u/Leather_Shame_6530

Prologue

Moonrise brought a thin mist that threaded its way through the forest before making its way down to the river.

Sounds of grass being crushed beneath bodies, heavy panting and yowls, filled the night air with a symphony of battle. Sweeping back and forth, slipping through the shadows, cats of all sizes fought against one another.

A sleek pale silver tabby she-cat with black stripes running across her back, dashed across the grass stalks. Her claws gripped the ground as she bowled straight into a larger brown tabby tomcat that had reared himself above a dappled black, white, and red tortoiseshall tomcat.

Startled by her sudden appearance, the tomcat turned his snarling face towards her, but only to stumble back with a hiss of pain as blood began to well up on his nose.

“You alright, Turtlepaw?” the silver tabby meowed down towards the young apprentice who was shakily rising to his paws.

“Y-ye….” Turtlepaw tried to breathe before nodding his head as words couldn’t come out the way he wanted. “Look out!”

At her warning, the silver tabby barely ducked her head, her body dropping into a crouch before sprinting forward just as the brown tabby raised his claws for another strike.

Pushing up with her hindlegs, she fastened her jaws around the tomcat’s paw and bit down hard. A squeal of pain made her fluff up with pride before she was shaken loose.

Limping a bit, and hissing towards her, the brown tabby turned tail and dashed back over the river in two heartbeats.

Her victory was short-lived as a loud yowl made her snap her head towards the sound. Eyes widened as she saw Turtlepaw being dragged by his hindpaws by sleek dark blue and silver tabby she-cat, his light green eyes full of fear and pain.

“Turtlepaw!” She shouted as she made a mad dash just as the young apprentice disappeared beneath a writhing mass of three bodies. His yowls of distress caused the silver she-cat to push herself harder.

Thankfully, and with a loud yowl of battle filled fury, a huge dark amber tabby tomcat whose striped body nearly blocked out the moon leaped on top of the nearest RiverClan warrior.

Clamping his jaws around the tomcat’s scruff on his neck, Tigersparrow dragged and threw it off the young she-cat.

The tomcat had no time to react to being dragged and thrown. All the reddish brown tabby could do was leap to his paws before dashing off to join his Clanmates.

As he turned back to the silver tabby she-cat and Turtlepaw, the former was checking his injuries. There was blood heavily pouring down his shoulder where one of the cats had sunk their teeth and tore away flesh.

“Send him back to ThunderClan, Moontail,” growled Tigersparrow as he narrowed his dark amber eyes. “There is no place for young apprentices to be out here anyways.”

“I-I can still fight,” protested Turtlepaw as he tried to put weight on her injured shoulder. Only to almost collapse with a pained shriek.

“No, he’s right, Turtlepaw,” Moontail meowed as she wiped her bloodied paws on the grass, smearing blood everywhere. “Listen to your mentor and return to ThunderClan so that you can have your injuries checked by Reedmouse.”

With one furtive glance towards his mentor and then back to Moontail, Turtlepaw nodded his head slightly before limping towards the forest.

“We need to retreat back to ThunderClan, Tigersparrow,” Moontail meowed.

This made the huge tabby snort a bit with a roll of his eyes. “Where’s the honor of retreating? This would leave Sunningrocks to those fish-pelts.”

Hissing as a dark cream and black tomcat tabby tried leaping onto her, but managing to roll onto her back to shove him into a fellow RiverClan warrior, Moontail rolled over to leap right back onto her paws.

“This is no time to argue, Tigersparrow!” She snarled. “I would rather see our Clan continue to survive than to perish because you are being mouse-brained!”

“ThunderClan has never retreated from any challenge,” Tigersparrow growled as his eyes narrowed to slits before meeting a lithe black and grey tomcat tabby just as the latter was trying to pounce onto his unprotected back.

Sending the tomcat sprawling across the ground with a paw strike, and leaving long claw marks on the side of his face, Tigersparrow swiveled his eyes around.

ThunderClan was losing ground. They hardly had any experienced warriors despite it being greenleaf and with three queens expecting kits any time soon.

It made him snarl even deeper. His eyes darkened by fury.

Just as he was about to give the signal to retreat, a large burly yet slender silver, blue, and black dappled tortoiseshell tomcat had leaped upon Sunningrocks before giving out a yowl of retreat.

Those that still remained from RiverClan started to back up from their adversaires, blood trickling down from their pelts. Some glanced up at the tomcat who looked at them with mint green eyes.

Like water moving smoothly over stones, all of RiverClan turned tail and dashed across the stepping stones and disappeared into the reeds on the opposite side of the riverbank.

“Thank StarClan that RiverClan finally retreated,” muttered a chestnut ginger she-cat who began licking several scratches on her chest fur, one of her ears bitten in several places.

“I shouldn’t think we should thank StarClan yet, Nutpaw,” muttered her mentor, a large aquamarine blue tomcat who was looking towards the sky.

Doing the same, Tigersparrow and Moontail lightly gasped and growled respectively. Several thick black clouds had started to move across the moon. Almost darkening the entire landscape.

Murmurs and gasps started to flow around them as the fear-scent from every pelt thickened like the deepest part of the river.

“Why is Starclan upset?” Meowed Moontail with wide eyes.

‘Probably because they watched us get embarrassed.’ Thought Tigersparrow to himself. Without wasting any time, he released a thunderous yowl to signal every cat to return to ThunderClan.

With several flicks of his tail, and fur still bristling as he opened his eyes a bit, Tigersparrow fell beside Moontail as they dashed off into the forest. The darkness swallowing their frames.

Icestar paced back and forth in front of the fresh-kill pile. His solid white pelt gleaming beneath the moonlight, save for the tips of his tail, paws, and ears which were jet black. Dark gold eyes scanned the clearing while occasionally flicking towards the gorse tunnel.

Most of the warriors that had been sent to Sunningrocks had made it back already. Having seen the injury of Turtlepaw, Nutpaw, and a slender grayish yellow tabby tomcat named Bumblesmoke; he had dismissed them to the medicine cat to get checked.

By now, most of the clouds had started to float away from the moon. It caused him some relaxation, but did not clear his unease entirely until every cat was safe and sound.

Heavy pawsteps made his ears swivel as his head turned to find Tigersparrow pushing himself into the sandy ravine. He was soon closely followed by Moontail who looked around.

Breathing much easier now, the leader of ThunderClan sauntered up to them, his tail lashing before tucking his paws beneath him as he sat about a paw-length away. His eyes studied them.

Despite the cuts and scratches on his huge frame, and one of his ears having been bitten clean through on one side, Tigersparrow was just as handsome as he always was. A little rough around the edges, and a bit of a hard-headed mouse-brain, he was certainly a true ThunderClan warrior.

Casting his eyes at Moontail, he couldn’t help but smile. She was beautiful like the moon itself. A truly loyal ThunderClan warrior and an adoring mentor to Turtlepaw, despite Tigersparrow being his mentor.

A thorn pierced his heart. It had already been a moon since Raggedoak had passed and walked the path of StarClan, so he hadn’t been able to choose a deputy. With a heavy heart, Icestar couldn’t decide who would fit the role of deputy for ThunderClan.

Shaking his head as he drew himself back to the present, Icestar turned his gaze to them equally.

“RiverClan retreated,” Tigersparrow was the first to speak as he dipped his head. “Thankfully, none of our Clanmates were gravely injured and we got every cat back to safety.”

‘At least there’s some good news.’ Icestar thought privately to himself before casting his gaze back towards the night sky.

“It would have appeared that StarClan had been—disappointed in us,” Moontail continued with a small look of dismay, “we don’t know exactly why though.”

Icestar purred a little as he pondered on that. “It seemed strange to see black clouds stretching themselves across the night sky. Despite us having to defend our territory.”

“They retreated like a bunch of cowards,” Tigersparrow lightly snarled as he lashed his tail.

“Tigersparrow,” Moontail snipped with wide eyes as she turned to glance at him.

But the huge tabby didn’t want to hear anything from her as he stared at Icestar. “RiverClan called for a retreat despite them having the upper paw. StarClan was looking down at us with utter disgust.”

Pawsteps started to fade into existence as several cats that overheard the conversation started to pad up to them.

“Tigersparrow is right, Icestar,” mewled a black tabby whose right ear was a dark red unlike the rest of his body. “ThunderClan needs a new deputy soon. StarClan will continue to be disappointed in us.”

Heated murmurs started to rise from the gathering cats.

Rising to his paws slowly and stalking towards the Highrock, Icestar leaped upon it before turning his attention towards them all.

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather at the Highrock for a Clan meeting!” He called out with a fluff of his neck fur. It really didn’t take long for every cat to approach.

“Hear me ThunderClan!” Icestar yowled, his voice echoing off the night as silence overtook them. “I hear your complaints and take heed of them. ThunderClan has gone too long without a deputy since Raggedoak.”

As he spoke, Moontail slightly turned her head to the side to glance towards Tigersparrow. From where she was sitting, right next to the black red eared tabby, she could see the impatient glint in his eyes.

Saw how his pelt started bristling with anticipation. Yet, she knew he couldn’t be deputy since he was still training his apprentice Creampaw. And she couldn’t be deputy either as Turtlepaw was also still an apprentice.

“For that reason,” hearing the sharpness in Icestar’s meow made her turn her head back to the Highrock. It looked as though Icestar was about to announce his deputy.

“Crowclaw,” he barely shouted out as gasps started to rise up again.

All heads swiveled as a slender bluish black she-cat began pushing and picking her way through the gathered crowd, her light blue eyes focused on ThunderClan’s leader.

“You have shown ThunderClan loyalty and a great follower of the warrior code,” Icestar announced once she had stepped in front of him. “You have done well in training your former apprentice Moontail.”

Moontail herself felt her ears beginning to heat up as she kneaded the ground with her paws. But she dared not look away from her former mentor, a spark of joy beginning to flicker through her.

“And as I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on me, I, Icestar, leader of ThunderClan ask you, Crowclaw, to be ThunderClan’s new deputy on this moonlit night,” Icestar continued.

“Icestar,” Crowclaw meowed with confidence as she flicked her tail and rose up, “I accept that you have chosen me to be your new deputy. I promise that I will remain loyal to my Clan and to you as I help lead ThunderClan into the future.”

“CrowClaw! CrowClaw! CrowClaw!”

The chants of ThunderClan began to shake the very night and echo throughout the forest. The loudest coming from Moontail as she itched to walk up to her mentor and touch noses with her.

She restrained herself as she watched Crowclaw leap onto the Highrock beside Icestar where they touched noses with one another.

Daring a risk towards the sky, Moontail felt her heart sink a bit. Most of the clouds had begun to slip away from the moon. Thin wisps still remained.

‘What are you angry about?’ Moontail thought privately to herself as her eyes drifted back towards the camp.

A slight movement from the corner of her eye made her turn her head as the narrow sharp head of an ashy gray tomcat with light pink eyes poked his head out from behind a clump of ferns.

With everyone’s attention still on Icestar, Moontail was able to slip herself through the crowd quietly and sat a paw-length away from the medicine tomcat.

“What’s wrong, Sootfur?” She meowed in a whisper.

Sootfur merely pricked his ears back to beckon her inside the ferns. Moontail quickly glanced back, and saw that every cat, including Tigersparrow; were starting to depart from the Highrock.

Silent and quick as a shadow, she followed behind Sootfur, making sure to not to make it obvious.

For a few heartbeats, neither of them spoke to each other. Which Moontail was kind of glad to as it allowed her to peer through the crack in the wall and check up on Turtlepaw.

She could see that his shoulder injury was patched up with dock leaves and cobwebs. This forced a light sigh to escape her maw in relief before she continued to follow behind.

“You’re being so secretive right now, Sootfur,” she playfully teased as they were now a few fox-lengths behind the medicine cat den where no one would be able to hear them.

“I’ve received a message from StarClan and understand why they’re so angry,” he said with a serious meow as he turned his light pink eyes to her.

All playfulness disappeared before being replaced with a furrowed expression. “Shouldn’t the entire Clan, especially Icestar, know about this?”

Sootfur shook his head quickly. “I can’t be sure if I’m misinterpreting them correctly,” he said with some uncertainty.

It was then that Moontail saw how much his fur was bristling and she couldn’t help but place a gentle tail on his shoulder. “Just relax, Sootfur.”

Nodding his head as he looked at his paws kneading the grass stalks beneath them, Sootfur opened his maw. “Danger has come to Thunder. Blood and shadows will destroy the Clan, but blood will save it.”

Chapter One

Hunter.

That’s what Raven felt as he slinked around his Twolegs nest, a red lead around his neck and a bluish white collar bouncing against his chest.

His dark raven pelt, with tinges of dark blue, gleamed beneath the pale moonlight as it bathed him in its light as he made his way towards the room where his housefolk usually sat together.

He could just imagine roaming the forests like a feral cat. The wind brushing and blowing his pelt as every scent overloaded his senses as he hunted down prey.

It just made him drool at the thought. Flicking his long slightly bushy tail, and sliding his claws out, pounced on a red soft pillow imagining it as a mouse.

The hiss he had left continued to echo throughout his nest, making his fur bristle and his back arch with a flash of fear.

‘Heh that was a quick scare.’ Raven thought with a light giggle as he began licking a paw and groomed his whiskers and fur.

As he yawned, and headed towards his large comfort bed, Raven turned his head towards the large window. His eyes reflected the light that washed over him as the moon began to wane.

‘Tomorrow I’m definitely going to explore that forest.’ He told himself as he climbed into his bed and was snuggling down into the soft feathers.

Snuggling a bit deeper still, the young tabby was soon snoring away.

****

Sunlight started to filter through the windowpane as Raven came awake. Somehow in his sleep he had rolled onto his back. His paws lightly kicking and pawing in the air.

He didn’t know what he had been dreaming about. For a few moments, he couldn’t register where he was until he popped onto his paws with a loud groan.

Stretching and arching his body, the young tabby began grooming his fur quickly. Which was difficult to do considering it kept bristling along his spine from his excitement.

“Grrr,” giving up grooming himself, and dashing into the food serving area, Raven quickly scooped mouthfuls of dry pellets down his gullet before washing it down with a gulp of water from his water bowl.

‘Heh this will be the last time I’ll taste these dried pellets.’ He thought with a grin before making a mad dash towards the translucent flap in the door.

Fresh air slammed into the young tabby as he burst from within his Twolegs nest, as a bright sky greeted his eyes. Flicking his tail excitedly, if not more, Raven bounded from the small wooden path and across the large stone path that was barely seen due to the high stalks of grass.

Panting as he heaved himself through the grass, creating a crushed path in his wake, Raven eventually found himself nearing the edge of the forest. Which laid a little bit beyond the white fence that separated him and Tallpines.

A long winding black Thunderpath was the second thing that separated him and the forest, and it made his stomach grumble with impatience. Just as he leaped onto the top wooden plank, a sudden hiss made him nearly fall onto the patch of sunflowers below.

“Where do you think you’re going, Raven?”

Sitting on one of the posts with her white tipped tail tucked over her white paws, a dark red ginger she-cat looked at him with her golden brown eyes, a black lead fastened around her neck.

“Morning, Mistle!” He meowed before regaining his balance and brushing up against her, purring loudly as he did. “I’m going to join the forest cats and live among them!”

Mistle’s expression of stone didn’t change. Only her pupils thinned as she flicked an ear. “Why?” Was all that she meowed to him.

“I–” Raven stopped himself as his eyes narrowed in thought. For several heartbeats, he was silent. All that moved and sounded around them was the chirping of birds and the howling of the wind as it moved their pelts.

“I just feel like….like my whole life is in the forest,” he meowed quietly as he raised his head. Eyes were glinting brightly not from the sun itself, but a fire that burned deep inside of him.

This made Mistle narrow her eyes a bit as she tried to suppress a chuckle. “There are dangers in the forest,” she cooed before leaping onto the grass below, Raven following behind her.

“What kind of dangers?” He asked innocently as he followed behind the older she-cat, his tail flicking harder now.

Mistle began explaining the dangers of not just predators that roamed everywhere, and the monsters that constantly rolled down the Thunderpath, but also from other cats.

By the time they reached the edge of the Thunderpath, Raven’s ears were flicking hard in different directions. There was a hint of hesitation in his eyes, but that didn’t stop his paws from creeping to the edge of the Thunderpath.

“How do you know so much about everything in the forest, Mistle?” He asked once they had completely stopped.

Both cats flicked their heads from side to side, while Mistle let out a soft mrrow of amusement. But she refrained from answering his question.

This made him whine a little as they started to cross the Thunderpath now, careful to keep their wits with them. The acrid stench of recent monsters rumbling down the black stone clung to the pelt of Raven.

It made him dizzy.

“Quickly now,” urged Mistle as she lifted her head up a bit at the sound of a monster approaching. “Move your paws faster, Raven.”

Just as a glossy blue monster came rolling into view, and filling Raven’s nose even further, the two cats were on the other side. Pushing themselves into the hedge that outlined the forest.

A light gloom greeted them both as long branches stretched themselves high above them.

“Wow,” Raven breathed as he tilted his head upwards, eyes widening in awe.

He soon had to tear his gaze away as a loud rustling caused him to shift his head towards a large clump of ferns just a few paw-lengths away.

Swiftly glancing in the direction of Mistle, who had started wandering ahead of him, Raven started to slink towards the ferns as quietly as he could.

Just as he approached, a dark shape flung out with a loud yowl before the young black tabby found himself being tackled and then pinned onto his back.

Letting out a yowl of surprise, and then grunting as he felt his spine hit the brambles, Raven found himself staring into the light green eyes of a dappled black, white, and red tortoiseshell tomcat.

Raven didn’t know how to feel right now. On the inside, he was feeling a mixture of excitement and a bit scared as the narrowed slits of the tomcat bared down on him.

On the other paw, he just couldn’t help but blush as he stared into those light green eyes. Thankfully, the tomcat hadn’t slid his claws out—yet.

“H-Hello,” he squeaked awkwardly as he shut his eyes in embarrassment.

It took Turtlepaw a bit before he realized that the cat beneath him didn’t seem hostile. But it also shifted his eyes from bewilderment to utter confusion as he noticed the collar around his neck.

“What’s a kittypet doing out here in the forest? And near Tallpines?” He mewed as he shifted his body weight off of the dark raven tabby.

“I-I live just on the other side of the Thunderpath,” Raven breathed out in a light sigh as he pointed with his tail before clambering to his paws. “Are you a—-”

“A what?” Turtlepaw tilted his head a little as he stared at this kittypet before him. “If you’re asking if I’m an apprentice,” here he puffed out his chest proudly. “Yes I am. My name is Turtlepaw of ThunderClan.”

“ThunderClan?” The name kind of rolled off his tongue as Raven softly spoke it. It made the fire inside of him grow stronger with each beat of his heart. “Are there any more like you?”

Raven quickly started launching question after question towards the young apprentice, who began to shift his paws around in embarrassment at being bombarded like this.

Fortunately for him, the sound of more pawsteps started to reach them as Mistle came around a large oak tree. Sweeping her gaze towards first at Turtlepaw and then at Raven, her body suddenly dashed forward and stood in front of Raven.

Just as the form of Moontail, and a black tabby she-cat came bounding out from the ferns just behind Turtlepaw.

Gasping a little, Raven ducked his head a bit lower, trying to make himself smaller than necessary as fear started to make his fur bristle.

“I thought I heard voices coming from behind these ferns,” it was the black she-cat who spoke up first, her eyes eyeing Mistle and Raven a little. Though her claws poked out a bit, she made no hostile movements.

“Two kittypets on ThunderClan territory,” meowed the other she-cat as she stretched lazily in front of them, “what are two kittypets doing in the forest where they don’t belong?”

“Sorry for the small intrusion,” with a dip of her head, Mistle kept her gaze locked on the three Clan cats. “My name is Mistle, and this one is Raven.” With her tail lightly wrapping around the haunches of the young dark raven tabby before nudging him forward.

Raven lightly flicked his gaze at Mistle before looking at the other three. His voice had caught in his throat.

‘Oh, you were so energetic in wanting to be a Clan cat and now that there are three of them, you can’t speak?’ Mistle wanted to tease the young tabby before clearing her throat.

It made him snap out of his reverie as he kneaded his paws against the grass. “M-my-my name’s R-Ra-Raven.”

‘An interesting name for a kittypet.’ Thought Moontail as she huffed a little. They were burning daylight and need to continue their patrol. “It was nice meeting the both of you, but kittypets can’t be on ThunderClan territory.”

With a swipe of her tail, the three began to turn away from them.

Raven watched them go, especially Turtlepaw who glanced over his shoulder. It made the young tabby grit his teeth as he urged himself to speak.

‘Come on, Raven!’ He thought to himself. ‘This is what you wanted right? To be like them?”

“Wait!” He suddenly yowled out as he dashed for a little, but immediately stopped as they all turned to stare. Once again his breathing hitched in his voice. But it was when he stared into Turtlepaw’s eyes that he found some confidence.

“I’ve always wanted to be like a forest cat. Always dreamed about being part of these Clans that I grew excited about,” he breathed out quickly without drawing breath.

Silence started to tense up between them all. Mistle watched from her spot, her eyes giving a stony glance as she swiveled her ears a bit.

“Why would a kittypet want to join any Clan?” Meowed the black tabby with a look of curiosity. “You’re not forestborn. So you wouldn’t know how to survive out here.”

“You’d be crow-food by the day’s end,” Moontail added with narrowed eyes.

“Then..then teach me how to survive like a forest cat,” Raven pleaded. “I promise that I will do exactly as you say.”

Moontail and Crowclaw exchanged furtive looks. It felt as though moons passed. Even Turtlepaw was starting to grow impatient.

“If you’re really set on joining ThunderClan,” Crowclaw mewed slowly. “Then meet Moontail by the edge of the Thunderpath at moonrise tonight. We will see if you have what it takes.”

With a light twist of her head, she led her small patrol through the undergrowth as their scents got fainter and fainter with each heartbeat.

Okay this is the final update for a draft I swear

Ever since I finished the second arc, I've been questioning why no one in ThunderClan found it suspicious that Ashfur just left Firestar to die in the fox trap.

He could've just made it seem as though he tried fighting Hawkfrost before running back to ThunderClan but he just appears and says Firestar is trapped

​

Prologue

A light silver mist threaded and snaked its way between the stalks of grass that grew wild and untamed around Sunningrocks.

“The night and Sunningrocks belong to RiverClan,” growled a large broad-shouldered silver furred tabby tomcat whose dark amber eyes narrowed.

Every pelt glowed in a pale silver light beneath the half-moon, where thin black clouds had begun to slightly obscure it.

“It hasn’t yet, Silvertail,” growled a lithe dappled tortoiseshell she-cat of dark amber, ginger, and white as she raised her head, snarling as she bared her teeth while lashing her tail.

Pelts began to bristle from every cat as hisses, yowls, and growling started to arise.

Tension continued to rise as both Clans glared at one another. That is until a loud gasp made every cat start looking around.

“Look at the clouds,” gasped out a small brown tabby RiverClan apprentice whose light green eyes flickered up towards the sky.

Every head sharply twisted upwards and panic gasps and whispers as every eye watches as more and more clouds start to cover the moon.

“StarClan is disappointed in this pointless fighting, Silvertail,” meowed the dapple tortoiseshell as she turned her bluish green eyes to him.

“Are we seriously going to let RiverClan just walk away,” meowed a deep voice as a dark amber and black tabby tomcat pushed his way through, dark yellow glaring up at RiverClan’s deputy with deep hatred.

“If this is the will of StarClan,” Silvertail meowed as he hung his head low, “then RiverClan shall retreat—for now.”

This made the dark amber and black tabby lash his tail in anger. "You're just going to run, RiverClan?!” He yowled as he stomped his paw.

Silvertail felt his pelt puff out in annoyance as he turned to glance back towards him. Narrowing his eyes, the deputy of RiverClan merely leaped down from the large pile of rocks before yowling out a retreat.

One by one, each warrior from RiverClan began to slip across the gurgling river as they headed back to their territory.

Watching them leave, the tabby was about to spring after them with a snarl, ears pinned against his head.

“Hold on, Tigersparrow!” Yowled the tortoiseshell as she made a move to intercept him. Blocking his path and staring challengingly into his yellow eyes, she merely shook her head.

“Move out the way, Dappleclaw,” he hissed beneath his breath while his claws slid out.

“Sheathe your claws Tigersparrow,” she hissed back, her fur puffing out though she did not unsheathe her own claws. “Take it as a blessing from StarClan that both ThunderClan and RiverClan didn’t spill unnecessary blood this night.”

‘Blessing huh?’ Tigersparrow thought privately to himself, though he simply slid his claws back in. “Fine,” he grunted deep in his throat before turning himself around.

As he moved through the cats still gathered, a small spotted white she-cat scampered to keep up with him.

“Tch. Always the hot-headed mouse-brain he is,” Dappleclaw growled as she hung her head a bit low.

“Just be glad that he’s not deputy of ThunderClan,” purred a lanky black tabby tomcat whose paws were a dark red. Striding up to the side of Dapplclaw, he merely sighed to himself.

Dappleclaw pressed her body up against his flank. “Let’s just get back to ThunderClan,” she whispered before flicking her tail.

This signaled the rest of the six cats to dash off into the forest with Dappleclaw being the last to make sure that every other cat was gone.

Her ears suddenly swiveled as rustling caught her attention. Opening her maw, Dapplclaw could have sworn she had caught the scent of another cat–a she-cat.

But as she turned her head in the direction where the scent was coming from. Only, she didn’t see anything. Telling herself she was imagining things, Dappleclaw bolted after her Clanmates.

Holding her breath as she watched the she-cat dart back into the forest, and hunkering down in some brambles, a slender dark red ginger tabby she-cat blinked her dark ivory green eyes.

Wrapped around her neck was a dark blue lead fastened with a gold circlet locket that clicked gently against her chest. Ears that were pointed at the very tip, and tinged with blue, flicked back and forth as she waited for several heartbeats.

An excited purr began to vibrate through her body as she half turned and half dashed back into the forest, her tail twitching.

She couldn’t wait to tell Queenie and Lighter about what she had just seen.

****

“I’m surprised that no fight had broken out between RiverClan and ThunderClan,” meowed a soft cream burly tabby she-cat as she ran her tongue against her chest, hazel green eyes staring at Tigersparrow and Dappleclaw after they’d returned.

Tigersparrow’s ears were still pinned against his head, his paws kneading against the ground. “I’m sure it would have been better if we had fought them instead of letting them retreat,” he spoke in a huff, nostrils flaring.

“And what would that have accomplished, Tigersparrow?” Dappleclaw challenged him as she looked in his direction.

“Enough out of the both of you,” snapped the she-cat with a lash of her tail before things could escalate further. “It was good to settle things without using our claws. Both Clans didn’t suffer anything. That is something we should be grateful for.”

“Why should StarClan care about what is right?!” Tigersparrow lashed out with narrowed eyes. “We should be defending ThunderClan from all trespassers to protect those who can’t defend themselves.”

“Silence, Tigersparrow!” The she-cat suddenly snarled, her fur puffed out and bristling while her lips were pulled back over her teeth and curled as her eyes glistened like ice.

Though his eyes also narrowed as he met the eyes of his leader, Tigersparrow dipped his head. “Forgive me, Snowstar,” he grumbled.

It took some time before Snowstar herself forced her fur to lay flat against her body again, her muscles relaxing as her eyes softened. “Your frustrations are warranted, Tigersparrow. But you must keep your emotions in check or it will cost you or your Clanmates their lives.”

“Have you decided on your deputy, Snowstar?” Dappleclaw asked now that the tension had been thinned inside the den.

“I have, and I will announce it at sunrise,” tilting her head back a bit as though she could see the entire sky beyond the lichen covered boulder, Snowstar narrowed her eyes. “For now, we should rest up. Who knows what the days ahead will provide us during greenleaf.”

Knowing they were being dismissed, both Dappleclaw and Tigersparrow dipped their heads towards her before leaving the den.

“Hopefully what she says about the new deputy is true, and not some pitiful excuse in stalling for time to make her think longer,” Tigersparrow meowed once they were out of earshot.

“She has a lot on her mind,” Dappleclaw pointed out to him. “Finding a new deputy shouldn’t be rushed and whoever she chooses, ThunderClan must accept them without complaint.”

‘Tch. None of these flea-brains have what it takes to be deputy.’ Tigersparrow wanted to say out loud, but he was exhausted already and as they pushed into the warrior's den, with him climbing into his nest in the center of the den, it didn’t take long for Tigersparrow to fall asleep.

The dark red ginger she-cat was exhausted by the time she made it to a Twoleg nest that was nestled deep in the forest. Closest to Tallpines and the Tree-cutter place. The scent of saw dust clung heavily to the night air.

Slipping and weaving her way through some fences, she came bounding up the smallest nest whose stone walls were a pure white with a red trim.

“Had fun out there, Blood?” A voice so soft, it made Blood jump a bit in the air with a startled yelp. Her fur puffing out in fear. A light chuckle made her glance towards the largest window where a large regal looking tabby tomcat sat rigidly.

His pelt was a dark orange, tinged with a lighter shade of red near his neck collar and around his hazel blue eyes. Lifting his chin up a bit to reveal the black lead around his neck, Lighter wolfishly grinned down at his younger sister.

“Were you waiting for me all night, Lighter?” Hissed Blood as she padded up to him, ears pinned back.

“I wasn’t going to. Considering that we knew you’d be watching those forest cats again,” he sneered down at her before yawning widely. “Don’t know what’s so fascinating about a bunch of cats with ticks crawling all over in their fur.”

Shuddering at the thought, and turning his back to his younger sister, Lighter pushed himself through the small opening, Blood following a single heartbeat afterwards to land in a small room that was meant for Twolegs kits.

They were long gone by now. Blood and her siblings enjoyed the vacancy their owners got back. Just as she had crossed the room, she didn’t see the sleek figure sitting on top of the wooden structure to the side of her.

Until it sprang down with a loud hiss. Blood froze for a half a heartbeat before being tackled and pinned beneath the body of her older sister, Queenie.

Bearing the same dark red coat as her sister, but much shorter and scored with black strikes, Queenie hissed in her sister’s face. Letting her cold breath wash over her as ice blue eyes stared hard into her dark ivory green ones.

“Qu-queenie—”

“Didn’t I tell you to stop going to those Clan cats?” Queenie spat as she slid her claws out a little for better grip on her sister’s pelt. “Do you want to give them a reason to tear you to shreds?!”

“I was ... .I was careful not to be seen,” glancing away shamelessly, Blood couldn’t help but narrow her eyes. “They just fascinate me and I feel like the forest is calling me for some reason.”

A snort from Lighter made Blood hiss at him, but her attention was soon brought back to Queenie who tilted her head up with the tip of her tail.

“I care less what you feel, Blood! The forest is a dangerous place and you have no way of defending yourself should anything attack you. You’re not a Clan cat. You are not forestborn!”

“Why should it matter if I’m not Clan-born?” Blood whispered to herself as she shoved her sister off of her body. “I can’t help but get excited seeing a bunch of Clan cats fighting one another or marking territories. It just looks all excited.”

“Sounds like she’s got bees in her brain, Queenie. All the tales of forest cats from mother has been absorbed into her brain,” snickered Lighter as he swished his tail before disappearing out the room and down the hall.

So I think I have a story that I'm willing to stick with:

Preview

The dark red ginger she-cat was exhausted by the time she made it to a Twoleg nest that was nestled deep in the forest. Closest to Tallpines and the Tree-cutter place. The scent of saw dust clung heavily to the night air.

Slipping and weaving her way through some fences, she came bounding up the smallest nest whose stone walls were a pure white with a red trim.

“Had fun out there, Blood?” A voice so soft, it made Blood jump a bit in the air with a startled yelp. Her fur puffing out in fear. A light chuckle made her glance towards the largest window where a large regal looking tabby tomcat sat rigidly.

His pelt was a dark orange, tinged with a lighter shade of red near his neck collar and around his hazel blue eyes. Lifting his chin up a bit to reveal the black lead around his neck, Lighter wolfishly grinned down at his younger sister.

“Were you waiting for me all night, Lighter?” Hissed Blood as she padded up to him, ears pinned back.

“I wasn’t going to. Considering that we knew you’d be watching those forest cats again,” he sneered down at her before yawning widely. “Don’t know what’s so fascinating about a bunch of cats with ticks crawling all over in their fur.”

Shuddering at the thought, and turning his back to his younger sister, Lighter pushed himself through the small opening, Blood following a single heartbeat afterwards to land in a small room that was meant for Twolegs kits.

They were long gone by now. Blood and her siblings enjoyed the vacancy their owners got back. Just as she had crossed the room, she didn’t see the sleek figure sitting on top of the wooden structure to the side of her.

Until it sprang down with a loud hiss. Blood froze for a half a heartbeat before being tackled and pinned beneath the body of her older sister, Queenie.

Bearing the same dark red coat as her sister, but much shorter and scored with black strikes, Queenie hissed in her sister’s face. Letting her cold breath wash over her as ice blue eyes stared hard into her dark ivory green ones.

“Qu-queenie—”

“Didn’t I tell you to stop going to those Clan cats?” Queenie spat as she slid her claws out a little for better grip on her sister’s pelt. “Do you want to give them a reason to tear you to shreds?!”

“I was ... .I was careful not to be seen,” glancing away shamelessly, Blood  couldn’t help but narrow her eyes. “They just fascinate me and I feel like the forest is calling me for some reason.”

A snort from Lighter made Blood hiss at him, but her attention was soon brought back to Queenie who tilted her head up with the tip of her tail.

“I care less what you feel, Blood! The forest is a dangerous place and you have no way of defending yourself should anything attack you. You’re not a Clan cat. You are not forestborn!”

“Why should it matter if I’m not Clan-born?” Blood whispered to herself as she shoved her sister off of her body. “I can’t help but get excited seeing a bunch of Clan cats fighting one another or marking territories. It just looks all excited.”

“Sounds like she’s got bees in her brain, Queenie. All the tales of forest cats from mother has been absorbed into her brain,” snickered Lighter as he swished his tail before disappearing out the room and down the hall.

Prologue

Small flakes of snow began falling upon the forest, creating small blankets on the limbs of trees and on the ground. 

Shuffling sounds coming from a small amount of ferns grew louder as a small dark ginger and white she-kit with dark ivory green eyes came pushing themselves out of the fronds.

A bit of her ribs showed through her flanks, and her stomach began growling louder.

“Mother! Father?!” She squealed out as her eyes shifted through the forest. Despite it being early dawn, the shadows were long enough to cause her to cower back underneath the fronds.

It didn’t last long enough, as eventually her hunger won over her fear and she gradually climbed from her hiding spot after a long moment, fur bristling.

Eyes scanned the forest, and she tried to look everywhere for any scrap of prey. Unfortunately, she was still a bit too young to know how to properly hunt.

Ears suddenly twitched and swiveled at the sounds of scuffling as she poked her head into a fallen log. Squinting her eyes, the small kit could barely make out the plump shape of a mouse shuffling through dead litter.

She didn’t have time to try and hunt properly. And thanks to her small frame, she was able to squeeze straight through the log’s hollowed end before launching herself right on top of the mouse.

It let out a loud squeak, but she was quick enough to bite down on its throat, ignoring how the blood started to soak into her cream chest fluff.

The young kit didn’t waste any time tucking in. Deep purrs started to rumble out of her mouth as she finished her meal in two mouth bites.

Almost immediately, her eyes started to drift close as exhaustion started to creep into her small form.

‘M-mo-’ She couldn’t form any coherent sentences as she curled up in a small ball. Darkness clouded her mind as she finally fell asleep.

****

The young kit didn’t know how long she’d been asleep for. By the time her dark ivory green eyes fluttered open, it had grown considerably darker and cooler.

Rising into a slight crouch, and opening her mouth to reveal a pink mouth, the she-kit stepped out of the log and out into the wild.

She hadn’t gone several claw-lengths when she ran into something bushy and lean. Stumbling onto her tail-end with a loud oof, the young she-kit raised her head…and stared into the golden brown eyes of a golden red furred she-cat.

“What’s a kit wandering around the forest at night…by herself no less?” The she-cat muttered beneath her breath while leaning her narrowed head down to eye-level. “Who are you?”

“I–uh,” squinting hard, and scrunching up her face a little, the small she-kit couldn’t remember her own name. It made her lash her tail in irritation.

“Can’t remember your name?” The she-cat tilted her head to the side a little, her golden brown eyes narrowed a bit in thought. “I’ll call you Foxkit.” She meowed.

There was only a brief moment of irritation, but Foxkit couldn’t really argue with that name. “Foxkit,” she squeaked as she mulled the name over her tongue. A light purr passed through her.

“I am Glosspelt,” the she-cat meowed before beckoning Foxkit with her tail.

“Where are we going, Glosspelt?” Foxkit asked as she bounded after the older she-cat. By this time, the snow had started to drizzle a little bit harder.

“A group of cats that would love to meet you,” she purred with a light smile without looking at her as they headed a bit deeper into the forest.

Chapter One

The dark plum sky that had once brought night across the landscape, started to fade as a faint pinkish red line stretched upon the horizon. Silverpelt, on the other paw, continued to gleam brightly.

“Keep your tail tucked low behind you, Foxkit,” meowed Glosspelt as she stood beside the young dark ginger she-kit.

They were next to the river that sliced through the lower parts of RiverClan, the high grass hiding them from any RiverClan patrols.

With the last bits of snow having melted over the past two moons, prey had started to come out of hiding. Dark ivory green eyes glinted eagerly as Foxkit kept her focus on the mouse a few paw-lengths ahead of them. It was nibbling on a large seed.

“Patience, my daughter,” Glosspelt whispered slowly as Foxkit wriggled her hips a bit. “Easy.”

Foxkit was getting impatient for how long her mother was holding her back. Her claws itched to dig themselves into her prey already. “Glosspelt,” she hissed coldly and low enough to keep herself from being spotted.

Glosspelt couldn’t help chuckling at her daughter’s impatience. “Alright…and–”

Foxkit didn’t waste a single second longer. Like a bolt of lightning, the young she-kit was already streaking across the ground, bits of grass flying around her.

Glosspelt merely sighed as she watched her young daughter dash off. ‘Guess she forgot how to spread her paws evenly across the ground to make less noise.’ She thought as her ears pinned back against her head.

A loud yowl made her narrow her eyes as she started to pad towards the direction where she had seen Foxkit had dashed off to.

By the time she arrived at the spot, Foxkit already had the mouse dangling from her maw, a loud purr of pride rumbling through her body. Her cream white chest fur already puffed out and her tail flicked from side to side.

For a moment, Glosspelt stood there looking down at her. “Your first successful hunt,” she couldn’t help but purr as she rasped her tongue over her ear.

Foxkit could feel her ear tip starting to heat up while her paws kneaded the ground in embarrassment. “I know that I need to work more on my hunting,” she lightly squeaked.

Glosspelt touched the top of her head with her nose. “You’ll get better as you get older,” she meowed as she strided past her. “There’s no reason to rush into things.”

Foxkit slowly padded behind her mother as they came across Sunningrocks where the grass was lower yet still managed to hide the small kit.

Glosspelt opened her maw and tasted the air. There were faint scents of a recent ThunderClan patrol. It made her feel rather uneasy.

“Glosspelt?” The tiny squeak of her daughter pulled the she-cat back to the present. This made her shake her pelt a bit.

“It’s nothing, Foxkit. Let’s get back to the hollow,” she said with a soft mew before padding forward again.

“Stop right there, rogue!” Fur fluffing out in quick aggression as her claws slide out, Glosspelt sharply turned her head towards the sound of the voice.

A lanky black, white, and red tortoiseshell tomcat was glaring right at them, his bronze blue eyes narrowed in slits.

“Stay down, Foxkit,” she whispered beneath her breath as her tail pushed her daughter down against the grass. “I’m surprised that a squirrel-chaser is out here in broad daylight,” she sneered as her tail lashed behind her.

This made the young cat’s fur bristle with fury, but he kept his distance. “You’re not welcome on ThunderClan territory,” he growled sharply as he crouched a bit.

“Hold back, Sekpaw,” called out a deep, rumbling voice followed shortly behind a set of pawsteps that grew louder.

Lifting his head and glancing behind him, Sekpaw moaned as the large frame of a bluish silver tomcat tabby began to grow more solid with each passing moment. He was flanked by a slender pink and red she-cat tabby on one side, and a dark brown tabby tomcat on the other.

“Hmph, Tigerbrush,” Glosspelt mewled softly and coolly as her eyes narrowed even further. Yet, she slid her claws back into her sheathes.

Gently rubbing his tail along the flank of the young apprentice, who looked at his mentor with a confused irritated look on his face, Sekpaw hissed before taking a few paces back.

Silence started to grow between Glosspelt and the ThunderClan patrol.

Even Foxkit, from her hiding place behind her mother, dared not to breathe as she watched between strands of grass.

“You're going to beg me back, Tigerbrush?” Glosspelt sneered at last as she began licking her chest fur. “Drag me back by the scruff of my neck?”

Tigerbrush flinched, but narrowed his eyes further as he swept his tail slowly. The cats on either side of him retreated a few paw-lengths back. “That wasn’t fair, Glosspelt.”

Glosspelt heard the sting in his voice, but simply shrugged her shoulders. “You old fuzzball, did you honestly think I was going to come back groveling at the paws of Whitestar?”

“You left with a bunch of rogues,” he sharply growled, fluffing up his fur a little. “You could’ve gotten yourself killed.”

“I would’ve preferred to have been killed than to suffer under a mouse-brain like Whitestar.” Pupils thinned as her eyes widened at her words.

Tigerbrush turned his head to the side sharply.

He didn’t have any more to say to her, and with a flick of his tail, he beckoned the rest of his patrol to follow him as he turned on his paws and dashed into the forest.

The one called Sekpaw gave one last glare towards the she-cat and her kit, before turning tail to follow his Clanmates.

As Glosspelt watched them leave, a small brush against her hindleg made her start, claws sliding right back out. Glancing downwards, her fur began to flatten as she realized it was Foxkit rubbing against her.

There was a question starting to brew behind her eyes, but Glosspelt flicked the tip of her tail against her ear. “There’s no need to worry about them, Foxkit,” she meowed as she began leading her towards the Thunderpath.

“Let’s just head back to the Hollow,” she continued. “Someone needs their morning nap.”

Foxkit just grumbled behind a mouthful of mouse.

So I keep trying to get a few ideas, but I'm always drawing blanks and restarting from my previous drafts.

I'm in desperate idea mode ;-;

If there was one death in warriors that irked me, destroyed me, and wishes hadn't happened is Rainflower.

I understand how she treated Crookedstar and everything but by StarClan her death just....I don't know how to explain it.

Prologue

Daylight streamed through the wide branches of a giant oak, its upturned roots digging into the hard ground, and surrounded by a thick layer of dark orangish leaves that flitted in every direction as a light wind blew through.

Slipping through the tree roots, and with her maw opened to taste the slightly chilly air, was a dark orange slender tabby she-cat.

Light red eyes scanned the leaf litter as she could barely smell any scent trails of prey. This made her flex her claws in irritation.

“Stupid leaf-bare,” she muttered beneath her breath as she flicked her fur to keep it from fluffing up. She had to stay calm. It would not do her any good to get frustrated.

A slight rustle caused her to turn her head towards a small pile of leaves just a paw-lengths away.

This made her drop down into a hunter’s crouch, ears pinned back against her head, and her tail raised lightly above the ground.

Opening up her maw, she could taste the scent of mouse. It made her start spreading her paws evenly as she walked, making sure that she barely touched the ground.

As the rustling got louder, the small mouse poked its head out from a large opening, sniffing the air. This made the she-cat pause, a paw barely raised and poised over the ground,

‘Come on you stupid mouse.’ The she-cat thought as she had to keep herself from hissing with impatience. It felt like moons before the mouse began to wash its face. Its back completely turned towards her.

Slinking forward again, the she-cat gave one lick of her tongue over her muzzle to keep herself from drooling, before she bolted forward.

Within half a heartbeat, she was upon the mouse before it could scamper away from her.

Feeling warm blood start to flood her mouth, and feeling the mouse start to give its last tiny twitches, the she-cat shook her head a little in triumph with a light purr.

“A measly mouse?” Grumbled a low voice as a huge broad-shouldered yet slender dark golden amber tomcat came stalking out from behind a large clump of ferns.

Her tail twitched as she watched her mentor step to her. Placing the mouse on the ground now, she gave a light hiss.

“If you were expecting a fat rabbit,” she lightly growled as she flashed her ivory green eyes at him, “then you’re out of luck, Tigerhawk.”

Growling as he lightly cuffed her ear with his tail, Tigerhawk beckoned her with a flick of his tail. “Enough of the cheek, Foxpaw.”

Nipping at the tip of his tail, and flicking her own bushy one, Foxpaw picked up her mouse before following behind the deputy of ThunderClan.

Foxpaw’s ears twitched as she padded alongside the burly male, her tail flicking back and forth behind her. The forest air was lightly chilled despite it being near sunhigh.

Tigerhawk pricked his ears as well before opening his maw to taste the air. “Seems Deadwhisker and the others are just returning from the dawn patrol.” He meowed

This made Foxpaw lift her head up as her fur began to bristle with excitement, her eyes glinting.

Noticing this from the corner of his eye, Tigerhawk rolled his eyes before flicking his tail. Completely dismissing his apprentice who didn’t waste a single second in bolting ahead of him.

Leaves scattered all around Foxpaw as she continued to dash through the forest. Her heart was pounding hard and her blood was roaring loudly in her ears as the scent of the dawn patrol grew stronger.

Just as she weaved through a couple of trees, she almost collided with a slender dark blue, white, and silver tortoiseshell tomcat.

“Foxpaw,” he meowed with a tilt of his head as the she-cat managed to stop herself and stood a good claw-length in front of him.

“Hello, Diamondpaw,” Foxpaw meowed, her tail flicking excitedly behind her after dropping her mouse.

A loud coughing made both apprentices see a grayish black tomcat tabby staring at them with mirth, his pale silver eyes narrowing a little.

“Sorry, hello Deadwhisker,” Foxpaw meowed with a roll of her eyes towards Diamondpaw.

Flicking his tail a bit for the two apprentices to follow him, and with Foxpaw picking up her mouse, they soon bounded through the forest to join Tigerhawk.

“Scent markers around RiverClan have been changed again,” Deadwhisker whispered to Tigerhawk, who clenched his teeth tightly.

“Clamstar is getting bolder these past few days,” the dark golden furred tabby growled. “She’s pushing her limits. It was wrong for Jadestar to try and be–”

“I don’t think Jadestar had any intentions of letting things get this far, Tigerhawk,” Deadwhisker began to growl, his pelt beginning to rise along his spine.

Tigerhawk merely snorted at this and quickened his pace.

“So what’s this about RiverClan?” Foxpaw whispered beneath her breath as she leaned her head closer to Diamondpaw’s.

“Apparently we found the scent markers starting to push a little bit onto ThunderClan territory near Sunningrocks,” the tortoiseshell tomcat whispered back. “I don’t know how Jadestar is going to react.”

Foxpaw flicked her tail a little as her eyes narrowed. “Let’s see them try to continue pushing into our territory. Those wetpaws won’t make it across once I’m raking my claws through their pelts.”

“And I’m sure those RiverClan warriors would be so frightened of you,” Diamondpaw teased with a swipe of his tail across her muzzle. Only to yelp softly when he felt a sharp nip on his tip.

Growling, and kicking out with his hindpaws to sweep her forepaws out from beneath her, Diamondpaw snickered before running off ahead of the two warriors. Foxpaw was hot on his tail after regaining her balance.

Watching the two apprentices with a sly smirk, Deadwhisker couldn’t help the purr from escaping through his lips.

“I guess StarClan has fated them,” he meowed.

This only made Tigerhawk growl beneath his breath. “I highly doubt Diamondpaw understands Foxpaw.”

“They’re apprentices, Tigerhawk,” Deadwhisker simply rolled his eyes a bit. “But I feel as though StarClan has shifted the stars to them both.” Lifting his head upwards, his eyes began to glint.

“You rely too much on StarClan and expect them to tell us who is going to be mates?” Tigerhawk scoffed lightly as they approached the gorse tunnel.

Deadwhisker bit a sharp retort that had been edging along his throat, and just lashed his tail as he followed the deputy of ThunderClan through the brambles.

Chapter One

The ivory green eyes of Foxpaw lingered on the fresh-kill pile as she added her meager contribution to it. Lightly scoffing at how measly the pile had become, and flicking her tail, she turned on her paws to head towards the apprentices’ den.

Diamondpaw had already returned to their den, and was most likely sharing tongues with Lightpaw and Sparkpaw. She could hear their mutterings behind the ferns as she approached.

She had gotten one paw inside, before feeling something heavy headbutt against her hindquarters. Grunting lightly, and with a playful flick of her unusually bushy tail, Foxpaw smacked a light amber tomkit across his head roughly.

This sent the tomkit sprawling onto his back where she gently yet firmly planted a paw right on top of his belly. “Trying to sneak me, Briarkit?” She growled as she leaned down and nipped at his ear.

This made the young kit bat at her muzzle with a small paw while giggling. “You’re just too strong, Foxpaw!” He squeaked before squirming out of her grasp.

Before she could retaliate in a playful manner, another kit threw herself onto her back, where she began nipping at her neck fur. “Foxpaw!” Squealed the dark orange she-kit as she blinked her yellowish-green eyes.

“Oh StarClan, I’m being attacked by two rogues,” Foxpaw smirked before turning her head to look at the she-kit who swiped at her face with a paw, claws sheathed.

“Have you brought back prey?” Dovekit meowed before leaping off her back and landing next to her brother.

Foxpaw tilted her head down as she looked at their pelts. Most of the Clans would be suffering the same as ThunderClan. So it wasn’t a surprise to see both kits thin enough to see their ribs through their pelts.

“I have,” she meowed slowly before she flicked her eyes as their mother, Glosspelt, came striding out from behind the brambles that hid the nursery from view.

“Oh, Foxpaw, I thought that was you,” she meowed before touching noses with the young apprentice. “These two couldn’t wait for you to get back.”

Foxpaw said nothing as she glanced at the young queen’s swollen belly. ‘Another litter already on the way?’ She thought to herself with a little bit of envy.

Shaking her head, and tearing her gaze away from her belly to look at the sleek ginger and white she-cat, ivory green eyes saw warmth and love inside those golden green ones.

Yet, she could see something more in those depths. “It wasn’t a very good hunt anyways,” Foxpaw meowed as she pulled her eyes away and looked towards the fresh-kill pile to distract herself.

Whatever she saw in those eyes, whatever Glosspelt was keeping, it had nothing to do with her. “So, where’s Berrytail?” She asked coolly.

“He’s out with Cherrypaw,” Glosspelt said as she gently nudged her kits back into the nursery. “He’s teaching her more moves at Sandy Hollow.”

Foxpaw wasn’t surprised to hear about this. “Glosspelt–”

Glosspelt stared at the young apprentice with a questionable look, tilting her head a bit as she paused.

“Never mind,” Foxpaw meowed dully as she flicked her tail a bit in agitation. She didn’t understand how Glosspelt couldn’t see how Cherrypaw always looked at her mate.

Stretching her body, and arching her back a little in a curve, Foxpaw bounded towards the elders’ den.

“Fishwing?” she yowled out, her ears twitching and whiskers quivering as she breathed in the three elders’ scents.

“Do you have to yowl so loudly?” grumbled a raspy voice that came from the back of the jutting tree branch.

Pushing her way through the tangle of wood, moss, and ferns; the young apprentice strided past the sleeping forms of a sleek grayish white tomcat and a lanky brownish black she-cat whose ears looked tattered.

It was the nest at the near back where there was a much larger patch of sunlight illuminating the den. This was where she found Fishwing breathing rather raspy. His sickly yellow eyes barely opened as he stared at her approach.

“What took ye so long?” He gasped out as he opened his mouth and made a light sneer at her disgruntled face.

Lashing her tail a bit, Foxpaw held back the retort bubbling up inside of her. “Need your pelt checked again for fleas and ticks?” She muttered while trying to suppress the urge to flinch away from his hot breath.

“It is your duty as an apprentice, yes?” Was all that he said before closing both his eyes.

‘Old flea-bag.’ Foxpaw growled to herself before using her paws to sort through his fur. The urge to vomit was stronger as the smell of Fishwing washed over her.

‘Urgh, don’t you ever give yourself a bath?’ Ivory green eyes raked through his fur, and with some effort, pried off any fleas she could find. Crushing them between her teeth, and silently gagging.

Luckily, there were no ticks in his fur for her to clear out. So it only took her several heartbeats before she was done.

‘Might as well check the other two.’

Foxpaw felt as though her paws were going to fall off after checking Liondance and Songbristle. Especially Songbristle.

Non-stop the tomcat had been yapping about her being mates with either Diamondpaw or Sparkpaw. Much to her annoyance.

She was still muttering on her way to the fresh-kill pile when she started hearing muffled voices coming from the den of Jadestar.

“....not going to say anything more on this, Tigerhawk,” growled the voice of Jadestar causing Foxpaw to pause just beyond the edge of the lichen covered rock.

“Jadestar,” huffed Tigerhawk, a sharp cold edge edging into his voice,” it would be unwise to have Clamstar continue pushing her boundaries. You must tell her to keep her scent markers on RiverClan from now on. Lest she take ThunderClan’s offering as weakness.”

Foxpaw could just imagine her mentor’s eyes narrowing to slits as she craned her ears a bit further to hear them.

“Soon, the other Clans will take notice of this and try to push their luck as well,” he continued with a harsh growl.

“RiverClan has yet to break the warrior code, Tigerhawk,” Jadestar reminded her deputy. “I will heed your warning, but I will not make a move lest they do.”

Silence became the dominant force within the den, and Foxpaw nearly stumbled onto her belly as she tried catching any more conversation. Instead, she could hear pawsteps starting to approach.

With light panic rolling through her, she scurried over to the fresh-kill pile, picked up a scrawny squirrel, and picked her way to the tree stump next to the apprentice’s den just as Tigerhawk came stomping out, his tail stiffened high above him.

As she tucked into the squirrel, and trying hard not to stare at Tigerhawk as he passed by her field of vision, Foxpaw held her breath; her heart hammering loudly in her ears.

Fortunately, the senior warrior didn’t say anything as he pushed himself into the warriors’ den. From her spot, Foxpaw could barely see his huge powerful frame starting to curl up in his moss nest in the center. Grateful that his back was turned to her.

Finishing her meal in two more bites, and burying the bones in the ground while thanking StarClan for providing the squirrel’s life for her, Foxpaw began grooming herself.

‘Seems like RiverClan is definitely trying to push their luck with us.’ She thought as she licked her paw and began dragging it across her whiskers. ‘Why won’t Jadestar make a move already?’

Blinking in the dying light, had it been that long already, Foxpaw pushed herself through the fronds. She found Lightpaw already curled up in a tight ball, his chest rising and falling with each breath.

Padding past the dark cream tabby tomcat, and watching how his ears perked up in her passing, Foxpaw climbed into her own nest where she allowed her thoughts to settle.

The lingering scents of Diamondpaw and Sparkpaw waded into her nostrils. Cold and faint. They most likely had gone back out on patrol and hunting with their mentors while she’d been busy with the elders’.

‘Thank StarClan.’ She thought sleepily as threads of black began to fill her vision.

Not even a heartbeat later, and she was soon snoring away.

Prologue 

Bright orange eyes stared hungrily into the murky dark water of the river that separated ThunderClan from RiverClan, a long black tipped tail flicking through the clumps of reeds behind him.

Briarkit felt a tingle of excitement pass through him as he raised a small paw. 

“What do you think you’re doing, Briarikit?” Meowed a deep voice just a claw-length behind him.

Briarkit nearly fell into the river, if the tomcat hadn’t grabbed him roughly by his neck fluff.

“I was trying to imitate how RiverClan hunts in the river,” he meowed as he turned around to face a towering blackish white broad-shouldered tomcat who tilted his head.

“And why would you do that when you’re ThunderClan?” Jaggedwillow meowed, a light glint of amusement in his eyes.

Briarkit squinted his eyes as he tried coming up with an answer. Several heartbeats, and he just shrugged his small shoulders. 

Chuckling deeply, and rising to his paws, Jaggedwillow nudged the small light amber kit with his tail. 

Taking the hint, Briarkit wiggled his small haunches before trotting after Jaggedwillow’s longer strides.

“Do you think I can be a great fisher like RiverClan, Jaggedwillow?” Briarkit asked as he lifted his bright orange eyes up to the older warrior.

“Hm,” Rolling his eyes up in thought, Jaggedwillow flicked his tail over his ears slowly. “I wouldn’t be surprised if hedgehogs started flying,” he teased.

This made Briarkit groan at the usual joke. “Come on, Jaggedwillow!” He pleaded as he batted at the older cat’s paws. “Tell me the truth or I, Briarkit, next warrior of ThunderClan, shall nip at your paws until you bleed.”

“Oh, StarClan no,” Jaggedwillow meowed with fake horror. “I must be protected from such a vile enemy.”

Pouncing around his paws, Briarkit nipped all the way to the Gorse tunnel before Jaggedwillow curled his tail around the kit’s midsection to lift him up and placed him on his back.

Pushing through the brambles that hid the entrance to ThunderClan, and making sure that Briarkit hadn’t been pushed out, Jaggedwillow padded through the narrow tunnel, pawsteps echoing off the sides.

Stepping out into the sandy ravine that ThunderClan called home, Briarkit was placed onto the fine sand where he zipped towards the nursery.

Just as his nose was about a mouse-tail length away from the brambles, a sleek ginger and white she-cat with golden green eyes blocked his path.

Briarkit tried backpawing to head in the opposite direction before being snatched up in her jaws.

“Jaggedwillow, help me!” He wailed in protest before being carried behind the brambles and dropped into the moss nest.

“By StarClan I was so worried as to where you were!” Glosspelt growled as she began accosting her small kit with rasping licks all over his body.

“I was just by the river, and Jaggedwillow was there with me,” he mewled defensively. Though it did nothing but have his mother growl even deeper.

“No excuses, Briarkit,” pulling her head back to glare at her son, Glosspelt tried to flatten her chest fur. “You’re as adventurous as your sister.”

As though summoned by having her name called, a small dark orange she-kit who blinked her yellowish green eyes, pushed herself into the nursery; tripping over a loose branch and clumsily landing on her chin.

“Oof!” She grunted as she slowly picked herself up and padded the rest of the way over to her mother and brother.

“And where have you been, Dovekit?” Glosspelt snipped as she narrowed her eyes.

“Was helping Fernleap with assorting his herbs,” she mewled with a wrinkle of her nose. Upon seeing her brother’s ears poking out from the nest, she crouched down and began circling around.

Reaching up as she stretched herself onto her hindpaws, Dovekit climbed into their nest, dropping silently as she could a few paw-lengths behind her brother.

Making sure that she wasn’t heard, Dovekit began sneaking before rocking her haunches when she made sure she hadn’t been seen or heard.

With a quiet giggle, and launching herself about a claw-length into the air, she pounced onto her brother’s back who squeaked and squirmed beneath her.

Giggling, both kits began to roll around in the nest as their mother climbed in. 

Feeling her body close to them, and removing themselves from each other, both Dovekit and Briarkit shook their pelts before moving close to their mother’s belly.

“How about if I tell both of you the story of the original Clans: LionClan, LeopardClan, and TigerClan?” She whispered as she began licking the top of their heads.

Both kits gasped in excitement as their eyes went wide. They had heard stories several times, but they always enjoyed it when their mother told it to them.

Pressing themselves closer to her belly, Dovekit and Briarkit nestled deeply as they settled down just as Glosspelt began launching into her tale.

***

It was some time before both Briarkit and Dovekit fell asleep against each other. Glosspelt running her tail along their spines.

“I never even got to finish the story, you little rogues,” she whispered to them before laying her head gently onto their smaller frames.

“They’ve heard that story more times than any cat could count,” whispered Russetclaw over in her nest, the dark ginger fluffy she-cat rasping her tongue over her single kit. Dark bluish green eyes looked over to Glosspelt, an amusing glint in her eyes.

“They probably know the tale now like the back of their own paws,” giggled Glosspelt in return before sighing. 

Russetclaw rolled her eyes at the expression darkening in the eyes of dark orange and white she-cat. “You should feel excited for them, Glosspelt. With their energy, they could scare off any predator.”

Glosspelt mumbled to herself that the other queen couldn’t hear her. She wanted them to be full grown warriors when they were older, but at the same time; they were her world.

As she closed her eyes, a terrible ache in her heart began to pierce her like a thorn.

It was several heartbeats when Glosspelt followed her kits in sleep, her belly rising and falling with each breath as she listened to their soft purrs.

Chapter One

Dawn started to creep from behind Highstones, turning the dark plum of the night into a blazing pinkish orange. 

The soft chirps of birds echoed through the forest while prey scampered in the underbrush, scrummaging for food in the leaf blankets and in between the roots of trees.

“Run faster, Rowankit!” Squealed Briarkit as he scampered out from behind the woven brambles that hid the nursery. 

He was closely followed behind a skinny dark red, save for his paws that were a cream white, kit who narrowed his honey green eyes. “Wait up, Briarkit! She’s right on my tail!”

Lastly, Dovekit came bounding out of the nursery, her eyes glinting with mirth as she chased her brother and denmate around the clearing of ThunderClan. Kicking up sand as they did.

“I’m going to catch you two!” she yowled out in a squeak as she playfully nipped at the tip of Rowankit’s tail.

This made him squeal as he pushed himself harder. “We’ve got a predator in ThunderClan! Help!” He couldn’t suppress the giggle that escaped from his maw.

“I’ll save you!” Squeaked Briarkit as he turned sharply around and tackled Rowankit to the ground.

“You were supposed to get Dovekit, not me!” Rowankit breathed and giggled as he was pinned beneath Briarkit.

“Surprise, I was her helper all along!” Briarkit meowed with triumph.

All three kits began rolling around on the ground. Playfully batting at each other with their claws sheathed.

“So much energy for such an early morning,” grumbled a dark blue tabby tom whose light green eyes watched the three kits. 

The ears of Briarkit twitched and smiled hugely at the young tomcat before Rowankit and Dovekit before making his way towards him. “Needlepaw!”

Stretching his neck downwards, Needlepaw gently touched noses with the young kit before raising himself to his full height. “Busy with playing I see.”

“Yes! Can you play with us, Needlepaw?” Briarkit meowed.

Needlepaw’s ears slightly drooped as his eyes glanced to the side to see a large burly orange and gray tabby making her way towards them, her purple eyes gleaming in the dawn light.

“Sorry, Briarkit,” he meowed as he looked back at the three of them, “I’m supposed to go on a patrol with Ivysparrow right now.”

The kits’ ears started to droop, and Needlepaw quickly cleared his throat as he leaned downwards to whisper to them. “But I promise to teach you kits how to hunt once we get back.”

This made the three of them start pawing the ground in excitement as Needlepaw strided past them. He was followed shortly by Ivysparrow and a sleek jet black she-cat named Rookpaw and her mentor, Berrytail.

The latter of whom was a large broad-shouldered silver dark amber tabby with jagged black stripes adorning his pelt.

Berrytail, before joining the others down the gorse tunnel, stopped at the nursery to poke his head through the brambles.

“Berrytail,” Glosspelt quickly moved out of her nest where she had been taking a rest. “What are you doing here?”

“Just came to check on you, that’s all,” he said as he touched his nose against her ear.

Glosspelt could feel the tips of her ears heating up as she shuffled her paws a bit on the ground. “You don’t have to.”

A raspy yowl started to echo from the gorse tunnel before Berrytail could say anything. Staring into her eyes, Berrytail gave a flick of his unusual wolfish bushy tail before darting out of the nursery, and into the tunnel behind his Clanmates.

“Why don’t you be mates?” Russetclaw meowed curiously as she spat out the sticks she’d been holding while repairing her moss nest.

“Because we’re just Clanmates,” Glosspelt pointed out with her tail before shuffling her paws to line up the bits of moss around the inside of her nest.

“And hedgehogs can fly,” Russetclaw sharply sighed with a roll of her eyes. “For StarClan’s sake, Glosspelt, just let him know how you feel.”

“I can’t,” Glosspelt whispered as a shudder passed through her. “Not since him.”

The dark orange and white she-cat felt a tail stroking her strong flanks, and she turned her head to see Russetclaw beside her.

“It has been moons since he was banished from ThunderClan,” she said with a gentle mew. “You shouldn’t worry about something like him, and Berrytail cares about you.”

“Like how Jaggedwillow cares about you?” Glosspelt teasingly meowed as she nudged her Clanmate.

This in turn made Russetclaw shuffle her paws across the ground now as a deeper heat passed through her. “H-he’s….” She couldn’t form any coherent words at the mention of her mate.

Seeing Russetclaw all flustered and embarrassed made Glosspelt a little bit better.

“Spread your paw evenly as you lick it, and then grab at least three poppy seeds, Hearthpaw,” muttered a grizzled slender smoky blue tomcat tabby with torn ears as he sat in a clearing surrounded by long grass and ferns.

A light amber and rosy pink tabby she-cat did as she was told as she gave her paw several licks before pressing it gently upon small black seeds.

Carefully padding over on her remaining paws, Hearthpaw moved her paw towards the maw of a bluish black tabby named Fishwing, who grumbled and moved his head away.

“Come on, Fishwing,” rasped the smoky blue tomcat as he stroked the chin of the other tabby. “I know you’re in pain. These poppy seeds will help ease you.

Fishwing cracked his grayish green a bit, the fur around his eyes matted with a mixture of tears and sweat. Hearthpaw could feel his hot breath wash over her chest fur as she stood close to him.

Long moments passed before Fishwing roughly devoured the poppy seeds before curling into a tight ball.

“Once Berrytail and the dawn patrol return, we must fetch more marigold, borage, and feverfew.”

“Yes, Fernleap,” Hearthpaw meowed as she began checking the other herbs stored in the wall behind them.

“We must pray to StarClan that Fishwing’s sickness does not turn into Greencough,” Fernleap continued as he started to push himself through the crack in the rock wall that led out into the small tunnel of ferns connected to the camp. 

Spreading her paws a bit in front of her, Hearthpaw watched her mentor leave before checking Fishwing for the tenth time. Careful not to directly touch him. 

“Here catch, Rowankit,” Dovekit squeaked before picking up the dead mouse that they had gotten from the fresh-kill pile.

With a shake of her head, Dovekit threw it towards the dark ginger kit who reared up onto his hindpaws to bat at it with a claw. 

“I’ve got it!” He meowed behind a mouthful of mouse. Spotting Briarkit charging at him, Rowankit flicked his tail once before dashing off in the opposite direction. Nearly avoiding Shellpaw, a cream white tabby she-cat who was leaving the elders’ den with a ball of moss stuck to the end of a long stick.

The wretched stench of mouse bile made the young kit almost gag, but he weaved in between her legs, muttering an apology as she lightly growled at him.

It was some time before Rowankit stopped just short of the elders’ den, dropping the mouse and wearing a smug grin on his face.

‘Guess I lost him.’ Rowankit thought before attempting to bite into the mouse. Only to find himself being tackled to the ground by Dovekit and Briarkit. “Agh!”

“We got you!” They both squeaked as they clambered off of Rowankit. 

“The mouse is now mine!” Briarkit meowed as he dashed towards the dead mouse. He had just reached it when a large shadow swooped down from the sky, right on top of the mouse.

Gasping in fear as he tried to turn around to flee, Briarkit glimpsed a dark curved beak as the large hawk screeched at him.

Yowling as it reached out with sharp talons, Briarkit barely managed to squirm away before it could firmly grasp his long tail, yanking it closer to his body.

A loud hiss, and a shadow passing over him, caused the young kit to glance back as a large black, orange, red, and white tortoiseshell had flung herself onto the hawk; pinning it to the ground.

Hearing his yowl, Glosspelt bolted across the clearing, her fur puffing out in fury before helping the other she-cat pin it down while raking her claws as hard as she could across its face.

Giving loud hisses of its own, the hawk managed to squirm out of their grasps before beating its wings in their faces. As more and more cats began emerging, the hawk knew well enough not to take any chances.

With a final screech, and clutching the mouse in its talons, it lifted itself in the air; beating its wings hard before it was high out of reach of any claws. It circled high above ThunderClan before veering off towards Highstones.

“Thank you, Breakthorn,” Glosspelt panted as she turned towards the tortoiseshell with a dip of her head.

“No need to thank me, Glosspelt,” she meowed with a dip of her own. “StarClan, I was lucky I was just emerging from the warriors’ den.”

Nodding her head, Glosspelt turned towards her kits, and saw Briarkit trembling with fear. He was shaking like he caught the chills.

Glosspelt hurried over to him and began licking his fur to calm him down. ‘Are you okay, Briarkit?” She said with a worried mew.

“I-I’m,” he couldn’t say anything, his teeth were chattering so hard it was hard to form any words.

Picking him up from the scruff of his neck, Glosspelt hurried towards the nursery. Dovekit and Rowankit bounding after them.

Murmurs were still continuing to flow through ThunderClan like a river as a slender silver white she-cat tabby with a single black stripe on her head came charging out of the lichen covered Highrock, her eyes narrowed in alert.

“Whitestar!” Breakthorn came bounding towards her. 

“When I heard yowling I came as fast as I could,” Whitestar meowed, her eyes already picking their way from the clump of feathers that had been torn from the body of the hawk. “Is everyone safe?”

“We were able to chase off the hawk before it could take off with Briarkit,” Breakthorn panted as the deputy tried catching her breath.

Whitestar felt a little crestfallen at the thought of a young kit being taken under her watch.

“It isn’t your fault, Whitestar,” Breakthorn meowed gently as she intertwined her mate’s tail with hers. “No cat would’ve expected a predator like that to come into ThunderClan.”

The leader of ThunderClan felt a little better at her reassurance. Just as the two touched noses with one another, purring softly, Fernleap came padding up to them forcing the two she-cats to untwine their tails.

“Yes, Fernleap?” Whitestar said with a light grunt as she cleared her throat.

“Fishwing has developed whitecough,” he said with a rasp. 

“Oh StarClan,” Breakthorn murmured as her ears lightly drooped to her sides. “We must make sure that all cats, especially the elders, queens, and kits stay away from him.”

Whitestar nodded her slowly as she flicked her tail. ‘Whitecough in greenleaf?’ She thought as she narrowed her eyes.

“Does he have any stomach pains? Did he eat any prey that looked off?” Whitestar asked her medicine cat as she looked him in the eyes.

Fernleap merely shook his head. “All he has is a cough and a fever. Though I need to restock on borage, feverfew, and marigold just in case.”

“Once Berrytail comes back from the dawn patrol, I’ll send some cats to help you look for some,” Whitestar meowed. “Cloudchaser and Gullwind should be fine.

“I’ll have Hearthpaw to continue looking after any injured or sick cats in the meantime,” he rasped once more as he dipped his head before bounding towards his den.

“We should also tell everyone not to eat or drink anything that looks off,” Breakthorn mumbled to Whitestar.

Giving her mate a little nudge, Whitestar leaped upon the Highrock. Breakthorn followed suit as the leader of ThunderClan released a loud yowl.

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather at the Highrock for a clan meeting!” She meowed loudly for all to hear.

The murmurs that had started off low earlier, gradually started to increase as every cat available in ThunderClan began to gather below their leader.

“News of sickness has been reported,” Whitestar began as she raked her gaze at them all. 

Gasps started to leave the muzzles of almost every  cat, but Whitestar held her tail high behind her. “Fishwing has caught a sickness.” 

“One of our elders?!” Hissed a black tabby she-cat whose pelt was adorned with white speckles across her chest. “Is he okay, Whitestar?”

“Is it whitecough? Is ThunderClan in danger of being stricken with disease again?” Asked another cat, a burly and pudgy smoky pink tabby tomcat whose red eyes widened with fear.

His words started to cause a panic in the gathered crowd as every cat began talking amongst themselves.

Whitestar couldn’t get a single word in to tell her thoughts. It made her pelt bristle with fear and anger.

With a loud yowl that caused all prey to fall silent throughout the forest, and lashing her tail, Breakthorn glowered at them all.

“Look at all of you!” She shouted as she leaned a bit over Highrock. “Panicking like a bunch of helpless kits caught in a storm. It is not whitecough as far as we know of. We shouldn’t start panicking at a time of crisis.”

Whitestar couldn’t help but purr at her mate’s words. It made her recover her confidence as a leader. “Hear me, ThunderClan!” She yowled out, her eyes glinting in the morning light. “I assure you that is little more than light sickness that will come to pass.”

Looking around the clearing, she waited for any cat to speak up on their thoughts. None did.

“We must take care that we do not eat or drink something that smells off or tastes funny. And I promise you that Fishwing will get better by the day’s end.” Whitestar finished with a flick of her tail, dismissing them all.

As she watched them all depart to go about their business, Whitestar felt a heavy weight upon her entire body. “I should’ve told them the truth,” she quietly meowed as she and Breakthorn leaped to the sandy ground of the ravine.

They both began padding into the lichen hanging boulder, their tails intertwined with one another gently.

“And cause the clan to go into another panic?” Breakthorn pointed with her ears before weaving her chin beneath Whitestar’s, nuzzling her gently. “It would be bad if they did.”

As she breathed in her scent due to the close proximity of each other, Whitestar knew she was right. Plus, she needed to be strong for ThunderClan. 

“I’m so glad to have you as a mate,” she whispered into the ear of Breakthorn.

“Even StarClan knows you do,” Breakthorn meowed as she pushed herself closer. “Because I still have that idea in mind.”

Whitestar felt her body stiffen as the fur along her spine began to spike up in uncertainty. “Are you sure you want to do that?”

Breakthorn pulled herself away so she could stare deeply into the eyes of her leader. Her mate.

Whitestar saw the love deeply in her eyes, and knew her answer. Even if she didn’t want to say it. It only made her push her head against hers softly.

Breakthorn giggled as she inhaled her scent. “Your heart is pounding louder than the loudest flaps of a hawk’s wings,” she breathed before giving Whitestar a quick rasp of her tongue over her ear.

“Shush,” Whitestar hissed in mirth. “As much as I would love to continue being so close, we need to—”

Feeling Breakthorn’s tail wrap around her muzzle to silence her, Breakthorn stared at her one last time before padding out of the den. But not before brushing her tail along her mate’s flank.

****

It was near sunhigh when Briarkit was strong enough to venture back out into the clearing. He was hesitant at first, but a simple push from Glosspelt made him carry his paws a few tail-lengths from the nursery.

Little by little, and with his bright orange eyes darting around the camp as though was expecting another hawk to come swooping down, Briarkit made his way until he was in the very heart of ThunderClan.

He was barely near the fresh-kill pile, before being lightly tackled by Dovekit and Rowankit.

“Look who finally decided to stop being such a scaredy-mouse,” squeaked Rowankit as he nipped at his denmate’s ears while Dovekit purred in mirth.

“It was a huge hawk that could’ve swallowed me in one gulp,” Briarkit protested as he playfully batted at his sister and Rowankit.

Leaping out of reach, all three kits began chasing one another again for some time. As they came upon the elders’ den,  all three stopped as their ears perked up high on their small heads.

Tails twitching, they were about to sneak inside, when a large triangular head poked out with a soft yowl of surprise.

Squeaking out in shock, all three kits tumbled over heads and tails as a sleek aquamarine white tabby tomcat with narrowed silver eyes.

“Trying to wake me up in the middle of my nap?” Raising his head a bit, Songvine tilted his head as he swished his tail a little bit behind him.

“No,” all three kits squeaked out with innocence. 

Songvine wasn’t really convinced and leaned his head downwards. “I don’t know. It smells like you’re lying to me.”

“We promise to StarClan that we’re not, Songvine,” purred Briarkit as he shared a look with the other two.

Songvine let out an exhausted yawn. It was much too early for him to play much.  Gradually he just shifted his posture so that he was tucking his paws beneath him.

Soon, he was gently snoring. His whiskers quivering with each breath he exhaled.

All three kits stared at him in silence before glancing at each other. There wasn’t going to be any amusement from him, so they just padded past him quietly as he slept on.

“He must be the oldest cat in ThunderClan,” whispered Rowankit once they were out of earshot while pawing at the dead leaves that had started drizzling down. 

“I think Liondance is older than him though,” Dovekit squeaked as she chased after a drifting leaf that had been caught in the breeze.

Sliding his claws out as he pounced right on top of the leaf Rowankit had batted with his paw, Briarkit giggled a bit. “Sorry, but I think Fishwing is the oldest out of all three of them.”

“Talking about who’s the oldest cat in ThunderClan?” Meowed Berrytail as he strided a little bit past them, tail flicking a bit as he stopped to groom himself.

“Do you know who the oldest cat is, Berrytail?” Squeaked Dovekit as she weaved in and out from between his legs before settling against him.

Berrytail didn’t answer straight away. Instead, he began grooming the top of her head with his tongue as Rowankit and Briarkit sat in front of them, their tails twitching with growing impatience.

“Honestly, I feel like Liondance is the oldest cat in ThunderClan,” he finally said with a soft mew as he licked his tongue over Dovekit’s ear. “She has been an elder even when I was a kit and before Whitestar was still deputy.”

Dovekit let out a purr of triumph as her eyes lit up while looking at her brother and Rowankit.

Both just simply rolled their eyes at each other while Berrytail finished grooming Dovekit who shook her pelt and dashed from his paws.

“Berrytail, do you know where Needlepaw went off to?” Squeaked Briarkit as he padded alongside the seasoned warrior as they headed towards the fresh-kill pile.

All three kits’ stomachs began growling as they approached. Letting out a hum of thought, Berrytail picked out a large vole and began tearing it into sizable chunks.

“He’s doing fighting training with Ivysparrow the moment they got back from the dawn patrol,” he meowed as he gave them each of the chunks before tucking into his own.

“Why did you ask, Briarkit?” He asked with a curious mew as his eyes glanced towards him.

“He…he was supposed to have taught us how to hunt,” Briarkit meowed as he just stared at the piece of vole in front of him.

Swallowing the last mouthful vole, and as he thanked StarClan for the life of the prey, before burying it; Berrytail rose up onto his paws and shook his pelt. 

“He is an apprentice after all,” Berrytail meowed as he brushed his fluffy tail across their heads. “He will be busy most of the time. Something you three will know soon enough.”

This made all three kits raise their heads a bit. They had forgotten that they were already five moons old, and that realization made their hearts spark up with excitement.

Seeing how their pelts started bristling, Berrytail tilted his head as a suggestion came to him.

“How about I show you how a warrior hunts?” He suggested with a prick of one ear.

Looking at one another, all three began squeaking in excitement as they leaped to their paws. Briarkit devoured his piece of vole swiftly before wiping his tongue around his maw and whiskers.

“Show us, Berrytail!” They squealed as they circled around him.

Chuckling to himself at their enthusiasm, the warrior began leading them off to one side next to the nursery.

“What you wanna do,” Berrytail meowed as he dropped lightly into a crouch,” is to crouch down so that your belly is barely scraping against the ground. That way you’re completely hidden from your prey and blending with your surroundings.”

Each kit watched him closely, their tails hardly moving yet their ears twisting this way and that as he continued to show them and instruct them.

Flexing his claws a little, Briarkit began crouching a bit as well. Copying the hunter’s crouch that Berrytail was showing them.

Lifting a paw a bit, Berrytail lightly pushed down the kit’s haunches. “Make sure that your tail isn’t greatly exposed. Most prey use their eyes rather than their noses and hearing.”

Grumbling, Briarkit flexed and wriggled his haunches a bit. “It feels so difficult,” he groaned as he narrowed his eyes.

“Not every cat learns at the same pace,” murmured Glosspelt as she stepped out of the nursery to watch them, Russetclaw only a few claw-lengths behind her.

“Yeah, Glosspelt here-” Berrytail didn’t get to say anything else as the tail of Glosspelt wrapped around his muzzle to silence him.

Berrytail felt his body tremble as he tried chuckling and apologizing at the same time with his eyes.

It was some time before she released her tail’s grip from around his muzzle and padded away with a flick of her tail.

“What was he talking about?” Dovekit asked as she and Briarkit followed their mother behind and into the nursery where they climbed into their nest.

Rowankit had decided to stay outside in the clearing to practice what Berrytail had just shown them.

“Nothing worth noting,” Glosspelt meowed as she felt the tips of her ears beginning to heat up.

Blinking their tired eyes as their energy started to leave their small bodies, both kits couldn’t help but nuzzle closer to their mother. It was not even a heartbeat later that they were soon asleep.

Releasing a light sigh, Glosspelt soon fell asleep.

Chapter Two

Gray clouds had started to gather over the next several days. A light cool wind blowing down from the mountains and through the forest, passing through every cat’s fur.

Fishwing’s condition had gradually grown worse from what Hearthpaw could tell. His infections in his chest had started to make him heave with dry vomiting. His breathing started to come out shallow with each passing moment.

No matter how much she forced him to take herbs and drink water, Fishwing couldn’t keep anything down. Hearthpaw was gradually starting to grow frustrated.

Fernleap kept going in and out of ThunderClan looking for more herbs, but nothing was helping.

‘At least his fever is going down.” Hearthpaw thought as she gently swapped the older cat’s head with a ball of moss soaked in fresh water.

Neither apprentice or medicine cat had gotten a wink of sleep over the past few days.

“It-it hurts,” Fishwing rasped out, his eyes blinking rapidly as he tried staying conscious and failing. A soft trickle of blood had started to run down the corner of his mouth.

Hearthpaw ran her tail down the sides of his cheek delicately. A gesture he shakingly moved into. “It’s okay, Fishwing,” she muttered with a gentle purr. “Everything is going to be okay.”

Though inwardly, she already knew what his fate was.

The sounds of grunting made her raise her head up as Fernleap squeezed himself through the crack in the wall before he stepped towards her.

The question gleamed in his eyes, and all Hearthpaw could do was shake her head, ears droop and shoulders dragging downwards.

“We must leave him in the paws of StarClan now,” he whispered gently as he brushed up against his apprentice. “We’ve done all we can for him.”

Feeling her heart being shredded by claws, Hearthpaw had to suck in a sharp breath and dug her claws deep into the ground to steady herself.

‘Please take him in your paws.’ Hearthpaw prayed to StarClan as she lifted her narrow head upwards. 

Raking her eyes over the thin pelt of Fishwing, and noticed how his paws feebly pressed themselves into the side of his nest, the young she-cat couldn’t stare at him any longer.

Fernleap nudged her in the direction of the wall. She was more than glad to leave such a depressing scene.

Tail slightly dragging across the ground, Hearthpaw squeezed herself through before bounding out of the tunnel of ferns before padding through camp.

“Hearthpaw!” Turning her head to the side, she saw Rowankit, Dovekit, and Briarkit bounding towards her.

She couldn’t help the small smile spreading across her face, but then remembered Fishwing. It made her ears droop again.

“Something the matter?” Squeaked Rowankit as he touched noses with Hearthpaw.

She simply waved a paw in a dismissive gesture. “There’s nothing wrong, Rowankit,” she tried to meow with confidence. “You three have grown the last time I saw y’all.”

All three kits puffed out their chest fluff with pride at her words. “We’re going to be apprentices soon,” Briarkit meowed with excitement.

This made Hearthpaw a little bit excited for them. “That’s wonderful,” she meowed.

“I hope I get Needlepaw as a mentor once he becomes a warrior,” squeaked Briarkit before flicking his bright orange eyes around. “Can we go visit Fishwing?”

“Berrytail wouldn’t let us the other day. But we really want to see him,” piped up Dovekit as she stood next to her brother.

All excitement in Hearthpaw’s body suddenly dissipated as her eyes lowered themselves to the sandy ground.

“Unfortunately, Fishwing can’t really see anyone right now,” she muttered low beneath her breath. “He’s trying to rest as much as he can and I don’t think he wants to be disturbed.”

“Mouse-dung,” Rowankit muttered so low beneath his breath, Hearthpaw barely heard him.

Just as she was about to speak more, a loud wail of alarm sounded from the medicine cat den.

It made Hearthpaw’s heart leap up into her throat as the realization slammed into her: Fishwing had finally succumbed to his illness and was now making the journey to StarClan.

“In honor of Fishwing, we will be holding a vigil for him at moonrise,” Whitestar meowed as she had gathered all of ThunderClan before her.

“He was a proud ThunderClan warrior that would’ve given his life to any cat here,” she continued as she looked slightly at Breakthorn who was stone-faced but calm. 

Her ears pinned themselves against her head as she scratched at the stone with her claws. She could feel her stomach lurching as she tried finding more words to say. All Whitestar could do, however, was simply shake her head.

With a flick of her tail, she dismissed ThunderClan and leaped down.

“Can’t believe this is happening with ThunderClan,” muttered a solid black tabby whose light pink eyes glared at the ground…at his paws.

“First we barely have too many apprentices and not enough warriors,” he continued as he walked beside a slim black and dark amber tortoiseshell she-cat named Shatteredpaw. “And now an elder is dead.”

“Sounds like you’re trying to insinuate that Whitestar is to blame, Rookpaw,” Shatteredpaw meowed as they walked through the forest.

“I’m not,” he quickly hissed in defense. “I’m just saying that maybe she needs to appoint more warriors now– wait, do you smell that?”

Raising his head, and taking several sniffs, Rookpaw caught the scent of a foreign cat that didn’t belong to any Clan he knew of. It made his fur bristle.

“Doesn’t smell like any Clan cat patrol.” Shatteredpaw meowed to his thoughts as she bent over to sniff the ground. It made her grow on edge.

“Let’s follow the trail to see where it leads,” her denmate muttered as he began dashing off, his maw opened to keep the scent trail fresh.

“Wait, Rookpaw,” Shatteredpaw hissed before following after him.

I need some ideas/advice on some future chapters.

Right now my main protagonist Shadowpaw has just been insulted by Shadowclan deputy Kitevole who mocks her deceased father Thornberry for being compassionate and soft as a warrior.

Though she doesn't realize yet that she's not Clan-born.

My question is: when shall I reveal it and how should I reveal and who should her actual parents be?

Right now she's rough around the edges but still playful and considerate to her adoptive sister and her Clan (Though she still blames Speckletrout the mate of Kitevole of what happened to Thornberry moons ago)

Well I don't have any fan Clans yet....hoping to do that in the future.

But my two main ocs for this fanfic are:

Shadowkit: a reddish amber she-kit with silver green eyes (she doesn't know she isn't Clan-born

Jewlekit a black and white she-kit with dark green eyes (I don't think I stated her eye color)

Honeyfeather- a slender light amber-green she-cat queen of Shadowclan and the mother of Shadowkit and Jewelkit

Thornberry- a large broad shouldered golden amber tomcat warrior of Shadowclan with light green eyes. (Deceased. Got hit by a monster)

Ruststar- leader of ShadowClan with pale silver blue eyes and with a smokey blue pelt.

Kitevole- brother of Thornberry and deputy of Shadowclan. Pudgy and with sickly yellow eyes and a grayish white tomcat. Hates his brother being close to his family.

Speckletrout- mate of Kitevole with a lean silver amber she-cat with dark amber paws and pink eyes.

Brushpaw- a silverish blue tabby tomcat. Mentor is Speckletrout

Windclaw- a sleek brownish black she-cat with dark amber eyes. WindClan warrior.

Stormshadow- dark gray and black/silver slender she-cat queen with three kits (I have yet to name them and describe them)

I have yet to do more apprentices, kits, and warrior. If any have any ideas for me please let me know I'd appreciate it

Story so far is that Shadowkit was found by Windclaw who gave her to Thornberry to take back to Shadowclan as his and Honeyfeather own kit.

I need an opinion on this fanfiction that I completed. I would like to know if Silverblaze journey is a good parallel to the source material and what's its strengths are along with what kind of MAP fits it

To be honest, I adored Bramblekit before the authors messed up his warrior and leader hood. Goldenflower was such an adoring mother to her kits, despite her mate being Tigerstar, she held a no nonsense towards her mate and wanted to protect Bramblekit and Tawnykit from a monster of a father.

If only she had lived a lot longer so that Brambleclaw would have someone else to talk to about his frustration and trauma. Tawnypaw might have still went to Shadowclan, but I wished she stayed in ThunderClan and helped her brother.

She really couldn't do anything for him since they were in two separate clans and could only give him warnings and advice while staying loyal to her own Clan.

Plus, I bet you anything Tawnypelt wished that Needletail had gotten the chance to be in ThunderClan cause deep down she must've been aware just how broken Shadowclan was and how broken Needletail was from inside

I'm making my main protagonist gay for another tomcat.

We need more rep lol just before his life gets all Topsy turvy. Just need to figure out how to apply his kittypet lineage

To be honest, I adored Bramblekit before the authors messed up his warrior and leader hood. Goldenflower was such an adoring mother to her kits, despite her mate being Tigerstar, she held a no nonsense towards her mate and wanted to protect Bramblekit and Tawnykit from a monster of a father.

If only she had lived a lot longer so that Brambleclaw would have someone else to talk to about his frustration and trauma. Tawnypaw might have still went to Shadowclan, but I wished she stayed in ThunderClan and helped her brother.

She really couldn't do anything for him since they were in two separate clans and could only give him warnings and advice while staying loyal to her own Clan.

Plus, I bet you anything Tawnypelt wished that Needletail had gotten the chance to be in ThunderClan cause deep down she must've been aware just how broken Shadowclan was and how broken Needletail was from inside

Is it me or does Starclan treat Medicine cats with such polarity that it doesn't matter what a medicine cat does they always get lectured like mouse-brained helpless kits?

As I'm rewriting my very first fanfiction that's now following more closely to the actual Canon lore, I've been trying to think of how my oc can come from a forbidden romance.

He's a young blood red ginger tomcat with reddish gold eyes, an apprentice from ShadowClan, and his 'mother' is his mentor.

I'm giving out dreams where he dreams about two cats in a large meadow but I can't figure out if I should make one from a different Clan, loner, rogue, or kittypet

Reading The New Prophecy in completion, I just felt so bad for Leafpool. Excited for being a medicine cat, was close to her sister Squirrelflight, yeah everything was just peachy.

Until she's hit with a 'ill never let anything happen to you again' by Crowfeather after he just told her he loved her, which I think was unintentional since he was still in love with Feathertail even after death.

It was so sudden and out of desperation, but it was really one of the most positive things any cat had told her. And I do believe this is where her heart and mind starts getting heavily conflicted from her duties and this sudden attraction to another cat that isn't part of her Clan.

Not to mention that she keeps seeing her own sister completely in love with Brambleclaw, despite her wariness of him, and it just makes her keep snapping at Squirrelflight and Cinderpelt because she wants to fall in love. She wants to have kits of her own.

But she can't because it is forbidden. Which I think is really stupid. Especially hearing how one medicine cat decided that rule in the first place. I forgot the reason why it even started.

And because Starclan oh so elegantly told her to follow her heart, she ends up running away with Crowfeather but then only a few moments later returns because of a badger attack and she returns to her Clan and her medicine cat duties

My headcanon for Needletail, and this isn't the fault of Tawnypelt, but she needed more guidance and someone who could be really strict with her, while also showing patience.

Plus I think it would've been better if she had went to ThunderClan where Violetpaw could be with her sister and Needletail could befriend Alderpaw.

I'm sure that most of ThunderClan would've taught her to not be manipulative and whatnot

Authors: alright all these leaders will have either one arc or several then we kill each one off.

Including Firestar?

Authors: especially Firestar

What about Mistystar?

Authors: naw she's immortal we can't kill her

Anyone want to see my first official fanfic and hopefully get someone to draw my ocs?