Hi there, if you don't know me, my name is Kitty McGold. Thank you for your curiosity in my story, I really hope it suites your taste! Get ready for a tale of drama, romance, mystery, and war... in the north. Please enjoy! Reviews and Criticism are highly appreciated!
Disclaimer: Warriors belong to the Erins, not me.
Allegiances
PineClan
Leader: Redstar-reddish muscular tom with black ears, green eyes
Deputy: Oakfoot-white tom with brown paws, amber eyes
Apprentice, Fleckpaw
Medicine Cat: Starlingcall-small speckled black she-cat, pale blue eyes
Warriors:
Robinpelt-gray tom with white chest fur and tail tip, yellow eyes
Gingerfoot-pale she-cat with a brown front paw, amber eyes
Fallenwing-dark fluffy gray tom with large white spots, yellow eyes
Owlfeather- handsome brown tom, green eyes
Apprentice, Hazelpaw
Brackentail-light tabby tom with brown tail, narrow amber eyes
Darkfang-thick muscular gray tom with black muzzle, blue eyes
Whitegaze-light creamy she-cat with bluish-gray eyes
Apprentice, Tinypaw
Leafclaw-handsome dark brown tabby tom with black paws, green eyes
Apprentice, Ravenpaw
Swiftfur-skinny brown tom with unusual dark stripes going down back, yellow eyes
Apprentice, Shrewpaw
Foxfur-orange tom with white tail tip, bright green eyes
Fawnfur-pretty brown she-cat with white underbelly, tail tip, and paws, blue eyes
Birchleap-light gray tom with tabby markings, soft blue eyes
Apprentices:
Hazelpaw-pretty light brown she-cat with glistening light green eyes
Tinypaw-small fluffy white she-cat with a light gray paw, large blue eyes
Ravenpaw-muscular dusky black tom, piercing yellow eyes
Fleckpaw-dark gray tabby with white underbelly and limbs, amber eyes
Shrewpaw-small sleek brown tom with fluffy black tail and paws, amber eyes
Queens:
Petaltail-pale gray she-cat with white tail tip, amber eyes; mother of Darkfang's kit, Thrushkit, small gray tom with black muzzle and stripes, green eyes
Creamrose-creamy she-cat with white muzzle, underbelly, and tail tip, blue eyes; mother of Fallenwing's kits, Snowkit, fluffy white she-cat with large greenish-golden eyes, Graykit, small dark gray and white tom with blue eyes, and Rosekit, white and creamy she-cat with green eyes; Tinypaw
Elders:
Drypatch-fuzzy pale brown tom, yellow eyes
Webfoot-black tom with big gray paws, amber eyes
RapidClan
Leader: Fallowstar-gray tom with dark gray stripes, icy blue eyes
Deputy: Rainfall-speckled gray tom, amber eyes
Medicine Cat: Lightpool-white and gray she-cat with light green eyes
Apprentice, Silverpaw
Warriors:
Roughstep-large brown tom, amber eyes
Apprentice, Bearpaw
Gorsewave-pale tom with amber eyes
Darkstorm-dark tabby tom with yellow eyes
Copperfur-tannish tom with yellow eyes
Apprentice, Troutpaw
Slushfall-fluffy pale she-cat with gray tail, green eyes
Apprentice, Frostpaw
Ripclaw-muscular gray tom with one black paw, blue eyes
Crookedfoot-light brown tom with awkward back paw, amber eyes
Brownnose-patchy black tom with dark brown nose, amber eyes
Lilyfur-light gray she-cat, golden eyes
Apprentices:
Bearpaw-muscular fluffy brown tom with long claws, amber eyes
Frostpaw-pale tabby gray she-cat with gleaming amber eyes
Silverpaw-light gray she-cat, green eyes
Troutpaw-dark gray tom with one black ear, amber eyes
Queens:
Orangeglow-pale sandy she-cat, unusual orange-like eyes; mother of Ripclaw's kits, Sunkit, dappled orange she-kit with white paws and amber eyes, and Jabkit, dark gray tom with one black paw and blue eyes
Minnowtail-white tabby she-cat with black tail, green eyes; mother of Gorsewave's kit, Tumblekit, short legged gray tabby tom with amber eyes
Mossflower- pretty gray she-cat with white markings, amber eyes
Elders:
Fishbone-black tom with bent tail, amber eyes
RockClan
Leader: Thistlestar-dark brown tom, amber eyes
Deputy: Hawkclaw-muscular gray tabby tom, blue eyes
Medicine Cat: Sagefur-sleek dark gray tom, light blue eyes
Apprentice, Shrubfoot
Warriors:
Sootflank-dark tom with green eyes
Apprentice, Duskpaw
Scarnose-dusky gray tom with a scar going across nose, amber eyes
Lioncall-sandy muscular tom with thick tail, amber eyes
Hollowfoot-white tom with gray back legs, blue eyes
Apprentice, Cloudpaw
Bolderface-light gray tom with dark mask on face, amber eyes
Apprentice, Falconpaw
Shadowfur-dark brown tom with black markings going down back, blue eyes
Softclaw-tall gray and black she-cat, amber eyes
Apprentice, Wingpaw
Brokenface-dark brown tom with many scars on face, amber eyes
One-ear-pale brown she-cat with one ear bitten off, green eyes
Apprentices:
Shrubpaw-black tom with brown fore paws, blue eyes
Cloudpaw-dark gray tom with bluish eyes
Falconpaw-muscular dark brown tom with white chest fur, golden eyes
Duskpaw-dark tom with yellow eyes
Wingpaw-small pale tabby she-cat with amber eyes
Queens:
Sleekfur-smooth light brown she-cat, light green eyes; mother of Sootflank's kit, Nightkit, black and brown tom with green eyes
Ambersurge-pretty pale she-cat with dark amber eyes; mother of Lioncall's kits; Rosekit, light orange she-kit with dark amber eyes, Goldenkit, sandy brown she-cat with large yellow eyes
Elders:
Snapjaw-old shaggy brown tom, blind
Tailtwitch-tabby tom with fluffy tail, amber eyes
FadeClan
Leader: Willowstar-soft furred gray she-cat, narrow blue eyes
Deputy: Graystorm-dark gray tom with yellow eyes
Medicine Cat: Bristleberry-pretty tortoiseshell she-cat, green eyes
Apprentice, Maplepaw
Warriors:
Ivyfeather-dark tabby she-cat, green eyes
Apprentice, Weaselpaw
Applenose-small light she-cat with a very pink nose, blue eyes
Fernpool-patchy light brown she-cat, amber eyes
Apprentice, Featherpaw
Oatfur-dark brown tom with white paws, blue eyes
Frozenfall-white she-cat with one green eye and one blue eye
Razorjaw-tall black tom with long fangs, amber eyes
Daisyleaf-pretty skinny light brown she-cat, green eyes
Apprentice, Sneezepaw
Grasswhisker-brown tom with long whiskers, green eyes
Apprentices:
Maplepaw-golden brown tom, yellow eyes
Sneezepaw-scruffy pale tom, green eyes
Featherpaw-pretty golden she-cat, amber eyes
Weaselpaw-brown tom, amber eyes
Queens:
Milknose-light brown she-cat with creamy nose, blue eyes; mother of Oatfur's kits, Whitekit, small brown tabby tom with white paws, Dapplekit, brown she-cat with dark brown spots and amber eyes, Breezekit, light brown tom with white forepaws and blue eyes, and Tallkit, pale brown tabby with big ears and amber eyes
Swanheart-beautiful white she-cat, blue eyes, deaf, pregnant with Graystorm's kit; Silkkit, pretty white and grey she-kit, green eyes
Elders:
Blueface-gray tom with bluish gray patch on face, blue eyes
Jaggedtooth-old fuzzy brown tom with twisted teeth, pale eyes
XXxxx
Prologue
A pale leaf-bare moon hovered over the horizon of a snow-covered pine forest. As dark as it may have seemed, the whole of StarClan was glistening as a swarm of stars in the patch of Silverpelt. They, combined with milky glare of the moon, cast a glow onto the silent camp of PineClan.
Fallenwing was sitting near the camp's entrance, ignoring the chilling air that blew against his darkened grey and white fur. It was his turn to keep watch for the night, and as much as he desired to curl back into his warm, feather-filled nest, his mate, Creamrose, had just had his kit two moons ago, and he'd do anything to protect them.
A sound made his ear twitch, but it was only Foxfur making his way unsteadily across the camp to Starlingcall's medicine den. From the sickened scent that drifted from the young warrior, Fallenwing could tell Foxfur's stomach was hurting again.
Earlier in the afternoon, he had accidentally eaten a rotten woodpecker that he'd found discarded in the woods. The poor tom probably thought it was his lucky day, finding a juicy piece of fresh-kill all on its own. Fallenwing shook his head sympathetically, remembering the event.
Serves him right for breaking the warrior code.
A moment later, Fallenwing heard Foxfur's wretched gagging and he shuddered. Apparently, hearing that was worse than a cold night.
Suddenly, movement flickered at the corner of Fallenwing's eyes and he sharply twisted his head to see what, or who, it was. Fallenwing squinted and slowly scanned the surrounding undergrowth. It was all covered in snow. Even though it was dark, he'd surely be able to see a figure against it, right?
Another swift movement caught his eye, much clearer this time, and Fallenwing quickly leaped to his paws, which were already unsheathed in seconds. His fur fluffed up at the sense of danger approaching and his first mind was to call a signal of alert his Clanmates.
But before he could utter a sound, something large and heavy barreled into him, wheeling him sideways. Fallenwing hissed in surprise and glared up, but his anger faded as he met the frightened eyes of his best friend, Owlfeather.
"Owlfeather?" Fallenwing snorted. "What are you doing out of camp so late?"
Owlfeather shook his head blindly. "I-It's hard to explain... Please, I need your help, Fallenwing."
Fallenwing tipped his head, getting a better look at the dark brown tom. His fur was ruffled and covered in burrs as if he couldn't give two mousetails about which direction he ran. And there was a hollow, melancholy look in his amber gaze; it was nothing Fallenwing had ever seen before.
"What's happened to you?" Fallenwing asked.
Owlfeather's hesitation was making Fallenwing anxious, until he finally replied, "It's Lilyfur... She's dead..." Owlfeather let his head crane in despair.
Fallenwing was confused. "You mean that RockClan warrior? How could you know this?"
"Fallenwing..." Owlfeather rasped. "Lilyfur was my mate, I loved her..."
Fallenwing drew in a sharp breath. He knew as much as any Clan cat that love could not be shared between two cats of different Clans. It was against the warrior code! Fallenwing wanted to slap the mousebrain across his ears, but he could already tell that Owlfeather was in enough pain as it were.
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Fallenwing continued, "How long how have you both been together?"
"For several moons..." Owlfeather mewed shallowly. "I didn't think it could hurt to befriend her... But then I wanted to see her more, and so did she. We ended up meeting each other on our borders... But then..." Owlfeather trailed off.
Fallenwing leaned forward curiously. "...And then?"
Owlfeather didn't answer, but slowly dragged something in between his paws with his tail. A fluffy bundle with fur similar to Owlfeather's let out tiny, weak mews, nuzzling its little nose here and there at one of Owlfeather's paws.
Fallenwing's fur stood on end. "A kit? You had a kit?!" he hissed.
"Shh!" Owlfeather snapped, pulling the kit closer to him. "Lilyfur died giving birth to it; I was there with her."
Fallenwing couldn't take his eyes off the kit. "But... with Lilyfur dead and a kit born, trouble will arise between RockClan and PineClan! Tell me you've thought this through, Owlfeather!"
But Owlfeather sat there, looking utterly defeated.
Fallenwing sent his eyes up to look at his starry ancestors, hoping for their guidance, then looked back down at his clanmate. "Okay, where's Lilyfur's body?"
"Still near the river, I had to protect our kit."
Fallenwing thought for a moment. "We'll have to bury her body soon, but Redstar has to know about this."
"No!" the terrified warrior gasped. "If he finds out, he'll take our kit away from me!"
"Redstar is a wise and gentle tom," Fallenwing soothed. "He wouldn't do something like that. Although, this kit is halfclan. RockClan has rights to it too. And have you even considered that you might get punished?"
Owlfeather's eyes burned determination into Fallenwing's. "I don't care what happens to me. I care about my kit's safety."
"What's going on here?!" a voice growled out of the shadows.
Fallenwing and Owlfeather flinched and turned at once to see a PineClan warrior, Brackentail, making his way towards them. Owlfeather tried to hide the kit, but it was too late.
Brackentail caught sight of it at once. "Owlfeather? What are you doing with a kit?!" the tabby snarled. "Redstar will want to hear about this." Fallenwing and Owlfeather exchanged a look of horror and watched as Brackentail padded towards the tree stump making out Redstar's den.
Fallenwing glanced sympathetically at his friend, and nudged his shoulder encouragingly. "Come on, the sooner we get this out of the way, the sooner we can bury Lilyfur."
Owlfeather obeyed and slowly got to his paws, carrying the limp kit in his teeth.
Once they were in the middle of the clearing, just near the High-stump, Brackentail padded out of Redstar's den, followed by Redstar himself. His reddish-ginger fur was a dark scarlet in the shadows of the camp. By the look of the ruffled fur clinging to his outlined muscles, Fallenwing could tell Brackentail had been exaggerating the details.
Redstar didn't even greet the warriors as he padded up to Owlfeather and quickly sniffed at the kit. Brackentail wormed around them, watching them a fox, "You see, Redstar? A kit! He's brought a-"
"Silence!" Redstar hissed impatiently. He looked to Owlfeather. "What is the meaning of this?"
Fallenwing was about to explain, but Owlfeather returned his leader's gaze, "I found this kit in the woods." he explained quickly. "I-I couldn't tell if it belonged to any of the Clans, and the warrior code forbids abandoning kits, even if they don't belong to a certain Clan. So I brought it here..."
As Redstar studied him carefully, Brackentail lashed his tail in anger, "You don't actually believe that squabble of lies, do you, Redstar!?"
Redstar glared at him. "I believe in the warrior code. Owlfeather was right not to leave it." He gave the kit a few careful sniffs. "And he's right, it doesn't carry the scent of any of the Clans."
"But-" Brackentail tried to protest.
"Enough," Redstar growled, eyes flashing. "You woke me with fits of a disaster occurring, but this kit is a blessing from StarClan! It will remain here."
Brackentail's mouth fell open in disbelief.
"And Owlfeather," Redstar meowed, turning to the brown tom. "You are a more than capable warrior." He nodded in satisfaction. "When the time comes I shall make you this kit's mentor."
Owlfeather's eyes widened in relief, then clouded in worry. He dipped his head. "Thank you, Redstar."
"But, this kit can't-" Brackentail sputtered.
"And Fallenwing?" Redstar interrupted. "Can you see to it that Creamrose looks after the kit? I know she has a kind heart to put this kit under her care."
Fallenwing quickly dipped his head, exchanging an apprehensive look with Owlfeather. "Of course, Redstar."
Red nodded with a grunt. "Right, that's all for tonight. If everything goes well tonight, I will announce the kit's arrival to the Clan tomorrow." Turning away from the others he started padding back to the den, only to add sternly over his shoulder, "To the den with you, Brackentail."
Brackentail sent the two warriors a glare. "This isn't over, Owlfeather," he spat in disgust. With a swing of his head, Brackentail marched away.
Fallenwing let out a breath in relief. He could tell that Owlfeather was relieved as well.
Owlfeather nudged the kit towards Fallenwing. "Please tell Creamrose to look after my kit."
Fallenwing nodded, pulling the kit closer to him with his tail. "She would happy to, I know it." He glanced over to the camp entrance. "Are you ready to bury your mate?"
Owlfeather sighed. "Yes. I will see to it. You and Creamrose stay with my kit."
"If that's what you want," Fallenwing said.
Owlfeather nodded briskly. "It is."
Fallenwing nodded and watched as his friend rose to his paws and pad away to the entrance of the camp, until he was swamped away from sight by the whitening snow that covered the black forest.
Fallenwing turned away and looked back down at the squirming kit between his paws. "Oh, little one, you are in StarClan's paws now..."