Warriors: Finding Home

Chapter Twenty-Two

     Three sunrises passed since Sootfur awoke. The day of the gathering. His first one as a warrior! Sootfur had mentioned his nightmare to Ratstar after it happened, and was still awaiting a response. Flowerface had gotten cozier with Sootfur, and he began to share his dreams with her, too. Though she couldn't mention them another soul. The two had become the best of friends. Marshfall didn't seem to mind. Sootfur kept quite about his former clan to his clanmates. He didn't want them to think he was unloyal.
     Still, he worried about his old home. After all, he did have kin there. It wasn't wrong to fret over family, was it? Sootfur hoped not.
     The dawn patrol was just leaving. Sootfur wouldn't be going with them. He was ordered by Ratstar to rest before the journey to the Gathering Rock, but Sootfur didn't want to rest. He wanted to be wide awake and with his clan. So that's what he did, despite daring glances from his leader.
     Now, just before setting out, Sootfur was devouring a fish, freshly caught and still smelling of stone and water. The juicy meat filled Sootfur's stomach, though he still longed for more. Back in MoonClan, it had been a disgrace to eat fish. But now he could eat as much fish as he pleased. It felt great. There was no activity today. All of the clans were preparing for tonight's gathering. But that didn't stop SunClan from doing border patrols. You could never be too careful...
     Ratstar was waiting near the entrance tunnel. Behind him were his deputy and medicine cats. The warriors  attending were: Emberface, Duskfeather, Dovetail, Chestnutheart, Marshfall, Flowerface, and, of course, Sootfur. No apprentices except Nectarpaw. The medicine cat apprentice was required to go. The clan cats set out as the moon began to rise above the trees. They should arrive before it hit it's highest point in the sky. And they did. They were one of the last clans to arrive. The only one missing was MoonClan...
     A sinking feeling weighed Sootfur to the ground. Something definetly happened. His worries furthered when the leaders started the gathering without MoonClan. When Ratstar had finished calling out the names of the new warriors and every at cheered, a yowl sounded from the tip of the hollow. Heads swiveled in the direction of the cat standing on the ledge. It was a gray tom who didn't smell distinctively of any clan. A rogue. Sootfur raised his hackles and his fur stood on end. He was ready to attack when another figure popped out from behind him. And another. And another. Their smell was easy to identify as MoonClan.
     The arriving cats rushed forward. Sootfur spotted Willowpaw and Flashpaw and bounded happily over to them. They seemed troubled.
    "Hey! I got my warrior name! I'm Sootfur now! Did you get yours?" He paused. "Hey. What's wrong?"
    Willowpaw answered in a whisper. "Yes. I am Willowstripe. He's Flashrunner." She hesitated.
    "Sootfur. I have something to tell you. Our fa-" her new was cut off by a menacing voice from stop the gathering rock. A tabby tom stood at the front and Sootfur recognized him almost immediately. Klaus.