Chapter Four

Above and beyond the worn down path from moons of shuffling through a mile of tall grass, the Riseclan cats padded along quickly as they tried not to be late for the gathering to start; yet, their efforts were spent when they heard a yowl of a leader to command the gathering to begin.

"Sandpelt, lead everyone into the pit with the other clans," Thistlestar said once they got into the views of the other cats and walking out of the tall grass, "Keep an eye on the apprentices, as well, there can be only peace at nights like these when a nice moon is full in Newleaf."

The sand colored deputy nodded, "Riseclan, follow me."

After leading the handful of Riseclan warriors with only four apprentices; Firepaw, Hawkpaw, Otterpaw and Icepaw, Thistlestar walked away from his clan then hopped up on a giant rock where the other leaders sat.

"Taking your time to come here now, Thistlestar?" Cedarstar asked, a purr slowly rumbling in her throat along with a sickly cough which made her pull her paws under herself nervously in hopes no one heard.

Thistlestar shrugged arrogantly, "More or less, Cedarstar. Although, I do worry about that cough of yours..it couldn't be green-cough, could it?"

Nervously and slightly mortified by Thistlestar's assumption, Cedarstar quickly glanced to her paws as she tried to not make eye contact with the rude tom, instead she stammered to say honestly, "Breezeleaf is-isn't sure what it is exactly.." She continued under her breath with her ears flattened to her dark brown head, "All he's told me is that it could get worse..to the point it could be harder to breath. Although, I still have the future to look forward to now that more prey has come into our territory once again."

The listening Solarclan warriors boomed as one for their leader and themselves whole as a promising clan hat'll no longer starve despite their thin appearances.

Firepaw, who was sitting next to an annoyed Icepaw from the Solarclan warriors being rather close, he watched Icepaw's ears go back in disgust, "Why don't you like them" Firpeaw asked her curiously.

Icepaw sighed loudly, "They have a disgusting smell..whatever they're hunting I don't like it.."

Now intrigued, Firepaw began to look over the Solarclan cats, which eventually made him look around at all the other clans' cats he has never seen before; his eyes drifting over the different sizes of cats, how their pelts were never the same unless they were kin, he kept taking in their scents in his nostrils until his eyes locked on an all black cat. Shadekit, but since he was here..he was now Shadepaw.

"How did Blackpaw get here?" Firepaw asked Icepaw, accidentally saying his thought outloud.

"Where?" Icepaw squeaked happily, she followed Firepaw's gaze to look over at Shadepaw, "Wait, that isn't Blackpaw. Firepaw, that's someone else."

Firepaw leaned back slightly, "No, that's Blackpaw..I'm sure of it.."

"Hush, both of you." Sandpelt lowly hissed at them, "Thistlestar is about to speak."

Sandpelt's pale tail pointed at the Riseclan leader.

Thistlestar cleared his throat to prepare his news on his own clan, "Well, Riseclan is welcoming in our new apprentices," He began, "Firepaw and Icepaw."

Around Icepaw and Firepaw, the other clan's cats began to cheer for the new apprentices; which was strange to Icepaw, but Firepaw was filled with pride, which made Sandpelt flash him a look.

After the cheers died down, Thistlestar looked over to the last two leaders who had not spoken, "Wouldn't any of you like to say anything?" He tempted, "Maybe you, Brindlestar?"

Brindlestar, a pale gray she-cat that looked paler than usual from holding her breath and trying not to speak; she breathed in heavily then coughed inside her throat helplessly. So, she leaned over on the rock and let a dark red spill of blood drain out of her mouth without any hesitation to even try to lean her head back. While the pretty pale leader coughed her final drop of blood to add to the puddle she had made, she fell weakly on her side with her body stiffening up in pain while her insides burned. Her eyes were wide with so much agony that she pupils were trembling from not knowing which way was up or down, she was losing a life.

"Blood!" Dawnflower screamed for her leader in absolute horror, "Help her, someone!-is Larkfur here to help her?"

Unfortunately for Jadeclan, Larkfur, their medicine cat was not there..

Icepaw hopped to her paws to get a better look over the other cats in front of her that decided to do the same. Almost everyone watched, except Shadepaw and Firepaw.

In absolute disgust, Thistlestar backed away from Brindlestar, "The gathering is dismissed!-everyone go home..where we belong, so we can be safe."

Firepaw tried finding Shadepaw again in the river of cats, but to his disadvantage he couldn't find his own brothers twin anywhere, "Foxdung, I lost him!"

The fiery apprentice looked around for his clan that apparently vanished and were waiting by the entrance they had come from.

Despite not seeing the twin, Firepaw got up then slowly crept to them while also looking around secretly for him.

Unfortunately there was no sign of him over the crowding Jadeclan cats that were trying to help their leader Brindlestar; right there, staring at Firepaw curiously, Shadepaw watched as Firepaw left into the tall grass with the rest of Riseclan.

Finally back from the Gathering, the handful of Riseclan cats stalked past Shiverstream and Sunfoot who were on guarding for the night.

"Has anyone tried coming in?" Sandpelt asked Sunfoot.

Sunfoot shook her head quickly because she wasn't allowed to speak.

Thistlestar lead everyone in again somewhere that was only a place no one could get lost in, Riseclan; their home that could be in danger of whatever sickness was spreading through the clans of Solarclan and Jadeclan.

With this in mind, Thistlestar immediately rushed faster than Sandpelt to hop on the highrock before everyone to see him, "Clan meeting, everyone!"

Sandpelt's tail lashed slightly with his tail tip swishing the ground, he stayed silent even though he wanted to snap at his leader for it being too late. Yet, the loyal deputy went behind the rock to be directly under his leader without anything to say.

Eventually, almost every single Riseclan cat was there to listen to what their leader had to say. Including Blackpaw, even though no surprise to him, he sat alone behind his own brother that didn't even know he existed.

Moonsong was the only queen to creep out of the nursery that she hasn't left in quite some time because of a birthing defect she had when giving life to Bluepaw and Icepaw, she walked out in the moonlight to look at Sandpelt who had not even visited her ever since.

"Everyone, there is a sickness going around and I fear the most for this because we witnessed tonight what it can do to a cat." Thistlestar explained, "So, the leader of Jadeclan now is suffering from this sickness..to make matters worse, there was no medicine cat either-"

"Larkfur wasn't there, not at all?" Sootpelt asked, stalking forward to face his brother with his bright blue eyes locked up on Thistlestar, "So..is she dying, Brindlestar is?"

A sigh dropped from Thistlestar unintentionally, "Yes.."

Blackpaw listened closely from not understanding, but he did grasp what Sootpelt was hinting because he knew he was a medicine cat as well.

Sootpelt's tail dropped low, "Well then.." He mumbled, "I'll assemble my fellow medicine cats in the morning so that we can all come to a decision and theorize what exactly this, ''sickness'' is that is going around, if it would be alright?"

With one subtle nod, Sootpelt was already walking into the log medicine den.

Sandpelt watched curiously after his brother, his eyes then trailing away at Moonsong; the most beautiful she-cat he has ever laid his eyes on..although now, he had known right when she walked out of the nursery, that them being mates was over because of his over loyalty. From then on in his mind after she rolled her eyes at her old mate, he had realized what a fool he was.

The meeting was called off when Thistelar trotted in his own den under the highrock, glaring out at Blackpaw ominously.

Now, it was just Firepaw and Blackpaw alone with each other.

Firepaw turned around to face his brother, "Did you know there is a twin that looks exactly like you in Jadeclan, Blackpaw?"