Silverpaw hops off the log bridging the mainland to the Gathering island, flanked by Ravenpaw.
The silver tabby glances up at the massive tree standing valiantly at the back of the island, squinting at the blue-gray tom perched on one of the higher branches.
Silverpaw watches Featherstar pad through the forming crowd before breaking her gaze away and scanning for a place to sit.
Beside her, Ravenpaw bounces, rocking back and forth whenever he hits the ground.
"This is so exciting!" he chirps, purring loudly.
"Are you excited, Silverpaw?"
"I suppose I am, a little bit," the silver tabby replies, eyeing Squirrelpaw and the other apprentices as they pad off into the crowd; in the corner of her vision, she sees a bush that'd make a suitable seating place.
"I'll save us somewhere to sit. You can go introduce yourself to everyone, but don't get lost."
"'Kay!" Ravenpaw mews, bounding off into the crowd.
Silverpaw never understood outgoing cats- smiling and talking were tiring, and so was being exposed to gratuitous loud noise.
As she nears the bush she'd eyed moments earlier, she sighs in annoyance upon discovering that a light brown tabby tom had taken a seat there; his spiky fur protrudes out in all directions.
He turns to glare at her through narrowed aqua eyes, muzzle scrunched into a snarl.
"What do you want?" he hisses.
"Nothing, actually," Silverpaw replies calmly.
"I wasn't aware that you were here until I approached."
"Yeah, right," the tabby apprentice mutters, cutting his eyes at Silverpaw.
Unfazed, the silver tabby seats herself and begins smoothing down her fur.
"I'm waiting for my friend to finish socializing but since you seem rather...curmudgeonly, I suppose I can keep you company."
"What should I want your company?" the brown tabby snaps.
Silverpaw bristles, getting annoyed.
"It's not as if anyone else is here to provide you any," she retorts.
The tabby apprentice sighs.
"Fine, whatever."
"I'm Falconpaw, by the way."
"I'm Silverpaw," the silver tabby replies gracefully.
"Which Clan are you from?" she adds.
"RiverClan," Falconpaw replies, now eyeing Silverpaw up and down with a skeptical glint in his eyes.
"That's interesting. I'm from SkyClan."
Falconpaw begins to mutter something but is drowned out by the chaos of Ravenpaw dashing up to the pair with a blue-gray and brown she-cat in tow.
"Silverpaw!" the black tom yowls, screeching to a halt.
Ravenpaw beckons the blue-gray she-cat forward, grinning brightly.
Silverpaw notices that Falconpaw glances away upon noticing the other she-cat.
"This is Wavepaw," Ravenpaw mews, bouncing from paw to paw.
"She's from RiverClan!"
"Hi!" Wavepaw mews, sporting the same bright grin as Ravenpaw.
"Hello," Silverpaw replies, forcing her features to soften into a smile-adjacent gesture.
"Let's go sit near the front!" Ravenpaw mews.
"Back here we'll barely be able to see anything."
"Alright," Silverpaw mutters, rising to her paws and following after Ravenpaw and his new friend.
She glances back at Falconpaw, but is a bit saddened to find that he neglects to meet her gaze.
-=-
The three apprentices situate themselves near the front, where Silverpaw has a good view of Featherstar; the SkyClan leader smiles softly at her apprentice from her position on the Gathering tree.
Perhaps it'd be her sitting up there one day, looking out over the crowd.
"What kind of apprentice are you, Silverpaw?" Wavepaw mews, snapping the silver tabby out of her thoughts.
"I'm training to be a warrior," Silverpaw replies, drawing a paw over her ear.
"Featherstar's my mentor."
"That's cool!"
Wavepaw beams.
"I'm training to be a medicine cat! My mentor's the best!"
"I'm training to be a warrior too," Ravenpaw mews, puffing out his chest in a slightly facetious manner.
Ignoring the black tom's showboating, Silverpaw glances back as what she presumes to be WindClan enters the Gathering island.
A skinny old gray-brown she-cat totters up to the Gathering tree, managing to scale it with remarkable skill considering her age and wiry frame.
"Good evening to you, Wrenstar," Featherstar mews, dipping her head.
"Good evening to you as well, dearie," the WindClan leader replies.
Shellstar, having received no greeting as far as Silverpaw is aware, frowns.
"That's my papa," Wavepaw mews, flicking her tail at the RiverClan leader.
"Do you two get along well?" Ravenpaw inquires.
"Not really," the blue-gray apprentice murmurs, shuffling her paws.
"I just wanted to point him out."
"Wait..." Ravenpaw squints at Shellstar.
"I've seen him before! When I lived at the Horseplace. Sometimes he'd come out with the patrols of cats that were rude to us."
Wavepaw sighs, pressing a paw to her face.
"I can believe that..."
Silverpaw feels the noise level rise up again and is hit with a pang of dread as she sees ShadowClan step into the clearing.
Sucking in a breath, the silver tabby faces forward and pricks an ear in order to hear the pawsteps approaching.
Her fur bristles when she hears one set in particular overpower the rest; a moment later, Slightstar comes padding up to her side and regards her with a warmed expression.
A taken aback Silverpaw collects herself, smothering over the nervousness in her gaze, but doesn't look her father in the eyes.
Beside her, Wavepaw lets out a squeaky whimper and retreats to Ravenpaw's side; apparently Hailwatcher wasn't the only medicine cat with bad experiences.
From what she could perceive in her field of vision, her father hadn't changed a bit, from his immaculately groomed pelt to the unreadable glimmer of his amber eyes.
It comforted her in a strange way, that he was the same cat she remembered, but that same fact also unnerved her deeply.
Silverpaw glimpses Featherstar looking ready to protest and hopes that she'd soon be out of this uncomfortable situation.
"Hello, Silverpaw," the ShadowClan leader mews, clearly attempting to get his daughter's attention.
Silverpaw stares forward, hardening her features into an unfeeling glower.
"...Father," she replies in curt acknowledgment, unwilling to give anything away.
After a moment of waiting for a further response, Slightstar scowls and begins to walk away before pausing to look over his shoulder.
"Pick your friends wisely, Silverpaw," the silver tabby mews, expression reverting to a cold stare.
"You deserve better than kittypets and busybodies."
Wavepaw lets out a squeak; Ravenpaw, set off by this remark, jumps up and stomps over to Slightstar.
"I am not a kittypet! I'm a barn cat!" he hisses, straining to reach the ShadowClan leader's eye level.
"I'm gonna be the best barn cat warrior this forest has ever seen, and when I do you're gonna be sorry!"
Slightstar narrows his eyes, staring disdainfully down at the black tom.
"Try as you might, kittypet, but you're not cut out for this. I'll be impressed if you last a moon," he sneers, padding away and climbing up the Gathering tree.
Ravenpaw storms back toward Silverpaw and Wavepaw, resuming his seat beside the latter.
"He just makes me so mad!" he hisses, paws working furiously at the ground.
Wavepaw gazes up at Silverpaw, amber eyes wide.
"Slightstar's your dad?" she mews in disbelief, still shaking a little.
Silverpaw, feeling strangely vindicated, nods.
"He is...that was the first time I've seen him in five moons, though."
Wavepaw draws into herself, shaking her head.
"I tried to join ShadowClan, but he kicked me out," Ravenpaw hisses to the RiverClan apprentice, furrowing his brow.
"I had to go drop off herbs one time and it was scary," Wavepaw murmurs, her fluffy fur bristling.
Silverpaw, expelling a breath, glances up at the Gathering tree as Slightstar makes his way to his assigned branch.
The ShadowClan leader murmurs his greetings to Shellstar and Wrenstar, outright ignoring Featherstar.
"So what was that about?" the SkyClan leader mews, motioning with her tail to Silverpaw.
"I have a right to talk to my kit, do I not?" Slightstar retorts icily, narrowing his eyes.
"I have a right to see her as well."
"What I told you," Featherstar mews, narrowing her eyes, "-was that you can work it out with Silverpaw's mother. She doesn't want anything to do with you, so it isn't happening. And it's not like you're the kind of cat one's eager to trust with young charges."
"But what if she's lying?" Shellstar butts in, wanting to be included.
"Never have I seen anyone seek refuge in another Clan without a good reason," Wrenstar pipes up, glaring daggers at the RiverClan leader.
"And I've been up here long enough to have known your father and your grandpappy," she adds, still looking at Shellstar.
Slightstar narrows his eyes, though as the volume swells up again his expression becomes more neutral.
Silverpaw glances back to see ThunderClan advancing, led by a skinny tortoiseshell.
The ThunderClan leader pads past Silverpaw and her friends and climbs up onto the Gathering tree, balancing delicately on the branch adjacent to Slightstar's.
All the leaders recoil in confusion except Shellstar, who smirks a little, and Slightstar, who gives an amicable dip of his head.
"Evening, Meadowstar."
"Hello to you too, Slightstar," Meadowstar replies with a bit of a teasing smirk.
Featherstar narrows her eyes in suspicion.
"Meadowstar?" she echoes skeptically.
"That's right," the ThunderClan leader replies, drawing a paw calmly over her ear.
"I'll explain the specifics of my promotion later."
Wrenstar wrinkles her nose, but says nothing further; she rises to her paws, long tail swaying behind her.
"This Gathering has begun!''
-=-
Wrenstar, balancing on her branch, smiles warmly at Featherstar.
"You can go first, dearie."
"Thank you, Wrenstar," the SkyClan leader replies.
"I'd like to report that the prey is running just as well as you all would expect, as the lovely members of ThunderClan know," Featherstar mews, cutting her eyes at Meadowstar.
"We have seven new apprentices present at this Gathering: Silverpaw, Squirrelpaw, Palepaw, Tinypaw, Fidgetpaw, Thistlepaw, training as our newest mediator, and Ravenpaw, a new member of our Clan from the Horseplace."
Cheers rise up, primarily from SkyClan and WindClan cats, and Silverpaw sighs.
"With Ravenpaw in particular, he alleged that he actually wished to join ShadowClan but was insulted and subsequently threatened not to come back by none other than yourself, Slightstar," Featherstar adds, raising a brow.
Slightstar turns up his nose, a bit of a smirk crossing his face.
"I don't see why I should be faulted for not wishing to befriend vagabonds and stragglers."
Ravenpaw growls under his breath, kneading the ground with his paws.
"That is all I have to report," Featherstar finishes, not bothering to dignify the ShadowClan leader's jab with a response.
"We may move on to Meadowstar now, since I feel what she has to say is rather important."
"Thank you, Featherstar," Meadowstar mews in a vaguely teasing manner- did they know each other?
"Firstly, I am the new leader of ThunderClan now. A riot broke out over a matter regarding kittypets in the Clan, and Stormstar was struck down in the chaos. I am conducting my own investigations, though it seems her death was in the heat of the moment and not any sort of premeditated murder."
"Sounds familiar," Wrenstar mews, narrowing her eyes.
"What's she talking about?" Ravenpaw whispers into Silverpaw's ear.
"I've no idea," the silver tabby replies, keeping a steady gaze on the leaders.
A few murmurs rise from the crowd, and Meadowstar's expression hardens in a defensive manner.
"I am not Shredstar," the tortoiseshell mews, managing to remain calm, "-and I've worked for moons to prove it. I will not tolerate unfounded allegations about the integrity of my new position."
"Don't worry, we'll see how it turns out eventually," Wrenstar drawls, drawing a paw over her ear.
"In other news, we have a new mediator succeeding the long-passed Larkswoop," Meadowstar continues, sounding decidedly less enthusiastic.
"He and two other kittypets joined ThunderClan shortly before the riot."
"That is all I have to say."
"Thank you, Meadowstar," Wrenstar mews, still eyeing the ThunderClan leader with a bit of suspicion.
"May I go next, Wrenstar?" Slightstar mews, expression unreadable.
"Go ahead," the WindClan leader hisses.
"Thank you," the silver tabby replies, casting a look at Meadowstar.
"The prey runs well in ShadowClan, and we celebrate our good fortune this leafbare."
"I'd like to report that one of our queens, Amberfur, has kitted and there are two new additions to our Clan."
Silverpaw pricks an ear, feeling a rush of nostalgia.
Amberfur was one of the only cats she missed from ShadowClan, and she had lately been wondering how she was doing.
"We welcome Cloverkit and Honeykit to ShadowClan, and I have faith that they'll make remarkable warriors one day," Slightstar adds, expression becoming smile-adjacent as cheers rise from the crowd.
"That is all."
"Thank you," Wrenstar mews passive-aggressively, glancing down at the crowd for a moment.
"You may proceed, Shellstar."
Shellstar clears his throat, puffing out his chest a bit before beginning to speak.
Wavepaw visibly wilts, and Silverpaw quickly realizes why the RiverClan leader had such an infamous reputation.
"The prey runs most wonderfully in RiverClan, and I am happy to report that our apprentices' training is going smoothly."
"That is all I have to report."
Wrenstar nods, still shooting the RiverClan leader a look, and straightens.
"WindClan is doing well this moon, and we have had successful hunts and other expeditions."
"However," the WindClan leader continues, "-there has been another incident involving RiverClan."
Shellstar bristles.
"We deny involvemen—"
"Don't interrupt me, you little rapscallion," Wrenstar snaps.
Silverpaw softens amusedly, but reverts her expression to neutrality once she notices Slightstar displaying a similar disposition.
"Anyways, the incident. We had an instance of overly belligerent taunting from RiverClan cats that almost caused a border skirmish."
A few yowls of RiverClan protest rise from the crowd, but a wave of Wrenstar's tail quiets them down.
"Why do you keep encouraging your warriors to act so foolishly?"
"You don't know what you're talking about," Shellstar retaliates, narrowing his eyes.
"You're making these things up to cause a ruckus."
"Would you kindly stop acting like a kit and address the allegations, Shellstar?" Featherstar mews, unimpressed.
"Surely you must realize that this isn't making you look any better."
Wavepaw sighs, curling her tail around herself, and Ravenpaw frowns sympathetically at her.
The RiverClan leader momentarily glances at Slightstar and Meadowstar for assistance, but both share a look and remain silent.
A shout of 'You tried to fight us!" ripples through the crowd from Silverpaw's left, and a heartbeat later dissent is hurled back at the accuser.
"You all started it!"
"You just want to steal from us!"
"Liars!"
The conflict soon grows to include ThunderClan and SkyClan's ongoing feud, and a wave of noise sweeps the Gathering island.
Silverpaw flattens her ears, managing to mumble a goodbye to Wavepaw as she and Ravenpaw slip through the crowd toward the Gathering tree.
Clouds drift over the full moon, and a few flakes of powdery snow flutter from the sky.
Featherstar glances upward, leaping down a significant height from the Gathering tree and landing gracefully on land.
"We're leaving, SkyClan!" the light brown tabby yowls, shouldering her way through the crowd and glancing back momentarily to ensure the medicine cats and her deputy, Mudslip, are following her.
Silverpaw and Ravenpaw quickly scurry to the SkyClan leader's side, but not before a vaguely familiar ShadowClan warrior shambles up to the silver tabby and looks her curiously up and down.
Disregarding the strange conduct in favor of exiting the situation altogether, Silverpaw pads after her leader with a conflict weighing on her mind.