Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.

Chapter 1

Betrayal

or

Onekit Is A Really Unfortunate Name, But Not As Bad As Onepaw

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"I can't believe Onekit broke his promise!"

"You're lucky Onekit broke that promise," Barkface informed his youngest patient gravely. "No cat would have known you were gone if he hadn't told Tallstar. It's bad enough Tornear injured himself driving off that fox."

Ashkit flinched, but held her tongue. She wanted to snip at the medicine cat and point out that Onekit not telling anyone had been the entire point, but it would do no good now. Besides, the young warrior wouldn't be injured if not for scenting her and the fox while on patrol. The aforementioned gray tabby was nearby having his wound inspected and flicked his good ear. "I hope this doesn't end up with your apprenticeship being stalled; the sooner you have a mentor, the better."

Barkface applied a poultice to the shallow wound on Tornear's side. It looked painful, but not serious. Kept clean and treated properly, it would heal. Hawkheart would have been proud to see his apprentice faring so well so soon after his death, the medicine cat knew. His mentor had always been angry with their ancestors for making him a medicine cat, but Hawkheart had always done his best to protect his Clan, whether his weapons be claws or herbs.

Instructing the warrior to come back should the pain worsen or the wound get infected, the medicine cat watched Tornear leave. "Do you feel any pain?" He asked Ashkit.

"No; those other two cats stopped the fox from hurting me."

Barkface had been moving to put away his supplies, but stopped. "Other cats?"

Ashkit nodded. "I didn't recognize them, but they stopped the fox in time for Tornear to attack. Didn't he tell you?" Barkface's expression answered the kit; Tornear told their leader he had been first on the scene. "A tom and a she-cat were there. They smelled familiar, but I didn't recognize them."

An image took over Barkface's vision. Several gorse flowers filled the moor, pulled into a calm dance as the wind flew around them. Two cats walked through the petals: a thin, brown she-cat with fierce eyes and gray tabby tom that was just as lean. Both had long, runner's legs and muscles beneath their pelts that spoke of a hard life. Barkface recognized that they were StarClan cats, but he had never seen them before.

As the scene faded, Barkface turned towards Ashkit. "Those were your warrior ancestors, Ashkit. Windstar and her mate, Gorsestar, saved you today." Her clear, bright eyes lit up with the excitement of having seen real cats from StarClan, but the brown tom knew she couldn't grasp the significance of it. He was having some trouble figuring it out himself.

"Ashkit?" Outside the den came the distressed call from Duststripe. She had been on a border patrol when the incident had occurred, and some cat had obviously told her what happened. The she-kit dashed from the medicine cat den, running for her mother. Barkface followed. "What were you thinking?" The light brown tabby she-cat asked, checking her daughter over.

"She's fine, Duststripe. She doesn't even have the sense to be in shock." The queen looked up at Barkface, her eyes bright with gratitude.

"Thank you," she told him. Seeing Deadfoot approach, Duststripe turned to face the deputy. "I left her in the nursery," the she-cat explained. "I had no idea what she was thinking." The dark-furred deputy barely acknowledged his Clanmate; his eyes stayed on the kit.

Ashkit looked as though she was about to say something, but a brown ball of fur ran over and nudged her hard. "She's very, very sorry, Deadfoot!" Onekit promised, standing at his friend's defense. The deputy looked between the two of them.

"Today, WindClan almost lost you, Ashkit. Can you imagine how Onekit would have felt, knowing that he didn't tell anyone? How your mother, who left you while she went hunting, would have mourned? And Tornear, who could have been badly wounded or killed? You acted like a rogue today, Ashkit; you thought only of yourself, and not of the Clan."

The gray she-kit protested. "I was thinking of the Clan! I wanted to go out and see our territory and be useful!" Instead of responding, Deadfoot gave Duststripe a nod to excuse her from hunting to take care of her kit, and turned back towards Tallstar's den to inform his leader of what has happened.

The queen purred. She hated being stuck in the nursery and, though it was unusual for a queen to leave before her kits were apprenticed, it was not unheard of. But she loved her daughter as much as any other queen ever loved their kit. Bending down, she gave the shaking ball of gray fur a lick between the ears. "Let's get you both back in the nursery," she told Onekit and Ashkit. "Shrewtail will want to hear about this."

As she led them towards the sheltered den for queen and kits, Duststripe was halted by a call from the Tallrock. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather for a Clan meeting!" Tallstar stood proud, Deadfoot nearby. The kits grimaced in apprehension, but the older cats seemed to have an idea what Tallstar wanted to say and exchanged knowing looks. The young WindClanners were further surprised when Shrewtail appeared from the nursery and motioned them towards the meeting.

"WindClan, I'm sure news has reached your ears that the kits in our nursery believe they're ready to take on foxes. Well, today we'll give them the chance to prove themselves. Ashkit, Onekit!" The two looked at each other eagerly before Onekit gave his chest fur a quick lick and approached Tallstar. Ashkit forced down her excitement and followed at a walk.

"From this day forward, until these young cats are granted warriors names, they will be known as Ashpaw and Onepaw! Onepaw, you should not have promised to keep secrets from the Clan, but you showed great judgment in telling Shrewtail when you worried for your denmate's safety. Tornear, you were exceptionally mentored, if I recall," many cats gave amused purrs at this, "and I know you will shape Onepaw into an excellent warrior."

Onepaw nervously approached Tornear. The tabby's scars made him an intimidating figure, but he lowered his head to gently touch noses with his first apprentice and gave a nod of encouragement.

"Ashpaw, you did wrong today, but you had WindClan at heart somewhere in you. Deadfoot has two keen eyes to watch you, and has proven himself time and again. You will train under him to be a warrior WindClan is proud of." Ashpaw looked towards the maimed deputy, suddenly intimidated. But she forced herself forward to touch her nose to his. "But what you did still needs punishment. You will spend the first two days of your apprenticeship in the camp."

"Wha-?" She stopped when she heard Deadfoot growl at her to accept her punishment. Onepaw gave her a sympathetic look, but still turned to follow Tornear out of camp as the meeting ended.

As the cats dispersed, Barkface looked towards the sky. StarClan cats did not show themselves to most cats, much less interfere in life-or-death situations. But they gave Ashpaw no messages, nor had they said anything to him. Shaking his head, Barkface recalled the tansy he needed to collect and headed out of camp.