WINDCLAN
Leader: Swiftstar: a thin, mottled light brown tabby tom, fairly tall with a long, winding tail, narrow face, and green eyes. Warrior name was Swiftstorm.
Deputy: Tallberry: long-legged white she-cat with green eyes and black paws.
Medicine Cat: Leopardheart: small golden she-cat with darker spots, white paws, and bright amber eyes.
Warriors: (oldest to youngest)
Mudflight: skinny dark brown tabby tom with dark green eyes.
Cloudleap: willowy very pale gray and white she-cat with blue eyes.
Harerunner: scrawny gray-brown tom with a short white tail and green eyes.
Heatherbreeze: slender, pretty light brown tabby she-cat with sky-blue eyes and medium-long fur.
Sheepcloud: lithe white she-cat with green eyes.
Apprentice, Grasspaw
Willowsong: slim, light silver tabby she-cat with white paws and tail-tip, blue eyes.
Stoneclaw: gray tabby tom with deep blue eyes. (Breezekit's father)
Quickflight: gracile gray-silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes, white underbelly and paws.
Emberwind: wiry orange she-cat with green eyes.
Apprentice, Buzzardpaw
Snowleaf: lithe white she-cat, soft fur tipped with pale silver, and green eyes.
Mousefrost: small brown and white she-cat with blue eyes.
Apprentices:(oldest to youngest)
Buzzardpaw: dark brown tabby tom with green eyes.
Grasspaw: long-furred light brown and white tabby tom with green eyes.
Dashpaw: lithe, swift, pale gray-silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes, white underbelly.
Queens: (oldest to youngest):
Runningbreeze: nimble, slender light brown tabby she-cat with cream markings and green eyes, one white paw. Mother of Stoneclaw's kits: Breezekit and Pebblekit.
Brightcloud: thin bright orange and white she-cat with amber eyes, mother of Lightningkit.
Elders: (oldest to youngest):
Weaselwhisker: scrawny, rusty brown tom with pale greenish blue eyes.
Squirrelleap: skinny brown she-cat, fur turned grayish from age, green eyes.
Frostsky: small pale cream she-cat with white paws and tail. (Breezekit's grandmother)
Foxfang: reddish brown tom; very tip of tail is white.
Kits: (oldest to youngest)
Breezekit: slender light brown and cream tabby she-kit with deep green eyes and white paws.
Pebblekit: wiry gray tabby tom with bright blue eyes.
Lightningkit: small bright orange-yellow she kit with amber eyes, wild tabby markings.
Alied with ThunderClan.
Worst enemies with Riverclan.
THUNDERCLAN
Leader: Barleystar: big black and white tom with pale amber eyes. (Barleyleaf)
Deputy: Oakfang: sturdy brown tabby tom with green eyes.
Medicine Cat: Brambleface: bad-tempered dark brown tabby tom.
Warriors:
Fernwhisper: slim light grey she-cat with green eyes.
Sunnytail: ginger she-cat with long, fluffy tail, and green eyes.
Willowwing: black she-cat.
Rowanflight: large brown and ginger tom.
Queens:
Grayfeather: gray she-cat with darker tail, mother of Ashkit(gray she-cat with black tail, ears, and spots) and Thistlekit(gray tom with darker tail-tip and lighter paws)
Alied with WindClan
Worst Enemies with ShadowClan
SHADOWCLAN
Leader: Badgerstar: massive black tom with white stripe down his back and amber eyes. (Baderstripe)
Deputy: Dawnclaw: small but fierce cream she-cat.
Medicine Cat: Toadstep: dark orange tom with amber eyes.
Warriors:
Spiderfoot: long-legged dark brown tom.
Pinewhisker: light brown tabby she-cat.
Marshleap: huge black tom.
Queens:
Marigolshade: tortioseshell she-cat.
Alied with Riverclan
Worst Enemies with ThunderClan
River Clan
Leader: Redstar: giant, extremely overweight white tom, with blood red eyes.
Deputy: Bloodyclaw: plump, very dark ginger tom.
Medicine Cat: Wetfur: stocky, dark gray tom
Warriors:
Maggotbreath: fat, scarred(partically from his Clanmates) hideous black tom.
Alied with ShadowClan
Worst enemies with WindClan
Prologue
Two horrible scents wreathed in the air. An scrawny brown cat, her fur graying with age, sniffed weakly. Her cloudy green eyes widened.
Not agian, the thin, old she-cat thought, her chest tightening with anxiety. Only a moon ago river clan had savagly attacked, and a few days prior ShadowClan had raided WindClan, which hadn't caused as much damage but was more recent.
The WindClan deputy, a skinny, tall brown tom yowled, "We're under attack! Get ready to fight!"
Rembering last moon the brown she cat muttered, "Dying is likely, too."
Green eyes wide with concern, the young tom turned to the ancient she-cat. "You better go to your den. Its not safe right now, and we need our leader. Tallberry and Poppydusk will be there to help."
She lashed her tail, eyes blazing. "I'm not dead yet! I am leader of WindClan."
"Youre not as strong as you once were," he meowed gently. "If you are in the center of the fight, RVR CLM will kill you in a heartbeat. Please, Rabbitstar..."
Rabbitstar flattened her torn ears, but she knew the wiry, young tabby was right. Her pride crushed, Rabbitstar nodded curtly and dipped into her den. The tabby wacthed her gray-tipped tail disappear in the branches of the gorse. He felt a sense of premonition, as though that tail-tip was the last of his old, beloved leader he would see.
Don't be so minnow-brained! He scolded himself, Nobody will die today. He sank his claws into the ground. I hope.
Just then, a large, fat white tom burst in, a black warrior on his tail. Next where a plump dark ginger tom and a small cream she cat. The rest of riverclan and Shadowclan were too mingled to make out properly.
"WindClan, attack!" yowled Swiftstorm. His cats looked confused. They were expecting Rabbitstar to give the comand to defend against the attack. Nevertheless, WindClan fought the feirce invaders.
The big white riverclan tom pressed Swiftstorm to the ground, his red eyes gleaming. "Wheres your leader?" he demaned, "I'm too high ranked to fight a deputy."
"Where's your leader?" Swiftstorm retorted.
Instead of saying anything, the albino tom clawed Swiftstorm's muzzle. He could taste his blood.
A heavy gray riverclan tom, Twowhisker, tripped into Redstar. Redstar fumbled back, fighting Cloudleap instead. Twowhisker turned to Swiftstorm,his yellow eyes blazing. The gray tom sank his teeth into Swiftstorm's throat and shook him violently.
Out of the corner of his eye, Swiftstorm saw the young WindClan warrior Redbreeze get murdered by a ruthless dark ginger tom who stank of riverclan. He was none other than Bloodyclaw, the deputy.
Rabbitstar met Tallberry and Poppydusk in her den, as Swiftstorm had promised. The two she-cats greeted their frail, scrawny leader quickly. Tallberry leapt foward as a wiry, cream ShadowClan she-cat, the deputy Dawnclaw, burst into the den. White fur on end, Tallberry boldly shoved Dawnclaw back.
Dawnclaw left, her muzzle wrinkled with annoyence.
"This is going to be fun, isn't it?" Tallberry muttered, carefully wacthing the battle in case another invader came in.
Poppydusk shrugged. "Okay, well, you should go to the back of the den, okay?" She siad 'okay" a lot when she got really worried. "And, um, since that's the safest part. Okay, me and Tallberry, we'll be near the front to, uh, to protect you, okay?"
"Fine," Rabbitstar responed through clenched teeth. It wasn't just Poppydusk's overuse of the word "okay", but she was the WindClan leader! She had to be out fighting against RIVER CLAN and ShadwClan!
Out in the battle, Swiftstorm rushed toward Bloodyclaw. He felt sick as he passed Redbreeze, and tried not to look at the slender ginger she-cat's dead body. Bloodyclaw glanced over, disintrest in his yellow eyes as though he regared Swiftstorm as an unworthy opponent. The fat Riverclan deputy raised a paw snottily to push Swiftstorm away.
It was not that easy to beat the great WindClan deputy!
Swiftstorm shoved down the paw with a hiss. There was a flash of shock in Bloodyclaw's glare, as though he hadn't expected the thin light brown tom to actually fight back. Swiftstorm hit Bloodyclaw hard on the shoulder, and felt muscle and fat bubble up underneath the Riverclan deputy's sleek fur.
Snarling, Bloodyclaw through him back. His claws, forever stained with blood of cats he had killed, sank into Swiftstorm's narrow shoulders. Swiftstorm wrinkled his muzzle against the horrible fishy stench. He thought dizzily, I am another cat to be added to Bloodyclaw's record of murder victims.
Rabbitstar resisted the urge to leap out and help her Clanmates as Redstar, leader of Riverclan, and Marshleap of Shadowclan, exploded into her den. Brave and loyal to the last, Tallberry and Poppydusk went forth to defend their elderly, frail leader.
Marshleap, fighting Tallberry, was fortunatly not as vicous as Redstar. He obviously knew he wanted to make the innocent cats of WindClan suffer, but he had the drop of noblity to know not to shred enemies to a very painful, suffering death.
On the other paw, Redstar seemed to be playing with poor Poppydusk, dragging out her agony to her last breath.
Poppydusk finally fell, dead and dripping with scarlet blood. Tallberry collasped, unconscious but luckily still alive. "Let's go," Redstar rumbled, his bloodthirsty red eyes wacthing the battle outside.
Heart thumping, Rabbitstar crouched against the wall of the den. "Hey!" Marshleap snarled. "There's somebody back here!"
Redstar spun around, growling. "It's an elder or something," he spat scornfully. "We can still kill it."
Rabbitstar bristled. "I'm the WindClan leader, not an elder!" She swung out as Redstar struck. Marshleap grabbed her by her scrawny, ragged sides. "Let me go," the thin brown she-cat hissed.
"Keep her down," Redstar ordered Marshleap. The fat riverclan tom wasn't even Marshleap's leader, but the black cat obeyed anyway. Redstar decided that he didn't want to waste his time dragging out the frail WindClan leader's death like he had with Poppydusk. He slashed her throat, and Rabbitstar died.
Swiftstorm fell limp under Bloodyclaw's stained nails. The Riverclan deputy leaned foward to bite the WindClan deputy's throat.
Suddenly Swiftstorm burst upward, snarling and shoving Bloodyclaw back. Badgerstar of ShadowClan saw, and he yowled, "Retreat!" He led his Clan away, and soon after Redstar came out of Rabbitstar's den. "Retreat," Redstar called.
Riverclan ran off, too.. Swiftstorm shook his fur, glaring at a heavily overweight dark brown warrior that clawed a thin black and white tom before retreating. The skinny, ragged WindClan tom died.
"We won." Willowsong, a silver tabby she-cat panted, padding up to Swiftstorm. She glanced around at the camp, bloodstained and littered with horribly injured and dead WindClan cats. "But at a cost."
"Thank StarClan we survived," Swiftstorm said softly.
"Did Rabbitstar?" Willowsong breathed, her blue eyes wide with fear.
Swiftstorm's heart lurched. "I don't know!" He ran to the WindClan leader's den. "Rabbitstar? Tallberry? Poppydusk?"
No answer.
Swiftstorm padded into the den. It was clear a ferocious battle had taken place here. Tufts of gray, white, and black fur and pools of blood covered the ground. Swiftstorm sniffed the ground. The other cats in here... Marshleap of ShadowClan... and Redstar of Riverclan!
And death.
"Oh, StarClan, no," Swiftstorm whispered. Poppydusk lay in front of him, her fur smeared with blood. Redstar had slowly murdered her.
Tallberry, her white fur shredded, lay next to the dark gray she-cat, unconscious but still breathing. "Leopardheart!" Swiftstorm called for the WindClan medicine cat.
She rushed in, jaws stuffed with herbs. "What's wrong?" Leopardheart mumbled around the leaves.
"It's Tallberry. She's alive-barely," replied Swiftstorm. The deputy stepped back.
"Where's Rabbitstar?" Leopardheart asked. The small golden WindClan tabby was squeezing juice into Tallberry's injuries.
"I'm looking for her." Swiftstorm gasped. "She- she's here."
A scrawny gray-brown cat lay on the ground, green eyes rolled up. A cut on here throat oozed blood. "No!" Leopardheart wailed.
"Work on Tallberry. You can still save her," Swiftstorm meowed weakly. His legs felt weak and his head spun.
"Eat this," Leopardheart mewed. Swiftstorm guessed she was giving Tallberry herbs but he didn't turn around to see. He felt like he was going to collaspe any moment. But I need to check on the rest of WindClan. Swiftstorm padded out of the den, swaying on his paws. "Where are you going? I asked you to eat these poppy seeds," Leopardheart called.
With his head in a thick fog, it took Swiftstorm a moment to realize the medicine cat was talking to him, not Tallberry. "Oh," he turned back.
"For the shock," Leopardheart explained.
"Shock?" echoed Swiftstorm. Had he been struck by lightning or soemthing? Wouldn't he remeber that?
"Of seeing Rabbitstar dead and your Clan brutally attacked. And now you're WindClan's leader," Leopardheart's amber eyes shone.
"No." Swiftstorm swallowed a seed and stared at her. "Rabbitstar is our leader. She has lives."
"Eat the other one," urged Leopardheart. "And it was her last life. Medicine cats can see these things. She was old, Swiftstorm. The time was near and we all knew it."
"She can't be dead," Swiftstorm choked out.
"You saw her. You can leave now," the small WindClan medicine cat added.
Swiftstorm obeyed, his tail half-dragging on the ground. In the camp were battered bodies, shredded dens, cats crying at the sight of dead and fataly injured kin. A young warrior named Mousefrost padded up, her blue eyes wet with tears. Blood smeared all over the small cat's pale fur, but Swiftstorm knew not all of it was hers. Mousefrost was a strong, brave, maybe slightly impulisive young cat. "Are Rabbitstar, Tallberry, and Poppydusk okay?"
"T-they're dead," Swiftstorm meowed weakly. "Except- not Tal-Tallberry; but she might still die."
Mousefrost stared at him with a astounished expression, as if she could not take all the information in. Then at last, she spoke, but not to Swiftstorm, rather the rest of the WindClan cats, who had won yet lost. "This is our new leader! Swiftstar!"
The others looked up, agony in the eyes but hope as well. Willowsong yowled, "Swiftstar!"
"Swiftstar!"
"Swiftstar!"
Swiftstorm stared at the Clan- his Clan, he realized- and shook his head. "I need my nine lives before I become Swiftstar," he pointed out.
"And you have to choose a deputy," Quickflight added. There was a slight annoyance in her voice, and Swiftstorm knew why. She had wanted to be deputy, but as long as Grasskit and Dashkit were in the nursery, she couldn't. I could choose her if something happens to the deputy. She's brave and clever and loyal, not bad, not bad...
"I-I choose..." Swiftstorm twicthed his tail, wishing Quickflight could do it. Or that Rabbitstar was alive, that none of this had happened, that no lives had been lost today. "The next WindClan deputy will be,um, Tallberry." The name jumped out of his mouth, and he froze, stiff with shock. Tallbery! She was dying! But she was a strong, brave, devoted cat, and if Leopardheart healed her she should live for amny moons.
"Tallberry!" Heatherbreeze was the first to cheer.
"Tallberry! Tallberry!" WindClan took up the yowl. Several cats looked at Swiftstorm with a powerful hope that had not been there before.
I really am their leader, Swiftstorm realized.
"We leave at sunset," Leopardheart meowed. The golden tabby padded around camp, tending to the injured.
For my nine lives. To become Swiftstar.
Sunset came quicker than Swiftstorm had expected. Leopardheart padded up to him, her amber eyes shining. This would be her first time seeing a nine lives ceremony. Her mentor, Frostsong, had died a moon and a half ago, and even she hadn't really seen Rabbitstar's. That had been Stormwillow.
"Lets go," the medicne cat meowed.
Swiftstorm nodded, padding out with her. He could see the High Stones in the distance.
The dark cave of the Moonstone yawned in front of Swiftstormand Leopard- heart. "This is it," Leopardheart breathed. She straightened her tail, amber eyes glowing. "Follow me." Leopardheart led the way into the cave. Swiftstorm kept his nose touching the soft fur of Leopardheart's tail-tip; it was too dark to see the ginger she-cat.
Then Swiftstorm and Leopardheart stood before a glowing silvery stone. A hole in the roof of the cave allowed moonlight to filter through. The stone shone like the moon itself.
This is it. The Moonstone.
"Press your nose to it," Leopardheart advised, padding up to the rock. Swiftstorm followed her, and did as the wiry medicine cat said. The Moonstone was cold and hard to the touch. Tiredness eventually won Swiftstorm over; he was weak from Riverclan's and Shadow Clan's attack and the journey, even though it was shortest for WindClan, it still wasn't easy. The thin WindClan deputy drifted into sleep.
Stars swirled around him as his anscestors welcomed him, warm and inviting. Leopard- heart stood off in the background, her amber eyes bright and excited as though she were the one recieving the nine lives. Swiftstorm looked around the ranks of StarClan, feeling slightly overwhelmed. Who will give me my first life? Swiftstorm wondered.
A small, skinny gray tom stepped foward. He raised his head aand stared at Swiftstorm with brilliant blue eyes. Quialpaw! The WindClan apprentic had died in the battle eariler. He had been Swiftstorm's apprentice.
"I give you a life for endless loyalty. Use it to serve WindClan through the good and the bad." Quialpaw had always been very loyal and obediant; just about the perfect apprentice, in Swiftstorm's oppionion. Quipaw's eyes darkened. "There are harsh times ahead, for all the Clans."
He raised his muzzzle to Swiftstorm's, and the new life coursed through his veins. It hurt, in a way, to see such a young cat as a StarClan spirit. Swiftstorm wacthed his former apprentice duck away into the rest of the StarClan cats. A beautiful, slender ginger she-cat took Quialpaw's place.
"Sunheart!" Swiftstorm choked out. His mate had been killed by Riverclan invaders before she had kitted Swiftstorm's offspring. He still mourned her fiercely, even more now.
She rested her muzzle on Swiftstorm's head, and her sweet scent wreathed around him. "I give you a life for love. Warriors fight to protect their Clanmates. Out of love for them. Love is a powerful force."
A sweet, happy feeling filled Swiftstorm, much unlike the life Quialpaw had given. He let out a rusty purr. "Our kits have not gone forever," Sunheart breathed. Of course not- they are in Starclan now!
Sunheart's green eyes shone gently as she stepped back. A black and white she-cat came up. "My life is for pride in WindClan," she meowed boldly as her muzzle touched Swiftstorm's. This was a fierce live, like Quialpaw's. "My name is Duskcloud. Do not ever forget: WindClan is the best Clan and will ever be!"
Swiftstorm wasn't sure about this life. He was purely loyal to WindClan, but he didn't want to go strutting around, bragging about how great WindClan was. That was for the other Clans, especially Riverclam.
"Don't worry, Swiftstorm. You're a humble cat. But it is not wrong to believe your Clan is great," Duskcloud persisited.
"Thank you." Swiftstorm nodded. He may not like this life as much, but he wasn't going to be rude.
Next was a huge golden-brown tabby. Swiftstorm wondered if this cat was even from WindClan; they were normally lithe, wiry cats, but the tabby was large and muscular.
"I am Lionflame. I was born into Riverclan but they abandoned me as a malformed kit." Lionflame showed Swiftstorm his left-front paw, which was twisted. "WindClan took me in. The life I give is to be kind." He nodded of in the distance. "The leader of WindClan before Rabbitstar, Moorstar, took me in, even though I was a Riverclan cat-at that time the worst of all Clans." Lionflame gave a sad smile. "The worst now , too, under Redstar. But Moorstar-she took care of me. She was kind. "
The huge golden tom stooped low to rest his muzzle on Swifstorm's head. Great StarClan, he's huge! Swiftstorm thought. Tall and well-built even for Riverclan, but thin and quick like WindClan. Born of one; turned to another. Lionflame stepped back, his yellow eyes bright, and he was replaced by a slim dark gray she-cat. Poppydusk!
"Hello, Swiftstorm. It is good seeing you, even though not much time as pased since we last met," Poppydusk meowed.
"You too," Swiftstorm purred. "Thank you for fighting them, and saving Rabbitstar and Tallberry."
"You fought, too. I just paid the price of battle." The former WindClan warrior straightened her long, black-tipped tail. "I give you a life for courage. Redstar killed me, as I'm sure you know. You will face many challanges, but do not run away. Stand your ground against them."
She put her muzzle on his, and a sudden adreniline rushed through Swiftstorm. He felt as though he could take on twenty badgers single-pawed! When Poppydusk left and joined her new Clanmates, Redbreeze stepped foward.
The slender ginger she-cat rested her muzzle on top of Swiftstorm's head. "My life is for endeless strength. More cats will die under Riverclan's and ShadowClan's claws. We-WindClan-need to be strong when we get thrown into darkness. Keep your Clan safe, and never lose strength, even if it seems that WindClan are at total lose."
Power surged through Swiftstorm. He felt his muscles flex and claws slid out. Swiftstorm knew he had to stay strong for his beloved Clan. I will use this life as good as I can, Swiftstorm promised.
The seventh cat was a gray tabby she-cat who inturduced herself as Fernstripe, a ThunderClan queen from countless moons before. "I died from greencough, not in battle," she meowed. "The sickness was sudden to attack my Clan, so my life is for farsightedness. Think about what war will bring before declaring it."
Swiftstorm bowed his head."Thank you," he said softly, flinching back as he received the newest life. He looked around. Would his kits give him his last lives? He didn't know how many Sunheart had been carrying. Swiftstorm had always wanted two- a tom and a she-cat.
Instead of a little kit, the eighth cat was Flowersong, who had been killed by Bloodyclaw a moon or so before. "The life I give you is to do whatever is needed to protect WindClan." The young deputy stared at his former Clanmate, confused. Of course I'll protect WindClan! He was a little disappionted that one of his lives was that, but he pushed it away. I should be glad that I am about to become leader of WindClan. Flowersong licked his cheek and the life rushed like a WindClan warrior through Swiftstorm.
He dipped his head and Flowersong returned to the ranks of StarClan. No cat stepped foward. I have eight lives? Swiftstorm tried to push away the disappiontment and worry, but it was in vain. "My ninth life..." Swiftstorm meowed, then trailed off. He hadn't meant to speak aloud.
"She's here somewhere," Lionflame grumbled. Amusement filled Swiftstorm, washing out the worry. StarClan weren't mad at him! The ninth cat had just forgotten.
"Sorry. I'm not used to any of this yet," a scrawny gray-brown she-cat moved forward.
"Rabbitstar," Swiftstorm purred.
"It's good to see you again," his former leader mewed.
"You too," Swiftstorm meowed.
"My life is for you to be determined. Riverclam and Shadowclan continue to threaten us, but you must keep going. Riverclan's rampage is only begining. WindClan need you, Swiftstar."
"Swiftstar! Swiftstar!" StarClan cheered.
"I will do the best to keep WindClan safe," Swiftstar promised.
StarClan faded away. Only Swiftstar, Leopardheart, and Rabbitstar remained. Leopardheart padded up, her head tilted with curious amber eyes."Why did you stay? Do you have something to tell us, Rabbitstar?"
"For Swiftstar's ears only," she told the WindClan medicine cat. "Wake now, Leopardheart."
Leopardheart looked surprise. But loyalty to her leader, even dead, was stronger than her curiosity. She dipped her head and shimmered into the darkness. Swiftstar understood the golden she cats confusion. What could be saidto a young, new leader that an experienced medicine cat should not hear?
Swiftstar turned back to Rabbitstar. "What is it, then?" He asked.
Rabbitstar stared at the young tabby, her green eyes shadowed. "Water brings the greatest darkness. Create a storm to battle the flood of blood. The breeze in the grass will lead the way. Do not let the tide of darkness take over."
What? What did Rabbitstar mean? Its a propechy. But what is its purpose? Swiftstar wondered. "Can I tell Leopardheart?" Maybe she would understand. After all, she was a medicine cat, and trained to decipher StarClan's mysterious omens.
"No!" Rabbitstar snapped. The scrawny brown she-cat lashed her tail. "This is something only you can figure out, Swiftstar."
He dipped his head, his mind reeling. "I'll try," Swiftstar promised. "I'll do my best."