Butterflypaw followed suit with her clanmates, Windpetal, Redarrow, CheetahStep and Hurricanfur all walking at a rapid pace. At the very front of the herd of cats, roaming the moor, there were Agilestar and Flameshine who were exchanging a few quiet words, as if they didn't want anyone to hear them. Butterflypaw cast a quick glance over her shoulder, Dustpaw kept his usual pace, Brambleleaf stood close to him, eyes glued to the starry sky. The apprentice felt her excitement growing when she saw lots of other cats gathered in the same place. Today was the full moon, and who said full moon said gathering of the clans, the little she-cat with blue eyes waited for her brother to catch up with her, then began to walk alongside with him

« I can't wait to see how the gathering goes!» she meowed as they crossed a river from rock to rock, while being careful that their paws did not touch the water.
Dustpaw responded with a look, once they were on the shore, Butterflypaw cried out when she saw the number of felines there were at the four Apple-trees
« There's so many cats! How many do you think we will be in total? »

«We'll be a lot, I guess,» her brother replied, purring between his whiskers.

«I can't wait to meet other apprentices! Do you think we can become friends with them?»

« Yeah I mean, as long as you choose your friends wisely,»

« Move, you little ones!» Mousepaw suddenly meowed, jostling them.
Butterflypaw couldn't suppress a growl, this stupid furball had to be invited to the gathering, she also couldn't hide her joy when Brambleleaf gave him a sharp hit to the back of the head.

«He's not worth it » Dustpaw muttered as Mousepaw walked away to join his mentor, his ears burning with shame.

«Still, he's a pain in the tail,» replied Butterflypaw while Dustpaw seemed amused.

«I think you two will go well together,»  he joked.

Butterflypaw stared at him, looking stunned.
— Me with him? It will never happen
꧁༺ _________________________ ༻꧂
The moon was already high in the sky dotted with stars, which gave a small burst of light in the darkness of the assembly place. Butterflypaw raised her nose, the scent of the BreezeClan had mixed with that of the other clans, Dustpaw was just greeting the medecine cats, Brambleleaf joined him shortly after. Suddenly, a few mouse-tail lengths from where she was, Butterflypaw saw three apprentices, who seemed to be older than her, chatting among themselves. One of them was a golden-brown she cat with green eyes, sparkling with excitement, as if it also was her first gathering; the second was a brown tabby and white tom who looked rather calm at the first sight. And finally, the last apprentice was also a she. Black this time, who sighed, while her dark eyes stared at the ground covered with leaves, no doubt she was not happy to be there for some reason that Butterflypaw couldn't know

«Hey you!» The male brown tabby meowed at her direction.

« Me ?» Said Butterflypaw

«Nah, the featherless bird that dances in the rain,» retorted the dark-furred she cat, rolling her eyes to the sky.

The tabby gave him an embarrassed look, while Butterflypaw moved his whiskers, before deciding to go to meet them, approaching, she concluded that they were part of the Night Clan, just by their smells, that seemed obvious.
- Hello, she meowed shyly as she sat down in front of them

« Hi ! » The one with the golden brown fur replied in an enthusiastic tone, «my name is Fireflypaw, and those are my friends,» she added, pointing at the two other apprentices with a look, «the tabby is called Ferretpaw, and the other one who is bored with life is Nightpaw.»

She stopped before continuing
« She can seem intimidating sometimes, but deep down she's so nice!»

«My name is Butterflypaw,» said the pale apprentice once Fireflypaw had finished the introductions, «and the brown tabby cat over there, is my brother Dustpaw.» She finished, pointing at the medecine apprentice with the tip of her tail.

Nightpaw looked up at her
«I heard he became a medecine apprentice,» she murmured with indecipherable emotion.

«That’s the case, and i’m training to become a warrior»

She didn't want to say it, but the look of the NightClan's she cat apprentice gave her chills, it was also as if her irises were giving flashes.
The latter then narrowed her eyes
« I guessed that, but how old are you exactly?»

Ferretpaw gave her a shoulder push.
«Why do you want to know everything about other cat's life all of a sudden?»

«That's the purpose of the gathering, isn't it?»

«Yeah, but you always describe them as “boring” and “too noisy» added Fireflypaw

«Which is the case, besides I don't need to ask for the lives of others since I can know it by myself."»

Butterflypaw widened her eyes looking stunned, what exactly did this apprentice mean? Was she some sort of spy sent by her clan? This idea sent shivers down her spine.

«Are you okay ?» Fireflypaw started to worry

Butterflypaw nodded, her gaze still fixed on Nightpaw's, who at that very moment, was staring at her strangely with her ears pulled back. But she decided to move on, and answer the question she had asked him

«I just turned six moons old not so long ago»

«So it was true,» Nightpaw murmured, starting to think, “you and your brother had started your apprenticeship only when you were five and half moons old»

«The cats in my clan thought it was weird, but our parents and our Medecine cat acted like it was normal,» the pale- red she cat explained.

« Except that it is not normal» , replied Dustpaw who had missed none of the conversation, «normally a kitten must be six moons old to become an apprentice, not before. There must be something wrong, but what could it be?»

«No kidding !» Nightpaw said ironically

There was then a long moment of silence between the five apprentices, before a meow resounded throughout the crowd of cats.
«Let the gathering begin!»