AN: Here's the long awaited Burning Moon! Yes, the title does have something to do with what happens in this book. I've edited the beginning chapter and most of the chapters that follow, so hopefully it will be more exciting than the last book. As for the main characters, you will find out later on and what happened between book four and five.
EDIT: Thanks to Foxbracken for pointing out the ShadowClan apprentices XP When you have so many characters written down there's only so much you can do. As for Lilacpool being a queen already, I'm thinking of explaining that in a side chapter later on :P
Allegiances
ThunderClan
Leader: Stormstar- silver, black and gray she-cat with green eyes
Apprentice: Leafpaw
Deputy: Brackenfur- golden brown tabby tom
Medicine Cat: Cedarpaw- pale ginger tom with green eyes
Warriors:
Mousefur- small dusky brown she-cat
Dustpelt- dark brown tabby tom
Apprentice: Flamepaw
Sandstorm- pale ginger she-cat with green eyes
Apprentice: Emberpaw
Longtail- pale tabby tom with dark black stripes
Brightheart- white she-cat with ginger patches
Brambleclaw- dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes
Apprentice: Frozenpaw
Rainstorm- dark gray tom with blue eyes
Apprentice: Honeypaw
Sootpelt- lighter gray tom with amber eyes
Apprentice: Shalepaw
Sorreltail- tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes
Apprentice: Riverpaw
Squirreltail- dark ginger she-cat with green eyes
Snowstorm- white she-cat with blue eyes
Apprentice: Echopaw
Larchwing- tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes
Birchnose- light brown tabby tom
Apprentices:
Flamepaw- dark ginger tom with amber eyes
Honeypaw- golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes
Shalepaw- dark ginger tom with green eyes
Emberpaw- ginger-brown she-cat with amber eyes
Leafpaw- pale ginger she-cat with green eyes
Frozenpaw- dark gray she-cat with silver-tipped paws and yellow eyes
Echopaw- lighter gray she-cat with yellow eyes
Riverpaw- dark brown she-cat with black stripes along her back; has blue eyes
Queens:
Ferncloud- speckled pale gray she-cat with green eyes, expecting Dustpelt's kits
Whiteleaf- white she-cat with green eyes, mother of Graykit, Streamkit and Toadkit by Sootpelt
Elders:
Goldenflower- pale ginger she-cat
Frostfur- white she-cat with blue eyes
Cloudtail- long-haired white tom with blue eyes; retired early due to loss of leg
Kits:
Graykit- pale gray and white tom
Streamkit- gray she-cat with darker gray-tipped ears
Toadkit- brown and white tom
ShadowClan
Leader: Blackstar- large white tom with huge jet black paws
Deputy: Rowanclaw- ginger she-cat
Apprentice: Hollowpaw
Medicine Cat: Littlecloud- very small tabby tom
Apprentice: Rockfur
Warriors:
Oakfur- small brown tom
Pinepelt- gray she-cat with green eyes
Apprentice: Lizardpaw
Smokefrost- gray and black tom with blue eyes
Tawnypelt- tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes
Talonclaw- pale tabby tom with blue eyes
Lilacpool- pale gray she-cat with green eyes
Flyheart- long-haired gray tom with amber eyes
Apprentice: Shrewpaw
Olivefur- light brown she-cat with amber eyes
Stoneclaw- gray and brown tabby tom
Branchtail- light brown tabby tom
Apprentices:
Rockfur- dark gray tom with yellow eyes
Hollowpaw- tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes
Shrewpaw- light brown tom with patches of ginger in his fur
Lizardpaw- pale brown she-cat with amber eyes
Queens:
Lilacpool- pale gray she-cat with green eyes, expecting Smokefoot's kits
Kits:
None
WindClan
Leader: Mudstar- mottled dark brown tom
Deputy: Tornear- tabby tom
Medicine Cat: Barkface- brown tabby tom with amber eyes
Apprentice: Galewind
Warriors:
Onewhisker- brown tabby tom
Apprentice: Dustpaw
Whitetail- small white she-cat
Morningflower- tortoiseshell she-cat
Milkfeather- creamy brown she-cat with blue eyes
Crowflight- dark gray tom with blue eyes
Apprentice: Wingpaw
Harewhisker- brown and white tom
Swiftbreeze- tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes
Apprentice: Amberpaw
Weaselfur- ginger and white tom
Deerleap- long-legged light brown tom
Lilytail- pale gray she-cat with amber eyes
Apprentices:
Galewind- pale gray tabby tom with amber eyes
Wingpaw- tabby she-cat with amber eyes
Amberpaw- golden brown she-cat with amber eyes
Dustpaw- light brown flecked tom with yellow eyes
Queens:
Tanglefur- long-haired tabby she-cat with amber eyes, mother of Whiskerkit, Gingerkit and Sagekit
Lilytail- pale gray she-cat with amber eyes, expecting
Kits:
Whiskerkit- tabby tom with tufts of fur along his ears
Gingerkit- dark ginger she-cat
Sagekit- pale tabby tom with amber eyes
RiverClan
Leader: Mistystar- gray she-cat with blue eyes
Apprentice: Sandpaw
Deputy: Hawkfrost- dark brown tom with a white underbelly and blue eyes
Medicine Cat: Robinwing- tan colored tom
Warriors:
Mosspelt- tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes
Stormfur- dark gray tom with yellow eyes
Apprentice: Badgerpaw
Feathertail- silver tabby she-cat with green eyes
Sasha- brown and white she-cat with blue eyes; former rogue
Apprentice: Silverpaw
Frogpelt- black tom with amber eyes
Apprentice: Foxpaw
Beaverclaw- huge tabby tom with amber eyes
Apprentice: Ravenpaw
Beechfur- light brown tabby tom
Apprentice: Thornpaw
Pebblespeck- mottled tabby she-cat with amber eyes
Queens:
Mothpool- dappled golden she-cat with blue eyes, white paws, tail and muzzle, expecting Beaverclaw's kits
Minnowtail- dark gray and white she-cat, expecting Hawkfrost's kits
Apprentices:
Ravenpaw- black she-cat with splotches of brown in her fur; has green eyes
Silverpaw- pale gray she-cat with black paws and green eyes
Badgerpaw- black and white tom with amber eyes
Foxpaw- ginger she-cat with blue eyes
Thornpaw- dark brown tom with amber eyes
Sandpaw- pale ginger tom with amber eyes
Kits:
None
Elders:
Dawnflower- pale gray she-cat
Mosspelt- tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes
Cats Outside Clans
Barely- black and white tom; a loner
Ashfur- pale gray tom (with darker flecks) with dark blue eyes; former ThunderClanner
Chapter 1
So much time seemed to pass since the battle against Shadowpelt. Riverpaw sat on her haunches as she recalled what had happened the day of the battle.
Aspenpaw had asked if she could make dirt while the warriors were guarding the camp. No cat had asked to come with her because she was still unstable. Riverpaw had felt sorry for her, though she knew that Aspenpaw would never get over what had happened. In the end Aspenpaw had given her life to save Stormstar.
Riverpaw was now stuck cleaning out the elder's den as her denmates went off to practice their fighting moves. Sorreltail had told her that they would go out later in the evening. But that didn't stop Riverpaw from feeling frustrated with her new mentor.
"Thanks Riverpaw, my nest felt like it went through a wind storm," Cloudtail purred when she removed his old nest.
The long-haired elder was one of the few cats that Riverpaw enjoyed being around. Despite what Cloudtail had been through he always tried to cheer the younger cats up. He had lost his leg during a fight against a fox a moon ago. Riverpaw remembered that day all too well.
"I'm just hoping I don't have to do this all day," she grumbled as she pushed in the new moss.
"Sorreltail's just trying to take it easy on you," Cloudtail meowed. "Give her a chance, I'm sure she'll come around eventually."
When I'm your age, Riverpaw thought with a roll of her eyes.
She decided not to argue about it with an elder. Cloudtail was sympathetic towards Sorreltail. She had lost her daughter during the battle against Shadowpelt.
"Hey Riverpaw, are gonna come join us?" Leafpaw's voice broke the silence Riverpaw had been building. "We're talking about the Gathering that's gonna happen tomorrow night!"
Riverpaw's eyes widened when she realized that there would be a full moon tomorrow night. She had almost forgotten with everything that was going on.
After she and Leafpaw had won the contest that was held a moon ago, they were both allowed to go to the Gathering. She wasn't sure who else would be going, and at this point she didn't care.
"Okay, maybe we'll see some new apprentices while we're there," she meowed.
"Or we can see who is most vulnerable," Frozenpaw chimed in.
Riverpaw nodded in agreement at her friend's words. Frozenpaw was always looking for a good fight. She enjoyed the young cat's company, especially when it came to hunting. Echopaw however was nothing like her sister. She was quiet and soft spoken. She had even said that she was afraid of her sister's violent nature.
"So do you know who is going?" Riverpaw asked as she began to wash her face with her paws.
"I know I'm going!" Leafpaw boasted.
"I think Flamepaw and Honeypaw are going too," Frozenpaw murmured with a roll of her eyes. "Not that they deserve it or anything."
"What about Emberpaw?" Riverpaw tilted her head to one side, suddenly remembering the young ginger-brown she-cat.
Emberpaw was usually spending her time with Honeypaw or Shalepaw, her brother.
"I doubt they'll be going," Leafpaw meowed.
Silence followed Leafpaw's words as Riverpaw thought of what she would see at the Gathering. This was their chance to find out which Clan was going to attack next.
With Shadowpelt out of the Clans they had been strangely peaceful. Not even ShadowClan or RiverClan tried to take territory for the past few days. Riverpaw had picked up their scents at the edge of the border, but that was about it.
Riverpaw knew that the peace would not last forever. Sooner or later one of the Clans would start a fight over something like boundaries.
It's in our nature to fight, she thought with a flick of her tail.
She was surprised at how few cats seemed to care about the sudden peace that shadowed the forest. They were in a vulnerable position when they thought they had nothing to worry about. Riverpaw had a feeling that they were going to get a rude awakening.
AN: I'm loving Riverpaw already, but the next main character is going to be my favorite I think. Yep, there's going to be two main characters in this book, and I'm sure you already know who the second one will be XP I might switch between the points of views of other cats as well depending on how well it fits into the storyline. Don't forget to review!