The cats ran to me and began asking why? And who's winning? And many more questions when Skystar yelled for silence.

"How many?" She asked me.

"About 6 may be more" I said quickly.

"Ok, so Dapplefur, Firepelt, Whitefrost and Oneleg is there so me and Sandstorm will go, Bluefur your in charge till I get back." Skystar said.

"Yes Skystar" Bluefur nodded and she and Sandstorm ran out.

"Ok, so I want Prettyleaf and Firepaw to stand at the entrance and Sunlight and Starpaw to protect Brownkit, Smallscar, get your plants ready for when the others come back and I'll help you."

"Yes Bluefur." We nodded and went to our places.

I sat at the entrance of the nursery looking out at the empty camp when Sunlight began to lick my ear where I got scratched.

"Sunlight!" I cried. "I'm fine." I wiggled away.

"I'm sorry Starpaw, it's new you being an apprentice now." Sunlight apologised.

"It's fine." I said purring.

"They're back!" Firepaw shouted.

We raced out and Skystar went to Smallscar, "Dapplefur's injured badly."

I gasped and looked for her and found her being carried by Oneleg and Whitefrost into Smallscar's den.

I knew she would be ok in Smallscar's care so I found Sandstorm and pressed myself against her.

She had scrapes over her shoulders and side but didn't look too bad.

"Thank Starclan your all right!" I told her.

"And why wouldn't I be?" She told me.

"Let all cats able to catch their own prey gather under the High Rocks." Skystar yowled.

We gathered and Skystar began to speak. "So we all know Shadowclan have attacked us so close to the gathering so I'll tell you the cats going to the gathering now so they can be prepared and the others to guard the entrance in shifts for the next to days and nights."

Every cat nodded.

"These cats now are going to be going to the gathering. Firepelt, Sandstorm, Bluefur, Smallscar and Starpaw. The rest will start guarding the entrance starting with Oneleg and Firepaw."

The cats went to their places while every one else went to their dens to rest.

I went to my den and curled up in a next by Firepaw's thinking about what the Clan's future may be.
*~*~*~*~*~*
*Rustle* I woke up leaping to my paws instantly when I heard rustling.

"Easy there Starpaw, it's only me." Firepaw chuckled laying down in his nest.

"It might not of been though," I replied sleepily settling down again.

"But it was, go back to sleep ok" Firepaw told me.

*~*~*~*~*~*
When it was dusk I woke up and ate an small mouse before licking myself clean.

"You ready?" Firepaw asked me.

"Yep, you?"

Firepaw nodded.

"What's it like at the gathering?" I asked Firepaw.

"Well, there are cats that come from the four clans, like we're bringing five cats the other Clans bring their own chosen cats to the gathering. This is the only time we can share tongues without fighting with each other." Firepaw said.

"I can't wait!" I grinned and stood by Sandstorm.

Skystar padded to the front with Firepelt by her side.

"Listen up, before we leave I want you to be careful for any other Clans in our territory. Even if you think it was nothing let me or Firepelt know and we'll check it out. All of us. We can't leave our camp to go to the gathering with a strong possibility of an attack.
                Secondly, there has been a light snow fall in our territory and our patrols say it has covered the rabbit holes and mole hills so be careful about where you walk." Skystar said.

I nodded and we began to walk to the gathering quietly.

Snow fell quickly as we neared the edge of our border where traces of Shadowclan lingered strongly still.

Shaking my pelt free of the snow I jumped over a fallen branch which although being covered, still showed a splattering of warrior blood. Which side however, was unknown.

Reaching a large hill Skystar halted us and turned to face us.

"Alright, before we get to the gathering, no talking about any clan secrets and find out what you can from the others. Starpaw, this is your first gathering so follow Firepaw's lead." She told us and me.

I nodded and Skystar raced down the hill towards the cats below followed by us.

Firepaw slowed down and padded to a small group of cats followed behind by me.

a white cat sat with her back to us with a few other cats, a cream and pale yellow tabby, a gray tabby, and a brown tabby that had a identical smudge on each side, and they were all laughing at something.

"Hey Willowpaw," Firepaw greeted.

"Hey Firepaw, who's this?" Willowpaw, the gray tabby asked.

"This is Starpaw, she's from Thunderclan like I." Firepaw boasted.

"I think Willowpaw knows this." I whispered to him.

"Who's the new paws?" Firepaw asked.

"I'm Snowpaw, I come from Riverclan" The white cat told us.

"I'm Ravenpaw and I come from Shadowclan." The brown tabby said flicking his tail in greeting.

"I'm Kittypaw" the cream and pale tabby whispered looking down. She was plumper than most of the cats at the gathering. "I'm from Windclan."

"The Gathering is now going to start!" A voice boomed across the clearing.

Looking up I noticed that it was the Shadowclan leader Darkstar who had ordered silence. 

Most of the cats stopped talking instantly, especially the Shadowclan cats.

The Shadowclan leader said something to the other three leaders and then spoke to us.

"Shadowclan is doing well, we have two new apprentices, Ravenpaw and Blackpaw." The Shadowclan leader paused as the cats yowled their names, I joined in of course.

"But we would like to warn Windclan if they are caught catching our prey again we will not hesitate to attack."

There was hisses from the Windclan and the Shadowclan cats as they snarled at each other.

Kittypaw looked down and didn't say anything in hers or Shadowclan's defence as Ravenpaw hissed quietly. "Twice this last moon we've had prey gone. Twice!"

"That is all." The Shadowclan finished.

The Riverclan leader stood forward. "My old deputy Littlepelt has died," the Leopard spot covered leader paused as she looked up at the silverpelt in remembrance. "He was a brave cat that had served me loyally for many, many moons and I hope he likes my new choice in deputy, Lightfur!"

We cheered Lightfur who sat behind Leopardstar politely.

"A couple days before Littlepelt died we apprenticed Lightfur's kit, Snowpaw!"

There was loud cheers again and Snowpaw smiled and sat happily as cats cheered her.

"Our rivers are full of prey and have strong currents from the rain. That is all."

My leader, Skystar stood forward and spoke as well. "We would like to say, and unfortunately have to start my news like this, however only yesterday we were taking our apprentices and new apprentice out on a border patrol when we was attacked by Shadowclan." Now it was Thunderclan and Shadowclan's turn to hiss at each other.

"I would like to know why Shadowclan would like to attack us when they are doing so well though." Skystar asked.

"Yeah!" A few Thunderclan cats agreed with her.

"Anyway, as I said, we have a new apprentice Starpaw!" There was cheers and I thought I could hear Sandstorm the loudest.

I purred and subconsciously sat straighter.

"That is all."

"Windclan would like to say, we are sorry for crossing over into your territory however one of our apprentices got too carried away while hunting. I can assure you that I won't let it happen again and that the apprentice is being dealt with appropriately.

We would like to announce we too have an new apprentice, welcome Kittypaw."

Throughout the rest of the gathering night I soon became good friends with Snowpaw, Ravenpaw, Kittypaw and Willowpaw. I did notice, most to my annoyance, that Firepaw constantly through the night, try and sit closer and closer to me. I didn't know why he did that but I didn't like it and I flicked him with my tail when he got too close. He seemed to get the message...... until a few moon skips later he would get closer again.

Nether the less, I enjoyed my first Gathering and couldn't wait to come again but I was glad when it was time to leave, I'd never been up so late before and I practically slept walked into my nest in the apprentice den.

Curling up in my nest I fell quickly to sleep.

Dream

An brown tabby with black smudges fought an dog but was being beaten to death, it was clear as his blood spilled onto the floor and on the dog.

"Ravenwing!" i yelled, though i didn't understaind how i knew the name of this cat.

"Leave him Star-" A white cat with wide green eyes looked scared at me, "We have to go, he's dying so we can go!"

Looking behind me i saw a white tail running through a bush at the top of a large hill far away.

suddenly i was in a different place, in the sky, and i saw the four clans, they were fighting each other and the ground was thick with blood.

In one courner i saw a queen with three kits being murdered by five toms.

"But we can't just leave them!" I cried out.

"Its too late for them now let's go!" Turning round I ran away feeling their pain as my own.

"Starpaw." I heard a voice say behind me.

I turned around and saw a black cat stand waiting behind me in tears.

"You've seen what will happen. Now you've got to stop it." The Tom cat told me.