I do not own Warriors, HarperCollins and Erin Hunter do.
This is set roughly during the time of Midnight/Moonrise, and explores what would have happened if the Clans never left the forest.
Chapter 1
Cinderpelt sat on top of the rock that made up the medicine den, gazing past the gorse barrier that surrounded camp and into the forest beyond.
Golden brown red leaves danced from the canopy to the forest floor below, glowing like embers in the late afternoon sunlight.
The scents of leaf-fall filled the air as the grey she-cat looked for any sign of Brambleclaw or Squirrelpaw.
Nothing. She sighed. The two ThunderClan cats have been missing for at least a moon now, and prey was growing scarce as the days grew colder- and as Twolegs destroyed more of the forest.
At this rate, they wouldn't have enough prey to feed the elders and kits come leafbare.
StarClan, please help them come back, and tell us what to do before it's too late.
-‐-
"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather round the Highrock for a Clan meeting." Firestar called out. All the cats in the camp slunk slowly towards the great stone, shivering with cold and hunger.
"Cats of ThunderClan, I have had reports of fewer and fewer catches in hunting patrols this past quarter moon. From now on, I am doubling the number of cats in each patrol. That is all."
The warriors, eager to get back to their duties, hurried towards Graystripe to be assigned to patrols.
Most of the apprentices were sent by their mentors to tidy the dens, and Firestar and Cinderpelt went to the leader's den to discusss something in private.
-
Thornclaw was walking slowly through the forest, watching the undergrowth to see if he could spy anything moving...
His belly rumbled. He groaned. He had been hoping to catch something to gobble up. Since he was on a border patrol, he could eat anything he caught. Maybe if he-
"Thornclaw!" snapped Sandstorm, shaking his train of thought. He whipped his head around to see the river flowing wildly, not three mouse-lengths away.
"You could've fallen in!" she continued. "We won't make it back to camp before dark if you keep on daydreaming! Hurry up and let's go to Tallpines to check for kittypets," she finished, a stern look on her face.
The patrol moved swiftly towards Tallpines, making sure that they couldn't scent any other Clans as they did.
When they got there, Sandstorm began, "Ok, Brightheart and Ashfur, you go and check near Treecutplace to make sure no RiverClan cats are stealing our prey. Shrewpaw, you check around Twolegplace. Thornclaw, you and I will check this area. We meet back here at sunset." All the cats nodded.
Thornclaw watched as the grey tom and ginger flecked she-cat dashed west towards the river, and his apprentice south. "Come on, Thornclaw. Let's go," said Sandstorm.
They patrolled the area for about half an hour, until right before sunset, and headed to the agreed upon location. When they got there, however, they only saw Ashfur and Brightheart.
"Where's Shrewpaw?" Thornclaw said nervously, only made worse by the looks on his Clanmates' faces as they realised one of them was missing.
"Shrewpaw? SHREWPAW?" Thornclaw called out. "This isn't funny! Come out right now, young cat, or I'll make you clean the ticks off the elders for the next half moon!"
It was no use. If Shrewpaw was hiding, he would have come out by then.
"Wait, do I smell smoke..." Brightheart added nervously, her fur standing up as she sniffed the air cautiously.
Thornclaw tested the air with his scent glands. There it was, the unmistakable tinge of smoke, like ashy crowfood bones scraping his throat and nostrils.
They all seemed to have a sudden realisation, their eyes widening in unison.
"The smoke is coming from Twolegplace."
The patrol immediately began to hurry towards Twolegplace. They wouldn't have been so eager if they knew what was to come.
As they got closer, the air started to become thicker and darker, and Thornclaw could smell something burning.
Oh no.
What they saw next screamed nothing but death.
Flames engulfed the Twolegplace, licking at the walls of the nests and scorching the plants to ash. The high-pitched screaming of Twolegs and their monsters filled the air as thick, black, foul-smelling smoke billowed from the blaze, hideous toxic clouds hanging of the scene like an omen of death. Some Twolegs got into their monsters and sped away along the Thunderpath, the beasts screeching with desperation. Dozens of kittypets jumped over the fence that bordered the woods and ran away into the forest beyond, their eyes filled with fear.
In the midst of all this, a group of Twolegs were standing and cackling with delight, holding burning sticks in their paws. Some of them were holding up pieces of flat, smooth bark covered in markings while the remaining Twolegs watched in horror.
Thornclaw's eyes watered as he took in the horrifying sight, frozen to the spot like his Clanmates. His shock quickly faded and gave way to worry.
"We need to get Shrewpaw!" He shouted over the noise.
The other cats looked at him like he was crazy.
"I agree," Sandstorm said, "but we need to get reinforcements. Ashfur, Brightheart, go back to camp and warn everyone. Get them to send a patrol to help and evacuate if it gets out of control. Thornclaw and I will go get Shrewpaw."
All the cats nodded, and for the second time that day, Ashfur and Brightheart ran off into the distance.
Thornclaw had a feeling it would be the last time he'd see them do that.
-
He and Sandstorm raced towards the fence, looking around to see if there was a path through the fire.
"Here," he called to the ginger she-cat. The blaze hadn't reached the fence yet, so they were safe for now. Thornclaw had found a spot in the fence where a plank had been partially torn off, creating a hole just big enough for a cat to slip through.
He could sense that Shrewpaw had walked through here maybe an hour ago, and had been quite hungry, judging by the hunger-scent the apprentice had left behind.
They crawled through the splintery gap and found themselves face to face with a burning Twoleg nest.
"Foxdung!" Sandstorm hissed. He understood why.
Thornclaw whipped his head around, looking for an escape, when he spotted a bush soaked in water and tree sap that the flames hadn't touched.
"Through here!" He yelped as the pair ducked under the thing. He shivered as the spiky leaves trailed slime along his back, but it was better than being burnt alive.
They ran across a narrow strip of stone, weaving through Twoleg gardens, until they reached a pebble courtyard.
There, lying slumped over a piece of prey and covered in soot, was Shrewpaw.
I will not be updating this story until I have finished my Neverhome fanfic. Hope you have a lovely day!