Chapter 1:
The Meeting

Eight moons later…

A black she-cat crept to where her parents, brother, and sisters slept. When she got close enough, she shouted, "Good morning!"

Her parents jumped at least a foot into the air while her siblings' heads shot up.

"Angelpaw!" Her mother, Runningrain, said.

"For StarClan's sake, what's with the racket?" Cloudpaw complained from where she was nestled into her mother's fur.

"You didn't see the sunrise with me like you promised." She said, giggling.

"Oh…" Bearstar sighed, shaking his head wearily.

Later, after Angelpaw had finished training with her mentor, Darkwind, she asked her mother, "Mother, why do Father and Riverstar from WaterClan have to fight?"

"Your father and Riverstar have a bad history together, my angel. Even so, remember that they are just like us. We are one." Runningrain said.

"I don't understand." Angelpaw said, cocking her head in confusion.

"Don't worry. You will someday, my angel." Her mother said.

Bearstar showed up then. Angelpaw remembered: Today she was finally going to be allowed out by herself! Her brother and sisters had been given this privilege a moon ago because of their maturity.

"Remember, stay near the camp, stay away from the borders, and stay away from strangers." Bearstar reminded her, stressing the last rule.

"I will!" Angelpaw yowled as she dashed away.

She intended to obey her father, but a mouse distracted her and she ended up wandering further away than she was supposed to.

Soon, she came to the river that marked the border between MoonClan's and WaterClan's territories.

She saw the stepping-stones and cautiously made her way across the river. As soon as she reached the other side, she gaped in amazement…WaterClan's territory. As she wandered deeper in, she bumped into someone. Looking up, she saw a golden tom with icy blue eyes. He couldn't have been much older than her, maybe a moon at the most.

"You're from MoonClan." He hissed. "Get off of my Clan's territory!" He raised an unsheathed paw to hit her. Angelpaw trembled and closed her eyes in fear. Nothing happened.

Angelpaw opened her eyes to see that he had fled. Then she felt something wet drip on her head. She looked up to see a black-and-white dog.

With a gasp, she ran to catch up with the tom. "Yuck! It drooled on me!"

It followed them across the river back into MoonClan's territory until a Twoleg came and took it away.

In amazement, Angelpaw's amber eyes widened. "Did you see the size of that thing? You were really brave!"

"Yeah?" The tom smiled. This she-cat meant no harm. "You were, too. My name's Goldenpaw."

"I'm Angelpaw!" She beamed. "Wanna fight?"

Goldenpaw looked admiringly at her. "Sure."

They started to stalk around each other, waiting for a chance to strike, when Angelpaw's father, Bearstar, leaped out of nowhere. Riverstar also jumped in front of Goldenpaw. Behind each of the leaders was their mate. With Mistsong was their daughter, Sunpaw.

"Bearstar. Runningrain."

"Riverstar. Mistsong. Sunpaw. What are you doing here?"

"Don't you know? You stole what I wanted most! How could that mouse-brain chose you, a weak, lazy mouse-heart over a true warrior like me?" Riverstar spat, turning to his son. "This is my son and your murderer, Goldenpaw. However, my son has been a weakling from birth. I have no use for such an inferior kit." He scooted Goldenpaw close, trying to get Bearstar to kill him.

"Take him and get out now." Bearstar hissed.

Riverstar narrowed his eyes at Bearstar and his mate and daughter and left, his mate following him, leaving a terrified Goldenpaw.

Bearstar looked at Goldenpaw, who then fled for dear life. Bearstar turned and left, Runningrain following.

Angelpaw remained where she was for a moment as she said, quietly, "Bye." She then turned and left for her camp.

"Bye." Goldenpaw said just as quietly while still on her side of the border, and then proceeded back across the river and to his camp.

When Goldenpaw got back home, his youngest sister, Sunpaw, met him.

"Goldenpaw, why were you playing with that she-cat?" She asked curiously.

"I liked her." Goldenpaw said, flattening his ears.

"I think Father is mad at you." Sunpaw informed him. "He stalked right past Mother, and you know that, unless he's super mad at you, he never does that."

Goldenpaw sighed and went to go find his father to apologize. He found him talking to one of the warriors, a brown she-cat named Maplebeam. Once he was done talking to her, he turned around to see son.

"Riverstar, I'm sorry I played with that she-cat." Goldenpaw said, looking down at the ground.

"What were you doing with her?" He growled angrily.

"I thought that..." He began, wincing.

"You thought what? That you could get close to..." Riverstar stopped mid-sentence, thinking it over. Goldenpaw still looked down at the ground.

"What an idea, my brilliant kit! You get close to Bearstar's daughter and then you earn his trust and then attack from the inside." He said.

"Wait, what?" Goldenpaw asked. He didn't get any of what his father had just said.

"I'm very proud of you Goldenpaw, thinking up such a great plan." The tomcat said.

Goldenpaw didn't like the sound of that, but if it earned him praise from Riverstar, he was in.

Sunpaw, who had sneaked behind her father, was listening in, and when she heard what her father said, her ears flattened in sadness. She knew Riverstar's plan wouldn't bring any good to the Clans, only more pain.

"Angelpaw, I'm very disappointed into you." Bearstar said. The sun was setting in MoonClan.

"I'm sorry Father. I just thought that he was nice to play with." Angelpaw said.

"Do you know who he is?" Bearstar asked.

Angelpaw shook her head no.

"He is the son of Riverstar." Her father said, licking her ear.

"I don't understand." Angelpaw sighed sadly, looking at her paws.

"You will when you're older, but as of now, I'm going to have to get someone to watch over you every time you go wandering around the territory for the time being." Bearstar said, laying his tail on Angelpaw's shoulder gently.

Angelpaw only mewed sadly.