Chapter 1
Stormstar let out a yowl. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock."
Cats appeared at once from their dens, and before long the whole Clan was gathered below the Highrock, all eyes on their leader.
"I have discovered a kit. She is a natural hunter, and will join our Clan." Murmurs rippled throughout the cats. One cat let out a yowl of protest, but Stormstar fixed him with a cold stare.
He stepped to the side to reveal the ginger kit, her eyes wide as she realized all these cats had their attention on her. "She is seven moons old, and is old enough to become an apprentice." He faced her calmly. "From this moment forward until you become a warrior, you will be Maplepaw. I shall be your mentor, and will teach you the ways of our Clan." With a flick of his tail he beckoned Maplepaw to follow him down the Highrock. The crowd of cats split up into groups.
"Now, don't be afraid. Many cats will have to get used to a new cat in our Clan." Stormstar sat under the cool shade of the Highrock, and Maplepaw sat next to him. He looked at her gently, and Maplepaw let her fur on her pelt lie flat.
"There are other Clans in the forest: WindClan, ShadowClan, and RiverClan. We belong to ThunderClan." He looked about at all the other cats around him. "All these cats here are part of it. Now you are, too!"
Maplepaw had a proud gleam in her amber eyes. She was part of ThunderClan!
"Right now you're training as an apprentice to become a warrior," Stormstar explained. "I'm only one of the warriors in the Clan. We have all kinds of jobs, but the most important thing is to help our Clan. We need to survive, and everyone helps keep the Clan together.
"Many times we fight in battles to keep our territory – the more territory we have, the more prey we'll be able to eat. You're training in some areas like fighting, so when you become a warrior you'll fight against Clans to help win battles. But beware – sometimes, violence is not the answer." Stormstar stared mysteriously into the apprentice's eyes, and she held his gaze steadily, wondering what he meant.
"Do you know why you became an apprentice at seven moons old?" Stormstar asked. Maplepaw shook her head. "It's because kits have to be six moons old before they even begin training as apprentices. I'm your mentor, which means I will train you to be a warrior. You're lucky - many apprentices never get the leader of their Clan as a mentor."
Maplepaw widened her eyes. Her mentor was leader of the Clan?
"Yes, I'm leader. You can tell because my name ends with 'star.' You're an apprentice because your name ends with a 'paw.' When you become a warrior your name ends with various things, like 'pelt,' 'tail,' 'flower,' 'pool,' 'heart,' and so on.
"Now I would like to bring you on border patrol. We have it so we can re-scent our border and remind other Clans not to cross it. I will also show you some stalking techniques that will improve your chances of hunting prey, as you are a natural, so you can hunt for the Clan."
"What? For the Clan?" Maplepaw asked incredulously. She was already hungry – why did she have to hunt prey for some other cat?
"Yes, the Clan always comes first," he answered.
"Is survival here really so hard?" Maplepaw was more and more curious as Stormstar went on.
"Our territory covers only part of the forest," Stormstar answered. "As I said, we compete with other Clans for what we have. And this year, late newleaf means prey is very scarce.
"Now, come along!" Stormstar trotted off towards a gorse tunnel. Maplepaw hurried after him, bouncing inside with enthusiasm. She was actually an apprentice of ThunderClan!