Chapter One: Apprenticeship
Amberfur shifted uncomfortibly beside Blacksmoke. They were at the Clan meeting. Windstar was asigning apprentices. They were Silverheart's kits. She had reknew her deputy abilities until her kits were apprentices. Now the time had come.
Windstar leapt up onto the Highrock and began the meeting, "Today is a speacil day for oir warriors and our kitss alike. For today, we have WindClan's first apprentices in a year and three months!"
This annoucement caused an uproar of joy and excitment. Windstar silenced his Clan with awave of his tail and continued, "Ashkit, Starkit, Cloudkit, and Tigerkit, please come forward." Windstar commanded. Four excited kits bounced forward. They sat below the Highrock and Windstar called Ashkit up first. Ashkit came, and Windstar began, "Ashkit, you are now six moons old, and able to obtain the position of an apprentice. Do you uphold the warriorcode and obey our warrior ancestors?"
"Yes." Ashkit mewed.
"Then from this day forward until you have earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Ashpaw." Windstar dipped his head to Ashpaw and then scanned through the crowd, "Blacksmoke, you have come willingly to us from ThunderClan. I believe, sense you are the one who saved a WindClan cat from death, you are trusted with one of our apprentices. Do you except Ashpaw?"
Blacksmoke looked startled at first, but he quickly
recovered and spoke, "I do, Windstar."
(I'm listening to
'What Hurts the Most' by Rascal Flatts! I love it!)
Ashpaw leapt from the Highrock and touched noses with his new mentor. Next came Starkit, then Cludkit. When Tigerkit came forward, she leapt up onto the Highrock ans stood calmly beside Windstar, but her eyes were brimming with excitment.
"Tigerkit, you are now six moons old, and able to obtain the position of an apprentice. Do you uphold the warrior code and obey our warrior ancestors?"
Togerkit nodded, "I do."
"Then from this day forward, until you have earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Tigerpaw." Windstar's eyes borded into Amberfur's golden ones. "Amberfur, you are the one female cat that lived in the raid with ShadowClan. You were a kit then you taught yourself how to live. Amberfur, do you wish to have Tigerpaw as your first apprentice?"
Amberfur blinked with graditude and spoke, "Yes I would love Tigerpaw as my apprentice!"
With that Tigerpaw cvame forward, and touched noses with Amberfur. Then the CLan burst out in a chant, "Tigerpaw! Cloudpaw! Ashpaw! Starpaw!" over and over. When it died, everyone left for bed. The sun was coming up. (Starpaw: Mudtail; Cloudpaw: Silverheart)
ShadowClan
Shadowstar
sat looking at the rising sun. She knew the time was near. RiverCln
had teame up with ShadowClan to kill off WindClan because of a
long-time grudge. The time, in just a few weeks, would come when they
would raod WindClan, unless otherwise somthing stopped them.
Shadowstar, an evil black she-cat, turned to Rabbitfur, the traitor
and spy of WindClan.
"Tell me everything you know." she ordered. Shadowstar added, "Blackmoon."
Rabbitfur/Blackmoon
nodded and spoke Windstar's exact words of their last meeting, "'I
have called you here to tell you that ShadowClan has trespassed on
our territory to reach RiverClan. We are all in danger, for we are
surrounded on both sides. Our only ally is ThunderClan, but even they
may not help us, but it is unlikely. We have gained their trust and
help, even though we had attracted unwanted visitors to their camp.
Now we must make a truce." Windstar spoke with such a convincing
voice, that no ones gaze left his.
"I need three cats to go to
ThunderClan territory with me to go complete the truce. If Lightstar
does not reject us, we may not be killed. For indeed, ShadowClan does
not wish to spare us, but kill us all. This time, we will have no
choice. We need kits and apprentices more than anything."
"I
will only have patrols on RiverClan and ShadowClan borders, day and
night. The rest of us will start to hunt to make of fresh-kill pile
bigger for heathly cats. In five days I will be traveling to the
Moonstone, my deputy, Silverheart is to take charge. Do what she says
and we shall preveil in this fight for survival. Now let us all get
some rest, dawn has come, no patrols tonight. We all need to sleep."
he ordered and went to Sharpclaw, this was one thing that needed to
be taken care of.' That is what Windstar said."
"Interesting." Shadowstar said. "They plan to team up with ThunderClan? Not a chance! Lightstar will not agree to something like that if we did something. Soemthing she would not like." Shadowstar smiled at her words.
"ShadowClan will rule this forest if it is the last thing I do."
WindClan
Amberfur awoke to moonlight pouring over her. At first she was confused, what had happened to the ferns and brambles above her. Then a soft, fimilar voice filled her ears, "Amberfur, you are finally awake to StarClan."
"Windwaker?" she asked, confused. "'Awake to StarClan'? What do you mean, I don't understand?"
"You were not meant to, Amberfur. Soon ShaowClan and RiverClan will attack, you must go to ThunderClan's leader, Lightstar and plead for help. Rabbitfur does not sleep as you may think he does." Windwaker responded, his voice like a steadliy running stream.
Before Amberfur could speak, her vision blackened and she awoke to Blacksmoke shaking her and mewing, "Amberfur. Amberfur! Amberfur, wake up!"
Amberfur blinked, "Wha'? What happened?"
"The moon is just rising and then sun is setting, we have to train our apprentices." Blacksmoke mewed to her in his entle voice. Amberfur sat up and nodded, "Right"
She padded out of the warriors' den and headed towards the fallen hollow where they trained their apprentices. It was nothing more than a meeting spot that had servived for many, many moons.
Blacksmoke went to the apprentices' den to get Tigerpaw and Ashpaw.
Windstar
Windstar sat in his den, thinking about going to ThunderClan and the fast approaching Gathering. It would be in two days, two days too soon. He sighed and padded out of his den. He had to go to the Moonstone for some answers. He looked at Amberfur and Blacksmoke who were leaving to go train their new apprentices. Joy swelled in his heart. WindClan had lost one cat, but gained three more. Rabbitfur was no more than traitor that deserved to die, but never meet StarClan.
He padded over to Mudtail and Cloudfoot who were eating mice, preparing to go out hunting, but Mudtail was going to train his apprentice. "Mudtail, Cloudfoot, if the Clan asks, tell them I am going to the Moonstone for answers. I am going alone. Inform no one until you believe I am far enough away that no one will be able to catch up with me."
Mudtail and Cloudfoot looked up, confused, "Why?" Cloudfoot asked.
Windstar turned away and then looked back them, and answere, "Because this is something I must do by myself. There are no enimes out that way, and StarClan will protect me, that I am sure of. Good-bye, until tommrow night."
Windstar padded away without waiting for an answer. He left camp and as soon as he was out of eyesight from any cat, he bolted. His fur was snagged by cocker burrs and weeds, but he barley notcied. There was a threat at hand that must be taken care of.
