Chapter 2

Firestar crouched at the head of a tight knot of ThunderClan warriors and apprentices. He peered down at Fourtrees. The battle with BloodClan had left a faint stench of blood in the air and 6tufts of fur still drifted around the clearing.

Firestar flicked his tail and the Clan pounded down the slope toward Great Rock. RiverClan was already there, and as Firestar went to greet his friend Mistyfoot, more sounds of running paws came from WindClan and ShadowClan territories.

"Greetings, Firestar." The leader turned to see Onewhisker of WindClan bounding up to him with bright eyes.

"Hello, Onewhisker, how's prey running?"

The brown cat answered: "fine, considering newleaf just started." Firestar turned to face Great Rock. Tallstar, Blackstar and Leopardstar were on top of it and he hurried over to join them.

Firestar reached the top in a single bound. The other leaders each gave him a quick nod before Tallstar yowled to signal the start of the meeting.

"Firestar, would you like to start?" asked Tallstar. The ThunderClan leader nodded and stepped to the front of the rock to address the Clans.

"ThunderClan brings to this Gathering our two new warriors, Ashfur and Ferncloud. There has been no sign of BloodClan in our territory and we hope never to scent them again. Our noble deputy, Whitstorm died in the BloodClan battle and his Clan mourns him. Our new deputy is Graystripe."

One by one, the leaders gave their news. All of it was entirely unremarkable, no BloodClan cat was in the area, kits were born, the normal Clan news. Firestar leaped from the rock and called to his warriors to head back to camp.

Three dawns had passed since the Gathering, and Firestar stood on Highrock, calling out the summonings-it was time for Willowpelt's kits to become apprentices. Firestar watched as Willowpelt padded out of the nursery with her three kits.

"Come forward," Firestar rumbled as the kits stepped up to Highrock. "From this day forth, until she has earned her warrior name, this apprentice will be called Sorrelpaw. Sandstorm, you will mentor Sorrelpaw. Whitestorm was your mentor, and I hope you pass on everything you learned to this apprentice." Sandstorm and Sorrelpaw touched noses and padded into the crowd. Firestar looked back at the remaining kits. "From this day forth, until he has earned his warrior name, this apprentice will be called Rainpaw. Graystripe, you will mentor Rainpaw." When they, too, had gone, Firestar rested his gaze on Sootkit. "From this day forth, until he has earned his warrior name, this apprentice will be called Sootpaw. Cloudtail, I was your mentor and I hope you pass on everything you learned to Sootpaw." The meeting ended and the cats dispersed, calling the apprentices by their new names.

Firestar awoke in his den, a quarter moon after the apprentice ceremony. Other cats were stirring in the clearing, and Graystripe bounded out of the warrior's den toward Firestar.

"Who do you want for dawn patrol?" the deputy asked.

"I will lead it." Firestar mewed. "I'll take Sorrelpaw and Sandstorm." The two she-cats heard him and bounded over.

"We should go to the ShadowClan border, no cat has been there fore a while." Sandstorm suggested. Firestar meowed his agreement and they set off out the gorse tunnel.

Firestar listened while Sandstorm tested her apprentice on what she could smell.

"The Thunderpath," Sorrelpaw reported. "And-and a yucky smell, I don't recognize it."

"That's a fox." Sandstorm mewed. Sorrelpaw's eyes grew wide

"And I can smell squirrel! Can we hunt, Sandstorm, please!" the ginger she-cat sighed but nodded.

Firestar pinpointed a squirrel scuffling around in the undergrowth.

He dropped to a hunting crouch but Sorrelpaw beat him to it. She pelted straight at the squirrel, but her hunting skills weren't developed yet and she crashed noisily through the bushes. The squirrel pricked its ears at the sound and scurried off. Sorrelpaw followed it straight in the direction of the Thunderpath!

Firestar and Sandstorm raced through the forest and came out on the oily patch of grass beside the Thunderpath. They came soon enough to see the squirrel slip into the trees on the ShadowClan side of the Thunderpath. Sorrelpaw raced after it and Firestar heard the ominous roaring of a monster.

The last thing Firestar saw before he shut his eyes was the unnatural glint of a monster and Sorrelpaw's frightened eyes as she stood in the center of the Thunderpath.

"NO!" Sanstorm screeched and she shot onto the Thunderpath and grabbed Sorrelpaw by the scruff and dragged her off the hard path. She pushed right passed Firestar and pulled her apprentice all the way back to camp.

"Will she die?" Sandstorm asked Cinderpelt.

"I don't know," Cinderpelt admitted.

"You should know! You're the medicine cat!" snarled Sandstorm. Firestar, Sandstorm and Willowpelt were gathered around Sorrelpaw's small body while Cinderpelt pressed cobwebs onto the apprentice's shoulder. Sorrelpaw had been hit on the shoulder by a monster. Sandstorm was distraught, and Firestar did his best to comfort her. He knew what it was like to have an apprentice injured on the Thunderpath.

Half a moon had passed since Sorrelpaw's accident. Willowpelt never left her daughter's side and Sandstorm was back on her warrior duties, much more cheerful since she discovered that Sorrelpaw was pulling through

"Sandstorm," Firestar called out to the ginger warrior. "I want you to take out a hunting patrol." Sandstorm nodded. "Is there any sign of the other Clans?" Firestar asked, remembering that she had been on the dawn patrol.

"No scent of them, no news at all. But there is news," she looked more excited than Firestar had ever seen her. Well, it can't be news about the other Clans, or she wouldn't be so cheerful. He thought.

"What's the news?" he meowed. Sandstorm pressed her muzzle to his, her eyes brimming with happiness.

"We're going to have kits" she whispered.

Firestar stood, speechless, Sandstorm's pale ginger fur pressed against his. Should I make an announcment? He wondered. Did leaders usually address the Clan when kits were born? No, he decided. Bluestar had never made announcements about kits. He and Sandstorm made for the nursery to get her settled. This was wonderful! Firestar knew that the kits would keep her from grieving for Sorrelpaw.

Firestar spent the whole day with Sandstorm, lying in the nursery. They shared tongues from sunrise to sunset, and that night Firestar did not return to his den. Not only was he excited, he was nervous, too. The first kitting he ever saw had gone terribly wrong and if the same thing happened to Sandstorm, he didn't know what he would do.

"Firestar?" it was Bramblepaw. Firestar looked up as the dark tabby stepped into the nursery. With a jolt, he realized that he had been neglecting his apprentice.

"I'm sorry, Bramblepaw." He mewed before the young cat could speak "I haven't been keeping up with your training. And you're so close to becoming a warrior. I'll take you hunting right now." His apprentice brightened as Firestar scrambled up and they padded out of the nursery.

Firestar watched Bramblepaw creep up on a rabbit. He was certainly a good hunter and when he scented the air, he could pinpoint exactly how stale the scent was.

"Bramblepaw," Firestar meowed. "Let's get back to camp, you have to make yourself a nest in the warriors' den."

They collected their catch and raced back to camp. Firestar automatically leaped up onto Highrock.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Highrock for a Clan meeting." When the whole Clan was assembled, Firestar beckoned Bramblepaw to come forward. "I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice, he has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Bramblepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and promise to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Bramblepaw's answer was strong and clear. "I do"

Firestar continued: "Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Bramblepaw, from this moment you will be known as Brambleclaw, StarClan honors your courage and your skill and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

"Brambleclaw! Brambleclaw!"

The Clan yowled his new name and congratulated him.

"Brackenfur!" Firestar mewed. "take the sunhigh patrol. Get Willowpelt and Longtail to go with you."

As the patrol left, Ferncloud and Dustpelt padded over to him. Firestar turned to them.

"We have great news, Firestar!" Dustpelt declared. "Ferncloud is going to have kits!"

Firestar looked at Ferncloud. She was looking thrilled.

"Congratulations! Ferncloud, you can move to the nursery with Sandstorm." Firestar followed them to the nursery to see Sandstorm. Her belly was getting bigger by the day. He was about to settle down with her when Cloudtail came up to him.

"I'm going to see Princess." He meowed. "Do you want to come?" Firestar glanced at Sandstorm. The ginger she-cat nodded.

"You go ahead," she meowed. "You cam tell her about the kits." Firestar and Cloudtail bounded toward the gorse tunnel. Sootpaw caught up with them. Cloudtail looked at Firestar.

"Can he come?" the white warrior asked. Firestar nodded. They padded through the forest. Cloudtail explained to Sootpaw while they walked and after Cloudtail finished, Sootpaw questioned his mentor all the way to Twolegplace.

"Princess," Firestar called to her and in a few heartbeats she came bounding over to them.

"Firestar! Cloudtail!" she purred.

"This is Sootpaw." Cloudtail announced. "He's my apprentice." While Princess spoke to the two younger cats, Firestar wondered what she would say when he told her about the kits.

"And Firestar wants to tell you something." Cloudtail added when they were done talking apprentices. Princess looked expectantly at her brother.

"I'm going to have kits." He blurted.

"you?" Princess gasped. Cloudtail couldn't suppress a mrrow of laughter.

"No," Firestar mewed. "Sandstorm is going to have my kits."