Chapter 1
A mossball whizzed by, and then three kits came racing out of the nursery. "Come on Featherkit! You're gonna need to run a little faster than that if you want to keep up!" Weedkit taunted. However, while he was busy staring back at his sister, Thistlekit came rushing past him and pounced onto the mossball, rolling off with it. "Hey no fair!" Weedkit hissed. Thistlekit was raking his claws at the little ball of moss, battering it back and forth. He was pretending to fight a cat from Thunderclan. "Take that crowfood, never hunt in our territory again!" he spat, biting into the moss and flung it. Weedkit and Featherkit went after it; but he stood there triumphantly, puffing out his chest as if he had just won a grueling battle. Unbeknownst to any of the playing kits. A pair of eyes was watching them wearily.
Berrystripe sat just beyond the entrance of her den. Three moons she had remained very quiet about the prophecy. Unsure if she should share it with the leader just yet. The clan was still recovering after the betrayal of Nettletail and that prophecy could make things worse. They had enough to deal with as of now anyways. Greenleaf was slowly coming to an end, and that meant prey would soon run thinner with Leaffall and Leafbare. Thunderclan was intruding on the borders to frequently and the two clans were on the verge of war. It was only border tussles. But what would happen when Nightstar had enough? The couldn't afford a major battle so close to such harsh weathers. Thistles and Weeds. Berrystripe had interpreted far enough to guess that it involved the recent litter of kits. Something involving them would lead to much bloodshed, but whom would be the culprit? It already seemed that Thistlekit was eager to battle. Had starclan fated that the kit resembling Nettletail would try to finish what he started?
"Featherkit, Thistlekit, Weedkit!" Thornpelt's yowl filled the three sibling's ears. "Come over here so I can clean you up, you all look a mess!" she exasperated. Reluctantly, the kits stopped their tussling and Berrystripe observed as they all ran to meet their mother. They were only kits, they could progress no threat to the clan. 'But in the next three moons they'll be training to become warriors.' The medicine cat thought. Nightstar could be seen standing up over the highstones. Soon her booming yowl filled the air. "Cats of Shadowclan, gather!" Felines mingling in the clearing all hurried to join beneath the highstones. "Mother can we see the meeting too?" Thistlekit mrrowed eagerly. His brother pitched in. "Yea! We're Shadowclan cat's too!" Featherkit didn't care either way. She personally wanted to take a break after all that running around. She wasn't the most active kit out there. "So long as you promise to behave and not interrupt, you can watch the meeting." Thornpelt mewed softly. The two brothers bounced up, racing back out of the nursery and into the clearing. "Are you not going with them, Featherkit?" The small tortieshell shook her head. "No, my legs are sore enough." She huffed, plopping in their nest. "I'm going to stay here." Thornpelt nodded, licking her kit's back then walked out of the nursery to see what the meeting could be about.
It seemed all cats required had gathered, so Nightstar's jaws parted to speak. "As you all know, Thunderclan have been caught trespassing on our land on multiple occasions." She hissed. Murmurs of agreement swept through the clan. "With Leaffall coming, prey will grow scarce and we don't need those noisy crowfood eaters chasing off any prey in our land. It seems chasing their lousy warriors off the borders is not enough. Tonight, we ambush Thunderclan camp!" the leader yowled. Thistlekit looked around with wide eyes. Yes! They were gonna beat Thunderclan! Warriors as well as apprentices yowled in approval. "Let's teach them not to mess with Shadowclan!" "Shred their fur off!" "They'll regret coming onto our land!" Nightstar's tail lifted, the crowd beginning to silence. "The ambush patrol will be separated into two groups." The leader declared. "I shall lead the first wave, and take Spidertail, Badgermask, Reedfur, Frosteye, Nightwhisper, and Foxpounce." She mewed, then looked at the clan deputy, Poppywhisker. "Poppywhisker, you will take the second wave, when we lure the Thunderclanners out of their den, make your move. The cats with your patrol will be Tawnyear, Tigerfang, Raccoonface, Whitepaw, and Swiftpaw. The rest of you shall stay behind to guard the camp. Rest easy for now, come nightfall we move for the attack! The meeting is dismissed!" the leader bounded down from the highledge and cats began to disperse. Thistlekit shivered with excitement. He just knew his clanmates would win! All their warriors and apprentices were strong! "Isn't this cool Weedkit? Thunderclan won't stand a chance!" he chimed. His brother nodded in agreement. "Hey, I just thought of a new game we can play! Shadowclan versus Thunderclan!" That sounded fun.
"I'll be the Shadowclan warrior. Call me Weedclaw!" the tabby kit bounced around, then crouched, trying to act like he was in a battle stance. "Hmp.. Fine but I get to be Shadowclan next!" Thistlekit didn't like being a Thunderclanner, but he'd tolerate it for now. "I'll be um… Thistle… uh.." he sighed, trying to think of a good name. "How about you be Thistlefur?" Weedkit mewed. "Okay!" Thistlekit nodded, then bounced into his own little spot, pretending to be asleep in a nest. Weedkit stalked him, tail swaying. Then he pounced on his sibling. "Grah! Shadowclan attack!" he yowled. Thistlekit rolled out from under his brother, pretending to be alarmed. "Shadowclan? You foxhearts! You'll never beat Thunderclan!" he mewed. "Don't you know who I am? I'm Weedclaw, the strongest warrior in Shadowclan!" his brother spat, pouncing again. Thistlekit rolled out of the way, swiping his paws at his sibling's flank. "Oh yea? Well, Weedclaw!" he spat. "I'm Thistlefur, the strongest warrior in the whole forest!"
Nightstar had been observing the tussling kits from afar. 'They'll make wonderful warriors someday.' She smiled, walking in closer and sat down again. The kits must've noticed because they stopped for a moment. Thistlekit pinning his brother to the ground. "Oh, don't stop, I'm just watching so I can take notes on how to battle against Thunderclan." The leader chimed. The two kits seemed rather prideful to think the leader must be interested in their battle moves. Thistlekit was still staring at the leader, so Weedkit knocked him off and got back up. "Hah! You can't ever best me Thistlefur!" he mrrowed with amusement, then pawed at his brother's fur as if he were clawing him. Thistlekit writhed around, trying to push him off. Eventually he went limp. Weedkit yowled in triumph. "Shadowclan we've won!" That's when Thistlekit suddenly swooped up, nipping his brother on the neck, resembling a throat bite. "What?" he spat. "You thought I was finished that easy? You let your guard down!" Nightstar's ears perked, head tilting. That was rather interesting. She didn't expect a kit to think of something such as that.
Weedkit crumpled to the ground and it was Thistlekit's turn to yowl triumphally now. Weedkit however, wasn't so pleased. "No fair! Shadowclan is supposed to win, duh!" he spat. Thistlekit lashed his tail, yawning a bit to show his lack of caring. "No, the best warrior wins. I had a better plan than you so I won!" he chimed. Nightstar saw the tensions rising over the little game and decided to pitch in. "I think you both fought like real warriors. Who knows, you may not even need mentors with this rate. You're just as tough as the apprentices!" she purred, then got up. It would be late soon and it would be wise to relax until the time came for the ambush to begin. "You two should run along to the nursery now." The leader recommended before padding away. The pair nodded, scrambling over top of one another to try and be the first one back at the nursery.
Featherkit was already asleep in the nest when they both jumped in. "I WIN" Weedkit declared. "No you didn't I got in first!" his brother spat back. The two argued back and forth until they began to wrestle around in the nest, waking their sister thus, her eyes opened groggily and she hissed. "Could you two mousebrains keep it down? I'm trying to rest here…" she growled. Thornpelt climbed into the nest, grabbing up the three one by one to place them at her belly. "Featherkit is right, it is getting late. We all should be getting sleep." She mewed. "But mom, I want to be up when the warriors come back!" Thistlekit whined. "Yea!" Weedkit nodded as well. "So long as you are quiet. if you can stay up that long of course." Thornpelt chuckled. Her kits were so energetic it was a mystery to her.
Nightstar walked out of her den and into the middle of the clearing. She was soon joined by Poppywhisker, as well as other members of the patrol. "It's time to head out." Nightstar dipped her head to the deputy. "Maybe your strikes be swift and strong everyone." She led her patrol out first, and Poppywhisker followed with his patrol at a slight distance before splitting off so they could prepare for their wave to come in. As they crossed into the Thunderclan border, claws unsheathed. Everyone was on alert. Even though it was late, they had to be weary of any potential patrols. This ambush needed to surprise Thunderclan, being discovered could damage their odds of winning. It appeared that Starclan had granted them with fortune. The patrol reached the camp without any challenge.
Quietly, the Shadowclan warriors slipped into the camp. "Spidertail, Badgermask, Reedfur.. you all strike the apprentice den... the rest of us shall take the warriors den." Nightstar whispered. The three warriors nodded, sneaking over to the den whilst Nightstar led the other cats to the warrior's den. They all looked at each other, and she flicked her ear. The moment the signal was given, the cats rushed inside. Soon screeches interrupted to calm silence. Nightstar pounced on the first Thunderclanner to escape from the den. "You prey stealers are going to pay for intruding now..." she hissed, raking her claws over the underbelly of the white furred cat. The Thunderclan warrior screeched and defended against their attacker. Cloudheart raked her claws over Nightstar's chest, eventually managing to pummel the leader off herself. "Shadowclan are attacking!" A yowl could be heard from elsewhere. The battle was gradually pushing out into the clearing. Soon Poppywhisker's patrol would step in. "Shadowclan you snakehearts, attacking a camp while they sleep? Have you no honor?" Flamestar's vicious growl could be heard. Nightstar was overpowering Cloudheart, pinning the warrior to the ground, bitting at her back and clawing at her sides. Blood and fur began flying across the ground.
Suddenly, a heavy mass slammed the leader, sending her flying off. The warrior scrambled up and raced away, but Spidertail was hot on her heels. Flamestar pressed his claws against Nightstar's chest as he pinned her. "You thought you could come into our own camp and beat us? You are more mousebrained than I imagined!" he spat, raking his claws down. Nightstar screeched, hind claws kidding at the broad-shouldered tom's stomach. Soon he pounced off, but then leapt at her again, rolling them both across the ground. Reedfur was fending against the Thunderclan deputy, Finchwing. Claws raked across his face and neck rapidly and he had to dart to the side to avoid being hit again. The deputy was far faster than they looked however. Before he knew it, a weight landed against his flank, knocking him over and jaws grasped his scruff, shaking him around roughly. Badgermask and Frosteye were tag-teaming another Thunderclan warrior, Longstride. Frosteye bit into the warrior's leg while Badgermask clawed at his chest. Longstride turned, raking his claws over Frosteye's face, blood spattering across the dirt and grass. He battered Badgermask away next but the two warriors just kept coming and he was backed into a corner of the camp, panting heavily with blood streaking his fur.
"Your warriors are losing Nightstar! You thought this small patrol would be enough?" Flamestar growled, biting at the other leader's stomach. He was right. Resilient as they were, her cats were beginning to tire. She didn't lose confidence however. "Do not count us out yet!" she hissed, teeth fastening in his forearm, snagging at the flesh. He yowled and smacked her across the skull with his heavy forepaw. For a moment, the leader was dizzy, blood running away from her cheek where it had been sliced open. The weight over her had been lifted out of the blue. "Shadowclan attack!" That was Poppywhisker's voice. The leader got up, eyes drifting until they locked on where Flamestar had went. Her deputy had him pinned to the ground, claws flashing over his stomach at lightning speed.
The leader yowled in a mixture of pain as well as fury. He was beginning to tire and struggled to get the uninjured deputy off himself. Nightstar gazed around the camp for a moment. With the addition of fresh warriors from Poppywhisker's wave, Thunderclan's warriors were starting to crumble. Just then she heard a shriek and turned back around. Flamestar had managed to hurtle the Shadowclan deputy off, a thick gash in his chest. No! Nightstar mustered all the strength in her limbs, flinging herself at the orange tabby before he could finish the deputy off. They both crashed across the ground but Flamestar ended up pinning her instead. "Like I said, you're a fool Nightstar!" he spat, fastening his teeth to her neck.
No! She was going to lose a life. They couldn't lose this battle! Suddenly, her mind drifted back to the image of two kits tussling. Thistlekit and Weedkit. Suddenly, the dark pelted leader went limp in the tom's jaws. Flamestar snorted, letting her go. He yowled loudly, causing the fighting cats to cease. "Shadowclan your leader has lost a life, and you have lost this battle!" he spat. "Flee with your tails between your legs and get out of Thunderc- "It was then that Nightstar lurched up, jaws clenching around the flame colored tom's throat. She threw him to the ground and gasps could be heard around them. Flamestar gargled, blood pooling around his jaws and neck as he twisted and convulsed. "You shouldn't have let your guard down so easily. I wasn't finished back there Flamestar." She hissed.
The leader's eyes glared at her own, burning with pure hatred as the life began to fade from them slowly. "It is you who have lost, Flamestar." She muttered, then looked up. "Shadowclan have won this fight!" she spat. "Let this be a lesson to you, Stay out of our territory! Or you may suffer the same fate!" She motioned to the leader, who was slowly regaining consciousness after losing a life. The look of defeat and shame glistened within his eyes. Her warriors began to gather and she was pleased to see that all of them were still standing. Poppywhisker had to lean heavily against Foxpounce, the gash in his chest still bleeding. Nightstar lashed her tail and her cats began to head out of the camp. She waited until they made it out securely before following herself. "This isn't over Nightstar!" Flamestar could be heard yowling at her. "One victory in battle is nothing in war!"
Nightstar swallowed hard as she bounded in front of the patrol to lead them home. The attack was to teach Thunderclan a lesson, but she hoped it hadn't just sparked motivation for them to bother her clanmates further. 'I can't believe kittens playing saved my hide back there...' she thought, looking to the skies. 'Thank you for the blessing Starclan, Shadowclan shall be grateful.' The patrol returned in silence, all the way until they reached the camp.
Berrystripe had been sitting up, anticipating the patrol. She was becoming anxious, what was taking them so long? When she finally saw the warriors enter, she sighed with relief. None of them looked to hurt. That is until she saw Poppywhisker. The deputy seemed as though he were barely able to stand. It didn't surprise her that he was led directly to the medicine den. "I'm alright I said!" he was hissing weakly. "Tend to the other warriors first." Stubborn as a dog. "I'm the judge of that Poppywhisker, and you aren't alright." the medicine cat huffed. Before she dressed the wound in anything, she took some cobwebs to slow down the blood flow. Applying pressure with her paws.
Thistlekit had managed to stay up the entire time. Weedkit had dozed off a few minutes before. To bad for him. His brother didn't feel like trying to wake him up, crawling out of his nest and into the clearing to get a better look at the returning patrol. He wobbled to one of the warriors waiting around the medicine den. "What are you doing up kit?" they snorted, head tilting in slight amusement. "I wanted to see the patrol come back! Did you win the fight?" he chimed. "Oh, did we! You should have seen the look on Flamestar's face." Nightwhisper chuckled. Thistlekit purred. "Yay! I can't wait to be an apprentice, I'm gonna claw up Thunderclan cats too!" he mewed. Nightwhisper rolled his eyes, cuffing the kit around the ear. "Well young one, that may take some time… now get in the nursery and get some sleep mm? I'll tell you more about the battle come morning time." He promised. Thistlekit nodded, bouncing back to the nursery, grinning ear to ear.
The kit climbed into his nest, bundling up with his siblings at his mother's stomach and yawned. With all the excitement passed over, he felt exhausted and his heavy eyelids slid shut immediately. He wasn't the only one exhausted though. Berrystripe had Poppywhisker stay in the den, and had just finished tending to the last of the injured cats. She stretched her aching limbs, staring at the herb supply she had. Now she was low on cobwebs… and would have to replace them soon. The medicine cat crawled into her nest, ears pinning back as she closed her eyes, falling asleep nearly immediately. She was greeted by the sounds of furious shrieks and yowls. "Not again." She hissed, fur standing on end. She looked around, spotting the source. Two cats, completely shadowed out were ripping each other apart. The battle didn't seem like an honorable fight with warriors, instead a vicious battle of rogues.
Finally, as the battle ended, one of the cat stood over its limp foe. Blood flushed from the wounds, the cat whom stood over them seemed joyful at the death, jaws parting as though they were laughing with glee. There was that same hissing voice yet again. Reminding her of the prophecy she had long since kept only to herself. As thistles & weeds clash, one shall become two, & blood will flood the forest. Which cat? Which cat was it who wished to cause so much pain? To have such a love for violence? She didn't know yet. All these omens, these dreams. The only lead she could gather from them was that it had to be linked to the kits in Shadowclan. One of those sweet innocent kits was going to grow up to destroy the clan if she didn't find out who in time. Berrystripe slept very uneasily that night.