Dusty sighed. It was before dawn and he just couldn't sleep. He had just had one of those queer dreams in which the wild cats were begging him to help them. Dusty couldn't shake off the feeling that this impossible dream might actually be a reality one at the snoring form of his friend Sparky he thought that maybe he could just have a little peek in the forest. Padding carefully past the dog he lept through the window and into the garden. Careful to make no noise he gave a huge leap and cleared the fence. Looking at the dark forest he bravely took a gulp of air and stepped in. No sooner did he take a single step a flash of white flashed above his head.
"S-snowy?" Dusty gasped unbelieving. He did not know that this beautiful Persian could be sooo fast.
"Yes," Snowy purred with amusement at the bashful cat. "What did you think I am?"
"B-but y-y-you're so f-fast," Dusty said absolutely dumbfounded.
"Well," Snowy retorted, "Did you think I was just a lump of fur and bone?"
Purring she twined against his tense muscles and strode off into the woods. Hurrying to keep up he padded along completely puzzled. They soon entered the gloomy woods just as the sun peeked out giving the sky the color of roses. The forest was hostile and every step the pair took seemed to crackle and ruin the silence. Suddenly a flash of shadow came by and Dusty found himself underneath a rather skinny gray cat. Gulping he turned slightly and saw that Snowy was in the same fix. Hissing his displeasure Dusty thrashed wildly. How dare they even touch Snowy. Shocked the skinny cat snarled in reply and sliced through Dusty's collar. Dusty ducked to the left and faked a tackle. The other cat did not take the bait. Crouching she intercepted Dusty's real ram to the right. Little did this cat know Dusty was already at his feet and the cat took the blow. Panting both cats glared at each other.
"It never hurts to have manners," Snowy remarked. "Considering that you just met, I would suggest that you put aside all this hostility and introduce yourselves."
Grunting she slid from under the cat that was pinning her. Moving like lightning she weaved and ducked until the cat stopped trying to get her back.
"Hi my name is Dusty and I am from Catnip Lane," Dusty sighed. "Who are you and where are you from?"
"I am Snowy, a neighbor of Dusty," Snowy stated with faultless good manners.
"I am Runnningleaf of Thunderclan," the skinny cat hissed. "Why are you on our territory?"
"I am Pebblepaw, apprentice of Runningleaf," the other cat remarked proudly. "I bet you kittypets know nothing about what we are saying."
Now Dusty saw that the cat that attacked him earlier was a slender gray pelted cat with blazing green eyes , while the other cat was a rather pretty male blue Persian.
"We are here to explore beyond our dreary fence" replied Snowy.
Runningleaf regarded the young cats with interest. She had never seen such brave kittypets that fought well. She supposed that since the clan needed new apprentices, she might as well try to bring these in.
"Come with me" Runningleaf meowed calmly, tail twitching.
"What?" Pebblepaw gasped. "Bring in the kittypets?"
Dusty sighed. He had to go now that he was invited. Something told him that he was never to go back to the comfort of his house. No matter what he had to do. It was as if his ancestors pushed at him, trying to make him go on. Snowy followed as if in a trance as well. She wanted to break free and run back home but her paws refused to obey her. Soon they made their way into the Thunderclan gorge. The party was soon greeted by a gray striped tabby with amber eyes. Regarding the pair quietly he turned to Runningleaf.
"Why have you brought two kittypets to the camp?" Bramblestar spoke, his voice a slight growl.
"They are useful to us since their are nearly no warriors left." Runningleaf placidly mewed.
Dusty made his way to the front and gasped with awe at the huge camp. Snowy followed and gently nudged him to face Bramblestar.
"May all cats old enough to catch their prey gather." Bramblestar roared.
All the cats that were not seriously injured, young or old made their way carefully to the huge rocky den. Hissing they nudged their companions and glared at Dusty and Snowy.
"I have called you all here right now because it is time for a few new apprentices." Bramblestar meowed.
"What!? But my kits are the only ones in the camp, and they are only 3 moons old! You aren't turning into another Brokenstar, are you?" a pale queen named Fernshadow meowed in despair.
"Of course not, Fernshadow. Runningleaf and Pebblepaw have found two very good fighting, courageous kittypets. Runningleaf strongly thinks that these two kittypets would be worthy warriors, seeing that we have so little warriors and apprentices. Besides, if anyone has any doubt about kittypets, think of Firestar." Bramblestar turned to the kittypets.
"Will you accept your duties in the clan?" Bramblestar gravely mewed.
"I-I-I," Dusty croaked looking at Snowy desperately.
"I, on behalf of Dusty and I, Hereby accept the duties to the clan." Snowy intoned gravely.
"I ask Starclan to give these two cats to give them the new names of Dustpaw and Snowpaw, as apprentices of Thunderclan." Bramblestar yowled.
A thunderous sound of cheering and hissing broke through the formality and vibrated the stony walls of the camp.
Dustpaw looked astounded at all the originally hostile cats.
"Flowershine step forward," Bramblepaw continued. "Do you accept the role of being mentor to this apprentice?"
Dustpaw saw a simply ravishing female cat step forward and gently rest her tail on him. He winced as she felt her gaze pierce through his soul.
Flowershine looked him over and snorted. She could see the lines of his powerful muscles, and rough pads. He had sharp eyes and a keen senses that were good for hunting. Dustpaw was sloppy at depending on his other senses other then eyesight and his muscles were rarely used. He was still too well fed and had the air of never ending pride.
"I, Flowershine, accept the duties of instructing this cat Dustpaw of the ways of our clan and code." Flowershine lazily mewed.
"Lightningstep, come forward," Bramblestar continued. "Do you accept the role of teaching this cat, Snowpaw?"
Snowpaw looked at the male tabby approaching her. He was thin and light on his paws. She saw rigid muscles wire around his long strong legs. His streamlined body allowed him to split through the air and run very fast. He relaxed and rested his white muzzle on her. Snowpaw shivered at the contact.
"I, Lightningstep of Thunderclan, hereby accept the duties of instructing Snowpaw the ways of our clan and the Code." Lightningstep cheerfully mewed with glowing eyes.
All the cats left to attend to their duties which left Snowpaw, Dustpaw and their new mentors alone. Flowershine looked at Dustpaw with such an icy look that Duspaw involuntarily shuddered. She then raked her gaze away from Dustpaw and looked coldly at Snowpaw. Snowpaw too flinched at her gaze.
"Come with me." Flowershine curtly spoke. Each mew seeming to freeze in the air.
Dustpaw stumbled next to her only to be left behind as she lept forward and raced out the entrance. Flowershine stopped and traded a few words with a pretty cat by the entry. That cat stepped up to him and Snowpaw and looked them over. In contrast to Flowershine's freezing look, this cat had a warm loving gaze that radiated kindness.
"I am Spottedstream, Flowershine's sister." Spottedstream meowed as she inclined her head. Directing her words to Flowershine she said, "Can you not try to kill every cat that becomes your apprentice?"
"Only if they do not bother me," spat another word she swept out of the lichen that bordered the opening and impatiently sharpened her claws against the trunk of a fallen tree as she waited for Dustpaw.
Dustpaw looked at the gouges left by her claws and gulped. The grooves sank several paw lengths into the wood. White maggots squirmed an writhed below the rotting flesh of the wood. Flowershine sliced through the wood, neatly killing the maggot. When Dustpaw looked at her she shrugged with a roll of her gleaming ruff and beckoned for him to come. She first halted at a fine scent border.
"This is the edge of our territory bordering Windclan." she paused and looked at Dustpaw's blank face. "Windclan is one of the 5 clans. They are known to be loyal and speedy. They once were our allies but no more until the last battle which was before I was born. It seems that their regular diet of rabbits had made their brains all scattered."
The pair ran to the Northeast for a while before coming to a screeching halt. Dustpaw stopped so hastily that he tumbled head on with Flowershine. With a twitch of her muscles she threw him off and into the fresh earth of the ground.
Totally ignoring him she continued talking, "This is the border against Shadowclan. They are an ambitious group and tend to have a spirit as dark of the gloomy pines. Do not misunderstand me runt, they are still a clan under Starclan and not all are evil."
"Of course Flowerstink," Dustpaw murmured so low he did not think Flowershine would catch it, but she did.
"Are you trying to test my patience," she calmly intoned.
"Yeah, try and catch me," taunted Dustpaw thinking that the scrawny cat could not match him in strength.
Of course he was completely wrong. With a blur of movement Dustpaw had barely a bit of time to figure out what was happening when he found himself head down in the mud. Trying to get up he was spun around the other way and he found the hissing face of Flowershine snarl at him, ready to tear out his throat. Gulping he withered under her bloodthirsty gaze.
"Do not underestimate me dear apprentice," Flowershine hissed menacingly, "Did you know that out of all my apprentices only one survived? Well, one claw out of line and you will be nothing but a pile of fur and bone in the dirt."
Letting him up Flowershine shifted her weight off Dustpaw's belly before trotting in the direction of the camp. Dustpaw followed at an easy lope brooding about his choice to come here.
"Hey, how did the first day go!" Snowpaw called out from somewhere near him
"What?" Dustpaw looked around.
Leaping down from the branches of the tree above him Snowpaw gracefully landed next to him. Nuzzling his neck Snowpaw purred happily. Dustpaw felt his heart thudding against his chest while his blood seemed to course rapidly to his head. Heat flushed his face as he ducked his head to lick at his chest fur. He whirled with happiness, such that he tripped and fell face first. Purring Snowpaw helped an extremely embarrassed Dustpaw up.
"Greetings Flowershine," the slender gray tom greeted them.
"Greetings Lightningstep," Flowerhsine mewed in return. "How goes the first day of training?"
"Well, we reviewed all of the scent borders and went over what Snowpaw knew and didn't know so, we've got our training pretty much planned out." replied Lightningstep. "What about you and Dustpaw?"
"Fine." Flowershine curtly mewed. "We got to all the scent borders and that is about all we did."
"Hey Flowershine!" Runningleaf ran up to the trio. "Is this now a meeting place? I think I should gather some other cats over and see what is so amazing about this patch of earth."
"Not quite yet," Flowershine dryly spoke with a mrrrow of amusment.
"It will be if more cats come." a black male tom spoke with mock despair. "Come on, it smells like rain and the last thing that you want to have a soggy nights sleep."
"As always you have faultless sense unlike the other cats around here Sunsplash," retorted Flowershine.
"Of course Flowershine, but we all have the same dream, for the clans to be whole again." Sunsplash playfully mewed while scratching his pelt against a tree.
"Like I'd want to be with those hare-brains, fish-breaths, and carrion-eaters," Runningleaf snorted while heading back to camp.
"Wait up!" complained Sunsplash.
"Come and let's see what the patrol brought back," Lightningstep lightly pushed Snowpaw to the entrance.
"Hey, stop that!" Snowpaw purred in amusement.
Dustpaw felt a surge of a wild heat flush his face, and a sudden sour twang in his heart. Dustpaw had felt nothing like it before in his whole life. A mountain of rage build in him as he clawed the dirt deeper and deeper. Without a word he strode (or rather stomped) towards the camp.
Flowershine watched with her icy eyes and noticed his sudden tightness and rage. Slipping silently through the trees she disappeared behind a bush without a trace.