The Gathering
Where the mane 6 go to their first gathering
Brightpaw stretched her furry limbs and bounced up and down in excitement, she gave herself a quick groom with her tongue. She looked around to see her friends were still sleepy, those silly fillies. They needed to get up, she wanted to learn everything. She padded to Lightpaw and gently prodded her lavender coat.
“You need to wake up, the sun’s already up and you are still sleeping,” She said. She saw Lightpaw’s tail twitch as she sleepily got out of her mossy bed, and stretched her paws.
“Pink- I mean Brightpaw,” Lightpaw corrected herself, “I'm still worried about Spike and Alawishus in the library.”
“It’s okay, we just need to find some way to get home, and we know you've got a plan!”
“But, that’s just it… I don't know how to get back!” Lightpaw wailed, she looked close to tears.
“It’s okay Twi, we didn't mean to put so much pressure,” Brightpaw replied, “Now let’s turn that frown upside down!”
“Well, we better wake up the others” Lightpaw pointed out, they both woke up the rest of their friends. Just then Lionheart appeared at the apprentice’s den entrance.
“Lightpaw, Bluestar wants to meet you to start your training” He called, Lightpaw nodded and followed the warrior out she muttered a quick good bye to her friends and left.
“I wonder what we’re going to learn today!” Brightpaw exclaimed, as she dashed out to the clearing, her friend soon followed her out.
“Brightpaw! You and me are going to train together today!” Graypaw bounded up towards her, he flicked his tail to follow him and they walked towards the sandy clearing. Once they had got there, she saw their mentors waiting patiently for them.
“We’re going to do some battle training” Mousefur said.
“First let’s see what you know, Graypaw attack Brightpaw, claws sheathed” Lionheart ordered.
Graypaw launched himself onto her back, but she was too quick, using her Pinkie sense she knew where he was aiming and easily sidestepped. She kept doing this while slashing her paws, Graypaw slowed down. Suddenly he gave a frustrated growl and lunged for Brightpaw, but she dodged with ease and he landed on bare earth.
“How did you learn to fight like that, it’s like you know what I'm thinking!” Graypaw commented, she saw he was staring at her paws like he was aiming there, but her pinkie sense was telling her he was aiming at her head. He threw himself at his head and jumped out of the way, Graypaw gave another annoyed growl and stalked her, she kept turning around to face him as he tried to circle her looking for a blind spot.
“Enough!” Lionheart said, they both stopped and sat down obediently, “Brightpaw that was some excellent work, you too Graypaw”
“Brightpaw that was great, you have to teach me some of your moves!” Graypaw asked.
“Sometimes a Pinkie needs some secrets” She replied, she tapped the side of her nose with her paw, “But I will show you a few moves! It will be great training together”
They kept battle training until sun-high, Brightpaw kept on winning much to Graypaw's annoyance.
“That’s enough training for one day, why don’t you each get a piece of fresh-kill you deserve it” He dismissed them and they walked back to camp.
“Let’s get something to eat, I’m starving!” Graypaw announced, together they walked towards the fresh-kill pile. Graypaw took a plump mouse while Brightpaw ate a vole. After they had eaten Brightpaw looked for her friends, she looked at the empty clearing, she realised they must all be with their mentors. She felt a little disappointed but pushed it down, as long as they were having fun! That’s all that matters.
Graypaw saw that she looked disappointed and asked “Why don’t we visit the elders den!” Brightpaw nodded and followed him. When they arrived Smallear and Halftail were in a heated argument.
“Of course Tigerclaw had a right to kill Oakheart!” Smallear spat
“The warrior code says to not kill any other cats!” Halftail retorted, when they saw the apprentices come in they stopped but they kept on glaring at each other.
“Welcome, young ones” Dappletail greeted, “Do you want to listen to those two babble” She looked at both toms “or do you want to hear a story”
“I want to hear about Lionclan!” Brightpaw exclaimed excitedly.
“Well, in the old days there were huge cats, Lionclan had golden pelt and a mane of fur that looked like the sun!” Willowpelt explained, Just then Petalpaw walked in, she was carrying a leaf bundle which held a vile smell.
“What is that?” Brightpaw asked, as she shifted away.
“its mouse bile, I need to get rid of the ticks,” Petalpaw explained.
“I’ll come back when you've finished” Graypaw said as he leapt to his paws. “Brightpaw are you coming?”
“Yep!”
As they walked out they watched the sun set in the horizon, “Today is the Gathering!” Graypaw announced excitedly.
“What’s a Gathering?” Brightpaw inquired
“It’s where all four clans meet at the fourtrees!” Graypaw replied, “I better ask Lionheart who’s going, bye Brightpaw!”
“See you later, alligator!”
As she turned around she saw a pale ginger she-cat and a dark brown tabby tom walking together. She mewed a greeting, but they ignored her.
“Hi, how was your day?” She called as she padded up towards them.
“Oh, it’s you, I wonder why Bluestar let a couple of rogues in, Sandpaw!” the tom asked Sandpaw.
“I know Dustpaw, first they let in a kittypet and a bunch of rogues, next will it be a couple of mice!” Sandstorm replied, ignoring her
“Maybe you should ask Bluestar, do you think a mouse would be able to hunt! No, that would be just silly!” Brightpaw giggled, Sandpaw and Dustpaw silently stalked back to their den.
Lightpaw walked back to camp, she was exhausted. Bluestar made her do battle training all day. She was wearied down to the bone, she knew a couple of battle moves, but Bluestar was so fast! Lightpaw barely made a scratch. She saw Graypaw walking towards Lionheart and followed him.
“Who’s going to the Gathering?” Graypaw asked his mentor.
“You'll find out with all the others” Lionheart told him with a playful cuff around the ear, as he walked away.
“What’s a Gathering?” She questioned Firepaw, as he appeared out of the apprentice den.
“A Gathering is where all four clans meet under a full moon truce, which means they cannot fight each other, at the fourtrees” Firepaw explained.
“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Highrock” Bluestar yowled from Highrock. All her clanmates started to gather beneath for a clan meeting. “The cats going to the Gathering are Amberpaw, Brightpaw, Lightpaw, Firepaw, Graypaw, Whitestorm and Lionheart!”
“How come we're not going?” Dustpaw murmured angrily to Sandpaw, “Are we letting kittypets and rouges stand in for our clan”
“We leave at sunset!” Lionheart called, the rest of the cats started to go back to what they were doing, this symbolised the end of the meeting.
“Wow, so this will be your first Gathering, are you excited?” Firepaw asked as he walked up to her.
Brightpaw who was in earshot bounced up to them, “I am so nerver-cited!” she exclaimed. She soon bounced away; Lightpaw saw that Firepaw was looking at Spottedleaf, a look of longing swept over his face. A pang of jealously struck her, did he love her, she decided to push it down and concentrate on what other cats were doing. She realised how deeply she felt for him. She wasn't going to stay forever; soon she would be back in Equestria.
When sunset approached the leaves of the oaks shone with fiery colours the fierce red, pale pink and gentle gold swirled together in a glorious view. She saw a shadow sweep past the sun; the stars were twinkling, while the moon shone mysteriously in the cold night sky. Figures of starlight crept towards her, their heads up high; they stood with some unmistakable aura of nobility. They left no marks on the moonlit earth, their paws barely touching the ground as they came forward.
“Lightpaw a great terror is coming, you must prepare your friends and protect the clans” A starry warrior told her, she felt a cold wind, enough to chill her to the bone.
“What is the threat? How do I stop it?” Lightpaw wailed into the relentless breeze.
“You will know in time” Came the soft spoken answer, she could barely hear it.
“Lightpaw” Came a voice in the distance, “Lightpaw!” it was growing louder “Twilight!” Lightpaw blinked her eyes, all her friends were staring at her with worried expressions.
“You're okay!” Snowpaw let out a sigh of relief.
“Don't scare us like that sugar cube!” Amberpaw said, “You were wailing your head off when you fell asleep”
“Really?”
“Yep,youwereyouwerealllikeWHATDOIDO! Thentherewasthisbigwhooshandyoustartedtocry” Brightpaw exclaimed, she said all this in one breathe, Lightpaw looked a Brightpaw in amazement. How does she do it?
"Come on! Bluestar is leaving for the Gathering!" Swiftpaw told them with an impatient flick of her tail. They all crawled out of the den, sur enough Bluestar walked out of her den and joined Lionheart at the other side of the clearing.
"There you are! Lionheart told us to find you," Firepaw said, Graypaw walked up to Firepaw's side.
"We're about to leave, come on" Graypaw added, Lightpaw and her friends raced after the grey apprentice.
Once they were all there, Bluestar set off, they followed her at her brisk place, they walked through the trees and to a steep-sided clearing and in the center was a large rock with jagged edges. Lightpaw lifted her nose and smelt Riverclan and Shadowclan.
"Aren't there supposed to be four clans?" Lightpaw asked Lionheart.
"Yes there should be" he answered, she saw that he was a surprised as she was. When she looked around she saw loads of cats, they were a blur of different shades of their pelts mingled together as they talked among each other. She saw Bluestar leap on to the large rock, which two other cats were already on. her friends went off in different directions, Petalpaw followed Spottedleaf to a small group of medicine cats she presumed. Brightpaw walked straight into a group of other apprentices closely followed by Swiftpaw and Snowpaw. Amberpaw was the only one who hung back but she was staring at the crowd in hard concentration as if she was searching for something. Her eyes stopped as she saw the Riverclan apprentice the one who had attacked them on the border patrol. She couldn't possibly like him, right?
Amberpaw slid through the crowd and saw the brown tom, he had seen her as well, he flicked his tail for her to come forward.
"Hi" Amberpaw said, as she sat down beside him.
"Was your patrol hurt, my clan can battle quite well," he replied, smugly.
"Well we did win the battle, don't forget!" Amberpaw pointed out, "I still don't know your name"
"It's Hawkpaw"
"Well are you sure you're not a bird" Amberpaw teased, she flicked her tail on his muzzle.
"I'm sure, I am a cat" Hawkpaw replied, he gently bumped his head onto her pelt.
"Look the Gathering is starting!" A dappled she-cat said, she gave Amberpaw a look of resentment and sat close to Hawkpaw.
"That's just Puddlepaw, she's not usually this grumpy!" Hawkpaw explained, Amberpaw just nodded, burt she still felt Puddlepaw's glare through her pelt.
"Cat's of all clans, we start the gathering underneath the full moon" Shadowclan's leader yowled
"We need to wait for Windclan" A Riverclan cat pointed out
"Windclan isn't coming" Shadowclan's leader replied, calmly
"Why?" Another cat called.
"Because they have left the territory" Shadowclan's leader hissed
Shocked mumers went throughout the clan, Windclan left?