Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, only Flamepaw and the minor plot differences.
~Chapter Three~
Dawn light was now seeping through the trees as Flamepaw laid beside Redtail's dead body with Tigerclaw lying beside her. She now sat up and arched her back trying to rid herself of her frozen stiff muscles from staying still all night. Flamepaw yawned and looked around as the newleaf sunlight started to reach the edges of the camp.
She turned her head towards the elders' den and saw Rosetail, One-eye, Halftail, Patchpelt, and Dappletail appear. The elders soon started to approach Redtail's body and the cats that had sat vigil backed away, besides Smallear.
The elders now picked up the dead deputy's body and started to drag it out of the camp with Redtail's tail dragging in the sand behind them. Flamepaw then turned and padded over to the medicine den to see Spottedleaf organizing herbs. As she brushed through the fern tunnel, the medicine cat looked up.
"I want you to take a break for today, Flamepaw," the dark dappled tortoiseshell meowed and returned to organizing herbs.
"Why?" she asked in confusion and the medicine cat regarded her once more.
"I think you deserve a break. After all, you have been working hard and I think you could use a day of peace," Spottedleaf replied.
Slowly Flamepaw nodded, "Very well Spottedleaf," she mewed and turned and left the medicine clearing to look around as her clanmates started to start their duties.
She quickly caught sight of Tigerclaw and ran up to the fierce tabby warrior. "Hey, Tigerclaw," she called catching up to him and he turned to look at her.
"Hello, Flamepaw, is there something you need?" he meowed looking at her curiously as she skidded to a halt in front of him.
"Spottedleaf gave me the day off from medicine cat training," she explained, "I was wondering if there's something I could do."
The dark tabby looked at her for a moment before replying. "Would you like to come with me and Lionheart with his apprentice Graypaw to show the new apprentice the territory?" he asked and she immediately nodded with enthusiasm.
"I would like that," she purred and followed the warrior to the top of the ravine and led her to the training hollow where Lionheart was waiting.
"Greetings, Flamepaw," the golden warrior rumbled in his deep voice, bowing his head in greeting to her.
"Hello, Lionheart," she replied cheerfully and sat down to give herself a quick wash as they waited for the other two apprentices to arrive.
A while later, the two apprentices arrived and she looked up, having finished her morning wash a few moments before. She had seated herself right beside Tigerclaw who she knew had been growing impatient. "In the future, I expect you both to be punctual," growled Tigerclaw.
"Don't be too severe, Tigerclaw; it was a busy night last night. I expect they were tired," meowed Lionheart gently. "You have not yet been assigned a mentor, Firepaw," he went on. "For now, Tigerclaw and I will share your training."
Flamepaw watched then as her brother nodded enthusiastically with his tail held high in delight.
"Come," Tigerclaw meowed impatiently. "Today we are going to show you the edges of our territory, so that you know where you will be hunting and what boundaries you need to protect. Graypaw, it won't do you any harm to remind yourself of the Clan's outer limits."
Without another word except for a flick of his tail in her direction to follow him, Tigerclaw leaped up and bounded out of the sandy hollow. She hesitated for a moment, looked at Lionheart and then raced off after the dark tabby. After a moment, she heard the others running right behind her.
She ran through the forest then and soon managed to catch up with the warrior. For a few moments they ran side by side, before stopping. Tigerclaw had paused to spray his scent on a thick clump of ferns. The others soon stopped beside them.
"There is a Twoleg path here," murmured Lionheart. "Use your nose, Firepaw. Can you smell anything?"
Flamepaw turned then to see the small flame-colored tom sniff the air. "A Twoleg has walked his dog here, but they are gone now," he meowed.
"Good," meowed Lionheart. "Do you think it is safe to cross?"
She looked at her brother and saw him sniff again. "Yes," he replied.
Tigerclaw nodded, and they stalked out from beneath the ferns and crossed the sharp stones of the narrow Twoleg path.
They soon came to Tallpines and she knew beyond that was the Treecut place. The pine trees here grew tall and straight, row after row. It was easy to walk silently here due to the ground being covered by pine needles. There was no undergrowth to hide here in, and she couldn't help but stalk forward hesitantly since here she and her clanmates were unprotected as they stalked between the tree trunks.
"Twolegs put these trees here," meowed Tigerclaw. "They cut them down with foul-smelling creatures, which spew enough fumes to make a kit go blind. Then they take the fallen trees to Treecut place that lies near here."
Flamepaw then turned her head then and saw her brother had stopped to listen.
"The Treecut place will be silent for a few moons more, until the time of greenleaf," explained Graypaw also noticing his pause.
The cats padded on through the pine forest.
"Twolegplace lies in that direction," meowed Tigerclaw, flicking his thick tail to one side. "No doubt you can smell it, Firepaw. Today, however, we will head the other way."
Eventually, they reached the Twoleg path that marked the far edge of Tallpines and she knew that a little way beyond that was RiverClan territory. They quickly crossed over the path into the safe oak woods beyond. Flamepaw couldn't help but feel anxiety as they approached.
She couldn't help but over hear Graypaw. "We're approaching RiverClan territory," whispered Graypaw. "The Sunningrocks are over there." From the corner of her eye she saw him point with his soft muzzle towards treeless mound of boulders.
She saw her brother's fur start to bristle and she knew he was remembering ThuderClan's late deputy, Redtail.
Lionheart stopped by a flat gray rock. "This is the boundary between ThunderClan and RiverClan territory. Riverclan rules the hunting grounds beside the great river," he meowed. "Breathe deeply, Firepaw."
Flamepaw turned her head then as Firepaw opened his mouth to scent the air around them.
"That is the smell of RiverClan," Tigerclaw growled beside him. "Remember it well. It will be stronger at the boundary, because their warriors will have scent-marked the trees along here."
With these words, the dark tabby lifted his tail and sprayed his own mark on the flat rock.
"We'll follow this boundary line, as it leads straight to Fourtrees," Lionheart meowed.
He set off quickly, away from Sunningrocks, followed by Tigerclaw who once again flicked his tail at her to follow him, which she quickly obliged. She heard Graypaw and Firepaw trotting after them.
"What is Fourtrees?" Firepaw panted
"It is where the territories of all the four Clans meet," replied Graypaw. "There are four great oaks there, as old as the Clans—"
"Be quiet!" ordered Tigerclaw. "Don't forget how close we are to enemy territory!"
She heard the two apprentices fall silent. Flamepaw then turned and looked at Tigerclaw who met her gaze and as their eyes met she saw a spark of mischief deep within them. She quickly looked away and focused on running as silently as possible.
She was actually quite happy that she had grown quite a bit since she first came to ThunderClan and not to mention that her legs had become a little bit longer as well. Flamepaw hoped that her legs will grow a little bit longer since she didn't want to be slower than her clanmates.
They soon crossed a shallow stream, keeping their paws dry by leaping from boulder to boulder across the pebbly riverbed. Then Lionheart and Tigerclaw led them out of the thick woods and stopped at the top of the slope that ThunderClan used to go down to Fourtrees.
It was sunhigh now. Below, in the dazzling sunlight, stood the four great oak trees of Fourtrees, their dark green crowns almost reaching to the top of the slope.
"As Graypaw told you," meowed Lionheart to Firepaw, "this is Fourtrees. Where the territories of all four Clans meet. WindClan governs the high ground ahead of us, where the sun sets. You won't be able to catch their scent today—the wind is blowing toward them. But you'll learn it soon enough."
"And ShadowClan holds power over there, in the darkest part of the forest," added Graypaw, flicking his head sideways. "The elders say that the cold winds from the north blow over the Shadowclan cats and chill their hearts."
"So many Clans!" Firepaw exclaimed.
"You see now why prey is so precious," meowed Lionheart. "Why we must fight to protect what little we have."
"But that seems foolish! Why can't the Clans work together and share their hunting grounds, instead of fighting each other?" Firepaw suggested boldly.
A shocked silence greeted his words.
Flamepaw stared at her brother and felt her fur bristle uneasily and couldn't help but look at Tigerclaw.
"That is treacherous thinking, kittypet," he snapped.
"Don't be too fierce, Tigerclaw," warned Lionheart. "The ways of the Clan are new to this apprentice." He looked at Firepaw. "You speak from your heart, young Firepaw. This will make you a stronger warrior one day."
She couldn't help, but nod in agreement with the senior warrior's words.
Tigerclaw growled. "Or it might make him give in to kittypet weaknesses right at the moment of attack."
Both she and Lionheart glanced briefly at Tigerclaw before Lionheart continued. "The four Clans do come together peacefully, in a Gathering each moon. Here"—he bent his head forward toward the clearing of Fourtrees below—"is where they meet. The truce lasts for as long as the moon is at its fullest."
"Then there must be a meeting very soon?" Firepaw suggested.
"Indeed there is!" answered Lionheart, impressed. "Tonight, in fact. The Gatherings are very important because they allow the Clans to come together in peace for one night. But you must understand that longer alliances bring more trouble than they're worth."
"It is our Clan loyalty that makes us strong," Tigerclaw meowed in agreement. "If you weaken that loyalty, you weaken our chances of survival."
Firepaw nodded. "I understand," he mewed.
"Come on," meowed Lionheart, standing up. "Let's keep moving."
They paced along the ridge of the valley that Fourtrees stood. They crossed the stream at a place where it was narrow enough to leap over in one jump. Flamepaw recognized then that they were going in the direction of Shadowclan territory and the Thunderpath.
"Which Clan is that," Firepaw asked, after sniffing the air.
"ShadowClan," answered Tigerclaw grimly. "We are traveling along their border. Keep your wits about you, Firepaw. Fresher scents mean that a Shadowclan patrol is in the area."
Firepaw nodded. "What's that?" he called, trotting to catch up with them.
"You'll see in a moment," replied Lionheart.
"Are we at the edge of the woods?" her brother asked, stopping and taking a deep breath.
"This is the Thunderpath," meowed Tigerclaw.
Lionheart then led them to the edge of the forest. Then he sat down and all five cats looked out.
Flamepaw wrinkled her nose slightly then at the strong stench and looked out at the dark gray stone. She could hear a rumbling sound that was increasingly becoming louder until it was a roar. In the next moment, a monster flew past with a mighty roar and from the corner of her eye she saw Firepaw leap back, his fur bristling. The branches of the trees on either side flapped madly in the wind that chased the speeding monster. Flamepaw couldn't help but let out a soft purr of amusement. She watched then as her brother stared around at them, his eyes wide, unable to speak.
"Scared me too the first time," Graypaw remarked and Flamepaw nodded her agreement remembering her first time as well. "But at least it helps keep ShadowClan warriors from crossing into our territory. The Thunderpath runs for many pawsteps along our boundary line. And don't worry; those monsters seem to never leave the Thunderpath. You'll be fine if you don't go too near."
"It's time we returned to camp," meowed Lionheart. "You have seen all our boundaries now. But we'll avoid Snakerocks, even though the way is longer. An untrained apprentice would be easy prey for an adder, and I expect you are getting tired, Firepaw."
She watched then as her brother bowed his head and fell in beside Graypaw as the cats turned away from the Thunderpath and headed back into the forest.
As Flamepaw followed the others through the gorse tunnel, Flamepaw immediately was halted by Bluestar.
"Flamepaw go get something to eat you are coming to the gathering. Spottedleaf is staying behind this time," the old ThunderClan leader meowed, before walking away.
The orange and white tabby she-cat then quickly trotted over to the fresh-kill pile and grabbed a shrew and walked over to Sandpaw and Dustpaw.
"Hey, Flamepaw," Sandpaw mewed, "are you going tonight?"
"Yep. I just got told by, Bluestar," she replied. "Apparently, Spottedleaf is staying behind this time."
She quickly took a bite of her shrew and looked up to see Graypaw and Firepaw padding over with their own meals.
"Hi there, kittypet," mewed Dustpaw, narrowing his eyes scornfully at her brother. "Enjoy the food we caught for you."
"Who knows, you might even learn to catch your own one day!" sneered Sandpaw.
"Are you still on hunting duty?" asked Graypaw innocently. "Never mind. We've been patrolling our territory borders. You'll be glad to know all is safe."
"I'm sure the other Clans were terrified when they smelled you two coming!" yowled Dustpaw.
"They didn't even show their faces," retorted Graypaw, unable to hide his anger.
"Well, we'll ask them tonight when we see them at the Clan Gathering," mewed Sandpaw.
"Are you going," Firepaw blurted out, sounding impressed.
"Of course," replied Dustpaw loftily. "It's a great honor you know. But don't worry; we'll tell you all about it in the morning."
Flamepaw had just finished her fresh-kill and was now cleaning her face as Graypaw and her brother started to eat.
A loud call from Bluestar made her quickly finish and look up, along with the others. She saw several of her clanmates both warriors and elders gather in the clearing. It was time to leave. Dustpaw and Sandpaw leaped to their feet and trotted off to join the others.
"'Bye you two," called Sandpaw over her shoulder. "Have a nice, quiet evening!"
Flamepaw now stood up. "Well, I better get going. See you in the morning," she meowed and trotted over to her clanmates to stand beside Runningwind.
They soon stalked out of camp in single file, with Bluestar at the head. Her fur glowed like silver in the moonlight, and she looked as calm and confident as ever as she led them to Fourtrees.
Morning light now seeped through the medicine clearing as Flamepaw stood up and stretched, arching her back. She then sat down and started to groom her sleek and glossy, orange and white tabby coat. She looked up then as Spottedleaf padded out of her den her dappled tortoiseshell coat glowing in the sunlight.
"Flamepaw I want you to go looking for some marigold today," the young tortoiseshell meowed. "We're starting to get low since I used quite a bit on Ravenpaw's shoulder wound."
She nodded towards her mentor then and trotted out of the medicine clearing. Flamepaw looked around then and saw Lionheart and Tigerclaw starting to walk towards the gorse tunnel. She soon started to walk in their direction and Tigerclaw looked up.
"Are you joining us again, Flamepaw?" he meowed, in amusement and Flamepaw shook her head and saw a flicker of disappointment in his eyes for a moment before it disappeared.
"Sorry, Tigerclaw, but Spottedleaf wanted me to find some marigold," she replied and he nodded.
The three soon came to the top of the ravine then and soon took their separate ways. Flamepaw soon found what she was looking for then and quickly started to chew off the leaves carefully. Once she was satisfied she had enough she gently picked the marigold leaves up and returned to camp.
By the time she returned, it was almost sunhigh. Flamepaw quickly walked over to the medicine den and dropped the marigold leaves at her mentor's paws.
"Here you are, Spottedleaf," she mewed and the medicine let out a purr.
"Well done. Why don't you go and hunt or something," Spottedleaf murmured gently. "I can handle things here."
"Okay, Spottedleaf," she meowed and padded out of the medicine den.
She quickly raced through the trees. Flamepaw soon came across Firepaw who was hunting something. She stayed to the shadows then, making sure her scent was downwind of whatever he was stalking. She opened her mouth to taste the air. Mouse. She almost purred, but quickly held it back and watched silently.
Then she saw it. It was scrambling through the long grass near the stream. Flamepaw watched then as Firepaw shifted closer. Then he pushed back hard on his hindpaws and sprang, kicking up sand as he rose.
The mouse raced away. But Firepaw was quicker. She watched silently then as he scooped it into the air with one paw, threw it onto the sandy streambed, and lunged on top of it. He killed it quickly with one sharp bite.
She quickly walked forward then. "Nice catch, Firepaw," she purred and her brother purred in response.
"Thanks, Flamepaw," he mumbled around his catch.
Then she started to follow him back to the hollow where she knew Tigerclaw and Lionheart waited. She was really proud of her brother now. He had made his first kill. In her mind he was now a true ThunderClan apprentice now.