CHAPTER 18

The scents of many different cats hit Blackfrost's nose all at once as the ThunderClan patrol burst into the clearing under the light of the full moon. They paused as Foreststar came to a steady halt and lifted his tail into the air, signaling his consent for the patrol to disperse among the already gathered crowd. The two newest ThunderClan apprentices, Acornpaw and Wrenpaw, eagerly glanced toward their respective mentors for permission to leave before excitedly bouncing off after Dustypaw, who had noticed a group of other apprentices nearby and had gone off to join them. Deputy Hawktalon watched them run off with a look of obvious distaste, before stalking off with the other senior warriors Moletooth and Treeshade. Meanwhile, the medicine cat Rosethorn swiftly trotted off to join another small group of cats from various Clans, likely the other medicine cats she was well-acquainted with.

Blackfrost stopped abruptly in the center of the mass of cats, unsure of where to go first, until Robinsong rested her tortoiseshell tail across his shoulders and led him away with her toward an opening in the crowd, hastily avoiding trampling a few overexcited Clan apprentices underfoot in the process.

WindClan had already arrived ahead of ThunderClan, as did RiverClan, Blackfrost realized with a jolt as he surveyed the clearing, catching sight of many of the lean, thin-furred forms of the moor cats, as well as the sleek, well-groomed pelts and sturdy builds of RiverClan's warriors. However, there were no ShadowClan cats to be found just yet. The young dark-furred warrior wasn't entirely sure whether this was a good thing or a bad one, but as it was, he didn't have much time to think about it.

"Snowpaw!"

Blackfrost heard Robinsong call out in pleasant surprise as she caught sight of one of the cats they knew rather well from previous Gatherings as apprentices. He turned and immediately recognized the lithe, snow white she-cat from WindClan.

Snowpaw – she was Cloudstar's sole daughter, and probably one of the prettiest she-cats in all of the Clans, based on what all the other toms said. Her pelt was fair and sleek and shone brightly in the moonlight, and her eyes were actually two slightly different colors, one a pale green and the other icy blue, which made her stand out even more.

Robinsong bounded up to her friend with as much energy as one of the apprentices, and the WindClan cat purred pleasantly as the tortoiseshell ThunderClan she-cat quickly nuzzled her head against her pale fur in greeting.

"Robinpaw! Is that you?"

Blackfrost slowly followed behind, not nearly as comfortable with cats from other Clans as his sister was. And the current problems arising with RiverClan and ShadowClan certainly didn't help matters, either.

He just caught on to Robinsong's amused purr as he approached. "Could be. It's Robinsong now, though."

Snowpaw beamed at her. "Well, that's great – but only if you call me Snowdrop, from now on!"

She glanced up from Robinsong and quickly noticed Blackfrost standing there, too. "Oh! And hi, Black... er, I assume you've been given your warrior name, too?"

He nodded tersely, made just the slightest bit uncomfortable by all of this outright friendliness. He had never been one for this sort of small talk. "It's Blackfrost, now."

"And you remember Snakepaw?" Robinsong asked the white she-cat, nodding toward the grey striped tom in question, who was off a little ways with Flamepelt speaking to the familiar WindClan warriors Swiftfoot and Hazelfire.

"Your brother?" Snowdrop inquired.

"He's Snakefang now. Foreststar will probably announce our naming when the Gathering begins, but he might forget to mention it, since-" Blackfrost shot her a warning glare, hoping she wouldn't divulge ThunderClan's problems with RiverClan and ShadowClan to any outsiders just yet, and Robinsong faltered slightly, "er, since the last Gathering was canceled, yes. He was supposed to do it then, but you know..."

Snowdrop nodded sympathetically. "The same happened with me. I know Cloudstar won't forget to mention me, though – I am his only daughter, after all."

She glanced up toward the Great Rock in the center of the clearing, significantly larger than even the Highrock in the ThunderClan camp by quite a lot, where the leaders of each of the Clans would sit to announce their news during Gatherings. Cloudstar, Snowdrop's father and the eldest of the Clan leaders, was already seated rather regally at the top of the rock, surveying his surroundings. His deputy, the WindClan warrior Eaglestrike, sat on the ground nearby, the dark tom, large for a WindClan cat, serving as quite the contrast to his lean white leader.

Blackfrost watched, his green eyes narrowing in distaste, as the RiverClan leader Silverstar, a relatively young silvery-colored tom, leapt up onto the rock to join Cloudstar. He never had a particularly high regard for Silverstar, even before this new issue with RiverClan started; it had not been long since the previous RiverClan leader died after she had been struck by a fallen oak branch, a lithe, pale brown and white patched she-cat named Birdstar, that Silverstar became leader in her place and set out to battle ThunderClan over Sunningrocks – Blackfrost's first battle – before even a moon had passed since his naming at the Moonstone.

The two Clan leaders nodded curtly to each other in polite greeting, and they were soon joined by Foreststar himself, who quite obviously positioned himself on Cloudstar's other side so that he and the RiverClan leader were not seated next to each other on the rock. The other two deputies, Hawktalon and the sleek blue-grey RiverClan tom Heronflight, came to join Eaglestrike at the base of the Great Rock.

"Where are ShadowClan?" Cloudstar questioned loudly, eyeing the moon above with a hint of concern. "We must begin the Gathering soon – it is nearing moonhigh."

Silverstar merely shook his head distastefully. "You know how temperamental Ashstar can be."

As much as Blackfrost hated to admit it, he had to agree with the RiverClan leader on that point – ShadowClan's leader, the slim dark grey flecked she-cat Ashstar, had a tendency to play by her own rules and do things her way, regardless of what other cats thought. Though she wasn't known to outright defy the warrior code, as suggested by the recent signs of her Clan hunting on ThunderClan's territory, Blackfrost wouldn't put it past the ShadowClan fox-hearts to try such a thing.

Foreststar had just been about to open his mouth to reply, when there came a rustling from the line of shrubs and undergrowth at the edge of the clearing, and a group of cats soon slinked out into the open moonlight. Blackfrost craned his neck around to look at the new company; to him, they seemed to smell of rotting marshes and bitter winds, and their eyes glinted coldly through the gloom.

ShadowClan had arrived.

But, as the ShadowClan cats crept closer and Blackfrost was able to get a better look at them in the light of the full moon, he couldn't help but note that there was something decidedly... off about them. Generally a very aloof and prideful Clan, their normally sleek dark pelts now appeared ragged and clung to their skinny-looking frames, and though their expressions were cold, there was a certain weariness present in each of their eyes. There were only about nine or so cats in all, maybe half the usual size for a Gathering patrol.

The ShadowClan leader Ashstar strode confidently down the slope toward the Great Rock with her deputy, Smokepelt, just behind, and immediately leapt up to take a seat between Silverstar and Cloudstar while the rest of her Clan settled in the clearing below.

Ashstar's sharp amber eyes narrowed icily as she swiftly scanned the crowd. "ShadowClan is present," she stated coolly, without so much as an explanation for her Clan's tardiness or a sign of gratitude toward the other leaders for waiting. "The Gathering may now begin."

"Thank you for showing," Silverstar replied calmly, betraying no emotion as he met her gaze. Beside him, the disgruntled Cloudstar and Foreststar exchanged a subtle, meaningful look.

Ashstar merely nodded. "I would like to speak first," she declared, glaring at the other leaders as though daring them to interrupt. When none did, the grey she-cat sat up regally, her tail wrapped neatly around her paws.

Robinsong exchanged a glance with Blackfrost, and though they didn't speak, he could catch the slightly worried look in his sister's wide amber eyes – Ashstar was certainly stretching her limits already. Up on the Great Rock, Cloudstar openly glared at the dark she-cat beside him, while Foreststar watched the crowd below with narrowed eyes. Only Silverstar seemed thoroughly unbothered, his ears pricked toward the ShadowClan leader politely.

"ShadowClan is thriving," she began, "and we are preparing well for leafbare. Prey is still plentiful enough on our territory, and one of our queens, Honeyfur, has graced us with two more healthy kits to add to the Clan."

Blackfrost raised a brow incredulously – judging by their thin frames alone, ShadowClan was certainly not thriving. Leave it to such an arrogant Clan to make themselves seem much better off than they actually are, he snorted, eyeing a young ShadowClan warrior nearby whose ribs could clearly be seen outlined through his unkempt fur.

As it turned out, Ashstar had very little more to say about her Clan, other than the typical dull Gathering news; she said nothing about allowing her warriors to hunt on ThunderClan territory, which was to be somewhat expected, Blackfrost supposed. If she even knew what was going on, she probably didn't want to draw attention to the fact unless called out on it directly. Which she would be, soon enough.

The slim she-cat quickly turned the meeting over to Silverstar, who nodded to her and straightened up proudly, a glint in his blue eyes. "Good to hear you are doing well, Ashstar. As for RiverClan, we are also thriving. Fish swim plentiful in the river, despite the coming chill, and our young kits and apprentices continue to grow strong..."

Just as ShadowClan had made no mention of prey-stealing on ThunderClan's territory, Silverstar said nothing of his Clan's apparent trespassing around Sunningrocks. His turn to speak was soon over, almost as quickly as it had begun.

Still looking exceptionally dissatisfied, Cloudstar gave Foreststar a courteous glance, but the ThunderClan leader briskly dipped his head at him to go ahead and speak first.

"As harsh leafbare winds have begun to blow cold and snow across the moors, I am pleased to announce that WindClan is still faring perfectly fine," the white tom affirmed, though he didn't look all that pleased to Blackfrost – the sense of frustration about him as the Gathering commenced had still not left his eyes. However, he did spot a definite glimmer of pride in them as Cloudstar continued, "My own daughter, Snowdrop, has rightfully earned her warrior name, and we have named two new apprentices in our Clan as well, Sandpaw and Harepaw."

On Robinsong's other side, Blackfrost could easily hear Snowdrop's satisfied purr as her father announced her new warrior name before the Clans, allowing the chants of praise to wash over her. She was a very popular cat amongst all the Clans, it seemed.

Once Cloudstar had finished his report, it was finally ThunderClan's turn to address the four gathered Clans. Blackfrost watched intently as Foreststar stepped forward for his turn and cleared his throat to speak. Which issue would the ThunderClan leader bring up first?

"Prey still runs abundantly enough through the forests over ThunderClan territory, and our Clan also has two newly-named apprentices, Acornpaw and Wrenpaw," Foreststar quickly announced, "as well as three new warriors, who have earned their place in the Clan after fighting valiantly in our last battle – Robinsong, Snakefang, and Blackfrost."

A number of cats in the clearing cheered, though there were many more who didn't look nearly as pleased, Silverstar most obviously of all. Of course, Blackfrost thought; ThunderClan's last battle had been the fight over Sunningrocks with RiverClan.

Speaking of which...

"ThunderClan has been doing very well so far, considering the season," Foreststar continued slowly as he turned to look at his fellow leaders on the Great Rock, "but my warriors have discovered some issues with other Clans that need to be addressed."

Ashstar's tail swished over her paws, her amber eyes narrowed so far as she glared straight back at the great brown tom that they nearly looked to be closed, whereas Silverstar stared out into the faces of the crowd, avoiding Foreststar's sharp gaze. "Whatever do you mean by that?"

Blackfrost could clearly catch the hisses of a few of his nearby Clanmates. Foreststar, however, did not look angered as he promptly explained, "A number of my warriors have detected RiverClan scent markings on our side of the river, at Sunningrocks. Know that if you are planning to invade our territory and take back Sunningrocks as your own, ThunderClan will not give in without a fight."

He eyed the RiverClan leader levelly, who snorted.

"What need have we for Sunningrocks?" Silverstar replied swiftly, betraying no emotion. "RiverClan are perfectly content with catching fish from the river. We have no need to bother you over a bunch of rocks."

Blackfrost scowled – the RiverClan leader was obviously lying! And it seemed that he wasn't the only ThunderClan cat to share these sentiments.

"That's not what you said at the last battle over Sunningrocks, Silverstar," the ThunderClan warrior Moletooth hissed through his gritted teeth.

Foreststar narrowed his eyes, but said nothing in retort. Instead, he turned toward Ashstar next, who glared right back at him, her steely amber gaze unflinching. "Not only that, but it has become apparent to my Clan that ShadowClan has recently begun hunting on our territory, as well."

Ashstar's amber eyes flashed furiously for a moment, though she quickly composed herself and resumed her usual cool demeanor. "...And what evidence do you possess to accuse my Clan of doing such?"

"My warriors have found the remains of half-eaten prey in the middle of our territory, near the Thunderpath – and all of it was covered in ShadowClan scent," Foreststar replied, a low growl emanating from the back of his throat. "Further ShadowClan hunting on our territory will not be tolerated, Ashstar."

Ashstar ignored all the hisses and growls from the ThunderClan cats in the clearing below. Her claws, now unsheathed, glinted in the moonlight as they scraped against the rock beneath her feet. "ShadowClan has not been hunting on your territory, Foreststar," she snarled, "and we do not take kindly to being accused of such. Perhaps your warriors have merely grown a little out of touch, and confused the scent of this prey with the ShadowClan border nearby."

At this, the gathered ThunderClan cats grew outraged. "Out of touch?" Moletooth practically roared from somewhere behind Blackfrost, "I'll show her out of touch, that rotten piece of foxdung!"

A nearby ShadowClan warrior, Lichenfur, heard his outburst and whipped around, hissing. "Watch what you say about our leader, you disrespectful forest fleabag!"

Snowdrop gasped suddenly, and before Robinsong could ask her what was the matter, Cloudstar himself quickly stepped up to speak before the clearing could break out into chaos between the ThunderClan and ShadowClan cats. His yellow eyes seemed to burn with fury.

"WindClan have also discovered remains of prey on our territory, all of it smelling suspiciously of ShadowClan."

The calls of outrage throughout the clearing grew louder.

At this, Ashstar now quickly whipped her head around, glaring from Foreststar to Cloudstar, before finally settling her fuming gaze upon Silverstar. "And what about you, Silverstar?" she hissed, tail thrashing. "Will RiverClan unjustly accuse us of such wrongdoing, as well?"

The silvery RiverClan leader shook his head, though he looked not at Ashstar, but at Foreststar. His eyes glittered in the moonlight with some emotion that Blackfrost couldn't read from where he sat amongst the crowd. "RiverClan has no quarrel with ShadowClan," Silverstar stated calmly. "We are not involved in this matter."

Blackfrost could somewhat understand a Clan being hungry to the point of desperation, even going so far as to breaking the warrior code, even if he didn't agree with them doing so. It didn't explain, however, why Ashstar vehemently denied her Clan having any trace of guilt in the matter, even when two different Clans openly accused her of allowing her warriors to hunt on other Clans' territory.

Robinsong turned toward Snowdrop again, whose face was alight with shock. "Is this true?" she whispered to her WindClan friend. "Did your Clan really find evidence of ShadowClan stealing prey from your territory, too?"

The ghostly pale she-cat nodded, still staring up at the Clan leaders gathered on the Great Rock with widened eyes. "Some of our warriors have been finding remains of fresh-kill on the outskirts of the moors," she mewed quietly, "all half-eaten and smelling something rancid; like ShadowClan's scent."

Blackfrost considered what each of the leaders had said on the matter. If this were all true, then was ShadowClan hunting on the territories of two other Clans? Was their Clan really that desperate and hungry for prey, despite what their leader assured? But if that were truly the case, then why would ShadowClan's warriors not take their kills with them back to camp, and instead eat it on the spot and leave half the remains for enemy patrols to find? It was glaring evidence against them, after all. Unless ShadowClan was trying to make a statement to the other Clans? But then if so, why deny it now at the Gathering?

There was no denying that something about this whole situation was certainly fishy, and that was even without adding RiverClan to the mix. It seemed that concealing a kittypet in the Clan was really the least of ThunderClan's worries, after all.

As Blackfrost abruptly shook himself from his musings, the yowls of outrage and snarls of discontent that rang throughout the clearing had only grown louder as more and more cats of all the Clans began to argue amongst each other, hurling vicious insults and jeers.

"Mange-pelts!"

"Trespassing fishfaces!"

"Lying, crowfood-eating scum!"

"Come off it, you flea-ridden rabbit-chasers!"

Just beside him, it seemed as though Moletooth and the ShadowClan she-cat Lichenfur were preparing to leap into full-fledged battle, as they glared at each other with claws unsheathed and itching to fight at a moment's notice. Meanwhile, another dark ShadowClan warrior hissed threateningly at two mottled brown WindClan warriors who looked ready to pounce on him from either side with fangs bared. At the base of the Great Rock, the Clan deputies shifted beside each other in discomfort as their pelts bristled in mixed shock and anger.

Before the clearing could erupt into total and complete chaos, however, Cloudstar sternly called out, "Stop! Enough of this madness!"

The gathered cats quieted slightly at the sharp orders of the eldest Clan leader, though the fire in their eyes didn't die out.

"StarClan are not happy," the white warrior yowled, gesturing toward the full moon above with a wave of his tail. "Look! They're sending clouds through the sky as a warning!"

Sure enough, streaks of grey cloud had begun to drift across the once perfectly-clear night sky, their thin wisps hovering precariously over the bright circle of moon, dimming its light over the forest.

Beside him, Foreststar stepped forward on the rock, nodding. "Cloudstar is right," he agreed. His deep, powerful voice echoed through the clearing, demanding control now. "The Gathering, a truce between the Clans, is no time for a fight. Let this dispute be continued another day."

Ashstar also nodded her consent, though her shrewd amber eyes glared coldly at the other leaders with the ferocious sharpness of unsheathed claws. "Yes... But these unfounded accusations against ShadowClan will not be forgotten anytime soon, I assure you."

Before anything else could be said among the leaders, Silverstar growled loudly. "This Gathering is over! Come now, RiverClan. We are leaving."

He leapt off the rock and stormed off toward the treeline, waving his Clan forward to join him without pause. "...And don't think that our Clan will remain peaceful after this night is through, and StarClan's truce holds power over the forest no more."

This final warning was muttered under his breath ominously, unheard by most. At any rate, overhearing his last words certainly didn't boost Blackfrost's confidence on the matter.

Understandably so, the Gathering ended on a distinctly sour note. The cats of the four Clans were quickly rounded up and went on their separate ways toward their own respective territories, leaving very little time for inter-Clan goodbyes as they dispersed in an uneasy rush. With no more time to speak, Robinsong hurriedly waved her tortoiseshell tail at Snowdrop in farewell before the snow-white she-cat was herded away by her father and accompanying deputy, and Blackfrost nudged his sister to where the other ThunderClan cats were gathered, about to head out. Many of the warriors were grumbling, furious and dissatisfied with how the Gathering played out, while the three apprentices were absolutely wide-eyed in awe and a touch of fear.

On the way back to camp, Foreststar kept them practically flying at a swift pace through the familiar trees and thick undergrowth of ThunderClan territory, pushing them as though they were being trailed by enemy warriors the entire time. As they finally came thundering down the ravine toward their bramble-enforced camp, Blackfrost had a wild, fleeting thought of those enemies lying in ambush around its walls before descending upon the unsuspecting cats within – only about half of the ShadowClan warriors had shown up at the Gathering that night, after all. Which was definitely odd, considering how much Ashstar generally liked to show off her Clan's strength by taking all of her greatest warriors with her in full force.

But to Blackfrost's relief, the ThunderClan camp was quiet as the Gathering patrol entered the clearing, and totally devoid of any ShadowClan cats. He watched as the medicine cat, Rosethorn, retreated wearily to her den, and for the shortest possible moment, he considered going with her, if only to see Luna and tell her how the Gathering had gone. She certainly seemed curious about them when he'd previously told her about the Clan Gatherings. However, Blackfrost quickly decided against that notion – it was very late, and the kittypet was most definitely fast asleep by now. He didn't want to purposely disturb her for something like this, and Rosethorn would surely tell her all about the events of the Gathering when she woke up in the morning.

It was a strange feeling, but for some reason, that thought disappointed him, more than he'd care to admit.

A/N: Hello all, I'm back! I deeply apologize for my delay in posting, yet again. I've realized just how little I am able to write while school is still in session, so pretty much, only expect updates from me during the summer months (June, July, August) and maybe a little over Christmas break. It also definitely didn't help matters that my old laptop broke and all my fanfic documents were lost, which was very discouraging when it comes to my writing, to say the least. But hey, at least I got a brand-new really nice laptop to replace it, haha.

Anyway, thanks for reading, as always! A new character, Snowdrop, has been introduced (well, new to us, but not to Blackfrost and the others), and Luna should definitely feature more prominently in the next chapter. Hope to update again soon. :)

-CCM