A/N: The Gathering in this chapter. Brightpaw makes a new friend, and RiverClan is not happy.

As always, feedback is appreciated! I'm really trying to make this seem like a "real" Warriors novel. I'd love to hear your opinions!

Brightpaw waited with bated breath, heart thumping in her ears. Beside her, Beechpaw was tense with energy, his fur nearly standing on end. Owlpaw clawed the ground in impatience. Lilypaw crouched, with only the rapid flicking of her eyes to indicate her thoughts.

"...Hollytail, Redfang, Wolfheart, Leaftail, Mistrise, Stormpaw," Froststar called from where she was perched on the high pine branch. Froststar looked down at the gathered cats, and her eyes found Brightpaw's as she paused.

Brightpaw gulped, painfully aware that the leader of ShadowClan was staring right at her. With an effort, she sat up straighter, trying to look as composed as she could with her heart thumping out of her chest.

Brightpaw caught a flash of amusement in Froststar's eyes before the old leader called, "And Brightpaw and Beechpaw! Get ready. We leave for the Gathering shortly."

She picked me! Brightpaw felt a thrill of excitement. I'm going to the Gathering! Then her heart sank as she glanced at her littermates. Lilypaw's ears were flat against her head, and Owlpaw had torn away the grass in his agitation.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I wish we could all go."

"This isn't fair," wailed Owlpaw as he dug his claws into the dirt. "I want to go too!"

Beechpaw got up and walked over to his two littermates, pressing against first Lilypaw then Owlpaw in apparent consolation. Owlpaw only yowled louder.

"There's no rush," Brindlespots said as he padded up to them. "You'll have plenty of time to go to Gatherings—as an apprentice and as a warrior."

"But I want to go now!" Owlpaw moaned.

"Four new apprentices might be a bit much to take at once if Stormpaw's also going," Brindlespots comforted, nuzzling Lilypaw and Owlpaw. "Three would be better, but Froststar probably doesn't want to leave one of you at camp all alone. I'm sure the two of you will get your chance next moon."

"Okay," muttered Lilypaw, snuggling into her father's tortoiseshell fur.

"Next moon?" Owlpaw howled.

Beechpaw and Brightpaw were torn away from the spectacle when they heard a polite cough and saw Spottedpelt standing behind them, his eyes glittering in amusement. He had also been in the list of cats Froststar called.

"Ready?" Spottedpelt said lightly.

Suddenly a bit anxious, Brightpaw copied Beechpaw's nod.

"Have fun!" Brindlespots said, trying to detach himself from Owlpaw. "Your mother's also going, so if there are any problems—which there shouldn't be—find her. And no fighting, no matter how bad RiverClan smells!"

Spottedpelt purred and led the two apprentices to join the small crowd of cats moving out of camp. Hollytail and Lightningfoot fell into step with them, chatting amiably. The moon shone overhead as ShadowClan began their trek to the island.

Brightpaw tried to count her pawsteps, but lost track halfway through ShadowClan territory. The pine trees rustled and seemed to whisper to the glowing streaks of Silverpelt. Brightpaw felt full of energy, enthused, alive.

Do other Clans love the night as ShadowClan does? she wondered. Then with a jolt of excitement, she remembered: I might get to find out tonight!

"This is great!" she burst out suddenly. Beechpaw jumped and flattened his ears. A few warriors near them turned their heads at her sudden outburst. "Right?" she said to Beechpaw.

Beechpaw nodded. His dark pelt faded in with the shadows of the pines.

"Do you think RiverClan is still upset at us?" Brightpaw said, remembering the skirmish.

Beechpaw cocked his head to one side, thinking, then nodded.

"I hope it'll be okay," Brightpaw muttered.

"RiverClan might still be angry at their loss," Hollytail said, breaking off her conversation with Lightningfoot. "But Willowstar and the rest of RiverClan are sensible enough to avoid any direct conflict at a Gathering. In the worst case, StarClan will cover the moon if any fighting breaks out."

"Cover the moon?" Brightpaw asked. Beechpaw's eyes were round; hers probably were, too. Can StarClan really do that?

"With clouds," Hollytail replied.

"Speaking of RiverClan," Lightningfoot said suddenly, "we're about to enter their territory."

True to Lightningfoot's words, the pine trees were growing sparser and sparser. The ShadowClan cats crossed a strangely smooth path. Brightpaw glanced down at her feet. The ground seemed to be dirt, but unnaturally flat dirt. A strange smell covered the ground.

Beechpaw bumped his mother gently. Once he had her attention, he glanced pointedly at the ground, tapping it deliberately with one paw, then looked back up at his mother and cocked his head.

"This is a Thunderpath," said Hollytail. "Twolegs made it for their monsters to run on. In greenleaf there are always monsters here; but now it's leaf-fall and most of them have gone.

"Where to?" Brightpaw wanted to know.

Hollytail snorted. "Wherever Twolegs go."

Twolegs. How strange—Brightpaw certainly didn't want to see one anytime soon.

The Thunderpath ended and gave way to wide expanses of meadow dotted with clumps of willow and birch. Unlike the ShadowClan pine forests, there wasn't much cover in RiverClan territory. Small, rippling streams ran through dips in the grass and flowed into a larger river that led into the lake.

"Is it okay for us to go through RiverClan territory?" Brightpaw asked Spottedpelt, who was earnestly talking with Leaftail.

"Any cat can safely move through the lake territories as long as he or she stays within two tail-lengths of the lake," Spottedpelt answered. "Or for Gatherings, like tonight."

"See?" Lightningfoot said suddenly. "You two, look ahead. You see that island?"

Brightpaw and Beechpaw strained their eyes. There was an island, in the center of the lake. There appeared to be some sort of bridge connecting it and the shore. On the island were crowds of small, moving shapes.

"Are all of those cats?" she gasped.

"Good eyes, and yes," Lightningfoot answered.

Brightpaw could hardly wait as the meadows fell behind them and they neared the island. The bridge she had seen was a fallen tree, which had landed perfectly to act as a bridge between the island and the shore. The light of the moon and Silverpelt cast beautiful dapples of light and shadow on the water.

The warriors filed in a single line to pad gingerly across. The bark was smooth, Brightpaw noted as she stepped up. She paused for a second to stare at it. Was it worn by the paws of the cats who had come before?

"What's the hold-up?" a cat called from behind her, and Brightpaw realized she was holding up the line.

"Oops!" she hastily scurried up onto the bridge.

"Be careful!" Hollytail called from behind her. "It's—"

Brightpaw's paws slid sideways on the smooth bark. Her claws frantically scrabbled to get a hold. With a yelp, she toppled into the water.

The lake might have looked lovely under the silver moonlight, but its waters were freezing. Brightpaw thrashed around desperately for a few seconds before realizing that thankfully, the water was shallow enough that she could just barely stand up without drowning.

"Slippery," Hollytail finished.

"Oops," Brightpaw repeated dumbly. Did I just really embarrass myself in front of the whole Clan?

Spottedpelt, who had been in front of her, carefully leaned down and grasped her scruff in his teeth to drag her back up.

"Don't worry!" Leaftail called to her. "Spottedpelt fell in on his first time over, too! He and Vipertooth both did—they were trying to race across."

"I was very excitable as an apprentice," Spottedpelt said with great dignity. "Come on, let's get you across and warmed up."

Shivering and dripping, Brightpaw managed to shake off some of the water and gingerly cross the bridge without further incident.

As they entered the island Brightpaw (almost) forgot her sodden fur when she saw just how many cats there were. Warriors, apprentices, queens, and elders filled the island, chatting in packs or sharing tongues in quiet corners. Brightpaw smelled a salty, fishy tang from a sleek, silver-furred crowd of cats and knew they had to be RiverClan. Likewise, she guessed that the skinny and small cats who smelled of wind and grass had to be WindClan.

"Where's ThunderClan?" she murmured to Spottedpelt.

"They're probably just not here yet," Spottedpelt replied. He turned to leave but paused. "Once you're done sorting yourself out," he said, glancing at her wet pelt, "Go and talk with some of the other Clans."

"O-okay," Brightpaw said, suddenly very conscious of her wet fur. She lapped at her fur quickly; the lake water was cool on her tongue. Beechpaw slipped in beside her to help.

"Hey! Your fur's wet!"

Brightpaw and Beechpaw turned to see a black-and-white she-cat standing a couple tail-lengths away. She was staring at them with an amused look on her face.

"Yeah," Brightpaw said, embarrassed.

The she-cat bounded over to them, tail held high as she carefully scrutinized them. Brightpaw scrutinized her back. She was too small to be a warrior, although she looked older than Brightpaw and Beechpaw, and her fur was unusually sleek and glossy.

"Are you a RiverClan apprentice?" Brightpaw guessed.

The she-cat beamed. "Yes! I'm Cranepaw," she said. "Who are you?"

"I'm Brightpaw, and this is Beechpaw," Brightpaw said. Beechpaw dipped his head in acknowledgement. His flank was tense against Brightpaw's side.

"So—" and Cranepaw sat down near them, whiskers twitching. Brightpaw was surprised at how casual she was. Had RiverClan forgotten about the border skirmish so soon? "You fell into the lake?" Cranepaw continued. "It's your first Gathering, I bet."

"Yeah," Brightpaw said again, feeling very stupid.

Cranepaw seemed to sense her embarrassment and purred reassuringly. "No worries! Almost every apprentice falls in at one point or another. When my sister Streampaw fell in, she floundered around for a while before she remembered she could swim!"

Brightpaw purred. Despite herself, she was beginning to like the RiverClan apprentice.

"It was hilarious," Cranepaw exclaimed. "A RiverClan cat forgetting how to swim. Is there a ShadowClan equivalent of that? I wouldn't know."

"I don't know, either," admitted Brightpaw.

Cranepaw glanced at Beechpaw and tilted her head thoughtfully. Then, to Brightpaw's horror, she meowed, "You're pretty quiet. What's the matter? I won't bite, not at a Gathering at least."

"Oh!" Beechpaw's ears flattened. Brightpaw's fur felt hot. What should she say? She settled for, "My brother is mute."

Cranepaw looked surprised for a heartbeat, but it quickly faded. "Oh, I see. I'm sorry," she said, bowing her head slightly. "I didn't know. I hope I didn't upset you."

Beechpaw's fur flattened smoothly and he gave her a quick nod.

A yowl sounded out over the crowd. "ThunderClan!"

The three apprentices turned their heads. The ThunderClan cats had arrived, streaming into the clearing. Their pelts were dark brown and ginger, their builds stocky and strong. At the head of the long line a large brown tabby tom stalked confidently, his yellow eyes piercing the crowd.

"Hawkstar," Cranepaw muttered. "And that's Raintail, the deputy," she added, jerking her head at a light gray dappled she-cat that trailed in Hawkstar's wake.

The cats parted as Hawkstar strode through the gathered Clans and leaped into a branch on the leader's tree.

"Took you long enough," said the thin gray leader who balanced stiffly on a low branch. Brightstar saw his lithe strength and realized that this had to be Runningstar.

"Apologies," Hawkstar said shortly. His voice was deep and rumbling. "We were delayed at the Horseplace."

"Fair's fair," said the elegant silver-gray she-cat above him. She had to be the leader of RiverClan, Willowstar. "Twolegs have been moving more horses into the Horseplace as of late. It would make the walk more difficult."

"Well, then," said Froststar, perched high in the tree and gazing down at the assembled cats. "We might as well begin!" she raised her voice to call out over the island. A hush fell over the crowd as the four Clans turned to hear the leaders speak.

Runningstar spoke first. "The prey is running well in WindClan," he said, rising to stand on the branch, amber eyes gleaming in the moonlight. "Heathersong and Cloudfall are expecting kits, and Maplepaw has earned her warrior name, Mapleheart!"

"Mapleheart! Mapleheart!" Brightpaw was startled as the Clans cheered on the new warrior. Mapleheart, a golden-brown she-cat sitting near Leaftail, ducked her head modestly.

"Twolegs and their dogs have been sighted in some of the hills on our borders," Runningstar continued, "but they haven't ventured into our territory yet. In any case, WindClan is prepared to fight off any threat." he finished, sitting back down.

Hawkstar rose second. "ThunderClan has good news!" he said. "Speckleflower is now mother to Rowankit and Breezekit!" He waited for the murmur of congratulations to die down before continuing. "ThunderClan has also noticed Twolegs on our border," he added, glancing at Runningstar. "A quarter moon ago a dog entered our territory, but Raintail, Snowpelt, Hazelheart, and Robinflight bravely drove it out of our borders."

"Not into WindClan territory, I hope?" Runningstar said, eyes flashing.

"Or ShadowClan?" Froststar questioned.

"Of course not," Hawkstar said smoothly. "We sent it back to its Twolegs. A dog in the territories is a problem for any Clan."

"He's being awfully tactful today," Cranepaw muttered suddenly. Beechpaw jumped. "Sorry," the RiverClan apprentice said hastily. "But Hawkstar usually isn't this friendly. He's a grump." she shrugged. "I guess even badgers have their good days," she murmured.

"Shhh!" hissed a warrior sitting in front of them.

Froststar had risen to speak. "ShadowClan has four new apprentices," she meowed, and with a jolt Brightpaw realized that the ShadowClan leader was talking about her. "Brightpaw, Beechpaw, Lilypaw, and Owlpaw!"

A wave of congratulations swept through the crowd. A few cats called the names of the new apprentices. Feeling immensely proud and immensely self-conscious at the same time, Brightpaw attempted to sit up straight. Cranepaw nudged her and Beechpaw good-naturedly.

"ShadowClan is as strong as ever," Froststar went on. "We are prepared to defend our borders against any invaders, Twoleg dogs—or other cats." She swept her gaze over the crowd sat back down.

Other cats? "Is Froststar talking about—" she whispered to Beechpaw, then clamped her mouth shut when she realized Cranepaw was still sitting near them. Thankfully, the RiverClan apprentice didn't seem to have noticed.

Willowstar rose to speak, glancing cooly at Froststar. "RiverClan is also strong," she said, and Brightpaw detected a slight edge to her voice. "Dovefeather has completed her medicine cat training and received her full name from Nightshine."

The crowd cheered again, but it was muted after the tension between Froststar and Willowstar. RiverClan and ShadowClan looked especially agitated. Willowstar opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something more, then snapped it shut and leaped down from the branch. "The Gathering is over!" she called.

The cats began to disperse. Brightpaw carefully glanced at Cranepaw, but the older she-cat didn't seem to be angry at all. "StarClan, everyone's worked up tonight," she said breezily. She bumped Beechpaw gently. "I guess I'll see you two sometime?"

Beechpaw nodded cautiously.

"Sure," Brightpaw said.

Cranepaw cocked her head and bounded off to catch up with the departing RiverClan warriors. Brightpaw and Beechpaw watched her leave.

"That was...weird," Brightpaw muttered.

Beechpaw snorted and shrugged.

"You think I should get over it?" Brightpaw guessed.

Beechpaw nodded triumphantly and gestured towards the gathering group of ShadowClan warriors.

"Yeah, we should go," Brightpaw agreed. The two of them padded to the edge of the clearing, where Froststar and the other cats were waiting.

"Did you have fun?" Hollytail asked as they drew near. Their mother looked more cheerful and relaxed than Brightpaw had ever seen her. It must be nice to be able to leave the nursery after being pretty much stuck in camp for six moons, she realized.

Beechpaw nodded.

"We talked with an apprentice from RiverClan," Brightpaw said.

"RiverClan!" Hollytail sighed. She lowered her voice. "Froststar clearly hasn't forgotten the border skirmish, and neither has Willowstar."

"It was...strange," Brightpaw said. "Seeing all the Clans gathered together when we'd just been fighting a while before."

"That's the point of Gatherings," said Hollytail as they rose and moved towards the tree-bridge. "A time when the Clans can forget their battles even for a little while."

And they set off on the trek back to camp.