Chapter 3

The Newcomers

Palewhisker crouched down, padding through the tall grass and sniffing the air for any trace of prey. Hopefully no ShadowClan cats catch us hunting on their territory, especially if it's Fallenstar... I heard he's ruthless and will kill any cat who he sees trespass! she thought briefly, before hearing a quiet squeaking from nearby. It didn't sound exactly like a mouse, though.

When she reached the source of the noise, she realized in horror that it was several newborn kits with no scent of milk on them. Where is their mother? she wondered. She called out to Rapidstar and said, "Rapidstar! I found some abandoned kits, can you watch them? I'll try to find their mother." The grey tabby walked over and nodded, then Palewhisker left, searching for the mother.

After only a few minutes of searching, she was hit by the scent of death. She followed it and saw the corpse of a light grey tabby she-cat on the Thunderpath, seemingly having died recently. Palewhisker winced at the sight. That must be the mother... she concluded grimly, before heading back to where she found the kits.

"So, did you find her?" asked Rapidstar, who hadn't moved an inch since his mate left.

Palewhisker nodded. "I did, but she was killed on the Thunderpath. These kits have nobody to go to now."

"Well, ThunderClan could always use more warriors."

"Oh! I never thought of that!" she mewed. "Well, I guess we'd better name them."

There were three kits, two she-cats and one tom. One of the she-cats and the tom were grey tabbies, while the other she-cat was a dark ginger tabby. "I think I'll name the grey she-cat Pebblekit, the grey tom Sagekit, and the last kit Amberkit. I'm sure Yellowwhisker will take them in."

"Alright! Still, who's gonna take them back to camp? We said we were gonna go back to where I used to live, remember?" asked Palewhisker.

Rapidstar replied with, "I should probably return, ThunderClan needs somebody to lead it."

"Okay!" chirped Palewhisker. "A Clan in the hands of Treeshade would basically be in the hands of death, huh?"

Rapidstar chuckled, before picking up the three kits. "Alright, I will see you back at camp. Make sure you stay safe."

"I will! Byeee, Grandpa!"

Rapidstar simply squinted before heading off. Palewhisker ran towards her old home, ready to reunite with her old friends.

The cream she-cat adjusted her eyes to the dark barn. "Hello? Anyone there?" She looked around with confusion. "Maybe they aren't here right now...?"

Just then, a large brown tabby jumped at her, angrily hissing. "Get out of our barns, you trespassing forest cat scum!" He pinned down Palewhisker, his claws digging into her shoulders.

"Wait!" she wailed. "It's me, Mitzi! Remember?"

The tabby froze. "Hold on a second there... Mitzi...?" He loosened his grip and let her free. He quickly sniffed her pelt with suspicion before meowing, "There's no way... It's really you!?"

One by one, more cats began to show themselves, previously having been hidden by the many piles of hay and twoleg equipment. They started to recognize her, astonishment and relief flooding them. "I can't believe it's really you, Mitzi!" meowed the brown tabby who had pounced on her earlier. "You ran off with those grimy forest cats, and we thought we had lost you for good!"

Palewhisker said, "Well, my name isn't Mitzi anymore. It's Palewhisker! The forest cats aren't bad at all, actually!"

A small grey tabby meowed, "So they don't sharpen their claws on bone?"

Another cat, a calico continued, "Or eat live kittens?

"Nope!" mewed the ThunderClan cat. "They follow a strict code. And I actually came to ask if any of you wanted to join!" Palewhisker explained what the cats would have to do if they wanted to become part of ThunderClan... Including Rapidstar's new rules. Several cats agreed to join, while others refused. But after briefly reuniting with her old friends and chatting for a bit, she said her goodbyes and left with the new members of ThunderClan.

Rapidstar ducked through the prickly entrance of ThunderClan camp, ignoring the looks given to him by some of the cats. He noted with a grin that the toy den had been finished, and the two cats who had cried out in opposition of his rule were now in it, prevented from escaping by Thistleslash and Darkflame. Rapidstar quickly padded into the nursery and set down the kits before hopping onto the Sunstone and calling for a meeting. "Let all cats old enough to catch their prey gather under the Sunstone for a clan meeting!"

Various cats mumbled in confusion and worry as they arrived at the shimmering rock. "Three new kits have joined the Clan, after me and Palewhisker found them on our journey back from the Mooncavern. They are named Sagekit, Pebblekit, and Amberkit, and I have decided that Yellowwhisker will nurse them." He turned to the queen, who simply nodded her head. "Once Palewhisker returns, we shall hopefully introduce some other new members."

Sure enough, the cream she-cat arrived with quite a few rogues. Some cats wrinkled their noses in disgust, while others didn't react at all. Understandable, considering all of the other stuff that had been going on in the Clan. "Palewhisker, you arrived just in time! May you introduce these new cats, so that I may give them their warrior names?"

Palewhisker nodded. "These are cats who lived in the barn that I was born in, before moving here with my mother. They are Bark, Breeze, Harold, Storm, Mark, and Frog."

"Thank you for introducing them, Palewhisker. Now, do all of you promise to uphold the rules of ThunderClan, defending it, hunting for it, and mating for it, even at the cost of your own lives?"

All of the loners nodded.

"Then, I shall grant you all your new names as members of ThunderClan. Your names shall be Barkstep, Breezepaw, Hawkrush, Stormshade, Mosswind, and Frogpaw. Breezepaw and Frogpaw's mentors will be Thistleslash and Treeshade respectively."

Some of the Clan cheered, but many did not. They were somewhat uneasy about these new cats, especially considering how they weren't even Clan cats. But they didn't have any time to think about it before Rapidstar began speaking again.

"And now, the new rules of the Clan. Mating is what is most important to this Clan. But now, I shall elaborate. Toys will eventually be given to cats who rank high enough. This means that they will not be able to do anything without their owner's permission, and they will have to follow their owner's every whim. Kits and cats who have not reached 7 moons may not mate. And lastly, toys, until given to someone, can be fucked by the whole Clan. Are there any questions?" No cat dared to speak up. "Also, as Fennelstar is dead, and Rainsong is now a toy, Sunpaw's new mentor will be Needlebrush, and Whitepaw's new mentor will be Squirreltail. Meeting dismissed." Rapidstar leaped off the Sunstone, and padded into his den.

Allegiances

ThunderClan

Leader: Rapidstar - muscular dark grey tabby tom with olive eyes and a notched ear

Deputy: Palewhisker - tiny cream she-cat with white paws, a white underbelly and muzzle, and blue eyes

Rule Enforcers: Treeshade - brown tabby tom with short whiskers and dark brown patches

Apprentice, Frogpaw

Darkflame - dark brown tabby tom with ginger eyes

Squirreltail - brown she-cat with a fluffy tail and dark amber eyes

Apprentice, Whitepaw

Thistleslash - grey tabby tom with olive eyes and scarred legs

Apprentice, Breezepaw

(Palewhisker and Yellowwhisker are also Rule Enforcers.)

Medicine Cat: Hollyrain - ginger she-cat with amber eyes and distinct dark ginger flecks

Warriors: Skyripple - grey-blue tom with white splotches, white paws, a white tailtip, and blue eyes

Apprentice, Moonpaw

Barkstep - brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Stormshade - black tom with grey fur tips, a white chest, and blue eyes

Hawkrush - brown tom with darker brown speckles, a white underbelly and muzzle, and hazel eyes

Mosswind - pale grey she-cat with olive eyes and long legs

Oaknose - large brown tabby tom with green eyes

Apprentice, Whitepaw

Needlebrush - dull brown tom with matted fur and hazel eyes

Apprentice, Sunpaw

Apprentices: Frogpaw - stubby dark grey tabby tom with green eyes and no tail

Breezepaw - pale grey-blue she-cat with blue eyes and a white stripe down her back

Sunpaw - light yellowish ginger she-cat with a white underbelly and muzzle and green eyes

Moonpaw - dark silver tom with white tipped fur and blue eyes

Whitepaw - white tom with amber eyes and over-sized paws

Queens and their Kits: Yellowwhisker - yellowish ginger she-cat with amber eyes

Kits, Dapplekit - light yellow dapple she-kit with olive eyes, Meadowkit - small calico she-kit with green eyes, Sagekit - light grey tabby tom with blue eyes and a bent tail, Pebblekit - grey tabby she-kit with blue eyes, Amberkit - ginger tabby she-kit with blue eyes

Elders: Shadedheart - black tom with blue eyes and a jagged tooth

Pondheart - dark grey-blue she-cat with a notched ear, a scarred face, and amber eyes

Maroonfang - dark ginger she-cat with amber eyes

Toys: Rainsong - grey she-cat with hazel eyes and dark grey-blue speckles

Hazelthrush - dappled hazel she-cat with a white muzzle, underbelly, and blue eyes

ShadowClan

Leader: Fallenstar - large ginger tom with amber eyes and sharp claws

Deputy: Nightwillow - black short-furred she-cat with green eyes

Apprentice, Greypaw

Apprentices: Greypaw - grey tabby tom with green eyes and a short tail

(Allegiances will update as more cats are discovered.)