Turtlestar's Destiny: Book 1

~Chapter 12: The First Gathering~

~Chapter 12: The First Gathering~

Turtlepaw stared at the crossing log in front of her. Larkstar and a few others had already passed, now it was her turn. Hollowstep nudged her. "Come on. You'll get used to it. Just be careful. It's slippery." He whispered in her ear. She took a deep breath and jumped on top of the log, digging her claws into the slightly rotting wood. She dare not look at the rushing river below, so she kept her head high while she made the terrifying journey. Falcon paw followed her easily, landing next to her. They stared into the undergrowth ahead of them, and Hollowstep gave them a nudge. They grinned at each other and burst though it.

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A waft of familiar but mostly unfamiliar scents hit her nose. Turtlepaw paused for a moment to breath them in, then followed Falconpaw to mingle with the other clan cats. Riverclan and Thunderclan were already present. Turtlepaw noticed that Thunderclan and Windclan stayed away from eachother, every so often casting glares. "That's my fault." she thought guiltily, sighing. She brightened when a young Riverclan she-cat about her age approached her. "Hi there!" the chestnut brown she-cat greeted her from afar. Turtlepaw simply smiled and dipped her head shyly. She had never met or even seen a Riverclan cat before. "I'm Squirrelpaw!" The she-cat introduced herself, reaching Turtlepaw. "I'm Turtlepaw." Turtlepaw replied, "Nice to meet you." The cat smelled strongly of fish, but Turtlepaw didn't mind. She was just glad to make another friend. Squirrelpaw looked up at the stars. "Beautiful evening." she breathed, plopping herself down next to Turtlepaw. Turtlepaw smiled at the she-cat's cherry attitude and nodded, looking up too. The moon shined, seemingly shining down directly at the two.

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Suddenly, something bumped Turtlepaw's shoulder, shattering the peace. She turned to face a white tom with cold ice blue eyes. She realized it was one of the Thunderclan apprentices in the border drama. "Watch it!" he snarled at her. He turned to leave, but Turtlepaw would not get pushed around by this cat another time. "You watch it!" she yelled back at him, standing up with her hackles raised. The tom whipped around to face her. "Watch your back. Thunderclan isn't afraid to attack you weaklings." he spat at her, turning again and stomping away. She snorted, but was satisfied with herself for driving him off. Squirrelpaw stared coldly after him. "That was Icepaw." she sniffed, "You're wasting your breath. Thunderclan cats think they're better than everybody." Turtlepaw chuckled, sitting down again. She was glad they agreed on something.

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Soon enough, Shadowclan arrived. "Sorry were late." Turtlepaw heard Quailstar, their leader, grumble as she joined the three other leaders on the big oak. They dipped their heads to her, then turned to look down at the clan cats. "I'll start." Larkstar spoke up, stepping forward. Turtlepaw looked at her in admiration, wondering if she could ever summon that bravery. "Prey is plentiful for this tone of season, we have three new apprentices, Turtlepaw, Falconpaw, and Otterpaw." She paused as the clans chanted their names. Turtlepaw and Falconpaw puffed out their chest, both if their eyes shining. "However, we do have unfortunately news." Latkstar continued once the cats had quieted. "A fox crossed out border line, and attacked out camp. Out warriors defended is bravely though, and we lost nobody. There were also traces if Thunderclan scent in out side of the border." Larkstar glanced at Volestar, who glared at her. "That is all." she mewed, stepping back. The cats muttered to themselves, casting uneasy glances at Thunderclan. "That is all very well Larkstar, but us too have received reports of Windclan crossing out border line." Volestar announced, stepping forward and casting a glare at Larkstar, who looked away. "I hate to admit it, but prey is running low. Thunderclan cannot feed off of our territory for the rest of leaf are. We will need more territory, and we will fight for it." He dipped his head and backed away. All the clans except Thunderclan yowled in outrage.

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Reedstar stepped forward, holding up his tail and silencing the cats right away. "Riverclan is well. We have as much prey as the next clan. We have two new warriors, Riverclaw and Toadfoot. They will defend our clan along with the rest of my warriors, against any enemy." He glared at Volestar, who frowned. "That is all." The clans chanted the warriors' names, all except Thunderclan. Quailstar stepped up. "Shadowclan is well. We too had fox problems, but took care of it easily. That is all I wish to say." She stepped back, frowning. Her clan grumbled a bit, but quieted soon. Turtlepaw flinched as she noticed clouds drifting over the bright moon. Larkstar noticed this too. "Gathering dismissed." She yowled, jumping down to join her clan. "Bye." Turtlepaw whispered to Squirrelpaw as they departed.

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