Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors. If I did then the series would get more books involving Sandstorm and Fireheart.
Rusty's Arrival: From Sandpaw's Point of View
Sandpaw was happy. She was almost ready to become a warrior, she had a friend that could end up being her mate, and her father was deputy. One day while she was laying near the apprentice's den sharing tongues with Dustpaw, she heard Lionheart and Whitestorm come back. But there was another scent among theirs. It was a kittypet scent. As the three cats walked into camp, saw the kittypet. He was wearing some strange twoleg thing around his neck that made a sound when he walked. He would scare of all the prey in the forest with that thing. Why had Whitestorm and Lionheart brought this kittypet to the camp?
"What is that kittypet doing here?" Dustpaw asked Lionheart.
"You will find out when Bluestar calls a clan meeting." he answered. Just as they were speaking Sandpaw heard the familiar yowl from the Highrock.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!" Bluestar yowled through out the camp. Sandpaw watched as her clan mates emerged from their dens.
"Thunderclan needs more warriors," she started. "Never before have we had so few apprentices in training. It has been decided that Thunderclan will take in an outsider to train as a warrior…."As the other cats started meowing to each other Bluestar yowled for silence. All of the cats were quite. " I have found a cat who is willing to become an apprentice of Thunderclan."
Sandpaw listened to the objections and thought "Are we so desperate for warriors that Bluestar would actually bring this kittypet into the clan?" Sandstorm listened as Longtail pointed out the strange twoleg thing around the kittypet's neck. Sandpaw had noticed it to. "What is that thing around his neck?" she asked Dustpaw.
"Longtail says it's a bell," he answered. " It makes such a loud noise that it'll scare off all of the prey in the forest!"
Sandpaw listened as Longtail meowed about his bell and his twoleg stench. "What is Bluestar thinking? How could she let a kittypet join the clan?" she thought.
After listening to Longtail's jeers the kittypet was bristling with rage.
"I bet he thinks he can win against Longtail!" she whispered to Dustpaw.
"All kittypets are mousebrained!" he responded.
All of a sudden Sandpaw watched as the kittypet leaped at Longtail. "That stupid kittypet's going to get himself killed!" she thought. But as she watched the battle, she was impressed. The kittypet gave Longtail a swipe across the ear that would leave a scar. She saw Longtail grip the twoleg thing around his neck and pull. The kittypet started choking! He wasn't breathing! All of a sudden the twoleg thing broke and Longtail tumbled away. Bluestar then broke up the fight.
Sandpaw watched as Bluestar gave the kittypet his apprentice name. "Can you believe it! A kittypet just joined our clan! Has Bluestar gone mad!" she growled at Dustpaw.
"And we have to share the den with him. He'll get his kittypet stench everywhere!" Dustpaw meowed as his belt bristled.
Just as the clan was congratulating Firepaw, Ravenpaw burst through the bushes. Listened in horror as Ravenpaw spoke the words that made Sandpaw's belly flop over in grief. "Redtail is dead!" he yowled.
Sandpaw was filled with grief. Redtail was her father. Sandpaw listened as Ravenpaw told of the battle at Sunningrocks. She stared in shock as Tigerclaw ran into the camp with Redtail in his jaws. She looked over at Dustpaw and saw the same expression of grief on his face. Redtail had been his mentor. "I can't believe Redtail is dead! He was a great warrior that even the other clans respected!" she meowed.
Dustpelt didn't answer. He just stared ahead with that same expression of grief across his face. When Tigerclaw lied Redtail's body in the middle of the camp. She went to share tongues with her father for the last time.
After, the elders went to go bury Redtail's body, Sandpaw went to go meet the new kittypet apprentice. She narrowed her eyes at him but he responded with a friendly hello. She glared rudely at him. "Do I have to share a den with him? He'll stink up the whole den with his kittypet smell!" He had looked taken aback by her rude answer. "Is he mousebrained or something? If I were him I would have said something back. Why does he seem so surprised and friendly? Doesn't he know we don't want him here?" she thought. He needs to realize that he's not welcome here and I'll make sure that he does. But Sandpaw ha dno idea of the future that she and Firepaw would share.
