The Forgotten Prophecy | Book 1

Chapter 5

Tonight was the night of the gathering. Ivoryfrost couldn't wait for it. Meeting new cats, chatting with friends she already knew, listening to the grumpy elders, she loved it all. Especially bullying the Copperclan cats. Cats from all three clans poured into the gathering place which was a huge redwood carved out by termites that died out in leafbare. There was a dead tree-trunk of an old tree that tried to grow out in the hollowed area but died from the lack of sunlight.

Beside the stump was a pile of dirt and leaves, which would be where Copperclans leader would sit. Goldstar, Pureclans founder saw the hallowed Redwood and decided that the gatherings would be held there.

Ivoryfrost Immediately made a bee-line to her friends from Silverclan, Fawnwater and Corndance. Both have odd names, but Ivoryfrost couldn't have asked for better friends than them.

She approached the two she-cats with a cheerful expression. Corndance turned her head and bounded over to the white she-cat, purring loudly. Fawnwater padded after her slowly with a calm stare.

Nuzzling the golden she, Ivoryfrost pulled away from her and smiled.

"It's so great to see you guys! I have so much to tell you!"

"And so do we!" Corndance added. Fawnwater nodded quietly and looked down at her paws. The calico she was nice, but she barely talked. The longest sentence she ever muttered was "Goodbye". Smoothing down her silky fur, Corndance looked up at her Pureclan friend.

"I'll go first."

"My sister, Iceblossom. Remember her?" Ivoryfrost nodded slowly, remembering the light golden she-cat when she was an apprentice. The Silverclan she-cat was kind, but more quiet unlike her outgoing sister.

"She's expecting kits!" Ivoryfrost nodded with an uninterested smile.

"That's wonderful Corndance." She muttered.

"So what was your news?" Asked Corndance. Ivoryfrost sighed and looked around for her apprentice. Her eyes fell on Deadpaw who was chatting with the other apprentices. For a second their eyes met and Deadpaw bared her teeth at her mentor, turning away harshly. I'm trying my best. Ivoryfrost thinks. That's always your excuse. Deadpaw would only say back. She turned back to her friends sadly.

"I'm afraid my apprentice hates me." She muttered, plopping down. Fawnwater frowned and sat beside the she-cat, placing her sleek, fawn calico tail on Ivoryfrosts spine comfortingly. Corndance gawked at her and rolled her eyes.

"Oh don't think about it too much. Apprentices are always bossy and mean. I was one of them." The golden she-cat smiled rather proudly of herself, raising a paw. Seeing that her friend still didn't seem to feel better, she sighed and lowered her paw. Ivoryfrost looked up and saw that neither of her friends were smiling and she felt a pang of guilt. Oh Starclan I'm ruining the gathering by talking about my problems. I shouldn't have made it about me in the first place.

"I'm sorry. I'll try to cheer up." She muttered. Fawnwater nodded quietly as Brightstar called out that the gathering would begin. Corndance made a beeline to some random tom Ivoryfrost didn't know and she turned her attention to her father.

"One of our queens, Fallenpetal, has kitted this last moon and had one tom named Flamekit. That's all." He sits down afterwards, awkwardly looking around as everybody seemed uninterested of the dull news. The three leaders—well, two—sat on a dead tree stump while Copperclans leader sat on a pile of leaves. Despite the dirty surroundings, Raggedstar has managed to look as presentable as ever. Ivoryfrost never knew why the beautiful leader was named "Ragged", but it probably had to do with the fact that she was Copperclan in general.

Ugh. Ivoryfrost thought as she saw the same black she-cat from yesterday. Onyxflare, as she called herself, sat next to the tom who came to her rescue rather closely. And for a moment, the two she-cats eyes met. Ivoryfrost quickly looked away and turned to Spokenstar who was beginning to speak.

"We have a new queen, Iceblossom, in the nursery. There are no news from Starclan, from Sedgehares information." Sedgehare? Wasn't there another medicine cat? Ivoryfrost looked at a gray and white tom sitting next to Silverclans head medicine cat. Why aren't they saying anything about him?

"Absolutely nothing at all?" Brightstar asked. His gaze shifted to Pebblewing with a threatening glare, lashing his spotted gray tail.

"You didn't hear from Starclan, did you?" Pebblewing shook his head calmly and looked down.

"No. Just a few medicine cats from the past asking about my training. That's all." He muttered quietly. Ivoryfrost frowned. He's obviously lying. He's a full medicine cat now. He doesn't need to be asked that kind of stuff. Unfortunately nobody else thought that and Brightstar looked away with a huff.

"A-anyways that's all." Spokenstar stammered, sitting back down.

Raggedstar stood up gracefully, her tail swishing back and forth making the muddy leaves blow in the other leaders pelts. Brightstar hissed angrily as he frantically tried to pull them out of his fur. Spokenstar sighed and quietly began to groom his dirty fur. Ivoryfrost saw Raggedstar smile as she began to speak.

"One of our senior warriors, Snowear, has retired to the elders den." The brown tabby's piercing amber gaze sweeping over the crowd as they rolled their eyes and jeered at the leader. Ivoryfrost could hear a sigh from Fawnwater as she felt the she-cat look at her Pureclan friend disappointingly.

"Well...if that's all you have to share..." Brightstar muttered, still cleaning the mud from his pelt.

"The gathering is over!"

Nobody got up as they looked to the entrance of the hollowed tree. A pure-white woodpecker lands and pecks at the wood, concluding the gathering. Ivoryfrost and every other cat was told from a young age that a leader from long ago talked so much and wasted time during the gathering that once they died, they were punished to conclude every single gathering until everyone forgets them and they fades away. The starclan cat comes in the form as an albino woodpecker as it was the first thing they caught as an apprentice.

As soon as Ivoryfrost got up she was met by Pebblewing. What does he want?

"Your Ivoryfrost, right?" He asked, swishing his ringed tail side to side. The white she-cat narrowed her marigold eyes and shook out her fur proudly.

"Of course I am. What do you want?"

"I need to talk to you. It's urgent." He mutters. Corndance trots over and glared at the young medicine cat.

"Go away you little-"

"It's fine." Ivoryfrost turns to her friend, begging her with a look to make her go away. The golden Silverclan cats jaw dropped at Ivoryfrost and left in a hurry to go complain to Fawnwater.

"If you'll just...follow me." He mews, ducking his head awkwardly. Confused, Ivoryfrost follows the shorter tom over to Onyxflare. Oh no no no no. She hissed and bared her teeth as the Copperclan warrior turns to her. Onyxflares confused glance turns to angry as she hisses:

"You?!"