Chapter Two: A Strange Creature in ShadowClan

Amberfur stood beside Tigerpaw, "Today is your first day outside our camp, that is this far out. I will show you around our territory, starting with ThunderClan."

Blacksmoke glanced at Amberfur and then spoke to Ashpaw, "And we shall go to ShadowClan's border, we need to know who our enimies are."

Amberfur nodded and padded off towards ThunderClan's territory. Tigerpaw hurried anxousliy after her like a shadow.

ShadowClan

Shadowstar padded out of camp with Blacktail and Shadowmist. "Remember, we are here to hunt, and patrol our borders. We kill any intruders."

Both cats nodded. Shadowmist was a black and gray she-cat with rare gray eyes. Shadowstar slipped through the swampland, her black fur blending in with the darkness around her. She prowled through bushes and shurbs, sniffing the air. The smell of rat lay heavy in the air, almost masking the unmistakible scent of rabbit.

Shadowstar scented the air deeply, pinpointing the rabbit's location. With a flick of her tail, she leapt at the huge hare, and killed it with a swift bite. Blacktail looked at the rabbit with amazement. "That is the biggest rabbit I have ever seen!" he gasped.

Shadowstar and Shadowmist took a closer look at the white rabbit and saw that it was two times the size of Shadowstar. "What kind of rabbit is this?" Shadowstar growled, her eyes brimming with glee, she had killed the biggest animal any cat had, besides and badger.

"A hare." came a deep, angry growl. It wasn't a cat. "And it is mine."

Shadowstar and her patrol turned to see a huge dog-like creature staring at them, its yellow eyes blazing and its black pelt reflected like death. This dog must have been born to the wild. "What are you!" Shadowstar hissed, unafraid.

"I am a wolf, and you had better give me my kill!" the wolf snarled.

"And you can tear a cat to pieces, right?" Shadowstar asked, an idea forming in her mind.

"A cat like you?" the wolf laughed, "I could kill all three of you in seconds!"

"If we gave you this hare as you call it, woulkd you join us in killing WindClan?" Shadowstar asked, her hopes rising.

But her hopes became an all time low as the wolf responded, "It's not in my nature to kill a cat! I am no pethitioc dog! Those creatures are so stupid that they forgot how to run with great speed. To kill for survival, they waste food and kill anything that moves, and worst of all, they obey Man!" the wolf growled, his teeth flashing.

"But will you help us?" Shadowmist asked bravly.

The wolf did not answer. Instead, he attacked.

WindClan

Windstar reached Highstones when midnight approached. He padded quickly to the tunnel that led to the Moonstone. He felt the rocky surface of the earth beneath his paws as he padded into the enternal darkness. He was enveloped in it, his amber eyes glowing green.

Windstar padded on, knowing that he would reach the Moonstone sometime. He turned as his whiskers brushed against the side of the rock tunnel. Windstar saw a dim light aahead after a few moments of walking. The light grew more intense until it blinded him as he came upon the chamber of the Moonstone.

Windstar let his eyes get used to the light before he dared approached the huge rock that sent him to dream with StarClan. When his vision cleared, he padded towards the Moonstone and laid down.

Windstar shut his eyes, waiting for sleep from StarClan. He opened his eyes as usual and saw a silver cat standing before him. It was his siter, Angelfur. "Windstar, we have grave news."

Windstar flicked his ears, "What is it?"

"The river turns and twists over the shadows while a storm sweeps over the Earth. Lightning flashes across the the sky while the wind howls, followed by thunder. And death comes to every cat who needs it." Angelfur's voice was deep and off tune as if she were in some kind of trance.

Windstar awoke, his mind reeling. What did Angelfur mean?

WindClan

Amberfur reached the end of their expedition when the moon reached midnight. Tigerpaw and she was exguasted. They trekked back to camp and headed directly towards the freash-kill pile, they hadn't eaten all day, except at dusk. Amberfur grabbed a mouse and ate it in a few gulps. She didn't she Blacksmoke anywhere, or Ashpaw, but shook it off and went to the warriors' den and fell asleep.

ShadowClan

Shadowstar yowled as she felt sharp teeth pierce her front leg. She snarled and lashed out, her claws catching the wolf's nose. Blacktail and Shadowmist leapt at the wolf and clawed him wherever they could reach. Shadowstar bite him on the nose. Though she didn't know it, she had just earn leadership over the wolf. It was a wolf-thing.

"Death will let you have the rabbit." the wolf sighed, apprently barley feeling the stings. He shook Blacktail and Shadowmist off. Death backed away and then vanished.

Shadowstar looked at the hareand flicked her tail, ordering Blacktail and Shadowmist to get it. They did as she said. "With this hare, we will have enough foo to feed the whole Clan, then we shall journey to RiverClan and tell them our plans."

WindClan

Amberfur awoke the next morning to find Blacksmoke's bed empty, she asumed he had already taken Ashpaw out. But why had he not awoken her first? "Strange..." she muttered to herself. She stood up and went to Windstar's en, deciding to ask him if he had seen Blacksmoke. Windstar was always the first up compared to how old he was.

"Windstar?" she called.

No answer.

"Winstar?" she called once more. Still nothing. Amberfur padded into her leader's den and found that it, like Blacksmoke's sleeping spot, was emoty too. She shook her head and padded out. As she made her way towards the apprentices' den, she noticed Mudtail sitting beside Cloudfoot, speaking in deep conversation. Ignoring them, she poked her head into the apprentices' den and spotted Tigerpaw, Starpaw, Ashpaw, and Cloudpaw curled up, half asleep. Amberfur was even more confused, why was Ashpaw still here if Blacksmoke was gone?

"Tigerpaw, Ashpaw, wake up!" she whispered, poking them in the side gently. She decided she would take Ashpaw out since Blacksmoke wasn;t around. Both cats opened their eyes and then blinked away their drowisness.

Both apprentices padded out of the den and followed Amberfur quietly out of camp. After they were a few meters out of camp, Amberfur turned to Ashpaw, "Ashpaw, where did Blacksmoke go last night?" she asked, her voice sharp with worry.

Ashpaw looked at her and answered without meeting eye contact, "I don't know." Amberfur knew instantly that it was a lie. "Ashpaw, " she mewed as calmly as she could, "I need to know. What if he is in trouble?"

Ashpaw didn't answer.

Amberfur sighed, she would have to be strict, "If its that seirious, you can come without any supper until you talk, go back to camp and I will take Tigerpaw out."

Ashpaw mewed, "He isn't in any danger, he just told me not to tell you or anyone else where he was going. He said it was a secret."

Amberfur had reached a soft spot, but that was all she needed to know. Blacksmoke wouldn't go looking for trouble at a time like this, she knew. Amberfur nodded, "Alright, you can come, now today you will both learn how to hunt, that is the one thing we all need to learn mighty quick."

As Amberfur taught both apprentices how to hunt, she observed how they crouched and stalked, prowled and leapt. She nodded with approval, but couldn't help but laugh when Tigerpaw leapt at a stick, pretending it was a mouse or something, and have it come up and wack him in the nose.

"That was funny!" he hissed, but there was laughed in his voice.

"Then why are you laughing?" Ashpaw teased, laughing himself.

After a long days work, the two apprentices finally got the hang of hunting, soon Amberfur would be able to let them hunt on their own. But all the time she was training tem, she worried for Blacksmoke.

Amberfur crouched low to the eartha nd creaot forward, swift like a streak of lightning. Her tail was straight, flowing with the wind. It was how you caught a rabbit. Just as she was about to finish it, a loud "Boo!" came from behinf her. In her alert state, she hadn;t expected it and leapt into the air, hissing.

She spun around, knowing that it wasn't one of the apprentices and lashed out with a paw, not etending her claws until she knew who it was. It was something she had taught herself when she lived on her own. Amberfur blinked as she saw a cat with black fur like night and bright eyes of laughter. She knew who it was. And she was furious.

"Blacksmoke!" she yowled, her eyes hardeneing. "Where have you been?" she demanded.

"Calm down!" Blackfire rushed, still laughing histercally. "I was just visiting an old friend!"

"And disobeying the wrrior code?" Amberfur snapped.

"Of course not! I did just what Windstar asked, I spoke with Lightstar!" Blacksmoke's eyes were brimming.