FLAREPELT

Poolstar had halted at the edge of the clearing of Fourtrees when her Clan lined up beside her. Some of the cats from DawnClan and SmokeClan turned and acknowledged their arrival.

Sunstar, especially, padding over towards Poolstar, nuzzling Poolstar's fluff eagerly. "Nice of you to take your time, Pooly! I was having an entire seizure that you wouldn't show up!" 

Poolstar huffed, rolling her eyes, but nuzzled back calmly. "Sorry, Sunstar, I was... side-tracked." 

Flarepelt watched the two leaders and sighed with amusement. These she-cats be gay. Good for them. Good for them. 

Flarepaw then saw five apprentices padding over to them. She then realized it was Riverkit, Wolfkit, Nightkit, Arctickit, and Whitekit. 

Shinefall smiled friendlily. "Oh hey there, you've grown so much! You're apprentices now? Let me guess... Whitepaw, Arcticpaw, Nightpaw, Wolfpaw, and... Riverpaw?" 

Wolfpaw nodded excitedly. "Yep! This is our first Gathering!" 

Riverpaw puffed out his chest smugly. "And I'm Coldstar's apprentice!" 

Flarepelt rolled her eyes at the smug apprentice. He must the most SmokeClan cat out of the entire litter. 

Alderclaw smiled warmly. "That's great! You can talk to Flarepelt all about that, if you want. She used to be Poolstar's apprentice." 

Flarepelt snapped her gaze at Alderclaw, glaring as her fur bristled. "Shut it, kittypet."

Flarepelt gritted her teeth when she saw Alderclaw wince at her snark. 

Flarepelt then spotted a fluffy she-cat in the middle of the crowd of cats. 

Flarepelt flicked her tail, narrowing her eyes at Shinefall and Alderclaw. "You guys do whatever. I'm going to speak to Goldenpelt."

Alderclaw blinked. "The... The DawnClan deputy? Are you sure? What if you offend her—I mean—accidentally offend her and you accidentally start a war with DawnClan?" 

Flarepelt rolled her eyes, glaring as her fur bristled. "Oh, yes, it's so easy to believe I would offend someone, right...?" she spat bitterly at the kittypet before stalking away.

Flarepelt was trying to calm her fur down as she was making her way through the crowd of cats, one SmokeClan apprentice came up to her. "Is it true that Poolstar fought Claw claw-to-claw?" 

Flarepelt stopped in her tracks, taking the moment to take pride in talking of her mentor. "Of course," she mewed excitedly. "She slammed him into our camp's walls and pinned him by the muzzle, and to seal it off, she threatened to have all of IceClan after him if he ever dared to step near our territory again!" 

The apprentice raised an eyebrow. "Sounds unbelievable, if you ask me. No cat could ever touch a cat like Claw. Not even Poolstar!" 

"Oh? Not even me?" 

Flarepelt grinned as the apprentice turned over to meet the gaze of Poolstar. "O-Oh—! I-I mean... Did you really...?" 

Poolstar groomed her paw calmly, before leaning her head down. "Of course. Would you like to know what I said, word-for-word?" 

The SmokeClan apprentice took a step back. "Er... no thanks!" The apprentice didn't hesitate to rush over back to another group. 

Poolstar purred with amusement. "Awww, and I was just having my fun." She turned to look at Flarepelt. "Are you enjoying your first gathering as a warrior, Flarepelt?" 

Flarepelt groomed her paw calmly. "Sorta. It's a bunch of cats who either question me, or stuck-up arrogant frost-brains." 

Poolstar hummed. "You'll get used to it, but anyways, just try to enjoy as much as you can."

Flarepelt nodded. "Alright." 

Flarepelt tried to calm down as she turned away and padded over to Goldenpelt. "Hi! Goldenpelt... Right?" 

Goldenpelt blinked. "Oh, yeah! That's me! You're... Flarepaw? Right? Poolstar's apprentice? I think I saw you last gathering. Wow, you got so much bigger during that time." 

Flarepelt groomed her fur. "Actually, I earned my warrior name a few days ago. My warrior name is Flarepelt now." 

Goldenpelt smiled. "Congratulations! You'll love being a warrior, trust me! Helping your Clan is the best part!" 

Flarepelt puffed out her fur. "Well, if anyone should be congratulated, it's you! I mean, who becomes deputy only at 20 moons?"

Goldenpelt glanced away shyly. "O-Oh... T-Thanks. But really, I think Sunstar just chose me because of who my father was... and since he was the deputy of DawnClan..." 

Flarepelt heard the sad tone in her voice, before Flarepelt huffed. "Well, obviously not if she chose you this young and lasted this long. And if she did, then she could go and live in the dirtplace for a moon." 

Goldenpelt stared agasp at Flarepelt, as if she just grew an extra head. 

Poolstar leaped up from rock to rock and leaped onto the Great Rock, and the leaders followed suit. "Let the Gathering begin!" 

All cats looked up. 

Poolstar groomed her paw before looking down at the Clans. "We all know last Gathering was... eventful, to say the least, but, we have successfully driven off Claw from the forest and his rouges." 

"Is he dead?" a cat called. 

Poolstar shook her head. "No, but it's unlikely he'll be back anytime soon. As in other news, IceClan has received many new warriors this past moon. Flarepelt, Shinefall, Alderclaw, Cherryfall, and Shadowwing!" 

"Flarepelt! Flarepelt! Shinefall! Shinefall! Alderclaw! Alderclaw! Cherryfall! Cherryfall! Shadowwing! Shadowwing!" 

Flarepelt purred proudly at the chanting of all the four Clans chanting her name. And, internally, filled with relief that the Clans didn't question about Icepaw. 

Poolstar continued. "We also received a new elder in our ranks, Leafeye." 

Leafeye huffed as all eyes went on her, her ear flicked slightly. 

Poolstar then mewed proudly. "And lastly... While I was away from camp, Claw had attacked our camp and... killed Thornwing in the process. Shadowfoot is the new deputy of IceClan." 

Flarepelt couldn't stop the prick of fear that went through her fur at Poolstar's announcement. She knew that it was true, but it felt like she was being suffocated to hear it said out loud.

Coldstar smiled with sympathy. "It seems IceClan went through it's rough batch this past moon." 

Poolstar huffed, ignoring Coldstar. "And with Claw gone, we can now return back to our normal hunting grounds, just like how they've always should've been." 

Coldstar winced at the judgmental tone in Poolstar's mew. "Right... Erm, we just wanted to have our Clans survive."

Poolstar narrowed her eyes. "And yet, your idea of survival is to willingly ally yourself with a cat who slaughtered who knows how many cats." She then sighed, removing her gaze from Coldstar. "None the less, Claw is gone, and that's that."

Sunstar nodded in agreement. "Besides, I think we should talk about the other matter at hand... EchoClan." 

Coldstar blinked. "Yes... What should be done about them should be addressed." 

Mousefang purred, grooming his paw. "They're right, the Clans now have the uplands to hunt in, meaning more prey for the Clans." 

Fireclaw stared agasp at her Clanmate. "How could you say that?! Do you have no morality?!" 

Runningriver of DawnClan stepped to Mousefang's side, his eyes brightening. "No, he's right. It will mean extra prey for all of us." 

Goldenpelt sighed, lowering her head. "Why do cats have to be like this..."

Flarepelt huffed, her tail swishing left and right. "Because sometimes, cats are just horrendulodusly awful." 

Goldenpelt blinked at Flarepelt in surprise. "Not... all cats. I mean, you can see where they're sorta coming from. They just want to have plentiful prey, like any cat." 

Flarepelt sighed, ears flattening against her head. "I... I guess. But think about the homesick EchoClan cats..."

Goldenpelt nodded in sympathy. "True..." 

"NO!" Poolstar snapped sharply. 

Both DawnClan and SmokeClan leaders were surprised by Poolstar's outburst. 

Riverpaw tilted his head curiously as he looked up at the Great Rock. "Why not? It will mean more food!" 

Flarepelt rolled her eyes. First day on his Gathering and he already thinks he can talk smack against my Clan leader. 

Poolstar stood her ground firmly, looking down on the cats of DawnClan and SmokeClan. "We must have four Clans. We must. We... We need. For generations, we have been given four Clans by StarClan. Not three, not two, not one, four. Just as we been gifted four seasons, we need four Clans." 

Mousefang narrowed his eyes, muttering to a Clanmate. "Easy for her to say... Her Clan doesn't have to suffer through the hunger leaf-bare brings... She practically lives in it!" 

Flarepelt let out a deep snarl, instinctively unsheathing her claws. 

Goldenpelt blinked in shock. "Don't engage!" 

Poolstar glared, and she seemed to be clenching the Great Rock with her claws but spoke in a strained, calm voice. "Don't believe that because of our ability, that we don't suffer throughout the subzero season. Prey still lessens like any other leaf-bare. The forest, the moor has always supported the four Clans. So why change it just because we want a few extra mouses or squirrels in our bellies?" 

"Poolstar is right! EchoClan must return!" Shadowfoot spat back.

Flarepelt gritted her teeth, although she wanted to yowl in support of her leader, she would never in a million moons, dare to side with Shadowfoot. 

Goldenpelt blinked, tilting her head. "Do you not like him?" 

Flarepelt immediately tried to calm her fur down, and glanced away. "I... It's complicated." 

Sunstar nodded in agreement. "So it is agreed then. EchoClan must return." 

Poolstar purred in satisfaction. "Well then, if everything is addressed now, then EchoClan should be found and brought back to the territories. Until then, no Clan should hunt in their territory." 

The Gathering began to break up as the cats prepared to travel back to their camps. Flarepelt watched in amusement as she watched Poolstar and Sunstar touch noses before Poolstar padded away. 

Flarepelt glanced at Goldenpelt for a moment after their leaders touched noses for a moment before awkwardly clearing her throat as she stood up. "W-Well, s-see you next gathering, then...?" 

Goldenpelt nodded happily. "Yep! See ya, Flarepelt!" She then followed after her leader. 

Flarepelt sighed before following after her Clan into the forest.