Warrior Cats Book 1: A Dark Path- Dusk of the Clans

Chapter 15

A paw jabbing her in the ribs woke Shadowpaw with a start. Swanpaw stood over her, "Wake up!" She meowed, Shadowpaw yawned and rolled over, tired from hunting all day. "Why am I waking up now again?" She yawned, Swanpaw rolled her eyes, "Because the gathering is happening you lump of fur!" Shadowpaw leaped to her paws and laughed, "Then what in the name of StarClan are we doing waiting around!"

Swanpaw laughed and trotted after her, "I wasn't the one sleeping." She meowed teasingly. Shadowpaw let out a mock growl and rocketed into the other apprentice, claws sheathed.

Swanpaw laughed and the two cats rolled around exchanging playful cuffs on the ears, Shadowpaw making sure she didn't give her fighting skill away.

Duskstar's meow made the two apprentices leap to their paws, ears burning with embarrassment, "I can see you two are getting in some valuable practice eh?"

"Yes we are working on the skill of... Erm..." Shadowpaw began, and Swanpaw interrupted, "The skill of me beating Shadowpaw!"

"Yeah!" Shadowpaw meowed, "Wait, no way! You only wish you could beat me." The two she-cats laughed, and the leader did too, "Come on, let's get going or we're going to be late."

Shadowpaw felt excitement burn through her, my first gathering! She thought.

Shadowpaw kept pace with the leader, her twisted paw barely bothering her. Duskstar kept the quick pace as he began talking to his apprentice.

"Remember, we want to find out things about other clans, talk to them, but don't give anything away." He meowed, and Shadowpaw nodded.

Duskstar stopped at the top of the clearing, and Shadowpaw gasped at the sight of so many cats, RiverClan cats where there, mingled with ShadowClan and WindClan too.

Duskstar flicked his tail, and the ThunderClan cats poured down into the clearing, greeting cats from other clans, and finding their place in the crowd.

Shadowpaw found Swanpaw, and the two apprentices caught up with Mintpaw and padded to where a large group of apprentices were.

A dark brown and black tom looked up, his storm gray eyes on Shadowpaw and meowed, "Hello, haven't seen you around here, you a new apprentice?"

Shadowpaw nodded, "Yes, I am." The tom grinned, "No need to be formal with us." Shadowpaw grinned, sitting next to the tom, the smell of marshland told her he was from ShadowClan.

A light and dark brown tom flung a clump of moss at one of the warriors in front of them, then tried to look unsuspicious as the cat whirled around.

The apprentices giggled, and the dark tom meowed, "Well, I am Rotpaw, of ShadowClan, this is Weaselpaw," he pointed his tail at the brown tom, "and this is Spiderpaw of WindClan." He pointed toward a black tom, who silently dipped his head.

Swanpaw stretched, "This is Shadowpaw, and Bumblepaw is over there causing trouble as usual." Swanpaw pointed her tail toward where Shadowpaw's brother was about to put ants onto a warriors pelt.

Shadowpaw looked at Rotpaw, "So how is ShadowClan do-" she was cut off as a large RiverClan tom knocked her aside. Shadowpaw hissed and the tom turned, she recognized Stormpool from the RiverClan camp. "Sorry I didn't know they brought kits to gatherings." He sneered.

Shadowpaw snarled, "I'm not a kit!" He shrugged and muttered, "So touchy for a tiny kitten." Shadowpaw was about to hiss a remark when Rotpaw was standing beside her, his fur bristling, the large young cat was just as big as the warrior, "Leave her be Stormpool." He growled.

Stormpool narrowed his eyes, the fur rising along his spine, but Silverfrost darted in between the two cats, shouldering the RiverClan warrior away, "Your going to break the truce fish-brain."

The two cats walked away, and Rotpaw smoothed his ruffled pelt, the other apprentices were deep in a conversation.

"Umm, thanks." Shadowpaw meowed, then added defensively, "But I so could've handled that mouse-brain." Rotpaw grinned charmingly, "You probably could have turned him inside out."

A loud yowl split the air, and Shadowpaw sat next to Rotpaw, gazing up where the leaders stood. A broad black tom dipped his head to the other cats and stood to speak.

"That's Batstar, he's my leader." Rotpaw meowed to her quietly. Shadowpaw huffed, "Why 'bat' I wonder?" Rotpaw snickered, "Maybe its because he drinks the blood of innocent apprentices."

Shadowpaw laughed and meowed, "Or maybe he shrinks to the size of a bat when he's angry." Rotpaw laughed and joked, "Not as impressive as when I become rot to defend myself."

Shadowpaw laughed, "I bet you'd smell better as rot." A tabby warrior in front of them turned and hissed, "Hush the leaders are speaking!" Shadowpaw grinned at Rotpaw, trying not to laugh as the apprentice mimicked the warrior, making funny faces.

Throughout the rest of the gathering the two cats were hushed often, but were not phased by the older cats words.

When the gathering was over, and the moon was beginning to fall in the sky Shadowpaw meowed farewell to Rotpaw and all the other apprentices, then bounded alongside Bumblepaw and Swanpaw to catch up with the other ThunderClan cats as they left, Mintpaw already disappearing with the crowd.

Swanpaw shouldered Shadowpaw with a mischievous glint in her rurs , "You were awfully close with Rotpaw." Bumblepaw snickered.

Shadowpaw rolled her eyes, "He's just a friend." Bumblepaw grinned at his sister, "Riiight your busy mooning over Foxpaw." Shadowpaw felt her ears grow hot, "I do not moon over him!" Swanpaw shrugged and meowed casually, "Too bad, its clear to every cat that he moons over you."

Shadowpaw scowled and the other toe dropped that conversation, joking around about something else. Shadowpaw remembered the story of Owlstar, who learned certain skills from an owl, then she realized, what if I studied all kinda of animals to learn from them! If I can pull it off it would be a great advantage. Shadowpaw grinned at the thought, these next moons will be full of hard training, but I get the feeling it will be worth it.

(Hey everybody! Sorry these chapters still take a while to type but I hope you enjoyed the chapter! And who do you guys like more Rotpaw, or Foxpaw?)