Hey there, and welcome back to my newest story. While I know that I wanted to take a break after my Land Before Time story (Time and Tide), I felt like I wanted to write this one.
Not long ago, sometime in 2018, I've renounced my liking for the Warrior Cats series. I'm no longer a fan of the series (because the books aren't as exciting as they used to be, and I've had problems on the forum), so I'm cancelling any Warriors stories I've made so far. Warriors Parody? That's cancelled. Journey of a New Clan? I hadn't updated in years, but it's done. And while this is a Warriors story too, this is going to be different. This story kind of reflects my thoughts about the nature of the current Warriors, as well as show a few characters in a book that I'm currently writing.
Summary: Wildnose has become disillusioned with Clan life, thus finding it hard to fit in with his Clan. One day, he comes across a kittypet with an unusual friend, who tell him that there's more to life than being a Clan cat. Can Wildnose defy Clan life and make his own way in the world? Or will the ways of the warrior keep him rooted in the forest? As for these strangers, will they find their way back home or be stuck in the wild forever?
Disclaimer: Erin Hunter owns the Warriors series. The characters Sam and Rusty, however, are mine.
WARNING: This is not going to be a pro-Warriors story. Those who don't want to read that are free to turn around and read a different story. Also, constructive criticism is welcome, as well as things don't go south.
Publishing Date: March 26, 2020
Enjoy!
Allegiances
ThunderClan
LEADER: Treestar = brown tabby tom
DEPUTY: Snowspring = black molly with white paws
MEDICINE CAT: Lilytail = light brown tabby molly
Apprentice: Blizzardwhisker = white tom
WARRIORS
Amberfoot = orange tabby-and-white tom
Brightpatch = gray calico molly
Apprentice: Fernpaw
Beechfur = brown tabby tom
Aspenheart = dark silver tabby molly
Apprentice: Foxpaw
Snailfang = black-and-white tom
Apprentice: Bramblepaw
Daisypetal = golden tabby molly
Apprentice: Juniperpaw
Oakscar = dark brown tabby tom
Sparrowthorn = gray molly
Swanglow = white molly
Weaselclaw = light brown tom
Petalwind = tortoiseshell tabby molly
Wildnose = dark brown tabby tom
APPRENTICES
Fernpaw = gray tabby molly
Foxpaw = auburn-red tabby tom
Bramblepaw = black tom
Juniperpaw = light gray molly
QUEENS
Dawnear = cream-colored molly; mother of Galekit and Emberkit
Littlewind = white molly; mother of Applekit, Willowkit, and Jumpkit
Hawkshade = dark brown tabby molly; oldest nursery queen
ELDERS
Stonefur = gray tom
Pebbletooth = gray-and-white tom with missing teeth
Mudcloud = brown tabby tom
Nighteye = black molly
Emberpetal = golden-and-white molly
ShadowClan
LEADER: Beetlestar = big black tom with yellow eyes
DEPUTY: Raccoonface = gray tom with dark gray fur around his eyes
MEDICINE CAT: Tulipheart = dusky brown molly
SkyClan
LEADER: Greenstar = dark orange tabby molly with bright green eyes
DEPUTY: Featherfoot = silvery-gray tabby molly
MEDICINE CAT: Rockpelt = brown-and-gray tabby tom
WindClan
LEADER: Eaglestar = golden-brown tabby tom
DEPUTY: Maplefrost = tortoiseshell tabby molly with white paws
MEDICINE CAT: Iceleaf = white molly
RiverClan
LEADER: Stormstar = gray molly with green eyes
DEPUTY: Bubblepounce = gray-and-white tom with blue eyes
MEDICINE CAT: Mallowpool = calico molly with green eyes
Cats Outside the Clans
Rusty = orange tabby tom with a white paw, green eyes, and a blue collar; kittypet
Sam = white tom with black spots, black ears, and a red collar; kittypet
Pounce = stocky brown tabby-and-white tom; horseplace cat
Nettle = gray tabby molly; horseplace cat
Mittens = black-and-white tom; horseplace cat; Pounce's brother
Prologue
It was noon. Rusty could feel it through his eyelids. He slowly opened them, grunting and stretching, to see himself looking up at tree branches and their thick green leaves. The sun shone down brightly through those leaves, as bright as the headlights of a car.
The orange tabby sniffed the air, then his eyes widened as he sniffed again. This wasn't any forest he knew of. In the forests he knew, there were animals like turkey, coyotes, and even bears, and there were even mountains too. He could also smell water nearby and a strong smell of other cats; not since living in the alleys of his town did he ever smell that much cat scent.
Just as Rusty stood up, his stomach gave a loud rumble. He licked his lips and looked around for any buildings. There had to be a place with food somewhere, like with hamburgers or pizza. He wouldn't even mind a Mexican fast food place, even though those kinds of treats tended to make him gassy.
"No food places around here," the orange tabby muttered to himself, his tail tip twitching. "Okay, so where am I? Where's Sam at? Where are we?"
"Why, I believe you're in a forest."
The orange tabby spun around at the new voice. He spotted his speaker sitting on a rock, a tortoiseshell molly cat. As he looked on some more, he saw that there was something strange about this molly cat: she had something that looked like stars glittering in her fur.
Rusty narrowed his eyes and stumbled back, his heart pounding. "Who are you?" he dared to ask.
"I won't hurt you, kittypet. I've come with a message from StarClan," meowed the tortoiseshell. "My name is Dapplesong."
"Kittypet? What's a kittypet? And what's StarClan?"
"Kittypets are cats that live with Twolegs," explained the molly. "Since you wear that collar, that makes you a kittypet. And StarClan is where cats who are honorable and kind go when they die."
Now Rusty had an inkling about what Dapplesong was talking about. He guessed that "Twolegs" were another word for humans, and from the sound of how she worded it, cats like her probably didn't live with them at all. As for this "StarClan", it just sounded Greek to him; it almost sounded like heaven.
Then Rusty remembered what he had to look for. "Sam! Where's Sam at?"
"Who?" asked the starry cat. The tone of her voice sounded like she was toying with him, and he twitched his whiskers as a result.
"My friend," explained Rusty. "He's white with black spots and black ears. He wears a red collar with a silver tag."
Dapplesong's amber eyes gleamed at the description. "Oh, I know who you're meowing about now. My fellow StarClan cats and I have kept you safe on your journey here."
She flicked her tail to where the lake was. Rusty followed her as she led him over to the shore, the waves lapping at the dirt and rocks. As he looked around at the lake, he noticed something white flecked with black resting between two rocks. He let out a meow of recognition and ran over to pull him out, stopping when he got to his head.
Sam was there, all right. But...there was something different about him. He had the same white fur with black spots, and he even had his black ears. But the rest of him was hard to swallow.
"What did you do to him?" Rusty snapped, whirling around at Dapplesong. "What did you do to Sam?"
"You might want to calm down," was all Dapplesong meowed. "It's going to be okay."
"No, it's not gonna be okay," Rusty growled. "We're far away from our home and our owner, and Sam's stuck like this. Again, what did you do to him?"
Dapplesong sighed and rolled her eyes, no longer looking kindly. Rusty almost felt bad for being rude to her, but he couldn't help it. His best friend was in this situation, and she wasn't helping with this sudden mysterious attitude.
"Turn to the Clans. They may help you," she finally meowed. At Rusty's confused look, she explained, "There are five Clans of wild cats living at the lake: RiverClan, ShadowClan, SkyClan, ThunderClan, and WindClan."
But the orange tabby wouldn't have any of it. "You caused my friend to be like this," he spat. "Why should I believe you? Why should I believe anything you say?"
"Because we know a way to fix him," meowed the tortoiseshell cat. "If you help us carry out the task we have for you, then we'll help your friend. But if not, then what happens next will happen."
Rusty couldn't help but feel his fur bristle from those words. He didn't want to believe that this cat would try anything funny or even more sinister, but he couldn't believe otherwise. Sam was his best friend, and he needed help more than ever.
"I can't put any faith in this StarClan of yours, since I don't know them," mumbled Rusty. "If they did this to him, then I won't put faith in them. But if it's to help Sam, then full steam ahead."
This got Dapplesong confused. "What does that mean?"
"That means I'll do it. For Sam."
Dapplesong then purred. "Good," she meowed. "Now here's what you have to do. I've recieved a prophecy: A fearsome breath can blow away leaves. It takes fresh vines to keep the leaves on the branches. Did you get it?"
All that she got in response was, "...what?"
"You'll figure it out," meowed Dapplesong, rolling her eyes. "I'll come to you at times in your dreams and Sam's dreams, to see your progress. And I will be watching. StarClan is always watching."
As soon as she finished, Rusty looked down at Sam. He felt a sad look come across his face at seeing his best friend like this. Once Dapplesong stepped away, Rusty responded with a nod before padding over to Sam, gently licking his forehead. All he had to do now was wait until his friend woke up before taking action.
Hang on, Sam. I'll help you out of this mess if it's the last thing I do.
To be continued...