FernClan

Leader - Palestar - black and white spotted tom

Deputy - Lizardfoot - big ginger tom with big paws

Medicine Cat - Mintbreeze - white she-cat with yellow eyes — APPRENTICE: Juniperpaw

Medicine Cat Apprentice - Juniperpaw - small black tom

Warriors

Snowowl - handsome lithe white tom with small black speckles on his shoulder blades and shoulders and in between his shoulder blades

Squirrelclaw - brown tabby she-cat

Suncloud - golden tom with white paws, muzzle, and tail top — APPRENTICE: Hailpaw

Swiftfoot - ginger tabby she-cat

Greyheart - muscular grey tom with yellow eyes

Badgertuft - white tom with black stripes — APPRENTICE: Bearpaw

Shadetail - beautiful brown she-cat with black ears and black tail — APPRENTICE: Stormpaw

Sandstripe - cream-colored she-cat tabby with green eyes

Darkfang - big black tom with blue eyes and white tuft of fur on chest

Minnowfur - lithe silver tabby she-cat

Greywhisker - grey tom with blue eyes and a scar on muzzle

Goldenberry - golden tabby she-cat

Apprentices

Hailpaw - lithe grey tom with blue eyes

Bearpaw - big brown tom with a short tail

Stormpaw - grey tabby tom with white paws and blue eyes

Queens

Berryheart - ginger tabby with white tail tip KITS: Gingerkit, Flamekit, Spottedkit, and Emberkit

Wolftail - beautiful calico with fluffy tail EXPECTING

Elders

Oakclaw - old brown tom with yellow eyes

Dapplepelt - tortoiseshell she-cat with a scar on her back


Chapter 1


Stormpaw licked his paw, watching Bearpaw and Hailpaw wrestle. "I win again!" Bearpaw purred proudly. Hailpaw huffed and got up, shaking out his grey pelt. Stormpaw flicked his tail. Bearpaw smacked his ear, making Stormpaw bristle. "Wimp! Why don't you ever play with us, Stormpaw? Is it because you're weak?" the brown apprentice joked. Stormpaw slumped down. He was always bullied because he couldn't fight or hunt as well as the others. Hailpaw scoffed, punching Stormpaw. "Oh, Bearpaw. He's just a slow learner, that's all!" he sneered, the two beginning to laugh.

Stormpaw hissed and walked away. A silver tabby she-cat appeared in front of the apprentice. "Hi, Minnowfur..." Stormpaw mumbled, not looking at her. She sighed. "I know what happened. Again. You shouldn't listen to them," she said, flicking her ear in concern. Stormpaw looked up at her, lashing his tail. "You wouldn't understand! You have a perfect life!" he growled, digging his claws in the ground. Minnowfur just blinked. "Nobody has a perfect life, Stormpaw. Just...don't take it in." Stormpaw shook his head, stomping in the apprentice's den. He lay down in an empty nest and fell asleep.

"Stormpaw! Stormpaw, get up!" a whisper sounded in his ear. It was Stormpaw's mentor, Shadetail. Stormpaw groaned and sat up, yawning. "What's today's training?" he asked, getting up and stretching out his stiff limbs. Shadetail smiled. "Battle training," she purred, leading him out of the den. Stormpaw stiffened. He hated battle training because that meant he had to go against Bearpaw or Hailpaw. They were always so rough with him!

They arrived at the Sunny Oak. Stormpaw felt like crying as soon he saw his enemies with their mentors. "Hailpaw and Bearpaw can go against each other," Badgertuft said, pointing his muzzle toward his own apprentice. Today was an assessment. Bearpaw and Hailpaw fought with their sheathed claws, taking each other down. They seemed nice to each other when they battle trained together, but when Stormpaw fought with them, they would get mean and rough. "Hailpaw wins!" Suncloud called, smiling toward his apprentice. Shadetail rested her tail tip on Stormpaw's shoulder, making him flinch.

"I want Stormpaw to go against Bearpaw," Shadetail ordered, putting her tail back down. Stormpaw felt the cold glare from Hailpaw. He saw the evil smirk on Bearpaw's face. He tentatively stepped forward, Bearpaw meeting up with him. The brown tom made the first move, cuffing his ear and biting his neck. Stormpaw hissed and smack him in the face with his paw. He heard a cheer from Shadetail. At that, Stormpaw felt a boost of course. He pinned down Bearpaw and bit his neck, careful not to draw blood. He hissed and knocked Stormpaw off him, quickly getting up and he got on top of the scared apprentice. Without anyone noticing, Bearpaw unsheathed his claws. That wasn't allowed during battle training!

Bearpaw scratched his cheek. Hailpaw burst out laughing. Stormpaw hissed in pain. "Bearpaw, that's not allowed! I think Stormpaw deserves an apology. You will be cleaning the ticks off the elders!" Badgertuft growled, shoving Bearpaw forward. He looked away from Stormpaw. "Sorry, mousebrain!" he grumbled, setting off with his mentor. Stormpaw lightly touched the scratch with his paw, wincing. Hailpaw's whiskers twitched as he stared coldly toward him. Stormpaw gulped, hoping he wouldn't have to go through him. To his relief, they all went back to camp, but Stormpaw knew something bad was coming to him.

It was sun-down and Stormpaw was eating a squirrel by the apprentice's den. "Heard what happened while training," Sandstripe said beside him. "It's going around camp, isn't it?" he asked, nibbling on the squirrel. Sandstripe nodded, chuckling. "I heard it from Swiftfoot. She said she heard it from Greywhisker." The apprentice felt nervous now, just wanting to hide. "Are you planning on spreading it some more?" he huffed, losing his appetite.

Sandstripe smirked. "I would have, but it's already spread completely. I kind of hope it happens again. I'm a sucker for gossip!" she squealed, her green eyes gleaming. Stormpaw rolled his eyes. Sandstripe then looked at his scratch. "Yikes. Bearpaw did that?" she said quietly. Stormpaw nodded, sort of hoping she would reply with sympathy and hatred, but instead she replied with awe. "Oh, wow! Bearpaw is pretty tough for an apprentice! I wish he was my apprentice!" she said in jealousy. Stormpaw angrily stood up and went inside the apprentice's den. He heard Sandstripe's pawsteps fade.

Stormpaw lay down in his nest and thought things over. I don't understand? Why do I have to be bad at everything? he thought sadly. He still couldn't sleep, even when moon-high came. He rubbed his eyes with his paw, sighing. He saw the rise and fall of Bearpaw's and Hailpaw's sides as they slept. Stormpaw forced his eyes shut, finally drifting off to sleep.