Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, this is only a fan fiction.

Rusty glanced over at Smudge. They were sitting on their garden fences, saying their good-byes. Despite the sadness that welled inside Rusty's heart from leaving his friend behind, the ginger tom was thoroughly excited about his new life. After all his fantasies of living in the forest, he was living his dreams.

"Goodbye, Smudge. I will miss you." He mewed. The black and white kitten looked at Rusty, his eyes sad. Rusty hopped down from the fence, and with one last look at his friend, he strode into the forest.

It wasn't long before he heard pawsteps behind him. Rusty whirled around, claws unsheathed. He froze when he saw Smudge pounding up to him.

"Smudge!" Rusty gasped. "Why are you here?" Smudge looked nervously around him, obviously frightened.

"I-I can't watch you go," he meowed. Rusty felt a rush of annoyance toward his friend.

"I told you before, Smudge, you can't stop me," he hissed.

"I'm not trying to stop you," Smudge retorted. "I'm going with you!" Rusty did his best not to look too amazed. He opened his mouth to protest, but Smudge's determined glare stopped him. The ginger kitten nodded and together, the two friends padded deeper into the forest.

When Lionheart stepped out of the undergrowth to meet them, Smudge leaped into the air, and with his fur bristling, he faced Lionheart, his fear scent overpowering.

"This is Whitestorm," Lionheart meowed. "And who might this be?" he nodded to Smudge. "A friend to see you off?" Rusty shook his head.

"He wants to come." Lionheart looked at the two cats and sighed.

"Bluestar may not approve, but we shall see…" and with that, the golden tabby and his white companion whisked into the forest. Rusty shot a quick glance at Smudge, and both cats followed the two warriors into the forest.

When Lionheart and Whitestorm waded through a pool of water, Smudge took one glance at it and shook his head.

"I'm not going in there." He mewed.

"Come on," Rusty whispered. "We can't show ant weakness or they might send us home." Smudge looked as is he half hoped they might get sent home, but he nodded, and cringing, he stepped into the water. Rusty and Smudge raced after the wild cats, and when they stopped at the entrance to camp, Smudge threw himself onto the ground, gasping for breath. Lionheart and Whitestorm exchanged a smirk, but remained silent, and didn't speak when they lead the exhausted kittens into camp and up to Bluestar.

"Who is this?" the gray she-cat questioned.

"I am Smudge," meowed the kitten. "I have come with Rusty to be a warrior of your Clan." Bluestar examined him for a moment.

"I must speak with my warriors." She decided. "Wait here." Smudge and Rusty flopped gratefully on to the earth. They looked around the camp. Rusty was so intent on memorizing the camp that he didn't notice Graypaw bound up to him.

"Hi Rusty!" he mewed. He turned his gaze on Smudge. Before he could ask who he was, Rusty spoke up.

"This is my friend, Smudge." He announced. Graypaw mewed a quick greeting and sat down with them.

"I don't understand this whole Clan thing." Smudge meowed. Graypaw twitched his tail in amusement.

"It's not hard to remember." He mewed, and he was off, explaining about all the Clan customs, the warrior code, StarClan and the other three Clans that lived in the forest. He had only just finished when Bluestar returned. She flicked her tail at Graypaw in dismissal, and faced Rusty and Smudge. Both kittens leaped to their paws, and the bell on Rusty's collar jingled loudly. He glanced at Smudge, and with a twinge of jealousy, remembered that Smudge didn't wear a collar.

"You are both welcome to join ThunderClan as apprentices" Bluestar meowed. Rusty looked at Smudge, and to his relief, the black and white tom was looking excited. They stood together and watched as Bluestar bounded up onto Highrock and summoned the Clan.

"These two outsiders will be joining the Clan," she yowled. All eyes turned to Rusty and Smudge.

"Are they loners?" a voice sounded

"Rogues?" meowed another.

"Kittypets?" screeched a third cat. Rusty became uncomfortably aware that his collar would give him away.

"Quick, Smudge," Rusty hissed. "Snap my collar." Smudge looked doubtful for a heartbeat but bent forward and gripped the bright blue strap between his teeth. Rusty braced himself as his friend pulled, and pulled harder until, with a satisfying snap, the collar broke. Smudge dropped it to the ground and helped Rusty bury it. Quickly, the cats turned back to Bluestar and with a twinge of unease, Rusty realized that she had seen them bury his collar.

"They smell like Twolegs!" howled a pale tabby near the back of the crowd.

"They aren't wearing collars," a pretty tortoiseshell she-cat pointed out. Bluestar yowled for silence and Rusty turned his gaze back to the Clan leader, though his eyes wandered back to the tortoiseshell more than once.

"They are outsiders," Bluestar called out, and she said no more. The pale tabby was the only one who dared challenge their leader.

"Then how come they reek of Twolegs?" he yowled. Graypaw, who was sitting beside the tabby glared at him.

"Longtail, you mouse-brain," he snarled and he reached out and cuffed the tabby on the ear. It would have been a completely harmless blow, but in his anger, Graypaw forgot to sheathe his claws. His thorn-sharp claws caught around Longtail's ear, and with a screech, the tabby ripped away, causing his ear to tear. Graypaw scrambled away as the tortoiseshell Rusty had seen earlier bounded up to Longtail and pulled him over to a clump of ferns at the edge of camp. Bluestar acted as if nothing had happened and continued with her speech.

"These two outsiders need their names," she meowed, and she flicked her tail to Rusty. "Your pelt glows like flame in the sunlight, so this apprentice shall be known as Firepaw, in honor of your flame-coloured fur. For now, Tigerclaw and Lionheart will share your training." Smudge looked at Firepaw in awe, and gave a start when Bluestar spoke to him. "You are still a bit young to be an apprentice, for now you will stay in the nursery with the other kits, but only for about a quarter moon, until you get an apprentice name. You mentioned that your name is Smudge, so you shall be known as Smudgekit. This meeting is over." As the cats dispersed, Smudgekit let out a low moan.

"I don't want to be called Smudgekit," he mewed. Firepaw pressed his warm pelt against his friend.

"Don't worry, it won't be long before you are Smudgepaw, then you can come training with Graypaw and me." Smudgekit brightened, and hopped off to the clump of brambles that Graypaw had mentioned as the nursery. Firepaw raced up to Graypaw, and the gray tom led Firepaw over to the apprentices' den.