Can a determined apprentice keep her patience with new arrivals in the den and a confusing story behind her? Will Falconpaw have to leave ThunderClan to be accepted? Story in progress. Please read and review!

Umm... Disclaimer: Nobody will ever own Erin Hunter's cats, unless something crazy happened, like you won a jackpot saying you were the new creater of Warriors or something... Ahem.. Uh... Onto the story.

Clan Cats

Leader:

Moonstar- White tabby tom with gray stripes and forest green eyes

Deputy:

Desertsong- She-cat with sand-colored pelt

Apprentice: Sunpaw

Medacine Cat:

Grasstail- Tom cat with dark tabby pelt and long, waving tail

Apprentice: Eaglepaw

Warriors (Toms and she-cats without kits)

Windstorm- Gray she-cat with blue-green eyes; the eldest warrior

Nightstep- Very dark gray tom with a slight attitude

Dustcloud- Big black tom

Apprentice: Falconpaw

Mistclaw- Silver and white tabby she-cat

Embereye- Coal gray tabby tom with fiery amber eyes

Apprentice: Riverpaw

Duskhawk- Dark grey (almost black) tom with amber eyes

Leafpelt- Golden brown tom

Cloudstripe- Very light gray tabby she-cat

Wetfur- Longhaired blue-gray she-cat with deep gray eyes

Apprentice: Blackpaw

Lightfoot- Swift ginger tom

Nettleclaw- Brown tom

Lizardclaw- Smoke gray tom with one brown hind paw

Apprentices (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)

Sunpaw- Pale ginger she-cat with white paws and chest, a light brown spot on her muzzle

Riverpaw- Auburn tabby tom

Falconpaw- Longhaired tortoiseshell she-cat with silver on her muzzle, chin, chest, and underbelly

Blackpaw- Black tom with golden eyes

Eaglepaw- Dark brown tom with darker stripes

Queens (She-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Swiftbrook- Pale brown tabby she-cat with colorful blue-green eyes. Eldest nursery queen.

Dawnsong- Tortoiseshell and white she-cat

Blizzardpelt- White she-cat

Elders (Former warriors or queens, now retired)

Clawpelt- Ginger-yellow tabby tom with dark stripes. Eldest cat in Thunderclan

Scarfur- silver tom with scarred pelt

Ravenheart- Snappy old qeen with a few missing toes

Kits:

Shortkit- Smallest kit of Blizzardpelt's. White fur with one green eye and one blue eye; she-cat

Nightkit- Black tom with glossy pelt

Heatherkit- She-cat with colorful dappled pelt

Silverkit- Silver tabby she-cat

Story

The laden trees across ThunderClan territory shaded the camp from the hot sun of green-leaf. Silverpelt had disapeared amoung the morning light, and even though it was still early, the blazing sun was heavy on the clan.

The leader, Moonstar, sat in the shade of the Highrock, watching Dawnson'g kits play outside the nursery. The two elders, Clawpelt and Scarfur, lay in the shelter of a fallen hollow tree telling stories to Blizzardpelt's kits, while Ravenheart sat nearby, washing. Everyone seemed to have something to do, except Falconpaw, who lay near the tree stump just outside the Apprentice's den, watching some of the Warriors sharing toungues. She sighed boredly. Maybe Moonstar will ask for a sunhigh patrol. No... It's too early, she thought, sitting up and turning her head to see Grasstail and Eaglepaw leaving through the gorse tunnel. Looking for supplies, Falconpaw figured.

A meow came from behind her. "Falconpaw," the voice said. Falconpaw whipped her head around to see Blackpaw come out of the Apprentice's den. He smiled in greeting. "Do you want to go on hunting patrol? Leafpelt sent me to get Riverpaw, but I suppose he's out with Embereye for some training." Falconpaw brightened. Finally, something to do!

"Alright," she agreed, standing and shaking the dirt from her pelt. Leafpelt came padding up to them. "All set?" he asked. The two apprentices nodded. "Well, then we'll go get Wetfur and be off." He turned and walked off toward the Warrior's den. He stepped inside briefly, then emerged with the gray she-cat behind him. He flicked his tail to signal Falconpaw and Blackpaw to follow him. They padded across the clearing to him, then headed for the gorse tunnel. Falconpaw felt the branches tangle in her fur, but she pushed out, and followed her clanmates up the ravine.

The patrol headed toward sunningrocks, and made their way along before turning toward RiverClan territory. "Smell anything?" Wetfur asked her apprentice. Blackpaw sniffed the air.

"Fox," he answered, then sniffed again. "It's stale though. I smell Vole, and...RiverClan!" Wetfur nodded, saying, "Good."

Leafpelt then put in, "There must be a patrol close by the boarder. We'll just check it out, and then catch some fresh-kill." he set off toward the boarder between the two Clans.

The patrol crossed the rest of sunningrocks, then made their way to their side of the river and the boarder. "I don't see any sign of RiverClan. There must be a patrol close by." Blackpaw mewed quietly, sniffing the air.

"Why not spread out along the river?" Wetfur suggested. "We'd cover more ground. I'll take Blackpaw." Leafpelt blinked his agreement, then led Falconpaw downriver with a twitch of his ear. She followed the warrior with wide, alert eyes.

Falconpaw sniffed the air constantly, often stopping to scent a group of reeds. She pointed out abruptly, "Leafpelt, RiverClan aren't stupid. They wouldn't come over here unless Shadestar really wanted Sunningrocks." Leafpelt didn't take his gaze off the trail, but he muttered half to himself, "Maybe..." A scuffling sound soon caught Falconpaw's attention. She stopped and stared at the clump of reeds. Leafpelt kept padding on, but Falconpaw payed that no heed.

Instinctively, she dropped into a hunting crouch. The noise shifted to the reeds to her right, and yet it seemed larger than prey this time. Falconpaw had only shifted her eyes in curiosity to look, when a white shape pounced at her, bowling her over. The she-cat yowled in surprise, and unsheathed her claws and felt them rake across fur. "That's my prey!" came an enraged hiss from the other cat. Falconpaw twisted and clawed at his back, and snapped her jaws and felt them close on an ear. The cat howled in frustration and slashed at her face. Falconpaw barely moved away when the RiverClan cat tripped over reeds that had gotten tangled on his paws. Falconpaw saught her chance. She forced her enemy down and pressed a forepaw onto his neck, and a hind paw on his flank.

"Get off me!" The cat hissed, twisting under Falconpaw's hold. Suddenly, Leafpelt bolted through the reeds. "RiverClan," he mewed under his breath, coming up to Falconpaw. "Well, it looks like you've caught a tresspasser, Falconpaw." he commented, as Wetfur and Blackpaw suddenly emerged from behind. Falconpaw could see Blackpaw's fur bristle as he growled, "RiverClan! I knew something was up!" His lip curled in a snarl.

Another voice came through the reeds from the RiverClan side, "Release my apprentice!" It spat, emerging from the reeds. Leafpelt spun around.

"Raincloud! What are you doing on ThunderClan territory?" He retorted, lashing his tail at the wet RiverClan cat. The mud-brown tom gestured toward the apprentice tom under Falconpaw's paws. "Retrieving my apprentice. He crossed your boarder without permission, and-" Leafpelt broke in,

"And since when does RiverClan have a say in when it is fine to cross ThunderClan boarders?" He snarled, every hair on his pelt bristling. The white cat squirmed under Falconpaw but she held him down, her ears flat against her head. She was loosing patience. What is with these beetle-brains? She mocked inwardly, the fur on her shoulders standing on end.

Raincloud ignored Leafpelt, and turned to Falconpaw. "You! Release my apprentice at once!" He commanded with a hiss. Falconpaw glared defiantly at him.

"I don't take orders from RiverClan!" She snarled. She looked to Leafpelt, but he didn't seem to notice. He stood glaring at Raincloud. Falconpaw turned back to Raincloud and spat, "Why didn't you have the common sense to keep your apprentice training before sending him out? He's a dunce! Get some sence into his mouse-brain!" Falconpaw lashed her tail, still bristling. She had lost it: all of her patience. These cats were not following the warrior code.
"Silence!" Leafpelt hissed, swiping a sheathed paw over her ear. She fell silent, and glanced at Wetfur and Blackpaw, who were glaring at their enemy cats. Wetfur seemed calm enough as she asked, "Why did you come over here, Raincloud?" She looked from his apprentice, to the warrior. The RiverClan cat stared at her.

"I told you. Rabbitpaw crossed the boarder. He does seem to have bees in his brain. Let him go, and we'll leave without a fuss." He said, glancing at Falconpaw. The ThunderClan apprentice made no move to let Rabbitpaw go, but instead stood looking at Leafpelt.

The golden tom didn't seem to be paying attention to the current situtation. "Leafpelt?" Blackpaw tried to catch his attention. Leafpelt shook his head as if to clear a haze lingering around him. Falconpaw looked questioningly at him. What's eaten him, spat him out, and then eaten him again? She thought with a bit of annoyance. "Leafpelt, I'll gladly run these two tresspassers back across the boarder with no protest." She offered, tensing her muscles and ready to snap at Rabbitpaw and then chase him and his mentor away.

"Go," Leafpelt said with less enthusiasm than when he usually gave an order. Falconpaw sighed. She stepped back from Rabbitpaw and let him up. He jumped away and dashed through the reeds. Raincloud followed more slowly without another word, but an angry lash of his tail.

"My apprentice has had plenty of training..." Falconpaw heard him snap under his breath. She snorted mockingly. But, she did feel proud about leaving Rabbitpaw with a small tear in his ear, and a few wounds on his shoulders. Falconpaw bled from a cut above her eye, and from two horizontal streaks across the side of her face, but they bled less.

"Let's go," Leafpelt suddenly mewed, turning from the boarder and heading back toward sunningrocks. Falconpaw glanced at Blackpaw, but he was already moving off and following Wetfur who disapeared in the reeds just behind Leafpelt. The she-cat apprentice looked back at the RiverClan side of the boarder, then turned and followed her clanmates further into their own territory.

The patrol moved through the trees and up toward Tallpines. Falconpaw often stopped to scent the air, and check where prey scent trails led her. Finally, she was able to spot a mouse scuffling amougst a fern. She crouched low to the ground and stalked toward it, trying to be as silent as if she were the mouse itself. Bunching her muscles, she prepared to spring, when the mouse moved back into the shelter of the ferns. Falconpaw leapt anyway, pushing aside the fern with her paws, and swiping at the little body and killing it with a swift bite. She held her prey in her jaws before dropping it and scraping dirt over it so she could collect it later.

Falconpaw moved lightly through the trees, her paws barely making a sound. She heard the chittering of a squirrel nearby, and lowered her body so she slunk through the bracken. The little gray creature was starting toward a tree, then stopped to nibble on some roots it had dug up. Falconpaw tensed her muscles again, and sprang. The squirrel darted up the tree, but Falconpaw was too fast. She swiped at it, and tore it from the tree trunk. She sank her claws into its body, and bit it at the back of the neck, killing it. She dropped it at her paws and swiveled her ears toward movement behind her.

Falconpaw spun around and bared her teeth in a hiss, only to see Blackpaw slip through the undergrowth. "Gotten lucky, have we?" He meowed with frustration. "I havn't seen so much as a whisker around. Why did you get so lucky with the hunt?" He reclined to his haunches, sighing. The she-cat shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. Stomping through the forest lately, have you, Blackpaw?" She smirked, trying to cheer him up. He didn't look up, but shifted his eyes over to a scuffling amoung a thorn bush. Falconpaw realized he had found something. Quietly, she picked up her prey and left Blackpaw to his hunt, and followed her own scent trail back to her mouse. She picked it up in her jaws and carried her catch along back to where Blackpaw was. He was just placing a second mouse down beside the first when she came in. Falconpaw dropped her prey. "I see you've gotten lucky after all, Blackpaw. Just don't rush things. Be patient, and it will work out." She smiled.

Leafpelt led the patrol back toward the ThunderClan camp. He had managed to catch a squirrel and a blackbird, and Wetfur had caught a magpie, and a vole. The cats moved through the gorse tunnel and emerged in the camp, and toward the fresh-kill pile. The two warriors and Blackpaw quickly deposited their prey in the pile, before hurrying off toward Moonstar. Falconpaw took her time, and placed her catch in the pile as well. She then took a magpie for herself, and a juicy-looking mouse for Lizardclaw, her half brother.

Lizardclaw's mother was Swiftbrook, while Falconpaw's mother was Dawnsong. But their fathers were brothers: Embereye and Duskhawk. Falconpaw deeply cared for Lizardclaw, and would rather call him 'brother' instead of 'half brother', which sounded awkward to her. Falconpaw was almost angry when she saw her brother limping through the gorse tunnel one afternoon with cuts throughout his fur from a quick boarder fight with Shadowclan. She had been even more angry when she heard he had picked a fight with a badger soon after. Lizardclaw had recently been made a warrior, and that was not the smartest thing to do just two dawns after his vigil.

Falconpaw padded toward Grasstail's clearing carrying the fresh-kill in her jaws. She entered through the fern tunnel and saw Grasstail sorting through his supplies inside his den, the shelter of a split rock. Eaglepaw was counting the herbs and roots he had recently gathered and seperating them into different piles. Falconpaw looked around to see Lizardclaw lieing on his side in a patch of sunlight, his eyes half closed at times.
Eaglepaw suddenly looked up, and seemed to be a magnet to Falconpaw's wounds. "What happened?" He asked, standing up and watching her. But Falconpaw was on a trail toward Lizardclaw and didn't seem to notice. She stopped in front of her brother and dropped the prey near him. He opened his eyes and looked up at her. "Oh, hi, Falconpaw. I didn't realize you were here. Is that for me?" He asked, gesturing toward the mouse.

"Yes," Falconpaw responded pushing the prey forward with her nose. Lizardclaw sat up and yawned, then at once noticed her cuts.

"What happened?" He repeated what Eaglepaw had just asked.
"That's what I want to know." Eaglepaw put in, padding toward Falconpaw with a wad of cobwebs on his paw. Falconpaw sighed and quickly explained about Rabbitpaw and how he had attacked her. She told them about Raincloud and how he seemed so intent on showing the ThunderClan cats that his apprentice had plenty of training and was fit. Both Eaglepaw and Lizardclaw listened as Falconpaw told them about that morning. Eaglepaw suddenly stopped pressing cobwebs to Falconpaw's wounds.

"Did you notice this one?" He asked, indicating a long gash along her shoulder. Falconpaw turned her head to look at it. Oh no. Think of something, quick! She thought, searching for something to say. "Uh, no. That wasn't from Rabbitpaw, that's for sure. He was quite strong, but inexperienced, which made him easy to fight. I don't know where that came from." She looked at Eaglepaw, who was looking right back at her with curiosity. Falconpaw rolled her eyes. "All right! I tripped over a sharp rock on the way back to camp, ok?" She groaned good-naturedly.

Eaglepaw nodded in understanding. Falconpaw looked over to Lizardclaw who seemed to be suppressing a laugh. Falconpaw snapped teasingly, "Oh, shut up! You were mouse-brained enough to pick a fight with a badger, so I wouldn't be laughing." She turned back to Eaglepaw and nodded her thanks to him. He walked off and back over to the piles of herbs and roots he had been shuffling through.

Lizardclaw then shrugged as if pushing the matter aside as Falconpaw looked back around. "Anyway," he started, "How is Blizzardpelt?" Falconpaw smiled, also forgetting her clumsiness.

"She's doing well," She answered, bringing up a forepaw to lick it and drew it over her face a couple of times.

"And our kits?" Lizardclaw went on, "How are they getting along?" Blizzardpelt was Lizardclaw's mate, and the youngest of the nursery queens. She also most likely didn't want to let her first litter out of her sight, even if she was only a few tail-lengths away. Falconpaw purred in amusement.

"Well, Nightkit is bossy, as usual. But Heatherkit seems to be straightening him out. Shortkit and Silverkit are well too. Oh! And Dawnsong's kits have already been out of the nursery. It's hard to believe they're that old! But, it will be many moons before they are apprenticed." Lizardclaw seemed to be swelling with pride. He then nodded to acknowledge that Dawnsong and her kits were doing well too.

Suddenly, Riverpaw burst into the clearing and trotted straight to Falconpaw. The she-cat apprentice stood and walked a few paces forward to greet Riverpaw, when he started circling her as if checking her from nose to tail-tip. "I heard what happened," he mewed as if answering Falconpaw's inward question. Falconpaw followed Riverpaw with her eyes and he stopped in front of her. "Are you ok?" He asked, looking in her eyes. Falconpaw looked back at him curiously and a bit disconcertedly. "Riverpaw, I'm fine! I can take care of myself," she insisted. Falconpaw nodded good-bye to Lizardclaw, then left through the fern tunnel and into the main clearing.

Riverpaw came up to Falconpaw and walked beside her. "Sorry," he meowed, stopping with her in front of the apprentice's den. "I just get worried." He added. Falconpaw met his gaze and repeated,

"I told you, Riverpaw. I can take care of myself. Or is that so hard to believe?" She turned away from him and padded into the den. Falconpaw headed straight toward her mossy nest and layed down, folding her paws under her chest. Why is Riverpaw so worried all the time? She wondered, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully.

A momment later, Riverpaw came padding into the den with Falconpaw's magpie in his jaws. Falconpaw followed him with her eyes until he stopped in front of her. He placed the magpie at his paws. "You forgot something," he mewed quietly. Falconpaw looked at him thoughtfully, before saying,

"What happened? You were so care-free." Riverpaw turned and started toward the entrance, murmering,

"Yeah, until you came into the den a few moons ago…" Then he left the apprentice's den. Falconpaw looked down at the magpie. She made no move to eat it, for she had lost her appetite. She thought about what Riverpaw had said. She blinked; remembering one day about three moons ago:

Falconpaw stood by the tree stump just outside the apprentice's den, having finnished talking to Dawnsong, and congradulating her on her kit's birth. Sunpaw padded past her and into the den. Falconpaw followed her inside, and found her sitting just nearby. Falconpaw walked over, and sat next to her. "The kits look healty," Sunpaw meowed. Falconpaw nodded.

"Yeah, they do." She answered, curling her tail over her paws. Falconpaw glanced up and over to Riverpaw, who sat in the corner, staring blankly at her, and looking very odd, as his toungue was sticking partially out of his mouth. She looked at him inquiringly, but he only stared back, looking bemused. Falconpaw tried to give him a hint by licking her lips. Riverpaw blinked, and pulled his toungue back in his mouth, smiling with awkwardness.

Just then, Blackpaw came into the den. "What's eaten him?" He asked, gesturing to where Riverpaw had left. But before Falconpaw could answer, he changed the subject, "Leafpelt talked to Moonstar. He-" Blackpaw broke off and twitched his ears toward the main clearing.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!" came Moonstar's call. Falconpaw shrugged and followed Blackpaw out into the clearing where the Clan was gathering. Falconpaw spotted Riverpaw sitting near the front of the gathering cats, his shoulders hunched. She padded up to him and nudged his cheek with her nose. He turned his head toward her, looking ashamed. "I'm sorry I was-" Falconpaw started, but before she could go on, a frightened yowl erupted from the cats as they parted to let one of their clanmates through. It was Nightstep, badly wounded, with blood dripping from numerous wounds throughout his body. "Moonstar!" He called, limping through the throng of cats. "Mistclaw... Duskhawk... Sunpaw... Dustcloud... Riverclan at Sunningrocks!" He gasped, and collapsed on the ground. At once, Grasstail darted from his clearing with Eaglepaw at his heels to get Nightstep into the den, just as Moonstar lept from the Highrock, yowling, "You heard Nightstep!" He called warriors to him with a flick of his tail as he made his way through his Clan. Leafpelt, Cloudstripe, Nettleclaw and and Windstorm came to him as he said, "Riverpaw, Blackpaw. Come with me." The two apprentice toms stood and padded quickly after Moonstar who was heading toward the gorse tunnel.

"What about me?" Falconpaw spoke up, running after her leader. "You need to stay here and help guard the camp. Desertsong is in charge here." Moonstar explained, leading his patrol away. Falconpaw protested, "Moonstar, my father and my mentor are out there! I can help. Please let me come!" She pleaded.

"No," Moonstar growled firmly, and turned away from her, dashing out of the camp and up the ravine. Riverpaw gave a last hesitant glance at Falconpaw, before dashing after the patrol and disappearing from sight.

"But..." Falconpaw sighed, outraged, but deafeated.

She reclined to her haunches in the middle of the clearing and stared at the gorse tunnel. The rest of the Clan cats had scattered and disappeared into their dens. Blizzardpelt was herding her kits into the nursery and meowing something urgently to them. Lizardclaw then came up to Falconpaw and pushed his nose comfortingly into her side. "What did I do, Lizardclaw?" She asked, before adding, "This could have been my chance to show Dustcloud that I'm ready to be a warrior. But, instead I'm stuck here." What did I do wrong? She repeated the question to herself, looking down at her paws. Lizardclaw shrugged beside her.

"Dustcloud isn't an easy one to impress." He meowed. He then stood and turned, and Falconpaw looked up to see him poke his head into the nursery, most likely talking to Blizzardpelt, then disappear entirely.

It was now past sunhigh, and even though it had been close to this time before, it seemed that Moonstar had been gone for a few dawns. Falconpaw still sat where she had been, kneeding her claws into the earth with anxiety. "Where are they?" Falconpaw whispered to herself. They're just running Riverclan out of our territory, and making sure they don't come back, she tried to reassure herself, but it wasn't working so well. The camp was quiet, and the only sound was the wind sighing through the trees. She turned her head to look around the camp, but nobody was out, not even showing a whisker.

A sudden rustling in the gorse tunnel signalled to Falconpaw someone was coming in. She spun around and yowled, "Lizardclaw!" Her brother appeared from the nursery at once. "Guard the nursery! Someone is coming!" She whipped back around and dashed across the clearing and over to the Warrior's den as Lizardclaw stationed himself between the intruder and the queens and kits. "Everyone! Get out here!" Falconpaw called into the den, and the warriors sped out of the den. Falconpaw stood just to the side of the gorse tunnel as the rustling continued. Desertsong stood in front of the Elder's den, Embereye with her, and Lightfoot stood at the other side of the gorse tunnel. Falconpaw was ready to leap at the cat and tear it to pieces if that was the case, but if it was Moonstar, she was ready to welcome him. However the noise didn't sound casual, but heavy-stepped with unfamiliarity. Falconpaw tensed her muscles.

I'll be updating things in the next chapter soon! Please review!