Blazing Star: Apprentice's Pride Chapter 9, a warriors fanfic

Starpaw waisted no time when she got back to camp. She instantly woke up Bramblepaw, while Bluepaw laid down a little drearily on her bed.

"Wha... Starpaw..? I have training!" Bramblepaw whined. Starpaw shushed him, as to not wake Moonpaw.

"Listen, this is more important that training! Riverclan is gonna be attacked!" Starpaw said urgently. Bramblepaw bolted awake and into a sitting position.

"Should we tell Blazestar?" He asked quietly, looking around as if he expected their leader to pop out at any second. Starpaw shook her head.

"No, we are gonna deal with this ourselves. I'm gonna see if Mistfrost and Venomheart will help, but don't tell ANYONE, otherwise, you cant come, alright?" She said. Bramblepaw nodded.

"Do you know when the fighting will start?" He asked.

"Tonight. Bluepaw and I are leaving soon after the sun sets." She said.

Starpaw chose after training that day, to ask Venomheart and Mistfrost to join her. Venomheart seemed a little uneasy about helping Riverclan, but agreed, as did Mistfrost. After that, Starpaw trotted towards the Mistclan border, hoping to see Robinpaw and Hawkpaw, but didn't see them at all. Shadestalker agreed to help, and to not tell anyone.

Starpaw shook her head to clear her thoughts. She was supposed to be hunting right now, not day dreaming about the up coming battle. She stalked through some underbrush, her ears pricked for sound, and her mouth open, when she caught the scent of a mouse. She waited only a moment to get it into her sights, before she leaped and snapped its neck.

She scuffed dirt over it, and gave a huff. That was two mice, one squirrel. She padded along, keeping a look out for prey, as she headed towards Two Leg Place, hoping to spot Robin, and see if she'd help. Just as she was about to shift through the bushes to get to the river, she froze, then dashed up a tree as to not be seen.

Her eyes were wide as she looked across the river. Blazestar was chatting rather close to Robin, to the point their tails were touching. Starpaw shook her head, and leaned closer on the branch. She was to far away to hear what they were saying, but it must have been something interesting. Suddenly, Blazestar got up and nuzzled the side of Robin's head, before padding back into Sunclan territory. Starpaw waited a few moments, before leaping down and crossing the river. To her luck, Robin hadn't moved.

"Starpaw! Good to see you." Robin said, licking her paw, then rubbing the paw over her head. Starpaw nodded, and banished the thoughts of Blazestar and Robin to the back of her mind. This isn't what she was hear for.

"Robin, I wanted to ask you something.

"No."

"Huh?" Starpaw was caught of guard. Robin shrugged lightly, before standing.

"You are gonna fight that cat, Whitemist's rogues right? Well, don't think I'll join in. fighting isn't my specialty, even when I was in a clan. I can lend you Ebony though." She said. Starpaw wondered idly how the kittypet knew she was gonna ask for her to join, but decided not to.

"Any help you can give would be great. We are meeting just after sun down." She said. Robin nodded.

"Whitestripe was here earlier and told me about it. Ebony all ready agreed to go, so he'll meet you there." She said. Starpaw nodded, and padded back to her clan, confused. She made sure to pick up the fresh kill she'd caught before she reached camp.

"Something is troubling you." Starpaw jumped slightly, and looked behind her. Smallclaw was limping towards her from the medicine cat den, and went to the fresh kill pile, hooking a mouse for himself, and settling down in front of her.

"There isn't anything wrong." Starpaw said, taking a bite of the vole she had chosen. She felt Smallclaw's eyes on her, but didn't look up. She was wondering about this feeling she was getting around him, the same kind she got around Nightpaw. It was warm, but she wasn't sure what it was.

"Just trust that you are doing what is right, and Starclan will be sure to guide you." Smallclaw mewed, and nuzzled her head. Starpaw didn't respond, but she did begin to purr.

Starpaw shifted through some crush, shaking the water from the river from her pelt. Behind her Mistfrost, Venomheart, Shadestalker, Bluepaw, and Bramblepaw followed, each keeping an eye out, while also keeping an eye on her. Starpaw padded forward, keeping her mouth open, and looking for Whitestripe.

"We almost there?"

"Shut it Shadepaw!"

"It is Shadestalker now!"

"I'll treat you like a warrior when you act like one!"

"Bluepaw, Shadestalker, shut it!" Starpaw hissed at the two bickering siblings as they entered a small clearing not far from Riverclan. Whitestripe sat with Ebony, Bloodleaf, Turtleclaw, and a new she-cat Starpaw hadn't seen before. She was plump, ready to give birth in maybe a moons time. She was a blue-black color, with lighter blue-gray splotches on her back, and half her tail was the same dark gray-blue color. There were some markings on her face of the same color.

"This is my mate, Pantherheart." Turtleclaw introduced her. Pantherheart nodded her head, her midnight blue eyes practically glowing in the dim light. Starpaw shivered, and turned to Whitestripe.

"Has Whitemist all ready gone to get his rogues?" She asked. Whitemist nodded.

"I saw him leave the camp a little while after Mothwing and her new apprentice, Waterpaw." He said. Starpaw titled her head, unaware Mothwing had taken an apprentice.

"Waterpaw became her apprentice just today, it isn't shocking that you wouldn't know." Whitestripe explained. Whitestripe looked past her, at the group of cats she had brought, and nodded.

"With this many, we should be able to hold back Whitemist's group. If we are lucky, we may even drive them off." He said. Bloodleaf stepped forward, and nodded to Starpaw.

"We should get ready, he could return at any moment." He said, not taking his eyes off Starpaw. Starpaw felt uneasy under his gaze, but nodded, and looked back at Pantherheart.

"She isn't gonna fight, is she?" She asked. Pantherheart herself shook her head.

"I only came to meet you. I'll be leaving before the battle starts, and will return when it ends." She said. Her voice was smooth, and it sent another shiver down Starpaw's spine. Even as a she-cat herself, she could see why Turtleclaw liked her.

Pantherheart stood on all four paws, and nodded to her mate, before trotting through some brush, and disappearing In the distance, Starpaw began to hear the paw steps of multiple cats. Starpaw got to her paws, and stood on guard just as the other cats did. On the other side of the clearing, a large group of cats suddenly slinked out, each looking somewhat formidable.

At the head of their group was Whitemist.

"Traitor!" Whitestripe hissed as the group stopped in front of them. Starpaw was amazed, at just how many cats Whitemist was able to gather. There were at least ten, maybe twelve cats total, unless you included Whitemist, and the tom, Addertalon, beside him.

"Whitestripe? I should have gotten rid of you earlier! No matter, this wont be even a work out for us!" Whitemist hissed. Starpaw jumped forward, and hissed at him.

"If you think you can get to Riverclan, then think again! I wont let you pass!" She hissed. Whitemist hissed at her, just as a much smaller she-cat walked up beside him. Whitestripe froze, his eyes locked onto the small she-cat. Starpaw was confused as to why Whitemist would recruit such a small thing, she hardly looked larger than some apprentices!

The small she-cat had bone white fur, and paws so black, Starpaw at first had trouble seeing them in the darkness. Yellow eyes gleamed at her, full of malice.

"Bone!" Whitestripe hissed, claws digging into the ground. The she-cat tilted her head almost leisurely to the side, blinking at him.

"I will avenge Mistystar!" Whitestripe hissed, lunging at the small she-cat. The battle started in the blink of an eye, Whitemist reacting and slashing at Whitestripe, cutting the side of his muzzle. Starpaw leaped forward, swiping at Whitemist's legs, but was rammed to the ground by the small she-cat. She saw Mistfrost battling two cats, an elder looking gray tom with dark stripes running down his back, and a rowan colored tom with a black face and chest. Starpaw got up and leaped at the small she-cat, and from the corner of her eye saw Bluepaw and Shadestalker taking on the large gray tom she at one time had seen with Bloodleaf, so long ago. She bit into the side of the she-cat's neck, tasting blood, but let go when she heard Venomheart give a screech of pain. Looking over, she saw him battling two cats, a smaller gray she-cat, and a larger black tom with brown ears and tail. Ebony was helping him, but it looked as though they were losing. She tried to find Turtleclaw, but couldn't spot him in the fray. The she-cat slashed at Starpaw's head unexpectedly, and Starpaw gave a yowl of pain, backing off and shaking her head as the smaller she-cat hissed at her, and lunged at her. Starpaw was pushed back, and slammed into Whitestripe's legs, causing the older tom to lose his balance. Whitestripe fumbled to regain his footing as Whitemist lunged for him, but Starpaw was quicker, lunging at Whitemist and slashing a gash into his shoulder, as Whitestripe went under her and slashed at Bone.

"Bone! Today I will pay you back for killing Mistystar!" Starpaw didn't even have time to react to Whitestripe's declaration as he leaped at the smaller she-cat, and Whitemist lunged at her.

"Foolish apprentice, do you really think you can beat me?" Whitemist hissed at her. He has scratches all along his flank and sides from Whitestripe's attack, and one of his eyes was closed, but Starpaw could see the claw marks under the blood that coated it. Starpaw hissed at him, making a swipe, but feigning back in time to swipe at his extending paws. He yowled, and lunged at her again, but Starpaw ran under him. He, however, gripped her tail, and roughly pulled her back, racking her flank with I claws, causing Starpaw to scream out in pain. Whitemist yowled as Turtleclaw suddenly latched himself on the tom's back, but was thrown off when Whitemist landed on him, and hurriedly scuffed himself away. Bone suddenly slashed at Starpaw, causing Starpaw to lose sight of Whitemist, having to take care of the white she-cat in front of her first.

Starpaw swiped at any on coming attacks, defending herself mostly. Her flank hurt so much, she wondered if it would heal correctly, but kept standing, slashing at Bone every chance she got. Suddenly, the gray tabby she had seen early made a swipe at Bone.

"Riverstorm?! You traitor!" Bone screeched out, dodging Riverstorm's attack. Riverstorm looked back at her, and for the first time Starpaw noticed they were a jay blue color. He nodded to her, and then leaped at the large gray tom that was giving the smaller Bluepaw and Shadestalker trouble, catching the tom unaware, before leaping at the black and brown tom attacking Mistfrost and Ebony. As Riverstorm distracted the red and black, and the brown and black toms, Starpaw saw Ebony limp away, his front paw and his flank badly damaged. She hoped he wouldn't make it home all right, and leaped on Whitemist's back. She heard Whitemist yowl as she dug her claws and fangs into his fur, but she didn't let go as he thrashed about. She heard over the roar of combat the sounds of more cats joining in, but she couldn't only hope they were friendly as she gripped tighter to the white and gray tom beneath her.

"Damned apprentice! I should have had you killed along with Mistystar!" Whitemist yowled at her, rolling on the ground to get her off.

"Is that true?" A sudden voice rang out. Suddenly, all sound seemed to stop aside from the panting of other cats. Whitemist froze, and, exhausted, Starpaw fell from his back and onto the ground, shakily getting to her legs to see Spottedstar staring at them, her eyes full of fury.

"Whitemist, is. That. True?" she asked, her voice full of rage. Starpaw looked around the clearing, clan cats from Riverclan holding down the rogues, while the cats from her group recovered. She saw Bluepaw and Shadestalker licking some scratches on their front legs near by, and nodded to them, and she swayed lightly, trying to stay standing.

"I should have been leader!" Whitemist hissed at Spottedstar. Spottedstar hissed back, claws unsheathed, but didn't move.

"Starpaw, can you tell me what happened?" Spottedstar said, her eyes not leaving Whitemist. Starpaw felt the eyes of every cat there on her as she looked up at the tortie and white she-cat, before nodded.

"Whitemist had been plotting to over throw you and Mistystar, to gain control over Riverclan. He, from what I know, ordered Bone to kill Mistystar when she was weak, and using these rogues, who he'd been feeding and controlling for quite some time, planned on attacking the clan camp, killing all who resisted him," She mewed unsteadily, "He planned to give you a grave enough wound, that you wouldn't be able to recover from it, even with your nine lives."

She felt a hush settle over the cats in the clearing, and wondered if she had said the right thing. She heard Whitemist start to hiss beside her, and only had enough time to hear Bluepaw should her name and see Spottedstar leap before everything went black.

Starpaw opened her eyes to a clearing she'd never seen. It looked to be a hollow, crevices and caves into the sides, and a high ledge that looked dangerous, the opening behind her. She opened her mouth, and sniffed the air, smelling the scents of the clan cats she couldn't identify but seemed so familiar. She walked along, hearing kits mewl from one opening, and hearing warriors snore in another, before she lept onto a ledge and then up to another to an opening. She sniffed inside, a scent that felt so painfully familiar, she longed to go inside and see, but was stopped by a mewl from another cat. She padded backwards a bit, to see a cat unfamiliar to her.

"You are not from our clan." The tom cat stated simply, rather than asked. Jay blue eyes stared at her, making her uneasy as she looked out over the clan camp she was so unfamiliar with.

"Where am I? Have I joined Starclan?" She asked. The tom cat shook his head.

"I don't know. I would think so, but then, a medicine cat's dreams are never clear." He said. Starpaw turned and looked at him.

"You are a medicine cat?" She asked. The tom nodded, and walked up to her.

"Yes, though it isn't an occupation I wanted." He said. Starpaw got the feeling he didn't want to open up to her, but something was making him, so she didn't press further, and looked at the camp again.

"This place is familiar to me, the scents all familiar, but I've never been here before, never smelt this scent before." She mewled. The tom cat nodded.

"Maybe, you have, you just cant remember." He said. Starpaw shook her head.

"I've been in Sunclan my whole life! How could I possible have come here?" She mewled. The tom shrugged his shoulders, and sat on the ledge.

"How can a blind cat make a living in a clan?" He asked. Starpaw shook her head.

"Either as an elder, or as a medicine cat." She replied. Something clicked then, about the tom.

"You are blind." She mewled. The tom nodded, and wrapped his tail around his paws.

"This may have, at one time, been your home." He said, "Where is Sunclan?" he asked.

Starpaw shook her head.

"Between Riverclan, Moonclan, Mistclan, and Twoleg Place. Next to Riverclan is Sun Drown Place and Sun-Drownclan, and next to Moonclan is Mountainclan. I heard on the other side of the mountains, there is a large lake, but I've never been there. What clan is this?" She asked. The tom nodded his head.

"This is Thunderclan." He said. Something about the name made Starpaw shiver, and she looked up at the sky.

"Why am I here then?" she asked. The tom shook his head.

"How am I supposed to know?" He asked. Starpaw shook her head, and got up.

"Where are you going now?" He mewed at her. Starpaw gave a huff, and flicked her tail at him.

"I'm going back home to Sunclan!" She said. The tom stared at her.

"Jayfeather."

"Huh?" She looked back. "What?"

"My name is Jayfeather. What's yours, oh apprentice of Sunclan?" His tone was mocking, and Starpaw felt like brushing him off.

"Starpaw." She said, before leaping down, and dashing to the exit, not looking back once. She scrambled through the bramble, and came out to find herself on Small Land. She looked back, and saw High Rock, instead of the opening to that weird clan.

"I see you've met a rather... prickly.. medicine cat." Starpaw turned and saw Moonflower looking at her.

"He said his name was Jayfeather. Moonflower, have I joined Starclan?" Starpaw asked. Moonflower shook her head.

"No, but I do think it is time for you to wake." she said. Starpaw nodded, feeling at ease as the deceased queen walked over to her, and began to lick her head.

Starpaw opened her eyes to find herself on a bed of moss, the scents of various herbs swimming around her. She took a long breath, and just under those scents, she could smell Ravenfur and the rest of Sunclan. She gave a heartfelt purr, and at up, her body aching more than it had in her dream, and looked around.

She felt something nudge her head, and looked over to see Smallclaw. He looked a lot better now, and was looking down at her with a curious look in his eyes.

"You've been out for a week." He stated, sitting back. Starpaw looked around and saw Fernwill looking at her from a bed of moss behind her. Starpaw then looked down at her own legs, and saw cobwebs patched to most of them, though the major pain came from her hind legs.

"What happened?" She asked. Fernwill limped over to her, and sat down next to her.

"Shadestalker and Bluepaw told us most of it, and Spottedstar backed them up. From what we know, Whitemist was planning to take over Riverclan,and you stopped it. Though, during a moment of weakness when Spottedstar was questioning you and Whitemist, Whitemist attacked you. If Spottedstar and Riverstorm hadn't reacted fast enough, you would have been killed." she said, nuzzling Starpaw's side gently. Starpaw purred, and got on all fours uneasily.

"Be careful. Ravenfur said it would take a while for your legs to full heal." Fernwill said. Starpaw nodded, and leaning on Smallclaw mostly, she walked into the clan camp, to her clan camp.

"I Blazestar, leader of Sunclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn.

Bluepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life? " Blazestar's voice rang loud and clear over the other cats in the clan, joined to see two apprentices finally receiving their warrior names. Bluepaw stepped forward, excitement rippling through her body.

"I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Bluepaw, from this moment you will be known as Bluefire. StarClan honors your courage and your loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Sunclan." As the cheering began of Bluefire's new name, Starpaw gave her milk sister a proud look as the gray-blue she-cat licked Blazestar's shoulder.

Starpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Blazestar's voice rang out again. Heart thumping wildly in her rib cage, Starpaw stood forward, eyes shining. Her body was sore, but she ignored it, and looked clearly ahead.

"I do."

She had finally figured the prophecy given to her. The Misty White had been Whitemist, Blooded Leaf and Talon of the Adder were Bloodleaf and Addertalon, though Bloodleaf ended up on their side. The Fire in the Blue had been Bluepaw, Bluefire. Starpaw purred.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Starpaw, from this moment you will be known as Starblaze! StarClan honors your courage and your determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Sunclan!"

Starblaze doubted she would ever forget her warrior ceremony, the way her heart beat in her chest, or the warm feeling she got as her clan mates called out her name, or the even warmer feeling she got when Smallclaw ran his tail along her flank before she went to stand her vigil.

Her body was sore, her mind somewhat weary, but Starblaze knew there was no where else she'd rather be, than in her home of Sunclan.

fighting scenes be a bitch to write out!

Anyway, THIS IS NOT THE FINAL CHAPTER!! There is one more before book 3!

Anyway, some new important cats are introduced in this chapter, and it is revieled that it WASNT WHITEMIST who killed Mistystar! :3 Bet that was a shocker huh? Nope, it was his female friend/mate, Bone. Btw, she isnt dead (yet) and Whitemist and his group of cats had been banished from the clans. This is important.

As for the relationship between Starblaze, Smallclaw, and Nightpaw, I'm not quite sure yet. We'll see how it goes from here. (I wrote myself into a hole there. I wasnt expecting Starblaze and Smallclaw's relationship to take off that way ^-^;)

See you in the next chapter!