Disclaimer: I do not own warriors, or any of Erin Hunter's (Cedrith Baldry and Kate Cary) characters. The only thing I own is the idea of Smokepaw surviving the fall, and his warrior name, and the names of the BloodClan characters, excluding Purdy. I do not own the concept of BloodClan, or the concept of them needing live prey.
Chapter I
The four clans had left at dawn, to find a new home. They had a long hard journey ahead of them. He had overheard Stormfur of RiverClan telling Leopardstar that there were two routes to Sundrownplace. Sundrownplace was the place the six questing cats had gone to receive a message from Midnight, a badger. Smokepaw's own instincts told him not to trust a badger with the fate of all four clans, but, as he had been told midnight was a special badger, with the intelligence to speak in cat, as well as many other dialects, and she believed in the cats warrior ancestors, StarClan. The clans, after not receiving the dying warrior sign, that Midnight had promised them, had decided to find Midnight and ask her what to do.
Smokepaw was sharing tongues with his best friend Talonpaw, and listen to Tawnypelt explain about the journey. He wondered what faced them on the two routes. Mostly about the route through the mountains, since he was almost certain that they wouldn't go through the Twolegplace with over one hundred with them. Then again, danger also lurked in the mountains.
"...And be careful not to get stuck under any fences. Squirrelpaw got stuck, and while the toms argued, me and Feathertail..."
When Tawnypelt spoke about her lost companion, Feathertail, Smokepaw saw a glint of sadness in her eyes. Feathertail of RiverClan had not returned from the journey. She had died saving the five other questing cats, and the Tribe who lived in the mountains. Smokepaw looked at Crowpaw. It must have been torture for the difficult black apprentice, who had harboured a forbidden love for Feathertail, and for Stormfur, Feathertail's brother. It also must have been torture for Feathertail, knowing that she didn't want to become torn between two clans as her parents had been.
That night Smokepaw slept soundly with a full belly, for the first time in moons. Many cats would not cope with the long journey that lay ahead. Heavystep, a RiverClan elder was losing his hearing, and Longtail of ThunderClan was blind. Even when they got to Sundrownplace, Thunderclan would need a forest, RiverClan would need a fish filled river, WindClan would need moors with rabbits, and ShadowClan would need a pine forest. Nothing would ever be the same.
Just a little closer, and he would be able to get it in one pounce. Suddenly a twig poked painfully into his side, making him squeak in pain. The thrush gave an alarm call, and fluttered up into a tree.
Smokepaw woke up to find Talonpaw prodding him with one fore paw. "Smokepaw! Quick! The clans are leaving!" he hissed in Smokepaw's ear. "Wha?" said Smokepaw, groggily. "It's time to go!" said Talonpaw, "We're gonna get left behind!" Then Smokepaw saw that the other cats were starting to file out the gap in the abandoned twoleg nest the clans had sheltered in for the night.
When the clans were on the move again, trudging slowly through the mud from two days ago rain, they soon came to a thunderpath.
It was decided (or more like argued) that the questing warriors would lead each clan across it. RiverClan crossed first, without any trouble. Now it was WindClan's turn. Smokepaw had thought that WindClan would wait until the monster, that they could hear in the distance, passed, until they would cross. Instead, WindClan's aggressive deputy, Mudclaw, shouldered Crowpaw aside, and lead them across the thunderpath, with the monster screaming towards them.
Smokepaw watched in horror, as the monster got closer and closer. Morningflower, a WindClan elder, fell behind. Smokepaw watched as Firestar, the ThunderClan leader, judged whether he could get to the elder in time, or if the monster was too close. Smokepaw was relieved to see the monster swerve away from Morningflower, until he saw that the monster was headed straight for Firestar. Smokepaw had never seen a leader lose a life, and he didn't want to, so he shut his eyes tight. The sickening crunch never came, so he opened his eyes a tiny slit, to see Firestar almost knocked off his paws, by the buffeting wind of the monster.
When Tawnypelt led ShadowClan, he barreled headfirst into the hedge on the other side of the thunderpath, he was running so fast. ThunderClan's sensible leader, Firestar, let the experienced Brambleclaw lead, so ThunderClan crossed safely.
At the other side, Smokepaw heard a rustle in the dry leafs from leaf-fall. Instinctively, he dropped into the hunters crouch. When he saw the fat mouse nibbling on a seed, he pounced. The mouse tried to run, but Smokepaw, after moons of training, easily snatched it and killed it with one bite. He wasn't hungry, so he decided to take his catch to the elders, with the hope of a story.
When the clans arrived at highstones, the leaders and medicine cats went to mothermouth, and the warriors and some of the apprentices went hunting. Smokepaw asked his mentor, Oakfur, if he could take his fresh-kill to the elders. "Very well. I doubt Blackstar will mind." meowed Oakfur. Talonpaw also asked his mentor, Rowanclaw, for permission to take his rabbit, that he had caught on the way to highstones, to the elders. "Can't hurt." said Rowanclaw, "Looking for a story?" "Yeah." said Talonpaw. "Well go ahead. The ShadowClan elders are sheltering in that hollow over there." said Rowanclaw, indicating with his tail, a hollow in the tallest of the great stones. The two apprentices dashed off, with their fresh-kill in their mouths, to the hollow Rowanclaw had indicated.
"Is that for us?" rasped Boulder. "Yes." said Smokepaw, politely, "Will you tell us a story, please?" "Why don't you tell them of how the great clan cats came to the forest?" meowed Runningnose, looking forlornly at the
ruined, twoleg infested forest that lay behind the clans.
The story reminded Smokepaw of the situation the clans found themselves in now. In the story the four great cat clans had all been forced to leave different places. LionClan had come from the south, LeopardClan had originated in the southwest, and TigerClan had traveled from the east. Boulder was getting to the end of the story in which TigerClan had established their territory in the
old forest, which used to be much bigger.
Suddenly there was some commotion among the leaders. Firestar leaped into one of the great stones. "Cats of all clans!" yowled Firestar, "I have news for you!" "Why does he always have to speak for-" Talonpaw's muttered comment was cut short as Goldenflower, a ThunderClan elder, swiftly swept her tail up to Talonpaw's mouth.
"The four questing cats," Firestar went on, "Have just received the dying warrior sign, on top of the tallest stone here, which Midnight thought was the great rock. A falling star has shown that we must take the path over the mountains." he paused for breath,
"We will leave at sunrise tomorrow!"