#softfoot

Softfoot! an excessively overdue trade with @nmirah. I can’t apologize enough for how long this took.

Learning to be happy is a gift that comes with age.

My favourite lines from my fic Softfoot’s Flood, sketched out in a cruddy lil’ comic, with Softpaw and his dear old mentor Birchtail. It includes a lesson that is important and dear to me, and is what I hope the theme of the book will be. The whole scene under the cut

Softpaw opened his eyes slowly to a dark and quiet den, Brightpaw curled up warmly beside him. She hadn't left her nest since he'd found her there before, and now she was taking slow breaths, deep in sleep. Softpaw blinked and looked around. Something had woken him, but he wasn't yet sure what. He noticed with a start that two nests were empty, and watched with wide, curious eyes as a grey tail disappeared from the cave entrance, the ivy and ferns slipping silently back into place.

           Softpaw stood and crept past Snowpaw on quiet paws, heading through the entrance, catching Stonepaw and Lilypaw by the camp’s tunnel entrance. He crept past the ivy, dislodging gently a vine that tugged at his fur. With a quick glance around the camp, his ears flicking for sounds of movement, Softpaw drew himself out of the darkness and pelted across the camp and through the tunnel, chasing his friends' shadows.

           "Hey!" He heard a whisper from the bushes as he emerged from the camp, skirting the dirtplace. He saw blue eyes glowing from behind a bush and Stonepaw slunk out, trembling with excitement. Softpaw purred and stepped closer to him, ducking behind a leafy bush to muffle their voices and hid their fur.

           "Did anyone see you?" Stonepaw asked. Softpaw shook his head, blinking curiously. Lilypaw leapt out after her brother and stared, her eyes slightly suspicious but not unkind.

           "Where are you going?" Softpaw asked, looking around and cautiously keeping his voice low. Lilypaw looked at him with glittering eyes, her whiskers twitched enthusiastically.

           "Stonepaw and I were going to check out that old dead tree Mistywillow mentioned." She whispered. Stonepaw gave a little bounce of excitement, shooting Softpaw a friendly look.

           "Wanna come?" He asked eagerly. "It'll be fun.” Softpaw didn't hesitate; he nodded and followed them into the forest, his heart racing excitedly. He knew that if they got caught out of camp by a late patrol they would get in trouble, but he couldn't resist the curiosity and excitement of going on a night exploration in the forest. He pricked his ears as he followed his friends, listening for any warriors that might be out for a night stroll. Stonepaw fell into step beside him with a purr.

           "Lilypaw really wants to see this tree." He mewed quietly. "It sounded like a lot of fun."

           Softpaw nodded eagerly. "Yeah, this is so exciting! I've never been out of camp by myself this late before," He added, watching Stonepaw's eyes light up with enthusiasm.

           "Well, my friend, looks like you followed the right trouble-makers!" He purred, whiskers twitching in amusement. Lilypaw fell back to walk beside them.

           "Yeah, Stonepaw and I have been going out since we were apprenticed!" She added. "It's a lot of fun! There are a ton of things you can only see at night."

           Before she could elaborate, a gust of wind told them that they had made it to the river. They plodded along the edge until the earth began to slope up away from the river, creating the beginning of Large Mouth Gorge. The scents of HawkClan wafted from the border, and Softpaw curled his nose.

           "Hey, I think that's it!" Lilypaw hissed. Sure enough, a tall dead tree stuck out near the side of the gorge, it's roots sticking out of the dirt like grasping talons. It's branches leaned over the cliff, reaching for the other side of the river. Softpaw shivered, sniffing the air hopefully, but there were no scents of squirrel.

           "Well, it looks like Mistywillow was wrong." Stonepaw shrugged. "I can't pick up any trace of a squirrel. But this tree is so cool! I bet you could see forever up there!" He looked out at the clear view of the waterfall, roaring dully in the distance. Lilypaw gave a massive leap and clawed her way up the trunk and onto a branch that hung precariously over the gorge. Softpaw trembled slightly, but shook off his fear. Lilypaw was an excellent climber, after all, and she was also smart enough not to do anything stupid up in a tree.

           Stonepaw climbed up after his sister, and Softpaw followed. Lilypaw gripped her branch, her eyes wide with wonder. Softpaw sat close to Stonepaw on the same branch, looking down at the water with wary thoughts. His grey friend nudged him.

           "Look." he murmured, pointing his tail. Softpaw's eyes widened and he let out a soft gasp. The river below them glittered, and the moon cast a radiant silver light down on ThistleClan territory and the jagged mountains beyond, sticking up like thorns on the horizon. Silverpelt above them was magnificent, the stars of every warrior who had been shining brightly, as if they were smiling down at the curious apprentices. The waterfall in the distance picked up the light and cascaded down in a silver waterfall, sending droplets of water sparkling like stars as they fell.

           "Wow." Softpaw murmured. Stonepaw let out a purr, and Lilypaw looked at them, trembling in excitement, her silver tabby fur puffed up and her yellow eyes wide with joy and amazement.

           "It's incredible!" She meowed. She wiggled and stood, the branch solid beneath her. She leaped over to a higher branch, laughing gleefully. The tree shuddered dryly, the dead branches moving stiffly as she climbed. Stonepaw let out a laugh and followed his sister.

           "Softpaw, come on!" Lilypaw meowed, her pale eyes watching him through the branches. "The view is better the higher you go!"

           Softpaw wiggled his haunches and leapt after his two friends, his claws digging easily into the rotting, dry bark. He laughed as he followed the two silver cats, their fur glimmering in the moonlight, the shadows of the branches dark and black, shedding stripes like tigers across their fur. A small gust of wind blew through the tree and Softpaw breathed in the cool, night air. He let out a huff as Lilypaw landed on the branch in front of him, falling from a higher branch gracefully.

           "Race you to the top!" She mewed, her tail waving happily, her balance easy. Softpaw gripped the branch and nodded.

           "You're on!" He mewed, and bunched his muscles, ready to jump.

           "What are you doing?" A sharp voice broke into their fun from the ground. Softpaw poked his head down, and saw his sister Brightpaw standing at the foot of the three, her tail arched angrily over her back and her golden eyes flashing.

           "Just having some fun. You should join us!" The voice of Stonepaw rang out from higher up in the tree. Brightpaw narrowed her eyes and lashed her tail.

           "No, I won't!" She snarled. Softpaw crouched down guiltily. He knew his sister well enough to know that her anger was fueled by worry, but Lilypaw's fur bristled beside him.

           "Well sorry we even asked, then." Lilypaw spat.

           "It's dangerous and irresponsible!" Brightpaw called back, her claws glinting in the moonlight as she dug them into the ground. "Come down here now!"

           "Or what?"

           "Or I'll wake the whole camp so they can see you all here acting like kits!" Lilypaw and Brightpaw glared at each other, the previously calm air filling with sparking tension.

           Softpaw looked up at Stonepaw nervously, and saw that he was lowering himself to the ground. Softpaw nodded and began to do the same, but Lilypaw stubbornly gripped the branch even tighter.

           When Softpaw reached the ground, Brightpaw turned on him, her eyes burning with anger and worry.

           "I expected this from them, but never from you! What were you thinking?" She hissed at him. Softpaw narrowed his eyes at her with a frown.

           "Hey now, we were just having some fun." Stonepaw mewed, dropping down beside Softpaw. His blue eyes were cold from her direct insult, but his voice was steady and kind.

           "How could you!" Brightpaw went on, ignoring Stonepaw. "Don't you think the clan has bigger things to worry about than apprentices going off and killing themselves in the middle of the night?"

           "That's unfair." Softpaw meowed. "Climbing a tree isn't exactly the most risky thing we could have done.

           "But Cedarblaze specifically told us not to go near here." Brightpaw meowed, losing her fire. Her tail drooped. "You didn't even tell me where you went," she murmured, gazing at her brother with hurt swimming in her eyes. "I woke up and you were all gone. I thought we told each other everything." Softpaw shuffled his paws in the dirt, fighting for something to say.

           Lilypaw dropped from the tree, landing with a dull thud on her paws, her fur puffed and her tail lashing. She glared at Brightpaw in frustration, disappointed to have such a fun night ruined.

           "Well you don't have to worry." Lilypaw snarled. "We won't be telling you anything after tonight." She turned and stomped off into the trees. Stonepaw padded after her, shooting a glance in Softpaw's direction.

           Softpaw opened his mouth to speak to his sister, but she was already stalking off into the trees. He trusted her not to say anything, and while he figured he should follow her, her insults still stung and he found his paws moving after Lilypaw and Stonepaw.

           He found them sitting in a small forest clearing, speaking in low tones. They looked up at him as he padded forwards.

           "Sorry about her," he murmured. "She was just worried."

           "That's a load of badger droppings." Lilypaw hissed, her eyes brimming with fury. "You heard what she said about us. She thinks we're some kind of mess ups!"

           Stonepaw touched his tail to his sister's flank. "I'm sure she regrets what she said tonight." He meowed sadly.

           "Whatever. I don't care." Lilypaw sniffed, turning away. Stonepaw shared a glance with Softpaw, both unsure what to say. Brightpaw and Lilypaw never really got along, but it was a shock to hear how mean the two she-cats could be.

           "Well, we'd better get back to camp," Softpaw meowed. "After we do a bit of hunting, of course!" He forced his voice to sound bright. Stonepaw nodded gratefully, and nudged his sister.

           "Come on, the night's still young." He stood and shook his pelt. "They can't get mad at us if we bring back some fresh-kill."

Softpaw stifled a yawn, the glow of sunshine leaking into the forest below and weakly warming his fur. He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the warmth on his orange and white fur and the soft feeling of the grass and ferns beneath his paws. Around him, the green  foliage was alive with the sounds of bird song and the small scuffling of prey. He padded beside Stonepaw while Lilypaw and Brightpaw trailed closely behind. He stared at Goldenrise's bushy tail, high in the air and dragging across low-trailing ivy fronds.

           "A great day for hunting!" He commented loudly, nudging Cedarblaze beside him. The orange tom snorted, shaking dew drops from his paws.

           "How do you have so much energy?" He growled, "We were both on the moonhigh patrol last night."

           "It's green-leaf! I like to enjoy the warmth while I can!" He bellowed good-naturedly, before trotting ahead enthusiastically, leaving Cedarblaze to roll his eyes towards the apprentices, whiskers twitching in amusement before leading the patrol onwards, following the trail left by the large warrior.

           "I bet Goldenrise is happy for another reason!" Stonepaw hissed in Softpaw's ear.

           "What's that?" Softpaw asked, tilting his head in confusion.

           "Blackwing, of course! She's so close to having their kits!" Stonepaw meowed, his eyes bright with amusement.

           Kits! Softpaw thought, his heart brightening. He had been out of the nursery for over a moon now, and he'd barely noticed the kit-heavy she-cat walking around camp. His eyes glowed with joy, watching Goldenrise with a new respect.

           Mistywillow, the youngest warrior, trotted up from the back of the patrol to flank Cedarblaze with a waving tail.

           "I heard Duskfall mentioning that the old tree by the gorge has a nest of squirrels in it! Can we go look there?" She asked Cedarblaze, her yellow eyes bright with curiosity. "Can we hunt there today?"

           "No." Cedarblaze grumbled. "That tree is too dangerous. And don't listen to Duskfall, she's an idiot." He flicked his ears as if to dismiss her, but Mistywillow just blinked, her grey head tilted.

           "Well, sure it overlooks the river, but it can't be that dangerous. Come on, please?" She begged. Cedarblaze stopped and glared at her.

           "That tree is dead," he snapped. "It has fragile roots and breaking branches. Squirrels might be light enough to climb up on it, but we sure aren't. We are going to hunt by Tadpole Pond, like Goldenrise suggested." He flicked his tail and stalked ahead, leaving Mistywillow to glare after him., muttering under her breath.

           Lilypaw pushed up to the boys. "A dead tree! That sounds cool!" She whispered. Brightpaw pushed up beside them, frowning.

           "No, not cool." She meowed. "Dangerous. You heard what Cedarblaze said."

           "That cat is all talk." Lilypaw sniffed. "He just worries too much."

           "Cedarblaze, worry? I think he just likes to boss us around." Softpaw snorted. Stonepaw nudged him with a paw.

           "Don't forget he's our fathers brother!" He hissed in amusement. Softpaw nudged him back.

           "He's an old fur-ball!" Softpaw laughed. Stonepaw reared back, faking his hurt, and leapt on top of Softpaw, pushing him into the ferns. Softpaw squealed and rolled with him, practising out his new battle moves with soft paws, Stonepaw returning his blows cheerfully.

           They rolled through the bushes, flattening a clump of bracken. Softpaw huffed, his breath knocked out of his lungs as Stonepaw managed to pin him, a look of triumph spreading across his face.

           "Pinned you!" He teased, backing off to let his friend get up. Softpaw laughed, rolling onto his side to catch his breath.

           "Whatever." He rolled his eyes dramatically. "I would beat you in a real fight anyways."

           "Would not!" Stonepaw laughed. "You weigh as much as a squirrel!"

           "And you weigh as much as a mouse!" Softpaw retorted. Stonepaw flashed him a mischievous look and crouched down, his haunches wiggling as he prepared to pounce. Softpaw got to his paws and ran, Stonepaw chasing after him. He laughed, turning and rearing up, catching his friend off guard and pouncing on him, this time successfully pinning him on top of a clump of ferns.

           "Hey!" the two apprentices stopped, panting, as they heard a sharp call. Cedarblaze and Goldenrise padded out of the bushes, Cedarblaze stiff-legged with anger. Brightpaw and Lilypaw flashed them a look from the bushes before backing away to hunt without getting chewed out by the furious warrior.

           "What were you two doing?" the red tom spat. "We are supposed to be hunting, not scaring away all the prey!"

           "Oh come on," Goldenrise meowed, his whiskers twitching in amusement. "They weren't doing any harm."

           Cedarblaze glared at him, then turned his anger back to the apprentices. "You two. Hunt. Now." He hissed. Softpaw looked at Stonepaw a bit guiltily, but the grey apprentice just laughed and got to his paws.

           "Cedarblaze is such a grump. That was fun!" He murmured after watching the two warriors pad off to find some prey. He puffed out his fur, his dark blue eyes shining enthusiastically. "We'd better get to hunting," he added with a tilt of his head. After a brief moment's thought, the two apprentices crept through the undergrowth, tasting the air with open mouths.

           A couple of heartbeats passed, and Stonepaw stopped Softpaw with a flick of his tail, angling his ears towards the holly bush in front of them. Softpaw scented the air and detected vole just as a scuffling sound reached his ears. Sure enough, a brown water vole popped out of the bushes, oblivious to the two cats. Stonepaw, his fur darker and better camouflaged, made his way around the bushes, his paws treading lightly on the forest floor. Softpaw crouched down close to the ground, his claws unsheathed and his tail trembling in excitement. In a swift movement, Stonepaw leaped out behind the vole, shocking it. It fled, heading straight into Softpaw's claws. With a quick bite, Softpaw picked up the limp body with a purr.

           "Awesome!" Stonepaw meowed, his eyes wide. "I've always wanted to try that."

           Softpaw scraped earth and leaf mould onto the fresh-kill. "I know!" He purred again. "Let's see if we can do it again."

           The two apprentices hunted until the sun began to dip in the sky, sending hot beams of orange light and long shadows down into the forest below. They padded back to camp with the five others in their patrol, all of them carrying prey that amassed into a full fresh-kill pile. Pinefire purred at them as they dropped their loads.

           "Good job! The Clan will feast tonight!" He looked down at his two kits with glowing eyes. "I was right to send out such a large patrol." He meowed after a moment. Before he turned away, he touched both Stonepaw and Lilypaw lightly with his tail. They watched their father walk off to speak with Brackenstar, who was laying in the sun atop the Sky Rock, overlooking his clan with prideful eyes.

           Lilypaw looked at Softpaw, excitement flaring in her eyes. "Pinefire is so cool." She mewed brightly, flicking her tail in the direction of the red tom. "Someday I hope I can be deputy!" She gave a little wiggle and unsheathed her claws, putting on a dramatic face, her yellow eyes flashing. "Following my leader with noble strides, respected by my warriors. HawkClan will fear the very mention of my name!"

           Stonepaw snorted, shoving his sister. "I doubt anyone could fear you!" He meowed, but his eyes were shining. "Someday you'll make a great warrior." He said sincerely. Lilypaw shoved him back, her eyes sparkling back.

           Lilypaw shook off his praise and grabbed a mouse from inside the fresh-kill cave. "Come on! We'd better feed the elders so we can eat!" She padded off towards the elders den, her tail high in the air. Stonepaw picked up the vole Softpaw and he caught and raced after her.

           "We should feed the queens." Brightpaw meowed. Softpaw jumped, almost forgetting she was there. She was unusually quiet, and her eyes were cold.

           "You okay?" He asked, peering at his sister worriedly. She tossed her head and sniffed.

           "I'm fine." She muttered, picking up a sparrow and stalking off. Softpaw watched her go with a shrug, picking up two mice by their tails and trailing after her.

           He pushed his way past the wild rose bush and trailing ivy that protected the nursery den, the thorns tugging satisfyingly at his fur, sharp enough for him to feel it but not enough to hurt. The milky scent of the nursery wafted past the scent of roses and he purred softly at the warm memories of his kithood. His eyes adjusted to the gloom and he shuffled across the mossy floor over to where Brindlespot and Dawnfur shared tongues. Their kits, almost old enough to be apprenticed themselves, tumbled off in the corner of the cave, playing some game of tag that Softpaw was unfamiliar with. Brightpaw slipped out beside him without a word, dropping the sparrow off by Blackwing who, heavy with the kits she would soon bear, lay on her side and purred drowsily at him.

           "Thank you two for the fresh-kill," the long legged she-cat mewed, shifting her position and heaving herself upright. "It smells wonderful!"

           Brindlespot gave a yawn and stood, taking the mice from Softpaw with kind eyes. Dawnfur purred as one of the mice was dropped at her paws. "Green-leaf is treating us well." She purred. She looked over at the kits, who mewed excitedly as they spotted the fresh-kill, tumbling over.

           "No no!" Brindlespot scolded as Spottedkit, a calico like her mother, went in for a bite. "You four are old enough to fetch your own fresh-kill!"

           Fawnkit, with her unusual spotted and white coat, fluffed up her fur excitedly and prodded her sister. "Let's go! I'll race you there!" She mewed, darting off. Spottedkit squealed and dashed after her, closely followed by the other two she-kits, squeaking excitedly.

          "Finally, some quiet." Dawnfur purred. She looked over at Softpaw. "Go get yourself some fresh-kill, darling, we're fine here." She tucked her paws in and began to take neat bites of her mouse. Softpaw nodded and scuffled backwards through the opening, shaking moss bits from his fur as he emerged. The four kits were busily sharing a vole, making a mess of the grass under them. Softpaw purred in amusement and padded over to Lilypaw and Stonepaw.

           "Have you seen Brightpaw?" He asked. Lilypaw snorted and looked away while Stonepaw shrugged.

           "She said she was tired. She's in the den." He meowed. Softpaw looked over at Lilypaw, who was digging into her meal without meeting his gaze. Softpaw suddenly had the feeling that she and his sister had been bickering.

           "I'll go check on her." He meowed, ducking into their den.

           "Okay. Come and join us after, I got you a blackbird!" Stonepaw called after him, the ivy that shifted behind Softpaw muffling his friend's voice. He spotted his sister in her nest, her tabby and white fur curled in a ball, pretending to be asleep. He sighed and picked his way across to her.

           "Don't you want something to eat?" He murmured, nudging his sister gently. She snorted and curled up tighter. Softpaw frowned, slightly hurt. When they were kits they never kept any part of their life secret, and when they argued with others, even Stonepaw and Lilypaw when they were kits, they spoke freely about it. He gave a sigh and turned away, his heart stinging with the realization of how fast they were growing. Their kithood seemed seasons long gone now.

The moon hung bright and round, shining at its fullest. The sky behind it was black, the faces of ancient warriors peeking out as glittering white stars, smiling down upon the valley. Softpaw trembled, his paws scuffing in the dirt excitedly. The clan was gathered in the clearing around the small pool in the center of the camp, waiting for Brackenstar's order to leave for the gathering. Brightpaw wiggled beside him, excitement making her amber eyes glow.

           It would be the two apprentices first Gathering. They had been training for almost a moon now, but nothing was more exciting than this to them. The Gathering was where cats from all clans joined together under the truce of the full moon, sharing tongues and passing news from clan to clan. It reminded them all that four clans ruled the mountainsides. Stonepaw and Lilypaw padded up to join them, chosen as well to go to the gathering. This would be their second one, and they looked at the barely younger apprentices in amusement.

           "Ready for it?' Lilypaw asked, her pale yellow eyes shining. Brightpaw nodded, her face calm, while Softpaw jumped to his paws, tail waving excitedly behind him.

           "I am! You'll have to point out some of the other apprentices to me. I want to meet as many as I can!"

           Stonepaw blinked happily. "Sure! Be warned, though, the tree-bridge is definitely slippery, and there are many more cats than you first expect." He dipped his head. "I was scared when I first got there."

           Lilypaw rolled her eyes." You hid behind me the whole time and barely spoke a word!"

           The dark grey cat ducked his head as Lilypaw tried to cuff his ear. "No fair, you were scared too!" Lilypaw aimed another soft swipe at his flank and caught him, sending the two into a rolling scuffle, sending puffs of dry dirt and stray pieces of grass flying as they tumbled.

           "Enough!" The two young cats froze at the deep, commanding voice of the deputy Pinefire, who looked down at them with stern eyes, though Softpaw could clearly see the amusement glittering in their amber depths.

           "I don't want the other clans to see my kits arrive all dirty! They would think ValleyClan doesn't teach their apprentices to wash!" He scolded them. The two cats ducked their heads, but Softpaw saw that their eyes were still laughing, twinkling with mischief.

           "Sorry, Pinefire," Lilypaw mumbled, glancing up at her father. "We were just playing."

           Pinefire sighed, shaking his head. "Honestly, you behave more like kits now then you ever did in the nursery."

           "Come one, that's not fair!" A purr sounded as a dove-grey cat padded up, her blue eyes warm as she gazed at her daughter. "You were worse than they were, when you were an apprentice. You and Cedarblaze got into so much trouble!"

           The deputy nuzzled her briefly. "They don't need to get any bright ideas from our example!" he murmured, his gaze flickering across the four apprentices. "ValleyClan is grateful and proud that we have so many kits and fine young apprentices this green-leaf."

           Their conversation was cut off by a loud meow from Brackenstar, whose massive dark tabby form turned and led the way through the camp tunnel. Softpaw stood, his joints stiff from sitting still for so long and his body tense with nerves. The two warriors glanced at them encouragingly before hurrying up to join the head of the patrol.

           "This is it." Brightpaw whispered, pressing her muzzle into Softpaw's ear. He nodded, swallowing as they made their way through the tunnel and into the forest beyond.

           The ValleyClan cats bounded through their territory in confident strides, sweeping through the undergrowth with graceful steps. Softpaw gasped as they broke through the line of bushes and stared out over the river, the moon shining brightly overhead. He could smell HawkClan scent; they had passed by already. Across the river he could make out the small dark shapes of ThistleClan. He wiggled his bottom in excitement and turned, joining his sister, Lilypaw and Stonepaw.

           "I'm so excited!" He mewed, his voice coming out as a squeak. "Do you think Brackenstar will say our names out to all the clans?"

           "Of course!" Stonepaw mewed, his blue eyes bright. "He did for us!" Lilypaw nodded over his shoulder.

           The clan patrol stopped, standing in front of the tree-bridge. Brackenstar flicked his tail and leapt up, Pinefire following him closely. The cats filed one-by-one onto the island. Softpaw swallowed nervously, and Birchtail fell back to walk beside him.

           "It's a bit wobbly at first, but if you dig your claws in you'll make it across without any problems." He advised. "Here we go!"

           Softpaw hesitated a moment before leaping up onto the slick wood. He dug his claws in as he felt himself slipping sideways and picked his way across the bridge slowly, tensing as the log gave a shudder when his sister leapt up to follow him. He landed on the other side with a relieved sigh, touching noses with Brightpaw as she joined him, her legs trembling.

           Lilypaw and Stonepaw were waiting there for them, and greeted them with loud purrs.

           "Great job! You never slipped once!" Lilypaw gasped. "I almost got an unwanted bath when I first went across."

           Stonepaw let out a mrrow of amusement. "The look on your face was amazing! C'mon, we'll introduce you to some of the other apprentices."

           He led them into the clearing. It was smaller in the moonlight, and crowded with cats. The pile of stones at the far end of the clearing held all four leaders; the medicine cats and deputies sitting and chatting at the bottom. ValleyClan was the last to arrive, and Softpaw heard Brightpaw gasp at the number of cats.

           "It takes a while to get used to." Stonepaw mewed. "Oh! I see Cloudpaw from HawkClan!" He mewed brightly, waving his tail to a large, furry tom.

           "He's an apprentice?" Softpaw gasped. "He's huge!"

           Lilypaw giggled. "Oh, all HawkClan cats are large! Have you seen Sunstar yet?" She asked, before joining her brother and Cloudpaw. Both Softpaw and Brightpaw looked over to the Rock Pile, gasping as they spotted the massive tom perched there, speaking to the old AshClan leader Hollowstar, who looked like a young apprentice in comparison. The golden tom's odd coloured eyes flicked unsettlingly in the moonlight, and Softpaw felt a shiver run down his back as he glanced at the golden leader's giant paws, both armed with an extra claw. Sunstar was not a cat he wanted to meet in battle!

           "Softpaw, stop staring and come over!" Brightpaw teased, joining the others. Softpaw purred and followed her, meeting up with the throng of apprentices that had amassed when he was lost in thought.

           "This is Softpaw and Brightpaw." Stonepaw was saying. "They became apprentices almost a moon ago." Brightpaw dipped her head respectfully, while Softpaw merely waved his tail. Stonepaw was sitting next to the white apprentice from before, who had happy eyes and silver patches on his back.

           "This is Cloudpaw," Lilypaw motioned to the white apprentice again, "And Heatherpaw, Poppypaw and Sorrelpaw." She motioned to the other three she-cats, two grey tabby's and one tortoiseshell. Heatherpaw dipped her head kindly, while Poppypaw and Sorrelpaw lashed their tails in excitement.

           "Where's Snowpaw?" Heatherpaw asked.

           "Couldn't make it this time. She wasn't chosen." Lilypaw answered.

           "Nice to meet you!" Poppypaw mewed, padding up to Softpaw. "We share a border!"

           Softpaw nodded, noticing her AshClan scent right away. Who could miss that stinky, ashy smell, he thought, his whiskers twitching.

           "How were your first few days of training?" Cloudpaw asked, his eyes reminding Softpaw of the pine trees that covered his territory.

           "Awesome!" Softpaw meowed. "Brightpaw and I caught a huge squirrel yesterday. It was bigger than both our heads combined!"

           "Impressive," Heatherpaw tipped her head to the side. "If you like squirrels. I think they have too much fur." She ran a pink tongue over her lips.

           "Hey, Cloudpaw, tell them that story about the wolves!" Stonepaw meowed, pushing his friend's shoulder with a paw. "Brightpaw didn't believe me!"

           While Cloudpaw launched into a story, Brightpaw listening intently with glowing eyes, Softpaw nudged Stonepaw with his head.

           "Show me around the island! I'm curious." He mewed softly. Stonepaw nodded, and the two slipped away into the sparse undergrowth, listening to the water lapping at the shore. They travelled around, chatting freely, until a loud yowl made Softpaw jump.

           "The Gathering is starting!" Stonepaw gasped. "Come on!" He leaped back into the clearing, finding a place to sit near his mother Rosepetal. She looked at them with amusement flickering in her blue eyes and turned back to watch the leaders.

           "I will begin today," the ThistleClan leader, Cloudstar, mewed. "A few sunrises ago, we drove off a fox. We doubt it will return." He mewed. His warriors flexed their paws in return, looking very pleased and proud. "Also, we have a new litter of kits." His eyes glowed fiercely with pride, and Softpaw guessed that he was the father. "Stonekit and Cinderkit are ThistleClan's newest members." Yowls of congratulation filled the island, and Softpaw couldn't help but join in.

           Cloudstar sat back, letting Hollowstar stand to address the crowd. He looked very old and frail, but his eyes held power within them.

           "AshClan is faring well. We have a good number of apprentices, our warriors are healthy, and our kits are strong." He meowed, before sitting back.

           This time, Sunstar stood, hushing the crowd with his fiery gaze. His massive form seemed even more giant when he stood, and the fact that he had long, fluffy fur didn't help.

           "HawkClan is proud to announce that a new litter has been born. Palewing and Pineshade are the parents." He waited for the cheers to go down. "We are also being very well fed with our newest portion of our territory. The rabbits have had many offspring this year." He growled. Softpaw felt Rosepetal stiffen beside them, and she bent her head towards the two apprentices.

           "HawkClan won a piece of land from us a few moons ago. He's still milking it for all it's worth, however." She hissed. Softpaw shuddered, looking at the smug look on the HawkClan leader's face as he sat back down. Softpaw's shoulders tensed as he watched Brackenstar stand, not even glancing once at Sunstar, his fur flat and his pelt unruffled.

           "ValleyClan is well. We have made two new apprentices. Brightpaw," He looked over at the brown tabby-and-white she-cat, "And Softpaw." Softpaw swallowed nervously as his clan leader's gaze sought him out. The clearing rose with yowls of approval. Softpaw scuffled his paws in embarrassment and pride, noticing voices from all clans welcoming him. He met his sister's gaze and saw the pride and self-consciousness there, matching his own feelings. He blinked warmly at her and the yowls died down.

           "Green-leaf has treated us well. ValleyClan is well-fed and strong." Brackenstar finished. Softpaw felt a pang of pride for his leader, who hadn't mentioned HawkClan. It had been moons before, after all.

           Softpaw saw Sunstar leap down angrily, and the Gathering finished as quickly as it began. Cats began to clump into their original clans, and ThistleClan and HawkClan left quickly, since their homes were the farthest from the island. Softpaw twisted his way through the crowd of cats with Stonepaw close behind him. The caught up with Brightpaw and Lilypaw just as they were leaping up onto the bridge. He made it across the fallen tree once more and ran behind his clanmates with a trembling tail, the scents of many cats still wreathing around him.

           How could the clans be so different, but also the same? He thought about Sunstar's thinly veiled threats, and Brackenstar's nobility. Stonepaw brushed his pelt and looked at him with glowing blue eyes.

           "That was awesome! Brackenstar is so cool!" He meowed excitedly. Softpaw pushed his worries away and nodded, laughing along with his friend. As they neared the camp, Softpaw was hit with a rush of pride for his clan.  He followed his sister back into their den, and wiggled in his nest, his eyes bright.

           "I can't believe there are that many cats living around the lake!" Brightpaw gasped. "And more!"

           "Yeah, how do we all fit?" Softpaw mewed. Lilypaw looked at them with a purr, curled up beside her brother.

           "Wasn't Sunstar massive?" She meowed. Stonepaw raised his head with a nod.

           "It's amazing. I heard he has six claws on each paw. I wouldn't want to meet him in battle!"

           "And the ThistleClan cats are so small!" Brightpaw chirped.

           Lilypaw laughed. "Did you see Dawnleap, the ThistleClan deputy? She looked barely taller than Stonepaw!"

           Snowpaw shuffled in her den and shot the new apprentices a tired look.

           "Can you please go to sleep?" She moaned. "You woke me up from a really good dream, and I'd like to get back to it."

           "Yes Snowpaw!" Brightpaw meowed, tucking her head into her nest, though her flicking tail told that she was too excited to sleep just yet. Snowpaw let out a sigh and curled up into a tighter ball, looking like a small snow drift in her mossy nest.