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Chapter 1

Bramblepelt crouched low in the undergrowth; tail flicking back and forth, back and forth. He let the steady rhythm calm him, preparing himself for the attack‚ He lunged. The mouse scrambled away, but too late- He grabbed it with his strong jaws and in one heartbeat it was over, and the warm body dangled from his mouth.

"Nice catch!" yowled his mate, Sorrelheart, who padded over to him, purring.

"It's only a mouse." He mewed, ashamed. Sorrelheart pressed herself against his flank.

"It's better than my finch- its half feathers!"

Bramblepelt purred half-heartedly, and then stopped, glancing to his left.

"Bramblepelt?" Sorrelheart asked. "What's wrong?"

"An intruder." Bramblepelt growled, then, dropping his mouse, dashed off into the bushes. He had gone about three tail-lengths when something white barreled into his side, knocking him off balance. He was still stunned by the first blow when a white paw slammed into his head, dizzying him further and causing his vision to go blurry.

Blindly, he lashed out, and caught his attacker in the flank with his claws. The intruder yowled in pain, and, as his vision cleared, Bramblepelt saw his enemy clearly for the first time.

A pure white cat with a ginger splash on her chest, (He could tell that she was indeed a she-cat by the angles of her hind legs and her high pitched scream) with fiery amber eyes was crouching, hackles raised and claws unsheathed, a tail-length away. If it weren't for her small size (She was half as large as him) Bramblepelt would have been severely frightened by the expression on the young cat's Suddenly, the she-cat spoke, in a voice laced with hatred; "Come any closer, and I'll flay your skin in strips!" She looked so ferocious that Bramblepelt scrambled away from her as fast as he could.

"I'm sorry I cut you, I couldn't see, and I thought you were an enemy warrior." He meowed softly. To his utter astonishment, the she-cat relaxed, sheathing her claws and mewed.

"Sorry, I've been so used to cats attacking me I get- well…" She paused, apparently looking for the right word.

"Aggressive?" offered Bramblepelt.

"Yeah, that would fit." purred the she-cat.

Suddenly the rest of Bramblepelt's hunting patrol burst into the clearing, Sorrelheart, Mousetail, and Rubyheart. The white she-cat turned her head to the side to face the newcomers, and Bramblepelt saw the blue band of material he knew to be a collar. This cat was a kittypet!

Bramblepelt turned to face Rubyheart as he growled to the she-cat. "What are you doing on ThunderClan territory, kittypet?" The she-cat bristled.

"I was just passing through!" she snarled.

"Leave her alone!" Bramblepelt meowed to Rubyheart. "She's not doing anything wrong!"

"It's surprising to see you of all cats stick up for kittypets, considering your heritage, Bramblepelt." Rubyheart growled. Now it was Bramblepelt's turn to bristle. It was widely known that he was related to the ShadowClan leader Tigerstar, father of Bramblestar, who had persecuted half-clan cats and kittypets.

Sorrelheart, who was looking curiously at the white she-cat, asked. "What's your name?"

"Snow." She meowed, still glaring at Rubyheart. "And I wasn't stealing prey, I was just passing through, and wasn't hurting anyone."

"Why don't you run home to your twolegs, kittypet!" Rubyheart sneered.

Snow bristled, and her amber eyes flashed angrily. "For your information, I have been living on my own for almost three moons after the other kittypets threw me out. I have had to survive, alone, with no one to help me, out in the cold, fighting loners, foxes, badgers, and who knows what else?! So don't patronize me, because I doubt you can say as much, you with your precious clanmates doing everything for you!"

For a moment Bramblepelt thought that the small she-cat was doomed to a horrible death at Rubyheart's claws. As the scarlet tabby opened his mouth to retort furiously, Mousetail cut in quickly. "It doesn't matter right now, the important thing is-" But Sorrelheart interrupted her.

"No home? For three moons? How in the name of Starclan did you manage?"

"Um… Well, I guessed I had to stay away from the clan territories because of how touchy they are about borders and all that, then I-" Snow broke off as Rubyheart snarled.

"It doesn't matter, you must leave. Now!"

"Wait!" Bramblepelt yowled.

"What?" growled Rubyheart. Bramblepelt directed the question at the white she-cat.

"Would you like to have a home, one which you can live in peace at? Of course, I'm not saying it won't be dangerous, but the rewards are great, and-"

"What are you getting at?" Snow asked, her amber eyes wide.

"I'm asking if you would like to join ThunderClan." Bramblepelt meowed.

There was a moment's pause, and then the white she-cat burst out into joyful yowls. "You mean it?" she shrieked, positively quivering with happiness.

"Yes, I do." Bramblepelt meowed, but Rubyheart cut in angrily.

"You have no right!" he snarled at the dark tabby. "You are not deputy, nor leader of ThunderClan, and you still think you can ask any loner cat to join us?" Bramblepelt gazed calmly into the scarlet cat's fierce amber eyes and meowed.

"Do you think this cat is not worthy to be a cat of ThunderClan? Is it because she is a kittypet? And did you forget that our great leader, Firestar, was once a kittypet?"

"Speaking of my noble ancestor, would someone please tell me what is going on here?" Every cat in the clearing jumped. A powerfully built ginger tom padded into the clearing. His bright green eyes surveyed the cats in the small clearing as he meowed. "What is going on here?"

"Flamestar!" mewed Sorrelheart in shock.

"Flamestar, Bramblepelt is inviting this kittypet-"Rubyheart spat the last word at the white she-cat as though he thought it would cause her mortal agony. "To join ThunderClan!" Flamestar looked at Bramblepelt.

"Is this true?"

"Well…"" Bramblepelt mewed, looking ashamed.

"Could I, though?" Snow asked, looking up at Flamestar hopefully.

"Flamestar- You can't-"

"Quiet, Rubyheart, it is not your decision." Flamestar meowed calmly. To Snow, he meowed. "Attack me."

"Wha?" Snow mewed, confused.

"I wish to see your skills. Attack me."

Snow hesitated for a second longer, when Flamestar leapt at her. She dropped into a crouch and sprung, colliding with Flamestar's ginger belly with enough force to knock over a tree. She landed on the ground and waited for Flamestar to right himself before launching herself at his back. Hooking her claws in his flanks, she bit and snapped at the tom's neck. Flamestar rolled onto his back, squashing Snow in the process. She did not loosen her grip, but clung on still tighter.

Suddenly she released him and scrambled away, spitting. Flamestar rose to his paws and leapt at her again. He missed, and Snow's long and deadly claws sliced open his shoulder. Flamestar let out a howl of pain and recoiled, panting. Snow crouched, ready to strike, when Flamestar yowled. "Enough! I have seen your strength, and I judge you as worthy of becoming an apprentice of ThunderClan!" Rubyheart froze, his eyes wide, as Flamestar got shakily to his feet.

"You mean it?" Snow asked, her hackles still raised, but her eyes were wide with excitement.

"Indeed." Flamestar meowed, taking a few steps out of the clearing.

"Follow him!" Sorrelheart mewed, amused, prodding the smaller white cat to her feet.

Snow followed the ginger tom, and Bramblepelt was surprised to see her matching Flamestar's pace. She has been living on her own since she was three moons old. I wasn't expecting her to be a slow, fat, lazy kittypet after the way she tackled Flamestar.

Rubyheart followed them, the scarlet tabby growling under his breath all the while. As they reached the ThunderClan camp, Snow paused behind Flamestar as the leader slid into a gorse tunnel in the wall of brambles. She hesitated for a second longer, then followed suit.

The camp was surrounded by three walls of stone, carved into the hillside, towering high above Snow's head. A ledge of rock protruded from the wall opposite the entrance. It was the destination of the ginger warrior, and as he leaped up onto the rocky ledge, yowling. "May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a clan meeting!"

From gorse and bramble dens alongside the walls of the canyon, cats emerged, all with the same, tangy scent that lay all around the camp. There were queens, warriors, and some elder cats. All gathered around the base of the Highledge, some shooting curious glances at Snow. "ThunderClan!" Flamestar yowled from his position upon the Highledge. "I present to you a cat who has proved herself a formidable fighter, and who I intend to take into the clan." All the eyes of the cats in the canyon were upon her now, and Snow tried not to blush. Then a yowl rang out through the silence.

"That's a collar! She's a kittypet!"

The watching cats parted to reveal a small silver-blue tabby tom standing in the middle of the group. "ThunderClan needs real warriors! Not some lazy, fat, mouse-brained kittypet!"

"Rainpaw-‚" Flamestar meowed loudly, but the young tom had stalked right up Snow and was aggressively close.

"What makes you so worthy to be a ThunderClan cat, you lazy piece of mouse dung? Do we look like we need your supposed skills, assuming they exist? Why would we want a fat kittypet-"

Rainpaw's next sound was a horrible shriek of pain and fright. Snow had leapt at him and sank her teeth into his shoulder. Perhaps if he had not been so close, he would have seen the attack coming, but it was too late. Snow was ripping and snapping at him with such ferocity, every cat in the canyon was scrambling for cover, and as if they were afraid she would come after them next. Their terror was wasted; however, Snow had eyes for no cat except Rainpaw.

"Enough!" Flamestar had leapt down from the Highledge and pulled the battling cats apart.

"See a kittypet do that!" spat Snow at the wailing Rainpaw, who was bleeding heavily from the wounds the she-cat's claws had inflicted.

"You have made your point, now, be still!" Snow looked mutinous for a moment, but said nothing. "Who now does not accept this cat as an able warrior?" Flamestar yowled. No cat spoke, except for Rainpaw, who was still wailing. "No one? Then by the powers of Starclan, until she has earned her warrior name, this apprentice shall be called Snowpaw, in honor of her white coat." Flamestar yowled to the crowd of cats.

There was a moment's pause, then several cats meowed congratulations to Snowpaw as they passed her, and shooting disgusted looks at Rainpaw, whose wails had subsided, and he lay mewling pitifully where he had fallen. A large blue queen stalked up to him and dragged him over to a tree stump surrounded by ferns and a couple of rocks.

Snowpaw listened to the mewls of something that sounded like kits from a large den of brambles near the stump, and moved forward to investigate. "Going somewhere?" She jumped as Rubyheart padded up to her, a sneer set firmly upon his face.

"I wanted to see the camp in full. Do I need to do something else?" Snowpaw mewed.

"I trust you know how to hunt?" Rubyheart meowed insolently, ignoring her statement. "Yes." Snowpaw meowed, bristling slightly.

"Just asking, but I would think you wanted to see the camp?" Rubyheart meowed.

"Yes." Snowpaw mewed, looking around.

"Stormpaw should be in the apprentice den, sleeping. He's so lazy. Get him to show you around." Rubyheart meowed, turning to leave. Was that a glimmer of amusement in the scarlet tabby's eyes?