Omen of the Sun Book One: Secrets in Shadows ✅

Chapter Sixteen

Sunpaw got off of Stonepaw, allowing him to get to his paws. "Great job, Sunpaw!" Skypelt cheered. Whiteswirl nodded, padding over and purring as if she was his own apprentice. "Yes, good job. Stonepaw, your warrior assessment is in half a moon. You better shape up."

Stonepaw growled lowly. Sunpaw shot a quizzical glance at him. Why was the silver-pelted tom suddenly attacking with unsheathed claws and ignoring her? They had gotten on reasonably well before. True, they had never really interacted, but when Stonepaw told her about the training session he had seemed nice enough. Maybe he's just sore that I beat him.

Sunpaw shrugged and flicked her tail. Skypelt looked up at the sky, which was slowly darkening. "Why don't we fish, then go back?"

"Sounds good to me," Whiteswirl meowed while Sunpaw nodded vigorously. "Fine," Stonepaw snapped sullenly. Sunpaw rolled her eyes as they headed to the HollyClan border. Sunpaw waded into the river and swam down a little. I want to be alone while I hunt.

Sunpaw ducked under the water and swam, breathing through her nose under the water, feeling it pass through her lungs. Slowly her energy returned. Finally she flicked her head above water and looked around. Stonepaw, Whiteswirl, and Skypelt'd pale pelts very barely visible. Feeling more confident, she began to dive for fish.

"Who're you?"

Sunpaw snapped her head up out of the water. A ginger, gold, and white she cat stood on the HollyClan side of the border. She was beautiful, with a long, thick tail, and bright jade green eyes. "Who're you?"

The she cat smiled. "I'm Blazepaw, a HollyClan apprentice."

Sunpaw growled, then quickly stopped. Blazepaw was being polite. "I'm Sunpaw, an apprentice of CloudClan."

She felt pride when she said that. She was finally CloudClan. She sniffed the air. She could only smell Blazepaw. "So is it just you?"

Blazepaw shifted her paws. "For now, yes. My mentor and Clanmate are supposed to come soon, but I was hunting and ran off. So yes, I'm alone."

Sunpaw nodded and hopped out of he river, shaking out her pelt. Her catches, a pike, two fish, and a carp, lay on the riverbed beside her. "Well, I'd better get back to my Calnmates. See you!"

"Wait!" Blazepaw called. Sunpaw turned. "Are you going to the Gathering tomorrow?" Blazepaw asked eagerly. Sunpaw shrugged, trying to hide her confusion of what a 'Gathering' was. "I dunno. Maybe."

"Well, bye!" Blazepaw meowed as Sunpaw picked up her fish and began to head away. Sunpaw waved her tail at Blazepaw and hurried off.

What was a Gathering? She decided she would ask Cinderpaw when she got back. She walked along the river until she came to Stonepaw, Skypelt, and Whiteswirl. "Good, your back," Whiteswirl meowed. "Let's go."

Stonepaw was holding three trout, Skypelt six minnows and a pike, and Whiteswirl four fish. Sunpaw dipped her head at Whiteswirl and fell in behind Skypelt as they headed back. "Great job," Skypelt mumbled through her mouthful of fresh kill. Sunpaw smiled. "Thanks." She nearly dropped her prey.

They finally reached the circle of maples and padded into camp. First, they hurried over to the fresh kill pile to drop off their prey; Moonkit and Gingerkit were sitting there, sorting the prey into two piles, forest prey and fish.

Sunpaw dropped her prey on the pile and looked around for Cinderpaw. She was sitting over with Lightningfeather. Goldleaf was sitting off to the side. I suppose Applefoot's off bring annoying, Sunpaw thought mutinously. Well, good riddance, she supposed. She walked over to Goldleaf, a trout in her jaws. "Share?"

"Sure," Goldleaf meowed. Sunpaw sat down and he took a bite of the trout. "So what's this I hear about Applefoot being your mate?" Sunpaw asked. Goldleaf swallowed his mouthful and Sunpaw took a bite too. "Yes," he said once he had swallowed. "We are."

He said it with a certain finality that indicated that the matter was closed. It wasn't for Sunpaw, however. "You remember Moonpaw?"

Goldleaf shut his eyes and flattened his ears to his head. "I don't want to talk about that."

Sunpaw nodded and they continued eating the trout in silence. "So when do you think you'll get your first apprentice?" Sunpaw asked, just to make conversation. "I'm not sure," Goldleaf mewed. "Not for a while. I've only just become a warrior."

Sunpaw nodded. "When do you think you'll have your first assessment?" Goldleaf asked. Sunpaw looked at him quizzically. "How many assessments do we have?"

"A lot," Goldleaf told her, purring in amusement. "Maybe once every half-moon."

Sunpaw nodded and remembered what Blazepaw had been talking about. The mysterious 'Gathering.' "Goldleaf, what's a Gathering?"

"It's a time when all the four Clans meet in peace at a place called Star Trees, where there is a truce and the Clans share news. There is a truce for as long as the moon shines down."

Sunpaw nodded. "So there's one tomorrow?"

Goldleaf nodded. "You'll probably go."

Sunpaw nodded again and took the last bite of trout, then buried the bones. She felt strong laps of a tongue lapping her pelt as she fell asleep.

Ooh... Goldleaf's a CHEATER! Or is he? XD

A GATHERING?! Yay! Thanks everyone for all the supportive comments and votes :) You guys are the best :D

I have to go in a cat today for five and a half hours so I will probably write and update, but knowing Wattpad it probably won't save because I will be on my iPad and won't be able to publish it. Oh well.

Have you noticed something different? I decided to change the chapter names to just "Chapter ___" because I don't want to give anything away ;)

Thanks everyone! See you tomorrow, hopefully :3

~ ✨🐱✨ Rainfeather ✨🐱✨

Thanks everyone!