THE DARK MATTER | Book One: Stained Trails

chapter one

WHEN GALETOOTH WAS MERELY GALEPAW, he had attended his first gathering barely a moon after his apprenticeship. His brother, Frostpaw, was more exhilarated with the event than he was, barely able to keep his paws from bouncing off the ground the entire travel there. Rainpaw and her siblings, Hollypaw and Darkpaw, trailed along with them, all of their mentors ahead following Violetstar's lead. The apprentice's were the loudest among the group as they journeyed to the spot for the gathering at the border between ValeClan and CoppiceClan, igniting an irritating clamor.

"I bet CoppiceClan apprentice's smell like nothing but sap and mud," Frostpaw exclaimed, exaggerating a scrunch of his muzzle to show his disgust.

Darkpaw chortled and playfully nudged Frostpaw. "The crazy part is... they actually do! All they have to tell stories about to is how they climbed out of their camp for the first time! I bet I could do that with my eyes closed!"

"Yeah right, you can't even smell with your eyes closed. Even that's a challenge for you," Hollypaw scoffed at her brother.

"Isn't their camp actually difficult to climb out of for younger ones?" Galepaw noted, ears twitching. He could admit it was barely a question as his mentor, Palesnow, had recounted to him a time she had been in the camp herself.

All the other apprentice's turned to him with a scowl, though Frostpaw's was more embarrassed with his brother's interjection and Rainpaw's was more light-hearted. Darkpaw chortled at Galepaw's comment, earning an indignant look from the younger tom.

"Isn't it actually difficult for you to have a little more fun?"

"Quiet! You young ones are too loud. We're nearly there," the older deputy, Bearbelly, snapped at the apprentices.

Galepaw reduced his pace to trail further behind the other apprentices, but Rainpaw was quick to follow him. The silver molly glanced him up and down with an empathetic smile. Ever since they were kits, Rainpaw was always at Galepaw's side. She always told stories about how she witnessed him be named - sometimes even falsifying some for fun on how she had been the one to name him. She and him grew to be relatively close friends despite her siblings constant teasing on the younger apprentice.

"Don't let them get to you, Galepaw. You know they are too comfortable in being annoying," Rainpaw huffed.

Galepaw cast her a little smile. "Thanks."

"We're here!"

Violetstar's call alerted Galepaw and Rainpaw to gaze back ahead. The gathering area was among a shallow stream that cut along the border. It was shallow enough for both clans to stand in as the conversed - and for apprentices like Darkpaw and Hollypaw to irritably splash around in. The perch for the leaders and their Starlinked was an old, wooden twoleg bridge that arched over the river. The leaders would stand on the rail of the bridge with the Starlinked and their deputy settled on the structure behind them as they shared announcements for their clans. The best part of the gathering though that Palesnow persisted for Galepaw to delve into was his ability to talk to and befriend CoppiceClan cats. CoppiceClan and ValeClan were rather serious about maintaining the peace long kept between their clans, and Galepaw befriending some of them was considered a step in the peace for their future.

CoppiceClan was already there, ValeClan cats quick to greet them at the river. Rainpaw beckoned to Galepaw as he was fighting off a knot of anxiety in his stomach. He took a sharp inhale and followed her to the river. Dipping his paws in the water, he felt a shiver roll down his spine at cold touch. He hadn't had his swimming lessons yet so the lap of the water at his fur was unfamiliar and a little unnerving to the tom. Rainpaw was comfortably right at his side though, the two of them joining the other apprentices who now settled in with a CoppiceClan group of apprentices.