Warriors: What Is There To Do?

Chapter 22- Between a Bone and the Rapids

"Bonepaw, you're my Partner for the Gathering," Splitpaw called out from the fresh-kill pile to the apprentices who were eating around a couple frogs. Grabbing a vole, she padded over and tried not to act so nervous about going to the Gathering.

Riverclan was going to be there. Maybe her parents. Definitely cats that had shunned her.

New cats would be there, also. More cats to flinch at her face.

But, the little voice in her head reminded her that there could also be some new friends there too.

And another thing...

The strange Riverclan cat, Rapidpaw, would be there.

"...Splitpaw? I said are you ready? The group is getting together..."

Splitpaw was shaken out of her head by Bonepaw's mew. Muttering her answer through the last bite of vole, she got up and followed the black pawed apprentice to the entrance where the rest of the cats who were going was waiting.

Apparently, she and Bonepaw were the only 'paws going this moon, but this did little to comfort her. The more Splitpaw thought about it, the less she wanted to confront her past; especially with Bonepaw watching her.

The journey to Fourtrees wasn't as bad as she had remembered it to be when she was a kit. The sky was clear, the pinpoints of Silverpelt starting to show in the dark blue sky and the full moon had a reddish tint to it.

"Now, Splitpaw, stick close to me at the Gathering, okay? There are a lot of huge cats and I don't want you to get lost—"

"Don't worry, I've been to one before, I understand..."

Bonepaw gave her a suspicious sideways glance. "How in Starclan have you been to a...? Oh. I... uh... forgot about that, sorry Splitpaw. I guess... I guess Riverclan will be there too, won't they...?"

Trying not to have her problems on the sweet tom's shoulders, she faked a smile, "Well, it is a Gathering now, isn't it? I'd hope Riverclan would be there!"

Thankfully, Bonepaw seemed to let the conversation slip into something more comfortable (how Bravepaw and Driftpaw had been getting awfully cozy together...) and let Splitpaw worry in peace.

What if Strongsoul and Skyheart were there? What would she say? Would she say anything at all? What would they say? Sure, she had grown, but... and of course, Dreamsong the Riverclan medicine cat would be there, probably Batwing too.

And Glowstar.

They neared the rim of the slight slope that led down to the crowds upon crowds of cats below. All pelts, all sizes, with three different scents assaulted her senses, and she found herself unconsciously searching for cats that were from Riverclan.

"Hey, Splitpaw, let me show you to the other clan's apprentices! There are so many!"

Letting a white tail guide her through the masses of cats that didn't seem to notice her, they came to a small pine where the younger cats were sharing tongues.

"Hey, Bonepaw!" a fluffy grey tom called from the base of the trunk.

"Oh, hey, Fuzzypaw! You too, guys!"

Following Bonepaw over to the cats who smelled like the moors and were quite skinny, she was greeted with averted glances from some and smiles from others.

"Splitpaw, these are Windclan's apprentices. Can you believe there are eight of them?! I can barely handle our other three!"

"You're telling me," grumbled a black and white splotched she-cat.

"Don't mind Thornpaw," Fuzzypaw joked, "Her mentor, Whiteflower, saw her miss a huge grey rabbit this morning and she has been in a sour mood ever since!"

"Fuzzypaw... be nice, please!" a hazel she-cat tried to say loudly, but ended up getting overtaken by a brown tom who leapt over her and tackled a skinny silver tom who was staring at Splitpaw's face.

Bonepaw, laughing, pointed out to her that the hazel she-cat was Heatherpaw, the tom that had leapt over her was Mudpaw, and the skinny silver tom was Icepaw, along with one other, a slight ginger tom named Foxpaw.

Leaving the wrestling mass of Windclan apprentices, they greeted a slightly smaller group of Thunderclan 'paws; Sunpaw, Rockpaw, and Hailpaw had proven to be a lot... quieter than Windclan, but they didn't look at her, except for one who was dragged away by a bright silver cat when she had gone over to Splitpaw.

Lousy mouse-brains, she muttered in her head and turned, now searching for that lithe, silver grey pelt that smelled of reeds and fresh water...

Rapidpaw was nowhere to be seen, but she did find something else: Strongsoul, a strong Riverclan tom with tan fur and a ginger stripe from nose to tail... who was none other than her father.

And a heartbeat later, Rapidpaw joined him at his side. Blue eyes met her mismatched ones and he grinned and beckoned her and Bonepaw over.

"Hey, I've never seen him before! Let's go say hi!"

Splitpaw took a moment too long to voice her opinion. Strongsoul turned around and stared straight at her. His icy eyes bore into hers. She felt such a strange, burning sensation in her pelt, and she felt the overwhelming urge to look away.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Bonepaw and Rapidpaw watching with confusion, only after another moment Bonepaw's transformed into understanding.

Her father's voice was cold as he spoke to Rapidpaw beside him still, "Rapidpaw, leave, this does not concern you."

"But—"

"Go!"

"No! What do you have to do with her?"

"I told you, its nothing—"

"You're her father," Bonepaw spat, finally propelled to his paws as he stood protectively in front of her.

"Get out of my way, 'paw! This has nothing to do with either of you!"

Both toms flattened their ears at her father's harsh tone.

No, this cat was not her father.

"You don't have anything to do with me, either," she said quietly.

Not only him, but the two apprentices and some other cats who had been watching with interested eyes flashed to her.

"What did you say?" Strongsoul's voice was dangerously low.

"I said... you don't have anything to do with me, either, Strongsoul," she felt a flare of confidence surge through her chest. It felt good.

"Why, you little... you don't speak to your father that way!"

Finally, it all broke free. She shouldered Bonepaw away, ignoring his voice of warning, and got right up in her father's face, less than a claw-length away from touching noses. In the back of her mind she relished how she was almost his height.

"You're not my father. You were never my father. Riverclan was never my clan. You shunned me, left me alone, and never showed me love. I hate you!"

"I—"

"Strongsoul, I think you might want to stop... you're making Starclan angry." Sandflame muttered, gesturing up to the moon with her ginger tail, becoming partially covered with clouds.

"It's not me! It's her! See, Splitpaw? Even Starclan thinks you're a mistake!" he sneered. It wouldn't have been so bad, but the other cats from Riverclan, like Batwing, had come and were whispering about her to the rest of the clans. More and more cats stepped away from her, until only she was in a circle as wide as two cats. Bonepaw had disappeared, and Rapidpaw looked conflicted.

The confidence Splitpaw had felt earlier was gone.

Was... was she really a mistake?