Ello, everyone! Hope you had a great holiday! Hope you like this chapter, and R&R please!
Cloud pushed through the bramble thickets. She had no idea where she was. She had just been pushing through trees and bushes the entire night, without getting anywhere. Her paws felt like they were about to fall off. Her eyelids drooped, and she fell onto a pile of dry, damp leaves.
(Few hours later)
"Wake up!" A paw prodded Cloud's side. Her eyes flicker, taking in her surroundings. There were large oak trees, frost covered ground and… Cats! She scrambled to her paws looking at the strangers surrounding her. There was a tom and two she-cats, the tom was the one who woke her. He had black fur, with lighter gray markings.
"Who are you?" He growled
"Where am I?" She stuttered
"Answer my question!"
"Cloud…"
"Why are you on FireClan territory?"
"I don't know…" She really didn't know how she got here
The tom shook his head "Come with us, we'll take you to Thornstar." He flicked his tail, and the two she-cats followed him. One had gray fur, and the other had tan tabby fur. They followed him, and padded along each side of Cloud. She felt extremely uncomfortable between them, since she was used to the space given to her in the twoleg nest. The two cats took no notice. They pushed through a tunnel of tightly woven brambles and thorns. It opened up into a clearing, with awkwardly shaped dens lining the edge. The cats led her to one of the bigger dens, made of a crack in a rock wall. The tom stopped outside.
"Thornstar! We found an intruder!" A Brown tabby tom padded out of the den. He looked at Cloud with a strange expression.
"Come in, you." He commanded. Cloud looked at the tom who at brought her here, and he ushered her in. Inside, it was surprisingly warm compared to the frosty weather outside. There were two more cats inside. A silver she-cat with darker stripes and…
"Skypaw!" Cloud rushed to her friend, the only one she could trust in this strange place. Skypaw seemed just as surprised to see her here.
"You know her?" The tom asked
"Yes. She's the cat I was talking about, you know? The one with twolegs?"
"What are you doing here?" he asked her
"This is Thornstar," Skypaw meowed to her "He's our leader."
Cloud hesitated before replying "A cat came last night, hoping to get Thumper to go with him."
"Who's Thumper?" The silver she-cat interrupted
"Lilyripple" Skypaw hissed "Our medicine cat."
"Thank you for the introduction, Skypaw." Skypaw looked down at her paws, embarrassed
"Thumper is the twoleg's official pet." Cloud explained "He's a kittypet. Anyways, Thumper had heard of him already. He gathered kittypets and if they didn't come with him, they'd be killed. Thumper refused to go with him, and he killed him." Cloud looked down at her paws, remembering the terrifying moments the night before.
"Who is this cat?" Thornstar meowed
"His name is Tigerstar. He isn't a normal cat though. He can just disappear into shadows and come out of shadows. It's like he's a ghost or spirit." Cloud shuddered
"What is he doing with the kittypets?" Thornstar's amber gaze was on her.
"I've heard he's training them for some army." Cloud hesitated before adding "He's living near the edge of the forest… I think."
"Could it possibly be the rogues we've been scenting?" Skypaw meowed
"I don't know. We'll have to talk about it with the other clans. They've been having problems too."
"What are we going to do with Cloud?" Lilyripple asked Thornstar
"She'll stay with us for now. Since she is chosen by StarClan, the other clans can't protest." Lilyripple nodded, agreeing with him.
"Have you had anymore dreams?" Lilyripple asked her.
"How..?" Cloud was shocked. How did she know about her dreams
"Skypaw told me. She explained everything to me, and I think you might be from DuskClan."
"Oh.. I haven't. It's been the same dream over and over again."
"It's almost half moon. I'll go and ask the other medicine cats about this, especially Coalfoot."
"Okay," Thornstar nodded "Cloud, you can sleep in the apprentice den for now. If you want, you can help Skypaw with her duties."
"Okay, I will." Cloud nodded.
"Come with me! I'll show you to the den." Skypaw led Cloud out of the den and into another, larger one made of woven thorns and brambles. Inside, it was padded with leaves.
"Here! You can have this nest." Skypaw flicked her tail at a moss lined nest next to her own.
"Thanks." Cloud prodded the moss with her paw. It wasn't as soft as the nest the twolegs gave her, but it was warm.
"Go to sleep now, I'll get you some food." Skypaw padded out of the den, and Cloud sunk into the soft, warm nest. Sleep crashed over her.
(RippleClan)
Hawkpaw stared at the crystal blue water. No fish yet, but he knew there would be more coming soon. Sure enough, a silver flash appeared. He flicked his claw out, hooking the fish with his sharp claws. He threw the fish onto the rocks, killing it with one sharp bite. He knew Rosefur was watching him, so he focused back on the water. Another flash of silver, and his instincts took over. He flashed out his claw, and hooked onto the fish. It was bigger than he had expected, bigger than himself. He gripped the fish's tail with his teeth, and dragged it out with all his might. He killed it with one bite. A rather deep bite. He hauled the fish to the hole with his other catches, and focused back on the water, even though he knew that fish was enough to impress Rosefur.
"Alright Hawkpaw, you can stop faking that you're trying to fish." Rosefur stepped out of the bushes. "Good job. Let's get back to camp now."
They hauled his kills back to camp, receiving a lot of impressed glances from the kits and elders. Rosefur dropped her load off, then padded into Graystar's den. Hawkpaw looked after her nervously, hoping she'll give him a good report. He was so focused on what was going on inside, he couldn't even hear Mudpaw.
"Hawkpaw! Hawkpaw!"
Hawkpaw jolted from his thoughts "What?"
"I said, did you catch this fish?" He pointed his tail at the big fish flopped on the top of the pile.
"Yes." Hawkpaw couldn't keep the pride out of his voice.
"That's as big as you!"
"Yep."
Mudpaw shook his head in disbelief. Hawkpaw turned his attention back to Graystar's den. Rosefur padded out, with Graystar at her heels. Graystar coughed again, and Rosefur looked back at him in concern. More concern than usual. Oh wait, Graystar is her father, He reminded himself.
"Hawkpaw, get ready. The ceremony is tonight, so is the apprentice ceremony." Rosefur told him. He licked his fur, hoping to get it to stay down. Jaypaw and Clawpaw padded back into camp and headed straight to the fresh kill pile.
"Hey Hawkpaw! Are you excited?" Jaypaw meowed
"Of course!" Why did he even ask?
Hawkpaw followed them, grabbing a smaller fish for himself. They settled down outside the apprentice den. Hawkpaw took a bite out of his fish, the fresh, clean flavor flooding his mouth. Realizing how hungry he was, he quickly gulped down the fish, picking the bones clean. He padded into the den, hoping to catch some sleep before the ceremony.
(BreezeClan)
Deadheart had no clue what happened. One moment, he was chasing a rabbit through the moors, the next, a stabbing pain in his chest landed him in the medicine cat's den. Windheart poked him all over with his nose, fear clouding his eyes.
"What's wrong with me?" Deadheart lifted his head, eyes glazed with pain.
Windheart looked away, ushering Grasspaw out of the den. He turned to Deadheart, trying to hide his uncertainty "Nothing, really…" He tried to reassure him
"Don't lie to me, Windheart." Deadheart's voice was hollow. The name was a curse.
Windheart hesitated before answering "I don't know." He admitted "It's unusual, and Frecklepelt never told me anything about this kind of condition." Deadheart gave up hope. Even the famous previous BreezeClan medicine cat hasn't faced his condition.
"Look, Deadheart." Deadheart flinched when his name was spoken "Don't come up with conclusions. Maybe… maybe it was just a onetime thing." Windheart knew that it wasn't true, but he couldn't stand seeing this brave warrior being depressed.
"Okay," He stood up, getting ready to leave "I'll come back if anything happens."
Windheart nodded "Hold on." He padded into the back of his den, coming out with a couple of black seeds "Poppy seeds to ease the pain." Deadheart looked like he was about to argue, but thought better of it and licked up the seeds. He padded outside. A light drizzle started, and Deadheart stood there, looking up at the sky. The rain pierced his fur, soaking it soon after wards.
"Deadheart, get out of that rain! You'll get sick!" Oakclaw meowed, ducking into the warrior's den.
"Sick?" Deadheart laughed. He wished he was sick. Better than being stuck with this unknown disease.
(Tigerstar's Clan)
"Harder! What are you, a soft mouse?" Darkstripe growled at Houston, who was lying on the ground.
"When do we eat?" He meowed weakly. Tigerstar rolled his eyes. He had hoped that Darkstripe will be good at something, but training kittypets was not one of them. Still, he had to admit that these cats were somewhat of a bother to train. They complained all the time, and didn't want to do anything but eat.
"Soon. If you can perfect this move." Tigerstar sighed.
"What? I'm hungry!" Houston complained. Darkstripe hissed
"If you don't do what we say, you'll never have another meal again!" He unsheathed his claws and sunk them into the soft earth. Tigerstar waved his tail, telling him to back off.
"Houston, we promise you that you will eat soon. We just want you to perfect your technique, so you can be the best fighter. Everyone else is training." Sure enough, the other kittypets were all clawing at each other.
"I don't care! I'm hungry!"
Tigerstar sighed. This cat didn't understand anything. He cleared his throat
"All you cats, come here!" He ordered. They all stopped fighting and turned to Tigerstar
"Alright, you all were chosen because you have potential to become great fighters. We are a group and we all need to perfect our technique to protect ourselves against… unwanted evils."
The cats recoiled, scared of the so-called "Unwanted Danger". Tigerstar was pleased. They were easy to persuade and scare. "Don't worry though, because me and Darkstripe will train you all to our best. That is, if you'll cooperate."
Most cats nodded eagerly, unsheathing their claws.
"Good. You can go hunting now, but be careful." They all scattered off into the forest.
"Are you sure they'll be enough to defeat the clans?" Darkstripe questioned
"Of course." Tigerstar reassured him "They love the blood, can't you tell?" Darkstripe shrugged, unsure of how to answer. Tigerstar's amber eyes gleamed "We'll take over the forest!"
(RippleClan)
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath Highledge for a clan meeting!" Graystar's meowed rang through the clearing. Slowly, cats padded out of their dens. Hawkpaw followed the other apprentices out of the den. Moonheart urged her kits out of the nursery.
"We join here today to perform two of my favorite jobs as leader. These four apprentices have completed their training. Also, Littlekit and Dustkit have reached their sixth moon."
Graystar waited for everyone to settle down, then began the ceremony.
"I, Graystar, leader of RippleClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices." Hawkpaw felt his paw tingle with excitement as he recited the ancient words. "They have trained hard to learn to ways of your noble code, and I commended them to you as warriors in return." His yellow gaze raked over the four apprentices, all twitching with excitement. "Jaypaw, Mudpaw, Clawpaw and Hawkpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?" The four apprentices answered him confidently,
"I do." Mudpaw's meowed rang above all others.
"Then by the powers invested in me by StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Jaypaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Jaygaze. StarClan honors your wit and your faith." He touched his muzzle to Jaygaze's head, and he licked his shoulder.
"Mudpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Mudwhisker. StarClan honors your patience and your spirit." The same procedure was placed on Mudwhisker.
"Clawpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Clawtail. StarClan honors your strength and determination." Clawtail eagerly licked Graystar's shoulder, and Hawkpaw suppressed a shudder. Finally, it was his turn.
Graystar's eyes seemed too stare deep into his soul. "Hawkpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Hawkfeather. StarClan honors your loyalty and your courage. We welcome you all as a full warrior of RippleClan." Graystar laid his muzzle on his head, and Hawkfeather could smell the sour tang of sickness. He licked his shoulder respectfully, and listed to the clan's cheers.
"Jaygaze! Mudwhisker! Clawtail! Hawkfeather!" They chanted. Graystar waved his tail for silence.
"From this day forward, until she has earned her warrior name, this apprentice will be known as Littlepaw. Cinderclaw, you have proven yourself to be a loyal and faithful warrior. I trust that you will pass on all you can to Littlepaw." They touched noses. Graystar turned to Dustkit, whose tail was twitching nervously.
"From this day forward, until he has earned his warrior name, this apprentice will be known as Dustpaw. Wetclaw, you have proven yourself a courageous warrior. I trust you will pass on your skills to Dustpaw." Dustpaw eagerly touched noses with Wetclaw, eyes glowing with happiness.
The clan cheered happily. After the outbreak of greencough and the rogues, it was great to have something to cheer about. Hawkfeather followed the otheres to the camp entrance to sit their vigil.
Yay! He's finally a warrior! Thank you all for the name suggestions, and I'll try to include them all sooner or later!