Hi! Thank you everyone, for reading and reviewing!
NOTE: I have changed some of the characters a bit, so they might have different eye colours, or tail tips, or tail.
Chapter 4
The group of cats, now having called themselves Breezeclan, had moved from the ravine down south a bit more, to where they found a thin river and made a temporary camp. It was sunhigh, or just past sunhigh when the mini-clan was resting. Riverkit and Sunkit dozed next to each other, Sunkit lying on top of Riverkit's tail, while their ears twitched as they dreamed. Breezetail seemed deep in thought as he sat on a large and flat rock in the middle of the river, and Goldpaw sat near the kits, watching them but seeming to fall asleep as well. Starpaw herself was testing her hunting skills with a leaf that was very talented in the art of escaping her claws, and Wolfpaw was out on a exploration and hunting mission. The clouds were light and fluffy, signalling clear skies to come. Their were trees on both sides of the river, but on the southern side, the trees were much less dense than those on the northern side. Starpaw leaped once again, to her leaf friend, and once again missed. She frowned and sat, licking her paws clean. She glared at the leaf. Stupid leaf. It doesn't know anything! It's only a leaf... Starpaw thought in anger. She heard pawsteps behind her, and glanced back to spy Wolfpaw coming from the woods to the ravine. But he wasn't carrying any prey...
"Why don't you have any prey, Wolfpaw?" Star asked the grey tabby tom.
Without answering, he came in with two toms following him. Both of them looked a moon younger than Starpaw, but they seemed harmless and even though they were running after Wolfpaw, they didn't seem to be chasing him. One, an orange tabby, seemed much larger and stronger than his orange brother, his brother having white patches. His brother was much less muscular than him, but he seemed a lot less fast.
"These two, are Flash and Patches. I found them down the river a bit." Wolfpaw explained. "Sorry I didn't get any prey though." He blushed in embarrassment.
"Hello. As he said, I'm Flash," The orange tabby meowed. "And this, is my brother Patches." He gestured to his brother. They both seemed very quiet, but they also looked friendly. Flash had a strong back and a thick tail, and his brother was leaner, with a thin tail and round ears, like a bear.
"Hi." Patches grunted, averting Starpaw's eyes.
"Ok then, Flash and Patches, that's Breezetail over their, go talk to him. I'll talk with Starpaw." Wolfpaw nodded to Starpaw, gesturing to the nearby trees.
"Yes?" Starpaw asked as they sat together on a flat rock just in the woods a bit, leaving an open spot for them to see the ravine.
"They want to join our mini clan, I think. I told them a bit about ranks, and how we need to go to a clan gathering to meet the other clan leaders and arrange our territory." Wolfpaw replied.
"Great." It was actually very important that the group grew in size. Other clans would see their power by their size, so that they could prove themselves. It was greenleaf, the perfect time for a clan like them to claim a territory, for most of the clans would be fat and not so protective of their territories, because they would have lots of prey to themselves. She blinked, waiting for Wolfpaw to speak, but he made no move to respond. Then he spoke.
"I don't know if it's a good idea to bring them in."
Starpaw raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Wolfpaw stared at the nearest tree, his eyes almost glassed completely over, like the eyes of a rogue that Starpaw had used to know when she lived in twolegplace. "I think they... they wouldn't understand the warrior code. That they couldn't be loyal."
Starpaw couldn't help herself from feeling furious. "What?! You think that they, two random toms you met up the river, can't be trusted, while you met me in a meadow and you were yelling at me! So you can't trust me, right?"
"No!" Wolfpaw shook his head vigorously. "That's not what I mean!" He sighed, his fur was ruffled with hurt, and he gazed at his paws. "I'm sorry. I don't know even what I'm talking about. I've been having a hard time with the thought of joining a clan, and that the leader of Nightclan, Kestrelstar, might be completely against us and Breezeclan."
Starpaw could understand, well a bit. She could see how hard it would be for a cat who had left his own clan to come back and start a different one. But Starpaw didn't know Kestrelstar, so she couldn't really judge him. Suddenly, a cat stood in front of her. With narrowed eyes, the cat, a tom, glared at her.
"You might not know this, but I am a clan cat." The tom hissed. Wolfpaw had disappeared, not even in front of her any more. Starpaw cringed from the toms undying furious stare.
"Who are you?" Starpaw asked, her eyes narrowed, but fear had settled in the bottom of her gut.
"I'm... well you have no need to know that yet. I am here to tell you this: When the Star that lights the path, meets with the Thunder that sings to us, an Arrow will pierce a heart, and the Lake will rise to fury and free the trapped souls." The tom was a brown tabby with a black stripe down his back, Starpaw observed. Then with a jolt she realized that he had given her a prophecy. She suddenly felt exhausted, her legs giving way underneath her, and then, a dream.
Starpaw was dreaming, she knew, but it was all so real. The trees swayed, and a cool breeze chilled her pelt. How could she be cold? She was dreaming! She could see a group of cats, trudging on the open moor she sat on. They were in front of her, and beyond them, was a small forest. Glancing behind her, she caught sight of another forest, and a river. The cats were heading towards a old twoleg barn in the distance, to the east. The brown tabby toms mew sounded in her ears.
"See? There is a home waiting for you and Breezeclan. Flash and Patches are meant to be Breezeclan cats. Let them join, Patchtail and Flashfang. Now go, to your clan, my beautiful star."
Starpaw blinked, feeling aches all over her. She could hear paws and faint meows, but couldn't distinguish the voices.
"Pearl?" She managed to croak. Her mother, she could almost scent her in the air.
Starpaw felt warm and cozy, her insides and out, when a tickling scent nuzzled her nose like the scent of fresh killed prey. She felt her eyes roll into her head as she fell asleep again.
"Is she ok? Will she survive?" Came a nervous voice. Starpaw had no energy to respond, even though she could sense that the cat was not speaking to her.
"She's strong, she'll survive, and you should know that Sunkit is very good with remembering herbs, and seems eager to help when ever she can. Keep that in mind, Wolfpaw." Another voice replied to the first one. Starpaw was quite confused. Where was she, how come she couldn't see when she opened her eyes! Panic launched through Starpaw's every bone, making her whither in fear and try to get up, when suddenly she could see from her eyes again.
"Get back down Starpaw! You haven't healed yet." Snapped the voice of Patches. Now Starpaw could actually hear! And she could remember the cat's voices! She breathed a large sigh of relief.
"That's good.." Patches soothed her. He stood over her, narrowing his eyes, but seeming nice. His ears flicked as Breezetail walked in.
"I hope you're feeling better, Starpaw." The brown and white tom said quickly.
"Yes, um... I think I am." She smiled shyly.
"Good." he said, with almost no emotion, then turned and left.
"Who made dirt in his nest?" Starpaw asked, feeling hurt.
Patches shrugged and ordered. "Swallow this, Starpaw." He nudged her some herbs, leaves that were quite sour.
"What are these?" She asked in disgust, wrinkling her muzzle.
"Herbs." Patches responded flatly, smiling and laughing to himself. "Thyme leaves, actually."
Starpaw lay quietly in the nest, observing where she was. "Is this your den?" She asked, not recognizing the low roofs and curved walls.
Patches nodded. Starpaw sat up, watching as he placed the remaining thyme in a small dip in the wall, like a shelf the twolegs in Starpaw's old home put their stupid stuff in. There were many more herbs in other dips like that, and past that was a tunnel that led somewhere Starpaw couldn't see. Her own nest was also in a dip in the ground. She could see that the entrance to the den was next to the river, but high enough up that if the river flooded, no water would reach the den. She sighed.
"What happened?" She asked Patches.
"Go outside and ask Wolfpaw. He was there." Starpaw stood up, shaking her pelt, ridding it of dirt and dust. She padded to the entrance, the ground nice and soft.
Padding out, she climbed up the bank. She stared south, into a field where Breezetail sat speaking with Flash, Goldpaw was giving a badger ride to both Riverkit and Sunkit, while Wolfpaw raced up to her.
"Finally!" He cried out, lunged towards her and sending her rolling through the grass. They jumped up and they nuzzled, as friends.
"Yes, I meant to ask you, what happened?" She questioned. "When I sort of, you know, fainted?" She started to groom herself, staring at him in between licks.
"Well, you started to mutter something about an Arrow piercing a heart, and your eyes glassed over, then you fainted. I got help and grabbed you, and Patches told me that he had herbs at his den, so I helped bring you there. By the time you woke up, I had already been told by Patches that you and him needed a moment by yourselves for you to recover and for him to get the herbs in order, then he would send you out when you were ready, and i'm assuming you're ready now?" He laughed.
Breezetail ran up to them, excitement shining in his pale green eyes. "Flash and Patches have decided to join us! I'm planning on doing the ceremony tonight, before sunfall." He grinned and bounded away. Both Starpaw and Wolfpaw looked at each other and laughed.
The sun was setting, and the purple and red sky setting a beautiful glow on all of the gathered cats. Breezetail stood at the front, looking at the cats, and Flash and Patches sat in the front of the group, facing the leader boldly. Starpaw sat next to Goldpaw, the two she-cats were like complete opposites. Starpaw's black fur seemed oddly dark next to her friend's golden pelt. Wolfpaw kept the two kits in order, where Riverkit was jumping on her sister's tail.
"Quiet." He hissed, batting the two kits apart.
Breezetail coughed, then spoke. "We are not a large group, but we have hearts. Flash and Patches are here to join us, and they will help us, I expect. I believe we will have a hard time getting past the territory of the rogues who call themselves Arrowclan, but i hope that these two young cats will help us." He smiled proudly. "Today is a good day. Two rogues, Flash and Patches, have joined us even in their young age to become early apprentices. Usually cats only became apprentices when they are six moons old, but we need as many as we can."
Riverkit broke his speech. "What about me and Sunkit? We are young, but you're allowing Flash and Patches to be apprentices!"
Breezetail gave her a deathly stare. "Flash, you are a young and strong tom. One day you will be a great warrior. But now, you deserve a apprentice name. Flash, from now on, you shall be known as Flashpaw." He touched muzzles with the new apprentice, and then turned to Patches. "You, Patches, have been a good help. You saved the life of Starpaw, and have amazing knowledge of herbs, that I hope you will pass to Sunkit when she is older. She wants to be a medicine cat after you have showed her the importance of herbs. So thank you. From now on, Patches, you shall be known as Patchpaw." They touched muzzles gently.
Starpaw started the chant. "Flashpaw! Patchpaw!" Soon the rest of the cats joined in, their chorus sounding through the trees...
So! That was Chapter 4! I'm actually really happy with what i've written so far! Not many people have reviewed, but as this is my first warriors fanfiction, i'm very happy and I feel like there are actually some people who appreciate my story. When I started to write this, I had a plan for the story, but now, with the OC's i've been given, I feel like there's a lot more plot that I can make! So please help me with the OC's, and hope you all liked this chapter! I can not write any more chapters after this until I get more OC's.
