Chapter 1: Warrior Pride
Autumnpaw was almost bounding before she skidded to a stop at the dip in the land. She picked her way carefully down the slope, Lightningflash and Sparkstar just behind her.
She held her head proudly as they appeared in the camp clearing. Sparkstar had just told her that he thought she was ready to be a warrior. She had succeeded in catching two voles, a mouse, and a mocking bird during the hunting trial.
Lightningflash saw how importantly she held herself, and he twitched his tail. "Don't get too cocky." He said, but there was a gleam of amusement in his eyes. "The queens and elders would appreciate the prey you caught."
Autumnpaw nodded to her mentor and picked up one of the voles at her feet, scrambling over to the elder's den.
"Crabclaw? Twistedtail?" Autumnpaw asked nervously. Their current elders were very ignorant and crabby. Twistedtail was always a bit kinder than his den-mate though.
"Autumnpaw?" Crabclaw said. "Well, then, come on in, or are you just going to let our fresh-kill get cold?"
Autumnpaw bit back a sigh and went into the elder's den, which was a large holly bush.
"What did you get us?" Crabclaw asked. "Vole?" She then spat. "I hate vole!"
Autumnpaw couldn't help glaring at the elder. "I also caught a mockingbird and a mouse, if you'd rather have that."
Twistedtail twitched his whiskers. "Pay her no mind. She's just being unusually picky." He glanced at her fondly. "My mate can be that sometimes."
Autumnpaw took a step back and blinked. They're mates? She thought bewildered. I just thought they were good friends, or something.
"Well get to it!" Crabclaw hissed. "Divide it up, pup!"
Autumnpaw rolled her eyes and split the plump vole in two pieces. She heard Crabclaw mutter, "Did she roll her eyes at me? That rude vermin! Never in my day…" and then she continued in an inaudible tone.
Autumnpaw placed have of the vole in each of the old cats' paws and then started to leave the den.
"Thanks!" Twistedtail said gratefully, but Crabclaw said something about, "…rude vermin…" Autumnpaw couldn't get out of there fast enough.
When she finished feeding the queens, she padded over to the apprentice's den. It was lonely and empty. Autumnpaw was the only apprentice in StormClan, because Sparkstar had led her sister, Oriolepaw, into battle too soon and had been killed.
Autumnpaw secretly hated the leader. He was always attempting dangerous acts for the clan. Only a couple moons ago, Sparkstar had led a numerous amount of warriors to attack a group of rogues who had settled into their territory not knowing that they lived there.
Some sensible leader would at least try to convince them to leave, but Sparkstar had blindly led his clan into a battle against twenty-three rogues.
Autumnpaw remembered the cats that had died, her own father, Puddlestep, her friend, Darkfire, and the old deputy, Goldentail.
Autumnpaw unsheathed her claws and plunged them into the loose dirt. She wished that she were plunging them into Sparkstar's throat.
That night, the stars shone brightly as Sparkstar proclaimed, "Autumnpaw, you are ready to leave apprenticeship and become a warrior. Do you promise to abide by and honor the code that StarClan has set before us and protect the pack with your life?"
Autumnpaw looked up at him, surprised to see coldness in his eyes. He wishes he were somewhere else! She thought with anger. He doesn't even care how much this means to me.
Autumnpaw managed to swallow the sour bile rising in her throat and say, "I do, Sparkstar."
"Then by here on, your name shall be Autumnleaf. StormClan honors your hard-work and fierce determination."
Fierce determination? Autumnleaf said to herself. He's making me sound like…I'm ambitious. Like I live to kill other cats.
Autumnleaf heard the faint cries of Oriolepaw, Puddlestep, Darkfire, and Goldentail. These were the cats that he led into battle against their will. And Autumnleaf didn't even know of the many other cats he had murdered.
Autumnleaf realized that she did have a fierce determination. And it was to end her leader's life, if she had to die trying.