A fiery orange cat sat staring up at their leader, a super fluffy white tom cat named Puffstar who sat atop Highrock.. The orange cat was named Starkit, for the white star-shaped patch of fur on his chest. He was about to be made an Apprentice. The whole of Thunderclan sat around the Highrock. "Today Starkit is old enough to become an apprentice. Icefire, You will be his mentor. I hope you pass your wisdom and kindness onto him. From now on, Starkit will be called Starpaw" Meowed Puffstar. Icefire, a snow-white she-cat with bright orange eyes, walked up to Starpaw and gave his ear a friendly lick.
"I'll show you around the camp, since you never left the nursery until now" she purred.
"Alright!" Meowed Starpaw.
" The bramble bush over there is the nursery, as you know. It is the strongest part of the camp, because we must protect our kits"
Starpaw had been a sick kit, and never left the nursery. For six moons he stayed in the warm room, longing for the day when he was well and could go outside and become an apprentice.
" The elders sleep near that fallen tree, and the apprentices sleep in the clump of ferns over by that stump." continued Icefire, pointing with her tail.
"the warriors sleep under that bush. The senior warriors sleep in the center, where its warmer. I sleep on the edge, because I'm a young warrior."
" One day I'll sleep in there!" meowed Starpaw excitedly.
Icefire looked at Starpaw with sympathy. The poor cat was secluded in the nursery so long that his energy was pent up and she could tell he was bursting for some action.
" As you know, that big tall smooth rock is Highrock, where Puffstar calls the meetings and conducts ceremonies. Over here in this small cave is where Snowspot's den is. Shes the medicine cat, she took care of you a lot while you were sick. Her apprentice, Sharppaw, sleeps at the end of the fern tunnel over there. You can smell all the healing herbs in Snowspot's den. Outside, over here is where the sick cats sleep".
" It looks cozy, and it smells good, too bad I had to stay in the nursery instead of out here." mewed Starpaw.
'Would you like to go hunting?"
"Sure!"
Starpaw followed Icefire out of the camp and into the forest. Icefire showed him how to prowl through the forest quietly and how to sneak up on prey. After a while of hunting Starpaw got the feeling of being watched, and glanced around. Icefire caught the scent of a cat, but it belonged to neither Riverclan, Thunderclan, Windclan, or Shadowclan, and it was heavily overlaid with the smell of ferns.
Icefire's fur raised along her back. There was a rogue on their Territory! Starpaw would have walked right past the rogue, had it not been for the cat's deep blue eyes. The cat was crouched in the shade of a fern, its black pelt blending in with the shadows easily. The cat gazed out of the bushes at them.
"Look!" meowed Starpaw, staring at the cat.
Icefire hissed at the cat."Leave our territory!"
The cat slowly got to its paws and padded out from under the fern, and then sat there staring at them.
"We don't have to fight, you just have to leave" Starpaw meowed, he didn't like fighting when there was another choice.
The cat didn't move. It didn't even show a sign that it had heard.
Icefire pounced at the cat. The cat dodged swiftly out of the way, and batted at her with claws sheathed.
This cat obviously didn't want to hurt her. Starpaw went to help Icefire. The fight lasted for about 10 minutes, none of them had been able to even hit the cat, and the cat only hit them with claws sheathed.
Icefire stopped fighting and looked at the cat, who was crouched in front of her. Starpaw stood behind Icefire.
"You fight well...I wonder... we could use more warriors, maybe you could join?" Icefire meowed, slowly. The rogue cat's eyes widened, and he looked at Icefire, as if deciding.
Then he blinked and simply said "sure".
Icefire and Starpaw escorted him back to camp, where they got a lot of questioning looks from the other cats. "Stay here" Icefire meowed, with a warning glance at the rogue. She went to Puffstar's den and looked inside. Starpaw looked at the rogue. He really was a very black cat. He would be good for hunting at night. Icefire came back, with Puffstar following her. "who's this?" Puffstar asked.
" We found him in the forest, I think hes a rogue. He fights really well. And we need more warriors, so I thought...Maybe he could stay and be come a warrior" Icefire responded.
"You're right, we do need more warriors...but taking in a strange cat can be dangerous"
" I wont harm or betray you" Now the rogue spoke, his voice was so smooth and kind that you could hardly doubt his sincerity.
"...Alright, You may stay, but as an apprentice. you may be able to fight, but you need to learn the way of the clan" Puffstar meowed. Puffstar jumped onto the Highrock. " May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here under the Highrock for a clan meeting!" he yowled
Cats from all over the camp came and gathered around the Highrock.
"We have a new clan member. He was a rogue but I heard he fights well and we need more warriors.
If you have any protests, Keep your mouth closed. Rogue, from now on you will be known as Midnightpaw. We welcome you to the clan".
"Thank you."
"Midnightpaw, I shall mentor you myself"
Midnightpaw's eyes widened, surprised that the leader had made him his apprentice.
Starpaw walked over to Midnightpaw. "You don't say much, do you?"
Midnightpaw just looked at him.
A white tom with a black foot and green eyes came over to Midnightpaw and hissed " I don't trust you, even if Puffstar does. I'll be watching you" Then stalked off.
"That was Blackfoot, hes not very friendly, or trusting" Meowed Icefire.
Midnightpaw looked after Blackfoot as he walked away, then at Icefire.
"I can see that" He meowed.