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Bloodstained Moon
Written By: Shadow and Kura
CHAPTER ONE
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The cat silently padded over the hills, his smoldering amber eyes glowing in the darkness of the foggy night. It was leaf-bare, and prey had been scarce on his journey, but he, and his followers had made it through. The moon started to peek over the horizon, and the cat's collar glinted in the pale light. Teeth were clearly visible pierced through the restraint. He was the last of his unique kind. The last of BloodClan. And he was thirsty for revenge. He set his intense glare on the forest. After the Great Thunderpath was Clan territory...but he was not ready yet. He had to gather more forces still...and plan...
The BloodClan cat turned to his few followers and looked at each one of them in turn. There were five of them. Himself, and his four companions. Three toms and one she-cat.
"All of you will blend in with the Clans. Learn their weaknesses and strengths. I will wait here for your reports and recruit more cats. Soon, the Clans will die by my paws, and Scourge will be avenged."
The cats yowled in agreement, and moved out. They would follow their leader without any questions. They would restore BloodClan's greatness...
***
The sun just peeked over the horizon, bringing an unwanted glare into Jadepaw's face. Most apprentices would have been excited to go on their first border patrol, but Jadepaw wasn't an early bird...erm cat. He was more content to sleep through the mornings, because, lets face it, he was a trainwreck in the mornings.
The only good thing he could think of was the chance to sunbathe after this was all finished.
"Jadepaw, pay attention to what I'm telling you," a stern voice said. Jadepaw let out a groan, and looked towards his mentor. Ambercloud was a strong cat, and very good at fighting. Jadepaw was thrilled to know that he was his mentor, but now, he wasn't so sure he liked Ambercloud. Too bossy.
"I know, I know. This is the edge of our territory, and we have to mark it. ShadowClan is there. You can tell by their awful stench."
Ambercloud blinked in surprise, but continued on with his lecture about how patrols worked. Jadepaw sighed inwardly, and sat down. He looked around him, seeing a squirrel scamper up a tree. That was the first time that day that he wished he was hunting rather than going on patrol. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't eaten since lunchtime yesterday, and he was ravenous...
Ripplepaw's ginger pelt twitched as she eyed a squirrel brushing its paws over its face on the lowermost branches of the tree. Sableheart, her mentor, was speaking but the words washed right over her head, her stomach controlling her. Sunlight glinted off the leaves above her, and she fought down the urge to hunt. A rule she knew well was 'clan first'.
Lazily, her blue eyes trailed away to watch her fellow apprentice, Jadepaw. It seemed clear to her that he too was focused on his stomach, and she considered asking Sableheart if they could do some hunting. But no, to do so would only cause trouble, and Sableheart was already frustrated with her short attention span. Often, she found her mind wandering, to the point that she had, even as a kit, begun to doubt she would ever be a warrior. At least Jadepaw was aware of what was happening, even if he didn't show it.
Again, her eyes wandered to the other cat with them; Ambercloud, the tetchy warrior who mentored Jadepaw.
"... Ripplepaw. Ripplepaw...?" she winced, for just as her ears decided to tune in on her mentor's words, she had let loose a howl of irritation, and snapped, "Ripplepaw will you please concentrate!?"
"U-uh, yes, Sableheart!" she mewled, crashing back to reality, and ignoring Jadepaw's amused expression, despite his obvious displeasure at loosing sight of the squirrel, who had shrieked in terror, and shot away from them. It wasn't as though they could have caught it anyway.
"If you don't pay attention, you'll never be a warrior. Is that what you want?" she shook her head, tail curling at the thought, "I honestly can't think that there's ever been a more mousebrained apprentice in the history of all the clans! You know, if you had just a bit more sense..."
She tuned out again. She did not want to listen to the lecture, dotted with insults; Sableheart was a good and perfectly pleasant cat on a general scale. But apparently, she, like Jadepaw, was not a morning cat, and had likely never been assigned a more infuriating apprentice.
"Honestly Sableheart!" Ambercloud cut in. "Take it easy. Its her first patrol, as well as my apprentice's. They're tired, and no doubt hungry as well. I saw them looking at that squirrel."
Ambercloud let out a sigh, flexing his claws, and digging tiny holes in the dirt. He would much rather be teaching the apprentices fighting techniques, but he also endured the morning hours of patrol, and they would too. They would have to, if they wanted to become warriors.
"Listen you two. We may stop to hunt for a bit. Catch something for yourselves, and something to bring back for the fresh kill pile, and then be ready to learn."
Jadepaw didn't need to be told twice. With a flick of his tail, he gestured for Ripplepaw to come with him, and without looking to see if she followed, bounded towards the river where there would surely be fish waiting for them.
It was only moments later that Jadepaw had a pile of at least four fish, and stopped to pick out his own morsel for breakfast. It was at that moment that he heard a rustling in some bracken a few feet away, coming from the ShadowClan border.
"Ambercloud! I think we have intruders!" Jadepaw yowled, forgetting his empty stomach. He immediately leapt up, his fur bristling. A hiss escaped his lips as the rustling grew louder, and an unfamiliar smell greeted his nose: Blood.
Moments later, a cat came stumbling out of the bushes, beaten and scratched. He was bleeding in several places, including his nose. Jadepaw winced at the sight, knowing that only another cat could leave such a fine cut mark.
Ambercloud and Sableheart immediately took charge of the situation, appearing in front of Jadepaw from nowhere. Though slightly angry that his view of the situation had been cut off, Jadepaw was also relieved, knowing that one more second of such an injured cat would have made him sick.
"Great Starclan! What has happened to you?" Ambercloud asked the cat.
The strange cat looked back up at him, his eyes pleading for help, "ShadowClan attacked me. I ran away."
With that the cat collapsed in the grass, panting heavily. Sableheart and Ambercloud turned to each other, nodding after a few moments of muffled talk.
"Jadepaw, Ripplepaw, go tell Pebblestar the situation. And fetch Puddlenose too. We'll bring him back to the Camp," Sableheart ordered. Jadepaw blinked, and then when it registered, took off towards camp as fast as his small legs would carry him.
No too much later Ripplepaw and Jadepaw entered the camp. Ripplepaw's eyes darted around nervously, wondering if she should just follow Jadepaw. "Um, I'll get Pebblestar," she said, not checking to see if Jadepaw agreed with the separation, and ducked into the leader's den. "Pebblestar!" she called out, ears flat against her head, "we've found a wounded cat on patrol - um, Sableheart said to come and get you..." she trailed off as the broad tabby rose from his nest, eyeing her calmly.
"You lead," he stated smoothly, and she dashed back out into the sunlight, tearing through the trees until she skidded to a halt beside her mentor.
Pebblestar arrived after their medicine cat, Puddlenose, and bent down to listen to Sableheart's murmured explanation. Ripplepaw strained her ears, trying to hear what was being said, desperate to know what may have happened to the injured cat, whose scent she could not identify, despite having been taught the differences. Then again, she thought moodily, she was never any good at the tasks required of her - but refusing to be down, she insisted to herself that it was simply because of all the blood.
Juniperpaw, Puddlenose's apprentice passed his mentor a wad of cobwebs on his black-tipped paw, and with his help, Puddlenose was able to slowly hoist the other cat to its feet, supporting it as they returned to the camp. Apparently, Pebblestar was at ease with allowing the cat into their territory, though Ripplepaw was positive it was not a RiverClan cat.
"Smokefur, Applepelt," Pebblestar addressed two warriors lounging by the entrance, "Gather a few more cats, and finish the patrol." When the cats nodded and left to obey his orders, the clan leader sat up on a flat rock near the edge of the camp, and yowled, "Let all cats old enough to catch their prey, gather here for a clan meeting!"
Jadepaw sat next to Ripplepaw, letting out a nervous smile, mostly to reassure himself that everything was okay. Obviously, he still wasn't quite over the sight of the nearly dead cat.
"Did you manage to find out what's going on?" Jadepaw asked under his breath as more cats gathered around the flat rock. Jadepaw never really got his answer though, because Pebblestar started speaking.
"Today's morning patrol found a near dead cat at the ShadowClan border. Apparently, this cat had been beaten, and chased away by his own clan. We have agreed to take him in, and heal him. We will question him further about the incident after he has healed. Until then, I want border patrols doubled at the ShadowClan border. If trouble is stirring within their own clan, there is a chance that they may stir trouble with us as well."
Jadepaw listened attentively, and finally, when Pebblestar was done, had to blurt out: "What is the cat's name?"
Pebblestar seemed surprised at the outburst, but didn't seem angry. Ambercloud, however, looked like he was about to have a fit with Jadepaw. It wasn't a young apprentice's place to speak out so freely.
"Dapplewing," Puddlenose called from her den. "That's his name, he says."
"Dapplewing," Jadepaw repeated to himself.
After a few more murmurings, Pebblestar dismissed the Clan, letting them get back to their business.
***
Meanwhile, in WindClan, another bloodied cat had turned up, only, this one was much younger, and unlike the other trespasser, a female. It was unfortunately, Moonpaw, who had to witness the terrible sight of the she-cat crawling through the fields on what looked like a broken leg.
Though it wasn't him that had noticed the cat, it was one of his two friends that were with him: Beetlepaw or Rustlepaw. It didn't matter which. All that mattered now was that the three of them get the poor cat, who looked no older then themselves, back to their medicine cat, but first, they had to know who she was...
"What's your name? Who did this to you?" Moonpaw asked the feline. The she-cat had a golden-yellow pelt, with white lining her chest, muzzle, paws, and tail tip, and she blended in with the dry grass so well, it was hard to tell she had even been there.
It was the scent of blood that had alerted them in the end.
"Sunpaw. I'm from RiverClan. I was beaten and chased away," she finally responded through labored breaths. Moonpaw turned to his two friends, wondering what they should do. She was from a rival clan.... and so now, Moonpaw was at a loss.
A rival clan cat is not to be trusted.
Rustlepaw had this deeply ingrained into his mind, and was keen to get her off their territory. But Beetlepaw nudged his side gently, and though he did not entirely get along with the other two apprentices, he knew any decent cat would at least see if the she-cat's wounds could be briefly dealt with. Suppressing the surge of pity he felt, he tensed his muscles, in case she attacked, and turned to the other two apprentices.
"Alright. Fine," he growled, "I'll fetch Fallenstar and see what he thinks of this. Personally, I think we should chase her away; let her be some other clan's problem." He heaved a sigh when neither cat responded, and ignoring Sunpaw's somewhat grateful mewl, he streaked across the moor, sharp green eyes seeking the WindClan camp. He slowed his pace as he approached Fallenstar's den, not in any particular rush, and not wishing to alarm the other cats.
"Rustlepaw?" Foxpelt, Beetlepaw's mentor padded up beside him. "Where are the other two?" his brown eyes flashed with concern. Beetlepaw was a touch clumsy, and like a lost kit most of the time, so Foxpelt was often worried for the fresh apprentice. "Did something happen?"
"Nothing has happened to them," he replied evenly, "But we've found an injured RiverClan cat here, who claims her clan chased her out. I don't believe it for a moment, but something must be done about her."
Foxpelt's eyes narrowed; like Rustlepaw, he was inclined to believe the cat was a liar too, but at least the apprentice had behaved appropriately; he resolved to congratulate Grasspool on successful mentoring later. The grey furred tom did like to boast about his son, and apprentice. He followed the sleek, midnight pelted cat into Fallenstar's den, and the leader reacted similarly to Foxpelt. Rustlepaw led him to investigate the trespasser.
Moonpaw and Beetlepaw waited impatiently for Rustlepaw to return. The she-cat, Sunpaw, was breathing heavily, and had clearly been given more than just a broken bone. It seemed almost as if she had be choked in a fox trap.
Moonpaw paced back and forth, nervously. Though he knew that a rival clan cat wasn't to be trusted, he was highly concerned for this... Sunpaw. Even if she was from a rival clan, Moonpaw came to the resolution that he would get back at whatever did this to her, though why he decided that, he didn't know. Furthermore, Moonpaw was surprised how much calmer the thought of sinking his claws into the flesh of the RiverClan cat that had done this to her had made him. It was all very strange.
"They tried to drown me in the river," Sunpaw rasped. "They broke my leg so I couldn't swim, but I managed to survive by digging into a log."
Beeltepaw walked up to Sunpaw, and upon inspection of her pads, found that she indeed had splinters stuck to them, indicating she had hung on for her dear life. It also explained why Sunpaw didn't seem to have a distinct scent about her, and why her fur was clumped together as if it were damp.
"Here they come Moonpaw," Beetlepaw exclaimed. Fallenstar trailed just behind Rustlepaw, who bounded up the moor with a grace that could easily apply to someone from LionClan. Both apprentices were relieved at the sight of Fallenstar, knowing he would have the best judgment.
It was at the moment that Fallenstar arrived that Sunpaw began to hack and hack her guts out, until she finally coughed up a mixture of blood and water. Moonpaw looked at her, and then back at Fallenstar. He still seemed suspicious, and rightfully so, but Moonpaw didn't think it was right to let her die.
"You can't leave her like this!" Moonpaw suddenly yelled. "She's also a cat. We must do something!"
Fallenstar looked absolutely miffed at Moonpaw's outburst, and let out a hiss of discontempt with his behavior. Still, with another glance at Sunpaw, Fallenstar stopped. She did appear to be in bad shape. After another hiss of frustration, Fallenstar nodded, gesturing for the apprentices to carry Sunpaw to the Medicine Cat's den.
Goldeneye was, using the most accurate word, impressed with the RiverClan cat's injuries. Rustlepaw reminded himself that Goldeneye had always been odd like that, and tried not to be too revolted when she prodded at the wounds, and the eyes for which she was named glinted curiously. Swallowing the bile that rose to his throat, he sat resolutely still; he and Grasspool had been asked to stand guard outside to make sure Sunpaw didn't try anything. Or, Grasspool had been asked, and Rustlepaw had offered to help. He regretted doing so now, but was determined to show his father he was capable of so much.
"So, they tried to drown you... how did you get to beaten up though? Especially for a RiverClan cat," Goldeneye was saying, and Rustlepaw's ears twitched eagerly. One of the many questions he had also wanted answered.
"Of course drowning me wasn't the first thing they tried," Sunpaw sniffed weakly, "I don't understand what I've done wrong! Suddenly, they all turned on me. Was it because I tried to fetch a little extra fresh-kill? I didn't realize they could be so... cruel," she whined.
Rustlepaw repressed his snort. He didn't believe any of it; it sounded so ludicrous. Just because RiverClan were his rivals, did not mean he failed to respect them as fellow cats. And he somehow doubted that even they would do something so dishonorable. But if that were the case, he mused, why did he believe they'd send a spy? Unless this cat was not from RiverClan? If so, then where was she from? He dug his claws into the ground, frustration getting to him. Truly it wasn't any of his business, was it? He was just an apprentice, and this could be left to the warriors, who were wiser, and more able to deal with this.
And yet... he couldn't shake it. He wanted too badly to know what was going on, wanted too badly to protect his clan from danger. Since he was a kit, he desired no more than to protect things; even Beetlepaw, when he would trip in the nursery. When he had become an apprentice, things gradually began to change, and he wasn't so stupid. After his mother was killed in a battle between WindClan and RiverClan, through her sheer determination to keep fighting, no matter how weak she was, he didn't harbor such juvenile desires anymore, and was quickly proving to be a harsh, and powerful young cat. There was only one thing he wanted, and that was to look after his clan.
Now, this RiverClan cat came waltzing in, and in his mind, threatened his clan's safety, despite the fact he was as of yet unsure how she did so. He listened again, as Goldeneye continued to poke at the wounds, now with poultices, and then with cobwebs. The cat was in terrible condition, and he realized with a tinge of annoyance that in her weakened condition she had exhausted her abilities to explain herself, and fallen asleep. He groaned softly, and shifted so that he was more comfortable. He was in for a long night, it seemed.
***
A/N:
Shadow: Hello fellow Warriors fans! ShadoWolfDemon and Black-Sakura27 here bringing you our addition to the Warriors Fanfic Archives!
Kura: Now please, if you enjoyed this little bit of collaboration, PLEASE review. We have plenty more written and ready to post if ya do! So even if this intrigues you a teeny weeny bit, a review or three will get the next chapter up faster.
Shadow: Doesn't seem like a whole lot of work on your end, right reader? So… yeah, GO FOR IT. 8D.
