"Where are you going?" I asked. My father left almost every night, leaving Angel, Summer and me alone.
"I'm going to do something." he replied.
"But Lionclaw! You always leave." my sister, Summer pouted.
"Summer is right, what are we supposed to do when you're gone?" Angel, my other sister asked.
"You can do what you want. I can't always look after all three of you, you need to learn how to care for yourself sooner or later." Lionclaw, my father scoffed.
"I know exactly what I want to do. I want to join one of the Clans!" I purred, leaping at the lid of a large two-leg thing.
"Why would you want to do that?" Lionclaw scoffed.
"Because you made it sound like an amazing life in your stories." I frowned.
"Yeah, it was a good life but they are nothing but fox-hearts. Shadow, you could never be loyal as that group of cats. You never be completely loyal to your Clan. You're bound to break the warrior code. Trust me, that is no life for you." Lionclaw spat before turning away. I watched his black pelt disappear into the night. I looked down at my own fur, I looked almost exactly like him.
"Shadow, what are you doing?" Summer asked when I turned towards the forest.
"What do you think I'm doing?" I scoffed.
"You aren't serious, are you? You can't. You heard what Lionclaw said." Angel scoffed.
"I don't care what Lionclaw said! He's wrong! Don't you want to know what it's like? To live in the forest?" I asked.
"No. Lionclaw says they are a bunch of fox-hearts." Angel retorted.
"Come on! Aren't you even the tiniest bit curious? They battle, they train, they hunt for their own food and it just sounds so cool! That's what I want to do! Lionclaw just doesn't understand that." I sighed.
"You can do what you want, Shadow. I'm not going to join those Clans of fox-hearts." Angel scoffed.
"What about you Summer? Will you come with me? I'm going to look mouse-brained if I go in there by myself." I pleaded.
"Sorry Shadow. But my place is here, not in the forest." Summer mewed. I nodded.
"Then this is goodbye. Take care, tell Lionclaw not to be mad. This is my choice. If I can, I'll come and visit sometime." I sighed, padding into the forest. I glanced back at my sisters but I couldn't see them because of their dark-colored pelts. I sighed before continuing into the forest. I could hear owls screeching. I shuddered at the thought of an owl carrying me away in the night. I'm small enough to get taken away, I'll just have to be careful. I heard a twig snap in the distance. I crouched down, ready to spring at whatever it was.
"I smell a rogue." someone hissed. I could see the brown tabby pelt of a she-cat. She had a white tom at her side.
"I smell him too. He's around here somewhere." the tom hissed. They can smell me. I have to show myself, maybe they will let me join their Clan. I stepped out of the bush I was hiding in, letting them know of my presence.
"What are you doing on our territory?" the she-cat growled.
"My name is Shadow. I have heard many stories from my father about the cats who live in this forest. I've always been afraid to enter the forest, until now." I told them.
"Leave. This is no place for a cat like you." she hissed.
"Mosspool, be nice. He looks like a kit." the white tom mewed.
"I'm no kit! I'm seven moons old." I scoffed.
"You're pretty small for a cat who's seven moons old." she frowned.
"My mother was small." I replied.
"You know, we could use more apprentices." the white tom muttered into the she-cat's ears.
"Flamestar won't take in a rouge! That's what ThunderClan does." she scoffed.
"We need more apprentices." he insisted.
"Then you talk to Flamestar." she growled.
"I will." he said firmly. He turned to me. "I'm Rabbitstripe. This is my sister Mosspool, we're ShadowClan warriors. Would you like to join ShadowClan? We're sort of short apprentices." Rabbitstripe mewed.
"I would love to." I purred, following them into the forest.
"This is our camp." Rabbitstripe purred as he led me through a brush of pines. I gasped as I entered the clearing. I never thought I would see so many cats. There were large ones, sharing prey and I could see small kits playing by a tree stump.
"What have you brought back to camp Rabbitstripe?" a golden and black tom hissed.
"This is Shadow. I found him close to the border. We've come to talk to Flamestar." Rabbitstripe dipped his head at the tom leading me across their camp. I swallowed hard as he motioned for me to follow him into a large den.
"Rabbitstripe." a ginger tom mewed.
"Flamestar, Mosspool and I found this young tom at the border. He's seven moons old, old enough to be an apprentice." Rabbitstripe said slowly.
"What are you saying Rabbitstripe?" Flamestar asked.
"I'm saying we should let him join the Clan." Rabbitstripe said.
"Are you sure?" the ginger tom asked.
"Yes." Rabbitstripe insisted.
"Then you will mentor him. What is your name?" He asked.
"Shadow." I told him.
"Then you are now Shadowpaw. I'll make the announcement now." Flamestar said, brushing past us. I watched him take his place on a large rock.
"Let all cats old enough to leave the camp gather here to hear my words!" he called. I watched as all the cats gathered around.
"Rabbitstripe has found a small tom on the border, and he has decided he wanted to train him as his apprentice. Do you agree to this?" He asked me.
"I do." I replied.
"Then Shadow, from this day forward until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Shadowpaw. Rabbitstripe will be your mentor." he said, touching his nose to the top of my head. I licked his shoulder, as Lionclaw had told me cats did in ceremonies. Rabbitstripe nodded in approval before leading me over to Mosspool, the she-cat that was with him.
"But he's a rogue!" someone called out.
"He doesn't belong here." another cat called.
"I know he will train hard to prove his loyalties." Flamestar said. Without another word he disappeared into his den. This is great! I've always wanted to be part of a Clan and here I am! I'll prove to Lionclaw that he is wrong!
"This is where all the cats gather." Pinepaw whispered in my ear. I had been selected to go to the gathering. I had heard many stories about it from my father, it was where all four Clans gathered in a time of peace. It was being held on a small island. We had to cross a log to get there.
"You are allowed to speak to any cat here, you just can't tell them any secrets about our Clan. I suggest you stick to talking to apprentices." Rabbitstripe mewed. I nodded, we were the last Clan to arrive. I leaped onto the shore, I felt the sand under my paws.
"Hey Pinepaw!" a tom mewed.
"Hey! Shadowpaw, this is Thornpaw. He's a ThunderClan apprentice." Pinepaw mewed. I frowned, something about this tom seemed familiar. His eyes, his pelt. The way he spoke. There's no way I could recognise this tom from anywhere! I only just saw ThunderClan cats! Maybe I had seen him on the edge of the forest. I thought, but I wasn't convinced.
"New apprentice?" Thornpaw asked.
"Yeah." Pinepaw mewed.
"We got a new apprentice too. She came from this weird tribe or something. Her name is Bluepaw." Thornpaw mewed.
"Shadowpaw,walk around. Meet some of the apprentices." Thornpaw suggested.
"Just don't get too close to them, chances are you'll face them in battle someday." Pinepaw murmured quietly. I nodded before padding away.
"Watch where you're going!" a small white she-cat growled.
"Sorry it's my first gathering." I mumbled.
"Really? It's mine too!" she purred.
"Well, at least I'm not the only new cat here then." I smiled. Her blue eyes sparkled.
"I'm Bluepaw, and you are?" she asked.
"Ah, your that Tribe cat Thornpaw was telling me and Pinepaw about." I said, proud for remembering the snips of conversation I had been listening to.
"Yeah." she said, her eyes glanced down at her paws. She's the only cat who is talking to me, I better not bring that up again or she'll go away.
"I'm from twoleg place. My father was a Clan cat moons ago but he left his Clan to be with my sisters and me." I told her, changing the subject.
"So you're a, what's the word the Clan cats use?" she asked.
"Rogue?" I asked.
"I was going to say kittypet." she said.
"I'm no kittypet. I don't live with twolegs. I used to live in the alley ways." I told her.
"Then you are a Rogue." she mewed.
"Was." I corrected.
"Hi Bluepaw!" a ginger tom purred. I turned to see a group of apprentices.
"Hi Blazepaw." she purred.
"Who's this?" he asked, flicking hi tail towards me.
"I'm Shadowpaw." I replied.
"I'm Blazepaw and this is Duskpaw." he said, nodding towards the she-cat at his side.
"Are you a new apprentice?" Duskpaw asked.
"Yeah, I just joined ShadowClan." I told them.
"Me too! Except with ThunderClan." Bluepaw purred.
"Joined? You aren't Clan-born?" Duskpaw asked.
"No. I was rogue. I like the CLan-life better though." I told them.
"I was from the tribe." Bluepaw told the she-cat.
"Duskpaw!" I heard a black tom call. Blazepaw and Duskpaw turned to talk to him.
"It's kinda neat that there are cats who aren't Clan-born in other Clans too. One of the senior warriors from my Clan, Robinwing says we aren't a true Clan anymore because we keep taking in outsiders. He says we are the only Clan who does, but now I can tell him he's wrong!" Bluepaw purred.
"He doesn't seem like a very nice cat." I frowned.
"He can get really grumpy sometimes." she shrugged.
"Well, Mosspool-"
"Oh look! Foxheart is telling a story! Come on, let's go and listen!" Bluepaw interrupted, nudging me towards the rusty tom. I sat quietly, listening to his story.
"-told me Ashfeather was my mother. She said I was born in WindClan. I couldn't believe her." he mewed.
"But you do now, what changed your mind?" a sandy colored she-cat asked.
"Mossfur. She was the she-cat I believed was my mother then. Mossfur came to me in a dream. She showed me the truth."
"Oh." a ginger tom mewed.
"Cats of all Clans! The gathering will begin." Flamestar called.
"Shadowpaw! Come on!" Pinepaw called over to me.
"See you!" I said quickly to Bluepaw before padding over to my Clan mates. I sat beside Pinepaw and Rabbitstripe before turning my attention to the four leaders. They sat exactly where Lionclaw had described, on top of a large rock where they stared down at their Clan mates.
"WindClan is also doing fine." a large gray tom purred.
"That's Wolfstar, WindClan's leader." Pinepaw whispered. I nodded.
"ShadowClan has a new apprentice, Shadowpaw! He was a kittypet but he will make a fine warrior." Flamestar purred. I winced at the word kittypet, it made seem like a helpless cat but I remained silent.
"A kittypet?" Wolfstar laughed.
"If ThunderClan is allowed to take in kittypets then so is ShadowClan!" Mosspool growled.
"Moonshine and Rosepetal are hardly kittypets! They've been with the clans since they were kits! Same as any cat!" a ThunderClan tom hissed.
"ThunderClan also have new apprentices! Spiderpaw, Mosspaw and Jaypaw have become apprentices. They are not here today, but a different apprentice is. We have a new warrior as well, Spiderfur and Bluepaw! They come from the same tribe as Cloudwind and Starsong." a black tom purred.
"That's Ravenstar." Pinepaw spat his name in disgust.
"More outsiders? ThunderClan isn't even a clan anymore! Are there any warrior who are full ThunderClan?" Wolfstar snickered.
"I'm a full ThunderClan cat." a ginger ThunderClan tom growled.
"You left the clan, what kind of loyalty is that? If I was your clan leader I wouldn't have let you back into the clan." Mosspool growled.
"He didn't leave the clan! He saved Sunnysky from drowning in the river!" another tom protested.
"What were the kits doing out of the camp in the first place?" Flamestar snickered.
"And your telling me that ShadowClan kits never wander out of camp out of curiosity?" the rusty tom who was telling the story growled.
"Quiet traitor!" Tigerstripe snapped.
"I'm no traitor!" he hissed.
"Look at the clouds! StarClan is angry!" a she-cat mewed. I glanced up at the sky, the clouds were covering the moon.
"This gathering is over!" Ravenstar called, leaping down from the rock. I turned see Rabbitstripe glancing anxiously at his sister, Mosspool.
"Come on Shadowpaw! It's time to go!" Pinepaw mewed, nudging me forward.
"Shadowpaw! Can I speak to you?" Rabbitstripe asked.
"Sure!" I said, padding away from Pinepaw.
"Shadowpaw, I saw you with that ThunderClan she-cat." he said.
"Yeah, she was telling me how she was from a tribe." I told him.
"Shadowpaw, you can't get too close to her or any cat. We will face them in battle someday, and you will have to fight against them." he said.
"I know, Pinepaw warned me." I muttered. What did I do wrong? Pinepaw told me to meet other apprentices!
"Good. Just listen to my advice, alright?" he said before following our Clan mates. I turned to see Bluepaw disappear into the group of her Clan mates. Whatever. I don't want my Clan mates to think I'm not loyal! I'll just forget about her. She doesn't matter. She's just a mangy ThunderClan cat!