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amberleaf4273 - Aw, thanks! Actually, I'll give you a little game: if you can decode this, you'll know who was in the prologue:

4-1-18-11-6-12-15-23-5-18

Secrets of a Clan

"I know what I smelled!" Littlepaw growled, the fur along his spine starting to bristle. His eyes were blazing with fury; Stormfire could smell his indignation from halfway across the camp.

It'd been somewhat of a boring day: Stormfire had woken up late. Hollyfur had already sent out the dawn and sun-high patrols, followed by some hunting patrols. Cloudheart had requested that Stormfire accompany her on some herb-gathering, which hadn't taken long; but herb-gathering was boring, unsurprisingly.

Upon his return, Stormfire had seen Littlepaw, Cedarpelt, Hollyfur, Sandtail, Snowpaw, and Tornstar huddled together in the center of the camp, talking. He hadn't heard much, but he was sure he'd caught the word 'intruder' somewhere in their conversation.

"Are you sure?" Tornstar questioned, his tone disbelieving and serious. There was something glittering in his eyes, but it was unreadable.

"Yes, I'm sure!" Littlepaw exclaimed, his tail fluffing. He flicked it, a clear sign of his anger. "Why doesn't anybody believe me? Ask Sandtail, he smelled it too!"

By now, cats were beginning to crowd around. Stormfire himself padded over, followed by Hawkwing, Eagleheart, and a few others. They all crowded around, their ears pricked and whiskers quivering.

"What's going on?" Eagleheart asked, his eyes shining with curiosity. It was clear he wasn't the only one that wanted an explanation; other cats were jostling each other to get closer and hear every word.

Tornstar glanced around the assembled group of cats, his eyes flashing. Stormfire caught his eyes, and he was sure he thought he saw a brief twinkle of reluctance, but it was gone too soon to be sure.

With a sigh, Tornstar meowed, "Apparently, there have been reports of LeafClan scent on our territory."

A cloud of tension cast itself down on the Clan. What? Stormfire thought, his eyes widening in shock. What would LeafClan be doing on DarkClan territory? Were the stealing prey? Or perhaps they were spying, trying to plan a battle strategy…?

"What would LeafClan be doing on our territory?" Larkfern asked, her fur fluffed. She voiced Stormfire's thoughts: "Do you think they were trying to steal prey?"

"As if!" Hawkwing growled, baring his teeth. He unsheathed his claws. "I bet they were spying on us, trying to find out our weaknesses!"

Cats began to murmur amongst themselves, worry and fear crackling in the air. Stormfire felt uncomfortable amidst all the bristling pelts. He squirmed, his Clanmates' prickly fur making him itch.

Tornstar raised his tail for silence. It took a while, but eventually all cats in the clearing lowered their voices to an uneasy whisper. The fear-scent seemed to choke Stormfire. He had to break away from the group to catch some fresh air.

"That's not all," Tornstar meowed. "The scent that was left was none other than Lionclaw's."

Stormfire's heart lurched. The Clan broke into an uproar, all of them expressing their unease and providing suggestions to solve the problem.

"Why are we standing here, talking about this?" Hawkwing demanded, his eyes glistening with anger and a bit of fear. "We shouldn't sit idly by and let those fox-heart's wander on our land! We need to attack and show them that we're nothing to mess with!"

Several cats yowled their agreement. Stormfire winced at the cries for blood and battle. Driven by fear, the cats in the clearing spat and growled with fury, their claws leaving scars in the earth.

Surely there has to be some sort of explanation? Stormfire thought, narrowing his eyes. From what he knew, it didn't seem like Lionclaw to just stray on another Clan's territory. Every time he'd done so, it was either for a battle or to talk to Stormfire… so what was he doing this time?

"Hold on!" Stormfire called, his voice raised over the clamor. All cats quieted down and turned their eyes on him. Suddenly feeling small, Stormfire shrank beneath his pelt, but forced himself to go on. "You say Lionclaw was on our territory, but did you track the scent? He must've had some purpose."

"Yes," Willowmist mewed, her head tilted. "Do you know where he went?"

Sandtail nodded. "Yes, we tracked his scent. From the trail, he seemed to be headed for the burial place."

Silence filled the camp. Stormfire tilted his head to the side. The burial place? Why would Lionclaw go there? Was there something… or someone special that he wanted to visit?

"The burial place?" Larkfern meowed. "That doesn't make sense. Why would he go there?"

"Probably mutilated corpses," Hawkwing snarled, spitting. "Foxdung! We need to attack! Now!"

"Calm down, Hawkwing!" Tornstar hissed, baring his teeth. He gave himself a quick shake, then took a deep breath. "I'm sure there's an explanation for this."

Stormfire scoffed. The answer seemed obvious to him. "Why else would someone go to a burial place?" he inquired. The gazes of his Clanmates fell on him, questioning and confused. Really? I bet all this anger is clouding their minds. "He was probably mourning a dead Clanmate!"

Murmurs of relief filled the air, but Stormfire could sense something else. All the cats in the clearing seemed to stiffen, and they wouldn't meet his gaze. Confused, Stormfire decided to pry. "What is it? Who was he mourning?"

"That's not important right now," Tornstar meowed gruffly, his whole form stiff. Stormfire could sense the unease boiling beneath his pelt. Why was he so tense? "We need to make sure that he didn't do anything else—not that I'm believing this whole mourning theory. I need a patrol."

"I'll go!" Stormfire offered instantly. He didn't like the way his Clanmates were acting right now. Why were they keeping something like this from him?

Tornstar's eyes flashed for a heartbeat. "No. I want you to lead a border patrol along the LeafClan boundary. I want to make sure no other cats have strayed across our border."

Stormfire narrowed his eyes. That didn't make a lot of sense; Sandtail and the others had most likely marked the border… why mark it again? Choosing not to pry any further, Stormfire gathered Sandtail and Snowpaw. He'd need their company to show him where they'd found the scent.

The three trekked through the forest, the air thick with an uneasy silence. The sun's rays were just touching the trees' tips, casting a bright orange color over the world. Feeling awkward, and wanting answers, Stormfire decided to speak up.

"So, who do you think Lionclaw was trying to visit?" he mewed, trying to keep his tone light. He caught Sandtail cast a small glance at him, his eyes glistening with unease. "Maybe it was a loved one?"

Sandtail didn't say anything. Snowpaw cast a glance a back at Stormfire, her eyes worried and full of fear. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but she clenched her jaws and looked forward.

Answer me! Stormfire screeched inwardly, his frustration and anger beginning to boil over. All he wanted to know was who his brother had been mourning. It seemed like the whole Clan knew something he didn't… or something they didn't want him to know.

"Stop!" Stormfire ordered, his fur bristling with fury. Sandtail and Snowpaw froze, their whole frames tense. Stormfire stalked in front of them and stared at both of them, his amber eyes piercing their souls. "Tell me who Lionclaw was mourning."

"We don't know!" Snowpaw insisted, not meeting his gaze. The tension in the air was so thick, Stormfire felt it could be broken if someone breathed the wrong way.

"And you're sure you're not lying?" Stormfire questioned, his mew just on the verge of being a growl.

Snowpaw only nodded.

"Alright," Stormfire meowed, his voice dark and dangerous. "Look at me, then. If you can look me in the eyes and tell me you don't know anything, then I'll believe you."

Sandtail and Snowpaw exchanged a glance; Sandtail's eyes seemed to hold a warning for Snowpaw not to say anything.

Stormfire's frustration finally spilled. "For StarClan's sake! I'm tired of all these secrets! Tell me who Lionclaw was mourning, or I'll kill both of you!"

Sandtail's eyes widened, and Snowpaw seemed to shrink beneath her pelt, fear crackling from her body.

"You wouldn't," Sandtail growled, stepping in front of Snowpaw.

Stormfire couldn't speak. Had he said what he thought he said? Where did that come from? He shook his head to clear it. He couldn't take it back now—he decided to just go along with it.

"Try me," he snarled, baring his teeth. He unsheathed his claws and dug into the ground.

Without warning, Sandtail leaped at Stormfire, his claws outstretched. Caught off guard, Stormfire recovered by rolling with the impact. The two broke away, and Sandtail leaped again. Both he and Stormfire writhed on the ground, a knot of screeching fur. Stormfire tried to keep his claws sheathed, but with Sandtail ripping at his fur, and the thrill of battle coursing through his veins, his claws soon found their way out of their prison.

After a few moments, Stormfire had Sandtail pinned, the brown tom's belly against the floor. His fur was matted with blood, but no serious injuries marked his pelt—only small scratches.

"I don't want to hurt you," Stormfire insisted, his voice coming out as a strained hiss. "Just tell me what I want to know!"

"No!" Sandtail growled, scrabbling vainly at the ground. "Snowpaw, get out of here!"

Stormfire's gaze rose to Snowpaw. The white she-cat was crouched on the ground, trembling, eyes wide. Stormfire could smell her fear.

"Stop fighting," she whimpered. "Please stop."

Stormfire heaved a sigh. She must be terrified. Slowly, he let go of Sandtail, bracing himself for another attack. Sandtail scrambled to his paws and dropped into an attack crouch, his fur bristling.

"Look, I don't want to fight," Stormfire insisted, his ears pinning against his head. "I… just tell me who Lionclaw was visiting. That's all I want."

Sandtail growled and prepared for another attack.

"Please," Stormfire begged, his desperation getting the better of him. He cursed himself on the inside, and decided to ignore the shame burning beneath his pelt.

Sandtail didn't budge. His eyes were bright with hate and suspicion, tail flicking. Snowpaw, however, had stopped trembling and took a step forward.

"He—"

"Don't!" Sandtail hissed, rounding on the apprentice. "Tornstar told us we have to keep quiet!"

Stormfire gawked. Tornstar had ordered…? What was so important that Tornstar wanted to keep from him?

A growl gurgled in Stormfire's throat. His pelt bristled as anger made his body burn. Why did Tornstar have to keep so many secrets? What was it that he wanted to hide? Lionclaw's words echoed in his ears: They're lying to you…

"Snowpaw, tell me what you know," Stormfire snarled, his voice coming out much harsher than he wanted. Snowpaw seemed to shrink with terror. "Now!"

"That's enough!" Sandtail growled, his eyes blazing. He glared at Stormfire, eyes flashing with hate and fury. "Snowpaw, let's go—we're finishing this patrol. As for you, we'll see how you cope when I tell Tornstar of this."

Hissing, Stormfire whipped around and stalked toward the direction of the camp. He didn't really care about Sandtail and Snowpaw at this point, he wanted answers.

That liar! Stormfire screeched inwardly. He unsheathed his claws as he padded back to camp. He and Tornstar were going to have a little chat.

Have fun with this:

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