AN: Tenth chapter, and still being worked on. ^_^

Talons and Claws

Chapter 10

Stepping on Thorns

The Next Day

Swallowfeather woke up at Sunhigh, blinking the sleep from her amber eyes. She yawned, getting up and striding out of the warriors den. Scorching yellow eyes burned into her pelt as the she-cat whirled around to see Thornpath watching her with open hatred.

His pale yellow eyes narrowed, the hatred becoming shrouded by another emotion. His old apprentice, Jetfur, was sitting next to him. The jet black tom wasn't watching Swallowfeather, but Silverheart and the owl. But he turned his cold amber eyes towards her, also scorching through her fur with cold knowledge.

She gulped.

She knew that the two toms wouldn't hesitate to kill her. Thornpath walked over towards the nursery, brushing past Swallowfeather. In the white and black toms wake was malice and evil intent as the she-cat watched him stride over to his mate and two kits.

Stormheart, his mate, was a pretty grey tabby she-cat with the greenest eyes that you would ever see. She was thin, not slender, with medium-sized paws and a purple colored nose. A scar was evident on her shoulder to run down her flank, showing her old life as a warrior. She also wouldn't dare to hesitate and return to the warriors life if there was trouble.

Their kits were Badgerkit and Thistlekit, Both are male, though Badgerkit inherited his fathers bulk. The white and black furred tom was more like his father, with pale amber eyes and long claws. He would always play roughly with his friends and littermate, so that blood would draw. He didn't get when to stop, and Thornpath constantly praised him for it.

Thistlekit was another matter. He was kinder and gentler, especially with females. He was charming and would only fight if he had been provoked, or to protect a friend. Silver fur with faint grey stripes running along his body and darker tabby stripes adorning his face and legs made him quite handsome. The clear blue eyes only added to that effect, as the tom would walk with grace.

Thornpath stopped in front of his kits, giving a rough purr. "My, how our kits have grown. They shall be excellent warriors."

"Only for you, Dad," Badgerkit mewed, puffing out his chest.

Thornpath turned to Thistlekit. "I don't want to overshadow any other cat," The young tom mewed. "I'm perfectly happy with the way that I am."

"But that's not good enough," Thornpath growled as he brought his face close to his sons.

Thistlekit didn't shrink back. He boldly looked his father straight in the eye as he openly defied him. "I will take no part in your plans," He mewed.

A large, heavy paw knocked the kit off of his feet. Still not cowering, blue eyes narrowed as Thornpath smoothed down his anger.

"Teach him some respect," He growled to Stormheart before swaggering away.

Stormheart didn't make a move to help her kit, silently thinking the same way about him. Swallowfeather bit back a growl as she walked over to the poor kit. Nosing his flank, the dark grey she-cat helped him to his feet.

"Thanks Swallow- what was it again," Thistlekit mewed sheepishly.

"Swallowfeather," Swallowfeather mewed as she let out a mrrow of laughter.

Thistlekit blinked.

"You don't have to obey your father," Swallowfeather mewed. "He doesn't have your best interests at heart."

"I know," Thistlekit sighed. "But mother thinks just like him when it comes to me."

Swallowfeather sighed. She wrapped her tail around the kit, hugging him.

"Thank you," Thistlekit mewed, his words only slightly muffled by Swallowfeathers thin fur.

The dark grey she-cat nodded. She walked away from the nursery, feeling Stormhearts disapproving gaze on her back.

Swallowfeather looked up from where she was laying, hearing her name. Two pale yellow gazed darkly down as the black stripes twitched on Thornpaths face. Biting back a flinch, Swallowfeather gazed boldly back at the white and black tabby.

"What?" The dark grey she-cat snapped as she leapt onto her paws.

"Why do you talk with my pathetic son?" The tom snarled. "You are just putting even worse, tainted thoughts in his head."

"I'm giving him a future," Swallowfeather mewed. "Since you don't even care about his."

"I just don't want him to grow up weak and un-felidae," Thornpath growled as he slithered past Swallowfeather, sending a cold chill down the young she-cats spine. "We will talk more later."

The dark grey she-cat sat back down, feeling another cat sit practically next to her. Tilting her head slightly, she found herself looking into cold, frozen blue eyes. The pure black cat sat there silently, gazing at Swallowfeather straight in the face. The dark grey she-cat shifted uncomfortably, the motion not going unnoticed by the strange black tom. The ice blue eyes blinked as he turned his head away from the dark grey she-cat.

"Be cautious, Feather of Swallow. You are trading down a path of thorns as we speak. One day, so soon the thorns will prick you where you hurt most," Frozenheart mewed. "Be watchful for Wolf of Stream, he will need your help as well in the future. Though, do not love what can be killed."

With that, the black tom slunk away, leaving a very confused Swallowfeather alone with her thoughts. Another cat coming towards caught her attention, as she noticed a bleary eyed Sandsky was standing by her.

"Thornpath, me and you are going on a hunting patrol together." The ginger she-cat sniffed before stiffly walking away.

Getting up onto her paws, the she-cat padded over to where Thornpath was waiting. Sandsky soon appeared behind Swallowfeather, head bowed and eyes glued to the ground. It was so unlike the ginger she-cat that Swallowfeather was quite taken aback.

The black and white tabby tom lead the patrol out of the camp, he strode towards the Streamclan border. Strange, for a patrol had already just been there because the scent markers were just freshly lain. Sandsky plopped herself down in a cover of foliage, unwilling to come out.

Thornpath took this chance to confront Swallowfeather, causing the dark grey she-cat to crouch with her back to the stream. "Why don't you go for a little swim?" The tabby tom growled as he shoved the lighter she-cats towards the stream.

The she-cat hit the water, failing her limbs and paws as she struggled to keep her head above the water level. The stream carried away from her territory, curving into Streamclans lands. An upcoming rock slammed into her head, knocking her out as the stream continued to tug the dark grey she-cat hungrily towards some unknown place.

"What in Starclan," Wolfpaw swore as he leapt into the stream.

Paddling swiftly and easily, the dark grey tom dug his teeth gingerly into the she-cats scruff. He dragged her back to the land, dropping her onto her side once he finally got her out of the stream. Her head was bleeding sluggishly, so Wolfpaw decided that he should take her to Streamclan's medicine cat.

Taking her by the scruff again, her proceeded to drag her back to his camp. The Streamclan cats all crowded around him as he walked into the medicine cats den with Swallowfeather. A brown tabby tom appeared by his side, sniffing the even darker fur of Swallowfeather.

He lifted his side, cocking it the side quizzically. He knew that Swallowfeather wasn't from Streamclan, but another clan. Woflpaw mouthed that he would tell him the truth later. The brown tabby nodded in understanding, going over to his herb store to get the right herbs to help the she-cat.

Wolfpaw trudged out into the camp, and over to Hazestar. He bowed his head as he waited for his leader to punish him or curse at him. "What a brave tom cat you are, Wolfpaw." Well, he wasn't really expecting that.

"Another warrior for Streamclan," The hazy grey she-cat continued as she winked at Wolfpaw.

The wink said everything. That his leader knew that Wolfpaw liked the she-cat, willing to risk his life for her. "But what shall we call her?" Hazestar continued.

"How about Robinpaw?" Wolfpaw offered.

Hazestar smiled sadly. Robinpaw had been a great apprentice, but she had died by Forestclans claws. "Robinpaw it is," she mewed.

Wolfpaw strode back to Healingheart's, the brown tabby, den. He was quiet shocked to hear that Swallowfeather, sorry Robinpaw, had lost her memory of Forestclan. But she would look at him, the dark grey tom got the feeling that she remembered him. He hoped that she would be smart enough to follow in as he lied about where she was from, claiming that she was a friend from his past life in the mountains.

It was going to be a long life for the poor tom.

AN: At least I'm updating this story. Next chapter is called "Blaming the Path of Thorns." So it should be out sooner than this chapter had been.

I won't give up on this. I just love writing this fic, so I'm going to finish it no matter what. And that's a promise.

+Warriors Fan+

++Darkie++