Snakepaw yawned, slight slivers of light streaming into the apprentices' den.

"Snakepaw!" yowled Thornfang, "You're going to be pampering the elders tonight!"

Snakepaw couldn't suppress an inward groan. Ticks! 

"...and than we'll be going to the Gathering! Silverstar told us early that we could come. She's impressed on how good you're doing!"

Snakepaw's frown curved into a smile. 

He padded to the medicine cat den, accidently stepping into a pile of leaves.

"So like you, brother, to make me collect more thyme!" Graypaw pretended to groan, though his laughing expression told him he was joking.

Snakepaw burst into laughter, and Graypaw smiled. "So what is it you need?" Graypaw asked.

Snakepaw wrinkled his nose, "Mouse bile."

Graypaw guessed, "For the elders? Okay, when you're done, go wash your paws in a stream."

Snakepaw nodded holding a small piece of moss and heading towards the elders' den.

"Everyone knows what you're going to do!" accused Mousenose.

Confused, Snakepaw stared at her.

"The medicine cat could have been wrong," Longwhisker soothed, "Like the legendary Cinderpelt from ThunderClan about the legendary Brambleclaw/star and Squirrelflight."

"So? We don't know that for sure," Mousenose's mistrusting gaze bore into him.

Shifting his paws in uneasiness, a weird feeling crept up Snakepaw's paws as he soaked some mouse bile in moss and patted the elders' backs.

Well, he was kind of hoping to listen to a story while picking ticks, but they were arguing the whole time, and it was...about him!

"He's a danger!" Mousenose yowled.

"How'd you know? You don't know that!" protested Longwhisker.

"Do too!" Mousenose hissed.

"Do not!" Longwhisker retorted.

"I do!" snapped Mousenose.

They went back and forth, back and forth, on and on about him. Whatever  it was about him. As far as he knew, he did nothing to them.

When he was done, he heard the last yowls drain out as he quietly took the moss back to the medicine cat den.

"Thanks!" called Graypaw.

Snakepaw nodded dully and padded to a stream, washing his paws and padding back to camp to hear Silverstar and some ShadowClan cats leaving for the Gathering. Suddenly, excitement rushed through him and his fur tingled. He was going with them!

"Wait for me!" he yowled, catching up.