Human Warriors- Into the Wild

by EGZGAG

Exactly what the title says! The first book of the Warriors saga- with humans! For generations, four Clans have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their warrior ancestors. [...] In the midst of all this turmoil appears an ordinary boy named Russell... Who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.

Human Warriors- Into the Wild

A.N. The allegiances have always really annoyed me, so I am skipping it. However, the following might help a little with the cat-to-human thing going on, at least in Thunderclan.

Rusty-Russell

Redtail- Redheart

Longtail- Stripeheart

Willowpelt- Willowpond

Mousefur- Mousestep

Frostfur- Frosteye

Speckletail- Speckleheart

Halftail- Halfstorm

Patchpelt- Patcheyes

Dappletail- Dapplesong

Spottedleaf- Leaf

Yellowfang- Yellow

All apprentice names lose the "paw" at the end.

Sorry about the slight overuse of the second section of "heart", but the books really don't have many other non-cat related options.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Warriors apart from the first thirteen books and most of the fourth series, the cats on the covers currently looking like they are staring at me. There are many lines taken from the book, so I truly do not own anything except for the name and slight plot line change, like how often the Gatherings take place.

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Chapter 1- Prologue

A half-moon glowed on smooth granite boulders, turning them silver. The silence was broken only by the ripple of water from the swift black river and the whisper of trees in the forest beyond.

There was a stirring in the shadows, and from all around dark shapes crept stealthily over the rocks. Knives glinted in the moonlight. And then, as if on a signal, the shapes leaped at each other, and suddenly the rocks were alive with the opposing clans.

At the center of the frenzy of bodies and weapons, a massive man pinned another to he ground and took out his knife. "Oakheart!" the man hissed, drawing the blade under the other man's neck. "How dare you come onto our territory? The Sunningrocks belong to Thunderclan!"

"After tonight, Tigerclaw, this will be just another RiverClan hunting ground!" the brown-haired man spat back.

A warning yell came from the shore, shrill and anxious. "Look out! More RiverClan warriors are coming!"

Tigerclaw turned to see wet bodies emerging from the deep river just below the rocks. The drenched RiverClan warriors bounded silently up the shore and hurled themselves into battle without even stopping to shake the water out of their hair.

The dark-haired man glared down at Oakheart. "You may swim like otters, but you and your warriors do not belong in this forest." His face drew back into a snarl as the man struggled beneath him.

The desperate scream of a ThunderCan woman rose above the clamor. A wiry RiverClan man had the brown-haired warrior flat on her belly. Now he lunged towards her neck, his knife still dripping from his swim across the river.

Tigerclaw heard her cry and let go of Oakheart. He launched himself at the man and knocked the enemy warrior away from the woman. "Quick, Mousestep, run!" he ordered, before turning on the RiverClan man who had threatened her. Mousestep scrambled to her feet, wincing from a deep gash on her shoulder, and raced away.

Behind her, Tigerclaw spat with rage as the RiverClan man sliced a gash on his forehead. Blood blinded him for an instant, but he lunged forward regardless and sank his knife into the opposing warrior's leg. The man screamed and ran away, limping.

"Tigerclaw!" the yell came from a warrior with hair as red as fox fur. "This is useless! There are too many RiverClan warriors!"

"No, Redheart. ThunderClan will never be beaten!" Tigerclaw yelled back, running to Redheart's side. "This is our territory!" Blood was welling around his face, and he shook his head impatiently, scattering scarlet drops on the rocks.

"ThunderClan will honor your courage, Tigerclaw, but we cannot afford to lose any more of our warriors," Redheart urged. "Bluestar would never expect her warriors to fight against these impossible odds. We will have another chance to avenge this defeat." He met Tigerclaw's hazel-eyed gaze steadily, then reared away and jumped onto a boulder at the edge of the trees.

"Retreat, ThunderClan! Retreat!" he yelled. At once his warriors squirmed and struggled away from their opponents. Hissing and growling, they backed towards Redheart. For a heartbeat, the RiverClan warriors looked confused. Was this battle so easily won? Then Oakheart yelled out a jubilant cry. As soon as they heard him, the RiverClan warriors raised their voices and joined their deputy in caterwauling their victory.

Redheart looked down at his warriors. With a wave of his hand, he gave the signal and the ThunderClan army ran down the far side of Sunningrocks, and then disappeared into the trees.

Tigerclaw followed last. He hesitated at the edge of the forest and glanced back at the bloodstained battlefield. His face was grim, his eyes furious slits. He reached down and retrieved a knife from one of the fallen RiverClan warriors. Tucking it into his pant pocket, he followed his Clan into the silent forest.

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In a deserted clearing, a woman in her late forties with dark grey hair sat alone, staring up at the clear night sky. All around her she could hear the faint stirring and snoring of sleeping people.

A small teenage girl with long, dark brown hair emerged from a dark corner, her footsteps quick and soundless.

The gray-haired woman dipped her head in greeting. "How is Mousestep?" she asked.

"Her wounds are deep, Bluestar," answered the girl, settling herself on the night-cool grass. "But she is young and strong; she will heal quickly."

"And the others?"

"They will recover, too."

Bluestar sighed. "We are lucky to have not lost any of our warriors this time. You are a gifted healer, Leaf." She tilted her head again and studied the stars. "I am deeply troubled by tonight's defeat. ThunderClan has not been defeated in its own territory since I became leader," she murmured. "These are difficult times for our clan. The season of newleaf is late, and there have been fewer children. ThunderClan needs more warriors if it is to survive."

"But the year is only just beginning," Leaf pointed out calmly. "There will be more children when greenleaf comes."

The woman shook her head. "Perhaps. But training our young to become warriors takes time. If ThunderClan is to defend its territory, it must have new warriors as soon as possible."

"Are you asking StarClan for answers?" asked Leaf gently, following Bluestar's gaze and staring up at the swath of stars glittering in the dark sky.

"It is at times like this we need the words of ancient warriors to help us. Has StarClan spoke to you?" Bluestar asked.

"Not for some moons, Bluestar."

Suddenly a shooting star blazed over the treetops. Leaf's body stiffened and the hair on her arms bristled.

Bluestar's eyebrows shot up but she remained silent as Leaf continued to gaze upwards.

After a few moments, Leaf lowered her head and turned to Bluestar. "It was a message from StarClan," she murmured. A distant look came into her eyes. "Fire alone can save our Clan."

"Fire," Bluestar echoed. "But fire is feared by all the Clans! How can it save us?"

Leaf shook her head. "I do not know," she admitted. "But this is the message StarClan has chosen to share with me."

The ThunderClan leader fixed her clear blue eyes on the young healer. "You have never been wrong before, Leaf," she said. "If StarClan has spoken, then it must be so. Fire will save our Clan.

A.N. So. That's that. The beginning.

Dovijdane,

EGZGAG