Greetings everyone! This is my first Warrior fic, so I hope that it is to the liking of you, the readers :) I had a blast writing this myself, so if you feel the need to offer any critiques or ideas, feel free to leave a review or drop me a PM. Now, on to the story!
Prologue: Dire Warnings
"Wait! Breezestar, I don't understand," Swiftstar exclaimed, padding after her former leader. The moors were drenched in both moonlight and starlight as Breezestar loped away, Swiftstar on his heels. The lake shone brightly in her peripheral, but Swiftstar did not stop to admire it. Passing along the hunting grounds of StarClan, Swiftstar could see clan members she had known throughout her life. Her mother, Thrushwing, waved her tail at her daughter, but Swiftstar was too preoccupied to offer her more than a flick of the ears back.
"Breezestar," she began again, worry sparking in her eyes, "what are you trying to tell me?"
The former WindClan leader turned around, facing his deputy.
"Wind will still when night spills blood, and only with the return of sun and storm will the blood wash away and the wind blow strong again."
He finally turned towards her to set a reassuring tail tip on her lithe shoulder.
"I gave you a life for bravery. It does not just mean in battle, but in all aspects of life."
With that, Breezestar faded away, and Swiftstar awoke, bedding scattered from her disturbed sleep. The black she-cat took a deep breath, lifting her head to watch the sun rise. Already she could see movement from where the warriors nested, and her deputy, Fleetfoot, stood up and shook himself. Some clan leader I am if I can't even be awake and ready before my deputy! Swiftstar snorted to herself. Still, she couldn't bring herself to rise just yet as she pondered Breezestar's warning. Perhaps she'd speak to Crowear and Fleetfoot about it later, but for the moment, Breezestar had been right: her clan needed her.
Stretching, she yawned widely and gave her pelt a quick grooming before padding out of her nest and motioning Fleetfoot to join her by the large boulder pile next to her sleeping area. He waved his tail in greeting and trotted over, taking a seat in the shade of the rock.
"Swiftstar, the overnight patrol reported no further movements from ThunderClan. Their scent markers were still at the stream, though the dawn patrol will be able to tell us if they tried to change them again."
Swiftstar nodded, baring her teeth slightly.
"That patch of woodland beyond the stream has been ours for seasons. I don't know why Oakstar decided to try and take it, but ThunderClan is foolish if they think WindClan will just allow them to change the border without us lifting a paw to defend it."
Fleetfoot's whiskers twitched slightly in agreement.
"Will you bring it up at the Gathering tonight?"
Swiftstar narrowed her eyes in thought. Breezestar had died only two moons ago; perhaps Oakstar was testing WindClan's strength after the change of leadership. The ThunderClan leader had never dared to try and take the woodland on WindClan's side of the stream when Breezestar was leading the clan.
"I will. If I don't Oakstar will, and no doubt use it to try and undermine WindClan's strength. I shall warn Oakstar that any other ThunderClan intrusions will warrant more than just defending our border. I will make it be his choice if he wishes to provoke us."
Fleetfoot respectfully dipped his head.
"I'll set the patrols and then-"
A loud wail interrupted him, coming from the nursery. Swifstar's fur rose at the sudden cry, and Fleetfoot also found himself with his fur ruffled. However he immediately shot off as both cats recognized Mapletooth, Fleetfoot's mate. Her kits must be coming, Swiftstar realized. Immediately she took off for the medicine den, where Crowear was already gathering supplies.
"I know," the gray tom grunted before Swiftstar could say a word. "I know a pained queen when I hear one. Help me carry these leaf wraps."
Swiftstar grabbed the closest one- she couldn't recognize the herbs inside- and pelted towards the nursery. With Crowear hot on her tail, she allowed him inside first before following. Larkfeather and her four kits were on the far side of the nursery to give Mapletooth and Fleetfoot as much room as possible.
Crowear dropped his leaf wrap and flicked his tail for Swiftstar to drop hers.
"Ok, Mapletooth, just breath…"
Relief and pride surged through Swiftstar as she watched Crowear work. He had been WindClan's medicine cat for three seasons now, and not once had Swiftstar doubted his abilities. Swiftstar was taken from her thoughts as Fleetfoot murmured encouragement to his mate. Crowear's ear flicked as he set a paw on Mapletooth's swollen belly.
"Push, Mapletooth!"
Swiftstar flicked her tail back and forth with impatience, but slipped out of the den, figuring that the nursery was crowded enough with her being in there. The rest of the clan was awake by now, and Fawncloud padded up, her golden eyes nervous.
"Is Mapletooth alright?"
Swiftstar nodded, and set a reassuring tail tip on her shoulder.
"Crowear is with her, and so is Fleetfoot. Our new clanmates will be here soon!"
Since Fleetfoot was with Mapletooth, Swiftstar gathered all of the cats around her.
"We can't sit here and wait," Swiftstar urged. "Mapletooth will be hungry, and ThunderClan has made it clear that they want the woodland in our territory. Eagleflight," Swiftstar motioned a brown she-cat forward, "I want you to go by the border with ThunderClan and make sure they haven't crossed the stream again. Take Lionbreeze, Nightpaw, and Duskfang with you. If they HAVE crossed the border, report to me immediately, and set the markers where they're supposed to be."
"Consider it done, Swiftstar," Eagleflight mewed before gathering her patrol together and racing out of camp.
"Blueclaw, I want you to lead a hunting patrol. Take Fawncloud and Gorsepaw with you. While you're hunting, be sure to go along the RiverClan border and re-mark it. I also think it's time we talk about Gorsepaw and Shellpaw's warrior ceremonies," she added. Flamepelt and Fawncloud exchanged proud glances, and she watched Gorsepaw's eyes light up with delight.
At that moment, Crowear emerged from the nursery, looking pleased.
"Mapletooth had two she-cats and a tom!" He announced.
Purrs of delight ran through the warriors, and Swiftstar once again felt pride rush through her. WindClan was strong and devoted- by far the best of the four clans. Shaking herself, she looked to the warriors who hadn't been assigned duties.
"Greenclaw, take Robinscar and Blizzardshine hunting as well. Petalfall, I want you to keep watch on the rise of the moors. I'll leave it up to the rest of you whether you want to hunt or train your apprentices."
Heads dipped in respect, and Swiftstar leapt on top of the boulders. This is where she addressed her clan. She looked towards the nursery again, deciding to visit Mapletooth and Fleetfoot once the dawn patrol reported back. Once again, her thoughts strayed to Breezestar's warning.
"Wind will still when night spills blood, and only with the return of sun and storm will the blood wash away and the wind blow strong again," she whispered to herself. For all her confidence, Swiftstar felt a sense of foreboding. At first her heart sunk as she thought of Nightpaw, but though the apprentice was quick to flash her temper, she was far from bloodthirsty. Swiftstar even thought she'd make a good deputy, given time. Sighing, the clan leader looked to the sky. The clans had been at peace for seasons, save for the occasional border skirmish. If something truly awful were to happen while she was leader, it would be up to her to keep her clan safe. Oh Breezestar… you have more faith in me than I do! I hope I'm able to live up to your confidence.
"I, Swiftstar, leader of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Gorsepaw, Shellpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your lives?"
Looking down at the two apprentices, Swifstar could imagine how they must feel. She could still remember when she got her warrior name, Swiftwind. Gorsepaw and Shellpaw's sister, Mallowpaw, had died when a fox attacked her during an assessment. Despite them missing their sister, Swifstar had no doubt that they were eager to get their full status as warriors of Windclan.
"I do," the two apprentices replied in unison.
"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior names. Shellpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Shellstripe. StarClan honors your courage and your forethought, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan."
Swiftstar pressed her nose to the newly named warrior's head, and felt him lick her shoulder. She then turned to Gorsepaw.
"Gorsepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Gorsefur. StarClan honors your energy and your enthusiasm, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan."
As Swiftstar felt Gorsefur lick her shoulder, she joined in with her warriors to yowl the new names of the warriors to the sky.
"In accordance with the warrior code, Shellstripe and Gorsefur will sit vigil over the camp tonight, but only after we return from the Gathering," she said warmly. "I will announce who is going after I speak with Fleetfoot."
Swiftstar trotted over to the nursery and quietly slipped in. Mapletooth was asleep, with three tiny kits in the curve of her belly. One she-cat was a golden tabby like her mother, while the other she-cat was a brown tabby. The only tom of the litter was a shade of gray darker than his father, with no discernable markings.
"They're beautiful, Fleetfoot."
"Thanks, Swiftstar," her deputy replied, looking proudly over his family. "Do you need me?"
"No, I was wondering if you wanted to come to the Gathering tonight."
Fleetfoot cast another fond look over his mate and kits, before hauling himself to his feet.
"I'll come. Mapletooth can deal without me for a bit. Have you decided who's going?"
"Yes; I just needed to see if you were coming," she said, laying an affectionate tail tip on his shoulder. "What did you name them?"
Fleetfoot purred as they slipped outside, the camp basking in the sun-high warmth of greenleaf.
"The tom's name is Wolfkit, and the golden tabby she-cat is Brightkit. The brown she-cat is Tawnykit."
Swiftstar nodded, her tone warm and pleased as she replied, "good names, Fleetfoot. They'll be assets to the clan, just like their parents."
Leaping onto the boulder pile, she yowled a summons.
"I shall take Crowear, Fleetfoot, Gorsefur, Shellstripe, Fawncloud, Eagleflight, Flamepelt, Lionbreeze, Sagethorn, Nightpaw, and Silverpaw to the Gathering tonight! Be sure to rest and eat before we go."
There were mews of acknowledgement as cats went to either rest or go on patrols. Swiftstar wrapped her tail neatly around her paws and flicked her ears. Earlier she had pondered talking to Fleetfoot about Breezestar's worrying warning, but with the arrival of his kits, she didn't want to spoil his happiness. Sighing, she leapt down from the boulder and padded to Crowear's den.
"Crowear?" She called out.
"Swiftstar?" The medicine cat trotted out of his den, smelling of herbs that Swiftstar couldn't identify. "Do you need something?"
Swiftstar shook her head and motioned to his den with her tail.
"StarClan spoke to me-"
Crowear placed his tail on her muzzle in a sign for silence, and beckoned her into his den. The smell of herbs was even stronger in the den, and Crowear went to sort through a group of small blue berries.
"Now, tell me what StarClan told you."
Swiftstar sat down, angling her ears to make sure she could hear anyone creeping up on them. She didn't want her clanmates to worry. If anything, she'd tell them about her dream when it made more sense. Regardless, she recited what Breezestar had told her. By the time she was finished, Crowear had his head tilted, his eyes staring at her intensely.
"Strange that StarClan would choose to communicate with the clan leader rather than the medicine cat for a warning like this. I can't tell you anything right now- StarClan must have been vague for a reason- but if I receive any signs, I'll tell you. If StarClan speaks to you again, come and tell me. You may want to fill in Fleetfoot as well."
"I will soon, Crowear. But with the birth of his kits…"
"You do not wish to disturb him," Crowear finished with a twitch of his whiskers. "I understand, Swiftstar, but the good of the clan has to be the first thing on your mind."
"WindClan always has been first on my mind," she remarked before dipping her head slightly. "Thank you, Crowear."
Swiftstar could tell that the clan was anxious for ThunderClan's arrival. She found herself wishing for RiverClan or ShadowClan show up first. At least RiverClan had the decency to make a case for expanding their territories, while ThunderClan had the arrogance to just try and take it. It had been several seasons since Oakstar had been made leader. Perhaps it was a case of poor judgment in the older leader's mind. Swiftstar hoped that was the true reason for ThunderClan's sudden attack. Sitting at the foot of the great oak, Fleetfoot joined her.
"RiverClan is here," he remarked. Swiftstar opened her jaws, snorting slightly as their fishy scent hit her scent glands. The bushes at the edge of the clearing parted, and Troutstar stepped through, head raised proudly at the front of his clan. His clanmates swiftly went to join their WindClan counterparts, and the soft mews of conversation grew louder.
Troutstar himself came and sat at the foot of the tree beside Swiftstar, and his deputy, Snowstream, scrambled up on the roots of the tree in the spot where the deputies sat. Fleetfoot quickly jumped up beside him. Swiftstar dipped her head in a courteous greeting to the other leader.
"Troutstar, I hope all is well in RiverClan."
The leader in question returned the greeting, and gave a single nod.
"RiverClan is thriving. The twoleg kits have been particularly noisy this season, but it makes them easy to avoid. Shall we take our places?"
He flicked his tail to the tree, and Swiftstar nodded. Together the two scrambled up the trunk, getting into comfortable positions in time to see ShadowClan stalk into the clearing. At their head was Waspstar, a gray tom with dark stripes. He launched himself up the tree to sit beside Troutstar, and Swiftstar had to keep in a sigh. The only decent place left on the tree to sit was next to her, and the last cat she wanted next to her was Oakstar. Nevertheless, she listened to the murmurings and shared stories down below. Eagleflight was recounting their victory against ThunderClan to a group of warriors, while Nightpaw and Silverpaw were chatting amiably with a group of apprentices. Crowear was relaxed with the medicine cats from RiverClan and ShadowClan, Oddfoot and Palenose. Palenose wasn't the only ShadowClan medicine cat present; Lostheart sat beside his mentor, occasionally offering input to the conversation.
Suddenly, Swiftstar narrowed her eyes as she caught movement at the edge of the clearing. Darkstorm, the ThunderClan deputy, stepped into the clearing at the head of her clan, and Oakstar quickly followed suit. Swiftstar breathed in and let her face fall carefully neutral. She was furious at ThunderClan's attempt at taking her clan's territory, but she would not allow them to see just how much they had ruffled her fur. Luckily for Fleetfoot, ShadowClan's deputy, Moondust, had already taken the seat next to him. Darkstorm ended up sitting beside the other she-cat, her eyes following Oakstar as he heaved himself up to the branch beside Swiftstar.
The ThunderClan leader dipped his head courteously, and Swiftstar forced herself to return the greeting, albeit coldly. Troutstar balanced and yowled, bringing the clearing to a silent stop.
"Welcome, cats of all clans, to the Gathering! Who will speak first?" He inquired, turning to the other leaders. Oakstar waved his tail, turning his attention to the cats below. Swiftstar could almost feel her cats tense as the ThunderClan leader began to speak.
"ThunderClan is doing well this greenleaf," he began loudly, "we have a new warrior this moon; Stonepelt."
The clans all yowled their approval, except for WindClan. Swiftstar did not begrudge her clan for their silence; she didn't feel particularly inviting towards ThunderClan either. Oakstar seemed not to notice as he continued his report.
"We also have two new apprentices tonight; Volepaw and Sandpaw. One of our queens, Morningcloud, has had a healthy litter of kits. ThunderClan welcomes Loudkit and Leopardkit into clan life."
He puffed out his chest with pride, and Swiftstar wondered if it was because the kits were his, or if it was because he was proud of ThunderClan's newest members. Regardless, not even WindClan could hold back congratulating ThunderClan for having healthy kits.
"Beyond that, we have noticed increased activity in the clearing on the border with ShadowClan. Our patrols are keeping an eye on the increased number of Twolegs, but they are not a problem so far, and prey is running well in the forest," he said confidently.
He motioned with his tail to Troutstar, who stood and nodded. Swiftstar could hardly keep from baring her teeth. Oakstar hadn't bothered to specify his territory- just the forest. If my patrols catch a whiff of their scent on our side of the border, I won't stop at just defending the border, she vowed.
"RiverClan also has a new apprentice this moon. Blackfire is mentor to young Mousepaw," Troutstar began, oblivious to the tension that had risen from the WindClan cats.
Swiftstar did, however, join in as the clans welcomed the young apprentice. She could see the young brown she-cat now as she ducked her head, obviously embarrassed. Catching the eyes of the young she-cat, Swiftstar nodded in greeting, waiting as Troutstar continued his report.
"Twoleg kits have shown up that are louder than even their monsters seem to be, but we have no problems with them. The streams are running well and prey is plentiful."
He stepped back, but Waspstar stood before Swifstar could. The ShadowClan leader began speaking in an even tone.
"ShadowClan is also doing well in the warm seasons. We have two new apprentices here tonight; Rainpaw and Spiderpaw."
When the yowling of the clans fell quiet, he continued.
"The prey is running well in our territory, and the Twolegs are not bothering us."
It was a short report, but then the secretive clan had never given much away to begin with. Waspstar flicked his tail to end his report, and Swiftstar stood, her gaze falling on the clans. Even though she'd been leader for two moons, she had only gotten to report at one other Gathering. The view was still breathtaking. Nevertheless, she shook the awe away and began her report.
"WindClan fares well this greenleaf! Tonight we bring with us two new warriors- Shellstripe and Gorsefur."
Swiftstar looked around in approval as her warriors received their warm welcomes, but did not fail to notice that ThunderClan was relatively silent. Anger raced through her, but she refused to show it, instead continuing with her news.
"This morning, Mapletooth welcomed a new litter of kits. WindClan is happy to welcome Brightkit, Tawnykit, and Wolfkit into the clan."
Swiftstar couldn't resist looking down at Fleetfoot as the clans welcomed the newest additions to the clan. Her deputy was looking more proud than Oakstar had been, and his eyes were bright with happiness. As the yowls of approval died down, Swiftstar lazily licked a paw and drew it over her ears.
"I would like to remind everyone," she began in a low tone, "that WindClan's borders are not open to being changed." Her gaze snapped to Oakstar. "Which leaves you with no excuse to try and take our territory, Oakstar," she growled. "Unless, of course, you'd like to try and justify your foxhearted attack?" Swiftstar challenged hotly, standing up to her full height and glaring down at the ThunderClan leader. She could hear WindClan's yowls of support, which only died down when Oakstar stood.
"What proof do you have that ThunderClan tried to take your territory?"
The supportive yowls turned to outraged caterwauls as Swiftstars' warriors leapt up in fury.
"Darkstorm tried to shred me!" Fawncloud called out angrily.
Shellstripe, Flamepelt's former apprentice, echoed her statement with, "Bumblepaw nearly bit my tail off!"
"I could recognize Snowpelt and Icepaw from fox-lengths away," Lionbreeze growled defiantly. Swiftstar waved her tail for silence, only to have the ThunderClan deputy leap to her paws in fierce denial.
"You have no proof, rabbit-munchers! I don't see any evidence of these wounds!"
"How dare you call my warriors liars," Swiftstar snarled down, fury causing her to abandon the attempt for silence. Oakstar, she noticed in surprise, looked shocked by the accusations thrown forth from both Swiftstar and her warriors. The Thunderclan cats Oakstar had bought had all leapt to their feat, all of them supporting their deputy.
"SILENCE!" Swiftstar yowled as she saw Crowear rise to his paws. Silence fell gradually, with WindClan and ThunderClan moving as far away from each other as they could.
"What Swiftstar says is true," the medicine cat said in an authoritative tone. "I was up to my ears in injuries over half a moon ago due to ThunderClan claws."
Swiftstar nodded her thanks to the medicine cat as the clearing fell into a mutinous silence.
"A medicine cat does not lie, Oakstar. Why did your warriors change the boundary from the stream?" Swiftstar demanded coolly.
Oakstar himself looked furious now, raking his gaze across the ThunderClan cats.
"I had discussed with Darkstorm about expanding our border past the stream, however I never gave the order to take it by force from WindClan," he hissed. Swiftstar felt shock race through her, though she wasn't surprised at all to see Waspstar look so amused by ThunderClan's authority problems. Oakstar looked to Swiftstar, fury and embarrassment crackling off of his pelt like embers.
"I apologize for the rash actions of my deputy, Swiftstar. You will not scent ThunderClan past the stream again."
"See to it that I don't," she retorted, "otherwise we'll have to do more than defend our border. This Gathering is over," she proclaimed, leaping down from the tree. She could feel the hostile eyes of the ThunderClan cats trailing her across the clearing as she gathered her clan around her. She was already planning on ordering extra patrols around the stream, at least three of the members being warriors. Darkstorm had been surprisingly aggressive for a ThunderClan cat, but then, Swiftstar reflected, it had been countless seasons since ThunderClan had been as honorable as the old stories said. They still stuck to the warrior code like tree sap, but often their members were more ambitious of proving ThunderClan's strength to the other clans.
As soon as WindClan veered towards the camp, Fleetfoot came bounding up to Swiftstar.
"Well, that was a near disaster," he noted with a troubled look. "Do you believe what Oakstar said?"
Swiftstar nodded, narrowing her eyes.
"I do. I don't know what possessed Oakstar to pick a deputy like Darkstorm, but I do believe he had no idea what she was doing. Nevertheless, we're not going to assume that Oakstar will immediately solve the problem. I want to keep the extra patrols along the ThunderClan border. I want four cats in these patrols, at least three of them warriors. We'll keep them up for a moon before we go back to normal patrols. Hopefully Oakstar will get his clan under control by then."
"Hopefully he will," Fleetfoot agreed. "I assume you'll inform the clan tomorrow about what happened?"
"Of course. If I call a meeting right away, cats might think I'm actually worried about ThunderClan, Fleetfoot," she said with a slightly amused tone. "We'll talk more tomorrow," she added as they reached camp. "Go rest," she ordered her clanmates.
As they each took off for their nests, Swiftstar took her place at the back of the camp beneath a thin heather bush, next to the boulder she used for announcements. Swiftstar sighed, looking at the stars as the prophecy rang in her head once again: Wind will still when night spills blood, and only with the return of sun and storm will the blood wash away and the wind blow strong again.