Book 1: Echoing Voices - Warriors

Chapter 1

Ivypaw's POV

"Remember, the tree can be slippery." Rowanthorn meowed.
Ivypaw blinked and glanced up at her father. She nodded quickly and unsheathed her tiny claws.
I really need to get this over with.
She thought with anticipation.
This was the first gathering since who-knows-when. The Clans haven't been very good at meeting up traditionally anymore. Ivypaw reached up and just barely managing to hook her pointy claws onto the bark. She tried to lift herself up, but she just ended up slipping back onto the ground and losing her grip. She landed with a grunt and flattened her ears in embarrassment and frustration.
"Would you hurry it up? You've got other cats waiting!" someone behind her hissed.
She gulped slightly, not replying. She didn't want to see who said it, but she knew it wasn't someone from her Clan, making it even more humiliating.
She got back to her paws before rearing up and making another attempt to climb up the fallen tree, but this time, she felt teeth sink into her scruff and gently pull her up.
She scrambled up carefully before she was lifted onto the top. She looked up to see Rowanthorn, facing the opposite direction of the island, looking down at her once he set her onto the fallen tree.
"Move faster. We're blocking everyone." he meowed in a snappy tone and turned around so he faced away from her and began walking towards the other side of the gathering island.
Ivypaw blinked as she glanced at the black water below the tree-bridge.
It swished back and forth with strong force. She pinned her ears back all the way to her head, wondering how anyone could survive if they had fallen. She sunk her claws into the bark as she slowly began to make her way across the slippery trunk of the fallen tree.

Ivypaw leapt down from the trunk once she reached the other side, landing on all four of her paws with a grunt. She blinked and shook out her fur before glancing at her father. Rowanthorn twitched his tail and nodded slightly, landing beside her.
"Go on and meet some new cats." he meowed, nudging her gently towards a bush.
Ivypaw glanced at him, "Er...okay..." she mewed uncertainly and leapt over the bush.
She landed on the other side smoothly before perking her ears and letting out a soft gasp of amazement. There was a large tree in the middle of the clearing, grass was everywhere, and the scent of prey caused her mouth to water. She licked her jaws before glancing at her father, who was now standing beside her.
"RiverClan and WindClan are already here." he meowed observingly.
Ivypaw turned towards Rowanthorn and perked her ears slightly, noticing that he was now lost in his thoughts as usual. She shrugged before bounding off to explore.
"Remember the rules!" she heard Rowanthorn suddenly call after her.

I guess I should socialize first, but what if I say something wrong? What if I forget one of the rules and mess up on something? She thought and flattened her ears in annoyance.
She shivered slightly and took in a deep breath, Just...shut up and relax.
She continued to pad around slowly. She tilted her head slightly as the observed the cats talk and communicate. She flattened her ears slightly as she noticed her sister, Snowpaw, having a conversation with a black and white tom. She looked almost weirded out.
"Hey!"
Right before Ivypaw heard that unfamiliar tom's voice, she walked right into him.
Fox-dung, I already messed up by doing nothing.
Another cat, a she-cat, padded up next to him, who smelled of rotten fish and water.
They must be part of RiverClan.
She thought and glanced at the she-cat, she didn't smell any better, "Are..uh, you both RiverClan?" Ivypaw managed to get out of her jaws once she backed away from the tom.
The she-cat nodded slowly, a kind gaze shown in her blue eyes that was much softer than the tom's.
"That's right, I'm Minnowwhisker. This is Talongaze." the kind RiverClan warrior greeted.
Ivypaw smiled in a friendly manner, "I'm Ivypaw of ThunderClan." she meowed respectfully.
Talongaze just snorted, "As if we couldn't tell, your ThunderClan stench sticks to you like mud." he growled rudely. Ivypaw glared at him,
It's not like your smell is any better, foxheart. She thought, holding back from saying it out loud. Minnowwhisker gave Talongaze a hard look before turning her focus back to Ivypaw.
"Don't mind him. He doesn't take kindly to other Clans." she explained. Talongaze scowled at his clanmate, "Need I remind you that I am deputy. I don't need you speaking for me and I prefer to stick to my clanmates as friends." he snapped.
Minnowwhisker rolled her eyes, "You can hardly call them friends." she replied bluntly before lashing her tail.
"Ivypaw, would you mind giving us a moment?" she asked with a small smile, but Ivypaw could see the aggrivation in the warrior's eyes.
Ivypaw nodded, "Of course." she meowed and dipped her head before padding away.
That went well. She thought sarcastically. My first encounter with a cat from another Clan and I messed up.
Narrowing her eyes against the moonlight that spread across the clearing she decided to sit down on near the edge of the crowd, away from every other cat.
I hope there are more cats like Minnowwhisker. She thought to herself before a yowl echoed through the sky.
Ivypaw perked her ears and turned around, seeing Kestrelstar, the ThunderClan leader, climbing onto a branch that was connected to a large tree in the middle of the clearing. Two other leaders were sitting on their own branches and Ivypaw tilted her head.
Wasn't there four Clans? Why are there only three leaders?
"We will no longer wait for ShadowClan. The gathering will begin!" the white she-cat leader, Lakestar, called out.
She was sitting on the branch that was next to Kestrelstar. Ivypaw glanced around, she hadn't gotten the chance to talk to anyone other than Minnowwhisker and Talongaze. She sighed quietly and peered around for the two before seeing Talongaze at the roots of the trees, next to Brackenthorn. He was the ThunderClan deputy.
The two exchanged respectful nods before facing the cats. Ivypaw broke her gaze away from the two toms as Rabbitleap, WindClan's deputy, sat down on Brackenthorn's other side.

Ivypaw lashed her tail and looked up. A grey she-cat with specks of white leapt up and sat on the branch beneath Kestrelstar. Her name was Swiftstar of WindClan. Kestrelstar nodded to Lakestar, who was leader of RiverClan and was placed on the branch next to him. She opened her jaws to speak, but a sudden hiss sounded behind the cats at the entrance. Ivypaw snapped her head around, seeing a whole other group of cats enter the clearing. They looked battered and tired. Ivypaw wrinkled her muzzle at the smell of this particular Clan.
"Greystar, it's about time." a cat from one of the Clans scorned.
The leading grey tom, Greystar, just ignored the snarky remark. A disgusting scent filled and mixed with the other scents.
ShadowClan, I'll never forget that scent. Ivypaw thought, remembering when her mentor, Ashfrost, had taken her to the boarder.
Greystar climbed onto the final branch remaining and Kestrelstar narrowed his eyes. The ShadowClan cats seemed exhausted and weary.
What in the name is their problem?
"Greystar-"
The grey tom cut Kestrelstar off, "Let's just begin." he grumbled. Kestrelstar dipped his head, "Very well."

Ivypaw felt something press against her. She narrowed her eyes and glanced over, relaxing as she saw it was her sister, Snowpaw. "Where've you been? I've been looking everywhere for you." Snowpaw mewed. Ivypaw twitched her ear and opened her mouth to reply, but Greystar began to speak, "Prey is going well. Twolegs have invaded out territory and let their dogs roam around, but it's nothing we can't handle." he reported, narrowing his eyes as his dark amber gaze swept over the clearing slowly, as if he was daring someone to speak or and question him, but no one did. So the ShadowClan leader went on, "Amberwhisker has bore three kits, Frecklekit, Shardkit, and Dirtkit." he finished and glanced at the next leader, who was the grey and white dappled she-cat. She was quite skinny, but looked healthy.
Dirtkit? Who names their kit Dirtkit? Ivypaw glanced at Snowpaw, her sister seemed to be thinking the same thing by the look on her face.
"WindClan had been flourishing. Prey is running well and we have two new warriors, Dashwind and Moorblaze." the Swiftstar announced and all the Clans started chanting, "Dashwind! Moorblaze!"
Ivypaw glanced around and tilted her head, looking for the two new warriors. She saw a brown tabby tom and a tan she-cat.
That must be them. Ivypaw nudged Snowpaw and they both looked at the new warriors.
Moorblaze, the she-cat, was sitting there with a smile plastered on her muzzle. Dashwind was staring at his paws.
"I remember speaking to them in the last gathering. They were almost warriors and we had just become apprentices." Snowpaw whispered.
Ivypaw twitched her ear, not remembering ever having any communications with those two cats.
Once the cheering stopped, Kestrelstar opened his mouth to speak, but Lakestar interrupted him, "RiverClan is doing well." she called out.
Snowpaw glared at the white she-cat, "Lakestar may be pretty, but she has a bossy, full-of-herself, and her Clan, personality. An apprentice from WindClan named Applepaw told me that she had spoken to Lakestar before." Snowpaw muttered quietly.
Ivypaw watched Lakestar.
The leader was quite pretty she had to admit. Lakestar's clean and groomed white fur reflected off the moonlight and stars, almost giving her a glowing effect. Ivypaw glanced at Snowpaw and her pelt pricked slightly. Her sister's pelt was doing the same thing. Ivypaw turned her head to see if her own pelt was 'glowing', but her fur only gave off a matt look. Why did I have to have black and grey fur? She kept silent and turned her attention back to the leaders as Lakestar began to speak again, "Lakepool has moved to the elders' den after all her seasons of service to RiverClan." the white she-cat announced. "Lakepool! Lakepool!" all the Clans called out, this time Ivypaw joined in with them. Finally, it was Kestrelstar's turn.
"ThunderClan has been granted with prey this green-leaf. My former deputy, Echoflame, was killed in a fox attack and Brackenthorn has taken her place." Kestrelstar meowed.
Ivypaw flattened her ears as she remembered that day. It was only about a moon ago and stupid Dustpaw and Auburnpaw, but mostly Dustpaw, led the foxes back to camp. The two had found the hole where the gang of four foxes slept and Dustpaw decided to explore the hole. He found out the foxes were still in there and they attacked him. Auburnpaw went back to camp for help, but it turned out Dustpaw escaped and followed Auburnpaw back.
Ivypaw shook her head once Kestrelstar started talking again.
"We also have one new warrior. Darksky." He announced.
Darksky barely even reacted. His expression looked like this was the most boring thing he could be doing. It was actually quite amusing to see actually.
"Why is he acting like that? He never use to be that bad at showing emotions." Snowpaw whispered.
All Ivypaw could do was shrug, she had no idea.
"Now, it's time to speak in truce amongst each other." Lakestar yowled and the leaders started jumping down from the tree. Ivypaw got to her paws, "Now what?" Snowpaw asked. Ivypaw shrugged, "We talk to other cats."