Storms and Stars

Chapter 2

Flamepaw was amazed. The moor was flat. There were no trees to hide under.

"How do WindClan cats hunt?" she wondered aloud.

"We run super fast!" a WindClan apprentice said, making Flamepaw jump.

"Who are you?" Flamepaw asked.

"Oh me? I'm Hawkpaw," the apprentice meowed.

Oh, he's handsome! Why is he so handsome?! Stop looking at him! He's so handsome! Flamepaw thought.

"I'm Flamepaw," Flamepaw mewed.

Hawkpaw nodded. At the Gathering bridge, all four Clans were gathered.

"Who should go first?" "ThunderClan!" "No, RiverClan!"

Suddenly, a ThunderClan cat yowled, "Dawnstar should go first! She and Sootfire rid us all of Darkstar and Grayclaw!"

"Why thank you Blazepelt!" Dawnstar called.

The cats moved aside for ShadowClan to go through. Flamepaw heard a splash and saw RiverClan swimming across the water to get to the Gathering Island. After ShadowClan came ThunderClan and then WindClan. Dawnstar jumped into the trees. Brightstar followed. Rainstar of RiverClan followed Brightstar. Rabbitstar of WindClan was the last.

"Snowymoon is expecting kits!" Brightstar announced. "She is currently here and is Flamecloud's mate. Mousewing and Spiderpelt joined the elder's den. Rosesong and Berryfur died of Greencough last week."

"We have three new apprentices!" said Dawnstar. "Sappaw, Flamepaw, and Birdpaw!"

"Sappaw! Flamepaw! Birdpaw!" the Gathering cheered.

Flamepaw felt bigger than she was.

"WindClan has three new apprentices! They are Harepelt and Eagleleap's kits! Please welcome Hawkpaw and Finchpaw, who are warrior apprentices, and Starpaw, who is a medicine cat apprentice!" yowled Rabbitstar

"Hawkpaw! Finchpaw! Starpaw!"

"RiverClan has two new apprentices! Please welcome Stormpaw and Mistypaw!" yowled Rainstar.

"Stormpaw! Mistypaw!"

"We will now share tounges," said Rabbitstar.

Flamepaw walked over to Hawkpaw.

"Hi," she said awkwardly.

Birdpaw was following Flamepaw.

"These are mys sisters, Finchpaw and Starpaw," said Hawkpaw.

Starpaw smiled awkwardly.

"I've never met cats from other Clans before," she murmured shyly.

A silver tom and a gray she-cat walked over.

"I'm Stormpaw and this is my sister, Mistypaw," he meowed.

"Hi!" said Flamepaw.

She was aware of her mother talking to a white she-cat. Sappaw walked over.

"Hey!" she called. "You must be Starpaw."

The black she-cat nodded. Her silvery-blue eyes glinted nervously in the moonlight.

"I'm Sappaw. I'm Duskcloud's apprentice," she said.

"Oh," Starpaw murmured. "Want to go talk to me?"

Sappaw nodded and the two she-cat walked away.

"So," said Stormpaw. "I'm the best apprentice in RiverClan!"

"I'm pretty goo-" Mistypaw started.

"Shush," Stormpaw hissed.

Mistypaw frowned and stalked away towards another group of apprentices. Stormpaw sighed.

"Nobody likes me," he sighed. "I try to make friends, accidentally boast, and shush them and they walk away. Even my own sister! Flamepaw, Birdpaw, I think that we will be great friends!"

"Sure!" Birdpaw meowed.

Flamepaw nodded, then realized Hawkpaw and Finchpaw went with Mistypaw.

Where is he? she thought. I want to meet him down in the lake.

"Did you see where Hawkpaw went?" Flamepaw asked for clarification.

"He went over with my sister," Stormpaw replied.

"Okay," Flamepaw replied.

She walked away and joined Hawkpaw.

"Can you come here for a second?" she asked him. "I found something that I want to show you."

"Okay!" Hawkpaw replied.

Hawkpaw followed Flamepaw.

"What is it that you want to show me?" he asked.

Flamepaw scratched a map of the lake into the earth.

"Meet me here" - she scratched an X in the water on ThunderClan territory - "tomorrow night," Flamepaw meowed.

Hawkpaw nodded. Flamepaw scratched map so it couldn't be distinguished and she grabbed a shiny rock.

"Isn't it pretty?" she asked.

Hawkpaw nodded. The two apprentices walked back to the group.

"Well?" Finchpaw asked.

"It was a shiny rock," Hawkpaw purred.

"Ah," said Mistypaw.

I wonder when we are going to lea- thought Flamepaw, when the leaders called for their Clans.

"Goodbye!" the apprentices called to each other.

"See you next Gathering!" Birdpaw called to Stormpaw.

Well, I'll see Hawkpaw tomorrow night.