So, hello all! Welcome to the first official chapter of Winds of Change! I hope you liked the Prologue, because it's time we aquainted ourselves to our protagonist! In glorious first-person!

Legends of the Warriors: Winds of Change

Chapter 1

Link's Apprentice Ceremony

I woke to the fresh scent of the forest, mixed in with a sharper scent. Birdsong reached my sensitive ears, soothing me as only birdsong would. It reminded me of my days in the Fairy Forest with my sister and Joan when I was younger. I opened my eyes and took in the sight of a great forest that shone with starlight. I hauled myself to my paws as a soft, cool breeze tugged at my short fur. I could feel the path under my paw pads, worn from thousands of generations of pawsteps. Awe filled me as I realized I was standing in the pawprints of ancient warriors.

A soft soothing sound of an instrament suddenly filled the forest, blending with the birds' songs and combining to form a single beautous song. I looked over my shoulder to where the music was coming from. There sat a starry-pelted tom who looked almost identical to me: Meadow-green fur, with brown hindpaws and forelegs. But he was much bigger than me. He looked about twelve moons old - a warrior - while I was only barely six. His paws and forelegs were a darker brown than mine as well. His left ear was torn, and he was playing a blue instrament I'd never seen before. It was on a ring around his tail, and he gripped the round blue shape in his forepaws, covering the holes that littered the surface in a pattern. I didn't dare speak, because I didn't want to interrupt the music he was making.

Even though it lasted for a few moments, it felt like an eternity, until he finally stopped. He let go of his instrament and opened his eyes. They were a sky-blue that emitted a soft blue glow. We locked eyes, and suddenly I heard a cat landing from a leap behind me. I whipped around and saw another tom, this one identical to the first, even the size and eyes. Only the untorn ear and the white stripe down the second's nose-bridge marked a difference.

"Who are you guys?" I asked.

"Who do you think?" The second one asked. His voice was exactly like mine, if a little different. I stared at him for a few moments before looking behind me at the first. I thought of all the names I knew, and tried to match the names to these two cats. Two names appeared in my mind. Forestheart and Whitedash. The Hero of Time and the Hero of Four.

I looked straight at the second one. "Y-you're Whitedash, the Hero of Four..." I whispered, awestruck. I looked behind me, at the one who had played the instrument. "...And you're Forestheart, the Hero of Time!" I probably should've been bowing or something - I mean, these guys are legendary! - but I was frozen in shock, unable to move even a whisker.

Whitedash chuckled in amusement. "Yes, young apprentice. We've come to warn you of what lies ahead."

"What's wrong?"

"Your life, along with many others, is about to change forever. Believe in yourself, those around you, and the Leaders themselves, and you will make it through." Without saying another word, Whitedash whipped around and dashed off into the starry forest, leaving me with Forestheart, the great Hero of Time.

I think I'm going to faint.

"Young one," Forestheart murmured, his voice clear against the whisper of the forest. "There is so much just waiting to happen, and so much is expected of you. But never give up, apprentice. Whitedash and I are always there, fighting right beside you. There will be those who doubt you, but you must prove them wrong. That you are deserving of the title the Leaders shall give you." His eyes flashed. "The Leaders have spoken, and so it shall be...

...The Phoenix Cat from the Clan without a Leader will rise from the ashes of failure, and will set fire to an unsuspecting world."

"LINK!"

"WHA!" I shouted, leaping to my paws. I looked around wildly in panic, fur bristling and hackles raised, before I realized where I was. I was close to the edge of a small cliff, with the ocean only a fox-length below the edge, which was right behind me. In front of me stood a pale blue she-cat around four moons, with pretty cyan-blue eyes that twinkled with excitement. "Oh...Aryll, it's just you..." I sighed in relief.

"Hey bro, remember what day it is today?"

"How could I forget? Today's the day I'm finally named an apprentice!" I replied. I almost quivered with excitement. Today I'd finally be an official apprentice! Orca - one of the BreezeClan warriors - had taught me a move or two, but that was for defense. You never know when you're gonna need a kit who knows one battle move. You never know.

"Yeah! I'm excited too!" Aryll smiled. "Grandma wanted to see you before the ceremony today. She said she had something very special to give you. You'd better not keep her waiting!"

"Alright, thanks. See ya later, Aryll." I padded toward the center of Outset Island, where the BreezeClan camp was.

Outset Island was pretty small. Well, it was more like two islands connect by three giant stepping stones. While the smaller island had a small mountain with the Fairy Forest at its summit, the main island had small hills and almost no trees. The camp was in a small dip in a hill. It wasn't the best place to hide, but if someone was coming, almost everyone in camp would know about it in a matter of moments. That's why I like it here. There are no secrets. Everything is out in the open, for everyone to know.

A white she-cat with silver points suddenly came bounding down the hill, green eyes shining. "Hey, Link!" She shouted.

"Hey, Joan!"

Joan was my best friend, and she was nine moons old. She, Aryll and I were inseperable. She was named an apprentice three moons ago, to our leader Tiren, no less! Well, that was no surprise. After all, Joan was our deputy Qwiru's firstborn, and Qwiru and Tiren had grown up really close friends.

"So, you ready for the ceremony?"

"Not yet. Aryll told me Grandma wanted to see me before the ceremony."

"Well, hurry up! You know Tiren, he hates waiting!" We dashed up the hill, side by side, eventually going from a sprint to a walk as we entered camp. I immediately went to the den that was farthest to my left. The elders' den. My grandmother Maria was alone in the den, with no sign of that grump Stergeon.

"Well, it took you long enough!" She mock-snapped. Joan and I laughed at her attempt to look serious, and she even ended up joining in. Gramdma had never been a really serious one, but she was somewhat impatient, a trait Mother and I had inheirited. "I mean, what were you doing? Don't tell me you got up at dawn and then fell asleep near that cliff again!"

"What else did you expect?" Joan replied, batting a paw at my ear.

"Hey!" I cried indignantly. "It's not my fault!"

"Oh really? You expect me to believe that?"

"Of course! How can you not?" I muttered with a smirk, my sarcasm kicking in.

"You know, I'm starting to have second thoughts about giving you your present..." Grandma muttered.

"What? No, come on, please?"

"No! Your ceremony's in a few moments; you'll look absolutely ridiculous!"

As if on cue, Tiren's voice resounded throughout the camp. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here in camp!"

Grandma stood up and walked beside us to the center of the clearing, where the rest of the Clan was gathered (with the exception of Rose and the kits). The only kit that joined the crowd was Aryll, because this was my apprentice ceremony, and she was my little sister.

The tortoiseshell-and-white tom sat on top of his den, his gaze traveling over the other cats in the Clan. Finally, Tiren's bright copper eyes locked with my own emerald-green. "Link," He said, patting the spot beside him with his tail. "Come up here." I nodded and padded up to Tiren's den, and with a small leap, I landed on the top. I was facing Tiren now, with the Clan watching from my right. Excitement built up quickly inside me, until I felt like I was going to explode. Who would Tiren choose to be my mentor?

My tortoiseshell leader smiled and turned to face the Clan, and I instinctively turned to my Clan as well.

I could see Grandma, Aryll, and Joan right up there in the front, along with a silver mackerel tabby named Qwiru (who was the deputy and Joan's father), and his mate Jasmine, a white she-cat with lavender points.

In the row behind them sat our medicine cat, who was a blue-gray ticked tabby she-cat. Beside her sat Mesa and Abe - a ginger tom and a blue-and-white splotched tom - with Sue-Belle and her granduncle Orca - a tortoiseshell and a black classic tabby.

The cats in the back all hated me for whatever reason. The only other elder (and most likely the grumpiest elder in history), a dark-gray tom with a black streak who goes by Stergeon. He was the older brother of Orca, and Sue-Belle's grandfather. Though I have no clue how someone so kind and patient like Sue-Belle or someone just plain awesome like Orca can be related to someone like Stergeon. Then there was that golden tom Leon, the dark gray tom Onyx, the navy-blue she-cat Starling, and the dark green she-cat Reeah. They always hang out in a group. Don't ask me why they hate me, 'cause I've got no idea. No wait, scratch that. I know why Stergeon hates me! He's always complaining that Aryll, Joan and I are either 'too noisy', 'too nosy', or even both. Geez, the elders these days...

Then Tiren addressed the Clan. "Cats of BreezeClan, we have gathered today to name a new apprentice who will sit alongside Joan. Link," He said, locking eyes with me once more. "You have waited six long moons for this day. And now, with the spirits of StarClan watching from the heavens, I name you an official apprentice. Link, your mentor will be Orca." The Orca! Mesa's mentor, who also trained Tiren himself! What an honor!

I dipped my head respectfully and jumped off of Tiren's den to approach Orca. The black classic tabby with white-markings stood and left his place in the middle of the crowd to join me. We gently touched noses, and then took our seats next to Grandma.

"Orca, you have successfully trained both Mesa and I. And I'm sure that Mesa will agree with me when I say that you not only taught us how to hunt and fight, but what it truly means to be a warrior. I hope that you will pass down your knowledge and wisdom to Link as you have done with us."

My Clanmates took up one, cheerful cry. "Link! Link!" They chanted.

"Clan dismissed."

As BreezeClan dispersed, Grandma licked my forehead, her green eyes shining with a pride that couldn't be described with words. Aryll and Joan literally tackled me, congratulating me as only they could.

"Link!" Orca called, blue eyes shining with amusement from the scene we were making. "Come now, it's time we begin your training."

That afternoon I went to sit beside Aryll and Joan, looking out over the sea at that cliff I fell asleep on this morning. It was our usual hangout spot.

"Hey Link!" Aryll greeted cheerfully. "How was your first day of training?"

"Yeah, did Orca nearly kill you?" Joan teased.

I'd been training all morning, and I was utterly exhausted. Orca had taught me how to chase prey like our ancestors Ancient WindClan did. He also taught me quite a few fighting moves. My favorite was the Sky Drop, where you hide up in a tree until someone comes, and then you jump down and squash them flat! Orca said that another one of our Clan ancestors, SkyClan, had developed that trick.

"That's why you always stick to staying up in the tree branches whenever you're in a forest," He'd said. "Your pelt will disguise you, and make it easier for you to blend in."

"Oh yeah, Joan," I replied, a smirk mirroring my sarcastic tone. "Because I'm totally the living dead. That makes perfect sense!" The three of us laughed.

"Geez Link, sarcastic much?" Aryll asked, the smile on her face never wavering.

"Naaaaaaaaawwwww...What made you think that?"

"Hey, there's Quill!" Joan cried, her eyes following a dark brown shape in the sky. As it flew closer, it turned out to be a winged cat.

Quill, like all FlameClan warriors, had wings that gave them the ability to fly. As their final assessment, FlameClan apprentices had to travel up the mountain on FlameClan's home island to the summit, where their leader Emberstar would call up the Clan and name the apprentice a warrior. How did I know this? Quill was a close family friend. He knew my mother before she joined StarClan, my father before he disappeared, and he knew Grandma. Aryll, Joan and I had talked to him whenever he came to visit our island. He was a messenger, and because the four Clans lived so far apart, he was one of two FlameClan warriors that acted as a messenger. More likely than not Quill had come to speak to Tiren.

The dark tom landed on the sandy shore and looked up, jumping back as his fur bristled in fear.

"What's with him?" Aryll asked. I followed Quill's gaze, and I paled.

"You guys..." I started. "...WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?"

I felt Aryll stiffen beside me as she looked up, and I assume Joan did the same. High in the sky was a gigantic bird, at least twenty times my size. Its feathers were a dark gray, with a bright golden tail that separated into four streams. The edges of his wings were tipped in ivory, the same color of the mask, decorated with dark gray, that surrounded its yellow eyes, each with a red, slit-like pupil.

"Guys, look!" Joan cried, her tail pointing behind the bird. Aryll and I looked where she was pointing, and I felt like fainting.

Pirates. BreezeClan's had several run-ins with pirates. None of them were pretty.

So, how was that? Was it good enough to rival Wind's Breath? Was it better? Let me know what you think! I honestly had fun with this chapter, and I hope I will enjoy writing the others just as much! (Except that stupid Fortress-that-will-no-longer-be-mentioned. That can go die in a hole)

Contructive crit is welcomed. Flames will be used to burn Ganondorf at the stake. And on that happy note, enjoy your day!

Blazey is out! PEACE!