It had been two sunrises since the gathering. Nightpaw's whiskers trembled with excitement. I'm going to meet Blossompaw tonight!

He paddled out of the apprentince's den. Stormflight was at Halfrock, patiently waiting for his apprentice.

"We're going on border patrol with Moonheart, Kestrelstripe, Sunpaw, Ivypond, and Flutterpaw." Stormflight meowed.

"Okay." Nightpaw followed his mentor to entrance of the camp, where they are waiting for the others.

Soon the cats were ready to leave. They paddled out of the thorn tunnel.

Kestrelstripe trotted forward. "Come on!"

Sunpaw caught up to her mentor. Nightpaw also quickened his pace. He ended up next to his sister.

They reached the WindClan border. Stormflight turned to Nightpaw. "Do you want to set the first marker?"

Nightpaw obeyed, setting his scent marker next to the stream. They encountered no WindClan cats.

The ThuderClan cats moved on to the SkyClan border. It was peaceful too.

The cats walked back to the camp. Nightpaw saw a squirrel scurrying along a trunk of a tree. Quickly, Nightpaw darted up the trunk next to it. He blocked the squirrel, forcing it down. It dropped onto the ground, running straight into Sunpaw's claws.

Sunpaw killed with a swift bite. Moonheart gazed at her kits. "Good job." she praised them.

"Should we give it to Volepaw first?" Nightpaw asked. "The warrior code tells us to feed the weak first."

Sunpaw nodded. "Good idea." She carried the squirrel to camp. Nightpaw noticed that the prey pile had less amount of prey. Leaf-bare must be arriving, He thought.

"Volepaw! We brought you fresh-kill!" Nightpaw meowed, entering the medicine den. "Sunpaw caught it during border patrol!"

"Thanks." The scrawny apprentice mewed. Sunpaw brought a mouse for she and Nightpaw to share.

"How's your leg?"

"It's almost healed." Volepaw meowed.

"Will you return to the apprentices' den soon?" Sunpaw asked, taking a bite into the mouse's flesh.

Volepaw shook his head. "I don't think the life of a warrior suites me. I want to be a medicine cat apprentice."

"I bet it's nice for you to get away from Branchpaw." Nightpaw meowed, remembering how harsh Branchpaw had been to his brother.

Volepaw nodded. "I told Dappleleaf already."

"I think you would be a good medicine cat." Sunpaw encouraged him.

"Thanks." Volepaw finished the remains of the squirrel. He looked past the two littermates. "I think you two should go now. Your mentors are calling you."

Kestrelstripe was indeed calling Sunpaw. "You're talking ticks out of the elder's pelts today!"

Sunpaw sighed, getting mouse bile from Dappleleaf unhappily.

"Can I go help my sister?" Nightpaw asked Stormflight. "It doesn't seems fair that Sunpaw have to do that all the time when I barely do it."

Stormflight considered the request. "Okay."

Nightpaw grabbed the foul-smelling mouse bile and headed towards the elder's den. He listened to Stripepelt's elder tales and Rubblespots's constant grumbling. It was a calm day.

~

Nightpaw scurried through the forest at night. Will she be there? It was time to meet Blossompaw. Will she be there?

He reached the place where they decided to meet. Nightpaw looked around. Blossompaw stood nearby.

Nightpaw dashed up to the SkyClan apprentice. "I thought you wouldn't come." Blossompaw meowed.

"Was I that late?" Nightpaw's whiskers twitched.

Blossompaw let out a mrrrow of laughter. "Not really." She flicked her tail. "What should we do now?"

"Play a game?" Nightpaw joked.

"Sure." Blossompaw mewed, not noticing that it was only a joke. "How about we create a clan?"

"Umm... how about PowerClan?" Nightpaw suggested.

"I like RainbowClan better." Blossompaw meowed. "I'll be leader and you'll be deputy."

"Not fair." Nightpaw complained. "How about I'll be Nightstar, leader of Powerclan, you'll be Blossomstar, leader of RainbowClan, and we're at a gathering?"

"Okay." Blossompaw meowed. She leaped onto a rock. "Let the gathering begin!" She turned to Nightpaw. "Nightstar, would you like to go first?"

Nightpaw dipped his head. "Thank you, Blossomstar." He leaped onto another rock close by. "Prey is running well in PowerClan. We have a new warrior, um," Nightpaw quickly thought of a warrior name. "His new name is Grumpystumpytail."

Blossompaw giggled at the name. "I'm next." She declared. "RainbowClan's prey is running well too. But apparently," She narrowed her eyes, pretending to be accusing. "Grumpystumpytail had crossed our borders!"

It was Nightpaw's turn to laugh at the name. He tried to keep a straight face. "Grumpystumpytail did not cross the borders!" He meowed between giggles. "How dare you accuse us?"

Blossompaw paused, then mewed, "I don't know what to say next."

Nightpaw's whiskers twitched with amusement. "Then the gathering is over."

"Uh." Blossompaw meowed. "Okay. Game over. What do we do now?" Nightpaw jumped over to her rock.

"Stare at the stars, like how we did after last gathering." Nightpaw mewed out loud. The two apprentices pelts brushed as they stared at the night sky. They were standing in the middle of a glade, without trees blocking the stars.

Time passed. Soon the stars were fading, and the sky is turning bluer.

"We should go back to camp." Blossompaw meowed. "It's going to be dawn soon."

Nightpaw nodded. "See you in two sunsets."

The two apprentice headed in different directions. Nightpaw hadn't slept, but he didn't felt tired. Instead, he felt happy that he was being able to see Blossompaw at night.

Is it breaking the warrior code? Nightpaw asked himself. We're just playing. But he knew that they were doing something more than playing, something more than having a little fun...