Hey guys! LadyBonsai here! This will be the first fanfiction I have ever uploaded to the internet (probably why everything may seem a bit jumbled up in the beginning) Up at the top here I'll include reviews- if I get any- and a quick word/introduction with everyone! This story revolves around my #1 OC, who you will meet here as Thornpaw! This does include romance but nothing explicit! Hope everyone enjoys!
I do not own the Warrior Cats series! Erin Hunter does!
Chapter 1
Thornpaw bounded across the camp, her golden tail streaming out behind her as she made her exit. She pushed past the hanging lichen and padded her way deep into the forest, ducking under bramble bushes and following a short path towards the lake. The scent of newleaf was in the air, bringing high hopes for warm and enjoyable weather. The patchy she-cat stopped when she reached the bank, the water lolling far and wide, vast blue liquid against the rising sun. Thornpaw opened her jaws wide and breathed in the salty tang to the air, filling her senses as she tried to comprehend the fizzy feeling in her paws, and the bubbling excitement racing through her mind. Shaking her head, she realized her mentor, Oliveheart, was most likely waiting for her, and she should be there to catch him before he went mad. Thornpaw turned and pushed her hind legs against the sandy earth, propelling her forwards. She raced towards the camp, feeling the wind blow past and clog up her ears with intense thundering. Lengthening her stride, she made her way towards the entrance, inhaling the scents of her many clanmates, who were at their daily routine; the apprentices cleaning the elder's bedding, the deputy sending out patrols, and the sound of chattering coming from every den. She carefully stepped into the clearing, bracing herself for scolding, seeing as her mentor wasn't looking quite pleased.
Oliveheart marched over to her, his pale green eyes blazing. Thornpaw stood stiff-legged, exasperation making her stubborn. "What did I tell you about racing out of camp? You are nearly a warrior! Behavior like this doesn't qualify with me."
"I'll admit I was a bit mouse-brained. But it doesn't mean I can't go out in the forest alone sometimes without a bossy mentor monitoring me every second of my life," Thornpaw snapped.
Oliveheart rolled his eyes and sighed. "Okay, fine. You have your third assessment right before sunrise. You'd better be ready." Thornpaw huffed in annoyance, though she enjoyed the subject of being a proud warrior of her Clan, serving the best she could. She stalked away towards the apprentices den and ducked inside, greeted by her denmates, Yellowpaw and Berrypaw.
"Hi!" Yellowpaw called cheerfully, in a good mood as always. Thornpaw liked her for that reason, though she felt a prickly satisfaction run down her spine sometimes. It resulted in a bad mood blossoming inside her whenever she saw the snowy she-cat. Thornpaw nodded in acknowledgement, then pricked her ears as she heard a warm voice from outside of her den.
"Hi!"
Pinetail. The handsome warrior was pushing his way in the den beside Thornpaw. She rubbed her muzzle against his and purred. "Happy being a warrior?"
Pinetail's eyes sparkled. "I've told you ages ago, kit."
Thornpaw cuffed him gently around the ear. "Who are you calling a kit, elder?" She
lashed her tail in amusement, drawing him to a fight. He gave in.
Pinetail immediately leaped forward, tackling the golden she-cat to the ground. "Hey!"
She pawed him off of her "Now go away, I need to sleep."
He rolled his amber eyes. "Grumpy old fur-ball. I'll just get some fresh-kill." He licked his jaws and headed away. Thornpaw flopped into her nest with a sigh, drifting to sleep. She slept in peace before a sharp voice snapped her to full-consciousness.
"Thornpaw!"
Grumbling, Thornpaw stood up, her legs shaky, and her eyes as wide as an owl's. Regaining her strength, she slid beneath the vines surrounding the apprentice's den and was almost immediately nose-to-nose with Oliveheart, his gaze hard and his paws tensed. He curled his lip. "You were supposed to be at the camp entrance just before sunrise! Come on, you have to be assessed." He turned and started into the woods, taking the clear path to the assessing grounds. Oliveheart then went the opposite way, surprising Thornpaw.
They trekked through the forest, arriving at SkyOak, the largest tree in ThunderClan territory. Thornpaw lifted her tail as she sensed prey, though she quickly turned her attention back to her mentor, who was sitting, his paws tucked beneath him and his expression stony.
"Now," He began, "you will be hunting around here, searching for any prey you can find." He fixed her with a glare. "Don't disappoint me. I will be watching you." With that he turned and stalked into the underbrush, his tail flicking in irritation. Thornpaw watched in silence, but after a moment of hesitation she plunged into a bundle of holly bushes, feeling the prickly leaves scraping against her thin pelt but ignoring it otherwise.
She took a short way to a young beech tree, spotting bits of nuts and seeds for a simple mouse to nibble on. Taking her steps wisely, she crouched, hidden, in a shelter of thick trees, her eyes never blinking or leaving the base of the beech tree. As she predicted, prey came swiftly. A thrush flew down from the canopy of a few trees and landed on Thornpaw's target, unknowing to her presence.
She bunched her muscles and dug her claws into the ground, and with a smooth motion, she soared over the ground and landed on the thrush, holding it down by the wings with her claws, blocking it from flying away. With that she sank her teeth into the back of its neck, killing it and allowing the once frantic thrush to go limp. Pride clouded Thornpaw's thoughts but she eagerly pushed it away and focused on the hunt.
With patience and perseverance she managed to catch a plump vole and a squirrel, with each piece of prey came another tick of the sun, setting shadows on the dense forest floor. By sunfall she was exhausted, dragging her prey back, weighing her down with each step. Thankfully, Oliveheart leaped out from twines of bracken and looked at her with pride.
"Good job." He meowed, grabbing her vole, and turning and racing towards camp, Thornpaw right on his tail. He looked back at her, panting when they finally arrived. "You might just earn your spot as a warrior after all."
Thornpaw beamed and turned to the fresh-kill pile, holding her chin high as she placed her prey into the pile, seeing it grow and be once more fully stocked. She looked longingly at a fat starling, hunger clawing at her belly. Oliveheart noticed, and gave her a flick of his tail.
"Eat. You deserve it."
Thornpaw bent and took the starling, taking it to the far corner of the camp, right by the Rock Tumble. She sank her teeth into the prey and began to eat, taking small and neat bites, wanting to save the warm, juicy flavor forever. Of course, it didn't last forever, and soon it was gone, leaving nothing but crumbs behind. Licking the bits of it from her whiskers, Thornpaw decided she would sleep, until a loud yowl rang across the clearing, stopping her in her tracks.
Sorrelstar, the leader of the Clan, ThunderClan, was sitting in a commanding position on the top of the Rock Tumble, her tail high in the air.
"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey join me under the Rock Tumble for a Clan meeting!" Every cat shuffled from their dens, sleepiness crowding their gazes, although excitement flickered in the air
Barkfur, Thornpaw's mother, rushed over and began frantically lapping at her fur, smoothing the spiky tufts down. Thornpaw squeaked in protest and shook her off, hurrying over to the bottom of the meeting area.
"Newleaf brings high hopes for a good season, and with many moons going by, I would like to point out that Thornpaw has had her third and final assessment this sunrise, and I would like to ask her mentor if she is prepared for the responsibilities as a full warrior. Oliveheart, what did you think about her hunting skills?"
Oliveheart straightened up, his tail twitching behind him. "She was excellent with the prey. Her stalk could've been better, and her pounce should have had more force behind her hind legs, but her mind was in the right place. Concentration is the key to tracking down prey, and for feeding the clan. She stayed fully upwind from her prey, it didn't sense her until she pounced! We would be mouse-brained to not make her a warrior in return for the prey she caught for the fresh-kill pile today."
Sorrelstar stood up on the perch of the Rock Tumble, her eyes reflecting approval in the faltering sunlight. "Well then. Is your apprentice ready to face the challenges of becoming a warrior?"
Oliveheart glanced at Thornpaw, who was bouncing with excitement. Come on! Say I am! Say I am! "She is." Yes!
Sorrelstar gazed at her with approval. "Well then, Thornpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, even if it comes to the cost of your life?"
"I do."
"Then, by the powers of StarClan I ask you to look upon this apprentice. She has worked hard to learn the way of your noble code and I commend her a warrior in your turn. From this moment on you shall be known as Thornflight. We thank you for your speed and enthusiasm, and welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." The Clan leader stooped down and licked Thornflight on the shoulder, and the young warrior returned it with pride.
"Thornflight! Thornflight! Thornflight!" Her clanmates cheered on. Thornflight locked gazes with her father, Beetlewhisker, and saw pride in his bright emerald gaze.
"Good job. I knew you could do it." Pinetail purred, strolling over to the newly-made warrior. "Now, you have your vigil," he reminded her when Thornflight opened her jaws to speak. He slapped his tail over her mouth with a wry grin. "Silence."
She nodded in understanding, along with amusement, catching a brief nod from Sorrelstar, a sign of holding vigil. The new warrior shuffled over to the camp entrance and sat, her ears perked and eyes wide. Nothing disturbed her as she watched her clanmates scurry by, coming back from late patrols or simply going to their nests for rest. A few crickets chirped beautiful notes, but nothing dangerous. Birds flapped their wings, critters disturbed the silent fall of night, yet all was calm. Thornflight nearly drifted into slumber, but noted that it was practically her final assessment. Knowing this, she kept herself entertained, scoring lines into the mud, and ripping grass fronds from the moist ground. Soon enough, the chilly air dissolved into warm sunshine, her back relaxing and her limbs tensing in excitement.
Cats began to emerge from their dens, eyes sleepy and ears flattened to their heads. Thornflight yawned. She felt like she could rest until leafbare!
Exhausted, she sat there waiting, commotion of the Clan growing like poison ivy. Thornflight glanced over her shoulder as she heard movement, seeing the stark outline of Brackenfeather. "You can speak now." The senior warrior meowed, his tail waving in the air behind him. "Go pick a nest."
Thornflight nodded in pure happiness yet obedience and bounced over to the warrior's den, poking her head inside so she could sniff out an unoccupied nest. She was greeted with the warm smell of Mapleclaw, a dark red and brown she-cat, with beautiful amber eyes and a squirrel-like tail.
"Welcome." She purred. "There's an empty nest over there." Mapleclaw twitched her ear to the back of the nest, where bramble tendril weaved into a safe and sturdy den wall.
Thornflight nodded, too tired for any response she would normally be able to muster up. Collapsing in the vacant nest, she curled up, her head on her paws and her tail over her muzzle.
The golden she-cat woke. Her eyes dull and the orange patches in her fur untidy and clumped up. She immediately began to wash, spitting out the flurries of dust and dirt she found in her pelt. Thronflight then got up, feeling warm and dry. Her fur was as sleek as a RiverClan cat's and her lime green eyes reflected the glow of the forest floor at moon-high.
Padding out into the morning sunshine, she gave a long stretch, enjoying the warmth in her fur and the normal business during a clan at sunrise.
Snaking through the mile of cats cluttering around the deputy, Beechclaw, she headed for the dirt-place. Quickly making her dirt, she buried it and ducked under the cover, padded towards Beechclaw, who was twitching his tail impatiently.
"You can go on border patrol with, Poppyfoot, Flamewhisker, Fernpool, and Antfur. Now! You've overslept," the deputy ordered, his gaze hard. It softened when Thornflight answered.
"You're not the one who just stayed wide-awake all night."
"No, I'm not. But your duty to the Clan means more than sleep. Now off you go."
Thornflight whipped around and muttered under her breath. "Bossy furball." She then joined up with the other cats she was ordered to, nodding to the leader of the patrol, Fernpool.
"What border are we going to?" Thornflight questioned, trying to sound sincere, and struggling to force down her excitement that was stubbornly bubbling over like a boiling pool of water. This would be her first patrol as a true warrior.
"WindClan."
Thornflight nodded, then purred as she saw Flamewhisker, Pinetail's littermate. He was a good friend. They headed into the trees. Following the patrol, Thornflight paused. Something didn't seem right.
"Hey, I'll check back here for any WindClan scents," Thornflight called absently, her tail flicking.
Poppyfoot turned, blinking. "Alright. Just be back soon. I'll come looking for you if you don't."
Thornflight acknowledged her with a twitch of her ears. She leaped back over a hedge of holly leaves, ducking into a nearby bush, and pushing her way deeper into the undergrowth. Cracking her jaws wide, she tasted the air for any familiar scents. She caught a whiff of one in the air, wafting into her at full force. Thornflight froze. Can it be?
The she-cat followed the scent intently, finding it lead to a deep gaping hole in the ground, dark and dense, its depths swallowing up Thornflight's vision in one swift movement. Crouching low and keeping her eyes strained against the lightness tunnel, she forced herself to plunge in, landing hard on all four paws. She padded in, keeping her vision clear and picking up as much light as she could. Thornflight pricked her ears, hearing muffled voices. Creeping farther in, she came across a sight she would never forget.
THUNDERCLAN
Leader
Sorrelstar- pretty tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat
Deputy
Beechclaw- sleek black tom with blue eyes
Medicine Cat
Tulipflame- Light brown tabby she-cat with pinky-colored tail
apprentice- Oatpaw- dark brown tom
Warriors
Brackenfeather- brown tom with amber eyes
Apprentice- Yellowpaw
Poppyfoot- dark red she-cat
Antfur- jet-black she-cat with fluffy tail
Nightspots- dark brown tom with black specks
Mapleclaw- brown-and-red she-cat with squirrel-like tail
Fernpool- sleek gray tom with black stripes
apprentice- Berrypaw
Lionfoot- Yellow tom with amber eyes and thick white fur around paws
Barkfur- brown she-cat with dark amber eyes
Beetlewhisker- jet-black tom with bright green eyes
Oliveheart- pale sandy-gray tabby tom with lime green eyes
apprentice- Thornpaw
Pinetail- handsome light ginger tom with amber eyes
Rookbrand- red she-cat with white dash on chest
Flamewhisker- bright orange tom with blue eyes
Apprentices
Thornpaw (main)- golden she-cat with ginger patches along her face, neck, paws, and tail
Yellowpaw- snowy she-cat with glowing yellow eyes
Berrypaw- cream colored tom with blue eyes
Queens
Needlefall- delicate light tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes
Fallowfur- silver she-cat with white paws
Elders
Grassflower- small bony brown she-cat with green eyes
(Will include more clans soon)
Author's Notes~
Ooh, cliffhanger! This chapter is where you kinda get introduced to her "attitude" as some would call it. Anyways, I just wanted to quickly clarify that I will be posting a few chapters now, as I've written (exactly) 30 pages of this fanfic so far!
Enjoy and don't forget to review ^w^
-LadyBonsai