Hello friends, readers, loyal Imaginites! Here is the third chapter of the exciting new story Scorching Lies. ENJOY OR ELSE.

Disclaimer: We do not own Warriors, but we are ImagineClan and lay full claim to the collaborative story.

Chapter 3 written by

"Today we gather to decide the fate of Speckle, a loner whom we found yesterday..."

Speckle trembled beneath her fur under the gaze of so many cats. She hated herself for her own weakness. If Flame were here next to her, she was sure she wouldn't have been half as frightened. But he was not. These were fierce wild cats with fierce blood running through their veins. If she could ever live up to them, perhaps they would leave her alone to live her normal life. Or...

She dropped her thoughts when the graceful silver she-cat, Moonstar, she remembered, spoke again.

"Cats of ImagineClan." Her clear voice rang throughout the camp. "The loner, Speckle, stayed with us overnight while I debated what to do with her with Silverfur and some of our senior warriors."

The apprentice Maplepaw could be heard shifting her weight, anticipating her new friend's fate. Some other cats exchanged hushed whispers and Speckle received many distrustful glares.

"We have concluded that we will release Speckle back to her loner life without trouble," the noble leader of the Clan continued. "A patrol containing Silverfur—"

Something stirred deep inside Speckle, a feeling that had never awakened within her before. "Have you ever had any friends? I mean, if you live by your own..." She recalled Maplepaw's words. Suddenly, a loneliness sprang from somewhere Speckle hadn't known existed. Having never experienced company, the she-cat couldn't miss what wasn't there. All this flashed through her mind in heartbeats. Before she had time to put thought into what she was attempting, her jaw was open and her tongue busy.

"Excuse me?" she squeaked, flattening her ears at the embarrassing pitch.

Moonstar's jaws snapped shut. A hush settled over the Clan. If it hadn't been completely silent before, it was now. Speckle felt the tension and it greatly unsettled her.

"Yes, Speckle?" Moonstar meowed after what seemed like an eternity. "You may speak."

The she-cat swallowed her warring emotions. There was no backing out now. "Um, well... Actually, um... I kinda, well, was considering..."

"Well, go on!" The not-so-friendly call came from the mass of staring cats. Moonstar silenced the cat and prodded Speckle on in a single nod.

"I was thinking about joining the Clan," she bit out. Thoughts of rejection swirled in the wake of her request. "Of course, if you don't want me, that's fine. It's just that I, uh, was thinking about how I strangely enjoyed the company and, um, if I could try it out for a while, I might decide." She internally winced at how the hesitancy sounded in her quavering mew.

The cats of ImagineClan were bristling.

"She's a coward!" A cat protested. His pelt was black as a cold night, and he held her within a green-yellow gaze. "Listen to how her voice shakes. 'It's just that I, uh, was thinking about how I strangely enjoyed the company and, um, if I could try it out for a while, I might decide,'" he mimicked.

Speckle cringed, wishing not for the first time that the ground would swallow her up.

"Leave her alone, Nightstep," Maplepaw protested strongly from the front of the crowd. "I say if she wants to stay, then let her!"

Nightstep bared his teeth at Maplepaw. "Mind your place, apprentice."

A loud argument ensued between the indignant apprentice and hostile warrior, exchanging strong words in loud caterwauls that nearly deafened the cats near them.

The leader was nodding thoughtfully, slitted eyes seeming to be elsewhere, oblivious to the others. "A bold act for such a young loner," she murmured to herself. She sat in silence for a while longer, weighing the possibilities. Speckle was still so young... "I suppose I can grant your wish," Moonstar went on.

The cat that had opposed Speckle's entry to the Clan abandoned his argument and hissed. "We are cats of pure blood."

"Oh, shut up, Nightstep," a dark ginger she-cat snapped. "Your loud whining is making my ears ache."

"Peace, Nightstep." Moonstar commanded smoothly. "How do you think she survived in the wild all alone? She must have hunted. She also defended herself, and made her way in solitude. Surely she can help the Clan." She glanced at a small gray tabby she cat with green eyes and white paws.

"I agree," mewed the glanced-upon cat. "May StarClan watch over her and guide her on her rightful path."

"Mouseleap has given her blessing," Moonstar announced. "Speckle will be accepted into the Clan and will decide whether she will continue as a Clan cat in her own time."

There was spitting in the watching crowd of cats. Moonstar ignored them all.

"Speckle has decided to take on the ways of a Clan cat," she yowled. "She will join us as an apprentice, for she needs the training and is of six moons of age. Speckle, from this moment on, until you have earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Specklepaw." The leader let her gaze roll over the Clan loyal to her and one another, and for a moment doubt flashed in the depths of her wise eyes. "Nightstep, you will push Specklepaw to the extents of her abilities and turn her into the best warrior she can be. You will be the new mentor of Specklepaw."

Silence.

Then, a joyous cry could be heard ringing through the forest. Maplepaw's young voice led the chant as the cats of ImagineClan opened their Clan to the newest apprentice.

"Specklepaw! Specklepaw!"

Specklepaw was bursting inside. Moonstar would be a fair judge; she could've guessed that. But a now she had a new emptiness in her heart, or maybe it was doubt. Would she ever see Flame again? Furthermore, her mentor was Nightstep, the sole cat she guessed was against having her in the Clan.

A nose brushed her ear, causing Specklepaw to start. Her muscles relaxed when she saw it was only Maplepaw.

"Go touch noses," she instructed quietly.

Specklepaw glanced into her mentor's gaze, then quickly dropped her eyes. She knew enough about Clans so that she understood mentors trained young cats to be warriors, but exactly how... That was one big blank.

She stepped forward a few paces and gingerly thrust her head forward to touch Nightstep's nose. She could feel hot breath on her face and scrutinizing eyes on her. She shook despite her soul's wishes, and apparently Nightstep's as well.

"Right," he muttered crossly. "I suppose you'll want to go running around the territory and hunt, am I correct?" Blazing, slitted eyes seemed to singe Specklepaw's fur.

"I-I guess—"

"Wrong! Loners don't get to go out on their first day. They get to do something very fun inside camp instead." Nightstep flicked his tail, motioning for her to follow. "We'll begin with collecting moss."

As the assembled cats began to break up, Specklepaw brightened. "I can collect moss," she told him. "Every night I'd add a little more to my nest."

Nightstep rolled his eyes and snorted. "Then let's see what you can do." He pointed to a mossy tree trunk just inside the camp wall. "Begin."

Specklepaw crept forward, shooting looks over her shoulder. Her guard was up. Something felt wrong. When she could see Nightstep was doing nothing but trailing her, she relaxed a little, if not completely. She strolled forward and balanced herself on three paws. Then she swung her paw out in a single motion, tearing the moss from its host. The new apprentice showed the moss to her mentor.

"I guess I'd better do something with it now...?" she murmured.

"Let me inspect it," he growled, green-yellow eyes like flints. They scrutinized the ball of moss lying at the former loner's paws. "There's dirt there, and roots still clinging on that part. Fish out the twigs, too."

Specklepaw nodded. "Okay!" she complied, good-naturedly. She didn't seem to notice how much her high spirits irritated her mentor. Dropping into a crouch so she was eye-level with her charge, she let her own gaze pierce the moss.

After a few minutes of carefully removing tiny splinters and roots and specks of soil, Specklepaw presented her bundle to Nightstep again.

"Still some dirt," he grunted.

"But it's so clean I could eat off of it!" Specklepaw protested.

Nightstep scowled. "Then maybe you should do just that. Go get a morsel and bring it back here. A morsel, mind! We don't need any prey wasted on useless loners."

Specklepaw agreed with a flick of the tail. She was hungry. Quickly, she ran over to the fresh-kill pile and grabbed a scrawny vole. She hoped it was small enough so that Nightstep didn't complain. It had to be the skinniest thing on the heap!

Running lightly back to where the black tom waited, she set the vole down on her collected moss. "Do all Clan cats eat off moss piles?" she asked.

"No," Nightstep snorted. "Now hurry up and eat. I shall show you another task you will be expected to carry out."

"This is the nursery."

Specklepaw eyed the many tumbling fur balls with silent laughter. She'd love to play with them sometime!

One tiny kit rolled up to her. Her pelt was of white and pale-grey, and her eyes like jade. "Hello!" she squeaked. "Are you the loner?"

Specklepaw shifted her paws.

"None of that, Lilykit," Nightstep murmured gently. "I'm teaching Specklepaw how to clean out the nursery!"

The kit, Lilykit, smirked. "Be sure to show her Yarrowkit's nest, then. I think his is the smelliest."

The tom purred. "Of course I will. Now you be off so we can do our job."

Once Lilykit had scrambled away, announcing very loudly her attack on Nettlekit, Nightstep led Specklepaw over to a torn patch of moss. On it lay a broad-shouldered white she-cat with blue eyes.

"Hello, Snowbear," Nightstep meowed. "I'm teaching Specklepaw how to clean out nests."

"Good," the she-cat said. "The other apprentices do a fine job, but I wouldn't mind a new helper."

"What do I do?" she asked.

Nightstep explained how to removed the moss and bring it to the dirtplace tunnel. Then he told her to bring new moss in that was completely spotless and sent her on her way.

Specklepaw was bringing in new moss and setting it down when Nightstep shook his head. "That's not spotless at all. There's those roots right there, some dust there, and it's completely torn up!"

Snowbear sniffed. "I think it's fine," she remarked. "Bring it here and roll it out."

The warrior frowned as his apprentice happily obeyed the queen. "Whatever."

"Go visit Mouseleap and get instructions for removings the elders' ticks," Nightstep told her. "Then retire to your nest."

Specklepaw nodded and padded into what her mentor had told her was the medicine-cat den. She found the cat that had given her her blessing in front of the Clan.

"Hello?" she asked. "Are you Mouseleap?"

The she-cat nodded. "I am. Did Nightstep send you for the mouse bile to remove the elders' ticks?"

Specklepaw frowned. "He did."

Mouseleap got a disdainful look on her face. "I thought as much. Okay, I'm going to put the mouse-bile on a ball of moss and put it on a stick. Don't touch the moss, or else you'll be smelling like mouse-bile for a moon."

Specklepaw flicked her tail. "Okay. Then what?"

"Apply the mouse-bile to the tick and it will drop off. They hate the scent as much as we do." She gave the new apprentice the stick and wished her good luck.

Nightstep guided her to the elders' den. Inside was a dark gray tabby tom with green eyes. He had several scars, a torn ear and a ragged pelt. A she-cat slept next to him.

"Raggedfur, this is Specklepaw. She's going to get the ticks off you." The black tom nodded once before exiting the den.

"Hello," Specklepaw greeted around the stick. "Where are yo-"

"I have one on my belly right here." The tom rolled over and pointed with his eyes.

Specklepaw searched his pelt for the tick. When she found it, she dabbed the mouse-bile on the annoyance.

"Ouch! Not that hard," Raggedfur complained. He jerked, causing the young she-cat to pull back.

"Sorry," she muttered. She briefly wondered what Maplepaw was doing. Probably hunting or battle training like she wished she herself were doing, not removing ticks from persnickety elders. She unconsciously sighed and let the moss fall onto her paws.

"Oops!" she squeaked.

"Thanks for the help," Raggedfur murmured as he fell to sleep.

Specklepaw rolled her eyes. "You are so very, very welcome."

Specklepaw flopped into the nest Maplepaw had helped her build. She rested her chin on her paws and breathed deeply, relishing the darkness when she closed her eyes.

The young apprentice lazily slitted her eyes when she sensed someone next to her. "Maplepaw," she acknowledged.

"Yuck," the other she-cat hissed, as if attempting not to breathe. "What in StarClan's name...?"

"Please, don't ask," Specklepaw begged quietly.

Maplepaw nodded, curled up on herself and sighed softly and wearily. Specklepaw could only dream of what fun had worn her friend out. "Good night, Specklepaw," she murmured.

"Good night." It didn't feel right to be here. She remembered the day Flame had told her about how wonderful the Clans were. Had he been wrong? Had she been wrong to believe him? This wasn't even remotely pleasant at all. All she had done that day included boring tasks. "Help me make the right decision," she whispered to no one in particular. Perhaps Maplepaw's StarClan would watch over her. Perhaps.

She drifted off, her dreams ever in undecided turmoil.

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-ImagineClan