"Let all cats who are old enough to catch their own prey gather at the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Strikestar was about to announce the cats that were going to the Gathering.

Rosepaw and Spottedpaw exchanged looks of disappointment when they realised that they were not selected, though they were probably also relieved.

With a flick of his tail, Strikestar dismissed the meeting while gesturing for the selected few to follow him. Woodspots followed the ThunderClan leader, taking the lead.

I ran to catch up with the group. It was my second Gathering as an apprentice and I was eager to find out what Raincreek meant.

I tried asking her in our previous training session, but she refused to say anything about it.

With a sigh, I found a spot in the hollow of Fourtrees beside Stormpaw. Despite his evident exhaustion, he seemed rather excited.

RiverClan arrived right after us. Strikestar and Flowerstar exchanged friendly greetings while both Clans mingled around.

I watched as WindClan reached the Gathering place. Without a word, Smokestar took his place among the leaders on the Great Rock. The other WindClan cats stayed to their own group, which I noted to be rather small.

As soon as ShadowClan stepped into Fourtrees, I could almost feel the air thickening with tension. Strikestar's eyes narrowed into slits, scrutinising their group.

Hesitantly, I stared at the ShadowClan leader, who jumped up the Great Rock. Instantly, something felt off about Fangstar, who seemed almost sorrowful.

"Excuse me." A familiar face meowed as he squeezed into a small spot I quickly opened up. Hawksight nodded his thanks.

That was when I caught a whiff of something awful. It was the pungent scent of garlic.

Seeing my expression of disgust, Hawksight apologised. "I was hunting when I fell into a patch of garlic. I tried to remove the smell, but to no success. I could sit somewhere else if you want."

"It's fine," Stormpaw answered for me, retraining a sneeze.

"Thank you," Hawksight meowed, embarrassed.

I acknowledged it with a nod and turned my attention to the leaders who were speaking. Flowerstar stepped up to make her report.

"RiverClan is doing well in this leaf-bare. The fish is still swimming in our rivers. I also wish to thank Strikestar for the catmint." Strikestar gave her a curt nod.

"We also welcome our new warrior, Sparrowsky," Flowerstar meowed.

"Sparrowsky! Sparrowsky!" It was clear that the majority of the cheers came from RiverClan and ThunderClan. WindClan and ShadowClan were silent.

"That is all." Flowerstar's pale green eyes landed on Fangstar, as if she expected an attack. However, the dark grey tom did not move a muscle.

Smokestar stepped up to report next, but I did not catch what he said. Hawksight suddenly stood up and squeezed through the crowd of cats, heading outside Fourtrees.

He's probably going to make dirt. I dismissed it without a second thought. On the other hand, Stormpaw's amber eyes glinted with suspicion.

As he stood up, I stopped him. "Where are you going?" I whispered, not wanting to attract any more attention.

"Hawksight has been acting suspicious," my denmate hissed. "He slowed down his pace during the walk to Fourtrees."

"That doesn't prove anything," I insisted.

"Even so, Hawksight spent an awfully long time outside before heading into Fourtrees," Stormpaw stated.

With a sigh, I realised that he was right. Something was fishier than RiverClan's fish and my instincts told me to find out what it was.

I nodded and followed Stormpaw outside the Gathering place. My fur stood on the end as I caught a strong whiff of ShadowClan.

Before we could investigate, Hawksight appeared. We hid in a nearby bush as he walked past, looking ruffled.

"He might have gotten into a fight," Stormpaw suggested, keeping his voice low.

"I'm going to find out what happened," I meowed, bursting out of our hiding spot.

"Hawksight!" I called, standing in front of him. "What are you doing here?"

The older brown tom looked surprised when he saw us. "I was making dirt," he explained.

"Then why do you look ruffled, like you have been in a fight?" Stormpaw asked.

"A ShadowClan warrior ambushed me," Hawksight replied in an oddly calm voice. "I managed to chase him away."

"I believe you."

Despite his suspicious actions, what Hawksight said seemed to be truthful, at least to my ears.

Stormpaw stared at me while Hawksight gave me a grateful look. Sighing, the apprentice turned around. "Let's go before someone notices."

We headed back inside Fourtrees, where it seemed that Strikestar had just finished his report. All eyes were on the ShadowClan leader.

I tensed my muscles, readying for a fight should ShadowClan attack like the previous Gathering I attended.

"ShadowClan has nothing to report," Fangstar meowed dully. He got down from the Great Rock and waved his tail to get the ShadowClan to follow him.

I let out the breath I was holding.

"Gathering dismissed," Flowerstar announced, looking astounded by Fangstar's action as well.

WindClan left quickly, leaving RiverClan and ThunderClan behind. Strikestar whispered some words in Flowerstar's ear, who nodded grimly.

"ThunderClan," Strikestar mewed. "We are heading back to camp."

I stood up and followed the group back to our territory. As soon as we crossed the border, I spotted Raincreek sitting nearby, as if she was waiting for me. Every cat else seemed not to notice her.

"Come," the StarClan cat instructed.

I nodded, turning to Stormpaw who was walking beside me. "I'll catch up in a moment."

"Sure," he mewed, going on ahead.

I rushed towards where Raincreek was waiting.

"Why did you tell me to go to the Gathering?" I blurted out.

The older she-cat blinked. "What did you observe?"

As I started to speak, Raincreek stopped me. "Don't tell that to me. Tell that to yourself and think about it."

I thought about Fangstar's odd attitude and Hawksight's suspicious actions, but I couldn't figure out Raincreek's intention.

Seeing my confusion, my night time mentor spoke. "Secrets. Every cat has their own secrets. I know that you are trusting of others. That includes Hawksight, but can you really believe everything he says?"

"I just wanted to give you a word of advice," Raincreek meowed in her usual monotonous voice, but there was a certain fear and wariness in it.

"Be careful, Frostpaw."

Without another word, Raincreek vanished. The feeling of dread grew as I tried to swallow down the lump in my throat.

What if Raincreek was right that Hawksight had been lying to me?