Chapter 1
the Discovery
Sablestorm padded through the dark forest. The Greenleaf sunlight streamed through the forest branches to warm his dappled coat as he padded along. The day was just another warm, Greenleaf day, and Sablestorm was content to enjoy it. The tortoiseshell deputy scented the air and then continued along the boarder, his eyes peering over the imaginary line at the empty territory beyond. So far, so good; the border was secure.
The forest fell away to be replaced by a vast meadow. The young tom stuck close to the boarder as he padded along through the grass. Technically, there was now reason for the boarder here; the only other clan around was many fox-lengths away from where he was now, on the other side of his territory. Still, they monitored the border, just in case. With nothing else to do, the deputy had wandered from camp, deciding to check on this side of the boarder.
Just as Sablestorm reached the point where the scent line started to curve back towards the forest, he noticed movement in the grass beyond. He stopped, tensing, his eyes staring at the spot. Through the long grass he caught glimpses of black fur. His mind started cycling through the possible animals the fur could belong to. It's not a badger- it's too thin. It's most likely not a dog; those two-leg pets couldn't move that silently. It must be a cat, he concluded. He parted his mouth, allowing the warm breeze that blew toward him to cross over his scent glands at the top of his mouth. As he closed his mouth again, his ear flicked in confusion. The scent he caught on the air was nothing like any smell he had ever scented before. It did smell faintly like a cat, like he had expected, but there was something else, something stronger that he couldn't quite pinpoint.
Suddenly he shuddered in horror as realization dawned. He had smelt it before, but he hadn't recognized it at first. The smell he had caught was that of death. What in the name of Starclan? He thought. He crouched low, scenting the air again. He shivered as the scent reached him again, it's horrible rotten order bombarding his senses. Staring through the grass, he tried to determine the creature's path. He could tell that it was moving at a brisk pace towards him. Thinking quickly, he decided to wait and find out who, or what, the scent belonged to.
As the cat- or what he thought was a cat- moved closer, he realized it wasn't alone. He could now make out the scent of two cats. Both scents were very faint and stale, as if old, and they were almost overpowered by the scent of death. As the cats neared, he could here them meowing to each other. "...but Fallstar, there's the scent of cats all over the place in this direction. I'm not saying I can't protect you, or you can't fend for yourself, but until you receive your nine lives from Starclan, I would like to avoid confrontation," one cat meowed. Sabblestorm peered through the grass stems from his hideout, seeing the two cats for the first time. The first one was a completely black she-cat with golden eyes. Next to her, a dark brown tabby tom padded along, looking concerned. Sabblestorm guessed he was the one that had spoken, and the she-cat was probably Fallstar.
"I know, my friend, but the only place I can talk to Starclan is this way," Fallstar replied.
"Are you sure? You told me you don't even know where this place is," Oakfur stated.
"I told you I don't know exactly, but Starclan is guiding me. I will find it." The dark she-cat's tone left no room for argument. Clearly, she was in charge. "If confrontation arises, I trust your skills and Starclan to protect us." The cats continued towards Sabblestorm. He couldn't help but notice that the closer they got, the stronger the scent of death became. He cringed, scrunching his nose up to block out the stench. The cats veered to the left, heading away from him a bit. They wouldn't notice him, but he still had a great view of them. He followed them with his gaze as they passed. The she-cat's side was now towards him, and he could see the tom walking next to her on the other side. Suddenly, Sabblestorm noticed something about Fallstar that he hadn't seen before. Along her side, was a long jagged scratch. It seemed a few days old, and was very deep. Sabblestorm suppressed a gasp. It was deep enough, and new enough, that he could tell the severity of the wound should have killed her. At that moment, he also realized that the farther away they walked, the lesser the scent of death became. Is that smell coming from them? He shuddered, and suddenly felt the need to stop them from crossing into his territory.
He stood and called out to the cats. "Stop right there! This is Dawnclan territory! Who are you, and what are you doing here?" The tabby tom whirled around, his fur standing on end, a small hiss escaping his lips. Sabblestorm's fur fluffed up in response, and his ears laid flat against his head.
Fallstar, who remained calm, flicked her tail along the tom's side. "Stand down, Oakfur. This is their territory, we have no right to be here, and he has every right to demand answers of us." Oakfur relaxed a little, but he still stared warily at Sabblestorm. "I am Fallstar, and this is my deputy, Oakfur," the she-cat introduced. "We travel to a place where I can commune with Starclan, and receive my nine lives."
"What clan are you from? I know of only one, and you do not smell of Duskclan cats," Sabblestorm asked. You smell of death, he added silently.
"We are from Chanceclan, a new clan, established in these parts by Starclan," Fallstar replied kindly. "Please, do you know of a place I can commune with Starclan? It is very important that I do." A hint of urgency slipped into her voice as she said this.
"I do, but you will have to ask my leader for permission first," Sabblestorm replied. He had allowed himself to relax as they talked, but he never let his gaze stray from the two strangers.
"Of course. If you will show me where, I will talk with your leader, if they will hear me," Fallstar agreed.
Sabblestorm's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How do I know your not trying to get me to lead you to my camp, so you can attack us later on?" he meowed.
Fallstar sighed sadly, but she looked as if she had expected this. She then looked up and met his gaze, sincerity shining in her golden eyes. "If we wanted you dead, you already would be."
This statement made the hair on the back of his neck rise in alarm. He swallowed hard, trying to hide his fear. He forced his fur to relax, and then meowed, "Well, I trust my leader can decide on weather or not to believe you. Follow me, I will show you to my leader." He started back towards camp. The two cats followed. The walk across the meadow and then into the forest was silent. It seemed as if the two cats with him were unwilling to brake the silence, and he sure wasn't. Sablestorm's mind swam with questions, but he kept his mouth shut. Part of him wanted to know as little as possible about these cats; just being in their presence unnerved him.
Eventually, they reached the willow surrounded clearing Sabblestorm and his clanmates called home. He smiled at it's sight. He loved his home. Then he remembered he was not alone, and his smile disappeared. He turned back to Fallstar and Oakfur and meowed, "Just across this stream, and then we'll be there." He flicked his tail at the water at the bottom of the hill, and then started down the crest. At the bottom, he splashed easily through the stream, it's cold water not bothering him at all. The other cats, he discovered, hated water. He watched them cross with a slightly amused grin on his face. When they were finally across, he turned towards his camp and padded onward.
As he entered the camp, his clanmates turned to stare at him. He knew that they were wondering who the cats trailing him were, and could tell by some of their facial expressions, many of them had also picked up on the strange cat's morbid scent. He stopped in the middle of the camp, and turned to look at the two. "Rowanstar is probably in her den. Wait here, I will go find her." The two nodded, and then he turned away.
He moved towards the large willow across the camp, and climbed down into the whole underneath it's roots. The cave had been dug out years ago by another creature, as well as all of the other dens. This one was smaller than the others, and dark all of the time. Deep in the whole a sleeping form was curled up in a nest of moss and soft willow leaves. He padded towards it and gently nudged the tabby. She lifted her head and looked around, her golden eyes shining in the darkness. She met his gaze, a curious look in her eyes. "Rowanstar, two cats are here to see you. They say they are from a clan called Chanceclan. They want to speak to Starclan. I told them they would have to speak to you first."
She nodded and stood, stretching. "I will speak to them. You may go," she meowed as she made her way to the entrance of the den. Sabblestorm followed her out, and then turned to the next willow tree over. He climbed under it's roots to a den that was twice as large as the leader's den. There were a handful of cats in this den; to the right, Hazelleaf, a golden she-cat lay curled up around two kits. The two, Owlkit and Sunkit, were sleeping now, but he knew that if they were awake, the would be running around, causing trouble. The two were almost old enough to become apprentices, and were quite a handful for their mother.
On the opposite side, a younger, smaller Siamese she-cat lay curled up in her nest alone. Her swollen belly rose and fell slowly, telling Sabblestorm that Rippleshine was asleep. He padded to the young cat and nosed her shoulder gently to wake her. She looked up, and when she saw him, she began purring. "Hello, love," she meowed softly. She sat up and moved close.
He returned her purr. "How are you?" he meowed gently as he sat next to her.
Her purr increased, showing her happiness. "I've never been better." He could see her happiness in her eyes, and felt his own heart swell with joy. The great joy he felt was brought by the kit's his mate carried. He gently licked her ear as she said, "How did your patrol go?"
"Patrol of one?" he said, laughing softly. "It went well, until I stumbled across some outsiders," He quietly began to tell his mate about the knew cats. She listened intently for a while, but clearly she was still tired. She was often tired. It worried him a bit, but he pushed it aside, not letting it ruin his mood. He continued talking until she curled up at his feet and slipped off to sleep. He gently licked her ear again, and then left the nursery to find out what his leader had decided. He wondered just how much he could trust the two cats. Fallstar had seemed sincere, but from what he had seen, some cats were good at acting trustworthy. He shook his head, and then stepped out into the midday light. His clanmates had gathered to listen to his leader's words as she conversed with the foreign cat. So far, neither seemed to be acting hostile, which allowed Sabblestorm to sigh in relief. He stepped out farther, and then joined the crowd that had gathered.
The two cats talked for a while longer, and then Rowanstar sighed. "I will allow you to converse with Starclan this once. Maybe as you convey with them, you can ask for a place in your territory to talk to them in the future."
Fallstar seemed relieved. "Thank you," she meowed. Rowanstar stood and flicked her tail, signaling for her fellow leader to follow. The black she-cat turned to her deputy and meowed, "Stay here," and then followed Rowanstar. The two she-cats disappeared a moment later into the upper branches of the willow tree above Rowanstar's den.
Sabblestorm looked to Oakfur. The tabby tom stood awkwardly in the middle of the camp. Sablestorm sighed. Part of him didn't want to be nice to these cats- the smell of death on their fur made him shiver- but his leader had decided that they were trustworthy. Feeling as if he couldn't leaf Oakfur to sit awkwardly in the center of the camp, he padded towards him. "If your hungry, go ahead and eat. The fresh-kill pile's right over there. During Greenleaf, we have so much prey that we struggle not to waist, so take some for yourself and Fallstar," he meowed.
Oakfur nodded. "Thank you. I will do that," he meowed gratefully. He then sighed, looking uncomfortable. "I'm sorry about all of this, by the way. Fallstar can be so stubborn. I tried to talk her out of coming here, but she wouldn't budge. I feel bad, invading your camp."
"You didn't invade. It's fine," Sabblestorm said in reply. He couldn't help but warm to the gentle tom. He sat down. "So, did you have to travel far to get here?"
"Not really. It was a long walk, but not too far. I guess we're bordering clans now," Oakfur replied as he sat next to him. He seemed to finally relax as he did, and was obviously comfortuable talking with Sabblestorm.
"Yeah, I guess so. How did your clan come to be?" he asked.
Suddenly Oakfur looked uncomfortable. "Err... I probably shouldn't talk about it." Sabblestorm remained silent, looking curious. When Oakfur noticed, he meowed, "It's kind of a touchy subject for our clan. Fallstar wants to take us to the gathering, if your clan will show us; Starclan has asked us to go. Then, I'm pretty sure Fallstar will explain." Sabblestorm tried to hide his disappointment as he nodded. Seeming like he felt he hadn't explained himself very well, Oakfur added, "Our clan seems pretty much like yours, on the outside; we have a leader, we have a deputy, we even have a medicine cat, Aquasky. Beyond that, the similarities change... we're special. It's why our scent is different. Why all our warriors carry some sort of scar from birth... it's hard to explain."Sabblestorm stared for a minute, not sure what to say. After a minute, Oakfur meowed, "I figure you had noticed. I could see the horror in your eyes as you approached us. It's the same look most cats give us when they first learn of us. The smell of death follows us everywhere. I hate it... but I've adjusted."
"Why do you smell that way?" Sablestorm meowed quietly. He didn't think Oakfur would tell him, but he had to ask. It had bothered him sense he had first noticed the black fur moving through the meadow earlier the day.
Oakfur seemed to debate what he was going to tell him. After a minute, he meowed, "Because, in a way... we are dead." Sabblestorm had to resist the urge to back away. He couldn't keep his fur from rising, or keep the horrified look from his face.
Oakfur bowed his head, almost in defeat. "I knew you wouldn't understand. I promise, Fallstar is going to make everything make sense. We're not some weird abomination, as everyone treats us. Starclan set up Chanceclan to help cats fix their mistakes. The smell of death has clung to us... but I don't think it will stay. Every kit born smells less and less of death. Maybe one day it will disappear entirely. That's all I can tell you now."
Sabblestorm nodded, trying to relax. He could sense Oakfur's desperate need for acceptance. "I'm sorry I reacted the way did," he muttered.
Oakfur looked resigned, if not a bit bitter. "It's expected. I don't blame you. I reacted the same way when I scented it amongst my clanmates for the first time."
"It must be hard. I'm... I'm sorry," Sabblestorm blurted, suddenly feeling sorry for the tom.
The tabby met his gaze, seeming to search his eyes for a minute. Then he nodded. "One day, I hope to be known for the good we represent, not for the scent that follows us. We are not what cats think we are... thank you for trying to understand." From that moment on, Sabblestorm knew he would always be friends with Oakfur. Though he was different, and there were some things that he didn't understand about the tabby, he could tell Chanceclan could use from friends, and he had decided he would at least be the first of hopefully many.
ALLIENCES
Dawnclan
Leader
Rowanstar- Brown tabby she-cat with white markings and golden eyes.
Deputy
Sablestorm - Tortoiseshell tom with golden eyes.
Medicine Cat
Heatherwhisker - Dark copper tabby she-cat with white markings.
Warriors
Sandstone - Sand colored tom. Apprentice, Wolfpaw.
Gingerclaw - Ginger colored tom. Apprentice, Shadepaw.
Braveheart - Once timid black she-cat. Apprentice, Lightningpaw.
Silverwing - Pretty silver she-cat with a small scar above her eye. Apprentice, Squirrelpaw
Apprentices
Wolfpaw - Dark gray and black tortoiseshell tom with blue-gray eyes.
Shadepaw - Black tom with dark eyes.
Lightningpaw - pale golden tabby tom.
Squirrelpaw - squirrel colored she-cat.
Queens
Rippleshine - Siamese she-cat.(mate- Sablestorm)
Hazelleaf - Golden she-cat. (mate- Gingerclaw. kits- Owlkit, and Sunkit.)
Elders
Cloudedeyes - old gray she-cat. Blind.
Duskclan
Leader
Cinderstar - Broad shouldered dark gray tabby tom.
Deputy
Willowhisp - Blue and white tabby she-cat with emerald eyes.
Medicine Cat
Moonsoul - Dark blue point she-cat with pale blue eyes.
Warriors
Whispspirit - Blue and white tabby she-cat with gray eyes.
Thornmouth - Older, battle scarred brown tom with a very short temper. Apprentice, Clovepaw
Apprentices
Clovepaw- Dark brown tabby tom.
Chanceclan
Leader
Fallstar- Completely black she-cat with golden eyes and a long, jagged scar along her left side.
Deputy
Oakfur- Dark brown tabby tom with yellow-green eyes and a scar across his chest.
Medicine Cat
Aquasky - Long haired blue she-cat with yellow eyes.