Born into ThunderClan
By: Autumn Summers
Prologue: I was born into Thunder clan a few moons ago. My mother is SoftFur and my father is the great deputy WhiteCoat. My name is Moonkit, I have short white fur and bright blue eyes like my father, though my tail has long soft fur. This is a tale of my grand adventures in Thunder clan. I will tell how I became a warrior, and how I found my life mate. So please enjoy this tale through the eyes of a Thunder clan cat.
It was nice and warm in the nursery. The moss underneath my paws was soft and comforting. I could hear my mothers voice, a gentle purr as she cleaned and nursed me. It was getting dark outside as a big white tom came into the nursery. Mother smiled at him and gave him an affectionate lick on the ear. My eyes had opened in the last day and my senses were very keen. "Darling this is your father, WhiteCoat. He is the deputy of our clan and has come to name you ." She said with a smile in her voice. Though I could not quite speak yet I gave an approving yowl. I wandered over to WhiteCoat as he laid beside mother. I looked at him. His eyes were bright as they stared into mine. I purred loudly and rubbed my face against his chest. He gave a little laugh and looked me over. "Your name, little one will be Moonkit, for your coat shines as bright as the moon." Mother purred proudly as I padded over to her and curled up against her. "That's a fine name WhiteCoat, one day she will make you proud." He looked down at me and purred softly. "I know she will." With that he gave me a swift lick on the head and walked proudly out of the nursery. Mother nudged me closer and curled around me. "one day my kit you will be the finest warrior in Thunder clan."
Over the following days mother kept me close and inside the nursery. I was her only kit and she was very protective of me. She was the only Queen with kits, but there was another pregnant queen in the nursery. I padded over to her and purred loudly. "I hope your kits will be very strong and healthy DayFlower." She smiled down at me and gave me a swift lick. "Thank you Moonkit." She turned to mother and nodded at me. "You have a very big hearted kit SoftFur." Mother looked down proudly at me and said thanks to DayFlower.
I smiled at her as her face contorted in pain and she let out a yowl. GentlePaws, our medicine came rushing in with some poppy seeds in her mouth. DayFlower ate them quickly and yowled in pain once more. Mother picked me up by my neck and carried me back over to our nest. "You shouldn't get in the way Moonkit." she said with a gentle nudge. "Yes mother, I'm sorry." I settled against mothers belly and watched as GentlePaws helped DayFlower keep her breath steady. "DayFlower push now." With a yowl, Dayflowers Kit came into the world. Her coat was white and brown, with soft orange blotches. The orange was dotted with small black flecks. A soft Mew came from her as DayFlower smiled and began licking the tiny Kits face and body. "Okay Dayflower push again." Once again Dayflower pushed and another darker kit came out. His coat was a light brown with flecks of gold, like his mother's, as he gave a loud mew. Dayflower began to lick his face to as she guided her kits towards her belly to nurse. GentlePaws smiled and pressed her muzzle against Dayflowers belly. "There is one more DayFlower now push again. As the last kit came I could tell something was wrong. The kit was smaller than the others and he didn't make a sound. GentlePaws began to lick his face and breathed on him to keep him warm. The tiny kit took one shaky breath and was still. GentlePaws nudged the tiny kit but it was useless. "I'm sorry DayFlower." Said GentlePaws as she backed away to let Dayflower mourn for her kit. A loud yowl sounded from GentlePaws and My mother as they signaled the loss of the tiny kit. I let out a small mew to and pressed against my mothers body, shaking slightly. This had been the first death I had ever seen. I laid my head on my paws as mother and GentlePaws walked over to Dayflower. "I'm so sorry DayFlower, for your loss." DayFlower looked up at mother sadly and let out a shaky breath. "Please my friend I don't have the strength to bury him, will you take him to DustFace." Mother nodded and picked up the tiny kit in her jaws. Carefully she strode out of the Nursery. I could hear the Sad yowls of the Other cats. GentlePaws Gave DayFlower some more poppy seeds to ease the pain then changed the moss as mother came back inside the nursery. She laid back down as DayFlower nodded at her in thanks. I got closer to mother and closed my eyes. I listened to mothers heartbeat, as it lulled me to sleep.
The next morning I awoke to voices. A dark brown tom with a light brown face was laying beside Dayflower looking at their kits proudly, though he had a hint of sadness in his eyes. "We shall name the young tom Dapplekit, and the young she cat will be Poppykit." Dayflower let out a purr as she licked her kits affectionately. I yawned and looked at mother. She was still sleeping soundly, her breath coming in soft huffs. DustFace gave Dayflower a quick lick and padded out of the nursery. DayFlower smiled and looked at me. "Would you like to come see them Moonkit?" She said with pride. "Yes please" I said. I slowly padded over to the two smaller kits. "They are very nice DayFlower. I hope they will be my friends one day." She looked down at me and purred loudly. "Well I'm sure they will be your friends Moonkit." I smiled happily and thanked her, then padded over to mother. She was now sitting up and smiling down at me. I rubbed against her legs and gave her shoulder a lick. "Good morning Moonkit. I think its time you went outside to see the camp." My eyes lit up as I shifted from paw to paw restlessly. "Oh Really Mother! Thank you!" She purred and led me outside.
I squinted my eyes at the rising sun as I followed mother to a shady spot by an old fallen log. "This is the Elders den. They lay in the shade and tell stories about the old days, would you like to meet them?" I smiled and purred loudly. "Yes mother." I followed her inside the old fallen log. Three old cats lay around lazily and smiled at mother as she said hello to them. "TornEar, NoTail, OneEye, this is my new kit." They all smiled at me as I padded closer to them. "Hello Elders, My name is Moonkit. It is an honor to meet you." They all smiled and purred gently. "What a nice kit you have SoftFur." Said the big tabby called OneEye. "Oh yes she is very wonderful." Said the darker tom called NoTail. "She will make a fine warrior one day SoftFur." Said the grey she cat call ScarFace. Mother purred proudly as she gave me a quick lick on my head. "Well we must be going, it was nice to see you." "goodbye Elders." I said as we padded off.
I followed mother as she headed over to a small den. Behind it was a sort of natural fence of thick Brambles that stretched all around the large camp. A small entrance was at the front of the camp, next to the elders den. The high rock stood proudly at the base of the camp, looking over it. A large pile of fresh kill sat underneath the high rock. Larger warrior cats marched in and out of camp bringing fresh kill. Spring birds flew overhead as I looked up at the sky. A small cave higher up on a hill overlooked the whole camp. It must have been our leaders den, LionStar. A small hollow stood by the smaller den. A large good smelling bush lined the whole den. It must have been GentlePaws den! I thought about the sweet old she cat and purred softly. She was probably my favorite cat in camp next to mother.
As we got closer to the dens I could see that there were two. A fairly large one and a smaller one. The were made out of the same brambles, but were lined with twigs to make them stronger. As mother ducked under the entrance to one I followed. The inside of the den was hollowed out, and three younger cats were resting inside. As they saw mother they sat up and blinked a few times. "BramblePaw, ThornPaw, JayPaw, this is my new kit." She smiled as I trotted over to them and purred loudly. "My name is Moonkit. You must be the apprentices. I am very happy to meet you." Mother had taught me all of our clans ways and customs for the past few days so I knew how everything worked. "Well Moonkit you look like a strong little kit, maybe you'll be an apprentice soon." Said the sandy colored she cat JayPaw. I purred proudly and said thank you. BramblePaw and Thorn paw were a bit bigger and were definitely brothers. Though BramblePaw had long brown fur and gleaming black eyes, and ThornPaw had shorter fur. "Hello Moonkit" They both said. Mother smiled and nodded at me then started heading out the entrance. "It was nice to meet you all, Goodbye Apprentices."
They said bye as I caught up with mother and headed into the warriors den. There were only a few cats inside and they all smiled at me as I padded after mother. "BrownFeather, DustFace, TuftTail, SpottedLeaf, this is my kit." I smiled and looked at them. They all looked strong and proud, and I trembled with excitement. "My name is Moonkit. I am very happy to meet you warriors." I bowed my head slightly. They all chuckled and purred. "You are very sweet Moonkit, you will make a fine warrior." Said the light brown she cat SpottedLeaf. "Yes a very fine warrior indeed." Said DustFace. "Its nice to meet you too" Said a black tom called TuftTail. "You have a very nice kit SoftFur." Said the long haired tom called BrownFeather. "Thank you all very much." said mother. "She will make us all proud one day." I smiled as we headed out to the fresh kill pile. Mother grabbed a fat mouse and laid down to eat it. "Would you like a taste Moonkit?" Said mother. I smiled and purred as I padded over to her. "Thank you." I cautiously sniffed at the mouse then took a bite. It was delicious! The sweet tastes of the forrest mixing with the taste of the mouse made it perfect. "Its very good!" She smiled and purred as we shared the mouse.
When we were done mother carried me back to the nursery and began cleaning my fur. DayFlower smiled as we entered and said hello. As mother finished I yawned loudly and settled against mothers warm belly. "Go to sleep Moonkit, I will see you in the morning." I gave her a quick lick and laid my head on my paws. Sighing I closed my eyes. With my belly full I thought about all the wonderful cats I had met today, and fell asleep
As the next few days went by, Poppykit and Blackkit opened their eyes. I was very excited to talk to them, but mother kept taking me out of the nursery for fresh air, or to meet other clan members. One morning mother was sleeping late, so I padded over to DayFlower. "Good morning DayFlower." She smiled at me "Good morning Moonkit, would you like to meet my kits?" Dapplekit padded closer to me, but Poppykit stayed pressed against her mother. "This is Dapplekit, Dapplekit, this is Moonkit." he smiled and got closer to me. "Hello Moonkit." Gently he touched noses with me. I purred softly as he backed away. "Hello Dapplekit would you like to be my friend?" He purred loudly too. "Yes! I would like that very much." Dayflower smiled and nudged Poppykit closer to us. "This is Poppykit." Poppykit crept closer and smiled shyly. "Hello Poppykit, would you like to be my friend too?" She smiled brightly and purred. "Yes I would! Thank you Moonkit!" She touched noses with me as we all began to play around. I playfully pawed at Blackkit, while Poppykit pounced on my back. I pinned her down and purred loudly. Blackkit pushed me off and I went rolling away. I laughed as Poppykit pawed at her brother.
After awhile we were all tired. We laid down together and began talking. "So have you guys met the other cats yet?" I asked. "No not yet. Mother says were not big enough yet." Said Poppykit. "Yeah but Mother has told us all about them and our customs. I cant wait to be a warrior!" Said Blackkit. "Me either! Lets make a promise, that we will always be friends, and we will be the best warriors in the clan together." I said with a purr. "Yes!" They said and we all put our paws together. Mother let out a meow of approval as we all curled up together and fell asleep.
Over the next week, Poppykit and Dapplekit got bigger. Dayflower came over to us as we were playing one day. "I think it's time I showed you around the camp." She said. Dapplekit brightened instantly. Poppykit's eyes widened but she stayed strong. I purred softly with excitement. "Can I go too mother?" I asked SoftFur. She looked at Dayflower. "What do you think?" she asked. "I don't mind, Moonkit your welcome to come along."
The next day mother took all of us out by the elders den to play. We were excited as we began to practice our attacks. I was getting older and was almost as big as the young apprentices. While Blackkit pounced on Poppykit I pounced and knocked him off of her. He went rolling as I pinned him to the ground and playfully grabbed his throat, careful not to hurt him. "Wow Moonkit, that was amazing." Said Poppykit as she padded over. "yeah amazing" said Blackkit as he got up and stretched. "I'm sorry did I hurt you Blackkit?" I said giving him a lick on the ear. He purred and rubbed his face against my shoulder. "No you didn't." Poppykit smiled and pounced at me. I quickly jumped out of the way as she went crashing into DayFlower, who was talking to mother. "Poppykit you must be more careful!" said dayflower as she gave her a lick on the top of her head. "Sorry mother." She came padding back over to us. "I'm sorry Poppykit." She smiled "Its okay, now let play some more!" Blackkit pounced on me as we rolled Poppykit attacked me too. I racked me back feet across Blackkit's belly and pushed him off then I pounced on Poppykit and bit down playfully on her shoulder. Blackkit pounced on me as I dogged him quickly and latched onto his back playfully biting down on his neck. Stunned they both began to purr and sat down across from me. "You are seriously amazing. Where did you learn those moves Moonkit?" Said Poppykit. "I don't know I just know what to do somehow." Mother padded over to us. "Moonkit those were very good attacks I bet you could be an apprentice soon. I think I'll go talk to LionStar." As mother padded off I purred proudly and looked at my friends. "Wow Moonkit your going to be an apprentice!" said Poppykit. Blackkit pressed his muzzle against my shoulder and purred loudly. "We are so happy for you Moonkit!" I purred loudly as mother began to pad back to us. A huge golden tom close behind her.
Mother came close and Poppykit and Blackkit went over to stand by their mother. "Moonkit LionStar, would like to see your moves." The big cats eyes stared down at me. I could see years of wisdom within their depths. "Yes Mother"
I padded over to my friends. "Will you please come play with me. LionStar wants to see my moves." They nodded and silently followed me. "Okay now both of you attack me." I said with a twinkle in my eye. They both pounced at me at the same time. They were a little smaller than me so it was easy to defeat them. I quickly dogged Poppykit, then I scraped my unsheathed claws down Blackkit's face playfully. I knocked him off of me as he tried to claw at my shoulder. Poppykit launched at me but I dogged, then latched onto her back. I bit down on her shoulder as she tried to throw me off. I playfully clawed her back then bit down on her neck and held her. She got the idea and padded off towards her mother. Blackkit knocked me on my side and pounced on me. I clawed at his face and scraped at his underbelly then bit down on his neck and threw him off of me. He padded over to DayFlower as I turned and stared proudly at my mother. She was purring loudly. "Well little Moonkit you are a fine cat. You fight like a warrior, tell me how did you learn those attacks?" Said LionStar. "I didn't learn them. I just somehow know what to do. I can predict my friends movements and I've figured out their weak spots, and how to defeat them." He smiled down at me. "Spoken like a true warrior. Young kit I think its high time you became an apprentice." With that he padded over to high rock and called out to all the cats. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own fresh kill join me at high rock." Mother smiled proudly at me as we all headed over to high rock. All the cats gathered under the rock and looked at our leader with waiting eyes. "Its time than Moonkit became an apprentice. SilverPool you will be this young cats mentor. I hope you will pass your strength and skill onto this young kit." I padded over to SilverPool and touched noses with her. "Young Moonkit you will now be known as MoonPaw!" I purred loudly and hoped up on the high rock. I looked up at Lion star and gave his shoulder a lick, then hoped back down and went to stand by SilverPool. All the cats were shouting my new name. Everyone came over to greet me, and as I looked over at mother I saw her eyes were filled with pride, and joy.
After everyone had congratulated me I looked up at SilverPool. She was a big grey she cat with blue eyes. Her claws looked wickedly sharp, and she had fangs to match. She was a deadly beauty. "I'm really glad that you're my mentor SilverPool. I'm sure your going to teach me great things." She purred loudly and looked at me approvingly. "You know you will be my first apprentice MoonPaw. I'm glad it was you. You are strong and kind and I look forward to training you first thing tomorrow." With that she strode off towards the Warriors den. "I'm so proud of you MoonPaw." said mother as she padded towards me. I gave her shoulder a lick and purred loudly. "Thank you mother." I said. "I'm going to sleep in the apprentices den now right mother?" She smiled sadly at me and gave a small nod. "Yes and I will be moving back into the warriors den." I pressed my nose against her muzzle and gave a small reassuring purr. "its okay, I will be very close. I will see you in the morning." She smiled and nodded. As we padded towards our dens I wondered what the other apprentices would think of me now.
When I stepped through the entrance the other apprentices greeted me. "Welcome MoonPaw! We are all really glad you were made an apprentice!" Said JayPaw. I smiled at her and purred proudly. "Yeah were all really glad to have another cat in the den, maybe now JayPaw won't complain about being the only she cat." Said BramblePaw playfully. JayPaw swatted at him and turned back to me. "Well I'm really glad to be here too! So who are all of your mentor's?" I said giving my paws a lick. "Well My mentor is DuskClaw" Said BramblePaw proudly. "My mentor is BrownFeather!" said JayPaw happily. "And my mentor is SnowFlower." Said ThornPaw. "Wow you guys got good mentors too. I'm really glad I got to be SilverPool's first apprentice." JayPaw smiled at me. "Hey you are going on a tour of our border tomorrow right?" I smiled too. "Yeah and I'm really excited!" BramblePaw yawned loudly. "Yeah your going to have fun! Well I think we should all get some rest." JayPaw said. Everyone went to their nests and laid down. There was a large nest next to JayPaw so I decided to take that one. She smiled at me as we curled up and fell sound asleep, eager for what tomorrow would hold.
I woke the next morning with a strange feeling. I tried to remember the dream I had had last night but I couldn't. I shrugged it off and stretched my long body out. The other apprentices were still asleep as I headed out to the fresh kill pile. I chose a small mouse and gulped it down hungrily. I heard paw steps and I looked to see SilverPool padding over to me. "Good morning MoonPaw are you ready to begin your tour?" I nodded and stood up licking my muzzle. "Yes SilverPool!" She purred and led me to the entrance of the camp. I crouched and slid under it. As I stepped out of the camp for the first time I took a deep breath. The smells of the forest came rushing through me. SilverPool padded ahead of me and I quickly followed. "First I'll take you along our borders to refresh the ThunderClan scent." I nodded and padded along after her. Walking softly so as not to scare any prey away that might be near. Once in awhile we would stop and refresh an old scent marking, then head away. After awhile we came to a flat rocky area. "This is sunning rocks. We won them in a battle between us and RiverClan." I smiled and looked at the patches of sunlight streaming through the trees onto the rocks. Suddenly I heard a rustling in the bushes behind me. SilverPool had padded ahead so she didn't notice. I spun around quickly and saw a Short haired black tom. He couldn't have been more than a few days older than me. He looked lost and very sickly. I unsheathed my claws and slowly padded over to him. His back was to me as I crept closer to him, not making a sound. I pounced on his back and bit down on his shoulder. This was a strange cat in my territory and I wasn't going to give up without a fight. He yowled loudly and tried to flip me off his back. I held fast and scratched my claws along his back. He was underfed and rather scrawny. He collapsed under me and surrendered. I leapt off of him and growled deep in my throat. "Who are you and why are in in ThunderClan territory?" I asked with a force that surprised even me. "I.. I was just trying to find shelter, I am lost. My humans abandoned me on the side of the road a few days ago and I didn't know there was any other cats here." I looked at him and cautiously took a few steps towards him. He smelled strange, and he was radiating fear scent. "I believe you, now what is your name?" I asked. "I don't have one, my humans never gave me one." I still didn't understand him very well. "What are humans? You keep speaking of them as if they are your leaders. Did they lead your clan?" He looked at me as though I was crazy. "No they were my masters, they fed me and took care of me since I was small. I guess I must have done something wrong, they dropped me on the side of the road and never came back. I waited for two days there, but they never showed." He looked sad and lost and afraid. "Wait here I'm going to go get my mentor, she will know what to do." He nodded and laid down careful of his wounds.
I hurried off in the direction SilverPool had gone off in. When I finally spotted her she was sitting in the middle of a path waiting for me. "Where were you MoonPaw I was about to come look for you." I looked at her and nodded. "I'm sorry, but there is a strange cat in our territory." SilverPool bristled and unsheathed her claws. " I attacked him from behind and wounded him. He was weak and gave up soon. He said he was abandoned by his humans a few days ago. He looks weak and sick. He radiates fear scent, so I don't think he's from any of the other clans." SilverPool looked at me approvingly. "You were right to come find me. I will go with you to see if he's telling the truth." I nodded and started off in the direction of the strange cat. When I spotted him he was mewing and licking his wounds carefully. "I am back. This is my mentor SilverPool." he looked up, still radiating fear scent, and stood. "He dose not smell of any clan I am familiar with, he is telling the truth. We will take him back to camp and see what LionStar want's to do with him." I nodded at SilverPool as she led the young tom towards our camp. If he tried to run, SilverPool would surely kill him.
When we got back to camp the other cats stared at the new tom. A few hissed and backed away. LionStar was at the base of High rock watching over the camp. When he spotted us he scowled and came towards us. "What is this SilverPool?" He demanded. "MoonPaw found an intruder, she attacked him and found out that he was abandoned by humans a few days ago." LionStar looked at me with approval. "Well young Tom what do you have to say for yourself?" He looked scared to death and I felt sorry for him. "Well I.. I was just trying to find some shelter. I was abandoned and I got lost in these woods. I really didn't know there were any other cats here. I.. I'm sorry." LionStar looked at the Tom. He seemed to be thinking about what to do with him. All of a sudden GentlePaws rushed over to us. "I have had a vision from StarClan! You must allow NightPaw to stay here and become a warrior. It is his destiny." All the cats in the clan looked at her, astonished. LionStar nodded thoughtfully. "If StarClan has a plan for NightPaw then we must obey their commands, but I will put this young cat through a test. If he can defeat BramblePaw in battle he may stay with honor in this clan. If not we will all look down upon him, as the kitty pet he is." Yowls of agreement sounded from around the camp. "So young NightPaw will you accept?" NightPaw looked up at LionStar boldly. "I will." I watched as the cats made a big circle around NightPaw and BramblePaw. LionStar watched them with a steady gaze. Both cats looked like they didn't want to fight, but were willing to do anything to prove themselves. Suddenly a change came over NightPaw, he pounced on BramblePaw and in one swift movement he latched onto his neck. The whole camp went quiet as BramblePaw struggled to breathe. LionStar glanced at them, amazed. "Well I think it is obvious who the winner is. NightPaw you will stay in ThunderClan as an apprentice." The camp stirred uneasily as NightPaw got off of BramblePaw.
"If he is to stay here he will need a mentor. SilverPool I think you should be the one to mentor him since you helped find him. Do you think you can take on two apprentices?" SilverPool glowed proudly. "Yes LionStar I think so." NightPaw had come closer to me and sat beside me. "Then in the name of StarClan I pronounce NightPaw to be a member of ThunderClan!" Yowls of approval sounded from every cat in the camp. I smiled and brushed my shoulder against NightPaw's. He began to purr loudly.
When everybody cleared away from high rock LionStar took NightPaw into his den to explain our customs and traditions. "So, what do you think of NightPaw?" said JayPaw as she plopped down beside me. "Well I'm really glad that he gets to stay in our camp. I was worried he might not make it. BramblePaw is strong." I curled my tail around to rest on my paws, as BramblePaw stalked over to us. He was puffed up and I could smell the anger coming off him. "That little heap of mouse dung got lucky! Next time I wont go easy on him!" With that he stormed off towards the den. "Well somebody isn't happy." Said JayPaw with a little snicker.
