CLANLIFE

This is an account of all the stories (in correct order) that have happened to the cats of ThunderClan. These tales will begin just after a great flood that has destroyed most of ThunderClan and RiverClan. In these times the Clan leader Greystar was sick with greencough and sent his deputy, Lionheart, to the gathering instead. That day the Clan was struck with a massive flood and the cats could not return from the Gathering. When they finally were able to get back they found everyone who was left in the camp to be dead.

Our story begins one moon later.

SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT - Silvernest - Sunset

"Look at this!" A thin tom with grey-brown paws, tail, ears and muzzle looked over two young cats. If they hadn't been breathing he would have thought them dead. The shadow of the tall, purebred Balinese loomed over the two of them for a minute before another shadow joined it.

"What is it, Greyfoot?" It was another cat with the same markings, though in deeper brown. And this she-cat was a lot more fluffy. The tom turned to her, his blue eyes shining with worry. "Clan cats."

-----

Darkpaw's eyes fluttered opened. The scents of Silvernest filled her head, half making her wish she could faint again. She remembered running towards the city, then there was a sound in the distance and a monster went over them. She remembered feeling dizzy, then the scents of the city finally overwhelming her. But now they were worse. Now she was actually here, in Silvernest. But Mudpaw had said there was something here. Something important.

So where was she now? In a forest, on a soft bed of moss. Perhaps the whole thing had been a dream, yet the scents of Silvernest still filled her head, even with the soothing smells of the forest. And herbs. Was she in a Medicine Cat's den? She scented the air again. Mudpaw was beside her and there was another cat here too. A tom.

"Good. You're awake. You don't seem to have suffered any physical damage. Just shock, that's all. But you sure chose a very bad place to get shocked. Greyfoot and Softpelt thought you were road kill!" That was the tom she had scented, but from here Darkpaw couldn't see him. And where had she heard those names before, Softpelt and Greyfoot...

"We were surprised to find that you were Clan cats," continued the tom, "We haven't smelled your scent since we left our territory-"

"ShadowClan!" Exclaimed Darkpaw, rolling over and staggering to her paws. Now she could see the tom. He looked strange; he was a big tabby tom with his ears folded back against his head.

"Er... yes. I thought you knew, since you were coming out here, but you can't be any older then apprentices. I don't know why they'd send you." Said the Medicine Cat.

"They didn't send us." Said Darkpaw, and before she knew it the story was flowing out; how they found Carrionplace, the battle, running away, getting lost and finally coming to where they were now.

"Oh dear..." Gasped the tom, eyes wide as she finished her story. "I'll send Snowpaw and Sunpaw to get you some fresh-kill. Stay and rest."

As soon as the Medicine Cat had left the den, Darkpaw lay down, trying hard to fight her exhaustion. Despite her efforts she was asleep before the tom got back.

-----

It was like the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. Growing closer and closer, but seeming just as far away. And then there was the smell; the overwhelming scents of pollution and two-legs, merged together in one sickening stench. Patchpelt staggered along beside the thunderpath, fighting the desire to curl up and die.

The sun was slipping down the sky, casting long shadows across the ground.

Patchpelt hummed absently as she walked, scenting the ground, hoping to catch of whiff of the apprentices, but her nose felt dead after sniffing the stinking thunderpath and raising her it to the wind where the scent of the city flooded her senses.

She didn't realize she was in the city until something hit her. Something big.

It smashed itself into her side, knocking her to the cold ground which stank as much as the thunderpath. Instinctively she struck out, hissing and swiping at her attacker. Patchpelt was scared; she couldn't smell it. Her own fear-scent mingled with city-stench filled the air making it impossible to detect anything that way. clan cats were trained to reply so much on their sense of smell she didn't know what to do without it. Her attacker seemed to strike her from all sides at once, knocking her around like a rag doll while she struck the air blindly, hoping to get in a hit.

"Clanpet!" It snarled. So it could smell her. But how would it know when it lived so far away from the Clan territories.

"I traveled a long way!" She squeaked pitifuly. "I'm looking for two apprentices so I can take them back home. I mean no harm, honest!"

There was the pause as the cat seemed to consider her words. After a while it nodded. "Come along then. We'll get you cleaned up."

-----

Patchpelt wasn't sure how long it had been, but by the time she was fed and had realized that this cat was a tom the moon had come up and the sun was gone. He had introduced himself as Scar and told her that there would be another cat coming soon. The old tortishell tom seemed friendly enough, chatty, even, now that he'd realized she wasn't an enemy.

"So how do you know about the Clans?" She asked.

Scar frowned at her, surprised by the question. "Oh. I thought you knew. A Clan came here a moon and a few days ago. They were all scared and decided to go live in the old woods next to the playground." Explained Scar. "They won't leave, but we had some parties up there earlier. All they did was kill cats, though. Their leader, Whitestar, still won't leave."

"ShadowClan."

"You know them?" Demanded Scar gleefully.

Patchpelt nodded. "Yes, but I don't think I could get them to leave."

Scar gave her a look. "Well you have to. Or I-"

"Or I'll tear you to shreds."

Both cats jumped at the sound of the cold, regal voice behind them. A white she-cat with black tiger stripes was padding towards them. Her markings weren't the strange thing, though; she was huge, easily twice Scar's size. The muscles the rippled beneath her thick pelt made her look even bigger and more menacing.

"Anni!" Squeaked Scar, bowing his head to the bigger cat.

She glanced at him, then looked over at Patchpelt. "Who are you?"

"Patchpelt." She said quietly. "From the south."

"A Clanpet. I'm Annihilation and here's our deal; get ShadowClan out of the forest and back to wherever they come from before the next full moon and I will spare your pitiful existence, understood." Said Annihilation, her voice still cold and regal, but she now seemed impatient at the same time. ShadowClan must be causing them some kind of trouble.

"Yes, Anni."

Annihilation's massive paw collided with the side of her head, knocking Patchpelt to the ground, and she didn't just fall; she slid across the hard, rough cement. "That's Annihilation to you, Clanpet."

Then everything went black.