Cloudedmoon got up from where she was sitting with her brother, Duskfall, and padded silently to where the deputy, Twilightripple, was standing. The ginger she-cat had called her over moments later.

"Cloudedmoon," Twilightripple greeted her. "How would you like to take out a border patrol?"

"Sure. Who should I take?" the pale grey she-cat asked politely.

"You can take..." Twilightripple hesitated. "Stormrunner, Glimmerfur, Darkpelt, and Duskfall. Check the border between us and StreamClan."

The cats who she had named got up, their muscles rippling beneath their pelts. Stormrunner was a lithe grey tabby tom with blue eyes. Glimmerfur had dark grey fur with white splotches and amber eyes. She was Stormrunner's sister. Darkpelt was a black tom with yellow eyes. Duskfall was black-grey with green eyes.

"Stormrunner, take the lead." Cloudedmoon told him and followed him out of the reinforced clearing.

There were five Clans. CloudClanwho lived in a forest where they could leap high into the air, LightningClan, who lived in dense forests, StreamClan, who fished and swam in the river, BreezeClan, who chased rabbits on the moor, and lastly, ShadeClan, the best and most mysterious Clan, living in pine trees. Cloudedmoon was a ShadeClan cat. She, and the rest of her Clanmates, had been taught from kithood to respect everyone in a higher rank. Inkstar, the tom that led ShadeClan at the moment, and Twilightripple, were the highest ranking ShadeClan cats. Then, of course, the medicine cat, Blackfern, and the warriors came next.

The ShadeClan patrol had reached the border. If Cloudedmoon squinted, she could see StreamClan cats swimming in the river, and others sitting on the bank, fishing. THe border itself was a wide stream, wide enough to stop other Clans from jumping across, but not wide enough for a determined Clan to splash through to the other side.

Duskfall placed a scent marker on the bank. Glimmerfur sniffed the air, her ears pricked and her body low.

"You there!" A snarl rang through the air.

Cloudedmoon snapped her head up. Splashheart, a StreamClan warrior, was standing on the other side of the brook, her gaze fixed on the ShadeClan cats.

"I know you're up to no good!" Brookfrost snarled at Cloudedmoon. "Have you hunted on our territory?" Blackfish hissed.

"No," Stormrunner growled evenly.

The three StreamClan warriors exchanged a few suspicious looks, then padded away.

Darkpelt put the last border mark onto the bank and straightened up. "We should get back," he murmured. "The Gathering is soon and Inkstar expects us there as soon as possible."

"What about the rouges?" Duskfall asked worriedly.

A gang of rouges had been causing trouble in BreezeClan and ShadeClan territories, and no one knew much about them.

"We can sneak past them," Glimmerfur explained. "We are ShadeClan cats after all."

Cloudedmoon nodded, but her brother still looked troubled. "Let's go." The point turned away and led the patrol back home through the pines.

Inkstar prowled out of his den, his midnight fur shining in the light. He was old, perhaps on his seventh life.

"I have chosen who will come to the Gathering," he announced. "Twilightripple, Blackfern, Shadowedfoot, Duskfall, Cloudedmoon, Glimmerfur, Darkpelt, Greystorm, Moosepaw, and Icepaw. Let's go."

The ShadeClan cats walked along the border to Fivetrees, where they held Gatherings. They snuck past the rouge camp with no interruption and came up on the Gatheringplace.

Inkstar waited, looking down onto the clearing. Foreststar, LightningClan's leader, and Briarstar, BreezeClan's leader were already up on the branches, their Clans mingling below. Inkstar waved his tail in a signal, and the Gatheirng patrol pelted down. Inkstar leaped into the Great Tree with the other leaders. Through the moonlight Cloudedmoon managed to find a seat beside her friends from BreezeClan and LightningClan, Heatherstorm, Featherpaw, and Thunderclaw, all grey cats.

"Hi!" Heatherstorm greeted her.

"Hello," CLoudedmoon responded.

"Cats of all Clans!"

Cloudedmoon looked up. The CloudClan leader, Whitestar, and the StreamClan leader, Ripplestar, had joined the other leaders.

"CloudClan is doing quite well. Two kits, Fallkit and Fluffykit, have began their apprenticeship and have become Fallpaw and Fluffypaw."

"Fallpaw! Fluffypaw!" The clans celebrated.

"We also will drive out any intruders," he continued, his fur bristling as he gazed at Ripplestar.

"Wonder who put ants in his pelt," Thunderclaw murmured to Cloudedmoon and she nodded.

"ShadeClan is doing exceptionally well. Prey is abundant. We don't have any new warriors, but two apprentices have started their warrior training, Icepaw and Moosepaw. Mossyspirit has kitted and delivered one healthy kit with the name Hollykit."

"Moosepaw! Icepaw! Hollykit!"

The other Clans also reported, and Cloudedmoon gazed at her friend in pride. "You got your warrior name!" She mewed to Feathertwirl. The grey she-cat nodded delightfully.

Inkstar's words faded in. "..the Gathering has come to an end! ShadeClan, to me!"

Cloudedmoon followed Duskfall to her leader. She dipped her head politely to the black tom, and padded after him as they went back to their camp. Rouges caused them no problem, and Cloudedmoon fell asleep as soon as her head hit the mossy nest