Dawn and Tiger

The Beginning

Chapter 1

A pair of eyes looked out at the open Thunderpath. Everything was quiet except for the rustling of prey. A slender gray cat walked out and looked at the pair of eyes on the other side of the Thunderpath. She crossed it and came face-to-face with the eyes.

"Good evening, Rasorfang," the she-cat looked at the eyes. "I was expecting you to be here."

"You are wise, Silverfern, but not wise enough," a muscular black tom walked out of the bush.

"This is no time to fight, Rasorfang. Leaf-bare has made us all weak. Grenncough has struck every camp." Silverfern meowed in a calm voice.

Rasorfang narrowed his eyes. "That is true, Silverfern, but have you forgotten that we aren't all one anymore?"

"Oh, I would never forget. I have only come over for some catnip. Our supplies have gone down. Featherflower and her kits all have greencough." Silverfern looked into Rasorfang's eyes without flinching.

Rasorfang turned around. "Come on, then," he jumped into the undergrowth and rushed away. Silverfern followed him with quick speed.

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The sound of the forest woke him with a start. He looked around and remembered where he was. He got up and yawned.

"Ya up now?" the voice startled him and he turned around. Whitestone stood there with a gleam in his eyes.

"I'm up." He yawned again and stretched his stiff limbs.

"Tigerfur, we can't all sleep in. With greencough we need all the warriors we can get." Whitestone meowed still with a glint in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." Tigerfur meowed. "I guess I must have been really tired."

Whitestone purred, "Oh, Redstar wanted to see you. He's in his den."

"Yes, Whitestone." Tigerfur meowed. He bounded out of the den and into the morning light. "Good trick, Whitestone." Tigerfur mumbled. It was only a little after dawn and Whitestone made him think it was sunhigh.

Tigerfur bumped into a ginger tom. Tigerfur dipped his head. "Sorry, Flameclaw. I didn't notice you there."

"It's alright." Flameclaw meowed. "I was just walking by to see how Dustheart is doing. Yesterday he did end up having greencough."

"Along with his mate and kits? It's becoming tough this leaf-bare." Tigerfur padded on by before Flameclaw had the chance to answer.

"Come in, Tigerfur," the meow sounded from inside the leader's den. Tigerfur pushed his way into the. Sitting upon his nest was Redstar, leader to LightningClan. He was a dappled warrior with a fluffy ginger tail. Tigerfur never got to meet Hazelstar, leader before Redstar, oh, but he wished he had been alive then,

"What do you need, Redstar?" Tigerfur meowed as he looked at his leader.

"I want you to head out toward Tanningstones and see if WaveClan is anywhere near. I'm pretty sure they want to know about Featherflower." Redstar meowed. Tigerfur could tell Redstar still wasn't happy about bringing a WaveClan cat into his Clan, but he had to do it.

"Yes, but shouldn't this be the job of the deputy?" Tigerfur asked. Flameclaw was Clan deputy since he avenged Hazelstar's death by killing Duskcloud right when he needed to. Duskcloud had tried to kill Redstar as a warrior, but Oakstar as a warrior stopped him. No one had believed Redstar's story, but after Flameclaw had listened to Nightflight's story, when she was apprentice to Duskcloud, he believed.

"Flameclaw is busy." Redstar meowed. "I want you to do it instead." Tigerfur nodded and charged out of there. Tigerfur stopped and looked around the busy camp. He looked around to see Dawnpelt make her way toward Silverfern's den. Tigerfur caught up to her.

"What is it, Tigerfur?" Dawnpelt looked over at her brother. Their parents were Dustheart and Featherflower, so Tigerfur guessed she wanted to see them.

"Hello, Dawnpelt." Tigerfur meowed. Dawnpelt just smiled back. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to WaveClan border?"

"What for?" Dawnpelt looked over at her brother with a questioning glance. They both turned to Silverfern's den to see Cobbleheart emerge from there. Dawnpelt went to take a step forward, but Tigerfur stopped her.

"I was just wondering. I don't exactly want to go to enemy borders on my own. Redstar asked me to go there." Tigerfur meowed with a smile to his sister.

"Good idea," Tigerfur and Dawnpelt jumped at the voice. "It would be good to take someone with you to the border." Tigerfur and Dawnpelt turned around to see Redstar standing there.

"Yes, Redstar." Dawnpelt meowed. Tigerfur and Dawnpelt walked out of camp together. "I was going to go see Mom and Dad, but you just had to come up and send me out here with you."

"You can always see Mom and Dad later. Right now we're doing something for Redstar." Tigerfur meowed. "I'm sure you coming out with me won't be so bad."

"Sure, and I can't wait to see vole's fly!" Dawnpelt meowed, then bounded ahead of her brother. Tigerfur sighed and continued on at his normal pace.

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They both made it to the border and looked about. The scents of LightningClan and WaveClan were mixed from the battle not many days ago. WaveClan had wanted Featherflower back, but when they finally got to see her, she refused to go back to her old Clan. Oakstar hadn't been happy with her choice, but the rest of WaveClan had given up.

Tigerfur looked around as he padded toward the river. Dawnpelt followed, but she was more cautious than he was. Tigerfur and Dawnpelt froze as they heard the rustling of undergrowth on the other side. Four WaveClan warriors and an apprentice appeared on the other side of the river. Dawnpelt held her breath as they came closer.

"What does LightningClan want now?" a spotted she-cat took her place at the front of the patrol. She eyed Tigerfur and Dawnpelt with narrowed eyes. Her sleek fur was wet from the swim over.

"We just came with a message from Redstar." Dawnpelt meowed. She looked over at her brother. She didn't know the message at all.

"So, what is it?" a more slender she-cat meowed to the two.

"Redstar wants us to tell you that Featherflower is fine." Tigerfur knew that wasn't the truth since she was down with greencough. Dawnpelt looked over at her brother with a questioning gaze. The WaveClan cats just watched.

"Then we shall see her at the next gathering?" the spotted she-cat asked Tigerfur.

"No, Spottedcoat, you will not see her at the next gathering." Tigerfur meowed with a menacing gaze. Dawnpelt just flexed her claws at the WaveClan cats.

"How come?" Spottedcoat meowed. Tigerfur didn't listen. He turned away and walked up toward the forest. Dawnpelt bounded after him and back into the forest.

"Spottedcoat had no right to question about our Clan." Tigerfur padded on through LightningClan territory.

"She was just trying to get stuff about our Clan out of us. She is an enemy and you know that. She also knows we are still young warriors and could spill anything." Dawnpelt meowed.

"Even if Featherflower gets better, she still has kits to take care of." Tigerfur meowed to Dawnpelt.

"That is-" Dawnpelt felt something knock into her. She stumbled and fell into her brother.

"Ashpaw! Watch where you are going." Tigerfur hissed as he pushed himself to his paws. Dawnpelt got up and looked at the apprentice. The undergrowth rustled and Thornheart appeared.

"Don't' blame Ashpaw." Thornheart meowed. "He was only trying to catch a rabbit, but he messed up." Ashpaw got to his paws and shook the dead leaves from his pelt.

"I didn't just mess up, I messed up big time! I accidentally did the stalk for a mouse not for a rabbit." Ashpaw meowed. Tigerfur's anger eased as he listened to the apprentice. Dawnpelt purred with delight.

"We'd better get back to camp." Tigerfur meowed. "Good luck with hunting." Tigerfur away followed by Dawnpelt.

"Ashpaw's quite an apprentice." Dawnpelt meowed. "I would've liked to be his mentor."

Tigerfur butted his sister with his shoulder. "We were still apprentices when Thornheart got Ashpaw as an apprentice."

"I know." Dawnpelt purred. "Thornheart is a great mentor to Ashpaw. I know he's going to become a great warrior sine he had a great mentor." Tigerfur and Dawnpelt padded on through the forest. It was still cold, but you could tell newleaf was on its way into the forest.