Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter


Chapter 6

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Large Stump," Blackstar yowled.

The Clan trickled from their places, including the evening patrol which had just returned.

"The foxes are coming closer," Blackstar meowed. "Olivespot was attacked today, not far from camp. No cat will leave camp alone. Everyone will have at least one other cat with them."

The Clan cats seemed nervous, glancing at the area outside of camp. They didn't like that the foxes were hunting them or that they were getting bolder.

"There is good news. Olivespot will recover, but she will have a scarred tail. Thanks to Darkfire, that is all that will happen to her. We will thank Darkfire by making him a full member of our Clan."

The cats meowed their agreements. They liked Darkfire. They did think it was time. And they also wanted another cat to help them.

"Darkfire," Blackstar meowed after coughing. "Do you promise to uphold the code even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Darkfire meowed.

"Then I welcome you as a full member of ShadowClan."

"Darkfire, Darkfire!" the Clan roared. The foxes surely must have heard and run far away.

Darkfire closed his eyes and breathed in deep as they chanted his name. Finally he got to hear it called out. And he was right, it did feel good.

-Line-

A quarter moon later, Darkfire was on a sunhigh border patrol. He and two others were scent-marking the ThunderClan border.

"They probably want to expand," Rowanclaw meowed with a twitching nose. He was staring out into ThunderClan territory.

Needlefur bristled. Darkfire didn't even look at him. He knew by now what was going on. He'd followed Needlefur the first chance he got and had seen the dark brown warrior with ThunderClan's Redstrike. He would have never guessed Redstrike was betraying her Clan. He'd thought she was loyal. But that just proved Darkfire didn't know how to judge many cats and that all cats could have secrets that no one knew about.

"We will stop them," Darkfire meowed. He was certainly loyal to ShadowClan. He didn't want ThunderClan taking more territory. ShadowClan might have been too small to use all of its land, but large ThunderClan had no right to take any of it.

"Look," Rowanclaw continued. He nodded his head to the ThunderClan side.

Darkfire looked and saw Lionblaze leading a large patrol.

It looks like an attack.

"Come on," Rowanclaw meowed, walking quickly away.

Darkfire knew Rowanclaw didn't want to get into a confrontation with ThunderClan. No one did. It just wasn't safe. If it was an attack, it would be better to be supported by the whole of ShadowClan. Their meager patrol could do little.

Needlefur hesitated, scanning the group. Darkfire nudged him and they hurried along the border, marking before ThunderClan got there. They were done faster than ever.

"Let's hunt," Rowanclaw told them. "Blackstar will want us to bring something back."

Darkfire nodded. Then he went into a shadow. He liked to practice when he could, not sure he was getting it right. Today he practiced stillness and breathed slowly and regularly until the birds started singing again, forgetting he was there. Darkfire then walked. It was as slow, odd walk. He would turning his head as he walked, searching for the next shadow and for prey.

Needlefur and Rowanclaw had disappeared by now. Perhaps they should have stuck together, in case a fox was nearby, but the toms hadn't seen one since Olivespot's attack, and they didn't think there would be one so close to ThunderClan. Those cats were scary enough to a fox.

Darkfire stalked through the sparse undergrowth. He actually spotted a mole. He was surprised. They didn't often come to the surface, but he attacked anyway, killing it and then burying it for later.

When Darkfire got to camp, Dawncloud greeted him. She kept trying to get closer to him, but Darkfire was like a rock. He didn't talk and he was unmoving. Dawncloud was beginning to wonder if he had any feelings at all.

"Good catch," she told him. "Take something to the queens, please?"

Darkfire nodded. He dropped most of the prey at the pile, and then picked up the mole, two birds, and a squirrel. He made his way to the nursery. Oakfur guarded the queens. The senior warrior was usually the only warrior to stay in camp if everyone else left. The brown tom let Darkfire pass.

Darkfire entered the bramble bush and his eyes adjusted in the dim light.

Snowbird, a white she-cat, was easy to pick out. She was sleeping, but her three kits weren't. They were busy wrestling in a far corner. The two she-cats had their brother pinned down and saying that they were the best and Snowbird loved them more.

Darkfire quickly looked away. He didn't approve of the bullying, but they weren't his kits.

Ivytail, Tigerheart's mate, quickly opened her eyes when Darkfire entered. She hadn't kitted yet yet, but Darkfire could see them kicking against her. They would come soon.

"You brought something," she meowed quietly. "Give Snowbird's kits the squirrel. They can have fun pulling off all the fur."

Darkfire smiled. They both knew the kits wouldn't. They would be complaining, but it would give them something to do other than annoying their mother or their guard or try to escape again.

Darkfire quickly tossed the squirrel to their corner. The bushy tail clipped Eveningkit's body. She squeaked, startled. Stonekit scrambled from his position on the moss, throwing off Fernkit. He pounced on the squirrel and raced away with it with a growl, determined to have something. The she-cats quickly darted after him.

"I'll have the mole," Ivytail meowed after staring at the three.

Darkfire gave it to her.

"Have a bird too," Snowbird meowed, waking up.

"You need it-" Ivytail was starting to meow.

"I've had my kits, you still need energy," Snowbird interrupted.

Darkfire gave Snowbird one bird and left the other to Ivytail.

"If you see Batpaw or Snaketail," Ivytail meowed as he started to leave, "Tell her to get us some more moss."

Darkfire nodded and then was gone. He left the enclosed area for the brighter camp. It seemed quieter in there, despite the three kits. Out here the birds whistled and the leaves rustled in the wind. There was something about the nursery Darkfire found soothing.

"Hey, Darkfire," Dawncloud meowed once he got out. He looked over at her. She had to have been waiting.

"Come eat with me."

Darkfire nodded. He wouldn't protest. Even if he didn't want her as a mate, he had to be nice since she was a Clanmate and he didn't want enemies like he had in ThunderClan.

"How was it in there?" Dawncloud asked. "Does Ivytail look like she'll have her kits soon?"

Darkfire could only shrug. He wasn't a medicine cat, he couldn't tell.

"The two she-cats were teasing their brother again," he meowed to Dawncloud, trying to be friendly.

"Of course," Dawncloud rolled her eyes.

All of the Clan knew the she-cat kits did that. They'd even done it in the open before. Snowbird had never stopped them. She said she wanted them to grow up strong and fight their own battles. Darkfire didn't think that was the best method. The only thing Stonekit learned was that he could never beat two cats if they wanted to hurt him.


Those two she-kits are mean! Tell me what you think their warrior names should be. That doesn't guarantee you'll know them in this story, but perhaps for the sequel. . .