A Prisoner
A moon had passed by peacefully without any conflicts after his warrior ceremony. Now Nightfrost was bringing back a squirrel, a thrush and two mice back to camp. He nodded to Mousefur, who was on guard duty, also nodded back.
Nightfrost put his prey on the fresh-kill pile, taking only the squirrel to the nursery. Along the way, he bumped into Lionheart. "Hello, Nightfrost," the golden tom mewed. "Are you bringing that squirrel to the nursery?"
Nightfrost nodded. "Really? I going to meet up with my mate. Ever since I became deputy, I've been too busy to go to her."
Nightfrost dropped the prey. "I never knew. Who is your mate, Lionheart?"
Lionheart purred as Nightfrost picked up the dropped prey. "The lovely, pure white she-cat with four kits," the deputy replied as they padded into the nursery.
"Hello, Lionheart. And Nightfrost" purred Goldenflower, who was watching Swiftkit and several other kits playing together. "Hello, Goldenflower, how is Swiftkit?"
Goldenflower's eyes flickered worryingly. "He is growing well, though he can be a bit skittish at times."
"I see..." The deputy mewed with narrowed eyes, and turned away. Lionheart padded to the white queen and nudged her cheek. Frostfur turned her head away from the kits and smiled at him.
With no words, Nigthfrost dropped the squirrel in front of Goldenflower and she purred in thanks. "Thank you, Nightfrost, but Sandpaw already gave me a mouse left over from the other day. Frostfur hasn't eaten yet."
Nightfrost nodded and took the prey to the white queen. "Thank-"
"A Riverclan warrior! Attack!" yowled one of the kits, hitting his muzzle.
"Ow!"
"Thornkit! How many times do I have to tell you not to attack apprentices and warriors when they are busy," Frostfur scolded.
"But Mom! I'm bored! Cinderkit, Brackenkit and Brightkit are still asleep!"
"Thornkit!" Frostfur said in a hushed tone.
"I'm sorry..."
"Don't just apologize to me. Say sorry to Nightfrost too."
The golden kit turned to the small warrior. "I'm sorry, Nightfrost."
"Don't worry about it, Thornkit. Say what were you playing earlier?"
"Frostfur!" Bluestar called, outside the nursery. The white queen pushed herself up and padded outside. As she left the nest, the kits mewed loudly.
"Hush, kits," purred the white cat reassuringly. "I won't be long." Then she turned to her leader. "Yes, Bluestar? What is it?"
"One of our apprentices has seen a fox in the area. Warn the other queens to guard the nursery carefully. And make sure all kits less than six moons stay inside the camp until our warriors have driven it away."
Frostfur nodded. "I will pass on the warning, Bluestar. Thank you." Then she turned and squeezed back into the nursery to quiet the crying kits.
He was about to keep playing with the kits when Bluestar yowled for a clan meeting. The clan gathered around the Highrock. The black warrior sees Firepaw with a battle-scared, dark gray she-cat with a very stale Shadowclan scent when he opened his mouth.
"I'm sure you have all heard about the prisoner we brought back with us today," Bluestar began. "But there is something else you need to know." She glanced down at the raddled she-cat who lay very still beside the Highrock. "Can you hear me from there?" she asked.
"I may be old, but I'm not deaf yet!" the elderly she-cat spat in reply.
Nightfrost perked his ears as the clan wondered why Shadowclan's medicine cat, Yellowfang, is here.
Bluestar ignored the prisoner's hostile tone and continued. "I'm afraid I have some very grave news. Today I traveled with a patrol into Windclan territory. The air was filled with the scent of Shadowclan. Almost every tree had been sprayed by Shadowclan warriors. And we met no Windclan cats even though we journeyed deep into their heartland."
Her words were met with silence. Nightfrost saw confusion in the faces of the Clan cats.
"Do you mean ShadowClan has chased them out?" called Smallear hesitantly.
"We can't be sure," Bluestar meowed. "Certainly the scent of ShadowClan was everywhere. We found blood, too, and fur. There must have been a battle, though we found no bodies from either Clan."
A shocked yowl rose from the crowd in a single voice.
"How can WindClan have been driven out?" One-eye croaked hoarsely. "ShadowClan is fierce, but WindClan is many. They have lived in the uplands for generations. Why have they been chased out now?" She shook her head anxiously, her whiskers trembling.
"I don't know the answers to any of your questions," meowed Bluestar. "It is well known that ShadowClan has recently appointed a new leader, following the death of Raggedstar. Their new leader, Brokenstar, gave no hint of any threat when we met him at the last Gathering."
"Perhaps Yellowfang has answers?" snarled Darkstripe. "After all, she is of ShadowClan!"
"I am no traitor! Nothing would make me share the secrets of ShadowClan with a brute like you!" growled Yellowfang, glaring aggressively at Darkstripe. The ThunderClan warrior moved forward, ears flat, eyes closed to slits, ready for a fight.
"Stop!" yowled Bluestar.
Darkstripe immediately halted in his tracks, even though Yellowfang goaded him on with blazing eyes and a ferocious hiss.
"That's enough!" Bluestar growled. "This situation is too serious for us to be fighting among ourselves. ThunderClan must prepare itself. From this moonrise onward, warriors will travel in larger groups. Other Clan members will remain close to the camp. Patrols will travel the boundary edges more frequently, and all the kits must stay in the nursery."
The cats below her nodded in agreement.
Bluestar continued. "Our need for warriors is our greatest obstacle. We shall get around this by speeding up the training of our apprentices. They need to be ready even sooner to fight for our Clan. One young cat has been sharing mentors with Graypaw and Ravenpaw. By teaching him, I shall speed up the training of all three apprentices." She paused and looked down at her Clan. "I shall take on Firepaw as my own apprentice."
Nightfrost turned to see his brother, eyes wide in amazement. He growled as Tigerclaw spoke.
"So Firepaw is to be rewarded, not punished, for feeding an enemy warrior when he should have been feeding his own Clan?"
"Firepaw is my apprentice now. I will deal with him," answered Bluestar. She stared into Tigerclaw's fierce eyes for a moment before lifting her head to address the whole Clan once more. "Yellowfang will be allowed to stay here until she has recovered her strength. We are warriors, not savages. She is to be treated with respect and courtesy."
"But the Clan cannot support Yellowfang," Darkstripe protested. "We have too many mouths to feed already."
"I don't need anyone to care for me!" spat Yellowfang. "And I'll split open anyone who tries!"
There were muffled meows from the other warriors as they grudgingly recognized the enemy warrior's fighting spirit. Bluestar ignored the murmuring. "We shall kill two prey with one blow, as it were. Firepaw, as punishment for breaking the warrior code, it will be your responsibility to care for Yellowfang. You will hunt for her and tend her wounds. You will fetch fresh bedding and clear away her dirt."
"Yes, Bluestar," mewed Firepaw, his head bowed in submission.
Mocking yowls came from Dustpaw and Sandpaw. "Good idea!" hissed Dustpaw. "Firepaw had better be good at cracking fleas!"
"And hunting!" added Sandpaw. "That sack of bones is going to need feeding up!"
Nightfrost hissed at them.
"Enough!" Bluestar interrupted them. "I hope Firepaw will find no shame in caring for Yellowfang. She is a healer, and she is his elder. For those reasons alone he should respect her!" She shot a sharp glance at Sandpaw and Dustpaw. "And there is no humiliation in caring for another cat when it is unable to take care of itself. The meeting is over. I would like to speak to my senior warriors alone now." With that, she jumped down from the Highrock and marched toward her den.
Lionheart followed her. The other Clan cats began to move away from the Highrock. One or two congratulated Firepaw on being chosen as Bluestar's apprentice; others mockingly wished him luck looking after Yellowfang. Nightfrost growled and padded forward, the other cats backing away when they heard the growl.
"You alright, Firepaw?" Nightfrost mewed, concerned. Firepaw only nodded blankly, dazed.
Nightfrost watched as Longtail padded to his brother. The young warrior drew back his whiskers into an ugly snarl.
"Well, I hope you'll think twice about bringing strays back into the camp next time," he sneered. "Like I said, outsiders always bring trouble."
Nightfrost goes to Firepaw as the she-cat hisses and comments at the apprentice. " "Stop right there, kittypet!""
Firepaw signs. "You can call me what you like," he mewed wearily. "I'm just following Bluestar's orders."
"You are a kittypet, though, aren't you?" Yellowfang wheezed.
"I used to live with Twolegs when I was a kitten," Firepaw replied calmly.
"Your mother a kittypet? Your father a kittypet?"
"Yes, they were."
The former Shadowclan medicine cat scoffed. "Kittypet blood is not the same as warrior blood. Why don't you run home to your Twolegs now instead of looking after me? It's humiliating, being fussed over by a lowborn cat like you!"
His brother snarls. "You'd still feel humiliated if I were warrior-born. You'd feel ashamed whether I was a precious she-cat from your own Clan or a wretched Twoleg that had picked you off the ground." He lashed his tail from side to side. "It's the fact that you need to rely on any cat that you find so humiliating! You're just going to have to get used to being cared for until you are well enough to look after yourself, you spiteful old bone bag!"
Yellowfang wheezed, shocking both Nightfrost and Firepaw, who became concerned.
"Look, I didn't mean…" he began.
"Mr-ow, ow-ow," she mewled, a purr rumbling up from deep inside her chest.
"You have spirit, kittypet," Yellowfang croaked, stopping at last. "Now, I'm tired and my leg hurts. I need sleep and something to put on this wound. Go and find that pretty little medicine cat of yours and ask her for some herbs. I think you'll find a goldenrod poultice would help. And, while you're at it, I wouldn't mind a few poppy seeds to chew on. The pain is killing me!"
Firepaw nodded and padded to Spottedleaf's den. Yellowfang turned to Nightfrost with curious eyes.
"Are his sibling?" Nightfrost stood there, surprised.
"Yes, I am his older half-brother."
"Half brother...that explains the similarity and his protectiveness, but the differences are such opposites..." the prisoner muttered, the warrior sitting in front of her. Yellowfang looked up to him.
"What your name?"
"Nightfrost."
Yellowfang's eyes widen. "You are such a small warrior! You wouldn't happen to be less than twelve moons old, are you?"
"No, in fact, I believe I'm only several moons younger than Tigerclaw."
Yellowfang stared at him in shock before muttering. Nightfrost stained his ears to hear her. The cat suddenly snapped her eyes up to him.
"What are you doing?! Well?! Don't you have anything you as a warrior to do right now?! Shoo! Shoo!"
Nightfrost padded out the area, not wanting anger the cat. Firepaw nodded and walked past him, looking once at Tigerclaw. The tom's eyes narrowed at the apprentice, not noticed by his half-brother.