Edited ✔️

"Ashtail?" Icepaw asked his mentor. It's been three days since he has been attacked by the rabbit, and he was fully healed. "Are we going to do more battle training today?"

Ashtail looked down with warm eyes on his apprentice and shook his head. "Afraid not," he replied. "It's your turn to do apprentice duties. You're going out with Vinetail today." He pointed to the large brown tom with his tail. "He asked for permission with me first, of course."

Icepaw sighed and nodded. "Okay. Bye, Ashtail."

He began to walk away. The day was damp and warm, because of the other day's rain showers. Almost the whole Clan stayed at camp because they didn't want to get wet, and most of the cats didn't eat. Today, almost everyone was out catching prey.

Vinetail was washing his pelt in his den, clearly waiting for Icepaw to come. Sweetpaw has gone battle to do battle training so she can learn to defend herself, so Vinetail was alone. Icepaw dipped his head to the older cat as he walked in.

"Hi, Vinetail," Icepaw meowed. "I heard I was going out with you today. Who with?"

Vinetail smiled. "It's just you and me," he said.

Icepaw looked at him with surprise. "But the rule says no less than three cats at a patrol!" he protested. "A DarkClan warrior can always attack us!"

Vinetail sighed but still held his smile. "Then if I get attacked—" he looked up to the pale sky " —StarClan will surely disapprove. It's against the warrior code and the medicine cat code for a medicine cat to be attacked. Besides, we won't do anything wrong."

Icepaw understood. He began to remember the warrior code and what Flamepaw said about it. He shook his head, trying to forget.

"Are you okay?" Vinetail asked.

"Yeah," Icepaw mewed.

Vinetail nodded, beginning to lead the apprentice out of his den and out of the camp entrance. The camp looked deserted, except for the resting warriors and the expecting queen. Icepaw smiled as he saw Ripplefur, his old friend when he was a kit. She was a very young warrior and had everyone worried about her kitting.

Vinetail kept leading, and he stopped when they were out in the forest. Icepaw stared at the medicine cat as he opened his jaws, tasting the scent of the forest. "Okay," Vinetail explained. "We're going to go to the only place you haven't been in our territory. We're going to the herb patch, far from the other territories. It's the safest place where a cat could be, but its closest to the Twoleg territory."

Icepaw understood. "We're going to collect herbs?" he asked and Vinetail nodded. He began to walk upwind in the path to MarshClan, with Icepaw trotting right behind him. No cat talked, except for the distant chatter of birds and the mice climbing all around the forest trees and bushes. As usual, the forest was loud, noisy and beautiful.

The leaves rippled in the gentle breeze overhead, making Icepaw calmly sigh. He never wanted leaf-bare to come. He lifted his head up and looked to the sky. The sun shone warmly down onto his face. Icepaw loved the sun, for its warm rays were comforting.

Vinetail peered behind his back to see Icepaw drowning the sun's warmth in his fur. "Come on," he meowed. "We're almost to the herb patch."

Icepaw nodded. "Coming!" he called, trotting up to get to Vinetail's side. Icepaw looked around and has just noticed they weren't going near MarshClan at all. The trees were beginning to look different, and there were fewer and fewer plants and bushes.

Vinetail slowly walked, going slower as well, slinking to the ground. Icepaw got down as well, not knowing what to do. The two toms now hid in the undergrowth, looking over the tall grass. "What's over there?" Icepaw asked in a hushed tone.

"Kittypets," Vinetail whispered, motioning to two kittypets talking and sitting in MoonClan territory. "Twolegs might not know when to stay off our borders, but their kittypets know very well. Some of them can be vicious sometimes."

Icepaw stared at the two plump cats. But even the warriors say that they are nothing but soft furballs! he thought.

"Are we going to attack?" Icepaw asked.

Vinetail sighed. "It's the warrior's job to protect our borders, but this is my Clan, too." He got up, but the to kittypets still didn't notice him. "Come on Icepaw. Kittypets believe we turn into badgers when it comes to fighting!"

Icepaw's whiskers twitched, and the two toms began to stalk over to the trespassers. Finally, the gray tabby one wearing a red collar around his neck looked up and over at Vinetail and Icepaw. He looked friendly over and waved his tail, and the ginger one with the blue collar looked over as well.

"Hello!" the gray one meowed. "I'm Cookie and that's my friend, Daisy. We just got into this neighborhood, but I've never seen you around!"

Daisy smiled. "Hello."

Vinetail sighed, and Icepaw was very confused. He didn't know why they were being so friendly or didn't know what a 'neighborhood' even was. Their words were strange to his ears, but he remained by Vinetail, not knowing how to deal with them at all.

"Look," Vinetail said in a hostile tone. "If you're new in the Twolegplace, then I'll give you a warning. The forest is ours. Cats like you are not allowed in places like this. You hunt prey for fun, but we do it for food to survive. We don't need a bunch of kittypets scaring off our food."

Cookie's friendly smile turned into surprise. He stared at Icepaw and Vinetail with disbelief. "B-but, the forest doesn't belong to you," he protested. "We like it here very much!"

"Tough luck for you," Vinetail spat. "Leave, or we're going to have to make you."

Icepaw looked over at Daisy, whose eyes were full of fear. Cookie's eyes were challenging.

"Then bring it!" he hissed, leaping up. Icepaw stared at Daisy, who smelled of milk, and her belly was plumper than Cookie's.

"No!" Icepaw meowed, stopping Vinetail. "You shouldn't hurt her. She looks like she's going to have kits. It just makes me feel bad!"

Cookie stared at Icepaw, narrowing his eyes. "That's because she is."

Icepaw met his gaze, unintimidated. "You're too soft for this forest, your place is in your safe Twoleg dens. We won't hurt your friend but we will surely hurt you." He stared up intensely at Cookie. "Leave. We don't want to solve this in battle."

Cookie pulled back his ears, snarling. "Fine." He turned and began to stalk off. Daisy dipped her head and raced after Cookie. Icepaw sighed of relief. He didn't want to hurt the expecting she-cat. He looked over at Vinetail, who nodded approvingly.

"You're very humble," Vinetail commented. "Now that's taken care of, let's keep going to the herb patch. It's just over there."

Icepaw nodded. They began to walk back into the forest, walking just on the edge of the trees. He shivered as one thought came to mind. Would Vinetail really attack an expecting she-cat? What about any of my Clanmates?

This type of thought scared him. He looked down at his paws, and his tail dropped down as he walked. He felt bad about threatening to attack such innocent cats. He just didn't know why, but he knew it was wrong. Maybe it was because he was still too soft.

I'm nothing close to being a warrior yet! he thought with disappointment.

The scent of fresh leaves was coming into Icepaw's throat, and Vinetail stopped ahead of him. "We're here," he reported.

Icepaw looked up, and saw a large number of herb patches in a clearing, with a stream running around it. The mud and soil looked rich and moist, and so did the plants. He padded up close so that his paws nearly touched the stream. "It's beautiful."

The colors expanded into varieties of different types and flowers. "Yes," Vinetail agreement. "Beautiful is the word every cat describes the herbs. Not only are their looks appealing, but they provide comfort for the sick and treatment for the broken. Every herb has its individual beauty."

Icepaw nodded and walked up closer so his paws touched the lake. "Which ones do we collect? How will we get across?"

Vinetail climbed down to the stream. "We wade," he replied. "It's very shallow---a little water won't hurt us." Icepaw nodded and went down after Vinetail. He froze as he first touched the water. Even though some cats in his Clan apparently learned to swim, he didn't like getting his fur wet.

He was slowly walking across until he jumped to the other side, fur bristling. He felt something dart past his paws in the water. "Wh-what was that?" Icepaw gasped.

Vinetail chuckled and climbed out of the stream. "Tiny fish live here and dwell off the soil," he said. "I really don't mind them being here." He looked down at the stream where groups of the tiny fish sped around, barely able to be seen.

"I-I'm not okay with them!" he admitted. "They feel creepy, so tiny they're not worth eating!"

Vinetail sighed. "They probably think you feel creepy and big, too." His whiskers twitched, followed by a small mrrow of laughter.

Icepaw ignored his comment and turned to the herb patch. "Anyway, which herbs to we collect?"

Vinetail poked his nose through bundles of leaves. "I want you to find the ones that look like this," he meowed as he pulled up a flower by the root. Its petals were blue and was small and star-shaped. "It's borage to help the queens with milk and it brings down fevers."

Icepaw nodded. "Are you training me to become a medicine cat?" he said sarcastically as he poked his nose through the leaves and flowers.

Vinetail chuckled. "No, I'm not."

Icepaw nodded. "Good. I very much want to become a warrior." He saw the blue flower and pulled it out by its root just as Vinetail has done.

"Sure you do," Vinetail meowed truthfully as he picked up another flower. The two cats kept up the process, finding and piling up the borage. When Vinetail was satisfied with his plants, he stopped and looked over to Icepaw.

"Now, this is enough," Vinetail meowed to Icepaw. "Let's get back to the Clan. Brightstar's announcing her cats that are going to the Gathering soon. You won't want to miss it."

"No," Icepaw agreed, picking up all of the borage leaves he has collected. Then, with Vinetail in the lead, the two were off.

Soon, Icepaw and Vinetail returned to camp. The sun was down, and the moon was rising. Icepaw has just finished putting away the borage leaves he was holding and then Brightstar's loud and powerful voice called over the Clan.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, join beneath the Moonrock for a Clan meeting!" Brightstar announced. All of the cats were already there. Icepaw scuffled through his Clanmates to get to the front to sit by his brother, Dewpaw. "I have chosen the warriors and apprentices who will be attending tonight's gathering!"

Icepaw looked up hopefully. "I want Sparrowheart, Crowflight, Swiftbreeze, Skypelt, Fireshade and Dawnpaw, Ashtail and Icepaw, Mousetail and Dewpaw, Grayfur, Featherbreeze, Sharpfang, Stonetooth and Vinetail are to attend," Brightstar had finally said. Icepaw almost jumped when he heard his name. "I expect these cats to eat and rest before we travel! Those who stay behind will watch over the camp carefully."

Murmurs swept through the crowd. Some were disappointed, some excited and others were of approval. Icepaw excitedly looked over at Dewpaw.

"You heard?" he asked. "We get to go to the gathering!"

Dewpaw nodded. "Yeah, and then we can meet the other cats from the other Clans! The only Clan leader I've met was Sandstar. . . and she was a bit crazy. I hope to see everyone!"

Icepaw sighed. Dewpaw was right but he was afraid that the other leaders would be just like the crazed cat who wanted him to fight with the DarkClan apprentice, Flamepaw.

"I just can't believe we're going," he sighed.

Dewpaw nodded with agreement, and a shape formed out of the corner of the apprentice's eyes. Dawnpaw trotted up to the two, with Ripplefur following. The two were sisters although born from different litters, and of course, were very close.

Ripplefur smiled at Icepaw. "Congratulations on getting to go to the gathering," she purred, nuzzling both of the apprentices.

"Congratulations!" Dawnpaw added.

Dewpaw nodded. "Thank you. I'm just so excited that I can go. . . it's such a different feeling than being confined into camp. The open forest is way better." His tail swept happily and gently from side to side in slow strokes.

"I can't wait to go!" Icepaw meowed, and so did Dawnpaw. They both said it at almost the same time, which made them laugh.

"Well haven't you been to a gathering before?" Icepaw asked. Why would she be excited if she already knew what it was like?

Dawnpaw nodded. "I have, twice," she replied. "But I just like to go so much, naturally." Her golden-like fur rippled through the darkening sky's soft breeze. "It's a long journey. We must rest."

"I've heard," Icepaw said. She turned and began to walk away towards the apprentice's den. Dewpaw followed Icepaw while he followed the older apprentice. He just couldn't wait until he awoken again. Because at that time, it'll be time to leave for the gathering.

He curled up in his moss nest and tucked the loose feathers close to his cold underbelly. Even though it was newleaf, he loved the warmth so much, especially on a chilly or windy day like tonight. Icepaw rested his head on his paws after lying down more comfortably, and closed his eyes, drifting off into a good sleep.

Icepaw's eyes opened once more. His heart was beating, fast. He was nervous.

But from what? Another dream?

Icepaw began to walk away from wherever he was just standing. He did not know. He didn't even have a single idea of where he was. The sun was up, he could tell, because the sky was a dark color but with a shade of morning blue.

The sun must be covered by clouds because no direct shining light was hitting the land. The pine trees stood up very tall, very proud, refusing to bend down like the weeds to the rough winds that were blowing. Because of the stubbornness, twigs and sticks cracked and broke, and flew off of the pine trees.

Icepaw made sure he was careful. With every step taken, he kept a close watch on his own back and head, looking up every so often. Where am I? Icepaw thought, looking around. What a dangerous place!

The MoonClan apprentice's amber eyes darted from side to side as he tried to make up from where he was. Let's see. Marshy grounds, swamps, and pine trees. How about DarkClan territory?

"You're not on DarkClan, you little kit," a deep voice said behind him. Icepaw quickly turned, his head pounding now, and saw the same eyes he'd seen the day of the Twilight Warrior. He smirked. "So you remember me. We do not die as easily as those StarClan cats.''

Icepaw shrunk, but his fur bristled. A chill ran through his fur, but inside, his blood was hot and pumped through his body thickly. "Why am I here again?"

Icepaw didn't want to be confident that the cat who saved him the other day would come back. If anything were to attack him, he would have to defend himself. ''The cats of StarClan can't always help you,'' quoted Brightstar many times. This was a perfect time to heed the wise leader's advice: "Sometimes it's just up to us."

"Some cat wanted you here. That's the only way in." The cat smirked, showing his white, sharp teeth. Even his claws were unsheathed, and they were stained with blood. His eyes flashed with an emotion Icepaw could not understand.

If that was true, Icepaw wondered why he was summoned. Who would do that? He didn't really know any dead cats, despite having ancestors who passed on to StarClan.

The Twilight warrior sighed. "Anyways, I heard you were apprenticed, too, and you're going to a gathering with Dawnpaw and Dewpaw and all those other warriors. I saw Brightstar choosing her cats—"

"How do you know about that?" snarled Icepaw, cutting the warrior off. The Twilight Warrior's muscles and broad shoulders were tense and his eyes were filling with a new cloud of emotion. It was anger.

The warrior's claws flexed and his tail flicked back and forth. "I can look through your memories," he said. "Like all the other gifted, powerful and special cats in my Clan. It's pretty cool, right, to have such a Clan with such a group of cats?"

"I don't care about powers. . . physically or mentally. . ." Icepaw murmured. Then, a sudden and yet painful hiss reached his ears.

"Do not go to the gathering," said a voice somewhat like the Twilight Warrior. "Darkness. . . dangers. . . evil things and such rise at times like these. I warn you not to go."

He froze.

Don't go to the gathering? he thought with disbelief. Of course I am going to go! Voices don't tell me what to do!

Suddenly, he woke up. The Gathering patrol was already getting ready, and he saw Dewpaw standing over him, urging him to get up. Groaning, Icepaw did as so. He slowly stood on to his paws and yawned loudly. He also stretched, shaking all the moss off of his pelt.

Dewpaw shook eagerly. "We're leaving now!" he meowed eagerly. "Let's go. Our mentors are waiting." He turned and looked for a second. "So are you excited about the gathering?"

Icepaw hesitated. Darkness . . . dangers . . . evil things and such rise at times like these. I warn you not to go. "Er . . . of course I am," he lied. He was nervous. "It's my first gathering, after all, right?"