CHAPTER ONE:

Ambush

Sparrowkit woke up at the break of dawn. He sat up and yawned. What am I going to do today? He wondered to himself. He looked over to his brother and sister.

Emeraldkit, his brother, yawned and looked around, waking up just as he did. "Morning, Sparrowkit!" he said loudly.

"Shut up, mousebrain, you'll wake up-" Sparrowkit was interrupted by Airpelt, his mother.

"Be quiet!" whispered their mother. She made sure to be quiet because there were other kits in the nursery. "Do you want to wake Treekit, Leafkit, and Rootkit?" Sparrowkit nodded and saw his sister, Rainkit, start to stir.

"Then can Emeraldkit and I go out and play?" Sparrowkit asked innocently.

"As long as you don't wake anybody up." Airpelt mewed. "And if you do you'll be in the nursery for the rest of the moon."

"Yes, Airpelt." Emeraldkit and Sparrowkit said together. They waited a second and then ran out of the nursery and into the clearing that was the BrambleClan camp. "Let's go see Tomstar!" Sparrowkit suggested.

"But Airpelt said we can't wake anybody up!" Emeraldkit debated.

"Who cares what the grumpy cat says! She just doesn't want us to have any fun!" Sparrowkit mewed running towards Tomstar's den.

Suddenly, Sparrowkit saw white and was on the ground. He looked up and saw the BrambleClan deputy Skyheart looking down at him with amusement. "Were you two about to go and pay another early morning visit to Tomstar?" he asked.

"I told Sparrowkit that it wasn't a good idea!" Emeraldkit told immediately.

"Don't worry," Skyheart reassured. "I won't tell Airpelt if you promise to leave Tomstar alone for a little while."

"I promise." Emeraldkit mewed.

"And now it's your turn, Sparrowkit" Skyheart mewed.

"I promise." Sparrowkit mewed.

"Thanks. Now you two go play around somewhere else." Skyheart mewed walking toward the fresh-kill pile.

"He's so cool!" Emeraldkit mewed. "When I'm a where I'm going to be just like him!"

"So you're going to be a boring old grump, who doesn't know how to have a good time?" Sparrowkit retorted.

"Lighten up!" Emeraldkit mewed. "Let's try to have a little fun." Emeraldkit thought for a minute. "I bet that Tigerpaw and Specklepaw are up so let's go talk to them."

They walked toward the apprentice's den and sure enough Tigerpaw and Specklepaw walked out just then.

"Hey, kits." Tigerpaw greeted them.

"Hi, Tigerpaw! Hi, Specklepaw!" the kits both greeted back.

"What's it like to be a warrior?" Emeraldkit asked the apprentices.

"That a stupid question!" Sparrowkit scolded him brother. "They're only apprentices so how in StarClan's name would they know how it's like to be a warrior?"

"I don't know." Emeraldkit mewed sadly.

"Don't be too hard on him." Specklepaw mewed. "I remember a time when you would've asked the same question, Sparrowkit."

"I never would've." Sparrowkit sneered.

"If you say so." Tigerpaw mewed. "Now, let's get some breakfast." Tigerpaw and Specklepaw headed for the fresh-kill pile leaving the kits in the dust.

"Hey!" Sparrowkit yelled. "Wait up!" The kits ran after them. The sun had already risen so no one told him to be quiet. The warriors were supposed to start waking up then anyway.

The apprentices didn't look back until the kits were right behind them. "You kits are so slow!" Tigerpaw joked. "When we were kits we were the fastest cats in the whole Clan besides Skyheart."

Tigerpaw took a vole off the top of the pile and sat down. Specklepaw was right behind him with a squirrel. Sparrowkit decided he wasn't hungry so he just sat down in front of the apprentices.

"What are you two going to do today?" Emeraldkit asked Tigerpaw and Specklepaw.

"Depends what our mentors think of." Specklepaw replied. "We could hunt, practice battle moves, or learn new hunting moves."

"I prefer practicing battle moves." Tigerpaw put in. Sparrowkit nodded. Sparrowkit hoped to be the best fighter the Clans had ever seen. Emeraldkit didn't have that kind of ambition and just wanted to be a great warrior.

"That's not all a warrior does though." a tom's voice came from behind them. Sparrowkit turned to see Lionmane, Tigerpaw's mentor, walking up to his apprentice. "Today we'll be hunting." Lionmane looked to Specklepaw. "Forestpelt isn't feeling well so I'm going to take you hunting with us."

"Okay." Specklepaw mewed. "Can we finish eating first?"

Lionmane nodded. "I don't see why not." He walked away leaving the apprentices to finish their meal. Once they were finished the stood up and bid farewell to the kits.

"We'll see you later, kits!" Specklepaw mewed as she walked away with Tigerpaw.

Sparrowkit and Emeraldkit watched them leave with Lionmane. Then Sparrowkit got a great idea. "Let's follow them!"

"That's sounds like a great idea." Rainkit mewed from right next to them.

Sparrowkit was surprised. "Are you sure?" asked Sparrowkit. "We might get in trouble if we're caught."

"You guys always get to have all the fun. Now it's my turn to join in!" she said.

This can't be Rainkit, thought Sparrowkit, but I hope it is because we could have so much more fun with three cats instead of two!

"Alright then!" Emeraldkit mewed. "Let's go before their scent trail fades!" Sparrowkit nodded his head and the three kits headed out of the entrance without any other cat seeing them.

Rainkit found the scent right away. "I think they're just following the trail right now." Rainkit mewed. Emeraldkit and Sparrowkit followed their sister across the territory until Emeraldkit started to fall behind.

"What's up, Emeraldkit?" Rainkit asked.

"I smell something weird." he replied. "I don't know exactly what it is."

Sparrowkit smelled the air. "I smell it too. I think it's cats but it's definitely not any BrambleClan cats."

"Maybe it's another Clan coming to attack!" Emeraldkit mewed.

Rainkit started to follow the other Clans scent trail and found that it followed the BrambleClan patrol's scent trail. "They're after Lionmane, Specklepaw, and Tigerpaw!" she exclaimed.

"You could be right!" Sparrowkit mewed. "So, it looks as if it's up to us to save them!"

"No." Rainkit mewed. "I think you should go back and tell the Clan what's happening."

Sparrowkit moaned. "Why can't Emeraldkit do it?"

"Because you're going to." Rainkit mewed. "Now go! We don't have much time!"

Sparrowkit turned and ran as fast as he could toward the BrambleClan camp. It took him only a minute to get there. As he got into the clearing he ran into Tomstar. "Sparrowkit, what are you doing outside the camp?"

"No time to explain!" Sparrowkit rasped for air. When he caught his breath he explained the situation to Tomstar.

Tomstar turned and leaped onto the Highrock. "Let all cats old enough the catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" he called. The BrambleClan cats came out and Tomstar explained the situation to them. "I want Skyheart to lead a patrol following Sparrowkit to help the patrol and I will stay behind and guard the camp with a few other warriors in case they turn around and attack camp."

"Owlfeather, Ravenwing, Sunshine, Redpelt, Foxpaw, and Braveheart, come with me." Skyheart mewed. "Lead on, Sparrowkit."

Sparrowkit lead the warriors across the territory in search of the patrol. After a while they heard the sounds of fighting. As they neared the edge of the territory Sparrowkit saw Tigerpaw, Specklepaw, Lionmane, and Rainkit standing across from another line of cats. But where was Emeraldkit?

Then he saw that the biggest cat from the other group held Emeraldkit in his claws. "Let him go, Shroudclaw!" Skyheart yowled sprinting over. Sparrowkit was right behind.

"Why should I?" Shroudclaw growled back. "We outnumber you!"

The other cats of the patrol picked the right time to jump out of cover and run right behind Skyheart. "Not anymore." Skyheart mewed.

Shroudclaw threw Emeraldkit into the air and him and the other cats ran off. Skyheart caught Emeraldkit before he could hit the ground.

"Are you okay, Emeraldkit?" Skyheart asked the kit. Sparrowkit saw that his brother's eyes were wide open. "Let's get back to camp." Skyheart mewed. "Emeraldkit's had a rough time. He needs a nap."

So the BrambleClan cats headed back to camp wondering why Shroudclaw had attacked and why neither his leader nor deputy was there.