Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors!
Chapter I
Death. The one thing that is greater feared that treasured. It comes in many forms—famine, disease, illness, murder, accident, natural selection—there are numerous ways for one to die. Some methods are more painful, and gruesome for us to suffer through, but is it really suffering? Before the plague, I saw it just as that—suffering.
"Wolfstorm!" a familiar voice summoned from Shadestar's den.
I turned to see my sister, Amberflash, sitting next to our dark-furred leader and few of the other senior warriors. Among them were some of the most respected cats in ShadowClan, including my father.
As I padded over, I heard my father, Badgerstrike, muttering something to Stickfur. "Worthless waste of space," he spat when I was in hearing range. After I was close enough he went silent. It didn't take a cat who shared tongues with StarClan to know he was talking about me. I flattened my ears against his head trying to show him I was immune to his disdain.
"Wolfstorm, would you get Eaglepaw, Tawnyfoot and Applepaw and take them on a patrol along the RiverClan border?" Amberflash inquired, sounding distant as if she was worrying about something else.
I gave my littermate a curt nod. "Sure," I replied, then I added in a lower tone: "Are you alright? You look upset."
Amberflash looked up at me, her ears pricked and alert. "Wh- what? Oh, yeah! I'm fine. Can you please go and do that? Thanks."
I nodded once more, but I stared at my sister for a moment. She was acting so strange. Her ears were twitching in one direction and her eyes were narrowed like she was squinting. "Are you positive? I could go get Mintleaf."
She led out an irritated hiss. "I said go Wolfstorm!" she snarled.
My ears flattened against my head in submission and I gazed at my sister in shock. Amberflash had never spoken to me like that before. What in the name of StarClan could have gotten into her? Instead of baiting her further, I bounded off toward the warriors' den to get Tawnyfoot, my mother.
As I entered the den, my eyes scanned the nests for the tortoiseshell fur of my mother, but I spotted a more interesting pelt in the midst of the crowd of pelts. I padded over toward the dappled silver fur and nudged it with my muzzle. "Hey," I purred, trying to wake her.
Silverpool's beautiful amber eyes blinked open and met my own. "Wolfstorm," she purred at my sight. She rolled onto her belly and licked my flank. "How are you feeling, love?"
I shuddered at her touch. Even now, after all those moons being with her, I still found it hard to grasp that I had such a perfect creature for a mate. "Much better since I've heard your lyrical voice," I murmured and nuzzled my head in her cloud-like fur.
She purred in pleasure, then rose to her paws. "Want to get a bite to eat from the fresh-kill pile?" she offered, her eyes bright and warm; that was the way I always tried to remember them.
I sighed sadly. "I'm afraid I can't. I have to run a patrol. Speaking of which, have you seen Tawnyfoot? She's who I came in to get."
Silverpool shook her head. "No, but I've been waiting for just the two of us to have one of our private patrols," she murmured softly, her voice enthralling me.
I stared at her for a moment, lost in the thought of being alone with her again. We hadn't had a moment to ourselves in moons, and I treasured the moments I could speak to her let alone fool around with her. Fun was so rare in the life of a warrior. "You better not let Shadestar hear you, or else he'll keep us on our paws all day," I teased.
Silverpool let out a mrrow of laughter. She circled me delicately, her presence sending a familiar, but still unexpected shock through me. Her tail snaked up and around my throat. "If Shadestar knows what's good for him, he'll stay out of a dissatisfied she-cat's way. Besides, he knows as well as I do that the Clan needs more kits."
I stared at her, partially in shock, and partially in awe. I never realized how beautiful it was when she threatened someone. She let out another laugh and licked my cheek. "Don't go into shock on me now," she purred. "I was kidding… well kind of. Good luck today," she purred, and licked my cheek again.
Purring, I pressed my muzzle to hers. "I love you," I whispered, my voice audible to no one but her.
"I love you too," she whispered and nuzzled my neck before padding off.
My search for Tawnyfoot finally came to an end in the medicine cat den. My mother sat before me, her back to the entrance, coughing up bile. Mintleaf, however, our elderly medicine cat, watched with disgust and compassion for the warrior.
Mintleaf looked up when she saw movement. Her blue eyes clouded over with worry when she saw me. "Greetings Wolfstorm," she meowed, her voice barely above a whisper.
Tawnyfoot emitted a sound that appeared to be halfway between a hiss and rasp. "No! Get him out of here. I don't want him to see me like this!" she yowled.
Mintleaf's eyebrows scrunched together as she thought. "Hmm… Come with me Wolfstorm," she summoned, flicking her tail toward the exit.
Not daring to challenge her, I followed as Mintleaf led me from the medicine cat den and across the clearing. Amberflash, Badgerstrike, and Stickfur still sat near Shadestar's den discussing possible patrols for sunset. "Amberflash," Mintleaf hailed the younger deputy. "How are you?"
Amberflash gazed at her with confusion apparent in her eyes. "Well, and you my friend?"
Mintleaf dipped her head signaling she was fine. "I am quite fine, Tawnyfoot, however, is currently in no condition to go on a patrol. I suggest you find another warrior to accompany Wolfstorm."
Baderstrike's ear pricked up at the sound of my mother's name. "What's wrong with her? Is she alright?"
Mintleaf raised her tail for silence. "Be calm, brother. Tawnyfoot just has an upset stomach," she meowed, but I could hear the uncertainty in her voice. This was something Mintleaf either was not familiar with, and couldn't produce the proper diagnosis, or it was something deadly that she knew about well but was afraid for my mother's life.
Amberflash also seemed concerned. "I will check on her later," she informed the medicine cat. "Wolfstorm, I want you to still take Applepaw with you. I will speak with Shadestar about Lichenfur being her mentor until Tawnyfoot is fit again."
I dipped my head in agreement and bounded off toward the warriors' den where I'd last seen the brown tomcat. Sure enough, I found him curled up in his nest with his mate, Willowtail. Lichenfur blinked open his eyes the moment I got close enough to make out every detail on their entwined pelts.
He let out an annoyed sigh. "Let me guess," he muttered. "Dawn patrol. Yep, I knew it," he growled, hauling himself to his paws.
I felt a twang of sympathy for the older cat. I knew how he felt… well if he meant about being with his mate that is. "I know right?" I jested trying to make friends with the senior warriors.
Not that it wasn't common, by the senior warriors didn't like me. Even though I had a mate and kits and I had been in a winning battle, none of that mattered to them. I was still technically a new warrior, and I was treated like one too. No one took me seriously, and whether that was because of my attitude toward life and work and my love for fun and adventure I was unsure, but I had a feeling my father had a good deal in this massive feeling of distaste toward me.
Lichenfur let out a muffled chuckle. Maybe I was okay in his mind.
I led the way out of the den and while the other warrior stretched, I went to the apprentices den to wake Applepaw and Eaglepaw. The apprentices' den was on the opposite side of the clearing, in fact its entrance was almost visible from the warriors' den. It was a small hole in the ground shielded by a clump of ferns. The elders' den was right next to it in a hollowed out old log. Shadestar's tree and den was next to that, rising tall and proud from the marsh and absorbing the rejuvenating rays of the sunlight. Under the light it looked even more magnificent and appeared to have grown a few tail-lengths.
The warriors den was right next to that. It was a fairly large space surrounded by tall swamp grasses. Even though the sunlight could still shine down on us somewhat, most of the tall stalks shaded us from the unwanted rays. Despite its empty, barren, and cold appearance, it was actually quite cozy inside after a long day of squashing through the marsh.
Next to the warriors den was the medicine cat den. The medicine cat den, next to Shadestar's den, is the most impressive feature of the camp. Two large off-white stones tower above the warriors' den and reflect whatever sunlight reaches us to the rest of the camp. When I was a tiny kit emerging from the nursery, I thought they were the rocks that led to StarClan. Inside, Mintleaf lives, houses the sick and injured, and stores her supplies. Never once have we had a flood that reached the medicine cat den.
Last but not least, the nursery is (to many queens' distress) close the exit and next to the medicine cat den. Luckily for us, few kits have wandered out of camp, but all have been recovered safely. Still, all the kits give their mothers a good scare when they decide to sneak out on one of their little escapades.
I plodded across the camp to the apprentices' den and gave my greetings to Denfur and Littlepelt who lay outside the elders' den. The moment my voice sounded, Applepaw and Eaglepaw came bounding out of the nursery. "Father!" they squealed in delight and tackled me to the ground.
Growling playfully, I tried to batter them away with my paws. They backed up quickly, giggling like kits. "You should know better. If you want to act like kits, I might have to speak with Shadestar then," I warned, unable to keep a teasing edge out of my voice.
"You wouldn't…" my daughter, Applepaw meowed worriedly.
"Of course he wouldn't!" Eaglepaw told his sister proudly. "We're going to be the best warriors ShadowClan's ever seen!" he declared, puffing out his chest like a little titan.
"I don't know about that," a deep voice rumbled from behind me.
I turned around to greet Shadestar. The ShadowClan leader padded forward, his icy blue eyes soft and thoughtful. Applepaw and Eaglepaw immediately stood up straight and acted like true warriors instead of squirming kits. "How do you do that?" I asked, unable to not twitch my whiskers in amusement at my kits' actions.
Shadestar let out a mrrow of laughter. "Being Clan leader has its perks, Wolfstorm," he replied. "As for you two, ShadowClan has had many warriors, all of them being a lot bigger and stronger than you."
"We're big!" Eaglepaw protested, flattening his ears against his head.
I wanted to cuff my son on the ear. You just didn't speak to a Clan leader like that. "Eaglepaw!" I began to chide, but Shadestar raised his tail.
"It's alright, Wolfstorm. I admire your kits' enthusiasm and determination. We need to see more of that in our warriors," the ShadowClan leader meowed, his voice kind and thoughtful.
"What do we need more of?" Lichenfur asked padding over running his tongue over his muzzle briefly.
"Enthusiasm, which I strongly agree you could use a good dose of," Shadestar replied, his eyes icy, but his voice warm.
Lichenfur was silent, unsure whether he should chuckle or take him seriously. Shadestar shook his massive head in amusement and turned away. Once he was gone, I averted my attention to the apprentices. "Okay, we're going for a patrol along the RiverClan border. Everyone keep quiet and… please don't do anything stupid," I instructed, mainly referring to my jittering offspring.
As we rounded the border we shared with RiverClan, everyone had their senses on high alert. The lake lay slightly behind us to our left and was still clearly visible. "Remember, RiverClan can be lurking anywhere. We must be careful, but if you see any RiverClan cats, do not provoke them unless they are on our territory. If they are, let Lichenfur or I challenge them," I mewed to the apprentices.
They didn't seem interested in me, or my words at all. Instead, they were gazing wide-eyed across the border into RiverClan territory. I rolled my eyes at their lack of attention and continued on along the border until we reached the normal marking rocks. "We'll leave markers here," I announced.
Applepaw stood guard while Lichenfur, Eaglepaw and I marked the rocks. "Hey! What kind of creature is that?" she called over her shoulder, then looking over into RiverClan territory again.
Jumping up onto one of the marking rocks, I peered over into their territory and saw what was so interesting Applepaw had to stop us. A creature that was a little larger than a cat was crouched at the water's edge of the lake. It's fur was a dark gray and it had a black mask and a ringed tail. "That's a raccoon," I explained to Applepaw.
Eaglepaw bounded toward his sister to get a better look at the creature.
Just then, a RiverClan patrol came into view. Lichenfur muttered a few curses under his breath and snapped for Eaglepaw and Applepaw to get away from the border. I descended from my perch on the rock and watched at the RiverClan warriors approached us.
Fishtail, the RiverClan deputy stepped forward. "Wolfstorm," he greeted me calmly, blinking his amber eyes. I knew that our freshly laid scents had to make him twitch. Their scents did the same to us. "What's all the commotion?"
I glanced at my kits who were whispering to each other and still looking at the raccoon. "I apologize but two over-excited apprentices caught a glimpse of their first raccoon and were obsessing over it."
"Where?" Fishtail asked, fear hinting in his voice.
I flicked my tail toward the creature and Fishtail gasped. He bared his teeth in a snarl. "RiverClan warriors, assemble!" he commanded the few warriors he'd brought with him. "Wolfstorm, would you and your patrol like to join the fight? Raccoons can be vicious and I'm sure your apprentices would be thrilled to get their chance to fight one."
"Yeah! Can we, father?" Eaglepaw asked, hope audible in his voice.
My lips curled back in a snarl. "No. We have a duty to mark the borders. Shadestar will need us back at camp."
"But father!" Applepaw protested, her ears flattening against her head in disappointment.
"I said no!" I snapped, furious that they were arguing with me, and in front of the RiverClan deputy!
"Get away from my fish!" a strange voice hissed from the lakeshore. All heads snapped toward the noise. A young RiverClan apprentice had edged toward the raccoon. It was growling and crouching near the water, its teeth bared in a snarl.
"It speaks…" Lichenfur breathed, his eyes wide.
Fishtail looked at the other warrior. "Well, surely you have heard the legend of Midnight."
Midnight was a badger that could supposedly speak our language, and could share tongues with StarClan themselves. She was said t have helped the Clans migrate from their former home that was being destroyed by Twolegs and come here to the lake. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else but in the marsh surrounding the lake.
"Your fish?" a young, dark gray she-cat hissed. "This is RiverClan territory!"
"Heatbreath!" Fishtail growled, bounding over to the warrior. "Silence! If you want to get fish from the lake, you must do so in any other territory but ours. You are not welcome here."
"And what are you to do about it, cat?" the raccoon hissed in an almost greasy voice. I stared at the raccoon lunged at the young apprentice who was standing to close.
"Turtlepaw!" the she-cat called Heatbreath yowled and pelted toward the raccoon. Turtlepaw ducked out of the way just before the raccoon could sink its claws into his fur.
"Get back!" Fishtail yowled.
I struggled to see what was going on as the RiverClan cats backed off. The raccoon was growling and hissing. It's back was to us and it was obviously gnawing on something. I looked around for the young apprentice, but he was standing next to Heatbreath, who I assumed was his mentor.
Fishtail's lips curled back in a snarl. "Don't get near it! That thing is diseased!"
The raccoon jerked around suddenly. Applepaw yowled in surprise and ran to me, trembling. Eaglepaw just stared in shock. I pulled my daughter closer protectively with my tail as I watched the creature gnaw on its own foreleg. Blood trickled down the length on his leg and dripped to the wet earth. The animal had a crazed look in his eyes. He took his leg from his mouth and let out a deranged laugh before bounding off into RiverClan territory.
"Find it! Don't let it get near the camp!" Fishtail yowled at his warriors. As the RiverClan cats pelted off after the creature, the rest of us stood there in a shocked silence. What we'd just witnessed was the first strike of the plague.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! This is Chapter One, and for those of you who came here for violence and blood and a bunch of other good stuff, don't worry. It'll come and Silverpool and Wolfstorm won't be so lovey-dovey later on. R & R please! :D