Cody The Pikachu: Hey there, everyone, and welcome back to Journey Of A New Clan! Things are getting interesting now; I wouldn't say action-packed because there's no action yet...but there may be.

So about the poll I put up, it was about where the new Clan camp would be at. To tell you the truth, the one which is the winner of the poll will also be fused with one of the others that didn't win. So there could be something unexpecting coming up...like a forest in the mountains or a rocky hillside on an island...or something like that. But no matter what, what I put in here will be where the new Clan will settle at...and you'll find out where their new place will be at in either this chapter or the next.

Now let's go on with this story!

Uploading Date: August 30, 2014

Enjoy!


Moleclaw's Story

Wildfire couldn't help but wince as Moleclaw hobbled his way over to where the cats were settling down at. He appeared to be starving to the bone; he could even look closely enough at his black pelt to count the ribs. Speaking of his pelt, his fur looked even more ragged, and his eyes even looked tired as if he had been travelling all day and all night just to find them. He didn't know if Leafwillow or Thornstar would let him come back after he left the Clan, but right now, he needed help...which had a bit of irony twisted into it.

Once he arrived at a clump of ferns between Old Bones and Sparrow, Moleclaw gave a sigh of relief and plopped down like a pebble into a stone hollow. Brownkit whispered something to Lionkit, who nodded and headed over towards the fresh-kill pile, picking up a plump vole. He brought it over to Moleclaw, who nodded graciously for the meal and tucked in right away, acting as if he hadn't eaten in days. The other cats watched in interest as he continued eating, mumbling something between bites of vole meat.

"Everyone, this is Moleclaw," he meowed as everyone looked over at him. "He was the ThunderClan medicine cat before Thornstar made him retire. That means Silverpaw is now the medicine cat."

"You mean Silverheart now," Moleclaw corrected, looking up from the remains of his vole. "Thornstar gave her a full name even though medicine cats are usually supposed to do that. And it wasn't even the half-moon yet."

Snow spoke up, "But what about Leafwillow? Surely she didn't stand for anything like that?" The old medicine cat gave her an odd look, and the white-furred loner added sheepishly, "I was a RiverClan cat, and Wildfire told me what happened before he and the kits were kicked out."

Moleclaw shook his head sadly. "I see. But sadly, she was found dead while on her way to the Moonpool...and she didn't even announce the deputy yet. All we found was her body next to the lake, her blood pouring into the water."

Iris shivered and huddled closer to Raven, who scooted her closer until she was grooming her ears. Lionkit and Brownkit looked revolted, and even the boastful Ginger looked like he didn't want to hear anymore lest his appetite of woodchuck got ruined. The other cats had even started whispering amongst themselves, possibly talking about Clan cats being too gruesome.

"I think you're scaring the young'uns," Blue growled harshly, herding Ocean and Dusk closer to him and Snow. "Don't say stuff like that in front of 'em."

"Sometimes, they gotta learn that not everything's about butterflies and fish," Puck reasoned. Looking at Moleclaw, he meowed, "Continue, sir."

"Thank you," Moleclaw meowed. "Anyways, a ThunderClan patrol brought her body back, but Thornstar came over and said we shouldn't mourn for her, and then he told us to take her back out of the camp. I didn't want to point paws, but I bet it was he who arranged for her death."

Wildfire spoke up this time. "But how? Surely a Clan leader wouldn't do that?" But then he recalled how Thornstar had callously arranged for Lionkit to be left behind and eaten by foxes.

Moleclaw shrugged. "Cats in the past had sometimes gathered a gang of rogues to do their dirty work, even a deputy. Just look at how Tigerstar from the old days tried to be ThunderClan leader...and see where that got him." He pushed the vole bones away from him and went on, "Thornstar then announced that he was going to take back his position of leader and even brought in rogues; believe it or not, he named one of them deputy!"

Now that sounded truly insane. Wildfire had heard the other Clans (ThunderClan included) that they weren't adding anymore outsiders to the Clans; he had even heard of ThunderClan welcoming outsiders to help the Clan grow. But what would Thornstar do with the rogues now that he had taken control? Would he get rid of them once he was done with them? Or would he turn them into something like his guards, like checking his food to see if it was safe or killing anyone who would disagree with his favorite hunting spots?

"So how did Dad throw you out?" Lionkit asked nervously. He had apparently not totally gotten over the abuse his father had given him.

"I didn't get thrown out, youngster. I ran away," Moleclaw replied. "Just the day after the past Gathering. I mentioned that Wildfire had the right idea to run off with you and your brother, and he said that I would just go ahead and join you in exile. So that night, after I said my farewells to Silverpaw...heart now...I managed to slip on by the guards and started heading north just east of the abandoned Twoleg nest."

"Wait a minute, how's Deerspring?" Wildfire asked. Despite not wanting to go back to ThunderClan and not liking Birchbranch, he didn't want his sister and her mate to suffer from Thornstar's new reign.

Moleclaw looked off to the distance. "They're fine last time I saw them, and so is everyone else. So anyways, I did leave, and I somewhat started heading east of the Twoleg nest. I managed to find Blue and Snow here, and they were telling me where you were heading off to. But then, after I left them, I had stumbled along some rogues who were going to join ThunderClan to help Thornstar, and when I told them who I was, they beat me up." He heaved himself to one side and went on, "They gave me quite a number on my stomach."

Wildfire could now see why Moleclaw looked so exhausted: a long scar was running from his chest and down his belly to his tail along with shredded ears. Some kind of herb paste was on the wound, telling him that the old medicine cat had tried healing himself before he was found. Brownkit and Lionkit looked shocked at how their family friend was injured, and they came over to nestle down beside him.

"Wait, there's more," Moleclaw went on, waiting until they were curled up together at his belly before looking up at Wildfire. "Thornstar announced your exile to the other Clans and arranged for a warrior from each Clan to bring you back."

"What?" Wildfire asked, confused. "Why would he do that?"

"Maybe he just wants you back just to beat his kits all over again," Sparrow muttered from beside Old Bones. He had been listening while checking the older cat's pelt for fleas and ticks.

Moleclaw nodded. "That could be true. Already, some warriors had been picked to head on over: Mottleclaw from ShadowClan, Scorchmask from WindClan, and Redfish from RiverClan. If we don't move on soon, then they'll catch up to us."

"Don't worry," Raven meowed assuringly, sitting down beside him. "We can head out once the night is over. We'll be out of their way soon."

"I hope so," Moleclaw muttered with a sigh as he laid his head down. "I need some rest now, and don't bother me or these kits. Good-night."

And with that, he was asleep.

Once Moleclaw was fast asleep, the cats broke away from his slumbering body to head to their makeshift nests. Wildfire headed back to his own nest between Raven and Sparrow before lying down on his back and looking up at the starry night sky. Were his warrior ancestors ready to accept the reign of a tyrant who had abused his own kit on the day he was born? And would they be able to find their new home in time before ShadowClan, WindClan, and RiverClan caught up with them? He hated to figure out what would happen if they really did come, catch them, and take them all back to ThunderClan. Besides, it would be a long trek back to the lake.

But he couldn't think about it now, not now when he was trying to sleep. With a yawn, Wildfire got off his back and curled around in a ball, his tail wrapped over his nose. It had been a tiring day, and tomorrow would be even more tiring.

...

Warm sunlight filtered into the bushes early the next morning. Wildfire blinked the sleep from his eyes as he woke up before he looked around. To his relief, Blue and Snow had not moved away with their kits; had they really decided to journey with them for real this time? Next to them, Sparrow was already awake and gently prodding Old Bones awake before giving him some moss water and going over to Moleclaw. He remembered how the former ThunderClan medicine cat had found them and told them about how Thornstar had seized control from Leafwillow, who was found murdered near the lake.

Wildfire decided to do some scouting on his own...that, and he sometimes liked going out by himself. So he got up from his nest, meowed to Sparrow that he would scout ahead, and left the makeshift camp.

He felt at ease padding beside the stream, catching glimpses of silver flashes of fish swimming upstream, as the sun began rising from the west. Wildfire knew that the new home they were going to would have to be strong and durable; that, and they would need easy access to prey. An island could do just that: shield them and feed them.

That would be nice, surrounded by water so no one could catch us. But wouldn't that make us be like RiverClan? And that place back there sure is comfy. Wildfire shook his head. Never mind. I'll just catch something to take back to the others.

"Hey." Snow's voice reached his ears, and he saw the white she-cat padding over to him. She sat down beside him and meowed, "You thinking about where we might be heading?"

"Probably," Wildfire replied with a shrug. "Where are we really going to? We have to find somewhere so we can be safe from our enemies."

Snow snorted. "I doubt we'll make any enemies quickly around here...besides dogs, rogues, foxes, and badgers. And we'll need to strengthen the new borders if we're able to get to our new home. Plus, I'm off hunting duty today."

Wildfire hoped Raven wouldn't be jealous if he was talking to Snow...then he noticed that Blue hadn't been behind her. "Where's Blue anyway?"

"He decided to take up hunting for the day," Snow replied. "He's still not comfortable around being in a big group, but I told him over and over that it's what's to be expected while living in a Clan. By the way, do you think we have what it takes to make a new Clan?"

"Maybe," Wildfire meowed, watching as a heron came out from the forest and started fishing in the stream. "But anyways, you wanna go hunt that heron?"

Snow nodded and meowed, "Sure, but let me tell you how to hunt it. It's not going to be like how you hunt birds in ThunderClan. Sometimes, you gotta pounce on them from behind; sometimes, you have to hunt like an alligator."

Wildfire tilted his head to the side. "Alligator?"

"Yeah, where Blue came from, he lived near alligators," Snow meowed. "They're large lizards that live in water and ambush their prey. Maybe they just liked living in the water over land. But still, they hunt by lying still in the water and wait until they're close enough." She got up and started slinking around the heron on the stepping stones, adding, "Just follow me and watch what I do."

Wildfire followed the former RiverClan she-cat until they were on the other side. The heron looked up at the cats once and then merely went back to its fishing, knees up in the water; it was a rather large heron, one that could feed quite a few cats. Hunting in the ways of these "alligators" would be harder than he thought.

Snow signaled for him to hide into the bushes while she slipped into the shallow water, looking rather like a feline log. Wildfire was sure the foam of the water current would be able to hide her as well as the ferns would do for him. He crouched low into the ferns, watching the heron move closer to her hiding spot and snatching up whatever fish it could. And then, just when it placed its next foot into the water and dipped its head low, the white she-cat sprang out of the water and latched onto its neck with her teeth and claws.

That was the part when Wildfire pounced. As Snow held onto the bird's neck, he landed right onto its back, sinking his claws into its sides so that he could drag it down to the ground. The heron squawked and tried flapping its wings, but its wing beats were out of reach so that they couldn't get injured. Snow sank her teeth deeper and deeper into the neck of the heron while Wildfire slid down its back, slashing it as its body eventually reached the ground. Finally, the heron had given up the fight, its head going deathly limp in Snow's jaws.

"Nice work!" Snow purred. "Though I don't think I did the pounce right."

Wildfire purred back, "Thanks. But that's okay; it looked great to me."

He watched as Snow took a hold of the heron's neck and started pulling it towards the water, but it seemed that she was struggling to do it on her own. So Wildfire waded into the water and grabbed onto the neck with her, making Snow mumble a mew of thanks before they hauled it back to the other side of the stream. With that done, they rested for a minute or so before dragging it back into the woods.

By the time they had brought the heron back to the temporary camp, most of the cats were already up and cleaning out their nests. They must have been getting ready to move off again, but a decent meal would soon get them back on their paws.

"Hey Wildfire. You were out for quite a while," Raven meowed as she looked up from grooming the kits, giving Snow a critical look. She nodded her head towards the heron and added, "And is that why?"

"Yeah," Wildfire meowed, though he was baffled about her suddenly cool attitude, which was in contrast with her usual cheery self. "Make sure everyone gets a piece of heron and their fair share."

Raven nodded with a sweet look towards him, but when Snow went to join them, she looked less than thrilled. Everyone had noticed the heron and was starting to come forward to take a bite, eating and murmiring mews of delight at how it tasted. That is, everyone except for Blue, who had come back with his own catch of pheasant and was letting his kits eat it, and Moleclaw, who only took one bite before backing away.

"Wildfire, can I talk to you? After I put the medicine on?" The black tom was already padding over to his nest, padding some herb paste onto his stomach before heading towards the young warrior.

"Sure," Wildfire meowed. "Out of the others' hearing, right?"

Moleclaw nodded. "Yes. Follow me."

So Wildfire murmured a brief good-luck to Raven in eating before following the older cat out of the clearing. When they came out to the stream, he saw the blood of the heron on the other side, wondering what predator would be expecting an easy meal to come by. He could tell that where the sun was rising from, that would be the path back to the lake Clans.

"Have you thought about the prophecy I gave you before you left the Clan?" Moleclaw asked once they sat down.

Wildfire recalled what he had said before he and the kits left: The wrath of the white lion shall swipe his claws of fury through the thorns that cover ThunderClan. He had a certain feeling that it would be Lionkit who would help save ThunderClan...but how could they do that when they were no longer in the Clan?

"I hadn't thought about it until you brought it up," Wildfire admitted. "It's about Lionkit, isn't it? He's just a kit right now."

Moleclaw nodded stiffly. "Yes, and the prophecy has become clearer than before. And don't worry about the age; when Lionkit gets to be around your age, he might have to get over his fear of Thornstar and fight him. But that was also when I saw something like an omen, from the blood in the lake. Something like poison seeping through the warriors of the lake."

Wildfire shifted around until he faced the older tom. "Do omens get read easily?"

"Not that clearly," came the answer. "But by the way Thornstar is running things right now, I fear that new dark times are coming for the Clans. I think more may become clear once we settle down somewhere." Moleclaw stood back up and cracked his neck a bit before he added, "I think I hear the others starting to get up and leave. We better hurry, or we'll get left behind for acting like rocks."

To be continued...


Cody The Pikachu: So there we go, folks! This chapter is finally done and over with, and I'm really glad about that. If there's anything wrong with this chapter in any way, let me know, and I'll try and fix it. And plus, Bramblestar's Storm has finally come out! I finally got it in the mail, and it's really awesome! Plenty of cats died, the lake flooded, there's a new kittypet-turned-warrior, Sandstorm's a great-grandma now, and Squirrelflight is gonna have kits at long last! But there was a mistake in there that would no longer be in any edited versions, as the authors said; any unedited version is now considered a collector's edition.

Now about this other poll I'll be posting, it'll be about the name of the Clan. It'll either be RockyClan, IslandClan, ShoreClan, ForestClan, or MoorClan. Whichever gets the most will be called that Clan...though I prefer IslandClan, but I'd like for you all to vote for your favorite name. But about the camp of the new Clan, it will be based on the number of votesin my poll...combined with another unchosen choice to add.

See ya next time!