I wrote a few chapters before I released the prologue so they shall come quickly... and I'm excited to get to the completely shocking and awesome moments of this book... I hope you stay to read more, and plz plz plz leave a review! It means a whole lot to me! Have a good day and enjoy!
Chapter One
The heat of noon beat down on the RiverClan camp, the sun blazing over everyone causing them to sweat and pant profusely.
Meanwhile, in his shaded nest, Tinysnow woke up with a jump to a large fluffy tail tickling his face. "What is it Featherstorm? Seriously. Have you ever heard of sleep?" asked Tinysnow aggressively, half awake.
Featherstorm was his only friend in RiverClan, as all the others despised him for being a former rogue. Actually he had been a kittypet, but Featherstorm was a cat who despised them and wanted nothing to do with them, so he just kept quiet about it.
"Honestly! Have you ever heard of memory? We have the afternoon patrol, remember?" Featherstorm protested, rolling her eyes playfully. "You can't sleep all day!"
Tinysnow laughed and then paused, hesitant. "No, seriously. No one really called me for patrols until the new deputy was appointed. I guess I'm just not used to it." he said slowly, wobbling on his paws, shaky from sleep.
He almost fell out of his little hollow willow tree on the edge of camp, where he slept to get away from the cats who hated him. It was also ideal because he had a passion for tree-climbing and loved the thrill of the height and the peaceful quiet.
Springing down lightly, he landed on four paws with ease. Featherstorm leapt after him but stumbled a little bit when she landed.
It was an average day in camp, kits playing their games, elders recounting the same timeless stories, and hunting patrols returning to camp burdened with prey. Suddenly, Sparktail bounced up to the two friends, and with his odd, squeaky voice said, "Ready to go, Tinysnow? Feathertail?"
"Um, yeah, I guess." Tinysnow affirmed.
"Great! Let me get Brownfur and Bloomwhisker." Sparktail mumbled.
Tinysnow glanced at Featherstorm while they waited and inquired, "Is it just me or is Sparktail acting weirder than usual?"
"It's just you. Sparktail is always acting weird," Featherstorm answered reasonably.
A few heartbeats later, Sparktail returned, bringing with him Brownfur and Bloomwhisker. Brownfur was a protective and irrational tom, who Tinysnow didn't particularly like. He frowned and turned back to Sparktail. "Alright. I guess we're ready to go then." Bloomwhisker pointed out.
The cream tabby she-cat prodded Tinysnow and Featherstorm. "We don't have all day."
The patrol started for the entrance tunnel, Sparktail trailing behind them.
"Um, you do know you're not in this patrol, right?" Tinysnow mewed awkwardly.
"Oh, yeah... heh heh." squeaked the small, ivory colored tom as he scuttled away.
Tinysnow detested the marshes. He hated getting himself wet and he couldn't actually swim very well. RiverClan had insisted he swim like the rest of them, probably to make RiverClan appear unified and strong.
He nearly drowned at the swimming test, required of every able RiverClan cat, and that experience added to the list of reasons he wasn't fond of it. The marshes didn't creep him out, either. They were just uncomfortable to be in. Tinysnow found no pleasure in the feeling of muddy, dark water and slimy grass on his soft pads.
He avoided the water as much as possible, jumping from dry spot to dry spot to keep his paws from splashing into the marshy ponds.
A frog hopped nearby and Featherstorm spotted it in a heartbeat, pouncing on it, then killing it with a swift bite to the neck.
"Want some?" offered Featherstorm as she ripped off a chunk of the slippery meat for him, rapidly devouring the rest herself.
"No, thanks…" Tinysnow declined hastily, his stomach doing somersaults and the contents threatening to emerge at the sickening scent.
Along with marshes, he also couldn't stand fish or frogs. Because of this, most cats suspected he wasn't even RiverClan. It wasn't like RiverClan particularly wanted him to stay. He only stayed because RiverClan was where Featherstorm was, and anywhere Featherstorm was was the place he wanted to be. His best friend was the only reason he was even accepted into the Clan, since she was the leaders daughter and considered "Important and royal" and the only reason he put up with his rude Clanmates.
At last they came to the border looking towards ShadowClan's territory. As they scouted along the border and added new markers, a small cat, most likely an apprentice, came crashing out of the pine trees after a squirrel.
The apprentice skidded to a stop when he saw the patrol, one paw over the border. He realized this, quickly pulling it in close to his body and swallowing nervously.
Bloomwhisker quickly intercepted the squirrel, holding it in her jaws as the young cat's mentor emerged from the trees, panting and looking annoyed.
Bloomwhisker dropped the prey at the ShadowClan cat's paws. "I suggest you teach your apprentice how to catch prey without the need to cross our border, because I'm not going to tolerate you lot crossing the border everytime you hunt." Bloomwhisker's voice was stern and cold.
The ShadowClan mentor growled defensively, and the two cats launched into an argument, hurling insults and jabs at each other and their Clans.
Tinysnow whispered to Featherstorm, "Why is it that every time we patrol the border, some cat just happens to cross it at that exact moment?" Featherstorm shook her head, muttering, "Honestly, I don't even know. Its so ridiculous. I mean, look at us! Now Bloomwhisker is demanding five pieces of prey from ShadowClan for setting a paw over the border."
The poor ShadowClan apprentice hung his head as his mentor and Bloomwhisker scolded him. The two soon returned to bickering with each other, droning on for several long minutes before it was finally over.
The ShadowClan apprentice looked dejected and embarrassed, while his mentor was fuming with Bloomwhisker. In the end, ShadowClan didn't get away with any free prey.
