Warriors: Tigertail's Destiny DISCONTINUED

Chapter 14

Tigerpaw was eating a mouse when Blackstar padded out of his den and jumped onto the Hightree.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the Hightree for a Clan meeting!"

Tigerpaw glanced up, not moving; waiting for Blackstar to continue on.

"A Gathering is tonight. I have chosen the cats who will be coming." Blackstar meowed. Tigerpaw pricked her ears in interest. "Mintclaw, Whitepaw, Leafstem, Ratpaw, Marshfur, Bluepaw, Dawnsky, Darkclaw, Blackpaw, Crimsonfur, Mousewind, and Tigerpaw."

He jumped down from the tree and padded to his den.

Tigerpaw's eyes shone in excitement. She was going to a Gathering! But she wished Shiningpaw and Whitesnow would be with her.

She padded over to Mousewind. "When do we leave?"

"At sundown."

Tigerpaw looked at the sky. The sun was a little past sunhigh. "Okay,"

She padded over to Ashfur. "Hey. Want to go hunting or something?"

He looked up from the sparrow he was eating. "Sure! Just let me finish this."

Tigerpaw nodded and waited. Ashfur took the last bite of his sparrow, stood up and swiped his tongue over his jaws. He padded over to her and waited.

"Let's go!" Tigerpaw meowed.

Ashfur bounded after her out of camp.

They padded through the pines, needles carpeting their paws and making them muffled thumps. The trees were tall and sturdy. Tigerpaw suddenly had an idea. She bounded onto the nearest tree and meowed, "Race you to the top!"

Ashfur looked up and followed her. "You're on!"

They raced up the tree, narrowly ahead of each other. Suddenly, as they neared the top, Tigerpaw screeched. The branch she'd landed on had broken under her weight. As she fell, she scrabbled at the branches with her paws. StarClan save me!

As she neared the ground, she saw Whitesnow appear in front of her, faintly visible; pelt see-through and starry. It's not your time, my dear daughter. Live for many more days. Tigerpaw blinked, her mother vanishing; then she felt a sharp tug on the scruff of her neck and was pulled onto a branch. She looked up to see a relieved Ashfur looking at her.

"Thank StarClan! I thought you were gone for good!" Ashfur mewed.

Tigerpaw nodded, still shocked by her near death experience and her mother appearing to her. "Yeah. Thank StarClan."

Xxxxxx - xxxxxX

At camp Tigerpaw lay in the waning sunlight of that day. She'd told Ashfur to tell nobody, but he'd been worried about her and told Cloudnight. Cloudnight told her to take it easy for the rest of that day, and maybe to not go to The Gathering. At that Tigerpaw had out up a fight and eventually won, but Cloudnight was still worried.

She laid her head on her paws and waited for Blackstar to announce they were leaving. Not too soon after she did this, Blackstar announced it was time to go.

Tigerpaw sat straight up and waited for all the other cats to gather in the clearing. When they were all gathered, Blackstar jumped down and they left.

She raced after the cats, paws pounding the forest floor. She wished Whitesnow and Shiningpaw could've come but Shiningpaw was sick and Whitesnow was dead. Her siblings didn't seem to care. But Tigerpaw obsessed over it and tried not to let anyone notice.

So caught up in her thoughts, she didn't even realize they'd reached the lake until the cats around her slowed. Blackstar motioned for the cats behind him to go first. Mintclaw and his apprentice, Whitepaw went first, Leafstem and Ratpaw following right behind. Marshfur, Bluepaw, and Dawnsky went together, the warriors making sure Bluepaw didn't fall as she was very nervous. Darkclaw and Blackpaw went next, Darkclaw showing Blackpaw how to place his paws on the trunk correctly. And then finally, Crimsonfur, Mousewind, and Tigerpaw.