Chapter One

"Stonekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Stonepaw. Your mentor will be Specklerock. I hope she will pass down all she knows on to you," the voice of ReedClan's leader, Willowstar, echoed through the camp.

"Specklerock, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Creekpelt, and you have shown yourself to be clever and patient. You will be the mentor of Stonepaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him."

Trembling with excitement, Stonepaw touched his nose to the tortoiseshell she-cat as she approached him. Her green eyes were warm and gentle as met his gaze. Stonepaw always had a fondness for the gentle she-cat, as she spent plenty of time with him and his littermates when they were kits. He turned his gaze up at the ReedClan leader, her cream-furred tabby pelt glowing in the sunlight. The Clan then erupted into cheers.

"Heronpaw! Minnowpaw! Stonepaw!" the Clan cheered the new apprentices name loudly.

I'm finally an apprentice! Stonepaw stood proudly, his chin raised as listened to his Clanmates cheers. The dark gray tabby apprentice had waited what felt like an eternity for this very moment. Beside him, his two littermates glowed with excitement. Once the cheers had died down, Stonepaw scampered over towards his littermates. His parents—Marshpool and Dapplefoot—greeted the three of them with loud purrs.

"You three do best to listen to your mentors," Dapplefoot told them, licking each of their ears.

Marshpool purred. "They will do fine, don't worry so much."

"What will we do first?" Heronpaw asked her mentor, Goosefur, a dark gray-and-white she-cat.

"A tour of the territory would be best," that was Spottedfern, Minnowpaw's mentor.

Stonepaw looked at the young warrior. He had a sandy spotted tabby pelt, his muscles lean and hard underneath. Specklerock looked much different than her littermate, who was a smaller and more daintier looking cat.

Specklerock looked at her brother. "I agree, but we should let Goosefur decide. After all, she has been a warrior for much longer than us."

The older warrior gave a grateful nod. "It's alright. A tour of the territory is always something new apprentices should do first."

Stonepaw ducked away as his mother tried to lick him again. "We'll be fine!"

His mother's eyes glistened slightly as she gazed at her kits, but she simply back away. Marshpool sat beside her reassuringly. As his littermates dashed ahead in a hurry to leave camp, Stonepaw gazed around him.

The camp was a small island nestled in vast marshlands. Thick reed walls surrounded the island protectively, shielding the Clan from intruders and predatory birds. At the far edge of the island sat an old withered out willow tree, with thick sturdy branches for Willowstar to address the Clan from. At the base of the tree was a hollowed out hole, where she made her den.

Thick woven reeds made up the warriors' and apprentices' dens, made to float in case of flooding. The nursery was made of the same material, but was much thicker to keep the kits safe and warm. A smaller willow tree sat not too far off, its long roots holding it above the ground a ways. Under the tree and among the roots, was the medicine cat den; where Reedsplash made his nest and stored herbs. Just outside the den a small pool of water trickled from the marsh nearby, offering fresh water for moss and sick patients. Beside the tree, was the elders den. Sheltered by the elements, it was woven with thick reeds to keep out any water that may seep through.

Near the nursery were the reed shallows, which was where kits learned how to swim safely within the camp's walls. The water was just shallow enough where the kits could stand if they needed to. In the center of the camp was the fresh-kill pile, nicely stocked with freshly caught fish from the last hunting patrol.

"Stonepaw!" Specklerock called him from the camp entrance.

He quickly ran over to catch up as they left camp. "Where will we go first?"

ReedClan territory was vast expanse of marshland, and had a balanced mixture of water and land for the cats to patrol and hunt on. Just outside the camp, a narrow river flowed around the camp as a safe barrier to keep intruders out. Stepping stones were further down the river, but were very easily submerged by the river most of the time. It was very rare that the other Clans ever came close to camp; if at all.

"The marsh pool is closest, and it will be the place that most of your battle training will be," his mentor answered, her gaze sweeping across the narrow channel of water. "Go ahead of me. I will be right behind you just in case."

Staring at the murky water, Stonepaw fluffed up his thick fur. The only swimming he had done was back in camp. Never before had he swam in water this deep, and he felt a sense of anxiety tingle throughout his pelt. Not willing to seem daunted on his first trip out of camp, Stonepaw waded into the water slowly. As he got deeper in, he felt the sandy ground give way from under his paws. Surprised, he let out a slight yowl and plunged under the dark water.

Panic seized through him, and he desperately kicked his legs upwards. He heard a splashing beside him, and then felt teeth in his scruff as Specklerock pulled him up from under the water. She hauled him carefully across, and sniffed his sodden pelt carefully.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her eyes full of concern.

Stonepaw was shivering. "I-I think so."

Licking his head comfortingly, his mentor shook out her fur. "Don't get discouraged," she told him. "Every new 'paw gets a little overwhelmed their first time swimming in the river. You'll soon get used to it, I promise."

"Where are Minnowpaw and Heronpaw?" he asked, feeling a bit more relaxed now.

"They are probably already at the marsh pool," she answered. "We should hurry on if we're going to catch them."

Following his mentor through the marsh, Stonepaw admired how vast and diverse ReedClan territory was. Everything was so full of life, and he often heard fish splashing just above the surface of the water nearby. Frogs croaked and twice they had leaped across his path as he walked. Large birds soared overhead, fish squirming in their long beaks. It seemed so long ago that he was confined to camp in the nursery. Breathing in the scents of the marsh, Stonepaw hurried to catch up to his mentor.

Up ahead, Stonepaw could make out the silver pelt of his brother—Minnowpaw—as he nosed around the marsh. Once they caught up, Stonepaw stared at the marsh pool curiously. It was very shallow marshland, with soft springy moss that obviously cushioned any falls during training. The shallow water sparkled in the sunlight, and Heronpaw's gray-and-white pelt shone brightly as she splashed around.

"It's about time!" Minnowpaw called, running up to greet them. "Heronpaw was thinking you might have got eaten by a fish!"

Stonepaw cuffed his ears playfully. "Frog-brain! Fish don't eat cats."

"Oh, but they do eat naughty apprentices," Spottedfern overheard them, silver eyes sparkling with mischief.

Goosefur gave a snort. "If you're all quite done, we need to move on." She looked over towards the marsh pool. "Heronpaw, get your tail over here or we're leaving you behind!"

Water dripping from her whiskers, Heronpaw splashed over towards them. As she shook her fur out, Stonepaw leaped back with an annoyed hiss. "Watch it!"

Heronpaw rolled her eyes. "What are you? A forest cat?"

Huffing at her comment, Stonepaw moved on ahead. Reeds began to surround them even thicker now, and Stonepaw could see the tops of trees in the distance. Goosefur led them through the reeds and towards a more wider channel of water. She came to a stop at the shore, and dipped her head to the apprentices once they were all gathered.

"This river here leads up towards the border with LeafClan," she explained. "It is also a great spot for young apprentices to sharpen their skills at swimming."

Heronpaw gave an excited bounce. "Let's go then!"

Spottedfern brushed past her to stand beside Goosefur. "This isn't a game," he warned. "Learning how to swim here is much different than when you crossed the river away from camp earlier. It's a lot deeper, and the current is much stronger."

"That's right," Goosefur agreed. "This river is connected to the gorge much further up, which is where our border with BreezeClan lies. The waterfall there makes this river flow much faster than the rest."

Minnowpaw's eyes lit up. "Oh! I heard about the waterfall. Marshpool told us a story once about the time he went there as an apprentice."

Stonepaw purred. He always loved that story their father would tell them as kits. How great and vast it was, and how the spray of the water created small rainbows across the gorge. Stonepaw had always dreamed of the day he could go and see it for himself.

"Well then," Specklerock turned her gaze towards the river. "Shall we begin?"

Staring at the river, Stonepaw remarked how much clearer it was compared to the one by camp. It's crystal blue surface was dazzled in sunlight, while fish darted between rocks underneath. Goosefur was the first to wade in, paddling smoothly against the current as she looked to the cats still on shore.

"Alright," she called. "Heronpaw, come and swim towards me."

For the first time, Stonepaw noticed his sister seemed nervous. Twitching her whiskers, she carefully stepped into the water. Once she was belly deep, she began to swim towards her mentor. For a brief second, her head vanished underwater. Stonepaw held his breath, fear spiking his fur. When she reemerged at the surface, he relaxed and let out a breath.

Minnowpaw was next. Spottedfern went ahead of him, swimming out to be beside Goosefur. His brother was more relaxed, and easily slipped into the river after his mentor. Stonepaw suppressed a feeling of envy. Specklerock turned her gaze on him.

"Are you ready?"

Giving a nervous nod, Stonepaw followed her to the water's edge. Specklerock swam out first, waiting nearby for him. Slowly, he made his way through the water. The cool water seeped through his fur, and he could feel the current tugging at his paws. Nervously he moved forward, feeling himself sink lower and lower in the water. Specklerock watched him closely, ready to grab him if she needed to.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed forward into the water. The ground fell away from under his paws, but Stonepaw used his front legs to keep his head above the water. Paddling heavily towards his mentor, he huffed with effort as the current threatened to pull him away. Specklerock swam up beside him and he could feel her gently guiding him forward.

"Relax and let yourself glide across the water," she instructed. "The more you fight and panic, the harder it is on your body."

Focusing on his mentor's words, Stonepaw eased up on his swimming. He slowly moved each paw in rhythmic strokes, and for a moment felt as if he was gliding across air. The current pulled him along easily, and he found himself keeping pace with his Clanmates as they swam around the river.

Minnowpaw glided towards him. "Bet I can beat you to those reeds!"

"Not if I beat you both first!" Heronpaw challenged, slipping past them like a fish.

"That's not fair!" Minnowpaw yowled, swimming after her.

Stonepaw followed after them, his legs churning the water with little effort. The reeds up ahead seemed to tower above them. Heronpaw had beaten them both there, and was climbing onto a rock that sat just above the water. Minnowpaw heaved himself up beside her, while Stonepaw joined them.

"Hah, you two are so slow," Heronpaw teased.

Minnowpaw shoved her into the water, and she let out a yelp of surprise. "Oops." He winked at Stonepaw.

Letting out a mrrow of laughter, he suddenly felt a tug on his tail. Turning to look he saw Heronpaw had her jaws clamped around it with a glimmer in her eyes. He tried to pull free, but she dragged him off the rock and back into the water. Tumbling down underwater, Stonepaw thrashed about as he tried to orient himself properly. Light shone up above, and as Stonepaw went to swim towards it and felt a sharp tug on his hind paw.

Swinging his head to look, he noticed a reed had become entangled on his paw. Yanking his leg to attempt to free himself, Stonepaw felt panic well up in his chest. The reed refused to break its grip on him, and he desperately tried to swim up to the surface. His lungs burned with lack of air, and he felt water begin to fill his nostrils. I'm going to drown here! Stonepaw thrashed even more. I can't die! StarClan don't let me die! I don't want to die yet!

He felt himself sinking in the water. Darkness edged his vision, and Stonepaw tried in vain to free himself from the reeds. Sunlight shone through the water, and Stonepaw could feel the life fade out of him as he stared helplessly up at the sky. StarClan, why?