By the time everyone had settled down about Applepaw's newfound relationship with the prophecy, the gathering was nearing in. It was that day in which she, Longface, Cheetahspots, and a few other warriors and apprentices would come to communicate about the prophecy's beginning.

It was obvious to her that this was not just a coincidence or an ability to tag along with them.

After all, she was the source of the prophecy; "The one to bring chaos to her clan" as Specklednight told her. It made her sick to her stomach. She would never think of even laying a claw on any of her clan mates, all of them were like her family, and even if they weren't related in any way, it felt like it. But now, she was treated like an enemy in her own home. The warriors who always spoke with her beforehand rarely uttered a word to her–even her siblings acted as if she didn't exist anymore. At least the apprentices and kits did not know much of the prophecy, either, so she was treated like a cat by them. 

When the gathering arrived and everyone was told to assemble, Applepaw warily stepped out with them into the little huddle of who was tagging along. It was the average warriors that nearly always came, including Longface and Cheetahspots, and now, Glosskit-now Glosspaw-was lucky enough to have the opportunity to come along with ThunderClan.

As always, she was sent awkward looks and the voices that previously spoke vanished into a long silence, and she felt as uncomfortable as ever. Her tail dropped down to brush across the dusty ground, showing she was trying her best to act neutral. "I'm ready to go," she called out with a smile, in which Doestar nodded and padded away, the cats following behind like ducklings with their mother. Applepaw hung in the back of the group with Cheetahspots.

"Hey," the slim she-cat mewed to Applepaw, earning a grunt of response. She brushed their flanks together reassuringly. "Relax, Applepaw. No one will jump out at you on my watch, alright? Not even the leader of ShadowClan." Applepaw bristled. Branchstar was the tall, dusty white leader of ShadowClan, and he definitely had anger issues. He got them from his uncle, who was the previous leader. "I promise."

It was a long, quiet trek. They had to cross over a log that had fallen over the river many moons ago onto WindClan territory. After that, they strolled through said territory, meeting up with WindClan on the way and heading towards the gathering island together. Once they arrived, ShadowClan had already been there beforehand, so ThunderClan and WindClan tried their best to squeeze. RiverClan entered as soon as whisky clouds drew away from the full moon so it set a shimmering light across the crowd of faces. The four individual leaders hopped up on the tree and rocks that they respectfully stood upon to give their announcements.

"Greetings to all four clans," Fogstar of RiverClan began, silencing the cats down below. A few still dared to chirp to eachother quietly. He glanced around to the other leaders. "RiverClan will start. We are well, plenty of fish down in the stream from the lack of TwoLegs. We are sure LeafBare will be survivable." Good. Nothing of the prophecy was mentioned, so they must've not known. When Fogstar gestured to Doestar, she passed for clear reasons to ThunderClan itself, instead allowing the beautiful WindClan leader Lilystar to continue with her announcements.

She stepped forward, and answered sweetly, "WindClan has been blessed with a rapid breeding of rabbits from when a family moved into a burrow nearby. We have plenty of food and everyone is of health. One of our apprentices is showing signs of green cough, but it is not severe." A little noise rose from the crowd, then vanished. Lilystar dipped her head to Branchstar.

"Nothing much to report from ShadowClan. Plenty of running prey and plenty of running water." A small ripple of laughter echoed in the crowd. Branchstar didn't seem to be joking, just by the way he flicked his ears down and stared daggers into the crowd. "Doestar, you've been very quiet," he suddenly spoke to the ThunderClan leader while turning his head to face her, causing her to perk up immediately almost as if in surprise.

"Ah, yes, my apologies," she murmured, looking back down to the cats gathered. Applepaw felt sick again. Now it was her turn to be glared at as if she were alien. "ThunderClan is gathering enough prey to last us through LeafBare, at least until we need to refill again." It was normal news, but it would not be for long, for it was obvious that she would speak of the prophecy next. She paused and glared down to Applepaw. Everything seemed to close in on her; other cats casted glances to her, mostly from ThunderClan. "Do you remember the prophecy, destined for one of the four clans to suffer from first?" The leaders nodded.

"The first cat to cause catastrophe..." Applepaw's ears folded on her nape. "She is here with us now." As soon as Doestar finished her sentence, all four clans erupted. Some laughed, some panicked, some sat quietly, some were whispering harshly to eachother, and some were blocking Applepaw from the other clans, especially ShadowClan. Cheetahspots and Longface protected her the most, pressing their bodies against her sides like they did in the camp. 

Branchstar hollered, "Silence!" What he wished was granted to him instantly. Everything fell quiet. He looked down to the little orange apprentice, cowarding behind the two warriors she was closest to. Branchstar focused on the cornered apprentice with a stern, thoughtful gaze. There was a hint of anger in his fogged green eyes. The moon reflected off them. "What is your name?" he boomed to Applepaw.

Applepaw swallowed down the fear. Longface and Cheetahspots stepped aside so she could raise to her paws. It was hard, because she felt dizzy and sick in her chest, so it was difficult to balance on her legs. "Applekit." She shook her head. "Er- Applepaw."

"Applepaw, hm?" The hunched tan leader gazed to Doestar, who flicked her ears, then back to Applepaw. "Don't worry, little one. Whatever evil deed you commit will not be your fault. It will be the monster in your brain-"

"Hush, Branchstar!" Lilystar called at him in a heavy, scolding voice. Branchstar merely snorted and resumed to staring at Applepaw.

Clouds drifted across the moon. Little whisks that covered sections, but not enough to cause an uproar in the clans, just a disturbance. The moon was heavily hanging above their heads. It would be best to leave soon; it looked like it may rain later if they don't hurry up.

"With that done, I believe we have said everything to be told. I see dark clouds upon the horizons as well." Fogstar stood, bounding down to the clearing again. "Are we ready to leave?" His voice was very tense.

In reply, the other three leaders leapt down next to Fogstar. Casual chatter began again. Applepaw listened closely to catch tidbits from the crowd: "It's her? She's so small!" "Be thankful it isn't us." "I wonder if Branchstar will let us get her." "Mouse-brain, there's six more after her!" Applepaw, while listening, felt the comforting pelt of Longface against her side as he guided her down the log to the mainland again.

When she was busy listening to what was spoken, Applepaw slipped on the slick log, hissing and scrabbling back up on it. Longface backed up quickly, mewing to her as she stumbled onto the wood, "Careful, it's slippery." Applepaw bit back a reply that she knew, following the white warrior.

Applepaw was closer to the leader and Ferretbloom this time. It was because she was being protected from the harsh looks of WindClan as they crossed their territory, a few of the older cats hissing at her. She ducked away from them, eyes low, as Cheetahspots instructed her so she didn't 'freak out.'

When they returned to home, Applepaw worked her way through the tunnel cautiously, the twining finger-like claws of the bush scratching at her reminded her of how gazes raked over her frail little body.

Longface wove through after her, followed by the last few cats that didn't make it. Glosspaw approached Applepaw and butted their heads together. "Hey," she murmured. Applepaw didn't respond. She didn't really want to. 

She saw Glosspaw avoiding her, so this meant little to her. Maybe she was nervous to show that they were still friends at the Gathering? With that possibility, Applepaw decided to reply with a meow and a purr, pulling away and swinging her tail back and forth. "You were targeted back there, weren't you? That's no fair. I'm gonna get Branchstar for that, I promise. You don't deserve to be treated like a beast." The harsh tone of Glosspaw made Applepaw certain that she would keep her promise.

The apprentice smiled a bit at Glosspaw, who sat on the dirt with a grin of her own. Applepaw shook her head, and spoke in a voice she hadn't used since the Gathering was just beginning, having to clear her throat first, "It's alright. I don't really care. I understand why I was treated like that." A warm feeling bubbled in her chest from the affection of her kithood friend standing up to defend her. Even if that feeling was there, it wasn't right to threaten a leader. From another clan, at that.

"Are you sure? Like, I get how you don't want conflict, but he started it first." By this point, it was obvious she was joking. Glosspaw stood again when Applepaw nodded and purred. "If anyone comes to get you, I'll kick their—"

"Glosspaw! Do you think you could get this one tick off my pelt? It has been bugging me all day," the crooked voice of the old elder Foxeye called out, his orange head peeking from the den. His scarred eye blinked slowly down to the two apprentices. "I'll pay ya in this big, plump mouse I got."

Glosspaw had an odd family. Foxeye was her grandfather; her mother and father were loners, and she was passed to the clan when Foxeye insisted that she was his relative because the father was his son.

She nodded quickly to Foxeye, gazing back to Applepaw, quickly mewing "Gotta go," then continuing to jump to the medicine cat den where Specklenight was awaiting her. Applepaw watched her black shimmering tail vanish in the den. The conversation definitely took her mind off the Gathering's event, and lightened her mood slightly. She stood up warily with a flick of her paw to remove dirt from between her toes, stalking over to the apprentice den.

Being so late at night got her exhausted by the time she finally arrived. She had realized just then how long they walked and stood and listened, that, plus the stress put on her from the Gathering, made her knock out in her moss bed almost immediately as soon as she laid on it.

Applepaw woke to a familiar dark forest around her. Trees raised up into the sky, canopies blanketed the view above and replaced it with black and dark green, the grass below was on the edge of dying but still carrying its color similar to that of the canopy. Applepaw padded along to her will this time.

Instead of yowling and instructions of a young voice in the clearing, when she arrived, there was only silence. Wind whispered in her ears as it passed through low and high branches, leaving her fur bristling and her legs shuddering slightly.

"Flightkit?" she yowled to the emptiness. No response but her own endless echoes.

Finally, when she searched around for a couple of minutes, the shimmering yet smoky white kit padded from the bush ahead of her without a single sound but her little paws stepping on the grass below them. Although Applepaw was slightly relieved, that quickly changed when she saw the way Flightkit carried herself; head low, teeth bared in a sinister smile, paws heavily dragging across the ground.

"Are you part of this?" she said with fright in her voice to Flightkit, who only laughed and stopped, watching Applepaw back up with her ears folded against her nape.

"Assuming you mean the prophecy- yes, I am. I hope you will understand how important this is to me." Flightkit lifted her head.

"You ruined my life!"

Flightkit laughed, and she laughed loudly. Flightkit's ears perked over to Applepaw, her amber eyes following. "I didn't ruin your life, you ruined your own, remember? You're the one who will be killing everyone–"

Applepaw shook her head viciously, turning on her heels and bounding away. She ignored how Flightkit called after her desperately and angrily, just trying to get out of the nightmare. She wanted to get away from that evil kit that twisted the way her fate would be played out.

And, she did, when she woke up in the early morning with droplets landing on the top of her head in a steady, silent rythm.