**OLD** Valley Cats: Of Sky and Stone 1- Daughters and Darkness

Chapter Thirty-Six

 Twistertail glanced around nervously at the DeltaClan and ConiferClan cats. They eyed the new ForestClan leader as he took his place on the bench alongside the other two toms. Brightspirit proudly claimed a spot on the ledge beneath his father, once again puffing out his already-fluffy chest.

 "Are those the other apprentices?" Rosepaw waved her tail at the dark green bushes at the right side of the clearing.

 "No, those are the elders." Twistertail joked.

 "Really?" the tabby looked confused.

 "No, silly. Now go on and introduce yourself." her mentor gave her a gentle nudge in the general direction of the young cats. Just as the smaller cat trotted off with her brother Purslanepaw by her side, Twistertail heard her name being called.

 "Twistertail! You got an apprentice!" Lemmingleap praised.

 The black-and-white warrior turned around to touch whiskers with her closest GroveClan friend. "Yes, I did. And you did, too! What a coincidence!"

 "That's Leafpaw, my apprentice of two moons. They were just about to go visit with the other apprentices." Lemmingleap swiveled an ear to the speckled brown cat behind her.

 "Hi, I'm Leafpaw. You're Twistertail, right?" the young cat asked.

 "Yes, that's me. Have you met Rosepaw yet? She's one of the most agreeable cats I've seen."

 "Oh... Is that her right there?" Leafpaw pointed their tail at the pretty ForestClan apprentice, who was listening to the GroveClan healer's apprentice Mintpaw tell some story.

 "Don't be shy, Leafpaw. Go talk to her." Lemmingleap prodded. As the young tom wandered off, the dark brown she-cat angled towards the warriors' cluster of trees. "So, we've got some catching up to do. Sorry I haven't been to the last three gatherings, I've been so busy with my new mate and apprentice."

 "Really? Who?" Twistertail demanded, sitting down abruptly under a tree and pricking her ears to hear her friend's answer.

 "I'll give you a hint. It's a she-cat, from a nearby Clan that allows cross-Clan romance."

 "It isn't Nectarstream or Bloomspots, right?"

 "She's not that attractive, but she's fiesty and energetic. You've met her before, actually. I'd consider you two to be close friends. She and Adderlash are always hanging around each other."

 "Wait. It's Orioleflight?" Twistertail giggled. "But you guys are like fire and ice!"

 Lemmingleap shrugged, ducking her head. "Yes, we do argue a bit more than usual. I like to keep things simple and humble, but she's... enthusiastic. And proud. And compassionate..."

 Twistrtail glanced around to spot the fiery ConiferClan she-cat, but before she could effectively search the crowd of warriors, Sedgestar's yowl sounded from the leaders' perch. She focused her eyes on the bench, eagerly awaiting their reports.

 "Cats of all Clans, lend us your ears! The gathering has begun!" the old tom sat down, glaring at everyone at the same time. "As you can see, Darkstar has become the new leader, but while we had recently claimed the grassy border as our own, he insists on patrolling our land. So, just because you're a new leader, I'll spare you from my wrath and let you off with a warning." the MireClan leader growled.

 "Any cat who trespasses onto our land will be... deal with properly." Sedgestar grunted. "Aside from that, we have four new apprentices who are attending the gathering tonight. Please welcome Frostpaw, Hailpaw, Iciclepaw, and Mistpaw."

 "ConiferClan hasn't had any changes in names, but we shall give a warning to MeadowClan that we chased away a beaver from our shore, and it might have run across the Fieldstream to their territory."