Chapter five, a surprising scent

Skylight was in the nursery, having kits. She had given birth to one already, and the other one was coming. Breezeheart said to Lavenderpaw, "Lavenderpaw! Bring poppyseeds!" Then, in a quieter voice that she thought Skylight couldn't hear, she said, "Something is very wrong. It's like nothing I've ever seen before."
Then as Lavenderpaw rushed to the medicine cat den, Breezeheart realized that wasn't true. She had seen something like this once before...

When Thunderbutt was born! Oh no! She thought. Not another one like Thunderbutt!

Sure enough, the second kit flew out. Whitetail was also in the nursery, watching her daughter kit, and so she became stock still when the kit flew out. So did Breezeheart. And Lavenderpaw, with poppy-seeds in her mouth. And Skylight. And even the other kit that was born. They all smelled the same thing. Lavenderpaw went out of the nursery and came back in with herbs to stop cats being sick. Breezeheart felt light-headed. She tried to breathe through her mouth, but then she was startled by Dirtpath coming in and feinting in the door-way to the nursery.

As he lay on the ground, watching his newly born kit zoom around, with it's eyes already open, he said, "not another Thunderbutt-" and then passed out.
Breezeheart tried to sound normal. "What will you call them?"
Skylight answered without hesitation. "Snowkit and Stenchkit."
Dirtpath opened his eyes one more time before collapsing fully into unconsciousness. "Good choice, it suits her."

Then everyone in the nursery feinted.

Thunderbutt and Cinderblock stared warily at each other. They were standing in a rocky canyon, that they had come at from opposite sides. They didn't know where they were, and it was seven days since they had gone missing. Cinderblock remembered what had happened...

I went for a walk outside of WindClan camp. I didn't know the borders yet, so I crossed into ThunderClan territory. I was completely lost until a brown tabby with brown eyes found me. He guided me to a place where there were no Clans. He said he lived here most of the time. When I asked him why, he didn't respond. He obviously belonged to ThunderClan but didn't live with them. There was a strange smell around him. Then he went away into this cave and didn't come back. That was when I started exploring. Then I smelt the smell that was obviously Thunderbutt. I don't know why he was here, but he is here. Maybe he can explain the borders to me. I know the only reason I crossed the border was because he hadn't marked it in about a moon. Thunderbutt and I are good friends. Let me tell you a secret, I've figured out a way to block out the smell. I put mud in my nostrils. But I took it out recently so that I could smell him if he were coming. I didn't put the mud back in quite yet, but hurried towards Thunderbutt. How glad I was to see him, if not smell him!

Thunderbutt rushed forward and said, "Cinderblock!" He was definitely happy. Cinderblock dove to one side and buried his entire face in the mud, nostrils included. He looked back up and said, "Thunderbutt! Now I'm so happy to see you!"
Thunderbutt frowned. "What were you doing in the mud?"
"I... ah, saw a mouse." I said. "Anyways, Thunderbutt. What are you doing here?"
"Well," Thunderbutt said. "Isn't that a story?"
"Well I don't know. Is it?" Cinderblock asked.
"It sure is!" Thunderbutt said.
"So what is it?" Cinderblock asked.
Thunderbutt looked shifty. "Well I decided I would go on vacation for five days or something. All of WindClan territory smelled like the border. Besides, the beany mice crop had been failing. So I went in search of other beany mice fields. But when I came back all my beany mice had gone and the beans were gone too! So I went in search of plentiful beany mice fields, wondering all the time who could have eaten all of my beans and beany mice. And I ended up here."
"Did you meet a brown tabby with brown eyes from ThunderClan?" Cinderblock asked.
"No," Thunderbutt said. "Why?"
"Because," said the brown tabby from the top of the canyon, "He has something to show you!"

They had followed the brown tabby all the way to a cave. He said, "Wait here. Cinderblock, I see why you put mud in your nostrils."
Thunderbutt turned to Cinderblock. "What is he talking about?"
"Nothing," Cinderblock said shiftily.
The brown tabby came back. It was only then that Thunderbutt realized his wonderful smell was being overpowered by a different smell. He looked around. Flies buzzed everywhere. The brown tabby's paw looked wet. His paw was usually darker than the rest of his body but it was dark and wet this time. He smiled.
Thunderbutt said, "What's your name?"
The brown tabby answered, "I am Turdpaw. Come see my amazing crystal."
Thunderbutt and Cinderblock exchanged a private glance and followed. "You look older than usual for an apprentice," Cinderblock stated.
"I am. I will never be given my warrior name because this suits me best," Turdpaw explained.
"why?" Thunderbutt broke in.
Turdpaw's eyes grew dreamy. "One day, when I was young, I went outside the nursery, only to find a badger stomping around. I hid behind a huge pile of brown stuff near some horses. My paw sank deep into it and it smelled good. The badger had left. So I dived into it and rolled around. Come on, the amazing crystal is this way."
Cinderblock was now quite nervous about what his 'amazing crystal' might be. Finally they came to the last cave. In the middle, was a... amazingly large brown mass. It had flies on it that looked like crystals. Turdpaw picked it up on one brown paw and said, "And, gentlemen and gentlemen, you see... TURDPAW'S AMAZING CRYSTAL!"

Cinderblock looked... curious, but Thunderbutt was intrigued. "I'll remember you, Turdpaw of the amazing crystal. One day I may be back!"

They flew back, only to see Heatherstar and Firestar raging at each other with battle-ready cats behind them. "We don't have your super-smelly weapon!" Firestar yowled.
"He is NOT my super-smelly weapon!" Heatherstar screeched. "This is all a misunderstanding."
"No it's not!" Firestar told her. "We're going to attack you and you don't have any defense against us!"
Heatherstar said, "You say we have no defense?"
Firestar sneered. "Before your warriors were able to beat us only because you had the stench of the super-smelling weapon on you. Now the stench is weaker, so we can attack you!"
Then... "THUNDERBUT TO THE RESCUE!" Thunderbutt yowled. He landed in front of Firestar, and then turned around. Firestar flew against a tree and feinted. But there were so many ThunderClan warriors, and Thunderbutt hadn't had any beany mice. But then suddenly, a sound like a trumpet sounded, and Thunderbutt's niece, Stenchkit, (who had been eating his beany mice) came flying to the rescue. Snowkit was also supported on her magical carpet, and they both landed and Stenchkit put Thunderbutt in his weakened state to shame. Snowkit was indifferent.

"So you saved the day," Thunderbutt said to his niece.
"Yes, Uncle Thunderbutt. Are you mad at me for eating your beany mice?"
"No... I even met Turdpaw of the amazing crystal because of it," Thunderbutt told her.
"Turdpaw... of the amazing crystal?" Stenchkit queried.
Thunderbutt smiled. "You have much to learn, my young padawan (spelling?)/ apprentice. But you will not be an apprentice of WindClan."
"What?" Stenchkit said, frowning.
"Is your sister completely immune to all smells?"
"Yes," Stenchkit said. "But she can still hunt fine as long as I'm not around. Why?"
"There's something I have to do," Thunderbutt said.

He walked into Heatherstar's den. "Heatherstar?"
"Yes Thunderbutt?" She sounded grouchy.
"I am leaving WindClan."
She looked up. "Very well."
Thunderbutt nodded. "I may take some cats from your Clan."
Heatherstar frowned. "Like?"
Thunderbutt said, "Do you agree to let me leave your Clan?"
"Without a second thought."
Thunderbutt did a little dance in the air and Heatherstar buried her nose in the moss.
"I'd like to take: Cinderblock, Stenchkit, and Snowkit. And Turdpaw of the amazing crystal from Thunderclan if he agrees."
Heatherstar thought it was a dream come true.

Soon Stenchkit and Thunderbutt were dancing together in the air. Snowkit looked up, oblivious to what was going on. Cinderblock's nostrils were filled with mud, so he didn't mind. Turdpaw of the amazing crystal didn't know about the new Clan of cats yet, so he was in his cave, coveting and talking to and cooing to his crystal.