Chapter 19

Smokestar padded up to the Highrock, his eyes dull. "We have lost a loved warrior. Shadowclaw was brave and fierce, and he was loyal to ThunderClan. He was mentor to Falconpaw."

Clovernight glanced at the young ginger tom, who looked miserable.

"Falconpaw, your training is almost over, but for now, Forestlily will take over your training."

***

Dewleaf blinked, hissing softly when the sunlight from outside the den nearly blinded her. She got up and looked around, seeing that Redfur was the only warrior still asleep. She stretched her muscles, yawning, then shook her fur, letting scraps of soft green moss fly from her pelt and little specks of brown dust drift away from her sleek black fur. Her blue eyes glowed brightly as she trotted out of the warriors den. She looked around. Tigerstripe was sharing tongues with his mate, Skyfur. Ivypaw was eating at the fresh-kill pile, and Petaltail was lying outside the nursery, her eyes half closed as if she enjoyed the sunlight warming her fur. She supposed that Whispersong, Stormpelt, and Stealthstar were out patrolling or hunting. Honeytail was probably sorting herbs in her den or performing other medicine cat duties.

She padded over to the fresh-kill pile, flicking her tail in greeting. "Hello, Ivypaw," she purred.

Ivypaw looked up from the fish she was eating and dipped her head. "Hi, Dewleaf."

The sleek black she-cat purred and chose a small fish from the fresh-kill pile, gulping it down in several swift bites. She then turned to Tigerstripe, who was grooming his mate's ears lovingly.

"Sorry to interrupt," she mewed shyly. "I was wondering where the other cats had gone. And if I could join a patrol later?"

Tigerstripe looked up. "Oh. Well, Stealthstar is leading a patrol with Whispersong and Stormpelt. You can join Ivypaw and me after they return."

Dewleaf nodded respectfully. "Thanks." She flicked her tail in greeting to Skyfur and padded a few tail-lengths away. After waiting a while, the patrol finally returned.

Tigerstripe padded toward Dewleaf. "Would you like to go hunting?"

Dewleaf nodded. "Sure."

"Ivypaw is coming with us," Tigerstripe explained. "Whispersong also wanted to join us, even though she was on the patrol earlier. Come on."

Dewleaf nodded and spotted Whispersong, the cream colored she-cat, and Ivypaw, a brown tabby she-cat, approaching them. "Hello." She flicked her tail in greeting.

Whispersong nodded. "Hi, Dewleaf."

"Let's go," Tigerstripe meowed, flicking his tail for the others to follow.

They all padded out into the forest, scenting for prey.

Dewleaf smelled a mouse. She spotted the brown furred animal standing by the roots of a tree. She crept closer, her mouth slightly open. Without meaning to, she stepped on a fallen leaf, the crunch of the dry leaf ringing through the silent forest. The mouse squeaked and darted away, but Dewleaf gave chase. In the end, she was successful when she caught the mouse with her outstretched claws and gave it the final blow. She kicked some dirt over it, and jumped when she heard a voice behind her.

"Nice catch."

She whirled around, fur bristling, to see Whispersong, her whiskers twitching.

"Oh, um, thank you," Dewleaf mewed. She was the one who tried to break my parents up!

The cream she-cat purred. "Oh, well, you're welcome. So, how are you parents doing now?" Her light amber, almost soft brown, eyes were gleaming with interest.

Dewleaf shrugged. "Er, well, fine, I suppose."

"Really?" Whispersong asked, her tail twitching. "Rainheart and Feathercloud both?"

Dewleaf nodded. "Yes, they're fine." She tried to act casual, but she felt uncomfortable speaking about Rainheart and Feathercloud. "I haven't seen them in a while, though."

Whispersong nodded. "I know that, you've been here in RainClan for almost a moon now."

***

Cloudstorm smelled squirrel. He dropped into a hunter's crouch, his ears twitching. He spotted the gray squirrel, its bushy tail waving, at the base of a tree. If he made one wrong move, it'd be up the tree in a second. He crept forward silently until he was hiding under cover of a thorn bush, a mere tail-length from his target. He was contemplating his next move when the squirrel started up the tree. He let out a small hiss and hastily raced forward, getting his white and light gray fur stuck in the thorns in the process. He pulled away and raced forward, clawing his way up the tree before he caught the squirrel. He leapt down with the catch in his mouth, then spat it out. There were clumps of fur hanging off the thorn bush. He let out a hiss and examined his own pelt. It was ragged, and some thorns pierced it. He shook his fur, then picked up the sqiurrel.

A rustle alerted him, and he looked around to see Thistlefang. He flicked his tail in greeting.

The older tom purred. "I think you should go back to camp and check that out with Mosspelt. Take the squirrel, too, I'm sure the medicine cats will enjoy it."

Cloudstorm dipped his head and trotted toward camp, heading straight toward the medicine cat's den. He padded inside and saw Frostpaw sniffing at some herbs.

"Hi, Frostpaw," he mewed, dropping the squirrel. "I brought this for you."

"Thanks," the she-cat mewed. "And it's Frostpool now, I finally got my full name."

"Oh." Cloudstorm dipped his head. "Congratulations, Frostpool."

She purred. "Thanks." Then her blue eyes narrowed. "What happened to you? It looks like you fell into a thorn bush."

Cloudstorm felt his ear tips grow hot and explained the whole story about the squirrel.

Her eyes glowing with amusement, the pretty white she-cat purred, "I'll take care of that. You see, Mosspelt went out to collect some herbs. Sit down, let me see where the bleeding is coming from."

"I'm bleeding?" Cloudstorm hissed. He hadn't noticed the little trickle of blood before.

Frostpool snuffled her nose around in his pelt, then pressed some cobwebs to his side. "There. I'll just have to put some marigold on that." She went to the back of her den. In a moment, she returned, carrying a few yellow and red flower petals. Cloudstorm watched curiously as she chewed them up to form a poultice. She then dabbed it with her paw and pressed it onto Cloudstorm's wounds. "Oh, whoops! There's a thorn stuck here." She put her teeth around it and pulled. Cloudstorm winced, but stayed still otherwise. She applied more marigold poultice to it, then mewed, "There, you're done."

Cloudstorm rasped his tongue over his wounds, then straightened up. "Thanks," he said, sniffing at a wound on his side.

"Just rest for a little while before you leave camp again," Frostpool instructed.

Cloudstorm nodded and padded out of the den. He caught sight of his sister, Clovernight and bounded over to her. "Hey."

"Hi," Clovernight yawned. She eyed her brother's pelt and asked, "What happened to you?"

The tom shrugged. "I got caught in a thorn bush," he said sheepishly.

***

Dewleaf hissed and clawed at the loner's side. Stormpelt raked his claws across its muzzle. The dark mottle-furred cat hissed and lashed out, snagging her claw on Dewleaf's nose. She let out a furious screech of pain and knocked the cat off her paws. The loner flattened herself to the ground as Dewleaf and Stormpelt advanced.

"I give up!" the tortoiseshell she-cat cried out.

Stormpelt's eyes gleamed with anger. "What are you doing on our territory?"

The she-cat, who was small in size but well-built, replied, "I didn't know. I was just passing by, honestly! I used to live with housefolk, but they left me behind. I've been living on my own for a few moons, and I need help."

Dewleaf eyed the she-cat. She looked a bit younger than herself. Her tortoiseshell fur was ragged and dirty, and she had some scratches. Some were recent, but some were old. She glanced at Stormpelt and shrugged.

The gray and black tabby hissed. "What's your name?"

"I'm Amber," the she-cat replied, her fur bristled with fear.

Stormpelt considered her. "Well, you fought well for a kittypet."

"Well, as I have said before, I lived on my own for a few moons," Ginger said. "I haven't been getting along too well, either."

Dewleaf had to agree. In addition to a dirty pelt and wounds, the she-cat was pretty thin. Her amber eyes were wide and fearful, but her voice was calm.

"Stormpelt, we should take her to Smokestar," Dewleaf suggested gently. "He can decide what to do."

The tabby turned to her, then nodded. "Fine." Turning to Amber, he said gruffly, "Follow us. We'll take you to our leader."

Amber blinked at the two gratefully, then got up and padded after the two cats. She cringed with fear when Stormpelt glanced back at her.

The three cats walked into the camp and immediately made their way to Stealthstar's den.

"Stealthstar?" Stormpelt called into the den. "Dewleaf and I found a kittypet in our territory. She needs help."

"Come in," Stealthstar answered.

Dewleaf let Amber follow Stormpelt in, then padded in herself. She sat down in the corner, there wasn't much space anyway.

Stealthstar eyed the tortoiseshell she-cat, his eyes sharp. "What were you doing on RainClan territory?"

Amber cringed. "I--I didn't know. I was just wandering around! My twolegs abandoned me, so I became a loner."

Stealthstar regarded her for a moment, then said, "And why are you here? Why didn't you run when my warriors attacked you?"

Dewleaf felt a swell of pride when Stealthstar spoke of her as a RainClan warrior, and watched Amber for her reaction.

"I wondered if they could perhaps, well, help me," the she-cat replied in a small voice. "I've heard of RainClan before, and I was wondering if I could join."

Stealthstar's eyes narrowed, and he glanced away, as if in deep thought. Finally, he mewed, "Dewleaf, please show this cat to a piece of fresh-kill while I discuss matters with Stormpelt."

Dewleaf dipped her head. "Yes, Stealthstar." She flicked her tail, beckoning for Amber to follow her.

As the two she-cats padded out of the den, Stealthstar called, "And get your wounds checked by Honeytail, Dewleaf. They look minor, but they could get infected. And please send Tigerstripe over."

Dewleaf twitched an ear, acknowledging that she had heard, and led Amber to the fresh-kill pile. She picked a mouse and dropped it at the younger she-cat's paws. "Here, eat that."

Amber blinked gratefully and dug into it ravenously, as if she hadn't eaten in days. Other RainClan cats eyed her suspiciously. Tigerstripe came over to Dewleaf and asked, "Who is this?"

"Amber," Dewleaf replied. "We found her on our territory. She wants to join. And I think Stealthstar wanted to see you."

The ginger tabby tom nodded and loped toward the leader's den.

Amber had, by now, finished eating, and was grooming herself. After a moment, Stormpelt retreated out of Stealthstar's den.

"Amber, Stealthstar would like to speak to you," he mewed before padding over to Dewleaf.

Amber nodded and padded back to the leader's den.

Stormpelt glanced at Dewleaf. "You should go see Honeytail," he said.

"I know, I will. So should you," Dewleaf answered, her eyes resting on a cut on the tabby tom's shoulder.

He shrugged. "I'm not that hurt."

Dewleaf rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's go." She began sprinting toward the medicine cat's den, then stopped and glanced back. Stormpelt was gazing after her, but he didn't move a muscle. "Come on!" she called. He blinked, then raced after her.

"Honeytail?" Dewleaf called out, peering into the den. The smell of tangy herbs and sweet flowers wreathed around her.

The golden she-cat looked up from a pile of green leaves and replied, "Yes? Come on in."

Dewleaf explained what happened. "I have a cut on my nose, and Stormpelt here has a wound on his shoulder."

***

Dewleaf emerged from the medicine cat's den, some cobwebs and marigold covering her wounds. Stormpelt was at her side, sniffing at the poultice that covered the wound on his shoulder. "Stormpelt, stop it, or you'll never let it heal," Dewleaf mewed gently.

Stormpelt stopped, but he rolled his eyes. "Who made you the medicine cat all of the sudden?"

Dewleaf sighed, exasperated. "You're so stubborn, you always have to make some stupid, stingy comment."

"Well, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings," Stormpelt growled playfully, nudging Dewleaf.

She stumbled a few steps away from him, then hissed. "If you weren't injured I would've ripped you up!"

Stormpelt's eyes widened in mock-fear. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, I would!" Dewleaf declared, her head held high. Her blue eyes glowed with amusement.

Stormpelt opened his mouth to speak just as Stealthstar, Tigerstripe, and Amber emerged from the leader's den. "Hey, look," he meowed, gesturing with his tail.

Dewleaf turned her head and saw Stealthstar leaping up to the Highledge. He yowled for the cats to gather.

"Come on," Dewleaf mewed, rushing over to the Highledge and sitting down among the other RainClan cats. Stormpelt sat down a tail-length away from her, looking up at Stealthstar expectantly.

"Two of our warriors, Dewleaf and Stormpelt, came across a loner today. They fought until she surrendered, and brought her to camp, for she needed help. We have agreed to let her train to become one of us. Her Twolegs have left her, and life as a loner has proved difficult for her." Stealthstar glanced at Amber, then mewed, "She will now be known as Amberpaw, and her mentor will be…" His eyes scanned the clearing for a brief moment, then, "Skyfur. She has proved herself loyal to RainClan, and is a patient and kind she-cat."

Skyfur's eyes lit up with surprise. She got up and padded to her new apprentice, touching noses. Amberpaw looked a bit intimidated, but she leaned forward to touch her mentor's nose.

Stormpelt let out a quiet growl. "She doesn't deserve to be let in RainClan," he growled.

Dewleaf rolled her eyes. She had learned over time that it took him a while to accept strangers. She had learned that first hand when she had first come to RainClan. "Oh, be quiet."

Honeytail started cheering first. "Amberpaw! Amberpaw!"

Reluctantly, the others joined in, "Amberpaw! Amberpaw!"

The tortoiseshell she-cat looked around in amazement, then dipped her head.

When the meeting was over, Dewleaf padded over to Amberpaw and congratulated her quietly.

"Thanks," Amberpaw mewed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Dewleaf took a step back as Skyfur approached her.

"Amberpaw, perhaps you can go and meet Ivypaw, the other apprentice. She can tell you all about your apprentice duties. Then we can go out in the forest and I'll show you the territory," the silver she-cat mewed.

Amberpaw nodded. "Thank you!"

Dewleaf purred and strolled toward the warriors den. She passed Petaltail, who was laying outside the nursery, her belly swollen. Redfur was sitting beside her, grooming her fur. She felt something stir within her, but she ignored the strange feeling and padded into the warriors den to rest.

What do you think? And some people have been saying that Stormpelt and Dewleaf would be a good couple. I'm thinking about it, yes, but for now they're more like really close friends.

My next fanfic will be Into the Sky. Please go to my profile and vote on the POV of the new fanfic.

And please review!

Recommendations: The Pawsteps of Ice, by Platypuskit. It's actually based on the character in our roleplay forum, it's not too far off, only a chapter, but it'll get interesting, it's good already. And Being Different, by Platypuskit.

Also: Sunrise, My Version, by Shadow of the Storm

Dark Sunrise, by xBlaze of Silencex