Warriors: The Trail of Centuries

Chapter 6

     "Hey, Spottedpaw, it's time for the Gathering! Come on!" Spottedpaw woke from a heavy, dreamless slumber to her new denmate, Nightpaw, nudging her repeatedly. The grey molly shuffled her paws excitedly and stared with her eyes full of wonder; the newly-made apprentice faced nearly everything with a similar expression. "Hurry up and get out there, sleepy-tail!" Spottedpaw struggled to her paws and shook her head groggily—she felt the effects of the poppyseed that Frozenleaf had given her still dragging at her consciousness. A yawn forced its way free and Spottedpaw gave a deep stretch. She nudged Nightpaw playfully and exited the den and, when she spotted cats beginning to gather for the journey, headed towards the entrance tunnel.

     "Good morning," her mentor's teasing voice startled her. Upon turning to him, she saw that he sat a few tail lengths away from the mingling cats. "I almost thought you'd sleep through the Gathering." The cream tom paused for a second, his tail sweeping around a few stray leaves that had been tracked inside the cave. "Did you sleep alright?" he questioned after his moment of hesitation. "Were you bothered by more of your nightmares?"

     "I actually slept very soundly," Spottedpaw murmured as she sat near her mentor. "I guess I'll have to thank Frozenleaf for her treatment." She was pleased to see her mentor look relieved, but dark thoughts nagged at the back of her mind, urging her to carry on, "But, um . . . Hawkscar—" The apprentice lost her voice almost as soon as she had begun to speak, unsure of what to say. Shame burned at her pelt; her mentor was always stressing over her.

     "What is it, Spottedpaw?" The tom's warm amber eyes eased her worries. With a ruffle of her fur, she lowered both her gaze and her voice.

     "Frozenleaf seemed really interested in what I was dreaming about. She was asking about StarClan and stuff. I didn't really get it but it made me feel kind of . . . well, uncomfortable." Spottedpaw felt her pelt burn in embarrassment when she finally admitted how she felt and stared down at her paws. The silence she received from Hawkscar only worsened her embarrassment and she flicked her ears awkwardly—though she couldn't help peeking up at her mentor for some sort of reaction. When she did so, she saw that Hawkscar's expression was as unreadable as ever. He's always so expressionless, she thought to herself in dismay. Sure, when we train it's a little different, but how am I supposed to know if I've said too much? Worry started knotting at her belly, though she couldn't bring herself to break his gaze. Right when she thought she might explode, the tom spoke.

     "I know I've said it plenty, but remember, Spottedpaw—you can always talk to me if something is troubling you, okay?" Though he stayed calm and collected, Spottedpaw could have sworn she saw a flash of concern in his eyes. The apprentice held his stare and tried to figure out what he could have been thinking. If he knew why Frozenleaf had behaved that way, he gave no hints. Right as the golden she-cat was about to say something more, Deadeye gave a yowl and began to lead the amassing cats out of the caves. It's time for the Gathering, she thought as she let herself be swept alongside her campmates. As they broke into the fresh air, Hawkscar padded a little ways ahead of her; just within earshot, she noticed, though too far for any practical conversation. It didn't take her long to realize she would have no time for conversation with her mentor during the journey to Tallrock—her siblings nearly knocked her off of her paws as they scrambled to catch up to her.

     "Spottedpaw!" Fernpaw exclaimed, walking with such a bounce that even the tips of her ginger fur bounced. "Oh my, I can't believe we're finally going to a Gathering! Do you think this'll be just as awesome as your first Gathering, Spottedpaw? I bet something super-duper intense is gonna happen!" The molly could hardly keep up with her own words as she carried on. Spottedpaw kept her distance as she was not exactly eager to forget how she and Dustpaw treated her. She gave a gasp of fright as Riverpaw appeared at her other side, though he walked with much more dignity than their sister.