Yeah, so here's the scoop:
I've been taking multiple chapters at a time from my story since I am in reality on chapter 23 or something around there. That's why all of the chapters have been so long, so from now on, I will only be taking ONE chapter at a time. Don't worry, I'll still make them a decent size, but I want to string the story a bit more. :D
Chapter 7
The forest was soft and wet under paw; new-leaf rains were coming. Moonstar noticed the building wind and dark clouds sweeping over the otherwise blue sky. She was on a hunting patrol with Shrewnose, Mouseleaf, and Foxheart. Most of the prey was out looking for food before the storm, but some of the prey was hiding away already.
Moonstar stopped when she heard a scuffling of small claws against the root of a tree. She parted her jaws to taste the air and scented a squirrel to her left. Instantly, she dropped into the hunters crouch and stepped ever so lightly with every paw, creeping closer and closer. Moonstar bunched her shoulders and leaped landing perfectly on the squirrel and ending it with swift killing bite to the neck.
Shrewnose padded up to her. "Wow Moonstar!" he congratulated her. "I've never seen such a plump squirrel before." Moonstar nodded, knowing that if she tried to speak it would only be muffled by her prey.
Mouseleaf was a couple foxlengths away carrying a thrush. It wasn't extremely plump, but it was a good size.
"Let's go hunt by Pine-Tree Road." Moonstar called.
She pounded toward the row of ever-green trees with their spikey limbs and branches. It was strange, Moonstar never thought about it, the way they were in a straight line in double columns and there was a path in between them. Maybe some twoleg liked the way it looked, so he put the trees there. She shrugged. It mattered little to her what a mouse-brained twoleg did or didn't do.
She sniffed the air and stiffened as she scented a crow, but she noticed that Foxheart was already on it and killed it before it could let out an alarm call. She turned to her left and saw Shrewnose pouncing on a sparrow flitting around close to the low branches of the prickly pines.
"It seems we've all gotten some prey," she meowed, "let's head back to camp before it rains and gets all our prey soggy." Shrewnose nodded and carried his sparrow along with Foxheart and his crow.
When they arrived back at camp, the rain was dropping down and Moonstar's pelt was beginning to get a little wet. As she set down her squirrel, she noticed Tawnytuft looked a little more plump than usual. She twitched her whiskers in annoyance. I know we're getting more prey, but there's no reason to go about eating it all!
Tawnytuft flicked her ears as she realized Moonstar had padded into camp and sprang to her paws, running clumsily toward Moonstar. She skidded to a halt in front of her, almost tripping over her front claws.
"Moonstar!" she mewed breathlessly, "I'm going to have kits!" Moonstar's jaws gaped happily, not only because it meant her sister wasn't getting plump, but that she would have kit kin!
"That's wonderful!" Moonstar meowed, "Did you find out on your own, or did you consult Mousepelt about it and then find out?"
"Well," she hesitated, "I was wondering why I had been a little more clumsy lately, and Lionfur commented that I looked a bit bigger," Moonstar stifled an amused puff, "so I did ask Mousepelt, and she told me exactly what I wanted to hear!"
"Of course she did!" Moonstar licked her ear. "Now, have you thought about names?"
"Well, I like Pinekit for a tom," she started, "and since Lionfur has a more golden pelt where mine is grey, I don't doubt that we'll have at least one she-cat that looks like me." Her eyes were shining with joy. "I do like the name Rainkit." Moonstar nodded.
"Those names are precious." Before Moonstar could say anything more, she was nearly knocked off her paws by the scrabbling of Tipkit, Ashykit, and Applekit.
Flying bundles of black, ginger, grey, and white were flying all around her in an excited cloud of kits.
"What do you think you are doing?" Lilypetal scolded her kits. "I realize you are excited about some new denmates, but you won't still be kits by the time they are even born." Her kits' tails drooped, but lifted once more at the thought of becoming apprentices.
Moonstar's whiskers twitched. "How old are they?" she asked Lilypetal.
"They're only a few sunrises before their sixth moon." She let out a sigh of relief. "They can't wait, and neither can I. They're getting too big for the nursery." Tipkit, Applekit, and Ashykit scampered off toward the entrance to the nursery to play fight.
"Oh, Moonstar," Tawnytuft chipped in, "have you thought about taking any cat to the gathering tonight?" Moonstar had completely forgotten and didn't even give a second thought to it.
"No," she admitted, "but I suppose I could bring you and Shadepelt," Tawnytuft nodded eagerly, "I would also like to take Lilypaw, I've been thinking about making her and Gingerpaw warriors. I want to take Shrewnose and Mouseleaf along with Starlingflower, Waterlily, Whiteclaw, Thorntail, and Sootwhiskers."
Tawnytuft tilted her head. "What about Leopardbeat and Mousepelt?"
"They get an automatic pass since they are deputy and medicine cat." She nodded and padded away to tell her sister.
Moonstar veered the other direction towards the apprentice den. The bracken and bramble den seemed empty with only two apprentices in it. Lilypaw was sharing a squirrel with Gingerpaw. She started and looked up as she heard the fern fronds in the entrance rustle at Moonstar appearance.
"Yes?" Lilypaw swiped her tongue over her jaws.
"I would like to take you to the gathering," Moonstar hesitated, "but before I do that, I thought maybe Cindertuft and I could give you and Gingerpaw your final assessment."
Gingerpaw gaped. "You mean, like, our warrior assessment?"
"Yes, I do," Moonstar nodded.
Gingerpaw sprang to his paws, eyes shining, and darted out of the den to find Cinderheart. Lilypaw just stood in surprise.
"Moonstar," she mewed, "what if I'm not ready? What if I fail and have to wait another moon while Gingerpaw gets to go to the gathering a warrior? What if I—"
"Lilypaw," Moonstar interrupted her sad wailing, "I have full confidence that you will pass. There is plenty of prey out there and you have already mastered the badger attack, that's one of the hardest moves to do." When Lilypaw looked as if she was cheering up, Moonstar added, "I know you'll pass."
Lilypaw nodded and padded out of the den where Cindertuft was waiting with Gingerpaw. She will pass. Moonstar thought as her apprentice raced out the entrance with Gingerpaw hard on her paws. Moonstar followed Lilypaw's trail and found her hunting by the Great Golden Oak. Good choice! There were always shrews and squirrels picking at the roots for nuts as there were plenty of beech trees around.
She spotted her apprentice standing straight and still, the small breeze ruffling her pelt, tasting the air. Her ears pricked and Moonstar noticed a fat mouse scuffling around the Great Golden Oak. Lilypaw dropped into the hunters crouch, and step by step, what felt like a moon, or maybe a heartbeat, turned into a flurry of paws and nipping of flesh. The mouse was hers. Lilypaw buried her prey and bounded toward a distant beech tree.
It didn't take long for her to notice the thrush pecking at some worms; she swiftly leaped and landed with her paws squarely on each wing, trapping it and killing it with a last ending bite. She picked it up and padded over to where her mouse was and strained to fit the fat creature into her mouth. Moonstar knew she was finished; she performed the hunts flawlessly.
"Lilpaw," she softly called out, "do you need help with that?" Lilypaw looked up and nodded, not able to speak with the feathery thrush in her mouth.
Moonstar picked up the mouse and headed in the direction of Battle-Training Hollow, careful not to let the huge mouse drag across the sandy earth. They padded on until they met Cindertuft and Gingerpaw in the middle of the clearing. Gingerpaw had caught two squirrels that were both reasonable sizes.
"Alright," Moonstar dropped the fat mouse, "are we ready for our battle assessment?" Lilypaw and Gingerpaw both nodded eagerly.
"Moonstar and I will act like WindClan invaders," Cindertuft took over, "and you have to pretend like this is our camp and you are defending it." Lilypaw and Gingerpaw nodded.
Moonstar dropped down and leaped up. She cleared Lilypaw and landed on the other side, attemting to confuse her, but Lilypaw thought twice and darted towards her, sending a few blows with sheathed claws down her side and cuffed Moonstar's ears with her tail. Moonstar bit back a grunt of pain and shot up, twisting around and landing on Lilypaw's back, kicking softly back on her head. She decided to use Scourge's move from the night before to see Lilypaw's reaction. If she was truly ready for being a warrior, she'd be ready for anything, and she was. She arched her back swiftly, sending Moonstar falling backwards in enough time to pin her. Moonstar knew that she couldn't let Lilypaw beat her, so she let herself go limp and as soon Lilypaw softened her grip, Moonstar slid out from under her and fell on top of the tortoiseshell apprentice.
Lilypaw stood up panting. "That was so amazing!" Moonstar nodded, catching her breath. "I felt as though I had the power of a whole patrol, and you, you used a new move. I don't remember you teaching me that." Moonstar stared.
"I-I made it up," she stammered, "You know, when you're so in the moment you just improvise. You try it."
Slowly, Lilypaw crouched down. As soon as Moonstar thought she was going to leap up, she was caught by surprise when the apprentice darted to her side and bit down on her tail. Without breaking skin, the apprentice tugged at it and then leaped out of the way when Moonstar flipped around, attemting to unbalance her. With Lilypaw still lightly biting her tail, Moonstar lost her own balance and fell over. Lilypaw shot up and landed over Moonstar soft underbelly.
"That was fun!" she mewed. Moonstar truly was impressed by the apprentice's creativity.
"Well," Moonstar stood shaking loose sand from her pelt, "you know what's going to be more fun?" Lilypaw tilted her head. "Becoming a warrior, you're clearly ready." Lilypaw's jaw gaped and she gave a little bounce of joy.
"What about Gingerpaw?" she turned towards Cindertuft.
He nodded. "I think Gingerpaw will make a fine warrior." The two apprentices let out small yowls of excitement and raced off towards camp.
Cindertuft turned toward Moonstar, his eyes filled with pride. Moonstar couldn't keep in her own pride as the tom bounded off after his apprentice. Moonstar followed, pelting into the trees, not waiting to catch her breath as she raced betweens trees and bracken. Her fur ruffled up in the wind and her eyes stung from the blast of air, but she kept going. She had to make them warriors before it was time to go to the gathering and when they came back, they had to keep vigil until morning. The sky was already growing paler as fluffy white clouds scutted across the ever smaller sun sinking into the horizon.
She arrived at camp with a last puff of energy. She came to see that most of the cats were already gathered beneath the Clan Rock, obviously waiting for the ceremony to begin. Moonstar padded up to the ledge of rocks that led to the top of the boulder. She leaped up to the top and began the ceremony.
"I, Moonstar," she began, "call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices and to recognize the hard work and determination that has gone into their training. You have been with them in this journey and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." She looked down to see Gingerpaw and Lilypaw staring eagerly upward. "Do you, Lilypaw and Gingerpaw, accept the warrior code and promise to uphold it and protect it even at the cost of your lives?"
"I do," Lilypaw mewed.
"I do," Gingerpaw echoed.
"Then by the power of my warrior ancestors," she continued, "I give you your warrior names." Moonstar paused to leap down and stand in front of the soon to be warriors. "Lilypaw, from this day forward, you will be known as Lilyshine." She rested her muzzle on Lilyshine's head and let the warrior lick her shoulder as a sign of respect. "Gingerpaw," Moonstar turned to the ginger apprentice, "from this day forward, you will be known as Gingertail." Gingertail stepped forward and allowed Moonstar to rest her muzzle on his head and he licked her shoulder in turn. "You are now full warriors of NightClan."
"Lilyshine! Gingertail!" the clan yowled out their names in congratulations and pressed all around them.
Moonstar bounded towards the camp entrance beckoning with her tail for the cats that were going to the gathering. Something like bile rose up in Moonstar's thoat. This would be her first gathering as leader and she wanted it to go well.
Once all the cats had lined up behind her, Moonstar took off through the prickly bramble barrier, ignoring the thorns that grappled at her pelt. She pelted through the trees, enjoying the cool evening air. Soon enough, she reached the spot where ThunderClan and WindClan collided in borders, the stream as the marker. The two clans agreed to give the stream and two tail lengths past it in each territory to NightClan in order for them to reach the lake and around it to the tree bridge. Moonstar and her warriors skirted the stream on either side and soon reached the lake.
The water lapped hungrily at the shore with wave after wave. Her clan padded through WindClan territory and RiverClan as well in order to reach the tree bridge. She had to admit, the lake seemed much bigger and scarier without her father to guide her over. Are you watching me now? Moonstar lifted her head to the sky to stare at the comings of the heavenly warriors of Silverpelt. She shook her head and padded across the log as the last of her clanmates leaped off the other side. Moonstar noticed that RiverClan and WindClan were already there and ThunderClan was just behind them, ShadowClan was late.
After several long moments, ShadowClan were safely across the tree bridge. Moonstar bunched her muscles to leap to the lowest branch. She saw surprise flicker across the faces of the other leaders and she scrambled up the trunk of the tall tree, landing steadily in her spot.
She gazed out among all the other clans and started a little as Mistystar let out a yowl that started the gathering.
"RiverClan will start with their report," she rasped, "New-leaf has been plentiful with us and we have had plenty of fish in the streams." Moonstar noticed for the first time how elderly Mistystar looked. She must not have plenty of lives left… "RiverClan is well." Mistystar finished.
Rowanstar stepped forward. "ShadowClan has also been plentiful," his voice rang through the clearing, "we have a new apprentice, Applepaw." ShadowClan raised their voices calling out the young apprentice's name while cats from other clans called out the name as well. "Our warrior, Tawnypelt, is experiencing whitecough, but she is recovering quickly and none of our other clan members have caught it. Our medicine cat apprentice, Silverpool, has now become a full medicine cat as Littlecloud has died." The cats in the clearing hung their heads. "Other than that, ShadowClan is getting along perfectly." Bramblestar dipped his head.
"Thank you, Rowanstar," he meowed, "for it is a sad thing when a clanmate dies. ThunderClan is fine when it comes to prey, and the territory is coming back nicely." His gaze swept across the clearing to a ginger she-cat with bright green eyes. "My mate, Squirrelflight, is working on her second litter of kits. Maplefur and Sunpelt are commendable warriors and work hard for their clan, and I am happy to report that I will have more kits that will also become respectful warriors." The cats below cheered for Squirrelflight. "We also have four new apprentices, Gingerpaw, Frostypaw, Fernpaw, and Ravenpaw. All is well."
Harestar stepped forward, swaying awkwardely on the branch. "WindClan has been experiencing difficulties," the she-cat meowed, "but nothing we can't handle. We noticed a stray dog scent on our territory," she added with an accusing look at Moonstar, "a dog scent that shouldn't be appearing in our part of land. What we scented was a wolf." Shocked gasps emitted from the cats below. "But it seemed somewhat stale, so we let it pass. We have two new apprentices, Specklepaw and Oakpaw." Yowls in the clearing welcomed the two cats whose pelts looked ruffled with pride and eyes shining with joy. "WindClan is well." She stepped backward in order for Moonstar to begin her report.
"NightClan is coming along fine," she nervously mewed, "though since my father, Nightstar, died, we have been mourning." Cats in the clearing from all clans hung their heads. "But nothing we cannot handle." She continued. "We have two new warriors, Lilyshine and Gingertail."
"Lilyshine! Gingertail!" was the response.
Moonstar spoke again once the cheers had ebbed away. "But tonight I will be addressing something of more importance than new warriors." She hesitated. Oh StarClan, should I do this? She shook away the doubt and continued. "Harestar mentioned a wolf scent in her territory. I have reason to tell you that I have found the wolf in which the scent belongs to." Gasps erupted from the cats below but Moonstar hushed them with a raise of her tail. "His name is Black Wolf, he was raised with other cats in his twoleg den so he understands us. He told me that his twoleg didn't want him anymore and was going to send him away to a place that would kill him in two days time. He called the place the pound. With rules that he promised to follow, we welcomed him into our camp and he is now a full fledged NightClan warrior."
Yowls and caterwauls of protest rose up among the crowd.
"Ha! Just like NightClan! Welcoming any scrap of crow-food they can get!"
"I knew that we shouldn't have let that band of rogues become a clan!"
The cats from NightClan, ruffled and claws unsheathed, were bristling with fury. Several of them spat at the other clans, threatening to spring if they took another step forward. Moonstar looked up at the moon. Clouds were beginning to drift in front. "Stop!" she yowled. The cries of disgust and threat died down. "Remember the truce!" Moonstar spat out the last word, eyes glittering crimson.
The clearing fell silent. No noise rose up except the crickets in the midst of the trees surrounding the island.
"You should be ashamed!" Moonstar snarled. "What if your leaders found a way to make your clan stronger? Would they pass it up?" When no cat spoke, Moonstar let her eyes shift back to icy blue. "Now, if you must know, Black Wolf has not been breaking any rules and seems to be following his word. Might I add that this could be a benefit for you, for if Black Wolf turns against his word he would undoubtedly do much damage to my clan." The cats murmured among themselves as if wondering whether to agree or not. "I have nothing else to report. This gathering is at an end."
Bramblestar, Rowanstar, Harestar, and Mistystar jumped from their branches and landed lightly among the roots, gathering together their clans. Moonstar leaped down as well, beckoning to Leopardbeat with her tail.
Bramblestar approached her cautiously. "Moonstar," he began, "don't you think that a gathering is not the appropriate time to unleash your power?" Moonstar stifled a gasp. He had been the one to understand her power, but his words stung her like a bee.
"I just get angry sometimes," she hissed, "it's not like I conquered the world. Didn't you notice the clouds covering the moon? StarClan was angry. Someone had to do something." Bramblestar only nodded and turned away to his own clan.
Moonstar turned, still upset by Bramblestar's response. I guess there really is no such thing as friends from different clans. But before Moonstar gathered her clan, she was bumped into by two warriors. ShadowClan. She thought. She scented their stink as they scrambled to get a grip on the slippery grass.
"Moonbound… er, Moonstar?" one meowed.
Moonstar whipped her head around to see which one of these warriors was so disrespectful as to call her Moonbound.
"Who-." She stopped herself. Something about these two warriors reminded her of two apprentices she'd met long ago. Toadclaw and Patchyfur! She remembered Rowanstar announce the two warriors' names at a past gathering when her father was still clan leader. Patchyfur was a white she-cat with grey and ginger patches along her back side, while Toadclaw was a grey tom cat with a white face, belly, legs, and tail tip. "Toadclaw, Patchyfur!" she purred.
"Moonstar!" Toadclaw repeated. He stepped forward and touched his muzzle to her ear as Patchyfur did the same. "It's good to see you again. I see those powers are still working!" Moonstar stiffened, but then relaxed as she realized that Toadclaw's eyes were filled with nothing but amusement.
"Yes well," she mewed, "someone has to keep the rowdy cats in order." Happily, Moonstar waved her tail goodbye to the ShadowClan warriors. I'm glad they don't hate me for my abilities. She thought as she left.
Awwww! Old meet ups with old friends! Too bad they're rivals. (Shrugs) Oh well!
