Chapter 1: Beechpaw

It just didn't seem right, being cooped forced to live with ShadowClan cats. I mean, they didn't even know how to swim! How would they survive by the lake if they couldn't swim? And besides, they're far too vicious for my liking. But then, who would listen to an apprentice? My opinion didn't matter. If I told anyone about what I thought, Hawkstar would kill me before I could blink. And I really, really wanted to live to be a warrior. I really truly did...

"Beechpaw, you useless lump of fur!" Hawkstar snarled. "Get your tail over here!"

I looked up. Hawkstar, with his deputy, Rowanclaw, stood by the Jutting Ledge, a rock that jutted out over the surface of the lake, from which the leader made announcements. The leader's eyes were narrowed, and I could almost hear the growl forming deep in his chest, even from where I stood, halfway across the camp. It was only then That I realized that he had probably called me several times before. Hurriedly, I rose to my paws and dashed over to the leader, who stood waiting expectantly by the edge of the lake.

"Y...Yes, Hawkstar?" I asked warily.

"Blackclaw came to talk to me today," Hawkstar snarled. "He says that he doesn't want you to be a warrior for another five to seven moons."

"Why not?" I cried, an edge in my voice. "I'm just as ready to become a warrior as any cat in RiverClan!"

"Excuse me?" Hawkstar growled, his ice-blue eyes narrowing in disgust. "We are no longer RiverClan. RiverClan was incompetent. We are now LakeClan. LakeClan is stronger, faster, and smarter than measly RiverClan ever was."

"But I'm not..." I started, only to be cut off my a warning glance from the medicine cat, Mothwing, who stood a few foxlengths away, obviously listening to the conversation.

"You're not what?" Hawkstar asked, a malicious glint in his eyes. He leaned in closer and closer until I could feel his hot breath on my face.

I could almost hear Mothwing screaming in her head, Don't do it, Beechpaw! Don't do it! He'll kill you for sure!

"I'm not incompetent," I replied in as calm a voice as I could manage. "I'm not a RiverClan cat. I'm a LakeClan cat."

"That's what I thought," Hawkstar meowed, whipping around to pad away. Over his shoulder, he called, "Now, Rowanclaw has assigned you to a hunting patrol with Mistyfoot, Stonestream, and Smokepaw. Go, now, before I claw your ears off."

I nodded and bounded off to join the patrol that was gathering near the camp's entrance.

"Well, at last!" Stonestream hissed as I arrived. "I thought you'd never show up!"
"If you must know," I replied in as arrogant a tone as I could manage. "I had an important meeting with Hawkstar to attend, and that is why I am late."

"Oh, whatever," Stonestream meowed, rolling his eyes.

"You two, please do stop bickering!" Mistyfoot hissed. "Now, let's go, before someone loses a whisker." With a flick of her tail, the lovely gray she-cat was gone. I wriggled through the camp entrance after her, the rest of the patrol right behind me. I followed the gray blur of Mistyfoot's form as she darted around, narrowly missing contact with trees and bushes. I hopped over a small stream and darted over an unused Twoleg bridge. Finally, she began to slow down. I could actaully see her now. Only a heartbeat ago she had been a nearly invisible shape darting through the forest.

"Where are we?" Smokepaw asked, looking around warily. It was then that I realized that we were in an unfamiliar part of the territory.

"Hawkstar asked me to expand the borders," Mistyfoot replied, licking a paw casually.

"But this is WindClan territory!" I cried. "You can't do that!"

"You mean RushClan, right?" Mistyfoot meowed. "And besides. We need more territory. We have to expand somewhere."

"But Bramblestar might send a party to our camp and destory us!" I argued. "We're much smaller than they! We don't stand a chance!"

"If they do, then we'll be ready," Mistyfoot replied cooly. "We have the water to hide us, so we have the element of surprise. And we have the shadows to hide us. We have two advantages which RushClan don't. We'll be ready."

"Did you hunt?" Ripplepaw asked as the hunting patrol returned to camp.

"What does it look like?" I growled through a rabbit and two mice.

Ripplepaw gasped.

"What?" Beechpaw asked, dropping my catch on the fresh-kill pile beside the Jutting Ledge.

"You have a rabbit!" Ripplemoon hissed, flattening her ears. "Did you trespass on Wi...RushClan territory?"

"Of course not!" I snarled defensively. "Hawkstar gave Mistyfoot orders to expand the territory, and now we have to prepare for a battle, since we're sure there's going to be one."

Not two heartbeats after I had finished my sentence, Blackclaw trotted up to me.

"Battle training." He growled, flicking his tail at me and Ripplepaw. "You two. Now." then he turned and left.

"I wonder who we're going to be training with?" Ripplepaw murmured as we padded out of camp.

"We'll find out soon enough," I replied.

We wove our way through the marshy land of ShadowClan territory, heading toward the training hollow. Once Ripplepaw tripped over a rock, taking her with me. My paw was bruised, but I carried on as quickly as possible.

"Well, finally you're here!" Hawkstar snarled as we appeared through the trees. "I was beginning to think I'd have to go back to camp and fetch you two myself." Next to Hawkstar stood Mistyfoot, Smokepaw, Rowanclaw, Cedarheart, and Oakfur.

"Do we have to fight all of them?" I asked, my eyes widening as I examined the thick, bulging muscles under each cats' slick fur.

"Of course not," Hawkstar replied. "Ripplepaw will be fighting Smokepaw, and you will be battling the rest of us." The leader's eyes glinted viciously.

"All of you?" I gasped. "At the same time?"

"Yes!" Hawkstar growled impatiently. Then, he flicked his tail. Smokepaw went to fight Ripplepaw, while the rest of the warriors charged at me. I unsheated my claws and glared at them, though my pelt shook with fright. Hawkstar was the first to strike me, swiping at my muzzle with an unsheathed paw. I cringed in pain as his claws sliced through my skin. Blood poured out of the wound. I shook it off and leapt at him, aiming for his flank. The tabby tom dodged my easily, and I tumbled to the ground. I leapt up as quickly as I could, but it still wasn't quick enough. Rowanclaw and Cedarheart were on top of me in an instant, crushing me to the ground once more. I lashed out at them with my free paw. I felt my claws snag something, and was relieved when I heard a snarl of pain and felt Rowanclaw stagger off of me. I rolled out from underneath Cedarheart while he was still standing and jumped onto his back. Mistyfoot barreled into me, knocking me off, though I managed to keep my claws in Cedarheart's back. He screeched in pain as my claws dragged along his spine. He shook himself furiously, trying to dislodge my claws. When he finally did, blood was pouring from his back, staning his flanks and underbelly with blood. I had left a long wound that went all the way down his spine. I allowed myself a brief moment of triumph before I went back to fighting. Rowanclaw jumped back on me, while Hawkstar scratched at my flanks and Oakfur bit my tail. I yowled and squirmed on the ground. I could feel myself slowly losing blood. Slowly, slowly, my world went dark...