The night was dark, darker than it should have been. The full moon was shining dimly over Four Trees and the stars of Silverpelt looked dull. Throngs of cats crowded around the Great Rock as the leaders talked among themselves. A blue tom-cat slowly made his way into the clearing. He slithered through the cats and sat in front of the Great Rock waiting for the Gathering to start. 

     "Hey! What are you doing here, Pebbleheart? I haven't seen you here in moons." A black she-cat walked up to Pebbleheart, rubbing up to him affectionately. 

     "Hey, Nightstorm. I heard that there was something important going on and I was wondering if it would come up," he replied, giving Nightstorm a lick in return.

     "Well, if you say so. The Gathering's about to start. I better go." Nightstorm ran off into the crowd of cats leaving Pebbleheart alone in the compressing throng.

     A bright ginger she-cat walked up to the edge of the Great Rock and yowled, "The Gathering will now begin."

     All the cats in the hollow fell silent at once. The quiet felt crushing.

     "Cats of StarClan, the stars have been showing disturbing signs lately, as I'm sure you've seen," the ginger she-cat began. "But, we can combat this as we have done in the past. We can each pick cats to try and fight the evil that has been foreseen!"

     A light brown tom stepped up from behind the ginger leader. "But Blazestar, didn't we do that for the journey to the lake?" he mewed, worried.

     "So? It worked then, didn't it?" replied a black tom from the shadows of the Great Rock, the white tip of his tail swishing back and forth with impatience.

      Several yowls of agreement rose from the hollow below.

     "Silence!" Blazestar screeched. "Now, who will we pick? Froststar? Do you have a cat in mind?"  

     The black tom stepped forwards and nodded his head. “I believe I do.”

     In the clearing, a misty figure began to form in front of the Great Rock. It was a light brown tom with a gray muzzle who was sleeping peacefully in his moss and bramble nest.

     “Does all of StarClan approve of his choice?” Blazestar asked the crowd after a moment of analyzing the figure.

     The cats all calmly mewed their agreement to each other as the sleeping tom’s image faded back into the dying grass.

     "Now, who would like to share next?" Blazestar asked her fellow leaders.

     A silver tabby tom stepped forward. "I believe I have made my choice," he said, looking down at the yellowing grass below.

     Out of the grass came the figure of a gray tabby tom who was crouching in the grass, waiting to strike at a small water vole in front of him. In one leap, the tom caught the vole and bit down on it's tiny little neck, killing it.

     Blazestar examined the tom as he picked up the vole and carried it proudly in his jaws. "Does all of StarClan approve his choice?" She asked the clearing of cats after a long silence.

     Yowls of agreement rose up from the hollow as the gray tabby faded back into the grass. The silver leader nodded his thanks to the clearing and walked to the back of the Great Rock.

     "Thank you Silverstar." Blazestar looked at the stars above and watched as they twinkled with a dim light.

     A small, white she-cat with black spots stepped out to the edge of the Great Rock. "If you don't mind, Blazestar, I have a cat," she mewed nervously.

     Blazestar nodded slowly, blinking her amber eyes. "Of course, Spottedstar. Go ahead."

     Spottedstar blinked her appreciation and looked down at the grass as a small brownish orange tabby tom slowly appeared. The small tom was sitting and appeared to be sharing tongues with another cat.

      The whole of StarClan fell silent at the sight of the tom; the only sounds that could be heard was the gentle blow of the wind through the trees.

     Froststar broke the silence after what felt like moons. "What is that!? You can't send him, he's barely an apprentice! This is why SkyClan was best left dead; you're all weak!" The black tom screeched at the she-cat.

     Spottedstar's ears laid flat on her head and her fur bristled. "How dare you insult my Clan! You disapprove of my choice?" She hissed at him in retaliation.

     Blazestar tried to calm the two cats but they ignored her. "Of course I disapprove! This is an apprentice you've chosen! You may as well be sending a kit into battle!" Froststar spat back.

     The cats in the clearing below yowled protests and hissed angrily at one another. The other leaders looked at the scene, horrified. Pebbleheart continued to stare at the young cat as he was finishing his conversation and was beginning to trot off to some unknown location.

     "You can't say anything, Froststar! ShadowClan sent an apprentice on a dangerous mission without hesitation! What's so wrong if SkyClan does too?" Spottedstar was getting angrier, her yellow eyes blazing with fire.

     Froststar growled at the spotted leader and turned his back to her, knowing, but unwilling to admit, she was right.

     "Now, does anyone else disapprove?" Spottedstar asked the crowd of cats, who had all fallen silent at Spottedstar's remark.

     Blazestar stepped forward. "I think he's a wonderful choice," she said, calmly. The cats below reluctantly mewed their agreements.

     "Blazestar, I believe I have made my choice." Croaked the light brown tom after the clearing had calmed.

     Spottedstar angrily walked back to the shadows of the Great Rock. "Go ahead, Duststar." Blazestar stepped aside to let the old tom pass.

     "Let all of StarClan see and approve my choice," Duststar said as a gray she-cat with a white chest faded into view. She appeared to be running after something across the moor, the wind buffeting her fur.

     Pebbleheart looked at the she-cat carefully. He felt uneasy about the determined look in her eyes.

     "Does all of StarClan approve?" Blazestar asked, still staring at the she-cat, who was still running.

     All of the cats in the clearing erupted into meows of approval and agreement. Duststar nodded his thanks to all the cats as the gray she-cat faded back into the grass.

     Pebbleheart stayed silent, still staring at the confident shine in her eyes as she faded away. Questions began to fill his head.

     Blazestar thanked Duststar for sharing and looked back to the cats in the clearing. "Cats of StarClan, I have chosen my cat and I hope you all will see and approve my choice."

     As Blazestar spoke, a silver she-cat with a white underbelly slowly appeared in the clearing, slower than any of the other cats had. When the she-cat appeared, the whole clearing fell silent. It was so quiet that the wind didn't even blow and the trees stopped shaking. The grass stood still and the stars themselves stopped twinkling.

     "Does all of StarClan approve my choice?" Blazestar asked, breaking the long silence. 

     Spottedstar was the first to speak. "So I can't pick an apprentice, but you can pick a cat who isn't even a Clan cat!? Has ThunderClan lost its mind!?" She hissed angrily. 

     "Blazestar, this is absurd! How dare you place the safety of your Clan in the paws of a cat who isn't even in your Clan!" Froststar spat at the ginger she-cat.

     Duststar walked up slowly. "I have to agree with them this time. Blazestar, what are you thinking? Are you feeling okay?" He asked Blazestar calmly.

     Silverstar just sat quietly, staring at the silver she-cat in the clearing, her white eyes glinting in the light. 

     Blazestar's amber eyes flared with angry fire. "You have no right to judge my decision! She is the only hope for my Clan!" She exclaimed.

     The entirety of StarClan broke out into protest.

     "She's not even a Clan cat," Silverstar meowed.

     "Not yet she isn't," Blazestar replied calmly.

     Pebbleheart felt a wave of uncertainty wash over him. How would it all end?