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Lion

Lion rose to his paws sleepily. With a yawn, the golden tabby trotted out of his den, pausing in a ray of sunlight. "I suppose I'll do some early hunting in the forest." He meowed to himself.

"Surely you aren't leaving without me!" A voice said behind Lion and he spun around, startled. "Oh Shard," Lion purred flicking his tail across the she-cat's black ears. "I was waiting for you to get up." Shard sniffed indignantly "Sure you were."

Lion padded out of camp heading towards the forest. "The twolegs seem more active today." Shard remarked. Lion's gaze turned to where Shard was pointing. The thunderpath roared with activity, Lion frowned.

"It will be hard crossing the thunderpath today." Lion meowed worriedly, watching monsters run by. "Yes, but we can do it." Shard meowed confidently.

"Look, over there!" Lion pointed urgently at a black and white tom crouched in the middle of the thunderpath, his ears flattened against his head in fear. "We need to help him!" Shard yowled at the tom, seeing his situation.

"Help!" The black and white cat opened his mouth to wail pitifully. In a flash Lion saw out of the corner of his eye a monster dashing towards the young cat. Lion leapt onto the black surface and tackled the cat, pushing him off the thunderpath right before the monster roared past.

"Lion!" Shard halted at the golden tom's side, her tail lashing. "You could have gotten killed!" Shard lectured her friend harshly, but Lion knew that it was only because Shard was worried about him.

"Who are you?" The black and white cat's voice sounded from behind them. "Oops! Forgot you were there." Shard apologized, twitching her ears. "My name is Flickerpaw." Flickerpaw lifted his head, meeting Lion's icy blue gaze.

"You sound like a clan cat, are you?" Lion asked him curiously. "Yes, Windclan." Flickerpaw meowed proudly.

Flickerpaw looked Lion curiously and then took a step back, a look of resentment flashing across his face. "What are those?" He asked, pointing at Lion's red spiked collar. "Oh, it's my collar." Lion replied. "You're a kittypet?" Flickerpaw asked incredulously. "Of course not!" Shard snapped at the younger cat. "We're Bloodclan." Lion added. "Is that another clan?" Flickerpaw asked frowning. "No, it's sort of a band of cats." Lion explained to Flickerpaw impatiently. Flickerpaw kept bombarding Lion and Shard with questions until Lion raised her tail for silence.

Shard rolled her eyes as if to say, "This arrogant cat is going to drive me insane." Lion stifled a chuckle and beckoned Flickerpaw with his tail. "Come on, we'll lead you to camp." Lion glanced at Shard for support and she nodded.

"Okay," Flickerpaw followed the two older cats willingly. "So, Flickerpaw, what's it like being in a clan?" Shard asked him.

"It stinks, I'm the leader's son and everyone is just so... over-protective!" Flickerpaw responded in a snarl. "They think I'm helpless, like I can't take care of myself!" Flickerpaw lashed his tail resentfully.

"But you can of course. That's why you ran away." Lion added earning a grateful look from Flickerpaw. "Exactly." Flickerpaw nodded.

"Finally someone understands!" Flickerpaw exclaimed after a while of walking in silence. Shard purred "I know how it feels."

Lion nodded at the camp entrance, "We're here." Lion saw Flickerpaw gulp and Shard walked through to entrance confidently.

"Shard, Lion, who have you brought into camp?" Scourge's icy voice sounded from the dumpster. "Father, he is a runaway clan cat." Shard answered.

"Clan cat come forward." Scourge ordered Flickerpaw. Flickerpaw padded forward, his amber eyes nervous. "Do you wish to join Bloodclan?" Scourge asked him suddenly. "Yes." The black and white tom replied strongly.

"Surely we aren't going to let a low-life like him in!" A voice cried from the crowd assembled in the clearing.

Lion spun around scanning the crowd for the source of the voice. "Bone." Scourge's eyes narrowed dangerously. The arrogant black and white tom stalked forward. "Do you have,a problem, with my decision to let him join?" Scourge's tone obviously left no room for argument but Bone didn't seem to hear it. "Yeah, I do! Remember Claw?" Bone spat. Fang flinched at the mention of his dead brother. "He was killed by clan cats, just like him!" Bone pointed his tail accusingly at Flickerpaw. "Bone, shut up." Lion flicked his long haired tail over Bone's mouth.

"Flickerpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Flicker." Scourge turned back to the young tom. "Flicker! Flicker! Flicker!" Shard led the chant for the newly named cat.

Bone spat out Lion's tail and gave the golden tom a deadly stare. "Lion." He growled menacingly. But before Bone could do anything Lion heard Scourge's voice.

"Bone! I would like a word with you." Scourge meowed sharply, beckoning Bone away from Lion. Bone glared fiercely at Lion and snarled threateningly "Watch your tail Lion, once I get my paws on you you'll never wish you had been born."

Uh-oh, Lion better watch your tail!

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