Graypaw padded into the camp, carefully carrying marigold in her mouth. Sandpelt had asked her to get some for her, and of course Graypaw agreed. She had grown fond of the medicine cat and liked to help her.
"Hey Graypaw!" Graypaw turned her head to see Ashkit racing up to her. She set her marigold down to talk to her brother. Graypaw was the only kit in her litter, but her parents had another litter. Graypaw now had three brothers, Ashkit, Beetlekit, and Antkit. "Hey Ashkit! Where's Antkit and Beetlekit?" Graypaw purred. "They're playing Warrior over there." Ashkit told her.
"You don't want to play with them?"
"They play kinda rough."
"That makes sense."
"The only thing is that I'm bored."
"Why don't you ask the elders for a story?"
"I've heard them all."
"Okay then. Tell me your favorite one."
Ashkit's face lit up. "Frecklepelt told me about Cloudstar! That's my favorite one!" Graypaw purred hearing her brother talk. "That was my favorite story too." "It's real right?" Ashkit asked. "Of course! Why would you think it isn't?" Graypaw wanted to know. "Well, Beetlekit says he wasn't real, just because it was a long time ago and he could just be made up." Ashkit sounded disappointed. "Cloudstar is as real as StarClan, Ashkit." Graypaw meowed.
Ashkit looked at the marigold at Graypaw's feet. "What's that?" He asked curiously. "Marigold. Sandpelt asked me to get some for her." Graypaw explained. "She's the medicine cat, right?" Graypaw nodded. "I'd better get these to her." Graypaw started to grab the herbs. "Can I help?" Ashkit asked excitedly. "Sure." Graypaw passed some of the marigold to her brother. "Carry it like I am." Ashkit nodded and grabbed the marigold. He followed his sister to the medicine cat den.
"Oh, Graypaw! Thank you for getting the marigold for me!" Sandpelt greeted them. "No problem!" The gray she-cat replied. "You too, Ashkit." "You're welcome." Ashkit purred. "Can one of you help me sort these?" Sandpelt pointed to her herb pile. They were usually neat and tidy, but today they were disorganized. "Those damn kits. They ran in here and trampled my poor supplies. Thankfully only a few were damaged." Sandpelt meowed. "I'll help! Can I?" Ashkit exclaimed. "Of course. Follow me." Sandpelt led the gray kit to the back of the den.
"Let all cats old enough to catch prey gather beneath the High Boulder!" Graypaw heard Talonstar call. The dark gray tom stood tall on the High Boulder. Graypaw jogged to sit next to Hazelpaw, Berrypaw, and Eaglepaw. She couldn't help but notice Stormpaw sitting by himself.
"Our morning patrol scented SnowClan on our territory." Talonstar began. Howls of anger rose up from some of the cats.
"Those fleabags! I'll flay them!"
"SnowClan cats are always up to no good."
"How dare they steal our prey!"
Talonstar quieted them down. "I will not tolerate this! We will attack!" "Talonstar, that's a little silly." Sandpelt said, walking into the clearing. "And why is that?" Talonstar demanded. "There's no need to start a fight between us." Sandpelt argued. Talonstar clawed the rock. He forced himself to calm down. Graypaw knew that the leader was known for his bad temper.
"Does anyone else agree with Sandpelt?" Talonstar asked. The deputy, Thrushtail, spoke up. "Perhaps we should travel to their camp and work something out? If it doesn't work out, we could attack later on." "Very well. I will take a patrol with me to travel to the SnowClan base. I will have a word with Owlstar." Talonstar meowed. "Sandpelt, I want you to come. That way they no we mean no harm." Talonstar said. Sandpelt dipped her head out of respect. "Thrushtail, stay behind. Look after the camp while I'm gone." "Yes, Talonstar. I will do my best."
"I'll take Webstripe, Mudspot, Hazelpaw, and Graypaw." "Sweet! We get to go together!" Hazelpaw purred. "Lucky!" Eaglepaw moaned. Eaglepaw was always looking for an adventure. "We leave immediately. Thrushtail, organize a hunting patrol." Talonstar leapt down from the High Boulder. "I hope I go on the hunting patrol!" Eaglepaw told his friends. "Let's go." Hazelpaw said to Graypaw. As they started walking away, they heard Eaglepaw groan. He hadn't been picked for the patrol. Graypaw an Hazelpaw couldn't help but laugh.
The two joined Talonstar's party. "Remember, we are just going to talk." He told them as they headed out of the camp. "What do you think Owlstar will say?" Hazelpaw whispered to her friend. "Well he'd better apologize. They came onto our territory and stole our prey! Leaf-bare is coming and we'll need as much fresh kill as we can get." Graypaw meowed. "That's true. But what if they didn't steal anything?" Hazelpaw said. "What? Of course they stole our prey! Their disgusting, filthy scent is on our territory!" Graypaw exclaimed. Almost instantly, the scent of SnowClan entered Graypaw's nose. "Gross." She muttered.
"Graypaw, we're right by their border. How do we know the scent didn't get carried over by the wind?" Hazelpaw replied. "Why are you defending those weaklings? They totally did! Their clan is suffering, so they wouldn't care if they took our prey or not." Graypaw's fur started bristling. Why was Hazelpaw defending them? Hazelpaw sighed. "You're too stubborn to convince. We shouldn't be starting fights over stuff like this." Hazelpaw jogged ahead to talk to Mudspot.
The patrol of StoneClan cats padded over the border onto the SnowClan territory. "What if we run into a patrol?" Graypaw asked Webstripe, her mentor. "We will tell them to take us to Owlstar." Webstripe replied. "What if they refuse?" Graypaw meowed. "We will head there anyway. We came to speak with him, and that is what we are going to do." Webstripe said. Graypaw nodded and took a deep breath. "Relax. There's no need to worry about this." He put his tail on her shoulder. "Thanks, Webstripe." Graypaw smiled.
At that moment, Graypaw sensed two cats approaching. Almost instantly, two SnowClan cats, a small gray and white she cat and a big ginger tom came out from behind his bush. Graypaw instantly recognized Patchface. The SnowClan camp had been attacked by foxes, and Patchface's face had been mauled, leaving countless scars on it.
"Talonstar, what are you doing on our territory?" Patchface spoke calmly but strongly. "Patchface, we wish to speak with Owlstar." Talonstar replied. Patchface hesitated. Then he dipped his head. "Very well. Cinderpaw and I will take you to see him." Patchface muttered something to Cinderpaw and she nodded. "Cinderpaw will watch from behind." He told the StoneClan cats. Graypaw watched as the as the fluffy apprentice padded over to her.
"Hello." She greeted. "Hi, Cinderpaw. My name's Graypaw." Graypaw meowed politely. Patchface started leading the group. "So what are you guys going to say to Owlstar?" Cinderpaw asked curiously. "Well, some of our warriors scented SnowClan cats on our territory. Talonstar wants to speak with Owlstar about SnowClan stealing prey." Graypaw was expecting Cinderpaw to be offended or fight back but she didn't. "I'm not surprised. Some of the warriors suggested it to Owlstar." Cinderpaw sighed. "I hope that this doesn't get out of hand." Graypaw said. "That wouldn't be good. We would just be starting a war over a few pieces of prey. While my clan does need it, we need our warriors too and we can't afford to lose them in a fight." Cinderpaw agreed. Graypaw was starting to like this cat. Why couldn't Hazelpaw be more like her?
The cats finally entered the clearing. Immediately, the SnowClan cats were on the defensive. "Patchface, what is the meaning of this?" Spiderfang demanded. "Talonstar says that he wants a word with Owlstar." Patchface explained. Spiderfang lashed her tail. "Talonstar, couldn't this want until the Gathering? It is in a few days." She growled. "There is no need to act like a savage cat, Spiderfang. We did not come for a fight." Talonstar spoke sharply. Spiderfang hissed at him. Owlstar and the SnowClan medicine cat, Stumpyleg, walked over to them. "Calm down, Spiderfang. I will hear Talonstar out." Owlstar told Spiderfang. She immediately calmed down. It's like watching a kittypet get scolded by a Twoleg. Graypaw thought.
"Owlstar, it has come to my attention that your warriors have been on my territory, probably stealing our prey." Talonstar meowed. Several SnowClan cats yowled in anger and disagreement. "You must be mistaken. My warriors would never do this. I have made sure of it." Owlstar spoke calmly. "Foxdung!" Talonstar spat. "Your clan is in obvious trouble! Why should I take your word when the evidence is clear?" Owlstar's fur started bristling.
"I told my cats we will never steal prey from the other clans. Do not come here and tell me otherwise."
"It's clear that some of your cats don't like you. Why would they listen to you?"
"I promise you, my cats are innocent!"
"If I scent your cats on my territory again, there will be conflict between our clans. I would watch it, Owlstar, you're low on cats and I would love to lower your numbers."
Talonstar faced the rest of SnowClan. "Any cat caught on StoneClan territory will be killed on sight. Do not test me or my clan." Talonstar started to walk out of the clearing. Graypaw and the others followed. "Nightpaw, Blackheart, escort them off our territory." Owlstar ordered. Blackheart scoffed at his leader. He and Nightpaw followed the StoneClan cats.
"I told you they didn't steal prey." Hazelpaw whispered. "How do you know? You heard Talonstar. He said some warriors don't like him and they're desperate. They totally stole the prey." Graypaw forced herself to stay calm. "You're so difficult." Hazelpaw muttered. "I'm difficult? You're the one who is defending another clan!" Graypaw hissed. "That's what's wrong with the world! We're always against each other instead of working together!" Hazelpaw spat. Graypaw was surprised by her friend. They had been so close, and now Hazelpaw was acting so weird. She padded away to walk at the front of the patrol.
Graypaw turned to the SnowClan apprentice next to her. "You're quiet. I've seen you at Gatherings and you're never quiet." She meowed. "Just thinking." Nightpaw murmured. "About what? The prey being stolen?" Graypaw asked quietly. She didn't want to get him in trouble with the other SnowClan cat with them. Nightpaw nodded. Graypaw stared at the tom.
"I'm Graypaw, by the way." She said politely. "I'm Nightpaw, but not for long. I'll be a warrior soon." Nightpaw replied, straightening up. Oh, so he's one of those toms. Stuck up and self-centered. Graypaw thought.
Finally the StoneClan cats passed over the border. "Next time you have something stupid to complain about, wait until the Gathering." Blackheart growled. "Don't worry, I wouldn't dream about coming back here to see your pathetic clan." Mudspot snapped. Blackheart unsheathed his claws and sank them into the ground. "Keep your pelt on. We're leaving." Graypaw rolled her eyes. Nightpaw couldn't help but laugh a little. Blackheart glared at him, but Nightpaw didn't care.
Talonstar led his cats back to the camp. They were greeted by the rest of the clan. Talonstar called for a clan meeting and the cats gathered around. "We spoke to Owlstar. While they deny it, we are sure they stole our prey." Talonstar began. "If any SnowClan cat is found on our territory, kill them on sight."
"That's horrible! Why should we kill them?" Hazelpaw asked. Graypaw rolled her eyes. "They're breaking the code by being on our land and taking our prey! My word is the law!" Talonstar snapped. Graypaw couldn't help but smile. It made her feel good that she was embarrassed in front of the whole clan.
"The clan meeting is over!" Talonstar yelled, jumping down from the High Boulder. As the cats dispersed, Webstripe padded up to Graypaw. "Grab some food and call it a night. The two of us are on dawn patrol and I want to do some combat practice tomorrow." Webstripe meowed. Graypaw nodded. "Thank you, Webstripe." "You're a good apprentice. I've trained a couple of them, but you might be my favorite." Webstripe laughed. Graypaw smiled. They said goodbye and Graypaw went to go eat. She picked out a sparrow, quickly devouring it. Graypaw hadn't eaten in a while. The gray apprentice padded to the den and fell asleep in her nest.
"What the..." Graypaw muttered. She stood as a glowing figure over her sleeping body. "This is a crazy dream." Graypaw said to herself. At that moment, Eaglepaw walked in. He didn't see her and walked past her. "Weird." Graypaw said. "Greetings, Graypaw." Graypaw jumped hearing the voice. She turned to see a beautiful brown and white she cat standing outside the den. She glowed just like Graypaw. Graypaw walked up to the mysterious cat. "Uh, hi?" She said. The she cat purred.
"I am Riverleaf. I was a past StoneClan medicine cat." The she cat explained. "So, I'm dreaming, right?" Graypaw asked. Riverleaf shook her head. "Your body sleeps, but your spirit walks free in StarClan's domain." Riverleaf explained. "Woah! That's so cool!" Graypaw exclaimed. She scratched her head. "Uh, how do I do this? Like, come to this forest?" Graypaw asked. "Why can I do this, but no one else?" Riverleaf chuckled.
Suddenly, the StoneClan camp faded and a million shooting stars surrounded them, reflecting onto both cats' eyes. "Listen to me now, Graypaw. You are very special." Riverleaf said. "The bird will see gray while the light and dark tussle." Graypaw stared in awe. "I must leave you now, Graypaw. I will return to see you again one day." Riverleaf's beautiful body began to fade away. "Goodbye, Riverleaf." Graypaw whispered as she disappeared from sight and the forest returned.
Well, I'm clearly the gray part in that prophecy. But nothing else makes sense. The bird? The light and the dark? Graypaw thought. Wait, how do I get out of here? Graypaw looked around. Oh! I got an idea! Graypaw padded inside the den. She laid down on top of her body and her spirit returned to her body.
I hope you guys enjoyed! SnowClan was confronted, Graypaw can walk in the StarClan Forest, and she met Nightpaw. Not too bad. Do you think there will be a battle between StoneClan and SnowClan? Next chapter will be out when I finish writing it, so probably soon. If you have suggestions, tips, or questions don't be afraid to ask. Thanks for reading!