𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐅𝐥𝐞𝐰 ◈━◈━◈ 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐜

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞

     "Hey! Time to go, Swanpaw," a bright voice mewed, interrupting Swanpaw's daydreams. She picked her head up off her fluffy paws and glanced at Asterpaw.

     "Oh, uh, oops, didn't see you all gathering up . . . I'm coming." Swanpaw got to her paws, enjoying the pleasant feeling of her stomach being full for once. Hurriedly licking her chest fur while walking in an attempt to tame it before the Gathering, she stumbled over to the group of cats waiting.

     Unsurprisingly, Briarpaw was sitting there right on time, her sleek dusky fur groomed to perfection . . . even if it was lacking that healthy sheen that meant a cat had been eating well. She stared straight ahead with rigid posture, ignoring the faces that Ravenpaw was making at her from afar. The black tom had been in an especially sour mood since he had learned that he would not be attending this Gathering. What made it worse was that Nightpaw and Plumpaw, his sisters, were allowed to go. Sleekpaw wasn't going either, but she was sulking in the apprentice's den instead of making a fool of herself like Ravenpaw.

     Swanpaw sat down by Briarpaw and kept smoothing down her wild white fur. Regret that she had neglected to wash herself earlier was nipping her insides. It would be shameful to go to a Gathering with such a messy pelt.

     Briarpaw glanced at her from the corner of her eye. "You really are so careless," she mewed with a smile.

     Swanpaw stomped on Briarpaw's foot. Sadly, it did not have the effect she had hoped for. The tabby she-cat simply tucked her paws in and laid down in a loaf shape.

     "You should think more," Briarpaw advised.

     "Yeah, well, I was um, I was thinking about my prey."

     Briarpaw's mouth twitched into a smile. "Mmhm."

     "You," Swanpaw grumbled between licks, "are such a bossy cat." She moved to work on her tail. Once her tail was soft and silky, she licked her paws and swiped them over her ears. Briarpaw snorted and Swanpaw glanced at her, frowning.

     "What?"

     "Nothing."

     "What?" Swanpaw whined.

     Briarpaw's gaze trained to her ears. "It's just that every time you wash your ears, you sweep the fur up into these funny little tufts at the top."

    Swanpaw maintained her dignity by retorting, "Well, Jaystar has tufts on her ears."

    Briarpaw just gave a little laugh.

     Finished with her grooming and too embarrassed to look at Briarpaw, Swanpaw stared up at the sky, which was framed by the empty branches of trees surrounding camp. Pink and pale violet softened the stark white of the clouds, and the sky was a deepening blueberry color. The sun had jut set, taking its slight warmth away along with its light. By the time they reached the island, dusk would have set in and the moon begun to rise.

     "Time to head out," Jaystar's brisk voice ordered as Silverfrost and Lichencloud joined the group. Briarpaw stood up and Swanpaw followed her out of the camp. They stuck close to their clanmates as Jaystar led the way to the Lake.

     A mourning dove cooed sadly, and another responded. Swanpaw's mood fell lower as they plodded on in the cold. Unnatural silence gripped the forest, the only sounds being the cracking of twigs underpaw and the lonely coos of doves. No cat spoke. 

     It was a far cry from how her first trip to the Gathering had been. SkyClan had chatted amiably with each other, warriors remembering friends from other clans and hoping they would be there, excited apprentices whispering about what it would be like. A breeze had rustled the leaves in the trees and a promising hush had come over the cats as they neared the lake, beautiful and slowly rippling in the dark, the moon's reflection dancing over it.