Hostile

3

      "We're the first ones here?" Mosspool asked with a lash in her tail. A cluster of Pinecats stood at the edge of their territory, peering down the scarp that led to The Oak. "I hope we're not waiting all night for the other Clans."

  "We'll leave if they take too long getting here." Slatethorn murmured.

  Whitestar twitched his ears, "What makes you two think the other Clan's won't come?"

  "There's always a Clan first to arrive." Doeface said.

  "We're not early, are we?" Bramblepaw asked.

  "We're right on time." Sunfur replied.

  "What if another Clan is planning an attack?" Crowfur asked, swinging his head to Whitestar, who watched The Oak below.

  "There are no ominous clouds." Dawnheart said coolly.

  "That doesn't mean there won't be! We shouldn't have left so few cats back in camp." Slatethorn said, giving a nod towards Crowfur.

  "Why would there be an attack?" Frostcloud asked. The Clan's got along now, as much as they do in leafbare anyhow.

  "Sunfur's border patrol did chase away that Stonecat a few dawns ago," Mosspool said to her friend quietly, "when his vole ran into our territory."

  Suddenly, cats on the opposing side of the gorge began to stream down the slope. Moonlight shone off their pelts, creating a silver glow. They almost appeared to be a small silver stream spilling down a dark hill. "There's ValleyClan now." Whitestar said, then flicking the tip of his tail, he and PineClan began to make their own way into the clearing.

  The slippery snow-melt under Frostcloud made it difficult for her to keep her balance as she half-slid half-bounded downhill. Just barely, she was able to make her way to the bottom of the gorge without completely rolling into the cold ice.

  "I can't wait to have grass under my paws again!" Frostcloud said, swinging her head to Mosspool. She expected to see her friend's whiskers twitch in amusement, but only found her tail melting into a growing colony of cats, Slatethorn's all but intertwined with hers.

  Frostcloud gave the front of her chest an awkward lick, suddenly wishing Riverpelt or Buckheart had been invited to the Gathering as well. She felt out of place now, uncomfortably alone. She swiveled her ears towards the sounds of more cats fumbling down a hill, and a moment later was wrapped in MarshClan's damp scent.

  The small she-cat began to fluff out her fur, warding off what she could of the cold. Even if the weather grew warmer by the day, the air was still fierce enough to nip her ears. She eyed the cats ahead of her, searching for a familiar face- one that would want to sit with her.

  Something collided into Frostcloud's side and she stumbled, refusing to completely topple into the snow so wet it could practically drown her. Finding steady placement for her paws, Frostcloud swung her head around in shock, finding a cream-tabby Marshcat roughly her size just regaining his own balance. His tail just but a nub. "Sorry!" He said, then sniffing Frostcloud, "Are you okay?"

  Frostcloud pried her eyes away from the missing limb but could still detect the tom giving an awkward lick to his chest. Realizing how uncomfortable she made the him with her stare, the she-cats pelt became hot. Then eager to move the conversation away from the short lull she went on to guess, "First Gathering?"

  The tom gave a shy flick of his ear, "That obvious?" He asked.

  "No." Frostcloud said with a light teasing tone. The tom was small, and seemed overwhelmed by the excitment that made a Gathering a Gathering, just as every new 'paw was.