Hello! Yes, I am back from my hiatus! This is a remodel of Life As A ThunderClan Cat. Note that only the basic concept, and the main character are the same. Also note that this

takes place at some time in between The Darkest Hour and Midnight. So some spoilers will be mentioned.

Disclaimer: Sunstripe, your story. You do the honors.

Sunstripe: M- ba-gawk! -S does not – ba-gawk! - own – ba-gawk – WARRIORS! BA-GAWK BA-GAWK BA-GAWK!

Hrm... I think Sunstripe is suffering from Chickenbuttitis. I'm gonna have to take a look at her circuitry- I mean, take her to the Medicine Cat Wing! Anyway, enjoy the story! And

please, review!

Slap!

I smiled at the sound of book cover material slamming against paper. I laid down the last book in my Warriors collection, The Darkest Hour, and looked at the clock as I grabbed my water

bottle. I nearly choked. Eleven-thirty at night? I glanced at my younger sister asleep in her bed, she whom I dubbed Wildpaw. She hadn't stirred. Good.

I screwed the lid back on the bottle, put it back on my bedside bookshelf – yes, bookshelf – and got comfortable under the covers. Clan cats padded through my thoughts long after I

turned off the light, and surrendered to sleep. My final thought was this: Ah, I would give much to be a cat...

The next morning, the first thing I realized as I opened green-and-hazel eyes was that everything seemed bigger. Bigger, and clearer. The second thing was that I was curled up, rather

like a cat. The third was, as I rose out of the covers, it almost seemed I shrank during the night. Before I had time to register more, the door opened. Her mother froze with her mouth

open, looking as if she had been about to say something. "What's wrong?" I asked, flicking my tail-tip – wait... I spun around. And around. And around. Then I stopped, because I finally

caught sight of a long, skinny brown appendage on my backside. What in the name of StarClan?

The movement set my mother back in motion. "Shoo! Go! Get out!" She started swatting at me with a blanket she found balled up at the end of the bed. I hissed – without taking notice of

what I was doing – and ran. I pelted out of the room, down the stairs, and found myself skidding on wooden floor. Unable to stop, I smacked head-first into the front door, and sat back,

momentarily dazed. Heartbeats later, Mother came down and opened the door. At the first crack wide enough, I was gone. I raced towards the forest near my house – the only other place

I could call home. I entered the trees, and kept running. Only when the small river came into view did I slow, and finally come to a halt by the still water. I carefully leaned to look at my

reflection, half-afraid of the water I used to splash into at full speed.

I shrieked at what I saw. Staring back with wide eyes and an open mouth was a cat. A sleek brown tabby she-cat, with ears and paws way too big for her body. I finally slowed my breath,

and tried to think logically. Okay, you're only dreaming. Remember, you were wishing you were a cat? Well, now your subconscious has provided you with a world that's escaped from reality. At

this very moment your physical body is lying in bed, deep in sleep. But my realistic side disagreed. "You're a cat, you don't know why, or how, and now you can't go home." I thought aloud, as

I seemed to do when confused. I looked in the water again. Yes, that was definitely me. Now that I was calm, I recognized the color of the cat's eyes. Green, with hazel around her pupils.

And the pelt was many shades of brown that was darkest at the top of her head, and faded to a lighter golden-brown at her tail-tip and toes. Every inch of her fur was golden on the tips

where the sun bathed them.

I was a cat.

For a long time I sat there, and watched my reflection, while thinking about what I would do now. Suddenly, I meowed, "My name is now Sun. I am a rogue. I have no home, nor family. I

don't remember any of my past. I will wander until, perhaps, I find a place to stay." With that, I stood and walked in the opposite direction from which I came. I left behind my home,

perhaps never to return.

I stumbled wearily onto a moor, different than anything I had ever set foot on before. It had been three days since I became a cat, and being one wasn't as nice as it appeared in

Warriors. All I'd had to eat was a stale piece of bread I found in a trash can the first day, a tiny chicken leg the second, and nothing that day. I'd drank very little, except muddy puddles,

and therefore produced little to no urine, and to top it all off, I think that bread was really bad, for I felt sick to my stomach. So obviously, I was unprepared for what happened next.

My ears pricked at a slight swisk! sound. It came from behind a group of stones. "Wh-who's there?" I croaked, my voice barely rising above a whisper. No answer. "Of course there was no

answer," I whispered to myself. "It was the wind. You were talking to the wind. You know what though, wind? Next, we're going to have a wonderful garden party, and you're not invited."

Before I could say more, or even take another step, I was ambushed. Three feline shapes rose from the surrounding boulders and attacked. Too weak to defend myself, I went limp. The

cats stepped back. "Is she dead?" The smallest one squeaked. She was cuffed over the ear by the largest of the group, a tom. "Don't be stupid, Whitetail. She's not dead. But she possibly

fainted." I raised my head suddenly. "Yes, I did." The cat named Whitetail screamed and dove behind the rocks.

Struggling to sit up, I suddenly realized something. "Wait... Did you say Whitetail? Like the Whitetail of WindClan?" The large tom narrowed his eyes. "How do you know of our Clan?" His

silver claws glinted, making his would-be foe – me - wince.

Another tom stepped forward, and he seemed to have a slight limp. He laid his tail on the tom's shoulder. "Easy, Mudclaw." He turned to me. "Have you come seeking WindClan for aid? I

believe Tallstar may give you food, water, and rest." Mudclaw opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again at a look from the tom. "I am Deadfoot," he continued. I nodded. The

mention of food and water had made me extremely agreeable, and filled me with a strength. "My name is Sun. I have not sought out aid, but it seems to have come to me. I will follow you

to your camp."

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" A black-and-white tom yowled as he sprang onto a ledge jutting out from the wall of the

camp. It was not very far up, perfect for a cat to address the Clan from.

I looked up from the mouse I was ravenously devouring. It was my fifth meal since arrival earlier that morning, and I was beginning to fill up. Whitetail bounded over and nudged me up.

"Come on! Tallstar is announcing your arrival to the Clan!" Heart pounding in my chest, I followed the white she-cat. I sat down next to her, and looked around at the cats. A few I had

seen throughout the day, but others were unfamiliar, and looking at me oddly. It intimidated and almost frightened me. Would I be sent away? Worse yet, would I be killed?

"Calm down, your emanating fear." I jumped at Mudclaw's voice in my ear. I turned to look at the mottled brown tom on my left side, and offered a weak smile. All I got in reply was a snort

of half-contempt. "You'll be fine." An indignant retort sprang to my tongue, but it never got out. Tallstar began to speak, as I decided that I didn't like Mudclaw very much.

"Many of you have noticed a newcomer among us. She wishes to join our Clan. I have agreed, and so has Deadfoot, but a decision like this must be made by all of us. Sun, join me here on

Highledge." By now I was frightened verily. The Clan would decide whether I stayed? I wonder if this is how Rusty felt, when he first arrived... I attempted to leap onto the Highledge, but

weakness both from fear and lack of food for too many days shortened my jump. I landed halfway and scrabbled with my forepaws on the stone. Tallstar leaned over, fastened his teeth in

my scruff, and calmly dragged me up until I could firmly place all four feet on the ground. Amusement rippled through the throng of cats, and I flattened my ears in embarrassment. Way to

make a first expression, Sun! I didn't realize that I was beginning to call myself by my rogue name even in my private thoughts.

Tallstar raised his tail for silence and attention. "Are there any that wish for Sun to stay and become part of WindClan?"

Whitetail was the first to reply. She mrrowed loudly in agreement, "I do," then flicked Mudclaw on the ear with her tail-tip. He glared and reluctantly meowed, "I do."

Hope began to fill me as others slowly began to mew agreement. I noticed two or three cats that still held suspicious gazes, but they weren't many in number. Tallstar nodded. "You

appear to have seen as many moons as our younger warriors, but you have no training, as of yet. Until you have earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Sunpaw." I nodded,

tingles running down my spine. I searched the crowd, picking out cats who could be potential mentors. I didn't realize that Tallstar had said anything else, until I came to Mudclaw, and

noticed his eyes wide with astonishment, and flickering with fury. The leader tapped me on the shoulder with his tail-tip. "Sunpaw?" I turned around. He smiled lightly and meowed, "I said,

Mudclaw is to train you."

My heart fell to the bottom of my stomach. WHAT? "Him?" What I had meant to keep in my mind came blurting out, my shrill squeak echoing around the underground camp. I turned my

head to meet my new mentor's gaze levelly. My green eyes sparked with anger, his striking blue with contempt. Whitetail was looking back and forth between us, the fur along her spine

raised. The other cats sensed the tension as I leaped down and stiffly touched noses with the mottled tom. I noticed that, though he was broad, I was tall, and the same height as him. I

nearly mentioned that right there, in his face. But the want to stay here overpowered the need to point out something as miniscule as that. "I will follow your orders to the best of my

abilities," I said through clenched teeth. "I will hold you to that," Mudclaw replied. I was ready to slash his nose open, but Tallstar pushed his way in between us. "The sun is setting on

this long day. We all need some rest." That was obviously aimed at my mentor and I alone. "Runningbrook, you will guard the camp tonight. Everyone else, return to your nests." A light

gray tabby she-cat padded to the camp entrance and sat down near it, her silver-blue eyes watchful. Mudclaw started for the warriors' den, but Tallstar blocked him with his long

black-and-white tail. As soon as the last cat had entered the various dens along the wall, he spoke. "Sunpaw, you will begin training tomorrow by learning of our borders. And I do expect

you to respect your mentor." My ears prickled hotly, and the heat grew as Mudclaw shot me a smug look. Tallstar caught it, too. "Mudclaw, I expect you to be fair and not expect too much

from Sunpaw on her first day." Making sure Tallstar had his gaze turned towards my mentor, I stuck out my tongue at the tom. Dirtclaw. I thought in a hissing tone. "Our apprentices' den is

over there," Tallstar continued, preventing me from creating more mental insults. I looked to where his muzzle was pointed, and nodded. "Good night, Tallstar. Mudclaw." I dipped my head

to each and padded into the den. One tom was lying in his nest. He sat up. "Hello, Sunpaw! I'm Gorsepaw."

"Are we the only apprentices?" I asked in surprise, glancing around the nearly-empty den. "Yea, I had no littermates." Gorsepaw meowed. "But, that's not as sad as what happened to

you. I'd hate to have Mudclaw as a mentor." He continued chatting as I gathered up a bundle of moss, and molded it into a nest. "Onewhisker is my mentor. He's really nice. Hey, maybe

you could train with us tomorrow!" I shrugged, now curled up in my nest. "Tallstar told Mudclaw to take me around the borders, so most likely not." Gorsepaw frowned. "Well, good night."

He laid down with his limbs splayed, and within minutes was asleep. I stayed curled up in a tight ball, awake for what seemed like hours. Finally, darkness took hold of me, and I fell into a

dreamless sleep.

So...? What'd ya think? Give me your HONEST opinions. I especially want you to compare it with the first chapter of LAATC. Thank you and good night!

Sincerely,

The Insane Mind of Agent Professor M-S