This story takes place a few generations after The Last Hope. It is set by the lake and all the clans are the same, except that Bloodclan has returned. A few remaining Bloodclan cats from the twoleg place followed the clan's route to the new territories and reformed Bloodclan there.
The patrol padded through the forest, their paws crunching on the brittle ground, their breath coming out in little puffs in the leafbare air, even though the days were slowly becoming warmer. A young ginger she-cat was running at the back of the patrol, sniffing along the ground. Suddenly her ears pricked and she looked up, turning to look behind her. A small cry came through the trees.
"Fireeyes?"
The black tom at the head of the patrol stopped and turned as the ginger she-cat spoke.
"Yes Sandfur?"
"I heard something-" she was cut off by another wail, faint but just loud enough to be heard.
"What's that?" asked a tabby she-cat.
"I don't know," Fireeyes replied, his dark orange eyes flicking around the trees, but he led the patrol in the direction of the noise, his ears pricked warily.
They went down a small slope until they could hear a stream up ahead, rushing loudly with melt water from the fading snow. The wailing was becoming clearer and as the stream came into view they gasped. A tiny kit was lying by the stream, its pelt soaked from the splash of the water beside it and its mouth open in a wail of fright. They leapt forwards and lifted it away from the water, gently putting it down on a dry patch of ground. It was a tiny she-kit, her dripping fur was jet black apart from a scattering of tiny white spots along her spine to her tail-tip. Her eyes were screwed shut and her ears flattened to her head, she opened her mouth and let out another loud meow. Sandfur bent forwards to sniff the kit, the new warrior's eyes were bright with excitement.
"Where do you think she came from?" she asked.
"I don't know, but we can't leave her out here for much longer," the tabby replied anxiously.
"Are we taking her back to camp?"
Firestar nodded and gently picked the kit back up.
"Snowstar will know what to do with her."
The small kit woke and kept her eyes shut. She was surrounded by murmuring voices and nestled in something warm and soft. Cautiously she opened her eyes and looked around. Curious faces looked down at her, soft muzzles crowding around her.
"She's awake!" a ginger she-cat mewed excitedly.
"Shhh!" said another, a white she-cat with blue eyes, "she needs quiet."
"What are we going to call her?" said the ginger she-cat, this time in a whisper.
"Look at her fur," a tabby tom was sitting next to the white she-cat, "she's got all those white spots."
"Spotkit?" she ginger she-cat suggested.
"How about Petalkit?" the tom said, "they look like fallen petals don't they?"
"That's a lovely name Darkpaw," the white she-cat purred, "I'll ask Snowstar about it."
The kit blinked up at the new faces and wondered if she should feel scared, but she didn't. The last thing she could remember was snow and piercing cold with wind whistling in her ears. She huddled further down into the moss, her fur now fluffy and dry. With a purr she closed her eyes.
Petalkit yawned and stretched, reaching her forepaws as far as she could in her nest and flexing her toes. She blinked open her eyes and looked around the den, it was dark and the air was heavy and warm. She glanced sideways at the only other occupied nest where a little grey ball of fur was curled up, their sides moving gently as they slept. She sat up and shook a scrap of moss off her shoulder then chased it in a circle, her nest rustling loudly. She glanced over at the sleeping cat again and was debating waking them up just as there was the sound of paw steps and the entrance to the den trembled, letting in a brief shine of light as a cat pushed their way inside, a mouse in their jaws. Petalkit clambered out of her nest and ran across the den.
"Sandfur!"
The young ginger she-cat purred and put the mouse down on the ground, "hello Petalkit!"
Petalkit sniffed the mouse and then looked around, Sandfur followed her gaze to the sleeping kit.
"Go on, he wouldn't want to miss out," she mewed.
Petalkit pattered over to the nest and leapt into the air, coming down with a crunch on the side.
"Shadekit, wake up!"
The grey kit shot up with a startled 'mrrow!' and looked around wildly, the fur on his head spiked from sleep. Petalkit purred.
"Time to eat, sleepy head."
He blinked his amber eyes and yawned widely then he got up and shook himself, his fur still ruffled the wrong way as he padded over to the mouse and mewed a greeting to Sandfur.
"You're mother's hunting," Sandfur said to him, "she'll be back soon."
"Let me have some, you're hogging it all!" Petalkit mewed and quickly took her portion of the mouse as Shadekit started to eat.
He batted her playfully on the head in mock-anger, Petalkit coughed as his fur ticked her nose and then went on coughing, her throat closing up painfully. She saw Sandfur frown and her heart sank, she tried desperately to stop, the only result being that she made a horrid squeaky noise and coughed harder.
"Come on," said Sandfur.
"No I'm alright, really," said Petalkit but Sandfur took no notice and, picking her up by the scruff, she carried her out of the den.
Petalkit sighed and went limp, resigned to her fate as she was carried through the entrance into the camp. She squinted and blinked in the bright sunlight as Sandfur crossed to the medicine cat den. The warriors hurried around the camp, gathering patrols. Petalkit noticed that they seemed tenser than usual and that most were talking of border patrols, their tails lashing, the deputy, Fireeyes, amongst them. She didn't have much time to watch however, as Sandfur carried her through the ivy of the medicine cat den and inside.
The medicine cat den was dark like the nursery but smelled of the tang of herbs and leaves. Two cats were sitting in the centre of the den, a white she-cat and a younger tabby tom. They were sorting herbs into two piles. Both looked up as they entered and the tabby smiled and stood up.
"Hi Petalkit!"
"Hey Darkpaw," she said hoarsely, trying not to cough again as Sandfur put her down on the floor and then went over to talk to Iceberry.
She was used to visiting the medicine cat den, Iceberry said that when she had been found moons ago in the snow she had caught a cold which had now come back. Darkpaw rolled a scrap of moss from the floor into a ball and tossed it towards her. Petalkit purred and leapt forwards, patting it back. Darkpaw scurried after it then hit it back towards her. She scooped it off the ground with her paw high into the air, Darkpaw leapt up and caught it in his teeth just as Iceberry padded over to them, a bundle of herbs in her mouth. She set them down at Petalkit's paws.
"Here you go Petalkit, eat them all please. I put honey on them so they won't taste so bad and your throat won't hurt so much."
Petalkit could see the clear liquid covering the leaves. Unenthusiastically she bent down and licked them up, the honey did make them taste better, but she still wrinkled her muzzle at the bitter taste as she swallowed them, little scraps clinging to her tongue.
"Now remember not to tire yourself out too much."
"Yes Iceberry," she sighed.
"There you go Petalkit," Sandfur said and picked her up again.
Darkpaw tossed the mossball back at her and Petalkit swiped at it from Sandfur's jaws.
"Come on Petalkit I'm sure they're busy," said Sandfur, heading for the entrance.
"Yes, Darkpaw has work to do," said Iceberry, but she smiled.
Darkpaw pulled a face behind Iceberry's back, making Petalkit giggle.
"What do you say?" said Sandfur.
"Thank you Iceberry!" Petalkit squeaked as they brushed back through the ivy screen and into the camp.
Shadekit was playing outside the nursery with his mother Cloudswift beside him. The grey she-cat was flicking her long fluffy tail for him to chase. Sandfur put her down and Petalkit scampered over.
"Can I play?"
"Sure!" Shadekit purred as Cloudswift's tail flicked past his nose.
Petalkit laughed, the bitter taste of the herbs forgotten as she leapt forwards, swatting her paws in the air before trapping Cloudswift's tail-tip neatly between her front paws. Shadekit leapt forwards too and put his paws on top of hers, trying to wrestle her away.
"Ouch," Cloudswift gently prised her tail from the kits grip and purred as they rolled away from her, wrestling.
Petalkit batted at Shadekit's muzzle and turned to run, she ran around Cloudswift, Shadekit giving chase. He battered at her tail and she yelped and turned around again.
"Careful now," said Cloudswift as Petalkit leapt at Shadekit and they tumbled over.
Petalkit glanced up at the queen, she was looking at them anxiously. No, she was looking at her anxiously. Petalkit felt a slight feeling of irritation, she wasn't about to break or something.
Shadekit's paw came flying towards her ears and she shook herself and ducked, concentrating again but she could still feel Cloudswift's anxious gaze on her. The queen had looked after Petalkit when she was brought to the clan, helping raise her and treating her almost like her own, but she was more anxious around her than she was around Shadekit, and Petalkit knew why. Shadekit was not much older than Petalkit but he was a lot bigger than she was. He looked almost an apprentice, she still looked like a three moon old kit. She didn't feel any different but she could see it in the eyes of the clan when they looked at her, walking with Shadekit across the clearing, her head only reaching his shoulder. She didn't know why she was much smaller than she should be at her age, she just was, but the clan seemed to treat her like she was fragile, especially since she had got her cough.
I'll show her I'm just as strong, Petalkit thought and she reared up, batting at Shadekit. Shadekit leapt and tumbled her right off her paws, she made to get up again but he pinned her down and grinned triumphantly, his large paws planted firmly on her chest. She flailed her paws at his shoulders but then gave up.
"Okay okay, get off me you great lump!"
Shadekit let her up and pretended to look offended. Petalkit scrambled to her paws, not looking at Cloudswift, part of her angry that she had been defeated when she had been determined to look strong.
"I ate the rest of the mouse," Shadekit said, "but we can get another one if you're hungry?"
Petalkit shook her head, the herbs were churning in her stomach and she didn't feel like eating anything. Shadekit fidgeted his paws and Petalkit realised he was watching her tail, which was flicking irritably from side to side. Too late she realised what he was about to do as he leapt towards it, she yelped and ran to the side and he skidded, overbalancing and tumbling onto the ground. Petalkit smiled in spite of herself as he got to his paws and shook dust from her fur.
A patrol came into the camp and Shadekit and Petalkit turned eagerly to watch them enter. Their pelts were bristling and they lashed their tails angrily as they padded inside.
"Bloodclan again," Petalkit heard one warrior growl, "they're getting bolder!"
"They keep going over the border, they're scent was everywhere!" another growled.
"We need to show them we're not backing down," said Whitecloud, a thick furred young warrior.
"There's a gathering tonight, Snowstar will discuss it with the other leaders," said a black furred she-cat called Sootfur.
A gathering! Shadekit and Petalkit turned around hopefully but Cloudswift was already shaking her head, a knowing look in her eyes.
"You know you're too young to go," she said.
"But they're going to be talking about Bloodclan!" said Petalkit excitedly.
"Yea, we've got to show those mangy flea-pelts that we're not afraid of them!" Shadekit growled, his fur bristling, spinning round to face an invisible enemy.
Cloudswift purred, "I'm sure one day you will but right now you need to go back into the nursery, I think."
Shadekit and Petalkit groaned but they obediently followed the queen inside, dragging their paws.
Shadekit and Petalkit were asleep when the warriors came back from the gathering that night, but whispers were flying everywhere the next morning. Battle. They were going into battle, battle with Bloodclan. The warriors were obviously trying not to talk about it in front of the kits, but it was obvious, the apprentices were all training by their den and even the warriors were practising moves together in the clearing, their eyes narrowed in concentration.
"Are we really going to fight Bloodclan?" Shadekit asked Cloudswift as he and Petalkit watched the clearing from the nursery.
"You're not," said Cloudswift firmly, peering out with them.
Shadekit looked slightly anxious as he watched the warriors practise. The whole clan was tenser than the two kits had ever seen it before.
"Are you going?" he asked.
"I have to," she said, "the clan needs as many warriors as possible. Don't worry, the other clans will be there as well."
"All of them?" said Petalkit in amazement, "you're going to fight them as well?"
Cloudswift purred, "no, we're all fighting together, against Bloodclan. We may not share borders but against a greater enemy we unite together to face it."
Petalkit thought about this as she watched Sootfur training with her apprentice, Rockpaw. She watched as the black furred warrior ducked away from the apprentice's paw, her ears flattened. It seemed odd to her how the clans could switch their emotions about each other around so easily, one minute they were arguing with each other, the next they were united together.
Suddenly the noise in the clearing hushed and the cats turned around, Snowstar had come out of her den and appeared on the highrock, her white fur gleaming in the sun.
"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here for a clan meeting!"
The cats whispered excitedly and for some reason, Cloudswift had started to purr loudly. Shadekit and Petalkit looked up at her in surprise as she nosed Shadekit forwards, out of the nursery.
"But we're not old enough," he said in confusion.
The cats gathered in the clearing, Petalkit saw Iceberry and Darkpaw come out from their den and Otterheart slip out of the elders den to join in.
"Shadekit," Snowstar mewed when all the cats had gathered.
Shadekit's eyes went as round as two moons. Petalkit listened hopefully with a prickle of excitement but Snowstar did not call her name too. She tried to swallow her disappointment, Shadekit was older than her.
"On you go," Cloudswift murmured encouragingly, quickly smoothing down his pelt.
Shadekit padded forwards on shaky legs past the crowd of cats until he stood at the centre of the cleaning underneath the highrock.
"From this day until he has received his warrior name, this apprentice will be known as Shadepaw. Nightfall, you will train Shadepaw."
The slim black she-cat with a white chest and paws stood and padded over to him, looking slightly surprised. She smiled encouragingly at him as Snowstar continued.
"Nightfall, you are loyal and brave, I hope you pass these qualities onto your apprentice."
Nightfall nodded and bent to touch noses with Shadepaw.
"Shadepaw! Shadepaw!" the clan cheered, Petalkit trying to yowl the loudest.
Shadepaw looked around then he ran over to them, his eyes shining.
"Well done Shadepaw," said Petalkit, ignoring her jealousy and purring loudly for him.
"Congratulations," said Cloudswift, pressing her muzzle against his and purring louder still.
"You'll have to tell me about the forest," said Petalkit, longing to see it for herself.
Shadepaw looked fit to burst with excitement, he lashed his tail wildly as Nightfall called his name and he turned and bounded towards her.
"You'll be a warrior soon too, don't worry Petalkit," said Cloudswift kindly as they watched Shadekit and Nightfall leave the camp for a tour of the territory.
Petalkit sighed, she knew she would be an apprentice, but when?
This story is based on a cat I play from a roleplaying site, spotted-star webs, Petalkit, Shadepaw, Cloudswift and Sandfur and a few from other clans are all my characters and I asked permission to use the rest.
Thank you for reading, please review!