Anticipation

[Fernear!]

fernstar

Some things are expected, some things are brought upon by chance and some you had no intension of stumbling upon. To the avians soaring above the lake, the ebb and flow of the lake's tide was becoming undoubtedly closer to the camps, but the clan cats seemed to be oblivious to the fact.

In the past few suns Fernstar had climbing up the loose-pebble pathway many times, not including the trips to her den. These trips were to the High Ledge. No flash of lightning, nor sound of thunder could hold back the grey tabby now. Such phenomenons were too common to be unfamiliar with. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the High Ledge for a clan meeting!" Had ThunderClan not been protected by the firm, sand-stone walls, any hopes of being heard of the storm would fail, but with great volume the leader of ThunderClan spoke the ancient words as she began to contemplate her next move.

"There will be a gathering this moon. The tom who came into our camp has made a journey around the lake to notify the clans of the sudden rally." After the brief summary Fernstar continued, "Maplefeather, Bramblestep, Goldenheart, Thistlepaw and Redpaw will be traveling to the island this moon." Sitting on the ledge as if she were finished, the leader looked down into the camp and waited.

Maplefeather was a sure choice for her; the other clans will need to know who the new deputy of ThunderClan is. Bramblestep and Goldenheart are two trusted warriors, and are not terrible traveling partners. Thistlepaw is an experienced apprentice, although she was just apprenticed while Redpaw was younger but terribly mature for his age. Fernstar was comfortable with her decisions. With the next full moon still a good number of suns away, she could already feel the anticipation bubbling in her clan mates and herself.

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[Silvercloud]

Icepaw sat in his usual place, at the back in shadows, even now despite his new position in the clan hierarchy. He could careless about who would attend the Gathering. He would attend it from now till the day he died. He still couldn't believe it. He was never going to become a warrior, StarClan had ripped that dream away when they stole his sight.

Now Cerdarclaw had him imprisoned in that horribly strong den filled with herbs. Some were pleasant but most hurt his sensitive rosy pink nose. At times he had to leave for fresh air because the herbs and their stench were giving him a headache. At first he felt honored and determined to show the clan what he could do since he was never given the proper chance to show his skills as a warrior. Now he felt hatred and contempt for this life. It was boring, no more hunting and the the thrill it gave him. No more battles. All he would ever see now was the afterwards of everything. Though he had to admit StarClan and Cedarclaw had given him a power more powerful than his leader and any warrior could ever dream of. He could see the past and future and so much more. A smile spread across his handsome features at the thought.

A heavy weight seemed to land upon his shoulders as he realized this awesome responsibility. The Clan trusted him, even though he never showed much kindest or respect, he had always been so selfish fussing about his sight and some cat noticing. Perhaps this new life wouldn't be so bad, only time would tell.

[Tikker]

{So bored, don't judge me XD}

Hawkpaw stepped out of the Apprentice's Den, a yawn escaping through his teeth as he tried to not show how tired he was. His pawsteps were small strides; another sleepless night for an apprentice with no mentor.

Hawkpaw had wondered where his mentor had disappeared to, the reddish-brown apprentice, sometimes began to think that he wasn't even at the ceremony to see if he got an apprentice. Hawkpaw slept during the day most of the time, because he didn't want to see his friends go out with their mentors and he himself be left out.

Without a mentor, I'm not even qualified to be known as an apprentice, Hawkpaw thought to himself, he hated being left out. Why did Ravencaw have to vanish on him, he had just become an apprentice for StarClan's sake!

Sitting down at the edge of the Camp, he watched Fernstar intensely as he waited for her to speak, he wanted to go back to sleep since he wasn't going out with any other warrior. She spoke about the new Gathering, and Hawkpaw got his hopes up for nothing.

"Maplefeather, Bramblestep, Goldenheart, Thistlepaw and Redpaw will be traveling to the island this moon."

Of course, Hawkpaw wasn't even probably considered, why would ThunderClan want a worthless, mentorless apprentice attending the gathering. Heaving a great sigh, he stood up before Fernstar ended the meeting and went to sit just outside the den, waiting to be released so it wouldn't seem like he didn't care.

[Fox]

Redpaw puffed his chest out and lifted his head, pride swelling through him. He had just been made the deputy's apprentice, and now he had been chosen to go to his first Gathering! What an honor! In a rare act of impatience, Redpaw kneaded the ground with his paws, frustrated that he actually had to wait a while before he could go. He had never even considered that a newly named apprentice would be chosen. He looked around for Bluepaw, to relay his excitement, when he saw her overcast face. Ohhhh... Redpaw thought, his happiness trailing off. He slowly got up and padded over to his sister.

Bluepaw lay gloomily on the ground, her chin resting in between her paws. Of course she hadn't been picked. She was too new as an apprentice, too young. But why, then, had Redpaw been allowed? Because he's smarter, stronger, and more mature than you. A voice inside her whispered. She shook her head, trying to clear it from her mind. "I'm not jealous." She whispered quietly to herself. "I'm not, I'm not, I'm not."

"Hey." Redpaw mewed quietly. Bluepaw jerked her head up startled. "What are you doing over here?" Bluepaw hissed. "The meeting's not over yet! Go back and sit next to Maplefeather!" Her brother smiled and laid his tail on her shoulder. She quickly got and shook it off. "I'm not required to sit next to her." Redpaw said steadily.

Bluepaw looked up at him, then purred. "You came over 'cause I looked so gloomy, right?" Before Redpaw could reply, she went on. "Silly mousebrain. You think I'm jealous? I'm happy for you, really! You deserve to go. Just be sure to tell me all about it when you get back, okay?"

Redpaw nodded. "Of course, Bluepaw. But remember, it's still a ways away. But don't worry, I'll tell you every little detail." She flashed him a grin, then nodded her head in Maplefeather's direction. "Better head back there, before she misses you." Redpaw turned to head back, when he heard Bluepaw mutter, loud enough so he could hear, "Big softy."

Redpaw stuck his tongue out at her, then walked away. His composure was calm and sure, but his eyes twinkled at his sister's comment. He may think of that as a weakness if another called him that, but from his sister, he took it as a big compliment. He sat back down next to his mentor and soon became lost in thought.

Bluepaw smiled. He deserved to go, and she was proud that her new mentor was also going. This proved Bramblestep was a great warrior. And before they left on the night of the full moon, she'd get Bramblestep to tell her some new moves, so that she could practice them all night and get ahead of Redpaw. Then she'd show him when he got back. She soon become lost in thoughts of her own, thinking of learning to hunt and fight in days to come.