Chapter 2

Author's Note: Welcome to Marshclan, a Clan filled with cats who are as mysterious as the land upon which they walk. Lightstar is their proud leader, whose leads her Clanmates towards an unknown goal. Tread the mire with confidence when you stride alongside Pebblemark, for this long-lived deputy as trained many in the Clan. There is none better at curing injury or sickness than silent Moonfreckle. However, beware your words when in this Clan's presence. Their more friendly nature is a disguise hiding a dark undercurrent.

Sunlight shined brightly on the long branches of the weeping willows. The long shadows covered land and water. In most places, it was impossible to tell in the land was solid enough to hold a cat's weight. Moss and lily pads floated along the top of the dark waters. Frogs croaked their morning songs. Fish swam slowly in zig-zags in order to keep themselves safe from the deadly predators which relied on the bountiful population for food. A school of fish suddenly split, using their powerful tails to throw bubbles into their attacker's eyes. Razor-sharp claws hooked a fish in the gills. Twisting easily, a young gray she-cat headed for the water's surface with her catch. Her ears carefully lifted a lily pad. This technique allowed the she-cat's yellow eyes to open and clear without alerting any watching eyes to her location. Strong strokes pulled her along the water's surface. As her sleek fur pulled free of the water, a dark brown tabby slipped beneath, using moss to cover his actions.

A large willow rose high. Its stretching roots had gathered dirt into its powerful grip. Thus, a small island was formed in the middle of the marsh. Cats kept careful watch from the safety of the reeds while their Clanmates hunted below the surface. As each hunter returned, they would be replaced by a guard. It was a cycle that gave each cat a chance to rest and kept each hunter safe from predators. Sitting on a thick root above the rest was a small brown tom with white splotches. Amber eyes were narrowed, focusing on his Clanmates as they went about their business. The cats beneath him never minded his gaze or his harsh criticism. Many understood their deputy well.

Ears twisted as a quiet chittering echoed from one cat to another. Slowly the Marshclan deputy slid into the shadows of roots and reeds. His splotches allowed him blend near perfectly. The guards never acknowledged his presence as he passed. They knew that the enemy could be watching at any moment, ready to strike. Their deputy was valued even higher than their leader. Marshclan had faced the worst history of the five Clans. Thirteen times they had nearly been eradicated from existence from wars alone. Illness constantly swept through their ranks due to the living conditions surrounding them. Before the rise of Alderstar, Marshclan had experience moons of limited fighting, no illness, and bountiful prey. Thus, they grew in strength and prepared for war. It was during these moons that their deputy was born. He watched as Alderstar became deputy then leader. He watched as blood drowned the forest in red. Countless battles he had survived. He had even faced off against Alderstar's first deputy and won. As more and more cats fell to Forestclan and Hillclan claws, he took on the role of training the surviving apprentices. Now nearly three-quarters of the Clan had been trained by him at one point or another. Therefore, there had been no surprise when Lightstar named him her tenth deputy.

"Pebblemark, thank you for coming," a soft-spoken voice echoed from a hole beneath a willow tree. The tom paused and looked in that direction. Green eyes glowed from the shadows, revealing Lightstar's presence. The leader meowed, "How is the hunting progressing?"

Her deputy instantly meowed confidently, "Splendidly. Forestclan may take the land-dwelling prey, but they will not dare to swim in our waters. There is plenty of fish this breeding season to feed us for the necessary moons." He gave his leader a toothy grin, "Alderstar was a fool."

"No!" Lightstar snapped. The sandy tabby she-cat pulled herself from the makeshift den. Her recently born kits mewled for her to return quickly. Her fluffy tail flicked in annoyance, "We must never underestimate Alderstar. There was something more to the attack than just stealing prey."

Pebblemark snorted, "He was probably thinking of the prophecy. We have the highest concentration of gray cats in all the Clans."

"Most likely. However, we don't know if he was successful or not." Lightstar sniffed the damp air as she checked on her fellow queens, "That's why I wanted our nursery brought out here."

The small tom growled, "We are perfectly capable of keeping further attacks away from the original nursery. If you are so worried about kits, we should strike back at Forestclan and take the kits back."

"Perhaps we will when this forced truce is over," his leader meowed calmly. Her ears flicked away a bug, "Regardless, our territory is the least known due to most cats hating water. I want to use that to our advantage. Continue to move our camp around the large willow island. It'll increase the area to guard but should hopefully make it harder for our camp to be found in the future." Her green eyes bore into Pebblemark's amber gaze, "And speak with Moonfreckle. She needs cats to help her gather and sort herbs along with moving to a new den."

Pebblemark gave a curt nod, "Understood, Lightstar. I'll get the apprentices on it. The Seniors will be less likely to fight with Forestclan, so I'll send four of them in that direction to mark the borders. Hailclaw will lead a patrol towards Hillclan. Lastly, Trouthook informed me that Floodpaw and Inkpaw are ready for their trials. I've already tasked Stonehawk with preparing the trial grounds and tasks."

"Good. At least we have good news in the wake of our recent attack. I know you had a paw in training Floodpaw and Inkpaw, along with their deceased mentors. They will passed the trials and become warriors soon." Lightstar briskly turned and ducked back into her den. "Please ask the hunters to bring me and the queens some food."

With a lazy blink, her deputy replied, "Of course."

With that, the tom turned and padded back towards the willow island that would now stand at the center of Marshclan's new camp. Amber eyes rose to study the towering tree and dappling sunlight. A cold smile snaked up his lips. Any attacker would be foolish to come here. Already the deputy could feel warm fur slink into the water beneath his paws. His mentor had even trained many a Marshclan cat in the art of using one's own body weight to drag an enemy to the bottom. Lightstar's idea had that one strength. Marshclan was now surrounded by their greatest asset. No other Clan commonly trained their warriors in how to swim. Even fighting in the marshy mire made it easy for Marshclan cats to win. As this thought came to his mind, Pebblemark spotted Inkpaw seized a young Clanmate, Ashpaw, and drag him beneath the surface in a surprise attack. Frogleap had been the Senior who developed the technique of using the dark water to hide one's approach on a drinking or swimming cat. It also allowed one to sneak up on prey.

The reeds shook to his left. Immediately Pebblemark scented the air. Recognizing the scent, he meowed, "Firefang, what do you have to report?"

Slowly a ginger she-cat pulled herself from the reeds. Her amber eyes glittered with satisfaction, "You were right. There was a rogue nursing a litter of kits within our borders."

A snarl touched his lips, "And?"

Bloody claws flexed, "I ended the rogue threat. The kits haven't even opened their eyes."

Pebblemark touched his adopted daughter's forehead, "Good, Youngling. Bring them in at sundown. I've already signed you to that patrol." He began to pad away, "They'll make fine additions to Marshclan's forces."

Firefang smiled proudly after her father, knowing how hard it was to get praise from him, "Thank you, Pebblemark. It is my duty to serve you, as you rescued me from living alongside Hillclan filth."

Both cats headed in different directions. Firefang soon spotted Willowleaf, Icestrike, and Ripplecatch. She smiled and waved her tail. The other cats did the same. All were from different litters, born to unknown parents. Yet all would have grown up living terrible lives had Pebblemark not saved them. None spoke against their powerful father. None wanted to know his plans for the future. Each had learned that, in Marshclan, secrets were better left buried. Every cat had a plan, a desire. So long as one didn't betray the foundation of their Clan, every other cat looked the other way. Firefang and her siblings were all too happy to follow their father's pawsteps. As the young warrior grabbed a fish for Lightstar, she silently hoped her leader would grant her a kit to train. That way she would pass on her father's legacy to the next generation.

For in Marshclan, only a leader's kit could become the next leader.

Cactopus: Say hi to Pebblemark. His skills you listed made him the perfect Marshclan warrior, as they are similar to Riverclan in many ways. However, I needed a deputy for this Clan. Knowing Lightstar as I do, what better deputy could she have than the one tom who has survived many a battle and has successfully trained more than half of her Clan. Thus, he has taken on the role of deputy – meaning that he will often face dreaded Sandviper in combat. And don't worry, Stormcloud and Hazelstrike will appear in their respective Clans.

Second Author's Note: Marshclan is the antithesis to Forestclan. Forestclan is very outright with who they are, what they want, and what they believe. Marshclan, over moons of being attacked and looked down upon, has learned to keep secrets silent until the right moment. In actuality, this is the Clan that has often foiled Forestclan's advancements.

Also, each Clan refers to their ranks differently. The ranks are: Leader, Deputy, Medicine Cat, Senior Warrior, Warrior, Young Warrior, Apprentices, and Kits. There is also Queens and Elders. However, based on the Clan structure, these ranks may be referred to differently or have differently responsibilities. In Marshclan, for example, the Deputy plays a larger role as a leader than the actual Leader. The Leader acts more as a judge or a tiebreaker. Another example is that Marshclan refers to Senior Warriors as "Senior" and Young Warriors as "Younglings".