Darkstar's Wrath - A Faith's Journey Super Edition

Chapter 46

"I can't believe we're going to a Gathering! Right Stonepaw?" Sunpaw meowed, enthusiastically.

Stonepaw, a smile on his face, nodded in agreement to his sister, from he stood beside Wolfblaze.

Sunpaw turned and looked up at her mentor.

Standing beside her as Wolfblaze was with Stonepaw, Darkblood flicked an ear in reply, not meeting her gaze.

Sunpaw fell silent. 

After a moment, Adderstar shouldered his way through the crowd of cats. Stormhawk was close behind him, and as he padded between the two mentors and apprentices, Darkblood was knocked into as Stormhawk passed by him. A growl escaped him at that moment, and he knew Stormhawk heard him.

Was this about yesterday, outside of Adderstar's den?

Darkblood pushed the question away for now.

He could deal with Stormhawk later.

Glancing down at the apprentices beside him, Darkblood's mind brought him back to earlier that morning.

Darkblood came to stop outside of the Apprentice's burrow. Why Wolfblaze kept sending him he had no idea, but he came to get Stonepaw and Sunpaw for training.

As he took a pawstep forward to enter the den, a conversation reached his ears, and he stopped again.

"Have you noticed anything that Darkblood does lately?" Sunpaw's voice came from inside.

What...? Darkblood thought.

"Like what?" Stonepaw replied.

"That Darkblood doesn't really look at me?"

"Yes, I have noticed that." Stonepaw meowed. "The question is..."

"Why?" The siblings said together.

"I don't know. Is it something I'm doing?" Sunpaw continued. "Or not doing?"

"Of course not. All we've ever done is try to be good." Stonepaw said.

"Being the only two apprentices is hard..." Sunpaw mumbled. "But I'm trying." Her voice rose. "I'm trying to learn what I can, given the circumstances."

"That's why you're Sunpaw." Stonepaw reminded her.

"You're a good listener, brother. You always have been, since we were kits." Sunpaw meowed.

"If you want, Sunpaw, I can always teach you what Wolfblaze is teaching me, if there are days we don't train together. Or days that Darkblood is acting different." Stonepaw told her.

"That'd be awesome, Stonepaw." Sunpaw replied.

"We should go and see what training our mentors have for us today." Stonepaw said.

"Yeah." Sunpaw agreed.

Adderstar's meow broke into Darkblood's thoughts, and he looked up in the direction of FoxClan's leader.

They were ready to leave for the gathering.

Darkblood and Wolfblaze found a spot near the front of the crowd once FoxClan had gotten settled in at Four Birches. Sunpaw and Stonepaw were sitting on the other side of Wolfblaze, taking all of it in.

Once all the clans had arrived to the hollow, the four leaders looked ready to begin.

"I'm guessing FernClan has some news to share?" Cherrystar started, glancing in the direction of the fourth cat.

Thistleheart, sitting beside them, nodded. "Yes, we do." Ducking his head to the other leaders, the light gray tom turned and padded to the front of the Great Boulder. Sitting down and curling his tail around himself, Thistleheart began to speak.

"Within this past moon, FernClan lost our previous leader. Chestnutstar contracted a sickness and soon passed on by eating sick prey. Following this, I traveled to SilverStar Falls and StarClan gave me the gift of nine lives, along with the new name of Thistlestar."

Meows and murmurs of both congratulations and condolences rose up through the crowd of gathered clan cats.

"In the wake of this sadness, an apprentice named Bluepaw gained her warrior name." Thistlestar continued. "Bluepaw is now known as Bluewillow, because like the willow tree she was named after, she stood strong and did not let defeat overpower her for long. Like any true clan cat. Her mentor Hollyhawk has also been named FernClan's new deputy."

"Bluewillow, Hollyhawk! Bluewillow, Hollyhawk!"

Darkblood, despite everything, found his gaze going to where Hollyhawk sat. His gaze rested on the light brown tabby she-cat before it went back to the leaders on the Great Boulder. Darkblood's heart beat in his chest as his eyes drifted over Thistlestar.

FernClan...

"That is all FernClan has to share." Thistlestar looked around at the three other leaders before stepping back.

"Any other news?" CreekClan's leader asked.

Adderstar stood up.

"FoxClan can go next. It has been quite a few moons, but FoxClan has two new apprentices. Stonepaw and Sunpaw are training to be the clan's newest warriors, by Wolfblaze and Darkblood respectively." Adderstar announced.

"Stonepaw, Sunpaw, Stonepaw, Sunpaw!" The cheers of recognition reached the apprentices' ears and they glanced at one other, each of them smiling.

"All the big news that FoxClan has to share has been said." Adderstar finished once the cheering died down.

When FoxClan's leader stepped back to rejoin the others, Darkblood dropped his gaze from the Great Boulder and let himself scan the clearing for a moment.

Across the gathered group at the base of the rock, Darkblood caught sight of a silver pelt.

Silverpaw...?

As Cherrystar came forward and began sharing her clan's news, Darkblood's gaze went back to the leaders, her words breaking his moment.

When DuskClan and CreekClan finished, and the clans turned to talk with each other, Darkblood found himself watching Thistlestar, despite everything that had happened.