Divided Loyalties
Christina Mahachek
Thunder Clan
Leader: *Jaystar- Dark gray tom with smoky blue eyes
Deputy: Cindertail- Silver she-cat green eyes
Medicine Cat: Rosecloud- Dark cream she-cat with emerald eyes
Apprentice: Whitepool- White she-cat with amber eyes
Warriors
Berryfrost- Light colored cream she-cat
Apprentice: *Stonepaw- light gray with white around his muzzle and green eyes.
Leafstorm- Brown tabby she- cat with white paws and belly
Runningstorm- Light brown tabby tom
Crowfur- Dark gray tom with white paws and amber eyes
Lionclaw- Golden tabby tom with amber eyes
Apprentice- *Sandpaw- Light ginger she-cat with green eyes
Stormclaw- Dark gray tom with icy blue eyes
Apprentice: *Redpaw- Dark ginger tom
Daisytail- Long haired cream colored she-cat
Oakfang- Dark brown tabby tom
Cloudfrost- Gray and white she-cat
Hollyfur- Black long haired she-cat with green eyes
Brackenfoot- Golden brown she-cat
Brightwing- Ginger and white she-cat with blue eyes
Ashclaw- Dark gray tom with amber eyes
Spiderfang- Black tom with brown streaks
Hazelpelt- Gray and white she-cat
Mousefoot- Wiry brown tom
Apprentice: *Gorsepaw- White tom with ginger patches
Longclaw- Pale tom with black stripes
Russetclaw- Dark ginger she-cat
Dawnpool- Light gray she-cat
Swallowfeather- Smoky gray she-cat
Dustheart- Brown tabby tom
Queens
*Rainfeather- Blue gray she-cat
Kit: *Skykit- Pure white she cat with blue eyes
Poppyfrost- Tortoise shell she- cat amber eyes
Kits: *Swiftkit- Black and white tom,
Heatherfoot- Brown she-cat with blue eyes
Kits: *Sunkit- Golden tabby she- cat with blue eyes, Moonkit- White she- cat with amber eyes,
Elders
Larkwing- Tortoise shell she-cat
Shadowfur- Dusky gray to
Prologue
A dark gray tom held down his opponent and scored his claws down his back. The brown tabby tom screeched in pain and tried to throw his attacker off.
"Birchstar, your clan has stolen from us for the last time!" Birchstar spat in his face, "Our clans have fought since before we were kitted!" Jaystar bit down hard on his enemy's ear and yanked hard. Birchstar wrestled free and ran to join his clan in battle.
His mate Flowerheart a brown tabby was clawing up Sandpaw, one of his kits from the later litter. He raced over to her and threw her off. Sandpaw nodded her thanks and leapt onto another cat. After this battle his three kits: Redpaw, Sandpaw, and Stonepaw would be warriors.
He heard cats wailing in pain and finally he heard Birchstar's deputy call for ShadowClan to retreat. He called Birchstar's son Thornpaw a pure black tom who let go of Redpaw and raced after his mentor. Jaystar turned back to his clan and called joyfully, "We have won this battle!" Elated cries answered him. He turned and waved his tail to signal them to follow him.
ThunderClan and ShadowClan had been rivals for longer than any cat could remember. Nobody even knew what the fight was about any more. They just hated each other. He went back to the camp in the Stone Hollow and walked to the nursery to see Rainfeather and Skykit. She was his only kit to survive the recent bout of green cough. He sighed as he watched his mate and kit. She six moons old, he was going to make her an apprentice tomorrow… He hoped the peace held… for now.
Chapter 1
Skypaw crept low to the ground. She was stalking a mouse. Her mentor Ashclaw had sent her alone on a hunting mission. Her friend, Swiftpaw had wanted to go with her, but Ashclaw had said it was her mission. It was her assessment. She had been training for two moons.
She knew that Swiftpaw really liked her, but she didn't really like him that way. Her father said that he was a strong cat and to continue the strong bloodline since his father had been the old leader. Blackstar had died ten moons ago, Swiftpaw hadn't even been kitted. Skypaw was supposed to mate with him. She put that thought out of her head and continued focus on the mouse.
It hadn't noticed her and she took her chance. She sprang at it and killed it by snapping its neck. She buried it for later and went for more. She smelled the savory smells of the forest. It had just rained and everything looked new. Suddenly, she heard a branch break and turned around quickly. She heard cats fighting and immediately ran towards the noise. A border patrol made up of: Sunpaw, Cindertail, Gorsepaw, Cloudfrost, Hollyfur, Brackenfoot, and Spiderfang were fighting with a ShadowClan patrol, again!
Gorsepaw was clawing at a warrior twice his size. He fiercely clawed at the warriors belly and blood spattered his ginger and white fur. His father who was his mother's littermate had been killed in an ambush when he was only six moons old. He was almost a warrior now.
He loved to fight and took every chance he got. The warrior freed himself of Gorsepaw and fled into the fight. Gorsepaw's blue eyes were blazing with hatred. Skypaw saw Cindertail was having trouble with a mottled tabby.
She leapt to the deputy's aid and clawed the mottled tabby's back. He screeched in pain and slashed a rigged wound down her side. She gasped in pain, but continued to fight him fiercely. Cindertail kicked him back and Skypaw staggered away into the fight. Sunpaw was having trouble with a brown and white tom.
He slashed at her, but ducked when she aimed her paw at him. She had only been an apprentice for half a moon and she didn't have a lot of experience. Ignoring her wound, Skypaw went to help her friend. She knocked the cat's paws from underneath it and it slammed on the ground.
While it struggled to get up, Sunpaw sank her teeth into her opponent's neck. The cat struggled violently and tried to get up. Sunpaw let the warrior get up and he fled. Skypaw went to help fight, but her wound stopped her.
She fell to the ground and blackness threatened to swamp her. She pulled herself up and Brightwing offered to help her walk back to camp. She nodded her thanks and limped back slowly to camp. Whitepool herded her into the den. "Skypaw what were you thinking?" asked Rainfeather as she walked into the den.
"I was just protecting Sunpaw!" she yelled indignantly. "It's okay," she said. Skypaw sat down and waited while Whitepool applied a marigold poultice. She gave her poppy seeds to help with the pain. Skypaw watched as Swiftpaw made his way to the fresh kill pile. He didn't seem that heroic or strong like his father.
Rainfeather saw her looking at Swiftpaw and her eyes glowed. Gorsepaw was making his way into the apprentice den. He had some wounds, but nothing major. How did he escape without being wounded? When Whitepool was done with her, Skypaw made her way into her den. She lay down in her nest. Sunpaw was already sleeping next to her sister Moonpaw. Skypaw sighed, her brothers and sister were warriors now. They had been made warriors on the day of her apprentice ceremony.
Swiftpaw walked in and she pretended to be asleep. She wasn't interested in what he had to say. All he ever talked about was how nice everything was. She didn't want a mate like that, she wanted a mate who wasn't vicious, but not scared to fight for his clan.
She tried to wipe those thoughts from her head and laid her tail over her nose and fell asleep. She woke up to a dream. She was in a fog covered forest. She could smell cats, but she couldn't see them. "Hello?" she asked. She got an empty silence. He fur started to bristle and she started to back away.
She was startled when two young cats appeared behind her, followed by an older cat.
The first was a small gray tabby kit, the second a smoky gray kit, the last cat was an older cat most likely a warrior with a golden brown pelt laced with scars. "Silverkit, Ashkit!" she yelled. Skypaw ran up to them. Both her sister's eyes were glowing, but not with happiness. "Silverkit, Ashkit, what's wrong?" she asked.
The golden warrior stepped up. "Who are you?" she asked. I am Sunstar, I am Jaystar's father," "We're kin?" Skypaw questioned. He nodded, but his voice grew more serious. "There has been too much fighting between ThunderClan and ShadowClan. StarClan is sick of this fighting. If there is one more fight, the cats caught fighting will be banished!" Skypaw's eyes opened wide in horror.
"How will everybody else know?" she asked. "We have sent dreams to the leaders and medicine cats of both clans," said Ashkit. Skypaw nodded and touched noses with them before they vanished and she woke up.
She pushed her way out of the den and saw Jaystar talking with Rosecloud and Whitepool. They must be discussing the dream. I wonder how he'll tell the clan she thought to herself. Jaystar leapt onto the high ledge and began the customary call. "All those old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the high ledge for a clan meeting!"
Cats blundered out of their dens, probably woken up by Jaystar's call. It was not even dawn yet, Skypaw could understand why everyone looked the way they did. Jaystar stood at the top of the high ledge and started to speak. "Last night, StarClan warriors came to Rosecloud, Whitepool and I. They have told us that this fighting with ShadowClan can go on no longer. The next fight will be punished by banishment!" Cat started to yell. "Why do we have to stop? They keep starting it!"
Jaystar was about to open his mouth to scold the cat who said that, but a light started to shimmer and suddenly Sunstar appeared next to Jaystar. "Father!" he exclaimed. Sunstar nodded, "He speaks the truth. StarClan is tired of all this fighting and the cats coming so early to join us. The next cats caught fighting will be exiled and have to leave the forest.
Cats were mumbling to themselves and Skypaw looked anxiously at Jaystar. Would he really exile one of his own warriors if they were caught fighting? She shook her head and walked away as the meeting ended. Gorsepaw was talking to Moonpaw who was looking scared.
"Those ShadowClan cats are mangy crow food eaters!" he snarled. "Why should we stop fighting? They start the fights!" Sunpaw laid her tail on Gorsepaw's back. "Calm down, life's not always about fighting." Swiftpaw came up, "Yeah look at the sky, it's so pretty." Skypaw snorted and walked away leaving Swiftpaw looking at her with sad blue eyes.