CHAPTER ONE
Stormfire leaped, landing squarely on his prey, sinking his teeth into the creature's neck. Eyes glowing triumphantly, he took his squirrel back to camp, the brown creature's long, bushy tail dragging in the dirt.
It was a beautiful day, the sun shining brightly with the arrival of Greenleaf. A cool breeze swept through the air, stirring the leaves of trees and bushes, cooling Stormfire's pelt. The air was rich with the scent of plants and prey, their smell tantalizing.
This is nice. Stormfire reflected, feeling warm beneath his pelt. Before, his life had been full of hatred and pain, not a day going by that wasn't filled with agony. But now everything was different, those moments seemingly lost in time, like they never happened.
As Stormfire approached the camp entrance, he gave a curt nod to the two guards that sat near the screen of newly, carefully woven brambles.
The two guards didn't answer Stormfire, but gave a flick of their ears to acknowledge him. Tornstar had ordered that two guards always remain at the entrance to the camp, ready to defend against any intruders. He had also ordered more patrols and seen that all warriors up the battle training with their apprentices, and improved the hunting parties.
So far, everything was working out great. The extra patrols and guards kept the camp extra secure, while the hunting parties kept all cats well fed.
Even though everything seemed to be fine, Stormfire knew it was all just an illusion.
The real reason Tornstar had increased all patrols was because Stormfire's brother, Lionclaw, was returning – planning to wreak havoc on DarkClan in search for revenge. Only Tornstar and Stormfire knew, Tornstar insisting to the Clan that he was just taking extra precaution; we never knew when something could happen. So far, the leader didn't want to reveal everything; he didn't want to worry the Clan.
Stormfire pushed his way through the wall of brambles, enjoying the way they scraped at his pelt. On the inside, the camp looked lovely, brimming with life. Kits chased each other around the camp, their mothers watching carefully, making sure they didn't get into trouble. Warriors chatted near the fresh-kill pile, sharing tongues and laughing. Apprentices scuffled with each other in the center of clearing of the camp, practicing battle moves.
Depositing his fresh-kill on the pile, Stormfire hardly had time to turn around before he was bowled over, rolling in the dirt. Looking up, he saw his friend, Dapplepaw, standing over him, her brilliant green eyes gleaming.
"Hey, Stormfire!" the she-cat exclaimed. "Want to practice some battle moves?" she flicked her tail toward the clearing, where all the other apprentices were batting at each other with claws sheathed.
"Sure, in a minute." Stormfire answered, getting to his paws. Dapplepaw hopped out of the way, bubbling with energy. "I have to take care of something first."
Dapplepaw bounded back over to the where the apprentices were scuffling and leaped on top of Sandpaw, the ginger tom falling to the ground.
Purring, Stormfire trotted across the camp to Tornstar's den. The outcrop of rock stood tall, shining bright from the sun's intense rays. Leaping from one rock to another, Stormfire realized that the boulders felt warm underpaw. Reaching the top, the silver tom pushed through the wall of lichen, the brambles lining the edges of the entrance scraping against his pelt.
"Ah, Stormfire!" Tornstar exclaimed. The brown tom was sitting at the back of the den, eating a mouse. His eyes were bright, carrying a happiness that Stormfire wasn't used to. Moons ago, the only thing he'd ever seen was Tornstar's gaze darkened with malice. Now he was a completely different person – for the better, in Stormfire's opinion.
"Any sign of Lionclaw?" Tornstar asked, his voice dropping in tone. The leader's gaze suddenly held a seriousness that reminded Stormfire of how things used to be.
"Nothing, Tornstar." Stormfire replied. Tornstar had actually sent Stormfire to patrol the forest for any signs of the deadly cat, but he'd found nothing. On his way back, he'd decided he hunt. A little extra prey couldn't hurt anyone.
Tornstar heaved a sigh, his tail swaying along the smooth floor of his den. "I don't understand." He muttered. He got to his paws and began pacing, flicking his tail as he went. "It's been almost four moons now, you would think he'd have attacked already." The brown tom stalked past Stormfire to stand at the entrance to his den. He looked out at the Clan, his gaze flickering.
Stormfire followed, coming to sit next his former mentor. Cats were talking and laughing, sharing tongues as they ate fresh-kill. The apprentices were still play-fighting, throwing up dust in their wake.
"Soon, all this will be no more." Tornstar sighed, sweeping his gaze across the camp.
Stormfire felt his heart twist. Tornstar was right; soon the image before them would be nothing but a memory, replaced with the horror that Lionclaw would bring. Tornstar had said that Lionclaw was horrid, though Stormfire had yet to see for himself just how evil his brother was.
However horrid he may be. Stormfire vowed, gazing across the camp. I'm not going down without a fight.
"No, it won't be." Stormfire growled, unsheathing his claws. "He won't destroy this – I won't let him. I'll kill him before he can cause any harm."
Tornstar turned his gaze on Stormfire, his green eyes weary. "You make it sound easy." He mewed. "But I can guarantee it'll be anything but that."
"It may be hard, but we still have to try." Stormfire returned, padding down the outcrop of rock. He was aware of Tornstar's gaze on him as he padded away, but he ignored it. Reaching the dusty clearing of the camp, Stormfire saw that the apprentices were still play-fighting, rolling around in the dirt.
"Who wants to play a game?" Stormfire meowed, raising his voice above the commotion of the small cats.
All of them stopped scuffling, their heads shooting up with interest.
"What kind of game?" Dapplepaw asked.
"How about a race?" Stormfire suggested, settling himself in the dirt. It'd been a while since he had actually had a little fun. He knew it was true for the apprentices too, Tornstar keeping everyone busy so that they didn't have time for games. Now was a chance to have fun, it would probably be the last for a long time. Stormfire wanted to savor as much free time as he could.
The apprentices nodded, their eyes shining with excitement.
"Alright," Stormfire mewed. "You'll have to ask your mentors first. I don't want any trouble."
The apprentices scuttled off, heading for their mentors – they were sharing tongues by the fresh-kill pile. Only Dapplepaw remained, sitting with her tail curled around her paws.
"Aren't you going?" Stormfire asked, flicking his tail at the apprentices, who were asking their mentors for permission to leave camp.
"Cedarpelt went hunting." Dapplepaw returned, flicking her ears toward the camp entrance. "I'm sure she won't mind me going out for a little exercise, though."
"Okay…" Stormfire mewed, apprehensive. He trusted Dapplepaw, he would take her word on this.
The two sat in silence for a few moments, enjoying the warmth of the sun. Growing impatient, Stormfire gazed over to where the apprentices were. They were conversing with their mentors, lying in the grass and talking. How long does it take to ask permission to go somewhere?
"Why do you think he's doing this?" Dapplepaw blurted, pricking her ears.
"Who?" Stormfire asked, feeling his fur bristle. Had Dapplepaw overheard his conversation with Tornstar?
"Tornstar." Dapplepaw replied. "Haven't you noticed that he's been increasing all the patrols?"
Stormfire breathed a sigh of relief. "He's just looking out for us." He meowed. "What, do you not trust him?"
"No, it's not that." Dapplepaw meowed, surprised by the accusation. "I just can't shake this feeling that there's more to it than what he says."
"Well, I'm sure if there was, he would tell us." Stormfire returned. He didn't like lying, but he had to for the sake of the Clan. If they ever found out Tornstar's true motives, they would panic. He had to do everything he could to keep Lionclaw's return secret, but he knew it wouldn't last too long – he was sure to attack any time now.
"So, I hear you want to go outside of camp."
Stormfire turned to see Thunderfall padding up to him, Sandpaw following closely behind. Hawkwing, Eagleheart and Goldenstep followed behind, the other apprentices trailing after them.
"Yes," Stormfire mewed, "it's been pretty tight around here; I thought they could use some fun."
Thunderfall nodded, looking thoughtful. "I suppose going out for a little while couldn't hurt." He mewed. "What did you have in mind?"
"I was thinking a race." Stormfire returned. "Maybe some activities afterwards."
"I think it would be nice." Hawkwing meowed. "It's been kind of boring here, I'd love to have some fun."
"What do you think, Goldenstep?" Thunderfall asked, turning his attention to the golden she-cat.
"It'd certainly be nice." Goldenstep meowed, licking a paw and drawing it over her ear. "I've been wanting to stretch my legs for a while."
"Great!" Stormfire meowed, excited. "How about we leave-"
He was cut off by a warning yowl at the camp entrance, followed by snarling. Stormfire instantly jumped up and unsheathed his claws, ready for a fight. Had Lionclaw decided to attack now? The thought made his heart beat faster, and determination surged through him like a raging river. He'd fight to protect his Clan to his last breath. Raising his hackles, he stalked towards the entrance.
The bramble tunnel began to quiver, shaking with the arrival of cats as they padded through. Staring, Stormfire saw Cedarpelt at the front, along with the two guards that had been protecting the camp – Blazefur and Watersplash – surrounding two cats, their fur bristling. They came to a stop a few fox-lengths from the entrance, snarling and hissing at the intruders.
"What's going on?" Stormfire asked, surprised.
Cedarpelt didn't answer. Instead, she padded up the outcrop of rock and into Tornstar's den. Moments later, the brown tom came padding out, his expression unreadable.
"What is this?" Tornstar asked, his question coming out as a growl. His claws were unsheathed, and his fur was bristling.
"I found them inside our territory while I was hunting." Cedarpelt answered, leaping down from the boulders that led to Tornstar's den. "They say that they need help, that they come from Twolegplace. They sound convincing, though I'm not sure I believe them or not."
Tornstar turned his gaze on the trespassers, hostility burning in his eyes. "State your business here." He snarled.
Blazefur and Watersplash parted from the intruders to let them speak, revealing their appearance to the rest of the Clan. One was a dappled she-cat, white and black and orange splashing all over her body. The other was a red tom, his green eyes glowing in the sunlight. They looked scared; their fur ruffled, ears flattened against their head.
The dappled she-cat padded forward, shaking slightly. "My name is Blossom." She meowed, her voice quivering a little. "This is Brick." She flicked her tail at the red tom, who gave a slight dip of his head. "Actually, if you don't mind, we'd like to speak to you alone." Blossom meowed, gazing up at Tornstar with bright green eyes.
Tornstar hesitated, uncertainty flickering in his gaze. After a few moments, he nodded, beckoning the cats forward. "Come to my den." He ordered. The leader turned his gaze on Stormfire, also beckoning him forward.
Stormfire hopped up the rocks, tailing Blossom and Brick as they entered Tornstar's den.
Once inside, the two cats sat down, while Tornstar settled himself at the back of the den. Stormfire brought himself beside his leader, staring at the two intensely. Blossom's eyes flickered with something that looked like disapproval, seemingly annoyed by Stormfire's presence. She didn't say anything, but Stormfire could see her tail-tip twitching.
"Now," Tornstar mewed, his gaze resting on Blossom and Brick. "What are you doing here?"
"We were hoping you could help us." Blossom explained. "We've heard of you before, we were hoping you could teach us to fight. As you know, life in Twolegplace is hard, we're constantly fighting for survival. We were wondering if you could help us by showing us how you operate. Maybe we can take of some the things you teach back with us."
Tornstar looked thoughtful, contemplating what Blossom had just said. Personally, Stormfire thought they shouldn't help. These cats looked suspicious, Stormfire could see there was more than what they were telling.
Tornstar, however, looked happy to help. "Of course we'll help you." He meowed, getting to his paws. "You may stay as long as you like."
Blossom's eyes shined, and a purr rumbled in her throat. "Thank you." She mewed. Brick didn't say anything, he just gave a flick of his ears.
"Go and eat." Tornstar suggested, walking outside his den. "I'll get the apprentices to make you a nest." He padded outside, headed for the clearing where the apprentices sat with their mentors.
Stormfire followed, glancing back at the two cats. Something felt wrong to him, very wrong. He shook off the feeling, telling himself there was nothing to worry about. After all, what could these two cats do? They were rogues!
But as his eyes rested on Blossom, Stormfire thought he saw cold triumph in her green gaze.