Alright, so this is my first published story on here although I have been a member for a little more than six months now- yay!
haha!
Firestar: " Wait- .Aa, why did you make Moonpaw so special- more special than me!"
.Aa: *Sigh*" Look, you can't be leader of ThunderClan forever!"
Firestar: *Wails* "So...I'm gonna...die?"
.Aa: " No, not technically...I don't own Warriors, so you're still alive. Just pretend to die when the time comes."
Firestar: O_O ... " Oookay." .Aa: *rolls eyes* " Warriors are such divas these days...impossible to work with them..."
Winka-dinky-wink!
So enjoy- Please Read and Review- Thanks!
Malcolm looked around his home, his eyes darting back and forth as he watched a fly zip around the house. His ears were lazy on top of his head, and his tail hung low, his emerald green eyes dull. He
could think of nothing more dreary than spending your life shut up in a twoleg nest. His twolegs had taken him in not long after he had just started to suckle his mother's milk.
The queen had wailed
and hissed, but they had taken him and his littermates anyway. With a heavy sigh, Malcolm stood on heavy black paws and padded to a window. There he stopped window was…open. Occasionally,
when the twolegs weren't careful enough and didn't close the door in time, the feisty tom was able to squeeze out and run as far as his fat belly would let him before they lured him in with food once
more. Kittypet food was better than nothing as Malcolm had never once hunted in his life. Now the breeze carried strange scents and ruffled his silver pelt.
He fluffed out his fur, protecting himself from
the strong winds. The scents were inviting, and when a mouth-watering smell drifted to his mouth, Malcolm jumped out of the window without a glance back. His twolegs would miss him, but they
would find another cat to shut up in their nest. A rusty purr bubbled through his throat and shook his body as Malcolm raced along the twoleg-nest path, that soon led to the backyard. Gathering up his
haunches, Malcolm propelled himself up the fence and balanced with slight difficulty on it.
It was only now that he resented the hard pellets that had rendered him with a soft, overlarge belly that hung
to low. His whiskers twitched with the embarrassment and he vowed to work it off in some way. The trees became more densely packed, the leaves high above barely letting the sunshine through.
Suddenly, Malcolm stopped short. He smelled cats, their scents tinted with the one of the forest. He recalled the nursery stories his mother had had time to tell him, about wild, huge and vicious cats
that lived out in the forest with no home. Before, his eyes had grown wide at the idea of such cats, but now he wondered if they were right to stay in the wild and away from twolegs; they did nothing
good for you. As he perked his ears, and his heart started pumping loudly, almost drowning out the ghostly paw steps he heard making the floor vibrate. Releasing a screech, Malcolm whipped around,
nearly tripping over his own paws as he tried to get away from the monsters his mother had warned him about.
" Ouf!" Malcolm's breath shot out of his body as something heavy landed on him and he felt the sharp stab of long claws grip at this pelt, threatening to break through to flesh.
" You're not going anywhere kitty pet" the cat growled and swiped his claws at Malcolm's ear, blood dripping down the soft fur.
" Thornclaw! Stop that!" a she-cat mew sounded followed by multiple paws running.
Oh no, I'm never going to come out alive. Malcolm wanted to wail but his kept it in, not wanting the dangerous cats to have to show mercy on him.
Not long after the she-cat had called out, the cat released Malcolm and he stood briskly, turning around quickly to face my opponents. The cat that had attacked him was tabby tom, his pelt reminding
Malcolm of the golden colour of the sunrays that sometimes leaked into the house. The cat behind him was strangely lean for a she-cat, her pelt shiny and her muscles clear under her short white fur,
her green eyes blazing. The tom turned around to the white cat, his eyes constantly darting back at the frightened kitty pet , leaving him no chance to flee.
" Whitewing, we can't just let him stray onto Thunderclan territory, no matter what you believed before, kittypets are not as spectacular as you may think."
Tension rose between the two cats and the green-eyed one spat at the tom.
" I know that mouse brain, but that doesn't mean you have to rip one to shreds."
The tom's hackles raised and he was about to say something in Malcolm's direction when yet another mew sounded, causing Malcolm's fur to rise along his spine, and working on his instincts, his claws
slipped out and dug into the soft earth.
" Both of you step back," the new fire pelted tom's mew was commanding and the two cats that had been here first stepped back to stand among the three new cats.
With the orange cat was another white she-cat, her fur long and fluffy, clearly not as old as the other ones; the last cat was a dark tabby with broad shoulders, his amber eyes hard as they set on the
unknown cat. Malcolm's legs started to shake and threaten to stop supporting him.
" I am experiencing a strange sense of déjà vu." the ginger tom mewed, stealing a sly glance at the dark tabby, " please introduce yourself, and you have my word that I will do the same."
Malcolm's eyes stopped darting from cat to cat and finally set on the tom that had asked him his name.
" Malcolm." he mewed in a whisper, afraid that the cats would all gang up and start attacking him.
The ginger cat nodded once and with his tail, he motioned to each cat in turn.
" This here is Brambleclaw, beside him is Thornclaw and Whitewing, and on my right here is Dovepaw, and I myself are Firestar."
Malcolm ran over the names, associating them with each cat, not wanting to misname any cat in fear of insulting one. The dark tabby was Brambleclaw, the tom that had attacked him was named
Thornclaw- and Malcolm could easily guess why -, the white she-cat with the green eyes was Whitewing, the other white one Dovepaw, and the ginger tom Firestar. Malcolm hoped he would be able to
remember them all. He dipped his head and sat down, wrapping his tail over his paws and fluffed out his fur in attempt to keep warm. Firestar dipped his head to one side.
" Where do you come from?"
Malcolm rose his head from a quick lick as his chest.
" The twoleg place. Back there." Malcolm motioned vaguely to where his twoleg's nest was, not wanting to give these cats a chance to find him there.
" Do you like it there?" Firestar's eyes sparked with some sort of emotion.
Malcolm shook his head.
" No. I ran away just now, and was enjoying the forest when he, um Thornclaw, attacked me." Malcolm pointed his tail at Thornclaw.
Firestar's whiskers twitched as if in amusement." Come with us. I will ensure that no one hurts you again. You can have a home with us."
" Firestar!" the hiss came from Brambleclaw as he stared at Firestar, his tail whisking through the air.
The other cats looked shocked and uncomfortable as their paws shifted on the soft earth. Firestar turned his head to meet Brambleclaw's gaze. He bent his head low and close to Brambleclaw's,
whispering something.
Trying to hear better, Malcolm bent down as if to give his belly a quick grooming and pointed his ears toward Firestar.
" The Blue Fire reigned the forest once, the Flame following. Next will come the Silver of the Moon that will shine brighter than Fire and Flame."
The words did not make sense to Malcolm, but as Firestar whispered them, a sense of foreboding drooped over him. Shivers crawled through his whole body and he shook his head as though to clear
it.
Brambleclaw gazed at Firestar some time more and then finally dipped his head and mewed.
" Very well. I cannot argue with those words. But how can you be sure it's him?" his fur lay flat again and his eyes were slightly softer as he looked at Malcolm once more, curiosity colouring his amber
eyes.
Firestar stood taller." Look at the situation and compare it to mine. How can it not be him? Starclan is wise." Firestar purred slightly and beckoned a quick flick of his tail.
Thornclaw stalked away, growling deep within his chest while Firestar and Brambleclaw each took sides and flanked Malcolm as Whitewing and Dovepaw took the rear. They padded silently through
the forest, the leaves of leaf-fall colouring the ground and crunching beneath their paws. Malcolm's eyes darted everywhere at once, trying to recognize where he was, but it was impossible as he had
never set paw further than his twoleg's backyard, never mind this deep into the forest.
" I will introduce you to my clan; I am their leader, and once that has been done, I will bring you into my den to teach you everything about being a clan cat." Firestar's breath ruffled Malcolm's ear fur,
his words confusing him so much more.
Dens? Leader? Clan cat? He guessed he would know it all soon enough, and butterflies came to life in his stomach. What if all the other cats attacked him? What if they drove him out and forced
him back to his kittypet life? There was nothing that he now loathed more than that twoleg nest he had been trapped in. He wanted to be out here, in the forest. The closer he got to his new life, the
more Malcolm wanted to be a clan cat, whatever that meant. He would become some cat great like Firestar, respected by all the cats in the forest.
Firestar motioned for Brambleclaw to stay with Malcolm as he and the other cats entered through a thorn barrier, leading into a camp that must have be set up within the large stone walls. Malcolm
thought it smart although sort of strange- did the cats sleep with nothing over their heads? What about when it ran? How many cats exactly were there? Panic surged through him once more as
anxiety started to take over. Brambleclaw let his tail tip touch Malcolm's flank briefly before looking into his green eyes.
" Do not be nervous. I am sure Firestar will make things more than peaceful for you. You deserve it."
Malcolm frowned." Deserve?"
Brambleclaw flicked his ear." Wrong choice of words I suppose. But just forget about what I said- I have let on too much already. C'mon, let's show you your new home."
And with that, Brambleclaw trotted away, not stopping to guide Malcolm through the gorse barrier. Some of Malcolm's fur caught on the branches and he winced as once his tail got stuck. Eventually he
popped out of the tunnel, and the whole clearing when quiet. Malcolm refrained from looking around, determined not to let his curiosity show.
" Over there." Brambleclaw motioned to a high rock jutting out of the tall rock wall.
Up there stood Firestar, looking at his clan, waiting to start speaking.
There are so many cats! Malcolm thought in dismay as he stared at the many pelts, unfamiliar faces and overwhelming scents.
As Brambleclaw left to go sit under the jutting rock, Malcolm was left alone and his heart racing, his settled for a quiet spot near the edge of assembled cats.
" Thunderclan, you see with your own eyes that I have brought someone here today with me-"
" Another kittypet?" a young cat let out and was quickly hushed by an older one.
Firestar acted as though no one had uttered a word, but Malcolm winced. So that was how everyone would see him. His shoulders sagged slightly but he jumped up straight when he suddenly felt a
tail follow the length of his back.
" Don't worry. You'll be fine, Firestar would not have brought you here if you weren't important." the soft purr came from a ginger she-cat that looked a lot like Firestar, although her pelt was less
vibrant, more towards brown than orange.
But they shared the same intensive light green gaze.
" I'm Sandstorm." she added as she sat close to Malcolm and looked back up at Firestar with fond eyes.
" His kittypet name is Malcolm and yes, he will be joining Thunderclan, for reasons I do not feel I must absolutely share with every one of you." here the leader shot a stern look at the cat that had
spoken earlier and the cream-coloured tom tucked his paws closer to his belly and lowered his head slightly before glancing at Malcolm,
" I expect you all to show respect to him, and treat him as you would treat any other cat in this clan. Apprentices who do not follow this rule, you will be sure to have a lot of elder duties." Firestar's
whiskers twitched with amusement and then stood on his paws." Malcolm, please come here and stand beside Brambleclaw," Firestar mewed loudly and Brambleclaw looked up at him, wonder in his
eyes. Firestar made a small shake of his head and Brambleclaw nodded his in return. Malcolm glanced at Sandstorm, fear clear in his eyes.
" Go on little one." she encouraged, her eyes soft.
Malcolm stood on wobbly paws and made his way to the front of the clearing, keeping his eyes low, not wanting to make eye contact with any cat as he finally, moons later it seemed, made it to
Brambleclaw's side and Firestar spoke again.
" I have chosen to make Malcolm an apprentice, and he will train along with our other apprentices," Firestar gave a look at the apprentices and then at the puzzled Malcolm, " but before you can
receive your apprentice name, there is something to be taken care of. Malcolm please step to the middle. I am sorry and do not mean to scare you, but I feel this step is of importance. You must lose
your kittypet collar and you will do so in a mock battle. The cat you will meet will be Lionblaze."
Malcolm's eyes grew wide with fear but Brambleclaw proceeded to calm him as the cats of the clan formed a large circle where a golden tabby tom with amber eyes stood in the middle. He looked
overly strong, his shoulders nearly as broad as Brambleclaw's. His paws were set firmly on the sandy floor but his eyes didn't hold any trace of enmity.
" Just follow your instinct- every cat has them." Brambleclaw urged him forward.
" What if I lose? Will I have to go back to the twoleg place?"Brambleclaw shook his large head and nudged him forward.
With a sigh, Malcolm lifted his head high, his collar seeming to stand out more than before as he marched to the center of the loose circle.
" Remember," Firestar mewed urgently as Malcolm came face to face with the large cat, " claws remain sheathed at all times."
Lionblaze nodded quickly and without warning he lunged at Malcolm, his paws making fast contact with Malcolm, pinning him too quickly to the floor. Malcolm grunted and started pummelling
Lionblaze's belly with exceptionally strong back paws, forcing Lionblaze off of him. Quickly gathering himself to his feet, Malcolm cursed his weight. There was no way he could get anything done with
that extra weight bringing him down. Thinking on the bright side, Malcolm heaved a huge jump and landed on Lionblaze's back, his small six-moon-old body still pretty sly. Then, once on the golden
cat's back, Malcolm grabbed Lionblaze's scruff and started kicking at him. Lionblaze rolled over, putting all of his weight on Malcolm, crushing him to the less than soft floor of the clearing. He tried to
push the strong warrior off, but to no avail. He wasn't strong enough. He let his body go limp as a sign of resign but Lionblaze sprung to his paws instantly, as if he had rolled over a bunch of thorns
instead of a young cat.
Surprised but thinking quickly, Malcolm pretended to jump high in the air, the tip of his back paws never truly leaving the ground. When Lionblaze stood on his back paws as well as to block him,
Malcolm quickly dropped back to the ground and scooted under Lionblaze's back legs, and pushing him away with a hard push. Lionblaze did not go as far as Malcolm had wished, but his balance was
thrown off slightly. Growling despite himself, Lionblaze started running, passing so close to Malcolm that their pelts brushed before he suddenly rotated on his front paws, stealing a nip at Malcolm's
back leg before dipping his head and slithering like a snake, sneaked under Malcolm's tummy, rotating onto his back and pushed hard with all of his paws. As he did so, his claw extended out slightly
and his paw shifted so that Lionblaze's claw hooked onto Malcolm's collar. Malcolm was projected into the air, his collar ripping right off and causing some slight pain in his neck. He landed with a thud
on the floor, the breath knocked out him. Malcolm lifted his head, he saw Firestar fling himself down from the jutting rock and Sandstorm was pushing her way through the cats trying to reach him.
When she did, she buried her muzzle in his fur and nudged him.
" C'mon, get up little on." she mewed softly.
Malcolm winced as he stood, pain searing through all of his limbs. He looked into Sandstorm's eyes, sadness in his.
" I lost." he muttered, stealing a glance at Lionblaze who was standing proud yet not gloating about his easy victory.
Instead, he padded over to Malcolm and touched his nose to Malcolm's head quickly." Well fought." he mewed before padding away to sit beside a gray tabby with piercing blue eyes. Sandstorm
sniffed him all over, and gave his shoulder a quick lick.
" Lionblaze is the best fighter in the clan. You weren't expected to beat him. But you did well." Sandstorm reassured him, and sat close to him, puffing out her fur to lend him some of her warmth as the
wind bellowed high above.
" Congratulations, you are now freed from your collar and you are now eligible for an apprentice name," Firestar looked around and rose his voice so that the whole clan could hear him, " from this day
forth, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Moonpaw!" his mew rang through the whole clan.
Silence fell over the whole clearing until Sandstorm spoke up, and everyone else followed.
" Moonpaw! Moonpaw! Moonpaw!" They were cheering his name!
Moonpaw couldn't believe it. Happiness echoed through him like a rainbow- the aftermath of a storm as the sun came through. Eventually, the cheering died down, and the cats started to disperse.
" Not so fast!" Firestar called and all cats stopped short in their paw steps, " I have another announcement. I have a warrior to name." as he said the words, everyone glanced at two cats, one was
Dovepaw from earlier and the other sat every close to her; they looked a lot alike, and Moonpaw guessed they were littermates.
The second she-cat was silver and white and her eyes were a deep blue. Both she-cats had confusion in their eyes, but the second one seemed more hopeful than Dovepaw.
" Dovepaw, I am ready to appoint you a warrior name, and I do realise that it is a little early, but Lionblaze and I spoke and we think it is for the better. Are you ready? Feel free to say no." Firestar
gazed at her in anticipation.
Dovepaw shuffled her paws, uncomfortable as the gray cat's blue eyes spiked with anger and jealousy as if she did not bother to try and hide her emotions.
" Why you? What's so special about you?" the jealous one muttered to Dovepaw.
" Ivypaw…." but the cat that Moonpaw figured was Ivypaw glared at Dovepaw and walked away.
It was almost as if that was not the first time Dovepaw got to do something and Ivypaw had not. Dovepaw gave her sister one last look and then her eyes hardened with determination and Moonpaw
cocked his head to one side, wondering what would happen now.
" Thank you Firestar, I appreciate your trust. Yes, I am ready." now her eyes flared with excitement as she stepped forward, Lionblaze beside her.
" You have taught her well Lionblaze and the clan thanks you," Lionblaze dipped his head and the leader turned back to Dovepaw, " With the power embedded in me, I give you Doveflight as your
warrior name. Starclan approves of your agility, your kindness and loyalty. May you serve this clan well," he paused as if trying to decide how to word his next sentence, " you will also mentor
Moonpaw," mews of protest sounded all around the clan but Firestar did not pause to acknowledge them and they died out as he kept going,
" I know you will pass on what you have learned and make a fine warrior out of Moonpaw. The meeting is over. Moonpaw and Doveflight please come into my den."
Firestar bounded up the rock fall to a little entrance where his tail tip disappeared into the darkness. Doveflight trotted to meet Moonpaw and placing her tail on his shoulders, she guided him to
Firestar.
" So right now I am an apprentice, learning to become a warrior. With what I am taught, I am expected to follow the warrior code and strive to defend my clan before all else. And the other clans living
around the lake are ShadowClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and this is Thunderclan. There are borders set to divide territories and no borders should be crossed unless it's on a Gathering night or with a
medicine cat. All leaders have 'star' in their names once they receive their nine lives from StarClan; all apprentices have 'paw' in their names and warriors get their full names from the clan leader. Did I
get it right?"
Firestar purred while Doveflight looked at her apprentice with contentment.
" Yes, you are learning fast. You will make a great warrior in no time. Come now, you will meet your clanmates."
Doveflight dipped her head at the leader and walked out, making sure Moonpaw followed her.
" The cat over there near the little cave with the herbs, that's Jayfeather; he's our medicine cat so he takes care of our us when we're sick or in battle. That is his only duty, he will never fight unless it
is crucial to his life.
" Moonpaw and Doveflight passed by him and the cat set his blazing blue eyes on Moonpaw as his whiskers twitched.
" You forgot to tell him I'm blind." he mewed with an edge to his voice, yet he didn't sound angry.
Doveflight shrugged and wrapped her tail around Moonpaw as she brought him along. They came near a rounded form that had brambles woven together.
" That is the apprentice den, its where you'll be sleeping now until you become a warrior." then Doveflight seemed to forget that herself would not be sleeping in there tonight. " my sister Ivypaw will
be sharing the den with you." she mewed and Moonpaw recalled the gray she-cat with the pool of blue eyes.
" She's jealous isn't she?" Moonpaw blurted and shifted his paws, about to apologize, but Doveflight licked his shoulder in a quick movement.
" Don't worry about Ivypaw, she's sweet when she wants to be." Moonpaw nodded and padded along as Doveflight guided him toward another den that looked a lot like the apprentices' den.
" Is this where you will be sleeping from now on?" Moonpaw asked, wanting to show that he was catching along. Doveflight nodded." Yes, it's the warriors' den. And over there is the elders' den;
when cats decide that they can no longer benefice their clan with tooth and claw, they move into the elder's den and become under the careful care of their younger clan mates. You'll be spending a lot
of time with them." Doveflight's whiskers twitched as two cats came out: one brown and another gray.
" You better teach him how to make our nests right!" the brown one called as the gray one wrapped his tail around her, trying to soothe her.
" That's Mousefur and Purdy, the only elders at the moment." Doveflight told him and brought him further. W
ind buffeted his pelt and brought along scents that made his mouth water and his tail twitch.
" What is that?" Moonpaw stuck his nose high in the air, inhaling the smell.
" The fresh kill pile. But remember, the clan must be fed first. But for today, you may have a piece of fresh kill as you are new." Doveflight nudged him toward the pile and started walking away.
" Be prepared to wake up early tomorrow." she called over her shoulder as she headed toward Lionblaze.
Moonpaw started to nose through the pile and finally decided that a little mouse was best, the smell coming from it truly enticing. Taking it within his jaw, he carried it near the apprentice den and sat
there in a loneliness, looking over all the cats in the clan. There were still many that Doveflight had not mentioned, but she said the names would get easier with time. Sniffing the dead mouse first,
Moonpaw settled down and took a hesitant bite out of it, chewing slowly. Wow. The taste danced over his tongue, guiding him to take another bite.
" Moonpaw?"A cat stood taller than him, watching him eat like he'd never eaten before.
Realising he was showing no manners, Moonpaw ran his tongue over his lips and looked up at Ivypaw.
" Yes?" he mewed slowly, still not used to so many cats being around him.
" Do you mind if I eat here with you?"
Why was she bothering to ask him? This was her home, and only just recently his. His ears flicked.
" Of course!"
Ivypaw settled beside him, and started eating her vole in a much neater way than Moonpaw had started to eat his mouse.
" I made you a nest in the apprentices' den. It used to be Doveflight's but she's moved on, so you can use it. I lined it freshly with moss and feathers." she set her sky eyes on him and Moonpaw was
shocked to see them soft and not angry as they had been when Doveflight had become a warrior without her sister.
Somehow, Moonpaw knew that Ivypaw was not the kind of cat to open up to cats other than her sister easily.
" I may not know a lot about these kind of things yet, but I'm sure you'll make a brilliant warrior. I thought you were already a warrior."
Ivypaw looked at him again and her eyes were now shining.
" You really think so?"
Moonpaw shrugged, sort of embarrassed. " Like I said, I don't know much." but the compliment seemed to mean the world to Ivypaw as a purr started to vibrate through her body.
" C'mon," she mewed as they both finished their prey, " I want to show you your nest."
" Have a great day!" Ivytail touched her nose to Moonpaw's shoulder briefly as Moonpaw padded out of the apprentices' den.
Doveflight stood near the camp entrance, her head cocked to one side with narrowed eyes. It had been three moons now that Moonpaw had joined the clan, and things were great. He knew all of the
cats in the clan and was getting really good at his duties. He had also been alone in the apprentice's den for at least two moons as Ivytail had finally joined her sister as a warrior.
" Took you long enough, Brambleclaw expected you to be part of the Dawn patrol, but now you'll have to settle for hunting." Doveflight looked sternly at her apprentice.
" I love hunting!" Moonpaw chirped, dissolving Doveflight's disapproval in a flash.
" Alright then. Leafpool and Poolpaw will join us, make sure to help Poolpaw as much as you can, she hasn't been an apprentice for very long." Doveflight mewed and padded out of camp with
Leafpool and Poolpaw fell in stride for stride, with Moonpaw.
Squirrelflight had kitted just two moons ago, and Brambleclaw had the chance to mentor his own kit, Thunderpaw and and Fallenpaw was mentored by Berrynose. Enegry and shock had waved
through the whole clan when Squirreflight had announced Brambleclaw as their father. It was all a mystery to a Moonpaw but he had had the politeness not to ask any questions.