Chapter 1

"Side Tracked By A Fox."

7/29/16 - 7/30/16 - 7/31/16

A squirrel ran into the trees, flicking its tail as if teasing the cat below.

She was a small, fluffy blue grey she cat with blue eyes. She heard rustling in the ferns, and a tortoiseshell and white cat stepped out with a dark ginger tom.

"Any luck?" She asked. The dark ginger tom glared at her. "Do I look like I have any prey, Duckpaw?"

"There's no need for a foul attitude, Flamepaw." The tortoiseshell she cat scolded.

"Green Leaf is hot enough without cats turning on each other."

"Sweetpaw is right." Duckpaw said. "We just need to keep looking."

"Where?!" Flamepaw exclaimed. "Almost every prey is either hiding or dead from the heat!"

Duckpaw was usually the mature one, but Flamepaw's complaints were getting under her pelt. She thrusts her muzzle in his face.

"Look! I'm not in a mood to argue with you-!"

"Shh!" Sweetpaw hissed. "Listen… Do you hear it?"

All three cats fell silent and heard a wail in the distance, and smelled a strong scent of blood. Sweetpaw took off.

"Sweetpaw, wait!" Duckpaw and Flamepaw chased after the youngest apprentice.

Ten fox lengths near the edge of their territory, Sweetpaw stopped and looked back at them in fear.

"A kit is being attacked by a fox!"

Duckpaw sees a golden kit being cornered near a bramble bush by a scrawny, drooling fox. The kit was looking around wildly for an escape, but the fox clamped its jaws on her hind legs.

Duckpaw charged and hissed, catching the fox's attention. The fox snapped its jaws and Duckpaw dodged, she lunged and bites on the fox' nose. Flamepaw came from behind and raked his claws on the fox's throat and paws.

The fox backed up as the two cats advance, hissing and spitting. The fox turned tail and ran away.

Duckpaw relaxed and turned her attention to the kit. Sweetpaw was bending over the a golden cat with white paws and strange stripes on her face and hind legs that look like flames.

She couldn't be older than Sweetpaw and younger than Duckpaw, Flamepaw and their friends.

"It's alright, the fox is gone…" She whispered to the cat. Flamepaw curled his lip in disdain. "All this for some rogue?!"

Sweetpaw glared at him. "This cat is no different from us!"

"Yes she is! She doesn't follow the warrior code like us. I bet she just came to trespass and cause trouble!"

The cat shrank at Flamepaw's accusations. Duckpaw flicked her tail on Flamepaw's nose. "Would you lower your voice? This kit's been through enough trauma."

The golden cat stared at them, almost in disbelief and fear.

"You… You can…" She lowers her head and fell still.

"She needs Palewhisker." Duckpaw said to Sweetpaw. "Come on, you carry her scruff and I'll hold her haunches…"

Flamepaw stared at the two she cats in shock.

"You can't be serious, she's a rogue!"

Duckpaw and Sweetpaw continue to carry the unconscious she cat back to camp, Flamepaw hissed in annoyance as he followed them home.

Thornstar was returning to camp when he found his cats swarming the medicine cat den, talking amongst each other.

"Thornstar!" A dark brown she cat approaches him and dips her head briefly.

"Eaglecry, what's going on?"

"Our apprentices found a rogue kit that was attacked by a fox." Eaglecry reported.

Thornstar lashed his tail. "Foxes! Is the kit alright?"

Eaglecry nodded. "Palewhisker is looking after her now."

"Good. ThunderClan!" He addressed his cats. "Go back to your duties and let Palewhisker work!"

The cats reluctantly disperse from the entrance of the den. Thornstar padded inside and saw a very light brown tabby she cat placing cobwebs on a golden cat's legs.

Her apprentice, a bright ginger she cat, was gently stroking the kit's head with her tail.

"How is she, Palewhisker?" He asked the light brown tabby.

"Still unconscious." Palewhisker replied. "That fox took a nasty bite of her hind legs, but they should heal."

Thornstar looked at the small, golden she cat. He trailed his tail on her head.

"Poor kit. I wonder where your parents are."

The she cat opens her eyes briefly, then closes them with a groan.

Thornstar bowed to Palewhisker and stepped out of the den.

He climbs High Rock and said, "All cats old enough to hunt meet me at High Rock for a meeting!"

Cats young and old took their place around the tall stone; elderly cats came out as did heavily pregnant queens.

The apprentices with Duckpaw, Sweetpaw and Flamepaw also look up at Thornstar.

"As you are aware," he said. "Our apprentices has brought in a rogue that was attacked by a fox in our territory. Palewhisker and Yellowpaw are currently tending to the rogue as we speak, and say that she should heal."

The cats murmurs with worry as a black tabby stepped forward.

"How long is she going to stay?"

"Until Palewhisker decides if she's fit enough to travel." Thornstar replied.

"Yeah, but Crowtail means is she staying as an apprentice?" A golden and brown speckled tom called out.

"We already have enough mouths to feed as it is!"

Cats were meowing in agreement until Eaglecry yowled, and stared straight into the tom's eyes.

"Leopardstrike, it is the young cat's decision whether or not she wants to join us, and it's Thornstar's law if she does."

Eaglecry nods to Thornstar. Loyal and confident, this is why Thornstar chose her.

"So until then, this rogue will be called Stealth. I'm not giving her a Clan name," he assured the ThunderClan cats. "But we can't keep calling her 'the rogue' can we?"

A few cats purred with amusement, but most of the senior warriors were still uneasy.

Thornstar knew he was only leader for two moons since Hallowstar's death, earning their respect was needed. But the life of that kit was important too.