This is a story my friend and I made. We don't own the books, but we own the characters! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter One
Spottedpaw looked above the stones and at her fellow apprentices.
"I say we help." She said, her fur a little shaken.
"But, they're not clan cats! They're loners!" Blackpaw rebelled, his eyes narrowed, "Why should we help them?"
Quietpaw's ear flicked. "Because, they need us." She said, unsheathing her claws.
"Whoa! Don't be mouse-brained!" Blackpaw said, taking a step back.
Quietpaw rolled her eyes. "You're such a kit!" she exclaimed, with a mrow of laughter.
"Come on, stop arguing!" Spottedpaw interrupted, seriously. "The loners need our help."
"Fine," Blackpaw said, knowing if he didn't go, the others would make him fresh-kill, "But if we get caught, you two are gonna be dead!" he spat.
The three cats headed out of their area, tiptoeing pass the sleeping cats' dens.
"Mouse dung!" Quietpaw whispered roughly.
"What!?" both Spottedpaw and Blackpaw replied in unison, but there was no need for Quietpaw to answer. There, at the end of the Lightning Clan camp, were Patcheart and Willowstep, guarding the silent camp.
"How come you two mouse-brains forgot the clan is guarded at sun-down!" said Blackpaw, his pelt ruffling with annoyance.
"Oh sorry, clan leader, you didn't seem to remember either!" Quietpaw hissed.
"Can you two stop bickering for the love of Starclan? We need to figure out what to do, here!" Spottedpaw whispered, annoyed.
"We can just go through that bramble." Quietpaw offered pointing to a spot of bramble with her muzzle.
"Not if you don't want to lose all your fur." Blackpaw said coolly, "I say we go past the warriors den, climb over Sun Rock, and make our way from there."
"It could work…" Spottedpaw mewed, thinking over the plan, making sure nothing could go wrong.
"But, we could easily wake up a warrior that way!" Quietpaw insisted.
"You weren't named Quietpaw for nothing." Spottedpaw reminded her, and she lead the way to Sun Rock.
"I'll go up first!" Blackpaw decided making his way to the edge of the rocky hill.
"Not so fast, mouse brain!" Quietpaw spat, "You're the most clumsy, you're bound to get us caught, if you go first! I say I go first, because I'm the quietest, then Blackpaw, and when he wakes up the whole clan, Spottedpaw can go next, because she's the fastest."
"Alright" Spottedpaw agreed, "Go now, before anyone wakes up!"
Quietpaw made it up the rocky hill as quiet as ever and signaled with her tail, that it was alright for Blackpaw to start heading up. Blackpaw hauled himself up the first giant stone, and awkwardly climbed up the hill, rustling pebbles. Hearing what she thought to be a warrior stirring in his den, Spottedpaw made a run for it. She quickly ran up the hill even before Blackpaw reached the top, himself. Once all three of the apprentices were at the edge of the forest they nodded to each other to continue.
"I don't even see why we're doing this." Blackpaw muttered after a while.
"Because, the loners need our help." Spottedpaw said, matter-of-factly.
"Since when do we care about loners?" Blackpaw mewed, annoyed.
Spottedpaw turned to face him in one quick motion. "If you don't want to help stop innocent cats die, be my quest, and go back to camp!" She hissed, fiercely.
Blackpaw was taken aback, he never seen Spottedpaw so angry before.
"I-I wanna help." He replied, stumbling on the words.
"Good!" Spottedpaw exclaimed, still angry, "Then you better start acting like it!" With that she ran ahead, out of earshot.
"Yikes. I've never seen her so upset." Blackpaw muttered to Quietpaw.
"Yeah, way to go, mouse-brain," she replied, glaring at him. "It takes a lot for her to get upset, and you did that in the matter of a few paw steps!"
"I didn't mean to!" Blackpaw mewed, "I just don't understand why this is so important to her."
"It's important to her because she's a very caring cat. She likes to help everyone, no matter background. You should appreciate that." Quietpaw whispered, as if the whole forest was trying to listen. "Even though she's quiet and small, she has a big heart, and great ideas."
Blackpaw looked down at his paws, "I never knew…" his eyes felt heavy, his body weak, "You must be really close to her, to know so much."
"I guess I am," Quietpaw whispered, "I know I am."
The three apprentices headed toward the deserted twoleg nest in silence, not knowing what was in store for them.
"I'm sorry, Spottedpaw." Blackpaw mewed softly. "I should have been more understanding of what you're trying to do here."
"You're forgiven." Spottedpaw replied, "And I'm sorry I blew up on you, like that."
"I deserved it."
The three apprentices were still making their way to the loners.
"Are we close?" Quietpaw moaned. She was tired, and her feet were heavy, guiding her warily onward.
"Yes." Spottedpaw mewed, "Should be soon. Just above that hill." She pointed to a hill in the distance with her muzzle.
Quietpaw and Blackpaw stopped abruptly and looked at each other, surprised.
Spottedpaw turned her head to face them, "What?"
"That's Cloud Clan territory!" Blackpaw explained, "We can't go there!"
"You two are such kits! We won't get caught."
"And what if we do…?" Quietpaw questioned.
"We won't." is all Spottedpaw said.
When they reached the border to Cloud Clan, Quietpaw and Blackpaw were hesitant.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Quietpaw muttered.
"We're gonna be fine." Spottedpaw reassured them, "Come on." She walked across the border like it was nothing. Quietpaw was hesitant, but she walked across next. Blackpaw sat there for a minute, but made up his mind, and slowly made his way across the border.
"We all should be as quiet as we can" Spottedpaw advised, whispering. With that they made their way through the unfamiliar territory. As they went over the last hill, everyone was anxious. There steps were quiet, and their breathing fast. The sun was rising beyond the next hill, and there in the shadows, was the abandoned twoleg nest.
Without a word Spottedpaw triumphantly ran down the hill and stopped to wait for the other two. Together, they stared for a moment.
"Well, let's go." Spottedpaw mewed and walked around the house to the opening she remembered. It was a small whole, just big enough for a cat to easily fit into. One by one the apprentices squeezed inside.
"Who's here?" a cat yelped in surprise.
"It's only us, Muddy." Spottedpaw replied to the mysterious cat.
As the apprentices walked deeper into the house, a skinny brown tom came into view.
"I'm so happy you're here." the tom said, drowsily, "And who are your friends?"
"I'm Quietpaw, and this is Blackpaw. Nice to meet you." Quietpaw said to the tom.
"This is Muddy." Spottedpaw said to her fellow apprentices. Blackpaw and Quietpaw nodded to him.
"The ones in need of your help are right this way." Muddy said, and signaled for them to follow. He led them to the other side of the room, where four cats lie, sleeping. The scent of illness filled the air.
"Do you know what's wrong?" Blackpaw asked, suddenly saddened by the sick cats.
"No." Muddy sighed, "There were two more, but they died recently. It's such a shame." He said sadly.
"Well, if it's okay we'll spend the night, and make the journey in the morning." Spottedpaw said, tired.
"That's fine with me," Muddy said, his voice cracking, "But I advise you to sleep as far away as these cats as possible. You wouldn't want to catch what they have."
The three apprentices, nodded in understanding. They curled up on the other side of the room.
"Spottedpaw?" Blackpaw muttered, drearily.
"Yes?"
"Thanks for bringing me." Blackpaw mewed, drifting into sleep, "I'm glad I came."
Spottedpaw was cold, her paws numb. There was snow underfoot, stained with blood. She felt small and scared. Something ruffled behind her, and she turned around, frightened, and unsheathed her claws. A gray tom appeared from behind a bush.
Should I attack? She thought, confused and worried.
"No, you shouldn't." the tom answered her thought, his voice like thunder. He walked calmly toward her, the snow crunching under his feet.
"How'd you do that!?" Spottedpaw was confused. She never met a cat like this before.
"No time to explain." The tom said, staring into Spottedpaw's eyes. "A day will come, when all is lost, and only blood will replace the ones you love. When the question is asked, make the right decision."
Spottedpaw was confused, but before she could ask any questions the gray tom vanished. She looked around for the mysterious cat, but only found the blood streaked across the snow. The blood was forming something. Paw prints? Spottedpaw lifted her paw and looked at her pad. It was smeared with blood.
Spottedpaw woke with a jolt.
It was just a dream? She thought to herself, puzzled. No, not a dream… a message from StarClan! StarClan talked to me, while I was asleep! She felt important and excited! A day will come when all is lost, and only blood will replace the ones you love. When the question is asked, make the right decision. The mysterious cat's words turned her excitement into worry. She lifted her head, to find herself in a dark room. She stood frantically. Only until she spotted Quietpaw and Blackpaw fast asleep, did she realize where she was. The journey they took the night before sank back into memory, and she sat back down. She peered out of the gap they entered the night before. It was nearly sun high! She jumped up onto her paws and stood there for a moment stretching. Then she decided without a word to her fellow apprentices that she would go out hunting. She silently crept out of the small opening they had come through the night before and made her way through underbrush until she was in an open field about a mile away from the abandoned barn her friends were sound asleep in.
When Blackpaw woke up, he yawned and looked around for Spottedpaw and Quietpaw. Quietpaw was already awake. She was sitting up licking her ruffled fur. Blackpaw did the same.
"Are you two meeting up with Spottedpaw later on?" Muddy mewed.
Blackpaw jumped. He hadn't expected Muddy to be a fox length away from him.
Quietpaw answered, "Um, no. Why? She hasn't left has she?" Quietpaw and Blackpaw both looked around at the same time. That's when, in unison, they both realized she was missing, and let out a loud meow!
Quietpaw shouted, "Thank you!" to Muddy and rushed out the gap in the wall, signaling with her tail for Blackpaw to follow.
"You're welcome!" Muddy called after her.
Quietpaw and Blackpaw raced around franticly.
"What do we do?" Blackpaw screeched, sounding like a newborn kit. His face was twisted in fright. "We're never gonna find her!" He cried.
Quietpaw whipped around, her tail whacking Blackpaw across the muzzle.
"Shut up!" She snapped. "We're gonna find her. I just have to think." What did Flamepelt tell me to do when we were hunting? She paused for a second to think. She paced a couple tail lengths back and forth. Then finally, it came to her and she shouted, "We sniff her out and look for muddy paw prints."
Blackpaw looked relieved that Quietpaw had figured everything out. His stressed expression faded almost completely. When Quietpaw looked over at Blackpaw she meowed with laughter. Blackpaw's mellow facial expression turned into a look of confusion.
"What's so funny?" He asked, looking around innocently. This cracked up Quietpaw even more so. She rolled around on the ground until her ribs hurt, and she couldn't laugh anymore.
"The look on your face!" Quietpaw couldn't help but to smile. A few heartbeats later Quietpaw and Blackpaw had gone back to work. They endlessly looked for Spottedpaw. Neither of them wanted to give up, but they were both so tired. They decided to stop and rest for a couple of minutes. While they were lying down they washed their mud-streaked fur, which had now hardened from the sun's beating rays.
"Whatchya' lookin' for?" Spottedpaw trotted beside Blackpaw as he weaved through the trees. Quietpaw wasn't too far away; she was just around a clump of bushes.
"Oh hey, we're searching for Spottedpaw, Spottedpaw." Blackpaw told her, without realizing what he said. Spottedpaw couldn't help but grin. She decided to play along. First, she dropped the vole she had caught, by her paws.
"Can I help?" She asked Blackpaw, still grinning.
"Um, sure." Blackpaw wandered around aimlessly, looking hopeless.
"What's wrong?" Spottedpaw asked.
"I'm never going to find Spottedpaw! I knew we shouldn't have left the barn!" He whined in reply.
"Oh." Spottedpaw wanted to burst out laughing, but she only had to hold it in for a little longer. At that time, Quietpaw was padding over with her head down. When she finally looked up she went to full sprint.
"Blackpaw! You found her!" She squealed. Blackpaw stared at Quietpaw as she was running towards him, and looked utterly confused. Then, when Quietpaw rushed over to greet Spottedpaw, Blackpaw finally got what was going on. Now he looked embarrassed and wouldn't meet anyone's gaze for the next couple paw steps. He sat there like a lump while Quietpaw and Spottedpaw wrestled, happily. Eventually he was shouldered aside by Quietpaw and then barreled into on accident by Spottedpaw.
Just after the end of sun-high, they were on their way back to LightningClan with the four sick cats. They were about half-way through CloudClan territory when Spottedpaw picked up another cat's scent. She recognized it as Ravenfur, the CloudClan deputy, whom she had seen at a gathering once before.
"Uh-oh," She sensed danger approaching. She came to a halt, causing Blackpaw to bang into the back of her.
"What's going on?" One of the sick cats asked another, his voice scratched with sickness. Spottedpaw saw all four rogues exchange glances. Quietpaw padded over to Spottedpaw and shook her head.
"This doesn't look too good, Spottedpaw." Quietpaw whispered.
"I know." Spottedpaw replied, looking worried.
As she caught a whiff of CloudClan cats approaching, she called, "Run!" They all, even the rogues, stayed down low and tried to stay hidden. Their luck wasn't very good, though. The wind wasn't in their favor. It was blowing against them, which meant CloudClan could easily detect their scent. Sooner than they expected, they were cornered. The rogues looked petrified and pathetic in their sick state of being. Quietpaw, Blackpaw, and Spottedpaw got in their fighting positions, ready for a gory border battle. This would be their first real fight. The closest thing they ever had to one was when they trained with their mentors in the hollow. A CloudClan warrior named Oakpelt attacked first, followed closely by Ravenfur. Blackpaw instinctively retaliated, while it took Quietpaw and Spottedpaw a second to jump into action. Spottedpaw's reflexes worked well against Oakpelt, but Ravenfur on the other hand was much too difficult to fend off alone. Quietpaw and Blackpaw were lashing out at Ravenfur, claws unsheathed. Spottedpaw looked away from her opponent to see what was happening with the other cats. While she wasn't looking, Oakpelt sliced her nose open. Little droplets of blood were falling all around her. The CloudClan warrior still didn't back down. Quietpaw screeched and Blackpaw pounced. Spottedpaw noticed what a good team her friend's made. Finally though, Spottedpaw bellowed for the apprentices to give up and run away. All three apprentices stopped fighting and instantly started running towards the border, as fast as they could, the rogues right on their tails.
"Darn! They got away, dad!" Spottedpaw heard Oakpelt say to his father, Ravenfur.
The rogues and apprentices had finally escaped the wrath of CloudClan.
Review but no flames, please!