AN: Finally I got this chapter finished! Took me long enough considering it's just the beginning...but I managed to get it done nonetheless. I have many excuses, one of them due to laziness. I also had to get my laptop replaced by a new one - something that was long overdue. But now that I have a new one it shouldn't take as long as it has for updates to come. Thanks everyone for your patience, and here's the next chapter!

Chapter 1

Sunlight filtered through the broadened leaves, warming Rainpaw's pelt. She looked up to see that birds were calling to one another, unaware of the hunters that lurked in the forest. It almost made her feel envious. Most days she would rather hunt than fight, but Meadowstar had given her a mentor who loved fighting. Stoneheart, her own uncle, was tough and stoic on the outside. But inside he could really be friendly, and was a loyal cat to ThunderClan.

I would have rather have Tigerpounce as my mentor, Rainpaw thought with a twitch of her whiskers.

She recalled what Meadowstar had said to Tigerpounce when he gave her a furious look. Her apprentice ceremony had gone on while Tigerpounce was on patrol with Heavystorm and Waspfang. Neither cat had told him that her ceremony would take place that day. Without Tigerpounce's guidance, she didn't know how to use her powers or what powers she did have for that matter.

The swirling mark around her pad made Rainpaw wince as she lifted her paw. Normally she would have ignored it, but there was something odd about the mark. Her mother had insisted that nothing was wrong with her, but she knew that something was. Many cats, including Meadowstar, had avoided her in the past. Tigerpounce was the only one who spent time with Riverspirit or her kits. Even her father, Blackfall, had spent less time with his kits when he saw the strange mark on Rainpaw's pad.

"You're thinking too much." Rainpaw's ears flattened when she heard Crouchpaw speak. "Keep thinking and you'll have a permanent scowl."

Amusement gleamed within his eyes when she turned to glare at him. "Go annoy some other furball," she hissed.

"Why can't we talk like we used to?" Crouchpaw sounded more concerned than annoyed. "You know we got along better when Bluepaw wasn't around. All he does is talk about what will happen at the Gatherings."

"We have nothing left to say," Rainpaw replied in a low hiss.

She glared at the ground underneath as she imagined the days when she and her brothers would play like real siblings. Those days were long gone, replaced by the vacant stares she received from her Clanmates. Meadowstar's lies had spread throughout the Clan. The light brown tabby was telling cats everywhere that something was wrong with the Marked. Either the Clans had to stop them, or they would take over with their powers.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she felt something stir in the air. All anger she felt towards Meadowstar was focused on the ground. Rainpaw glanced up at the sky to see that clouds had begun to gather. Within heartbeats moisture filled the air. She jumped in fear when she felt moisture collect around her fur.

"You see? That's what happens when a Marked cat gets angry," Meadowstar snarled when she approached the apprentice's den. Her amber eyes were gleaming with anger when she looked down at Rainpaw. "They lose control of their power, and it eventually hurts one of us."

Rainpaw's ears flattened in dismay when she saw the several stares of cats look down upon her. She knew Meadowstar was spreading malicious rumors about the Marked around the Clans. The ThunderClan leader was young, but had always shown her opinions strongly towards the Marked. Tigerpounce had never received an apprentice because of her view on the Marked. Rainpaw knew that she would never have an apprentice when she became a warrior. She didn't even know if she would become a warrior.

The silver tabby flinched when she felt a tail brush against her fur. She looked up to see Stoneheart looking down at her. His amber eyes were gleaming with sympathy - something she'd never expected to see.

"Meadowstar's nothing more than a mousebrain," he meowed under his breath. "Lets get some training done."

His tail brushed against the undergrowth as he padded away. Rainpaw was surprised to see how much her uncle had changed. Normally he would have gone with whatever Meadowstar said. But now that he was mentoring his own kin, he knew that not everything the leader said was right.

The two of them padded side-by-side out of the camp. A patrol had just left, leaving behind scent-trails as they traveled towards Sunningrocks. Fresh RiverClan scents had been found near the border, and Meadowstar had ordered more patrols near the sunlit boulders. The Clans were constantly at war over them, and they were currently occupied by ThunderClan.

Stoneheart's pelt was lit by dappled rays of sunlight. The rainclouds that had formed earlier dispersed into smaller, fluffy white clouds. Rainpaw was thankful that they'd gone away. Meadowstar wouldn't be able to use the normal looking clouds as an excuse to insult her. One less excuse meant that she could be herself without having to defend cats that she'd never met before.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Stoneheart padded towards the clearing where training took place. She let out a small sigh when she saw that Waspfang and Beetlepaw were already there. Waspfang was a bit more aggressive than Stoneheart, and so was Beetlepaw. Both toms had always looked down at her through narrowed eyes. Now Waspfang was showing Beetlepaw an advanced move - something that was left with older apprentices like herself.

"You have to twist yourself in the air while avoiding the enemies' attack," Waspfang was explaining when Stoneheart approached him. "Don't let yourself be caught off-guard, or they will take advantage of you," he added after noticing Stoneheart's arrival.

Beetlepaw was already leaping from his paws while Waspfang spoke. The younger apprentice - three moons younger than Rainpaw - twisted his back slightly to one side, keeping a stern gaze over the clearing. Once he landed his claws scraped through the air. Waspfang purred in approval after Beetlepaw caught his breath.

"Rather overachieving aren't we?" Stoneheart said when Waspfang's attention turned back towards the senior warrior. "Don't you think that move should be saved for real battles?"

Waspfang's lips twisted in the beginnings of a snarl, and Rainpaw found herself drawling out her powers in case he decided to attack. Once the clouds began to gather he calmed down. "I was only doing what a normal mentor would do," he replied with a lash of his tail. "With my normal apprentice, we have already surpassed what would have been a difficult move."

Rainpaw flinched when he mentioned the word 'normal'. She knew that his tone was directed towards her. When she looked at Stoneheart she saw that his eyes were wide with shock. A roll of his eyes told her that Stoneheart wasn't in the mood for Waspfang's harsh words. He turned towards Beetlepaw, who was watching them curiously.

"What do you think is normal?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know," Beetlepaw replied with a shrug. "I don't have powers that could destroy the Clans." He glanced accusingly at Rainpaw, who said nothing in response. She knew arguing would only get her in trouble.

"Of course." Stoneheart sounded like he'd just made a huge achievement. "Why don't you two leave, it's been several hours since you left the clearing," he added after his ears perked forward.

Waspfang looked like he wanted to argue, but than thought better of it. He glanced at his apprentice before rising to his paws. The two of them padded away before they could say another word. Rainpaw glanced at her mentor gratefully, thankful that they wouldn't have to work together. She preferred training alone, where no cat could watch her make any mistakes. Riverspirit would have seen it as a sign of weakness, but she didn't care.

The two of them worked together for the rest of the night, practicing moves that Rainpaw had learned during her moons of training. She was surprised by how much stronger she'd become over the past few moons. Days of endless training had helped build up muscles she never knew existed. When Stoneheart pushed her he really meant to make her stronger, not make her look weaker.

"You're progressing well so far," he meowed after the two of them were finished sparring. "I'm sure Meadowstar will make you a warrior soon enough."

"I doubt it," Rainpaw replied with a sigh. "Meadowstar just wants me to stay as an apprentice, because I'm Marked."

Stoneheart's lips suddenly twisted in a snarl as he turned to face her. "That's not true!" he snapped. "Meadowstar's just got bees in her brain…I'm sure that sooner or later she'll have to make you and your siblings warriors. Or some other leader will take her place and do so."

His sudden change in mood made Rainpaw's ears flatten in alarm. Meadowstar was still fairly young for a leader - Rainpaw knew that her death would mark the end of a reign filled with hatred and fear of the Marked. But during her reign she was spreading rumors, something that made Rainpaw's fur crawl in fear. If Meadowstar somehow convinced the Clans that the Marked were no longer needed, what would become of them?

AN: Wow this chapter was really...boring. Sorry for the blandness of this, but the next chapters will be more exciting. More to come soon, as I have promised. Plushies to those who review this one ^^