ALLEGIANCES
Prairie Clan
Leader:
Feather Star - smaller tortoiseshell she-cat with a distinctive scar on brow
Apprentice - Dapple Paw
Deputy:
Grim Hawk - large handsome tom with a sand colored pelt
Apprentice - Ashen Paw
Medicine Cat:
Evening Dream - mist gray she cat who smells of roses, has a sweet disposition
Apprentice - Twisted Paw
Warriors: (toms and she-cats without kits)
Chestnut Wind - chestnut colored tom with an oddly long tail, two white paws
Apprentice - Eagle Paw
Stump Nose - black and brown tabby tom with a slash on the left part of his nose
Apprentice - Sun Paw
Hazel Eye - lilac colored she with a white ring on the tip of tail, distinctive hazel eyes
Apprentice - Golden Paw
Cherry Mist - cream colored she with rings of red fur on tail and legs, oddly pinkish eyes
Apprentices: (more than six moons old, training to become warriors)
Sun Paw - orange tabby tom with oddly long claws
Golden Paw - pale marigold she cat
Twisted Paw - brown tortie with an ear twisted slightly to the left
Dapple Paw - snow colored she with dark grey spots on back and tail
Eagle Paw - tawny tom with white chest and muscular shoulders
Ashen Paw - small tuxedo tom with white tip of tail
Queens: (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)
Rising Breeze - pretty grey and black tortie
Ginger Leaf - red she with white markings on face and tail
Elders:
Prickle Sight - large white tom whom is blind in one eye, knows stories of The Four Clans
Shallows Clan
Leader:
Swan Star - magnificent white tom with wing like patterns
Deputy:
Beaver Pounce - brown and black tom with long legs
Medicine Cat:
Rush Cloud - sweet white she with grey cloud-like patterns
Warriors: (toms and she-cats without kits)
Fish Snout - gray tom with a fish-like snout
Apprentice - Mud Paw
Squirrel Eye - brown gray tabby tom with extremely bushy tail
Apprentice - Frog Paw
Moon Storm - small blue she with a white crescent shape on chest
Apprentices:
Mud Paw - brown and white tortie tom
Frog Paw - sweet black and white she with long legs
Queens: (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)
Light Mist - lilac she with white specks on torso and chest
Ember River - brown and red she with odd black rings on front legs
Elders:
White Tail - large brown she with a white tail
Barren Clan
Leader:
Storm Star - black and dark gray tom
Deputy:
Rapid Storm - dark gray tom with white lightning-like patterns
Warriors: (toms and she-cats without kits)
Ash Claw - small gray she with long back claws
Apprentice - Drift Paw
Owl Gaze - dark umber tom, odd yellow eyes
Amber Hawk - small ginger she cat with hawk like eyes
Medicine Cat:
Wolf Shade - large white tom with wolf-like ears
Apprentice - Tiny Paw
Apprentices:
Tiny Paw - shy lilac tortie she-cat with very small paws
Drift Paw - white tom with brown smudges on back
Queens:
Sparrow Whisper - brown she with tiny ears, wing like patterns
Elders:
Lichen Ear - brown tabby tom with moss-like patterns on ears
Albatross Cloud - large black she cat
PROLOGUE
The kits couldn't see, but they could sense. They could sense their mother's milk scent. They could sense her loving purr rippling through her warm pelt. They could sense the squirming bodies of their brothers and sisters, all trying to get closer to their mother's belly, closer to warmth. But only one could sense something different. Only one could sense greatness.
Chapter One
"Get your lumpy paws off of me!" Dapplekit could hear the play-fight cries of the other kits in the nursery. She lunged sideways as a tussle of fur and limbs faltered past her.
"Eeep, sorry Dapple!" Her sister, Goldenkit called as she was whisked away in a heap of pale marigold and tawny fur. The pale marigold belonged to Goldenkit, whereas the tawny belonged to their brother, Eagle. Golden Kit was a smaller version of their father, Grimhawk. He was the deputy of their clan, PrairieClan.
"It's fine, but make sure you don't land on-" she began, her eyes widening as they neared their other brother, who was born last. She winced as they thumped down on him.
"Twisted…" She pushed out as he squeaked pitifully, his face crushed by Eagle's massive back paw. She leaped over to them and shoved off Eagle and Golden, shooting her brother a warning glance. He bowed his head a tiny bit and slunk back over to their mother's side, settling in for a nap. Goldenkit sulked and followed Eagelkit to their mother's side.
"Are you ok?" She asked, licking his head fur until it had settled back down. He purred gratefully and nodded.
"I don't know why you and mom are the only ones who care about me.." He wailed, opening his eyes wide so he looked sad. It seemed as if Dapple's heart would melt like the snow from leaf-bare whenever he gave her those big, sweet amber eyes. She mewed again and settled down by him to give him a quick wash. He started licking her fore leg as she began on his clumpy back fur.
"I don't think that's the case, but… I just think Goldenkit and Eaglekit are a bit more keen to begin their training as apprentices than you and I. Now stop squirming, I want your fur to be settled down for the naming ceremony tonight! Feather Star won't be happy if you show up looking like you were just sat on!" She meowed, gently holding him down with one of her paws so she could keep washing him
"But I was just sat on, if you didn't notice!" He said, shrugging away from her tongue uncomfortably. She ceased her licking and stood, up, ruffling her fur confusedly. Their mother, Rising Breeze, began to carefully wash Golden Kit and Eagle Kit as they drifted off to sleep. Twisted Kit stood up and padded over to the corner where the nursery's emergency herb supply was stored. Each den had their own supple if something were to happen when one of the cats was sleeping. Dapple Kit and her littermates had been told that when Rising Breeze began her kitting, Ginger Leaf hadn't even gone to get carefully selected a few leaves and flowers from the pile. He bundled them up in some big maple leaves and walked over to Dapple Kit with them. She almost immediately noticed he had four chamomile flowers.
"What are those for?" She questioned.
"Oh, er, nothing, just, er, wanted to be a bit stronger for the naming ceremony tonight." He forced out through the bundle in his mouth.
"Ok, that's fine, but you cannot eat more than one otherwise you'll spasm out again and then who knows when there'll be another naming ceremony and we won't be able to be warriors together and I'll literally DIE!" She gasped. He shrugged his shoulders helplessly. She sighed and was about to walk over to help him when two other bodies bounded into the nursery, mewing happily.
"Hey, Golden Kit!" Said Ashen Kit, a small tom from Ginger Leaf's litter, flicking his tail so the white tip looked as if it were dancing. She absentmindedly acknowledged their presence and settled down on the ground even though she had just gotten up. They were so full of energy that it seemed as if they sucked the energy out of all the other kits in the nursery. Even Eagle Kit, who wasn't anywhere even close to sleeping had to stifle a yawn. Golden Kit bounced up happily and bounded over to the small tuxedo, rubbing her head against his neck, purring. He looked down with embarrassment. Sun Kit just laughed and slunk over to lay down beside Dapple Kit. She rested her forehead on his snout and they began to share tongues, purring softly. Ginger Leaf, Sun Kit and Ashen Kit's mother, walked in and padded over to Rising Breeze to talk quietly. Eagle Kit resituated himself so he couldn't hear what they were talking about, for they had been taught since before their eyes had opened not to eavesdrop.
If only this was what it could be like everyday, all of us packed in here, warm, sharing tongues, feeling….happy. Dapple Kit thought as she began to wash one of Sun Kit's legs. Suddenly she stopped and just sat there, unmoving. Her ears flicked around like satellite dishes and she opened her mouth slightly to catch a better scent. Sun Kit stopped his licking, too, and copied what she was doing. They could both tell something was wrong, but they didn't know what. They had been out of the nursery enough times to recognize their clan's scent, but they didn't know the scents of the other two clans, Barren Clan and Shallows Clan. Sun Kit sprang to his feet, unsheathing his claws. They were long and sharp, just as his descendants were, but he had yet to learn when to keep them in or to get them out. Dapple Kit hissed at him, but he stood there, unmoving, growling. There was the noise of a cracking twig from out back and he spun around, but it was too late.
"Mother, Ginger Leaf, we need to get out of here-" she began, hurtling to her feet, but the Barren Clan warriors had already crashed through the nursery wall.
"ACK!" Yelped Twisted Kit as they thudded down, bearing sharp claws and teeth. A wicked smile spread across one of their faces, but a hiss from behind them stopped them before they could lunge and attack the kits. He jumped up and ran out of the nursery, trembling. They spun around, spitting, which gave Sun Kit a chance to attack. He hurled himself onto one of their backs, digging in his claws and yowling. Dapple Kit heard lots of pawsteps as the rest of the Clan came to see what was happening in the nursery. Dapple Kit opened her mouth to yell at Sun Kit to stop, but her words were lost amongst the warrior's howl of pain. Grim Hawk bounded into the nursery, spitting, and pushed the rest of the kits outside behind him. Dapple Kit stood there, in front of the warriors, trembling, hissing with all her might but knowing that wouldn't scare them. She unsheather her claws and raked them across one of the warrior's faces, her paw unsteady as she had never fought before. The warrior yowled and batted her to the side with a massive forepaw, and she heard a deafening crunch as she hit the ground. She yowled and ran out of the nursery only to find her back leg couldn't support her weight. She screeched and hissed as pain seared through her leg, sharper and more scorching than lightning. The medicine cat, Evening Dream, heard her wail and rushed out of the medicine den. She looked hurriedly around the clearing, looking for the source of the noise, and her gaze landed on Dapple Kit, who was lying on the ground, mewing loudly. Evening Dream's gaze softened and she sprinted over to her, meowing.
"What's happened?" She mewed as she bent down to pick Dapple Kit up by the scruff of her neck, even though she was almost six moons old.
"The nursery….was…..attacked…..by…...Barren Clan warriors…" she panted as her leg began to feel numb. Evening Dream looked at the nursery, and it seemed as if just for the first time she realized the screeching and yowling of cats from the inside. Ginger Leaf and Rising Breeze rolled out side by side, and an enemy warrior came out behind them, spitting angrily. The enemy she tried to leap away, but Ginger Leaf was faster. With an ear-piercing battle cry, she sailed through the air and landed on the warrior's back. Guessing by the screech the warrior let out, Dapple Kit guessed Ginger Leaf had hit a soft spot. The scrawny warrior wriggled and tried to get away, but the wriggling allowed Ginger Leaf to just sink her claws deeper in. In the midst of this, Rising Breeze looked for Dapple Paw, and when she saw her daughter laying on the ground with blood seeping from her leg, she hissed and hurtled back into the nursery, screeching as she attacked the cat who had hurt her daughter. Ginger Leaf had pinned down the Barren Clan warrior.
"Had enough, Amber Hawk?" Ginger Leaf hissed menacingly. Does Ginger Leaf know this Barren Clan warrior? Dapple Kit wondered as the strange warrior shook her head and hissed.
"You'll never be able to defeat me, fox-dung!" Amber Hawk hissed and she rolled out from under Ginger Leaf and clawed at her underbelly. Ginger Leaf yowled as her soft belly fur was raked with sharp claws, but Amber Hawk just clawed harder. It seemed as Ginger Leaf was almost done for when Feather Star catapulted out of the nursery and landed right next to the screeching, writhing bundle of fur. She unsheathed her claws and raked them across the warrior's side until Amber Hawk screeched and ran out of the camp. Everyone in the camp could hear her yowling and running away from the camp back to the Barren Clan camp.
Evening Dream trotted to the medicine den and set Dapple Kit down in one of the nests. Twisted Kit was in there, too, licking a forepaw and drawing it over his ears. The smell of blood and Barren Clan was in her nose, and her eyes were watering. Twisted Kit sat up and mewed when he saw his sister laying in the other nest. Her eyes were closed and her sides heaved, her breath rattling unnaturally. He sprinted to the other side of the medicine den and returned with a blueish-purple berry clutched in his mouth. He dropped it and rolled it towards her muzzle. She sniffed it half-heartedly and returned to resting her muzzle on her paws.
"Eat it, it's juniper. It'll help with your breathing; seems like you got some dust caught up in your nose when you got thrown." Twisted Kit said, urging her to eat it. She raised her eyes and looked at him, then lifted her head reluctantly and ate the berry. It tasted sour, but it was a relief when a few minutes later her breathing began to return to normal. She closed her eyes and settled down for a nap as Twisted Kit began to wash her bloody leg, muttering something.