Chapter 1

Blunder padded silently through the cold forest. A chill ran through his fur, making him shiver. His housefolk had moved house, leaving him behin. He was trying to find a home in the forest, as he had been dreaming of the forest for a long time.

After walking several more weary steps, he came to a big cave, hollowed out of the side of a cliff. He instinctively walked into it. Feeling the warm sand on his paws was better than the feel of the chilled grass. He could scent rabbit scent, and could hear and nearby stream. With some consideration, he decided that this was the right place for him to stay.

He had stayed there a few days, satisgying his hunger by hunting small animals and his thirst by lapping water at the stream. One day as he walked out of his den, stretching his legs, he heard voices and then saw a couple of scrawny wild cats standing beside the stream.

"I have smelled a strange scent," the smaller one said.

"I can see nothing of a tresspasser," replied the big cat.

Blunder shot back into his den. They where most likely talking about him.

"Okay, I'll double the patrols around here."

The smaller cat dipped his head to the big one, and they both turned around and plunged into the stream, to swim to the other side.

Blunders heart was pounding, he had not expected that. Those must have been some clan cats that his friends back at his old home had talked about many times. He would have to be careful not to be caught.

He lived there happily for several days, but one day it changed. He was out hunting, and Clan cats caught him. He wriggled under the grasp of a huge tabby tom. He was outnumbered by far, so once he was free of an attackers grasp, he fled into the bushes. He heard one of them spit in hostility, a few other hostile words and then the attackers where off.

When he couldn't hear any more of the cats, limped back into his den and collapsed. His vision was blurred; but then he saw a figure in front of him...

Chapter 2

Standing in front of him was a beautiful silver and black tabby she-cat. She padded up to him and said "Are you okay?" Blunder hauled himself up into a sitting position.

"Yeah, just a few scratches from those cats," he replied.

"You are on their territory. You will be in danger if you remain here," the she-cat replied in a serious voice.

"Where else am I supposed to go?" Blunder protested. "And I can't go with these scratches anyway."

"There is a good place in the uplands, just ahead of us. Would you like me to stay with you so I can help you with your scratches and such? In my old Clan, I was their medicine cat." She purred.

Blunder pricked his ears.

"You used to live in a clan?"

"Yes. But they through me out for no reason, because the leader was very cruel. Anyway, my name is Pinkpelt. What is yours?"

"Blunder." Replied Blunder.

"Well, I'll go out hunting for herbs and food."

Without waiting for an answer Pinkpelt shot out of the den. A few minutes later, she was back with herbs wrapped in a leaf, and two mice clamped in her jaws. She put one in front of Blunder.

"Here, you eat while I put these on your scratches."

When they had eaten, and Blunder's scratches where seen to, they both sat outside the den in the warm sun.

"So, where are these uplands?" Blunder asked.

"Just up there," Pinkpelt pointed with her tail. "But you need the whole uplands to yourself will you? Perhaps...we could start a Clan." She purred.

Blunder was very surprised. Have his own Clan? That would be wonderful!

"S-sure." He stammered, unable to believe this was real.

"SwiftClan," Pinkpelt murmured.

"Nice name," Blunder purred.

"Right!" Pinkpelt purked up. "We'll go to the uplands and make our territory! Do you know about StarClan?"

"Yes I do. My old forest friends told me about them, and Highstones and what you do there." Blunder explained.

"Great. Then you can go to Highstones, and make yourself leader of the new SwiftClan!" Petal was getting excited.

"Wow! And I'll get nine lives?"

"Yeah."

So the next day, Pinkpelt and Blunder began their journey to the uplands. They climbed a few small hills and went through small forests, and then arrived at a morrland of rolling hills.

"Here we are!" Pinkpelt announced.

Chapter 3

"We can make our camp here." Pinkpelt suggested.

They where standing in a spot with alot of caves; about five. One had a towering rock above it, suitable for a Highrock.

"It's good," Blunder replied. "We can just clear it and make a wall around it.

The cats spent the rest of the day clearing the camp, and building a wall around it with mud and twigs.

Blunder sat back, panting. His fur was streaked with mud, and so was Pinkpelt's.

"Come on, lets go down to the stream to wash," Blunder suggested.

The two cats walked down to the stream, and plunged in. It was too shallow to have to swim, so Blunder stood in the water and groomed himself with the help of the cool water, and Pinkpelt did the same. When they padded out of the stream, their coats where shining.

Blunder looked proudly over their new home. He was distracted by Pinkpelt prushing herself against him.

"The Gathering is tomorrow at moonhigh," she said.

"Oh yes, my friends told me about those. Well I'd better go to Hightstones to be made leader of our Clan, so the other Clan leaders will have to accept me," he added.

"Yes." Pinkpelt purred. "I'll go out and get some traveling herbs for you."

She bounded out of the camp and was soon back with a bundle of small leaves. She dropped them at Blunder's paws.

"Here. Eat these and you will have more strength for the journey." She said.

"Thanks. But I wouldn't have to travel as far as the other Clan cats would I?" He asked her before gulping down the bitter tasting leaves.

"No, but it would still be a fair journey," she reminded him.

"Yes."

Blunder padded to the stream to wash the bitter taste out of his mouth.

"I will come with you," said Pinkpelt. "You mightn't properly know the way, so I will guide you."

"Okay," said Blunder warmly.

Soon they where running across a moorland with the wind battering at them. Blunder breathed in Pinkpelt's sweet scent; he had never met a more beautiful she-cat.

Chapter 4

They came to the edge of the moor, and entered a thick forest. They leaped over fallen trees, and made their way through undergrowths. At last the forest began to thin out, and several rocks began to appear, until they could see a dark tunnel ahead them. The trees thinned out until there where none; and there where huge rocks in front of them. They leaped over them.

"I'll stay out here. Walk through the tunnel, until you come to a shining stone called the Moonstone. Lay down, touch it with your nose and StarClan will send you to sleep, and there make you our Clan's leader and give you your new name," said Pinkpelt.

Blunder nodded and padded cautiously into the tunnel. He could feel cold stone beneath his paws and see nothing but darkness ahead, but he padded on.

At last the tunnel became wider; and he could see shafts of light. He turned the corner; and saw a shining rock. Its light was almost blinding. _That must be the Moonstone._ Blunder thought. He padded up to it, his heart thumping. He lay down, closed his eyes and touched his nose to the cold stone. Immedietly he could see nothing but swirling blackness...

Chapter 5

Then, he began to see an image of their newly made camp. Scattered around, he could see starry StarClan warriors. He was sitting in the middle of the camp, shaking from cold. The first warrior came forward.

"Welcome, Blunder, to the forest. StarClan has accepted you as leader of your new Clan, SwiftClan. Your devotion to forest life is honoured by StarClan, and we know you will be a noble leader of your Clan. With this life I give you courage," the starry she-cat continued. "Use it well to defend your Clan."

A bolt of strength; Blunder felt as though he had the strengh of the forest in his paws. More starry warriors came up; and gave him the lives of justice, loyalty, tireless energy, protection, mentoring, compassion, nobililty, certainty and faith. With each life he felt a new feeling; depending on what the life was. Blunder had never experienced anything like it before.

Then the first warrior padded up to him again.

"From this moment onward you will be known as Moonstar, and we welcome you as a full leader of SwiftClan."

Then the StarClan warriors began to fade, and Moonstar opened his eyes. He was in the tunnel, lying before the Moonstone. He got up, bewildered, and retraced his steps back out of the tunnel.

Pinkpelt was waiting outside, her eyes gleaming.

"Well?" She purred. "What is your new name?"

"Moonstar." Moonstar replied, still a little shakily.

"That's such a nice name!" She purred, rubbing her muzzle against him.

"T-thank you." Moonstar replied.

They set off again back to their camp. Moonstar wanted to tell Pinkpelt about the ceromony, but he knew that he couldn't because StarClan commanded that cats kept their ceromoneys to themselves.

Now that he was leader, they had to extend their Clan. But she was a medicine cat... Then he remembered that she was not made medicine cat of SwiftClan, and with any luck she would agree to be deputy instead, and one of their kits could become the Clan medicine cat, with Pinkpelt to train it.

Chapter 6

Moonstar stopped short. He could see movement at the top of the hill that led down to their camp. Then, before he could make out what it was; a huge dog was bounding down the hill. Moonstar dodged it, and so did Pinkpelt.

"Pinkpelt!" Moonstar yowled. "Make for the camp while I distract the dog!"

Pinkpelt began to run up the hill but the dog ran after her. Moonstar ran up to it and leaped on its back; sinking his teeth into its back. It yelped and tried to shake Moonstar off, but he kept his claws planted in the dogs back. Then; then after giving the dog's back one last rake of his claws, he jumped down the made for the dog's paw.

But he felt teeth on his tail. The dog was lifting him off the ground by his tail. Moonstar twisted around, idly clawing the dog's face. It dropped him; and made for the bushes.

Moonstar stood; panting. His tail was aching badly, and he was exhausted. He looked around for Pinkpelt, but she was nowhere to be seen. _She must have made it to the camp_ he thought.

He bagan to haul himself up the hill. He limped into the camp, calling Pinkpelt but there was no answer. He peered inside all the den; still calling her name frantically, but the camp was deserted except for him...

Chapter 7

Moonstar then saw a cat walk out of one of the dens, and as soon as he realized it wasn't Pinkpelt, his fur began to bristle.

"What are you doing in my camp?" He growled.

The cat stalked up to him. "I saw you on _my_ territory," he rasped angrily.

"We where only on our way back from Highstones, and that dog attacked us," Moonstar challanged the tresspasser. "Now get out of my territory before I attack," he added.

The strange cat began to walk out of the camp.

"Come with me," he told Moonstar, gesturing with his tail for him to follow.

Moonstar hesitated. The stranger could be leading Moonstar into a trap. But he decided to follow him; he might know where Pinkpelt was.

The two cats ran up the hill; the dog now nowhere in sight.

"My name is Icestar, and I'm leader of PowerClan," Icestar explained.

"I'm Moonstar, leader of SwiftClan." Moonstar introduced himself, wary that a cat from a rival Clan was so friendly.

Icestar halted and whirled around.

"You have a Clan?" Icestar demanded, his hostility coming back.

Moonstar stopped. "Well...it's only Pinkpelt and I so far. We only just started our Clan." He explained. When he saw the worried look on Icestar's face he quickly added, "StarClan accepted us. I went to Highstones to become leader."

Icestar calmed down.

"Then if StarClan accepted you, I welcome SwiftClan to the forest," he said.

"Thank you," Moonstar replied.

They soon crossed the border into PowerClan's territory. Moonstar hesitated, and stepped back across the border back into his territory, but Icestar flicked his tail. "Its okay, theres a reason why I need you to follow me right now.

Chapter 8

Icestar and Moonstar pushed their way through a thick bush, on PowerClan's territory. Pinkpelt was crouched, trembling inside. She brightened up once she saw Moonstar.

"Moonstar!" She got up and brushed herself against his pelt, purring.

"I hid her in here while you where still battling the dog," Icestar explained.

"Thank you," said Moonstar gratefully.

"Yes, thank you, Icestar," Pinkpelt smiled.

"Its fine," replied Icestar.

Later that afternoon, Moonstar and Pinkpelt sat outside their den in the warm sun. Pinkpelt had gathered herbs and cobwebs and together they had tended to eachothers injuries.

And now, Moonstar was bracing himself for what he had been waiting a long time to say.

"Pinkpelt...," he began, swallowing. "We've been through alot together...and, well I thought it was about time we extended our Clan."

Pinkpelt turned to him, her brown eyes sparkling.

"Of course!" She exclaimed happily.

"Good!" Moonstar touched her pelt gently with his muzzle.

Moonstar was very happy. He had his own Clan; a wonderful one. A good home; nothing could be better.