClan of being no-good prey stealers. Adderstar had, of course, denied everything, but any time she looked at Bluepaw, the smug look on his face told her he wasn't guilty, and probably wouldn't even deny it if asked. She turned back to Shiverpaw and Swanpaw, who had stood up and were strolling away. 

"Where are you guys going?" She asked, following them. Fallenpaw, Rubypaw and Obsidianpaw were now walking with them too. "We're going to meet the new Medicine cat apprentice and find Fallenpaw's sister, Morningpaw. That new Medicine cat is your brother, right?" She nodded, and they padded toward Screechpaw, who was talking to an older cat, presumably another Medicine cat, beside the Sacred Willow

Screechpaw's eyes brightened when he saw his sister, and he rushed over to her. "There are so many cats here!" He gasped. "Whoa, that's a lot of apprentices." His vibrant gaze drifted over to the young cats behind and around Hopepaw. They all greeted him warmly, except for... "Obsidianpaw, what's the matter?" Fallenpaw asked, looking alarmed as the huge black and charcoal-gray tom stalked over to Screechpaw. "I scented you and another cat around our border this afternoon. And-" His nostrils flared as he sniffed Screechpaw. "You have squirrel scent on you, you prey-stealer!" Oh, stars, the squirrel fur Bluepaw and Emeraldpaw rubbed his nose in! He thinks he stole that prey! 

The small tabby tom realized the same thing, and shrank down, his eyes huge with terror. "No, you don't understand!  My brother, he-" But before he could explain Obsidianpaw had his paw around his skinny neck, claws out, pinning him to the willow's rough trunk. Panic thrilled through Hopepaw as she saw him struggle against the chokehold, golden eyes bulging and filled with pure terror. His tail hung limp like a dead snake, barely touching the ground. 

She could hear Fallenpaw calling for help behind her, and Swanpaw or Shiverpaw trying to convince him to let the little Medicine cat go. The cats around her had descended into a state of chaos, all too shocked or scared to step in. But all noise droned away into a high-pitched ringing as she saw him stop struggling, his eyes rolling back before fluttering closed. He's going to kill Screechpaw. He's going to kill my brother.

All at once, she flew at Obsidianpaw, knocking him sideways, claws extended to sink into his chest. His acrid scent filled her nose, half-suffocating her, but she continued her attack, furiously tearing at his fur, feeling her short claws hit flesh, then, briefly, bone. He let out a wild cry of rage and pain, and dropped Screechpaw, leaving him hyperventilating and dry-heaving on the grass, half slumped over a root. She felt a scalding pain as he raked his claws across her shoulder, leaving long, crimson furrows in her pale fur. With a swing of his limb, he sent her reeling into the grass, before she sprang back to resume her attack, more feebly than before as blood spilled from her wounds. With a sinking heart, Hopepaw realized that she was losing the fight. He was simply too large for her to combat. 

Now, Obsidianpaw had his claws around her neck. Claws dug into it, and she felt her vision blurring, as she writhed violently on the grass. Then, suddenly, she was free. Flickerstar and RippleClan's deputy, Mintbreeze held Obsidianpaw back, and she looked up to see Tumblesoar with his paws around her shoulders. Cries rang out, but she could barely hear them. All she wanted to know was if Screechpaw was okay. Her gaze found him, being tended to by a group of Medicine cats. 

She felt lightheaded and dizzy. When she looked at her shoulder, it was drenched in blood. Tumblesoar was trying hard to look angry, but instead, he just looked terrified, calling out for help. "Why did you attack him?!" He gasped, voice rising in panic. "He-he had Screechpaw. He was going to kill him." She whispered, teeth gritted. She felt Tumblesoar and her mother, Gentlebreeze, lift her, holding her steady as they took her over to the shelter of a bush. "We'll get you some help, okay? Oh, Hopepaw..." Gentlebreeze's voice was trembling, and full of dread. "You saved Screechpaw. Thank you, my wonderful kit." She hurried out of the bush, calling out for medical attention. 

Hopepaw's vision began to clear, and the adrenaline of the fight started to wear off, leaving the pain of her wounds screaming their fury. She let her eyes close and waited for the help to come. I saved Screechpaw.

Fun Fact: Obsidianpaw has anger issues. That is why he jumped into a fight so quickly.