Hello. Welcome to this story. I hope you enjoy it. :)
CHAPTER 1
A cool breeze swept through the trees, bringing a small relief to the hot, tired cats in camp. It was a scorching hot day in the middle of greenleaf. Prey was abundant in this season but was nearly impossible to find because the intense heat. Shadowpaw's fur was moist and damp with sweat. It was hard to concentrate on hunting with her pelt matted and uncomfortable. She wished silently for another gust of wind to blow, even if it meant her prey would scent her. The shade of the tall trees around her blocked out most of the sun's harsh rays but the heat still seeped through. Her paws felt rough and burnt from padding around on the heated ground for so long.
Shadowpaw sighed. She really wanted to go back to camp and lie in the nice chill of her den. But she had to hunt for the clan. Her mentor, Talonshadow, had ordered her to go out and not come back until she caught some nice, fat prey. She couldn't find anything though. Even if it was greenleaf, the prey was still smart enough to not be out in such dreadful weather. She slowly began padding back towards camp, bracing herself for the scolding she knew would come upon her arrival.
A shuffling in the bushes a mere tail-length away made her stop in her tracks. She crouched down low, preparing to leap. A rather large vole appeared from behind a bush, scuffling around in the undergrowth. Shadowpaw crept forward slowly, then, when she was close enough, pounced on top of the small animal and killed it with a swift bite.
Satisfied with her unexpected catch, Shadowpaw trotted happily back to camp. Talonshadow was waiting for her by the stepping stones. He nodded to her, a stern look on his face. She padded slowly up to him and dropped the vole next to him. Her mentor looked at her catch and nodded approvingly, then turned and began padding across the slippery stones into camp. Shadowpaw followed behind, being careful not to accidently drop her vole into the shallow water. The elders wouldn't appreciate wet prey.
She went straight to the elders den where Wildfrost and Antpelt were talking animatedly about a battle long ago to the three kits sitting excitedly in front of them. Darkshadow was seemingly asleep nearby but was given away when his ears perked up at a rather loud squeal of Graykit's. Shadowpaw dropped her vole in front of the black tom and he moved to look at it. He mumbled a quick thank you as he began munching away on the small animal. Her job done, Shadowpaw made her way out of the den and headed towards the fresh kill pile to grab her own meal.
She saw Brightpaw carefully choosing two pieces of prey from the pile. She was probably getting prey for both herself and her mentor, Redberry.
"Hey Brightpaw!" Shadowpaw greeted her friend cheerfully, "Getting something to eat for Redberry?"
"Oh, yeah. She's too busy helping Dawntail. She got a thorn in her paw." Brightpaw replied.
"Ouch, a thorn. That must be painful."
"Well it may hurt a lot, but it's nothing serious. You cats act like it's the end of the world or something whenever you get the tiniest scratches."
"I don't do such a thing." Shadowpaw meowed.
"Oh really? Remember two moons ago when you fell into a bramble bush? You swore you were dying but you only had a couple of scratches on your pelt." Brightpaw scolded.
"That was one time."
Brightpaw let out a purr of amusement then padded off to the medicine cat's den. Shadowpaw picked out a mouse and went over to the apprentices' den. Her sister, Stormpaw and her brother, Nightpaw were sitting with Brookpaw and Bloodpaw. Rippedpaw padded out from the den, still looking half-asleep even though it was nearly sun-high.
"Shadowpaw, get your tail over here!" Her sister called.
"I'm already on my way! Don't get your fur in a twist." Shadowpaw meowed back.
Shadowpaw sat down in between her littermates and began eating. Brookpaw let out a yawn and stretched.
"So, how was the hunting?" the light brown she-cat asked, her lavender eyes shining brightly.
"Not great. Everything's hiding because of this stupid heat. I thought for sure I was going to get in trouble with Talonshadow for not bringing anything back but luckily I found a fat vole right before I came back."
"This heat is pretty intense." Nightpaw meowed beside her, "I hope it rains soon."
"But then it'll be humid out." Rippedpaw grumbled from where she laid, blue eyes flashing irritatedly. "And then my fur will stick out."
"Oh don't be such a grumpy puss, Rippedpaw." Shadowpaw meowed jokingly, "Besides it doesn't need to be humid outside for your fur to stick out."
Rippedpaw swiped at her with a paw before getting up and padding over to the fresh kill pile. Hawkfang padded over to her and meowed something. Rippedpaw mumbled something back and the two cats started towards the camp entrance where a group of cats were waiting. It was the sun-high patrol, Shadowpaw guessed.
She noticed a couple of other cats making their way towards their small group; Mistyeagle and Rainfur sat down nearby, followed by Skypelt. Stormpaw greeted her mentor warmly and Mistyeagle twitched her ear in a friendly manner.
"So, Stormpaw, would you like to go train with Bloodpaw and Nightpaw?"
Shadowpaw listened in. Rainfur was asking Nightpaw the same thing and Skypelt was talking to Bloodpaw. They were going to train without her! She felt a surge of disappointment and gave her chest a lick. She looked up to meow a goodbye but the others were already on their way out of camp. Shadowpaw wished Talonshadow would take her training too. She wanted to work on her fighting skills. But no, Talonshadow had gone on the sun-high patrol and now the camp was mostly empty. She and Brightpaw were the only apprentices in camp and only a couple warriors were here. Shadowpaw gazed around the nearly-empty camp. She noticed Lightningfur and Thunderstar conversing beneath the Sky Rock. Redberry was shooing Dawntail from her den. Icepool was sharing tongues with Sunheart and Robinclaw near the nursery. The elders were entertaining the kits in their den. Everyone else was out of camp for now.
A white pelt entering camp caught her eye. Moonstream was back from hunting! Shadowpaw stood up and went to greet the she-cat.
"Mother!" She called out.
Moonstream glanced in her direction. She padded towards her and they touched noses. Moonstream gave her an affectionate lick on the head.
"How are you today, Shadowpaw?" The pretty white she-cat meowed.
"I'm good, just tired of this horrid weather." Shadowpaw answered, "A nice rain would be good."
"Ah, yes it would." Moonstream meowed cheerfully.
Another cat padded into the clearing. His dark fur and large size made him hard to ignore. His face held an intimidating look and his muscles made promises of great strength. Moonstream greeted him earnestly. Sparrowfur set his gaze on Shadowpaw.
"How's your training coming along?" His gruff voice meowed.
"It's going well." Shadowpaw replied quietly.
"What have you accomplished today?"
"I went hunting earlier the-"
"Did you take it straight to the elders?" Sparrowfur's sharp meow cut her off.
"Yes I-"
"If you're not doing anything useful right now then go find something to do. See if the queens or elders need anything. Or maybe Redberry has something for you to fetch." Sparrowfur padded away, Moonstream at his heels.
"Yes father." Shadowpaw mumbled to herself and padded towards the nursery.
"Sparrowfur told me to ask if you needed anything." She meowed to Sunheart and Robinclaw.
"Oh no, not really." Sunheart meowed sweetly, "We don't need anything."
Robinclaw nodded in agreement. Shadowpaw started off towards the elders den, hoping they didn't have any ticks she would have to get rid of. She peeked her head in. They were still telling stories to the kits.
"No need to bother them. They look like they're having fun." Shadowpaw mewed to herself.
She padded slowly to the medicine den. Brightpaw and Redberry were sharing tongues inside.
"Oh, Shadowpaw is there something you need? You're not injured are you?" Redberry questioned, her pink nose twitching.
"No. I'm supposed to be asking if there's anything you need actually."
"Hmm, let me think..." Redberry thought for a moment, "No, I don't believe there's anything. Thanks though."
Shadowpaw let out a small sigh and began padding out of the den. So much for making herself useful. At least the sun-high patrol would be back soon and she could ask Talonshadow if he would take her training. She wished she could have gone with her friends but if she could at least go it would be enough. Four shapes made their way through the tunnel entrance. Mousepaw and Volepaw were followed by their mentors, Lightclaw and Dustheart. Dustheart made a beeline to the nursery, checking on his mate, Robinclaw. Two more cats entered the camp after them. Shrewpaw's white pelt contrasted with the brown bramble bush he was squeezing through. Behind him, Fernear delicately gave him a push. Shrewpaw plopped on the ground, tired from hunting. Mousepaw and Volepaw quickly went to him and together the three apprentices made their way to the den.
It seemed like everyone was coming back at once. This idea was furthered when Hawkfang and Rippedpaw pushed their way into camp with Brackencloud and Ripplepaw. Then Shadowpaw remembered. The gathering was tonight. Everyone wanted to be in camp, ready to go, in case they were chosen. They still had a while before sunset so Shadowpaw wanted to get some training in. Talonshadow had just came in, a squirrel clenched in his jaw. He set it on the ever-growing pile and padded towards her.
"Talonshadow, can we get some fight training in before sunset?"
"Yeah, I think we have time for that." He replied, "Plus, you hunted well today, despite the heat so I think you've earned a little training time."
They headed out of camp, running into Brookpaw returning from hunting practice with Forestheart. They crossed the stepping stones quickly and kept up the fast pace all the way to the training hollow. It seemed they had just missed the others. Their scent was fairly fresh but going stale. Shadowpaw's fur tingled with excitement at the thought of training.
Talonshadow sat down a few tail-lengths away and looked at her for a moment. Shadowpaw was slightly confused. Weren't they going to train? She opened her mouth to say something when Talonshadow barreled into her, knocking out her breath. She got up quickly, tail puffed out. She stared at her mentor, glaring a bit before pouncing on him. Talonshadow moved out the way, causing Shadowpaw to land face first on the hard ground.
"You're slow." He meowed sternly, "You must be prepared for anything."
Shadowpaw stood up. Her face hurt where she hit it. She spun around to face the older cat. He gazed silently at her.
"Now then, attack me again."
Shadowpaw leaped towards him then leaned and landed to his side. She spun quickly and landed to blows on his right flank. Talonshadow reacted quickly and swiped at her paws, attempting to unbalance her. She tripped up and fell with a low thud.
They tried this several times, each leaving Shadowpaw with her face on the ground, exhausted. She did get a little better each time, though, and almost managed to overwhelm Talonshadow once before her mentor deemed it time to return to camp.
"Good job today." Talonshadow meowed, "You need a bit more practice but you're skills are definitely improving even though we haven't trained in a while."
"Really? You think so?" Shadowpaw questioned enthusiastically. Talonshadow nodded as Shadowpaw jumped up and down happily.
"Well, let's head back now." Talonshadow meowed, starting to walk off.
Shadowpaw followed closely behind the older cat as they weaved their way through the undergrowth back to the small pond where their camp lay on an island in the middle. The sun was just beginning to set and Shadowpaw knew Thunderstar would be choosing who to go to the gathering. Sure enough, when they entered the small clearing, Shadowpaw saw Lightningfur leaving the leader's den and heading towards the waiting clan of cats. Shadowpaw and Talonshadow hurried to join their clanmates.
Lightningfur reached the group and motioned for them all to settle down and silence themselves. He took a breath before speaking.
"Those who are going to the gathering will meet by the entrance when the sun is fully set." the golden tom began, "These are the cats who have been chosen to go: Mistyeagle, Sparrowfur, Skypelt, Hawkfang, Shadowpaw, and Ripplepaw. Please go prepare to leave."
Shadowpaw felt excitement well up inside her. She was going to the Gathering!
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Shadowpaw sat quietly by the entrance, waiting for the sun to go down. Her paws tingled with anticipation. She had only been to a gathering once before. Now that she knew what awaited her, she was even more excited than the first time. The other cats slowly joined her where she sat. The sun was just now disappearing beyond the horizon. They just needed Brightpaw, Redberry and Thunderstar to show up now.
Shadowpaw saw Brightpaw pacing back and forth in front of the den she shared with Redberry now. Shadowpaw let out a quiet purr of amusement. She must be nervous. The young she-cat hadn't been announced as the Medicine Cat apprentice yet. She had only recently become Redberry's apprentice, about a half-moon ago. Before Brightpaw had decided her new path, she was just a regular apprentice. Her mentor had been Sparrowfur and the sweet she-cat had once told Shadowpaw that her new mentor scared her a little bit. A moon later she announced she didn't want to become a warrior.
Redberry padded out the den and the two cats made their way over. Thunderstar appeared shortly after and the group exited the camp and headed to Moonground, their gathering place. Shadowpaw padded along beside Ripplepaw and the two she-cats whispered quietly to one another.
"Do you remember how the Moonground got its name?" Shadowpaw asked the younger apprentice. When the other shook her head, Shadowpaw continued. "It was a long time ago..."
The clans were still without proper hunting grounds. They had traveled far to find a sanctuary where they could hunt freely and live peacefully. They had made their way over some ridges just beyond the twolegplace they had spent some time in. In a forest, they had found a small, winding river where they could catch fish. They four eldest cats, the leaders of this band of cats, decided they must continue on until they found a place where they could gather properly and speak.
As the cats made their way through the forest, they hunted and were quite happy. But some weren't as comfortable hunting in the forest, they felt cramped and they thought the ground was far too soft here. Others preferred damper hunting grounds and some missed the bright sun's rays. They reached a large, open prairie field once they had gone through the forest. Here, they found rabbits and other fast creatures that dwelled in open places. But they still found no proper gathering place and they longed to speak to their ancestors who lived in the stars. They stopped for the night and made temporary dens to sleep in. One cat, Moonseeker, dreamt that night of a starry cavern hidden away beneath the rock. The next morning, Moonseeker shared his dream with the four elders. They dismissed it though, and sent Moonseeker away. The sun was dangerously bright and hot that day. It caused a great prairie fire to break out. The cats scattered and hid.
That night, the fire out, the cats struggled to find one another. They looked to the night sky to help them. They wondered around, hopelessly lost, when something bright lit up the sky. Shots of white flew through the sky, hundreds and hundreds of them. One was brighter than the rest and something grew larger as it sped through the air. The cats grew fearful as they realized it was a giant flaming rock. Had their ancestors sent it to kill them?
The rock crashed, smoking, on a piece of land on the other side of the prairie. The cats realized their ancestors were not trying to kill them, but had sent them some sort of omen. The cats all made their way to the strange rock. Bunches of cats lined the edge of the gorge. They only way to get to the land the rock sat on was to cross the narrow path that led to it. The area jutted out of the middle of the gorge, water rushing around it at its base. The cats were fearful of the fast-paced water and of falling from such a great height. But one cat began bravely crossing to the land. Moonseeker had a feeling something important lay nearby. He inspected the rock closely. Smoke still hung about it and it was warm to the touch. Moonseeker felt it held no danger to them.
Other cats, inspired by Moonseeker's bravery, crossed after him. Soon the small clearing was filled with them. The four elders leaped onto the rock and addressed their fellow cats. They named the great rock the Fallenmoon and the place where it rested the Moonground. The cats all agreed that it fitted the place perfectly. Moonseeker still felt the area held a secret and started to look around. On the edge of the land, he found a small ledge. He carefully made his way towards its edge and looked down, another long ledge jutted off the gorge wall. He jumped the short distance between and gazed about. This ledge went under the one above him and led to a small hole in the side of the Moonground. He went to investigate it. He entered the small cavern and was startled by the sparkling walls and ground. It was like he was surrounded by a million stars. A crystal-like stone sat in a pool of water in the middle of the cave. Moonseeker neared it and gently pressed a paw against its cold surface. Almost instantly, he was pulled into a vision. Starry pelts gathered around him, whispering softly all at once. After a moment, Moonseeker was pulled from the vision. He had found the place where they could speak to their ancestors! He quickly brought the four elders to the cavern. They thanked him for finding this important place. They asked Moonseeker what it should be called. Moonseeker thought for a while, and then answered:
"Starcavern." Shadowpaw finished her story.
"Wow! I'd never heard that one before!" Ripplepaw meowed.
"You at least know what happened after right? How the cats split into four groups and found their territories?" Shadowpaw questioned.
"Of course I've heard that old story. It's one of the first every cat hears!" Ripplepaw purred jokingly. "I'd be a pretty sorry clan cat if I didn't know that one."
They purred in amusement as they made their way up the prairie slope just before the gorge. Thunderstar stopped them just before the pathway and then signaled for them to begin to cross. The elders went first each with someone to help them along. Then the warriors and apprentices crossed, followed by Lightningfur and Thunderstar. Once in the clearing, Wildfrost, Darkshadow, and Antpelt went to join the other elders. Shadowpaw padded over near where Brightpaw was sitting with the other medicine cats and their apprentices. Brightpaw's cheerful meow caught Shadowpaw's ear.
"I'm just not sure that I'm ever going to learn and remember everything!" The ginger she-cat meowed. The others let out purrs of amusement.
"I'm sure you'll be fine. After all, you're still new. You have plenty of time to learn." Frostheart, the white medicine cat of NightClan meowed, her voice soft and gentle.
"Yes, give it time, Brightpaw." Yarrowtail, the MountainClan medicine-cat, purred, "You're smart, so I'm sure it won't take you long to learn."
The other two medicine cats gave their words of encouragement as well. Brightpaw looked a little less flustered now and seemed to be forgetting her nervousness from before.
"Hey, Shadowpaw, do you want to sit by me?" Ripplepaw bounded over to her.
"Oh, sure, Ripplepaw." She meowed back, "Where do you want to sit?"
"How about over by that bush?" Ripplepaw suggested, "It seems like a good spot." Shadowpaw let out a purr of agreement.
As the two she-cats went and settled down, Wildstar, leader of NightClan, let out a loud yowl, signaling that the leaders were ready to speak. Shadowpaw looked up at the four of them. She hoped she one day could be in Thunderstar's place, telling the news of StormClan. She sighed. Like that would ever happen. She had to become a warrior first, then get an apprentice, then get chosen as deputy. All that seemed like a long way off. And of course, Shadowpaw felt a string of guilt at the thought; either Thunderstar of Lightningfur would have to die first. She didn't wish for them to die or go away. She liked them. Shaking the troubling thoughts aside, she focused her attention on what Wildstar was saying.
"Amberflame has a new litter of kits. There are two of them and Owlclaw, who has served NightClan faithfully for many moons, has retired to the elders' den." Wildstar finished his turn and stepped back to let the next leader speak.
Mountainstar stepped forward next. He began to speak, "Flamepaw has become a warrior, and he is now Flameclaw."
The MountainClan cats below called out their clanmates name as Mountainstar continued.
"The prey is good in greenleaf but a patrol has brought it to my attention that they scented SunClan cats way passed the border!" Mountainstar looked accusingly at Sunstar, her fur bristling in anger. "Sunstar, is your territory so small that you must try to steal my clan's? Is there so little prey that my clan must starve? Tell me Sunstar, why are you stealing MountainClan's prey?"
Sunstar let out a hiss and unsheathed her claws. "You dare accuse my clan of stealing?! We scented your warriors in our territory! MountainClan are the ones stealing, not us!"
Mountainstar looked ready to pounce on the other she-cat. Thunderstar stepped between the two quarreling cats.
"Get out of the way, Thunderstar!" Mountainstar hissed, "This has nothing to do with you!"
"Yes it does. Two clans mustn't ever fight under the full moon!"
The MountainClan cats and SunClan cats looked ready for an all-out war with each other. Shadowpaw gazed up at the moon. Angry black clouds were beginning to cover the moon.
"Look to the sky, you two!" Wildstar meowed, "Those dark clouds threaten the moon, and StarClan does not approve of this bickering! This is supposed to be a peaceful time!"
"Fine then!" Mountainstar snarled, "MountainClan, we're leaving!"
Mountainstar jumped down from the Moon Rock, signaling to her clan to follow. The clan swiftly followed their leader away from the Moonground. Shadowpaw felt a drop of rain fall on her nose. She gazed upwards once more as rain started pouring down. Sunstar let out a huff of annoyance and led her clan back home. Wildstar and the NightClan cats bid StormClan farewell and headed back to their territory. Shadowpaw looked to her leader, waiting. Thunderstar looked very worried. She silently nodded and leaped down.
"Come, StormClan. It is time to return home."
The drenched cats huddled together as they padded back to their waiting clanmates. Ripplepaw walked closely next to Shadowpaw as they mumbled quietly to one another. Shadowpaw cast a glance over to Brightpaw. She looked unusually troubled and worried. Shadowpaw decided to question her later. The wet cats padded wearily into camp. The cats who had remained behind at camp hurried forward to question their early return. Thunderstar pushed her way through her clanmates and leaped to the top if the Sky Rock.
"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather under the Sky Rock for a clan meeting!" Thunderstar called out the familiar words, though most of the clan were already gathered, waiting for their leader to speak.
"What happened? Why have you returned so early?" The question hung in the air for a moment before Thunderstar spoke.
"Mountainstar and Sunstar broke the Gathering truce and left." She explained simply, "I believe there might be a gruesome battle between their two clans. I tried to make peace between them but they would not listen to me. StarClan covered the moon and we returned home." With those words, she jumped down from the rock and went inside her den. The short meeting was over.
As soon as the tip of their leader's tail disappeared, the clan erupted in a chaotic chatter. Loud yowls and exclamations went through the crowd. They were shocked at what had happened and many wondered which side StormClan would be on if the disagreement turned into a bloody battle. Shadowpaw peered through the crowd of her gossiping clanmates, searching for the troubled-looking Brightpaw.
She spotted the ginger pelt of her friend on the edge of the crowd. She padded towards her slowly, thinking carefully about what she wanted to say. How should I ask? Hey Brightpaw, I noticed you look like you had something on your mind earlier so I was wondering what was wrong. No, that sounds stupid.
"Shadowpaw? Why are you just standing there?" A soft voice called to her.
"Huh? Oh, Brightpaw! I came to ask you something." Shadowpaw replied, a bit startled. She hadn't realized she'd already reached her destination.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Oh! Well..." Shadowpaw mumbled, "You looked upset about something earlier on the way to the Gathering and I was just wondering if there was something bothering you that you wanted to tell me about. Since we're friends and all."
"Oh, I was just nervous and uh..." Brightpaw meowed quickly, "I was going over herbs in my head, that's all."
Shadowpaw wasn't convinced. Something in Brightpaw's voice told her that the young medicine cat wasn't just thinking about herbs and remedies. But if Brightpaw didn't want to tell her, she couldn't make her. She'd just have to hope that Brightpaw would tell her eventually.
"Oh, well if that's all then I suppose..." Shadowpaw trailed off.
"It's late, Shadowpaw. You should go get some sleep." Brightpaw meowed, turning to walk to her own den. She said goodbye with a flick of her tail and was gone.
Shadowpaw padded across the camp to the apprentices' den. Nightpaw was waiting for her by the entrance, a squirrel tucked under his paws.
"Hey. Want to share this squirrel with me?" He asked calmly, "And maybe tell me what's troubling you."
Shadowpaw nodded and lay down next to her brother. He always knew when she had something on her mind.
"Well, something seemed to be wrong with Brightpaw. Like she had something on her mind or something. But she wouldn't tell me what it was." Shadowpaw began, taking a bite from the furry prey Nightpaw had nudged towards her. "She just said she was nervous and was thinking about remedies but..."
"You know that's not it?"
"Yeah."
"Well perhaps she's telling you the truth but even if you don't think so, don't question her about it." Nightpaw murmured softly. "If she's your friend, she'll want you to know. She'll tell you about what's troubling her; I'm sure, soon enough. You've let her know that you're there for her at least and she's already probably feeling guilty for lying to you if she did."
Nightpaw gave Shadowpaw an affectionate lick on the ear.
"Let's go into the den, you'll probably be able to think better in the morning anyway. There's been too much commotion tonight." Nightpaw whispered into her ear.
The two cats entered the den and curled up in a nest together near the back. The other apprentices were already curled up, sound asleep. Nightpaw soon joined them in their soft snoring. Shadowpaw shut her eyes but couldn't get her mind to relax properly. She sighed. Whatever could be bothering her friend so much that she couldn't tell Shadowpaw? Did Brightpaw not trust her? Shadowpaw shook the thoughts from her mind, she needed to sleep. Though as soon as those thoughts left, others bubbled to the surface. What was going to happen between SunClan and MountainClan? Quarreling between the clans wasn't good, the rain StarClan had sent made that much clear.
Shadowpaw heard a quiet rustling and looked up. A dark shape was carefully exiting the den, trying to not make too much noise. Her dark pelt shined in the moonlight, the white flecks almost glowed. Shadowpaw recognized Stormpaw instantly. Where would her sister possibly be sneaking off to in the middle of the night? Wherever it was, it couldn't be good.
Well, that was fun, right? Anyways, things will start picking up in Chapter 2 (I hope) but if not then most likely in Chapter 3. Please feel free to review.