Hollypaw paused from washing herself. “Are you going to the Gathering?”

Jaypaw heard her tongue scrape along her foreleg. “Yes.” He rolled onto his side, feeling full.

“Me too.” Lionpaw kicked the remains of the squirrel away and stretched out.

The fresh-kill pile had been restocked in the days following the battle, and they had eaten well. Now they lay beside the halfrock enjoying the last of the evening sun.

Hollypaw yawned. “Do you think the other Clans will turn up?” No one had seen any sign of WindClan since the battle, but tension was still high, with continual patrols along the WindClan border.

“They’ll be scared of upsetting StarClan if they don’t,” Jaypaw mewed.

Lionpaw’s claws scratched the halfrock. “I hope WindClan are there.”

“Don’t forget the truce,” Hollypaw reminded him.

“Like I would.” Lionpaw snorted. “I just want WindClan to see that we’re as strong as we ever were, and ready to fight them again if we have to.”

ThunderClan’s warriors and apprentices were steadily recovering from their battle wounds. Even Spiderleg was taking walks around the clearing. Squirrelflight was still in her nest in the medicine cats’ den, though increasingly impatient at being confined there. But Leafpool wouldn’t let her move, fearful the wound would reopen before it had a chance to heal properly.

Jaypaw suspected that his mother’s injury was the reason Leafpool wasn’t coming with him to the Gathering. She didn’t trust any other cat to keep Squirrelflight in her nest. She hadn’t even been to the Moonpool to share with StarClan yet.

“If StarClan have something to share with me, they’ll share it,” she had told Firestar.

Jaypaw lifted his head as Graystripe padded out of the nursery. The gray warrior’s pelt was prickling with worry.

“Leafpool!” Graystripe called through the brambles at the entrance to the medicine cats’ den. “She’s coughing again.”

“I’m coming.” Leafpool hurried out, smelling of tansy.

Millie had whitecough. Daisy had moved herself and her kits into the apprentices’ den to avoid catching the sickness, and Rosekit and Toadkit had been strutting around the camp as if they were already apprentices.

Millie was eating well, but her endless coughing was keeping the kits awake and making it hard for them to feed. Hopefully the tansy would help.

Jaypaw laid his head back down and closed his eyes. He must have dozed, because a moment later Hollypaw was shaking him awake.

“The moon’s up,” she mewed. “Everyone’s getting ready to leave.”

“Not everyone!” Foxpaw’s cross mew sounded behind him. “How come you three get to go while me and Icepaw and Cinderpaw get left behind?”

Jaypaw scrambled to his paws. “You’ll go next time, I’m sure.”

“Maybe.” Foxpaw’s feet scuffed the ground as he padded away.