Ok, I know I havent been updating this as recent as I thought I would. I've been busy with school, I dont really get home until 7 and my bro or mom always have the laptop. But I promise, if some people review and encourge me to know you've been reading, I will promise to update more. Thanks Nightshade07 and FireheartAndGraystripeFan1 for being my first reviewers! I hope you will continue reading.
Three days after Blackpaw's reports, Tigerstar sat on the Highrock looking down at his gathered Clan. They were waiting for him to start the meeting. Snowheart was sitting in between her apprentice, Rockpaw and Shiverpool. Beside Shiverpool was the small medicine cat apprentice, Berrypaw and her mentor Mintleaf. Gingerstripe and Lizardfang were behind Snowheart and his son, Blackpaw, sat beside Rockpaw. Lightfoot was lying down between Brownfeather and Mintleaf. Darkstripe silently sat away from the others, at the base of the Highrock. It was sunset, the coolest time of the day. Perfect for a Clan gathering.
Outside of the nursery, his mate, Dappleshadow, was groomed neatly and her dark, tortoiseshell fur looked sleek. At her side, her daughter Graykit, whose white and grey fur was always ruffled, was groomed neat like her mothers.
Everyone was out of the dens for this special meeting. His daughter, Graykit, is going to become an apprentice. Tigerstar lifted himself on all four paws. He took the last few moments to look proudly at his Clan.
Slowly, Darkstripe glared up at his leader. Tigerstar glared back. It was long ago that he dismissed Darkstripe's suggestion about his son taking his place. He knew Darkstripe always wanted Lizardfang to take his place as deputy when his time will come. But Lizardfang is not wise enough to be next leader. Coming out of his thoughts, he saw Blackpaw patiently waited, smiling at his father and Graykit looked ready to leap with pride.
Finally, Tigerstar began to speak. "Today, we witness my daughter, Graykit, finally become an apprentice!" As he spoke, Graykit and Dappleshadow walked at the base of the Highrock, not far from Darkstripe. "I call-"
Tigerstar was cut off when a caterwaul of terror came from Berrypaw. He tore his gaze off the cloudy sky to look at the medicine cat apprentice. Her white fur was prickled with fear and her blue eyes stretched with disbelief. "Rouges!"
The leader didn't have time to think when a few heartbeats later a group of familiar looking rouges busted through the ravine. Former Clanmembers! As quick as the rouges came in, multiple fights broke out in the clearing. Dappleshadow snatched Graykit and slipped into the nursery, before Lightfoot could even get a look in the clearing. Berrypaw pushed Lizardfang into her den, followed by Mintleaf.
Tigerstar hissed wildly as he leaped from the Highrock and landed on a black tom. The tom's green eyes glittered with hate and anger. "Vipershadow," Tigerstar growled, as gripped his long claws into the familiar tom's back.
Vipershadow twisted under the dark tabby and managed to bite at Tigerstar's ear. Tigerstar snarled and bit the black tom's shoulder, blood gushing out almost instantly. Vipershadow yowled out and squirmed away from Tigerstar. He ran in the thickness of the fights, passing a fight between Brownfeather and the always familiar, Cloudrunner.
A yowl of pain caught his attention. Tigerstar turned around to see an unfamiliar tabby easily tearing clumps of fur and skin off Darkstripe, blood pooling around at the tips of his paws. Darkstripe weakly bit at the brown tabby's legs but he knew it was doing him no good.
Just when Tigerstar was about to help his former apprentice, a small grey tabby she-cat bounded in front of him. Her blue eyes were filled with both determined fear and anger. "Your fight is with Beetle, Tigerstar," she hissed, the wound at her muzzle dripping with blood.
Tigerstar half snarled and laughed. "With you," he growled, crouching. "Bring it!"
The grey tabby leaped onto him and slashed his white muzzle, blood dripping down his nose. Tigerstar reared up, Beetle slipping down in front of him. He crashed down on the tabby she-cat with his claws digging into her side. Beetle yowled loudly in pain and managed to slither from Tigerstar's hold. Beetle slashed at his eye, but it barely left a mark. The ThunderClan leader yowled triumphantly and raked his claws down her muzzle. As blood filled her eyes, Beetle fled from her opponent while muttering in pain.
Tigerstar turned his attention back to Darkstripe. He wasn't there anymore. Instead, Gingerstripe and Rockpaw were bravely battling the big brown tabby that flayed Darkstripe. The brown tabby tom was quickly beat, running off where Beetle disappeared to.
Suddenly, most of the rouges broke away from their fights and ran out of the clearing. Cloudrunner, Vipershadow and a dark grey tom called, Stormpelt, rushed out of the camp and into the ravine, disappearing behind the trees. A spotted tabby she-cat and dark ginger tom followed closely.
Tigerstar looked on in confusion, twitching his ears. The ThunderClan clearing was covered in speaks of blood and clumps of multiple colors of fur. Brownfeather and Gingerstripe both had torn tails and Lizardfang showed he has been battling because he limped on his badly wounded hind leg. Snowheart gently soothed Blackpaw's ear wound and Shiverpool helped Mintleaf look over Rockpaw's scarred flank. Everyone was now covered in battle marks and blood. Even Berrypaw, the medicine cat apprentice, carried a slight bite wound on her pretty tail. The only cats without wounds or scratches were Dappleshadow, Lightfoot and Graykit, who were all sheltering in the nursery. A cat must have help defend the nursery during the battle.
"Is everyone alright," Tigerstar meowed, his voice echoing in the silent clearing.
"Lizardfang has a nasty cut on his hind leg," reported Berrypaw, who was overlooking the grey and black tabby tom. Lizardfang soon collapsed on the ground, growls of shame and pain escaping his mouth. He was told not to interfere in the battle, so he wouldn't hurt his already wounded leg. Now his leg, that had fur ripped from it and covered in new blood, looked worst than ever. Shiverpool quickly bounded over to her injured brother. "And Gingerstripe lost part of his tail. Those are the only two major wounds, which we need to heal first."
Tigerstar nodded to Berrypaw. His ear and muzzle were aching with pain, but his warriors needed to be healed first. The leader watched his Clan gather around the medicine cats. Slowly, but surely everyone seemed to calm down. As he watched, questions ran through his mind.
Why did the rouges attack in the first place? And why did they leave all the sudden? They were close to winning the battle...
"Where's Darkstripe," Blackpaw quietly meowed, as Berrypaw applied an herb to his ear.
Everyone turned to each other, confusion back on their faces. Tigerstar blinked as he shared the same expression with Shiverpool when she looked at him. The dark brown tabby paced around the clearing, with Brownfeather at his side, looking for the missing deputy. He could feel the worried, pulse-like waves coming from Shiverpool each time he passed her.
"Tigerstar, he's not in the camp," Brownfeather muttered, as he looked at him.
"The last time I saw him was when…" Tigerstar's voice trailed off as he heard the harsh cry of terror from Snowheart and Lightfoot on the ravine.
Tigerstar quickly trotted over to where Snowheart and Lightfoot was, followed closely by Brownfeather. Snowheart's white pelt was fluffed out everywhere and Lightfoot crouched to the ground, with her tail tightly wrapped over her in fear.
Sprawled out on the ground, Darkstripe was covered with dirt and blood. His yellow eyes and mouth made a permanent snarl, as he looked towards the sky. Most of his dark tabby fur was ripped from his flank and legs. Darkstripe was dead.
That brown tabby must have done this!
Slowly, his Clan gathered behind him, silent in grief. Shiverpool press her nose into her father's torn pelt, despite the blood. Rockpaw crouched beside Darkstripe's bloodied paws and Lizardfang limped over to lick the deputy's muzzle.
One by one, the ThunderClan cats silently formed a ragged circle around Darkstripe's body. Tigerstar sat beside the torn tabby's paws, watching his Clan. Memories of Darkstripe and him shrouded Tigerstar, making him feel depressed. But he shook the feelings off him. A warrior is strong. Don't let feelings overcome you!
Tigerstar left Darkstripe's body and his Clan, making his way over to the Highrock. A few cats, including Blackpaw and Mintleaf, followed him.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their prey, gather beneath Highrock for a Clan meeting," he meowed, as soon as he leaped on Highrock.
Slowly, his Clan gathered in the bloody clearing. Rockpaw and Brownfeather carefully carried Darkstripe's body down the ravine, his tail dragging in the dirt. They placed him in the middle of the clearing where the Clan once again formed a circle around him. Berrypaw and Mintleaf sat beside the grey and black tabby's head. Darkstripe's kits, Shiverpool and Lizardfang, sat in front of the Highrock, not looking at their father's body.
"The rouges have struck a blow in ThunderClan today," Tigerstar began, realizing why the rouges had come. "Darkstripe has died in the battle. But remember, we are warriors. We must overcome anything comes our way, even death." As he said those words, he noticed some of the cats, including Blackpaw and Lizardfang, puffed out their chests, as if nothing as affected them. "The deputy is dead, but his blood will still live on. And so will ThunderClan. I will announce the new deputy now."
The Clan muttered in surprise and excitement. He knew it was too soon to appoint a new deputy. But he was sure that he would make the perfect decision, because he thought about making a new deputy long before Darkstripe's death.
"I say these words before the body of Darkstripe, so that his spirit will hear and approve of my choice," he meowed, looking over his Clan. "Shiverpool will be the new deputy of ThunderClan!"
A moment of shocked silence filled the Clan for a heartbeat. Clearly, most of them figured Lizardfang would earn the title. Then Blackpaw cheered out his mentor's name, followed by Snowheart, then Gingerstripe and the rest of the Clan. Lizardfang gave his sister a nod of approval, as she trotted to the base of the Highrock. "I will not let any of you down," Shiverpool promised, sitting down, her grey tail wrapped over her paws. "I will follow my father's paw steps, I promise!"
Tigerstar waited until his Clan went quiet after they cheered Shiverpool on once more. "And for a more cheerful ceremony to perform. Graykit, come forth."
Graykit, who was sitting very close to her mother Dappleshadow, looked up in surprise at her father. Her pelt was ruffled with the shock of the battle and grief of the former deputy. Before Graykit made her way to the base of the Highrock, Dappleshadow quickly slipped in a few licks to make her fur look neat.
Tigerstar leaped down the Highrock and looked down at his daughter. "From this day forward, until she has earned her warrior name, this apprentice shall be called Graypaw."
"Graypaw," the white and grey she-cat squealed. In embarrassment, she quickly came back to silence.
"Brownfeather," Tigerstar continued, looking at the long haired brown tom. He was shocked and smiling awkwardly at the new apprentice. But without hesitation, the warrior came forward as Tigerstar spoke. "You are ready for your first apprentice. You will begin Graypaw's training. Whatever I have taught you, I wish that you will pass those skills to Graypaw."
Brownfeather pressed his nose to Graypaw, who happily returned his excitement and pride. The Clan cheered out both of their names, purrs rising from their throat and smiles on their faces.
Then quietly, Graypaw bounded over by Darkstripe's body. She touched his paw and lay beside him. The rest of the Clan followed her in total silence. Shiverpool and Mintleaf lay by his head, pressing their nose into his bloody head. Lizardfang limped by his father and pressed his head into Darkstripe's side.
Tigerstar slowly padded over to Darkstripe and muttered a few words to his dead, cold body. As the sky turned indigo, the dark brown tabby padded to his den, not looking back at Darkstripe. "A new era is beginning,"he thought darkly.
