The Dawn of Night | A Warriors Fanfiction ✔

Chapter 14

Sunpaw trudged through the trees. She stopped at a small boulder and dug her claws into the snow-covered moss that spread over it. She tore it off and clamped it in her jaws, then climbed through the gorse tunnel and went to the elders' den.

"There you are," mewed Littlestripe with a yawn. "Fresh bedding, I see."

Sunpaw nodded reluctantly and set it down. She began to take out the soiled bedding when Buttonweasel spoke up.

"I was just telling your sister the story about the Great Mouse Famine," he rasped. "Who was it?" He cocked his head. "Was it... Starpaw?"

"Moonpaw," Sunpaw corrected him, beginning to push in the fresh bedding.

"Would you like to hear it?"

"I suppose," Sunpaw muttered, not wanting to be rude. But she didn't really listen as she started to check Windpelt's fur for ticks.

"So, seasons and seasons ago, when I was the RiverClan medicine cat, all the mice disappeared from all the territories..."

She poured mouse bile on the insect.

"All the cats died except the Clan leaders and I!"

She started searching again.

"So then StarClan sent me back..."

Sunpaw wasn't really paying attention anymore as she put down the mouse bile.

"And then the she-hare had four little jackalopes!

"Well, that's the story, then," he mewed. Sunpaw nodded a bit awkwardly, unsure what to say and wondering what a jackalope was.

That night was the Gathering. She and Moonpaw stayed in the den. Fogpaw and Beepaw had been picked to go. The frozen moonlight dripped into the den entrance as the two littermates sat in the back corner together, Forestpaw sleeping not far away.

"I wish I could've gone," meowed Moonpaw. "I had to talk back to Swiftclaw..."

"Oh well," Sunpaw sighed."You'll go next time."

Moonpaw didn't look pleased. Oh, you've never been to a Gathering. That's right. She didn't dare say it aloud to her sister. Moonpaw had curled up in her nest and was fast asleep. Sunpaw shook her head, pushing outside.

"Hey," Falconwing meowed from the den entrance. She jumped in surprise.

"Oh, hi, Falconwing..." she mumbled. The handsome warrior gazed kindly at her. Then he turned and padded off towards the warriors' den. Sunpaw shrugged and nosed her way out of camp. The warriors of StarClan were shining brightly, and the full moon shone down like a pale silver veil on her

"Sunpaw? Why're you still up?"

It was Forestpaw. Her shiny grey tabby coat glowed like white in the moonlight.

"I'm not tired," Sunpaw meowed quietly. "I'm not allowed to go the Gathering."

"Oh, cheer up," Forestpaw murmured with a yawn. "It's just this once."

Sunpaw shrugged and looked up. "StarClan is so large," she meowed in awe. "And Silverpelt is so beautiful."

Forestpaw sat next to her and looked up as well. "I wonder what it's like up there," she mewed pensively. Her tail swayed behind her, the breath trailing from her nostrils turning into frosty vapor.

Sunpaw yawned. "I really should try to sleep," she remarked. "Maybe we should go back to the den. It's pretty cold out here standing in all the snow."

The thick white blanket did chill them. It was ankle deep. But Forestpaw shook all the frosty white particles off of her fur. "I'm actually not all that tired anymore." She shrugged. "It is a bit cold, though."