CHAPTER ONE
Brackenfur and Ashfur headed out on an early morning patrol, with Sprucepaw, a young apprentice. Down by the border of Shadowclan, Ashfur stopped abruptly.
"I smell Shadowclan intruders," he snarled under his breath. "Sprucepaw, go back to camp." The apprentice was disappointed, but she didn't know how to fight yet.
"Why don't we both split up?" Brackenfur suggested calmly. Ashfur thought a minute then nodded his head.
"Right, then. I'll go this way, you go that way," Brackenfur stuttered. The toms walked off in separate directions.
Brackenfur ran through the woods. Sitting on a green hill, was Rowanclaw, a ginger she-cat of Shadowclan. He padded over to her.
"Brackenfur," she exclaimed, "I've been looking for you! What took you so long? Does anyone in Thunderclan suspect that-"
"No. No one knows yet. Are you alone?" He rubbed his tabby pelt against her. She smiled.
"Nightwing is here, too. She's the only cat I've told though. She's hiding in a bush. She wouldn't let me come alone, she's afraid we'll get caught. Sometimes I'm treated like a kit." Rowanclaw let out a purr of laughter. Brackenfur licked her ear caringly. Suddenly a twig snapped, and the air was filled with the smell of blood. Brackenfur tore away from Rowanclaw.
"Ashfur?" he hissed. For a second, all was silent, but then Ashfur appeared. He had found Nightwing. Ashfur and Nightwing fought bitterly. They bumped into Rowanclaw who tumbled down the hill. Brackenfur was frightened terribly for her, so he ran after. He, too, began to roll down the hill. They both fell into a wet, unstable tunnel. Upon contact, the tunnel caved in and separated them from Nightwing and Ashfur.
The two cats coughed. Rowanclaw was covered in dirt. Brackenfur got up sleepily.
"Are you alright?" He whispered to her.
"Yes. I'm fine."
"Ashfur!" He called.
"I hear you." Ashfur had quit fighting Nightwing and was now listening carefully to Brackenfur through the wall of stones. He added, "You're going to have to go around the tunnel."
"Alright," Brackenfur answered slowly. "I guess we could do that."
"Is that Shadowclan Mouse-brain still there? You should probably take her with you, even if she was trespassing."
"Hey! Who you calling a Mouse-brain!" Rowanclaw yelled vigorously. Brackenfur nudged her and walked out of the cave. She followed him sourly.
"Let's walk around this way." Rowanclaw hesitated but strode over to him and rubbed her head against his pelt.
"I'm sorry," she mewed sweetly. "But it shouldn't take too long to go around. I doubt Ashfur realized that you've mated with me." He looked into her eyes and nodded.
Brackenfur and Rowanclaw weren't very far when they came to a massive gorge. They stopped and stared at it for a solid moment. They decided for the best to walk around until they could cross it safely.
They hiked for the rest of the day. At night, they found a place to rest, under a small tree. In the morning, they rose, and set off again. At noon the next day, the gorge was beginning to get smaller.
"We should be able to cross soon." The forest, though way out of the border for their clans, was similar to theirs. It had tall, luscious green trees and similar prey. But after a while the trees thinned out into a meadow.
"Where are we?" Rowanclaw complained.
"Hush. I heard something." He hissed gently. They pricked their ears.
Three cats appeared. Two of them were large toms and the other was a young she-cat. One of the toms was tall and pale gray. The other was pure black. The she-cat was a gray tortoise-shell, who growled at them.
"What are you doing in Meadowclan territory, Rogue?" The gray tom snarled.
"Meadowclan?" They echoed.
I know the end is kind of abrupt. I hope it'll get better. REVIEW!