Long Road Home

by Swiftriver

The story of a Clan who has lost faith and wandered much too far from their ansetors. 3 apprentices soon become the first cats to be spoken to by StarClan in moons. But can the cats, never taught good about StarClan, accept that they are there to help?

Long Road Home

BreezeClan

Leader: Falconstar - large jet black tom

Deputy: Goldenclaw - large black tom with huge golden-yellow paws

Apprentice: Flamepaw

Medicine Cat: Lilyfoot - small grey she-cat (Riverpelt's sister)

Apprentice: Dovepaw

Warriors:

Rainstorm - grey tom with darker grey flecks

Apprentice: Dawnpaw

Oakfoot - dark brown tabby tom

Foxtail - dark ginger she-cat

Apprentice: Owlpaw

Braveheart - light brown tabby tom

Apprentice: Hawkpaw

Whitefur - white tom

Apprentice: Mistypaw

Swiftriver - small white she-cat with black patches

Shimmerwind - pale brown she-cat

Apprentice: Dustpaw

Riverpelt - blue-grey she cat (Lilyfoot's sister)

Sunstreak - ginger tom

Apprentice: Eaglepaw

Daisytail - tortoiseshell she-cat

Apprentices:

Hawkpaw - brown tom (Falconstar and Shimmerwind's kit)

Eaglepaw - brown tom with white head and tail (Falconstar and Shimmerwind's kit)

Owlpaw - black tom (Falconstar and Shimmerwind's kit)

Flamepaw - black tom with fiery ginger tail tip (Braveheart and Swiftriver's kit)

Dawnpaw - very pale grey (almost white) she-cat (Braveheart and Swiftriver's kit)

Dustpaw - light brown tabby tom (Braveheart and Swiftrivers kit)

Mistypaw - light grey she-cat (Whitefur and Riverpelt's kit)

Dovepaw - white she-cat (Whitefur and Riverpelt's kit)

Queens:

Silverbreeze - silver-grey with black spots (expecting Goldenclaw's kits)

Elders:

Birchpelt - mottled brown tom

PROLOGUE

The young black and white she-cat padded on wearily, hardly able to put one paw in front of the other but determined to keep up with the clan. Her belly was round with kits and she leaned heavily on her mates shoulder for support, his thick tabby fur the only comfort she had left. "Braveheart," she whispered gently, "do you think StarClan have abandoned us?"

It had been three long moons since BreezeClan had been driven from their home by a pack of wild dogs, three long moons of wandering, hopeing, waiting for a sign from above.

"StarClan would never leave us. Have faith, Swiftriver." the tom replied firmly, although even he was begining to have his doubts. As the days went by the distance from StarClan only seemed to grow and grow.

Swiftriver looked around at her clan mates, all had thin pelts stretched over their ribs, no cat had had a decent feed in moons. Swiftriver watched with an aching heart as three young kits struggled to keep up with their mother, Hawkkit, Eaglekit, and Owlkit were barely 3 moons old. "I don't want our kits to grow up like this." Swiftriver mewed softly.

"This can't go on forever, StarClan will guide us to a new home. They have to." The more Braveheart told himself this, the less he believed it. And then one day their warrior ancestors went silent. Whether it was because StarClan had abandoned them, or because they had simply wandered to far made little difference.

Many cat's lost faith, and the clan fell apart. Some stayed with the clan, others went their seperate ways, but as time went by StarClan was no longer mentioned, it was as though StarClan was dead...

CHAPTER ONE

Dustpaw opened his eye's to find himself in the make-shit den he shared with his brother and sister. He yawned and stretched before peering out from under the bush where the apprentices were sleeping that night. It was well before dawn, but Dustpaw had the strange feeling he had been woken for a reason. Careful not to disturb his denmates he slipped out into the night. He pricked his ears, but all he could hear was the soft breathing coming from his sleeping clan mates.

He padded up to where Sunstreak lay sleeping in the middle of a small clearing, the ginger tom had fallen asleep on his watch again! Just as Dustpaw was about to prod the young warrior awake he heard a soft murmur on the breeze. He spun around, trying to decide where the sound had come from.

"Dustpaw..."

He heard the voice again, this time clear enough to make out his name. Curious, he padded into the forest, trying to find the voice. As he padded further the forest became strange, there were more sounds of prey, and the stars seemed to shine down much brighter from the Silverpelt. Dustpaw was positive the clan had not passed through this forest the day before.

"Welcome, young cat."

Dustpaw spun around, unsheathing his claws to see an old grey tom cat sitting with his tail wrapped neatly around his paws. Despite his age he looked sleek and well-fed and the stars seemed to reflect in his fur.

"W-who are you?" Dustpaw squeaked, trying to keep his voice steady.

"I am Breezestar." The tom replied calmly.

Dustpaw gasped, "B-but, you're dead!"

"Do not be frightened, little one." Breezestar meowed gently.

"Are you from StarClan?" the apprentice asked, his eyes round with awe.

The former leader nodded. "The clan has lost faith, Dustpaw."

Dustpaw thought about all the things the clan cats had told him about StarClan, about how their ancestors had abandoned them when they were driven from their home by the dogs. The warrior code was still strong, but the clan no longer looked to StarClan for guidance.

Dustpaw's pelt bristled with fury, how dare they show themselves now! "You abandoned us!" he spat.

"StarClan has never stopped watching over the clan." Breezestar replied.

"You let the dogs drive us from our home! You left us wandering the wilderness alone! Cat's have died because of you!" Dustpaw growled, tearing at the grass.

"We did what we could, we tried to warn the clan about the dogs, but it was too late. We are not all powerful, we were once BreezeClan cats, just like you."

"You still abandoned us!"

"That's not true, we have always been watching over you. But the clan needs to have faith in StarClan if we are to help them." The old tom pleaded.

"StarClan is dead to us!" Dustpaw spat, before turning and running back to the camp.