Author's Notes: I know it's been a while since I've updated this, but I have good reason for being so busy! I graduated from high school a little over a week ago, and I was so busy getting ready for it that I would come home too tired to type up the fifteen or so pages I have written out for this story! I'll try my hardest to start typing up the pages. In the meantime, please enjoy this new chapter I forgot was sitting in my folder!
Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors. I do happen to own the characters that were made up for this story, so please don't intentionally steal any of them.
Chapter 19
"I was out for a walk to visit a friend when I saw a couple of cats further up the street that I hadn't seen before. The she-cat kept looking around, as if she were afraid they were being followed. Before I could go up and say hello, the two of them were surrounded by Louie and his gang of mean house cats," Stormy said. "Louie and the others only recently started harassing the rest of us. I learned they've been getting bad ideas from some cats who traveled from somewhere really far away."
"You must be talking about DarkClan," Rowanwind said.
"Yes! That's what Louie and the others have been saying! They insist that we call them our masters. But they aren't the masters of me!" Stormy lashed her tail. "I told Louie and his friends that they shouldn't listen to those nasty cats, but then Joe attacked me. I got away, but the other two cats were knocked unconscious and dragged away."
Rowanwind's paws tingled. "What did the cats look like?"
"The she-cat was a ginger-brown, and the tom was brown with a dark face and tail. Do you know them?" Stormy asked.
"Yes," Rowanwind said, lowering his head. "Their names are Gingerpaw and Lionpaw."
Thunderstripe meowed and touched Rowanwind's shoulder with his tail.
"At least we know what happened to them," Rowanwind said. He looked at Thunderstripe. "We'll discuss it later. Right now, we have a mission to take care of."
Stormy's ears were bent back. "Were the cats friends of yours?"
"Gingerpaw was part of ThunderClan, the Clan we come from," Rowanwind explained. "Lionpaw was from RiverClan, another Clan that lives around the lake. We all thought the two of them had run off together because they couldn't deal with Clan life. Both of them were rogues before they joined the Clans. It was assumed they'd returned to their previous lives."
"Why were they in Twolegplace anyway?" Purepaw wondered.
"We don't know," Thunderstripe said.
"And we may never know, especially if they were taken to DarkClan," Rowanwind added. "We'll tell Clawstar about them when we get back. He can decide what we should do about it."
Stormy spat. "Those stupid furballs! Ever since DarkClan showed up, it's been hard to go out without being watched by one of Louie's cats! They think they own the entire neighborhood! It's frustrating!"
Rowanwind curled his tail in amusement. This kittypet had a lot of spunk. "Would you like to help us stop DarkClan?"
Stormy's blue eyes grew curious. "How? I heard DarkClan has more than twenty cats, not including Louie and his gang!"
"We've been fighting them. DarkClan have been trying to steal our land and enslave us," Rowanwind explained. "We noticed when DarkClan started having kittypets fight in their battles with us. I figured we could seek the help of some kittypets to aide our side as well."
Stormy looked excited now. "I'm in! I'll do anything I can to stop those vile beasts. They're mouse-brained if they think they can take away our freedom to walk the streets of our neighborhood!"
Rowanwind admired the she-cat for her brave words. "You already fight very well. With some training, you'll be an excellent opponent in battle. Now, can you introduce us to more kittypets who may be interested in fighting?"
"Of course!" Stormy twitched her whiskers in excitement. "Follow me!"
They followed Stormy through the woods, across some fields, and into the Twolegplace that Rowanwind and the others had set out to look for.
"I know quite a few cats who are already interested in getting rid of Louie's influence," Stormy said as they walked. "Some of the toms I know are not afraid of Louie and his gang. My brother, Rufus, is one of them."
They walked along one of the Thunderpaths. Rowanwind felt uncomfortable with the Twoleg nests and fences all around. Purepaw and Palepaw were both fluffed up to twice their normal size. Thunderstripe whispered to them to try and calm them down.
"Here we are," Stormy said. They'd come to the end of their Thunderpath, which connected to a Thunderpath going to the left and right. Stormy gestured at the Twoleg nest in front of them. "This is where Rufus lives. I'll go get him. He might not be outside yet. The furball likes to take naps at this time of day, since he spends most of his time outdoors during the night. You stay here and keep a lookout for any black or gray cats." She disappeared over the fence. Their vision was blocked into the garden by a low growing hedge along the fence, so they couldn't see where she'd gone.
Thunderstripe and Rowanwind kept a lookout for a sign of any movement around them. The Twoleg place was eerily quiet.
"Are you sure we can trust her?" Purepaw wondered aloud.
"Yes," Rowanwind said. "Now, shhh!"
A few moments later, a brown head thrust its way out of the low lying hedge. Palepaw jumped away in fright. Purepaw hissed in surprise.
"It's okay. This is Rufus."
They looked up to see Stormy perfectly balanced on the fence.
"Nice to meet you," Rufus said, after Stormy had introduced the ThunderClan cats. He was a small brown and dark gray mottled tom with light amber eyes. "Stormy tells me you've been having trouble with DarkClan, too."
"Yes. We're looking for any kittypets who are willing to help us fight," Rowanwind said. "We think the more of us that are against DarkClan, the easier they'll fall."
"Good strategy." Rufus pulled himself all the way out of the bush. "I'll help."
"That's two cats so far!" Thunderstripe meowed. "We're getting lucky!"
"We need more than that," Rowanwind said, glancing up to see it was nearly sun high. "We don't have time to find more cats today. Our Clan needs us in case of another attack."
"I know what we can do! Rufus and I can go around and tell our friends about you!" Stormy purred. "Can you come back tomorrow and meet with them all at the same time? That way, you wouldn't have to trudge through our entire neighborhood. I've seen how uncomfortable our home makes you."
"That's a brilliant idea, Stormy!" Rufus agreed. "Can you find your way home so Stormy and I can get started telling the others about you?"
"We'll follow our scent trail home. Thanks for all your help. We'll meet at the edge of Twole...your neighborhood tomorrow at the same time. Okay?"
"See you then!" Stormy said, waving her tail.
The cats separated, and Rowanwind and his Clanmates went home.
"Rowanpaw!"
He struggled in the darkness. His breath wouldn't come...he was suffocating...
"Rowanpaw!"
His eyes flared open. Watery, morning sunlight shone through the entrance of the warriors' den. Thunderstripe was still curled up beside him. The rest of the den was empty. He yawned, stretched, and uncurled himself from his warm nest.
The voice in his dream came back to him.
"Gingerpaw," he whispered with a sorrowful sigh.
Thunderstripe's eyes popped open. He lifted his head and looked around. "Wow. I can't believe we were allowed to sleep so late!"
Rowanwind laughed. "We are due to go back to Twolegplace and talk to the kittypets."
"Purepaw and Palepaw will be disappointed they can't go with us this time," Thunderstripe said. He stood and arched his back. "Did you see them whispering to each other last night? At least they know how to keep a secret to themselves."
Rowanwind nodded.
Thunderstripe touched his friend's shoulder with his tail-tip. "Do you want to talk about what Stormy told us yesterday?"
"About Gingerpaw and Lionpaw?" Rowanwind put his head down on his paws.
"Yeah. Do you think they're still alive?" Thunderstripe wondered.
Rowanwind shook his head sadly. "I don't know. I can't stop thinking about them being kidnapped by cats allied with DarkClan. What have they been going through?"
"You say that like they're still alive," Thunderstripe pointed out.
Rowanwind sighed again. "I was dreaming about Gingerpaw just now. She was yelling my name. I felt like I couldn't breath, like someone was choking me."
Thunderstripe's ears twitched. "Well, maybe you're getting a sign that Gingerpaw and Lionpaw are still alive."
"I have no idea." Rowanwind yawned once more and stood up. "We should get going if we want to meet the kittypets at the right time."
"Good idea. It might take us a little while to find the way to the Twolegplace," Thunderstripe agreed.
The two friends headed outside. The camp was as busy as usual. Stormkit was running around chasing a butterfly as Snowcloud watched him. Twigleaf and Quickpelt were sharing tongues by the fresh-kill pile. Darkeye and Cloverpelt were talking to Purepaw and Palepaw by the apprentices' den.
When Purepaw saw his mentor, he raced over. "Darkeye says we're training with him and Cloverpelt today!"
Rowanwind touched his apprentice's shoulder with his tail. "Yes. Wouldn't you rather stay here and practice your fighting skills? You'll be bored if you come with us."
Purepaw glanced back at his sister, who was looking at him intently with Darkeye and Cloverpelt. He turned back to Rowanwind. "I think Darkeye likes Cloverpelt. Are you sure he'll be paying attention to our training?"
Thunderstripe gave a mreow of laughter. "You don't have to worry. Darkeye will train you today as if you are his apprentice and not Rowanwind's."
Purepaw sighed. "Okay. But can we go on a hunting patrol when you get back?"
"If we're back before dark," Rowanwind replied. "Now go, before they get impatient with you."
The young apprentice scampered back to his sister and their temporary mentors.
"Should we grab something from the fresh-kill pile?" Thunderstripe asked.
"No. Leave that for the queens and elders. It'll be faster if we catch something on the way," Rowanwind answered.
They padded out of the camp and through the forest. The two friends stopped to catch themselves some mice before heading off to the lakeshore.
"I can't believe RiverClan cats actually like the water!" Thunderstripe meowed as they trudged through the shallow water at the edge of the lake.
Rowanwind thought about Maplerose and how she had gone away from her meeting with Oakpelt through the water. He couldn't belive the queen had put herself and her kits in danger just so she could see Oakpelt.
"We're here!" Thunderstripe smacked Rowanwind's nose with his tail.
They pulled themselves from the water, shook off the excess water, and walked onward.
"What were you daydreaming about back there?" Thunderstripe wondered as they headed for the Thunderpath.
"Just wondering how RiverClan cats like water so much," he replied.
"Intruders!"
Rowanwind and Thunderstripe spun around to see WindClan warriors coming straight at them, and they didn't look very happy.
Rowanwind recognized Sunnystripe, Robinclaw, Whitepaw, and WindClan's deputy, Archaicfrost. The WindClan deputy came at Rowanwind with unsheathed claws, but Rowanwind dropped to his side and rolled onto his back in submission. Thunderstripe quickly did the same. Archaicfrost stopped, glared at them, and then finally sheathed his claws.
"You had better have a good reason for being on our territory!" Archaicfrost growled.
Rowanwind and Thunderstripe stood up.
"We don't want any trouble," Rowanwind said.
"Then explain your reason for being here!" Archaicfrost hissed. "Or we'll tear you to shreads!"
"Is that any way to talk to ThunderClan's new deputy?" Thunderstripe demanded.
Archaicfrost's black ears twitched. "What?"
"Rowanwind is ThunderClan's new deputy!" Thunderstripe meowed.
"That's not possible. He has no apprentice!" Robinclaw meowed.
"I do," Rowanwind said. "Purepaw is my apprentice."
"Crookedfern's son!" Sunnystripe mewed. "What an honor to get to mentor one of Crookedfern's kits."
Archaicfrost spat. "That is no matter to us! Why are you here?"
"Clawstar said not to say anything to the ThunderClan cats, but I suppose you should know," Rowanwind hissed. "We are going to try and ally ourselves with kittypets."
"That's against the warrior code!" Robinclaw gasped.
"No. The code says we must not live the life of a kittypet. There is nothing against fighting alongside them to rid of a common enemy," Rowanwind said. "We spoke to a kittypet yesterday. She says that DarkClan have influenced some of the kittypets in the Twolegplace. DarkClan is taking over the kittypets' home, which they will do with our homes if we do not get help."
Archaicfrost snorted. "Go ahead. You won't succeed. Kittypets are too soft to want to protect themselves or their homes!"
"You'll see," Rowanwind said. "May we pass through without harm? We will not hunt on your territory."
"You couldn't catch anything here, anyway!" Archaicfrost spat. "You may pass, but I am going to discuss this with Angelstar!"
"I expected you to," Rowanwind said. He gave a respectful nod before leading Thunderstripe away.
"Archaicfrost sure was grumpy," Thunderstripe said after they'd crossed the Thunderpath. "I wonder if he's got a thorn in his paw?"
"He had every right to be cautious," Rowanwind meowed. "We would have done the exact same if we were in his position."
"I suppose," Thunderstripe said.
A little while later, they were greeted by a friendly meow.
"Rowanwind! Thunderstripe!" Stormy ran over to them. "Come see how many cats Rufus and I found who are willing to fight against DarkClan!"
They followed her closer to Twolegplace. Rowanwind and Thunderstripe stopped in their tracks. Without including Stormy or Rufus, Rowanwind counted ten more cats sitting around him. That made twelve kittypets who were interested in helping them fight to rid the forest and Twolegplace of DarkClan!
"Okay, everybody! They're here!" Stormy called, and the kittypets stopped whispering to each other. "This is Rowanwind." Stormy gestured at Rowanwind with her tail. "And this is his friend, Thunderstripe." She flicked her tail at Thunderstripe.
"Do you really live wild in the forest?" a tom with long, brown and black mottled fur and gold eyes asked.
The other kittypets turned interested eyes on Rowanwind and Thunderstripe.
"I've already told you they're from the lake, Oliver!" Stormy said.
"That's okay. I might as well explain to them now where we come from. Yes, we live in the forest," Rowanwind replied. "We live in Clans around the lake. Every Clan has its own territory, which they hunt and protect from the other Clans. Thunderstripe and I are from a Clan called ThunderClan. The other Clans are called RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan. All four of our Clans are being attacked by DarkClan, who we never knew existed until recently. Stormy told me that you've been harassed as well by cats who say they are from DarkClan."
"That would be Louie and his gang of mouse-brains," the broad-shouldered, silver and cream tom sitting beside Oliver said. His amber eyes were very noticeable in his round face. "They think we should do everything they say just because they've been chosen to be part of a group of wild cats!"
"Hold on!" Stormy shouted before the gathered cats could start yowling about the unfairness of Louie and his gang of kittypets. "We need to introduce everybody to Rowanwind and Thunderstripe before we get into a big discussion!"
Rufus nodded quickly. "Good idea, Stormy!"
Stormy sat down and gestured at the long-furred, brown and black tom with the gold eyes. "That's Oliver." She flicked her tail at the silver and cream tom beside Oliver. "And that's Pips." Pips' tail twitched in hello. "Over there beside Rufus are our brother and sister, Smokey and Willow." Smokey was an eggshell white tom with a gray head, legs, and tail and light blue eyes. Willow was a gray and silver she-cat with pretty, sky blue eyes. "That's Violet, and her sister Tulip." Stormy pointed out two she-cats who had very similar looks. Violet had long, white fur and a black face, ears, and tail. Her front legs were gray, and her eyes were a sapphire blue. Tulip had long, white fur as well as black ears and a black tail. All four of her legs were black, but her face was gray with a black zigzag shape on her forehead. "Those are my parents, Francis and Lola." Francis was a brown tom with a silvery white belly and muzzle and amber-green eyes. Lola was a silver and dark gray striped she-cat with light green eyes. She wore a yellow-brown collar. "He's Murry, Lola's brother." Murry was a gray and dark gray striped tom with a black striped tail, white stomach, and white paws. He had friendly, light yellow eyes. "And over there is Andy." Stormy flicked her tail at a tall, slender siamese tom who had very dark blue eyes. He was sitting on a deteriorating log.
"Pleased to meet all of you," Rowanwind said with a nod. "Are there are questions?"
"If there are four Clans living around the lake, how come you can't defeat DarkClan on your own?" Pips wondered. "Why do you need the help of us house cats?"
"That's a great question," Rowanwind said. "If DarkClan were any normal Clan, the four Clans who live around the lake would have easily sent them on their way. But DarkClan have something that we have never seen before."
"What?" Murry asked. "What could they possibly have?"
"I don't know the name of it," Rowanwind said. "But whatever it is, it allows them to turn into badgers, crows, and shadows."
"That's impossible!" Lola gasped. Her voice was very soft and disbelieving. Rowanwind wondered if she was only here because her mate and kits were.
"It is possible," Rowanwind said. "I've done it myself."
Thunderstripe's ears twitched in surprise.
"I was defending my Clan one day from a DarkClan attack, and I somehow turned into the rays of the sun," Rowanwind said. "I was able to shine light on the shadows that the DarkClan cats had turned themselves into."
"But how?" Francis asked.
"There is a language the DarkClan cats know. It allows them to become badgers, crows, and shadows. DarkClan only allow dark-furred cats into their Clan because it allows them to become those dark creatures and shadows easier."
"What is it you want us to do, then?" Pips asked.
"I think you should all come and train to fight with ThunderClan's apprentices," Rowanwind replied.
"Apprentices?" Violet tilted her head. "What are apprentices?"
"Apprentices are warriors in training," Rowanwind explained. "Their mentors teach them to hunt, fight, and follow the warrior code."
Tulip lashed her tail. "So you're going to make us part of your Clan? What if we follow you out into the forest, but we change our minds later? Will you let us come home?"
"We aren't kidnapping you!" Thunderstripe hissed.
Rowanwind flicked his friend's shoulder with his tail to calm him down. "You'll be allowed to go home whenever you want."
"I think it'll be strange to be taught to fight," Andy meowed.
"Are you joking?" Pips laughed. "I'd welcome any fighting techniques these wild cats have to offer. It may come in handy later!"
Francis nodded. "That makes a lot of sense."
"I want to know how far we have to travel to get where you'll be teaching us," Smokey said.
"It takes less than a day," Rowanwind replied. "As long as we keep a steady pace. It didn't take long for Thunderstripe and me to get here."
"Will we be able to find out way home on our own?" Tulip asked.
"Yes. As long as you remember landmarks, you should be able to," Rowanwind answered.
"How long do you think we'll be fighting with you?" Murry asked.
Rowanwind and Thunderstripe glanced at each other. Neither of them had an answer, but Stormy took care of it.
"I plan on fighting until DarkClan are destroyed, or chased from the forest and our neighborhood forever!" the gray she-cat yowled. "I will keep fighting until every DarkClan cat won't dare mess with us ever again! I will fight with the best of my ability to get rid of those mouse-brained scoundrels! And you should all be saying the same thing! This isn't a game we played as kits. This is real life. If we lose this war, we all lose our homes and our freedom!"
Rowanwind watched the reactions of the kittypets as Stormy finished talking. All of the kittypets were looking contemplative. Had Stormy's words stirred some form of warrior blood in these cats?
"I'm with you," Pips meowed. "You're right. This isn't a game. This is something we can't afford to lose."
"I will follow you wherever you to, Stormy," Willow said.
"Same here," Smokey said with a nod.
"I've already said I'm in," Rufus said, wrapping his tail around his paws.
"I can't let my kits fight alone," Francis said.
"I can't either," Lola mewed quietly.
"Are you sure, Lola?" Stormy padded over to her mother. "We'll all understand if you don't want to fight."
Lola shook her head. Her light green eyes were wide with fright, but her voice was strong as she said, "I refuse to be the only one in our family who doesn't fight to protect our homes!"
"I guess that means I'm in," Murry said.
"You aren't leaving me behind!" Andy said loudly.
All of the cats turned to look at Tulip and Violet. The sisters were whispering softly to each other.
"Well?" Pips said, looking pointedly at the sisters.
The two glared at him for a moment before Tulip said, "We'll fight."
"Excellent," Rowanwind said. "Do you want to come with us right away?"
Stormy looked around at all of the kittypets. "I think we should. The sooner we can get done with training, the sooner we can help fight."
"Sounds good to me," Pips meowed.
"Then it's settled. We're coming with you!" Stormy meowed.
End of Chapter Nineteen