Signs Of The Moon Book 2: Moon High

Chapter 10

Silver light shined through the canopy above, dappling the pelts of all the cats who traveled this night. The brilliant glow of the full moon made for an excellent guide in the darkness. And the buzz from all the warriors around her made Moonpaw's pelt tingle with excitement. She hurried along to keep up with her clanmates, eager to prove she could handle the long journey ahead. Tonight was her first time being invited to the Gathering. She was excited to meet all the different cats within the Land's Star. What interesting things could she learn from them, she wondered. How different was the folklore in the other clans? Did they believe in the stories of the ancient clans and the creation of cat? These were all questions Moonpaw was eager to ask, if she could make friends with anyone tonight.
Up ahead, the trees began to thin, making room for a thick wall of shrubbery. Blazestar led his patrol through the bushes without hesitance; guiding them into a massive clearing on the other side. Moonpaw gasped at the sight of it. Cats of all sizes and colors filled the space, mingling as one. It was hard to differentiate what clans they all belonged to from a distance. But most seemed to be having a good time, and that was a wonderful sight to behold.

"Go ahead and join the crowd," Blazestar invited, "remember not to let any cat corner you. Be friendly, but spare as little information as possible." After his speech, the firey tom took off into the crowd, headed towards his perch at Split Rock. Then Moonpaw's clanmates began to scatter about, leaving her as the only cat reminding by the bushes. Moonpaw bristled a little, looking left, then right, trying to figure out which direction she should head in first. She decided to go forward, and allow the crowd to manuver her wherever may be most convenient. On one side as she walked, Moonpaw observed a group of warriors regailing tales of battles past, passing the occasional joke between them. A little further ahead, five elders sat clustered together, complaining about anything and everything they could think of. Badgerface was with them, rolling his eyes at the stupidest of his peers' comments. Moonpaw chuckled, waving hello with her tail as she passed. She heard a nearby queen mentioning their kits, another cat griping about a thorn they'd found in their nest, and a nearby apprentice talking about the latest battle move they'd learned.
As Moonpaw padded along, watching the interactions of all the other cats surrounding her, something threw her off her paws. She fell with yelp, head hitting the dusty floor underpaw. Moonpaw groaned as she sat up, rubbing a white paw against her now aching head. It took her an extra heartbeat to realize what had happened. Another cat lay a tail-length away, letting out a sneeze as they returned to an upright position. It would seem Moonpaw's wandering eyes had distracted her enough to cause an accident.

"Oh my Starclan, I'm so sorry!" She apologized, voice frantic as she jumped to her paws. She rushed over to the other cat, sniffing and checking them over. She'd feel terrible if her daydreaming had caused another cat to get injured. "Are you alright? Are you hurt? I'm such a mouse-brain, I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking, I'm so so sorry."
The other cat simply shook her head, giving Moonpaw a reassuring smile as she stood. She was a pretty cat, short and plump with white and black patched fur. Moonpaw noticed the little nub she had for a tail, and wondered where this cat had come from. As far as Moonpaw knew, only some members of Treeclan had small tails. Could this apprentice be from outside the Land's Star? A kittypet perhaps?

"It's ok, I'm ok," the stranger assured, "It wasn't your fault. I should have been the one watching where I was running. I was so busy trying to see if I was beating my friend in a race that I wasn't looking out for any cat that may be walking up ahead. What about you, are you ok? How's your head?"

"Oh good, I thought you might be injured." Moonpaw sighed with relief. "I think I'll be alright though. My head's a bit sore but I'll get some herbs from Mothsong when I get back to camp. My name is Moonpaw by the way, I'm from Treeclan."

The other she-cat's smile grew bigger. "I'm Swiftpaw, from Grassclan. Sorry for running into you. What a terrible way to meet huh?"