It was night-time when Sharp crouched warily at the border of ThunderClan. He had been there for most of the day and was growing impatient. Didn't the cats of ThunderClan ever patrol this border? He almost laughed, "They're so mouse brained, just like they told me. If they can't protect their borders, this will be a piece of mouse!"
He was a black kit, somewhat large for his age. That wasn't the only thing that made him stand out, though. One of his eyes was green and the other eye was blue. He had many mysterious scars on his body, a record of his battles as a loner. Even though he was so young, he had fought many times to prove his worth. Life was hard where he came from, but it was worth it. He waited, wondering if a ThunderClan cat would ever spot him. That's when he looked out into the forest, for the seven thousandth time, and spotted a golden brown she-cat heading this way. "At last," he muttered.
Bronzegaze the brown she-cat headed along the border, unaware of the black kit hovering on the borderline. She was several fox-lengths away when she finally spotted his black pelt. It was hard to see in the dark, but his different colored eyes seemed to glow in the night. She bounded over to him. "What's an apprentice doing out here? You know better than to cross into another Clan's territory. Who are you?" She glared at him, not knowing that Sharp was just a kit and a loner too.
"I've been looking for someone like you," he said calmly. "Are you from ThunderClan?"
"Yes," Bronzegaze said warily. "What are you doing out here?"
"I would like to join your Clan," Sharp mewed. "I've heard about them and I prefer ThunderClan over any of the other Clans. Could you escort me to your camp?" He wasn't sure if this cat would agree or not, but there was no reason why she shouldn't accept his request. Besides, he thought, I'm only an innocent kit. He wanted to snigger at the thought, but he had to put up a believable act to persuade this cat to take him to her camp.
Bronzegaze narrowed her eyes. She considered the situation carefully. She couldn't just turn him away, even though he was clearly not from the forest. He couldn't be a spy; there was no Clan scent on him, just the overwhelming stench of the Twoleg place. She surveyed his body and gazed at his scars. Someone with that many scars must mean trouble, but I can't turn him away. He's only a kit. I'll let Wrathstar and Wildeyes deal with this, she thought. "I'll take you to my leader. But don't get your hopes up." She paused before adding, "My name is Bronzegaze."
"Thank you," replied Sharp, "I look forward to meeting him."
All of a sudden, a small kit jumped out the bushes and laughed as she knocked Sharp over without noticing. "You didn't know I was here did you?!" She grinned, still laughing.
Sharp missed the laughing and spun around. He hissed, fluffing up his fur to twice his size. The kit yelped and jumped back a few paces, eyes wide with shock and confusion at Sharp's anger. Sharp smirked a little, "I'm sorry, did I scare you?"
"A bit..." Dingokit admitted, grinning, "I'm Dingokit by the way." She was a small, pale golden she-kit, who looked like sprinkled red dust covered her back.
Sharp smiled. "I assume you are a ThunderClan kit also?" he asked.
Dingokit jumped into the air with glee. "You got it!" she replied, still grinning madly.
Sharp sighed, this was taking too long and he was growing impatient. "Now, could you please just show me your camp?" he asked "I've been out here for quite a while and the cold is starting to get to me."
As he said those words, a sleek, brown she-cat leapt from a tree and landed among the gathered cats, "What in the name of Starclan is going on here? Who is this kit?" she mewed fiercely.
"Wildeyes!" Bronzegaze yelped, stumbling back, "You scared me! Why do you always have to do things like that?"
The she-cat called Wildeyes snorted and chose not to answer that. Instead, she looked expectantly at Dingokit. Dingokit fumbled for words, "Um…this is…I actually don't know!"
"I'm Sharp," Sharp said. "I am ah...a loner. I only wish to speak to your leader about joining your Clan. I hope you don't think a kit like me poses any threat."
Wildeyes, snorted agin, "You're not from around here, but you are just a kit. There's not a lot you could do against us if you happened to raise a claw on our clan." She walked over to Bronzegaze and they started talking quietly.
Sharp turned to Dingokit, "Who's that she-cat?"
Dingokit glanced at the cat and whispered, "That's Wildeyes, our clan deputy. She's second in command and pretty much Wrathstar's advisor. When Wrathstar dies, she'll become leader." She grinned, "I have to admit, the name Wildstar does sound really cool."
Sharp snorted, "So she's strong, huh?"
Dingokit nodded, "Strong and smart! But she's extremely loyal to her Clan, just like any warrior. She'd rather die than betray the Clan." She beamed proudly, "She's so cool!" She paused, suddenly shrinking slightly, "But we don't really like being around her at the moment."
Sharp blinked, intrigued, "How come? From what you've told me, she's the perfect warrior of ThunderClan." A total weakling, he thought.
Dingokit shrugged, "Something happened. It's all because of..."
"Are you coming or what?" Bronzegaze asked ten fox-lengths away. "You said something about wanting to come to ThunderClan, Sharp. If you don't hurry, we'll leave you behind!" Wildeyes, who was standing next to Bronzegaze, said nothing.
"Coming," said Dingokit, running up to her.
Sharp sighed, "I guess I'll have to wait." He ran after them, not asking about Wildeyes. Instead, he asked a different question to Bronzegaze, "What is your leader's name?"
"Wrathstar," She responded without emotion, a perfect poker face.
"Why the pre-name Wrath? Do you believe he will let me join?"
"Wrathstar's a very kind and wise cat, and I believe he'll let you join; but I can't read the future," she pointed out.
"Hmm..." he thought. For a moment, Sharp felt a pang of regret for what he was planning. These cats didn't seem like what is father had told him. He shook himself. Turning to Bronzegaze, he said, "Well I am a good fighter and I already know how to hunt."
"That's not all you need to know as a Clan cat. You must also follow the warrior code, and respect each other fairly," Bronzegaze explained.
"Of course," said Sharp. "I am willing to do that; I just need to learn the warrior code." As he said this, he thought to himself silently; them and their weak warrior's code. But he showed no emotion on his face.
Dingokit jumped around happily, smiling, "The clan is a really nice place! You're going to love it when you see it! It's absolutely amazing!"
Sharp smiled at her, "Really? What's it like?"
Before she could reply, Bronzegaze interrupted, "You'll see when we get there."
Wildeyes had stayed silent for most of the conversation, but now she spoke up. "You say you want to learn about the warrior code? Well, you're just a kit. You're not even old enough to become an apprentice," she paused, "unless you're six moons old." Wildeyes glanced back at him, "Are you six moons old?"
"I'm 5 moons old," Sharp replied.
Wildeyes blinked at Sharp. "Okay, I will take you to Wrathstar. Don't do anything stupid, be respectful and stay out of every cat's way. Even if Wrathstar accepts you, everyone will be suspicious. You must prove to us that we can trust you. We might welcome you into our Clan but it's up to our leader to make you an apprentice." Wildeyes turned and headed towards the camp, "Bronzegaze, follow me. Dingokit, stay with Sharp between us. Don't even think about wandering off." She looked at Bronzegaze, "Let's get going."
"Naturally, I will be respectful to the leader and deputy" said Sharp as they walked. "That much I do know and I am quite willing to learn." He glanced at the deputy. It won't be this way for much longer, he thought to himself. But he showed nothing that could be connected to his thoughts.
"Nice to know," Wildeyes snorted unbelievingly.
Dingokit sped up until she wad padding next to Sharp. "It's no fun staying in camp all the time!" she stated.
"I didn't know that kits are out of camp," he said to Dingokit. Such an innocent kit, he thought to himself.
Dingokit nodded, "We're not allowed out of camp until we're apprentices. Apparently, it's dangerous! Mama says I could be caught by a badger or fox or weasel or even a snake!"
Sharp's eyes widened, "A snake? What's that?"
Dingokit blinked in surprise, "You don't know what a snake is?!"
Sharp shook his head, "We don't have those in the Twoleg place."
Dingokit sighed, "It's hard to explain. I've never seen one myself. Mama says it's a slithery thing!"
Sharp sighed, rolling his eyes, "That's a bit vague..."
Wildeyes flicked her tail, "We only get snakes at Snakerocks. You can't find them anywhere else. Kits aren't actually allowed out of camp, but this one doesn't care about that rule; she'll wander off anyway, even though there are many dangers. But you can have as much fun inside as you can outside. Besides, you'll be an apprentice soon," she thought a moment, "maybe, if Wrathstar says so, you and Sharp can train side-by-side." She chuckled; they might even become great friends.
"Hmm ...I like that idea," said Sharp. "I want to learn as much about clans as possible," he mewed, looking around him curiously.
"Well you came to the right clan to learn from. Other Clans would chase you out on sight, kit or not. We're also the best warriors. If you want to learn, learn from us." She paused, "I just hope the knowledge is used in the right way."
"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Sharp, sounding clueless.
Wildeyes sighed, "ThunderClan hasn't always been filled with 100% loyal cats." She looked up at the sky, now brimming with stars, "There's always a cat, at some point, which's so hungry for power that they'll betray their Clan."
For a moment, a pang of regret washed through Sharp. Then he remembered his father and pushed those thoughts away. "That's terrible" Sharp said. "What kind of cat would do that?"
Wildeyes shook her head, as if to clear the bad thoughts. "Never mind, those were the old days. If another cat dares to betray our clan, I'll kill them myself." She suddenly stopped, he eyes wide with horror. "How could I ever say that? I'm not bloodthirsty! I sound like a ShadowClan cat!" She dipped her head in shame, "I've changed. I don't know how. Maybe it was when..." She trailed off.
"ShadowClan?" Sharp asked, "I assume they are another clan right? What are they like?"
Dingokit jumped in "There are four Clans! ShadowClan is one of them!"
"Four clans?" Sharp gasped, trying to sound surprised even though he already knew that. "That's a lot of clans!"
Dingokit nodded, "ShadowClan are the scary ones!"
"Scary?" said Sharp in response to Dingokit. "Why, do they live in a haunted graveyard or something?" he asked jokingly.
Bronzegaze sighed, ignoring Sharp's comment, "It's not hard to say that, out of the four Clans, ShadowClan are the worst. They're harsh and don't like to depend on anyone other than themselves."
Wildeyes looked up, a cold hatred in her eyes. "They're another Clan, yes. They are fox hearted monsters!" She swiped at a rock and sent it sprawling into a bush. She stomped on in a fury, "They killed my mate in battle," she snarled, "I won't ever forgive them. I won't let it cloud my vision though. My only reasons for living now are my kits and clan mates." She quickly shook her fur, shaking off her anger as a snake would shed its skin. "They live in marsh-land. It's sort of misty with fog. All I've seen of their territory is what's in sight from our side of the Thunderpath."
"What is the Thunderpath?" asked Sharp, genuinely puzzled.
"It's a path that the Twoleg's monsters run on. Stay away from it though," Wildeyes warned, "If one hits you, you'll be dead before you can say "StarClan help!""
"Oh wait! I know what you're talking about!" said Sharp. "Where I come from we sometimes call it a Blackpath."
Wildeyes nodded, a twinkle in her eyes, "Yes, because it's black." She paused, "Where do you come from? You can't have simply popped up from nowhere. You have no Clan scent on you, so I guess you're a rogue." She looked Sharp up and down and wrinkled her nose, "You come from the Twoleg place, right? You stink of it."
"Well, my parents were...um... loners. My parents named me...uh...Toby, but I wanted to join your clan so I named myself Sharp. I didn't think that you'd let in a cat who you'd later have to call Tobyfoot or whatever," he mewed. He tried to keep the awkwardness out of his voice. He needed to be more prepared for questions.
"So your parents are loners? Well, where are they now? I'm sure your mother and father are worried about you." Wildeyes blinked at Sharp, "Did you run away?"
"No, my father is dead and my mother is...well I'm pretty sure she is dead too." mewed Sharp, sounding sad and angry.
Wildeyes blinked, there was no pain, shock or hurt in her eyes, only sympathy. "You must be upset," she stopped, sat down and smiled at Sharp. "When my mate died, I was devastated. It was even harder to tell my kits." Tears ran from her eyes, "They kept saying that he was only 'sleeping.'"
"That's terrible" said Sharp. For a moment, Sharp felt bad about what would happen if he went through with his plan but he ignored it. You must not be weak, he astonished himself. Changing the subject, he asked, "How did your mate die?"
"There was a ShadowClan raid, they attacked our Clan. My kits had been up to their usual mischief, getting into trouble. They left the hollow to explore our territory and were found by the ShadowClan cats. My kits ran but one was caught, Moonkit. My mate, Hollowfang, ran to his rescue with a patrol. I was in it, desperate to save my kit. There was a huge battle. My mate died saving our kit." She looked up at the stars. "I won't ever forget him."
"But why would ShadowClan raid? And then try to steal a kit?" asked Sharp. "That seems cold-hearted," he added.
"I don't know why. ShadowClan cats seem to ignore the warrior code. Steal a kit? What could drive any cat, even ShadowClan, to do such a thing? But it gets worse." Wildeyes looked into Sharp's eyes, "They killed Pepperkit as well."
"KILLED! WHAT!?" Sharp yelped in shock.
"Yes, Pepperkit was the youngest of my three kits that were there. When my mate was killed, we won the battle. Little did we know that another ShadowClan patrol was heading in the direction my kits had run? They found them again. We found them but when we got there it was too late."
"Killing a defenseless kit is so... so... dishonorable. They should not even be called warriors!" said Sharp, sounding angry. Sharp growled at the thought. Then with a shock he realized the damage his plans might do. Whatever happens, he thought, I won't let queens and their kits be hurt. "So," said Sharp, "who do you think will mentor me?"
Wildeyes blinked, "Well...I...um. To be honest, I was hoping to mentor you. Over this short time, I've grown to like you a lot. I know I was grouchy at first," she snorted, "I always like to make a good first impression." She looked at Sharp, "Would you like me to mentor you?"
"Wow! What an honor to be mentored by the deputy! I would like that a lot," replied Sharp eagerly.
"Well; it would be an honor to mentor you, Sharp. I will talk to Wrathstar about it. Let's go, we're almost at the camp. Stay close to me when we get there. You never know what might happen." She looked towards the trees ahead. "Sharp, I told you how other Clans would have chased you out. Our Clan isn't that far away from that. There are cats here that would want to chase you out but they will listen to Wrathstar. What he says goes. But I said there can be betrayers, you have to keep your eyes open to see them."
"Alright" said Sharp, moving a little closer to Wildeyes.
She smiled and stepped into the bushes. He reminds me of Pepperkit, she thought. Same black pelt and everything, maybe he's...stop it! He's not Pepperkit, you saw the blood! Something inside Wildeyes made her pause. Could it be? I never did find his body, only blood...
Sharp saw Wildeyes looking at him and looked away. I wonder what she's thinking, he thought.
Wildeyes turned back to let Sharp catch up. "We're close, get ready."
Sharp nodded, padding beside her, "Dingokit said the camp was amazing, is it really that great?"
Wildeyes grinned, padding up to what looked like a tunnel of gorse. "Well, you lived in the Twoleg place all your life. I'm guessing it'll be the most amazing thing you've ever seen, even though it's not THAT amazing, but this is only the beginning to the forest."
Then Wildeyes led Sharp through the entrance to the camp.
"Welcome to ThunderClan..."
