A/N: Starting a new story, again! I think three is the limit for now, even though I'm hardly updating one of my fanfictions. Just, I hope you like this one, and happy new year! *shoots up fireworks* Yaaay!
Dustpaw muttered to himself as he headed through the wooded territory. How dare Icestar tell him he couldn't become a warrior? His sister did, why not him? Now he was stuck as an apprentice for one more whole moon! He couldn't bear it.
"Stupid Icestar!" he growled, clawing the mossy floor beneath him. "Stupid ThunderClan, stupid Fernflower, stupid life!"
His imagination flared. He imagined Fernflower, his sister, being sentenced to exile by Icestar. He imagined himself, as a warrior, chasing her away. He imagined becoming deputy because of his bravery. But none of that could happen because of his stupid, stupid sister!
The memory played in his mind.
—x—
"Come on, Dustpaw! Do it! Cross to WindClan!" Fernpaw and the other apprentices chanted. "Do it, do it, do it!"
Dustpaw puffed his chest out. "Unlike you, I'm brave enough to cross to other land! I'm brave enough to become leader one day!"
Fernpaw snorted. "Yeah, yeah, we know! Just do it already!"
He nodded and raced forward, leaping over the stream that separated WindClan and ThunderClan's territories. He even went a bit further, just for good measure. Turning around, he waved at the others. "Guys, look! I did it, I did it! In your faces!"
The others didn't seem to notice his victorious announcement. Their eyes were widened, almost the size of moons, staring not quite at Dustpaw but behind him. He turned around, following their gaze, and gasped. An angry patrol of WindClan warriors were standing behind him.
"What do you think you're doing here?" a broad-shouldered silver tabby tom growled. Dustpaw recognized him as Robinwing, a highly respected warrior of WindClan.
"Um.. uh.." Dustpaw searched for an explanation.
Robinwing approached him, hissing with his back arched threateningly.
A ragged-looking she-cat stopped him. "There's no need to attack, Robinwing. It's just an apprentice showing off." Her gaze shifted toward Dustpaw. "But that is no excuse for your trespassing. We'll take you to Icestar, and see what he'll do with you."
His head hung with shame, Dustpaw followed the WindClan warriors to his camp. He noticed that Fernpaw and the others were nowhere to be seen. Rotten fox-dung, he thought.
—x—
Dustpaw hissed. They abandoned him. They left him to take the punishment on his own. And now, his ceremony had been delayed for one more moon! I'll never speak to them again, not ever.
A voice interrupted his thoughts. It was Songheart, his mentor. He hadn't even noticed her approaching him, he was too lost in his thoughts before. "I never told you that you could leave camp," she scolded, but her eyes were sympathetic.
Dustpaw didn't answer her, or even look her in the eyes. He turned away stubbornly.
Songheart sighed. "Look. Dustpaw, I know it wasn't just you. And I know that it wasn't your fault."
She was right. It wasn't, for both questions. Fernpaw had dared Dustpaw to cross to WindClan, and said that if he didn't, she'd tell the whole Clan about him liking Redpaw. He blushed furiously at the thought.
"Face it, Fernflower was wrong, and she knows it. She knows that she should have stayed with you, and that she shouldn't have dared you to break the Code. She feels bad," she continued. "She'd love to make it up to you."
Dustpaw whipped around. "How would you know? She hates me and I hate her!" He stared her in the eyes. "Fernflower is the worst! She should be in the Dark Forest when she dies! She killed my dreams!"
Songheart placed her tail on his shoulder. "She told me," she whispered, her blue eyes gleaming with all of her mixed emotions. "She told me all of what I've told you."
Dustpaw looked at her, his chest heaving after his shouting. "She-she did?"
His mentor nodded. "She did. She wants you to know she's sorry."
Dustpaw didn't know what to say. He nodded slowly. "Okay, I guess," he mumbled, trying to hide his relief. His sister did love him. And Dustpaw loved her too.
—x—
The two had reached camp. Dustpaw searched around for his sister's cream-colored pelt, his heart racing. He wanted to fix what had been done—not his warrior ceremony, that was impossible, but with his sister.
"She's not here." Songheart murmured into his ear, noticing his searching gaze. "On her first hunting patrol as a warrior, make sure to congratulate her when she's back. Oh, and she'll arrive around sunhigh. The other apprentices' mentors have nothing in store for them at the moment, and neither do I, so I would go hang out with them for now until your sister comes. Good luck." Giving him an encouraging nod, she left.
Dustpaw nodded back, and spotted the three other apprentices near the elders' den. Foxpaw and Sprucepaw were in the middle of a mock-fight, Redpaw watching on from the side.
"Go, Foxpaw!" she cheered.
Sprucepaw glared at her. "What about me?"
"What about you?" Redpaw asked, mischief lighting up her eyes.
He rolled his eyes and continued fighting with his other sister, Foxpaw.
Dustpaw walked up to them. "Hey."
The two siblings stopped wrestling.
"Um, hi, Dustpaw." Foxpaw mumbled awkwardly. They were still thinking about what had happened not long ago with WindClan.
Dustpaw sighed. "It's fine, okay? I honestly don't care about my ceremony. More time to learn, right?" He was partly lying, but at least it loosened the others up.
"Alright, then, we'll have a battle with all four of us! Redpaw, Foxpaw, you're your own Clan. Think of a name and who's leader. Dustpaw and I will do the same, and then we'll battle!" Sprucepaw announced.
He turned to Dustpaw. "Who's leader?"
Dustpaw shrugged. "You can be. I'll be deputy. Deputy of…"
"WinningClan!"
Dustpaw shot Sprucepaw a weird look, then shrugged. "Okay, then, WinningClan it is."
Sprucepaw nodded. "I, Sprucestar, leader of WinningClan, now announce Dustnose the new deputy!"
Dustpaw, or Dustnose now, purred, then put on a serious face. "Another Clan has been invading our territory! We must attack!" Turning to the others, he asked, "You ready?"
"As ever!" Foxpaw nodded. "Now, She-CatClan! Attack!"
The two 'Clans' leaped at each other, practicing fighting moves on one another. Redpaw faked her death after Dustpaw pinned her and softly, claws sheathed, pummeled her belly.
"No! Redwing! My deputy!" howled Foxpaw.
"Ha! Take that, Foxstar! WinningClan has won!" Sprucepaw declared.
Foxpaw and Redpaw looked at him funny. They, too, thought that was a weird name.
Sprucepaw shrugged. "At least we won."
Dustpaw cheered. He had never had this much fun in his life. Normally, the kits would partake in these kinds of games, but now, that didn't matter. He had actually enjoyed himself.
Grinning, Dustpaw jumped between the other apprentices. "Free for all!" he shouted.
—x—
Alliances
ThunderClan:
Leader - Icestar - white and gray spotted tom with icy blue eyes
Deputy - Owlface - brown tabby tom with white paws and chest
Warriors:
Jayflight - completely ginger tom with yellow eyes
Songheart - white she-cat with dark gray flecks on back and face
Apprentice - Dustpaw
Maplenose - calico-patterned tom with long fur and amber eyes
Poppydusk - pale blue-gray she-cat with white chest and chin
Nightleap - midnight-black she-cat with huge green eyes
Apprentice - Sprucepaw
Silversplash - light gray tabby tom with dark markings and amber eyes
Bramblefoot - white tom with black markings and very sharp features
Badgerspots - gray tom with white spots and dark green eyes
Apprentice - Redpaw
Rainfall - tortoiseshell she-cat with raspberry nose and blue eyes
Featherfur - brown tom with white chest and paw
Apprentice - Foxpaw
Fernflower - cream she-cat with green eyes
Apprentices:
Dustpaw - dust-colored brown tom with white paw and amber eyes
Redpaw - russet she-cat with yellow eyes
Foxpaw - ginger she-cat with white paws and underbelly
Sprucepaw - brown tabby tom with blue eyes
Queens:
Lavenderfrost - pretty tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat, expecting Badgerspots's kits
Berrytail - white she-cat with ginger spots and yellow eyes
Elders:
Snowwhisker - white she-cat with a noticeable notch in left ear and amber eyes
I couldn't be bothered to fill in the other Clans, forgive me. But at least you know the main one. I honestly think this is turning out great. Please check out the wonderful authors that have reviewed and followed my previous stories! The follow, favorite, and review buttons feel lonely… why not give them a press?