Thanks for looking at this story! I hope you enjoy it. So my friend wrote this story and she wants to see what people think of it so read and review!
Leafcloud yawned. Sun was poking through the pine tree that guarded the CloudClan camp. Stretching, she slipped out from between her brother and best friend- Hawkfire and Mossclaw. Quietly, Leafcloud padded over to the edge of the den- a large ledge about three feet above the ground.
The Cloud Clan camp was very different from the other Clan camps. Situated at the beginning of the "Rocks" (an area that was filled with boulders and led up towards the mountains at the back of the Clan's territory), the camp consisted mainly of a sheer rock wall and a small waterfall that came from the sky. Several niches and crags had long ago been adapted into hollows for the various needs of the clan. The lowest hollow, which had the smallest entrance for protection, was where Ferntalon, the medicine cat healed cats and stored remedies and herbs. The second hollow, whose ledge Leafcloud was now sitting upon, was for the warriors and was the largest by far. Above the warrior den, two more niches rested. One was where Duststar, the Clan's leader slept, and the other was for apprentices. The only other two niches used as hollows were actually behind the waterfall, making them very safe and easy to protect. In one, at the base of the waterfall, was the nursery. Here, kits could safely play in the shallow creek formed by the waterfall's descent, and sleep soundly with the comfort of rushing water nearby. Just above this, the elder cats slept in their own hollow. Luckily for the elders however, their ledge went past their hollow and curved slowly downward, providing them with a safe pathway. The rock wall took care of so many features needed in the clan's camp, that the rest of it seemed rather tiny. The waterfall's creek formed a small pool, where the cats had a fresh supply of water. The large pine tree sat several feet away from this pond, guarding the freshkill pile at its base, and two flat branches served as the place where Duststar could make announcements to the clan. A small mossy area for apprentices to train, and another mossy area for warriors to relax, and the surrounding juniper bushes, completed the camp.
Suddenly the pungent smell of freshkill reached Leafcloud's nose. A hunting patrol was back!
"Leafcloud! Loudstorm took a tumble from the rocks, chasing a squirrel. Will you be able to take his place on dawn patrol?" Rainpool, the clan deputy called to her.
"Sure Rainpool. Will Loudstorm be alright?" She asked.
"You know Loudstorm, he's insisting he's alright, but Ferntalon says he's sprained his paw." Rainpool smiled. Leafcloud smiled back, knowing that Loudstorm would complain until Ferntalon let him go back to his warrior activities out of sheer annoyance. Leafcloud leapt off the ledge, landing softly on the moss-covered ground, before padding over to the freshkill pile. Selecting a plump vole, she headed over to Tigerstripe and Silverstorm, where she sat down and took a bite out of her breakfast. Silverstorm was Leafcloud's parent's daughter from their first litter; Leafcloud and Hawkfire were born in the second litter. So while Silverstorm and her brother Swifteyes were of Leafcloud's blood, they behaved more like friends then family. Tigerstripe was Silverstorm's mate, though they were kitless at this point.
"Hey Leafcloud! I heard you were on dawn patrol as well!" Silverstorm exclaimed.
"Hey! Yeah, I'm on dawn patrol now, should be fun, huh?" Leafcloud matched Silverstorm's enthuisiasm.
"There is nothing "fun" about dawn patrol. It is strictly for protective purposes and should be taken with the upmost seriousness," Tigerstripe said, a mischievious glint in his amber eyes.
"Lighten up Tigerstripe! You sound like Swifteyes! Mother always said he was the most serious kit she'd ever seen!" Silverstorm joked back.
"Stop talking about me!" Swifteyes shouted from above. The three cats turned around, shocked to see him sitting on the ledge. "I can hear you, you know," he continued. Leafcloud couldn't tell if he was truly angry or just joking around, but Silverstorm seemed to believe it was the latter, as she called back,
"Why don't you come join us?"
"Yeah, come join us! Oh, and would you mind waking up Hawkfire? He's due for the next hunting patrol," Leafcloud added. Swifteyes nodded and disappeared back into the hollow. A few seconds later, he and Hawkfire leapt out of the den, and upon landing, raced furiously towards the freshkill pile. Silverstorm and Leafcloud were used to such theatrics from their brothers, and went back to eating. However, a howl made them look up. Beachpelt, who was sitting on the high ledge in the pine tree, looking out for trouble was yelling for the two racing cats to stop. They each attempted to, but their skidding threw a dust cloud into the air, and when it settled, the freshkill pile was covered.
Beachpelt scrambled down from the tree, and in his anger, his fur puffed up, making him look even larger than usual.
"What in StarClan's name were you doing? You've effectively ruined our food supply because you decided to act like apprentices! No, even apprentices would know better! Why didn't you stop?" Beachpelt was spitting at this point, he was so angry.
His yowls caused Rainpool to rush from the Ferntalon's den. "What's going on? Who's hurt? Why are you yell-" Rainpool stopped short. He saw the dust covered food and scowled. "I see. Well. Swifteyes, Hawkfire I want you to see if anything can be salvaged from this food pile. Then I want you to rinse the remaining food off in the pool, and see if anything can be dried out and saved. After that, you too will hunt. And you will hunt until every single piece of food you have foolishly gambled away has been replaced. Do you understand?" Rainpool's voice was angry, and he was clearly trying to use them as an example for what would happen to future wrong do-ers. Hawkfire tried to protest, but Rainpool's glare was so fierce, he looked down at his paws.
Rainpool stalked over to Duststar's den, as the two sorry warriors began to pick through the fresh kill they had destroyed. Silverstorm and Leafcloud looked at each other, their eyes round in surprise. They quickly finished their meal, and then left Tigerstripe, eager to start the dawn patrol. Mudpath was waiting for them at the camp's entrance, impatiently whipping his tail to and fro.
"Come on now. We should get moving, that way we can hunt a little before returning. Those cats won't be able to salvage much, but Rainpool's idea of rinsing the prey and letting it dry will take hours. We need to feed the clan." Mudpath said, matter-of-factly. The two she-cats nodded briefly, and then the three cats turned and raced toward the CloudClan-SunClan border.
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Icepool was hunting. She was on the trail of a water vole, and determined to catch it. Finally, she saw it up ahead, nibbling on the dewy grass. With a quick pounce, and an even quicker bite, the vole was dead and ready to be eaten by a member of MoonClan. Figuring that she had hunted plenty, Icepool walked back, picking up several more pieces of freshkill along the way. Reaching the MoonClan camp, she began to walk up the smooth ramp that the rock made.
The MoonClan camp was a hollowed out boulder, immense in size. The boulder's hollowed out center was a perfect circle. In the very center of this large grassy area, a small rock was surrounded by a little pool of water. This was a good source of water for all the cats, and the rock served as a place for MoonClan's leader, Ripplestar, to make announcements. Parts of the rim of the boulder were hollowed out creating dens for each group within the clan. To the left of the ramp there was a nursery den, and in front of the entrance was a mossy area where the kits frequently played. To the left of that was the warrior's den entrance, and to it's left, the entrance of the MoonClan leader's den. Next to this was the medicine cat's den, and to the next of this, the den for the apprentices. In front of the apprentice den was the training area, and it too was very mossy. The ramp that Icepool was walking upon sloped up, and then back down, into a final hollowed out area that led into the camp. This hollow was very large, and a portion of it had been curtained off long ago by some ivy, making the hidden area the perfect place to store freshkill.
Icepool took this all in, before entering the center of the camp, a juicy fish from the freshkill pile in her jaws. Spotting her best friend, she went towards the entrance of the warrior den and flopped down.
"Hey, Icepool. How'd hunting go?" Pebblepath asked. She was a casual speaker and often yawned in the middle of her sentences.
"Pretty good, Pebblepath. How did the dawn patrol go?" Icepool asked before taking a bite of the succulent fish.
"Good. No real trouble on any of the borders, though that odd scent at the back of our territory was back," Pebblepath's comment alerted Icepool.
"What odd scent?"
"You, know, that scent that's vaguely cat-like and unfamiliar?" Pebblepath, noticing her friend's agitation, ended her statement in a question.
"No, I'm not sure what you're talking about. Maybe you should show me. I've never smelled it or heard anyone else smell it before," Icepool tried to quench the fear slowly rising up her throat and stomach.
"Now? I just finished a meal and I was on watch duty last night too. I was going to take a nap before the evening hunting patrol," Pebblepath whined.
"Pebblepath are you a warrior or not?! Of course we should do it now. The quicker we identify it, the quicker we can tell Ripplestar!" Icepool's panic caused her voice to rise into a shout, and several of the surrounding warriors to look up in alarm.
"Fine." Pebblepath looked annoyed, but begrudgingly rose with her friend. The two were just slipping out of the entrance when the rest of the hunting patrol arrived.
"Icepool! Why are you back so soon? How much prey did you bring back?" Oakfur demanded, surprised that she had come back so soon. Twigtail and Hollyheart looked at her too surprised that she had come back without them. Icepool mentally groaned. She was never going to get closer to Twigtail if she kept coming back from hunting patrols alone!
"Sorry Oakfur! I brought back six pieces of freshkill…I…I didn't mean to come back alone or wander off, I just got into a…zone and couldn't snap out of it," Icepool knew that these excuses weren't really the best, but she hoped the freshkill she brought back was more than she had needed to, and that it would make up for her disregard of the hunting patrol.
"Six pieces! Even Oakfur only brought back four!" Twigtail smiled at her, and Icepool smiled back, excited that he had complimented her hunting skills.
"Well…I suppose since you always bring back so much, it's alright if you hunt alone…but maybe you should bring it up to Ivyfur. Then she can let you be exempt from hunting patrols and hunt on your own, since that's what always happens," Oakfur's suggestion made Icepool's stomach drop. The last thing she needed was for Twigtail to think she was a loner!
"Oh, no I'm sure it won't happen again," Icepool tried to sound like this was all no big deal, but she wasn't sure if she pulled it off, because Hollyheart gave her a strange look. Oakfur and Hollyheart continued into the camp, but Twigtail stayed behind. Icepool glanced at Pebblepath and saw that her friend was amused at her panic.
"Sorry, Twigtail, but, umm, duty calls," Icepool tried to step around him, but he stepped in front of her.
"Not so fast there. Where are you guys going?" Twigtail's manner was completely friendly, and Icepool longed to talk, but she knew that they needed to hurry and check out the scent, without Pebblepath getting in trouble.
"Just…out for a walk. Gotta go, bye!" Icepool rushed past him, and Pebblepath leaped after her, surprised at her friend's rudeness and sudden departure. Icepool sighed. "How am I ever going to get him to love me?"
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Spottedpath was being groomed by his mother Redsky. RedSky was the SunClan deputy and she was usually too busy to pay much attention to him. However, today she had wandered over, shared a rabbit with him, and decided to give him a grooming. He was feeling rather relaxed, until she gasped.
"What?"
Spottedpath looked at her in alarm.
"What's
this cut along your side?" Redsky demanded.
"Oh,
it's nothing, really, don't make a fuss over it," Spottedpath
pleaded. Redsky said nothing, but sniffed the cut suspiciously. And
suddenly, she yanked out a small thorn.
"Ouch! What was…tha-" Spottedpath had tried to stand up, but he
had fainted before he could ask why his mother was trying to rip him
apart.
Spottedpath woke up in Bluesayer's den. He looked around, and
seeing no one in the hollow, he padded to the entrance and looked out
at the SunClan camp.
All of the hollows in the SunClan camp were in a thick briar bush
that formed a circle. Each hollow connecting through secret tunnels
in the briar. The hollow he was in, the medicine cat's hollow had
several grooves along the sides, perfect for storing herbs. On the
right was the leader's hollow. It was the only hollow with a stone
floor and a small indent in the center for rainwater to collect. On
the left, was the largest hollow, for all of the warriors. It was
filled with a thick cushy moss that was the thickest in the center,
where the senior warriors slept. Next to that was the elder hollow,
which also had lots of thick moss. Next came the apprentice hollow,
and next the entrance tunnel. The nursery was on the other side of
the entrance. Each hollow either had a small drinking pool in it or
outside of it, making the water supply far more luxurious than that
of the other clans. Two large boulders were in front of the elder
hollow and the nursery, making them harder to spot by invading
warriors. The one guarding the elder hollow was the place where
freshkill was stored, and the one in front of the nursery was where
Honeystar, SunClan's leader made announcements.
"What are you doing up?" Spottedpath turned around in surprise,
to see Bluesayer, the medicine cat behind him. He stared at her
dumbfounded for a minute. Her electric blue eyes had hypnotized him
it seemed. Luckily, she decided to break the silence.
"You let that wound get infected. Thorns and leaves and dirt were
all smeared in it. You'll need to rest for at least a week before I
can even consider letting you out of here."
"A week! I'm a warrior, I can't be down for that long! SunClan
needs me!" Spottedpath raged. Gone was his shy tongue. How could
this cat expect him to sit around for a week like a kittypet?
"Spottedpath, you let the wound become infected. If you had come to
me when you got it, you would have taken a day off, not a week. But
because you delayed in seeing me, it needs to take longer to heal,"
Bluesayer kept her tone even, even though she felt horrible for
keeping such a strong warrior down for so long.
"Bluesayer! I cannot abandon my SunClan! You'll have to figure out a way for me to just hunt and patrol around it. I mean, until Redsky yanked it out, I didn't even feel it. So that must mean th-"
Bluesayer cut him off. "Enough! Spottedpath, leave the medicine work to me! You can either sit around for a week now, and live a longer, healthier life, or you can go back to you duties, and die the next time we have a border skirmish! Go and lie down, I have to attend to Windkit, he's got a cough. If I come back and you aren't here, I swear the next time Honeystar calls a clan meeting, it will be to banish you!" Bluesayer yelled. She instantly regretted it. Spottedpath looked astonished that she had yelled at him so fiercely. He slowly wandered back to the little bed she had made up for him and laid down in it.
"Spottedpath?"
"Yes?"
"I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to lose my
temper."
"It's alright. I was being silly."
Spottedpath tried to turn and face her but found he couldn't move his neck. "Bluesayer?" But Bluesayer had already left. And Spottedpath realized for the first time that maybe, he should have come to Bluesayer when he had fought with Blackear, rather than try to protect his secret. The secret that could ruin SunClan and CloudClan forever.
