This story is totally OCs. The only non-OCs will be StarClan cats. I am, however, keeping it true to the original books: every battle, death, birth, prophecy from the books have not been changed and therefore have little or nothing to do with the plot. My cats don't have wings or superpowers or unnatural colouring or serious Mary-Sueism. Nor will there be any new Clans, changes in the warrior code, or too much breaking of the warrior code.
x-x-x-x Chapter 1: Squirrel-Brained x-x-x-x
THUNDERCLAN:
Leader: Oakstar—brown tabby tom with amber eyes
Deputy: Redflower—russet she-cat with green eyes
Medicine Cat: Mintblossom—white she-cat with green eyes
Warriors:
Dawnsabre—blue and cream dappled she-cat with unusually long teeth
Apprentice: Rosepaw—tawny tabby she-cat with green eyes
Fawnspot—brown she-cat with white splotches
Barknose—grey tom with brown under-fur
Rowanstripe—brown tabby tom with gold eyes
Apprentice: Dapplepaw—blue and cream dappled she-cat
Asterflight—light brown she-cat with a white splotch on her muzzle
Darkclaw—brown tom with very long claws
Sharpears—cream tom with shredded ears and excellent hearing
Birchflower—grey she-cat with brown under-fur
Queens:
Blueflower—elderly blue she-cat, mother of Stormkit and Creamkit
Elders:
Skytooth—scarred cream tom with unusually long teeth
SHADOWCLAN:
Leader: Silverstar—light grey she-cat with grey eyes
Deputy: Ivyheart—dark grey she-cat with green eyes and white paws
Apprentice: Hawkpaw—tom with dark brown fur and amber eyes
Medicine Cat: Rockleaf—brown and black tabby tom with amber eyes
Warriors:
Nightwing—she-cat with long black fur and blue eyes
Apprentice: Frogpaw—dark grey tom
Lionclaw—large tawny tom with amber eyes
Softfur—white she-cat with amber eyes
Darkpelt—dark grey tom with grey eyes
Crowstripe—brown and black tabby tom
Apprentice: Birdpaw—light grey she-cat
Pinetail—pale brown tom with very long tail
Leafeyes—brown and black tabby she-cat with green eyes
Greyfoot—light grey she-cat with darker paws
Queens:
Whitepatch—Black and white she-cat with a white patch on her chest, mother to Patchkit, Tabbykit, Moonkit, Greykit, and Stripekit
Blackflower-Black she-cat with blue eyes, mother to Shadekit
Elders:
Tabbyfur—black and brown tabby tom
Mistpelt—light grey she-cat
x-x-x-x
"Please can I have my assessment today?" Rosepaw begged, running in circles around her mentor and weaving around the other cats.
Dawnsabre felt ancient around the energetic she-cat, even though her apprentice was only a pawful of seasons younger than her. "I suppose we could…"
"Great!"
"…if Oakstar agrees."
A mouse across the lake could've heard Rosepaw's tail hit the ground. Oakstar was always extra hard on her. The other cats were always on watch for unfair lenience, since she was his only kit. Dawnsabre couldn't stop her whiskers from twitching.
"Which I know he will, because I asked him this morning."
Rosepaw perked up and raced off, vanishing through the entrance tunnel.
With a sigh, Dawnsabre followed her.
x-x-x-x
"Two mice and a pigeon!" Rosepaw cheered. "I'm sure to get my warrior's name!"
"There's more to earning your name than—"
But Rosepaw had gone rushing off again, this time towards the faraway scent of a squirrel, probably out to find the seeds it had buried last leaf-fall. The joke was on the squirrel, for the seeds would have sprouted by now. It was too bad; the new-leaf prey could handle a little fattening up from eating seeds.
Just as Dawnsabre caught up to her, Rosepaw was sinking into a crouch.
She'd get the squirrel in another couple of heartbeats. But the winds changed at the last moment and the squirrel ran. Without hesitating, Rosepaw took off after it, her paws pounding the forest floor as she abandoned stealth in favour of speed.
"Rosepaw, don't!" Dawnsabre called, realising they were beside ShadowClan territory just a little too late. The scent grew stronger, denoting the approach of a patrol.
The tawny apprentice darted over the border without smelling it, scooped the squirrel into the air, and literally ran right into the ShadowClan deputy.
Dawnsabre squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, trying to distance herself from this disaster. Then she opened them and padded up to the border.
Ivyheart loomed over Rosepaw. "What are you doing on ShadowClan territory?" She demanded.
"Erm, definitely not hunting." Rosepaw replied, dropping the squirrel.
One of the warriors in the patrol killed the stunned animal quickly and cleanly, before looking at the prey disdainfully. Dawnsabre was tempted to rake her claws across his muzzle for turning his nose up at perfectly good fresh-kill.
"I'm sorry about my apprentice." Dawnsabre said as politely as she could. "She's easily overexcited. You know what it's like, being eager to pass your assessment."
The attempt at small-talk was wasted on Ivyheart, who beckoned her warriors to fan out in a fighting position. "ShadowClan cats respect borders."
"I'm sure you do. Feel free to take the squirrel," This earned a squeak of protest from Rosepaw, "But I do need to return Oakstar's daughter to him. Don't worry, she'll be punished severely for this." Dawnsabre added the last bit when Ivyheart looked unconvinced.
The dark grey she-cat stepped away from Rosepaw and waved her tail for the patrol to relax. Rosepaw ran across the border and hid behind Dawnsabre, uncharacteristically subdued.
"Try teaching her the warrior code before you make her a warrior." Ivyheart spat, stalking off.
The brown tom who'd killed the squirrel picked it up tentatively.
"Don't worry, it won't bite." Dawnsabre told him patronisingly.
As soon as the ShadowClan patrol were gone, Rosepaw was back to her normal self. "That was fun! Did you see the look on Hawkpaw's face when you said the squirrel wouldn't bite him? And Ivyheart was too scared to fight us! I wish we'd kept the squirrel though."
"You are in huge trouble." Dawnsabre said. "HUGE."
x-x-x-x
"Don't you think Oakstar was a little harsh?" Dawnsabre asked Mintblossom.
The medicine cat folded her paws under her chest. "I find it extremely amusing, actually."
Rosepaw sniffed too closely at a stack of leaves and sneezed. The force of the sneeze sent juniper berries and poppy seeds rolling away from her. Hopping around and trying not to upset any more piles, she chased down the escaping herbs and swept them back together.
"Well, yes, it is rather comical. But is it fair?"
"You warriors are always going on about fair and unfair, right and wrong." Mintblossom replied airily. At the look on Dawnsabre's face, however, she became entirely serious. "Honestly, it doesn't matter unless someone's worse for wear. It won't hurt Rosepaw any to learn a few herbs and do some real hard work."
"Being a warrior is hard work."
"Interpret a sign from StarClan while memorizing hundreds of herbs, and then tell me being a warrior is hard work."
Dawnsabre shook her head tiredly. They'd been through this argument more times than there were stars in the sky.
She caught a shadowy movement: Oakstar walking out of his den and sitting down on Highledge to talk to Redflower He always looked impressive standing on the rocky cliffs. Dawnsabre felt a surge of respect for her former mentor—he was older than her father, who'd already retired to the elder's den, and yet he still led his Clan actively.
"Is Rosepaw getting her warrior name anyway?" Mintblossom asked.
"No, she has to wait another moon." Dawnsabre said, looking sympathetically at Rosepaw. "Speaking of my apprentice, should she be chewing on that leaf?"
Mintblossom leapt up. "Hey! Unless you want the Clan to die when whitecough hits, leave my catmint alone!"
Rosepaw jumped backwards. "Okay, okay, okay!" She said. Then she added more quietly, "Mintbossy…"
Dawnsabre hid her face under the guise of washing her ears so Mintblossom wouldn't see her whiskers twitching as the medicine cat chased Rosepaw in huge, weaving circles around the camp.
Oakstar stood up. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath Highledge for a Clan meeting." He called.
Mintblossom stopped and sat down, leaving Rosepaw racing around until she ran into Skytooth and realized she was no longer being pursued.
"Oops." She whispered, slinking over to sit with Dawnsabre.
"There's been too much activity on the ShadowClan border. I've seen for myself the leaves and pine needles soaked in ShadowClan scent deep within our territory. Tomorrow at the Gathering, I will confront them. If the intrusions don't stop in the next quarter moon, I will be forced to send in a patrol and attack them."