A/N: Hi guys! This is my very first fanfic, so I really hope you like it! Don't forget to R&R! :)
(Update: I've corrected lots of typos, and fixed the paragraph errors that tr1xx777 pointed out. Thank you! :)
Disclaimer: I don't own warriors, although I do own some of thecharacters in this story.
Allegiances
ThunderClan
Leader: Firestar- handsome ginger tom
Deputy: Graystripe- thick-furred gray tom
Medicine Cat- Froststep- petitewhite she cat with blue eyes
Warriors: Sandstorm- pale ginger she-cat
Sootfur- dark gray tom with amber eyes
Rainwhisker-lighter gray tom with blue eyes
Sorreltail- pretty tortoiseshell she cat
Brackenfur- brown tom
Thornclaw: golden brown tom
Wishpelt- golden she cat with thick brown tabby stripes
Oakleaf- black tom with green eyes
Coalheart: black tom with gray eyes
Cloudtail- white tom
Dustpelt- brown tabby tom
Waspfoot- Brown tom
Apprentices:
Stonepaw- gray tom
Palepaw: creamy white she-cat with golden eyes
Queens:
Silverpetal: pretty silver and white tabby, mother of Coalheart's kits: Hickorykit and Cherrykit
Smallleap- light brown she cat, mother of Poolkit.
Softmoon- pretty white and gray she-cat, mother of Thornclaw's kits:
Wingkit, Violetkit, Splashkit and Mintkit.
Silentheart- expecting
Kits:
Hickorykit- light brown tom with light green eyes
Cherrykit- dark brown she cat with blue eyes
Poolkit- blue silver tabby she cat
Wingkit-golden brown tom
Violetkit- very small white she kit with violet colored eyes
Splashkit- gray and black tom
Mintkit- silver-grey she-cat with dark green eyes
Elders: Stingwhisker- very, very, old black tom
Drywing- silver she-cat
ShadowClan
Leader: Blackstar- huge white tom
Deputy: Russetfur- ginger she-cat
Medicine cat: Littlecloud- tabby tom
RiverClan
Leader: Leopardstar- golden spotted tabby she-cat
Deputy: Mistyfoot- blue gray she cat
Medicine Cat: Mudfur- long-furred brown tom
WindClan
Leader: Tallstar- black and white tom
Deputy: Mudclaw- brown tom
Medicine Cat: Barkface- dark brown tabby tom
Chapter 1: ThunderClan
"Over here, Hickorykit!"
Wham! Hickorykit felt the air rush out of him as Cherrykit knocked him over.
"Take that, mangy ShadowClan warrior!"
"It'll take more than that to beat me!" Hickorykit growled in a deep voice.
He lunged for his sister, connected, and together, the two kits wrestled around camp. Hickorykit was so concentrated on pinning down Cherrykit, that he didn't notice that they were rolling right in front of someone. Until it was too late.
"What in StarClan's...? Whoa-aah!"
Suddenly big, full-grown cat was right on top of them. For a moment Hickorykit couldn't breathe. Then the weight was lifted off. Hickorykit cringed as Thornclaw glared down at him and Cherrykit. "Watch your you're going, you two! You could've gotten squashed!"
"Sorry Thornclaw," said Cherrykit meekly.
"Bye, Thornclaw," said Hickorykit.
Thornclaw glanced down, amused now, irritation subsided. "I can't wait until you're apprentices," He purred. "Then you'll have something to do." He walked towards the freshkill pile.
Hickorykit sulked. "I wish we were apprentices."
Cherrykit sighed. "Three more moons to go."
"It seems like forever."
Earlier that day, Rainwhisker had awoken In the warrior's den, as he did every morning. He yawned, stretched, and padded out of the den.
Graystripe nodded to him as he took place beside Sorreltail and Sootfur. "Cloudtail, you can lead the sunhigh patrol. Take Rainwhisker, Sandstorm, Dustpelt, and Mousefur with you." The morning patrols dispersed, taking with it Sorreltail and Sootfur.
Rainwhisker decided to go hunting before his sunhigh patrol left. As he padded out of camp, he heard the squeals of kits, and Thornclaw's annoyed growl. He purred to himself, and parted his jaws to taste the air.
As it turned out, Rainwhisker had to stop hunting early. He'd gotten a fine catch when a thorn lodged itself deep in his paw. So, taking one last note of where his prey was, he reluctantly limped back to camp.
"Froststep? are you there?" Froststep hurried out with a mouthful of leaves. "All that for one thorn?" Rainwhisker gasped.
Froststep spat out the leaves. "No, no, I was sorting out my yarrow," she explained. "Poolkit? Poolkit? Come out here."
Poolkit, a blue-silver tabby, who was clearly going to be Froststep's apprentice, padded out of the medicine den.
"Now, what do we do with Rainwhisker here?" Froststep asked Poolkit.
"We carefully pull it out, with some cobwebs ready." Poolkit responded.
"Good. Now watch closely."
Rainwhisker interjected, "Please hurry. I have Sunhigh patrol."
Froststep nodded and carefully extracted the thorn. There was no blood. Thank StarClan. If their had been, he'd probably be listening to Froststep and Poolkit for another quarter moon.
"All right, Rainwhisker, you may go now," Said Froststep.
Rainwhisker hurried to join his patrol, which was waiting only for him.
"Rowanclaw! What is your patrol doing on ThunderClan territory?!" Sandstorm growled.
"This is ShadowClan territory now!" Snarled Rowanclaw.
"Never! ThunderClan, attack!" And with that, chaos erupted.
Rainwhisker lunged into the fray. He felt fire on his muzzle, he whipped around and raked his claws down a tom's fur.
The tom responded by slashing into his shoulder. Rainwhisker grunted, locking the tom in his grip. They wrestled together.
The tom was small, probably an apprentice, but strong. Finally one of his clanmates dragged the apprentice away. His black and ginger fur was now covered with blood.
Rainwhisker twisted away, remembering it was against the warrior code to kill and hoped that the wounds were not that serious.
He teamed up with Dustpelt to fight of a huge tom. Out of the corner of his eye, Rainwhisker spotted the apprentice fighting with Mousefur.
Suddenly cat a cried out,"Deepfoot and Skinkpaw are badly hurt! Retreat!" The ShadowClan warriors turned and carefully bore their injured away.
Rowanclaw called, "We'll be back. Don't Think you've won." Then he too bounded away.
Rainwhisker was suddenly aware that he was bleeding. He wasn't the only one. Sandstorm had wrenched a claw. Cloudtail had a belly wound. Dustpelt was probably the worst, with scratches all over both flanks. "We need to get back to camp," said Sandstorm. Everyone agreed.
"Hickorykit, look!" Whispered Cherrykit as Sandstorm, Cloudtail, Rainwhisker and Dustpelt stumbled into camp. Sandstorm was limping. All four were covered with blood. Firestar bounded towards his mate. "What happened?!" He demanded.
"We were attacked by ShadowClan," explained Sandstorm.
"Those mangy fox-hearts!"" Cried Hickorykit.
"Let us go and teach them a lesson!" Begged Cherrykit.
Their mother, Silverpetal, wrapped her tail around them. "When you're older," She promised. We're old enough right now!
"Brightheart, Thornclaw, Oakleaf, Graystripe, and Snowfox, go finish up the border patrol. All of you" (he nodded to the cats who had fought) go get your wounds tended to. Sandstorm, I'd like to see you and Rainwhisker in my den." Said Firestar. Hickorykit spotted a brief flash of excitement Rainwhisker's eyes as the last words were spoken.
What could that be about? He wondered.
Rainwhisker didn't dare get his hopes up. Firestar probably just wanted to know exactly where they'd been attacked on the border.
But Softmoon's kits are about ready to be apprentices, a voice inside him pointed out.
Finally, after Froststep and Poolkit had treated his scratch, Rainwhisker rushed to Firestar's den. His hopes were increased when he saw Sorreltail and Brackenfur disappearing inside as well.
Firestar was waiting for them. "Thank goodness you're alright," he said, directing the comment at Sandstorm.
"Why wouldn't we be?" Asked Sandstorm, although there was affection in her eyes. Firestar nodded.
Then Rainwhisker pushed his way in. Firestar nodded to them. "The reason I've called you is because Softmoon's kits are old enought become apprentices. I have chosen you four to mentor them. " Yes! " Their ceremony will be held the day after tomorrow." Now, get some rest. Those wounds need it."
Rainwhisker, Sorreltail and Sootfur spent the evening (By the time the excitement had passed, it was evening) sharing tongues and prey by the nettle patch. "Congratulations about your new apprentices!" Sootfur remarked.
"You'll get one soon," Sorreltail replied.
"I hope you're right," Sootfur murmured. Sootfur didn't show it, but his siblings knew that he must be wondering why he didn't get an apprentice as well.
As the sun set, the three warriors headed to the den. Sorreltail and Sootfur quickly fell asleep, but Rainwhisker tossed and turned with excitement. Which of Softmoon's kits would be his? Wingkit, Splashkit, Mintkit or Violetkit? He fell asleep, and dreamt of his own apprentice days.
Hickorykit had it all planned out. He'd teach those Shadowclan warriors a lesson they'd never forget.
It had been ingenious, he thought. He'd pretended to fall asleep just after the evening patrols returned. Then, after his mother and sister had fallen asleep, (along with everyone else,) he softly stole out. As he did, he trod on Wingkit. Wingkit let out a loud squeak of protest.
Rainwhisker had been pondering if he would rather a she-cat apprentice or a tom apprentice when he heard a noise coming from the nursery.
He glanced outside. Nothing. He shrugged and went back to his nest.
Hickorykit let his fur lie flat. Then he crept to the camp entrance, where Wishpelt and Coalheart were standing guard. Hickorykit would have to sneak out through the dirtplace.
It's not that bad, he thought, its not like we don't bury it. That would be really disgusting.
He trotted out into the forest.
Hickorykit was lost. He was sure of it. He'd been tripping over sticks and stones for what seemed like hours.
Hours! Soon it would be sunrise!
He ran blindly in a random direction.
Suddenly, he skidded to a halt.
Fourtrees! All else forgotten, Hickorykit set out to explore every nook and cranny of fourtrees. However, he suddenly caught a wiff of a scent he'd never smelled before.
Could it be ShadowClan?
It happened so suddenly. One moment, he was trying to figure out where the odd scent was coming from, the next he was pinned, trying to get his bearings, and face to face with the silhouette of a strange cat.
"A ThunderClan intruder!" It yowled. "WindClan, attaaack!"
A/N: Cliffhanger! Yes, I will be updating shortly! And once again, read and review!